This fiction is based on a movie even though it's really nothing like the movie. I'm not gonna reveal the movie though because I don't wanna give anything away. This was the first fantasy story I ever wrote so I hope ya'll like it=)


Chapter 1

Buffy Summers was sitting on a bench in the park reading a book. She loved to come there on the weekends to just read and spend time by herself. She was in her own world when she felt someone sit next to her, but she didn't look up until they spoke. "You're really into that book, aren't you?" She smiled as she looked up at the person next to her.

"I was just at a good part. What are you doing here, Xander?" She asked as she put her book away and took her reading glasses off and put those away also.

"I was bored being stuck at home with nothing to do, so figured I'd go for a walk. I came here because I knew you would be here." He told her.

"You know me so well." She replied as she smiled at him again. Xander Harris was one of Buffy's best friends. They grew up together along with their other best friend Willow Rosenberg. For as long as she could remember it has just been the three of them. As the years went by a few more were added to their little group. Buffy looked behind Xander and saw two other people walk towards them. She smiled when she recognized Willow and Tara. They met Tara MaClay in their freshmen year of high school and instantly became friends with her. Willow and Tara got closer during sophomore year and realized that they had feelings for each other and eventually got together after Willow went through a bad break up with her last boyfriend and they've been together ever since.

"Hey guys, what are we doing?" Willow asked her two best friends.

"Just sitting here talking to the Buffster." Xander said as he moved over and made room for the two other girls.

"Xander, you know Buffy comes here to be alone." Tara replied.

"It's okay, I don't mind some company." She told them. Willow then looked at her friend with concern.

"Are you okay?" Willow said and Buffy nodded.

"I'm fine, just didn't sleep that well last night." Willow nodded accepting her answer. She then looked away and watched the kids playing in the distance when she noticed someone and turned back to Buffy.

"Buffy, there's a guy over there that's checking you out." Buffy looked up and noticed a bleached blonde man in a leather coat staring at her from afar and when he saw that she noticed him he turned and looked away.

"Yeah, it's weird. I've seen him around a lot. I just figured it was a coincidence that he always seemed to be wherever I was." Xander shook his head obviously a little upset.

"I don't like this. He sounds like a stalker and those are never good. Not that I would know, but I've heard things." Buffy sighed.

"I'm sure he's not a stalker, it's just a coincidence. I'm not exactly stalking material." She told her friends so they would stop worrying.

"I don't know, Buff. There's a lot of pervs out there that love to prey on innocent high school girls." Xander said as Buffy got up and grabbed her stuff.

"I'm sure it's nothing. I have to get home; I'll see you guys later." With that she walked away and the others watched her go and noticed the man watching her also as she walked by him.

"Did you see that? He was definitely looking at her." Xander stated.

"Yeah, I saw. It looks like Buffy may have an admirer." Willow said and they didn't know what to think about that.

Chapter 2

Buffy walked into her house and her mother was just coming down the stairs. "Oh good, you're home." She said as she came towards her with a smile on her face. "Someone is waiting for you in the kitchen." Buffy was curious so she walked into the kitchen and smiled at the familiar man standing there.

"Riley!" She exclaimed as she went towards him and gave him a big hug.

"It's good to see you too, but I'm finding it hard to breathe here." Buffy then let him go and smiled at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be able to come for another month." Riley shook his head.

"I managed to get away earlier. I had to see my favorite sister." Buffy smiled and smacked him lightly on the arm. Riley graduated two years ago and went away to college. Buffy loved him and missed having him around all the time. He was a really good big brother and was always very overprotective of them.

"Don't let Dawn hear you say that. You're lucky she's out with a friend right now." Riley smiled at her.

"It'll be our little secret." He told her as he hugged her again and then pulled away to really look at her. "How've you been, sis? You feeling okay?" She nodded to assure him that she was fine.

"Yeah, I'm good. I've just been a little tired, but it'll pass." He nodded and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Well, you look good." He told her.

"I feel good. Some days are better than others, but I'm fine." Riley pulled her to him again and held her.

"That's good to know." He said as he kissed the top of her head. He pulled away when they heard the front door open and Dawn come in. She walked into the kitchen and saw Riley.

"Hey, you're here early." She said as she went to hug him also.

"Yeah, just had to get away for a bit. How've you been, kid?" Riley said as Dawn pulled away.

"I'm good and I'm not a kid." Riley smiled at his youngest sister. He knew she hated to be called that. "I'm 15 and in high school now. Let's not forget that." Riley nodded.

"Dually noted." Dawn went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

"How long you staying this time?" She asked as she took a drink.

"I could only spare two weeks. So, looks like you two are stuck with me." He told them.

"I'm okay with that; this place hasn't been the same without you." Buffy told him and then looked at Dawn. She noticed Buffy's look and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's great. Where's mom?" She asked.

"Upstairs," Buffy replied back and with that Dawn headed out of the kitchen. Riley watched her go and then turned back to Buffy.

"When did she turn 15?" He said and Buffy laughed.

"Yeah, be afraid. Be very afraid." Riley laughed also and then looked at his sister. It felt good to see her laugh. He just hoped he would get to see it more.

Chapter 3

Spike was still sitting on a bench in the park after the blonde that he was watching left. He looked at the little red headed girl on the swings as he continued to sketch her. He was concentrating until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Knew I would find you here, Spike." Spike didn't even bother to look up when he replied.

"Yeah, of course you would because I'm usually here every bloody Saturday. The question is why are you here, Angel?" Angel shrugged and sat down next to Spike. Spike then noticed that his girlfriend, Darla was there too and she sat down on Angel's lap. Even though there was enough room on the bench.

"We're worried about you, man. You've been a little distant lately, constantly keeping to yourself. You're always here with your nose in that sketchbook. We think you should do more, like maybe start dating again." Spike sighed and chose to ignore his friend. He met Angel when he first moved to Sunnydale seven years ago and they became friends, but Spike wouldn't deny the fact that Angel annoyed him sometimes. Darla was a nice bird and he liked her, but he didn't care for their constant make out sessions always in front of him like he wasn't even there. Like right now she was busy nibbling on his ear while Angel was trying not to let it distract him as he talked. "I'm just saying that you haven't dated since Drusilla and that was two years ago. I know that ended badly, but there are other girls out there." Spike finally looked up at him not sure what to say when he saw Faith walking towards them and he smiled. He then dropped the smile when he saw that she seemed upset.

"What's wrong?" He asked her when she came up to them.

"This stupid guy over there tried to grab my ass. This is a public park filled with kids for crying out loud." Spike got mad at that.

"Which one is he? I'll kill him." He said as he started to get up when Faith stopped him.

"Don't worry about it, Spike. I took care of it." She told him.

"Are you sure?" Faith nodded.

"Yeah, I can take care of myself." She said.

"That's what worries me." He said and Faith smacked him on the arm.

"You may be six years older than me, but I can still hurt you. Don't you forget that, mister." Spike smiled at her.

"I don't think I could forget. You've always been a little terror." Faith smiled in return.

"Damn straight." She then looked and noticed that Angel and Darla were making out, oblivious to their conversation. "God, do they always have to do that in public." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Apparently so." He then turned back to Faith. "You have homework that you should be doing?" Faith rolled her eyes also.

"I have some, but no sweat. I can take care of it tomorrow. No one sane does homework on a Saturday." Faith told him.

"I don't want you waiting till the last minute because I know you'll forget. You need to pull your grades up." Faith sighed.

"Tell me something I don't know and since when did you become my father." Spike sighed also; sometimes he was just too young to deal with this.

"I'm not trying to be, but I am your guardian which is close enough." He said.

"Why do you have to say guardian, why can't you just say brother?" Spike smiled at her.

"I could, but I like the way the other one sounds. You know I'm responsible for you since mum and dad have been...gone. I want you to do better than I did in school. Even if that means I have to push you to get there." Faith nodded.

"I know and you have been doing a good job. I guess I just can't help but give you a hard time, it's in my nature." She told him with a smile.

"Why don't you just be the little sister that I know and love?" He told her.

"I'll work on it, but I can't promise anything." She replied back and he figured that was the best he would get from her. Spike was born in London, England and when he just turned six he moved to LA. They then found out a little while after that his mother was pregnant with Faith so she was born in LA and never had the British accent like Spike, who always managed to keep it. Their father was British, but their mother was American who just happened to be living in England at the time. Seven years ago they all moved to Sunnydale because their dad got transferred. Spike hated the small town from the moment he stepped into it. He liked his life in LA even though he got into a lot of trouble, always seemed to hang out with the wrong crowd. He used to be known as William when he was younger and he always detested that name. It was when he was 16 that he decided to go with Spike. His best friend at the time gave him that name and said that it suited him and it stuck ever since. He moved to Sunnydale around that time and basically lost touch with all of his old friends and made a few new ones. He just wanted to leave the past behind him. Spike seemed to always date the wrong girls which always ended badly. He thought that it would all change when he moved to Sunnydale and then he met Drusilla. He loved her or he thought that he did and she ended up cheating on him, several times. He didn't think he wanted to let another girl into his life after that. That was until he started seeing that cute blonde girl around town. She was a tiny thing and he could tell that she was different from the other girls. He has been making a habit of following her around town. He's not even sure why, just couldn't help it for some reason. He always liked what he saw which proved how different she was. He could also tell that she was younger than him which would be a first. He always seemed to get involved with older women. He still had Faith to deal with which sometimes was too much to handle. Their parents died about three years ago in a car accident when Spike was 20 and Faith was 14. Ever since then he has been doing his best to take care of her so social services wouldn't take her away. He had to change his ways a lot to prove that he could be responsible enough to handle a teenager. His little sister was all he had left and he wouldn't let anyone take her away from him. He had an okay life now, but he knew that something was missing. He wasn't sure what it was, but he hoped that he would find it.
 

Chapter 4

Buffy got out of her last class on Monday and went to her locker. She liked school and got good grades, but sometimes it could be tiring. She really needed to get more sleep. She was opening her locker when she heard someone behind her. "God, could that class be any more dull? I almost passed out from boredom." Buffy looked at the dark haired girl that spoke and noticed how much she was into the leather look. Buffy thought it really worked on her and was surprised that she was talking to her at all.

"I don't mind it all that much." She told her.

"Yeah, because you actually like school, don't you? Well, I guess everyone is different. I'm Faith by the way, you're Buffy right?" Buffy nodded and still seemed confused.

"You know who I am?" Buffy asked.

"I've seen you around. I was actually wondering if you could help me. I've been kinda slipping in a few of my classes lately and I hear that you're a pretty good tutor. So, was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me at least pass a few of my next tests like that Chemistry one coming up next week. That is like my worst subject and if I don't get at least a B+ on it I'm sure my brother would disown me so yeah I could use all the help I can get." Buffy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, of course. When do you want to start?" Faith smiled.

"You are a lifesaver and I think the sooner the better. How about tomorrow after school? I kinda have plans tonight. We could study at my house." Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds okay. Do you want me to meet you there after school?" Faith shook her head.

"Why don't we just walk there together tomorrow? We have the same last class anyway and I'm not too far from the school." She told her.

"Okay, tomorrow it is then." Faith smiled and gave her a hug which took Buffy by surprise.

"Thanks again for this; you're saving my life here. I'll see you tomorrow." Faith said as she waved and walked away.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Buffy replied back. She then headed for home. She wanted to spend more time with her brother while she had the chance. Later that night Buffy found herself at the Bronze which was like the only cool place to go to in Sunnydale. She didn't want to go, but her friends eventually talked her into it. She was sitting down reading and not listening to much that was going on around her.

"Hello, earth to Buffy." Buffy looked up when someone addressed her.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked.

"You have to be the only one that's reading in here. Homework is for at home, you're here to have some fun which you've been lacking in lately. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen you have fun for as long as I've known you." Buffy sighed and took her glasses off and put her book away.

"Sorry, Anya. I just have a lot of reading to do. I shouldn't even be here." Anya looked at her friend and was about to say something when Xander, Willow, and Tara walked to their table and sat down.

"This music is great, guys. You should be out there dancing." Xander said and Anya smiled big and stood up while pulling Xander up with her.

"He has a point for once; we'll be on the dance floor." Anya said as she pulled Xander away from the table. Buffy smiled as she watched them. Anya and Xander have been dating for over a year now and Buffy was happy for them. She couldn't remember ever seeing Xander that happy and it was the longest relationship that he's ever been in. She hoped it would last for them. Willow noticed the look on her friend's face as she watched Xander and Anya and she kept wondering if maybe Buffy wanted a boyfriend, too. She has never really dated all that much and never talked about wanting one before, but Willow could tell that it was something that she wanted. She didn't want to push her though. Tara was the one that spoke up. She was always so quiet and only spoke when she really had something that she needed to say.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Tara asked Buffy and she turned to look at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Look I hate to cut this short, but I think I'm just going to go home now. I'm really tired." Buffy said as she stood up and grabbed her stuff.

"You want us to go with you?" Willow asked and Buffy shook her head.

"No, you guys stay here and have fun. I'll see you tomorrow." Willow nodded and watched Buffy leave. She then couldn't help but notice a familiar head of bleached blonde hair that looked to be watching her leave also. She just shook it off and turned back to Tara, figuring that she imagined it.
 

Chapter 5

Buffy was walking home when she thought she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and didn't see anyone so she kept walking. After a few seconds she thought she heard it again so this time she turned around and raised her fist ready to strike whoever was following her when they suddenly grabbed her fist. "Good reflexes. Sorry to have scared you, love." The man said as he let her go and she then got a good look at him and recognized him as the guy at the park that the others said was stalking her. She now realized that they could have been right, but tried not to show him how scared she was.

"Were you following me?" She asked him and he smiled at her.

"Why would I do that?" She shrugged.

"I don't know, just had this feeling that you were. I've been seeing you around at a lot of the places that I have been at lately and now I'm thinking that it might be more than just a coincidence." Spike looked caught.

"So, guess you have noticed me. I thought I was doing so well, too." Buffy didn't know what to think about this.

"Who are you?" She figured that was a safe question.

"Right, where are my manners. The name's Spike, what's yours?" Buffy wasn't sure about telling a complete stranger her name, but for some reason he didn't seem that threatening to her even though he in his own way admitted to following her.

"I'm Buffy and don't laugh because I get that a lot. That really is my name." Spike smiled at her.

"That's a cute name. I think it suits you." Buffy blushed at the compliment and hoped that he didn't notice.

"Thanks, but somehow I don't think Spike's your real name." She said and he nodded.

"It's a nickname, I don't reveal my real name to just anyone." Buffy nodded in understanding.

"That's fine, I should probably get going." She replied as she started to walk past him when he grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"It's William, but we'll keep that between us. I have a reputation to keep." He said as he smiled at her and Buffy smiled back.

"Your secret is safe with me." She said as he let her hand go. "So, I noticed you watching me at the park the other day. My friends were starting to think that you were a stalker that liked to prey on high school girls." Spike laughed at that.

"I'm not a sex crazed maniac or an axe murderer if that's what you're thinking. I was just curious." He told her.

"Curious about what?" He then looked into her eyes.

"You, I've been noticing you a lot lately. For the past few months to be exact." Buffy was surprised by this.

"Why? I'm really not all that interesting." Spike smiled at her.

"I beg to differ. I've seen a lot of the stuff you do after school and on the weekends when you're not spending your time reading at the park. How you go out of your way to help people. I saw you helping out at that orphanage on Crawford Street and you were so good with the kids and I could see how much they loved you." Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, I love kids. I think it's sad that they don't have families so I want to help out as much as I can. Lately everyone these days just adopt babies and I want to make the other kids that don't get adopted feel that they're loved, too." Spike smiled at her again, she was really everything he thought she was.

"I could see how much you love them. Watching you just always made me feel good. You're just different from other girls and you seemed like someone that I would like to get to know." He told her and he hoped that he wouldn't freak her out by that.

"How old are you?" Was all that she could think about saying.

"I'm 23." Buffy nodded at that.

"Yeah, why is a 23-year-old bothering to follow some 18-year-old girl around? I mean you're a young guy; you should be out having fun with your friends and living life to the fullest. Not bothering to get to know me. I'm not really worth it." Spike looked at her.

"I think you are. I know I don't really know you all that well, but I feel like I do just by watching you around town. I don't think I have ever seen a bigger heart before." Buffy smiled at that.

"Well, I try. Life is short and you never know when yours will end. So, I want to do everything that I can." Spike nodded.

"Yeah, well I don't think you have to worry about that right now. You're young and have your whole life ahead of you and should be living it to the fullest, like you just told me to do." Buffy looked down trying not to cry and looked back at him.

"Yeah, I have all the time in the world." Spike couldn't help but notice how sad she seemed when she said that, but he just shook it off and figured it was nothing.

"Well, I don't mean to be keeping you. You should probably get home; I could walk you if you like." Buffy shook her head.

"That's sweet of you, but I'll be fine on my own. Maybe I'll see you around." Spike nodded.

"Yeah, you just might." Buffy nodded also and started to walk away when she turned back to him.

"It was really nice to meet you." She told him as she continued her walk home. Spike smiled as he watched her go.

"The pleasure was all mine." He said to himself as he turned and walked in the other direction.
 

Chapter 6

Buffy was waiting for Faith by her locker after class ended while Faith was talking to their teacher. She was leaning against the lockers when she saw her friends walk towards her. "Hey, Buff. We're all going over to Will's for some movies and junk food, wanna come with?" Xander asked her.

"Maybe some other time, I kind of already had plans." They were surprised by that when Faith finally came out of the classroom.

"Hey B, ready to go?" Buffy nodded and looked back at her friends.

"I'll see you guys later." She told them as she walked out of the school with Faith. Xander turned back to the others.

"Did that just happen?" He asked and they all nodded, not sure what else to say. Buffy followed Faith into her house when they got there.

"This is a nice place." She said and Faith nodded.

"Yeah, it's not so bad. My brother's home, but he knows not to bother us. He's really surprised that I actually decided to get help with my school work. I think his exact words were "oh my god I think Hell is finally freezing over" while he clutched his heart in the process." Buffy laughed at that and followed Faith upstairs to her room. They passed another room and Buffy heard a guitar coming from inside. "Yeah, he likes to play when he has the time. He used to be in a band back when we lived in LA." Buffy nodded and thought that he was really good. Faith then banged on his door and yelled. "Keep it down in there; we're actually trying to study up here!" The music stopped and Faith turned back to Buffy. "That will probably last only about five minutes; we better get started while we still have quiet." She said as they headed to her room and Faith closed the door when they were inside. Buffy looked around her room and noticed that Faith was really not all that into colors, almost everything was black. She noticed posters of Nirvana and Metallica everywhere. There was also a huge poster of Evanescence on her door. Buffy wasn't really into that stuff, but she really liked the other girl's style. Buffy went to her bag and took out her Chemistry book.

"So, what exactly do you have the most trouble with?" She asked her.

"Try everything; I was never that great at Science or Math for that matter." Buffy nodded.

"This could take a while, but I'll help as best I can. You still have a week until the next test." Faith nodded also and they got to work. About three hours later they went downstairs to find that Faith's brother was in the kitchen facing the refrigerator, drinking a beer without a shirt on. Faith rolled her eyes.

"You could at least put a shirt on you know, we do have company." Faith said and Buffy smiled when he turned around and she recognized him, she noticed that he recognized her also.

"Buffy, didn't know you were the one that was gonna be tutoring Faith." He said as he grabbed his black shirt off the back of the chair in the kitchen and put it on. He didn't know why he was suddenly embarrassed because he wasn't usually like that.

"Yeah, I didn't know that you were the brother that she mentioned." Faith looked at both of them.

"How do you two know each other?" Buffy was about to say something when Spike spoke up first.

"We met at the Bronze last night, just talked for a bit." Faith nodded accepting that answer when she thought of something.

"Wait, is she the girl that you said...?" Spike then put his hand over her mouth to shut her up.

"How is that never speaking of it again? Why don't you be a good girl and walk Buffy home so she doesn't have to go by herself while I go to the store." He said as he took his hand off of her mouth. Buffy was wondering what she was going to say, but she didn't think it would be right to bring it up and Faith just let it go and agreed.

"Fine," she replied. Spike nodded and with one more look at Buffy headed out of the kitchen. "Hey, don't forget my female products!" Faith yelled to Spike as he left and she could have sworn she heard a "bloody hell" come from him. When they were sure he was gone they both burst out laughing. "I love making him uncomfortable like that." When they calmed down she looked at Buffy. "So, you have any siblings?" Buffy nodded.

"I have one older brother and a younger sister." Faith nodded also.

"Ah, the middle child. That has to suck." Buffy shook her head.

"I don't really mind it. I actually get along great with my brother. My sister on the other hand can be difficult." She said.

"Yeah, that's how it is. I know I torture my brother a lot, but I love him. He's always been there for me." Buffy nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, same here. He's always been really overprotective of us, especially with me." Faith agreed.

"Yep, older brothers. Can't live with them, can't live without them. Come on, I'll walk with you to your house." Buffy shook her head.

"That's okay, you don't have to." She said.

"I want to, it's the least I can do." Buffy smiled at her and they walked out of the house. It felt good to meet a new friend.
 

Chapter 7

Faith got back to her house a few hours later. After she left Buffy at her house she met some friends at the park and hung out for a bit before heading home. When she walked in she found Spike sitting on the couch with another beer in his hand. "Took you long enough." He told her as she walked closer to him.

"Sorry, lost track of time. What's your deal?" He shrugged and took a sip of the alcohol before answering her.

"Nothing," was all she got and Faith wasn't just going to accept that. She sat down next to him and took the beer from him and put it down.

"So, was she the girl that you told me about?" Spike nodded and Faith laughed. "Wow, it's come to this. You're falling for high school girls now; she's only a year older than me." Spike shrugged.

"I didn't say it was the best decision I've ever made, but I can't help it." Faith nodded.

"Well, if you ask me it would definitely be an improvement." Spike looked at her.

"What do you mean?" She rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen the girls you've been involved with? They were psychotic especially that last one. Buffy would definitely be good for you, I can already tell she's not like them." Faith told him.

"You actually think that this is a good thing?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I mean I guess five years isn't that much of a difference. She's also really nice, she doesn't even know me and she's helping me out anyway." Spike smiled.

"Yeah, it's what she does." Faith pointed at him.

"See, that right there. I have never seen you get that look on your face before when you were talking about a girl. You never know, she could be the one and I'm usually not one to say stuff like that. So you better listen, mister." Spike laughed at her.

"I should probably talk to her first, don't know if she feels the same way. We did just meet after all." Faith nodded and got up.

"You do that and I'm gonna hit the books." Faith said.

"Oh god, you've shocked me again. I don't think I can take it." Spike said as he put his hand to his heart. Faith rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you're so hilarious." She replied sarcastically as she went upstairs. Spike just sat there for a bit longer thinking about what he was going to say to Buffy. When he was done thinking he decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air and he knew just the place. A little while later, Buffy was sitting on the ground at the beach just looking out at the ocean. She felt the wetness on her cheeks and didn't even realize she was crying.

"Beautiful." She smiled at the familiar voice and looked up at Spike.

"Yeah, the ocean is always beautiful at night." She replied.

"Well, that too. Is this seat taken?" Buffy shook her head and turned back to look at the water. She didn't even bother to ask how he knew that she would be there.

"Be my guest." She said and he sat down next to her. He looked at her and noticed the tears. He reached out and wiped one away.

"You okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah, just being here tends to be emotional for me. When I was younger my dad used to bring me here all the time. I loved it. I still come here whenever I can by myself, but I guess it's not the same." Spike nodded also.

"I take it he's not around anymore." Buffy shook her head.

"He died a few years ago." That was all she said and Spike felt bad for bringing it up. He knew how she felt.

"I'm sorry," he replied.

"It's okay. It was hard at first, but things are pretty good now. My mom got out of her depression, my sister is becoming more social again and making friends, and my brother has been visiting us more." She told him.

"What about you?" Buffy looked at him for the first time since he sat down.

"I'm as good as I can be I guess. I know my dad wouldn't want us to be sad forever, he would want us to get on with our lives and I guess that's what I've been doing. As best I can anyway." Spike nodded.

"Yeah, I think he would be very proud of you." Buffy gave him a faint smile.

"Thanks, so what's your story?" She asked and he looked out at the water.

"My parents died about three years ago. It's just been me and Faith ever since." Buffy looked at him.

"God, I'm so sorry. It must be really hard to lose both of your parents." Spike nodded.

"Yeah, it was. I was only 20 then and had to take care of a teenager by myself. It was no picnic, but I did what I had to because I couldn't let them take Faith away. She's the only real family I have left." He told her.

"Well, I think you did a good job." Spike smiled at her.

"I try." She smiled back and then they just sat in silence for a bit until Buffy broke the ice.

"So, where are you from?" Spike looked at her again.

"England," he stated and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I knew that. I mean where in England." Spike smiled at her. He knew that was what she meant.

"London, I moved to LA when I was 6 and then came here when I was 16. God, I hated it the minute I set foot in this town." Buffy laughed.

"Yeah, try living here your whole life. I guess it's not so bad once you get used to it." Spike smiled at her again.

"I think I'm finally starting to like it here." They looked into each others eyes and when it got too intense, Buffy looked away. "I guess I should get back now, can't leave Faith unsupervised for too long. Don't fancy her burning the house down." Buffy smiled at that and could tell that he was just teasing.

"Yeah, I should too." Spike stood up and then helped Buffy up. He held onto her hand for a bit before he let go.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around more these days since you're helping out Faith." Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, you may start to get tired of me." Spike looked into her eyes again.

"I don't think that's possible." Buffy found herself blushing again and this time Spike noticed and thought it was adorable, but he didn't say anything.

"I'll see you later." She said and Spike nodded. She walked away without even looking back. Spike took a deep breath as he watched her go. He didn't even get to talk to her about what he wanted to, but he figured he would have time. He didn't think that he could ever feel this strongly about someone again, but this was a different feeling. Spike knew what it was. He just met her and only talked to her a few times, but he knew that he was already starting to fall in love with her.
 

Sorry for the really short chapter. I hope you guys won't hate me, all will be explained soon=)


Chapter 8

Buffy was walking out of school with her friends and her mind was elsewhere so she didn't really hear what they were talking about, but she guessed it was Prom even though it was about five months away. They walked down the steps in front of the school and Buffy looked and saw Spike in the distance standing in front of a car which she figured was his. She smiled and shook her head as she walked towards him. Her friends looked also and saw her head in his direction. "Hey, isn't that the guy we saw that was checking Buffy out in the park?" Xander asked and Willow and Tara nodded. Anya wasn't sure what they were talking about, but that wasn't anything new. "Since when does Buffy just go up to strange men that are probably stalking her?" Xander said a little upset.

"I have a feeling that there's a lot she hasn't told us." Willow replied back. Buffy walked up to Spike and smiled at him.

"I figured you would be done with the whole stalking thing." She said and he smiled back at her.

"I didn't realize I was doing that, but I'm actually here for Faith. You care for a ride home?" Buffy shook her head.

"No thanks, I should probably get back to my friends." Spike nodded and figured it was now or never.

"Yeah, but before you go. I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow night." He asked her.

"Why, is that your way of asking me out?" Spike nodded.

"Yeah, guess I couldn't come up with anything better. So, would you like to do something?" Buffy sighed.

"Look, Spike. You're a really nice guy and I will admit that is very hard to find these days and I do like you, but I'm just not really into the whole dating thing. I'm sorry, but I hope we can be friends." Spike was disappointed, but he accepted her answer and nodded. It was better than nothing.

"Yeah, I guess that's pretty much what I was expecting anyway." Buffy felt really bad when she saw the look on his face, but she knew it would be better this way.

"I should really get back to my friends now. You going to be okay?" Buffy asked him.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." She nodded.

"I'll see you later." With that she turned and walked away. Spike watched her go. He should have known that a smart girl like her would never be interested in him; they were just from two different worlds. She was too sweet and always went out of her way to help others and he could be nothing but trouble. He knew it would be very hard to get her off of his mind though. He put on a fake smile when he finally saw Faith walk towards him. They just got into his car and drove away from the school without saying anything.
 

Chapter 9

A few months went by and Buffy and Spike were still just friends. He still wanted more than that, but he didn't pressure her. She introduced him to her friends and tried to explain that he wasn't a crazy stalker and eventually they all started to accept him, of course Xander took a bit more convincing. She even introduced him to her family before Riley went back to school so he could meet him. He gave him the evil eye just like he would with any guy that was around Buffy, besides Xander. They talked though and actually started to get along. Joyce loved him and thought that he was a joy to have around. Dawn had a little crush on him at first, but now she thinks that he's more like a brother and he always has these cute names for her. Faith has been pulling her grades up a lot since Buffy has been helping her out and Spike couldn't be happier about that. Buffy and Faith also became better friends and would hang out a lot more outside of school. Buffy was at Faith's house helping her study when Spike offered to drive her home and she said yes and now found herself sitting in his car in front of her house. "Thanks for the ride." Buffy said, but made no move to get out of the car. Spike nodded and looked at her. He knew that he shouldn't, but he just couldn't take it anymore. He leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the lips. Buffy was surprised at first and then relaxed and started to kiss him back. He brought his hand up to cup her face. A few seconds went by and Buffy pulled away and looked down. "We can't do this, Spike." He seemed confused because it felt like she wanted it just as much as he did.

"I know I shouldn't have kissed you like that without you knowing about it, but I've wanted to do it for the longest time now. I know you said you just wanted to be friends, but I have a feeling that you want more than that just like I do. I think you're just scared." Buffy looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"It's more than that. I just can't be with you, I'm sorry." With that Buffy got out of the car and ran to her house without looking back. Spike just sat there after she got inside. He knew that something was really bothering her, he just wished she would tell him about it. He knew that he loved her though and he would do whatever he could to find out what was really wrong. With that in mind he drove away from her house. Spike got home and found Faith in the living room watching TV. He plopped down next to her and looked really upset. Faith turned the TV off and looked at him.

"What happened now?" Spike looked at her and sighed.

"I'm an idiot." He said.

"I know that, you need to be more specific." Faith said and Spike glared at her. "Wow, if looks could kill. I guess this is not the time to be funny, so what's wrong?" Spike took a deep breath before answering.

"I kissed Buffy when I took her home." He said.

"Oh, I take it that didn't go so well." Spike shook his head.

"It really didn't. It just happened, I wasn't planning on it." Spike put his face in his hands. "I couldn't respect her decision about just wanting to be friends. I had to go and kiss her and freak her out even more. She probably won't even talk to me again." Faith put her hand on his back to comfort him.

"I'm sure she'll talk to you again. I know that she really likes you." Spike looked up at Faith.

"Yeah, she has a funny way of showing it. I just know there's something she isn't telling me. Do you know anything?" Faith shook her head.

"Sorry, but maybe you should just talk to her. Get her to tell you what's really bothering her. She's probably just scared to get involved with someone. Maybe she thinks that it wouldn't work out, I don't know. I know that you really like her, so you can't just give up." Spike agreed.

"I'm not planning on it." Faith nodded and continued to pat him on the back while he just sat there thinking about how to make things better with Buffy.
 

Chapter 10

Spike showed up at Buffy's house and took a few minutes before he got the courage to knock on the door. Joyce opened the door and smiled at him. "I was wondering when you would manage to knock." Spike looked embarrassed.

"I guess you saw me out here." Joyce nodded.

"From the moment you drove up, please come in." Spike walked into the house and Joyce closed it behind him. "I suppose you're here to see Buffy." He nodded.

"I need to talk to her." Joyce nodded also.

"I'll go get her." With that Joyce walked up the stairs and Spike just stood there waiting.

"You really have it bad, don't you?" Spike turned at the voice and saw Dawn behind him.

"Is it that obvious?" Dawn nodded.

"It really is. I love my sister, but I will admit that she has issues. I don't know why she's acting like she doesn't wanna go out with you because I know she really likes you. You can just tell. She was fine about two years ago. She used to date a little bit and she seemed to have more fun, you know. Then it just stopped, she didn't seem like she wanted to date anymore and instead she just focused on her school work and started doing volunteer work to help out around town like at the orphanage. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of everything that she's done, but it just seems like she could be doing so much more and have more fun with her life. I mean she acts like it's the end of the world or something."

"You don't know what could have changed?" Dawn shook her head.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Joyce then came back downstairs followed by Buffy. It took Joyce a few minutes to convince her to come down. Joyce grabbed Dawn's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"We'll let you two talk." She told them as she headed out of the living room with Dawn. Buffy had her arms crossed and was staring at the floor when Spike spoke.

"I'm sorry to just show up like this, but I needed to talk to you." Buffy then looked up at him and nodded.

"Let's go outside." She said as she walked out with Spike close behind her. When they were outside neither knew what to say first. Buffy took a deep breath and looked at him. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to just leave like that, I guess I just panicked." Spike nodded.

"Yeah, which was my fault. I shouldn't have kissed you knowing that you didn't want it." Buffy looked down.

"I did want it." She mumbled and Spike barely heard her.

"What was that, pet?" She looked up at him again with tears forming in her eyes this time.

"I said I did want it, but it can't happen again. It'll be better this way, trust me." Spike was still confused.

"I don't get it, Buffy. I know you like me, everyone else can tell too. Now you say that you wanted me to kiss you, but it can't ever happen again. Care to explain why not?" He told her.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, being involved with me might end up hurting you in the end and I think it would be less painful if we didn't get too close." Spike grabbed her hand and she didn't pull away.

"I'm already too close and I don't think you have to worry about hurting me. You're different, Buffy. I've never known anyone as good as you and I know you would never hurt anyone. I think you're just scared of letting someone in, afraid that you might be the one to get hurt in the end, but you know you can trust me. I'll never hurt you. I love you." Buffy then pulled away and the tears were falling more at what he said.

"Please don't say that, it will only make things harder." Spike wiped a tear off of her face and really looked at her.

"I can't help it. I think I've always known from the moment I saw you. I know there's more to why you don't want to be with me, I just wished you could tell me about it. You know I'm always here for you." Buffy then touched his cheek and noticed that he was starting to cry, too.

"I know that, but I won't be." She said as she dropped her hand and Spike didn't know what she meant by that.

"Why, are you moving or something? Is that why you don't want to get involved?" Buffy shook her head.

"No, I'm not moving. It's more than that." She said.

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything." Buffy nodded and decided that it was time.

"I know I can. The truth is that I'm...I'm sick. I have leukemia, Spike." Spike felt like his whole world was falling apart at just her words.

"No, you're only 18. You're perfect. There has to be something. Anything that could help you." Buffy shook her head.

"There isn't, we've tried everything. It's too late for me." Spike looked away from her as his tears continued to fall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, his voice low and scratchy.

"I didn't want anyone to know, not yet. They would have all treated me differently and felt sorry for me and I didn't want that. I just wanted to be treated like everyone else." Spike looked at her again.

"Your friends don't know?" Buffy shook her head.

"No, only my mom and Riley. Dawn doesn't even know because we didn't know how to tell her. I will tell them though, I just haven't been able to yet." She explained.

"How do you feel now?" Spike asked her.

"I feel okay. Some days I feel really tired and others I feel fine. It's all going to be okay." Spike looked at her wondering how she could say that.

"There is nothing about this that's okay. You're only 18-years-old, Buffy. How can you be so calm and put on a brave face knowing that you're going to die." He said as the tears kept falling down his face, he didn't care about hiding them anymore.

"I don't have a choice. I didn't want to scare anyone. I'm living my life the way I always wanted to and I've been really happy lately. I know that I'm still young and there's a lot that I haven't done and I don't want to die, but I guess I realized that I'm not afraid to. I mean some days I feel terrified knowing that I'll never get to see Dawn grow up into a beautiful woman like I always knew she would be, or to see Riley get married and start a family of his own. I probably won't even be able to be with my friends at graduation, but I guess I don't want them to know how scared I really am. I will get to be with my dad again and I'll be able to keep a close eye on everyone that I love. When I think about that, it's not so scary." Spike couldn't help himself and he went towards her and hugged her. She put her head on his chest and cried as he rubbed her back in comfort. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He just found her and now he had to lose her and he didn't think that he would be able to bear that. She was so young, it just wasn't fair. She was the best person that he has ever known and the world needed her. He needed her. Spike kissed the top of her head and continued to hold her, afraid of what tomorrow would bring.
 

Chapter 11

Buffy finally revealed her illness to everyone a few days later and it didn't go very well. Her friends understood why she didn't tell them sooner, but they were devastated. Buffy was always the one that kept everything together and they didn't know what they would do without her. Dawn didn't take it well at all. She was upset that she didn't know about it sooner, she figured that they thought she was too young to know about it and probably wouldn't know how to handle it. When she found out she ran to her room and cried her eyes out. She may give Buffy a hard time about some stuff, but it was only because she loved her. She needed her big sister around. A few weeks went by and Buffy started to feel worse, but she would still act like everything was okay in front of her family and friends so she wouldn't worry them. Joyce noticed that she hasn't been looking very well lately and decided to keep her home from school. Buffy didn't want to spend her time in a hospital because she hated hospitals, so Joyce agreed to keep her at home and she had a doctor come to check up on her sometimes. Everyone at school eventually found out and people around town. They sent her cards and stuffed animals, even people that didn't even know her. Spike would always come by to see her and spend all the time with her that he could. He would come by just to read to her or to watch her sleep. He even showed her his sketchbook which he usually wouldn't show anyone. He showed her the pictures that he sketched of her when he was just watching her from a distance. Faith would come with him sometimes. She only knew Buffy for a few months, but she became a good friend to her and Faith was sad when she found out the truth. She finally made a really good friend and she didn't want to lose her. Spike was sitting in a chair by Buffy's bed just talking to her until she fell asleep. He looked at her sleeping form, she was sweaty and more pale than usual and he could tell that she lost some weight, but she was still beautiful to him. He held her hand and fell asleep by her. Joyce came in later and found Spike asleep with her daughter. She couldn't help but smile as she walked over to Spike and touched his shoulder gently. He woke up and looked up at her. "Why don't you head home and get some sleep, Spike. I'll sit with her." Spike nodded and stood up. He gave Buffy a kiss on the forehead and left the room. Joyce sat down in the chair and grabbed Buffy's hand. "My brave girl, you know you have a lot of people that love you. We will all be very upset if you leave us." Joyce started to cry as she watched the sleeping form of her daughter. "Please don't take her from me. It's not her time, she's just a child." Joyce said to the ceiling. She put her face in her hands when she felt Buffy move.

"Mom," she whispered. "It's okay, please don't cry." Joyce looked up when her daughter spoke. "I'll be with daddy; we'll take care of each other. Don't worry, everything will be alright." Joyce smiled at her brave girl and grabbed for her hand again.

"I love you, baby. I always said that Heaven was missing an angel, now they'll be getting one back." Joyce cried as she got up to hug Buffy and Buffy hugged her back.

"I love you, mom." Dawn was standing in the doorway and cleared her throat. Joyce pulled away to look at her youngest. Buffy smiled at Dawn. "Come here, Dawny." Dawn went towards her sister and gave her a big hug and started to cry again. "It's okay, sweetie." Buffy said as she ran her hands through Dawn's hair. A few hours later, Buffy was alone in her room again just looking up at the ceiling when she heard someone knock and she saw Riley. "Hey, you came." Riley nodded and headed towards her.

"Of course I did. I wanted to be here for you, school can wait." Buffy smiled and opened up her arms and Riley hugged her and kissed her hair. "I love you, squirt." Buffy laughed at the familiar nickname that Riley gave her when she was little. She pulled away and looked at him.

"Promise me you'll take care of them." She told him and he nodded.

"Always," Buffy smiled and hugged him again. All of her friends showed up later to tell her about what she has been missing in school. They were trying to make Buffy laugh and act like it was just a normal day. Willow and Tara brought her some charms for her charm bracelet that she has had since she was 10. Xander and Anya brought her a huge stuffed bunny even though Anya was against it saying that the bunny was evil, but she agreed because she knew that Buffy loved bunnies. Faith brought her a music box that she had since she was little that played "It's a Small World." They talked about their childhoods a lot when they were getting to know each other and Faith knew that was her favorite ride at Disney when she was a kid and she figured the song would make her feel better. The next few hours were spent with everyone talking and hugging until they decided that it was time to let Buffy rest. She was alone in her room looking at the music box like she was mesmerized by it when Spike came back. He waited until he knew that she would be alone.

"You must be special. Faith wouldn't give that to just anyone." Buffy smiled at him and put the music box next to her bed. He sat down in the chair and looked at her. "How are you feeling?" Buffy sighed and lay her head back down.

"Tired," she replied and Spike agreed.

"I just wanted to check up on you, but I should let you rest." He was about to get up when Buffy grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Stay with me tonight." Spike sat back down and she still didn't let go of his arm. They just sat in silence not sure what to say to each other. Spike was afraid that he might start crying again and he didn't want to do that. He was afraid that if he started he might not be able to stop. "Take care of her." Spike looked back at Buffy when he heard her speak. "Faith is lucky to have a great big brother like you in her life." Spike grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. God, he didn't want to let this girl go. He looked into her eyes and touched her face.

"I love you." Buffy smiled and touched his face also.

"I love you, too. I'll always be with you." This time Spike couldn't hold the tears back. He leaned towards her and kissed her on the lips. He then moved up and kissed her forehead before pulling away from her. Buffy sat up slowly so she could be closer to him. "I wanted to give you something." She told him as she took her charm bracelet off and put it on him. "I've had this since I was 10 and I've been adding onto it ever since. I wanted you to continue it for me and everytime you add a new charm, you'll think of me. This way I'll always be a part of you." She told him. Spike looked down at the bracelet that was now on his wrist. Her father gave it to her and he knew how much it meant to her. He couldn't believe that she was giving it to him instead of one of her other friends or her sister. Spike looked at Buffy.

"I'll always treasure it, love." Buffy smiled and gave him another hug.

"I know you will. I just don't want you to forget me." Spike shook his head while he was still hugging her.

"No chance of that." Buffy pulled away and kissed him again before laying back down. He brushed hair out of her face when her eyes started to close. "Just rest now, sweetheart. We'll meet again." Spike whispered as he soon fell asleep after her, never letting go of her hand.