Everyone had left, including Buffy, but I couldn't leave, wouldn't leave. Not yet. I walked up to Spike, stared at him bathed in light. I didn't know what to say, what could you say in a situation like this? "Hey Niblet" he broke the silence. "Hi" I said solemnly. There was a pause; I didn't want to look up. "Take the jacket." he said finally, glancing at the pile of leather at his feet. "Wha...why?" I faltered. "Cause I know you like it and I sure as hell don't need it where ever I'm going" he laughed then glanced around for a second and continued "Besides, someone's gotta be the big bad for me…shoulda passed you the torch a while back, hasn't been me in a long bloody time." I smiled sadly at him "Yes it has." I told him. "You just don't get it do you? All of the other 'big bads' just ran, but not you. You stayed behind to watch it burn…and to save us. That makes you the ultimate big bad." "You mean it?" he asked sincerely. "Yeah." I looked up at him admiringly. "Yeah, I'm bad." He smirked. I put my hand on his and he smiled at me genuinely "I love you like a sister, Pet." I knew he meant it but I didn't have time to answer. "Now go!" he commanded "I wanna see how it ends." I felt my eyes tearing up as I started to walk away. "But I wanna see it too" I protested knowing it was pointless to try to stay any longer. "Tell you what Little Bit," he turned to me. "If I make it out alive I'll tell ya how it went." I nodded with a teary smile, threw on the jacket and ran. I was almost oblivious to all of the carnage and destruction around me. It was silent, I didn't think, just ran, practically unaware that I was even moving. When I got out of the school I stopped and my head started to spin. I knew I had to just push the thoughts out of my head and keep going. I jumped on the bus and threw myself into an open seat near the back just before it lurched forward. As we drove away, I started out the window and watched the ground beneath us fall into oblivion. I was kind of numb. I buried my face in a sleeve that smelled like leather, cigarettes, cheap cologne and alcohol, but it smelled like spike too so it was kind of …comforting. Everyone else tended to the injured ones until we pulled past city limits and stopped. Little by little we all filed off the bus to stare at the giant crater that was once Sunnydale. The ground seemed solid. I stood there in that heroic line-up with my hands on my hips, wearing my oversized leather duster as the wind blew my hair and spikes jacket back like a scene from some movie. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity I stopped and just felt. I had only one thought-" I think I like this…"