When Spike came in, I knew something was going to happen, and as Buffy fell into her chair, I rushed foward.

When Xander broke the chair, a wave of fear, silenced the place.

"Dear God," the bartender whisperd near by, "he's going to kill that man."

Buffy snapped back into her senses, suddenly she screamed, "Xander, no!"

She was to late, Spike was dead, he bled, but he didn't dust. There was only one explanation, somehow, Spike had found a way to become human again. How could he do that? Not even Tara and I could perform a spell that powerful. Tara. My baby.


Coming back to reality, I relized Xander was in trouble, dozens of people had just seen him kill a man, and the fear was turning to anger now.

Magickly, I made a hole in the wall, Xander could go through it but nobody else could. He looked back at us. Silently thanking me, he turned and ran as a single tear of fear ran down my face.

"Dear lord, this is not good.," Giles, always the one to state the obvious.

"Guys," I whisperd, "we have to get back to the house, that's were he'll go." They nodded, and I mutterd a spell to transport us back to the house.

Of course, Xander wasan't there yet, so we waited and told Dawn what had happend. She was speechless, fear and anger had fogged her face. I was afraid two, Xander, my best friend, wanted for murder.

It was 1 a.m. before he arived, tired, and sweaty. I glanced at him, but for the most part, kept my eye's on Dawn and suddenly, she changed.

"You killed Spike!" She screamed between sobs.

"He hurt Buffy, Dawn."

"So! Since when do you stoop to his level?"

"He would've gotten you hurt!" I could tell Xandeer was starting to get angry, and nobody seemed to notice Buffy clutching her ears like a small child, trying to block-out someones words.

"He protected me. Always!"

"Dawn," he sighed, "I did what was best"

"Really?" she asked bitterly, "Did you really do what was best? Did you do out out of love for me and Buffy, do it to protect us? You might have done for revenge about what he and Anya did. I personally think it was pure testosterone, some stupid, male thirst to prove himself to the females."

"Stop it, just STOP!" Buffy rocked back and forth on the couch. "Xander you gotta run, run anywhere, just run because they'll find you here. Don't write to anybody. Don't call ANYBODY. Just, just protect yourself okay, don't let the cops get you." Xander said good by and left, leaving Giles, Buffy, Dawn, and I alone in the house.

"I'm going to go live with a friend who's moving to Colorado," Dawn said quietly.

"WHAT!?!?!" Buffy and I asked at the same time.

"She-asked-me-the-other-day and-she's-a-nice-irl I-just-couldn't-say-no." She eplained in a blur.

"Dawn - ,"

"Don't Buffy, just, don't, she's picking me up in an hour, I planned to be gone before you got home," She pushed Buffy away, then ran up stairs and slammed her door. Giles turned to us and spoke for the first time since we left the bronze.

"I'm sorry, but I must go, my flight back to London leaves in 3 hours, I'm sorry"

"Buffy?"

"Yeah Will"

"Is this--"

"The end of the Scoobie Gang? Yeah, I think it is."



















A/n: so, whadda ya think? better in length? better in matterial