Shooting Star.
Every night, he saved her. He'd move faster, fight harder, kill quicker... do something-anything-to stop Glory from getting Dawn, to stop Buffy from jumping from the platform.
"Spike, you saved me." Buffy told him, a loving smile crossing her face. "You saved Dawn."
He'd shrug it off with a 'no worries' or a 'I owed you', or something, at first. But then it started to get deeper. He'd save Buffy in different ways. Kill Ben, kill Doc, hold off Glory, and it would always end the same; "I love you Spike."
This night was no different. He snapped Doc's neck, and tossed is body down before he could cut Dawn. This time he knew where the knife was. Buffy was about to be finished by Glory. He stabbed her with a girder. She morphed back into Ben. The chip kicked in. The pain. It was worth it. Buffy kissed him, held him close, she opened her mouth...
"No!" He howled shooting upright. "No." He moved himself to the edge of his bed. Buffy was dead. No matter what he dreamed, nothing could change that; she was lost to him. Lost to his heart... He'd been willing to... It didn't matter. The thought made him laugh. Which quickly turned into sobs.
Xander walked through the door of Spike's crypt. Wordlessly eyeing the crying vampire. "Patrolling tonight. You coming?" He asked grudgingly.
Spike wiped the tear's away. "Sure. Why not. Anything's better than sitting here waiting for the next Big Bad to come for Dawn again. Maybe Willow could die this time."
Xander drew back his arm and punched Spike in the face, although not the strongest of the Scoobie's, he had fierce strength when it involved the honor of his friends. Spike fell to the ground.
"Sod off, monkey boy." Spike roared at him. "Little bit's the Key. Accept it, she's got to be useful to other God's out there."
Xander reached down and grabbed him by the shirt. "Keep it up Spike, and you'll get a splinter... in the chest."
"I kind of figured you were going in tha direction. Let's get this bleedin' patrol over with. Wanker." He muttered, getting to his feet and pushing past Xander. It was enough to cause a small jolt from the chip. But nothing major.
~*~
Patrol was uneventful. Nothing was eventful for Spike anymore-it was all so tepid and boring after fighting a God. After losing the woman he loved. He swallowed hard, and walked back to his crypt slowly. One more vampire charged at him, on his way, he spun around, kicking it in the head, before drawing a stake and plunging it into the heart. Dust filled the air.
The crypt door was open. Someone could be in there. That would have excited Spike, only week's ago. Now, he didn't care. He walked through the door, stake ready, and noticed a woman sitting on his chair. Her back to him.
"Hey!" He called at her. "What do you think you're doing? You don't just enter someone's crypt without asking. Don't you have any-"
She turned to face him. "I thought we could watch Passion's together."
"Buffy..." He started. "You're dead." He bluntly snapped.
A mischievous smile grew on her face. "Now, now. That's no way for you to talk to the love of your life." She jumped off the chair, and pulled Spike close.
"You're the bot." He muttered deflated-ly. "I could kill Willow."
"I'm not the bot. I'm Buffy. Perky, sexy, Buffy." She kissed him softly on the cheek, rubbing her hand through his hair. "You don't seem happy to see me. Don't I please you anymore?"
Spike took a deep breath. "It's not that. It's you're dead."
"Yes. I am. But you saved me every night." How did she know?
He froze, she knew she was dead. She wasn't a ghost-she had touched him- maybe she was a manifest spirit? No. To clean, to kind for that. Psychological torture isn't their style. She wasn't a zombie, not decomposed enough. She had to be the bot... Didn't she? Unless...
"The portal!" He blurted out. "When you jumped through the portal, something happened. Maybe you were given a new body, maybe a new life. A second chance?"
"Third chance," she corrected him smiling. "I've died once before already." She paused carefully gauging his reaction. "It's been a month Spike. You have to move on."
He shook his head, his insides suddenly freezing. "What?" He growled.
"You have to move on. I'll be inside your heart forever, but that's all. I'm dead. I can't change that." She kissed him again, this time on the lips, passionately, softly. Spike pulled her off.
"No." He murmured.
"Yes, Spike!" She cried at him. "I did what I had to. Now you have to do what you have to do; hold the fort, Spike. Heaven or Hell, it doesn't matter. Hold the fort."
"What?" He asked.
'Hold the fort?' what did that mean? Was she coming back? Was a new Slayer on the way? Was the portal sending her from another world? To many questions. Not enough answers-none in fact-Buffy was leaving. He ran to stop her, he grabbed her arm.
Her eyes filled with rage. She slapped him harshly on the face. He pulled back his arm and let go. She said nothing, but the hurt-some kind of hurt- was there. She didn't move from where she had been grabbed.
"Don't. Touch. Me." She snarled.
"But... I..." He tried to process what had just happened. "Buffy, what's happening? What's wrong?"
He moved closer to Buffy, and she took a step back. Then he noticed the stake in her hand. When did that get there? Spike thought to himself. He pressed on, moving closer to Buffy, and she took a step back each time.
"Hold the fort, Spike." She repeated, thrusting her arm outwards digging the stake into his chest.
"Buffy!" He cried.
His body slowly crumbled to dust his un-life disappearing. Everything turning black. Buffy smiling, sadly, tears running down her cheek. He tried to reach out to her, then it happened; it all ended. The dust filled the air, Spike-William-was no more.
~*~
He awoke, angrily, scared and disturbed by what he had just seen. How could it have been a dream? It was so real. The pain he felt, and Buffy, she had never been so warm to him before not since they were going to get married because of Willow's spell.
Even when she was pretending to be the Buffy-bot, she hadn't kissed him so warmly. His life, was perfect for that moment, everything disappeared and became one. Life was... 'Hold the fort'. Her cryptic message forced itself into his head. A cryptic message. From a dream. Where the woman he had loved had killed him. And yet, it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She had opened his eyes.
I've saved you every night Buffy, how did you save me?" He wondered out lout. He got up and walked outside, throwing a shirt on. Patrol would be fun tonight-his bloodlust was back. He looked up at the stars. One shot by in the sky, he silently wished for Buffy. That she just be happy. While he held the fort...
Every night, he saved her. He'd move faster, fight harder, kill quicker... do something-anything-to stop Glory from getting Dawn, to stop Buffy from jumping from the platform.
"Spike, you saved me." Buffy told him, a loving smile crossing her face. "You saved Dawn."
He'd shrug it off with a 'no worries' or a 'I owed you', or something, at first. But then it started to get deeper. He'd save Buffy in different ways. Kill Ben, kill Doc, hold off Glory, and it would always end the same; "I love you Spike."
This night was no different. He snapped Doc's neck, and tossed is body down before he could cut Dawn. This time he knew where the knife was. Buffy was about to be finished by Glory. He stabbed her with a girder. She morphed back into Ben. The chip kicked in. The pain. It was worth it. Buffy kissed him, held him close, she opened her mouth...
"No!" He howled shooting upright. "No." He moved himself to the edge of his bed. Buffy was dead. No matter what he dreamed, nothing could change that; she was lost to him. Lost to his heart... He'd been willing to... It didn't matter. The thought made him laugh. Which quickly turned into sobs.
Xander walked through the door of Spike's crypt. Wordlessly eyeing the crying vampire. "Patrolling tonight. You coming?" He asked grudgingly.
Spike wiped the tear's away. "Sure. Why not. Anything's better than sitting here waiting for the next Big Bad to come for Dawn again. Maybe Willow could die this time."
Xander drew back his arm and punched Spike in the face, although not the strongest of the Scoobie's, he had fierce strength when it involved the honor of his friends. Spike fell to the ground.
"Sod off, monkey boy." Spike roared at him. "Little bit's the Key. Accept it, she's got to be useful to other God's out there."
Xander reached down and grabbed him by the shirt. "Keep it up Spike, and you'll get a splinter... in the chest."
"I kind of figured you were going in tha direction. Let's get this bleedin' patrol over with. Wanker." He muttered, getting to his feet and pushing past Xander. It was enough to cause a small jolt from the chip. But nothing major.
~*~
Patrol was uneventful. Nothing was eventful for Spike anymore-it was all so tepid and boring after fighting a God. After losing the woman he loved. He swallowed hard, and walked back to his crypt slowly. One more vampire charged at him, on his way, he spun around, kicking it in the head, before drawing a stake and plunging it into the heart. Dust filled the air.
The crypt door was open. Someone could be in there. That would have excited Spike, only week's ago. Now, he didn't care. He walked through the door, stake ready, and noticed a woman sitting on his chair. Her back to him.
"Hey!" He called at her. "What do you think you're doing? You don't just enter someone's crypt without asking. Don't you have any-"
She turned to face him. "I thought we could watch Passion's together."
"Buffy..." He started. "You're dead." He bluntly snapped.
A mischievous smile grew on her face. "Now, now. That's no way for you to talk to the love of your life." She jumped off the chair, and pulled Spike close.
"You're the bot." He muttered deflated-ly. "I could kill Willow."
"I'm not the bot. I'm Buffy. Perky, sexy, Buffy." She kissed him softly on the cheek, rubbing her hand through his hair. "You don't seem happy to see me. Don't I please you anymore?"
Spike took a deep breath. "It's not that. It's you're dead."
"Yes. I am. But you saved me every night." How did she know?
He froze, she knew she was dead. She wasn't a ghost-she had touched him- maybe she was a manifest spirit? No. To clean, to kind for that. Psychological torture isn't their style. She wasn't a zombie, not decomposed enough. She had to be the bot... Didn't she? Unless...
"The portal!" He blurted out. "When you jumped through the portal, something happened. Maybe you were given a new body, maybe a new life. A second chance?"
"Third chance," she corrected him smiling. "I've died once before already." She paused carefully gauging his reaction. "It's been a month Spike. You have to move on."
He shook his head, his insides suddenly freezing. "What?" He growled.
"You have to move on. I'll be inside your heart forever, but that's all. I'm dead. I can't change that." She kissed him again, this time on the lips, passionately, softly. Spike pulled her off.
"No." He murmured.
"Yes, Spike!" She cried at him. "I did what I had to. Now you have to do what you have to do; hold the fort, Spike. Heaven or Hell, it doesn't matter. Hold the fort."
"What?" He asked.
'Hold the fort?' what did that mean? Was she coming back? Was a new Slayer on the way? Was the portal sending her from another world? To many questions. Not enough answers-none in fact-Buffy was leaving. He ran to stop her, he grabbed her arm.
Her eyes filled with rage. She slapped him harshly on the face. He pulled back his arm and let go. She said nothing, but the hurt-some kind of hurt- was there. She didn't move from where she had been grabbed.
"Don't. Touch. Me." She snarled.
"But... I..." He tried to process what had just happened. "Buffy, what's happening? What's wrong?"
He moved closer to Buffy, and she took a step back. Then he noticed the stake in her hand. When did that get there? Spike thought to himself. He pressed on, moving closer to Buffy, and she took a step back each time.
"Hold the fort, Spike." She repeated, thrusting her arm outwards digging the stake into his chest.
"Buffy!" He cried.
His body slowly crumbled to dust his un-life disappearing. Everything turning black. Buffy smiling, sadly, tears running down her cheek. He tried to reach out to her, then it happened; it all ended. The dust filled the air, Spike-William-was no more.
~*~
He awoke, angrily, scared and disturbed by what he had just seen. How could it have been a dream? It was so real. The pain he felt, and Buffy, she had never been so warm to him before not since they were going to get married because of Willow's spell.
Even when she was pretending to be the Buffy-bot, she hadn't kissed him so warmly. His life, was perfect for that moment, everything disappeared and became one. Life was... 'Hold the fort'. Her cryptic message forced itself into his head. A cryptic message. From a dream. Where the woman he had loved had killed him. And yet, it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She had opened his eyes.
I've saved you every night Buffy, how did you save me?" He wondered out lout. He got up and walked outside, throwing a shirt on. Patrol would be fun tonight-his bloodlust was back. He looked up at the stars. One shot by in the sky, he silently wished for Buffy. That she just be happy. While he held the fort...