Room 406, evening

[izzyalienqueen]

Isabel sat on her bed reviewing the to-do list for prom as she went through emails from various vendors.

Despite an occasional sneeze and sniffle, it had been a fairly productive day, coffee with Parker, goofing with Jack in class, and then meeting with Anakin.

Opening another email, she smiled, relieved to see the backdrops had been shipped.

The door was open.

Comments

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"What kind of prom stuff?" Dawn asked, avoiding the question.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Decorations, tables, chairs, food, gondolas," she listed. "Pretty much everything."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"...gondolas? Really?" Dawn may have gotten a goofy look on her face at the idea of being in a gondola with Sam.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"The theme's A Night in Venice," Isabel grinned. "So if I can get them, we'll have at least two gonodalas with gondoliers for rides in the pond. I take it you and Sam made up?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Another grin. "Yeah, you could say that."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" she asked, quickly clearing a spot for Dawn to sit. "Was there groveling?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"There were white roses," Dawn nodded, sitting down on the bed.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Very nice," Isabel said. "He's got good taste at least."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Blushing again, Dawn nodded. "He does. Very good taste." Kind of toothpastey.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Dawn? Why would groveling make you blush?" she asked, a slow smile spreading across her face.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn ducked her head, letting her hair fall forward, "Because Sam's really, really good at it?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel grinned, "I take it congratulations are in order?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn beamed, "They wouldn't be out of place, no."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Okay, this calls for chocolate." Isabel got to her feet and raided the chocolate stash in her desk drawer, returning with a bag of Dove eggs. "When? Was it romantic? Did you have fun?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Wednesday," Dawn took an egg and started unwrapping it, "and I had a lot of fun, and I don't know if it was romantic? I just know it worked."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"We were in a tent in the rain," Isabel shrugged. "It's whatever works for you. I'm glad you're happy."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

And the goofy look came over Dawn's face again, "I am. And he didn't turn into a vampire and try to kill everybody I love yesterday, so whoo hoo, extra bonus points for me!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Given what I've heard about life in Sunnydale? I understand your glee," she chuckled. "Because yes, vampire or dead people would definitely put a damper on the afterglow."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Ohhhhh yeah," Dawn nodded, not ashamed to admit that Angelus still scared the crap out of her.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"So do you feel any different?" Isabel asked. "I remember smiling a lot that weekend. Which was interesting because it was Parents Weekend and Max was here."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Dawn thought about that while she munched on chocolate, "I guess I feel more relaxed, and closer to Sam, and, yeah, happy. But Katara was teasing me yesterday, and the idea of marrying Sam came up--and oh my god, did you know girls from her village get married at seventeen?--and I got big with the flaily."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Unconsciously Isabel reached up and rubbed her shoulder. It was fading with each treatment, but it still wasn't fast enough to satisfy Isabel. "I can imagine," she said, trying to stay cheerful for Dawn's sake. "It's way too young. And besides, I think I'm proof...You know what, just don't buy rings anytime soon. You're sister would do bad things to Sam."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I think there won't be any ring buying for a long, long time," she assured her, "and Buffy...yeah, the less she knows about this, the less she'll harass me and threaten Sam."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Buffy's actually fairly far away," Isabel pointed out. "I'd worry about the more immediate threats, Xander and Willow."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Buffy's got weird radar for this kind of thing," Dawn replied, shrugging, "and oh my god, I can never talk to Xander again, can I? God, will he know just by looking at me?"