Chapter 1

The portal

Buffy barely glanced at the tower before she ran to hurriedly climb up it. At the top tied to the platform was her sister, Dawn, the key to end it all and close the portal. It didn't matter to Buffy what Dawn was, whether she was a ball of light energy or Glory's key home; to Buffy, Dawn was her sister. How was she expected to sacrifice her? Why was her job all about sacrifices? Being the slayer didn't make her any less human.

She reached the top and found some lizard with a knife. He needed to die. She snapped his neck with ease before she quickly moved to Dawn.

"Buffy! Buffy he cut me!" That shithead really had cut her. But she wouldn't die from her wounds; she can live, if she didn't have to die to close the portal. Buffy looked down and tried to keep pressure on the cut.

"So much blood…That's it. Dawn, we have the same blood!"

"No. You can't…" Tears started to roll down her face and she grimaced at the thought of what was going to come next. "You can't do it…"

"Dawn, I love you. But I have to do this."

Buffy turned to run and jump to her death, until someone grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the safety of the tower. Spike turned to her.

"I can't let you go either. I don't think you understand slayer; I can't live without you. But I know you are going to be just fine without me." With that, Spike ran and jumped of the platform and vanished with the portal.

By the time Buffy and Dawn managed to get down off of the tower, all the Scooby's gathered in confusion.

"Dawn! Are you alright?" Xander and Willow ran over to give her attention.

"Guys I'm fine. What happened? I thought only slayer blood could close the portal."

Giles began to explain "We were fighting down here, and of course Buffy ran up the tower to save you Dawn. Spike ran in after and went straight for Glory. She had already been beaten by Buffy and was barely breathing, until Spike drained her."

"That still doesn't explain how he closed the portal." Dawn questioned.

"I know how." Everyone turned to Buffy as she explained. "Spike needed blood for the battle, so he took a good bit from me. And as it was Glory's portal, the blood from me and Glory must have been enough to confuse the portal and close it. He knew he was going to die today."

"He might not have died Buff's." Willow comforted Buffy. "If he had died, his body wouldn't have gone through the portal. It would have sucked the life out of him and tossed the body."

"But there was no life to suck from Spike's Body."

Everyone looked around utterly confused.

Dawn then asked the question everyone was thinking; "So, what happened to Spike?"