AN:  Ugh…So…Tired…Went to watch kiddies…Got home…Got the insane idea in my head to completely rearrange my bedroom…Tiredness overcame us halfway through…So now we're sitting in our comfy chair, trying to type without having to sit up. Hmm. Somewhere through that I turned into a plural. *shrug* Don't care. I'll care when it starts affecting my Spuffy goodness. That hasn't happened…I don't think…has it happened? Hmm.

            Some of you indicated you were confused by the goings on in the last chapter (i.e. what Willow was talking about). It is a continuation of a mini-plot I started in After the End (chapter 20 I think…) that deals with an ancient metal-bound book Kennedy and Buffy came across one night while patrolling. Giles and Willow are trying to translate it (and having trouble) but last chapter Willow came across information about the upcoming battles Spike and Buffy were facing. The translations will continue, eventually connecting all the situations/problems in the story very conveniently. Yes, I actually do know what I'm doing! Scary, isn't it? If you're still lost go back and read the last, oh, five chapters of After the End again.

            Also, I apologize, this chapter is very, how shall we say, fight-ish…*grin*

Disclaimer: All characters (w/exceptions) belong to UPN, Mutant Enemy, and the all-powerful Joss.

Fade To Black

            "Oh god…" Willow stood up, rushing to the phone. "Oh god oh god oh god…."

            BRRRING

            "Oh god oh god oh god oh god…"

            BRRING

            "Oh god oh god oh god…"

            BRRI-"Hello?"

            "Spike?"

            "Willow?" Spike tapped his foot quickly. "This is a bad time, Red."

            "Spike! The translation!" She gasped.

            "Red-listen closely," he hissed. "They have Dawn. They have Giles. They're coming back here. I have to go and find them."

            "What?!?" She screeched. Risen again, he will fight for one dear. "It's…its part of the prophecy. It says 'he will fight for one dear'."

            "Does it say if I win?" He snapped.
            "No…"

            "I have to go." He started to hang up.

            Willow looked back to her paper. "No! Buffy! It says something about Buffy!"

            "What does it say?" He asked, fearful.

            "It says…" She hesitated. " 'She will fight, but she will fall. Without heart, she will fall.'."

            "Right." He bit his tongue hard. Don't loose it now, mate. Got to get the Nibblet. "I have to find Dawn, Red. Try calling her. Please."

            "Yeah…call Buffy…Okay, I'll call them." She nodded to herself as she heard the harsh click as he set down the phone. "Okay." She looked down at the phone number Giles had given her. "Okay."

            BRRRING

            BRRING

            BRRING

            "Come on Buffy, now's not the time to loose your phone," she joked nervously.

            BRRING

            "Hi-"

            "Buffy!"

            "-You've obviously called us when we couldn't come to the phone, so if you want to leave your name and number we'll be sure to call you back." Buffy's voice sounded falsely happy as the recording played. "Thanks!"

            BEEP

            "Hi, Buffy, it's me, Willow…" She stammered into the phone. "Um, could you, please, call me, we're really worried, please-" The message stopped abruptly, leaving her with an empty dial tone. "Buffy," she whispered. Remembering Dawn and Giles, she hurried to his collection of books. Pulling down one labeled Harnessing The Light, she started to chant.

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            "Dawn!" Giles rushed from the phone, scrambling to the other room. She was cowering in a corner as a large rock smashed through the window.

            "Throw out the Key and no one gets hurt!" A voice called.

            Giles cautiously looked out. Five vampires stood by the window, another three by the door. "Never."

            "Oh really?" The leader sneered, stepping aside to reveal a Hask demon. The being slowly approached the doorway. "Let's just see about that."

            "Dawn." He turned to her quickly. "Run upstairs. Go to one of the windows and wait for me. If I'm not there in two minutes, you need to run."

            She grasped his hand firmly. "I'm not leaving you."

            "Oh yes you are." With a sound shove, he sent her to the stairs. "Go!" His head snapped back to the door as it was kicked in.

            The Hask demon stood in the doorway, grinning evilly. It reached one of its large hands out, coming after him.

            "Bloody brilliant." He grabbed a lamp. "Stay back." He shifted it from hand to hand. The being's grin spread. "Don't make me hurt you."

            With a cry, the demon leapt forward and sent him sprawling back. He landed with a bang against the wall. "I will not pass out. I'm not going to pass out!" He was drug to his feet. Smashing the lamp against its face, he tried to run for the back door in hopes of it following him. Instead, it grabbed him by the neck and forced him up the stairs.

            " 'Ere ghurli ghurli ghurl…" It garbled. It drew blood from Giles's neck as it pressed its nails in.

            "You'll…never…" He gasped, kicking wildly as his vision blurred. I will not pass out. I will not pass…

            "GILES!" She screamed, charging at it with an axe. She managed to cut its arm before being swept up in the deadly embrace. "Let me go!"

            "Hey, don't kill her," one of the vampires outside cautioned.

            "Cun uy kyll im?" It questioned, lifting Giles from his feet.

            The vampire shrugged. "Sure. Go for it."

            "AWAY." A voice surged through the house. The demon flew back, smashing down another door.

            "Forget him! Come on!"

            Quickly, he stood and threw Dawn out the window.

            "FORCES OF LIGHT, FORCES OF DAY, PROTECT THE GIRL, STAY AWAY."           

            The vampire who held Dawn let out a yelp as he flew back, finally landing some hundred feet from the house. "It's some sort of spell!"

            "We have our own spells," another boasted. He turned to the oldest vampire amongst them.

            "It's a witch," he said simply. He held out his hand. "LET HER BE KNOWN!"

            Willow suddenly appeared in the middle of the street, looking disoriented.

            The vampire held out both his arms. A dark mist began to swirl around her.

            "Mother-" She staggered as a powerful blow hit her. "Goddess…Come into me…" Slowly, a white orb replaced the dark light. She turned her gaze to the vampire. "Let the evil be extinguished." He winced. "Let the evil do no wrong." Her light grew. "Let the darkest forces quiver." The minions began to drop around her, grasping at their hearts as they burned from within. "Let my powers grow strong." Her eyes began to change as she struggled with the energy flowing through her. She shook her head, harnessing it. "Let my powers grow strong!"

            The master vampire struggled through the barrier she had created. Tilting his head back, he called to the sky. "Osiris!" His eyes began to glow red. "Fill my being. Take my body. Take her soul." Clouds of dark energy wafted around him, billowing out and weakening her. A smirk spread on his face as her light began to drift to him.

            "AWAY." He stumbled back a few feet. Recovering quickly, he jumped to land beside her. "Sleep, girl." He put a hand on her shoulder.

            "NO." She managed to force him back. He returned, again placing his hand upon her. Taking her energy. Taking her power. "No…" Her eyes glowed fiercely before she collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.

            He drained her until she was no more than a softly beating heart upon the street. His eyes danced with the new resource he suddenly possessed.            

            "Willow?" Dawn cried, struggling with her captors.

            "QUIET." He rather liked this new tone of his voice. Her eyes widened when no noise escaped her lips. He looked about the group smugly. Approaching her, he took her hand. She grew quiet beneath his touch. "HOME."

            As the other vampires gaped, they disappeared.

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            "B!" Faith jumped up as Buffy kicked at the demon's claws.

            She winced as another long cut sliced down her leg. "Run," she grunted.

            In response, she reached over and wrapped her hands around the creature's arm. "Get out," she urged.

            Buffy jumped out, bending down to grab the thing's tail. It hissed, forgetting Faith temporarily to go after her. Here Betugk Betugk Betugk… "What, is that all you've got?" She grunted as it kicked her back. "I have kicked demon ass before-" She called, delivering a punch with each over-pronounced word. "And. I. Will. Kick. Yours."

            "You need new slay-sayings, girl." Faith jumped over the car, landing a nice flying kick to the demon's back. As it stood again both girls leapt on it, trying to stay away from those damn claws. "Honestly. It sounds like-" She went flying, crashing against a patch of grass. "-a bad wrestling catch phrase."

            Buffy would have liked to respond to that, but instead she was granted a near shish-cabob experience. Damn claws. "Faith," she called. "Go…get a sword…we need to cut-" She back flipped onto the hood of the Jeep. "Those claws off."

            "One nail job on the way." She popped open the back and threw  a sword towards her. "Catch!"

            Grabbing the sword, she plunged it into the Betugk's arm. Oh right. Steel no kill. Re-aiming, she managed to take off a hand. It rolled from the car, causing Faith to raise an eyebrow. "What, are you just going to stand there and-" Her eyes bugged out as the remaining claw plunged deep into her side. "…Watch…?" No Buffy. Don't pass out. Bad Buffy. Don't. She pressed a hand over her wound as the world began to fade to blank. "No…"

            Faith grabbed her by the wrist, throwing her a good distance from the fight. Dodging blows and trying desperately to remove that other hand, she couldn't tell if Buffy was still conscious. "B?" Silence. "B?!?" She groaned as her cheek was cut open. "Damn man, you had to go for the face." She stood again, walking towards it determinedly. "I hate that!" With a quick gesture she removed the other hand. A brief smile stole her face at the demon's expression. It dissipated as she started to feel woozy. "Oh yeah…forgot about that…venom…" Tripping over her feet, she took the stake from her jacket and lunged blindly. She never saw where it landed.

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            He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the construction site. Dear god, or whoever's up there, please, don't let Dawn… He couldn't finish the thought. And he absolutely refused to think about Buffy. About whether or not she was hurt. Or alive…He shook his head. She's brave. She can face this. She needs to face this. Besides, not like I can help at the moment. What with being here and all. Nothing I can do for her. I need to find-

            He tripped over the two figures that suddenly appeared in front of him. "What the hell…" His eyes widened as he realized one was Dawn. "Bit!"

            She looked up, her eyes filled with sadness.

            "The girl is a little…" the vampire grinned. "Tongue tied."

            He felt himself slipping into game face. Whoops. "Let. Her. Go."

            "Or what?" He looked at him amusedly. The question was answered as he was struck with a series of unnaturally fast punches and kicks.

            It took Spike exactly two seconds to realize that this vampire was a little bit different than the others. Three more to notice the dark magics crackling around them. "I can't believe this. You're a warlock vampire?"

            He grinned.

            "Hey! Hey!" The vampires from the bar approached, stepping in between the two.

            The master vampire looked at them confusedly. "What?"

            "He's with us. Fighting on our side."

            Dawn raised a noiseless eyebrow as Spike quickly shook his head to her.

            "Ah." He turned to look at the blond vampire. "Wait-then why…"

            Spike shrugged. "My mistake. Thought you were trying to take our…prize..."

            The vampire blinked at him, mentally believing him to be the daftest being on the planet. "Well then." Abruptly, he turned to Dawn. And pulled a stake from his pocket. "I don't see why we can't kill her right here." He looked over to Spike, daring him to defy.

            One of the others nodded. "She's The Key. We don't have to be directly over the seal, I'd bet."

            "Actually, we do." He looked down, scuffing at the loose dirt with his toe thoughtfully. "And we are."

            "Oh," the others muttered.

            He pulled back the stake dramatically. "Goodbye, girly."

            Spike jumped in front of her silently as the stake plunged down.

            "SPIKE!" Dawn screamed, suddenly freed from the spell, as the vampire jerked back against her. She held his arms until he was balanced again. "Spike?"

            Slowly, he tilted his head to look at the stake firmly implanted in his heart. "Bloody hell," he muttered as the world faded to black.

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Okay okay, put down you're crossbows and axes, please. Do you think I, a loyal Spuffy fan, would allow both (or either, for that matter) of the characters we love oh-so-much to perish? Do you think I care so little? *sniff sniff* There is a valid reason I did this. I swear. Read the next chapter-you'll understand.

Review also!