A/N: So many hits! Over 800 already this month, and yet… Almost no reviews? Are you all trying to make me cry? Here's my next chapter, R&R please! :)

Catching up: "Thank you for saving me." Buffy whispered, Spike didn't answer. She looked up, and he was closer to her than she'd realized. His face was only inches from her. She stared at his lips, and barely realized herself pulling herself closer to him. There lips met for barely a second. She leaned against Spike's side, and wrapped her hand around his torso, pressing her tear stained face into his shoulder. "Slayer's had it rough ya hear?" Spike stared at each of the scoobies in turn. "I don't want any of you giving her a hard time or else you'll hafta answer to me. Got that?"

Useless

Spike hesitated from making any sort of contact with Dawn; he assumed she'd be mad at him for not trusting her to know. And she had every right to be mad. He'd been mad when they hadn't trusted him with the Buffy coming back to life spell the group had done. But then again that was different. Either way, he wasn't going to push the issue.

Buffy sat curled in a ball in the center of the bed, still wrapped in Dawn's arms. Giles stood awkwardly near the door, watching Buffy, and regarding Spike suspiciously. Buffy relaxed hesitantly against the backboard of her bed, pulling away from Dawn. She leaned her head back, and gave a shaky sigh. Her eyes stared as if she would cry if she hadn't already cried herself dry. She felt hollow, the way one usually does after a good cry.

"What was it like?" Dawn trembled through the darkness; they hadn't turned on the lights when they'd entered the room.

Spike's head snapped up as an immediate response to Dawn's question. This was exactly the thing he had warned them about downstairs. He felt a growl growing inside of him, but held it back.

"Now Dawn, I would suppose Buffy would like to rest before telling us anything, isn't that right Buffy?" Giles began to clean his glasses with the rim of his shirt.

Spike silently thanked Giles for the quick save. Buffy didn't respond to his sensitive remark though, and Spike could feel the fear burning inside of her. "S'alright now slayer." Spike soothed her from his place in the middle of the room. "No one hear's gonna hurt you tonight. Not on my watch."

Buffy looked up at him then, pleading. He didn't understand what she was asking of him, and hoped he was doing the right thing for her when he moved slowly towards the bed and hesitantly reached out his hand to stroke the hair on the back of her head. He smiled weakly to himself when she leaned her face into his palm and whimpered quietly. She breathed against his hand and turned her body towards him, and he took that as an invitation to snuggle up close to her. Spike was pleased when Buffy curled up against his chest. He continued to stroke her hair while Dawn took up the position to tell Buffy about her school life.

"There's this new girl at school, Darleen." Spike smiled at the familiar glitter of hope that was always visible in his Niblit's eyes. "She's in three of my classes, and she's really nice! She invited me to her house this weekend, with Janis and some other girls." Her head bobbed enthusiastically.

Buffy sat up a bit and turned her attention to Dawn, smiling supportively. "That's great Dawnie, which day were you planning on going?"

Dawn's face light up with excitement. "So I can go?" She said cheerfully.

Buffy smiled and rested her head back against Spike's chest, and traced swirly lines on his arm. He tucked her head beneath his chin, securing her to him.

"Perhaps Buffy would like to rest now." Giles motioned for Dawn to leave the room with him, and then gave a nervous look in Spike's direction. He didn't want to leave Buffy with a lethal vampire, but then again he didn't really have a choice. Besides, Buffy wanted him with her clearly, and worst come to worst, his slayer could take care of herself.

Buffy shut her eyes and eventually the swirling motion of her index finger stopped as she fell into a restless sleep.

In her dream, there were demons everywhere, and somewhere, she could hear the devils very distinctive voice calling to her. She wondered if her vision had just changed to a different part of hell, perhaps the hell god had given her a break? Just a short while to recuperate before her next form of torture.

Spike held Buffy close to him while she slept. She looked so innocent, and peaceful in her sleep. But of course, his train of thought had jinxed the matter. Buffy's face screwed into a tormented sort of frown, and she twisted inside his arms with a good jerk. Spike pulled her shoulders so she would come back to him, and then rubbed her back and sh-ed into her hair.

"He's real." She cried in her sleep. "I can feel him, he's real." She kicked her foot out suddenly, making a loud smacking sound on the mattress.

"Easy there slayer, let's not wake up the bunch." Her stressed face revealed very little of the fear that radiated off of her in tendrils, but also kept no secrets of the nightmare she was in the midst of.

"Spike will protect me." She muttered turning her face to the side. "Spike loves me."

What was this? Spike's confusion was clearly written on his face. Was the slayer dreaming? Or was the hell god back for a little visit?

"Spike." She whimpered softly and then relaxed a little.

"That's right slayer," he cooed. "Spike is here."

Buffy let out a sharp howl of pain and wretched herself out of his arms and covered her face with her hands sobbing.

"Buffy?" Spike pulled her around to look at him. "Buffy, love." His voice was panicked.

Buffy turned to face him with tears pooling in her eyes. "Spike I want to go home, why won't he let me go home?" Her face was so childlike; it brought on new forms of pity to him. "Help me." She chocked and then cried again into his shirt.

Spike felt so useless, his Buffy thought she was in hell. No way he could convince her otherwise, he knew it. He just hoped for her to return to her normal self. Just be her, not being in hell.

Ok, there it is. Chapter 11… Hope you liked? Reviews please! :D