New Horizons: Chapter Thirty-Three
By Annie
05-20-2002
Spike watched as Buffy grabbed the lord by the throat and flung him a good five yards through the air before he hit the ground. The vampire smiled a little, looked like the tables were turned. Then he heard the rasping breaths of the helpers still surrounding him as their hooded heads were turned on the fight as well. One of them suddenly looked at Spike who stared at the creature before him. Whatever had gone wrong with the incantation had gone seriously wrong; he was surrounded by demons now, and not humans.
Spike heard Sarah screaming his name and he turned his head back towards land, seeing the lord give Buffy a hard blow, knocking her to the ground.
"Okay, that's it," he growled, switching to game face and throwing himself in the water.
"Okay," Buffy said, her index finger touching the spot where the lord just had hit her and coming off it with blood on the tip of it. "Not only did that hurt like hell, and BELIEVE me, I know what hell feels like, I kinda LIVE on top of it, but you also managed to make me bleed." she had slowly gotten to her feet while speaking, keeping a close eye on the lord who was taking off his robe. "If there's ONE thing you do NOT wanna do when it comes to me," she said as she lunged at him, kicking out a foot, which he blocked with one arm, "is make me seriously pissed off," she added as she took a step back, collecting herself.
"Should listen to her," Spike's voice sounded form behind as he dripping wet came up to join the fight. "I know from experience that she's more than serious."
Buffy didn't turn to him but she smiled a little as the lord seemed to recoil slightly, his eyes darting from one to the other.
"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows before twirling around and kicking her foot out again, this time hitting him with full force in the chest and sending him flying into the hard stone wall of the great building behind him. "No more tricks up your sleeve?" she added as she put her leg down.
The lord collected himself, getting up from the ground and staring at the two of them, Spike now standing a few feet away from Buffy, the gaze in the lord's eyes so full of loathing that Buffy suddenly laughed.
"I think you were wrong, Mr. Prankster.incredibly lame alias by the way," she said, still letting a smile grace her lips, "I AM laughing over this, and I think I will be laughing 'til the day I die."
The lord smirked at her.
"Then you won't be laughing long," he snarled and that made the look in Spike's now yellow eyes grow hard as he pounced on the man before he had a chance to react, pushing him hard against the wall again and then pinning him against it with one hand around his throat.
"Sorry for the rough treatment," the vampire growled at him, "but I take those kinds of threats a little personal." He paused for a moment and then said: "What the hell am I saying, I'm not sorry. Hey," he then added, turning to Buffy. "Do you wanna do the honors or.?"
She smiled a little and came up to him, then turned a cold glare at the lord.
"I don't know.Remember the offer you made? Fangs meeting flesh and all that?" she asked and he grinned at her, nodding. "Well," she now said, eyes back at the lord. "He's not human, now is he? No. Still, that means I actually can get rid of him myself."
The lord glared at her as she took another step up to him.
"I think."
Suddenly his hand shot out, grabbing her harshly by the neck and squeezing down on her spine before his other hand shot out and hit Spike on the nose, making him fly off him and land a few yards away. The lord twitched his head, a smile growing on his lips before he turned his eyes to Buffy who was clawing at his hand to let her go.
"And now," the lord hissed into her face. "I will show you what REAL power is."
Then Sarah suddenly grabbed a hold of the hand he had used to punch away Spike and she said:
"I don't think so. Inturile!"
The lord's eyes widened as Buffy was able to twist out of his grip.
"What did you DO to me?" he whispered as his whole body seemingly grew weaker.
"I only locked away your magic," Sarah said with a small smile.
The lord let hear a cry of anger, reaching out and gripping her wrist, but then Buffy was on him. She grabbed him in both hands and lifted him off the ground.
"Time to get extinct," she said, looking into his eyes for a moment before throwing him from her and into the arms of Spike who reached up and twisted his neck.
The lord's body grew darker and darker until it all had turned into moldy earth and then it crumbled to the ground, disappearing.
Buffy stared at the spot and sighed.
"Not a ca-blam even, pathetic," she stated and Spike smirked, taking off his game face before running a hand through his hair.
She looked up at him, smiling back.
"Nice come-back, Slayer," he said and she shrugged, turning to Sarah.
"Thanks to you," she stated, reaching out a hand to her friend who smiled, nodding.
"Anytime," she said and Buffy nodded, gratefully.
Then she turned to Spike again.
"I thought I was gonna loose you," he said as he stepped up to her and pulled her to him.
She let her arms glide up around his neck and sighed, smiling against his shoulder.
"Me too," she said, pulling her head back to look at his face, into his eyes.
He smiled a little, letting a hand reach up to stroke away some runaway strands of hair from her cheek.
"You should know I don't die that easily, love," he said and she laughed a little at that.
"Oh, and I DO?" she asked and he laughed as well, shaking his head a little.
He turned his eyes to hers again. She looked so calm, so strong. And then her eyes suddenly filled with pain, her brow furrowing and he stared at her in wonder as her hands grabbed a tighter hold around his shoulders.
Her mouth flew open and her eyes widened, surprise clear on her features.
"Spike?" she mumbled and started slumping down in his arms.
"Buffy?" he exclaimed as he tried to hold her up and then he felt something warm and sticky spreading against his hip through the cold and still wet fabric of his trousers.
It made his whole being come to a halt. His eyes enlarged as he pulled her a little from him and took his eyes from hers for a moment to look down on her.
"No!" he screamed as he saw the deep cut in her side, the blood pouring from it, staining the skirt of her dress.
"Spike?" she whispered again. "What's happening.?"
He looked up at Sarah and Jacob who were moving closer, baffled expressions on their faces. Then he looked down on Buffy's face again, shaking his head slowly as he gently sunk to the ground with her in his arms.
"Don't worry, love, everything's all right," he mumbled as she frowned slightly.
"You always were a.terrible liar," she grumbled, her grip loosening and her eyes closing.
He stared at her.
"Slayer! You do NOT give up like that, do you hear me?" he said loudly, shaking her gently and her eyes fluttered open again.
"Just wanna sleep 'til.the healing kicks in," she answered him groggily and he shook her again.
God, so much blood! So much blood! She was loosing too much blood! All he wanted was to find a way to put it back in her, he couldn't stand the sight of the stain growing and growing on her skirt.
"You CAN'T sleep!" he screamed at her and then looked up at Sarah and Jacob. "Who DID this?" he yelled at them and the tears that had been rising in Sarah's eyes spilled over as she shook her head that she didn't know.
"I did," a low voice suddenly said to Spike's right and he spun his head towards the sound.
It was one of the helper humans turned demons, and he was still holding the knife that had performed the deed. Spike stared at it, at the blood still staining it, and with a scream of pure rage he got to his feet, putting his game face on and lunging himself at the helper. He grabbed the demon by its throat and ripped it out with a growl. Before the body hit the ground he snatched the knife from the hand that was holding it and turned his head around, waiting for the others to make an appearance.
Soon they came out of the shadows, their eyes glowing slightly as they looked at him.
Then they all moved forward at the same time and just as he was getting ready for the fight Sarah screamed his name and he twirled to her.
"She's dying!" she yelled and he felt something start to do the same inside of him.
He looked back over his shoulder at the approaching demons and then came to a decision. He turned back towards Sarah and ran up to her, bending down and picking up the lifeless Slayer in his arms he said:
"Take the carriage and get home, I'll meet you there."
"But." Sarah started and he shook his head.
"No, something's wrong, she's not healing properly. We need to get a doctor or SOMETHING!"
He turned his head again, the demons had vanished and he frowned a little.
"Nothing's that easy," he mumbled to himself before turning his attention back to Sarah. "Keep your eyes open, I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of them," he said to her with a nod to where the demons had been a few moments earlier.
Her eyes widened a little and then she nodded as she turned to Jacob and they left, with one last glance at the Slayer and the Vamp, to go to the carriage.
Spike looked down on her face. She was growing pale; she was so cold.
He looked around wildly until his eyes finally found what they were searching for. He walked up to where the duster still lay on the ground and kneeled, after a little struggling he got it around her and slid her arms into it, pulling it tighter to her he lifted her up once more and then he started moving, soon he was running.
"You can't die on me now, Slayer," he said looking down on her again. "Come on, baby, hold on."
Her eyes slid open and she looked up at him, he felt like crying with relief but only smiled a little at her. She smiled back, eyeing his face closely.
"It was you." she suddenly whispered and he felt he was choking up, fighting it off violently before saying in an unsteady voice:
"Don't talk, pet."
She drew a small breath at that.
"It was you," she repeated and he furrowed his brow, keeping an eye at where he was going and then looking down at her quizzically.
"What do you mean, love?" he asked and she smiled a little, the pain in her eyes was subsiding and at the sight of it he pushed himself even harder.
"In my dream," she whispered and he swallowed hard, feeling the tears building in his eyes. "It was you, running," she mumbled. "So scared, so scared."
"Buffy," he said, clenching his jaws tightly together. "You have to think about things that will keep you awake," he said. "You can't close your eyes. Look at me, dammit!"
She opened them again, sighing a little.
"I can't think, Spike. I'm so tired."
"All right, then I'll bloody well think for you," he growled. "Remember that time when we ."
She looked up at him, listening to his voice as he started to recapture all the years they had known each other as foes and as something hardly resembling friends. She smiled to herself as her head started to get heavier. As she slowly admitted that in his arms was where she found refuge, feeling fear at the thought of her maybe dying didn't even cross her mind. But she suddenly felt a pang of remorse.
She couldn't die; she didn't want to die, she wanted to live!
Still there was something not right and she could feel it. The warmth of her own blood seeping out through the wound was not an unfamiliar feeling, but it had been going on for quite a while now and she was slowly starting to get worried.
The lights of London were suddenly burning her tired eyes and the sound of Spike's voice died out, he had grown silent as he concentrated on finding his way among the streets.
Her throat was drying up, she was incredibly thirsty she realized.
Spike trampled up the front steps to Sarah and Jacob's house and knocked open the door with one shoulder, still holding Buffy. The wood surrounding the lock breaking into splits at the rough entrance. He didn't even glance at it as he ran up the stairs to the third floor and through the door of the first room, which was Sarah's.
He put Buffy down on the bed, pressing one hand against the wound and reaching out the other to light the lamp on the bedside table. Then he felt her hand glide over his on her stomach and he turned to her, his eyes still glittering with tears and his cheeks drenched in them.
She looked at him and she wanted to ask him to forgive her all the awful things she had done to him, all the terrible things she had said to him, all the times she had hurt him. Wanted him to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
Most of all she wanted to beg him to come back with her, she couldn't face the thought of not seeing him anymore, not talking to him or banter with him over stupid things that didn't really matter. God, she would miss that too much! She needed to tell him that she was more than sure of the fact that if she couldn't even IMAGINE a Sunnydale.a life. without him, then she would never be able to cope with the truth of him not being there anymore.
Suddenly he got up from his kneeling position at her side, running out of the room and yelling something down the stairs before he came back again, sinking down beside her and she felt his cool fingers against the wound again.
"Fight for me, love," he said and looked into her eyes, such determination in his gaze that her eyes grew teary.
Always, she thought. Always I'll fight for you!
She opened her mouth to tell him that but her voice broke before she could even get one syllable out, and she coughed dryly.
Sarah came into the room with a bowl in her hands and Jacob followed, ripping a sheet into shreds. Spike grabbed a handful and pressed them against her side as he kept mumbling to her, saying things that barely made sense and she understood that he was trying to keep himself calm as much as he was trying to keep her from falling into a coma.
Sarah watched William work frantically to save the life of the woman he loved and she knew instantly that if Buffy made it, Sarah couldn't let him stay in England, stay behind. He had to go back, where he belonged. She knew that despite what he said, or told himself, he couldn't watch Buffy leave, it would break his heart.
Buffy looked at Spike a moment longer, then a movement caught her eye and she turned her head a little to the side and looked at the window, her eyes widening as they rested in two glowing ones outside of it.
She raised a hand weakly and pointed, opening her mouth, this time to try and warn the others, but she only started to cough again. Spike looked up though, following in the direction of her hand he got to his feet, staring at the creature as well.
"Show time." he grumbled. "Sarah, Jacob, block the door."
The two did this without further encouragement as they heard the soft thumping of feet downstairs. They closed the door and joined forces in pulling one of the heavy bookcases in front of it.
Spike had moved up to the window, the creature outside had disappeared as he approached and Spike was gazing outside as the sound of breaking glass suddenly was heard, a wrinkly hand sticking in through a broken pane to his left. He grabbed it and there was a loud shriek before it was forcefully pulled back.
Then another pane broke, this time right next to Spike's head and he ducked away when he heard a zinging sound by his ear.
"You little shit-head, come here!" he growled as he reached out a hand through the splinters of the pane and grabbed the creature outside. "You think that'd be enough to kill me, eh?" he added as the creature fought to get out of his grip.
"William." Sarah suddenly said behind him and at the sound of the horror in her voice he turned around, questioning.
His eyes locked on Sarah who was looking towards the bed. His throat bundled up and the grip on the demon outside hardened as he followed her gaze and stopped on Buffy, who was holding a fresh set of sheet shreds to her wound, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow as Jacob worked at her side. He realized that Sarah wasn't looking at this scenario when he heard a small breaking sound coming from the corner of the room, beyond the bed.
His eyes widened as he looked up and stared at the mirror.
In the middle of it was a small hole and from it, stretching upwards and downwards, was a thick crack. He swallowed hard, the demon seeing its chance and tearing loose. Spike swore as he pulled his hand back inside, but did it really matter now?
He looked at Sarah who had turned to him, and then he nodded slowly.
"Say the words," he mumbled, walking past her and up to the bed, looking down on Buffy he added: "Open it up."
Sarah drew a small breath.
"Will, I don't think it can."
"I know," he interrupted as he bent down and lifted Buffy in his arms. "Open it up."
Sarah's eyes filled with tears again as she walked up to the mirror, raising her hand and saying the words. The mirror glass seemed to take a fraction of a moment longer to have the wave slowly go through it as it started to grow silvery.
Buffy felt his arms around her and she looked up at him. The mixed pain and determination in his eyes scared her as she felt him taking a step forward. Then he gently let go of her legs, putting her down to stand up, leaning heavily against him.
She swallowed hard, trying to get some moisture into her mouth, onto her tongue, down her throat.
"Time to go, love," he whispered as he reached up and gently stroked her hair. "Be strong. you always are, aren't you?" He smiled a little and she felt her eyes water with tears as she tried to understand what he was talking about. "You'll always be something special, Slayer," he said, nodding slightly and then tilting his head a little as he added: "Remember that."
She stared at him and then shifted her eyes to Sarah who looked back at her before glancing to something at Buffy's side. Buffy slowly turned her head and her eyes fell on the mirror.
Oh God, it's breaking! she thought, her eyes widening even more as she looked back at him.
And now she could interpret the expression in his eyes.
She felt a small moan rise out of her throat as she slowly shook her head. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear:
"Tell Red thanks, something she asked me once helped me. And tell Dawn I'm sorry, and that I love her. Let her think of me in a good way."
Buffy blinked away the tears, still shaking her head. What did he think she would let Dawn remember him as if not the way the younger sister had been able to see him long before she had? Her head started spinning and she was getting nauseous, the blood loss was seriously getting to her now and she drew a shaky breath as he pulled away from her.
He took a step towards the mirror, pulling her gently with him and she grabbed a hold of his shoulders, looking into his eyes and trying to muster as much decisiveness she could as she shook her head firmly.
She was struggling to get any kind of sound out, for crying out loud it was getting on the border to ridiculous!
He smiled again, bending down and brushing his lips against her forehead before he pulled back and took a careful hold on her arms. She looked into his eyes and that part inside her, that had almost been severly damaged when she saw him walk away from her with the lord, was screaming at her to do something or it WOULD break and it didn't know where that would leave her.
"Spike," she finally got out, her voice so hoarse that it almost didn't come out. "No." she added and he seemed to draw a small breath.
He looked at her for a moment longer and she could see a thousand memories tucked away in the pools of those blue eyes. Then he turned her around and pushed her through the mirror glass.
The crack in the middle off it was like a barrier and she almost had to duck as she stumbled through the cold and into the heat. She fell head first out of the mirror, landing with a hard thud on the floor of her living room.
She spun around towards the mirror again, catching a glimpse of the room on the other side of it and the shape of him and then the spiders web that was crawling out from the hole in the glass spread its fingers over the entire mirror, making it come loose from the edges of the frame and with an ear numbing shatter it fell to the floor in a thousand pieces.
By Annie
05-20-2002
Spike watched as Buffy grabbed the lord by the throat and flung him a good five yards through the air before he hit the ground. The vampire smiled a little, looked like the tables were turned. Then he heard the rasping breaths of the helpers still surrounding him as their hooded heads were turned on the fight as well. One of them suddenly looked at Spike who stared at the creature before him. Whatever had gone wrong with the incantation had gone seriously wrong; he was surrounded by demons now, and not humans.
Spike heard Sarah screaming his name and he turned his head back towards land, seeing the lord give Buffy a hard blow, knocking her to the ground.
"Okay, that's it," he growled, switching to game face and throwing himself in the water.
"Okay," Buffy said, her index finger touching the spot where the lord just had hit her and coming off it with blood on the tip of it. "Not only did that hurt like hell, and BELIEVE me, I know what hell feels like, I kinda LIVE on top of it, but you also managed to make me bleed." she had slowly gotten to her feet while speaking, keeping a close eye on the lord who was taking off his robe. "If there's ONE thing you do NOT wanna do when it comes to me," she said as she lunged at him, kicking out a foot, which he blocked with one arm, "is make me seriously pissed off," she added as she took a step back, collecting herself.
"Should listen to her," Spike's voice sounded form behind as he dripping wet came up to join the fight. "I know from experience that she's more than serious."
Buffy didn't turn to him but she smiled a little as the lord seemed to recoil slightly, his eyes darting from one to the other.
"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows before twirling around and kicking her foot out again, this time hitting him with full force in the chest and sending him flying into the hard stone wall of the great building behind him. "No more tricks up your sleeve?" she added as she put her leg down.
The lord collected himself, getting up from the ground and staring at the two of them, Spike now standing a few feet away from Buffy, the gaze in the lord's eyes so full of loathing that Buffy suddenly laughed.
"I think you were wrong, Mr. Prankster.incredibly lame alias by the way," she said, still letting a smile grace her lips, "I AM laughing over this, and I think I will be laughing 'til the day I die."
The lord smirked at her.
"Then you won't be laughing long," he snarled and that made the look in Spike's now yellow eyes grow hard as he pounced on the man before he had a chance to react, pushing him hard against the wall again and then pinning him against it with one hand around his throat.
"Sorry for the rough treatment," the vampire growled at him, "but I take those kinds of threats a little personal." He paused for a moment and then said: "What the hell am I saying, I'm not sorry. Hey," he then added, turning to Buffy. "Do you wanna do the honors or.?"
She smiled a little and came up to him, then turned a cold glare at the lord.
"I don't know.Remember the offer you made? Fangs meeting flesh and all that?" she asked and he grinned at her, nodding. "Well," she now said, eyes back at the lord. "He's not human, now is he? No. Still, that means I actually can get rid of him myself."
The lord glared at her as she took another step up to him.
"I think."
Suddenly his hand shot out, grabbing her harshly by the neck and squeezing down on her spine before his other hand shot out and hit Spike on the nose, making him fly off him and land a few yards away. The lord twitched his head, a smile growing on his lips before he turned his eyes to Buffy who was clawing at his hand to let her go.
"And now," the lord hissed into her face. "I will show you what REAL power is."
Then Sarah suddenly grabbed a hold of the hand he had used to punch away Spike and she said:
"I don't think so. Inturile!"
The lord's eyes widened as Buffy was able to twist out of his grip.
"What did you DO to me?" he whispered as his whole body seemingly grew weaker.
"I only locked away your magic," Sarah said with a small smile.
The lord let hear a cry of anger, reaching out and gripping her wrist, but then Buffy was on him. She grabbed him in both hands and lifted him off the ground.
"Time to get extinct," she said, looking into his eyes for a moment before throwing him from her and into the arms of Spike who reached up and twisted his neck.
The lord's body grew darker and darker until it all had turned into moldy earth and then it crumbled to the ground, disappearing.
Buffy stared at the spot and sighed.
"Not a ca-blam even, pathetic," she stated and Spike smirked, taking off his game face before running a hand through his hair.
She looked up at him, smiling back.
"Nice come-back, Slayer," he said and she shrugged, turning to Sarah.
"Thanks to you," she stated, reaching out a hand to her friend who smiled, nodding.
"Anytime," she said and Buffy nodded, gratefully.
Then she turned to Spike again.
"I thought I was gonna loose you," he said as he stepped up to her and pulled her to him.
She let her arms glide up around his neck and sighed, smiling against his shoulder.
"Me too," she said, pulling her head back to look at his face, into his eyes.
He smiled a little, letting a hand reach up to stroke away some runaway strands of hair from her cheek.
"You should know I don't die that easily, love," he said and she laughed a little at that.
"Oh, and I DO?" she asked and he laughed as well, shaking his head a little.
He turned his eyes to hers again. She looked so calm, so strong. And then her eyes suddenly filled with pain, her brow furrowing and he stared at her in wonder as her hands grabbed a tighter hold around his shoulders.
Her mouth flew open and her eyes widened, surprise clear on her features.
"Spike?" she mumbled and started slumping down in his arms.
"Buffy?" he exclaimed as he tried to hold her up and then he felt something warm and sticky spreading against his hip through the cold and still wet fabric of his trousers.
It made his whole being come to a halt. His eyes enlarged as he pulled her a little from him and took his eyes from hers for a moment to look down on her.
"No!" he screamed as he saw the deep cut in her side, the blood pouring from it, staining the skirt of her dress.
"Spike?" she whispered again. "What's happening.?"
He looked up at Sarah and Jacob who were moving closer, baffled expressions on their faces. Then he looked down on Buffy's face again, shaking his head slowly as he gently sunk to the ground with her in his arms.
"Don't worry, love, everything's all right," he mumbled as she frowned slightly.
"You always were a.terrible liar," she grumbled, her grip loosening and her eyes closing.
He stared at her.
"Slayer! You do NOT give up like that, do you hear me?" he said loudly, shaking her gently and her eyes fluttered open again.
"Just wanna sleep 'til.the healing kicks in," she answered him groggily and he shook her again.
God, so much blood! So much blood! She was loosing too much blood! All he wanted was to find a way to put it back in her, he couldn't stand the sight of the stain growing and growing on her skirt.
"You CAN'T sleep!" he screamed at her and then looked up at Sarah and Jacob. "Who DID this?" he yelled at them and the tears that had been rising in Sarah's eyes spilled over as she shook her head that she didn't know.
"I did," a low voice suddenly said to Spike's right and he spun his head towards the sound.
It was one of the helper humans turned demons, and he was still holding the knife that had performed the deed. Spike stared at it, at the blood still staining it, and with a scream of pure rage he got to his feet, putting his game face on and lunging himself at the helper. He grabbed the demon by its throat and ripped it out with a growl. Before the body hit the ground he snatched the knife from the hand that was holding it and turned his head around, waiting for the others to make an appearance.
Soon they came out of the shadows, their eyes glowing slightly as they looked at him.
Then they all moved forward at the same time and just as he was getting ready for the fight Sarah screamed his name and he twirled to her.
"She's dying!" she yelled and he felt something start to do the same inside of him.
He looked back over his shoulder at the approaching demons and then came to a decision. He turned back towards Sarah and ran up to her, bending down and picking up the lifeless Slayer in his arms he said:
"Take the carriage and get home, I'll meet you there."
"But." Sarah started and he shook his head.
"No, something's wrong, she's not healing properly. We need to get a doctor or SOMETHING!"
He turned his head again, the demons had vanished and he frowned a little.
"Nothing's that easy," he mumbled to himself before turning his attention back to Sarah. "Keep your eyes open, I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of them," he said to her with a nod to where the demons had been a few moments earlier.
Her eyes widened a little and then she nodded as she turned to Jacob and they left, with one last glance at the Slayer and the Vamp, to go to the carriage.
Spike looked down on her face. She was growing pale; she was so cold.
He looked around wildly until his eyes finally found what they were searching for. He walked up to where the duster still lay on the ground and kneeled, after a little struggling he got it around her and slid her arms into it, pulling it tighter to her he lifted her up once more and then he started moving, soon he was running.
"You can't die on me now, Slayer," he said looking down on her again. "Come on, baby, hold on."
Her eyes slid open and she looked up at him, he felt like crying with relief but only smiled a little at her. She smiled back, eyeing his face closely.
"It was you." she suddenly whispered and he felt he was choking up, fighting it off violently before saying in an unsteady voice:
"Don't talk, pet."
She drew a small breath at that.
"It was you," she repeated and he furrowed his brow, keeping an eye at where he was going and then looking down at her quizzically.
"What do you mean, love?" he asked and she smiled a little, the pain in her eyes was subsiding and at the sight of it he pushed himself even harder.
"In my dream," she whispered and he swallowed hard, feeling the tears building in his eyes. "It was you, running," she mumbled. "So scared, so scared."
"Buffy," he said, clenching his jaws tightly together. "You have to think about things that will keep you awake," he said. "You can't close your eyes. Look at me, dammit!"
She opened them again, sighing a little.
"I can't think, Spike. I'm so tired."
"All right, then I'll bloody well think for you," he growled. "Remember that time when we ."
She looked up at him, listening to his voice as he started to recapture all the years they had known each other as foes and as something hardly resembling friends. She smiled to herself as her head started to get heavier. As she slowly admitted that in his arms was where she found refuge, feeling fear at the thought of her maybe dying didn't even cross her mind. But she suddenly felt a pang of remorse.
She couldn't die; she didn't want to die, she wanted to live!
Still there was something not right and she could feel it. The warmth of her own blood seeping out through the wound was not an unfamiliar feeling, but it had been going on for quite a while now and she was slowly starting to get worried.
The lights of London were suddenly burning her tired eyes and the sound of Spike's voice died out, he had grown silent as he concentrated on finding his way among the streets.
Her throat was drying up, she was incredibly thirsty she realized.
Spike trampled up the front steps to Sarah and Jacob's house and knocked open the door with one shoulder, still holding Buffy. The wood surrounding the lock breaking into splits at the rough entrance. He didn't even glance at it as he ran up the stairs to the third floor and through the door of the first room, which was Sarah's.
He put Buffy down on the bed, pressing one hand against the wound and reaching out the other to light the lamp on the bedside table. Then he felt her hand glide over his on her stomach and he turned to her, his eyes still glittering with tears and his cheeks drenched in them.
She looked at him and she wanted to ask him to forgive her all the awful things she had done to him, all the terrible things she had said to him, all the times she had hurt him. Wanted him to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
Most of all she wanted to beg him to come back with her, she couldn't face the thought of not seeing him anymore, not talking to him or banter with him over stupid things that didn't really matter. God, she would miss that too much! She needed to tell him that she was more than sure of the fact that if she couldn't even IMAGINE a Sunnydale.a life. without him, then she would never be able to cope with the truth of him not being there anymore.
Suddenly he got up from his kneeling position at her side, running out of the room and yelling something down the stairs before he came back again, sinking down beside her and she felt his cool fingers against the wound again.
"Fight for me, love," he said and looked into her eyes, such determination in his gaze that her eyes grew teary.
Always, she thought. Always I'll fight for you!
She opened her mouth to tell him that but her voice broke before she could even get one syllable out, and she coughed dryly.
Sarah came into the room with a bowl in her hands and Jacob followed, ripping a sheet into shreds. Spike grabbed a handful and pressed them against her side as he kept mumbling to her, saying things that barely made sense and she understood that he was trying to keep himself calm as much as he was trying to keep her from falling into a coma.
Sarah watched William work frantically to save the life of the woman he loved and she knew instantly that if Buffy made it, Sarah couldn't let him stay in England, stay behind. He had to go back, where he belonged. She knew that despite what he said, or told himself, he couldn't watch Buffy leave, it would break his heart.
Buffy looked at Spike a moment longer, then a movement caught her eye and she turned her head a little to the side and looked at the window, her eyes widening as they rested in two glowing ones outside of it.
She raised a hand weakly and pointed, opening her mouth, this time to try and warn the others, but she only started to cough again. Spike looked up though, following in the direction of her hand he got to his feet, staring at the creature as well.
"Show time." he grumbled. "Sarah, Jacob, block the door."
The two did this without further encouragement as they heard the soft thumping of feet downstairs. They closed the door and joined forces in pulling one of the heavy bookcases in front of it.
Spike had moved up to the window, the creature outside had disappeared as he approached and Spike was gazing outside as the sound of breaking glass suddenly was heard, a wrinkly hand sticking in through a broken pane to his left. He grabbed it and there was a loud shriek before it was forcefully pulled back.
Then another pane broke, this time right next to Spike's head and he ducked away when he heard a zinging sound by his ear.
"You little shit-head, come here!" he growled as he reached out a hand through the splinters of the pane and grabbed the creature outside. "You think that'd be enough to kill me, eh?" he added as the creature fought to get out of his grip.
"William." Sarah suddenly said behind him and at the sound of the horror in her voice he turned around, questioning.
His eyes locked on Sarah who was looking towards the bed. His throat bundled up and the grip on the demon outside hardened as he followed her gaze and stopped on Buffy, who was holding a fresh set of sheet shreds to her wound, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow as Jacob worked at her side. He realized that Sarah wasn't looking at this scenario when he heard a small breaking sound coming from the corner of the room, beyond the bed.
His eyes widened as he looked up and stared at the mirror.
In the middle of it was a small hole and from it, stretching upwards and downwards, was a thick crack. He swallowed hard, the demon seeing its chance and tearing loose. Spike swore as he pulled his hand back inside, but did it really matter now?
He looked at Sarah who had turned to him, and then he nodded slowly.
"Say the words," he mumbled, walking past her and up to the bed, looking down on Buffy he added: "Open it up."
Sarah drew a small breath.
"Will, I don't think it can."
"I know," he interrupted as he bent down and lifted Buffy in his arms. "Open it up."
Sarah's eyes filled with tears again as she walked up to the mirror, raising her hand and saying the words. The mirror glass seemed to take a fraction of a moment longer to have the wave slowly go through it as it started to grow silvery.
Buffy felt his arms around her and she looked up at him. The mixed pain and determination in his eyes scared her as she felt him taking a step forward. Then he gently let go of her legs, putting her down to stand up, leaning heavily against him.
She swallowed hard, trying to get some moisture into her mouth, onto her tongue, down her throat.
"Time to go, love," he whispered as he reached up and gently stroked her hair. "Be strong. you always are, aren't you?" He smiled a little and she felt her eyes water with tears as she tried to understand what he was talking about. "You'll always be something special, Slayer," he said, nodding slightly and then tilting his head a little as he added: "Remember that."
She stared at him and then shifted her eyes to Sarah who looked back at her before glancing to something at Buffy's side. Buffy slowly turned her head and her eyes fell on the mirror.
Oh God, it's breaking! she thought, her eyes widening even more as she looked back at him.
And now she could interpret the expression in his eyes.
She felt a small moan rise out of her throat as she slowly shook her head. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear:
"Tell Red thanks, something she asked me once helped me. And tell Dawn I'm sorry, and that I love her. Let her think of me in a good way."
Buffy blinked away the tears, still shaking her head. What did he think she would let Dawn remember him as if not the way the younger sister had been able to see him long before she had? Her head started spinning and she was getting nauseous, the blood loss was seriously getting to her now and she drew a shaky breath as he pulled away from her.
He took a step towards the mirror, pulling her gently with him and she grabbed a hold of his shoulders, looking into his eyes and trying to muster as much decisiveness she could as she shook her head firmly.
She was struggling to get any kind of sound out, for crying out loud it was getting on the border to ridiculous!
He smiled again, bending down and brushing his lips against her forehead before he pulled back and took a careful hold on her arms. She looked into his eyes and that part inside her, that had almost been severly damaged when she saw him walk away from her with the lord, was screaming at her to do something or it WOULD break and it didn't know where that would leave her.
"Spike," she finally got out, her voice so hoarse that it almost didn't come out. "No." she added and he seemed to draw a small breath.
He looked at her for a moment longer and she could see a thousand memories tucked away in the pools of those blue eyes. Then he turned her around and pushed her through the mirror glass.
The crack in the middle off it was like a barrier and she almost had to duck as she stumbled through the cold and into the heat. She fell head first out of the mirror, landing with a hard thud on the floor of her living room.
She spun around towards the mirror again, catching a glimpse of the room on the other side of it and the shape of him and then the spiders web that was crawling out from the hole in the glass spread its fingers over the entire mirror, making it come loose from the edges of the frame and with an ear numbing shatter it fell to the floor in a thousand pieces.