Declaration: I dont own anything Joss does

Chapter One: One Girl To Rule All

It was late at night in Sunnydale; everything was quiet apart from the sound of quiet breathing. Buffy Summers was hiding out in the cemetery, she had her stake 'Mr Pointy' clasped in her right hand, as she stayed low behind a crypt. Tonight was no different from any other night, the same thing had happened: she had left home pretending to Dawn and the scoobies that everything was fine. But it wasn't fine; it hadn't been fine since she had got back...from heaven.

She stared down at her shoes, the memory of heaven, seemed far away now. She gripped the stake a little bit harder and choked back the tears, it wasn't right for her to cry; Willow had worked so hard to find the resurrection spell to bring her back and of course she didn't want to seem ungrateful but she was, she didn't want to come back.

Buffy spun round quickly, she had heard creaking footsteps and sensed an un-dead presence. Slaying was the only thing that would help her pretend she had her "normal" life back but she had hoped tonight she wouldn't have to slay any vampires. She was still dressed in her tacky bright orange Doublemeat Palace uniform.

Buffy sighed, "Orange is definitely not my colour". She narrowed her eyes trying to see where the vampire was but she could not see it. She could sense the creature near her and it was a familiar sense she had felt before. Behind her she heard heavy footsteps swiftly she turned around.

"'Ello pet"

It was him...Buffy looked down, from his big black combat boots to his platinum blonde hair, it was Spike. Buffy rolled her eyes slightly as she lifted her stake a little higher.

"Spike I'm not in the mood for you" she eyed the stake then looked back at him "I'm sure if you wont get out of my way, there is another way that can be arranged for me to get rid of you"

Spike crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, this drove Buffy crazy with anger. "Yeah love I'm sure that's what you want" He winked suggestively, looking her up and down.

Buffy growled lightly and stormed off a bit, quick as a flash she spun round and threw the stake directly towards Spike's heart. Spike caught the stake with his left hand and looked to Buffy a trace of hurt appearing in his eyes.

"I'm not your love" She raced off towards the direction of the gates of the graveyard. To Buffy, Spike was the only, well person would not be the right word to describe him...to her he was a thing, the only one she could talk to.

Chapter 2: Facing The Truth

Buffy walked up the path towards her house; she was just about to put her hand on the handle of the door when it swung open. Standing in the door way was a very angry looking Dawn she glared at Buffy.

"Where have you been?" she crossed her arms, eyeing Buffy up and down. She noticed she wasn't wearing any muck stains and there was still the strong smell of a slaughterhouse.

"Patrolling...which is what I do every other single night of the week ending in day"

She hung her coat over the stairs and walked into the living room.

"Hello Buffy"

Buffy looked down to the settee, Rupert Giles stared back at her. He then looked down at his watch. "Quarter to two in the morning Buffy, that's an hour later than yesterday"

She rolled her eyes saying sarcastically "Sorry mom didn't notice I had to check in plus I was working"

"Worked finished..."Giles stared down at his watch "Five hours ago. Didn't you think to call Dawn to say you would be late?"

"Willow said she would check in" Buffy was now becoming impatient. She hated when Giles started his responsible watcher business.

"Willow's and Tara were at a Wicca meeting then theye went to Xander and Anya to help plan for their wedding" Giles stood up, making Buffy feel two foot tall. "Dawn gave me a call to see if you had checked in with me"

Buffy looked round at Dawn, who was staring miserably down at the floor. "Dawn?" She walked over towards Dawn and put her left hand on her shoulder.

"You're never here...last three nights I haven't seen you, I haven't seen anyone" Dawn looked up to Buffy painfully "I...I..." she looked away and moved towards the staircase "miss you" She walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Buffy stared over towards Giles, who looked her straight in the eyes "I know things are difficult just now and I understand..."

She interrupted him, shouting "No you don't understand! How could you understand? You've never been brought back before! Get out"

"Buffy..."

"Get out!"

She threw herself down on the sofa and broke down into tears. She never heard the door shutting when Giles left. Buffy knew she was not a good big sister since she had came back she couldn't face going near Dawn.

Chapter 3: Blaming

Buffy woke up quickly when she heard the front door bang. "Dawn?" She sat up and stared round the living room, she looked over at the clock it was eight forty-five Dawn must have been on her way to school. She sat up on the sofa and stared round the living room, it was chaos, everything was lying around, she had seriously been lacking on her cleaning skills.

She moved off the sofa and realised she had a headache; she hadn't been drinking last night so it must have been the way she slept or something.

Buffy walked upstairs, she was still thinking about what Giles had said to her the previous evening about Dawn. She knew she wasn't a very good sister anymore...sometimes she spent nights away from home, hoping that she could rely on Willow and Tara to baby sit Dawn. She moved into her bedroom and stared round catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she was so pale and thin looking and her hair looked flat and unwashed.

She practically ran to the shower feeling disgusted with herself, she stripped off her clothes and turned on her shower. She then stepped into the warmth of the shower letting the warm cleanse her pale white skin. When she came back out she at least felt a little better, she towelled dried her hair then wrapped a towel around her hair. She walked back into her bedroom dropping her towel as she walked in. Then she skimmed through her wardrobe searching for the perfect outfit to wear for the day and for her night of patrolling. Finally she found a perfect outfit of tight black jeans and a white pullover jumper. She dried her hair quickly then hurried downstairs.

Putting her foot on the last step she heard a creak from the basement, she looked towards the door but stayed quiet. Yet again a further creaking sound was heard. She moved down the steps and grabbed a stake from the table in the hall that she had left from the preceding night before. Slowly she moved towards the door of the basement, quiet creaks were heard as the "creature" moved up the steps. Buffy reached out for the doorknob but before she managed to grab a hold of it the door began to open. She stepped to the side until the door was fully open then quick as lightning she grabbed a hold of its neck and slammed it against the wall holding the stake close to it's neck.

"Slayer, don't get your panties in a twist its me". Spike smirked as he looked down at Buffy's angry face.

Buffy gripped his throat tighter saying harshly "That's what I was afraid of" she tossed him down on the floor "What the hell do you think you're doing in my house especially during the day? Vampires have a curfew...it's called no going out in the day time"

"I thought you would be at work, at your bloody slaughter house of a job" He stood up still staring at Buffy, she was wearing the tight black jeans and white pullover that he especially liked on her. He wasn't ready for the roundhouse kick that knocked him back down to the ground.

"It's my day off...now get out!" She grabbed him by the collar of his leather duster and moved towards the door, she put her hand on the handle.

"Slayer you do this, we'll both burn," shouts Spike

"I think you missed the key word in your sentence, slayer not vampire" She opened the door wide open and the light of the sun came rushing in towards Spike. "Say bye" She threw him outside to the porch. Already she noticed him beginning to blister as the sun hit the uncovered pieces of skin. Stepping back from the door way she could hear Spike's screams getting louder, rolling her eyes she stepped out and grabbed him back in,

"Don't make me do that again although I did take immense pleasure in doing it..." stepping closer to the door she goes to reopen the door again.

"Right slayer I get yer point you don't want me...here that is but since I don't feel like going home I think ill stick around plus you have colour telly" shoving his hands deep in his pocket he reaches for his silver lighter.

Buffy reached out to grab the lighter from Spike's clutches but he moves it to above his head "Nun uh slayer you aint taking my lighter"

"Passive smoking kills and while my sister is in this house you don't smoke"

"The bit aint here so I suppose that's alright then" smirking he makes his way into Buffy's living room throwing himself down on the sofa he switches on the TV flicking through the channels till he gets to Passion reruns. "Can't beat a good Passion, I feel as though Timmy's always down that bloody well"

Buffy rolled her eyes then turned round and look over at Spike "You'll be gone before Dawn comes home"

"So that means I have...." He looked over at the clock "Four hours and thirty minutes then..." he smirked

"Precisely and you can stay her whilst I go up and change for going to work"

"Work, if that's what you want to call it...formally known to the rest of Sunnydale as the slaughter house" He flicked open his silver lighter and concentrated on the newly lit flame, he didn't like Buffy working at Double Meat Palace he knew she was worth more than that. There was so much she could of done with her life but not for the destiny that she leads.

Something clicked in his head and he raised an eyebrow looking at her "You said it was your day off, you just don't want to spend the day with me...am I right?" It hurt him how that she wouldn't spend time with him, he was so in love with her it made his head hurt.

Buffy knew Spike was smarter than he looked she wished she had never said it was her day off, that would mean many hours of constant spending with Spike, something that she wasn't prepared to do. "I meant work as in cleaning...I have to clean the house" She walked out of the living room and headed up to her room, she would get changed into her sports bra and pants, her most comfortable clothes to do the cleaning in.

Leaving the door open slightly she pulled off her top and bra looking round her room for her black sports bra. She never heard the quiet footsteps of Spike as he creeped up the stairs towards her bedroom...