A/N : Wow, the response to this fic is amazing! 27 reviews on just the first chapter? I am so grateful to you all for taking the time to let me know how much you like this story, or rather the idea of it since it's barely even begun! Seems '10 Things...' is a popular movie. I hope I can do it justice, without copying too much. Here's the next chapter...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 2 - New Rules

When Buffy got home from school and entered the house through the back door she found her mother sitting at the kitchen counter, surrounded by papers and boxes with the phone jammed to her ear, as she discussed some shipment of pre-Columbian something-or-other for the gallery she ran. She spared her eldest daughter a glance and a slight wave as Buffy got herself a glass of juice and an apple and sat herself on the edge of the opposite counter by the sink. In was a good ten minutes before Joyce had finished her discussion on the phone and actually spoke to Buffy, and she didn't exactly speak in a friendly tone when she did.

"What did you do?" she asked accusingly and her daughter rolled her eyes as she chewed on the piece of apple in her mouth, "You're over an hour behind your sister. She told me you had detention, Buffy"

"If she already told you what happened, then why are you asking me what I did?" Buffy sighed, hopping down from the counter and throwing the remains of her apple in the trash - she didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Buffy!" Joyce called as she chased her out of the kitchen and through to the living room where Dawn was on the couch watching TV, "Buffy, why do you always have to be this way?" her mother asked her.

"What way am I supposed to be Mom?" she shot back, "You brought us up telling us to be strong, to stand up for what we believe in, and not to be afraid to have opinions. I gave mine and I got sent to detention for it, that's all" she explained overly loudly.

"You so did not!" Dawn exclaimed, standing up, "Angel told us you threatened him, that's what landed you in detention" she said smartly, looking at Joyce, "She argued with the Principal too"

"Dawn!" Buffy gasped. Her sister was such a tell-tale these days, but it stood to reason she'd stand up for her precious Connor's brother in all this.

"Girls, that is enough!" Joyce snapped at them both.

"No, Mom, it really isn't" Buffy shook her head, "If she's going to get the chance to tell on me, I want to return the favour" she said, giving her sister a look, "Why don't you ask Dawnie who drove her home today?"

Joyce's eyes went wide as she looked from her eldest daughter to the younger of the two.

"Somebody drove you home?" she asked incredulously, "A boy drove you home?" she guessed.

Dawn looked daggers at Buffy, before glancing back at her mother and smiling sweetly.

"Mom, don't freak out" she said carefully, "It was actually two boys" she admitted, "but Janice was there too, and we were safe and... they're nice guys"

"Huh!" Buffy made a little noise of disbelief, "Nice guys?" she scoffed, "Mom, we're talking about the Angelus boys, not exactly saints"

"Just cos you got dumped by Angel!" Dawn yelled at her, "Connor is sweet and gorgeous and he likes me"

"You have no idea what he's like!" Buffy yelled back, the next thing she said drowned out by her sister shouting back at her until neither of them could be properly heard for the din the other was making. Joyce could feel her 'two teenage daughters in the house' headache settling in for the night and she really didn't have time for it. She still had a shipment to organise for the gallery and a whole pile of inventory to go through.

"Girls, enough!" she bellowed, as she came to stand between them. They fell silent in a second but stood like book ends, both with their arms folded over their chests as they glared at each other.

"Now, Buffy" she said turning to the older girl first, "As much as I agree on you giving your opinions, I think you should find a less troublesome way to do it" she said, quickly turning to Dawn and carrying on speaking before either of them had a chance to answer back, "and Dawnie, there will be no more riding in cars with boys, understood?"

"But Mom!" the sixteen year old whined, "Please, it was just a ride, and Connor's so nice, I really think he might ask me to..."

"Dawn, I know exactly what he's likely to ask you" she said firmly, "Boys his age, well, to be honest, men of any age, most of their brain activity revolves around girls and women and... things you're far too young to be thinking about yet" she told her.

"Did everyone forget?" she asked incredulously, "I'm sixteen years old, I'm not a baby"

"And that's exactly what I said at your age, honey" Joyce reminded her, "And it was true. I wasn't a baby, I had one instead"

Buffy looked at the floor and then up again. As stupid as it was she sometimes felt terribly guilty for ruining her mother's life or something, despite the fact she hadn't exactly chosen to be born.

Her parents had been high school sweethearts and seemingly so in love, until Joyce realised she was pregnant at age sixteen. By the time Buffy was born she was seventeen, but without a boyfriend or even many friends anymore. It wasn't easy, and though her parents tried to help her out, Joyce knew they were always ashamed of her for what had happened.

Buffy was a year old when her mother fell for a second man. His name was Hank and his father ran the store next to the gallery where Joyce did some part-time work back then. It didn't seem to bother Hank when he found out Joyce had a baby, he was astonished by how strong she was and how well she'd coped.

Within a few months they were professing love for each other and shortly after Joyce found herself left holding the baby all over again as Dawn came into the world. Hank actually stuck around for a while and did his best to support his girlfriend and the kids, but the burden of family life at such a young age was too much for him and he left Joyce for a simpler life with another woman. It had been twelve years since then and she hadn't heard from him once.

"I'm just trying to protect you sweetie" Joyce told Dawn, who looked close to tears, "I worry about you"

"I know" she sniffed, "but you don't understand" she cried desperately, "I'm the only girl in the whole entire school who doesn't date"

"Well that certainly isn't true" Joyce told her with a look, "Buffy doesn't date either... do you?" she said, glancing at her other daughter an giving her a look. There were many a thing she was sure Buffy got up to that she didn't know about but she'd hate to think boys were involved in any of it.

"A whole world of no" the blonde said firmly, "And I don't intend to any time soon" she swore, "Not after the argument we got into over Angel" she muttered.

"But it doesn't bother her" Dawn argued, "She's like the bitch monster from hell or something, nobody would date her anyway!"

Joyce sighed as the two girls started at each other again, she really couldn't take much more of this.

"Fine!" she snapped, silencing the two girls as they wondered what she was saying was fine, "You two don't like the rule on dating, we'll change it"

Dawn smiled triumphantly as Buffy's eye widened in panic. Of all people she did not want her sister to be dating, Connor Angelus was right up there at the top of the list!

"Dawn can date" Joyce said evenly, a small smile playing round her lips as she finished her sentence, "When Buffy does" she said smoothly, turning and walking back to the kitchen. She was half way there before either of her girls had a vocal reaction to her decision.

"But Mom!" Dawn whined, "That's impossible! Buffy can't get a date, even if she wanted one!" she complained.

"And I don't" Buffy grinned as she made for the stairs and went up to he room grinning. So long as she didn't let a guy near her, Dawnie couldn't get into any bad situations with Connor or any other unsuitable boys, which was pretty much the only types of males that existed at Sunnydale High. It wasn't even going to take any effort on Buffy's part at all. There was not one guy at the school or anywhere else in town that she would consider dating.

The door of the apartment opened and then slammed shut again with an almighty crash.

"William, is that you?" Giles called from the living room and Spike rolled his eyes.

"No, it's bleedin' Father Christmas" he smirked as he poked his head round the door, "Who'd you bloody think it was with a key and all?"

"I'll thank you to moderate your tone and language when you speak to me young man" his uncle snapped, "You're not to old to be put across my knee, you know"

Spike scoffed at that.

"Like to see you soddin' try it" he muttered as he pushed through to the kitchen and turned half the room upside down as he tried to find something he wanted to eat. With a packet of cookies in one hand and a bottle of beer stashed inside his coat he pushed back through the living room and slammed into his bedroom, before Giles had a chance to say anything else.

With a deep sigh the older man sunk back into his arm chair and put his head in his hands. Why he'd ever agreed to be the guardian of his sister's son for the next twelve months he had no clue. Anne was a kindly woman, too nice for her own good really, hence the fact she had managed to have apparent serious relationships with no less than nine men in the past nineteen years, the second of which had actually been William's father. This latest break up had been nobody's fault and in fact Giles thought his dear sister might finally have found a man worthy of her affections. Then tragedy had struck and the poor man was killed by a stray bullet in a bungled bank raid. Anne was in pieces and Spike's bad behaviour only escalated when the slight good influence in his life wavered.

Giles had offered to do anything he could, never expecting his sister would send her son to live with him for at least the next year whilst he completed High School and graduated. The first day he'd moved in William had spoken just enough to tell his Uncle he was not happy at being shipped over here and that his name was no longer William but Spike. Giles abhorred the nickname he thought better fit a common criminal than any nephew of his and would not use it no matter how many times the boy insisted.

Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols was soon blasting from the bleached blond's bedroom and Giles covered his ears with his hands. Why his nephew had such a love for the punk band and their off-puttingly titled album 'Never Mind the Bollocks...' he really had no idea and honestly did no dare to ask. Still this was the twenty-seventh time he'd been forced to hear the record and they'd only shared a living space for the past two weeks.

"Something has to change" Giles sighed as he tried in vain to concentrate on reading his book, hoping against hope that something, anything might inspire a change in his nephew before the boy drove him completely insane.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : I know there is no Spuffy yet, but I have to set everything up first. Hope you all still like this :-)