Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter One

Buffy walked through the graveyard. It hasn't even been twenty four hours since she was resurrected and already there was another demon to fight. She had almost forgot that once they got through one attack another was sure to follow quickly afterwards.

She walked and walked until she spotted Spike's crypt. She entered and slammed the door behind her. Spike wasn't anywhere to be seen she started looking around the place. 'Spike has magazines?' She thought idly

"Buffy" Spike seemed surprised to see her stood there

Buffy turned around and looked at him. He couldn't read her, her expression was blank

"You should be careful" he said softly "Never know what kind of villain's got a knife at your back" he showed her the dagger in his hand

"Your hand is hurt" she told him

"Hmm" he shrugged then nodded toward her hands "Same as you"

Buffy looked down at her hands "Right"

She almost forgot about her hands. Buffy just stood there thinking over what she had done to get her hands in the mess they were in. Spike studied her. He was uncomfortable, he really didn't know what to say or do. He walked over to the wall and put the knife down.

"Willow's getting pretty strong, isn't she? Bringing you back. It's hard to get a good night's death around here" he tried to get a laugh but Buffy didn't respond

"You can sit down" he said gesturing to the chair "Got furniture"

Buffy sat down, she still didn't say a word.

"You should see the downstairs, too, it's quite posh" he told her

She stared at him but doesn't say anything. Spike walked over and sat on the edge of a table in front of her

Spike sighed heavily "Uh ... I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I had done that ... even if I didn't make it ... you wouldn't have had to jump"

Buddy didn't react to his words, her expression remained blank

"But I want you to know I did save you. Not when it counted, of course, but ... after that. Every night after that. I'd see it all again ... do something different. Faster or more clever, you know? Dozens of times, lots of different ways. Every night I save you" he said softly

Buffy still stared at him. Spike was worried she was catatonic again. She eventually smiled a little at him "You took care of Dawn"

"I tried" he shrugged

"She told me you helped the guys with patrolling while I was gone" Buffy told him

"Patrolling might be a bit of a stretch luv… they're just kids they don't know what they're doing" he laughed

"They're my age" she reminded him

"But they're not you" he replied

"No" she agreed "I better go"

"Want me walk you?" He asked

She smiled a little "No… I'm still The Slayer. I'll be fine"

"You've been through something unimaginable Pet"

"Thank you for your concern" she said flatly, getting up and leaving.

XXXXX

Buffy had walked home in a daze. She got to her bedroom she didn't flick any lights on they were still a little too bright, her eyes were still adjusting. She paused and looked at the photographs on her wall. Just as she did the night before

"You don't belong here" a voice a told her

Buffy turned to see a demon-mist floating around her. She punched at it, but her fist just went through it. The demon shot out a tendril and hit her, she flew back against her dresser. She soon recovered her balance, and turned back around looking around in confusion. The mist reappeared and Buffy punched at it again. The mist swirled around her and re-formed behind her. She turned and punched again. Still nothing.

The demon hit her again and she stumbled out the door into the hallway, into the opposite wall. She turned and looked back at the door into her room. The mist had disappeared

Buffy walked cautiously back into the room.

"Did they tell you, you belonged here?" The demon asked

The mist reappeared in front of Buffy, she put out a hand. She tried to grab the wrist, she almost had it, but her hand went through it.

"Did they say this was your home again?" The demon asked

Buffy hit out at it with no effect. It swirled around behind her while she looked around for the demon.

"Were you offered pretty lies, little girl?" The demon taunted her

The demon swirled around her and wrapped around her waist, crushing her.

"Or did they even give you a choice?" It asked

Buffy struggled in the grip of the demon, it continued to squeeze her around the stomach. She balled her hands into fists and managed to break free. She took a swing at the demon and failed instead it hit her and she fell on to the bed, rolling off the side onto the floor.

The demon stood still, becoming more solid. Buffy lay on the floor, staring up at it. She reached under the bed and produced a battle-axe as she started to get to her feet.

"You're the one who's barely here. Set on this earth like a bubble" said the demon

Buffy swung the axe at the demon without any effect. It's face got more clearer and stopped swirling.

"You won't even disturb the air when you go" it told her

Xander, Anya, and Dawn rushed in and saw the demon. Buffy turned to see them at the doorway

"Go! Take Dawn out of here!" Buffy yelled at them

The demon suddenly became fully solid. Buffy noticed it looked like the rotting corpse of a woman. Buffy tried to hit it with the axe but the demon grabbed the axe handle. They struggled for a moment, the demon let go and hit Buffy, making her drop the axe. She turned back and the demon hit her again. Buffy fell to the floor

Xander, Dawn, and Anya were still stood in the doorway watching every blow anxiously

Buffy picked up the axe, jumped up from the floor, and swung at the demon cutting its head off sending the head bouncing across the floor like a basketball

Xander, Dawn and Anya all yelped with dismay. Dawn turned her face away grabbing Xander's arms.

Buffy looked down at the demon's body.

"That's probably the sort of thing I'm not supposed to see, right?" Dawn asked Xander and Anya

Anya patted Dawn on the shoulder.

After the fight Xander offered to get rid of the demon's body and head, an offer that was greatly appreciated by Dawn.

Xander and Anya had just left and Dawn walked into the kitchen to find Buffy washing dishes in the dark.

"That was pretty gnarly right" said Dawn

Buffy didn't respond she just carried on wiping dishes

"I'm glad you were here to take care of that, I don't know what we would've done without you" said Dawn

There was a moment of awkward silence

"Well… I guess I better go to bed, school in the morning" Dawn said placing a gentle kiss on her sister's cheek

Buffy waited until she was out of earshot and she broke down crying.

XXXXX

Spike knew The Slayer wouldn't admit it but he knew that she was different, her whole demeanour had changed. She was a shell of her former self.

He walked through the back gate of the Summers' residence and stood by the back door. Even without his enhanced vampire hearing he could hear her stifled cries. His heart broke for her, who knew what unimaginable torment she had gone through for the last 4 months. It could've even been longer where ever it is that she was.

He wanted to burst through the door and sweep her up into his arms and stroke her hair and tell her everything was going to be okay and that he was there for her. Well, that was the fantasy. Spike knew better, the old Buffy would have probably staked him or at the very least punched him in the nose if he even so much as touched her.

He listened as he heard her climb the stairs and settle in her bed. He listened harder to hear her heartbeat, he missed it. He missed her.