Chapter 2: Dreams of Promises

He finally had the opening and opportunity he was looking for. He charged forward encompassed with a new sense of power and purpose. The demon inside of him growled in pleasure for the opportunity to finally fight and be free from his confinement. It growled and leapt at every opportunity to fight a minion that found himself in Spike's path. But Spike himself barely took notice of what his body was doing, and only concentrated on one thing.

"I'm counting on you… to protect her."

And he would.

"Spike!" Dawn cried out in a relieved and desperate dry sob. He finally had reached the top, taking an unnecessary breath of air as he came face to face with the walking dead, or so it would seem.

"Doesn't a fella stay dead when you kill him?" He cocked off as he came in contact with the Doctor.

"Look who's talking," the Doctor stated with a smile.

It was then that Spike looked at Dawn for the first time. Although relieved to find her unharmed just scared witless, he did not relax. He focused back on the Doctor, this time, noticing the knife in his hand. His clenched his fists. "Come on Doc. Let's you and I have a go," he stated with a jeer.

The Doctor tapped his knife, "I have… a prior appointment."

His eyes narrowed, "This won't take long."

The sick Doctor only grinned, "No, I don't imagine it will."

Enraged as he was, Spike forced his demon down and eyed his surroundings. Glory's minions really weren't the most skilled carpenters, he allowed himself to note. He glanced at the archway above him, and saw a few loose pieces of steel piping hung more for what he guessed was ceremonial decoration then for structural integrity. Reaching up, he grabbed the closet piece of scrap metal he could.

The Doctor, seeing his opponent's newly found weapon, widened his eyes slightly and his smile increased as he simply went, "Hmm. A resourceful vampire. Lovely." Only a beat later, the Doctor's monstrosity of tongue darted out toward Spike. Dawn began shrieking once she saw the disgusting, wormlike atrocity streaking directly toward her rescuer, but Spike's eyes only narrowed. He was ready. Not only did he allow the Doctor tongue to come near him, but he allowed the demon to wrap said tongue around his only weapon. As soon as the Doctor's tongue had a secure grip on the pipe, Spike slammed it down on the on the floor, sticking it into the steel mesh that had been constructed as the platform's based.

No longer was the demon in his calm and collected bedside manner, but he was panicked and enraged by the trap that had been laid for him as he was unable to remove his tongue from the steel pip and the steel mesh that surrounded it. Spike knew it was only a matter of time, so he did not waste the precious opportunity. He allowed his demon loose as he rushed toward the Doctor. The pinned monster could only move aside slightly as he was trapped to do much of anything else. Spike, with every ounce of vampire strength he had, gave a square right hook into the Doctor's left cheekbone, sending him flying off the platform and dropping his knife with a loud clatter beside Dawn in the process

The Doctor gave a muffled yelp as his lifeline to the platform, his tongue, went taut and became the only thing separating him and his death. Spike glared down at him for only a flash, deciding he wasn't going anywhere, and then went straight to Dawn.

"Spike!" She sobbed, only this time, grinning widely as she was doing it. "I can't believe… you stopped the-"

"I'm here Niblet," Spike comforted as he grabbed the demon's knife to cut off the ropes that held her place, wanting to get her the hell away from this godforsaken platform. "Can't have you starting any hells on earth here, your sister would kill me."

Dawn could only give a strangled laugh through her sobs. Massaging her wrists, she barely took one shaky step forward. Sensing that she was in too much shock, Spike swooped her into his arms, not wanting to have Dawn fall of the ledge-less platform on account of nerves. Wouldn't that go over well? "Yeah, I stopped the apocalypse and the portal, but Dawn fell off the tower and died on account of nerves. Bonus points for trying?"

"Spike you can put me down." Dawn said, slightly embarrassed. But she leaned into his chest anyway, thankful for his gesture if only in her actions and not in her words. So Spike ignored her statement and carried her to the ladder. Hearing a gargled shout, he looked down at the tongue that was still connected to the steel pipe.

He set Dawn down, "Stay here for a moment Niblet." He stood up and turned to the edge of the platform where the Doctor was flailing about. He looked up at Spike with enraged eyes and tried to say something, but all that came out were incoherent muffles. Spike finally indulged himself a little as he stated, "I'll send the lady your regards." With that, he took the Doctor's own knife and slashed his tongue away from the pipe, finally sending him to his well deserved death. Let's just hope he stays dead this time, thought Spike as he turned back to the lady of the hour, his little bit.

The two slowly made their way down the tower, with Spike carrying her most of the way. He was grateful that there were no minions on the stairs. The ones he had taken care of on the way up had not been replaced. He glanced down at the fight that was going on. There were a few left, and the witches seemed to have it under control. With his vampire hearing, Spike could hear Buffy give Glory the beating of a lifetime, or in Glory's case, an eternity. Her sweet voice came to his ears barely as he heard her say, "My arm's not even getting tired." That's my girl, Spike smiled and felt no urge to hurry along.

"Thank you," Dawn softly said, breaking the silence they had up until that point.

Spike looked down at her, and smiled in his traditional cocky manner, "You seemed a little worried up there. Didn't think we were gonna help you?"

Dawn only gave a small, faltering smile, "Would it be bad to say that I was a little scared?"

He broke out of his attitude as he replied softly, "Dawn, you are one of the bravest ladies- hell, you are one of the bravest beings I know. The fact that you were worried about starting an apocalypse-"

"It wasn't the apocalypse I was scared about," she breathed in deeply, slightly ashamed, "I was worried about dying in order to stop the portal." She looked up, tears in her eyes again, "I know about the ritual. I knew that all my blood would have to be spilled in order to stop it. And no one was coming, and the Doctor h-he, he had this knife, and-"

"You stop right there pet," he ordered gently. He set her down on the ground out of his arms, and sat her in one of the wider corner of the stairwells. He squatted down close, "No one would have allowed that to happen."

"But if the portal had been started-"

"Buffy would have not let anyone kill you," Spike interjected. "And neither would I."

Dawn could only bite her lip, "But all the people…It would have been the apocalypse Spike. Do you really think I would let all those people die to only let myself live?"

The two sat still for awhile, letting Dawn's last statement float in the air between them. Spike staring intently into Dawn's eyes, and Dawn, staring back at him. Spike finally gave small smirk, "You got more of your sister in you than I thought Niblet." But his face cleared and he gave her a stern look, "But we don't have to think about such things, because we took care of it. So stop that right now pet, or Buffy is going to see your sad, tear-stained face and think that I had something to do with it."

Dawn let out a small giggle at that point. They were both about to get up and continue their journey down the rickety staircase when the heard clambering sounds coming from below. Someone was coming up, and fast.

"Get behind me Dawn!" Spike ordered as he stood up, and placed Dawn between him and the corner railing. The sounds were getting closer and Spike felt his body growing tense once again. Hopefully, it would be nothing but a minion or a crazy, but he would not allow himself to take any chances. The steel bangs were getting louder and closer, Spike could feel Dawn grip tightly the back of his leather jacket. Just about as Spike was ready to kill the thing who came around the corner, Buffy showed her face. And even more surprisingly, ignored them completely, and kept running past them and up the stairs.

Staring after her incredulously, Spike sounded out to her, "Ummm…Buffy?" Dawn, hearing her sister's name, pushed away from the corner Spike had placed her in and joined in Spike's beckoning.

"Buffy! We're here, we're okay!"

The stomps and steel clangs stopped for a second on the floor above them, "Dawn?" they heard Buffy shout.

"Down here!" Dawn yelled back, practically laughing again. The bangs and clomps came back to life as Buffy came back down the stairs. Her eyes went wide as soon as she saw them as did Spike's. God she looked beautiful, and more importantly, unharmed.

"Dawnie?" She asked in shock. Dawn nodded furiously, her waterworks starting up again only to be joined by Buffy's tears a moment later as she closed the distance between the two of them and practically slammed Dawn's body into her own. She grabbed her for a tight embrace and through the muffled tears and crying, Spike could barely hear Buffy say, "God, I thought I might be too late."

"Spike saved me. He stopped it."

Buffy began touching Dawn's face and hair in continuous patting motions, as if to reassure herself that her sister was really there, "You're okay, you're really okay!" she kept murmuring to the bit, her eyes glistening. Suddenly, she pushed Dawn's face towards her and started smothering her with kisses. Spike smiled at the scene as he saw Dawn's teenage personality finally kick through.

"Eww, Buffy… stop with the kisses already." But she only said it halfheartedly.

Buffy's reply was to stop kissing her, but to grab her again for another hug. This time, as she was hugging Dawn, she looked up at Spike. Her eyes shining with tears and a smile on her face that hadn't present ever since she found out that Glory was after Dawn. Spike felt a knot in the back of his throat as he felt the effects of her gaze upon him. He felt like the love he had for her might very well burn a hole right of his chest when she opened one arm away from Dawn and pulled him in for a hug as well. Had it been anyone but the Summers women, Spike would have pushed himself away from this group hug, mushy scene that would have most definitely harmed his reputation as the Big Bad. But being in this moment with Buffy and the little Bit was all worth it. Especially when a beat later, Buffy whispered into his ear with a tearful breath, "Thank you Spike. Thank you."

Spike could only hold onto these two ladies who meant more to him than anything else in this world. He would never let them see it, but his eyes also began to well up. In efforts to hide it, he dropped his head down onto the Bit's head, holding her tight, while looking at the beautiful, strong woman in front of him. The woman he loved.

And he had not failed her.

Spike probably could have stayed in this position for hours had it not been for the strange crackling noise he began to hear. Spike glanced behind him and saw a bright shinning light, one that was rapidly growing in size.

Spike, pushed himself away from the group hug, and stepped closer to the light. "What is that?" he asked. The ladies said nothing, so he turned to them to ask them again, "Don't you two-" but he stopped himself.

What had been the Summers women in a happy embrace was now an entirely different scene. Dawn was covered in blood and her face was one of shock and fear. Her hands were in front of her face, and she was staring in horror as the blood dripped off slowly from her fingertips. "Dawn!" Spike shouted, confused and frightened. "What happened?" He rushed toward her and grabbed her bloodied hands into his own. He looked over to Buffy, who was expressionless. She was simply staring at him.

"Buffy…I'm sorry, I-I..."

But Buffy simply let her gaze drift back to the light, the furious energy crackling louder than ever. Her gaze hardened as she stared into the boundless power, unrestrained and threatening to spill death and destruction into the atmosphere. Spike felt his mouth opening and closing, trying to find words or trying to understand how it had happened. He kept loosening his grip off of Dawn's hands to move himself closer to Buffy, but everytime he tried, Dawn's hands began to shake so violently he could not force himself to break his hold.

"Buffy," he tried again, "Please! I-I-I don't know-"

"I counted on you to protect her," Buffy said, her tone deadpan and her gaze not breaking from the portal.

The crackling sound was becoming so loud he could barely hear her, but he felt a dry sob threaten to break from his throat, "Buffy… no."

Without warning, she sprinted forward to the portal leaving them behind. With that, he finally did drop Dawn's hands and tried going after to her. But his feet were stuck and all he could do was watch.

"BUFFY!" he screamed into the night, his voice being barely heard over the crackling. But before he could force his feet to do as his entire being commanded it too, Buffy had jumped into the portal. But instead of disappearing, the portal exploded. And he was drowning in first the light, and then dark. But all the while, he heard that crackling

That godforsaken crackling…

His head snapped up and he opened his eyes. In front of him was a white shinning light that he could barely make out through the fuzz clouding his eyes. It was loud and violent crackling noise. He rushed over to it and threw himself at the portal with the scream he had try to voice earlier. But he hit something solid and he felt the portal fly away from him. Suddenly there was a crash, and the light and sound abruptly stopped. When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw that the portal, his TV, was broken on the crypt floor.

He glanced back to where he had sprang up from. It was his comfy chair. And from it what looked like, his remote had been sticking up from the cushion. He had probably rolled on top of it.

Soundlessly, he walked to the hole in his crypt to the ladder that led down to his bed. He pointedly ignored the debris on the floor and the slight burning smell from the small electric fire.

He didn't even bother getting under the covers when he reached his bed. He'd only awake in a few hours, similar to how he had woken up just now. He was used to it by now.

It had been 148 days.

Spike was back in the Summers- well, Dawn, Tara, and Willow's living room. Tonight it was just him and Dawn. Again. Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow had been leaving Dawn in Spike's care a lot within the last few weeks while they were off researching whatever it was they were working on. Something about placing demon wards around the city of Sunnydale or something similar to that at least. Spike hadn't paid a lot of attention to it, and to be honest, hadn't really cared either. He was happier with Dawn then the lot of them anyway.

Tonight he was trying to teach her how to play cribbage, a game which Dawn insisted was what old people played in nursing homes.

"…And from your six cards, you choose two cards to go in the crib," he was teaching her, with just the slightest bit of impatience.

"The crib?" Dawn looked at him with a sarcastic smile in place, "I take back my previous statement on this being an old person's game." She began to twiddle with her necklace.

He raised her eyes in a warning, "No… it's like a pot. It's a shot for the dealer to score some extra points."

She began to play with the reflection from the metal charm dangling from her chained necklace, casting it on walls, chairs, and, most annoyingly, Spike's face. She giggled, "Now we're moving from baby to cooking terms?"

He glared as he tried to wave the reflected light away. "Do want to learn this game or not?"

"Spiikkkeee…" Dawn dramatically whined, dropping her necklace only to start rubbing her hands over her eyes. "I had a really long day at school not to mention a horrible night of sleep. I don't think my brain can handle this right now."

Spike could sympathize with the lack of sleep. He shuddered to think what the bags of his eyes looked like. But with thinking of sleeping, came the thinking of dreams. So instead of sympathizing, he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine. But next time you fancy yourself in a gambling mood in an English Pub and find that cribbage is the only game you can play for money… well, legally anyway…don't come crying to me."

Dawn chuckled, "Since when have you ever cared if something was legal or not?" Spike rolled his eyes, refusing to acknowledge her point. "Can we watch a movie instead? It's my turn to pick a movie, and I really just want to take it easy. My brain is mush" She slumped back into the couch throwing her feet up on the coffee table to emphasize her point.

He shook his head and got up from the couch, "I'm only agreeing to this because my TV broke I hope you realize."

"How'd it break?" She asked conversationally.

Spike, who was looking through the videos in the cabinet, ignored her and instead replied, "I'm saying it right now, I refuse to do another 80s movie marathon."

"What? Why?"

"Honestly pet, I've been over here maybe 20 times the past couple months and we have watched the Breakfast Club at least 5 times. There is only so much a fella can take, luv."

She blushed, "Fine. I was in the mood for something a little more fuzzy feeling anyway."

He turned to slowly look at her, "I don't do fuzzy," he emphasized severely.

"C'mon Spike, I just…," she searched in the air to find the right words, "I want to watch a movie that'll make me have warm soup belly. Something comforting, and easy to digest, ya know?"

"Are you sure you just don't need an antacid?" he smirked.

With that, she stomped off the couch went to the cabinet, purposely stepping in front of Spike. He held his hands in the air in mock surrender and went back to the couch and sunk down in his usual spot. He glanced at the Bit, looking over the selections. She must have found what she wanted because she straightened after a moment holding something in her hand and walked toward the TV. She purposely hid the tape case from view so Spike couldn't see and went down on the opposite of the couch after she had pressed it into the VCR. She struck her usual pose and she rested her head on the armrest and Spike lifted up his arms so she could place her feet on his lap.

The movie began, and Spike could instantly tell that is was in the very least a Disney movie. "If it's Bambi, I'm leaving."

"It's not Bambi," she smiled, but shoving him slightly with her feet. "Do you think it was enjoyable for me last time when I was crying that the hunter shot Bambi's mom and all you did was remark on his excellent marksmanship?"

Resigning himself to his fate, he found himself relaxing. These movie nights were becoming quite routine, and although they always complained about each other's movie choices, it was the closest thing he had to a comforting atmosphere since…

Dawn sighed indulgently, "I love this movie. It's so romantic." The previews had finally ended (Dawn insisted on watching them every time; Spike found them pointless), and a fairytale like music floated into the room through the TV speakers. He soon figured out what they were watching. He felt his throat tighten unexpectedly. "Have you seen it before?" she asked.

"Yeah," he admitted, his voice coming out a little hoarser than he had planned. He cleared it quickly when Dawn gave him a peculiar glance. "When Dru was sick, I used to put in movies for her to watch," he explained quickly. "The ones that made her quiet the longest were animated movies… well, that and horror-gore films," he added as a thoughtful side-note.

She raised her eyebrows, "Ok…but do you like this one?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but said simply, "Honestly don't remember much." Dawn eyes studied his for a moment. It was true, that he didn't remember the details, but he remembered the basic idea. After all, the story had been around long before Disney got its grubby little hands on it. What he didn't go on to say was that how this story was a representation of what he had so badly wanted: how he was a beast that so desperately wanted to be a man, so he could be with the beauty, the one that he loved. But he set his face stoically toward the screen and said nothing more. So Dawn simply shrugged, and settled in for the movie night as well.

But before she fully situated herself, she grinned wryly at Spike, "So, you've seen this before?"

"Yeah."

"And other Disney movies too assumedly?" she pressed.

He rolled his eyes, "Your point Niblet?"

She looked triumphantly at him, "And you said you don't do fuzzy."

Not taking his eyes of the screen, he picked up the throw pillow beside him and threw it right into her face.

Just as Belle was about to enter the castle, Dawn was already asleep. Spike did the drill as he lifted her legs off his lap so he could stand up and settle them down onto the couch. He then went to the nearby closet and grabbed the throw blanket (the fuzzy one, not the quilted one of course). By the time he was satisfied that she would not wake up nor get cold, he settled back into his second designated spot, the armchair. He grabbed the remote to switch back to the normal telly. But he stopped when he heard the movie say:

"Take me instead!" Belle pleaded with the Beast to save her father.

Spike looked hard at the movie's heroine and felt the empty hole that he tried so hard to ignore every time he was with Dawn. Another self-sacrificing heroine to save the day, Spike thought numbly. And of course, the Beast would fall in love with her and in the end would do anything for his strong and beautiful beloved woman. And since this was Disney, they would of course get married and live happily ever after. How fuckin' bloody nice for them, he growled inwardly.

He felt his grip tightening around the remote, noting in the far corner of his mind that it was ridiculous to get jealous over animated characters. But it was the thought that Dawn probably wouldn't be too pleased to find her remote and TV in pieces when she awoke.

This is bad, Spike thought as he felt his emotions began to overtake him. He quickly turned off the movie, and switched to what was playing on the telly. He sighed with relief as he found Die Hard playing. He had seen it countless times on cable late at night, but he had a deep appreciation for John McClane, simply for the fact that walking across glass with bare feet even made him wince.

He sank into his normal, TV stupor. He focused only on the movie, not allowing his mind to wander anymore. Although he was tired (hell, he had been tired for the last few months) he knew he wouldn't fall asleep. He had made the mistake once of falling asleep after Dawn had. When he had awoken to Dawn shaking him, saying that he had been shouting, screaming even. He had shrugged it off, saying that it was a migraine. It was such a ridiculous lie that there was no doubt that it was not the truth. But she had simply nodded her head, and gotten him a glass of water. She didn't ask anymore questions, which was good because Spike would have given her no answers. But after that night, he made sure that when she fell asleep, he would stay awake no matter what. And staying awake tonight meant focusing on a movie he had seen a dozen times before, which was better than the other animated option before him.

He was involved in the movie thoroughly, and it was just at the scene where John McClane sent a delivery on the elevator via dead human, which always made Spike chuckle, when he heard a loud squeal from a motorcycle engine proceeded by a loud crash.

Instantly snapping out of his chair, he jumped straight to the window located behind the couch and peered outside. He face turned grim as he saw a gang of Hell's Angels, demon style, tearing up the neighborhood. Road Pirates. He felt a slight dread at the pit of his stomach. Shit, his mind thought anxiously. Dawn, having been stirred awake by the noise and Spike's sudden movements, joined him at the window.

"What's going on?" She asked, fear underlying her voice slightly.

"Stay away from the window," Spike whispered fiercely. They wouldn't have come here if they didn't know that Buffy was gone. No doubt the slayer's home would be targeted, and he didn't want to give them any reason to come here any quicker by showing them live human bait. He grabbed her shoulders and guided her away from the window.

At this point, Dawn's fear became more of a predominant feature in her tone, "What is it, what's happening?"

"Just do as I say!" Spike commanded. He walked out into the foyer, with Dawn in tail. He double-checked the door to make sure it was locked. "I'm going to go check the rest of the house. Don't move!" He stared at her straight in the eye so she could see how serious he was. She nodded nervously and wrung her hands together as Spike moved forward into the dining room and kitchen area. He quickly turned off any remaining lights that were left on and made sure that the back door was locked as well. After securing the bottom floor, he ran up the stairs. Everything seemed secured, minus one open window in Willow and Tara's room. He closed it shut and locked it before heading back downstairs and straight to Buffy's old weapon chest.

He opened it and began to rummage through it. "Stakes… Holy Water…. One Cross," not thinking, he went to pick it up to look beneath it only to get burned instantly. "Agh!" He shook his hand in efforts to try to release the pain, "Brilliant."

Looking away from his injured hand, he happened to notice the Bit standing once again by the window. Damn it! Is it really hard to follow directions that'll lead you to not being dead, Spike thought angrily. "Here!" he strode over to Dawn and grabbed her by the shoulders once again, "You want me to bloody thump you? I told you to stay away from the window," he growled as he pulled her away from the window once again.

"Who are they?" Dawn asked looking at the window still.

Spike followed her gaze as he answered her, "Hellions. Road pirates. They raid towns ... use 'em up, burn 'em down." He winced as he saw one of the Demons throw a mailbox through an empty house. "It's usually backwaters, any place..." he drew in a breath, hoping not to scare the bit to much with this next piece of information, "Any place they think is vulnerable."

Dawn's eyes widened in comprehension, "They know. The Slayer's gone."

Spike looked back out the window with a snarl as he saw the demons now setting fire to the cars that were on the street and getting started on setting fire to the houses. He made up his mind, "Can't stay here." And without further ado, he grabbed Dawn by the hand and began to lead her toward the back door.

She pulled against him, "W-well, I'm not going out there!" Her eyes full of fear as she continued to look at the mayhem the hellions were causing out in the street.

Spike kept walking to the door, dragging her with every step of the way. He stopped when he go to the back door and said, "Got no choice, bit, I can't protect you here." And I'll stake myself if I screw up that again, Spike resolved internally as he bared his teeth slightly.

Dawn tried to reason with him as she stated, "Well, we can lock the doors, turn out the lights."

Spike could only scoff at that idea, "And what, hide under the bed linen? Not really my style."

Dawn was getting desperate, as it became apparent to Spike that she was searching for any reason to stay, "Bu-But we need to wait for the others, and Buffy."

Spike could only look at her with a concerned and puzzled look on his face. Was she that scared that she thought…?

"...bot." she finished lamely. "You know, the-the Buffybot."

Spike could have slugged at her for that. We have to wait around for the lunk of metal that reminds me everyday of what we are missing and what we have lost? Bullocks to that! "We-we have to wait for the others-"

He had had enough. He grabbed her none too gently by the shoulders and shook her slightly to get her wits about her. "Look!" Dawn's eyes went wide with fear, and Spike forced himself to calm down and proceed more calmly, "Dawn, I get that you're scared. But I'm your sitter, so mind me." He let go at this point and gave her a very pointed look into her eyes, that conveyed the promise he was saying, "I'm not gonna let any of those buggers lay so much as a warty digit on you." Dawn looked calmer but still apprehensive, "Right?" he insisted.

Dawn could only look at him and whisper out in the softest of tones, "Right."

Letting out a sigh of air, Spike prepared himself to go outside, "Right, then. We can't wait around to see if the others will pop in. We're on our own. No one's coming to our rescue." No Buffy around this time he thought to himself, allowing one last dejected thought before he prepared himself mentally for the certain treachery that lay before them. He took her hand, and out the door they went.

Buffy.

Yes. That was what they once called her.

That was strange. Why was she remembering that?

Before, she was nothing. She was everything. Words could not describe nor were they needed. There was nothing she needed or wanted and nothing was wanted or needed from her. And it was the way it was now and the way it was suppose to be.

But most importantly, she had been done. And nothing that happened before had mattered.

So why was she remembering things?

Right now, she was not just herself, but a part of something much greater. Something that filled every part of her that had been empty before. But now… something was different. Something was seeping into her.

All at once she felt a presence. Her state was no longer what it was, and she was forced into a sensation that terrified her. What was this? She felt herself slowly being separated from the whole. She was being molded into her own piece. She cried out against it, but it pulled her ruthlessly away.

She tried to fight, but she didn't know how. She was apart from the whole, yes, but she could still feel the close by, crying for her to come back. The dark force that had ripped her from the womb she had settled into so perfectly was now trying to kidnap her from her entirety completely. As much as her soul wished and fought to be back with the whole, she could do nothing. She couldn't do anything! The force was taking her, and she would have nothing left.

It swallowed her whole then and she was gone and tossed away. She felt a huge rush of speed as her being was hurtled toward something, but she could not see where she was going, nor could she feel the wind from the speed she was traveling. She was being pushed to something she cried out against it, but could not stop.

It seemed like she was traveling for a lifetime when suddenly, it stopped.

She could suddenly feel…pins and needles. Yeah, that was it. Pins and needles. It started small, and then spread out. It extended to the edge of her being, she felt a coldness she had not felt… since before. And slowly, she finally regained her entire being back into a frighteningly familiar 'feeling' state. She opened her eyes and took her first gasp of air; an intake of breath she had not felt the need to do since before… and that's when she realized.

She had her old self, her old incomplete, unfinished body back. And she was trapped. She had been… what was the word! her mind screamed. She searched her old memories that were now foreign and new to her when she came upon the correct term. She was in heaven. Buffy felt her chest heave; overwhelmed by the word that she finally could assign to the place she had been, the place she had been ripped out of. It was the only word she could think of could possibly represent even a portion of what she had.

She had been in heaven, and here she was, trapped and all alone. Her eyes widened further still as she realized she was in a coffin. She struggled violently for a moment when she suddenly realized something else. Her eyes shut tight as she soon placed a word to where she was now. Oh God, Buffy sobbed silently, she was in Hell.