Happy Birthday Dawnie!

Title Happy Birthday Dawnie!
Rating PG-13

"Hey Dawnie, how's it going?"
She glanced up with a smile, "Good. How are you doing?"
Xander frowned at her in mock seriousness. "Good? That's not the cry of a Happy Birthday Dawnie. What's up?"

She sighed a little, how to explain? "It's just..." She gestured to the pointy hat atop her head. "I know really I'm only like five, but c'mon, is Buffy trying to make up for tearing the head off my Barbie when I really *was* five. I mean, not that it really happened, but it might as well have ‘cause. y'know, we both remember it..."

Xander looked at her, "It happened." he said as if that was an end to it. "Buffy's just... she's just doing what she thinks you want."

"I know, it's just... this isn't the kind of party I thought she meant when she suggested it."

"Yeah, the balloon animals might have been a little on the OTT side, but she's just..."

"Oh I know, she's doing it for me and I really do appreciate it. I do. It's just... I'm not five."

Xander was looking at her strangely. "Dawn? Have you been drinking?" She shook her head. "Well there's your problem!"

"Xander, it's only my eighteenth birthday." She reminded him.

"And if we were still in California that would be a problem, but we're not so it isn't."

She frowned again. "Huh?"

He rolled his eye and gestured towards the window. "See that big clock over the river? That's the curiously named Big Ben. Which means?" He crooked his eyebrow at her.

"It means we're sitting in a private members club with one of the most envied views in... London." The implications started to dawn on her.

"Which means?" Xander prompted.

"Which means I'm legal."

"By Jove, I think she's got it!" He joked in a horrible accent that he no doubt thought sounded British. "So how about this – we let Buffy have her party. And we enjoy it. And then you and I go out and hit the clubs?"

She looked at him, a speculative smile on her face. "Sounds like a plan. There's this place I've heard about – on Oxford Street, just opposite the Tottenham Court Road tube station. How about we start there?"

He shrugged, "Cool. So long as you enjoy Buffy's party I'm happy to go wherever."

Dawn agreed and when she stood to hug her sister the smile on her face was genuine. She couldn't wait to see Xander's reaction when they got to the club.