Part 17: Graduation

Bri sighed and rolled over, smiling when she came face to face with a familiar vampire. He was still asleep, turned on his side with one arm draped possessively over her. She studied him carefully, acutely aware that this might very well be the last time she would see him like this. Today was graduation day. Today was the day she was supposed to die.

But she pushed those thoughts from her mind. Nothing was set in stone. And she was supposed to be ruling over the demon world for centuries, right? How was she supposed to do that if she was dead? She couldn't. So that meant she was gonna live and everything would be all right. It would work out in the end.

Despite her mental pep talk, she had a huge knot in the pit of her stomach. Bri sighed and focused on Spike's sleeping form. She ran a hand over his chest, noting how it would occasionally rise and fall with forced breaths then sometimes remain still. Once she'd asked him about that and he'd said it was when he dreamed about being alive…or smoking.

"You dream about smoking?" she'd asked.

"Well, yeah. It's one of unlife's simple pleasures, you know." He'd responded simply.

Bri smiled to herself and began running her hand over the lines of his face- over his eyebrows and cheekbones and down to his lips. He was truly beautiful. Leaning forward, she planted a chaste kiss on his mouth. It was then that he awoke and tangled his fingers in her hair, deepening the kiss and pulling her to rest on top of him.

"Good morning." She said with a grin when they finally pulled apart and she sat up on his chest.

"You've got me keeping human hours, slayer."

"Well I can't have you sleeping during the day and missing all my wacky hijinks now can I?"

Spike chuckled and Bri smiled at the rumbling sound. She loved it when he laughed. Would he laugh anymore when she was gone? Her expression must have darkened because Spike suddenly frowned up at her and reached up to gently stroke her cheek. "None of that, love."

"It's graduation day."

"Yeah. I'm aware of that."

"Today could be my last day…"

"Well so could tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that. But we'll have none of this doom and gloom, you hear me?"

Bri nodded and frowned a bit. "I guess that means I really do have to do that reading assignment then…"

Spike laughed. "Don't talk about homework around me. It makes me feel like a dirty old man."

"Well you are a dirty old man." The slayer joked. "But I love you anyway." She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "What?" she asked with a frown at his suddenly devious expression.

"It's not quite light yet and we have yet to christen the pool."

"Christen the-? Oh!" She giggled and slapped his chest playfully. "You really are a dirty old man! Well, let's see if you can manage to get your geriatric ass downstairs before me!" And with that she leapt off of his chest and darted down the stairs with Spike right on her heels.

He managed to grab her around the waist and pull her behind him as they reached the door to the pool. "Hey! That's not fair!" she cried indignantly as he dashed to the pool. He stood by the ladder and smirked at her.

"I'm a vampire, pet. I don't play fair."

Bri smiled and stepped in front of him, running her hands down his chest to the top of his pajama bottoms that she'd bought him for his 'undead day'. "That's right, you're just a big bad vampire aren't you?" she asked slyly. "All evil and sexy… I just don't know how I could ever think you'd play fair. Well guess what?" Bri grinned and shoved her lover backward into the pool. He landed with a loud splash and surfaced slicking his hair back from his face and glaring at her. "I don't play fair either!"

She laughed and stripped out of the T-shirt she'd worn to bed before diving neatly into the cold water. As she surfaced, Spike took her around the waist and pressed his lips to hers in a deeply fervent kiss. Her arms slid around his neck and she murmured against his lips, "I have school today…"

"Not for another four hours, you don't. We have plenty of time."

"Oh OK." She responded distractedly as his hands began to explore her body as though they hadn't already touched every part of her a thousand times before.

"I love you." he said suddenly.

Bri looked at him evenly. She knew what he was thinking. He was thinking that his chances to say that to her were dwindling. He was seizing his opportunities. But she didn't comment on that. She merely smiled and said, "I love you, too. Always."

*****

Bri and Spike stood in the library, surrounded by heaps of explosives. "So…this is it…" the young slayer said nervously.

Spike took her hand in his. "It'll all work out, love. It always does."

The room suddenly darkened as the sunlight that had been pouring in through the windows was suddenly replaced with dark gray clouds. "That's our cue." She said, grabbing her ax and charging determinedly towards the library doors with Spike close behind wielding his own ax.

When they reached the quad where graduation was being held, the battle was already in full swing. With a deep breath, the slayer launched into action, taking out two vampires with one swing of her ax. Then she staked another vamp with the handle of the ax and glanced over to find Spike doing the same.

The battle raged and Bri found herself in the midst of clashing bodies- the students of Sunnydale versus the vampires. She watched helplessly as several students were bitten or their necks snapped. But it couldn't be helped. They all knew there were going to be casualties and she couldn't turn around without being attacked, much less try to save anyone. Somehow she'd gotten separated from Spike. Occasionally she'd see his white head in the mass of bodies and she'd breathe a sigh of relief that he was all right before turning back to the fight.

Suddenly there was a loud roar and Bri spun, finding herself beside Buffy a few feet away from the giant creature of her dreams. The two slayers froze at seeing the snake-like demon looming over them. But Buffy quickly regained composure and pulled a dagger from her jeans pocket.

"Remember this?" she asked, holding the blade up for the snake to see. It bellowed a ferocious wail and swayed over them dangerously. "You should. You gave it to Faith. And then you killed her with it." Buffy's eyes narrowed. "How'd it feel? Sliding this into her gut?"

Suddenly the creature decided he'd had enough of the chitchat. He lunged forward, head butting Buffy and sending her flying back into the rows of folding chairs. Bri watched with anguish as her sister slayer landed with a bone-crushing crunch and didn't move. The demon began to move towards the throng of fighting people and Bri had to think quickly.

Bending down, she retrieved the dagger that had landed at her feet. This was it. She thought that moments like this were supposed to bring clarity and peace of mind. Deciding to give your life was supposed to be all heroic and emphatic. But Bri was uncertain. She didn't want to die- which she knew was what would happen if she went inside that school. She wanted to stay here with Spike. If she died and went to wherever people go when they die, she knew she'd never see her love again. Wherever they'd end up, it would most certainly not be in the same place. But she was supposed to come back right? OK, she might be all ghosty but she'd still get to see Spike. It was a small consolation.

But the slayer knew what she had to do. She looked up, scanning the crowd, and met Spike's eyes. He was standing on the edge of the group, a vampire crumbling to dust at his feet. And he knew. Frantically he shook his head and tried desperately to make his way to where she stood. But she merely smiled and mouthed "I love you" to him before turning to the demon.

"Hey!" The creature whipped around to glare at her. "You killed one slayer with this thing! Wanna make it two?" A feral growl was her answer as the snake lunged for her.

She managed to just slip past him and run for the doors to the school. She burst through them and bolted down the hall. The creature smashed through the wall after her and her feet pumped faster.

It was too fast. The creature was too fast. There was no way she could make it to the library. She felt something smash into her back and she went sprawling across the floor, dropping the dagger- her only weapon- in the process. Within seconds she was back on her feet and running again. She aimed for the library and when it came into view, she was relieved to see that there were no vampires in sight. But her relief was short lived.

Bursting through the library doors, she found herself surrounded by vampires with a large snake-like demon directly behind her. This was it. With a deep breath she charged forward and took out two vampires before the other restrained her. Visions of her dream swam in her mind as one stepped forward with a long dagger

Tears sprang to her eyes but didn't fall. She'd felt the pain before in her dream. She could take this. But the vampire plunged the blade into her chest and her face contorted in pain. With one last valiant effort, she threw the vampires away from her and dashed for the stacks, clutching the blade that still protruded from her chest. She could hear the angry shouts and the feral roar of the creatures behind her but she pressed on and burst through the window, rolling onto the grass beside Giles.

The watcher looked at her with a horrified expression on his face. "Do it." She said breathlessly. Without question, the watcher pressed the trigger on the explosives and a few seconds later there was a great eruption and Giles threw himself over her to shield her from the debris.

When he pulled away, Bri's eyes were closed and her breathing had stopped. She was dead.

*****

The firemen extinguished the last of the flames and the wounded had been loaded into ambulances and rushed to the hospital. Giles stood silently beside the stretcher, his eyes fixed on the blood seeping through the white sheet that covered the body underneath.

"It's my fault." Buffy's voice was small. "I was supposed to-"

"No. It's no one's fault. It was meant to happen. As you were meant to die at the Master's hand."

Buffy was silent a while. "Does Spike know?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sure that on some level he does. But he's not been told officially. He was helping Angel-" the watcher stopped as he spotted the object of their conversation a few feet away.

He was frozen in place, staring at the stretcher and the sheet-covered body. Buffy gracefully bowed out, leaving to find Angel as Spike approached slowly. The vampire didn't look at him, but Giles could tell there were tears in his eyes.

Spike didn't seem to recognize the watcher's presence as he pulled the sheet back with a shaky hand. It slid away, revealing Bri's pale, lifeless face. An anguished cry escaped the vampire's throat and he clutched her body, pulling it to his chest and crying into her hair.

It was such an agonizing display that Giles felt tears spring to his own eyes and he stepped away, allowing the vampire to hold his slayer one last time.

TBC…

**Almost done guys. If anyone's even still reading this. I haven't updated in like, forever, cause I was working on another of my fics "Jade" check it out. It's finished. (shameless self promotion) And check out my website at www.geocities.com/saffire457 **