Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss owns all, but if you give them to me I will take real good care of them, especially James!! P.s. I don't own the title The Next Best Thing, somebody else does!

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Rated: I am going to go PG 13 is about right but if the story decides to write itself differently I will let you know!

Chapter 1: The Next Best Thing

I can't believe that the day I meet him I was having the worst day of my life. I was completely out of it an I was lost. I didn't know what to do about all my problems. I was seriously thinking suicide. I didn't know what to do . Riley , my ex-boyfriend ,who I caught cheating on me with a bunch of hoes. I was depressed. I thought all I did to guys was make them want to run. My firs boyfriend, Liam ` Angel' Woodworth, took my virginity then left me. Well actually he tortured me and then tried to kill me but hey, who wants details. I was sixteen at the time that happened. Well …um he… disappeared for about six months and when he came back, he was completely nice to me and was completely normal. I think his step- cousin, Spike, said that he went to this mental hospital, called `Lleh' or something like that.

Well on the subject on my first boyfriends family, who all have accents, there is his mad cousin, Drusilla, his step-mom, (who he had some freaky relationship with) (YUCK!!) Darla, and his annoying step-cousin, Spike. Spike is one of the most annoying guys you can ever meet, even if he did save me. See, Angel, when he was weird, was threatening to kill me and was trying to follow though on this plan. Spike, who looked after Drusilla like she was his own sister, wanted to get Drusilla out of there but Angel wouldn't let her leave. So Spike came to me and said that if he helped me, I would help him, and at the time I needed all the help I could get.

You are probably wondering why I didn't go to the police right? Like the police could stop him! He had been in jail before for minor things and was said to be reformed (ya right!) but when they had first gotten him in custody, he almost got away. And he would have if he had not eaten for a few days and was so weak. I was lucky that Spike decided to help me… that's why I don't hate him just don't like him that's all. But I don't hate him like I use to. We have an agreement: he stays outta my way and I'll stay outta his. But he doesn't always follow that rule and I think might have to just beat it into him.

Oh well, Angel is gone, Parker (don't ask) is gone, and now Riley is gone. Yep, I definitely chase guys away. They only guy I know of that I can't chase away, even though I wish I could, is Spike. I swear he is always following me, like whenever I get into trouble, he is always there to help me. So I thank him for that, on the inside, but I usually tell him to get the hell away. But does he listen, no. He is always there! Well sometimes if feels nice to know he is there for me even when I don't want him to be. Like when Riley dumped me, he found me sitting out in the woods and he was all sweet and saying sweet stuff like: "Luv, don't cry. He wasn't good enough for you anyways. You need somebody who is strong and loves you for who you are good and bad. Not that there is anything bad about you … Buffy please stop crying." And he just sat there and held me in his arms, which by the way are really, really nice, and stayed there until I stop crying.

Ever since then, he stops over during his break in between classes and makes sure that I am ok and usually he makes me lunch. He can cook really good. I will eat just about anything he cooks. Basically, since the whole Riley ordeal he has been the best and only friend I have ever had. My two best friends, Xander and Willow, moved away . Willow went to Yale university because she got a scholarship for there, full ride and everything. Xander went to live with his mom out in South Carolina and he got this great job. They both call when they can, which isn't very often.

So, Spike is the next best thing, but not like in the movie, `The Next Best Thing' with Madonna and everything, cause Spike is not gay and I don't teach yoga. He has basically been my only connection to the out side world, other than class at U.C. Sunnydale