Author's Note: This story is not about action. I'm just letting you know ahead of time that there isn't any fighting, etc. I love that aspect of Buffy, but this story is about the characters. Besides, I don't think I'm one for writing action well anyway, so consider that a good thing. Some of the characterizations may seem off (I don't know for sure, because I've only just finished the prologue as I'm writing this, I'm just giving myself some leeway by stating this now), but those differences can be attributed to the years of alteration from the cannon Buffy storyline that the characters have been subject to. There's always a reason for a character acting a certain way, if it seems off, e-mail me, I'm sure I can explain. Also, the reason I'm only including the background information in trailer format was because, again, this is not really about what happened, even considering the effect on the characters. I realize this is not a traditional method, but this is fanfiction, so I can get away with it. ;)
Parings/etc.: This is not a 'shipper story. There are elements of B/A and B/S, as well as C/A. Also present is both W/T and W/O, as well as A/X. There is Spike/Dawn, but not in a romantic sense and only in a familial bond type.
Summary: (Alternate Universe from Bargaining on). Four years after Buffy's death, and nearly as long after one disastrous attempt at bringing her back, the remnants of her family, friends, and one-time foes must work through their stagnancy and doubt while learning to move on…
Camera reveals Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike, and Dawn as they come upon Buffy's body on its bed of rubble below Glory's tower. Slayer's Elegy plays.
Fade into a shot of her grave, moving forward to frame a shot of her epitaph.
Willow (VO): "We do it tonight."
Music fades into a more tribal beat as scenes flash of the ritual to bring Buffy back from the dead. Lighting the candles, Willow being consumed by red light. Then the jar breaks, and the spell is broken. They run.
Cut to Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, Spike and Dawn in the Magic Box. Outside chaos can be heard, and it's getting closer.
Spike: "Brilliant mess we're in now."
Xander: "We need to leave."
Cut to everyone in Xander's car as they near the edge of town. The car is attacked, a window is broken and Anya is pulled out of the car. Xander gets out and screams after her, as Spike joins the fray. Tara makes an effort to protect Dawn while still in the car. Willow gets out of the car, using magicks to repel anyone who comes near the car, and Xander gets Anya back.
Cut to a reveal of a demon carrying a gun. One shot rings. Xander et al look around in surprise. Dawn and Tara are forced out of the car as a demon breaks the window on the other side. Spike jumps in front of the two as the demon takes aim at them. Three shots are expelled nearly in unison, all of which meet Spike in the stomach. He manages to remain standing, but he stumbles forward a bit as a fourth shot leaves the barrel.
Willow: "No!"
Cut to Tara falling to the ground. Dawn screams, Spike is shot a fourth time, and he falls back against the car, sliding down the side to a sitting position, leaning against the front tire. Willow kneels down at Tara's side, crying, but Tara's already gone.
Cut to a close up Willow's face as she tries hard to breath. A few moments later she look up, laying an icy glare on their attackers as they all stood, transfixed. Fade to black.
A piercing scream can be heard as we fade back to a shot of Willow, a dark energy flowing from her mouth, consuming their attackers. Xander clutches Anya, Dawn huddles, covering her ears, and Spike remains still, hardly able to move. Fade to black.
Cut to silence, a long shot of the former battle site. The demons lay in various stages of decomposition. Everyone else remains still. Spike leans forward to pull Dawn further away from Willow, put Willow whirls to star at him. She slams her palm into his chest. Fade to black as Spike screams.
Willow (VO; whisper): "You'll need it."
Cut back. Willow's gone. Spike is living, but in a fetal position. Fade out.
Cut to the interior of The Hyperion. Xander, Anya, and Dawn sit on a couch facing Angel and Wes. Cordelia stands behind the couch with Gunn, Fred watched from the balcony.
Xander: "The Hellmouth had gone to hell and we need backup. We have no slayer, no watcher, and no witches. Basically we've been reduced to an ex-demon, a construction worker, a teenage girl, and a recently insane vampire. We're one wacky baboon away from being the worst sitcom idea in the history of television, but we're not going to scare any of the bumpy forehead crowd."
Wesley: "You need a slayer."
Cut to the upstairs hall. Dawn stands in front of one the hotel room doors as it opens and Lorne comes out. Dawn looks around him into the room to see Spike huddling in the corner before Lorne closes the door behind him.
Dawn: "What's wrong with him?"
Lorne: "Nothing, sweetie, that's the trouble: there something a little too right."
Dawn: "I don't understand."
Lorne: "Somebody gave our Billy Idol here some soul."
Cut to the next day, Angel leads Faith into the Hyperion lobby. She looks around, everyone looks back up at her.
Faith: "Heard you were in a wicked fix."
Cut to Sunnydale, a few days later, as Xander, Anya, Dawn, Faith and Spike are picking around the mess of the old Summer's residence. Giles comes in through the ajar door, holding some luggage.
Giles: "What happened?"
Cut to a few days later. Dawn sits on the couch in the now nearly clean living room, facing Xander, Anya and Giles. Spike leans up against the fireplace, a little out of the conversation.
Dawn: "Where would they send me?"
Giles: "They can't locate you father, so it's most likely that they'd put you into foster care."
Dawn: "What? No way, (she stands) you can't let them put me in a foster home."
Xander: "We don't know what else to do."
Anya: "But you heard what the Council said, there are still people who want to kill her. She'd be easy pickings in foster care, believe me, children's services couldn't handle a band of demented leprechauns, a few demon worshippers won't have any trouble getting to her."
Xander: "Demented Leprechauns?"
Anya: "It's a long story."
Giles: "And not the point. She's right, Dawn wouldn't be safe."
Xander: "So what are we supposed to do?"
Spike: "Let me take her."
Everyone looks at him.
Spike: "I can get her out of this bloody country, and away from any threats. I'm the only one other than Faith who's even close to capable for the job, and you need her here."
Xander: "No. Not happening. It's been what, a few days since you've stopped doing the crazy and you want us to trust you with Dawn?"
Spike: "You got a better plan?"
Xander: "Yah, and it involves one large stake."
Giles: "He's right."
Everyone looks at Giles.
Spike: "Who me?"
Giles: "Yes."
Xander: "You've got to be kidding me."
Giles: "He's the only one who can get her away from here, and right now that's what she—"
Dawn: "I want to go."
Everyone looks at her.
Dawn: "It's my decision, and I want to go."
Cut to the graveyard, late that night. We see Tara, Buffy, and Joyce's graves. Pan to Dawn. Spike stands behind her, next to their bags.
Spike: "Ready to go, niblet?"
Dawn nods, stands up, picks up her bags, and heads with Spike to the car that can be seen running in the background.