A/N: This was a random plot idea I had, sorta inspired by "Spiral". Set during "Surprise", just as Buffy and Angel go to scout the warehouse.
The silence of the night was broken by a low rumbling sound from the north.
"What was that?" Buffy said.
"I don't know," Angel answered. He glanced around quickly. "Whatever it was, it wasn't anywhere nearby." He put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out after we get back."
Buffy took the hand in hers. "OK. Impending apocalypse trumps whatever that was."
"That's right." Angel gave her an odd look. "Is something wrong?"
"It's just… the sound."
"What about it?"
"It sounded like an explosion."
They continued on towards the factory. But had either of them been looking north a minute earlier, they might have seen a light on the horizon appear before fading.
As they approached the factory, Angel noticed something – dust. There was dust in the air, falling from the sky.
"OK, now I'm wigged out," Buffy declared. "Ever seen anything like this before?"
"Once. I was in Spokane in 1980. It was like this after Mt. St. Helens erupted. Everything was covered in ash."
"Last time I checked, there weren't any volcanoes in California."
"I know. Also, this stuff smells different."
Angel pushed it out of his mind. It was a little hard, since by the time they got to the factory, they were covered in dust.
Buffy and Angel crept along a catwalk, hoping to avoid attention. Angel's heart plummeted when he saw a large blue figure standing next to Spike and Drusilla.
"The Judge."
"He's active."
"We're doomed."
Just then, Drusilla had one of her vision-fits. It was louder than normal – Angel could hear it easily from up here.
"No… they bring poison! They bring death! White sand, up there!" she jabbed her finger into the air, pointing straight at Buffy and Angel. Before Angel could react, every vampire in the room was staring straight at them.
"Get them!" Spike ordered!
Things couldn't possibly be worse, Buffy thought. She had been captured by Spike, along with Angel. The Judge was active. She was going to die, followed shortly by the rest of the world.
"Leave her alone!" Angel demanded, struggling against the vampires who held him.
"Yeah, that'll work," said Spike. "Now say pretty please."
Drusilla was still cowering, muttering about white sand. The Judge stepped forth.
"The girl."
Fear shot through every vein in her body. It was like when the Master had captured her. She knew she was going to die.
Angel pushed himself between Buffy and the Judge. "Take me! Take me instead of her!"
"Uh, you're not clear on the concept, pal," Spike said. "There is no instead. Just first and second."
The Judge extended his hand towards Buffy. Buffy turned towards Angel.
"I love you, Angel!" she cried out, tears streaming down her face. She closed her eyes, and steeled herself for the inevitable.
The Judge touched her on the chest. She felt an incredible burning sensation…
The Judge pulled back suddenly. Buffy opened her eyes to see the Judge staring at his hand. It was smoking.
"What is this?" he asked. Buffy noticed a thin layer of dust on his hand where he had touched her.
"The dust!" Angel yelled. "It hurts him!"
Buffy shook her hair wildly, covering everything around her, including the Judge, in the mysterious dust.
"Aaargh!" the Judge screamed. His entire body was smoking, and his bluish skin was turning pale. The vampires stared in shock.
Angel used the distraction to break free. Buffy followed suit, and the couple jumped through a hole in the floor. They ran through the sewers.
"We need to get to the library," Buffy panted.
"Agreed."
Buffy and Angel burst into the library. Buffy was nearly out of breath. Angel, of course, had run out 240 years ago.
"Buffy!" Willow called out.
"What happened?" Jenny asked.
"Is the Judge active?" Giles inquired.
"Yeah, but something's wrong with him. We got covered in this dust as we were walking, and it burned the Judge."
"Dust?" Giles removed his glasses.
"Yeah, like volcanic ash," Angel explained.
"How did this happen?"
"I don't know. We were walking –"
Angel was interrupted by the arrival of Oz.
"Willow!"
"Oz!" Willow smiled, but Oz didn't return the smile. "Bad news" was written all over his face.
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked.
"I was just listening to the radio when they did a special broadcast. You know the nuclear power plant outside of town?"
"Yeah, it's the main source of power to Sunnydale County," Willow answered.
"Well, it just exploded. Chernobyl-style."
A chill descended on the room. Giles, Jenny, and Willow went completely pale.
"What do we do?" Xander asked.
"We leave," Giles declared. "Now."
"Leave?" Buffy asked.
"We're already being showered with radioactive fallout," Giles explained. "I imagine that it was this that injured the Judge."
"How?"
"It isn't very well studied, but radiation has a rather destructive effect on magic and demons. After Chernobyl, witches and pagans across Europe reported that their spells were not functioning properly – particularly those in regions nearest the disaster."
"So, we pack our things, and we get out of town." Xander said. "Wait for the radiation to die down, come back in a few days?"
Giles shook his head.
"Maybe a few weeks?" Cordy said, hopefully.
"This entire area is about to become completely uninhabitable. When we leave, we are never coming back."
"Giles, what about the Hellmouth? If we all leave, the Hellmouth will be wide open for the vampires to take over!"
"Buffy, the demons will be affected by the radiation as well. Even more so than humans. Besides, there are other Hellmouths for you to watch over. There's one in Cleveland, for instance. This Hellmouth, on the other hand, will very shortly be degraded into nothing. We have to leave, Buffy."
Buffy thought about that. She had always assumed that she would never leave Sunnydale – she would be here until she died. Until Sunnydale killed her. Instead, she was going to outlive Sunnydale.
"So, we get out of here, hop a plane to Cleveland, and resume slaying?" Buffy asked.
Angel put a hand on her shoulder.
"I can't fly, remember?"
"Not to mention the airports are going to be chaos," Giles said. "If this is as big as Chernobyl, they'll have to evacuate Los Angeles."
"So we drive. We pile into your car, and we drive to Cleveland."
"Buffy, you won't be able to fit all of us in Giles' car," Xander said.
"All of us?"
"You think a little nuclear disaster is going to get rid of us? No way. I'm coming with you to Cleveland."
"So am I," Willow affirmed.
"Same here," Oz added.
"I'm coming, too," Cordelia declared.
Buffy was speechless.
"W-what about your families?"
"You mean my parents, the ones who tried to sell me to some Armenians?" Xander laughed. "My family is right here, with you guys."
The others nodded their assent.
"Well, this is all very heartwarming, but we still need to figure out how to get out of here," Angel switched subjects. "Because, clearly, Giles' car won't be big enough."
"We can take my van," Oz offered. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but I think we can all fit in there."
"What about my books?" Giles said. "We're going to need them in Cleveland, and I doubt we can fit the eight of us, and all my books, into your van, Oz."
Cordelia gave a two-letter solution: "RV."