RATING: PG just to be safe!
CHAPTER: 1 chapter STORY COMPLETE!
DISCLAIMER: I own none of these characters! Joss Whedon and his production company Mutant Enemy do! AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first fanfic! I got the idea after watching the last episode of the series but just didn't get around to writing it until now as I didn't know how to write fanfiction. I also plan on writing 2 more fanfics but they will not be about Buffy! Please review!!!!!!
Could she really pull this one off? The stakes were so high...higher than they ever had been before. Now, the First was the enemy. The enemy of ALL enemies! She HAD to win! The world was at stake and even if that meant destroying SunnyDale, then so be it! Now the final battle had begun and Buffy knew her friends would give it their all, even if it meant that some of them should die...but something was wrong. It didn't seem right. She didn't know what was wrong, but if there was something wrong, she would have to fix it! This battle CAN'T be lost! As she looked around her, the battle seemed to go in slow motion. She felt unfocused and disconnected from it all, as though it weren't real somehow. The more she felt this way, the harder she fought. First one ubervamp down, then another...The battle seemed to go on forever. Then, she watched in horror as Xander was killed! "Xander!"she yelled.
"Buffy, watch out!"Faith screamed from behind. Buffy turned around to see Faith with a look of dispair on her face.Then she looked down to see the sword pointing out of Faith's body. Faith had saved Buffy from certain doom.
"Oh, my God, Faith!" Buffy spun around to see the First laughing. Next she saw the potential slayers one by one drop dead in battle and then to her horror her beloved Giles! He was like a father to her and now he lay there his last words were "Buffy, do something. We can't lose....the First..."
Giles... no, you can't be gone, too. She thought. Wait, there was still Willow, Andrew and Anya upstairs! Willow will perform the spell, then everything will be alright! But the spell never came and Buffy realized that they had to be dead. Then, the First came at her. Taunting her and then finally, stabbing her in her side! "AAughh!" she gulped in pain. She then stood up and said,"You won't win! I'll fight you with all I have! For my friends' sakes!"
"Uh, Buffy...love, I think something is happening here! I think this bloody trinket is doing something!" Spike yelled. All of a sudden the whole room started to shake and then fill with sunlight! It was killing the ubervamps! Buffy looked at the First with renewed hope in her eyes.
"Uumm, Buffy..." It was Dawn. "Buffy, you have to listen to me!" She tugged on her sleeve.
Buffy was upset. "Dawn, not now! Can't you see the light? Spike's amulet...it's driving them back!"
The First stepped triumphantly forward. "You're friend...he can't stop them all! There's too many!"
"Buffy, why won't you listen to me?" Dawn pleaded but Buffy turned away and went over to Spike.
"She's right, you know. You should leave now and let me handle this", Spike stood there in the glow of the warm,brilliant light. "Spike, I love you." Spike turned away from the light and looked at Buffy. Surprise seemed to flit across his face. "No, you don't," he jokingly said. He wanted to diffuse the seriousness of the moment, but anyone who knew him would know that he really did want to believe that she did love him. "Now go on or else there will be bloody hell to pay!" He paused then stroked her face. "Don't worry....I'll always find you."
Dawn pulled desperately at Buffy. "Buffy, you have to stop this! Can't you see? Can't you see what's right in front of your eyes?"
"Dawn! What are you doing? We have to get... " Buffy stopped as there was another rumble and more shaking. Why was Dawn acting like a little brat? Especially now when the final moment of battle had come? They both fell down and when they got up, Buffy grabbed Dawn. "Dawn, what's wrong with you?! I..." Buffy heard a primal scream from behind her and turned to see Spike burn up in a blaze of glory! Then everything went black. It was silent. So quiet. Am I dead? she thought.
"Buffy."
Buffy rubbed her eyes and then she saw Dawn. They were both standing in a dark and empty room. Dark that is except for a spot of light that seemed to come from above. "What happened? Did....did we die? The First...is he gone?"
"Everything is gone, Buffy. The First, SunnyDale....everyone. Everyone...but us."
"But...did we win??? I don't ...." Buffy shook her head.
"No. You don't understand Buffy, it's not about that! Everything is about winning and losing and trying to save the world...Buffy, it's not always about saving the world." Dawn put her hands on Buffy's shoulders. "Sometimes it's just about saving yourself and winning your own personal battles."
"Dawn, everyone and everything is gone and I don't....no I can't understand why? If you know, why won't you JUST TELL ME!" Buffy grabbed Dawn and shook her.
"I was hoping you'd figure it out on your own. It would have been better that way..." Dawn turned walked a little and then said, "Remember the time that demon poisoned you and you thought that you were dreaming you were in a hospital and that SunnyDale and everyone in it wasn't real?" In the darkness behind them, a memory played out of that time.
"Yes, but I don't see what..." Buffy stopped. A pained look came on her face. "It wasn't a dream....Was it? That's what you were trying to tell me. But I wouldn't listen." In the dark behind them, a memory of Dawn singing "Where do we go from here...?" then another "Why is the path unclear...when we know home is near...."
"So...what do I do? Where do I go? Where do I belong then? At that hospital?!" Another memory in the back..."The battle's done and we kinda won...So we sound our victory cheer..."
"I'm SO sorry, Buffy!" Dawn started to cry. "I had to stop this...I had to help you... because noone else could. Noone else could reach you." Another memory...Giles.."Wish I could stay-ay but now I understand...I'm just standing in the way...the cries around you, you don't hear at all..."
"No, it's alright. I'm- I'm ready." Buffy shed a single tear. The memories continued in the dark..."You just lye there when you should be standing tall...Wish I could slay your demons but now that time has passed. Wish I could stay-ay...You're stalwart standing fast but I'm just standing in the way...I'm just standing ...in the way".
"But...what will happen to you Dawn when I leave?" Another memory came. Buffy singing." I touch the fire and it freezes me...I look into it and it's black...Why can't I feel? My skin should crack and peel...I want the fire back! Now through the smoke she calls to me to make my way across the flame... to save the day or maybe melt away, I guess it's all the same. So I will walk through the fire. Cause where else can I turn? I will walk through the fire and let it..."
"I'm the key, remember? I hold the infinite dimensions together."
Buffy grabbed Dawn's arms. "You mean..you will go back to being a key?!" panic filled her voice. Behind another memory..."These endless days are finally ending in a blaze!" The last word echoed.
"Buffy, Buffy, it's alright, it's ok. It's what has to happen. Look when they said that I was made into a sister for you so you would want to protect me, well..."Dawn gathered her thoughts. "Buffy you can't hold onto me forever. It was nice being real, flesh and blood for awhile but it was never meant to be forever. I can go now, knowing that I ...saved you." They hugged. "Good-bye, Buffy. I love you."
"And I love you....more than you will ever know. I'll never forget you....." Then there was nothing but darkness.
"Buffy...Buffy..." A voice called to her.
"What the..." Buffy woke up even though she couldn't remember being asleep. She was in a hospital room.
"Oh, thank God! It looks like the new treatment worked! I think this time she's here to stay!' A doctor and a nurse were there. "Do you remember your name?"
"Y-yes, it's Buffy...Buffy Summers and I'm in a hospital, right?" she looked around.
"Yes and you know that you are not in SunnyDale?"
"Yes," she said.
"And that you are not...a vampire slayer?" the doctor looked up from his writing.
"There are no such things as vampires," Buffy stated. Part of her was a little sad.
"Very good!" the doctor practically beamed. "Nurse, please notify her parents."
"Yes, Doctor!"
Later that day, Buffy was happily reunited with her parents. She was very happy to see them. They were concerned that she might slip away from them. Just like the last time that they had seen her. She did her best to tell them that she wouldn't. Oh, how she wished that she could tell them that it was because of Dawn's sacrifice that she never would be away from them again. But she just knew that telling them would complicate matters, as they would think she was still not right if she told them that her sister, the key to the multi-dimensions had returned her to her rightful dimension by becoming the key again and setting Buffy free. No, she would just have to keep that part a secret. She picked up a newspaper and saw an article about how a Los Angeles private detective named Angel had just been named the new head of a very prestigious law firm named Wolfram and Hart, with several branches all over the world. She thought, I must have read these papers and then put Angel into my fantasies! I wonder if he looks at all like the Angel I knew...But there was no picture of him. Then she looked down the hall and there was a commotion going on.
It seemed that there were three boys, the blonde one of whom was saying," We almost got total power there for awhile...yeah we were like the best supervillians and we even almost got the sl-"
" Shut up, idiot!" the tall one said.
"And YOU get away from me! I don't like the look in his eyes anymore. It looks like he wants to kill me." the one with large eyes said.
They came and took away the blonde who was now screaming" We could had it all, but we lost everything... if only we hadn't turned to the dark side of the force...like Darth Vader did..." Strange how they reminded her of three nerds who did everything wrong...except for killing Tara.
A little ways farther down the hall and she came across a young man with an Irish accent. "Please somebody, get me my headache medicine..I don't know how much longer I can take these stupid visions! I wish somebody could tell me if they were really people in need of help! Maybe if... I could only get a guardian angel's help!" he then groaned in pain. Somehow, he seemed like someone she could have known but didn't.
As she passed him, the nurse came with his meds. "Here you go, Doyle," she said. Buffy continued until she got to the big day room area. She sat down next to a blondish young woman about her age. She sat there in almost a fetal position.
"Bunnies,"she said.
"What?" Buffy asked.
The woman turned and looked at her. She had been crying. "My pajamas....Why, did it have to be bunnies?" She sniffled. "I hate bunnies.""Buffy." A voice from beside her made her turn around. Her heart leapt when she heard it. That voice... could it possibly be? "I heard you were back in the land of the living....welcome back from the dead, love." Before her stood none other than Spike! Only he was slightly different. He had natural blonde hair, not the dyed peroxide blonde he usually had. His hair was wavy and combed to the side, not slicked back, like usual. Also, he wore glasses just like he had when he was William before he became Spike.
"Spike?" Buffy's eyes grew big at the sight of him. He was still handsome and not to mention as sexy as ever!
He chuckled. Then sat down next to her. "You still want to call me that, huh?"
"N-no...not if you don't want me to," Buffy said. She was completely flustered.
"No, it's alright. You can call me that. I'm used to it by now. But..." he leaned in closer. "You're the only one that's allowed to call me that."
"Excuse me," a young woman with long brown hair popped right in between them. She was scary looking and had an otherworldly look about her. She was kind of pale. Her sudden appearance made both Buffy and Spike jump.
"Bloody Hell!" Spike yelped. "Orderly, could you kindly get her out of here as quickly as possible? Thank you!" Spike waved for some assistance. He was clearly annoyed and a bit afraid of this girl.
"I see you've come back from a journey, you have. A very long journey," she said looking at Buffy. "It was the key that brought you here."
Buffy gasped. How could she know? Then she remembered Druscilla.
" Pretty, pretty the key was." The woman swayed back and forth like she was hearing some kind of music playing in her head.
The orderlies came to take her away. "Come on, you. Sorry, Bill. God, every time you come over..."
"Naughty Spike, I was only looking for Grandmama," the dark haired woman pouted.
"Well, she's not here! And stop bothering me every time I come to visit, I am NOT your boyfriend! And while you're at it, DON'T call me Spike! Only Buffy can call me that!" Spike leaned over and said, " Have you seen the girl she calls Grandmama? She's the same age as her! Bloody bonkers....and the way that she paws at me...yeah, like I'd EVER be HER boyfriend! Dream on sister..." Spike paused then a look of concern came on his face. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that..." Buffy hung her head and Spike took both of her hands.
"What? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Spike said.
"No. I was just afraid that I'd-I'd never see you again."
Spike picked her chin up so that she could look right in his eyes. "No, love, that would never happen. I love you too much to ever lose you."
Buffy smiled and giggled.
"Besides....I told you that I'd find you."
The words...the surprise on Buffy's face was all too real. Could it be? Had Dawn given her one final gift? Then Buffy didn't care as Spike leaned in and gave her a kiss. This WAS real and so were her next words. "I love you, too."
THE ENDAUTHOR'S NOTES: I hope you enjoyed it and please review it! I'll be working on a crossover story and a songfic about Dylan and Anthony from "Charlie's Angels:Full Throttle"! The crossover story will be "Quantum Leap" and ...It's a surprise! I hope that fans of the Buffy/Angel romance won't be too angry at the end of this story! Also, since "Angel" didn't end very well since Joss had to do a very quick rewrite, this story in a way resolves "Angel"s ending by saying that Angel and the gang didn't exist really and so they didn't have these bad things that happened to them, happen at all! It makes me feel better that Fred didn't die and Wesley didn't suffer so badly and THEN die! Also, the 3 references to the show, including Spike being a ghost on "Angel", as well as Doyle, whom fans like myself liked and then were shocked when he was killed off after the first season simply because Joss had to prove that he was serious about not being predictable! And finally, the reference about Angel acquiring Wolfram & Hart, which ultimately became the end of Angel! I hope you all picked up on the character references and the fact that I believe that the musical episode of "Buffy" kind of had clues as to how the characters would be feeling at the end of the series, even though that episode was a whole season away from the series end! I didn't really like Andrew, so I put him in the psyche ward! I should have put Reiley in there, too! Ha, Ha!