A/N: Wow. I am SO sorry that it has been so long. I don't know what happened. I was out of the country for a while in August, and now I've started my senior year of high school and have to deal with college applications and all that good stuff. I'm sorry for neglecting this story so much. But in an attempt to make up for it, here's my longest chapter yet. I'm trying to move this story along, and I think the end may be in sight. Almost. So, enjoy! And please, if you're still reading this, take a few seconds to drop me a review. It would mean the world.
Chapter 21: I'll Be Home for Christmas
A few months later
December
The rest of their first fall in Rome passed in a mostly-happy blur for Buffy, Dawn, and Connor. Dawn's first term report card turned out excellent, and she found herself to be enjoying school more and more. Connor was still employed at Rome Movers Co., and had been offered a pay raise in late October, which had helped considerably towards paying his own rent. Buffy continued to work at the café and train with Gina on the side. The younger slayer had made excellent progress, and she was now regularly patrolling on her own. Everyone in her life had also noticed the new confidence that came with her new abilities, although still-clueless James had happily chalked it up to good old-fashioned love.
Faith's stay at the apartment had seamlessly lapsed into something more permanent without that ever exactly being said out loud. Although at first Buffy had imagined that her stay would be temporary, she and Dawn quickly grew used to having Faith there. One day, a new couch that folded out into a bed was delivered, and Faith took this as her official invitation to stay. Amelia had also become a somewhat regular feature at the apartment, as she would often come home from school with Dawn to do homework, sometimes staying for dinner on nights she knew her father was working late. There had been a few more close calls with the slaying business almost being revealed in her presence, but so far they had managed to avoid any awkward explanations.
As for Dawn and Connor, at first the transition into not seeing each other as often had proved difficult. But soon they fell into a routine and learned not to waste a second of the time they spent together on weekends. The thing they missed most was not being able to wake up together, since Buffy had proved to be rigid regarding Dawn's curfew. But after he had gotten his raise, Connor had finally bought himself a cell phone, so he could hear her voice whenever he wanted. Now they both enjoyed maxing out on their minutes talking to each other at all hours.
It was a Saturday two weeks before Christmas when Dawn padded into the living room to see Buffy and Faith both hanging over the window ledge, staring at something. Buffy heard her enter and turned around, smiling. "Dawnie, look!" Dawn hurried to the window and peered out, squealing with delight to see the street below blanketed in a layer of pure white snow, which was still falling lazily from the sky. She had only seen snow one time before, Christmas five years ago when the freak storm had hit Sunnydale. And technically, that was one of many memories that had been fabricated and placed into her brain, so this could actually be classified as her first snowstorm.
"It's so beautiful," Dawn said, unable to stop grinning as she stuck a hand out the window, letting the fluffy snowflakes drift over it.
Faith was also smiling as she studied the scene below. "We're definitely not in Sunnydale anymore." The three of them stood there a moment longer, watching as people bundled up in winter coats and scarves trekked through the snow-covered streets. Dawn turned to look at her sister and noticed that she looked like she was a million miles away, a peaceful expression that clearly included a hint of sadness on her face.
"Buffy?" she asked quietly. "Are you okay?"
Her sister seemed to snap out of it, nodding quickly. "I was just thinking about the last time I saw snow." All eyes were on her now, and she blushed slightly. "I was with Angel. But that seems like another lifetime ago now." She turned and walked away from the window, trying to clear her mind of the bittersweet memories. Dawn and Faith exchanged a look. They were both a little worried about Buffy lately.
The phone rang, and Buffy answered it on the second ring. "Hello? Oh my God, Willow! Hey!" Dawn and Faith immediately perked up, turning to look at Buffy. "Oh, we're good! How are you?" She paused, smiling sadly. "I miss you too." There was another longer pause. "Oh, really? That's great...you're flying to LA for Christmas," she repeated, mostly for Faith and Dawn's benefit. Dawn clapped her hands excitedly as her sister grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, jotting something down. She was quiet for a minute as Willow continued on. "Yeah, we will definitely be there. I'll book the tickets as soon as I can." She paused. "I know, I can't wait to see you guys either." They chatted for another minute before saying goodbye.
As Buffy placed the phone back on the receiver, Dawn ran over excitedly. "So, it's final then? We're going to LA for Christmas?"
"Yeah, looks like it. Willow just booked her ticket, and she said she talked to Xander and Giles and they're coming too," Buffy explained.
"One big happy family," Faith said, trying to hide a smile.
"So I just have to get the time off from work. Everyone else is arriving on the 23rd and staying through New Year's. Hopefully I can get that long of a vacation, especially with Gina leaving for the holidays too," Buffy wondered. James was taking Gina back home with him to his hometown in Massachusetts for Christmas. It was a bold move in their relationship, but Gina was thrilled for what would be her first trip to the US. She was also terrified at the prospect of meeting James's family, but Buffy and Dawn had been working overtime to assure her that all she had to do was be herself, and they would love her.
"Well, you're just going to have to tell him you can't work that week. Seriously, would you rather be stuck here serving double lattes to caffeine addicts when you could be back in sunny LA with the gang?" Faith asked with a raised eyebrow.
Buffy nodded. "You're right. I'll just have to tell him I need to take this trip. And Dawn, you should call Connor and tell him to ask for his own time off as soon as possible. I want to book these tickets tomorrow, if we can."
Dawn nodded, practically melting inside at the thought of spending Christmas with Connor and everyone else back at the Hyperion, a place that was so special to both of them. "I will." She linked her arm through her sisters. "This is going to be so perfect. Everyone back together again. It will be just like..."
"This last year of our lives never happened," Buffy finished sadly. It was strange to think that only a year earlier they had all been going about their lives in Sunnydale, unaware that the First was about to turn everything upside down. Now she and her friends were scattered across the planet, and nothing was the same anymore. But this was just what she needed: a nice, normal Christmas with her sister and her friends.
"What do you mean no?" Connor demanded, stunned.
Steve Goldberg looked at him sympathetically from behind his desk, straightening his red and green tie. "I'm sorry, Connor. I simply can't let you take the last week of the year off on such short notice. I'm shorthanded enough already."
"But you don't understand, I have to go to California. My girlfriend and her sister are from there, and we're going back to spend Christmas with everyone," he explained, trying to remain calm.
"I know, and I wish I could let you go. I really do. But I'm a businessman before everything else, and I can't just let this company come to a screeching halt while all my men go home to sing Christmas carols with long-lost relatives," he insisted.
"You're letting James go home," Connor argued.
Steve just stared at him. "James put in for this time off in September. And that's another reason why I can't let you go, you're my only other guy who speaks English, and half our business that week is from tourists spending Christmas here. Believe it or not, some people actually do need moving companies during the holidays." He paused. "Look, I see that you're upset. And of course I can give you Christmas day off to spend with your girl. But a whole week is just out of the question."
Connor closed his eyes. This was not happening. When Dawn had called him earlier, she had been so excited about going back home for Christmas. And how he was about to ruin everything. "What happens if I just go?" he asked boldly.
"Then you might be kicking off 2004 in the unemployment line," he said coolly. "Look, kid, I know it's harsh but I need to put this company first. Next year you just need to ask a little farther in advance, and you'll be all set."
He instantly felt guilty upon hearing that. Truth be told, Dawn had first mentioned the possibility of going to California for Christmas back in September. The thought of asking for time off had crossed his mind, but something inside him had made him hesitate. Frankly, he was a little nervous about spending Christmas with his father. Their relationship was still shaky at best, and he wasn't quite ready to sit around the fireplace and sing Kumbaya with Angel and the Scoobie Gang. But now his stupid reservations were about to ruin Dawn's holiday. "Okay. I guess I understand. But I need to make one condition," he added.
"You name it," his boss said gamely.
"I want a bonus. I'm paying my own rent, and if I'm going to be staying here while Dawn goes home, I'm going to need to get her a really nice gift to make up for it," he bargained.
"I think that can be arranged," Steve said. "And I really am sorry."
"It's alright. I learned my lesson," Connor said, backing away towards the door. "I'd better get back to work." He nodded and exited the office, dread and sadness building as he realized he now had to break the news to Dawn that he would be unable to spend Christmas with her.
"I'm so sorry," Connor said sincerely. It was Sunday morning, and he had asked Dawn to come over so he could break the news in person. He had just finished relaying his conversation with Steve, and was searching her expression for what she was thinking, but her face was blank.
She blinked a few times. "Well, it's okay. It's not your fault...wow, I can't believe he won't let you go home for Christmas."
Connor shifted uncomfortably. "I'm really sorry Dawn. I know how much this means to you, and believe me, I wanted nothing more than to spend Christmas with you." He took a breath. "But it's okay, we can talk as much as you want, I don't care about the phone bill, and as soon as you get back we can have our own celebration-"
"Hold on. Back up a second. When I get back from where?" Dawn asked, confused.
Now it was Connor's turn to blink. "From Los Angeles."
She shook her head. "I'm not going."
It took him a second to realize what she was saying, but as soon as he did, he immediately protested. "Dawn, no. Of course you're going, you're going to go home to California with Buffy and Faith-"
"I am not going anywhere without you. You're staying in Rome for Christmas, so I am too." She shrugged, as if things were just that simple.
He shook his head, refusing to accept that. "Dawn, come on, you have to go with Buffy, I'll be fine here."
"You mean you won't miss me?" she said, pouting slightly as she gazed up at him, reaching out to take his hand.
He felt himself immediately turning to mush at the sight of her adorable pouty lips. "Of course I'll miss you. I'll miss you like crazy." He stroked her cheek. "But I'm not going to let you be stuck here for Christmas when you could be going home."
"This is my home. My home is with you," she said quietly. It was clear she wasn't open to negotiations.
"But what about Buffy?" Connor reminded her.
Dawn's unwavering stance seemed to falter slightly. "Well, I know she'll be disappointed. And of course I wish we could all spend Christmas together. But Buffy can still go to LA with Faith and see Willow and Giles and everyone. She needs that. I know she'll understand."
Connor stared down at her, amazed. "You'd really drop everything, just like that, to spend Christmas with me?"
She nodded. "You better believe it. Besides, it will be kind of neat to spend Christmas here, just the two of us."
He kissed her, trying to figure out just how he had gotten so lucky. "I love you."
"I love you too." She wrapped her arms around him and they embraced for a minute.
"But I plan to be far away when you break this to your sister," Connor muttered. Although they had been making progress, he still wasn't quite in the clear with Buffy, and now that he was taking her little sister away from her at Christmastime...yeah, that wasn't going to be earning him any Brownie points.
"Yes, that's right. Four tickets to Los Angeles, round trip, leaving on the 23rd," Buffy recited into the phone. The door to the apartment creaked open and she waved as Dawn entered. "Yes, a layover in New York is fine." She frowned as she saw Dawn holding up her hands and motioning for her to stop. She stared inquisitively, trying to listen as the woman at the airport recited different seating options.
"Buffy, Connor can't go," Dawn said urgently. "He couldn't get the time off of work on such short notice."
Buffy lowered the receiver slightly. "He can't come?" She immediately felt bad for her sister, she knew how disappointed she would be to have to spend Christmas without Connor. She lifted the receiver again. "Excuse me, it looks like we have to change that to three tickets..."
"I'm not going either," Dawn blurted boldly.
Buffy slowly placed a hand over the receiver, turning to face her sister. "Excuse me?"
Dawn took a shallow breath. "I'm not going to Los Angeles. Not without Connor."
"Excuse me for just a second," Buffy said into the phone. She set it down and crossed her arms as she confronted Dawn. "So you're saying that you can't bear to spend a week apart from him? Come on, Dawnie."
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Buffy, I can't leave him here. He doesn't have anyone else, and I can't bear the thought of him spending Christmas all along in that dingy apartment. Please Buffy, try to understand." Her voice wavered a little. "I love him. And I'm so sorry, but I can't come with you. I just can't."
Buffy stood there, not moving as she attempted to process that. A sound emitted from the receiver, and she picked it up again. "Yes, I'm here. Sorry. Actually, I won't be needing those tickets after all, thanks for-"
"Hello, miss? My sister would like to change that to just two tickets to LA," Dawn said, snatching the receiver out of her sister's hand, cradling the phone protectively to prevent Buffy from grabbing it. "Yes, round trip, leaving on the 23rd and returning on the 2nd. Mmhmm." Buffy glared at her helplessly as she read off the number from the credit card next to the phone. "Yes, that sounds perfect. Thank you so much. Happy Holidays to you too." She hung up the phone, triumphant.
"Dawnie, what the hell do you think you're doing? Do you really think I'm going to just hop on a plane and go halfway across the world if you're not coming?" Buffy asked, a little exasperated.
"Yes, that is exactly what you're going to do. I'm not giving you a choice. On December 23rd you and Faith are getting on a plane to Los Angeles, layover in New York, and you are spending Christmas with Angel and Willow and Giles and Xander. And that's final," Dawn said firmly.
Buffy was silent for a long time to the point where Dawn started to get nervous. But finally she responded. "I'm really going to miss you," she said quietly. "Gosh, Dawnie...you're so grown up."
Dawn gave her a half-smile. "I'm sorry. But I just have to do this."
Buffy nodded. "I understand. Well, maybe I'm just saying that to be nice, but I still respect your decision. I think you've earned that." Her face clouded over for a second as something occurred to her. "Angel's going to be really disappointed that Connor isn't coming."
"I know. I feel really bad about that. I still don't think Connor knows how much Angel cares about him," Dawn confessed.
Buffy nodded in agreement. "Gosh, it's going to feel weird leaving you here by yourself while I'm halfway around the world."
"But I won't be by myself," Dawn reminded her. They looked at each other for a moment before embracing tightly.
The buzz in the air was tangible when the last bell rang on the final day of school before Christmas break. Dawn rushed to her locker, quickly throwing the books she needed in her bag and waving to several of her acquaintances as they passed by. She closed her locker and headed outside, pausing on the steps to wait for Amelia. Less than a minute later her friend came rushing towards her, her cheeks flushed due to a combination of the cold air and the excitement. "We're finally free!" Amelia said with a laugh, pulling her pink mittens on her hands.
"I know!" Dawn said with a smile. She tilted her head as she looked at her friend sadly. "So, I guess this is goodbye for now." Amelia was leaving the following day to go to Switzerland with her father for Christmas. Ever since her mother had passed away her father had been uncomfortable spending Christmas at home, because according to Amelia a lonely holiday spent at home caused both of them to miss her more than ever. So they had fallen into the tradition of splurging on a holiday getaway to some destination in Europe. So in a few days, she would be sipping hot chocolate in a ski lodge while Dawn spent Christmas at home with Connor in the apartment. "Oh, wait! I have your Christmas present." Dawn reached into her bag and pulled out a small red and green gift bag, handing it to her friend.
"I have yours too!" Amelia followed suit, removing a gaily wrapped box from her own bag. They both accepted the gifts and looked at each other. "What do you think, open them now, or wait for Christmas?"
"Now!" they said simultaneously after a moment's consideration. They laughed as they tore into their gifts. Amelia gasped. "Oh, Dawn, this is beautiful!" She held up the amber necklace Dawn had found in one of her favorite little shops to examine it in the light. "I love it!"
"Oh my God, did you make this?" Dawn said, unwrapping her own present to find a beautiful knitted pink scarf.
"Yes, I did! I hope you like it," Amelia said proudly.
"I love it! Thank you so much!" They both reached in and pulled out the second element of their presents, immediately laughing when they saw what it was.
"Great minds think alike!" Dawn said with a grin, holding up the photo of the two of them in a cute pink and green patterned frame.
"I guess they do!" Amelia replied, holding up the same photograph in a silver frame. They hugged each other tightly. By the time they broke apart they noticed that almost everyone else was gone from the school grounds. "Well, I suppose I should get going," Amelia said, carefully placing her gift from Dawn inside her bag. "I'm going to miss you!"
"I'll miss you too. Call me the second you get back to town, and tell your dad merry Christmas for me," Dawn said, gathering her things.
"Tell Buffy and Connor the same for me." They hugged one final time before heading off in their separate directions.
As Dawn walked home, hugging her coat around herself to stay warm, she realized that she and Connor were truly going to be alone this year. Last night she, Connor, and Buffy had accompanied Gina and James to the airport to see them off, all the while trying to reassure a practically shaking Gina that everything was going to be okay, that she would love America and James's family was going to adore her. They wouldn't be returning until after the new year. Now Amelia was leaving in the morning, and in two days time Buffy and Faith would be boarding their own plane to America. It's going to be nice though, a quiet Christmas with just us. We could definitely use the alone time. Having uninterrupted time alone with Connor was what she was looking forward to the most, especially since that had been difficult to come by in recent months. But she also worried that it might be a bit...lonely. I'm going to be here with the man I love in a beautiful city. What more could I ask for? she tried to convince herself as she arrived home. But she couldn't shake the lingering sadness that maybe something just wasn't right about this holiday.
December 23rd
"Do you think she'll be okay? I mean, what if she tries to cook Christmas dinner and sets the place on fire?"
"Relax, B, I think our Dawnie is definitely more of the takeout type."
"Well what if she locks herself out? It's happened before, you know."
"The landlord has a spare key."
"Well what if something goes wrong and I'm not there?" Buffy said desperately, clinging to the armrests of the cramped plane seat and staring around nervously as if looking for a last-minute escape route.
Faith looked up from her airline magazine, exasperated. "Dawnie's a big girl. I think she can manage to avoid a major crisis until you get back."
Buffy relaxed slightly. "I suppose you're right." She rested her head against the back of the seat. "I just feel so weird leaving her."
"You're not leaving her. You were going anyway, she just decided to stay behind," Faith said rationally, propping her feet up against the back of the seat in front of her, causing the businessman occupying the seat to turn around and give her a dirty look which she completely ignored.
The flight attendant came into the aisle to go over the safety procedures, and Buffy shut up for a few minutes. All she caught was something about flotation devices and air masks as she kept picturing Dawn sitting alone in the apartment, the decorated Christmas tree in the corner. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she said quietly once the flight attendant's spiel was over and they were prepping for takeoff.
"Look, I know you miss her already. I wish she was coming with us, too. But if there's anything I've learned, it's that you can't have everything." Faith regarded her friend over the top of her magazine. "We're going to spend Christmas in sunny LA with the Scoobie Gang. Be happy." A wicked gleam appeared in her eyes. "Hey, if you're lucky you might even catch Angel under the mistletoe."
The plane started moving down the runway as Buffy gave her a look. "You know that we can't," she said simply. One thing that she'd been putting all of her energy towards not thinking about was how she was going to deal with spending another week in a somewhat small space with Angel. Somehow they had managed earlier in the year after the last battle in Sunnydale, but they had both had a lot on their mind. This time it would be calmer, fewer distractions, not to mention the overall romantic mood of the holiday season...she was basically dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. She remembered the last time they had seen each other, in the airport in Los Angeles, the way he had held her face and kissed her forehead...
"You still love him," Faith stated, her magazine forgotten as she stared intently at her traveling companion.
"God help me, I do," Buffy admitted readily. "And I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop. Or if I'll ever want to."
There was a long pause as the plane lifted into the air. The cabin shook a little from the typical takeoff turbulence, but Buffy barely felt a thing. It must have been five minutes later when Faith spoke up.
"Well I think you don't realize how lucky you are," she said suddenly.
Buffy blinked, turning to look at her, amazed that she was still carrying on the conversation. "I'm lucky? I'm lucky that I get to go spend Christmas so close to the man that I love, but still be so far away because we can never be together?"
"No, you're lucky because even if you can't be with him the way you want, you can still see him and touch him and talk to him. You have more than just memories and one lousy picture. Just be thankful that he's still in your life," Faith said passionately, turning to look out the window.
Buffy looked at her in surprise, taken aback by the sudden expression of emotion. She hesitated before reaching her hand over to touch Faith's shoulder gently. "I'm sorry. You're right. I am lucky that Angel is still in my life. I'm just selfish because I want what I can't have." It felt strange to hear herself admit it out loud, but she knew it was true. Maybe she was looking at things the wrong way. She had some wonderful memories with Angel...painful, but wonderful. And she could still see him. Faith didn't have that. Robin had left her life for good so soon after coming into it, and she had almost nothing left of him.
They were quiet for a minute as they continued along in the air smoothly. The trailer for the in-flight movie came on, as flight attendants tried to sell overpriced headsets to any passengers interested in some kid-directed tale involving a father that transformed into a dog.
"I don't know why I'm even going," Faith said, a little bitterly. "I'm sure that no one there really wants to see me anyway."
"That's not true," Buffy said, unsure if she was lying or not. "You know that Angel will be glad to see you," she managed lamely.
"He won't even notice I'm there next to you," Faith reminded her. Buffy couldn't think of anything to say in protest.
"Faith, things are different now than they were before. I mean, sure there are always going to be old grudges. But you helped us a lot in Sunnydale, and I don't think anyone has forgotten that. They all know that you've...changed. And these past few months have been a fresh start for all of us," Buffy said quietly.
Faith just shrugged, her elbow propped up against the window. "Whatever. But I know that in most of their minds I'm still the psycho bitch who tried to ruin their lives. Heck, even you probably still think that about me."
Buffy frowned. "If that was really what I thought of you, do you think I would have welcomed you into my home, no questions asked?" She paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "Look, Faith, I know we have a past that can never really be forgotten. But I really believe that you've changed. And honestly, it's been kind of nice having you around."
Faith turned to look at her, incredulous. "What is this, the twilight zone?"
"No, it's just me being honest. As weird as it might have been at first, having you staying with Dawn and I has really worked out. And you must have thought it would or else you never would have shown up in the first place," Buffy pointed out.
"Well I suppose I just thought you were the least likely to slam the door in my face," Faith said wryly.
"Well then I guess you were right," Buffy said matter-of-factly. She looked down at her watch, groaning when she realized they wouldn't be landing in New York for seven more hours, and after that they had another 3 hour flight to look forward to. "This is going to be a long trip."
"Tell me about it," Faith said, already sounding bored to tears.
A thought occurred to Buffy, and she glanced nervously at her fellow slayer. "Well, if you want, we could talk to pass the time."
"What about?" she said monotonously.
"Why don't you tell me about him. Tell me about your time in New York. I mean, unless you don't want to," Buffy added.
Faith considered that for a minute. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to talk about it." She glanced around the cabin before turning to face Buffy, at least as much as her cramped seat would allow, and lowering her voice to an almost furtive tone. "Well, as soon as we landed in New York..."
December 24th
"Dammit!" Dawn exclaimed. She was currently teetering on a step ladder, trying desperately to hang a swag of mistletoe from the living room ceiling, and the timer on the oven letting her know that her slice and bake Christmas cookies were ready had begun to buzz shrilly. She dejectedly set the mistletoe down, descended from the ladder in a manner so ungraceful that it made her glad she was alone, and bounded over to the oven, removing the tray of cookies and setting it on a potholder to cool. Once that was done, she proceeded back over to the ladder, determined to win the battle this time. Five minutes later, the mistletoe was hung, the whole apartment smelled like fresh cookies, and the lights that Buffy and Faith had hung on the plump Christmas tree in the corner were blinking merrily. She smiled, pleased with herself. Everything was almost ready: the decorations were up, the takeout was staying fresh in the refrigerator, the table was set. She headed into her room to get dressed, excited at the fact that Connor would be arriving in less than an hour for their romantic evening. She peeled off her sweatpants and t-shirt and removed the new outfit she'd bought just for the occasion from the closet. "This is going to be perfect," she said to herself happily. She thought briefly of Buffy and Faith. They would probably be arriving at the hotel any minute now. A pang tugged at her stomach as she thought of her sister, but she forced herself to picture Connor's face instead.
When the doorbell rang exactly two minutes before he was due to arrive, Dawn grinned excitedly before scanning the room one final time. The candles were lit, Christmas music was softly playing, everything was all set. She smoothed her hair before walking to the door and slowly pulling it open.
"Wow. You look amazing," were the first words out of his mouth as he took in her red satin skirt and black top ensemble. He handed her the bottle of sparkling water he'd brought along, throwing in a kiss for good measure. She closed the door behind him and allowed him to take in her handiwork.
"You did all of this?" he asked her.
"Do you like it?" she said proudly.
"I love it. You're amazing." He walked over to the tree and placed a red gift bag underneath. "For later," he explained.
She walked over to him and leaned against his shoulder. "I was just thinking about last Christmas."
He smiled fondly. "Of course. Us in that apartment in Sunnydale, dancing."
"And saying 'I love you' for the first time," she added softly. "I will never forget that."
"Me neither. And then we fell asleep and when we woke up in the morning you freaked thinking about how mad Buffy would be," he said with a laugh.
She grinned. "I remember. And look at us now, one year later."
"I love you even more," he said sincerely.
She glanced upwards. "Hey, look." He followed her gaze to see the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling right above them.
"Oh, what do you know," he muttered, leaning in to capture her in a knee-weakening kiss. Things quickly escalated as hands began to roam and they enjoyed having some true alone time.
"If we keep this up we're never going to eat," Dawn said breathily.
"This always seems to happen, doesn't it," he commented, kissing her neck.
She slowly pulled back. "Seriously...there's no rush tonight. Let's enjoy some dinner and then we can get to the dessert," she added with a wicked smile.
"I'll be looking forward to it all night," he said deviously.
She gave him a scolding glance over her shoulder as she headed to the kitchen to fetch the food she had carefully ordered. He helped her bring it to the small table she had set up in the living room and covered with a green table cloth. A candle was already burning in the center. Once the food was set out, Connor brought over the bottle of sparkling water and poured two glasses before taking his seat. "I would like to propose a toast," he said formally. Dawn held up her glass. "To us, and to many more Christmases together," he said simply.
"I will definitely drink to that," she said as they clinked their glasses and took a sip.
The dinner turned out perfectly. The homemade Italian food Dawn had ordered from a local restaurant was delicious, and the romantic atmosphere only added to their enjoyment of the meal. When they were done eating, Connor stood, holding out his hand. "Dance with me," he said, more as a gentle command than a question. She happily accepted, following him to the center of the room and leaning into him as they swayed to the music.
I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree
Christmas eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
By the time the song finished they were tangled up in a passionate kiss, and Connor swept Dawn into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
Los Angeles
When Buffy and Faith stepped into the lobby of the Hyperion loaded down with luggage, the first person who came to greet them was Fred, who beamed and clapped her hands together with excitement upon seeing them. "Well look who's here!" she squealed. "Hey y'all, Buffy and Faith are here!"
"Buffy!" sounded a familiar voice as Willow ran down the stairs. Buffy nearly melted with happiness upon seeing her redheaded friend, and dropped her bags immediately to catch her in a hug. "You look great!"
"So do you! Oh my God, it's so good to see you again," Buffy said, not wanting to let go of her friend. They hugged again.
"Well if it isn't the Buffster," boomed Xander from behind Willow.
Buffy held her arms out as he wrapped her in a bear hug. "Xander, I missed you so much."
"And what about me?" said the familiar British voice. Buffy started to tear up when she saw her former Watcher standing on the staircase, his glasses in one hand. She went to him wordlessly and they shared a long hug.
Buffy wiped at her eyes, overcome with emotion at being reunited with Willow, Xander, and Giles, the three best friends she had ever had. The four of them just stared at each other meaningfully as they all thought back to their days in Sunnydale, and how different things were now. But there were some things that would never change.
She could feel Angel's presence in the room before she actually saw him. She turned slowly and her eyes found him standing in the doorway of his office, looking right at her. The tidal wave of emotion that she still felt every time she saw him overcame her for only a second before she could make herself walk towards him. "Hi," she said quietly, giving him a small smile.
"Hi yourself," he replied, staring down at her. Although they didn't hug because they knew better, the gaze they shared standing two feet apart was in many ways more intimate than any physical greeting could have been.
Faith cleared her throat from her spot near the door where she was still standing awkwardly. Buffy instantly felt bad and walked back towards her, although not sure what to say. Angel thankfully did. "Hello Faith. It's good to see you again," he said warmly.
Faith nodded at him. "You too."
"Oh my goodness!" squealed a feminine voice from the top of the stairs. Everyone whirled around to see Andrew flying down at top speed. "It's Sunnydale's two favorite slayers!" Before Buffy knew what hit her the geeky blonde had thrown his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder. "We're all together again, like one big happy family," he said tearily, his voice muffled from the fabric of Buffy's sweater.
Buffy patted his back awkwardly, but although she'd never admit it, she had kind of missed Andrew, annoying as he was. "It's good to see you too, Andrew."
He finally pulled away and started towards Faith, but she was prepared, and simply held up a hand. "I don't hug," she said firmly.
Andrew straightened, nodding importantly. "Of course you don't. Well, in case you all haven't heard, Mr. Giles has taken me under his wing as a new Watcher-in-training. And I am a different man than I was the last time we were here."
Buffy gave him a quick once-over, which confirmed what she'd been thinking: same old Andrew. "Oh really," she said dismissively. She sidled over to Giles, whispering in his ear. "Remind me to give you some kind of award later."
"Oh, it would be well deserved," Giles said with the dry enthusiasm of someone who had been exposed to far too much Andrew in the past six months. Buffy stifled a laugh as she looked around at everyone. Everything was so close to perfect, but one obvious thing was missing. She felt a pang of sadness, but just then Cordelia, Wesley, Lorne, and Gunn emerged and ran over to greet her, and for a second her thoughts were removed from her sister, currently a very large ocean away.
Rome
"I forgot how nice it is to just be able to lay next to you without worrying about being interrupted," Dawn said happily. The two of them were lying in bed, basking in the afterglow and just enjoying the feeling of being close to each other. The Christmas music was still drifting in from the living room, and overall the atmosphere couldn't have been more romantic.
He stroked lazy circles on her arm. "This feels incredible." They stayed like that for probably ten more minutes, not feeling the need to talk or even move. After a while Connor shifted slightly in order to catch a glance at the clock on the bedside table.
"What's the matter?" Dawn asked lazily.
"Nothing. I'll be right back," he said suddenly. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, reaching for his boxers and pulling them on before padding out into the living room. She sat up, wrapping the sheet around her chest as she waited curiously for his return. After a minute he came back carrying the red gift bag he had placed under the tree earlier.
"I thought we were doing presents in the morning," Dawn said with surprise as he climbed back into bed, sitting next to her.
"Well, I want you to open this one now," he said, handing it to her.
She smiled at him. "What could be so important that it couldn't wait?" she said curiously as she poked through the tissue paper.
"You'll see," he said as she pulled out the long, flat box, enjoying the girlish gleam in her eye that always accompanied opening presents. "I have a feeling you're going to like this one."
December 25th
Los Angeles
"Wake up, it's Christmas!"
Buffy winced as she awoke to the sound of Andrew apparently running up and down the halls of the Hyperion like a little kid. She managed to roll over enough to catch a glimpse of the clock. 6:45 am. Oh, that's just great. She turned over onto her stomach with a grunt, burying her face in the pillow. She hadn't woken up this early on Christmas since she and Dawn were kids. Dawn. Her mind wandered to her sister, and what she would be doing right now. It was still the middle of the night in Italy, so most likely she was with Connor...she forced herself to abort that thought. Not mental images she needed right now.
To her dismay, the door to her room swung open without so much as a knock and light streamed in from the hallway. "Buffy, wake up!" called another voice. Apparently Xander had joined Andrew in his regression to pre-school age. After pretending to be asleep for a minute, she grudgingly rolled over to look at her friend, who was wearing a Santa hat and grinning like the little boy he still was inside. His excitement proved contagious, and in a record-breaking five minutes, she was up, dressed, and headed downstairs. Almost everyone else was already there, gathering around the Christmas tree in the lobby as Fred handed out coffee to everyone.
"Merry Christmas, Buffy!" Willow called happily from her seat next to Giles, who was still in his pajamas.
"Merry...I mean, Happy belated Hannukah," Buffy corrected herself. It was amazing that after all these years she could still almost forget that her friend was Jewish.
"Wow, you're up. I'm impressed," Angel said quietly. He held out a cup of coffee to her, which she graciously accepted. When she went to take the mug from his grasp, their fingers brushed, causing an electric tingle to pass through her whole body. She could tell from the look on his face that he had felt it too. "Merry Christmas," he said after a moment.
"You too," Buffy replied. They smiled at each other.
"It caaaaame upon the midniiight cleear," Lorne bellowed as he walked in from outside, his arms held out as he filled the room with his trademark voice. He was wearing a neon red suit and a green tie that somehow managed to avoid clashing with his skin. "Good morning sugarplums! It's Christmas!"
While everyone was watching Lorne Buffy noticed Faith descending the stairs quietly, looking almost hesitant to join the festivities. Buffy caught her eye and waved her down encouragingly.
"Presents for everyone!" Cordelia called out, emerging from the office with a sack reminiscent of Santa Claus himself. Christmas music was now blasting from somewhere, and the room had become pretty loud with excitement and conversation. Buffy chose to stay back on the edges of the scene with Angel, watching the people she loved, with one significant exception, basking in the joy of Christmas.
"I wish they were here too," Angel said, reading her mind. She looked up at him and their eyes met with understanding. Then she felt his hand close over her free one and she squeezed tightly.
"Okay, who wants to go first," Cordelia called out as she finished distributing gifts. She handed one each to Buffy and Angel, who reluctantly broke their touch to accept them, as well as to Faith, who stared at it as if she'd never seen a present before in her life before surprising Cordy with a genuine smile that she somehow managed to return. Buffy smiled herself at the exchange.
"Well, maybe you should wait for everyone before you start opening them."
Everyone froze and spun towards the sound of the new voice. Buffy's jaw dropped when she saw Dawn and Connor standing in the doorway, hand in hand and with suitcases at their feet. The previously loud room had suddenly grown so quiet you could hear a pin drop as everyone stared at the unexpected visitors.
"Dawnie? Connor? W-what are you doing here?" Buffy finally managed to say, shocked.
"We're coming home for Christmas," Dawn said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and she looked absolutely radiant as she beamed at everyone.
Buffy quickly ran across the room and threw her arms around her sister. "But how? I thought your boss wouldn't let you..." she asked over her sister's shoulder.
"Well, technically he wouldn't. But I decided that there are more important things than work," Connor said, his eyes finding Angel.
Dawn pulled back, grasping her sister's shoulders. "Buffy, Connor planned all of this. He surprised me with the tickets last night. We left on the last flight out and just got here." She turned to stare lovingly at her boyfriend. "This was his Christmas present to me."
Buffy looked at Connor with a whole new respect. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing my sister to me."
"The look on her face when we got here was all the thanks I needed," he said honestly.
Angel had crossed the room and was standing next to him. "Merry Christmas, Connor. I'm so glad you decided to come."
Connor looked at him for a minute. "Yeah. Me too." He surprised everyone by smiling a little.
Cordelia approached and Connor hugged her tightly. "I can't believe you're here!" she said happily.
Buffy still hadn't let go of Dawn, her arm firmly around her little sister's waist. "Now everything's perfect," she declared to no one in particular. Willow, Xander, and the others were waiting patiently to greet Dawn, so she reluctantly let go, standing back while Dawn exchanged excited words and hugs with everyone. Through the excitement, her eyes found Angel's as he watched his son and she her sister, and for a minute, everything was just as it was meant to be.
TBC!