*It was good to hear her laugh again, really laugh. They had had many conversations like this at this very table. He used to love to hear her laugh. And now here he was, reliving the shadows of their past together. A comfortable silence filled the room as girl and vampire ate their pop tarts.*

Spike got up a few minutes later to check on the progress of the water. Dawn closed her eyes and listened to the familiar sounds of the easy mac box being torn open. The rustling sound of each macaroni struggling to get out of the box and into the pot first.

*Flashback – two years ago* Joyce was at the stove making Dawn funny-shaped macaroni. Dawn hated the regular shapes. Buffy didn't get her, no one really did. So what if she didn't want to be like everyone else and reach automatically for the normal-shaped box? She was a non-conformist and proud of it.

"Is my little Pumpkin Belly ready for her first day of 8th grade?" Joyce asked, looking over at Dawn with a worried expression. Dawn gave her mom a smile and said, "Sure, especially with names like that. I'll be the most popular kid there in zero time flat!" Joyce smiled, her unease ebbing away slightly. She sat down the bowl of macaroni in front of Dawn, and slid in the seat next to her. "Oh no, am I annoying mom now? Here dear, you can squeeze the cheese on it." Dawn's eyes opened in the simple delight of squeezing the cheese on the macaroni. "Oooh, cheese!" She said, giggling.

Buffy came down the stairs and rolled her eyes dramatically at her little sister. "Dawn, macaroni and cheese for breakfast? As soon as I'm out of class Giles and I are going over my 'Dawn was switched at birth and real parents are a tribe of space monkeys' theory. She walked over to her mother and kissed her forehead. Dawn, ignoring Buffy's comment, held up a spoon full of macaroni and said with her eyes crossed, "Want some? Ooooodles of Nooodles!" Buffy sighed, walked over to Dawn and kissed her cheek. "I love you, have a good first day." Dawn watched her sister walk out through the back door, and looked to her mom. Everything was perfect.

*End flashback*

"Voila, macaroni a la Spike." Dawn opened her eyes. The room was exactly how it had been, but darkness slowly covered every corner of the room until it was completely dark. Dawn blinked, trying to adjust. She put a hand to her cheek. Buffy had just kissed her, she was just there and had left. Dawn turned around frantically and looked at the back door. Dusty, shutters closed, it stood shut as it had for months.

She slowly turned around, to see Spike watching her. His gaze was piercing, searching. He reached over to her and wiped away the tears she didn't know that she had shed. Neither of them spoke. Dawn sat there, mouth trembling, trying to figure it all out. Mom, mom and Buffy had both been there a second ago. It had been so bright, the house was happy with glow of love. Dawn's future was ensured to be a bright one. But now, it was dark and dusty, like a negative photo of the real picture. Dawn looked right through Spike, and down to the bowl of macaroni in front of her. A small but powerful voice in her head kept playing on rewind; "Here dear, you can squeeze the cheese on it." Dawn closed her eyes, not sure if she wanted to make it go away or to make it real.

"Come back," she whispered subconsciously. Dawn began to rock back and forth in her chair, holding herself. "Come back, come back."

Spike, unable to stand there and watch any longer knelt down and pushed back the hair from her face. Dawn stopped rocking, and looked into his eyes. Spike held the side of her face. Dawn's eyes were crazed, and glassed over. Spike knew she was staring through him, not seeing him at all. He stared at her, searching her. "Nibblet?" He said, unsure. Dawn's forehead furrowed. "Mommy." She said. Spike wrapped his arms around Dawn, and she tensed against him, not moving. He rubbed her hair gently, and after a while he felt her relax against him. Hot tears began to seep through his shirt, and her body shook with silent sobs. Spike held her closer and let her cry. How he wished he could fix his broken little girl.

- - -

Hey. I know that it's been forever since I've updated and I am really sorry! I'd been writing and people had been posting questions that I didn't really know how to answer. So, I decided to go back from the beginning and watch all the old Buffy episodes so I can get to know the characters all over again. I just want my writing to be better and more meaningful. I hope you liked this chapter, I know it was sweet but I wanted it to kinda mean something. Dawn is NOT all better and totally 100%. She's broken. I'm going to explore that a little more, and what that really means. Get ready for some flashbacks and painful memories.

Someone noted and asked me to write about what's happened to Dawn and what happened to all the Scoobied. Don't worry; I'll get there. I'm still peicing it together myself, lol. And I don't want to rush it and have it not be a satisfying story line. So be patient! As always, I appreciate and cherish ALL of your ideas and imput. This story is as much yours as mine, and I want you to like it. So PLEASE give me ideas, anything. And if you could copy and paste your favorite part of the chapter and why, haha, I would love that. Thanks!! You all make me a better writer. Love you all.

x0x Bri

p.s. love to justin, my "beta"