Dawn was content to stay exactly where she was for as long as she could. Tears were on the verge of falling from her own eyes, but they dried up quickly. She hadn't cried in a long time, mostly because she hadn't had a safe place to do so. Now, it was almost instinct to hold them in and shove them down, but she still stood pressed to her sister.
Hearing Buffy speak, Dawn let out a slow, shaky breath and buried her face even more against the blonde's neck. It was strange to realize that she smelled exactly the same as Dawn could remember. Finally, she realized she should probably say something in reply, and the brunette shook her head slowly. "I shouldn't have gotten away from you," she whispered. "I shouldn't have gotten separated. I'm sorry," she replied faintly. "You'll stay here, right? You won't go." It was a statement, almost a demand, more than a question. Dawn was planning on refusing to let her sister leave her be. "You're not leaving me again. And I won't leave you."