Ch 5

Dawn woke up before Danni and Tara; she smiled as she brushed some hair out of the five year olds face before making her way downstairs to the kitchen. She started a pot of fresh coffee and gathered everything she would need to make pancakes. She hummed to her self as she mixed the batter, her mind reeling away on a new song, once the batter was done she pulled out a sheet of paper and began scribbling down the lyrics her mind had cooked up, at the top of the page she made a few notes on possibly doing the song on piano or acoustic or even piano with a violin. She whispered the new lyrics to herself as she began cooking the batter; the smell was sure to rouse the two sleeping bodies upstairs. On about her third round of pancakes she could hear someone moving around upstairs she smiled as she heard the shower turn on, she grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and filled it with steaming coffee, when Tara was done her shower it would be the perfect temperature for the witch. Soon after the shower turned off, softer footsteps could be heard on the floor above before running their way down the steps "You watch yourself Danielle Giles! I will not show sympathy if you break your leg!" Dawn called over her shoulder, she almost laughed when she head the footsteps become slower.

"Mmmmm those smell good!" Danni squealed

"Doesn't your mother ever cook for you?" Dawn asked, before remembering Buffy's cooking "On second thought that's probably a good thing" she laughed

"Where's auntie Tara?" she asked looking around the room

"Right here" Tara smiled coming up behind the small girl

"Auntie Tara!" Danni yelled running to the witch, Dawn smiled as she watched them interact.

"Morning babe" Dawn said smiling at the older woman

"Morning" Tara smiled back

"All right cupcake, here's your pancakes" Dawn said setting down a plate and hoisting the girl up on to the stool. She turned back and put a small amount of sugar in Tara's coffee before handing it to her along with a small plate of pancakes. "I didn't think you would want as many as piglet over there" she laughed as the small girl tried to give Dawn her best glare "So cupcake how about when your done demolishing those pancakes we get you in the bath and then go see Nana?" Danni nodded, her mouth too stuffed with food to answer.

After her bath Dawn dressed Danni in a pair of black shorts and a pink top "You get anything on that top and so help me your mother will have my head" Dawn laughed, Danni smiled mischievously "Don't even think about it girl! I know that look" Danni smiled up at her innocently and Dawn just rolled her eyes. Dawn came down the stairs just as Tara was grabbing her coat to leave for work

"You sure your ok with me taking the car?" Tara asked quietly

"Of course, Buffy left me the keys for the SUV. We'll be fine, right cupcake?"

"Right" Danni said smiling up at Tara, Tara smiled

"OK, see you two for lunch?"

"Duh" Danni answered, the older women laughed as Tara walked out the door.

"So Bit, shall we stop and get Nana some pretty flowers?"

"Yeah!" Danni responded excitedly.

The grass squished under their feet as it had rained during the night, Joyce's grave was on the opposite side of the entrance gate unfortunately close to Spike's old crypt. Danni carefully held the flowers they had bought close to her chest and Dawn carried a blanket, Dawn looked down at the child sadly, it wasn't fair that she who wasn't even real had been able to meet such a great woman but her own blood never even had the chance. Dawn knew it was silly to be upset about it as it was no ones fault that Joyce had died but it still upset her that Danni would never have a proper grandmother figure, as Giles was old enough to be her grandparent so surely his parents would be gone as well. She mentally sighed as they neared the grave, she noticed flowers set before the grave she knew Buffy hadn't left them there, they always visited Joyce together and no one else in town visited Joyce's grave. She crouched down and picked up the flowers, black roses, only three people knew that black roses were Joyce's favorite flowers herself, Buffy… and Spike. Her heart clenched, thinking that he'd only come back to Sunnydale to see her mom; she shook her head no he wouldn't do that.

Danni watched her aunt stare at the flowers someone had left at her Nana's grave, wondering who left the flowers and why it looked like it hurt her aunt so much. "Auntie, who left those?" she asked quietly, she was confused when her aunt jumped

"Spike" she said quietly, Danni put her arms around Dawn's neck. Dawn smiled and put her arms around Danni's small waist "Thanks Bit" she laid the blanket out in front of the stone and set Danni down on it so her shoes wouldn't get it dirty then sat down herself.

"Look Nana! We brought you flowers." Danni exclaimed laying the flowers down beside Spikes. "Spike brought you flowers too Nanny, why did Spike bring you flowers?" Dannie questioned the stone; Dawn watched her turn towards her with questioning eyes

"Spike loved Nanny just like mommy and I did, he said Nanny was the only person other than me that treated him like a man instead of a monster" Dawn explained tracing the letters on the gravestone "Spike was the one person I never saw some many emotions when surrounded by everyone" Dawn wiped away a few tears as she began reliving the day she was told Joyce was dead "But the day we were told that Nanny had gone to heaven, Spike was the first to cry…" Dawn trailed off, seeing the memory in her mind like it had happened yesterday "He stayed with me for a week in my room, both of us crying." Dawn didn't feel right telling Danni about how after that week Spike had left her to peruse Buffy and do what ever it took to drive a wedge between her and Reilly.

"Wow Nanny, you must have been one great lady" Danni smiled

"Danni there's something you need to know, and I cant trust your mom to tell you so I'm going to" Dawn took a deep breath as the five year old looked at her inquisitively, Dawn dropped her head "After I tell you this, even if you are really young, if you don't want to be around me anymore I'll understand completely" tiny arms wrapped around her neck

"Auntie I will always love you, and don't forget that!" Dawn's heart jumped "Nothing you say can make me not want to be around you, you're awesome!" Dawn smiled as she set the child back down in front of her

"You're sweet Bit. I don't know how to put this so you will understand, I mean I don't even fully understand it or why I'm still here" Danni cocked her head to the side, making Dawn mentally giggle "I guess I'll just give it to you like it was explained to me. Bit, I'm not real. I've only been around for four more years than you have, technically my body is only nine years old" Danni looked more confused than Dawn imagined she had looked when everything was explained to her "My body was created by a bunch of men from the Order of the Dragon, to keep what they called the key safe form Glory. They sent the key to the Slayer in the form of a fourteen-year-old sister, named Dawn. My existence before I was created was put into everyone around the Slayer's memories, making it seem like I had always been there. No one questioned my being there until your mom got it in her head that she could see what was wrong with Nanny with a spell, but the spell didn't show anything wrong with Nanny though it did reveal that I hadn't always been there and that made your mom so mad that she assumed it was me making Nanny sick and she attacked me and said some horrible things" Danni looked almost angry "After she confronted one of the monks she finally accepted that I was the key, the thing that Glory was after and that I needed to be protected" Danni looked up at her aunt

"So if your not really what are you?"

"To put it simply Bit, I'm really just a floating ball of green energy. I am the key. I used to be able to open a portal that led to every dimension flooding into ours and effectively killing off the human race" Dawn put as bluntly as she had put everything else, there was no use sugar coating it for the girl, she lived on a hell mouth sugar coating things would only lead to her early death.

"Oh cool" Danni said nonchalantly, Dawn was almost surprised but just shrugged it off as Danni being the smartest and most non-judging five year old in existence.

"Come on Nibblet, we'll be late for lunch with Aunt Tara"

Characters ages, just to clarify

Tara- 28

Dawn- 23

Buffy- 26 turning 27

Giles- 53

Danni - 5