"Miss Dawn Marie Giles" Principal Wood said as he handed the young woman her diploma and shook her hand.

From the front row, Buffy and Spike watched their little girl finally graduate High School, and both of them had tears in their eyes. Xander, with Cordelia, sat next to Buffy, and Giles sat beside his own son as the bleached blond tried to steady the video camera in his shaking hands and film his little girls descent down the steps on the other side of the stage.

"Dawnie pretty" the little boy on Buffy's lap giggled, pointing at his sister, "Pretty sister"

"That's right, Aaron" his mother said tearfully, "That's your beautiful sister. Our little girl" she said, glancing at Spike who smiled at her before going back to concentrating on filming.

A few minutes later when all the students had received their diplomas and the ceremony was over, Dawn came rushing through the crowds of people to her family. Aaron immediately scrambled away from his mother and towards the sister he adored. Dawn happily hugged the almost-two year old before Spike pulled her to him and told her how proud he was.

"Thanks Dad" she cried, handing over the baby so she could next embrace Giles, Xander, and then Buffy.

"Oh Dawnie, I'm so proud to be here, to see you graduate, you don't know how much it means to me" she cried as she held her tight, "I love you so much"

"I love you too... Mom" she said, smiling when she pulled away a little and saw the stunned expressions in the faces of her family. It was the first time she'd ever applied the word to Buffy, having always felt uncomfortable with it, until now.

"I loved Drusilla" she explained to the group, "I always will, and she was such a great Mom, but she's gone now" she said, looking at Buffy, "You're here, you're definitely my mother, you and Dad are married, and I love you, so... if it's okay, I definitely want you to be Mom now"

"I always was, honey" Buffy reminded her as they hugged again, "Whether you said it or not, but I'm so happy that you did say it, you have no idea"

"Congratulations, Dawnie" Willow called as she and Oz and their daughters scrambled down through the crowds. They'd been seated at the back, behind all the actual family members, though they were almost as much a part of the Giles/Summers clan as anyone could be.

More hugging and congratulating occurred until Aaron asked the most important question of all.

"Cake now?" he grinned up at his parents, making everybody chuckle.

"Yes, mate" Spike rolled his eyes as he scooped his son up from the ground and placed him on his shoulders, "Let's get home to that bloody cake then" he said referring to the large double chocolate fudge creation they'd bought to celebrate the Little Bit's graduation.

Dawn and Buffy were smiling like idiots as they linked arms and walked alongside Spike. He smiled as he watched them talk animatedly and giggle like kids with a secret. He knew without a doubt that this was how it was supposed to be.

- The End -