Disclaimer: I do not own anything; Characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. However this story is my own.

Summary: Set in a post apocalyptic world. Buffy and Spike have watched their friends and allies die one after another. They find a way to bring them all back and restore the world to its former beauty. Can they keep it together or fall apart?

A/N: I'm trying my hand at my first angsty fic, I'm usually more of a fluffy hearts and flowers kinda girl. Please let me know what you think. As always reviews are greatly appreciated, a few quotes etc may be used and obviously belong to the very talented people who wrote them - Loverswalk89 x


Fighting The Good Fight

CHAPTER ONE

Buffy knelt by her side, unshed tears making her eyes glisten in the moonlight. Faith had fought hard that night before the inevitable had happened, it had been a routine patrol. Buffy, Faith and Spike had ventured out from their hideout when they came across a nest of Polgara demons. The fight lasted way over an hour and ended with the last demon skewering Faith's abdomen.

Spike managed to snap it's neck as Buffy rushed to Faith's side.

"Faith... Stay with us" Buffy told her as she tried to stem the bleeding

"It's okay B" Faith smiled gently "Good fight"

Faith's eyes fluttered closed and her chest stopped rising and falling with breath.

"Faith!" Buffy urged her to wake up "Faith..."

Spike laid his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "She's gone luv" he said sadly

"She can't be we need her" Buffy's voice cracked with emotion "Faith" she said again gently shaking her

Spike picked Buffy up on to her feet and held her shoulders making sure he got eye contact with her "Buffy she's gone, we have to go" he told her

"I can't just leave her here" Buffy wept "Maybe there's something we can do CPR or something... Anything"

"Buffy" he said softly

"She's the last of them Spike" Buffy cried

"I know luv" he said wrapping his arms around her

Spike stood with his arms around her whilst she sobbed hard into the leather of his jacket. She stroked her golden hair and whispered words of comfort to her. He knew that each of the death's of her friends and family members had hit her hard. She barely spoke to him anymore, unless it was about a new mission.

He'd hear her late at night screaming from yet another nightmare of somebody she was convinced she should've saved.

"It's not your fault" he told her softly

"Then who's fault is it?" She asked looking up at him with emerald eyes full of tears

"It's just... Bad luck" he said

"Bad luck? Bad luck?" She asked angrily "Bad luck is breaking a heel on a pair of your favourite shoes, bad luck is spilling salt or having a black cat cross your path. This. This is not bad luck... This is a curse" she cried "I've watched every single person I've ever cared about die... Just goes to show that the Slayer truly is alone"

Spike tensed "You've got me" he said sadly

"Spike I didn't mean..."

"I know what you meant luv" he said walking away

"Don't leave me" she cried

Spike stopped and turned around to see Buffy cowering on the floor.

"Don't leave me" she muttered

He walked back and knelt beside her "I'm not going to leave you, I never could remember. Even bloody death couldn't keep me away from you"

"I love you"

"I love you too Buffy, c'mon let's get you home"

"What about Faith?" She asked

"I'll take care of her" he said giving her a reassuring smile

XXXXX

Buffy lay in the bed she shared with her vampire lover, tossing and turning in her sleep.

Spike watched her from the doorway for a few moments, he could tell it was going to be a long night. Every time she lost another one of them, another nightmare would interfere with her sleep.

*TWO YEARS AGO*

The sky clattered with the sound of thunder and began to rain, as Buffy and the rest of the gang fought demons and vampires. The baby slayers were holding their own without instruction from Buffy. She was proud of them, she glanced round and saw that the rest of the Scoobies were doing alright too.

"Spike hold them off I'm gunna see what it is they're protecting" Buffy told him

"Be careful pet"

"I will" she smiled as she scurried away from the fray.

The battle continued on as she climbed a ladder and burst into a building via the window. She smiled as she immediately saw something glowing in the corner of the room. She raced towards it, a luminous blue diamond sat upon a plush red pillow. She grabbed it and put it in her pocket and climbed back down to the others.

The fight had died down, no monsters remained as she took her last steps down the ladder she noticed everybody was stood around.

"Hey guys I got it!" She said cheerfully

"Buffy..." Vi said softly

"What is it?" Her mood changed dramatically.

"We tried..." Vi began to explain.

Buffy pushed past her and the crowd that surrounded someone. She saw Xander's lifeless body being cradled by Willow, who was silently sobbing.

"Will" Buffy's voice broke

"He's gone" Willow cried

Tears immediately sprung to Buffy's eyes "No. No. No... He can't be" she yelled as she knelt beside the red head taking Xander's hand in hers "Xander..."

XXXXXX

"Xander!" Buffy called out in her sleep

Spike rolled over and put his arms around her "Buffy, wake up... It's just a dream" he comforted her

Her eyes flew open and she grabbed hold of him "Spike" she said sobbing

"I know baby, I know" he said

"Xander..." she cried

"Let it all out... That's my girl" he held her as she sobbed.

XXXXX

Spike let Buffy sleep in, since they were in never ending night. He was able to get around town safely, he picked up some thing to eat for her and even managed to hit up the hospital for more bandages that she needed for her wounds caused by the Polgara last night. He crept back in careful as not to wake her. They'd set up camp in an abandoned warehouse a few months ago, parts of it had been destroyed by fire.

He walked through to their 'bedroom' to find a bed with rumpled sheets and no sign of Buffy.

He searched the warehouse before finding her sat on Faith's makeshift bed. "I got you something to eat" he said softly

"Not hungry" she replied absently looking at a few keepsakes of Faith's. Mostly weapons, stakes and for some reason a pair of handcuffs. Then her eyes settled on a picture of Faith with a man at what looked like a family barbecue. It was obviously taken before she was called, she looked happy and content the way Buffy had never seen her before.

"Did you hear what I just said?" Asked Spike

"What?" Asked Buffy breaking out of her reverie

"We have to keep going, it's what Faith would've wanted" he told her

"I know..." She sighed "Do you ever get tired of it?" She asked

"Tired of what?"

"The whole 'it's what they would've wanted' speech?" She said putting the photograph beside her.

"A little, but it's what we do we're heroes" he shrugged

"I wanna stop now" she told him

"Stop what?" He asked

"This... I can't be a hero anymore if this is the price. I've lost everybody and I might lose you"

"You won't" he protested sitting beside her

"You don't know that" she argued

"You're right I don't, but we're gonna get through this I promise you"

"Don't make promises you can't keep" she told him bitterly "How long have we been doing this?"

"Uh a little over two years" he replied

"Two years, that's all it took to lose them all. The baby slayers, Xander, Willow, Giles, Robin, Dawnie and Faith" she bit back tears "And we're no closer to making anything better, we fight and they just keep coming. I'm done Spike... I can't do this anymore. They win"

"Don't say that" he said angrily

"What are we even fighting for anymore? Because honestly I forget!" She said standing up and folding her arms

"Because it's what we do"

"Right because I was chosen... I wish I hadn't been. All the lives that have been lost in all this..."

"And all the lives that have been saved" he reminded her

"But not without a price. I cant do this, I don't have any fight left in me. When I started this whole thing it was to bring back the earth to it former glory so I could show Dawn the beauty of it. But she's gone, just like the rest of them and I can't save the world this time"

"This isn't you, you don't quit" he told her sternly

"Well that's the thing after so long of getting no where it's better to take your ball and go home" she said bitterly

"Buffy..."

"Don't. I don't need another stiff upper lip speech. I just want to enjoy what's left of this life with you"

"That's what you want?" He asked

"There's not another choice, we got picked off one by one. We're all that's left and if we're gunna die, I want my last days or months to be happy. To be with you"

"I'm not gunna be able to change your mind am I?" He asked

"Nope" she said climbing on his lap "Can we rest now?"