Author's Note: Just a reminder to everyone, this takes place during season seven after 'Him' and 'Conversations with Dead People'.

Part Three

Xander's pants were already down around his ankles when Dawn pushed him back onto the bed, no longer were they in sitting positions. His mouth opened to argue with her some more about this not being such a good idea when her hand went underneath his boxers and he could no longer fully enunciate sounds, nonetheless words. Her mouth curved into a seductive smirk as his hands began tugging at the fabric of her shirt.

She wagged her finger at him in a 'tsk tsk' manner and began lowering her head in the direction of his boxers. Eyes rolling back in his head, he failed to hear the footsteps coming up the stairs and the knocking on the door. He looked at Dawn who shrugged and whispered "ignore it" into his ear, sending a tingle up his spine. The door opened and there stood Buffy taking in the scene before her. Xander's half naked body covered by her own sister. He looked at her shamefully and started to apologize when her hand went around his throat and began to choke him.

"Buffy - I"

She gave him a hard push with her other hand. "Wake up Xander."

He looked at her in confusion. "Wha -"

She rolled her eyes. "Xander wake up!"

Xander's eyes fluttered open to see Dawn's crystal blue ones gazing down at him. "And they all said I wouldn't be able to wake you up without blasting music in your ears!" She high fived herself and looked back down at him again. "Now don't go back to sleep, I promise you fried potatoes and scrambled eggs if you come with me downstairs."

He groaned and tried to roll over, finally realizing that he was dreaming. He also didn't want Dawn to see little Xander making the blanket stick up like a tent. Dawn would have none of it though. "Xander come on... how about pancakes too?"

He rolled back over and tried looking at her normally, instead of thinking about how she was about to lose her virginity to him in his dream. "Only if you make Mickey Mouse shapes."

She grinned and ruffled his hair before standing up. "You got it. Now get out of bed or else!" She gave him one last playful shove and left the room closing the door behind her.

He moved slightly and realized that there was still the problem that lay in his boxers. He decided to take care of the matter at hand, and then get up for breakfast.

***

Dawn's hand wrapped around the doorknob to open it when it turned by itself and there stood Xander looking half asleep and flushed. He jumped, not realizing she was standing right there. "Were you standing there the whole time?"

She shook her head. "No, its been almost ten minutes since you promised me you'd get your butt up if I made you pancakes." She tilted her head slightly. "Why are you so paranoid I was standing here?"

Xander shrugged. "No reason. Is breakfast ready?"

Dawn pointed behind her towards the kitchen. "Food's on the table."

He smiled and started walking past her when she touched his arm briefly. "Are you ok? You look kinda like a deer in the headlights." She paused, thinking about that statement. "Or, at least what you'd think a deer in the headlights would look like."

Xander forced a grin to his face. "I'm fine, just had a weird dream."

"What was it about?"

Xander froze. He wasn't expecting that question from her. "Just a girl."

Dawn's smiled faltered a bit. "Oh." As quickly as her smiled disappeared, it came back and she pointed again towards the kitchen. "Go eat, we've got shopping to do today, Buffy and Willow are at the supermarket right now, but they should be back soon."

"Remind me again why we're going shopping?" he asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

She rolled her eyes. "Because Willow's birthday is in a few days and we have to get her something nice." Her smile faded. "Also because Tara's been gone almost a year and we don't want to make it any harder for her."

Xander looked at the forlorn look upon Dawn's face and gently gave her hand a squeeze as they sat down on the chairs next to the island counter in the kitchen. "I know. I miss her too."

She nodded slowly. "Tara used to make me pancakes like these." She pushed a plate of oddly shaped pancakes and a bottle of syrup towards him, changing the subject. "I tried going for Mickey Mouse but they kinda just turned into blobby shapes." She gave him a small smile and a strand of her light brown hair fell loose from her hairclip. She shrugged and tugged the hairclip out, her hair cascading down a little past her shoulders.

He gulped. Xander squeezed the syrup bottle, making it drip down the side. He realized he was staring at her and forced himself to pick up his fork and start eating. She looked at him oddly, wondering why he was looking at her like that and shrugged, wiping the small amount of syrup off the top of the bottle and licking it off. Xander thought he was going to scream. Was she doing this on purpose? Did she know about his dream? He mentally shook his head. How could she know, he didn't say anything specific to her about it. She stretched and stood up suddenly. "I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed, I'll be back in a little while ok?"

He shook his head, his mouth full of pancake and potatoes, preventing him from saying anything. Which, considering his intentions right now might be a good thing, he thought to himself. He spent the next fifteen minutes devouring the food Dawn made him which, while oddly shaped, was wonderfully delicious, and began to wonder what was taking her so long in the shower. He cleaned up the kitchen, washed the dishes, turned the TV on and began puttering around his apartment with nothing to do other then wait for her to come out of the bathroom.

He didn't mind everyone staying over at his place since the force or whatever it was tried to kill Dawn and in the midst, wreck the whole downstairs of Buffy's house. He just wasn't used to waiting to go take a shower at all. He went back into his bedroom to look for something to wear, and stepped into his walk-in closet, sifting through shirts and sweaters, not hearing Dawn come into the room. He grabbed a green t-shirt and walked back out to get a pair of cargo pants from his dresser when he saw Dawn standing in the middle of the room, her back to him as she dropped her towel to the floor, the water glistening on her body in the early morning rays that came through the windows.

His jaw dropped, and at the same time, so did the shirt that he was holding. It hit the wood floor with little more then a sound, but it was enough to make her gasp. She turned around, her wet hair whipping around and splashing drops of water to the floor. She saw Xander standing there with his mouth hanging open and she made a high pitched squeaking sound before her hands flew to her chest in an effort to cover herself up. He somehow found the strength to move his feet from the floor and he grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her. She clutched at it, drawing it around her again.

He stuttered. "Dawn I am SO sorry. I didn't hear you come in, I was in the closet." He gestured behind him.

Her face was turning all shades of red. "I -" She looked down. "I thought you were watching TV, I heard it on in the other room, I just assumed...."

He nodded. "I'm really sorry. I'll just..." He picked up his shirt and started walking towards the door. He was halfway through the doorway when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw her standing behind him, still grasping her towel around her with one hand. "I think I know how a deer in the headlights feels now."

Xander's lips curved up into a smile. "You and me both." He nodded towards the bedroom. "This little incident never leaves the room ok? I don't think Buffy would appreciate it if she found out I saw her younger sister naked in my bedroom."

Dawn smirked. "I wasn't posing for you, I was about to get dressed!"

He gave her a goofy grin. "Point is, you naked in front of me is not a good thing to Buffy. It might make her break out Mr. Pointy."

She nodded, understanding his argument. "I know." She moved for him to leave, and then said something that made him stop in his tracks and his eyes widen.

"You know, now I have to see you naked so we're even."

She closed the door behind her and got dressed with a satisfied grin upon her face.

To be continued....