Title: Dawn of the Son
Author: Spichik453
Chapter 3
Dawn exited the closet slowly, hoping that no one noticed that she just spent five minutes in a broom closet, alone. Although, upon reflection, Dawn thought it was better than the time that she saw Lucy and the tall psych intern with the freckles coming out of the broom closet after fifteen minutes, fifteen loud minutes.
"Hey Summers." Thomas called, trying to catch up to Dawn as she walked down the hall.
"Hey."
"I just got on."
Dawn nodded. She couldn't help but feel that this was awkward. "That's nice."
Thomas stopped. "Sorry. What I mean is that the people you were expecting arrived at the house. And since I just got on, there is no one there with them."
"Who?"
"Your sister and her friends." Timothy said. "They said you were expecting them. They've been there for like two hours."
"Oh!" Dawn said. She rushed to the nearest nurse's station. "I need to go." She told Elizabeth who was just getting off her shift, and was just talking with Lauren the nurse.
"What?"
"I really need you to cover for me. I've only got like five more hours. But something major has come up and I really need to go home."
Elizabeth smiled. "Does it involve your sister and her friends?"
"Oh good, you talked to Thomas."
"Thomas? No." Elizabeth pushed her hair behind her ears. "I ran into them in the waiting room."
"They're here?"
"Yeah."
"Elizabeth." Dawn tried again. "Please. I will so take ten hours of yours next week. I really need to take care of this."
Elizabeth made a face that got her point across. She wasn't going to be happy about finishing Dawn's shift, but she was going to do it anyway. "Thank you! You're the best!" Dawn said, hugging Elizabeth and then running to the waiting room.
Xander, Willow and Giles stood in the waiting room, and all rushed towards Dawn when they saw her coming. "Dawn!" "Hello!" "How are you doing?" "Look at you all doctor-y." "It is good to see you," "Dawny has grown up." They all started talking at once.
"Guys!" Dawn said, calming them all down. "It's great to see you. Where's Buffy?"
Willow smiled. "Just her luck, she went to the bathroom. Figured you were going to be a couple more minutes. Everyone else is setting up."
"Everyone else? Setting up?" Dawn looked confused. The three looked at each other trying to figure out who was going to be the one to explain to her what was going on, but they did not get the chance to speak.
"Dawn!" Seeing Dawn from across the room, Buffy came running to hug her sister. Dawn was all too happy to receive.
"Hi Buffy." Dawn said with a smile. She then turned to the four people who made up her family. "I wish I had known you guys were coming. I would have cleared my schedule."
"You mean what you're seeing isn't enough for you to clear your schedule?" Giles scolded, but only slightly. He knew that since becoming a doctor, if only an intern, slaying wasn't the top of Dawns list to do as it still remained on theirs.
"Is that blood? Have you been fighting?" Buffy said, suddenly noticing blood on Dawn's white coat.
Dawn looked down. Some of the blood from Jake's head had gotten onto her sleeve while she was suturing his cuts. "No. That is just me picking up the mess of someone else's fight. I work in an emergency room. Lots of blood. You should know." Dawn pointed out.
Buffy let the dig slide a little, and hugged her sister again. "Lets talk vamps." Buffy said. "Then we can reconnect."
Four months had been a long time to be separated from her sister like she had and Dawn smiled remembering how Buffy was always business first but always had time for Dawn time. Always is a little bit difficult to say, but most of the time. And she got better as the apocalypses got less frequent.
Dawn nodded. "I'm just going to go change. And then you can tell me who everyone else is and what and where they're setting up."
"You guys told her already?" Buffy looked at her friends offended.
"It kinda slipped." Willow apologized. Buffy just glared, and Dawn turned. Something hellish was brewing in Seattle, but she was glad to see her sister again.