Dawn waited until Connor had successfully engaged both of the guards in one hell of a fight before attempting her escape from the room. The only one standing in her way was Lilah. Dawn smiled. The woman completely underestimated her. That was a benefit to her.
"Don't even try it kid, you are way out of your league." Lilah cautioned.
"You forget that my sister is a vampire slayer." Dawn replied lightly as she dodged an attack from Lilah and kicked her hard in the stomach. "Guess I get that from her bitch-queen!"
Connor smiled as he watched Dawn make a run for it, and quickly turned his attention back to the extra guards that were appearing and now filing in. Lilah ordered about five of them to go after Dawn and Connor preyed that she had enough of a head start to make it out of the building safely.
Dawn heard the footsteps of the guards Lilah had sent after her getting closer and closer and felt the adrenaline and fear course through her as she attempted to go faster. She was no longer paying attention to where she was going, she was just running down random halls and corridors, preying there was a way out somewhere in all this madness.
Why had he suggested they split up? Why had she listened? What if they hurt him What if they killed him? How would she explain to Angel that his son didn't make it out and that she had? That his only thought had been for her safety and not of his own.
She reached the end of the corridor and was about to turn back to run the other way, when she realized she was boxed in and three very large men were headed her way. Using the element of helplessness to her advantage, she waited until they were close enough and then orchestrated an almost flawless kick to the first one's groin and used his shock to follow it up with a blow to the face that sent him reeling. The second managed to grab hold of her arm and was about to hit her, when Dawn ducked and managed to shove him hard into the first attacker. Shoving the file folder into her sweater, she had just enough time to throw the third attacker over her shoulder. Noticing a bright red exit sign, she smiled and ran for the stairwell that beckoned to her, promising her freedom.
Opening the door, she took one last look behind her, hoping to see Connor somewhere down the hallway, but all she saw were the two men she had just escaped getting up and heading her way. Swearing under her breath, she closed the door and ran as fast as she could, trying desperately to make it without tripping.
Connor fought desperately to get out of the building, but the guards were becoming more than he could handle. He was gasping for air and blood trickled down the side of his face. They had him cornered now, at least twenty of them, possibly more and he was backing up further and further towards the inner wall, desperately hoping for a way out.
Suddenly he saw it. A window! Looking over his shoulder he realized it was the only way he was going to escape here with a chance of making it in one piece. He calculated the distance to the ground and figured that his chances of survival were better if he jumped. He had survived larger heights in Quartoth, this wouldn't be too difficult. Taking a deep breath, he ducked the punch of one of the nearby guards, broke the glass on Lilah's window and leapt out into the night.
Dawn finally reached open air and allowed herself a half second of relief. Her heart leapt in her throat however, when she saw Connor land on the ground not five feet from where she was standing in a heap after jumping out of the window in Lilah's office.
"Connor!" She exclaimed, unable to keep the fear from her voice. She ran to him and tentatively touched him, hoping he had survived the jump. He groaned and rolled over, clutching his knees to his chest in incredible pain. He was alive, but badly hurt. "Can you walk?"
"Dawn, get out of here!" He exclaimed, motioning weakly for her to run. "They'll be down here soon!"
"Oh no, I'm not leaving you here again!" She said firmly. "Come on, I'll help you up."
"You help me walk, we'll both get caught!" Connor said frantically. "Save yourself Dawn. Leave me here, please!"
"I'm not going without you!" She cried, frightened and yet angry at him at the same time. What was he trying to pull with this martyr act? "Connor you got us this far, but there's only so much you can do! Now let me protect you for once and get up so we can both get out of this together. I'm not leaving you here to die and that's that."
Connor wanted to fight with her, but was too weak to do so. Instead, he allowed Dawn to haul him to his feet and drag him towards the street as fast as she could make him move without him collapsing in pain and taking her with him. Throughout the stabbing pain of it all, he wondered if this is the kind of thing his father had to put up with as well with these Summers' women.