Her body flew through the air, a dove-like vision in her sacrificial act to bring peace to the world. All present, human and demon, paused in awe. The Slayer was going to die.
Abruptly her graceful descent ceased, the tense enchantment that had held her audience paralyzed suddenly broken as her body crumbled in upon itself. Willow sobbed, turning her head into Tara's shoulder, whose breath was caught in her throat. Giles wordlessly removed his glasses, not quite believing, or not quite willing to believe what he had just witnessed. Anya too was silent, for once, her arms wrapping around her already-tiny frame, recoiling like a frightened animal. Xander's hands found her shoulders, but could provide no more. His mouth hung open, his eyes still staring. No reaction could ever be correct, not in this situation. Nothing would ever be right again, not without Buffy. So they all were suspended in that moment, the pain so acute that it dulled all other senses.
"No!" Spike burst forth from the group, rushing towards her body, blind with grief.
"Spike, you can't!" Giles reached an arm out to bar his way, but Spike avoided him easily. Weaponless, he raised his wrist to his face, using his own teeth to tear through the skin. Dark beads of blood welled up against the white flesh and he fell on the ground beside her, pressing his wrist to her lips.
"Come on Buffy," he murmured desperately, his free hand lifting her head up. "It'll be alright love," his words were cracking from the fear. "Come on!" The lively color had not quite faded from her cheeks as he pulled her onto his lap, cradling her head as he brushed the hair from her face. He pressed his lips against hers, his fangs tearing small holes on the inside of her lower lip before he withdrew and held his bleeding wrist against her mouth, letting their blood intermingle.
Giles finally caught Spike; the other Scoobies were still frozen with shock and fear, and pulled his arm away from Buffy. Spike, infinitely more powerful, shrugged Giles off and both looked into Buffy's face just in time to see her half-closed eyes flutter, her lifeless body shrugging the cloak of death from its skin.
An audible inhale of mixed emotion was heard even from the gang members who had lingered in the crumbling remains of the building, all of whom now, despite the danger of the situation, rushed forward. Giles, his eyes bittersweet floodgates that drowned any words that yearned to escape his throat, made only a strangled coughing noise and Spike did not waste the opportunity presented by this hesitation. His fingers tightened around Buffy's wrist, his arms hoisted her up and, his grip unyielding, fled the scene with her merely a confused half step behind him.