Swallowing hard against the nauseous feelings assaulting her senses, Dawn listened to Principal Wood call her name a second time. Painfully aware that she could no longer put this off, she stepped forward onto the stage, blinking in the dazzle of the lights and smiling nervously as the audience welcomed her.
Slowly, the teen made her way to the stool in the center of the stage and picked up her guitar from where the stagehands had left it moments before.
Hoping that nobody would notice her trembling, she checked the tuning, attempting to stall while trying to ignore the almost-hush of the packed auditorium.
"Uh... sorry about this, folks," she stammered nervously, giving them another small smile. "Gotta make sure it's all in tune... just a good thing it's not a piano, I guess."
She was relieved when her peers and their families laughed; and she took the opportunity to search them for her sister. It took a fair amount of squinting, but eventually, she found her... encompassed - as usual - by Giles' strong arms.
Dawn grinned, and lifted her guitar strap over her head, deciding on impulse to follow the example set by the previous student who had dedicated a moving rendition of 'Love Me Tender' to his girlfriend.
"Um, before I sing this, I'd just like to..." How should I say this? "To, uh, dedicate this to..."
She stopped again, aware that everyone was waiting expectantly for her. Buffy and Giles? No, too personal. Again, she attempted to work out a suitable dedication.
"To..."
She tried not to panic as she cast around in her mind for the right words to say. To love? Nah, too tacky. Her eyes, adjusting to the glare of the stage lights, found her sister again, who was watching her with an intense but piqued expression. Dawn's eyes slid right a bit and took in Giles, who, unlike Buffy, wasn't watching her. Instead, his gaze was fixed devotedly on the woman in his arms. She nearly decided against saying anything at all, but a sudden movement to the right of the entwined couple caught her eye.
Willow was leaning into Summer, her whole body tilting toward the other girl as she whispered into the blonde's ear while her hand hovered midway between them. It was clear from the entire pose that the redhead wanted to place her hand upon the knee of the woman beside her - thereby claiming her - but was far too reluctant and scared.
Dawn's grin widened and she swallowed past any last ounce of stage-fright she'd been feeling. The words she'd been seeking came to her at last and she appeared completely calm as she spoke. "This is for anyone who's ever been in love but has been too scared to take the final step... and it's also for all those who have been and still are in love. You see, there's one thing you all have in common, and that's, that sometimes it's really easy to forget to tell someone how happy you are that they're 'yours'... which is what this song is all about. So as I sing this, make a mental note to tell someone you care about just how happy you are that they're in your life. Um... that's all." She fidgeted a little and blushed, embarrassed that she'd said so much. There was a spattering of polite clapping, during which she drew a deep, calming, breath, before playing the opening chords. After a moment, her voice joined in, quietly and shyly at first, before growing stronger, filling the room
"Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I could have;
And maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should have.
If I made you feel second best, girl I'm sorry I was blind.
You were always on my mind; you were always on my mind.
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died.
Give me, give me one more chance to keep you satisfied.
I'll keep you satisfied.
And maybe I didn't hold you all those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you: I'm so happy that you're mine.
Little things I should have said and done; I just never took the time.
You were always on my mind; you were always on my mind.
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died.
Give me, give me one more chance to keep you satisfied.
I'll keep you satisfied.
Little things I should have said and done;
I just never took the time.
You were always on my mind,
You are always on my mind,
You are always on my mind."
There was silence for a long moment, even after her last chord died, and Dawn found herself wondering if they were expecting her to sing more. She lifted her strap over her head and set the guitar down on its stand beside her.
A single clap began, slowly as if the owner of the hands was lost deeply in thought. Another clap joined in, then another, and Dawn whirled to face the audience, her face breaking into a huge grin as the applause gathered and grew. Unexpectedly, the house lights lifted a little and it took a couple of seconds for Dawn to realise why.
Robin's showing me what I've done. If it were at all possible, her grin widened as she noticed couples throughout the hall whispering into each others ears, even whilst clapping.
For the final time that evening, amidst the applause she so rightly deserved, Dawn observed her sister, who appeared to be enjoying an intimate discussion with Giles, and Willow who, it seemed, had plucked up the courage to make a confession to the woman into whose ear she was murmuring. A small laugh escaped Dawn as she noticed Xander for the first time, who was clearly bemused by the attention he was receiving from the teenage girl sitting next to him.
She turned slightly as she felt a small draft of air whispering past her and found Robin standing beside her. He was holding his microphone away from her and he lowered his face until it was beside hers and spoke softly.
"Time to take your bow, Dawn. Well done." He nudged her gently in the small of her back, prompting her to move forward.
Awkwardly, she bowed and offered a soft, "Thank you," to the audience, before the house lights dimmed once more indicating that her time was over.
With a triumphant grin still on her face, Dawn exited the stage, not even hearing the Principal announce the next act, due to the one thought filling her mind:
This is it. I've found my thing.
End