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Spike couldn't get the girl out of his head. He felt a need to protect her boiling deep inside him, and he couldn't understand why this lost soul call to him. He just wished her family could see her the way he did. She was wearing her emotions, or lack thereof, on her sleeve for them all to see. But not one of them heard her silent call for help.

"Tell me, why are you so concerned about Buffy?" Joyce asked once the door to the bedroom was shut.

"Do you want me to be honest, or do you wish me to lie?" He replied.

"Honestly."

"I think with her own guilt layered with the guilt piled on by all of you it is slowly killing her spirit. I truly feel if you don't intercede on your daughter's behalf very soon, you will lose her."

"Lose her how?"

"Did you even notice her tonight, other then the clothes she wore? Did you see her eyes? Watch her facial expressions as you all belittled her? Have you ever given her a mother's comfort since this all happened? Or has she faced the death of her sister all alone?"

Joyce felt his words as if he'd slapped her in the face as she turned toward him. As she was about to snipe out her reply, and tell him to mind his own business it hit her like a ton of bricks. All the answers to his questions were no. Since that night they told her that her baby was dead she blamed Buffy.

Even when the detective suggested that by Buffy leaving it could've spared her middle child from the same outcome, she felt a brief sense of guilt on how she treated her daughter. No evidence to support that Buffy could've also been the monster's prey came forward. It angered her that the girl never even said she was sorry about leaving Dawn alone, making it hard to forgive her. All she knew was she'd never see Dawn again and it all lay at Buffy's feet.

"Mrs. Summers, I think you and your family should talk with someone. It should be before you lose another daughter. She does deserve your love and forgiveness for she was only 15 years old. I wonder if she believes you'd rather it had been her instead."

Joyce's eyes grew large having heard his words. "You don't think she'd think that do you?"

"It's hard to know what she is thinking. Haven't you even talked to her about what happened?"

"No, Hank says there's nothing to talk about. What is done is done and there is nothing we can do to change what happened."

"True, but you might find it healing to talk to someone. Get the anger out. Put everything on the table and feelings out in the open so you can heal as a family. You've lost one daughter. Can you survive losing another one?"

"I will talk with my husband and see what he says." Joyce offered, knowing he would say no and that they were doing fine.

Spike wished there was more he could do. Something kept calling to him and he just didn't know what it was. His uncle had tried to persuade him to go into psychiatry, but his real love was internal medicine. He wanted to treat the whole person, not just limit himself on one specialty area.

"Dru says you are going to be a doctor." Joyce said hoping to change the subject away from Buffy.

"Yes. My father was a psychiatrist back in England when he was alive. My uncle is a psychiatrist not far from here in Santa Monica."

"I'll leave you to unpack." Joyce said, deciding she should leave before the subject of Buffy was brought back up. "I will drop Dru's things off in her room." She also said making sure he understood the underlying meaning. There would be no tolerance of any sleeping together under her roof.

"Tell Dru I will be down shortly to say goodnight. It really has been a long day." Spike replied as he started to pull out the few articles of clothing he brought with him. He was sure he understood her to mean no hanky panky in her house.

*******

Buffy stood in the bathroom staring at the razor blade taped inside the medicine cabinet door. No one asked about it and she told no one why it was there. She never shared that it was a reminder she did have a way out of this. One day she was sure the others would come to realize the piece of metal's meaning as well. But then it would be too late, maybe.

"Not like they care. They might even throw a party." She thought as she continued to stare at the piece of sharp blade that kept calling out to her.

Spike watched as the lost soul reached out to finger her hidden key to release. He knew one day in the future it wouldn't be clean and shiny and taped safe on the inside cabinet door. No, one day it would be found bloodied and beside the girl who was admiring it so earnestly. He held his breath wondering if she'd gathered enough nerve yet to pull the small weapon down. It wasn't until she closed the door, leaving it nestled safely inside, did he realize he'd been holding his breath.

He stepped out of the mirror's line of sight; keeping it from her that he'd seen her secret. Her pain called out to him. The urge to grab her up and take her away from here pulled at his thoughts. There and then he knew he would do everything he could to save her, even if it meant losing his dark princess. Retracing his steps he returned to the bedroom he'd been shown. He listened until he heard Buffy return to her room.

"I promise, Buffy. Someone will reach you before you reach that point of no return." He whispered as he pulled out his cell phone and called his uncle. "Uncle Ethan, it's me. I have a favor to ask."

*******

Spike hung up the phone feeling better. He'd find out who Miss Buffy's friends were and see if any of them cared enough to save her from herself. His uncle was right; it didn't appear that anyone in her bloodline was ready to reach out to the young woman. Ethan also said he'd make a drive up on Sunday to try and talk with the girl himself.

The soft knock on his door made him realize how long he'd been up here as he moved to answer the door. "Sorry, Luv…just got off the phone with Ethan." He explained when he noticed an obviously upset girlfriend.

"I think we need to talk." She said in greeting as she pushed her way into the room.

"About?" He asked, noticing how tense she was and almost acting like she had something to hide.

"Buffy."

"What about her?"

"Leave it be. We are trying very hard to get past things." Her voice was demanding as she told him what she wanted.

"Do you care about her at all?" He asked.

"Yes, but I also care about my father. He's been through enough." Dru replied.

"Your father has you and your mother and his anger to get him through. Who does she have?" Spike asked, seeing a side of Dru he'd never seen before.

"Just leave it be, I won't ask twice." She demanded, as she moved closer to him. "Please don't let her come between us. My parents will take care of Buffy in their own way. They need to come to terms with everything."

"Sorry, pet…but no hanky panky. Your mum already sort of set the ground rules."

"She is notmy mum." Dru reminded him. "And this is my home as well."

"Yes, but your parents have the say…I don't want to overstep myself more then I've already done." He softly reminded her.

"And whose fault is that?" She asked, while silently cursing Buffy's existence.

"Mine, and only mine." He told her, making sure she understood he didn't blame anyone but himself.

"Then sleep well, my Spike." She purred as she kissed him goodnight.

"Sleep well, Luv." He replied, as he watched her leave with mixed feelings.

A part of him wanted to pull her back and lose himself in her essence before he lost her. The other wanted to go and bundle up Buffy Summers and run away from here. Get her to safety, away from her family and from herself. He pulled out his sweats as he prepared for bed. He knew this weekend was not going to go as he'd once expected it to go. In good conscience he could not fail to do whatever he could in order to help someone that no one else would.

*******





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