Authors note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You are my motivation to keep working on his story!

Spike led Buffy into the school parking lot. Spike walked over to a blue Ford Taurus SES and opened the front passengers door for Buffy. Buffy gave him a small smile and slipped into the car. Spike shut the door and walked over to the drivers side of the car. He opened the door and slid in.

Spike glanced at Buffy before pulling out of the parking lot. "So, where to?"

"Umm...Wendy's?"

Spike chuckled. "Wendy's it is."

Just a few minutes after Spike left the school he looked at Buffy in the passenger seat of his car.

"Care to tell me why you haven't eaten in awhile?"

"Haven't had time. I've been really busy," Buffy replied trying to sound causal.

Spike only nodded then focused on the road. He tried to break the tension between them and decided to ask her a few questions about herself.

"Tell me about yourself, pet?"

Buffy looked at him not sure what to say. "Um, like what?"

"Like anything. Like, why did you move to Sunnydale of all places?"

Buffy looked down. She had been trying to avoid that question since the day she moved to Sunnydale but she knew she couldn't get out of this one. She tried to think of something quickly. Spike stayed silent and waited for her reply.

"Uh...my mom...um, she got a job offer down here and took it." Buffy hoped he bought it.

"What job?"

"Huh?"

"What job offer did you mom get?"

"Oh, um..." Buffy started to get nervous and didn't know how to lie about this one. Her mom didn't have a job yet so she couldn't lie and say the job she had gotten was the one she received a job offer from. Buffy thought fast and pretended to get distracted. "Oh, my stomach. I'm so hungry. Are we almost there?"

"Yep, few more minutes."

"Kay."

"Your mom..."

This guy wouldn't give up on the topic about her mothers 'job'. Buffy grabbed her stomach and pretended to be in pain. Spike gave her a worried look and tried to get to the restaurant as fast as he could.

"We're almost there, pet."

Buffy smiled and realized how dramatic she was being. She was acting like she was dying. Not like she hadn't eaten in three days. She knew if she kept it up Spike would see right through her. She tried to act normal again and hoped Spike wouldn't press on any further about her moms 'job'.

Spike pulled into the parking lot of Wendy's and helped Buffy out of the car. They entered the building. An elderly couple was sitting at a table, eating. Two guys, who looked to be in their early twenties were ordering their food. And a middle aged man was walking over to a table with a tray in his hands. It seemed so empty and Buffy realized it was still early in the morning. Most people were either at school or work.

Buffy walked right behind the two guys ordering their food and Spike followed. One of the guys looked back and smiled. He elbowed his friend and whispered something in his ear. The other guy turned around and looked at Buffy. He nodded then smiled. The first guy looked back at Buffy again and licked his lips.

Buffy felt uncomfortable and wished the guys would stop staring at her. Spike noticed her uneasiness and a glanced at the guys checking Buffy out. Spike stepped closer to Buffy so that his body was nearly touching hers. When one of the guys started to approach her, Spike put his arm around her and whispered into her ear.

"If you want these wankers to stop checking you out then work with me, love. If you don't mind them then let me know and I'll back off."

Buffy smiled and leaned back into Spike. She didn't feel like getting hit on by those guys so she pretended Spike was her boyfriend.

The guy saw Spike wrap his arm around Buffy and she leaned into him so he assumed they were a couple and walked back over to his friend. His friend gave him a questioning look when he returned. He nodded his head toward Buffy and the other guy looked back. He saw a guy all over the girl they were checking out.

Both Spike and Buffy laughed. They walked up to the counter and ordered their food. Buffy only got a salad.

"That's all you want , love?"

Buffy nodded her head.

"I'm on a diet."

Spike laughed and shook his head. He looked back at her and saw the serious look on her face. He stopped laughing and gave her a 'you're crazy' look.

"You're serious? You don't need to go on a diet, love. You're perfect the way you are."

Buffy blushed and looked down. Spike thought about what he just said and wondered if he should be talking that way to a student.

They took at seat at a table and started eating and talking. Buffy told him a few things about herself, such as what her hobbies are and what he does in her free time. Spike told her the same things.

They were talking and laughing when Buffy accidentally dropped some of her salad onto her chest. She giggled and felt embarrassed. Spike smiled and handed her a napkin.

"Thanks."

Buffy reached for the napkin and once again her sleeve pushed back a little and revealed her cuts. Spike noticed them, again. He sighed and gave Buffy a concerned look.

"Buffy, can I ask you a question?"

Buffy was wiping her shirt off and didn't look up. "Go ahead, ask away."

"I don't mean to pry, but I'm worried about you." Buffy looked into his eyes and wondered what he was talking about. "Is...Is there something going on at home that's bothering you?" Buffy looked away then looked back into his eyes and shook her head.

"No. Why?"

Spike bowed his head and sighed. He lifted his head back up and peered into her green eyes.

"Then what's causing you to hurt yourself?"

Buffy looked shocked then looked at her arm. "What? I...I'm not hurting myself."

He sighed again. "Then pull up your sleeve."

"What? No. I...It's cold."

Spike leaned back and glanced around the warm room. "It's 87 degrees today, Buffy."

Buffy looked down and tears formed in her eyes. Spike leaned forward.

"Buffy, it's okay. I'm not going to judge you."

She couldn't let Spike know that she cuts herself. Otherwise that'd led to a bunch of questions and would end up resulting in the truth about her stepfather which would led him to kill her mother.

"I'm not hurting myself Mr. Hartford."

"Spike."

"Spike. I'm not hurting myself Spike."

"Then what are those cuts on your arm?"

"My cat...he scratched me."

"Your cat?"

Buffy nodded.

"What's your cats name?"

"Huh? Oh, um..." Buffy tried to think of a pet name. "Um, Sophie."

"Sophie?"

Buffy nodded her head once again.

"I thought it was a 'he'?"

"Uh...It is...but um, when we got her...uh, him we thought it was a girl and named it Sophie but when we found out she was a he we didn't feel like changing the name because...because we grew so attached to the name Sophie."

Spike shook his head. "You're a bad liar, Buffy."

"You think I'm lying? Why would I lie? I have no reason to." Buffy looked down and sighed.

"Look, Buffy. I understand you're embarrassed but you have no reason to be. Cutting really isn't that uncommon with teenagers who feel...depressed."

"I'm not depressed. I don't...how would you know anyways? By watching Dr. Phil?"

"No. Because I did it."

Buffy looked into his eyes and saw honesty. "You did?"

"Yeah. When I was 15. My mom...she uh, she had just passed away. My dad started drinking and didn't pay attention to us anymore. When she died it was like he died also. I had no one. Social services found out my dad was never around and placed my brother and I into a group home." He glanced at Buffy then continued. "We went from group home to group home and foster home to foster home. We were constantly moving and living with people we didn't know. My brother and I grew tired of moving so we ran away. We lived on the streets for a few days. One day we ran into a gang..." Spike shifted uncomfortably in his seat and started speaking again. "My brother got into a fight with them, I just wanted him to leave them alone and walk away. But he had too much pride and refused to back down. He...he was shot. And he..." Spike's eyes became watery. "He died. I had no family left. Everyone was gone and I was alone in the world. I started to get depressed and blamed myself for my brothers death. I kept thinking 'If only I had tried harder I could have dragged him away from those gang members and he'd still be alive.' So, I...I started to take drugs and got into a lot of trouble. But the drugs weren't enough, I still felt the pain. So one day I picked up a knife a cut my wrist open." Spike brought his arm to Buffy's face and showed her the scar on his wrist. Buffy blinked back her tears and stopped herself crying.

"I know it's hard Buffy. But believe me things will get better. At the time I didn't think they would, but they did. Eventually I grew up and decided I didn't want to live my life this way. I didn't want to live in the streets doing drugs and cutting myself. I deserved a better life. So I got my act together and went back to school. I worked my arse off. I went to night school as well. I worked hard to get into college. I got a few jobs and here I am now. I worked hard for this life. And I'm still working hard. It wasn't too long ago I was your age. I'm only 21 years old, Buffy. Just legal to buy alcoholic drinks."

Buffy couldn't believe the life Spike had. He dealt with just as much, if not more pain as she did. She also couldn't believe he had just opened up to her like that. He was someone she could trust and talk to. But she still couldn't tell him everything. Her mothers life depended on it.