"REBIRTH"

Chapter 1

Post "Chosen" and "Not Fade Away"

The rain poured down upon them, blurring the visage of demons at the end of the alleyway. Wolfram and Hart had released all of the demons from their keep and sent them after the four loan warriors left...Angel, Spike, Illeria and Gun. Gun was fading quickly the wound he had was fatal and he knew he wouldn't last but hoped he could take a few of them with him and die as he always wanted fighting.

Illeria stood her head cocked to one side staring at the onslaught with pleasure. The thrill of the oncoming attack sent a shiver of pleasure through her borrowed body.

"Spread out and keep alert!" a voice called from behind them as a group of 30 girls came down the alley to meet them.

Angel saw her first. "Buffy?" She looked at him.

"We fight with them, watch their backs as they will watch yours." Buffy shouted to her troops as Angel walked up to them. "Heard you could use some help." Buffy said to him casually, as Willow joined her side.

Angel smiled. "Not much of an army you have there Angel..." her voice trailed off as her eyes fixed on Spike. "Spike? How?" She questioned the hurt evident in her voice. Spike stared at her unable to move he didn't expect to ever see her again and now she was here about to die with them.

The demons were almost to them and there was no time for an answer. Buffy immediately responded and quickly approached the onslaught. Willow stayed close to the girls. Buffy told her to keep them as safe as she could and if it got to rough to get them out. The girls dove in behind their leader and the fight began. Everyone was fighting but there were so many of them, the girls were becoming fatigued. A few had been killed.

Angel was fought the dragon that flew out from the depths of the cracked earth. Spike was fighting two rather large Patarke Demons. Buffy had the scythe and was hacking her way through them with ease. They had cut down the number of demons dramatically but there were still many more to go.

Angel and Spike had just finished killing off a large group of demons and looked up and saw Buffy in the middle of a swarm of demons. She kept at them, killing all that came in her path. Angel and Spike were trying to make their way to her. Buffy's back was to them, when they saw the blade shoot through her back. She screamed and grabbed the demon and pulled him closer to her and tore out its throat, throwing it to the ground. Angel and Spike were in full sprint towards her. Buffy grabbed the sword and pulled it out from her chest and let out a fierce growl and continued to fight.

When Angel and Spike reached her, she had slaughtered the last of them.

"Buffy! Let me..." he said reaching for her shoulder, fearing she was fatally wounded and when she turned, he was stunned. Angel froze. Buffy was a vampire. She ignored their faces and dove back into the battle.

They fought for what seemed like days, but were actually hours. Humorously the rain stopped when the battle had ended, Willow was surveying the damage checking everyone to see if all were accounted for. Angel and Spike found Illeria who was staring off at the end of the alley waiting for more.

"Will more come?" she asked half hopeful for more and half tired due to her mortal host.

"I think we have fought them off for now, but I think we should get the hell out of here. Just in case." Angel said as he scanned the group for Buffy. When he finally spotted her she was lying on the ground with Willow and Spike at her side.

"Is she dead?" Angel asked still confused as to how he didn't know she was a vampire.

"No, just drained she needs time to heal." Willow said calmly, while looking at Spike who couldn't take his eyes off of her bloody frame. "Spike? Can you carry her?"

"Yeah." He picked her up and put her over his shoulder. "Bloody hell." He mumbled as his wounds burned.

The group made there way to the Hyperion to bunker down for the night. Angel showed them to a group of rooms and gathered some extra medical supplies from downstairs and helped patch some of the slayers up. Spike sat upstairs with Buffy, who was still unconscious. Willow came up after she tended to the girls to check on her.

"Spike, you shouldn't be here." She said to him softly.

"Why? Bugger'off I am not leavin'er." He mumbled.

"Spike, she doesn't want anyone around when she comes to, especially you...not right now." Spike looked at her confused. "Trust me. Please go."

Spike was furious but he did as red asked and left, half slamming the door behind him. Willow brought up a cup of blood for Buffy and sat it next to the bed and left to get some sleep, locking the door behind her.

Chapter 2

The next morning Buffy woke with an all consuming hunger. She was still fully vamped out and quickly downed the cup of blood Willow left for her. Which did little to take off the bloodlust; she got up and saw her bag. She rummaged through it and found two blood packs and quickly devoured them. The dried blood and filth from the battle made her skin tight. She went into the bathroom and stripped off her ruined clothes and stared into the mirror, her face still fully vamped her eyes burning red. She hated this, no control, none of the rules that she knew for so long applied to her since her return...they sent her back unprepared and she was pissed.

She turned on the shower and let the hot water pour over her body rinsing the grime from the crevasse of her skin. She scrubbed to the point of drawing blood wanting the filth to finally leave her. She was trying to wash away the demon that she knew would never leave her. She was in the shower for over an hour and when she stepped out and looked back into the mirror her reflection was back to normal old Buffy...well as normal as she could be.

She dressed and made her way down to the lobby to find everyone.

"Buffy." Willow called after her on the stairs. "Feel better?"

"Yeah...Is everyone ok?"

"We lost Trista and Maxine, but everyone else is here all are hurt but alive." She smiled weakly. "Um Spike and Angel want to see you."

"Great..." she mumbled. "Did you tell them anything?" Willow shook her head. "Good."

She made her way to Angel's Office, where he sat with all the lights out brooding as always.

"Angel?" She said as she pushed the door open.

"Buffy...you ok?" his voice filled with concern

"Yep all better." She quipped. "I'm guessing you want to know what is going on?"

"You are a vampire? How? Why didn't I know?" the questions tumbled from his mouth

"Get Spike in here, I don't want to tell this twice." Buffy said immediately shifting into a serious tone.

Angel dialed a few numbers into the phone and Spike's voice came over the intercom. "What?!" Spike growled. "She's awake." Angel barely finished thee words when, Spike hung up. The room was silent, Angel continued staring out his office window looking out over the city. When his door opened and Spike came strolling in. "She wasn't in her roo....m" he said anger fading as he saw her standing there.

"Please sit, I wanted to explain this to both of you." Buffy walked over and closed the office door, leaving the office lights out, giving her some solace of a way to hide from what was to come. "After you sent me away in the caves, I made my way upstairs and got all of the girls out. Almost all of us made it." Her voice was full of sadness as Spike looked at her questioning. "Anya was killed. I wanted to go back for you but they wouldn't let me..." her voice trailed off as she walked the darkened outskirts of the room. Spike watched her and had a flash of his revelation in the church, when he told her of his soul, a chill shot through him and he stared kept his gaze on her. "We drove the bus just past the Sunnydale outskirts and the whole town crumbled into the earth and everything was gone. We all stood staring at what was our home and I couldn't shake...." Her voice choked up, she stopped and turned away from them. "You didn't believe me...I went into the crater looking for you." Spike's eyes filled with tears unable to believe what she was saying. "I got to the center where I thought you might be and there was two ubervamps, I wasn't paying attention they bit me." Angel eyes burned with tears, mixed with anger that she cared for Spike. "I died. The powers that be gave me a choice, to return to heaven as I was before my friends ripped me from my reward or I could return and continue to fight. They showed me what was to come, I knew I had to come back. The only way I could return is as a vampire." I still had my back to them.

"Why? Why on earth would you do this? You could have been at peace." Spike questioned his voice thick with emotion.

"Buffy, there is more isn't there?" Angel asked always able to read her.

"I am one of them, one of the ancients mixed with the slayer. The powers gave me one advantage, the weaknesses of daylight, crosses, holy water none of it applies to me. I am something new." I stepped forward into the moonlight, my eyes starting to glow. "I am still learning to control it. Oh and a kinda cool thing, I still got a reflection." She smiled. "Which is good, because do you know how much of a bitch makeup would be." She quipped trying to lighten the tone of the room.

"Tough room...." She shrugged. "Giles and the gang have rebuilt the council. We can use everyone we can get. Spike?" he looked up still lost in all of this. "Can you give Angel and I a minute?" Spike couldn't hide the hurt, he angrily got up and slammed the office door.

"Your loosing your soul." Angel looked up at her, surprised that she knew. "Advantages of being dead. I want you to help us, but you are a liability. You have to get that soul of your anchored permanently not by a gypsy curse."

"How?" he mumbled

"Spike can tell you. He did it before. The council will pick up the expenses for you to go. After you have done this you can come and help at the council." She looked at him waiting for any type of response. "That is if you want to help us?" With no more to say Buffy turned and left in search of Spike.

Chapter 3

An hour of so later, Buffy found Spike outside smoking. "Hey" she said softly

"Hmph." Spike mumbled through his drag.

"Will you come help with the new council?" she decided to cut to the chase and ignore his brooding.

"That's it! Bloody'ell you have nothing else to say!" he said enraged.

"What do you want me to say Spike! Seriously let's just stop everything and worry about you here." Buffy was seething and the demon was becoming tough to hold back. Her eyes turned blood red and the anger radiated from them.

"You choose to come back to this nightmare! Why? Why when you could have had your peace! You deserved it." He ranted. "On the other hand, what the hell were you thinking going back into that crater!" His eyes were yellow with anger at her stupidity.

"YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!" she shouted and then turned to leave.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Spike grabbed her arm and she threw him across the courtyard. She was much stronger then before, he didn't expect it. "Geesus Slayer." He mumbled

"You really don't get it do you." She said exasperated. "I went there looking for you, I was so..." her voice cracked as the tears slid from her still vampire eyes. "upset that you didn't believe me...I did love you." Her voice trailed into a whisper. "I do love you. When I died and the powers gave me a choice, I knew you weren't in heaven so I didn't want to be there. I decided to fight." Her voice was ragged and thick with emotion and her face was fully vamped.

"Buffy..." Spike didn't know what to say to that he closed his eyes, trying to figure out what to say first but he wasn't given a chance....she was gone.