Nothing stirred in the cavern. People stood frozen, weapons arching for
the kill. Tears hung motionless in the eyes of the blonde Slayer.
With a brillant flash, something changed. Two forms materialized, standing
amidst a world frozen in time.
Buffy blinked, looking at her frozen self, then at her opaque hand, before
looking up at Faith, who was in a similar position, mouth hanging open.
"This is it, kids." a male voice said. Footsteps suddenly sounded, and a
small man appeared, a hat nearly pulled down over his eyes.
"The end of the world. Never thought you'd be the one to cause it, did you?"
Whistler continued, looking at Buffy.
Still stunned, staring at the space where Spike had fallen to dust at her
own hand, her lost eyes looked up.
"What...?"
"You two..." he gestured to her and Faith. "You have a choice. Depending
on what you choose, it'll either stay like this..." he swept his gaze around, "or,
be different."
Faith crossed her arms, a little wigged at the site of herself crumpled on
the floor.
"What choices?"
Whistler shrugged.
"Your choices will be different." he looked to her. Then to Buffy, who
still looked as if she wasn't really there. "Guess you go first, Faith.
You ready?"
Faith furrowed her brow, and hugged herself as if she were cold. She
didn't feel as if she were responsible enough to make any kind of decision.
Hell, not too long ago she was on the other side.
"Shoot," she said, her voice trying to be casual, but cracking slightly.
Whistler smiled.
"Alright. Your choice. You can consider this the moment of your
redemption, Faith. You'll die, and spend eternity in bliss. Or...You can
decline that. If you do that, you'll be in a coma for years to come."
Faith blinked.
"In which choice is the world saved?" she asked, bewildered.
Whistler shrugged.
"Not my call, kid."
Faith frowned. She thought it over. Heaven, or living locked in darkness
like before. She shuddered. It was obvious which choice would save the
world. She couldn't be in a coma if there WAS no world.
She squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath, looking Whistler in the
eye.
"I decline. Coma it is." she was shaking now.
Whistler smiled.
"Good choice, kid." He waved his hand and Faith faded away.
Buffy hadn't heard a word of it. The form she was in had no tears to cry,
but she was sobbing inside. Her grip on reality, whatever it might be at that
point, was faltering.
"Buffy. Your turn, kid."
///
Spike blinked and shielded his eyes, confused. He had suddenly found
himself in this hallway of light, seeming to stretch on forever. He'd
expected hell to be much different from this, though the light was so
soddin' bright, he wasn't sure exactly what it was.
"Oi! Hello?" he shouted, listening as his voice echoed down the coridor.
Cursing, he absently rubbed the spot on his chest where the wood had slid
into his heart. He cringed, remembering the look on Buffy's face. She
would blame herself.
"No need for profanity, my William. Your turn will come soon," a female
voice behind him spoke, causing him to spin around.
His eyes widened.
"Dru?"
She smiled softly.
"In a way. I am what Drusilla was meant to be, William. Now, I am your
guide. I must ask you a few questions."
He stared. The woman before him was totally pure. And didn't sound
insane. It was bewildering, speaking to her like this, with her speaking back in
ways that could be understood.
"Sod your questions," he said, when he finally got over the shock of
seeing her there. "Tell me what's going on."
Drusilla gave him a patient smile, like a mother explaining to a child who
knows no better.
"The world has ended, William. Your death triggered it. Now, the Balance
can be restored. Or things can remain as they are. If that happens, you
will remain here, and live out the rest of eternity with your Slayer."
He blinked again. Holy shit. Was he in heaven? At the thought, he
started to laugh. Then cut off abruptly at the look on his guide's face.
"Uh...where am I?"
"This place has many names. All are accurate, and none are. If you wish,
you may call this Heaven."
He started laughing again, nearly doubling over.
"Think you made a mistake, luv. William the Bloody?" he gestured to
himself. "In heaven?" he swept an arm around the room. "Don't think so."
She smiled again, softly.
"There is no mistake, William. You truly wished to change your ways. Love is
a powerful force, the most powerful of all. It has driven you, molded you
to its will. But the choice was yours. Your choices have led you down the
path that brought you here. Now, your choice will lead you down another.
Steps taken back, or forward. The choice is yours."
"Luv? Repeat tha'? Didn't quite get ya..."
She chuckled softly, taking a step toward him and grasping his hand.
"Simply choose, William. Eternity here, with the one you love..." she
looked around. "Or, the world. You will be returned as well, but some
sacrifices must be made -- that we cannot reveal. Choose."
Spike was stunned. The fate of the world rested on his shoulders. The
thought almost sent him laughing again, but the gravity of the situation
made it dry up in his throat. "What would Buffy do?" was his immediate
thought. Hell, she would say stay. She missed this place. The world
didn't hold that much for her any longer.
But that wouldn't do. No more people, no more life. He had grown quite
fond of people, after he stopped seeing them merely as food.
He sighed, and ran his free hand through his hair.
"Alright..." he shrugged. "The world, luv. I choose the world."
///
"What?!" Buffy shouted, rounding on Whistler. "That choice sucks!"
He shrugged, repeating what he had said to Faith earlier.
"Not my call, kid. Choose."
Her eyes flashed angrily.
"What if I refuse? To choose?"
"Then nothing. You'll return to your body, and time will still be frozen.
Choose. Eternity with the one you love, or the world."
If she could have sobbed, she would have. But there were no tears in her
phantom form.
"Haven't I already done enough?" her voice broke. "I have sacrificed
EVERYTHING for this world! To be the Slayer. I had to kill Angel to save
the world. I gave up a normal life, to save the world. I GAVE MY LIFE TO
SAVE THE WORLD!" she screamed. "Now, what, it starts all over again? The
one I love has to die? When the world returns, will he?"
Whistler just looked at her, calmly.
"WILL HE?" she shouted, taking a step closer.
"Don't know, kid. Choose."
She turned around. Her face became a mask. No emotion shone through. She
blinked twice, before speaking in a dead voice.
"Fine. The world. Of course. Now get out of my sight."
"You're sure?" Whistler asked, backing away.
"Yes," came the soft reply. Buffy vanished, returning to her body.
Whistler walked over to where she stood frozen, looking at her with
sympathy.
"It's never easy, kid. But you'll get it." He patted her shoulder, and
then disappeared.
The strands of hair began to move. Sweeping through the air, caught again
in the whirlwind. The floating dust spun, reversing the direction it had started
in. Gathering, re-forming, building the vampire once again.
As the last of the dust formed the outstretched finger, the world slammed
back into being, time started again.
Spike screamed.
the kill. Tears hung motionless in the eyes of the blonde Slayer.
With a brillant flash, something changed. Two forms materialized, standing
amidst a world frozen in time.
Buffy blinked, looking at her frozen self, then at her opaque hand, before
looking up at Faith, who was in a similar position, mouth hanging open.
"This is it, kids." a male voice said. Footsteps suddenly sounded, and a
small man appeared, a hat nearly pulled down over his eyes.
"The end of the world. Never thought you'd be the one to cause it, did you?"
Whistler continued, looking at Buffy.
Still stunned, staring at the space where Spike had fallen to dust at her
own hand, her lost eyes looked up.
"What...?"
"You two..." he gestured to her and Faith. "You have a choice. Depending
on what you choose, it'll either stay like this..." he swept his gaze around, "or,
be different."
Faith crossed her arms, a little wigged at the site of herself crumpled on
the floor.
"What choices?"
Whistler shrugged.
"Your choices will be different." he looked to her. Then to Buffy, who
still looked as if she wasn't really there. "Guess you go first, Faith.
You ready?"
Faith furrowed her brow, and hugged herself as if she were cold. She
didn't feel as if she were responsible enough to make any kind of decision.
Hell, not too long ago she was on the other side.
"Shoot," she said, her voice trying to be casual, but cracking slightly.
Whistler smiled.
"Alright. Your choice. You can consider this the moment of your
redemption, Faith. You'll die, and spend eternity in bliss. Or...You can
decline that. If you do that, you'll be in a coma for years to come."
Faith blinked.
"In which choice is the world saved?" she asked, bewildered.
Whistler shrugged.
"Not my call, kid."
Faith frowned. She thought it over. Heaven, or living locked in darkness
like before. She shuddered. It was obvious which choice would save the
world. She couldn't be in a coma if there WAS no world.
She squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath, looking Whistler in the
eye.
"I decline. Coma it is." she was shaking now.
Whistler smiled.
"Good choice, kid." He waved his hand and Faith faded away.
Buffy hadn't heard a word of it. The form she was in had no tears to cry,
but she was sobbing inside. Her grip on reality, whatever it might be at that
point, was faltering.
"Buffy. Your turn, kid."
///
Spike blinked and shielded his eyes, confused. He had suddenly found
himself in this hallway of light, seeming to stretch on forever. He'd
expected hell to be much different from this, though the light was so
soddin' bright, he wasn't sure exactly what it was.
"Oi! Hello?" he shouted, listening as his voice echoed down the coridor.
Cursing, he absently rubbed the spot on his chest where the wood had slid
into his heart. He cringed, remembering the look on Buffy's face. She
would blame herself.
"No need for profanity, my William. Your turn will come soon," a female
voice behind him spoke, causing him to spin around.
His eyes widened.
"Dru?"
She smiled softly.
"In a way. I am what Drusilla was meant to be, William. Now, I am your
guide. I must ask you a few questions."
He stared. The woman before him was totally pure. And didn't sound
insane. It was bewildering, speaking to her like this, with her speaking back in
ways that could be understood.
"Sod your questions," he said, when he finally got over the shock of
seeing her there. "Tell me what's going on."
Drusilla gave him a patient smile, like a mother explaining to a child who
knows no better.
"The world has ended, William. Your death triggered it. Now, the Balance
can be restored. Or things can remain as they are. If that happens, you
will remain here, and live out the rest of eternity with your Slayer."
He blinked again. Holy shit. Was he in heaven? At the thought, he
started to laugh. Then cut off abruptly at the look on his guide's face.
"Uh...where am I?"
"This place has many names. All are accurate, and none are. If you wish,
you may call this Heaven."
He started laughing again, nearly doubling over.
"Think you made a mistake, luv. William the Bloody?" he gestured to
himself. "In heaven?" he swept an arm around the room. "Don't think so."
She smiled again, softly.
"There is no mistake, William. You truly wished to change your ways. Love is
a powerful force, the most powerful of all. It has driven you, molded you
to its will. But the choice was yours. Your choices have led you down the
path that brought you here. Now, your choice will lead you down another.
Steps taken back, or forward. The choice is yours."
"Luv? Repeat tha'? Didn't quite get ya..."
She chuckled softly, taking a step toward him and grasping his hand.
"Simply choose, William. Eternity here, with the one you love..." she
looked around. "Or, the world. You will be returned as well, but some
sacrifices must be made -- that we cannot reveal. Choose."
Spike was stunned. The fate of the world rested on his shoulders. The
thought almost sent him laughing again, but the gravity of the situation
made it dry up in his throat. "What would Buffy do?" was his immediate
thought. Hell, she would say stay. She missed this place. The world
didn't hold that much for her any longer.
But that wouldn't do. No more people, no more life. He had grown quite
fond of people, after he stopped seeing them merely as food.
He sighed, and ran his free hand through his hair.
"Alright..." he shrugged. "The world, luv. I choose the world."
///
"What?!" Buffy shouted, rounding on Whistler. "That choice sucks!"
He shrugged, repeating what he had said to Faith earlier.
"Not my call, kid. Choose."
Her eyes flashed angrily.
"What if I refuse? To choose?"
"Then nothing. You'll return to your body, and time will still be frozen.
Choose. Eternity with the one you love, or the world."
If she could have sobbed, she would have. But there were no tears in her
phantom form.
"Haven't I already done enough?" her voice broke. "I have sacrificed
EVERYTHING for this world! To be the Slayer. I had to kill Angel to save
the world. I gave up a normal life, to save the world. I GAVE MY LIFE TO
SAVE THE WORLD!" she screamed. "Now, what, it starts all over again? The
one I love has to die? When the world returns, will he?"
Whistler just looked at her, calmly.
"WILL HE?" she shouted, taking a step closer.
"Don't know, kid. Choose."
She turned around. Her face became a mask. No emotion shone through. She
blinked twice, before speaking in a dead voice.
"Fine. The world. Of course. Now get out of my sight."
"You're sure?" Whistler asked, backing away.
"Yes," came the soft reply. Buffy vanished, returning to her body.
Whistler walked over to where she stood frozen, looking at her with
sympathy.
"It's never easy, kid. But you'll get it." He patted her shoulder, and
then disappeared.
The strands of hair began to move. Sweeping through the air, caught again
in the whirlwind. The floating dust spun, reversing the direction it had started
in. Gathering, re-forming, building the vampire once again.
As the last of the dust formed the outstretched finger, the world slammed
back into being, time started again.
Spike screamed.