CHAPTER 5: Breakfast with the Key
"I'm so glad Giles took us out last night. Did you see how happy she looked?"
"Yeah, I haven't seen that smile in a long time."
"She was knockin' the socks off every guy in the audience."
Willow and Tara exchanged amused glances and chuckled at Dawn.
"Well, she was! Are the pancakes done yet?"
"Easy, Dawnie, no pushing the cooks," called Buffy, yawning and shuffling into the kitchen. "And no talking about your sister when she's not here to tell you stop."
"Yeah, cause that's how it goes," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. She grinned at Willow and Tara as her sister stepped past, ruffling her hair. "So, pancakes?"
"Yup, two peanut butter pancakes with strawberry sauce. They'll be ready in five," Tara said, winking.
"So what's the deal with Toreador Buffy last night?" Willow asked. She grabbed a strawberry from the plate before her and popped it in her mouth, grinning as she leaned against the counter.
Buffy paused stirring her coffee. "What?"
"The dancing."
"Oh," Buffy said with a chuckle. "What about it? I just copied the other people."
"I've never seen you dance like that before," commented Dawn, watching Tara flip the pancakes on the stove-top griddle.
"It wasn't that hard... and I spend most of my time in training copying moves Giles show me. Why wouldn't I be able to dance?"
"You were pretty awesome. You should try taking up formal training... it might help you with the Slaying," said Willow.
"What?" Buffy and Dawn said at once.
"You know, a different way to move, a study of how your body can flex and move."
"That's... actually a good idea. I'll think about it." Buffy took her first sip of coffee and closed her eyes, taking a deep sniff. "Mmm, coffee."
"Pancakes are done!" said Tara, plating them and handing them to Dawn with a flourish.
"Ugh," Buffy said. She glared at the pancakes and then at Dawn's eager expression. The younger teen stuck her tongue out and then proceeded to drown her pancakes in honey and powdered sugar.
"You're gonna go into diabetic shock before you're twenty," said Buffy, sipping on her coffee. "I haven't seen that much sugar overload since I accidentally walked in on Giles' chocolate night."
Dawn's fork paused half-way to her mouth, her eyes big. "Chocolate night?"
Buffy nodded and took another sip of coffee. "Yeah, he goes and gets this piece of cake from the bakery, and all kinds of toppings like chocolate ice cream, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate fudge syrup, whipped cream. Eats it with a big honkin' glass of milk."
Scooping the bite into her mouth, Dawn grinned. "Sounds yummy."
"It sounds like a tummy-ache," Willow said, biting her lip. "I couldn't eat that much sugar, let alone chocolate."
"Well that's why we have Dawnie and Giles - the sugar fiends!" Everyone chuckled at Tara and the topic changed to equally unimportant things like schedules for the day, and what to have for dinner that night. Buffy observed her little family and smiled to herself. She almost lost this precious thing, and now she had it back. She needed to remember to thank Giles for saving her... maybe with a chocolate night.
The others didn't see the secret smile she hid by taking another sip of coffee.