Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine... I just borrow them from time to time.

Author's Notes: Canon up to and including "Selfless" (7x05), specific reference (spoilers) to "Selfless".
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HUMAN REMAINS

In a dark room, a teenaged boy huddled in a corner. His arms were tied behind his back. His legs were bound at the ankles. Duct tape over his mouth muffled his sobs. He cowered when he heard heavy footsteps approach.

As the door opened, the boy's eyes flashed in terror!

***

Dawn sat wide-eyed in class.

"Miss Summers. Do you have an answer?" the teacher asked again.

"Me? Oh, yes. Ah. That'd be 'false'. If the biological parents have type B and type O blood, the kids can't have type A. They have to be either B or O."

"That's right. Now who can tell me..."

Relieved, Dawn let out a deep breath and relaxed back into her daydream of the cute guy in the next row.

***

Buffy sat at her desk staring blankly at the wall. She'd spent the morning meeting with a few of her counselling "regulars" who generally seemed more at ease talking with her and she was pleased to feel as though she was making a difference for those kids. Still, it wasn't enough. For all the slaying she did at night and the kids she was helping at the school, she still needed to do more.

The schedule she'd assumed of late was taking its toll and she was even beginning to notice it herself. Now the dark circles and puffiness beneath her eyes and the ashy tone her skin had developed were undeniable (even when she did take the time to apply makeup). She wore her hair up because she couldn't be bothered to do anything more with it and the ever increasing classic black and white clothes in her closet made for easy decision making on those mornings when she could barely drag herself out of bed in time to ride with Xander and Dawn to school.

"Ms. Summers?"

Buffy startled, almost tumbling off her chair. "Oh, what? What is it?" She glanced around.

"Meditating?" Principal Wood inquired with a sly smile.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Buffy realized she'd fallen asleep and been out for at least half an hour. "Er...ah... yeah. Meditating. That's right. Helps me to... get focused. So I'm ready for... for my next appointment."

"Well, then," he said simply, shaking his head ever so slightly. "I'll leave you to it."

She smiled nervously and replied, "Thanks. Yep, just getting focused for that next appointment." Checking her schedule, Buffy realized that said 'next appointment' should have already been in progress. "Hmm... Well, Tyler Westing, where are you?" she muttered turning to her computer to check the day's attendance record. "Absence unknown," she read. "Not exactly strange around here."

With no appointments scheduled until later that afternoon and realizing that she had that awful gummy 'I just woke up feeling' in her mouth, Buffy decided to find a vending machine with some mints.

***

"Now you know it's nothing personal," Spike explained as he sat on the floor rocking back and forth. "It's what I am, you see," he continued as he wiped blood from his lips. "Tell me, pet, should I love you for your sacrifice or hate you for reminding me that this is what I am?"

***

Buffy stood at a machine in the students' lounge staring at the assortment of sweets and greasy treats.

"Did you hear about Christina Parker?" a girl asked as she joined a group of other students at a nearby table.

"No, what about her?"

"I just saw it on the news this morning. They found her body," the girl exclaimed.

"Oh my God. What happened to her?" inquired one teen.

Another student added, "What's the debating team gonna do without her?"

"Are you gonna be long deciding?"

"Sorry, what?" Buffy asked the boy she discovered standing next to her.

"Deciding what to have. Are you gonna be long? I gotta get to class but I'm starving. You mind if I go ahead?"

"No sure. Whatever," Buffy replied absently as she turned to head back to her office.

Checking the computer records on this second absent student, Buffy discovered that she'd been missing from school for several days. In comparing the records, she noted that neither student had a history of frequent or unexplained absences and that both students were academically strong. Studying the photos carefully, Buffy made a mental record of them just in case she should find herself face-to-fangs with one of them one night. (After all, finding a body was one thing, knowing it was actually dead was quite another.)

***

That evening, Buffy left Dawn with her homework and Willow searching the Internet for details on the absentees as she headed out to patrol.  During her rounds, Buffy had dusted a couple of "young" vamps (neither resembling either of the missing students), but all was fairly quiet that night in Sunnydale.

Buffy was especially thorough in her sweeps of the cemeteries and demon haunts in light of the recent disappearance of the students so it was late when she arrived home. Willow and Dawn had turned in for the night, though papers remained scattered over the dining room table. Buffy was relieved they'd gone to bed because she was really in no mood to talk and she had no interest in going over any more depressing news.  "Shower and bed," she thought as she trudged up the stairs.

***

The next morning at school, Buffy made a point of checking the day's attendance. There were several more absent students, but surprisingly all appeared to have explanations: doctor's visits, illness, family trips. A small group was attending the funeral of another student. Buffy made a point of investigating that student's file then called Willow.

"Will, could you look into another recent death for me?" she asked her friend. "Russell Norton."

"Yes, Buffy. I found that guy's name last night while looking for details on the others you gave me" Willow responded. "His body turned up about a week ago. There must be some kind of correlation to the Parker girl. Sounds like the same cause of death and everything."

"So they know what killed these kids?"

"The bodies were drained of blood..." Willow began somewhat hesitantly.

"Vampire," Buffy assumed.

"Well..." Willow continued, "It could be a vampire. The reports do mention puncture wounds and bite marks, but—"

Just then, Buffy's cell phone rang. "Can you hang on Will? I've got another call." Switching phones, she answered, "Hello?"

"Buffy. It's Xander," he said apprehensively. Although Xander had continued to pick the young Summers women up each morning for school, things had been strained between him and Buffy for days. Xander was still hurt that Buffy was unwilling to give Anya a chance after she'd discovered the Frat-house massacre and he felt guilty and awkward about having lied to Buffy all those years ago when he withheld that Willow was trying to return Angel's soul.

Buffy hadn't really had time to process the revelation of that day and the newly reopened wound from that fight left her more closed off from him than ever. "What is it Xander? I've got a lot of work to do," she snapped.

"Buffy, ah... I think you should come out here. To the site. I'm in the Science Building," he paused. "You really need to get over here and check this out."

"Xander, just tell me this: is there a body?"

"Ah... yeah."

With that, she hung up her cell phone and picked up her office phone. "Will. Gotta go. Looks like we've got another."  And she was off.

***

Willow was getting back to her research, when the phone rang again. 

"Buffy?" Willow inquired picking up the phone.

"No Willow, it's Dawn," came the agitated and breathy reply from the other end. "Do you know where Buffy is?"

"No, I don't Dawnie. Why?" a concerned Willow inquired.

"I really need her. Now!"

***

Xander met Buffy outside the new Science Building and lead her to where he'd discovered the body. "I was just checking some of the framing in this section of the building before we bring in the dry-walling crew and I found... this."

There, in a dim corner of a storage room, was a body partially covered with a tarp, bound at the ankles with duct tape over his mouth. As the pair stepped closer, they could see several sets of puncture marks and bruises on his legs.

"That's kinda weird don't you think, Buff?"

"What's that?" Buffy asked absently.

"Looks like some of the marks are a couple of days old, but those ones look pretty new. Whatever did this," Xander noted, "has been feeding off this kid for a few days."

"Yeah, I guess that's a bit strange," agreed Buffy as she pulled back the tarp.

Xander groaned at the sight of the boy's arms. "My God, Buffy! Those wounds are brutal. Whatever did this was wild... savage... crazy."

Struck by Xander's unintentionally implicit remark, Buffy was out the door and headed toward the main school building with great haste.

***

As the bus neared Sunnydale High School, Willow was finishing up with her cell briefing Xander on what she'd been able to get over the phone from Dawn. "Yes, I'm just getting off the bus now. I'll meet her in the Infirmary. I'll give you a call when I know more."

Quickly she exited the bus and rushed to the school's main office. "Excuse me," she called to a secretary. "I'm looking for Dawn Summers. She called from the Nurse's Office. Could you tell me how to get there?"

"You're a family member?" the woman asked.

Not wanting to deal with any questions, Willow simply nodded.

"Please follow me," said the secretary as she led Willow from the office.

With Willow barely out one door, Buffy was stomping through the door on the opposite side of the office. "I knew it. I knew you couldn't be trusted!" she grumbled. Stopping at her desk, Buffy grabbed a stake from her bag. "Soul, my a—"

"Ah, Ms. Summers?"

Looking up and still fuming, Buffy found a student peering into her cubicle. She fumbled a little with the stake trying to hide it from view.  "Yes, ah... was there something you needed?" asked Buffy with a nervous smile.

"I'm supposed to talk to you about stuff? I have an appointment," the girl said uncertainly.

"Would you mind if we rescheduled? I've got a bit of a... There's something I need to take care of first. Kind of an emergency."

"Sure, no problem," the student answered dully. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say anyway."

***

"Dawnie," Willow cooed. "Are you all right?"

"I'll just leave you here then," said the secretary turning to leave the young women.

"Yes, thanks," replied Willow waving the woman off. "OK, tell me what happened."

"Oh Willow, it was awful. I mean I didn't even know what was happening at first. Then he attacked me. I couldn't believe it. I never thought that he'd try to hurt me. I mean..."

***

Once Buffy had arranged a new time to meet with the student she headed to the access door for the basement.  "Spike!" the Slayer shrieked as she approached where she'd found him the week earlier. There he was, huddled on the floor. "So I see you took my advice and got out of the basement for a while!" she hissed.

"Buffy..." His voice was almost a whisper.

"You thought I wouldn't figure it out. Thought you could get away with it?"

He cowered deeper into his corner as she continued her verbal assault.

"I know of three. How many more are there? Where did you leave those bodies?"

"Buffy... I—"

She cut him off, "Enough! I'm done listening to the crazy. Done listening to your lies. Your excuses. Done listening to you. I should have done this years ago," she growled as she dragged the pale figure to his feet.  Pressing him against the wall with one arm, she raised her stake in the other. "Now you're done!"

"Buffy no!" Xander yelled.

"Xander, get out of here. I'm just doing what I have to!"

"Buffy don't," Xander urged as he approached. "Spike didn't kill those kids. You're right. He's harmless."

"Xander, please," Buffy barked back at him.

Taking hold of her weaponed hand, Xander continued, "Buffy, Willow's upstairs in the Nurse's Office with Dawn."

"Oh, my God, Dawn. What's happened?" she asked turning her head slightly to face Xander.

"She's alright now, but Dawn was attacked. Apparently her science teacher is the one behind the kids' deaths. He's got some kind of little furry vampire-like demony thing."

"Chupacabra," Spike choked out from beneath Buffy's arm.

"Yeah, that's what Willow called it. Says it feeds mostly off goats but being in the city, goats weren't exactly easy to come by so the teacher decided to serve up students," explained Xander as he pulled the stake from Buffy's grip and set in on a nearby shelf.

Buffy stood staring, a blank look of shock crossed her face as she realized just how close she'd come to ending an innocent "life".

"Buff... I'll just leave you two now, OK?" Xander soothed as he backed away, knowing there was more that needed to be said, but not by him nor with him around.

Buffy blinked and shook her head to refocus. Turning to Spike, as she lowered her forearm from his throat, she noticed a tear streak down his cheek.  "Spike, I—"

"Please Buffy. Please just do it," he begged softly but desperately with wide shimmering eyes. "End my torment."

Startled by his words, Buffy replied scowling, "Don't talk crazy, Spike."

"I should think that just at the moment, I'm actually quite sane," he muttered softly. His tone changed as his pleading eyes met hers. "Please, Buffy, I can't take this anymore!"

"Spike, stop talking like that."

Dropping to his knees, Spike threw back his arms and thrust his chest up to her. "Buffy. Do this for me. For yourself! Take me out of this world! Please!"

"Spike," she began as tears flooded her eyes and the pain cracked in her chest. "I had to kill someone I cared about before. I can't do it again!" As the words left her lips, Buffy collapsed to in front of Spike and wept. "I won't do it. I won't...  I've lost so much... my family, my friends... I've lost myself!" she cried clutching her head with splayed fingers in her hair. "All that's left is the Slayer. I can't do this anymore. I can't do this. I can't..."

Reaching gently to touch her shoulder in a gesture of comfort, Spike replied, "Buffy. It's alright, luv. You're strong. Now, I can't say as it'd do any good, but I'll help you. If you want me."

"Spike, I..." Lowering her arms and raising her head to look at him, Buffy couldn't believe that after all that she'd done to him and all that she'd neglected to do for him that Spike was still so willing to help her.  Suddenly she was struck by the words she'd heard long ago Love, Give, Forgive. "Let me help you now," Buffy said.

"Buffy no, I—"  Spike shook his head. "I could never..."

"Spike please. Things are different now. I want to help you. We'll get through this."

He tried to speak again, but she raised a hand to shush him.

"It's you and it's me, and we'll get through this."

Together they sat silently for a moment then Spike looked deep into Buffy's eyes.

Buffy swallowed hard. "Get your things together. And let's get out of here," she instructed getting to her feet.

Moments later, together, the two fragile warriors left the darkness of the basement and made their way into the light.