A/N: My sincerest apologies for the inexcusable delay. Real life has just been crazy lately. I thank all of you who continue to loyally read and review this fic...your feedback makes it all worth it! I think everyone will enjoy this chapter, I know I certainly enjoyed writing it. The song used is Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls. I was driving home one day and the song came on the radio and I was just instantly taken by how perfect it was for this part of the story. So, I think you've all waited long enough...onto the chapter:)
> > > > >
Chapter 17: Chain Reactions
Sunday seemed to be one of the longest days of Dawn's life. She tried to keep herself busy by watching tv, doing some homework, anything to stop thinking about the previous night and daydreaming about what might possibly happen tomorrow.
How distracted she was not easily hidden, either. Even though the words had never been spoken, Faith seemed to know exactly what was going on, and she would just give Dawn knowing glances every time she would catch her staring into space. Although it was a little annoying, Dawn was incredibly grateful to Faith, not only for understanding, but for keeping quiet with Buffy. One thing she was certain of was that her sister would not easily understand why Dawn was giving Connor a second chance so soon, after the heartbreak she had been through the past week and a half. But then again, Buffy was her big sister, and she was bound to be a little overprotective. But Dawn was simply not ready to defend her reasons for agreeing to see Connor again. After all, she wasn't even sure she understood them herself. For that reason, she didn't tell her sister. I'll tell her when the time is right, she told herself. I have to ease her back into the idea of Connor and I giving things another try. She felt guilty about keeping things such a secret, and a little voice in the back of her mind repeatedly told her how she would probably regret it later. But her gut told her that it was best for everyone if she kept this quiet for now.
About a dozen times throughout the day, she wondered why she had scheduled the date for Monday rather than tonight. I didn't want to make things too easy. He needs to re-earn my trust, Dawn reminded herself. Her more primal instincts, however, were scolding her for lengthening the window of time before she would see him again.
She dreamed up what seemed like dozens of scenarios of how their date could possibly go. Some were awkward, with tension, and invisible boundaries between the two of them. Some were filled with passion and desire. A couple involved a friendly atmosphere more like that of two close pals than former lovers. And more than one definitely involved the touching of bodies.
Despite the different scripts she wrote in her head, she wasn't sure exactly how she wanted things to go. She knew that at least part of the reason Connor had suggested seeing a movie was because it would kind of symbolize starting over, since that was what they had done on their first date. She thought back to that night: their hands touching while reaching for the popcorn, many sweet kisses, him finally growing tired of her squeezing his hand during the scary parts and putting his arm around her. And of course, at the end of the night, when she had casually referred to him as her boyfriend, and he had grinned at her and squeezed her hand. It was hard to believe thinking back that she had only known him for a little more than three days at the time. Their first kiss had been only the night before, first on the ground in that alley after fighting the vampires, and then again later in the garden of the Hyperion Hotel. Only 24 hours later they had comfortably moved right into kissing over popcorn and snuggling. It was like a part of me had known him my whole life, she thought of that first magical week.
She forced herself to snap out of the fond memory. You're giving yourself a headache. Just stop thinking about him. Just let things happen naturally tomorrow. She repeated that to herself throughout the rest of the day, a kind of silent mantra to calm her spinning mind.
> > > > >
As soon as Dawn entered homeroom on Monday, she smiled upon seeing Amelia sitting in her usual seat, waving her over. "Good morning," her friend said in greeting as she sat down next to her.
"You won't believe what's happened," Dawn said immediately, before she even unpacked her books. "So much has been going on since Friday night."
"What is it?" Amelia said, notably curious now.
Dawn's eyes darted quickly to the back of the room. Kerri wasn't here yet, but some of her friends were. She made sure to lower her voice before she continued. "Right after you brought me home on Friday, Connor called."
"He did," Amelia said, sounding officially not-surprised.
"He did. He said how much he missed me, and that he wanted to meet with me," Dawn continued in a hushed tone.
"So, did you?" Amelia asked, looking excited now.
Dawn nodded. "Last night we met for pizza." She paused.
"Well? What happened?" Amelia asked impatiently.
"Well, it was a little awkward. Which I expected. Amelia, he was actually really sweet," Dawn admitted. "He apologized. A lot. And he said that he was willing to work at rebuilding what we had."
Amelia's face melted into a soft smile. "Wow. That's so romantic."
Dawn continued on. "And we talked really honestly with each other. It actually went a lot better than I expected it to."
"And then what happened?" the blonde pressed.
"Well, we are going on a date tonight, to the movies," Dawn said, her expression nervous.
"How do you feel about all of this?" Amelia asked quietly.
She ran her fingers through her hair. "Honestly? I couldn't tell you. I have so many thoughts right now...it's just about driving me crazy."
"What does your sister think?"
Dawn winced. "She doesn't know."
Amelia gave her friend a disapproving glance. "Oh, Dawn..."
"I know, I know. I just know that she won't approve. She would only discourage me from wanting to give things another try."
"Well, just make sure you know what you're doing. And whatever you do, don't keep this a secret for too long. The last thing you need is all of this blowing up in your face," Amelia warned her. Before Dawn could reply, she leaned in a little closer. "You just said that you want to give things another try."
Dawn thought about that for a moment. "I do. I mean, I wasn't sure going in yesterday that I wanted to. But then Connor seemed to say all of the right things." She realized how that sounded and quickly corrected herself. "But, I mean, he meant them. I could tell he really, really meant them. And I know that things aren't going to be like they used to be, not at first. But I think we're both willing to work for it."
Amelia reached over and squeezed her friend's hand. "I'm happy for you, Dawn. I mean, if you guys can get past this and still come out strong...then it will only mean that your love is stronger than you thought."
Dawn smiled a little at that. "I know."
At that moment, Miss Valenti walked into the room, and the class immediately hushed and began to shuffle books around in preparation of doing work. Dawn tried her best to focus on the lecture, even though more pressing matters were fighting for attention in her mind. Just have to make it through a few more hours.
> > > > >
"There," Dawn muttered to herself as she finished applying her mascara. She put the cap back on the bottle and stepped back to examine herself in the mirror. She hadn't experienced as much of a problem choosing an outfit tonight as she had on Saturday. Wearing jeans and a black tank top under a fitted white jacket, she felt that she looked casual, yet classy, but not like she was trying too hard. She had opted to pull her hair into a high ponytail for a change, and she thought it almost made her look sophisticated. The former Key glanced at the clock. 6:40. She had decided to take a cab to James's dorm instead of walking, so she still had time. She smoothed her hair one last time before grabbing her bag and switching off her bedroom light. Buffy was working late tonight, probably wouldn't be home until midnight. Dawn was thankful for that, because she hadn't even had to make up a lie about where she was going. She still felt a little pang of guilt every time she spoke to her sister, knowing that she was keeping this from her. But she knew that she needed to figure out for herself what the deal was between herself and Connor before she could attempt to rationally explain her reasoning to her sister.
She walked out of the bedroom only to jolt a little upon seeing Faith sitting on the couch, her feet up on the coffee table, flipping through a magazine. She had almost forgotten that she and Buffy no longer lived alone.
The brunette slayer gave Dawn a quick once-over before smirking at her. "Got a hot date?"
Dawn immediately felt the blush rising in her cheeks. As she struggled to find an appropriate answer, Faith laughed. "It's alright. You don't have to explain. I can see right through you." She paused. "So, you're back together?"
"I don't know if I'd say that," Dawn said hesitantly. She shifted awkwardly. "We're just going to try and give things another chance. Kind of a fresh start, I guess."
Faith nodded slowly. "When are you going to tell big sis?"
"I don't know," Dawn responded hotly. "I'm just...this is confusing enough for me as it is..."
She held up a hand. "It's okay. I was just wondering. Your secret's still safe with me."
Dawn nodded sincerely in thanks. "I appreciate that. I am going to tell her soon, I just need to think about it first."
Faith nodded. "Well, have fun. And I'm probably going out, so if you guys wanted to come back here for a little roll in the hay later...I'll stay clear."
Dawn's jaw dropped a little at the audacity of her words. Finally she just laughed. She was used to Faith's crudeness by now. Her mind drifted back to a little conversation the two of them had back in Sunnydale, in the Bronze, and she blushed. "I don't think that will be necessary."
"Just in case," Faith said casually. She smiled. "Have a good time."
"Thanks," Dawn said. She stood there for a second before finally turning and exiting the apartment, laughing inwardly at how strange her relationship with her sister's former rival had become. She was covering for her, having frank conversations about sex...what was next? She smiled and shook her head at the thought as she hailed a cab.
> > > > >
When the cab pulled up in front of James's dorm, Dawn immediately saw that Connor was sitting on the stoop waiting for her. She quickly paid the cabbie and exited the cab. She let her face relax into an easy smile as she approached him, noticing that he held a single red rose in one hand. Her mind flashed back to one of their first nights patrolling together in Los Angeles, when he had given her an identical flower. Guess I'm not the only one who was reminiscing about old times, Dawn thought.
"Hey," he said as she approached him. He smiled as he extended the flower towards her. "For you."
She happily accepted it. "It's beautiful. Thank you."
"It's the least I could do," he admitted. "I still can't quite believe that you're really willing to give me- to give us another chance."
Her expression was serious as she stared into his eyes. "Some things shouldn't be given up on so easily."
He stared at her. "A hundred roses every day for the rest of our lives wouldn't make up for the pain I caused you."
She gave him a gentle smile. "Why don't we head to the movies?"
He nodded, understanding that it was time for a new subject. "Sounds good." He paused. "If you don't mind, I was thinking we'd walk...the theater isn't that far from here."
"Fine with me," Dawn agreed. After standing there awkwardly for a moment, he started moving slowly down the street, and she fell into rhythm beside him. For a while they just walked in silence, enjoying the comfort of each other's company.
"You look beautiful," Connor said suddenly, staring at Dawn's profile in the dimming light of the sun. "I like your hair like that...it shows off your face better."
"I like it too," Dawn said, smiling a little to herself as she looked down at her rose.
Connor cleared his throat a little. "So, did you ever talk to your sister?"
Dawn let out a little frustrated sigh. "Why does everybody keep asking me that?"
He was a little taken aback by her reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you..."
She instantly regretted it. "No, I'm sorry. It's just...I need to figure out what this is for me before I can explain it to Buffy," she said, as calmly as possible.
He took a moment to process that. "And what is this? To you, I mean."
She looked at him. "Right now, it's just a date with someone I enjoy spending time with, and that I've missed," she said casually. "What about for you?"
He looked straight ahead as he spoke. "It's an opportunity to make up for a terrible mistake." Silence followed his comment. They walked along together for a few blocks without either of them speaking a word. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the movie theater.
Connor pulled out his wallet as they studied the list of showings. "You pick. It will probably be mostly gibberish to me anyways," he admitted.
She studied the list of titles in Italian. "How about that one?" she said, pointing to the first film listed.
Connor shrugged. "Sounds good." As they approached the ticket window, Dawn reached out and touched his arm lightly. He briefly closed his eyes from the tremendous effects the tiniest touch had on his entire body.
"Um, why don't you let me do the talking," she said lightly, giving him a slight smile. She slowly withdrew her hand, as uneager to break the connection as he was. He nodded in response and allowed her to step ahead of him to the ticket window. He listened to her smooth Italian as she ordered the tickets. Once the total came up, he stepped up beside her to hand over the money. Once they had their tickets and were headed into the theater, she thanked him.
"Please, don't mention it," he said quietly. They paused in front of the concession stand. "Would you like any popcorn?"
She immediately thought of their first trip to the movies together. Popcorn leads to hands brushing. And hands brushing leads to... "No, I'm not really hungry," she replied quickly.
"Yeah, me neither," he quickly agreed. After hesitating for a moment they finally made their way into the theater. The lights were starting to dim, and many of the seats were filled. Connor spotted two seats in one of the back rows, and they quickly took them. As the first trailer started, Dawn suddenly became aware that he was staring at her. As she swivelled her head to meet his eyes, he quickly averted his gaze. They both blushed a little as they turned their attention back to the screen.
They remained this way through all of the previews, and into the beginning of the film. Then it happened.
Thinking back, she wasn't exactly sure what had started the inevitable chain reaction. She must have been adjusting her position when she ended up brushing Connor's arm as it rested on the armrest between them. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and she made no move to break the connection. Finally, she slowly leaned back in her seat again so their arms were no longer touching.
Several minutes later she became aware of his arm moving. First, up and over the back of his own seat, as if relaxing. Then, she felt it slowly begin to snake down until it was draped across the back of her own seat. Almost instinctively, she slid down a little so that her upper back and the back of her neck came in contact with him. By this point, it seemed as if someone had pressed the mute button on the film, and all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.
From the back of her chair, his arm made it's way down so it was completely around her, hugging her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered closed at the warmth of his embrace. As if controlled by a third party, her hand slowly moved up to touch his fingertips as they lingered near her right shoulder. He quickly responded to the touch and their fingers intertwined, relishing the feel of each other's skin again.
He slowly reached his free hand out towards her, lightly grazing her cheek, turning her face towards him. You should stop. You can't rush this... his rational thoughts were overpowered by the overwhelming desire to touch her. Before he knew it she was leaning towards him. He met her halfway, and their lips touched almost gently, slowly reacquainting themselves. This was a slow, tender kiss, not so much one between two people who had been apart for nearly two weeks, but almost like a first kiss, full of sweetness and curiosity. After a long moment it deepened, and Dawn found herself scooting over in her seat so she could be as close to him as possible despite the restrictions of the armrest between them. She moved her hand to his shoulder, and he wrapped both arms around her waist as they quickly became eager for more contact. As he kissed her all logical thoughts vanished from her mind, and all she could think of was them, right there in that moment.
They only broke apart when the need for air overwhelmed their quickly rekindled passion. As they both caught their breath, their eyes met. Although neither of them had said a word since they had sat down, more had just been communicated than any amount of conversation could have accomplished. As she looked at him, he noticed that the wall of defense that he had spotted in her expression earlier seemed to have dissipated, and now she was staring at him as if she were seeing him for the first time. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that for before she began to shift. He felt a jolt of worry as he wondered if she had regretted the kiss, but he immediately relaxed when he saw that she was leaning against his shoulder, her expression serene and beautiful. He smoothly slipped his arm back around her shoulders as she leaned against him. Connor took a moment to breathe in the scent of her hair, something he had never thought he had noticed yet had missed so much during their time apart.
It may have been ten minutes or ten hours later that the movie ended. All sense of time had seemed to vanish as they both became trapped in their own little world. Only when everyone around them began to stand did they both realize that movement was necessary. She reluctantly sat up straight and slowly rose from her seat. She picked up her purse and the red rose and looked at Connor expectantly. He followed suit and got up, looking as dazed as Dawn felt. Finally, the two of them filed out of the theater behind the crowd, two of the last to leave.
They remained quiet until they were out on the street, where all traces of daylight were now gone and only the dim glare of the streetlights made seeing possible. Dawn was relieved when Connor spoke first.
"So...do you have any idea what the movie was about?"
Her face broke into a little smile. "Not a clue...I probably could have figured it out if I wanted...but I was a little distracted."
Connor stopped walking, coming to a standstill near the corner under the light of one of the streetlights. "Were you...were you okay with that? I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have..." he muttered something about taking things slow.
Dawn gazed up at him. "I think that if I had a problem with it, you would have known."
He could not express the relief and joy that he felt upon hearing her say that. "Good."
She slowly reached out and took his hand. "Do you want to walk home? I know it's kind of a hike, but I'd like to spend the time with you."
He smiled happily at her. "Of course." They slowly began to walk down the street, hand in hand, enjoying each other's company. They quickly settled into a relaxed conversation about all sorts of things: Gina and James, Dawn's classes in school, her new friendship with Amelia, wondering how all of their friends from Sunnydale and LA were doing. The only topic they avoided was that of their relationship. Right then, it just felt better to talk without any added pressure.
They became so engaged in the conversation that Dawn was surprised to see that they were only a few blocks from her apartment. What was usually a long, thirty minute walk had seemed to go by in a flash.
The street was quiet and deserted, the only sounds being the distant rumble of dance music and a few foggy voices, probably evidence of a party nearby. "I had a really nice time tonight," Dawn said as her apartment building grew closer. The two of them paused on the corner across from the building, neither of them really wanting to complete their walk, as they knew it would mean having to say goodbye.
Connor had just opened his mouth to say something when the sound of a twig snapping down the side street caused them both to freeze. Instinctively, he moved himself between Dawn and the noise, going quickly into destroyer-mode. "Who's there?" he called out firmly.
A vampire stepped out of the shadows. He was tough and burly, wearing a leather motorcycle jacket. A female stepped up next to him, morphing into her true face as she snarled at Dawn and Connor.
"I think you guys picked the wrong people to mess with," Connor said confidently. He held out a hand subtly, warning Dawn to stay back and let him take care of this. After a moment the male charged at him, and he reacted by swiftly ducking, grabbing the vampire's feet, and flipping him over so he landed violently on the pavement a few feet away. The female made an angry noise as she started to run full-force at Connor. He moved ably, blocking her blows. "I need a stake!" he yelled suddenly.
Dawn snapped out of it, quickly searching the street for anything that could be used as a makeshift weapon. Her eyes fell upon some discarded wood by a dumpster down the street, however, she would have to get past the fallen male vampire in order to get to it. "Down there!" she called out, gesturing to the pile. Connor caught her motion, and quickly got the female vampire in a headlock and began dragging her down the street. As he began to pass the fallen vamp, Dawn noticed with horror that he was beginning to get up. "Connor, behind you!" she called, quickly running to back him up. But it was too late, and the male vampire had already grabbed Connor from behind, forcing the female out of his grasp. She took a swipe at Connor with long, talon-like nails, and he cried out as they made contact with his arm. Horrified, Dawn quickly ran around the group and picked up a piece of wood from the pile, struggling to break off a piece that could be used as a stake. She saw the female begin to come at her out of the corner of her eye, and with all of her might she swung the semi-heavy wood at her head, connecting with a loud thwack as she hit the pavement. Finally, a piece came off in her hands. "Connor!" she called, tossing the makeshift stake underhand through the air. He caught it expertly and immediately swung it down into the male vampire's chest as he lied on the ground, with Connor straddling him. He quickly turned to dust and Connor quickly spun, searching for the female. She had risen unsteadily to her feet after Dawn's blow, but after seeing her companion literally bite the dust, she seemed to be lacking in confidence as she turned and attempted to run down the street. But Dawn was ready, and she delivered a swift kick to the stomach. This held her up just long enough so that Connor could deliver the stake in her back. She turned to dust between them, leaving them once again alone.
Dawn stooped to pick up her purse, which she had dropped in all of the excitement, glad to see that her rose was lying on top, unharmed. As she looked at Connor, she realized with alarm that his face was slightly contorted in pain. Her eyes fell upon the gash on his arm, which had ripped his shirt and broken the skin quite badly, to the point where blood was streaming out. "You're hurt," she said quickly.
He shook his head. "I'm fine, it's nothing..."
"No, that's definitely not nothing." She hesitated for only a second. "Come on, let me fix that for you." She swiftly wrapped an arm around his waist, leading him firmly across the street and into the apartment building.
"Thanks for backing me up out there. Couldn't have done it without you," Connor said, slightly out of breath.
"No problem," Dawn said as she fumbled for her key. "Brought back some old memories." She flashed him the smallest trace of a smile as she successfully opened the door, stepping inside and setting her rose and purse down on the counter before making a beeline for the bathroom.
Connor stood still once inside the apartment. It was kind of eerie to be back here, after it had been his home for so long. Not much had changed, except he noticed a couple blankets and a suitcase piled in one corner next to the couch, clearly Faith's. He slowly followed Dawn's footsteps to the bathroom, where he found her getting antiseptic and some bandages out of the medicine cabinet. He also noticed that she had removed her white jacket, leaving herself in just a little black tank top. "Where are your sister and Faith?" he asked, trying to distract himself from her newly exposed skin.
"Buffy's working late. Faith..." A blush suddenly rose to her cheeks as she remembered her conversation with the slayer before she had left for her date. "I think she was going, um, out," she said quickly. She poured some antiseptic onto a cloth and stepped towards him. She gently turned him so that she could see his wound. "Um...you should probably take your shirt off," she said nervously.
Feeling the sudden tension in the room, Connor nodded. As he pulled it over his head, he grunted slightly from the pain of moving his wounded arm. Once he was bare-chested he turned so that she could access the gash. She tried not to look at his bare chest and stomach as she gently wiped his arm. He reacted to the sting. "Sorry," she apologized. He remained quiet as she wiped off the blood, throwing the dirty cloth in the garbage. She then expertly applied a bandage to the cut. "All better," she said shakily, moving to wash her hands.
He gingerly touched the fresh white bandage. "Thanks." He shook his head, mad at himself. "I always have a stake, I guess I was just distracted today and forgot to bring one..."
"It's okay," she said, patting her hands on a towel. They stood there in the small bathroom for a moment, staring at each other. Connor found himself thinking back to their first time alone in this bathroom together, after Dawn had purposely started the paint fight, and they had taken their clothes off and...he forced himself to stop thinking about it. He slowly turned and exited the bathroom, slowly pulling his torn shirt back on, making sure not to move the bandage. When he turned around he saw that Dawn had also left the bathroom and was now standing on the edge of the living room. Her hair was still in the high ponytail, so there was nothing hiding her bare neck and shoulders as she stood there in the black tank top, looking as beautiful as ever. He gulped a little bit as his mind raged with thoughts and desires.
"I should probably go," he said quietly. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to control himself alone here with her, in their old home.
"That's probably a good idea," Dawn said, her voice hushed. He tried to read her expression, but it was inscrutable. She was simply staring at him as if she were deep in thought about something.
"Thank you. For going out with me, for helping me out with those vampires, and for the bandage," he said sincerely.
"No problem," she said quietly. "So...should I call you?"
"I'll call you," Connor said. She nodded, her expression still blank. He thought about going over to kiss her good night, but he knew that if he did, they wouldn't be able to stop at a kiss. The only reason the one in the theater hadn't gone farther than it had was the public setting, something that was no longer an issue. "Well...good night, Dawn." He looked at her for one last, long moment before he slowly turned and started towards the door.
She watched him go, thoughts swirling inside of her head. All of a sudden she heard herself speak, before she even remembered thinking the words.
"Connor- wait."
He spun around, taking his hand off the doorknob. Their eyes met. Oh screw it, Dawn thought desperately.
Who moved first was anyone's guess; all they knew was that in a matter of a split second they both half-ran to each other, and he gathered her in his arms as their lips met, this time with passion and fire. He pressed her body flush to his as he wrapped his arms around as tight as they would go, and she entwined her arms around his neck, as they both released all of the pent-up tension they had been holding in ever since the kiss in the theater, and possibly before. Soon her feet left the ground and her legs were wrapped around his waist as he clutched her close to him. He quickly moved to the living room wall and pressed her up against it, as his mouth moved from her lips down to her neck and shoulder.
And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
"Connor," she moaned.
"I want you so bad," he breathed.
Her only response was quickly removing his shirt for the second time in five minutes, discarding it carelessly on the floor as she roamed her hands over his bare skin. They had been intimate lots of times in the past, but this time was different, more primal and lust-filled, even a little frantic as they longed to feel each other again. Even though it hadn't even been two weeks, it felt like months had passed since they had been together.
He swiftly pulled her tank top over her head so that only her black bra remained. At some point he gently let her hair out of it's ponytail so that it cascaded around her shoulders, allowing him to run his hands through it. Somehow they made it to the opposite wall next to the couch, leaving a trail of clothes behind as they rushed to eliminate the barriers between them, Connor somehow thinking logically enough to find protection before things got too far.
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
They made love right there against the wall, and then quickly transferred to the couch. For the first time in weeks Dawn's mind was not plagued by worried or troubled thoughts, instead her mind was blissfully blank as she felt herself come alive again with him. We're not meant to be apart, she vaguely remembered thinking at one point. Not when we fit together so well.
Finally, they collapsed on the couch, panting. Dawn made a noise that sounded like a half-moan, half-sigh as he turned over so that she was nestled between him and the back of the couch, nothing covering them as they lied there. "God, I love you," he muttered in her ear, kissing the lobe gently.
And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
"I love you too," she said, the joy at hearing him speak those words to her again nearly overwhelming her. "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I'm sorry for kicking you out without hearing your side of things. I'm sorry if I overreacted. I just...it's not even about her. Or the kiss. I was just upset that you didn't trust me enough to come to me right away. But I see now that we weren't meant to be...not together. It would take something much worse than that to tear us apart." She felt tremendous relief as she poured out these thoughts that had been stewing in her mind for days now.
He wrapped his arms around her tighter, resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for not trusting you as much as I should have. It was the stupidest thing I've ever done. I love you, Dawn. And I promise you, from now on, you will get nothing from me but complete honesty and faith."
She nearly cried hearing him say that. "Oh Connor." Suddenly she realized exactly were they were, and what they were doing, and she started laughing almost uncontrollably.
"What?" he asked, breaking into a grin.
She rolled over so that they were facing each other. "We're so stupid. We both really thought we were going to take things slow? Start over? Now look at us."
He grinned. "I suppose we were overestimating our self control." He paused. "Although, I did worry that it was just me that wanted you so bad. I never could have dreamed that you still.."
"I never stopped," she admitted. "I tried. I really did try to make myself...hate you. I tried to make myself wait before rushing back into things. But I think I realized at some point that I just couldn't. I love you too much."
So take these words
And sing out loudCuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
He kissed her lightly. "I felt like a part of me was dead without you. I realized how empty my life is without you."
"This just feels so right," Dawn said quietly. She smiled a little to herself. "What a night. I never would have thought just a few hours ago that we'd end up here."
"It's almost like the universe wanted us back together," Connor mused. "I mean, we chose to walk home. Then there were the vampires, if I hadn't gotten hurt I probably never would have even made it up here..."
"With your shirt off," she added with a giggle.
"Yeah. Just imagine, if things had gone a little differently tonight this might never have happened. We might have deprived ourselves for even longer," he said, horror filling his mind at the prospect.
"It would have happened soon anyway," Dawn admitted. "I just needed to finally admit to myself that I forgive you. And that I was ready to move on from all of this darkness." She paused. "Promise me we'll never be apart again."
Connor hugged her tight. "I promise." He gently lifted her chin so he could gaze directly into her eyes. "Dawn Summers, I love you. And I promise that I will never, ever hurt you again."
"I love you too," she said, her eyes moist. They kissed again, this time holding on as it became more passionate, and the complete lack of clothes suddenly became very real again. "What do you say you show me again?" she whispered huskily.
His lips trailed down to her neck. "I suppose you could twist my arm." He slowly sat up, gathering her in his arms and heading for the bedroom, where they closed the door behind them and proceeded to make up for some more lost time.
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
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TBC! Please review!