A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. 11th grade is a pain. So I'll try updating when I can, but due to school and homework and life itself it may take me a little while from here to there. Anyway here is the next chapter hope you like it.

Chapter 12

The next day, Dawn snuck out of the training room a few hours before the house woke up. She walked into the kitchen and quietly looked through the room for something to eat. "Cereal would just be to easy, wouldn't it?" Dawn said to herself. Dawn found some eggs and just began cooking. She began cooking eggs, bacon, and French toast. She grabbed grabbed the leftover bread from last nights dinner, some butter, eggs, milk, sugar, and cream. "Oh man! You mean I have to make the confectionary sugar?!" she groaned as she began grounding the sugar into powder.

William, Lauren & Margaret walked in on Dawn mumbling and cooking. They all kind of stood there watching her cook breakfast in her jeans & t-shirt. William thought she looked kind of cute with her hair up and flour on her face , in her hair, and along her arms. The fact that she was in the kitchen was enough of a surprise. They had spent the rest of yesterday looking for her. And then had spent the rest of the day at home, waiting for her to come back. Eventually the had fallen to sleep for the night. Lauren finally spoke up. "Dawn, dear, where have you been?" she asked curiously and worried at the same time. Dawn looked up in surprise.

She blushed a little when she saw William, but answered none the less. "It is a Summers tradition. You get upset you train to the point that you can not move. And then you do something completely out of the ordinary. Hence, me cooking breakfast.-- I'm sorry if I worried you yesterday, it was not my intention. I just needed some time to myself." she said the last part quietly, before returning to her cooking and mumbling. As they looked at her in relief, that she was safe, and surprise, that she mentioned one of her traditions in her family, that to them sounded completely preposterous, Dawn finished cooking breakfast. Dawn motioned for them to sit and brought over the eggs, bacon, French toast, and homemade sugar syrup, that she made from ground sugar, some milk, and a little cream.

"Dawn, this is delicious!" Lauren exclaimed, William and Margaret nodded in agreement. Dawn blushed again. "Thank you. My sister and I can cook we just don't like to. And Angel, Connor, and Spike don't push for home cooked meals so we just don't cook." Everyone just looked at Dawn. "What?" Dawn asked curiously and a little nervously. "Who are they?" William asked politely. Dawn smiled as realization dawned on her. "Oh! Angel is my sisters husband, Connor is her son, and Spike is family." Dawn said coolly, leaving out the part that she and Spike were technically dating. She didn't want to bring it up because she wasn't sure if she was getting home anytime soon. They nodded at the explanation. But just the mention of Spike's name brought back all the memories of the dances the attended together. The three noticed Dawns eyes get distant and her become quiet.

Dawn was sitting at one of the tables with Spike, watching everyone dance. She knew Spike didn't dance so it wasn't a big deal. She was just happy he had agreed to come to her semi-formal without putting up to much of a fuss.

Spike had come in his usual colors. Black and blood red, only he was more dressed up. And she was wearing a simple, plain, yet attractive, black dress. Then a slow song came on and all the sudden Spike was pulling her up to the dance floor. "Spike?" she asked him a little confused. He just smirked and pulled her to the dance floor. She understood when Spike pulled her close and began moving back and forth to the music. Dawn smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder.

More or less the same thing had happened during her Sophomore semi-formal as well. Except, that night they danced every single slow dance. This time Spike dressed up in all black, except for his dark green tie, that Buffy had had to threaten to stake him, to get him to wear it. His tie matched the color of her dress. This year her dress was long, fitting, and flowing with spaghetti straps. Her hair was in tight, yet loose, curls that draped around her shoulders. Spike had stopped dead in his tracks when he had seen her.

Dawn smiled when she thought of the dances her and Spike had had such good times at, but then she got sad, when she thought about her dress sitting at home awaiting to be worn at her junior prom. And at the rate this journey was going, she wasn't going to be wearing that dress or going to her junior prom with Spike anytime soon.

"Dawn? Are you alright, dear?" Lauren asked quietly when she noticed that Dawn had gone completely silent. Dawn nodded. " Yeah. I was just thinking, that I will not be going to my Junior prom." Lauren lightened a little at the mention of, what she assumed was, a dance. William, on the other hand was no sitting up straighter than before, if that was possible. "Who was accompanying you?" William asked as casually as he could. Margaret and Lauren smiled at the sound in his voice. " Spike." William calmed a little at the mention of a family member accompanying dawn to a social event.

"Then we should get you a copy of your dress to wear to the ball, so you do not feel as though you have missed an important event." Dawn's eyes widened at the mention of her dress. "Somehow, I do not believe my dress would go over well in 1880 London." Dawn said to them nervously. They looked at her oddly. "What do you mean, dear?" Lauren asked. "Somehow, I do not think wearing a corset top in 1880 is appropriate." Their eyes widened. "Well, what do you wear over your corset?" Margaret stuttered. Dawn blushed again. '19th century London seems to have that effect on me.' she thought to herself. "Nothing." she answered Margaret quietly. They looked at her with shocked expressions. " What? It's the 21st century!! Things are different then!!" Dawn exclaimed desperately.

After breakfast, Dawn changed back into her 1880 London clothing, so that she could sit out in the garden. When she got out there she found a quiet place near the water fountain, to sit. After a while of sitting there, she got the same feeling she always got whenever Spike was behind her. So without looking up she spoke. "Hello William." After she spoke she heard footsteps. Then he just stood beside her. Dawn looked up at him and smiled. She pulled on his hand and he sat down next to her. "I was not trying to imply that I did not want you to accompany me to the ball." he said nervously. Dawn sighed. "I know. But I'm a Summers girl. We tend to over react at things that may or may not exist. But if we think they do, we just want to make sure it can't hurt us. Especially, when the situation involves those we care for. Blame it on my father. I think my sister and I have father issues." Dawn looked down at her lap.

William wanted to comfort the girl that was hurt by her fathers actions and the girl he had hurt unintentionally, all at the same time. He put his hand over hers in a way to comfort her. She smiled up at him, one of her ear to ear smiles, that caused his insides to move around nervously. "Would you please give me the honor of accompanying me to the ball this weekend?" William asked her shyly. "I would love to. Thank you William." and with that she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. She lingered for a little moment. Both blushed like crazy when she pulled away. Yet, they had smiles on their faces that would allow anyone to see how happy they were around one another.