SMALLVILLE

The Darkness From Within

-Chapter One-

The Survivors

Dawn felt her entire body freeze, her throat was constricting, like a boa constrictor had just made its way around her neck. She couldn't breathe. Her entire body was rigid; she couldn't believe what had just happened. Buffy was dead, the thought ran through her mind so fast it was hard to comprehend it. One moment she was there the next she wasn't. She had jumped into that thing; to save her.

Why? Why did she have to leave her? Why? Dawn cried inwardly. They could have found another way. They could have saved the world without her dying.

Dawn could feel the tears dripping down her face, rolling down her frozen cheeks. A cold wind passed across her knocking her off her feet, her knees buckling. The air was still and quite. No one made a sound. No one even moved, the only sound came from the silent whimpers from Willow. How could she do this to us? Dawn asked herself over and over again.

To save me, a voice appeared in her head.

We could have found another way? Dawn thought

There wasn't any other way, the voice replied, she had to do it.

She didn't, Dawn argued.

Brainiac said my blood would open and close the portal, Buffy shares the same blood as me, it makes sense that it would have the same affect, the voice replied knowingly.

But, why sacrifice herself for me?! Dawn cried within her head, I'm not even real! I was an accident! If Buffy had never cut herself on that damn stone, I would never have existed!

"It's all my fault," Dawn whispered silently to himself looking down at the ground, her tears splashing down on the tiled roof.

"Dawn?" came Willow's voice behind her. She placed a shaky hand on Dawn's shoulder, adding some comfort to her sorrow. Dawn turned around to see the tear stained faced Willow stood looking down on her. A weak smile crossed her face, it was all she could; she couldn't say anything. She didn't have to as Dawn threw her arms around her. She cried uncontrollably in Willow's arms as she held her. "I know, I know," was all Willow could say. She couldn't say anything, there was too much to tell. Way too much.

God help her Buffy, god help her, Willow thought sadly as she held Dawn.

"Are we there yet?!" Spike asked irritably as he leaned over Xander's seat looking out of the front window. To his relief; he could see Metropolis.

"Yes we're there!" Xander cried angrily, "sweet Penelope!"

"Well, hurry up, boy!" Spike growled, "If we don't get there soon they will all die!"

"Oh like you care about Giles or Will," Xander scoffed glaring at Spike, "you're just tryna get brownie points off Buffy! We're all wise to your act!"

"Hey, I like red!" Spike said with outrage yet strained to think of a reason why, as if he hated the fact he did, "and Giles.... has a nice record collection. Now will you move this rust bucket so we can finally get there!"

"It's ten minutes away now shut up!" Xander snapped irritably.

"You shut up!" Spike snapped back.

"Make me!" Xander retorted childishly.

"I'll bite you!"

"I'll give you a headache!"

"Both of you shut up!" Anya cried indignantly, "you're worse than travelling with a Garlforg demon."

There was a moments silence as both Spike and Xander glared at the road ahead.

"He started it," Spike piped up.

"Did not!" Xander protested.

"Did!" Spike snapped irritably, "now hurry up. We've got half an hour to stop an apocalypse before Passions starts."

"Oh no, we'll miss it," Anya cried heartbroken.

Xander looked at her wide eyed glancing at Tara, who smiled weakly turning back to the window and back to her worries. Please be okay Willow, Tara pleaded in her head.

Giles stood looking at the balcony across from him. It seemed his worst fear had been realised, it had come true; his Slayer had died. He had dreaded this day since the day she had walked into the Library; she was so unruly, uncooperative and he wouldn't have changed her. She never changed, she just got stronger.

Maybe, Quentin was right. Maybe he did have a father's love. He couldn't help it though. He loved her as if she was his own. In some naive way; he didn't think this day would come.

Is it my fault? Giles thought. Should I have left her alone? Had her leave her destiny? Have a normal life? That was all she wanted when he first met her. She was 'done' she said, but he persisted, she had a destiny. That was all he thought about; destiny and duty. He had a duty, she had a duty; they both had a destiny.

Joyce, he thought to himself as tear formed in his eyes, I'm sorry.

"We have to go," Willow said letting go of Dawn and standing up a somewhat cold and determined look on her face. "We have to bring the... body back to Sunnydale," she added, she felt a pang of pain or rather a gut ripping pain within her.

"There won't be a body," Lionel croaked, he too finding it unbelievable at what had just happened. The girl had gone head to head with the Brain Interactive Construct with just a hammer, she had survived a battle with a being five times stronger than her and yet she sacrificed herself to save them. He felt a glimmer of respect within him as he looked over at the balcony and yet he couldn't bear to look in the eyes of her friends and her sister, for he knew that what he had to say would only crush them further.

"What do you mean?" Dawn whimpered looking up at Lionel and everyone at last.

"Your sister jumped into the portal, it was going into an outward motion for releasing prisoners from the Phantom Zone," Lionel explained, "the force of that as well as using her blood to close the gate would have also reversed the effects pulling anything in close proximity to the portal. In this case, Buffy."

"But Brainiac fell inside? She'll still be in danger inside the zone?!" Willow cried frantically.

"The force of the Phantom Zone would have destroyed Brainiac," Lionel replied, "There would be too much unstable energy for him to take. But, I must remind you that your friend is dead... only her body resides in the Phantom Zone." He looked at the disappointment in their eyes, he had crushed their chances, their dreams like so many others in his life. It was times like this he wished he had never had his near death experience, or that he'd even changed... it was simpler back then when people hated him. "I'm sorry, the only comfort we may have is that we stopped Zod's return."

"Are you sure of that Vessel of Jor-El?" boomed a loud aristocratic voice from above.

Lionel looked up, his eyes widening in horror. Dawn, Giles and Willow turned around doing the same, they couldn't believe their eyes. Hovering above them was Lex, battering, his clothes torn and yet looking renewed in some ways. He seemed a different person to them. "Zod," Lionel gasped, "we failed."