Title: Till There Was You

Author: Alan Hitchen

Email: darkmere2000@yahoo.co.uk

Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and others. This is a work of fiction. It is not intended to condone or encourage any illegal act.

Pairing: Buffy/Dawn (so be warned)

Rating: NC-17 (for the general theme)

Summary: After her return from Heaven, Buffy turned for comfort, not to Spike as he had hoped, but to Dawn, her only close family member, her father now being domiciled in Spain. But Buffy and Dawn got too close, and now, after months of waiting, Buffy has to face the full might of the law.

At the Sunnydale District Courthouse the defence counsel finished giving his arguments in mitigation and sat down. As he did so the judge began her concluding remarks.

"Thank you, Mr Morgan, your speech was most eloquent. But the fact remains, despite your client's guilty plea - and I have to say that the video footage and photographs provided by Mr Summers's private detective made this inevitable - her lack of remorse for her actions are plain to see. For the record, I find Buffy Anne Summers guilty of unlawful oral copulation with a minor, who is also her sister. Before you object, Mr Morgan, I realise that incest is no longer a specific offence under the California Penal Code, but it is an aggravating factor I am bound to take into account. And, yes, Mr Morgan, I did listen most carefully to the testimony of Dawn Summers on this subject. Despite her well-meaning protestations that it was all her fault, it is very clear where the blame lies. The law exists to protect the young and vulnerable. I intend to see that it does. I therefore pass a sentence of two years to be spent in penal servitude at the County Jail."

Two years later, Buffy left the grim precincts of the jail and stood alone in the empty road outside. She had in her hand a plastic bag containing her few belongings, an instruction to register as a sex offender within fourteen days, and an injunction never to approach or contact Dawn Summers in any circumstance whatsoever.

Buffy hummed the tune of 'If I Knew You Were Coming I'd've Baked a Cake' as she scanned the road, eagerly anticipating the welcome home party she knew Willow and Tara had arranged for her back home.

"Where are you, Willow?" she said to herself. "You said you were picking me up at ten sharp." Just then she caught sight of a black Suzuki SUV approaching at speed. It screeched to a halt in front of her and the passenger door opened. She peered inside the unfamiliar vehicle and wondered who the svelte blonde driver was. The young woman, whose natural elegance made the plain white crop-top and black jeans she was wearing look like a million dollar outfit, smiled and removed her sunglasses.

"Dawn, it's you! But... but..."

Dawn cut across her sister's startled response. "But could we go? Prisons make me nervous," she said. Buffy got in and Dawn drove off as quickly as she had arrived.

"What are you doing here, Dawn? Dad got custody and took you back to Spain, didn't he?"

"He sure did. Don't go to Spain, Buffy, the weather's much the same, but nothing else is. As Dorothy said: 'There's no place like home'."

"So, how long have you been back?" Buffy asked.

"Since the minute I turned eighteen and Dad couldn't hold me any longer. Willow wired me some cash and I flew straight home."

"But that was a month ago, why no word?"

Dawn turned to flash a wicked grin at her big sister. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It was that," Buffy admitted with a smile.

The SUV swerved off the road and into an empty lot before coming to a sudden halt. Dawn sighed with relief as she removed the blonde wig and tossed it on the back seat. She massaged her overheated scalp with her fingers then combed her glossy chestnut hair using the vanity mirror in the back of the sunshade. Buffy watched this activity carefully. Dawn was no longer the slightly awkward teenager she once knew, she was now a confident young woman, possessed of a beauty that simply took her breath away.

"How do I look?" Dawn asked her older sibling.

"Wonderful," Buffy replied with tears in her eyes. Dawn, I..."

The younger girl interrupted. "I know. You're sorry for everything that's happened."

"No. Not everything," Buffy said softly, reaching out to take Dawn's hand. "I'm not sorry for loving you. Till there was you, I didn't know what true love was, and I don't regret a single second of what we had before..." Her next words were stifled by Dawn's coral-pink lips on hers, her tongue gaining joyful entrance to Buffy's welcoming mouth. After what seemed like an eternity of bliss, Buffy reluctantly broke away from the kiss, putting her finger on Dawn's lips to prevent an immediate repeat performance.

"Dawn, we can't, the injunction..."

"All taken care of. I had it revoked as soon as I got back. And there's no need to register as a sex offender either."

"How come?"

"Thank Willow for that. She's erased your criminal record, as far as the authorities are concerned it never happened."

"Yes, but everyone knows what happened."

"No, they don't. We couldn't be identifed because I was underage. Only a few people knew the facts, but Tara's fixed them for us, it's all forgotten now."

"Even Dad?"

"Especially Dad. If it wasn't for him we'd never have been caught in the first place. Concerned for my welfare, my ass! D'you know he's boinking a sixteen-year-old himself? What about her welfare? Hypocrite! Anyway, what about you? Was it bad?"

"I coped," Buffy replied blandly, not wishing to elaborate. "What now?" she asked.

Dawn smirked. "Anything you want, Buffy, anything you want. I told Willow and Tara to put the party on hold and booked us a hotel room instead."

For the first time in over two years Buffy laughed. "Dawn, you're incorrigible."

"I hope that means good in bed," Dawn joked, put the SUV in gear and drove off for the hotel.

The Midvale Motor Lodge was a more up-market establishment than the place that Faith had stayed at, but not by much. Buffy flopped onto the bed, which she was glad to note was a distinct improvement on her prison bunk.

"I thought you said you'd booked us a hotel room. I was expecting room service," she said disappointedly.

Dawn, now sitting on the bed next to her, looked put out. "I'm sorry, but it was cheap, convenient," and reaching for another good point she added, "and it's got cable!"

Buffy began to weep. "Hey, hey, it's not that bad is it?" Dawn asked her lachrymose sister, leaning closer to brush away her tears. "We can go somewhere else if you want."

"No, this is fine. It's just that this is the day I've dreamed of for over two years now and I can't quite believe it's happening."

"Why do you say that?"

"I thought you'd have found someone else; someone who wasn't in prison; someone who wasn't your sister; someone who could take your hand in public, say that they love you and kiss you, and not fear the consequences."

"Oh, Buffy. There was no one else; there is no one else; there will be no one else. I. Love. You. Comprende?"

"Comprende," Buffy replied with a watery smile. She stroked Dawn's hair and tucked it behind her ear, revealing a tiny faux-diamond earring in the form of a cross that matched the larger version adorning her necklace. A sudden thought struck her. "About this memory thing. I know it's a tricky business. Willow made a mess of it more than once, which is why Tara was reluctant, but I persuaded her to try it before the case came to trial. It didn't work then, why now?"

"Who knows; the powers-that-be, the monks; who cares? We can't change the past, but we can decide the future, and my future is with you," Dawn affirmed.

"Look at you, you're all grown up," Buffy said with pride," and out," she continued, her eyes dropping down to admire Dawn's noticably fuller chest, "and you're just so beautiful."

Dawn blushed at the compliment. "No more beautiful than you," she countered.

"You think?"

"I think it's time to stop talking and time to start doing," Dawn remarked, swooping down to capture Buffy's lips in a searing kiss, her conquering tongue tasting, licking, and probing deep.

After the kiss, Buffy sat up and started to undress. "No, let me," Dawn said firmly, and slowly began to remove Buffy's clothes, treating every inch of exposed skin to lavish kisses as she did so.

Buffy was transported back to the very first time they had made love. She had protested that it was wrong but Dawn was insistent. "I want this. I want you. Something that feels this right can't be wrong, can it?" And to that, Buffy had no answer, because although she knew it was wrong, she also felt it was right.

A slight gasp brought her attention back to Dawn, who had now reached the last item of clothing, her panties, obviously damp with liquid desire. Dawn removed them with due reverence and Buffy was finally naked.

"My turn now," Buffy husked in a voice thick with longing, and proceded to do the same for Dawn. By the time she had finished, the air was heavy with the heady aroma of sex as the two girls faced each other, kneeling on the bed.

"My turn again," said Dawn, reaching out to cup Buffy's firm breasts. The nipples sprang to life under her fingers and palms. She teased the warm brown protuberances, squeezing and releasing, squeezing and releasing, harder and harder, until Buffy cried out in pleasure and pain.

Immediately, Dawn latched her mouth onto her breasts and suckled them as if she were a hungry child. Laveing each of the swollen nubs with her soothing tongue until Buffy was purring with pure pleasure.

All the time Dawn's hands were moving lower and lower. Her right hand glided through the soft damp curls and across her already swollen clit. Buffy jerked at the slight contact and moaned as Dawn's deft fingers circled around the soft folds that marked the entrance to her soaking-wet pussy.

From her vantage point between her breasts, Dawn looked up into Buffy's face and smiled lustfully. She knew what Buffy wanted, what her eyes were telling her she needed urgently, to be penetrated, and hard! She did not intend to disappoint.

One, two, three fingers slipped inside. Dawn placed her left hand on the small of Buffy's back to intensify the thrusts as she brought her right hand to meet her left in an increasingly rapid rhythm. Buffy's pleasure storm began to build towards climax. Before long she threw her head back and roared out Dawn's name as the orgasm ripped through her entire body, but Dawn's tireless right hand did not cease its ministrations, she continued to pump her fingers into the slick cavern that now clamped hard around them as the contractions hit. She used her thumb to bump and flick over Buffy's hyper-sensitive clit as her fingers sought out her sweet spot. The second climax was overwhelming. Buffy screamed like a banshee and collapsed backwards onto the bed in glorious satiation. She then watched through gleaming green eyes as Dawn sucked her fingers dry in an erotic display that would have given a dead man an erection, and was no less effective on Buffy's anatomy.

"My turn," Buffy said lasciviously, and Dawn shuddered in anticipation of what was to come.

Next day, the Suzuki stopped in front of the house. 1630 Revello Drive looked much the same as it always had. "Well, here it is, home sweet home," Buffy said wistfully. Dawn agreed with the sentiment and followed her sister out of the SUV. Hardly had they reached the door than Willow flung it wide open and crushed Buffy to her in a welcoming bear-hug, complete with babbled greetings of an almost incomprehensible nature. Xander and Anya emerged to add their own less frantic felicitations.

"Miss me much?" Buffy asked, untangling herself from her best friend. Willow promptly burst into tears. As Buffy hugged and patted the distressed redhead she flashed a 'What's up with her?' look at Dawn. The 'her' in question being a diffident Tara, who was hanging back from the others, hovering awkwardly inside the house. Eye contact was made, Tara smiled briefly and said, "Welcome home," but didn't seem to mean it.

Tara continued to remain noticeably cool and distant as the others made great efforts to amuse and entertain the returned Slayer. Eventually the festivities ceased, Xander and Anya went home, and the others prepared for bed.

It had been a long and tiring day for Dawn and soon she was fast asleep. Buffy, though equally tired, was unable to sleep. She decided to make a hot milky drink and went down to the kitchen. There she found Tara heating some milk.

"Can't sleep either?"

Tara jumped at the sound. "Buffy, you startled me," she said, then turned back to stir the milk.

Buffy sat down. "What's the matter, Tara?"

Tara quivered at the question. She turned off the heat and took a seat opposite Buffy. She started to say something, thought better of it, and remained silent.

"I forgot to thank you," Buffy said to get the conversation going.

"Oh, what for?" Tara replied nervously.

"Dawn tells me you've erased the memories of the people who knew of my conviction."

"Yes," said Tara, then changed her mind. "No."

"Yes? No? Which is it? I asked you about this before the trial. You said it couldn't be done then, what's changed?"

"Nothing. You know how I feel about memory manipulation, about what Willow did to me, to all of us. It can be done, but I won't do it. Dawn begged me, and to make her happy I said I'd done it, but I haven't done it, and I won't do it. Not for her, not for you, not for anyone."

Buffy looked at her askance. "So let me get this right. You could have saved me from serving two years in jail, but didn't, because it would have offended your magical scruples?"

"Not exactly, not entirely," Tara quibbled.

"Then what, exactly?"

"Because... because... because I wanted you to go to jail," Tara blurted out.

Buffy was shocked. "Why?" she asked in astonishment.

"I did it for Dawn. I wanted you to go to jail so Dawn could find someone else."

"Someone who wasn't her sister?"

Tara nodded. "Yes."

"Tara... do you really hate me that much?"

"I don't hate you, Buffy. I just think you're wrong. It's wrong, plain and simple."

"But it's not plain or simple," Buffy protested. "Dawn's not really my sister for a start."

"Do you really believe that? She's flesh of your flesh, blood of your blood. You share memories of an entire life together. All the records show it, everyone believes it. You are sisters in every way that counts. Be honest with me, Buffy. When you look at her, who do you see: Dawn Summers - the Key, or Dawn Summers - your sister?"

Buffy looked away from Tara's unrelenting gaze. "My sister."

"Exactly."

Buffy looked back at Tara. "But I love her - and she loves me."

"Yes," Tara conceded, "I see that now. I had hoped that it was just a crush she would grow out of."

Buffy sighed. "For what's it's worth I thought that too. I thought she would forget me, find someone new. And to be honest, I did think that would the best thing for her. But that hasn't happened. We love each other as much as ever. We want to be together. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes," Tara stated plainly.

"How? Do what you will but harm no one. That's the Wiccan philosophy, isn't it? Who are we harming?"

"Each other. Look, I'm your friend and I have difficulty with it. What about the reaction of strangers?"

Buffy snorted. "As if I'm going to tell strangers I'm sleeping with my sister."

"But what if someone else does?"

"Like who?"

"Like the press. Now Dawn is no longer a minor she's fair game. Do you want to see your pictures underneath a lurid headline in the National Enquirer?"

"No, of course not, but that's not going to happen."

"It could."

Buffy shrugged. "Then it happens. I could be killed tomorrow, that would hurt Dawn too, should I stay home to prevent that? Life is to be lived, Tara. There's a risk in everything we do. I took a risk when I fell in love with Dawn and decided to go for it. I have to accept the consequences that go with that risk. It's already cost me two years in jail, I don't think a mention in  supermarket tabloid is all that bad by comparison."

"Dawn might not think so when the bricks start to come through the window."

"Why don't you ask me what I think?" said Dawn from the kitchen doorway with a face like thunder.

"Dawn, we were..."

"Talking about me. Yes, I heard. I thought you were my friend, Tara? I thought you cared about me?"

"I do."

"And by caring about me, you mean lying and plotting to split us up. Did you tell Dad about us, is that why he sent that private detective, was it your idea all along? And why? Were you jealous, did you want me, or Buffy, for yourself?"

"No! No! No!" Tara insisted. "I would never..."

Dawn cut her off. "I don't want to hear it, Tara. I want you out of our house and I want you out NOW!"

Willow entered the kitchen with a cheery greeting. "Morning, all," she said. Then noticing not all was present, asked, "Where's Tara?"

Buffy looked away guiltily as Dawn explained brusquely, "She's gone."

Willow sat down with a thump. "Gone? Gone where?" she queried.

"Don't know, don't care, just gone," Dawn stated flatly.

"Buffy?"

Buffy turned to Willow. "Dawn asked Tara to leave because..."

"Because she betrayed us both," Dawn completed the sentence for her sister.

Willow looked from the angry Dawn to the sad Buffy and wondered what the hell was going on. "Betrayed, how?"

"She put Buffy in prison and sent me to Spain."

"But... but that was all your dad's doing, wasn't it?"

"Maybe, but she could have prevented it. she didn't because she 'disapproved' of us. She wanted to split us up."

"Hold on, I know she was concerned for you both. I was too, remember? But she'd never do anything to hurt either of you, Tara just isn't like that."

"Isn't she?" Dawn growled.

"Buffy?"

"Sorry, Will, it's true. But she didn't mean to..."

"Don't you dare, Buffy. Don't you DARE to defend her! She put you in jail for TWO years."

Willow was confused. "This can't be right. I have to speak with Tara. Do you know where she's gone?"

"Why don't you use your magic to find her?" Dawn sneered at the redhead.

"Now, now, honey, that isn't fair," Buffy gently chided her girlfriend. "You know Willow can't do magic anymore." Then looking to Willow she continued, "I told her to go to Xander's until things cooled off."

"Right, I'll phone her," said Willow, and left to make the call. Soon after she returned to the kitchen with a worried expression. She wasn't there. I've phoned around. No one's seen her," she choked, "she might have left town."

"Good!"

"Dawn! Darling, this has got to stop. Everyone's hurting here and shouting at Willow isn't helping. Willow, go get dressed and we'll go out and look for Tara. I'm sure she hasn't gone far. And you," she turned and kissed Dawn, "please calm down."

Dawn sobbed, tears gathering in her eyes. "Two years, Buffy. I lost you for two years. Don't I have the right to be angry?"

Buffy was now crying herself. "Oh, honey, if I could put back the clock I would, but, as you said, we can't change the past. And if we're going to build a life together we're going to have to face these prejudices head on."

"Yeah, I know, but Tara was our friend. Why didn't she say something?"

"Tara's non-confrontational, it's not her style, but if she had said something, would you have listened?"

"Probably not," Dawn admitted.

"Definitely not," Buffy said with a smile. "You wouldn't take no from me either." She kissed Dawn again. "And I'm very glad you didn't. Now, let's go find Tara and work things out with her, okay"

Dawn sighed. "Okay, let's do it."

Sunndyale's train station stood brightly in the early morning sun. Gleaming rails ran from the platform into the distance, and distance is what Tara wanted right now. She barely knew anyone at Angel Investigations but figured they could put her up for a while. She was tired and her eyes were closed, but her ears were primed for the steady thrum of an approaching locomotive. Instead she heard the sound of approaching feet as more passengers arrived on the platform and sat next to her on the bench seat. 

"Ahem," said a voice, "do you have the right time?"

"Yes," Tara replied, glancing at her watch and then to her girlfriend and the others. "Willow! Buffy! Dawn!"

"Going somewhere?" Willow asked with a smile.

"No, she isn't," Dawn answered for her. "You're coming back home. I still don't like what you did, and there's a lot of trust issues to be resolved between us. But I don't have so many friends that I can afford to lose one. So, come home with us and we can talk, okay?"

"Okay," Tara replied cautiously.

"Good, then that's settled," said Buffy, watching Willow kiss and cuddle her errant girlfriend. "Thank you," she said to Dawn. "I was thinking," she continued, "what say we let the gang and the Buffybot take care of the slaying for a little while longer? Then we can book in at a proper hotel and have our honeymoon."

"What did you say?"

"Honeymoon. As we are a pretty unconventional couple anyway, I thought we'd have the honeymoon before the wedding."

"Wedding?!" said all the girls at once.

"Yes, wedding," Buffy confirmed, taking Dawn's hands in hers. "Dawn, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Dawn was ecstatic, what else could she say but, "Oh, yes, Buffy, yes!"