Chapter One: It has happened again

Buffy entered Sunnydale High with her head down. She was willing herself to be invisible to the almost the entire student population. The exceptions to the student populace were Dru, short for Drusilla, her twin brother Spike, Willow and Xander. The four of them made Buffy's whole day easier to bear. Buffy didn't notice Dru at her locker until she went to open it.

"Sunshine, it has happened again hasn't it?" Dru asked in her own cryptic way. She noticed the black and blue bruises forming on Buffy's face. Buffy could only nod in answer.

"Dru, please don't fuss over it. Its not that bad." Buffy said as Willow and Xander joined them. Willow and Xander's faces both fell when they noticed the bruises on Buffy's face.

"Buffy you can't stay with your parents any more." Xander said.

"I have no where else to go." Buffy said. She switched out her books and closed her locker.

"There's my house." Willow said cheerfully. Buffy looked at her.

"Willow, there's only so long I can put up with your stepsister Dawn. I appreciate your parent's help and all but, they won't want to get custody of another 15 year old. They already have two." Buffy said as they headed to homeroom. Dru remained quiet, contemplating her own way to help. She would have to talk to her brother.

"So Dru, how is your brother holding up?" Willow asked bringing Dru into their conversation. He had been sucked into Harmony and Cordelia's circle after he changed his appearance over the past summer.

"He is unhappy with those people. He is getting away soon." She said quietly.

Everyone knew that Buffy liked Dru's brother William. He changed his name to Spike, another change from the summer. They sat and talked for the remainder of homeroom. Buffy just clamed up and was silent most of the day. During her free period she went to the library, she knew it would be empty and she could hide away for a period. The librarian was Spike and Dru's father; his wife was a top-notch lawyer in Sunnydale and LA.

"Hello Miss Summers." Giles, the librarian, said greeting Buffy. She just smiled in response and tried to hide her bruises from him. He noticed them though. "Is your father beating you again?"

"Yes." Buffy said. She then proceeded to the back; Giles would let her spend the remainder of the day there. Dru or Willow would collect her class work and homework. Not long after Buffy disappeared among the books, Spike rushed in looking for his dad.

"Dad, where is she?" Spike asked.

Dru had just told him Buffy's beatings started again. Giles nodded to the back. Although Spike had gone from bookworm to badass, he still cared for Buffy. He cautiously rounded a corner and found Buffy asleep in the corner. He smiled. He remembered the last time his mom took Buffy's parents to court over the abuse. The court said that custody remained with the Summer's due to lack of evidence. Spike quietly sat down next to Buffy and kept a quiet watch over her. Near the end of the school day, Spike approached his dad.

"Do you think mom could fight for custody of Buffy again?" Spike asked. Giles took his glasses of and cleaned them.

"We'd have to really convince her son, but we might be able to do it." Giles said.

"I know. Buffy is the only one who keeps Dru calm. Since we moved here and Dru was befriended by Buffy she hasn't had an attack." Spike said as Dru entered the library.

"Where is Sunshine? She has missed tests." Dru said. They knew she was referring to Buffy.

"Right here Dru. How long was I asleep?" Buffy asked coming out from behind the shelves.

"Since fourth period." Spike said. Buffy smiled sweetly at Spike. He held his arms open and she went to him. He hugged her soothingly. He didn't want her to go back to her parents house that night. Buffy's mom was never home anymore and her father beat her whenever he was wasted. Spike and Dru looked at their father expectedly. Giles sighed knowing he was in no position to tell his children no.

"If your mom agrees." Was all he said to his teens. They nodded their thanks.

"Come Sunshine, school is done. We can go walk in the park." Dru said pulling Buffy from her light nap in Spike's arms.

"What?" Buffy asked confused.

Dru just tugged at her arm and Buffy followed. Spike quietly followed them. He was not letting his sister or his best friend out of his sight. They met up with Xander and Willow. They hung out at the park for a couple of hours until it got dark. Buffy headed home when Spike and Dru detoured her to their house.

"Mom will be fine with it Buffy. We have enough rooms for you to stay. Besides Saturday will be here in two days. We'll all go to the fair then. " Spike said as they entered the house.

"Rupert, I can not fight for her again." His wife Anne said as they were making dinner. Buffy, Dru and Spike were in Dru's room doing homework.

"Anne, something needs to be done before she ends up in the hospital." Giles said pulling a pan from a cupboard. Anne sighed; she had these discussions with her husband a lot lately. Buffy's beatings had also been getting progressively worse lately. There was no way to win against Buffy's father Hank. He knew the judge that held the custody battles. There had to be away around that judge.

"I'll see what I can do, but no promises. Buffy can stay here tonight. Tomorrow she must go home and sleep." Anne said. She received a grateful kiss from her husband.