Chapter 10

Dawn is up earlier than the girls the next morning and she uses it to her advantage setting about to make breakfast. The day and night before had been interesting, not bad and only slightly awkward as Tracey tried to get to know her daughters. She'd done fairly well especially at bath time when she had helped Dawn, the girls had been excited for someone new to tell all about their school and friends. But once again Tracey had taken to bed when Alisa pulled the towel wrack off the wall with out an effort and it had to be explained to Tracey about Alisa's superhuman strength. Because of the days excitement the girls had gone to bed fairly early leaving Dawn with nothing to do for hours thanks to her lack of sleep.

"Good morning," Connor startles Dawn the next morning when he lets himself in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Dawn asks taking in his usual Sunday church clothes, "you should be at church."

"I went to first service today," Connor responds kissing Dawn. "I woke up craving your Sunday pancakes, which are extremely motivating, and got me to the sunrise service."

Dawn wraps her arms around Connor's neck, "well I appreciate the surprise. It's exactly what I needed."

"Eew! Dawnie's kissing Connor!" Maggie's announcement several minutes later causes the two to move apart quickly.

"We do that sometimes," Connor responds with a smile and holding out his arms Maggie leaps into them. "So how are you?"

Maggie thinks for a second, "hungry."

"Me too." Connor agrees, "and I think I interrupted Dawn making her famous pancakes."

"I like pancakes!" Maggie declares.

"Me too, where's your sister?" Connor asks, knowing as well as Dawn that they always got up at the same time.

"She went to wake Tracey up, she's our Mommy but we don't have to call her Mommy and she's not going to make us go away." Maggie states in a long stream of words.

"Oh Maggie," Dawn sighs, "why didn't you let her sleep?"

Maggie shrugs, "was 'Lisa's idea."

Dawn sighs just as Tracey walks in and she states, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea she would..." She stops her apology as soon as she takes in Tracey's ashen appearance. "What's wrong?"

"Connor," Tracey seems to barely manage the words.

The instant Connor responds with, "Tracey," Dawn knows exactly what is going on and she drops the wooden spoon she had been stirring her batter with, and it lands on the floor with a clatter.

The entire kitchen seems to go on pause, the twins even remain still unknowing of what is going on between the adults but understanding that all three are upset. Dawn makes the first move, rushing out of the kitchen and brushing past Fred on her way.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Fred asks but when Dawn doesn't responds Fred hurries into the kitchen. "What's going on?"

Connor is looking down at the girls when Fred comes in, "can you guys go watch TV for a little while, we need to have some adult time."

Once the girls have left the kitchen Connor asks Tracey, "you better start explaining quickly."

"I didn't know what to do, how to tell you..." Tracey's stuttering tells Fred everything she needs to know.

Dawn sits in one of the many unused closets in the hotel, her knees pulled to her chest as she cries. She's been there nearly 30 minutes before the door is open and Angel looks down at her, "Angel, please, can you just leave me alone?"

Angel shakes his head and ducking down he closes the closet door behind him as he squeezes into the side of the closet opposite Dawn, "Fred filled me on this morning's events. But I know you, and I have the feeling that your not just crying because Connor is the father of the twins, so what's going on?"

"Connor proposed." Dawn sniffs, she'd wanted to tell Buffy before she told anyone else but Buffy wasn't around at this current moment and she needed to talk to someone.

"Well that's a good thing, isn't it?" Angel asks.

"I thought it was." Dawn responds, "I said yes, but now I'm reconsidering."

"Why?"

"There are so many secrets between Connor and me. There's always been the entire half of my life I never told him about and now there's his..."

"Connor wasn't keeping a secret from you," Angel assures, "he never knew about the girls, everything Tracey told us before is exactly how it was. And as toy our secret, I have a feeling he'll understand."

"I'm nervous," Dawn confesses. "There never was a good time to tell him about demons, vampires and slaying. I wasn't expecting him to propose, and then I was going to tell him when he did propose but I get the call about Maggie and now I don't know."

"Do you want to marry Connor?" Angel inquires.

"Yes, I do. But I don't know if he will after he finds out."

"He might," Angel encourages, "especially if he loves you. Because if he really loves you then he'll accept the crazy part of your life. Besides I'm sure he has his suspicions, in all the years you've been dating me he's never seen Spike or me in the sunlight, odd things like that."

"I never thought you'd ever defend Connor." Dawn states.

"I don't hate Connor. And if I know anything about anything I know that you only get on chance at love and you should always take advantage of it."

Briefly, after Angel's words Dawn can't help but wonder if he means Cordelia or Buffy but Angel brings her thoughts off of the possibilities when he suggests, "maybe we should get back in there. You can't hide from Connor forever." And stepping out of the closet Angel helps Dawn out just as Connor walks into the hallway.

"I'll leave you two alone," Angel states before walking down the hallway.

"I had no idea about the girls." Connor states.

"I know," Dawn nods. "But we need to have a long talk before either one of us can consider getting married." Pulling the ring off her finger Dawn holds it out to him, "you should take this."

Connor shakes his head, "I want you to have it, until we figure things out."

"We'll have to wait until whenever Tracey leaves and then we can get through all of this before we can sort out our mess."

Connor nods, "you're right."

Connor and Dawn moves quietly back towards the kitchen where Angel and the girls are working on the pancakes, "where's Tracey?" Dawn asks.

"She went to lie back down until breakfast." Fred states.

Alisa and Maggie giggle and Alisa states, "that's silly, she just got up."

When the pancakes are about finished Fred and Connor are setting the table and Dawn instructs Maggie, "why don't you go get Tracey up again, tell her it's time for breakfast. And Alisa go get everyone else up."

"Not Spike," Fred requests, "he was out patrolling late..."

Maggie and Tracey are the last to come down to breakfast and everyone is waiting on them to begin eating when Maggie comes downstairs with a manila folder with a white note attached, an entrance that causes everyone to rise to their feet. Dawn asks, "Maggie what do you have there? Can I read the note?"

Maggie shakes her head, "I can read it." Take a deep breath she says, "I went good-bye but Maggie can have lots and lots of ice cream!"

"I don't think that's what it says, sorry Mag," Dawn takes the envelope from Maggie and removes the note. Dawn quickly scans over the note and with suppressed excited tone she reads, "dear everyone, thank you so much for taking care of and raising my daughters. You've done a better job than I could have even hoped, a fact I can take with me knowing that they will always be loved more than a lot of people in this world and will become wonderful women. I don't want to disturb there lives so I slipped away while I have the chance but I hope you will make sure that my, no our, daughters have a mother out there who loves them and wants what's best for them. In the envelope are the papers terminating my parental rights, all of my signatures are notarized and legal; you can rest assured now that I won't show up a couple years down the road wanting my daughters back, I am content in knowing that they are being well taken care of."

Gunn quickly takes the envelop from Dawn and scanning the papers he responds, "from what legal mojo I still have left in my brain these look legal."

The girls not really caring about anything being said turn to Connor and chorus, "Connor can you take us to the park?"

"Girls, I can take you," Fred offers, "I think Dawn and Connor need to talk."

Connor sits staring stunned at Dawn who finishes her long story with, "I know it's hard to believe, monsters and that but it's all true."

"I don't know what to say." Connor whispers.

Angel pushes the office door open and states, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a little more that neither one of you know."

Five minutes later both Dawn and Connor are staring, eyes wide, at Angel who has just explained Connor's own history, leaving out the parts about Cordelia and Jasmine. Connor jumps to his feet, "I can't be here right now," and with his words he bolts out of the office and then out of the hotel.

Dawn turns, on the verge of tears, to face Angel, "how come you never told me about this?"

Angel shrugs, "I don't have a good reason."

Dawn shakes her head, "I can't see you right now...I have to go..."

When Spike wakes up hours later Fred has come back from the park with the girls, has been filled in so she fills Spike in. "I've got to talk to the bit." Spike states.

"I think she wants to be alone Spike." Fred responds.

Spike shakes his head, "not going to happen. Besides, it's me." With his words he makes his way down the hallway to Dawn's room, knocking on her door he calls in, "lil' bit, I'm coming in, so I hope your decent." Glancing around her room Spike comments, "taking out some pent up anger on your room is always good, we could do some hard core patrolling tonight if you want, love." Focusing on the suitcases he stops, "planning a day trip?"

Dawn shakes her head, "I've talked to Buffy, I'm moving back to Cleveland."

"You aren't out of classes yet." Spike states.

"My finals are over, I'm done." Dawn responds. "I have to get away from here. Things are ruined with Connor and me. Angel lied, sort of...Besides Buffy can use me at school, they have so many kids to teach Willow's overworked..."

"Is there anything I can say to convince you to get over your damned Summer's determination and stay?"

Dawn shakes her head, "I've called the airport and made arrangement and Buffy's expecting me."

AN...One Chapter left....look for it soon!  I leave for vacation Sat so look for it before then!

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