Title: Moving On

Author:

Disclaimer: I did not create nor do I own the characters of Buffy the vampire Slayer. I only own the story line and the characters I create. I do not make any profit from this. The only thing I get is joy when people review.

Summary: Spike promised to take care of Dawn. He's not going to break that promise even when he meets resistance. And is that the end for the slayer?

Prologue

This is the moment I stand here all alone
With everything I have inside, everything I own
I might be afraid
But it's my turn to be brave
If this is the last time before we say goodbye
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life
I can't be afraid
Cause it's my turn to be brave

Buffy Summers had spent most of her life fighting off the horrors that existed in the world. She protected the citizens of Sunnydale every night and they never even knew the risks she would take to make sure they were safe. They would never know. That was the life of a slayer. As long as there was a slayer there would be unrecognized sacrifice. It was not something that had ever bothered Buffy. The less people who knew she was a slayer of all the dangerous demons were for the better as far as Buffy was concerned. She was not in a hurry to be labeled as a freak. Now as she looked from the opening vortex and back towards her sister she knew what she had to do. Death was her gift and she was about to receive it. Buffy hugged her sister tightly and whispered how much she loved her in Dawn's ear. She could hear Dawn's cries as if they were echoing all around her.

"Don't Buffy," Dawn cried.

"I have to Dawnie," Buffy told her, "Just promise you'll live for me."

Dawn could not find the right words to express to Buffy how much she loved her and how much she did not want Buffy to sacrifice herself. But Dawn knew that any argument would just be a waste of time. Buffy had made up her mind. Dawn knew that Buffy would rather die herself then have anything happen to her. She may not have grown up with Buffy since all those memories she has were fake but to Buffy Dawn was her sister and nothing else mattered. Dawn felt the tears silently flow down her cheeks. All she could do was nod. She hoped Buffy knew how much she loved her.

"Tell the others I'm sorry and that I love them," Buffy told Dawn.

Buffy watched as Dawn nodded once more before she turned to face the vortex. She found it funny how this was how it was all going to end. She had fought the good fight for so many years. At least she would go out with a bang. She would go out the way she had always wanted. She would die so that the world could live another day. She would die so the sun could rise one more time. Her death meant so much and yet no one would ever know how much it meant. No one would know that the world almost came to end and that her death had prevented that. Buffy hoped that her sister and the others would be okay without her. She hoped that Giles would come back and take care of Dawn. He was the closest thing either Summers girl had to a Father. Buffy hoped they didn't make Dawn go live with their evil Father Hank. He hadn't even bothered to call or visit when their Mother had died. Why would he call when Buffy did? Buffy felt something surge through her. Was she afraid? She was terrified of what this was going to feel like. Where was she going to go after she had died? In the short moments before she would make her run all these questions popped into her head. But she couldn't listen to them. Buffy pushed back her fears because she knew she had to be brave. She had to be the brave one and make the sacrifice. Buffy glanced back at Dawn once more before she ran and dove head first into the vortex.

"No," Dawn screamed.



Dawns screams were the last thing she heard as white pain enveloped her entire being. All she saw was bright white light. She had always thought that when she died all she would see was black. The white light enveloped her and she felt her entire body twinge with hot pain. It felt as though each and every bone in her body was breaking and her insides were being boiled. The last thing that crossed her mind before darkness took hold of her mind was that she had finally finished her job and that she was finally going to have a chance to relax.

Spike reached the top of the tower seconds after Buffy had plunged head first into the vortex. He pulled Dawn into his arms as she proceeded to sob into his chest. Tears streamed down his own eyes as he realized what they had all lost. Buffy had sacrificed herself so that Dawn could live. Buffy sacrificed herself so that the world could keep turning. There was nothing fair in that at all. Spike watched as the vortex disappeared in the blink of an eye. He could only hope that her death had been quick and painless. Spike stood there a few moments longer thinking of how if he had only been a few seconds earlier he could have done something to save her. But he knew that nothing could have stopped Buffy from jumping off that tower because it had been the only way that would have saved Dawn. Spike led Dawn back down the tower so they could join the others. Soon they were all gathered around the body off Buffy which lay crumbled and broken at the bottom of the tower. Dawn took one look at her older sister and burst into tears. Spike pulled her back into his arms. He had made a promise to Buffy earlier in the fight that if anything happened to her that Spike would take care of Dawn. He planned on keeping that promise and doing whatever it took to protect Dawn. Spike sensed the sun was about to rise and even though he didn't want to leave Buffy he knew that he would be no good to Dawn if he were a pile of ash.

"I'm going to take Dawn back to the house," Spike told the group quietly.

No one in the group said anything. All anyone could manage were nods as their words seemed to have disappeared just as Buffy had when she jumped off the tower. Spike didn't say anything else as he gently led Dawn back to the house. She didn't fight him either. Spike knew exactly what Dawn was going through. If she was experiencing what Spike was then he would say she was numb from everything. Spike didn't know what he was feeling. It was so many emotions bunched up into one mixed up crazy emotion. Their walk back to the house was done without any talking and when they got back to the house Spike closed the curtains and they sat on the couch. Dawn put on the TV, but neither of their minds were focused. They were each in their own little worlds as they waited for the rest of the Scooby gang to return. Life was sure going to be different now that Buffy was gone. Spike didn't know what was going to happen. All he knew was that he was going to honor the memory of Buffy in the only way he knew how. He was going to make sure nothing happened to Dawn. He was going to do anything and everything to make sure she was alright.