The End
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
Author's Note: See at end of story
She had never had this much anxiety about facing a Big Bad. Of course, usually she was so angry that she never had time for worry. But, as she walked down the hall with Willow and Xander, as her friends peeled off to their own stations, she had time to be nervous. Her plan was so daring, so unique, it had to work. "I'm not worried," she told herself.
"I'm not worried," she told Spike and Faith, her voice sounding a little less sure each time she said it. There were an awful lot of vampires down there. Her senses tingled, and she suddenly felt like she was surrounded by people. Willow's mojo worked. She wasn't alone. In fact, she was stronger than she had ever been before, more at one with her inner slayer than ever before.
And then she was fighting – moves her body knew; a comfortable rhythm that was perfection itself. Kick, punch, punch, kick, punch. Kennedy arrived with the Scythe. Dust, dust, kick, behead, slay!
A lull. She'd killed all in her little area. Time to think about the others, the plan. "Keep the line together!" she yelled at her fellow slayers. They were winning. They were awesome.
The plan was flawed. While she was thinking, talking, a vamp stuck his sword in her gut. It was also her own fault, for not watching her defenses. She was struck by a sense of disbelief; the power flowing through her should not have let her get hurt. The pain overcame the power. She fell.
Faith. Her second in command. Give Faith the Scythe. Let her carry on. Hold the line. Have a minute, so look around. See what she has wrought. Vamps are dust. Girls are dying. The tide of the battle is turning.
The First. The Taunter. It teases her, annoys her. Buffy decides she doesn't want to take its insults any longer. She reaches for the power, pulls it to her, uses it to speed up her healing process. She stands up.
She Slays! As she conquers The First, as she tugs the power closer to herself, the others also seem to ride on a wave of strength. They are winning!
"Buffy!"
Spike! Vampires disintegrated into dust throughout the cave. He was… channeling sunlight, through his fashion accessory.
She stared at his glowing form. He was so brave and strong and powerful.
She wanted him to live. But she understood. He had to do this. Sort of his way of redeeming himself. She was so proud of him; that he had come this far, to give himself on behalf of good. He'd always claimed to be the Big Bad, even when he was the Big Good.
She wanted to give him something back, because he wasn't going to survive this. Something to make him as happy as he was making her right now.
"I love you," she told him.
This Spike was different from normal; he searched her face, reading on it that she knew he was going to die. With calm acceptance, he took the ideas behind what she said.
"No you don't, but thanks for saying it."
From Warrior to Warrior, they understood each other, for the first and last time.
She ran.
She looked at the empty road in front of them, then turned back towards the crater of Sunnydale.
"Who did this?" Dawn asked.
"Spike." She remembered all their bickering, their love-making, their fighting on the same side and against each-other. The Sunnydale sign fell in the pit. Spike had managed to destroy the place, after all.
Her friends were talking, but she wasn't really following along. Everything was gone, and it felt… good. She was going to get to start over, as a new person. And, well, there were lots of malls across America.
Buffy Summers smiled.
AN: I've noticed that most everybody has Buffy sad and moping at the end of their fics about this. So, here's one with a twist. I hope you like it and write me lots of reviews J
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
Author's Note: See at end of story
She had never had this much anxiety about facing a Big Bad. Of course, usually she was so angry that she never had time for worry. But, as she walked down the hall with Willow and Xander, as her friends peeled off to their own stations, she had time to be nervous. Her plan was so daring, so unique, it had to work. "I'm not worried," she told herself.
"I'm not worried," she told Spike and Faith, her voice sounding a little less sure each time she said it. There were an awful lot of vampires down there. Her senses tingled, and she suddenly felt like she was surrounded by people. Willow's mojo worked. She wasn't alone. In fact, she was stronger than she had ever been before, more at one with her inner slayer than ever before.
And then she was fighting – moves her body knew; a comfortable rhythm that was perfection itself. Kick, punch, punch, kick, punch. Kennedy arrived with the Scythe. Dust, dust, kick, behead, slay!
A lull. She'd killed all in her little area. Time to think about the others, the plan. "Keep the line together!" she yelled at her fellow slayers. They were winning. They were awesome.
The plan was flawed. While she was thinking, talking, a vamp stuck his sword in her gut. It was also her own fault, for not watching her defenses. She was struck by a sense of disbelief; the power flowing through her should not have let her get hurt. The pain overcame the power. She fell.
Faith. Her second in command. Give Faith the Scythe. Let her carry on. Hold the line. Have a minute, so look around. See what she has wrought. Vamps are dust. Girls are dying. The tide of the battle is turning.
The First. The Taunter. It teases her, annoys her. Buffy decides she doesn't want to take its insults any longer. She reaches for the power, pulls it to her, uses it to speed up her healing process. She stands up.
She Slays! As she conquers The First, as she tugs the power closer to herself, the others also seem to ride on a wave of strength. They are winning!
"Buffy!"
Spike! Vampires disintegrated into dust throughout the cave. He was… channeling sunlight, through his fashion accessory.
She stared at his glowing form. He was so brave and strong and powerful.
She wanted him to live. But she understood. He had to do this. Sort of his way of redeeming himself. She was so proud of him; that he had come this far, to give himself on behalf of good. He'd always claimed to be the Big Bad, even when he was the Big Good.
She wanted to give him something back, because he wasn't going to survive this. Something to make him as happy as he was making her right now.
"I love you," she told him.
This Spike was different from normal; he searched her face, reading on it that she knew he was going to die. With calm acceptance, he took the ideas behind what she said.
"No you don't, but thanks for saying it."
From Warrior to Warrior, they understood each other, for the first and last time.
She ran.
She looked at the empty road in front of them, then turned back towards the crater of Sunnydale.
"Who did this?" Dawn asked.
"Spike." She remembered all their bickering, their love-making, their fighting on the same side and against each-other. The Sunnydale sign fell in the pit. Spike had managed to destroy the place, after all.
Her friends were talking, but she wasn't really following along. Everything was gone, and it felt… good. She was going to get to start over, as a new person. And, well, there were lots of malls across America.
Buffy Summers smiled.
AN: I've noticed that most everybody has Buffy sad and moping at the end of their fics about this. So, here's one with a twist. I hope you like it and write me lots of reviews J