Dawn doesn’t wear a lot of green anymore.

And should anyone ask why - not that they ever do; Buffy’s so busy with the Potentials that she’s all but forgotten Dawn exists - she’ll tell them it makes her skin look pallid; besides, it’s not really in now, anyway.

The truth is... it makes her feel kind of sick to think of what she was; so incredibly powerful, so dark and bright and murderous. So beautiful, so special that people died for her, were killed for her.

The truth is... She’s afraid that some part of her recognizes all that glowing color, that one day it’ll wake up and she’ll remember everything; she’s afraid that it already has, and all the time she has is the next second ticking by on the mantle clock.

So she ignores her friends when they tell her how flattering bright emeralds and soft shades of avocado are on her. They don’t know the truth, and the truth is... Dawn knows what’s inside of her, and she knows it’ll come out one day.

It’s just a matter of when.