Roses
Buffy stood up, rising out of her bed. She looked around, baffled at the sight of the room she once slept in. The closet door opened on its own, one item stood hung up on a hanger; a tan jacket, one she hadn't worn since she had beaten The First. "Stupid bloodstain," she mumbled imperceptibly as she ran her fingers along the spot she was stabbed. Hesitantly, she threw it on and left the house.
Sunnydale was a ghost town, but still standing unlike her last memory of the place. There was not a face to be seen, human or otherwise. She wandered around, passing the high school, Willows old place, and ending up at an abandoned Bronze. The stage was empty, yet Michelle Branch could be heard singing "Goodbye to You" in the background, her shadow casting over the club.
Sighing, she moved on to the cemetery, and sat on a tombstone, waiting for any creature that came her way. Still, nothing, not even evil had survived.
"Buffy," came Joyce Summers voice from the air, "Welcome home my darling."
"Mom! Where are you?" she glanced down at the grave below her to see her mothers grave. A red rose fell slowly in front of her. Her teary eyes filled with joy, "Mom?" she said as she turned around.
"Shh," came the voice of a british man, the moonlight slowly fading over his face, he had chiseled cheek bones and a scar over his eyebrow, one given to him by a slayer, "they'll here you."
She struggled to speak, her face clearly perplexed, "Spike, your-I um-who will here me. What are you-"
"Shh."
Her twice dead lover took her by the hand, guiding her to his crypt. Everything was as it was four years earlier, their memories all over the walls, good and bad. "Spike, how is this all possible, your, your dead. And I have had this dream hundreds of times, you coming back, sweeping me off my feet. And every day it," her voice filled with sorrow, "it's even harder to live with out you."
"This isn't a dream, it's a spell. I was only dead for three weeks, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I only have a few more moments to, me and Angel are trapped, by a sorcerer trying to take over Wolfram and Hart. I need you give this to Willow," he gently slipped a piece of paper into her hand, "I need YOU to save the world."
"Again?" she asked humorously, tears falling down her smiling face.
"Sorry," he replied laughing, "I love you."
"No you don't, but thanks for saying it."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Never," she leaned in and kissed his lips, closing her eyes. When she opened them she sprung up in her bed. She sighed sadly, and shook her head. Then, she felt something in her hand, a tiny piece of paper.
Buffy got up, this time for real, and flipped on the light. The brightness awoke The Immortal from his sleep. She shuffled around in a drawer, pulling out a small brown box. In it lay a silver lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
"Buffy, what are you doing?"
"He's back."
She placed the items in her pocket and ran to the phone, dialing frantically, "Wil, I need you to get over here right away. We have another apocalypse. I'll call the gang, but I have something for you, diligo pro suum animus , mos subsequens ut malum mos cado vox of veneficus mos servo vos totus. I don't know what it means, but the back says page 471."
"I'll be right there."
She called everyone: Giles, Xander, Faith and Woods, even Andrew. They all came via teleportation thanks to Willow. Each brought their, slayers. Buffy paced around the room standing in front of them all, along with her boyfriend and sister.
"It's Latin," Giles said after looking at the paper, "The love of their souls, ensures that evil will fall, the power of the witch will save you all. Page 471 must be in a spell book, a Latin one I would presume."
"Well," Dawn added facetiously, "that narrows it down quite a bit." Buffy grimaced at her angrily. "Where did you get this little poem anyway?"
"A friend," she added, holding back. They all looked at her questioningly, she looked down at her feet, "Spike."
Silence fell over the room. All looked astounded besides Andrew who was cool as a cucumber, he spoke up awkwardly, "So, we look at all the Latin books we can find, all with at least 471 pages, and then go from there. Did Spike mention where he was?"
"Just that him and Angel were trapped somewhere, did you know he was alive?"
He stared back at her speechlessly, which gave her the answer, "How could you not have told me I have been-," she stopped herself after being caught in the eyes of her boyfriend, "I just I would have liked to know."
"He told me not to tell you."
She looked hurt, after seeing this face on his best friend Xzander stood, "Well, this obviously has to do with Wolfram and Hart, since Angel is the new head guy, or whatever so let's narrow this down further. Latin books on Wolfram and Hart with 471 pages that are most likely filled with prophesies and spells that have to do with the slayer."
They all nodded and got to work, the slayers trained, Dawn, Woods, and Xzander went on the net, Willow, Giles and Andrew hit the books. Buffy went into her bedroom, her head was killing her. She layed back and let herself drift away.
I love you. Will you marry me. Die Slayer. I know I am a monster, but you treat me like a man. You belong in the darkness, with me. I always knew the only thing better than killing a slayer would be-. Can we rest now? You're the one Buffy. I'm not ready for you to not be here. You rely on him, he relies on you. I have feelings for him. You love me. NO! I hurt the girl. I'm using you, and its killing me. And yet you let him live? I just wanted to stop these feelings. Your soul? I can feel it Buffy, it's really there. Let's go be heroes. Buffy, Buffy.
"Buffy!" Faiths voice snapped her out of her memories, "My god, I yelled like five times."
"Well you don't have to get shirty about it."
"What?"
"Nothing, you got any information?"
She sighed and shook her head, "just not good at the book stuff."
The two sat silently on the bed, and Buffy went back to her thoughts.
My love for their souls? Angel and Spike, of course, the men, or vampires I love and will eternally. Gee, aren't I lucky I get to be the slayer. Everyone around me dies, some comeback, but it's never the same. The ones who stay alive just leave. Mom, and Merrick, Jenny, Cordy, Kendra, Anya, Tara, Wesley; they're all dead. I hate it. I killed Angel, I stabbed him, and Spike burned right in front of me. I can't love anyone, or I loose them. Death is my gift.
She rose and walked into the room at the call of Giles's voice. The scoobies gestured, and spoke about what to do. They had to beat it again. The First, they had beaten to another dimension, and now it was time to finish the job. They would need magic, strength, and hope. Ilyria would need to help, as well as Gunn, Harmony, Oz, Riley, Sam, and each and every slayer. This battle wouldn't defeat one evil, it would defeat it all. The demons would no longer exist. They would be dust, just like the rest of them.
"Come on, B, This is gonna be great, you…rock."
You... rock! If you save the world, I'll come back, we'll have drinks. When. When, I mean. When you save the world. It's gonna be great with all the rocking. Yea Clem, we never got that drink. I hope this won't kill you.
"So," Willow said, "We go in there and kick some evil ass! Am I too much of a loser to say that?"
You wanna fit in here, the first rule is: know your losers. Once you can identify them all by sight they're a lot easier to avoid.
"No, Wil, you're perfect."