A/N: My sincerest apologies for the major cliffhanger. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews of the last chapter. I especially enjoy hearing from people who have just discovered this series and read the entire thing right away...welcome! This is a nice long chapter for you guys. After this one I have four more chapters planned, so keep reading, and as always, feedback is love!

Chapter 27: Fallen Warrior

A half hour later, Connor paced a hole in the waiting area of the emergency room. He had rushed an unconscious Dawn inside, and a team of doctors and nurses had immediately whisked her away. He had tried to follow, but they had forced him to stay in the waiting room. When they had asked how Dawn had gotten such deep wounds, he had simply said that she was mugged. He knew that if he had told the truth, that Dawn had been a sacrifice in a ritual to raise a demon of hell, he would have been escorted directly to the psych ward.

"Connor, please sit," Gina pleaded. She was sitting rigidly in one of the plastic chairs, her eyes wide with the trauma of the past few hours.

"I can't, not until I know she's okay. Why haven't they told us anything by now?" he complained.

Buffy entered the waiting area, which was thankfully deserted save for the three of them. "I called Giles. He has a contact who is going to help us deal with the…with Faith." Connor stopped pacing for a moment and they all just looked at each other. Obviously, they wanted Faith to receive a proper burial, but after they had left the scene and taken her body with them, there was no way for them to report her death that wouldn't make the whole thing look incredibly suspicious.

"How is that going to work?" Connor asked quietly.

"Someone is going to meet us here soon and take her. They can pull strings to get her back to the US. I think she would want to be buried there…in New York, with Robin." Connor nodded in silent agreement.

"And we have to decide what to do about the van. It's not exactly inconspicuous," Buffy continued, attempting to take care of details while they all waited anxiously for news on Dawn.

Connor groaned and put a hand to his head. "We'd planned to bring it back before they open in the morning." He glanced at the clock. Somehow, it was only 1:30am. It was incredible that it had only been a little more than six hours since Dawn had failed to show up for their date. It felt more like six years. "I guess we still could. But I'm not leaving this hospital until I know that Dawn is okay," he said firmly.

Buffy nodded. "I don't want to either, but someone needs to go meet Giles's guy at the van."

"I'll go." Gina stood up. "You both should be here with Dawn."

Buffy looked at Gina with concern. "Gina, you don't have to do this. It's been a rough night…"

"No, it's fine. Call my phone if there is news about Dawn." Without another word, she quietly left the waiting area.

Buffy sank into the chair the other slayer had vacated, dropping her head onto her lap. Connor continued pacing. Neither of them said a word.

It was 2am by the time a doctor finally came. Buffy leapt out of her chair and Connor practically charged at the man. "How is she?" he demanded.

"Well, she lost a lot of blood. We had to give her a transfusion as well as a dozen stitches on each arm. She also has a mild concussion, so we'll have to keep her here at least overnight for observation. But she's lucky in that there will be no permanent damage."

Buffy and Connor both let out audible sighs of relief. "Is she awake?" Buffy asked excitedly.

"Just barely. I can let you both see her for a few minutes, but please bear in mind that she's heavily medicated and needs her rest," the doctor warned. "You can follow me."

The two of them followed the doctor down the hallway and into a long room that was partitioned into sections with curtains. They passed a few other patients before reaching Dawn. She was wearing a hospital gown and attached to an IV and a monitor. Connor had never seen her look so fragile. She turned her head slowly as she heard them come in, and managed a weak smile. "Hi."

"Oh thank God." Connor rushed to her side and kissed her on her forehead, taking her hands in his. Buffy went around the other side of the bed and smoothed her sister's hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts…a lot. And I just feel really weak and like I could sleep for a month," Dawn said dazedly. She swallowed. "I'm sorry. I was walking to your apartment for our date, and they came out of nowhere and grabbed me-"

Connor shushed her. "Don't you dare apologize." His eyes met Buffy's and she gave him a somber look. Dawn didn't know about Faith.

Even sedated, Dawn saw something pass between her boyfriend and her sister. "What is that look for? What happened?" Neither of them said anything.

"Hey, I'm going to go call Willow and Giles and let them know you're okay. They've been going crazy." Buffy leaned in and kissed her sister's forehead. "Don't let him keep you up too long, you need your sleep." She squeezed Dawn's hand and headed out of the room, pausing to touch Connor's shoulder and give him a small smile.

Once they were alone, Dawn looked intently at Connor. "Please tell me what's wrong. Is it the demon? Did it rise?" Dawn's eyes were wide and fearful, and Connor could tell that every muscle in her body was fighting just to stay awake.

Connor nodded slowly. "Yes, the demon did rise. But Faith killed it almost right away."

Dawn visibly relaxed. "Oh, good." She noticed that Connor had closed his eyes. "Wait…if it's not that, then what is it?"

Connor struggled to find the right words. "I don't know how much you remember…but aside from the demon, there were a bunch of vampires. Buffy, Faith, Gina and I fought them."

Dawn started to sit up. "Oh God, Gina-"

"No, Gina's fine. It's Faith. She…she didn't make it."

Dawn's mouth fell open and tears welled up in her eyes. "What? No, no, you said she killed the demon!"

"She did. The last thing she did probably saved us all. But then a vampire came up behind her, and there was nothing we could do," he stated quietly.

Dawn stared up at the ceiling as tears started to trickle down her face. Connor stood and gently pulled her to him. She wrapped her heavily bandaged arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. "She died saving me," she sobbed.

After a moment he gently layed her back down on her pillows and wiped away her tears. "You really need to sleep. You've been through so much."

Dawn nodded wearily. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

He smiled. "Of course." He sat there by her bedside, holding her hand. Her eyes closed almost immediately, and only seconds passed before her deep breathing let him know that she had dozed off.

Buffy leaned against the wall in the hospital and rubbed her eyes. She had called Willow and Giles to report that Dawn was awake and going to be fine. She had also broken the news about Faith to Willow, who had grown very quiet. It was no secret that the two had never liked each other, but the news still came as a shock.

There was still one more call that Buffy knew she had to make, but she was putting it off as long as possible. She didn't know if she could handle hearing his voice right now.

"Hey," Gina said, walking down the hallway towards her. "Giles's friend came. He took her."

Buffy nodded. "Good news, Dawn's awake. The doctor said that she's going to be fine."

"Ringraziare il signore," Gina muttered gratefully in Italian.

"Look, why don't you let me call you a cab to take you home. In the morning we can all come back and visit Dawn," Buffy said.

Gina nodded hesitantly. Just then, Connor rounded the corner to join them. "She's asleep," he reported.

"Did you tell her?" Buffy asked. Connor nodded grimly.

"Oh! Amelia called. I feel bad, she waited and waited all night at your house and we forgot to tell her what happened," Gina added. "But she was very happy to hear that Dawn is okay. I think she went home. I told her she can come and visit in the morning." Buffy nodded absently, wondering how much longer they would be able to keep Amelia in the dark about everything.

"Okay. Well why don't we get a cab to bring us home. Connor, are you going to…" Buffy tilted her head.

He nodded wearily. "I suppose returning it damaged is better than not returning it at all."

"Be careful," Buffy cautioned him. The three of them stared at each other in silence for a minute before heading their separate ways.

Thankfully, it was still pitch black when Connor pulled up to Rome Movers and Co. He parked the van at the curb and hopped out, checking first to make sure no one was around. This time he went straight to the garage doors and since he had left the dead bolt off, he was able to open it manually. He went back to the van and drove it inside, carefully parking it exactly where he had found it. Taking the key out of the ignition and getting out, he surveyed the damage. The front end of the van was banged up and dented quite badly from when he had driven through the doors of the warehouse. The damage was instantly noticeable. With a sigh, he returned the keys to their proper hook. He considered dead-bolting the doors and exiting through the window, but finally he just settled with leaving the doors unlocked. He didn't have the energy, and the fact that there had been a break-in would be immediately obvious because of the state of the van anyway. If there were an investigation, it would not be suspicious that his fingerprints were all over since he was an employee.

He closed up the garage and stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out what to do next. He started to put his hands in his pockets, but his fingers hit the ring box that he had almost forgotten about completely. Connor slowly took it out and flipped it open, studying the ring he had intended to put on Dawn's finger earlier. So much for finding the perfect moment.

When he got home, he sat and stared at the ring for a while before tucking it away in a kitchen cupboard where he knew Dawn would never stumble across it. He couldn't ask her now, with everything that had happened. When he did, he wanted her to know that it was because he loved her, and not because she had nearly died. With the cloud of Faith's death looming over them, he knew that it was simply not the right time. So he put the ring away, knowing that it would be there when the right day came.

Buffy walked into the apartment, absentmindedly flicking on the light switch. She sank down on one of the kitchen stools, so drained that she felt as if her legs couldn't hold her anymore.

Her eyes fell on a pile of stuff in the corner of the living room. Faith's clothes. During the past few months that she'd been living there, Buffy had been constantly annoyed by the other slayer's habit of leaving her stuff strewn everywhere. Never again was Faith going to lean back on the couch and put her feet on the coffee table.

Something about that thought made the reality of the situation truly set in, even more than when Buffy had carried Faith's dead body. Before she could stop it, a sob escaped her body, and from there she couldn't stop. Buffy sat on the stool sobbing loudly for reasons that she didn't even fully understand. Her relationship with Faith had been messy at best. Faith's death and Dawn's abduction were just too much for Buffy's already fragile emotional state.

She cried for a good ten minutes before the sobs tapered off and became gasps. Buffy stumbled off the stool and went to the sink, splashing water on her face and wiping it with a paper towel. In a strange way she felt cleansed by her little episode.

She waited until her breathing had regulated itself before reaching for the phone. After putting off this call all night, she finally felt strong enough to make it now. With the tears behind her, she could resume being strong, confident Buffy.

"Angel Investigations," he answered from around the world. She could tell by the tone in his voice that he had known who it was before even picking up the phone.

"Hi," she said quietly. She paused, searching for the right words. "Something happened tonight."

The next morning Connor was waiting by the doors of the hospital at nine, a bunch of yellow roses in his hand, waiting for visiting hours to begin. As soon as the clock changed, he strode into the hospital and right down the corridor. He walked quietly past the other sleeping patients and paused outside Dawn's cubicle, peering in to see if she was awake. Her eyes were open, and she was staring absently across the room. He cleared his throat, and she snapped out of it, turning her head to focus on him. "Hi," she said quietly. She smiled when she saw the flowers. "They're beautiful, but you really didn't have to do that."

He set them on the bedside table and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. "You look better already."

"I feel better. I want to get out of here," she said.

"I know. We'll see what the doctors say. You had a concussion, so they just needed to keep an eye on you for a while." He perched on the edge of her bed. "Did you get some sleep?"

Dawn shrugged. "Not really. I couldn't stop thinking about…about Faith."

"Same," Connor agreed quietly.

"I just can't believe she's really gone." Tears started to well up in Dawn's eyes again. "Connor…w-where is she now? What is going to happen to her?"

"Giles helped us get her back to the US. We think that she'd want to be buried in New York, with Robin. I think he was the closest thing to family she had in a long time," Connor said.

Dawn nodded. "I think she'd like that." She paused. "Is there going to be a funeral?"

"I don't know," Connor said honestly. "We haven't figured out the details yet."

"She should have one. Nothing big though, no flowers. She wouldn't have liked that." Dawn was crying now, and she lifted a bandaged arm to try to wipe the tears off her face. "It's funny, you know. For a long time Faith and I hated each other. But ever since she came back, she was different. I don't know if you could say we were friends, but we…" She let out a little sob.

Connor put his arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, I know."

"It's just all my fault! If I had been more careful, if I hadn't been kidnapped that demon never would have risen, and she would still be here," Dawn sobbed.

"No, you listen to me." Connor gripped her shoulders gently and looked straight into her eyes. "You can't blame yourself. Faith was a slayer, she fought battles like that almost every day. It was her calling. She died doing what she was born to do. She was a hero last night, Dawn."

Dawn lay back against the pillows, wiping her hands across her face. "I know she was. And I know that blaming myself won't bring her back, but I just can't help it. You know, I thought things were going to be better here. I thought that once we left Sunnydale we would finally get a break from all of this, but the evil just follows us wherever we go."

They were both quiet for a moment. "I didn't tell you this, but last night when we were trying to find you, Faith and I did a locator spell," Connor said, attempting to lighten the mood slightly.

He saw the vaguest hints of a smile at the corners of Dawn's lips. "Wait, you? Did a spell? You hate magic," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I do. But we were desperate, and it seemed like the best idea, so we did it. We had no idea what we were doing, I can't believe it even worked. But it's how we figured out where you were," Connor explained. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening before leaning in closer. "And we stole a moving van from my work."

Dawn's jaw dropped. "You didn't."

"Yeah, we did. I brought it back though…I don't think it will ever quite look the same again, but it's in one piece…more or less," he said with a wry grin.

"Connor, if anyone ever finds out, you'll be fired!" Dawn said, her eyes wide. "I can't believe you did all that for me."

"I would have done anything," he said honestly. They leaned in and kissed again, longer this time, until they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They broke apart and looked up to see Buffy standing there, holding a small suitcase.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said awkwardly.

"No, it's fine. Come in," Dawn said. Buffy wordlessly walked to her sister's side and enveloped her in a hug.

"You look so much better. You're so strong," Buffy said, smoothing her sister's hair. "I brought you some clothes for when you get to go home. Oh, Amelia and Gina are going to come by later."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Amelia? She doesn't know anything…how did you explain this?"

"We didn't really. Not yet. Gina talked to her."

"Maybe we should just tell her. She can be trusted, Buffy, I know she can," Dawn said confidently.

"I know. Last night when we didn't know where you were she sat by the phone at our apartment all night. She's a good friend," Buffy agreed.

Dawn nodded slowly, obviously wanting to ask something, but unsure if she should. "Buffy…Connor and I were wondering. Is there going to be a memorial for Faith?"

"I talked to Angel. He said that he'd pay for us to fly to New York for the burial. We're going to wait until you're strong enough to travel," Buffy added.

"How did he take the news?" Connor asked, speaking for the first time since Buffy's arrival.

Buffy turned her head to look at him. "He was sad. He and Faith were…close, once." She didn't elaborate, and no one pressed for more details of her phone call with Angel. "But don't worry. She'll get a proper memorial, like she deserves." Dawn nodded.

"Good morning, Miss Summers," a doctor said suddenly, startling all of them. Buffy looked back to see the same doctor from last night standing there with a clipboard.

"Oh, hi," Dawn said. "Can I go home?"

The doctor chuckled at her impatience. "That's what I'm here to determine." He peered at the monitor by her bedside and began jotting down numbers on his clipboard. "How are you feeling this morning? Any headaches, blurred vision, dizziness?"

"Well, I still feel weak, and my head hurts a little bit, but it's so much better than yesterday," Dawn said.

The doctor nodded. "Well, your vitals look strong. I just want to run a few more tests and check on those stitches, but you should be able to go home this afternoon. But it's vital that you take it easy for a few days." Dawn nodded eagerly.

"Doctor, I have a question. How long will it be before she's up to traveling, or flying? We've had a death in…in the family, and we're going to have to go home to the US."

"My condolences. I would recommend waiting at least three to four days. Her body has suffered pretty severe trauma, and an overseas flight is taxing. But if she gets plenty of rest the next few days, it should be fine."

"Thank you," Buffy said.

"Okay Miss Summers, I'm going to send a nurse in to collect you, and we'll run a few tests. If everything comes back okay, we can start the paperwork for your release." Dawn smiled and nodded as the doctor left the room.

"Did you hear that? You have to take it easy when we get you home," Connor reminded her, knowing full well that his stubborn girlfriend would try to push herself too far.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I know. But I'm going to be fine…I wish they would take these bandages off." She scratched at her arms.

Suddenly there was a flurry of activity and Amelia and Gina entered the cubicle. Amelia was holding a large bunch of balloons from the gift shop and Gina had a little pink teddy bear holding a box of chocolates. "Oh, hey guys," Dawn said with a smile.

"Dawn, thank God you're okay. I was so scared," Amelia said, releasing the balloons, which floated to the ceiling, as she ran to Dawn's side to give her a gentle hug. She lightly touched the bandages on her friend's arms and glanced worriedly at the IV by her bedside. "What on earth happened?" Gina approached from the other side of the bed and kissed Dawn on the cheek, murmuring something in Italian.

Dawn looked at her sister and Connor, unsure of what to say. "Well, uh, I had a little accident when I was on my way to meet Connor last night. I had to get some stitches and I have a little concussion, but otherwise I'm going to be fine," she said lightly.

But Amelia wasn't satisfied. "Stitches? A concussion? Were you mugged? Who did this to you?" The usually reserved girl was suddenly being almost irritatingly persistent.

Dawn was saved when a nurse entered with a wheelchair, looking slightly taken aback at the number of people crammed into the small space. "Hello, I'm here to take you to run a few simple tests," she said with a thick Italian accent. She parked the wheelchair next to the bed and Connor gripped Dawn around the waist to help her stand. She sat down in the chair and he kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back," Dawn said to everyone, waving as the nurse wheeled her from the room.

Amelia didn't waste a second before turning to Buffy, Connor, and Gina. "Look, I'm not stupid. I know that you all know something that I don't. I sat by your phone all night while you all went and did God knows what, and I think that someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on."

Buffy blinked. She didn't know Amelia very well, but she had never heard her so outspoken. She closed her eyes for a second and sighed. "You're right. There are some things we need to tell you. But this is not the place," she said, glancing around at the flimsy curtains that separated them from the other patients.

"Well can we go somewhere that is?" Amelia demanded.

Buffy nodded. "Come take a walk with me and I'll explain everything. Connor, Gina, wait here until Dawn gets back." They nodded and Buffy led Amelia out of the room.

Connor sighed, sitting down on the bed. "That's going to be a fun conversation."

"I think Amelia can be trusted. She would have figured it out," Gina said.

"I know, but it's still not easy to swallow. I just hope she can handle it," Connor replied. He looked up at Gina. "How are you?"

Gina shrugged. "I don't sleep. I keep seeing the demon. I was responsible for the vampire that killed her, and I failed. I let him get away."

Connor shook his head firmly. "You can't keep doing that to yourself. What happened to Faith was no one's fault. The situation just got out of control."

"Does it get better?" Gina said suddenly.

"What?" Connor asked, confused.

"Seeing people you know die. I had never seen that before. I have only been a slayer a few months now. I go to cemeteries with Buffy, but I never see a big battle. I don't know if I'm good enough to be a slayer," Gina confessed.

Connor's heart went out to the girl. "Gina, of course you're good enough. For your first big battle, you were really brave. And…I don't know. After a while, you do kind of get used to it. I mean, we were both born into this life. You just have to keep fighting, and it's part of the job that you're going to lose people along the way. But when it's someone you care about…no. It doesn't get easier." He stared down at the floor.

"You were so good. You worry so much about Dawn but you stay focused," Gina said with admiration. She shook her head. "If James were missing, I don't know what I do."

Connor gave her a half-smile. "You really care about him, don't you?"

Gina nodded shyly. "He's the first man who ever loved me for me."

"It's the same way with me and Dawn," Connor added. "I don't think I could live without her. But I had to just put that out of my mind. I knew she needed me, and I couldn't afford to think about anything else." He shrugged. "It's not easy."

"I look at Buffy and I don't know how she has done this for so long. She's so strong," Gina commented.

Connor thought about that for a second. "Sometimes I don't think she's as strong as she acts. She's had it hard. But she's a great leader."

Gina sighed. "Do you ever wish your life could go back to normal?"

Connor laughed darkly. "I wouldn't know. I never had a normal life. Not even sure I understand the concept." He looked at her. "I suppose that's good for me because you can't miss what you never had." They both sat in silence for a few moments.

They both looked up at the sound of footsteps. The nurse wheeled a smiling Dawn back to her bed. "I can go home!" she said with relief.

Connor hurried over to kiss her on the head. "That's great news."

"I'll get the paperwork for your release," the nurse said, and Dawn thanked her before she left the room.

"Do you want to sit on the bed?" Connor asked.

Dawn nodded, holding up a hand in protest as he reached out to help her. "No, I can do this." Slowly she used her arms to pull her weak body to a standing position before taking a few tentative steps towards the bed. With a triumphant look on her face, she sat down. "See? I'm fine."

Connor shook his head. "You're something else."

"Where are Amelia and Buffy?" Dawn asked.

Connor raised an eyebrow. "Buffy's talking to her. She's going to tell her everything."

Dawn nodded slowly. She had mixed feelings about Amelia being involved in their little circle. On one hand it would be a relief to no longer have to lie to her friend, but a part of her also mourned for the loss of Amelia's innocence that would accompany learning the horrifying truths that Buffy was currently telling her.

Moments later Buffy returned. Following behind her was Amelia. Despite her friend's composed appearance, Dawn could tell that she was very shaken by her wide eyes and nervous movements. Tearing her eyes away from Amelia to look at Buffy, Dawn delivered the good news. "Doctors said I'm clear to go home."

Buffy nodded and smiled. "Good."

Dawn hesitantly made eye contact with Amelia. "Are you okay?"

Amelia seemed to consider that for a moment. "Yeah. I mean...I don't know. It's a lot to absorb. But now that I think about it, a lot of stuff that's happened since I met you makes a weird kind of sense now."

Dawn raised her eyebrows. "Story of my life. But really...do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I think I'm still processing. But I just can't believe...last night." She shook her head in wonder. "You're lucky to be alive."

"Trust me, I know." Dawn's head dropped a little bit as she thought of Faith. "I know."

"Here we are," Buffy said, unlocking the door and flipping the light switch as she entered the apartment. Connor followed behind her, his arm firmly around Dawn's waist, supporting her as she walked. Buffy purposely diverted her gaze from the pile of Faith's things in the living room. She had considered putting them away in order to not upset Dawn, but in the end hadn't been able to bring herself to do so just yet. Faith's mess had become a part of life in the apartment, and she almost didn't want to see it go.

"Let me sit down for a second. I can do it," Dawn said stubbornly, defiantly wriggling herself out of Connor's grasp and walking slowly but steadily to one of the kitchen stools.

"You need to rest. Amelia said that she'll help you stay caught up with schoolwork until you're feeling better," Buffy called over her shoulder as she brought Dawn's suitcase into her bedroom.

Dawn nodded, thinking. "Buffy?" Her sister emerged from the bedroom and looked at her expensively. "After that, when I'm better...I want to go to the US. To bury Faith. I think we owe her that."

Buffy glanced at Connor. She had been expecting Dawn to say that. Logically, it would not be wise. Dawn would miss even more school, and the trip would be long, not to mention expensive. But she had discussed this option with Angel, who had offered to pay for the three of them to fly to the states. And, she had to admit, it was something that she really wanted to do herself. After a long moment, she nodded. "We can do that."

Dawn relaxed a little bit, pleased with her sister's answer. "And...one more thing. Can Connor stay here tonight? Please? It's not like we'd even do anything...I just need him."

Buffy sighed, looking at Connor, who was standing awkwardly next to the counter. "Yes. He can stay."

Dawn grinned. "Thank you."

"Yes, thanks," Connor added, reaching out to squeeze Dawn's hand. The thought of leaving her to go home to his depressingly empty apartment was almost unbearable. After last night, he never wanted to be apart from her for another second.

"Well...I'm pretty exhausted. I think I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed," Dawn said. She hadn't showered in nearly 48 hours, and she had never felt so disgusting in her life. She gently lowered herself from the stool and Connor came to stand by her side.

"Okay, do you need help?" Dawn tilted her head towards Connor and gave her sister a pointed look. "Right. Never mind. Call me if you need anything, and don't forget to take your meds. Everything is in your room on the bed," Buffy said.

Dawn walked to her sister and enveloped her in a hug. "Thanks, Buffy."

Buffy stroked her sister's hair. "Sleep well." She stayed behind as Dawn and Connor walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

Connor wordlessly led Dawn into the bathroom. He turned the knob until warm water poured down, and then turned to her. He carefully helped her remove her t-shirt and sweats, handling her bandaged arms gently. She kicked off her shoes and took down her hair before slowly removing her bra and underwear. As she stepped into the tub, she turned back to look at him. "Can you...come in?"

Connor smiled and nodded, removing his own clothes before joining her in the shower. Her eyes were closed as she let the warm water run over her face and body. He touched her shoulder and she turned so her back was to him. He carefully washed her hair, massaging the shampoo into her scalp. When it was all rinsed out, she leaned back against him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood there until the water grew cold, and Dawn hoped that he couldn't see her tears through the water.

Finally Connor reached out and turned the water off. "Wait here, I'll get you clothes," he said quietly. He stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and got dressed, before making a quick trip to the bedroom to grab Dawn's favorite pajamas, an old, tattered pair of blue pants with little stars on them, and an old t-shirt she had stolen from him. He brought them to her in the shower, and waited while she toweled off and slowly dressed. She towel-dried her hair before going into the bedroom. She had never been so happy to see her bed.

Connor drew back the covers and she climbed in. "Will you lie with me until I fall asleep?" she asked quietly. He responded by curling up next to her, pulling the blankets over them both. She spooned against him and in that moment all of the horror and grief of the past 24 hours almost seemed to fade away, and it was just them, together, as it should be.

TBC!