A/N : Wow, so many reviews! Thanx so much to; Ape18, Spuffy6, Ember91, spikegothicchick, spuffymonica, LiLi, KelleyTheSelfToastablePopTart, Brunettepet, funkydevil206, Lifes-Slayer, Spuffy2008, angelfan86, demonica mills, PltnmDancer, kim, Rebel Goddess, aej1085, bella-lover, Baby Girl Geller-Green, Sandar, spuffygrl, alba's room, and Mita427. Big apologies for the cliffhanger gang, but it had to be done! Here is Dawn's reaction that you all seem so desperate to read! Here's hoping it doesn't disappoint...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 20 - Fallout

"Sweetie, maybe your Dad is right" she said gently to the irate teen before her, "RJ is older than you and it might not be safe for you to go out with him, you're so young and..."

"What do you know about it!" Dawn yelled at her, "This has nothing to do with you, just cos you come here and make googly eyes at my Dad all the time!" she said nastily, "You can't tell me what to do! You're not my Mom!" she screamed as she turned to run up the stairs.

"Yes, I am" Buffy's sudden and tearful declaration made her stop in her tracks.

Dawn felt like all the air had suddenly left her body as she turned slightly and looked down at the woman who had just declared she was her mother.

"What?" she squeaked.

"Dawnie, luv" Spike frowned as he reached for her, but she pulled away.

"Dad, it's not true" she said, shaking her head, "Tell her, she has to be wrong, she's not my mother, she can't be" Dawn said frantically, tears escaping down her cheeks as a million different emotions ran through her.

"She is, pet" her father told her, "She is your real mother"

"Oh God" Dawn gasped, her hand going to her mouth as she stood there in the middle of the stairs, glancing between the man she had always called Dad and the woman who was apparently her birth mother.

She'd wondered about her so many times, though she hadn't really thought about meeting her for real. Drusilla had been her Mom, and though she missed her, she had no wish to replace her. Since her real mother had given her up for adoption Dawn always assumed it was unlikely she'd want to see her again anyway. Now it turned out the woman who couldn't stand to be around her, to bring her up like she should, that woman was Buffy.

"I can't" Dawn exclaimed bolting up the stairs. Spike made to go after her calling her name til he realised Buffy was sobbing her heart out in the hall.

There he stood, torn between his little girl and the woman he loved, and unless this problem could be resolved this is where he'd always be, forced to choose between them or be torn to pieces as they fought over him.

"Buffy, please" he said desperately, putting a hand to her hair, "Please don't go anywhere" he told her, "I have to go to her, she's just a child she, she needs me" he said, turning to bolt up the stairs after Dawn just as soon as Buffy had nodded her head to say she understood.

As Spike hurried away, the blonde he'd left behind sank down to her knees in the hallway, sobbing like she'd never stop. The look on Dawn's face when she'd realised what had been said was true, that had hurt so much. The surprise, the shock, she'd expected it and she'd understood, but nothing had prepared her for the pain, the anger, perhaps hate was too strong a word but she definitely wasn't Buffy's biggest fan right now.

All she could do now was pray that when Dawn calmed down she'd want to talk to her, that she'd still like and trust her as she had before, maybe even more so now the truth was known.

"Dawnie?" Spike called through her locked bedroom door, "Little Bit, please open the door" he sighed, hating the fact he could hear her sobbing beyond the wood.

"Go away!" Dawn called back, feeling so hurt right now she really didn't want to talk to anyone, not even her father who she loved more than anyone else in the world. He'd lied to her, he must've done. It seemed he knew Buffy was her real mother and yet he'd never mentioned it, just let her believe the blonde was nothing more than his new girlfriend.

"I'm not going anywhere, luv" Spike told her firmly, "Not until you open this door and let me see you're alright"

He heard movement and then the key in the lock before the bedroom door opened slightly. Dawn peered out, seemingly checking her father was alone, she didn't want to deal with Buffy right now.

"Oh pet" he sighed when he saw her tearstained face, "Sweetheart, we never meant to hurt you"

She nodded that she understood as her face crumpled and she began to cry all over again. Spike automatically wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight as they came through the door and sat down on his daughters bed.

"It's so lame" Dawn cried, "I don't even know what I'm crying for" she admitted, "I just..." she couldn't say anymore as the emotion took over to the point where her voice went away.

"Shock, I s'pose" Spike said softly as he rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed her back soothingly, "Gotta say, surprised the hell out of me when Buffy told me the truth of it all"

"She used us, didn't she?" Dawn sniffed as she looked up at her father, "She was playing you, both of us?"

"That's what I thought originally" Spike sighed, "but not a bit of it" he shook his head, "She didn't want to hurt anybody, Dawnie. 'S been hurt too much herself to want to cause pain to anyone else" he explained as he pushed his little girls hair from her blotchy face, "When she and her cousin first came to Sunnydale, it was to find her daughter, but she had no idea when she started seein' me that you were that little girl she was searching for"

Dawn swallowed hard and shook her head.

"I'm not her daughter" she said firmly, "You're my Dad, and Mom was Mom, I mean Drusilla" she said, confusing herself, "She can't just come in and drop this on me and think it's okay"

"She doesn't think that" Spike assured his daughter, "Baby, she just wants a chance to know you. I get that you're shocked and maybe a little scared, it's all a bit much to take in but I need you to be a grown up about this" he told her gently, "Buffy's suffered too, luv, reckon she should be the one to tell you about it but I need you to know, she's not the villain here"

Dawn nodded her understanding and reached for a tissue to blow her nose. Her gaze lingered on the framed photo by her bed and she picked it up.

"It's so weird" she sighed, running a finger around the image of Drusilla, "She was always my Mom, even when I knew I was adopted. You and she were the only parents I ever knew, I never needed anyone else, I never wanted to know..." her words trailed off into nothingness and Spike's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at the picture of his dead wife.

"She was a hell of a woman" he said, smiling fondly, despite his tears.

"Buffy told me she never wanted to replace her" Dawn said quietly, "That day she came to dinner. It was so weird, I never thought she meant it like that" she frowned.

Though Spike was focused enough on his daughter to know exactly what she was saying, his mind began to wander to the blonde they spoke of, probably still sitting at the bottom of the stairs crying her eyes out, so afraid of losing the two people she loved most.

"Er, luv" he said awkwardly, "You okay for a minute if I go check on Buffy?" he asked, "She was just as upset as you y'know"

"I'm fine" Dawn smiled bravely, "but... I don't have to talk to her, do I?" she said, suddenly frowning again as she shook her head negatively against the idea that had actually yet to even be suggested.

"You don't want to, then you don't have to" Spike assured his little girl as he squeezed her hand, though he wished things had gone better today, they certainly could've been worse. Dawn hadn't blamed him for concealing the truth, she didn't even seem really angry at Buffy, just mixed up and teary. Hopefully it could still all turn out well, he thought as he headed down the stairs.

"Buffy?" he called when he reached the bottom and couldn't find her. It was then he spotted the piece of paper by the phone in the hall, his name scrawled on it in familiar and yet askew handwriting.

Buffy apologised in the short note, saying how sorry she was that she'd upset Dawn and that whilst it might take a while to figure out she would leave town as soon as possible if it was what they wanted. She went on to apologise again and to tell Spike she loved both him and Dawn so much. She hated herself for causing pain, and spoke of herself as selfish which angered him as much as it made him want to cry for her. The poor woman had really done nothing terribly wrong and how much she had suffered was just tragic.

The emotion of the whole event caught up with Spike and tears ran unchecked down his cheeks until he heard Dawn following on down the stairs. He scrubbed at his face with the back of his hand and shove Buffy's note into the pocket of his jeans.

"Is she gone?" his daughter asked as she reached his side.

"Yeah, she's gone" he said shakily as he hugged her, hoping to God it was only the house she had left and not the town. He still loved Buffy Summers so much, and prayed she wouldn't walk away just yet. Given time he was sure Dawn would accept the blonde into her life, at least he really hoped so.

Xander jumped when he heard a clatter at the front door and he turned to see his cousin half-fall into the apartment, soaked through by the pouring rain.

"Buffy?" he said worriedly as he got to his feet and came over to her, "My God, what happened to you?"

"I... I didn't want to wait for the bus" she said shakily, shivering from cold but also because she was trying not to cry, "I just ran" she admitted as tears fell from her eyes, mixing with the rain water that dripped from her hair.

Xander frowned hard, not understanding exactly what was happening and certainly not liking the possible scenarios that were running through his head. He got Buffy to he couch and sat her down, flicking off the TV before hurrying to fetch some towels. he wrapped a larger one around his cousin's shoulders and handed her another to wipe her face and wring out her hair with.

"Sweetie, why were you out in this weather?" he asked gently as he sat down beside her, "Did you argue with Spike?"

"Yes, no, oh Xander it was horrible" she rambled, before throwing herself into his arms and crying hard, "Dawn knows" she sobbed and the brunette suddenly realised what must have happened.

"Oh, you told Dawnie how you might me her Mom" he said softly as he rubbed her back, "I'm sorry she took it badly, Buff" he told her as he tried to comfort her and stop her crying. It had bothered him that this might happen when Spike's adopted daughter found out in all likelihood Buffy was her real mother. Teens were prone to getting in a snit over the tiniest thing and this was a major deal. As bad as he felt for Buffy in all this, he had some sympathy for Dawn too. He didn't like his own parents much, but he couldn't imagine how tough it must be to know your real Mom and Dad gave you away, and not truly understanding why.

"I hate this, Xand" Buffy mumbled against his chest, "I love Spike so much, and somehow I love Dawn too. She's my baby I just know it, and I want them in my life so much" she cried.

"And they might still be" Xander assured her, "Spike loves you, I know it and you do too, and Dawnie likes you, she just needs some time to get over the shock and everything"

"I guess" Buffy sniffed as her tears slowed, "I just... I'm scared Xander, I'm so afraid she'll never wanna know me" she said, trying to force away the quiver in her voice.

Xander had no idea what to say to that. He hated to think Dawn would really never accept her mother, leaving Buffy without the daughter she longed to know, and the man she'd fallen in love with too. In the absence of any helpful words to say, Xander just pulled his cousin back into his arms and held her a while longer.

To Be Continued...