Title: The Scattered Puzzle
Disclaimer: BtVS and all the characters belong to Joss, UPN, Fox,
etc....
Summary: Buffy is trying to turn her life around as Xander and Willow's
are crumbling around them. Meanwhile, Dawn is in the middle of it all.
"Death of Spike Fanfic Challenge."
Setting: Near the end of season six.
Warning: Contains possible spoilers for upcoming episodes.
Rating: Rated R for both graphic insinuated violence as well as some
gore.
Special Thanks goes to Monica21 who beta read this for me. The nice
spelling and big words are mostly her doing because otherwise this might
read like Greek. :)
Previously ("on Buffy the Vampire Slayer"): Xander meets a mysterious
man claiming to be him from the future, and takes a walk to clear his head
while Anya searches frantically for him. She confronts the man she last saw
Xander speaking with, the same man who claimed to be from the future. Xander
decides to go back to the wedding and talk to Anya but finds her
missing with no one knowing what's happened to her. Meanwhile, Buffy tries to
accept her actions with Spike and make the situation and her life right.
Willow is thrown when she gets a mysterious phone call in the middle of the night
claiming that Tara, who left Sunnydale for a time to clear her head,
maybe in trouble with a sorcerer in L.A. who is trying to claim her Magical
Energy for his own purposes.
*This will sort of be a prologue that will hint at the story a little
of my next fic which will probably be a long fic over many chapters. However,
this is mainly a stand alone dealing with Spike... his desires, his nature,
and ultimately his demise.*
The Summers Residence
May 13th 2002
10:15 P.M.
"What is the meaning of life? A question that many of us ask ourselves
time
and time again, yet it is a question that may never be answered, maybe
because we can't answer it. What if we are not meant to know the true
meaning of life? What if..."
*click*
Dawn turned the TV off and leaned back with a sigh. "Wow that was
entertaining," she said out loud to no one before getting up and going
into the kitchen for something to drink. She opened the fridge to find only
an empty carton of milk, and some orange juice. Deciding that an empty
carton of milk wouldn't be as thirst quenching as it once was, she pulled the
orange juice out of the fridge and poured herself a glass.
Everything that had gone on for the past year or so flickered through
Dawn's mind as she took a swig from the glass and put the container back in
the fridge. Her mother's death, Buffy's death, Buffy's resurrection, Willow
and Tara breaking up because of Willow's misuse of Dark Magic, Giles
leaving, Anya's disappearance, all of it. Dawn gulped down the rest of the juice
and slammed it on top of the counter just as a man gulping down a cold one
at the end of a long day would.
Orange juice can pack a mean punch for a 16-year-old... especially at night.
Right now Dawn was alone in the Summers home. Buffy was on patrol and
Willow was...well, Dawn didn't know where Willow was. Actually, she didn't
know where Buffy was either. The last time she had seen either of them was
this morning. Willow had seemed shaken ever since late last night, when Dawn
could've sworn she heard the phone ring. She tried to question Willow
about it this morning, but couldn't get an answer from her. When Dawn got
home from school she was gone as was Buffy. Dawn had gone upstairs to where
Willow was currently staying, her mother's former room, but the only
thing she had found were a few clothes strewn over the bed and a barer than
usual closet.
Now, Dawn sat on one of the stools at the kitchen table and looked off
into the distance, her eyes wandering over to one of the many pictures on
the wall, settling the longest on one of her and Buffy. She let out a sigh
as her eyes fell back to the table surface in front of her. The tabletop
felt smooth under her fingertips, and she made small circles across it until
her hand roamed down to the scratch Xander had accidentally made after
Buffy's death last summer. The toughest summer she had ever remembered. Now
Anya was missing and Xander was a wreck. It had been two months since her
disappearance and Xander was driving himself almost to exhaustion
trying to find any kind of information from anywhere in town as to where Anya
might be, hoping that some demon, vamp, anyone, might know something, but
every night he came up empty.
{This is where Xander would usually step in and try to rally everyone
together.} Dawn thought.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the door open and a
dark figure waltz confidently in.
Well, the figure waltzed confidently enough, until it saw Dawn.
Distracted and a little annoyed, Spike halted and then sighed as he looked down
the hall and asked, "Where's your sister, little bit?"
When he got no reply, he looked back at her, "Littl.... Dawn."
"She's not here," she whispered, before looking up at Spike, "and
neither is Willow."
"Oh," Spike said looking off to the hallway before continuing, "Well
then, I guess I'll be on my way. Tell your sister I stopped by." Spike made a
move to go back out the still open door. If it hadn't been for his
vampire-accentuated hearing, he never would have heard Dawn whisper his
name.
"Spike."
Spike stopped in the doorway and his gaze wandered, watching two
teenage kids walking along the sidewalk. He had a brief mental picture of
walking up to them and snapping one of their necks before sinking his teeth into
the other. Then, he heard Dawn's whisper again, but this time more clearly.
The smile that might have formed disappeared as he turned back into the
kitchen.
"I-I had..." Dawn started before cutting herself off. Spike shut the
door behind him and took a step closer as Dawn swallowed back the lump in
her throat before continuing, "I had a nightmare last night."
"Oh," Spike said, before looking back down at her, "so did I, but you
know what?" Spike asked and then continued before Dawn had a chance to
respond, "Who the bloody hell cares?"
Spike didn't expect Dawn's reaction as she fixed him with an unreadable
gaze. "Who cares? How can you say that?" she asked him while getting up
from the stool. "What? No, Dawn what I meant was...."
"I dreamed that Buffy, Willow and Xander were killed!" Dawn practically
screamed.
Dawn's body language caught Spike off guard and he actually backed up a
step. He looked at her a little stunned, but as she looked back down at
the table, her demeanor seem seemed very upset. I tried to talk with her,
but...." Dawn stopped before she looked back up at Spike and he nodded for
her to go on.
"But, I couldn't get her to talk to me and then I had to go to school.
When Xander dropped me off after school both of them were gone. I
haven't.... I don't know where either of them are," Dawn said with tears
threatening to come to the surface.
"What about Buffy? When was the last time you talked to her?" Spike
asked, getting more anxious by the moment.
"I don't know, she.... I mean, Willow...."
"No, no, I heard you. Red's gone, but what about Buffy? When was the
last time you talked to her? Was it this morning?" If Dawn didn't know that
vampires couldn't breathe, she would have sworn that he was gasping for
air.
Spike waited expectantly for answers, and Dawn's silence became as
oppressive as the calm before an oncoming storm. Then, she raised her
head and shook it as her tear-filled eyes mixed incongruously with a little
bit of laughter. Spike frowned and he looked at her with confusion.
"Do you even care?" Dawn asked.
"What?" Spike said, obviously baffled at her question before continuing
with a hint of anger in his voice, "Of course I do! Don't you know that I'd
do anything for Buffy?"
"Yeah, I do," Dawn whispered, as she looked down and began to trace the
scratch in the table with her index finger. The beginnings of a smirk
started to cross his face, thinking she had regretted what she said,
but Dawn wasn't finished, "and that's what I was afraid of."
The smirk quickly fell, and Spike looked at her curiously, "Afraid of?
What..."
"You would do anything for Buffy," she said, and paused for a moment,
looking back at the pictures on the wall, her gaze resting again on the
one of her and Buffy, "and you probably would do anything for me too, I
think, but...."
"But, what?" Spike said a little angrier than he intended. When she
didn't say anything he slammed his fist down on the kitchen table, knocking
off the empty glass that Dawn had drank out of just a few minutes ago, making
her flinch.
Dawn recoiled in fear as she watched Spike's vamp visage come to the
surface. Upon seeing the girl back away, Spike got another image of
doing something much worse than what he had imagined just a few minutes ago
from seeing those teenagers down the street, and it almost brought a smile
to his face. The way her hair flowed down her shoulders, the way the blue
outfit she had on exposed her neck just enough to see her pulse racing, the
way she clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking; all of these
made the blood in Spike's body scream out in joy at the waves of fear her
body was sending off. In fact, he probably would have done what he was
imagining if he hadn't, all of a sudden, focused on just who it was in front of
him as her lips began to move.
Seeing Spike in game face made Dawn really scared for the first time
since she was taken by Glory last summer. But she was a strong girl, and she
somehow found the strength to speak, "I-I didn't want to b-believe it,
but now I see."
Spike watched intently as Dawn took a deep breath before continuing,
"That's the problem Spike, you would do anything for Buffy and possibly me, but
what about Willow? Xander? Anyone else for that matter?"
Spike smirked and shook his head slightly, "Just like your sister."
Dawn watched as Spike walked to the door and opened it as he turned
back around towards her, "Don't worry, I'll find Buffy," he said before he
closed the door behind him, leaving Dawn alone again. At the moment he exited
she walked a couple of feet to the window and watched until his shadowy
figure and platinum blond hair disappeared into the night as she fought back
tears.
Finally, the tension was too much to bear and she brought her hands to
her face as sobs escaped from her throat and tears flowed freely down her
cheeks.
**********
Xander's Apartment
May 14th, 2002
3:45 P.M.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Xander asked Dawn.
She nodded slightly as she looked out towards Sunnydale from his
balcony. "I'm okay," she said pausing for a moment as she watched a couple of
kids play in the street, naive to what lay beneath the surface of their
town. Then she continued as she turned around to face him, "though I'll be
better when we find Buffy and Willow."
Dawn had called Xander last night after Spike left, still in tears. She
told him about Willow and Buffy not showing up and that she was worried.
After she told Xander about the conversation she and Spike had, he decided
that it would be best if she spent the night at his place so he went and got
her. During the car ride back to his place last night, he told her that he
was sure Willow just had to get away for a little while, and that Buffy was
probably running late in her patrol and had forgotten to call. At
least, that's what he hoped. Deep down, though, Xander knew something wasn't
right, especially after Dawn told him about the phone call Willow had
received. Still though, he didn't want to make Dawn more worried than she already
was, so he had managed to hold his own rising panic in check as he looked at
Dawn on the balcony. Then, she had turned around and spoken to him, making
him really afraid. Afraid that he would break down in front of Dawn at the
mention of the word "find". Something that he had been trying to do for
over two months now with Anya. It seemed Dawn had picked up faux pas rather
quickly too.
"Uh, and Anya of course. We'll find Anya too," she said, regretting
immediately the pain that flashed across his face at her mistake.
"Yeah," he said giving her a half smile before he walked back into his
apartment with Dawn close behind.
A little apprehensive as to what to say next, Dawn took a seat in one
of the chairs and looked up at Xander who went to the fridge and opened it.
"So, what do we do? I mean, about Willow and Buffy?" she said, glancing
at
the couch that was scattered with old newspapers.
"Well, I'll drop by your house to see if either of them have shown up
and if they're not there, I'll check a few other spots," he said with his head
buried in the fridge. He shuffled through the contents of what looked
to Dawn like leftover Chinese takeout and pizza.
"What about me? I want to help."
Grabbing two sodas, Xander closed the fridge and walked over to Dawn,
clearing some papers from the couch before taking a seat and handing
Dawn a root beer, "You can stay here, where you'll be safe."
"Yeah, alone safe." she muttered.
"Dawn, if something has..." the moment he started he knew he'd screwed
up as he cut himself off and tried to backpedal, but it didn't work. Dawn
looked sternly at him while rising from her seated position in the chair
beside him.
"I'm going with you and that's final."
Xander looked stunned at Dawn's sudden outburst before slightly
smiling, "Did anyone ever tell you that you're as stubborn as your sister?"
For the first time in two days, Dawn smiled. Even if it was a sad one
it was still a smile.
**********
Sunnydale Bus Station
7:40 P.M.
Sunny Haggerty was whistling as he read the newspaper inside the bus
station on one of the hottest days in May he had ever witnessed. Today had been
rather slow as far as business with only a few customers purchasing
tickets and those, like every other ticket, seemed to be of the one way
variety, either coming or going. However, he knew that night, not day, was when
most of his business came in. As Mr. Haggerty continued to read the
newspaper he found it strange that in a town like Sunnydale, there were no names in
the obituaries. In fact, to his recollection he hadn't seen a name in the
obituaries in over a week and a half. In any other town, one would find
comfort in that fact, but he was unsettled by it. He looked up suddenly
as the doors flew open, sending the bell above the doors jangling about.
Folding up the paper while he cursed aloud, he got up to close the
doors. Just as he was about to close them he saw a bus parked out front. {What
the hell?} he thought, looking up at the clock that read 7:45. Knowing that
the 8:00 was never on time, Mr. Haggerty went back behind the counter,
pulled out his twelve gauge Remington 3200 and made his way out the door with
it in his left hand while holding a flashlight that he picked up off the
counter with his right.
"Steve?" He said aloud, calling out the usual eight o'clock driver's
name as he made his way up to the side of the bus and shined the beam inside
it, finding no sign of anyone on board, "Steve, I swear if this is another
one of your pranks son I'll..." a noise behind the bus cut him off as he
quickly turned around and flashed the light's beam in the direction of the
noise.
"Hello? Who's out there?" he said raising the shotgun a little as if
ready to use it.
That's when he heard a low whisper that seemed to be coming from all
around him, "Sunny, help me?"
Sunny's eyes were as big as saucers as he quickly turned around, waving
the shotgun wildly, holding it with sweaty palms. "Show yourself you
bastard!" he screamed into the night as the air suddenly swept a chill that was
usually reserved for a cold night in January down upon him and made the
hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Then, as quickly as it had
swept down upon him it left as the warmness around him returned, along with
the quiet.
When he turned around he nearly dropped his Remington at the sight of
someone standing about eight feet from him, but it wasn't so much that
he hadn't expected someone behind him that scared him, but the fact that
it was... "Sam?" Sunny whispered not believing what he was seeing.
The man that stood before him was in his mid to late twenties. He had
on what looked like an old 1950's pair of faded pants with a light blue
shirt, but blood stains were all over the man's shirt as red seemed to have
mixed with the blue. His face was thin and pale, that of one which you
usually would find on an old man fighting for his last breath. His eyes looked
almost like gray pearls as they stared back at Sunny.
"God, it can't be," Sunny said with eyes wide.
"Sunny, help me," The man said, clearly in agony.
"Sammy?" Sunny said as he began shaking his head, "No, no,
this...you're..."
"Why didn't you help me little brother? You just let me die," the man
said, as blood trickled down his shirt to his pants.
"God...please no. This can't ....Sammy no." Sunny looked into the eyes
of what once was his big brother, Samuel Haggerty, who was accidentally
shot in an incident back when Sunny was only eighteen. Sunny's mind flashed
back to that time when he held his then 27-year-old brother in his arms while
he died. He would always remember the look on his brother's face, but that
was in his nightmares. Now, he was standing face to face with that
nightmare.
"This isn't real. It can't be rea..."
A laugh that eerily sounded like that of Samuel Haggerty to Sunny,
penetrated the night air, cutting Sunny off as he swallowed back a lump
in his throat.
"Poor little brother, always the weak one weren't you? Never were one
to be calm in a rough situation were you, Sunny?" said the man as his smile
grew.
Sunny found it hard to speak, but not hard enough to back up as he held
his shotgun up high while doing so, "I don't know who or what the hell you
are, but you're not Samuel."
When the man in front of Sunny took a step forward, Sunny pulled the
trigger and two shots echoed in the night.
****************
Stone Ridge Cemetery
Ten minutes earlier
Spike had been out since sundown looking for Buffy, but so far he
hadn't found anything. He had just left Willy's where he questioned every
vamp, demon, and human in the joint, but he had left with exactly what he'd
gone in with … nothing. {At least I got some good blood for a change} he
thought to himself as he walked through the cemetery on the look out. He walked
along the many graves, most having old and cracked headstones. He stopped
immediately though, when he came upon a fresh one. Looking down at the
soil, he turned his head to the side in a smirk before folding his arms and
taking one step back. About a minute later a hand exploded up into the air
from beneath the soil as a man emerged in his vamp visage.
Spike leaned against one of the trees a few feet away as a small smile
played on his face while looking at the newborn vamp, "Well, aren't we
a cute little bugger?"
The newborn looked at him as he growled a little at Spike's comment,
"Who the hell are you? Where's my master?"
Taking out a cigarette Spike lit it and took a puff before letting it
out into the air, "Name's Spike."
"Spike? You mean, William the Bloody?"
"You know of me?" Spike asked with intrigue as he moved closer to the
newborn with a sly smile on his face.
"Well, if it isn't the slayer's play toy," said the newly risen vamp,
with the first sign of confidence in his voice he'd shown since rising as he
smiled.
The smirk on Spike's face was replaced with one of anger as his gaze
narrowed at the newbie, "Awfully big words for someone just out of his
diapers. Maybe I should teach the baby a lesson," Spike said as his
vamp visage came to the surface. However, just when Spike was about to take
a step forward he heard a gun shot go off through the night, followed by
a second one and he turned his head in the direction it had come from.
The next thing he knew he was on the ground with the vamp standing over
him. Spike seethed in anger that he'd let this rookie take him down.
"They said you were going soft, I guess they were right. My master will
reward me well for killing you. She'll definitely be pleased," he said,
growling with a smile.
"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll take my chip for a trophy won't you mate?"
Spike said rolling his eyes, getting a perplexed look from the vamp on top of
him as he took advantage of the situation by sweeping his legs out and
knocking the vamp off of his feet. Spike got to his feet and put his foot on the
vamp's chest just before he was about to get up, "You've really got a
lot to learn mate. So young and full of spirit. I remember when I was newly
risen," he laughed as he looked up into the distance before looking back down
at the vamp, "My first was this sweet little girl who had roamed away from the
village one night. I'll never forget the night Dru brought her to me.
Oooooh, what a night." Spike said slightly laughing before looking back
at the fallen vamp on the ground. "You know what they say, you never
forget your first. Too bad you're never get to know that feeling of the kill mate."
Spike said while in one movement pulling out a stake from his sleeve and
making his descent towards the vamp's heart.
Spike stopped inches short as the vamp said something, "Too bad you'll
never know the feeling again either," he finished with emphasis as he smiled
up at Spike.
Spike looked at the vamp for but a moment and then with anger flashing
through his eyes he thrust the stake into the newly born vamp and the
ashes dissolved back into the ground around the grave. Ten seconds later
Spike got up, and slowly stalked off to investigate the gun shots.
*********************
Restfield Cemetery
A few minutes earlier
She was tired, lost, scared, sad, and more than a little creeped out.
Buffy walked through the cemetery with all these feelings and more. She
listened to the leaves as they were swept away by the wind and it made her think
back to a time when Angel was still in Sunnydale and they were together.
She knew that she was in Restfield and that the mansion that Angel used
to stay in was just a few blocks from here, but as soon as she had thought
about Angel he left her mind. More so than Angel she remembered this
place in time that now she almost wished she could go back to. A place where
that, although there were threats and she was still the Slayer, she was also
at peace with herself even though she really didn't know it at the time. A
place where she had her mother alive and by her side, and her Watcher,
Giles. Now, however, it was a different story. She was more lost than
she had ever been. Ever since her resurrection she had distanced herself
from her friends. The same friends that she used to be so close to it was as
if they were joined at the hip. Her relationship with Dawn was no where
near what she knew it should be, and most importantly of all she had done so
many disgusting things with Spike it was unreal. Spike and she had played so
many games and she had been an active participant and let it continue when
she could've put a stop to it. She had let Spike manipulate her, but more
importantly, she had manipulated herself. She had thought that
something was wrong with her and that was the reason why she had done all those
horrible things with Spike, but after Tara told her nothing was wrong with her,
except for her molecular structure being different, Buffy freaked.
Then, after a couple of days she had come to the realization that she was
never going to do those things with Spike again, and so she didn't, albeit
with a lot of chocolate and friends. Not to mention the fact that most of her
time was now spent helping out a deeply saddened Xander who was still trying
to find Anya, but with no luck.
Just about every night however, Buffy would run into Spike on her
patrol. They would face off night after night. Each time Spike telling her that
she was just denying her nature, denying herself life's pleasures. Buffy
didn't want to admit it, but Spike was right to an extent. She had a very dark
and wild side to her that was sometimes hard to control, but she knew that
it wasn't what she's about. It took awhile to see it, but now she did.
Fore, although her power is wielded in darkness she walks in light, a place
that Spike can never go.
Just as she exited the cemetery and was ready to call it a night, she
heard a gun shot. Her head spun around in the opposite direction that she was
heading. Just then she heard a second shot and in a matter of seconds
she was running into the direction of the fired shots.
*********************
Sunnydale Bus Station
Two minutes after the shots were fired
Spike's vision was made for night, but even he couldn't see anything
other than a couple of buses parked in front of the station. There was no one
in sight and from the looks of it, the place was closed. {What the bloody
hell was that noise then?} he thought as he walked up to one of the buses
and peeked around.
"I should've known. What, did you shoot off a gun just to get me
running to you?" Buffy said with her arms crossed in front of her, while standing
about thirty feet from Spike.
"Luv, if I wanted you to come," Spike said while turning around, "I
wouldn't have had to shoot a gun to get your attention. Well, unless it's the
big bad's gun." he said with a wicked smile that made his tongue stick out
between his teeth.
Buffy wanted to look away after his comment, but she didn't. She stood
her ground because she wasn't going to let him get to her anymore, that had
happened once to many times in the past and it wasn't going to happen
again.
After he saw that she was not going to back down, Spike sighed as he
looked up at the sky for a minute before looking back at her, "Look slayer, I
came running as soon as I heard the shots too, so don't get your knickers in
a twist. Actually, that might not be such a bad idea," Spike said with
that same wicked smile he had but a minute ago.
"You're disgusting."
"But isn't that the way you like it slayer? You like to roll in the
dirt. I've seen it. I've seen you ride like the wind. You're an animal."
"I am not," Buffy said with a little venom, almost hissing it out.
"The passion, the darkness. We both live in it. I've seen the way you
lust for it."
"I'm warning you Spike. Don't!" She said backing up as he took a step
forward.
"You know you want it Buffy. I can smell it on you. The fear, the
adrenaline, the lust for the darkness," he said, saying the last part
with a smile.
Just as Spike moved within a few feet of her, Buffy kicked out her
right foot and it connected with his chin, knocking him back a few feet.
He laughed as he wiped the blood off his chin, "That's my girl."
"You come near me again and you'll be able to fit in my Dustbuster. You
are nothing to me now Spike. I..." Buffy looked down for a minute before
looking back up again, "I was in a bad place. I didn't know if I was something
wrong when I came back. Something evil."
"You are, that's what I've been trying to tell you luv. You belong in
the shadows."
"No. No, I don't. I belong with my friends, with my family, with Dawn.
I know that now. I can't believe it took me so long to realize it, but
now," she said stopping for a minute and then looking at him defiantly before
continuing, "Now, I know."
"You're only lying to yourself slayer. You can't just give it up that
easy. We're one, Buffy, whether you like it or not. I rush through your body
just like your blood does. You still feel me just as I feel you. You can't
deny it."
"Maybe there is something flowing through my body that's somehow a part
of you, but you know what? My body can be cleansed just as like my soul
can. We're through Spike, don't even try to get back inside my head because
it's not going to work. Just pack up and leave, now," she said sternly.
"Not going to happen Slayer," he said, taking a step closer, "I'll
always be in your head luv. I'll be everywhere you turn because deep down you
know just as I do, that you thrive on the lust of the kill, even if it is
vampires. You may not admit what's in front of you, but you will."
Buffy stood there as she tried not to let his words affect her, but
they obviously were. She slowly reached into the sleeve of her jacket,
bringing a smile to Spike's face.
"I told you that that one day would come and that I'd be there. So,
Buffy," he said, letting his vamp visage coming to the surface with a wicked
smile, "are you ready to dance?"
Then as if the wind itself had commanded it, Spike leapt out at Buffy
as she withdrew the stake and blocked his kick. After blocking his kick and
ducking a punch, Buffy swept her legs out and knocked Spike to the ground.
Buffy moved in with the stake just before Spike whipped out with his legs,
knocking the stake out of her hands. He landed on his feet obviously a
little dazed, but nothing substantial as he came at her again. This
time Buffy wasn't prepared because when Spike went to punch her and she
could only grab hold of both of his arms and he head butted her, knocking her
back as she almost lost her balance. He then moved in with a spinning kick
that sent Buffy flying into the air before landing on the hard concrete. As
soon as she hit the ground, she felt her shoulder separate, making her
scream out in agony from the pain.
Spike hovered over her with a smile as he looked down at Buffy holding
her shoulder and gritting her teeth in pain, "What's the matter Slayer,
forget your dancing shoes?"
"Maybe she just doesn't like the way you move," someone said from
behind Spike as he turned around to be met by Xander's fist connecting with
his jaw, knocking him back a few feet.
Spike was upset for letting that ninny sneak up on him, but he vowed
that wouldn't happen again as he turned back towards Xander with a smile
while holding his chin, "Well, well, if it isn't droopy boy."
"Buffy, can you walk? Buffy!" Xander shouted, while still keeping an
eye on Spike as he held a stake firmly in his right hand. When he got no
response from her, he looked over to see Buffy holding her shoulder and just
staring at the situation at hand as if in some sort of shock. This was all
Spike needed as he dove for Xander's stake, knocking it out of his hand as it
rolled about thirty feet away. Spike grabbed Xander by the collar of
his shirt as Xander struggled to free himself, but to no avail and Spike
sent him skidding across the pavement.
This act did not go without consequence however, as it sent waves of
pain all through Spike's head as if it were about to explode. When the pain
was had subsided to a tolerable level, he looked over to see Xander
struggling to get up. Xander stumbled, clearly in a daze. Spike then looked over
to his left to see Buffy staring at him wide eyes, and he smiled before
stalking towards her.
Buffy reached behind her for any kind of weapon she could find, but
found none as she starting backing up as best she could while on the ground,
with every motion sending shock waves throughout her shoulder that made her
want to scream out with each movement she made.
"Don't worry pet, it'll all be over soon," Spike said as he finally
reached her and tried to drag her up to her feet.
Buffy swooped out her legs to trip him, but he jumped over them with
ease and pulled her to her feet with her screaming, "No," and trying to
fight him back. That's when he squeezed her shoulder, drawing out a scream of
agony from her as she went limp in his arms. Spike then turned her roughly
around, sending another wave of pain through her body.
"So sweet, this skin." He said while tracing a finger up and down the
side of her neck, her back pulled firmly against his chest. "It didn't have
to be this way Buffy, but you gave me no choice. You wouldn't accept who you
are, but don't worry I'll show you who you are and more," and with that he
descended to her neck with his fangs.
It had been so long since Spike had tasted the trickle of warm human
blood. When that first wave seeped into his mouth, it was pure ecstasy. That
it was Slayer blood made it better, but this wasn't just any Slayer's blood,
this was Buffy's blood. Someone who had been a thorn in his side ever since
he had came back to Sunnydale with Dru. This was the person who was
responsible for ruining every conquest he had as well as his relationship with Dru.
He had done everything for her, everything and still she wouldn't love
him, wouldn't be with him. He even offered to dust Drusilla for her, but it
didn't seem to matter to her. This made the blood that much better as
it went down and quenched a hunger that had been dormant for so long.
Quickly something changed - a feeling. It was something he didn't quite
recognize. He knew it had been awhile since he had fed from a human,
but this was different. It was pain, and it wouldn't go away. Then it
registered that the pain was in his chest, and he lost his grip on
Buffy. Spike's eyes went from Buffy collapsing on the pavement to his chest,
which had a stake projecting from it. Spike had always promised himself that
if he were ever to get staked he would not look the person who did it in the
eye to give them the satisfaction of letting them look upon him, but then
again, Spike would never have thought that he wouldn't be able to hurt humans
so it mattered not. He turned with the stake still in his chest to see his
executioner as his eyes widened to the point that his pupils even seem
to dilate.
"Dawn?"
As he said her name she was backing up, only three feet away, with a
stricken look on her face.
Then as quickly as the demon had taken his body, it left as Spike's
ashes fell to the pavement.
What seemed like an eternity to Dawn was actually only a few seconds as
she was taken out of that moment when Xander's hand gently touched her
shoulder, making her flinch. She quickly turned around to look at him and their
eyes met. Neither could say a word as they exchanged looks before she dove
into his arms. Xander held her for a few minutes before she finally pulled
back and looked up at him, "I just killed Spike," she said in a hardly
recognizable voice as he wiped away a tear from her face with his
finger.
"Dawn, you had no choice," he said looking her in the eye before
looking away and letting out a frustrated sigh, "Dawnie, I'm sorry I dragged
you out here. I should've never let you..."
Dawn cut him off, "Xander, it wasn't your fault. I wanted to come, I-I
needed to come. It's just...I-I..."
"I know," he said cutting her off.
Dawn looked up at Xander with a slight nod, before turning to look at
Buffy and then running to her sister, engulfing her in a hug, her reward
being an agonizing scream. "Oh, sorry," Dawn said, and she winced inwardly while
pulling back.
"It's okay, just help me.... up," Buffy said. Xander came up beside
Dawn and they both helped her to her feet. Once she was standing, her gaze went
to the pile of ashes. She fought back the pain from not only her shoulder,
but also where Spike's fangs had torn into her neck. Xander's voice brought
her back to reality, "Buffy, we need to get you to a doctor."
"Okay," she said before taking one last look at the ashes and then
letting Xander and Dawn slightly support her weight.
As they helped Buffy while walking away, Dawn took one last stunned
look over her shoulder before turning her back around to help Buffy. The
three of them slowly disappeared down the street, Xander and Dawn supporting
Buffy.
Back near the bus station, whistling is heard as a foot lands near
Spike's ashes. A hand reaches down and pulls something out of them. Afterwards,
the ashes are swept up into a dust pan as the person walks back toward the
front of the bus station. When he reaches the entrance he dumps the ashes
from the pan into a nearby trashcan and walks inside the station.
Making his way over to the flipover counter he tosses the small, metallic
item into a nearby pan as it rattles around before finally coming to a stop.
Then the man goes back behind the counter, picks up the folded over
newspaper and flips it open as his whistling is heard throughout the
station. When he flips the page, we see Sunny Haggerty's eyes flash red
but for an instant as he continues to read with a smile coming to his
face.....
The End
Disclaimer: BtVS and all the characters belong to Joss, UPN, Fox,
etc....
Summary: Buffy is trying to turn her life around as Xander and Willow's
are crumbling around them. Meanwhile, Dawn is in the middle of it all.
"Death of Spike Fanfic Challenge."
Setting: Near the end of season six.
Warning: Contains possible spoilers for upcoming episodes.
Rating: Rated R for both graphic insinuated violence as well as some
gore.
Special Thanks goes to Monica21 who beta read this for me. The nice
spelling and big words are mostly her doing because otherwise this might
read like Greek. :)
Previously ("on Buffy the Vampire Slayer"): Xander meets a mysterious
man claiming to be him from the future, and takes a walk to clear his head
while Anya searches frantically for him. She confronts the man she last saw
Xander speaking with, the same man who claimed to be from the future. Xander
decides to go back to the wedding and talk to Anya but finds her
missing with no one knowing what's happened to her. Meanwhile, Buffy tries to
accept her actions with Spike and make the situation and her life right.
Willow is thrown when she gets a mysterious phone call in the middle of the night
claiming that Tara, who left Sunnydale for a time to clear her head,
maybe in trouble with a sorcerer in L.A. who is trying to claim her Magical
Energy for his own purposes.
*This will sort of be a prologue that will hint at the story a little
of my next fic which will probably be a long fic over many chapters. However,
this is mainly a stand alone dealing with Spike... his desires, his nature,
and ultimately his demise.*
The Summers Residence
May 13th 2002
10:15 P.M.
"What is the meaning of life? A question that many of us ask ourselves
time
and time again, yet it is a question that may never be answered, maybe
because we can't answer it. What if we are not meant to know the true
meaning of life? What if..."
*click*
Dawn turned the TV off and leaned back with a sigh. "Wow that was
entertaining," she said out loud to no one before getting up and going
into the kitchen for something to drink. She opened the fridge to find only
an empty carton of milk, and some orange juice. Deciding that an empty
carton of milk wouldn't be as thirst quenching as it once was, she pulled the
orange juice out of the fridge and poured herself a glass.
Everything that had gone on for the past year or so flickered through
Dawn's mind as she took a swig from the glass and put the container back in
the fridge. Her mother's death, Buffy's death, Buffy's resurrection, Willow
and Tara breaking up because of Willow's misuse of Dark Magic, Giles
leaving, Anya's disappearance, all of it. Dawn gulped down the rest of the juice
and slammed it on top of the counter just as a man gulping down a cold one
at the end of a long day would.
Orange juice can pack a mean punch for a 16-year-old... especially at night.
Right now Dawn was alone in the Summers home. Buffy was on patrol and
Willow was...well, Dawn didn't know where Willow was. Actually, she didn't
know where Buffy was either. The last time she had seen either of them was
this morning. Willow had seemed shaken ever since late last night, when Dawn
could've sworn she heard the phone ring. She tried to question Willow
about it this morning, but couldn't get an answer from her. When Dawn got
home from school she was gone as was Buffy. Dawn had gone upstairs to where
Willow was currently staying, her mother's former room, but the only
thing she had found were a few clothes strewn over the bed and a barer than
usual closet.
Now, Dawn sat on one of the stools at the kitchen table and looked off
into the distance, her eyes wandering over to one of the many pictures on
the wall, settling the longest on one of her and Buffy. She let out a sigh
as her eyes fell back to the table surface in front of her. The tabletop
felt smooth under her fingertips, and she made small circles across it until
her hand roamed down to the scratch Xander had accidentally made after
Buffy's death last summer. The toughest summer she had ever remembered. Now
Anya was missing and Xander was a wreck. It had been two months since her
disappearance and Xander was driving himself almost to exhaustion
trying to find any kind of information from anywhere in town as to where Anya
might be, hoping that some demon, vamp, anyone, might know something, but
every night he came up empty.
{This is where Xander would usually step in and try to rally everyone
together.} Dawn thought.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the door open and a
dark figure waltz confidently in.
Well, the figure waltzed confidently enough, until it saw Dawn.
Distracted and a little annoyed, Spike halted and then sighed as he looked down
the hall and asked, "Where's your sister, little bit?"
When he got no reply, he looked back at her, "Littl.... Dawn."
"She's not here," she whispered, before looking up at Spike, "and
neither is Willow."
"Oh," Spike said looking off to the hallway before continuing, "Well
then, I guess I'll be on my way. Tell your sister I stopped by." Spike made a
move to go back out the still open door. If it hadn't been for his
vampire-accentuated hearing, he never would have heard Dawn whisper his
name.
"Spike."
Spike stopped in the doorway and his gaze wandered, watching two
teenage kids walking along the sidewalk. He had a brief mental picture of
walking up to them and snapping one of their necks before sinking his teeth into
the other. Then, he heard Dawn's whisper again, but this time more clearly.
The smile that might have formed disappeared as he turned back into the
kitchen.
"I-I had..." Dawn started before cutting herself off. Spike shut the
door behind him and took a step closer as Dawn swallowed back the lump in
her throat before continuing, "I had a nightmare last night."
"Oh," Spike said, before looking back down at her, "so did I, but you
know what?" Spike asked and then continued before Dawn had a chance to
respond, "Who the bloody hell cares?"
Spike didn't expect Dawn's reaction as she fixed him with an unreadable
gaze. "Who cares? How can you say that?" she asked him while getting up
from the stool. "What? No, Dawn what I meant was...."
"I dreamed that Buffy, Willow and Xander were killed!" Dawn practically
screamed.
Dawn's body language caught Spike off guard and he actually backed up a
step. He looked at her a little stunned, but as she looked back down at
the table, her demeanor seem seemed very upset. I tried to talk with her,
but...." Dawn stopped before she looked back up at Spike and he nodded for
her to go on.
"But, I couldn't get her to talk to me and then I had to go to school.
When Xander dropped me off after school both of them were gone. I
haven't.... I don't know where either of them are," Dawn said with tears
threatening to come to the surface.
"What about Buffy? When was the last time you talked to her?" Spike
asked, getting more anxious by the moment.
"I don't know, she.... I mean, Willow...."
"No, no, I heard you. Red's gone, but what about Buffy? When was the
last time you talked to her? Was it this morning?" If Dawn didn't know that
vampires couldn't breathe, she would have sworn that he was gasping for
air.
Spike waited expectantly for answers, and Dawn's silence became as
oppressive as the calm before an oncoming storm. Then, she raised her
head and shook it as her tear-filled eyes mixed incongruously with a little
bit of laughter. Spike frowned and he looked at her with confusion.
"Do you even care?" Dawn asked.
"What?" Spike said, obviously baffled at her question before continuing
with a hint of anger in his voice, "Of course I do! Don't you know that I'd
do anything for Buffy?"
"Yeah, I do," Dawn whispered, as she looked down and began to trace the
scratch in the table with her index finger. The beginnings of a smirk
started to cross his face, thinking she had regretted what she said,
but Dawn wasn't finished, "and that's what I was afraid of."
The smirk quickly fell, and Spike looked at her curiously, "Afraid of?
What..."
"You would do anything for Buffy," she said, and paused for a moment,
looking back at the pictures on the wall, her gaze resting again on the
one of her and Buffy, "and you probably would do anything for me too, I
think, but...."
"But, what?" Spike said a little angrier than he intended. When she
didn't say anything he slammed his fist down on the kitchen table, knocking
off the empty glass that Dawn had drank out of just a few minutes ago, making
her flinch.
Dawn recoiled in fear as she watched Spike's vamp visage come to the
surface. Upon seeing the girl back away, Spike got another image of
doing something much worse than what he had imagined just a few minutes ago
from seeing those teenagers down the street, and it almost brought a smile
to his face. The way her hair flowed down her shoulders, the way the blue
outfit she had on exposed her neck just enough to see her pulse racing, the
way she clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking; all of these
made the blood in Spike's body scream out in joy at the waves of fear her
body was sending off. In fact, he probably would have done what he was
imagining if he hadn't, all of a sudden, focused on just who it was in front of
him as her lips began to move.
Seeing Spike in game face made Dawn really scared for the first time
since she was taken by Glory last summer. But she was a strong girl, and she
somehow found the strength to speak, "I-I didn't want to b-believe it,
but now I see."
Spike watched intently as Dawn took a deep breath before continuing,
"That's the problem Spike, you would do anything for Buffy and possibly me, but
what about Willow? Xander? Anyone else for that matter?"
Spike smirked and shook his head slightly, "Just like your sister."
Dawn watched as Spike walked to the door and opened it as he turned
back around towards her, "Don't worry, I'll find Buffy," he said before he
closed the door behind him, leaving Dawn alone again. At the moment he exited
she walked a couple of feet to the window and watched until his shadowy
figure and platinum blond hair disappeared into the night as she fought back
tears.
Finally, the tension was too much to bear and she brought her hands to
her face as sobs escaped from her throat and tears flowed freely down her
cheeks.
**********
Xander's Apartment
May 14th, 2002
3:45 P.M.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Xander asked Dawn.
She nodded slightly as she looked out towards Sunnydale from his
balcony. "I'm okay," she said pausing for a moment as she watched a couple of
kids play in the street, naive to what lay beneath the surface of their
town. Then she continued as she turned around to face him, "though I'll be
better when we find Buffy and Willow."
Dawn had called Xander last night after Spike left, still in tears. She
told him about Willow and Buffy not showing up and that she was worried.
After she told Xander about the conversation she and Spike had, he decided
that it would be best if she spent the night at his place so he went and got
her. During the car ride back to his place last night, he told her that he
was sure Willow just had to get away for a little while, and that Buffy was
probably running late in her patrol and had forgotten to call. At
least, that's what he hoped. Deep down, though, Xander knew something wasn't
right, especially after Dawn told him about the phone call Willow had
received. Still though, he didn't want to make Dawn more worried than she already
was, so he had managed to hold his own rising panic in check as he looked at
Dawn on the balcony. Then, she had turned around and spoken to him, making
him really afraid. Afraid that he would break down in front of Dawn at the
mention of the word "find". Something that he had been trying to do for
over two months now with Anya. It seemed Dawn had picked up faux pas rather
quickly too.
"Uh, and Anya of course. We'll find Anya too," she said, regretting
immediately the pain that flashed across his face at her mistake.
"Yeah," he said giving her a half smile before he walked back into his
apartment with Dawn close behind.
A little apprehensive as to what to say next, Dawn took a seat in one
of the chairs and looked up at Xander who went to the fridge and opened it.
"So, what do we do? I mean, about Willow and Buffy?" she said, glancing
at
the couch that was scattered with old newspapers.
"Well, I'll drop by your house to see if either of them have shown up
and if they're not there, I'll check a few other spots," he said with his head
buried in the fridge. He shuffled through the contents of what looked
to Dawn like leftover Chinese takeout and pizza.
"What about me? I want to help."
Grabbing two sodas, Xander closed the fridge and walked over to Dawn,
clearing some papers from the couch before taking a seat and handing
Dawn a root beer, "You can stay here, where you'll be safe."
"Yeah, alone safe." she muttered.
"Dawn, if something has..." the moment he started he knew he'd screwed
up as he cut himself off and tried to backpedal, but it didn't work. Dawn
looked sternly at him while rising from her seated position in the chair
beside him.
"I'm going with you and that's final."
Xander looked stunned at Dawn's sudden outburst before slightly
smiling, "Did anyone ever tell you that you're as stubborn as your sister?"
For the first time in two days, Dawn smiled. Even if it was a sad one
it was still a smile.
**********
Sunnydale Bus Station
7:40 P.M.
Sunny Haggerty was whistling as he read the newspaper inside the bus
station on one of the hottest days in May he had ever witnessed. Today had been
rather slow as far as business with only a few customers purchasing
tickets and those, like every other ticket, seemed to be of the one way
variety, either coming or going. However, he knew that night, not day, was when
most of his business came in. As Mr. Haggerty continued to read the
newspaper he found it strange that in a town like Sunnydale, there were no names in
the obituaries. In fact, to his recollection he hadn't seen a name in the
obituaries in over a week and a half. In any other town, one would find
comfort in that fact, but he was unsettled by it. He looked up suddenly
as the doors flew open, sending the bell above the doors jangling about.
Folding up the paper while he cursed aloud, he got up to close the
doors. Just as he was about to close them he saw a bus parked out front. {What
the hell?} he thought, looking up at the clock that read 7:45. Knowing that
the 8:00 was never on time, Mr. Haggerty went back behind the counter,
pulled out his twelve gauge Remington 3200 and made his way out the door with
it in his left hand while holding a flashlight that he picked up off the
counter with his right.
"Steve?" He said aloud, calling out the usual eight o'clock driver's
name as he made his way up to the side of the bus and shined the beam inside
it, finding no sign of anyone on board, "Steve, I swear if this is another
one of your pranks son I'll..." a noise behind the bus cut him off as he
quickly turned around and flashed the light's beam in the direction of the
noise.
"Hello? Who's out there?" he said raising the shotgun a little as if
ready to use it.
That's when he heard a low whisper that seemed to be coming from all
around him, "Sunny, help me?"
Sunny's eyes were as big as saucers as he quickly turned around, waving
the shotgun wildly, holding it with sweaty palms. "Show yourself you
bastard!" he screamed into the night as the air suddenly swept a chill that was
usually reserved for a cold night in January down upon him and made the
hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Then, as quickly as it had
swept down upon him it left as the warmness around him returned, along with
the quiet.
When he turned around he nearly dropped his Remington at the sight of
someone standing about eight feet from him, but it wasn't so much that
he hadn't expected someone behind him that scared him, but the fact that
it was... "Sam?" Sunny whispered not believing what he was seeing.
The man that stood before him was in his mid to late twenties. He had
on what looked like an old 1950's pair of faded pants with a light blue
shirt, but blood stains were all over the man's shirt as red seemed to have
mixed with the blue. His face was thin and pale, that of one which you
usually would find on an old man fighting for his last breath. His eyes looked
almost like gray pearls as they stared back at Sunny.
"God, it can't be," Sunny said with eyes wide.
"Sunny, help me," The man said, clearly in agony.
"Sammy?" Sunny said as he began shaking his head, "No, no,
this...you're..."
"Why didn't you help me little brother? You just let me die," the man
said, as blood trickled down his shirt to his pants.
"God...please no. This can't ....Sammy no." Sunny looked into the eyes
of what once was his big brother, Samuel Haggerty, who was accidentally
shot in an incident back when Sunny was only eighteen. Sunny's mind flashed
back to that time when he held his then 27-year-old brother in his arms while
he died. He would always remember the look on his brother's face, but that
was in his nightmares. Now, he was standing face to face with that
nightmare.
"This isn't real. It can't be rea..."
A laugh that eerily sounded like that of Samuel Haggerty to Sunny,
penetrated the night air, cutting Sunny off as he swallowed back a lump
in his throat.
"Poor little brother, always the weak one weren't you? Never were one
to be calm in a rough situation were you, Sunny?" said the man as his smile
grew.
Sunny found it hard to speak, but not hard enough to back up as he held
his shotgun up high while doing so, "I don't know who or what the hell you
are, but you're not Samuel."
When the man in front of Sunny took a step forward, Sunny pulled the
trigger and two shots echoed in the night.
****************
Stone Ridge Cemetery
Ten minutes earlier
Spike had been out since sundown looking for Buffy, but so far he
hadn't found anything. He had just left Willy's where he questioned every
vamp, demon, and human in the joint, but he had left with exactly what he'd
gone in with … nothing. {At least I got some good blood for a change} he
thought to himself as he walked through the cemetery on the look out. He walked
along the many graves, most having old and cracked headstones. He stopped
immediately though, when he came upon a fresh one. Looking down at the
soil, he turned his head to the side in a smirk before folding his arms and
taking one step back. About a minute later a hand exploded up into the air
from beneath the soil as a man emerged in his vamp visage.
Spike leaned against one of the trees a few feet away as a small smile
played on his face while looking at the newborn vamp, "Well, aren't we
a cute little bugger?"
The newborn looked at him as he growled a little at Spike's comment,
"Who the hell are you? Where's my master?"
Taking out a cigarette Spike lit it and took a puff before letting it
out into the air, "Name's Spike."
"Spike? You mean, William the Bloody?"
"You know of me?" Spike asked with intrigue as he moved closer to the
newborn with a sly smile on his face.
"Well, if it isn't the slayer's play toy," said the newly risen vamp,
with the first sign of confidence in his voice he'd shown since rising as he
smiled.
The smirk on Spike's face was replaced with one of anger as his gaze
narrowed at the newbie, "Awfully big words for someone just out of his
diapers. Maybe I should teach the baby a lesson," Spike said as his
vamp visage came to the surface. However, just when Spike was about to take
a step forward he heard a gun shot go off through the night, followed by
a second one and he turned his head in the direction it had come from.
The next thing he knew he was on the ground with the vamp standing over
him. Spike seethed in anger that he'd let this rookie take him down.
"They said you were going soft, I guess they were right. My master will
reward me well for killing you. She'll definitely be pleased," he said,
growling with a smile.
"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll take my chip for a trophy won't you mate?"
Spike said rolling his eyes, getting a perplexed look from the vamp on top of
him as he took advantage of the situation by sweeping his legs out and
knocking the vamp off of his feet. Spike got to his feet and put his foot on the
vamp's chest just before he was about to get up, "You've really got a
lot to learn mate. So young and full of spirit. I remember when I was newly
risen," he laughed as he looked up into the distance before looking back down
at the vamp, "My first was this sweet little girl who had roamed away from the
village one night. I'll never forget the night Dru brought her to me.
Oooooh, what a night." Spike said slightly laughing before looking back
at the fallen vamp on the ground. "You know what they say, you never
forget your first. Too bad you're never get to know that feeling of the kill mate."
Spike said while in one movement pulling out a stake from his sleeve and
making his descent towards the vamp's heart.
Spike stopped inches short as the vamp said something, "Too bad you'll
never know the feeling again either," he finished with emphasis as he smiled
up at Spike.
Spike looked at the vamp for but a moment and then with anger flashing
through his eyes he thrust the stake into the newly born vamp and the
ashes dissolved back into the ground around the grave. Ten seconds later
Spike got up, and slowly stalked off to investigate the gun shots.
*********************
Restfield Cemetery
A few minutes earlier
She was tired, lost, scared, sad, and more than a little creeped out.
Buffy walked through the cemetery with all these feelings and more. She
listened to the leaves as they were swept away by the wind and it made her think
back to a time when Angel was still in Sunnydale and they were together.
She knew that she was in Restfield and that the mansion that Angel used
to stay in was just a few blocks from here, but as soon as she had thought
about Angel he left her mind. More so than Angel she remembered this
place in time that now she almost wished she could go back to. A place where
that, although there were threats and she was still the Slayer, she was also
at peace with herself even though she really didn't know it at the time. A
place where she had her mother alive and by her side, and her Watcher,
Giles. Now, however, it was a different story. She was more lost than
she had ever been. Ever since her resurrection she had distanced herself
from her friends. The same friends that she used to be so close to it was as
if they were joined at the hip. Her relationship with Dawn was no where
near what she knew it should be, and most importantly of all she had done so
many disgusting things with Spike it was unreal. Spike and she had played so
many games and she had been an active participant and let it continue when
she could've put a stop to it. She had let Spike manipulate her, but more
importantly, she had manipulated herself. She had thought that
something was wrong with her and that was the reason why she had done all those
horrible things with Spike, but after Tara told her nothing was wrong with her,
except for her molecular structure being different, Buffy freaked.
Then, after a couple of days she had come to the realization that she was
never going to do those things with Spike again, and so she didn't, albeit
with a lot of chocolate and friends. Not to mention the fact that most of her
time was now spent helping out a deeply saddened Xander who was still trying
to find Anya, but with no luck.
Just about every night however, Buffy would run into Spike on her
patrol. They would face off night after night. Each time Spike telling her that
she was just denying her nature, denying herself life's pleasures. Buffy
didn't want to admit it, but Spike was right to an extent. She had a very dark
and wild side to her that was sometimes hard to control, but she knew that
it wasn't what she's about. It took awhile to see it, but now she did.
Fore, although her power is wielded in darkness she walks in light, a place
that Spike can never go.
Just as she exited the cemetery and was ready to call it a night, she
heard a gun shot. Her head spun around in the opposite direction that she was
heading. Just then she heard a second shot and in a matter of seconds
she was running into the direction of the fired shots.
*********************
Sunnydale Bus Station
Two minutes after the shots were fired
Spike's vision was made for night, but even he couldn't see anything
other than a couple of buses parked in front of the station. There was no one
in sight and from the looks of it, the place was closed. {What the bloody
hell was that noise then?} he thought as he walked up to one of the buses
and peeked around.
"I should've known. What, did you shoot off a gun just to get me
running to you?" Buffy said with her arms crossed in front of her, while standing
about thirty feet from Spike.
"Luv, if I wanted you to come," Spike said while turning around, "I
wouldn't have had to shoot a gun to get your attention. Well, unless it's the
big bad's gun." he said with a wicked smile that made his tongue stick out
between his teeth.
Buffy wanted to look away after his comment, but she didn't. She stood
her ground because she wasn't going to let him get to her anymore, that had
happened once to many times in the past and it wasn't going to happen
again.
After he saw that she was not going to back down, Spike sighed as he
looked up at the sky for a minute before looking back at her, "Look slayer, I
came running as soon as I heard the shots too, so don't get your knickers in
a twist. Actually, that might not be such a bad idea," Spike said with
that same wicked smile he had but a minute ago.
"You're disgusting."
"But isn't that the way you like it slayer? You like to roll in the
dirt. I've seen it. I've seen you ride like the wind. You're an animal."
"I am not," Buffy said with a little venom, almost hissing it out.
"The passion, the darkness. We both live in it. I've seen the way you
lust for it."
"I'm warning you Spike. Don't!" She said backing up as he took a step
forward.
"You know you want it Buffy. I can smell it on you. The fear, the
adrenaline, the lust for the darkness," he said, saying the last part
with a smile.
Just as Spike moved within a few feet of her, Buffy kicked out her
right foot and it connected with his chin, knocking him back a few feet.
He laughed as he wiped the blood off his chin, "That's my girl."
"You come near me again and you'll be able to fit in my Dustbuster. You
are nothing to me now Spike. I..." Buffy looked down for a minute before
looking back up again, "I was in a bad place. I didn't know if I was something
wrong when I came back. Something evil."
"You are, that's what I've been trying to tell you luv. You belong in
the shadows."
"No. No, I don't. I belong with my friends, with my family, with Dawn.
I know that now. I can't believe it took me so long to realize it, but
now," she said stopping for a minute and then looking at him defiantly before
continuing, "Now, I know."
"You're only lying to yourself slayer. You can't just give it up that
easy. We're one, Buffy, whether you like it or not. I rush through your body
just like your blood does. You still feel me just as I feel you. You can't
deny it."
"Maybe there is something flowing through my body that's somehow a part
of you, but you know what? My body can be cleansed just as like my soul
can. We're through Spike, don't even try to get back inside my head because
it's not going to work. Just pack up and leave, now," she said sternly.
"Not going to happen Slayer," he said, taking a step closer, "I'll
always be in your head luv. I'll be everywhere you turn because deep down you
know just as I do, that you thrive on the lust of the kill, even if it is
vampires. You may not admit what's in front of you, but you will."
Buffy stood there as she tried not to let his words affect her, but
they obviously were. She slowly reached into the sleeve of her jacket,
bringing a smile to Spike's face.
"I told you that that one day would come and that I'd be there. So,
Buffy," he said, letting his vamp visage coming to the surface with a wicked
smile, "are you ready to dance?"
Then as if the wind itself had commanded it, Spike leapt out at Buffy
as she withdrew the stake and blocked his kick. After blocking his kick and
ducking a punch, Buffy swept her legs out and knocked Spike to the ground.
Buffy moved in with the stake just before Spike whipped out with his legs,
knocking the stake out of her hands. He landed on his feet obviously a
little dazed, but nothing substantial as he came at her again. This
time Buffy wasn't prepared because when Spike went to punch her and she
could only grab hold of both of his arms and he head butted her, knocking her
back as she almost lost her balance. He then moved in with a spinning kick
that sent Buffy flying into the air before landing on the hard concrete. As
soon as she hit the ground, she felt her shoulder separate, making her
scream out in agony from the pain.
Spike hovered over her with a smile as he looked down at Buffy holding
her shoulder and gritting her teeth in pain, "What's the matter Slayer,
forget your dancing shoes?"
"Maybe she just doesn't like the way you move," someone said from
behind Spike as he turned around to be met by Xander's fist connecting with
his jaw, knocking him back a few feet.
Spike was upset for letting that ninny sneak up on him, but he vowed
that wouldn't happen again as he turned back towards Xander with a smile
while holding his chin, "Well, well, if it isn't droopy boy."
"Buffy, can you walk? Buffy!" Xander shouted, while still keeping an
eye on Spike as he held a stake firmly in his right hand. When he got no
response from her, he looked over to see Buffy holding her shoulder and just
staring at the situation at hand as if in some sort of shock. This was all
Spike needed as he dove for Xander's stake, knocking it out of his hand as it
rolled about thirty feet away. Spike grabbed Xander by the collar of
his shirt as Xander struggled to free himself, but to no avail and Spike
sent him skidding across the pavement.
This act did not go without consequence however, as it sent waves of
pain all through Spike's head as if it were about to explode. When the pain
was had subsided to a tolerable level, he looked over to see Xander
struggling to get up. Xander stumbled, clearly in a daze. Spike then looked over
to his left to see Buffy staring at him wide eyes, and he smiled before
stalking towards her.
Buffy reached behind her for any kind of weapon she could find, but
found none as she starting backing up as best she could while on the ground,
with every motion sending shock waves throughout her shoulder that made her
want to scream out with each movement she made.
"Don't worry pet, it'll all be over soon," Spike said as he finally
reached her and tried to drag her up to her feet.
Buffy swooped out her legs to trip him, but he jumped over them with
ease and pulled her to her feet with her screaming, "No," and trying to
fight him back. That's when he squeezed her shoulder, drawing out a scream of
agony from her as she went limp in his arms. Spike then turned her roughly
around, sending another wave of pain through her body.
"So sweet, this skin." He said while tracing a finger up and down the
side of her neck, her back pulled firmly against his chest. "It didn't have
to be this way Buffy, but you gave me no choice. You wouldn't accept who you
are, but don't worry I'll show you who you are and more," and with that he
descended to her neck with his fangs.
It had been so long since Spike had tasted the trickle of warm human
blood. When that first wave seeped into his mouth, it was pure ecstasy. That
it was Slayer blood made it better, but this wasn't just any Slayer's blood,
this was Buffy's blood. Someone who had been a thorn in his side ever since
he had came back to Sunnydale with Dru. This was the person who was
responsible for ruining every conquest he had as well as his relationship with Dru.
He had done everything for her, everything and still she wouldn't love
him, wouldn't be with him. He even offered to dust Drusilla for her, but it
didn't seem to matter to her. This made the blood that much better as
it went down and quenched a hunger that had been dormant for so long.
Quickly something changed - a feeling. It was something he didn't quite
recognize. He knew it had been awhile since he had fed from a human,
but this was different. It was pain, and it wouldn't go away. Then it
registered that the pain was in his chest, and he lost his grip on
Buffy. Spike's eyes went from Buffy collapsing on the pavement to his chest,
which had a stake projecting from it. Spike had always promised himself that
if he were ever to get staked he would not look the person who did it in the
eye to give them the satisfaction of letting them look upon him, but then
again, Spike would never have thought that he wouldn't be able to hurt humans
so it mattered not. He turned with the stake still in his chest to see his
executioner as his eyes widened to the point that his pupils even seem
to dilate.
"Dawn?"
As he said her name she was backing up, only three feet away, with a
stricken look on her face.
Then as quickly as the demon had taken his body, it left as Spike's
ashes fell to the pavement.
What seemed like an eternity to Dawn was actually only a few seconds as
she was taken out of that moment when Xander's hand gently touched her
shoulder, making her flinch. She quickly turned around to look at him and their
eyes met. Neither could say a word as they exchanged looks before she dove
into his arms. Xander held her for a few minutes before she finally pulled
back and looked up at him, "I just killed Spike," she said in a hardly
recognizable voice as he wiped away a tear from her face with his
finger.
"Dawn, you had no choice," he said looking her in the eye before
looking away and letting out a frustrated sigh, "Dawnie, I'm sorry I dragged
you out here. I should've never let you..."
Dawn cut him off, "Xander, it wasn't your fault. I wanted to come, I-I
needed to come. It's just...I-I..."
"I know," he said cutting her off.
Dawn looked up at Xander with a slight nod, before turning to look at
Buffy and then running to her sister, engulfing her in a hug, her reward
being an agonizing scream. "Oh, sorry," Dawn said, and she winced inwardly while
pulling back.
"It's okay, just help me.... up," Buffy said. Xander came up beside
Dawn and they both helped her to her feet. Once she was standing, her gaze went
to the pile of ashes. She fought back the pain from not only her shoulder,
but also where Spike's fangs had torn into her neck. Xander's voice brought
her back to reality, "Buffy, we need to get you to a doctor."
"Okay," she said before taking one last look at the ashes and then
letting Xander and Dawn slightly support her weight.
As they helped Buffy while walking away, Dawn took one last stunned
look over her shoulder before turning her back around to help Buffy. The
three of them slowly disappeared down the street, Xander and Dawn supporting
Buffy.
Back near the bus station, whistling is heard as a foot lands near
Spike's ashes. A hand reaches down and pulls something out of them. Afterwards,
the ashes are swept up into a dust pan as the person walks back toward the
front of the bus station. When he reaches the entrance he dumps the ashes
from the pan into a nearby trashcan and walks inside the station.
Making his way over to the flipover counter he tosses the small, metallic
item into a nearby pan as it rattles around before finally coming to a stop.
Then the man goes back behind the counter, picks up the folded over
newspaper and flips it open as his whistling is heard throughout the
station. When he flips the page, we see Sunny Haggerty's eyes flash red
but for an instant as he continues to read with a smile coming to his
face.....
The End