Chapter Two: Dawn


"Come on, Buffy," Dawn said to herself. She didn't have much time until the twins woke up from their afternoon naps and the screaming would ensue. She slammed the phone down angrily. That girl needs an answering machine. "Billy!" She called out. A ruddy-faced six-year old, donning a baseball cap and a baseball glove walked in from the back door.

"What, Mom?" he asked throwing a baseball in the air and catching it with his glove.

"Go check on the twins for me," she said stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce at the stove.

"Why can't you?" he whined.

"And I'm cooking dinner before your dad gets home. Now go," she said.

"Aw, Mom, I'm playing outside," he protested.

Dawn sighed irritably, "And if you want to continue, you'll do as I ask. And wash your face."

He glared at her and she stuck out her tongue. He laughed and went to the twin's room. Dawn picked up the phone again, and dial her sister's number. After twelve rings, she hung up. "Grr," she growled. Buffy was probably out with the girl's at the playground. Her and Buffy used to love doing that. Her favorite times were when Buffy would push her on the swings. But that had all been a fake memory. Given to her when the monks made her human. Now, she was used to it. The fact that she was once being the all-powerful and destructible Key, was now just part of her life.

She didn't just shrug off her old life in Sunnydale, like her sister had. She had told her husband about it. Jack didn't have any trouble with it. His sister was a witch and his parents had been killed by demons when he was a toddler and they were raised by their grandmother who was also a witch. He had grown up knowing and learning about mysticism and all that good stuff.

"Can I go play now?" Billy asked.

Dawn looked down at her little boy. His cheeks were still red and there was dirt on his nose. She rolled her eyes, "Fine, but be in before sundown." The boy beamed at her and ran outside. She grabbed the phone and decided to call Willow.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Willow."

"Dawnie, hey!" Willow's voice lit up. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How've you been?" Dawn asked.

"Can't complain."

"And Kennedy?"

"She's great." Dawn heard muffled voices from the other end of the phone. "Kennedy says hi," Willow said.

"Tell her I said hi. How's Selene?" Dawn asked.

Willow smiled. "She's getting so big," Willow said of her adopted daughter. "She'll be getting ready to say her first word soon. I thought she said 'bird' but it ended up being gas."

Dawn giggled. "That's great, Will."

"And Billy and the twins?"

Dawn sighed, 'They're all a handful. Jack helps out so much, but, I can't wait to go back to work."

"How is Jack?"

Dawn smiled, "He's good. He asked about you the other day. Wanted to know if his sister had talked to you."

"Sheila called the other day. She still wants me to help her run the new coven, but, I think I'll have to pass. At least until Selene gets a little older," Willow told her.

"Good. Have you talked to Buffy?"

"I talked to her the other day..."

"And?"

"Next week's still set. I called Faith and Andrew," the red haired witch replied.

"Cool. I saw Xander today... Billy! Get off that ladder, now!" Dawn yelled out the window. Willow winced and held the phone away from her ear.

"Is Dawn yelling at Billy?" Kennedy asked.

Willow nodded. "Yep."

Kennedy laughed and picked Selene up from the playpen. "You're not going to be like Bad Boy Billy are you?" She asked the black haired toddler. Selene smiled and Kennedy took her into the kitchen to feed her.

"Sorry, Will," Dawn apologized. "Either that kid's going to kill me, or I'm gonna wring his neck, whichever comes first."

Willow laughed. "Well, I'd better go. I'll see you in a few days."

"Yeah,' bye Willow. Love you," Dawn said.

"Love you." And they hung up.

Dawn sprinkled some garlic powder and salt into her pot of sauce. The front door flew open. "I'm home!" Jack announced a little too loudly. The babies woke up and started to cry, Billy raced in the house cover in mud and jumped into his daddy's arms. Dawn rushed to the nursery and picked up Alex, the one who had started to cry and checked on Gabriel, who was still asleep. She went back into the kitchen where Jack was tickling Billy on the floor.

"Jack, he's filthy," Dawn said.

"Hello, my love," Jack looked up and planted a kiss on Dawn's lips.

"Hi baby. How was you day?" She asked turning down the flame under her pot.

Jack shrugged, "Boring. As most computer software jobs are. And your's?"

"Let's see, I fed the kids. The twins managed to throw applesauce and peaches on the wall. I cleaned that up, gave them a bath, got Billy off the television set..."

"Uncle Xander came to pick me up," Billy spoke up.

Dawn nodded, "Xander came by with Nicole and Ryan to drop a few things off for the party and took them all to Mc Donald's. Got him out of my hair," she said looking at Billy. "Then I spent the rest of the day trying to get a hold of my sister."

Jack nodded. "Fun stuff." Just then Gabriel also started to wail. Dawn went for him but Jack stopped her. "I'll get him. You try to call Buffy again."

Dawn smiled and kissed her husband. "Okay. Thank you. Oh, can you get Billy into the tub?"

"Mo-om!"

"Don't even start with me, William," She warned. "You're caked in mud."

Billy opened his mouth to protest, when Jack scooped him up. "Let's go, before your mother pops a vein."Billy giggled and Dawn threw him the evil eye.

Dawn drained the noodles into a strainer as she held the phone with her shoulder. Again, nothing. Jack came back with a fresh and clean little boy and put the twins in their high chairs. They sat down to dinner. Dawn fed the twins who proceeded to make a mess and Jack practically had to bribe Billy to eat his salad. After the battle/dinner, Dawn and Jack gave the twins a bath, read Billy a story, and put the three of them to bed.

Exhausted, Dawn collapsed on the couch, next to Jack, who handed her the phone. Dawn groaned and dialed. The phone rang three times before Buffy picked it up. "Hello?" she heard.

"Buffy! Finally!"

"Hello to you too, Dawn."

"Hi. Where've you been?" Dawn asked impatiently as she disregarded Buffy's sarcasm.

"At the playground with the girls. What's up?"

"Oh not much. How are my adorable nieces?"

"Adorable. And the boys?"

Dawn sighed, "Adorable and impossible. Do you want one?"

Buffy chuckled, "No way. What's up with the late night call?"

"I've been calling you all day and just barely got a hold of you," Dawn replied.

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, your birthday's in a few. I thought it'd be cool to party over here. The place is bigger and we could have like a barbecue then put all the kids to sleep and hang," Dawn said.

Buffy thought, "That sounds great."

Dawn smiled. "Okay then, I'll see you Friday, around four?"

"Okay Dawnie."

"Okay, I love you Buffy."

"Love you too, Dawn."