Disclaimer: The story's mine - the characters
aren't. Neither is Sunnydale, LA, or...well,
heaven for that matter. I'm
time-sharing the Oracle's chamber, though - does that count?? Don't sue me. Please.
Spoilers: All of it - the whole kit and caboodle. Every single one of the 100 eps are fair game
here (If you haven't seen 'The Gift' yet you may not want to read this)
Distribution: I'm thinking yeah...as long as I know where
it's going beforehand and my name is on it.
Summery: Spike gets tapped by the Powers That Be to
restore the way things should be.
Problem is, Spike doesn't work and play well with others. He is none too pleased with the PTB's
suggestions, either. S/B eventually,
otherwise what's the point?
Rated:
R
Note: "italicized words" equal mind
speech.
Dedications: Kelly, I don't have the words to tell you
what you mean to me. You are the
reason, and I thank you. Helen, Trish,
and Isabelle – you've all been staunchly supportive, and you deserve a
bucketful of gratitude for being patient with my many neurosis. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Eternity
Lies In The Balance
Chapter 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was
over. The dimensional walls were back
in place. The Scooby Gang shuffled
slowly toward the body of a fallen friend, tears in their eyes and pain in
their hearts.
No one
was sure what had happened. The world
hadn't ended, so Buffy had succeeded in preventing the apocalypse, but at what
cost? Losing Dawn, as they knew they
must have – there was no other way to close the walls to the dimensions once
open - was bad enough. But losing
Buffy, not knowing how or why, that tore each and every one of them apart.
Spike,
with one look at the broken body of the woman he loved, pressed his hands over
his eyes and sobbed out his failure. He
had been given a job, he'd made a promise, and he had failed. Dawn was gone. Buffy was gone.
He'd
promised to protect Dawn until the end of the world. The world was still here, she wasn't. And he had lost Buffy, too.
He had failed utterly. And he
was riddled with self-loathing and despair.
She
was wrong to treat me like a man, he thought. She should
never have trusted me with it. She
should've bloody well known better. She
might still be alive, at least. And
Nibblet, I'm so sorry, pet. It should
have been me, not you, not big sis. It
should've been me.
Dawn,
tears in her eyes, stepped away from the metal edifice that was supposed to
have meant her death and moved in jerky paces to the body of her sister. Her savior.
She didn't notice the gasps of surprise and shock as the gang saw her
approach. She was oblivious to their
muted relief that she was, in fact, still alive against all odds.
The
gang held back, stunned disbelief and grief holding them in place as the
reality of what must have happened slowly started to sink in. Buffy was dead. The Slayer had made the only choice she could once the walls had
fallen. She had been a true hero. She had found a way to save them all.
Moving
into a shaft of early morning sunlight, Dawn kept her eyes trained on the body
of the person she had loved most in the world.
It's
too hard, Buffy,
she thought to her sister. I can't
do this without you. How can I live as
you asked, how can you expect me to?
Swamped
by guilt and overcome by grief, Dawn collapsed at her sister's side and
wept.
How
long has it been since I was made human, she wondered. Nine
months? A little less? And look what my existence has caused. Death, pain, war. None of this should have happened.
Giles
watched Dawn and ached for her. He
ached for them all. There were no words
to express the loss he felt at the death of his Slayer, his Buffy. She had meant more to him than even a
daughter would have, and the only thing he knew now was that this world didn't
deserve to survive if it continued to ask such sacrifices from such pure
souls.
The
Watcher realized that against everything that was written, Buffy had found a
way to keep her sister alive and save the world at the same time. Of course she would, how had he ever doubted
it, she was the Chosen One.
Here
they were, all of them save one.
Alive…hurt but alive…and all because of Buffy's strength of
character. It would be up to him, now,
to guarantee that her sacrifice had not been made in vain. They were a family, Dawn's only real family,
and Buffy would want each and every one of them to watch out for her
sister.
She had
sacrificed her life for Dawn, for all of them, and now it was their time to
give a little back for that gift. The
feeling of responsibility didn't lessen the pain - it hurt so very, very much -
but it allowed room for direction and purpose.
Dawn
felt the gentle pressure on her shoulder and she raised her tear-stained face
to the gentle and compassionate gaze of the Watcher. Despite the false memories the monks had given her, memories of a
father's love, Dawn knew that the man standing over her had been more of a
father to her than anyone else. And she
knew that even with Buffy's real history with their dad, Giles had always been
more of a father to her as well. That's
when she remembered the words, the last words her sister spoke to her before
she had done the unthinkable.
Dawn rose
on shaky legs and took a step back from Giles' now questioning gaze. There was purpose in her expression and
determination in her posture. Wide blue
eyes scanned the group, stopping on each one in turn, until she came to the
huddled and sobbing form on her far left.
Spike. She ached to comfort him, ached to be
comforted by him, because Dawn knew that he above all others had loved Buffy as
much and as desperately as she herself did.
And she knew that he was just as alone now, as well. But it wasn't time yet. There was a message to be told.
The sun
kissed her shoulders and turned her long, dark hair into spun gold. The group, with the exception of Spike, who
was so wrapped in his own agony he hadn't noticed Dawn's approach, watched in
awe as the pain of losing a sister was transformed into determination. With Buffy's last words waiting to be
spoken, Dawn had become, not the weakest amongst them, but the strongest.
"She
had a message for all of us," she said, her voice strong and clear despite
the loss she was feeling. Out of the
corner of her eye she saw Spike's head jerk in surprise at her voice as he
noticed her standing there for the first time.
"She
told me it was the work she had to do.
She said to tell you, Giles, that she figured it out, and that she was
okay. She loved all of you; she wanted
you to know that. She loved me,
too. Buffy said we have to take care of
each other, and that I have to be strong - but I think we all do. She said the hardest thing in this world was
to live in it. We need to be brave and
live. For her."
No
sooner was the message given then Dawn broke down once more. She was instantly blanketed in Giles' warm
embrace and she sobbed out her pain in his arms. When she felt the drops of wetness hitting the top of her head
she knew he, too, was grieving tearfully.
One by
one the rest of the gang stepped forward to hug her and tell her how much they
loved her. They told her they would
each be there for her and for each other.
They were a family, united in the dying wish of their friend. There was no blame, no recriminations. Grief, yes, they were all pounded
relentlessly by grief, but they also had their love for each other.
Except
for Spike. He held back, was held back
by the glare of the morning sun. He
couldn't go to Dawn. He couldn't really
believe she was still alive. Somehow it
seemed that he was being given a chance to redeem himself to Buffy by following
through on his pledge to protect her sister until the end of the world. The end hadn't come last night, and now he
had an undead eternity to as he promised.
The agony of losing Buffy was in no way lessened by the gift, but he
wasn't quite so raw.
Shuffling
his feet in aggravation, he cursed the inability to get near her. He had to watch as each of the gang got to
ease a small part of their suffering by the blessing of contact with all that
was left of the Slayer. Not him,
though, he stood alone. He had always
been on the outside, alone and lonely, when it came to these people. There was no comfort to be had for the
monster.
Dawn
leaned in and kissed Tara on the cheek, thrilled that whatever magick Willow
used had brought one of her favorite people back to them. It was bittersweet but real. She turned to Giles, who was leaning over
Buffy, getting ready to carry her out of there, when she saw Spike.
The
naked longing on his face told her everything she needed to know. He raised a hand to her, a tragic wisp of a
smile on his lips but he came no closer.
She frowned, not understanding at first why he held himself back when it
was so obvious he wanted to be included on this small session of grief
therapy. Then she remembered. The sun.
He couldn't come any closer, how stupid of her not to realize.
With a
sob she stepped around Xander, who was supporting Anya's weight after letting
her down from his arms to hug Dawn, and threw herself into the shadows. Into the arms of the vampire.
Spike
was stunned by the effusive display. He
hadn't known what to expect, but was overwhelmed by her obvious affection. It was more than he had ever hoped to
have.
Wrapping
tight arms around the girl, he whispered in her ear so the others couldn't
hear. "I was afraid you didn't
make it, Nibblet. I was so afraid you
didn't make it."
His
voice cracked and tears were threatening to fall again but he continued. "I can't believe she's really
gone. I loved her so much. I lived for her, ya know? Would have bloody well died for her and
she's gone. I don't know what to do,
pet, tell me what to do."
Dawn
squeezed him tightly, gaining comfort as she gave it. She pulled back slightly and stared into his eyes. She saw the torment in them and new that it
mirrored her own.
"We
do just what she asked us to do, Spike, we live." With a gentle touch she traced her finger
down one bloodied cheek. "You did
everything you could, Spike. I saw
it. I know it. There was nothing else you could have
done. Buffy would have known it
too. She would have been
grateful."
The
smile he gave her was wry and self-doubting.
"Nice thought, pet, and I appreciate the effort. There won't be a day that goes by, though,
that I won't think of her and know I could have stopped Doc from doing what he
did to you. And if I had, she'd be
alive. That's my bloody cross to
bear."
She
shook her head at him, wanting him to understand that there was no blame to be
had, no guilt that should be felt for his actions but he reached up and gripped
her head gently in his hands.
"It's
okay, Little Bit, don't worry 'bout me.
I have to tell you something."
He took a deep breath that he didn't need just to calm down.
"Buffy
told me somethin' last night. Told me
she was counting on me to protect you.
I gave her my word that I would, until the end of the world. Now, it wasn't last night like we thought,
and you're still here." He looked
away in embarrassment briefly before continuing. "I guess what I'm bulloxin' my way through here is
this...what I pledged to Big Sis I now pledge to you. Until the end of your days or the end of mine, I will be here to
protect you from anything that could pop up.
Seein' as this is good old Sunnyhell, I'm sure there'll be bad brewin'
soon 'nough. Nothin', and I mean
nothin' is ever going to get to you. Or
if they do, they'll have to go through one mightily pissed off vampire to do
it."
Dawn
trembled at the intensity of his words.
She had nothing to say, and was stunned by the ferocity he showed at
even the thought of someone trying to hurt her. It made her feel safe; it made her feel protected. It made her feel special. But then again, she was special, wasn't
she? She was the Slayer's little
sister. And with Spike around she would
never be alone.
Smiling
gently at him, she turned, grabbed his hand, and dragged him through the
shadows and around to where the group now stood watching them. Spike noticed their curious stares and the
surprising absence of the hostility that was so common when dealing with him,
but his eyes were drawn to Buffy's limp form being cradled in the arms of the
Watcher. Even in death she was beautiful.
For
you, luv, he
thought to her. Everything I do and
will do is for you. Don't worry about
Dawn, I will always protect her. You
have my word.
Giles
spoke as the two joined them.
"It's time to go. There
are...arraignments to be made."
No one
questioned him; they knew what he was referring to. They turned, walking in four sets of pairs, Tara and Willow
supporting each other, Xander carrying Anya once again because she was too weak
to stand for long on her own, Giles with the body of the Slayer in his arms,
and Dawn and Spike, hands gripped tightly against their shared pain. They walked away from the scene of so much
horror and headed home.
A crack
of thunder and an eye searing flash spun them around in surprise and they
girded themselves for whatever impending catastrophe was on its way.
Giles
quickly lay Buffy down and turned, the witches summoned their magicks, and
Xander set Anya back on her feet, both moving to battle ready status. They stared in horror as a white light
formed before them as if reality was being sliced wide. A vertical tear in the air opened as they
watched.
Spike
pushed Dawn behind him and threw on his game face, ready to fight to the death
for her.
As the light
grew and the seam separated, the group squinted against the increasing
brightness. The wind picked up, it howled and screamed as if the atmosphere
itself was crying out in pain from the wound being inflicted on it. The tails
of Spike's duster slapped painfully against Dawn's legs, but she took an
instinctive step closer to his back, huddled in fear of what she was seeing.
"What
the bloody hell is happening, Giles?" Spike screamed over the wind.
"I-I
have no idea." He called back,
using his body to shield the Slayer's from further damage. "This shouldn't have anything to do
with Glory. Everyone, prepare
yourselves."
Right, the vampire thought sarcastically,
like I needed the bugger to tell me that.
The
seam before them stretched wider and suddenly the gang could see something
approaching from within the light. A
very large and non-human looking something.
The group exchanged confused glances, fear replacing the grief in their
eyes. But they were the Slayerettes,
the Scooby Gang, and fear was nothing compared to what they had each gone
through last night.
Willow
grasped Tara's hand tightly, preparing to zap whatever was approaching with her
energies, much as she had done to Glory after she had brain-drained her
love. She could feel the gathering forces
of magicks and her vision narrowed, blocking out all but the approaching evil.
Spike
stared, horrified, as the creature stepped out of the light and into their
reality. It was huge. A good three feet taller than the vampire
himself. And it looked to have spent
some serious time working out; it was one walking mass of muscle. Scaly red skin covered the body and it had a
face that would stop a clock. He girded
himself for a quick and extremely painful encounter and threw himself at the
creature.
Willow's
mind call stopped him within feet of the thing. "Spike, no! Let me try
first! Hit the dirt!"
Spike,
still a little weirded out by Willow's ability to get into his head, did as he
was told and dropped to the ground. A
powerful bolt of electrical energy passed a few feet over him. He could feel the crackle of it in the
air. He looked up to see what effect,
if any, it would have on the demon standing in front of him.
The
demon was big but it moved fast.
Reaching up one clawed fist, it seemed to catch the ball of energy and
hold it.
Willow's
eyes widened in surprise. That was not
supposed to happen. She wasn't given
the time to try again. It stared at
each of them, a sharp tooth grimace - possibly a grin - split its ugly features
and it shoved the energy ball into its mouth, chewing slowly and with apparent
pleasure.
"Okay,
so maybe not trying that one again," mumbled Willow.
Spike
leapt to his feet and prepared to attack the creature, a brave but decidedly
foolhardy move according to Dawn, who reached out to grab the tail of his
duster as he moved. He glanced back
briefly, gave her a saucy smile and a wink, and threw himself at the
creature. The rest of the gang moved
forward as one to help.
Spike
hit the creature's chest hard and was caught, quite painfully, in its
grasp. It stared down at the vampire
and smiled again, or at least Spike thought it was a smile, he wasn't quite
sure.
Xander
had picked up a discarded ax and swung at one of the legs of the beast, Anya
tried to get in a swing with her bat.
Willow and Tara were trying to throw together a sleep spell and Giles
cocked the crossbow and shot, aiming at the face of the beast.
With
the exception of the crossbow arrow, the attacks bounced off the creature. The arrow didn't even get a chance to strike
home. The creature lifted Spike a bit
and he felt the arrow slam into his right should.
"OWW! Bloody hell!" He hollered.
Giles
had the presence of mind to look guilty.
"Damn, sorry 'bout that."
Spike
struggled against the grip, but the creature didn't lessen it hold. Dawn, trying to help, ran up to them and
grabbed Spike by the leg, trying to pull him away from the demon. Fighting against the resistance, the
creature flexed its claws, which sent all twelve of its razor sharp talons into
Spike's arms, chest, and sides. His
holler turned into a bellow of pain.
Dawn
jumped back, upset that she had done more harm then good.
A pulse
of energy emanating from the creature hit the gang and sent them tumbling back
several feet. They tried to pick
themselves up but they knew it was too late.
The last thing each one of them saw was a struggling Spike, disappearing
into the rip in the air, held firmly in a demons grasp.
Once
swallowed, the seam repaired itself, the wind died down, and the Scooby Gang
stared in horror at the now empty space where Spike had last been.
Dawn,
shaken and afraid, stood slowly and looked around. A torturous expression set hard on her face as she turned and
looked at Giles. Her voice was ragged
and the events of the evening were weighing heavily upon her.
All she
could manage was a small, "He's gone," before her eyes rolled back in
her head and she fainted at his feet.
TBC..........Please
review
