Disclaimer: If it's not mine now it's never going to be!

A/N: Sorry its been a while folks but RL is a real bitch!!! Giving me three assignments due in for the same day! Which sick bastard thinks up this crap? This is just an interlude so I can try and ease back into this. I hope it's not too crap!

Chapter 6: Who are you?

Spike watched Buffy as she stared at the television as if she had never seen anything so wondrous in her whole life. Obviously she'd seen one before, but she stared at is as a starving person would a plate of food, immersing herself in whatever images the screen threw in her direction. Not that she ever made a grab for the remote, as the average teen was apt to do. No, she was happy to accept whatever anyone else had left on whether it were one of Rupert's 'fascinating' documentaries about some civilisation that no longer existed, or one of his mothers soaps (no he didn't watch Passions – Never!). She didn't even flinch when he switched over to some blaring action movie or the music channels. She would just stare at the screen and take it all in. He wondered at her apparent amazement. When he had asked her about it all she had scribbled in her note book was 'haven't watched TV in a long time.' Didn't everyone own a TV? But even with her insatiable hunger for mass entertainment she seemed to have no opinion as to what she would actually prefer to watch. Just submissively indicating that whatever anyone else wanted was fine.

That was something Spike had noticed was becoming a pattern. She never seemed to express her opinion, if she even had any. He was sure she did. After all, when his mother had gone to the mall to buy Buffy some clothes (Buffy had asked to be allowed not to go, her evident fear of people being enough for Joyce to be willing to go alone) Buffy had gone through them all with Joyce pointing out the ones she liked so the rest could be returned. Although Spike also noticed that she tended towards the cheaper clothes, baggy sweatshirts and pants that hid her tiny form. And she had refused any of the make up Joyce had offered. Not that Spike minded – he thought she was beautiful without it and no matter what she wore, but she seemed to go out of her way not to draw attention to herself. If ever he or his mother told her she looked pretty she would blush and avert her eyes, not believing a word they said. Usually he would drop it, not wanting to embarrass her more.

But watching her now he was desperate to know what had happened to this girl who had silently and unknowingly wormed her way into his heart to make her into the recluse she was. He was certain this wasn't her true nature. Every so often he would catch a glimpse of something in her eyes, too fleeting for him to identify, but it spoke of fire and passion, of dreams and hopes. There were the occasional teasing remarks scribbled in her treasured notebook, giving him as good as he got. No body seemed able to banter with him like this girl. But then there were the days when she would hide in her room all day and not come out save to go to the bathroom, and if he caught a glimpse of her he would see that she had been crying.

He so desperately wanted to ask what was tearing her apart do he could take her pain away. He wanted to know why he felt this desperate need to protect her, to look after her. He wasn't the only one who had noticed. Even Xander had remarked that in the two weeks Buffy had been with him he'd not been called into Snyder's office…naturally as soon as this had been pointed out he'd set off the sprinkler system, causing the school to be evacuated. Childish he knew – but he couldn't allow Snyder to think he'd gone soft! He was uncomfortable in the role of hero that seemed to now be permanently attached to his name by all except those who actually knew him. He'd had little old ladies stopping him in the street to tell him what a brave young man he was and how his mother must be so proud. He'd even had a call from his absentee father telling him that it was just like 'his boy' to do such a thing. Spike had rolled his eyes at the effusive praise form his father. It was so typical – he'd wanted nothing to do with him when he was a blowing things up or getting expelled, but the second he did something like rescue a girl from drowning his father was quick to admit that he actually had a son once more.

Spike hated that these people who a month ago wouldn't have dared talk to him, branding him a hooligan just by looking at him were now desperate to be seen with him. Of course he'd ignored Xander's observation that there were always women hanging around him…. but despite his lack of ease with the attention he seemed to attract he knew he wouldn't change a thing. He was already dreading the day when Buffy's family showed up to take her away. However it had been a month with no word, and whenever asked, Buffy seemed reluctant to divulge any information about whom she was or where she was from. That was fine with Spike! His mother was already toying with the idea of suggesting Buffy enrol at the high school since it looked like she would be around for a while.

Joyce actually seemed to have begun thinking of Buffy as her own daughter, fussing over her and being nearly as protective as Spike. Of course no one would replace Dawn in her heart, but something about Buffy made her instantly likeable. Willow and Xander were desperate to meet her after everything Spike had told them – Spike figured Willow was just desperate to have a friend who wasn't male for a change. And Xander was always desperate to meet a girl on the off chance that this one wouldn't kick him to the curb! That was the plan for tomorrow actually – meeting Willow and Xander for lunch! If Buffy was going to school she was going to have to get used to being around people other than Spike, Joyce and Rupert.

As all of these thoughts flowed through Spike's head, sometimes faster than he could follow, he never took his eyes of the girl in question. When she noticed him watching her she turned and smiled at him warmly and Spike's heart melted just that little bit more. How could he be in love with someone he didn't know the first thing about?

A/N: So sorry about how long that one took to be written – its been a VERY busy couple of weeks – hopefully I'll get back into the habit of writing more often and I wont keep you waiting as long next time. Please let me know what you think – love you all as always!