Tara's close watch on her pseudo-sister didn't yield anything concrete for the next few days, but Dawn did seem to be spending a lot more time on the phone and out than usual. Willow kept trying to sneakily ask the teen leading questions, but Tara was trying to stop her from doing that. She knew that if Dawn was hiding something, anything, she was going to have to take her own time to tell them what it was. That didn't stop her from wondering though.
"Friday night, who's up for the Bronze?" Willow asked brightly, walking back from ringing up a customer and settling next to Tara.
"Ooh, me. I've had a good week, I think I can take a night off patrol for fun friend time."
"Uh, I have….plans." Xander said sheepishly.
"Plans! With people of the non-Scooby variety? I'm shocked and hurt." Buffy said mock painfully.
Xander blushed. "Well, there is a Scooby not at this table.."
"Well yeah but…wait, you have plans with Anya?"
"Don't get too excited, it's just dinner." He cautioned, but the big grin on his face belied his true feelings.
"Still, that's great Xan."
"What about Dawn?"
Buffy shrugged. "I think she's busy. She's been hanging out at her new friend's a lot. What's her name, Shana? Shannon. Yeah, anyway, she said she needs some time with friends her own age."
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Friday afternoon, Willow and Tara had a class and stayed on campus to study afterwards, and Buffy worked until 6. So Dawn just left a note saying she was going out with her friend. Nobody had mentioned to her the Scooby plans for the Bronze, but she had her own plans that involved dinner with Shannon.
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"This is gonna be fun, we haven't been to the Bronze in ages." Willow said happily as they walked in the door holding Tara's hand.
"I wonder if there's a good band tonight." The slayer wondered idly as they made their way to a couch behind the stairs. It was rather early and there was a DJ playing before the band started up, but some people were already dancing.
"Hey look honey, two girls dancing together." Willow pointed them out with a nod of her head. They were clearly a couple, dancing very close together.
"Wow, I've never seen another gay couple here."
"I saw two guys once." Buffy commented. "They got a few worse looks than you two."
They didn't get to comment on that likely fact, because the music changed to a faster song, and the girls turned, bringing the other girl's face into view. The Summers sisters' eyes widened identically as they met.
"I knew it!" Tara said to her girlfriend.
"You knew?" Buffy asked.
"No, I mean, she didn't tell me, but I just had this feeling lately, about her and that new friend of hers…" she backpedaled quickly.
On the dance floor, Dawn was trapped.
"That's your sister? Let's go say hi!" Shannon said, pulling her girlfriend with her.
"But, I, she saw…"
"Dawn, you said you were going to tell her." Shannon said rationally.
"Yeah, but not…here!"
"Hey Dawn." Tara said quietly.
"Um, hi, Tara, Willow, Buffy, this is Shannon…my girlfriend."
Shannon grinned. "Hi, nice to meet you, Dawn's told me so much about you."
"Funny, she forgot to mention some things about you." Buffy found her voice.
"Dawn, why didn't you tell us? Did you think we'd freak or something? Cuz obviously not!" Willow asked, holding up her hand, still linked with Tara's, as proof.
"No, I…I don't know." She hung her head. Shannon took her hand and squeezed it helpfully. "I guess I just didn't know how. You're not going to like, freak, are you?" she asked, slightly scared, looking up at her sister.
Buffy sighed. "Well, it certainly wasn't the best way to tell me, but no, I'm not going to freak. I wish you'd trusted us enough to tell us though."
"It's not like that!"
"Buffy, let's go to the bathroom." Tara suddenly spoke up. "Honey, can you get us all a table?" she let go of Willow's hand to take Buffy's. Willow nodded and headed towards the back, striking up a conversation with Shannon on the way, much to Dawn's relief.
"What was that about?" Buffy asked, once in the bathroom.
"You know exactly what it was about. Dawn was about to freak out, you were about to freak out, and both of you needed a breather."
"I just don't understand why she couldn't tell me. Have I ever done anything to seem like I have a problem with you and Willow? Or that I'd have a problem with her?" she demanded.
"No, you haven't, but that's not the point. This isn't about you, Buffy. It isn't about you, or me, or Willow. It's about Dawn. It's about her figuring out who she is. Sometimes that's confusing enough without talking about it with your parent figures. Clearly Willow and I would not have a problem with it, and she didn't tell us either. It wasn't about how she thought we'd react, it was about her own journey. That didn't happen to include us this time."
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"Tara?" Dawn knocked hesitantly on the door.
"Come on in Dawn, I'm just cleaning up in here. How was school?"
Dawn flopped down on the bed. "Eh, it was okay. I think Shannon's mad at me though."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't want to come out to you guys. She thinks I'm ashamed of her, or something. Which is so not true! I mean, most of my friends know! We hold hands in school and stuff. And you saw us at the Bronze."
"Are you upset about last night?"
"No… not really. I'm not upset you guys know, it's kind of a relief actually, but I wish I'd done it on my own. I mean I didn't before because I didn't really see the point, but I should have, since Shannon. I know I should have."
"Was there a particular reason you didn't? I know it is hard, obviously, and I'm not judging you at all. But is there something specific, something you want to talk about?"
"I um. Well I guess I was a little worried that Buffy would be mad at you guys. And I couldn't live without you and Willow."
"Mad at us?"
Dawn shrugged. "You know, think you turned me gay, or something. Or that I was just wanting to be like you. Which is obviously not true. Well I mean I do want to be like you, but it's not why I'm with Shannon."
"Sweetie, I know it's not." Tara stroked her hair. "I'm sure Buffy does too."
The teen slid to the other side of the bed. "I used to have a crush on you." She blurted out.
Tara's eyes widened briefly. "Dawn, I…"
"No, no, don't. It's not like that. You know, like I used to have a crush on Xander. It wasn't real, it's not like I actually wanted to date him. Because I obviously didn't want to date him, or you. But I was worried you'd figure it out if you knew I was gay, and things would be weird. You know, we couldn't hug anymore, or something. I don't know."
Tara very deliberately slid over to cuddle with the girl she thought of as a younger sister.
"It doesn't matter what your sexuality is. We're friends, family even, and just because we're both gay doesn't mean we can't hug without it being sexual. I expect nothing to change. Well, except now we can talk about girls. So, the big question is: Xena or Gabrielle?"