Chapter 35

Buffy started to walk away for several steps. Something was definitely wrong. She felt that. All of Lilea's speech about being too late with Spike… was he trying to do something stupid? God, this is Spike we're talking about. He always does something stupid!

But all the secrets Lilea seems tp be keeping from people lately: not telling Spike that the demon was in town, the haste with which she decided she needed speaking with tha Council, her last words that sounded so much like a goodbye. Were Spike and her thinking about leaving? That was the secret?

They were leaving? That's why Lilea forced her to admit her feeling?

Oh shit…

And Buffy started running. Faster and faster. That idiot! He can't just leave! Not again! I can't let him go away again. Not again! NOT NOW! Now without speaking with him.

"Spike!" she yelled, hitting the door of his crypt too hard. The door fell to the floor. "Spike!" Nothing - the place was empty and it sure didn't seem as if it was about to be left. She could see thet the place still looked 'lived in'. If they were thinking about leaving they sure hadn't started to pack yet.

"What in hell! What did you do to my door?"

"I… Sorry… I overreacted."

"Yeah, I can see that." He paused. "Lil?"

"At the Magic Box."

Spike walked toward the sarcophagus, and put on it the paper bag he had in his arms. A couple of cookie boxes fell down unnoticed.

We have to move -- I've found a nest of young vampires in the first crypt. They don't seem to have started hunting yet.

"Oh. I thought we could talk."

Spike froze. Buffy never asked that of him. EVER. They did talk, but had never had a "can we talk" conversation. "Talk?"

"Yeah, you know that thing you do with your mouth that you're so good at…"

Spike smirked, his head tilted to one side, she couldn't give him a line like that and expect him to just let it got.

"We didn't call it talking, luv." His voice deep and sexy in a way she wasn't used to any more. His tongue caressed his own canines, as if he was tempted to bite it to stop himself from making the joke.

Buffy looked into his shining eyes and blushed violently. She knew he was just having fun with her but she couldn't help to feel butterfly in her stomach.

'Stop focus on his mouth, you… you're supposed to be angry with him… not drooling over… about his mouth, focus on chat.' "I didn't… I meant… " She breathed deeply a couple of time before adding "Why didn't you tell me?" Only a breath.

'Denial - whatever she meant deny everything!'

"I don't know what you're talking about" He strode toward the door. "Hurry up, those vampires aren't going to wait long before they go hunting."

Buffy stared after him as he walked out the door, without caring or waiting for her to join him. He was trying to escape from her question.

"Spike!" she yelled behind him.

He walked so quickly that she almost had to run so as not to be left behind. The vampire sure had no idea how much this made Buffy's anger grow more quickly.

"You stupid vampire! STOP AND SPEAK WITH ME!"

"Yell louder! The vampires inside might not have heard you coming, yet."

"Why is Lilea the one who told me? Why couldn't you just tell me that?"

"What in hell could I tell you? 'Oh, by the way, luv, I went to Africa, got my soul back, just so I could be something you can love?' Oh please, this is pathetic!"

Buffy froze. She stayed motionless for some time.

"You got your soul back…" she whispered, making a real effort to not look for something to lean against. She needed to think, she needed to breathe.

"Yeah, bloody surprise, isn't it? That bitch! She was supposed to keep her mouth shut! She'll pay for this!"

Spike was too angry to notice Buffy's reaction. He kicked the door open, starting to fight as soon he entered the crypt.

Buffy walked in slowly, her face very pale, still in shock. "You got it back… How?"

"She didn't tell you the whole thing? Bloody women! Damn her, damn you all!"

One of the vampires rolled on the floor from the knock Spike gave him.

"Are you two here for fighting each other?" he asked, trying to raise himself.

Another one looked toward Buffy. "She's human, she breathes! And seems tasty"

He tried to attack her and even though she hadn't exactly recovered from the shock she was able to kick him away.

"Ouch! What in hell are you?"

"Slayer…"

"You're real? I guessed you were a legend…"

"Too bad for you I'm real… and mad." She looked at Spike again. "Why didn't you tell me? You... IDIOT!"

-OO-

The two witches and the demon girl raised their heads almost at the same time; their faces were triumphant.

"We did it."

"So, this time is certain, the ritual is done!"

"We're the best magic team around here, and we can be proud…very proud of ourselves. We saved the world. Well… we will."

"Lil…" Anya's voice cracked, her happiness suddenly wiped off from her face.

The youngest girl sighed. "Just in time... what luck!" she said ironically. "Tell Spike... tell him she deserved to know... that whatever is going to happen is worth it. And his being happy will be my happiness." She stopped. "No, don't tell him. Tell him just that this is my revenge."

"Are you ready?"

"No.. but we've no time. Come on., that's my wish! And don't blame yourself. I decided."

Anya voice trembled, then her features morphed into her demon face. "Your wish is granted. Good luck..."

And suddenly in a puff of smoke the youngest slayer vanished from the Magic Box.

Teleportation. She had never tried that. The strange sensation of feeling yourself vanish and reappear, although still incorporeal as she travelled across town.

The dizziness deepening in her stomach was growing, as the fear of what was going to happen, the knowledge that she wasn't going to survive was scaring her again. Ok, this was her mission, her destiny. She knew that. So... what in hell - be brave!!!

-O-

Lilea landed in the crypt unnoticed, probably still incorporeal. Buffy and Spike were fighting a bunch of vampires, six or seven. Not that they seemed to care about it much.

"Why didn't you tell me!? You... IDIOT!" Buffy yelled at Spike, without stopping punching the others vampires.

"Why should I? Does this change anything?" he answered with an angry voice.

"Yeah! It does! Of course it does!" Buffy seemed ready to lose her temper completely. 'How can this stupid idiot vampire not understand how important this Thing is?'

"Yeah, sure, just because I have a soul now I'm suddenly a good man, right?" Spike's voice was a mixture of rage and pain.

"Yeah... no... I don't know! But I deserve to know!"

"Why?" He dusted a couple of vampires, then he looked at her. She was fighting with no hurry, probably not even focusing on her duty, but she was using this fight to release the rage she was feeling about his revelation. So, after making certain she was pretty much able to keep the situation under control, he leaned against a coffin, staring at her.

"Can you two argue later?" One of the vampires, the tall one, very slim and with dark hair asked with an annoyed tone. "You two are distracting me!"

"And this is a reason to stop? Hello? I have to kill you." Buffy pointed out.

"Yeah sure... if you're not too busy fighting with your boyfriend," the dark vampire snorted.

"Hey! He's not my boyfriend, he's a…" She needed some seconds to find the right word. "Jerk!"

She missed the amused smile on the blond vampire's face "Buffy..."

She glanced at him, he was now simply watching the show of a slayer fighting. "So... are you going to help me or do I have to take care of this alone? I'm so mad with you: I can't believe that you didn't tell me! We slept together and you still didn't find the time to say you gained your soul back?"

"You slept with a vampire?" One of the not so dangerous vampires asked with a disgusted expression on his face.

"I said slept, not having sex!" she answered in her defensive tone.

Spike was having real fun. "Actually we had sex too," he added with a casual tone.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. It doesn't count now."

"Sex with a vampire? What kind of slayer are you?" Again the few vampires she was fighting look scandalized.

"Yeah, and I wasn't even the first..." Again the amused tone in his voice.

If looks could kill Spike would be dead just now.

"Ewwww!" was the unanimous reaction from the wanna-be-dust vampire.

"You..." She turned toward Spike. "I'm going to kill you later."

"Yeah yeah..."

-O-

Lilea could hear this love/hate dialogue. Spike trying not to answer the slayer question, typical. She smiled. Avoid the topic if you can't speak about it. Move the attention. Typical of Spike. But his colors were shining in a nice way, becoming more brilliant. Rage and fear were dissolving. He was strangely relaxed. Buffy's were a mess. No doubt she had found out about his soul, she knew now. Poor sweetie, she was so confused. But even in her threat to kill Spike love was so evident.

Then a strong light appeared not far from her. Dark and obscure. Threatening. All his hate and the scorn he felt toward the lovers was so evident, that for a moment Lilea felt paralyzed. Then she noticed a small, dark light, with no emotion in it. In her dream Gulthias had arrows of the same kind that killed Navarre, so she thought that was probably what she was seeing. She could try to kick the evil demon, but she wasn't corporeal yet. She had only one option. She concentrated hard on her wish: 'be there to save Spike from the arrow', so that was what she had to do. She started to run, as fast as she could.

-O-

Gulthias knew after the last killing of a demon that killing him wasn't going to kill the feeling. So, this time, he was going to change. He was going to shoot the girl. No demon can love for ever. Demons aren't supposed to love humans.

The arrow was shot in Buffy's direction.

"Demons and humans can't love each other. A Slayer who loves a demon must be killed," a threatening voice thundered.

Spike, Buffy and also the few vampires they were fighting turned toward it. They saw another demon point a crossbow at Buffy, too late for the Slayer to see the threatening arrow flying toward her. Spike noticed it just a moment earlier than Buffy. He hit her, violently, putting himself between the arrow and the woman he loved. He felt blood run down his neck, then he fell down. But there was no pain, just a weight on his chest pushing him against the ground.

The vampires attacked the Slayer, taking advantage of her being down. She reacted in a flash, dusting them in just a moment; then she turned again toward Spike and Lilea.

Lilea? What was she doing here?

The youngest slayer tried to sit up. "You should have killed me..." She breathed to Gulthias.

"Oh, this will do it very soon..." He laughed.

"You won't kill them, I won't let you do that, not again."

"Silly human girl, you're dead. You're nothing."

Spike moved closer to his friend. He held her firmly when she started to tremble badly from the pain. She raised her hand toward the arrow that was embedded in her shoulder. All around it her skin was changing color. She could see the destructive effect of the poison that the arrow contained flowing into her body, she could see her shoulder becoming dark purple, she could see her veins gradually becoming visible to her eyes. And the pain, a dull ache increasing.

So this was the horrible death of Navarre. That was what her lover had felt just some minutes before dying. That would be her fate now.

"Lil... Lilea... speak to me."

Buffy ran toward Gulthias even before he had the time to realize the incoming danger. He certainly wasn't aware of the Slayer's speed. She hit him, over and over again, barely taking the time to breathe.

She could hear Spike's voice calling their friend and the girl's screams when the vampire extracted the arrow from her shoulder.

Buffy moved fast, even faster than usual. The rage born from seeing Lilea's almost senseless face, and Spike's desperate one made her even stronger.

Buffy took the old sword she had noticed earlier and without listening to what the demon was saying she cut his head.

The demon's head rolled on the floor and his body still seemed to walk some steps before collapsing. Then his body and head started to boil and a smelly smoke raised from it, leaving it melted in a dark puddle, and in few seconds nothing of Gultias was left but a couple of spots on the floor.

Everything moved so fast that she barely had time to notice that she had no idea how Lilea had got there. She ran to her side. Spike was holding his friend as if she was the most precious treasure.

"Lil…"

"Now tell me she doesn't love you…" the girl whispered with a smile.

"Don't speak… We need to take you to hospital." He moved in order to take her into his arms and carry her fast.

She moaned for the pain. "No… They can't help me, Spike, human haven't any cure for magical poison. I knew what was going to happen…"

"What did you do?"

"You two… I can't let her suffer what I went through… You're what she deserves… She's what you deserve." She breathed deeply with pain "You killed him?"

"Yeah," Buffy whispered. "He's dead"

"I thought I could see again when he died." She stopped for a moment trying again to smile. "But this doesn't matter right now. Does it?"

"Lil…"

"Don't worry about me, Spike, I'll… be … fine … there… It's cold… isn't it?" She was trembling, her smile vanished into a expression of pain. Her nails scratched against her jeans in a convulsion, when the ache became too much.

Spike glanced at Buffy. His face wet of tears he didn't even realize were rolling down. He was watching her as if he was asking permission, Buffy gave him a ghostly nod, then he exposed more of Lilea's wounded shoulder, his face morphed into the vampire mask and without any further hesitations he sank his teeth around the wound, sucking it with all his strength. Spike sank his fangs every time deeper, sucking more keenly every bite, spitting the poisoned blood on the floor. If it had killed Navarre probably it was dangerous for a vampire too.

Lilea gasped and arched her back, her eyes opened wide in pain, surprise and emotion. Even in her state so close to death she was overwhelmed by the unexpected pleasure waves the bites were emanating. God, that was intense! She stretched her hand toward her best friend's face, caressing his cheek, her hand trembled violently but she managed to have the trace of a smile on her mouth.

And Buffy stared at them without moving or speaking, feeling absolutely powerless against this heartbreaking scene. Then a sudden realization came to her. She recognized this as the end of her nightmares. So she had never dreamed about Spike killing Lilea, but trying to saving her life.

To be Continued