A Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic. This is the tale of the 248 days Buffy was dead. Spike has vowed to protect Dawn, but his promise isn't the only reason he stays in Sunnydale. He's made his home here, and he's going to become the man Buffy would have loved, whether she's around to do it or not. Dawn is just trying to get through each day without her sister. She's got no family left, or does she? Spike and Dawn find they have more in common than any one thought, and Big Brother Bad is stepping up to protect his Little Bit. They both discover their place in the Scooby gang as evryone tries to fill the gapping hole Buffy left.