This chapter deals with some issues regarding sex. There's nothing graphic or all that explicit, but there's some talk and a bit of action (though nothing that isn't allowed on this site). If that bothers you, don't read it. I've made sure it adheres to the guidelines of this website, but I still wanted to put this warning here just in case.

Dawn stretched in the bed next to Andrew, deciding this waking up with her boyfriend thing was something she could get used to. It was as wonderful as she'd always imagined, with every time she did it seeming better than the last. Even with the dark shadow of Buffy being off fighting another apocalypse hanging over her, she could be positive about this day. She always wanted to wake up this happy.

Andrew was still sleeping, and Dawn propped up on one elbow to get a better look at him. She couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across her face or the warmth that seemed to burst straight from her heart. Just watching him sleep could make everything perfect.

Dawn realized with a start that this had to be love. Nothing else could possibly make her feel this way. She was in love…with Andrew. She let that thought sit in her mind again, turning it over and over until she smiled again. It felt right, thinking of Andrew in terms of being in love. She reached out and touched the side of his face, and his eyes opened.

Andrew smiled warmly as he saw her. "Hey," he said sleepily.

"Hey yourself."

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, stretching a little.

Dawn moved back down, resting her head on his chest. "Mmm. I did. Had good dreams all night. Must've been from sleeping on my favorite pillow." She could feel Andrew's chuckle reverberate through her, and it made her tingle. "Can we just stay like this all day?"

"That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"It was. And I still think it's a good plan." Being so close to him made Dawn want more, though she wasn't sure how much or how even how to initiate it. And if they started something now, in the bed, with no one around to interrupt them, would things go too far?

Before Dawn could make up her mind, Andrew asked, "Can we put the plan on hold for a moment? I have to use the bathroom, and that's probably something I should get up for…"

Oh, right, Dawn thought, Reality and all that. She sat up. "Sure."

Andrew gave her a short kiss that still managed to make her toes curl. "I'll be right back."

He left the room, and Dawn lay back down, resting her face against the pillow he'd been using. His scent still lingered on it, and she breathed it in. She'd never thought of people having distinctive scents that could be noticed with anything short of vampire senses, but with Andrew, she could. And she loved it, loved the way it could affect her.

And she loved him… Dawn let that thought come back to her mind as a reminder of the conclusion she'd reached earlier. It made her giddy.

When Andrew came back, Dawn got out of the bed, responding to his curious look by saying, "I should go, too. I mean, if we're going to be here for a while, then…" Her voice trailed off as she blushed.

"Yeah, okay," Andrew replied, running his hand through his messy curls.

Dawn went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She hated how she could go from feeling completely relaxed with Andrew to feeling nervous and awkward within a matter of seconds. It made her feel all jumbled up, never knowing what emotion was going to come next.

She used the toilet, then went to the sink, looking at herself in the mirror as she washed her hands. She wondered what Andrew thought of her first thing in the morning, if he still thought she was pretty with her hair uncombed and her eyes a bit puffy. She thought he looked adorable when he'd just woken up, but what if he didn't think the same about her? She picked up a brush from the counter and worked it through her hair. Satisfied with that, Dawn turned towards the door, stopping quickly and facing the sink again when she remembered the evil that was morning breath. She knew that when she got back into the bed with Andrew there would be at the very least some kissing, and even though their breath hadn't proven to be much of a problem the last time, she wasn't going to take any chances.

When she finally decided she was presentable, Dawn walked out into the hallway, frowning when she heard noise coming from the kitchen. Wasn't he supposed to be in the bedroom? She went to the kitchen door, peeking in. "What are you doing?"

Andrew glanced over his shoulder from where he was standing in front of the stove. "Breakfast. Go wait for me in the bed, and I'll join you in a minute."

Dawn grinned. Breakfast in bed with Andrew. She liked the sound of that. She blew him a kiss before leaving the room.

Andrew turned back to the stove, whistling to himself as he finished cooking.

Andrew stopped in the doorway, gripping the tray he was holding tightly as his gaze fell on Dawn. Her face was turned towards the window as she lounged casually on the bed. He could tell she hadn't purposely tried to make herself alluring, wasn't waiting for him with some come-hither pose, but this, just the simple beauty he'd come to associate with Dawn was more than enough for him.

Dawn turned, smiling as she saw him, and it took his breath away. He remembered describing her once as having a smile that could light up the room, and he thought now of just how true that was. He'd never known anyone so aptly named. Dawn… That's what she was. Bright and shining warmth. New life.

Too good for someone like him…

He knew, to be fair to her, he should get out now. Eventually Dawn would realize how worthless he really was and that would cause her more heartache than if he stopped things now before they went too far. But he couldn't. Even if he knew it was selfish of him to stay when all he could manage to do was hurt her im the end, he couldn't walk away now. He'd already gotten more than he ever could've hoped for, but he wasn't going to refuse anything she offered.

Andrew joined her on the bed, setting the breakfast tray in between them. "I figured we should go ahead and do something to head off any hunger that may bring us out of this room."

Dawn leaned across the tray and kissed him. "Good thinking, sweetie." She caressed the side of his face and giggled. "I love how I can make your ears turn pink." She pushed his hair back. "They're getting redder."

"I can't help it around you."

"It's cute."

"Am I only cute when I'm blushing?"

He asked the question teasingly, but Dawn could hear the hint of insecurity in his voice. "I always think you're cute."

Andrew smiled. He could live with cute. It beat repulsive after all. "So, hungry?" he asked, trying to make himself stop blushing.

Dawn looked down at the omelette and strawberries with cream he'd brought in. "Yeah. Looks good."

Andrew split the omelette in half, and they were both silent as they ate, trading glances throughout the meal. Dawn felt like maybe eating breakfast in bed with your boyfriend should go a little differently, should be more romantic somehow, but she was nervous and unsure of what to do. But as she ate a strawberry and saw the way Andrew watched her as she did, she felt herself growing braver.

She picked up another strawberry, this time dipping it in the cream and bringing it to her mouth, licking the cream off slowly before eating the strawberry itself. Andrew's eyes stayed transfixed on her mouth, darkening to a midnight blue as his body shivered with each pass of Dawn's tongue over the ripe fruit.

Andrew's response both emboldened her and filled her with pride. She had barely done anything at all—hadn't even touched him—and she'd gotten him like this. Deciding to see how farther she could push things here, she picked up another strawberry, this time feeding it to him. Much to her delight, he played right along, feeding the next one to her even as his hand trembled.

It didn't take Dawn long to notice Andrew wasn't the only one being affected. This was what she'd been expecting from a shared breakfast in bed. She dipped another strawberry in the cream, only this time she ran it up the side of Andrew's neck, leaving a trail of the sweet, sticky substance that she followed with her tongue, hearing him take in a breath with a sharp hiss. Dawn pulled up then, bringing the strawberry to her lips and running her tongue around it before sliding it into her mouth.

Dawn licked her lips slowly, and Andrew reached his breaking point. He put the tray on the floor and pulled Dawn into his arms, their mouths meeting almost violently. Her normal taste was mixed with the flavor of the strawberries, and Andrew moaned, his fingers taking hold in her hair.

Dawn let him guide her down to the mattress, his body covering hers. It was what she'd been wanting all morning, this losing of herself with him. Nothing outside the room matter then. Not the upcoming apocalypse or failing school—any of it. Nothing but Andrew and how wonderful it was to kiss him.

She wasn't sure how long it had been when Andrew pulled away, leaving her panting. Her mind was spinning, and she struggled to find her voice in order to say what kept running through her mind. "Why'd you stop?"

"We…we need to establish boundaries."

"Huh?"

Andrew moved off of her and sat beside her. "I need to know how far I can go, Dawn. I don't want to push you."

Dawn didn't want to think. It felt too good when he was touching her, and she just wanted more of that. But she also knew he was right. Later, when her thinking was clear again, she might regret any rash decision she made here, and that could hurt their burgeoning relationship. She needed to let her mind have some control here. She sat up. "I…I don't think I'm ready for, you know, that." She blushed, turning her eyes away from him before asking softly, "Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. I want you, Dawn—I won't lie about that, because well, I think you probably felt how obvious that is a minute ago… But I'm not going to push you into something you're not ready for. I'm not that kind of guy, Dawnie…I'm not."

Dawn smiled at him. "I know you're not." Nevertheless, hearing him say the words made her relax, alleviating a lot of the concerns she'd been having. She wasn't ready now, but she felt like she could be ready soon, and knowing that he was willing to wait made working towards that decision easier for her. Still, she needed more than just heated kisses. They were good, but they'd set her whole body on fire, and she didn't think it would be a misstep to take things a little further. "We could do a bit more," Dawn told him. "Just not…all the way."

"How far?"

Dawn bit her lip in a way Andrew found incredibly too enticing. "I don't know. You're the one with the experience."

"It's not that much. And…I've never been the experienced one before. I don't know how far is going to be too far for you."

Honestly, Dawn didn't either. She wished this could be easier, that she could have a nice, orderly list in her mind telling her exactly when she should move to each next step. Maybe a checklist with some sort of timeframe to work in. But she didn't. These decisions were facing her now, and she had to make him. Her brow furrowed as she thought carefully around how to answer. "Touching?" she said after a moment.

"On top of clothes or under?"

Dawn hadn't considered that. Things kept seeming more complicated. "Under," she decided. She wanted to feel him against her skin.

"North or south of the waist?"

More decisions. "North for now. Maybe more in a little bit."

Andrew nodded his consent, swallowing hard. Boundaries set, he guided her back down on the bed, kissing her again.

Andrew lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Somehow, they'd managed to cross over that "north" line, pushing things further than he'd intended. And to make matters worse, he'd proven himself a loser by severely embarrassing himself…

He saw Dawn lean over, and thought in a moment of panic that she was leaving. Then he realized she was only getting a Kleenex from the nightstand to clean herself off with. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

Then she did get out of the bed, and Andrew felt the fear clench cold around his heart. She left the room, and he fought the urge to cry. How could he have done that? She had to hate him now. God, and she should. He was such a careless bastard. She was a goddess, and he'd dared to do something like that to her.

He heard the sink running in the bathroom, and wondered if he should leave. What would she say to him when—if—she came back into the bedroom? Could he stand to hear her tell him how horrible he was? Before he had a chance to decide, she was there again. Andrew braced himself, waiting for whatever grim fate awaited him.

She climbed back in the bed, resting her head on his chest. Andrew blinked. Why wasn't she yelling, telling him to get away from her? Dawn laced her fingers with hers. "I really liked that," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Huh? You did?"

Dawn's expression went from pleased to panicked in a matter of seconds. "Well yeah…did…did you not like it?" Her mind started ticking off a list of everything she could've done wrong, every little thing she could possibly conceive of that would make him want to go back to more experienced women like Caprice and Isabella.

"Of course I did. I…um…I just…um…I got you all messy."

Dawn giggled. "Yeah, so? I like that I can have that effect on you."

"You…you do?"

"Yeah. I mean, sure, it was sort of a shock the way it happened, but it's all right. Made me feel all…womanly."

Andrew couldn't believe what she was saying. He'd been sure he'd ruined everything, and now she was telling him she liked it. He couldn't be this lucky. The universe had to be screwing with him somehow, bringing him up so it could brutally tear him back down.

But at the moment, he didn't care. He had Dawn now. She nuzzled against him, and he kissed the top of her head before resting his head back on the pillow, a goofy grin on his face.

I am so sorry I waited a month between postings. I feel horrible about it. Between real life stuff and a serious muse related dry spell, it couldn't be helped. Again, I am really, really sorry. I hope you're all still reading this.

Also, a lot of people have expressed that this fic seems to be nothing but a sappy love story. I know that's how it appears now, but it really isn't. It's more the calm before the storm…

This version has been edited for content. If you're over 18 and want the full text, email me. If you're under 18, don't try to get it and put me in a lot of trouble.

Please, review if you're still enjoying the fic. I need to know that people are interested in this.