I disclaim. Not quite the same as the others, but not that different either.
(Oops, little mistake in the original version. Let's try this again…)
4
He knows he's dreaming, but he smiles anyway.
This is the night everything changed.
It is the one you think.
Buffy's alive and so is Dawn.
That little bitch, Doc, is before him, but it's all changing.
When he's thrown from the tower, he falls as always.
That doesn't change.
The landing never comes though.
Catching himself pulls his arm out of his socket, ripping tendons and dislocating joints.
The pain is pleasure.
Doc's tongue is long, whip-like and strong.
He can't resist digging his black-varnished nails in as he drags himself inch by angry inch back to the tower.
Dawn stands bleeding glowing light from wounds that should never have been.
Doc hasn't allowed him to distract him from that.
He gurgles.
"Shallow cuts… Shallow cuts… Let the blood flow free…"
With her halo of hair and her effulgent eyes, she should bear the name Glory.
Suddenly, achingly, there is ground beneath his feet.
He still has hold of Doc's tongue.
There is barely room to swing a cat on top of the tower.
Swinging a Doc is another matter.
The discus players of Ancient Greece would give him a perfect 10 for that throw.
The blood still flows.
Spike spits blood and grins at his Nibblet.
Even as he cuts her free, they see the portal opening beneath her feet.
"Spike, it's started."
The portal looks different from up here.
From below he saw hell.
From above he sees heaven.
A conundrum for the Watcher.
"Dawn!" Buffy is running.
Glory is vanquished too late.
Dawn steps forwards, pulling herself out of Spike's arms.
"I'm sorry."
He remembers watching this from the ground, broken and bleeding, begging her not to jump only to see Buffy jump in her place.
Buffy is coming, but Dawn's eyes are only on him.
She'll never know how much he loves her.
He grins at her.
"Cause it's always got to be blood."
His own words haunt him and he sees it all so clearly now.
He wishes he wasn't about to die with Johnny Nash singing in his head.
Chip screaming, he drinks the blood that tastes of the Slayer.
"Spike... no!"
Before Dawn was screaming after Buffy.
Now Buffy screams after him.
Nothing has ever sounded so beautiful to him.
"Always remember I love you."
The leap is huge, but he is the Big Bad.
"It's gonna be a bright sun-shining..."
…Damn.