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Joyce turned over and noticed her husband was no longer beside her. Looking at the clock she realized she hadn't slept very long. She knew it wasn't 8:45 in the evening because the sun was shining through her bedroom window.

Lying there staring at the ceiling she pondered the events over the last 24 hours. Spike brought her out of the hole she'd dug for herself, living on autopilot for so long now. When Buffy had been kidnapped, she found out about Dru and realized she couldn't play the dumb wife any longer either. She knew her husband had been having an affair, but didn't feel enough about it to really care. But now she knew that to make this family whole again, it was something she wouldn't be able to ignore or file away in the miscellaneous section any more.

"When do I confront him with what I know about him and his secretary?" She asked herself. "Do we fix the girls first and then work on us, or do the whole tear down everything and see what there is left to build on or just walk away?"

Joyce could no longer lay still with the fear she was still going to lose it all. How could they give both the girls their undivided attention without appearing to take sides? She didn't know and the scenarios playing in her head was a mixture of good and bad. Maybe she'd keep what she knew to herself and talk it over with whomever Ethan arranged to help them deal with their issues with Dawn, Buffy, and now Dru.

She put on her housecoat and went in search of her missing husband. Stopping off at Dru's room she snuck a peek and was relieved to see the young woman still asleep in her bed. Somehow she knew once she explained to Buffy about her sister, the Buffy she met last night would understand Dru's situation in some way. Maybe because her Buffy had walked a bit in her half sister's shoes of late.

Joyce softly closed the door and moved on, feeling an urge to visit Buffy's room. She knew she'd most likely find Hank in his office or down in the living room staring blankly at the TV.

Opening the door to Buffy's room she was shocked to see Hank lying on their daughter's bed asleep. Even in sleep he looked so sad while curled up with Buffy's pillow held tightly in his arms. She knew without a doubt the biggest rift that would need time would be salvaging a father/daughter relationship between the two.

Quietly she shut the door, leaving him to rest as she made her way down to the kitchen. The urge to bake some cookies overwhelmed her. She thought she'd make the peanut butter ones that Dawn always loved. The last time she'd made them was right before Dawn was taken from their lives.

"I think now would be a good time to remember her and not push her out of our lives," Joyce whispered as she entered the kitchen.

*******

Spike couldn't help but chuckle as he asked, "So…ready for your surprise?"

"Yes, and stop with the torture," Buffy replied as she glared at him and continued, "you just don't know how much restraint I've been using here."

Spike walked to where he'd stood before her as he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward the alcove. "Thought we'd spend the morning together and get to know each other better."

Buffy felt a jolt of warmth spread through her body with his touch. Biting her lip she let him lead as she turned to see what he'd done to surprise her and felt tears come to her eyes when she saw what he'd done. Pillows and quilts were spread out on the window seat making it look like a bed with a view. The thought of cuddling and talking with him made her feel like it was Christmas.

"Oh, Spike."

"I take it you like my surprise," he said, hearing the awe in her voice.

"No, not like," she sighed, "I love it!"

"Then let's go and get under the covers and you can tell me about you, and I can tell you about me," he suggested as he pulled her back against his chest and breathed in her scent.

"I think if I hadn't already fallen for you, I'd do it for sure now," she told him as she relaxed against him, enjoying the feel of him wrapped around her.

Spike chuckled as he used his body to guide her down the hall, never wanting to let her go. "I promise I will always make you fall for me."

"What can I do to make you fall for me over and over?" She asked as they found themselves beside the makeshift bed.

"Just by letting me love you," he answered her, as he reached down and pulled back the blankets. "Crawl in and get comfy."

Buffy crawled in under the covers and then scooted over, "Okay, now your turn Mr. Romantic."

Spike did as he was told loving how she giggled. "Tell me Pet, are you a blanket hog?"

"Nope, Dawn was the one that would steal all the blankets," Buffy replied, feeling comfortable to talk about Dawn with William. "I kicked her out of bed more than once 'cause she wouldn't let me have any covers back."

Spike shifted on the window seat, grateful it was well cushioned, and turned to face his girl. "I would love to hear all about Dawn."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," he replied, seeing her smile widen as she started to tell him about her little sister.

*******

The dream, or more appropriately, her longstanding nightmare, woke Dru up suddenly. Remembering how she'd lost her virginity always brought back the bad dreams and the feeling of being dirty and unclean. Like all the other times she dreamed about how the bad man had made her do naughty things, she quickly got out of bed and gathered her things for a shower.

"I wish one day I could never think of it again," she cried to herself. "Bad Dru, bad girl, never should've made the man want her like that."

His voice was telling her over and over again how it was her fault he couldn't stop what he was doing. He was calling her a temptress, seducer, and lastly that she was a whore like her mother. It was him and others after him that taught her how to use her body to survive.

Dru hurried to the bathroom with the intent to wash the filth of her dreams away. Turning on the water as hot as she could tolerate it she stripped off her gown and entered the shower. Lathering up the loofah with the soap, she scrubbed her body until it burned. The sting is what told her she was cleansed of the impure touch of those men and her wanton ways with them.

No matter how much she tried to ignore how they made her body feel they made her body hum as if she liked it. One man even told her she was a natural in satisfying men's needs and even today she believed him.

"Am I a whore?" She asked herself in the mirror as she dried off her body. "I know I feel like one."

The knock on the bathroom door pulled her away from her thoughts as she heard Joyce say, "Dru, honey, breakfast is ready. Come and join us when you're ready."

The caring she heard in Joyce's voice touched her and gave her a small reason to hope things would work out for the best. If Joyce still cared about her, even after finding out the truth about the night Dawn died, maybe she wasn't beyond finding forgiveness.

*******

Faith stretched as she started to wake up. Something didn't feel right and she realized why when she opened her eyes and saw she wasn't at home. Quickly she looked over at the other side of the bed and felt a rush of fear at not seeing Buffy there sleeping beside her.

"She's probably in the bathroom," she muttered as she rushed out of the bed and grabbed her housecoat. "I'm just over reacting. Nothing can happen to her here."

Faith hurried to the door wanting to make sure her fears were uncalled for. Buffy was her best friend, actually her only real friend, and she never wanted to feel she'd lost her again.

Walking out into the hallway she noticed the bathroom door was open and it caused her anxiety level to escalate. When she was about to turn and rush downstairs, something caught her attention as she turned toward the alcove.

"Well, color me relieved," she muttered as she watched the two blondes sleeping under the covers all cuddled together. All thoughts that Buffy was in trouble flew out the window as the anxiety level rapidly decreased to nonexistent.

"Looks like me and Summers are going to have to have that birds and bees talk," Faith thought to herself, knowing her friend was still a virgin and lacked any real knowledge on the opposite sex.

Feeling thirsty, Faith turned toward the stairs. She knew there was a bathroom off the kitchen and didn't want to do anything to disturb the dozing couple. It never occurred to her to be jealous of the relationship she realized was developing between Buffy and Spike. In fact she was happy and a bit envious of it instead. All she wanted for her best friend was to be happy, and in her heart she knew Buffy was about to be on the receiving end this time.

*******

Ethan sat at the kitchen table reading the paper and enjoying the coffee he'd found. Jenny had called letting him know she was on her way and would be seeing him soon. He was feeling more at ease now he'd had his morning cup of caffeine. It also helped when he'd noticed the couple all snuggled together upstairs.

He knew he'd have to have a talk with Spike concerning the age difference. Not that it made a difference to him, but to Buffy's parents it just might. The last thing Miss Summers needed was her parents making her life hell over Spike. It would be very hard for him to help her if that happened.

He looked down at his watch and knew Jenny would be arriving soon. There was a noise at the door causing him to look up.

"Come in. There's fresh coffee made," he told the young woman standing in the doorway looking a bit cautious.

"Have you read the funnies yet?" Faith asked as she entered the kitchen heading toward the coffee pot.

"No, I leave those for last. But as long as you promise not to lose them I would be happy to share," Ethan teased.

Faith laughed, feeling comfortable with the man, "I'm 5 by 5 with that."

She was relieved she'd put on her robe before coming out of the bedroom. The last thing she needed was for a shrink to see she liked wearing Snoopy pajamas. Angel always teased her about how childish they were. Anya told her not to listen to him and that it reflected she still had a sense of innocence about her that was refreshing.

Faith sat down placing her coffee in front of her and asked, "So you're going to help Buffy and her family deal with all this chaos?"

"I'm going to do my best," Ethan answered.

"You can count on me to help. Buffy is like family to me and mine and we take care of family," she told him, watching to see his reaction.

Ethan smiled as he laid down his paper and replied, "Then your friend is very lucky to have you and your family."

"I guess that goes both ways. I'm lucky to have her as a friend. Not too many people like me because I'm too abrupt and rough."

"I think you like to test them with how much it will take before they have had enough and walk away," he countered.

"Then why did Buffy stay?"

Ethan smiled warmly as he offered his opinion, "Because you saw a part of you in her. The part that needed someone that would stand by her, protect her, be the friend to her that you wanted for yourself. In turn she befriended you back, seeing that you both gave something to each other that only a best friend could. If that makes any sense to you."

Faith smiled as she replied, "I think Buffy is very lucky to have you helping her. You've got a talent in reading people."

"No, I just know what to look for. Are you jealous of Spike?"

Faith chuckled as she said, "Hell no. He's the best thing that could happen to her. He will give her the confidence to face a lot of ugly things that will crop up while she's dealing with this mess. He's her knight in shining armor and brings hope to those of us that never believed in fairytales."

"You don't think he's too old for her?"

"Nope, 'cause I know he's in love with the woman inside and not the age of the girl. The man that was frantic when Buffy disappeared would've been lost if she hadn't been found. Upstairs now, they look like they belong together," Faith said with conviction so that he wasn't worried where her loyalties lay.

"Will you be able to support Buffy's relationship with her biological family?" He asked.

"I will do whatever is best for Buffy. I don't have to like them, but I can get along with 'em if I have too. I haven't beat Dru's ass yet, no matter how bad my hands were itching to do so," Faith answered while looking him straight in the eyes she added, "But, if one of them hurts her again, I will have no problems telling them what I think."

Ethan fought the smile as he nodded and picked up the paper saying, "The comics are underneath the rest of the paper."

"Thanks, I also need to read my horoscope so I can get a good laugh for the day," she replied as she dug them out and settled into reading them.

Both quietly read the paper sipping their coffee, having come to a better understanding and respect for each other. Buffy's welfare was both of their concerns and felt comfortable that they both would do what they could to help her get through this terrible time.

*******

Joyce noticed how scraped Dru's skin appeared, as if she'd scrubbed it raw. Her heart broke for the girl she'd never really gotten to know. She felt it was going to be impossible to bring her family back together. Would Buffy ever really forgive them, especially her father? It would be a question she would be asking for a very long time.

Hank felt nauseous having noticed his daughter's skin. He wanted to pull her close and tell her how sorry he was he hadn't been there to protect her. Then he thought about what he'd said to Buffy since Dawn's death and all thought of getting her back seemed bleak. He wished he could bring Dru's mother and that bastard Snyder back to life so he could kill them all over again. Only this time they'd suffer for days before facing God or the Devil.

"Dru, honey, I made French toast just the way you like it," Joyce said, watching how the young woman wouldn't even look at her or Hank.

"Thank you, Joyce," Dru replied, still feeling the effects of her dreams and thoughts of being abandoned.

"You're very welcome. Could you do me a favor and get the syrup out of the fridge? Like a ditz, I forgot to get it out when I took out the butter," Joyce said, hoping she'd hear from Dr. Rayne soon.

Hank and Joyce watched as the dejected looking young woman moved slowly toward the refrigerator. Joyce made it a point to remember to go upstairs and get her aloe and give it to Dru for her abused skin.

Once Dru returned to the table the meal was set. The three ate in silence, the mood tense and uncomfortable for all present. One young woman waited to see when the punch line would be delivered and she'd find herself on the streets. The father sat feeling lost and weak with all his mistakes flashing before his eyes. The mother was praying to who ever would listen to give her strength to endure all that would be needed in order to fix her family.

*******





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