Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from BtVS or AtS; they, unfortunately, all belong to Joss Whedon and co.

Author's Note: Ok, so wow, its been a while, hasn't it? I've been super busy! I just don't have the time, but now I'm updating. Hope I get some feedback )

Chapter 4

Spike's crypt..

Spike watched the Slayer as she sat his crypt, a worried expression on her face as she mumbled things he couldn't make out. She had come to him upset and distraught, but still had yet to tell him what was wrong. He knew her though, and decided to wait for her to open to him; to be there to listen to her problems and help her the best he could.

The last time he had seen her she had treated him like a punching bag, but that had been weeks ago.

"Am I a bad sister?" she asked, looking over at him with watery eyes. "Did I completely screw Dawn up?"

"No Luv, you're great with Dawn. Your mother would be proud of how well you're doing," Spike said, trying to make her feel better.

"You're lying," Buffy said, standing up. "I don't know why I came here."

"I do," he said. "Cause you know I'll listen."

"Whatever."

"Well its true, isn't it?" he said, standing. "What happened with the little one?"

Buffy hesitated a minute before speaking. "She got caught stealing. Now she has to go through some program. Its all my fault. If I was around more..."

"True," Spike said, surprising her. "What? You don't just come to me 'cause I listen to you Pet. You come to me 'cause I'm not 'fraid to tell you how it is. And that's how it is."

"There's just so much going on, I can't be there as much as I want to be. I am the Slayer, I do have to save the world and stuff. I thought Dawn understood all that. I thought she could handle it. She never talked to me."

"Well there's no use in worrying over something that's in the past. Dawn's been through a lot too you know. She needs her big sis and you're just not there. Trust me, I know."

"Why did I come here?" Buffy said, turning to walk out.

"'Cause you got no where else to go," he said. "No one else understands you Slayer."

Buffy stood silent for a minute before leaving.

Dawn's first youth meeting..

This is so stupid, Dawn thought. She sat in a conference room, a table was in front of her and ten other chairs were scattered around it, all filled with teens her age. Why did I agree to this? Am I going to have to share my feelings?

Dawn scanned the faces of the people who shared the room with her. They all had looks of disagreement and anger on their faces, and none looked as if they were going to cooperate very well.

But then there was one who stood out... He was sitting a few chairs down from her on the other side of the table. He had natural blonde hair that was somewhat curly, but not long, and the nicest pair of blue eyes that Dawn had ever saw.

Ok so now there's a plus side to these meetings, Dawn thought. As long as he's here, I'm here. I wonder what he did...

"Hi, my name is Leann Geddes, and I'm a caseworker. I think you all know why you're here, you've been referred by the police as an alternative. Instead of going through the court process and receiving a criminal record, you'll be able to go on as if nothing happened in a few months, if you successfully complete this program. We will have meeting every week, same day and same time. Attendance is required in order to complete the program, so I hope that all of you continue coming. Now, I'm going to start off by..."

Dawn drowned her out as she focused her attention on the guy she had noticed earlier. She found herself strongly attracted to him, and she didn't know why.