Buffy stood on the front porch and took a breath to steady herself. She set her hand on the doorknob and muttered "Oh god please just let them all be asleep." She knew there was no way in hell she would be able to face her sister or her friends, not right now. She pushed the front door open and stuck her head in, except for the hall light it was dark.
She entered the hall with a heavy sigh and closed the door behind her. Her stomach growled slightly but she chose to ignore it, there would be plenty of time for food in the morning but there was only a few hours of the night left and she liked to get as much sleep as she could before the sun rose.
Standing for a long time she stared at the staircase before her and groaned. Deciding she was in no mood for stairs at all she turned to her left and collapsed on the couch in the living room, she was asleep before she even hit the cushions.
He stood in the shadows, silently watching as Buffy walked up the street with her arms folded, holding his coat tight to her body and at one point turning her head slightly as though to smell it. She moved slowly and hesitated on the porch, trying to avoid everyone he assumed, she finally went inside and he waited a good ten minutes before following her. He jogged across the street and up the walkway, slowing down he walked up the steps and very quietly he pushed the front door open, then shut behind him.
Standing in the front hall, Spike closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to catch the scent of her in the air. 'She really does smell amazing' he thought to himself, starting for the stairs but a sound coming from his left caught his attention. He paused, listening, and then he heard it again, a soft whimpering noise followed by a low murmur. Spike turned back and walked slowly into the living room, careful not to step to heavy on the floorboards.
Buffy was curled up on the couch, a look of terrible sadness on her face while she slept. Every couple minutes she'd toss slightly, whimper, then murmur something but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He moved closer and knelt down, silently, beside her and listened intently. Buffy tossed and whimpered, then murmured "Spike . . . please don't leave me." Spike smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, whispering "Never, my angel."
Spike gently moved Buffy's arm around his neck and then lifted her from the couch. Her head rested on his shoulder and she nuzzled into his neck slightly in her sleep, a faint smile touching her lips. Spike smiled as well and turned to make his way quietly upstairs. He avoided as many creaky stairs and floorboards as he could so as not to wake the others in the house. He found Buffy's room and pushed the door open gently with his foot then moved to the bed and carefully he laid her down.
Quietly he moved to the dresser and started opening drawers until he found a light blue tank top and a pair of light blue pajama bottoms with little yellow stars on them "This'll do." He muttered to himself then moved back to the bed. Dropping the nightclothes on the bed he gently put one arm around Buffy's shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position, slowly he slid his jacket from her shoulders and then carefully pulled her arms from the sleeves.
Buffy moved her head slightly and made a soft noise in protest as Spike took the jacket from her, he ignored it though and pulled her shirt up over her head and dropped it on the floor, followed closely by her bra, then skirt.
He laid her back down as he reached for the pajamas but stopped and took a moment to admire her, as she lay on the bed, naked. There were small bruises on her neck and around her hips, a faint bite mark on her right shoulder and what looked to be a hickey just there on her collar bone. He leaned down and lightly kissed each bruise and mark he had left on her body, in a silent apology.
After a while she seemed to shiver so Spike hurried to dress her, yet still he was very gently and careful not to wake her. As he pulled the top over her head he noticed several scratches along her back from the wall, he lightly brushed his fingertips over them then laid her down and pulled the comforter up around her, kissing her forehead as he did.
He bent down and gathered the small pile of clothes from the floor then reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small bundle of cloth, he dropped that onto the desk then deposited the clothes into the hamper. Shrugging into his coat he left quietly, daylight wasn't very far off.
The sun shone brightly across Buffy's face, causing her to frown and flip a pillow over her head. "Stupid sun." She muttered with a yawn, then flung back the covers. She sat up slowly and looked around, slightly confused. She could have sworn she passed out on the couch last night. "Hmm must have been a dream." She concluded, happily, A horrible dream.
She crossed the room to her dresser, but stopped halfway there. She caught her reflection in the mirror hanging on her closet door and something seemed off. Slowly she approached her reflection and tilted her head slightly to one side. Was that a hickey? She stared at the purplish red blotch on her collarbone, and then she noticed the bruises and what looked like teeth marks on her neck and shoulder. "What the . . ." she muttered, turning around her eyes fell on the bundle of cloth on her dresser, picking it up she groaned, almost painfully and dropped her ripped pair of panties on the floor. "Oh god no..." she moaned and sat down hard on the desk chair.