AN: Total randomness. This just came out of nowhere... I know some people hate Dawn, but I personally love her relationship with Spike (friendship, mostly - for fanfic), sooo this is my take on a little possible scene :) Not much!

Summary: Set early season 6, before Buffy is brought back. Dawn is feeling down , & guess who is there to comfort her ? Spike/Dawn freindship.

~.~.~

Hollow - that's how she felt on the inside. At the age of thirteen, she had been through more than most will ever see in their lifetime, and yet while not all of it had been bad, there were certain memories Dawn Summers wished she was able to erase - her sister's death was one of them.

Buffy had been a Slayer, and in Dawn's eyes, the best one. Not only had she taken over the role of parenting after their moher's sudden passing, but she had also managed to keep the world free from the reign of demons and vampires.

She was special, and no one would ever replace her. The "Buffybot" Willow had programmed may have fooled their father, and the undead evil in Sunnydale, but it was far from fooling Dawn. That thing was just a bunch of nuts and bolts - an oversized barbie with a computer in place of a heart.

She meant nothing to Dawn, and if anything, seeing the robot try and take the place of her older sister only brought new pain to her every day. She knew the gang only meant well - they had to fake Buffy's existance for the safety of the town, and possibly the world. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

On top of feeling as if her world was crumbling around her, Dawn was still forced to attend school. At first, it had been a steady distraction, but overtime that dulled and it was now a simple nuisance. She knew too much to fit in with any of the other students. But she didn't know enough to fit in with the only family she had left - Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya, the "gang".

And of course, there was him. The only one who Dawn felt understood her pain - th only other outsider, one that didn't belong anywhere... Spike.

Ever since Buffy's death he had been around more, checking in every night or two, usually bringing a couple movies and some store bought popcorn. Other times, he brought nothing, and the two of them would just sit in complete silence for hours. It was comforting, the only source of comfort that she had left.

It was Monday - and right there, Dawn was already in a sour mood. The first day of the week was never a good one - assignments were due, pop tests weren't scarce, and everyone in her life seemed to be busy with "other" things.

She had discarded her bookbag and jacket in the entrance way, and was headed to the kitchen to grab a snack before settling on the couch to watch mind-numbing television until eventually, she fell asleep.

A few hours later, Dawn woke up to the sound of the back door closing. She hadn't even bothered to stand and check, she already knew who it was. Looking up, she watched as Spike stopped in the doorway of the living room, casually resting against the wall.

"'ey Bit."

"Hi Spike," she said softly, turning her attention back to the TV.

She felt his weight on the couch next to her, and then his arm warp around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. It wasn't a romantic embrace, but a comforting one - his way of letting her know that she wasn't alone.

Dawn snuggled into him, pulling the blanket up from where it had fallen around her knees. It looked like tonight would be one of those quiet ones.

"How was your day?" he asked, surprising her - usually she was the one to engage in conversation.

She shrugged against him. "It was Monday... enough said."

Spike nodded, his chin grazing her hair. "Takin' it wasn't so great then. Feel like lettin' anythin' out?"

Dawn sighed. "I miss her... A lot."

"I know Bit, I miss 'er too."

"Do you... Do you think she'll ever come back?" she asked in barely a whisper.

He hesitated. She knew he was at a loss - should he give her false hope, or tell it to her straight? Spike had never been one for sugar coating, that was something Dawn admired about him - he was one of the few who actually told her what was really going on. But, in this case... she didn't know what she would rather hear - the truth, or a lie.

"Anythin' is possible," he started. "I wish I could've taken 'er place, faced the light for 'er, but... she's a stubborn one, an'... she knew wha' she was doin'. Tha's... that's wha' I keep tellin' myself Bit. Nothin' I can say is gonna make it hurt any less, I know tha' much... an' 'm sorry for tha', truly."

She titled her head to smile up at him. "Thanks Spike... I know that I'm probably not the person you want to be hanging around all the time, but-..."

"Nibblet, there's no one else 'd rather be hangin' around with," he said. "Me an' you, we understand each other - tha's hard to come by now-a-days."

She nodded, knowing that what he said was true. No one could ever replace her sister - and no one could ever replace Spike.