Disclaimer: From nowhere, a symphony begins to play. This must be the point
in life where all the blood, sweat, and tears are justified. The set of
doors behind me slams open, and I turn. It's Joss; his tuxedo rumpled and
tie hanging down from his neck. Slowly, he approaches me as I sit outside
on the steps of the church. "Honey, are you going in?" he asks, slightly
scared. Reaching up, I pull my veil off. It cost my parent about three
thousand dollars for this veil, but it doesn't matter right now. "No, Joss,
I'm not." A weight pressing down on my heart begins to break away. Sitting
down beside me, Joss takes my hand. "Why," he questions, a cloud of tears
building in his eyes. "I can't pretend anymore," I answer, removing the
eight hundred dollar elbow length gloves from my hands, "Joss Whedon, you
are the most brilliant television show creator ever. I loved writing fan
fiction based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But, I don't love you." My taxi
pulls up, and I stand, pulling off my gorgeous engagement ring. "I have to
be with the one I love," I say, placing the ring in his hand. Gathering my
dress, I walk down the steps to the taxi. "Wait!" he calls from the steps,
"Who is this other person?" Turning, I smile softly. "That's a whole
different story."
Rating: R- I am simply a product of the perverted world.
Summary: Buffy, after running away from Sunnydale, comes home six years later with a new identity. While searching for some mysterious evil threatening to destroy all, she begins to see how much she was missed.
Author's Notes: The end is near, and so I face the final curtain. *Sobs* Oh, this is the last chapter (besides the epilogue, but that doesn't count). I hope you all loved this story. And, I hope you liked the weird little cliffhanger from the last chapter. A lot of you were angered at the fact that I may kill a character. But, as I said in the beginning, this will have a happy ending. I'm going to publish a little ficlet tomorrow or Monday while I prepare the sequel. So much to do, with no idea where to go with it. Crap, I'll figure it out. You all have been wonderful readers, and your reviews and pointers have been helpful. I love you so very much.
PS: The disclaimer was simply from my brain. I love movies where the protagonist ends up with his/her true love. So, the disclaimer was probably an amalgam of all the sappy chick-flicks I've seen in my seventeen years. And the first sentence is taken from the song "My Way". God damned Ebay for fucking that song up!
Chapter Eighteen- Casualties of Battle
It was something he thought quite a deal on: What would it be like to die? What would it be like to have that stake thrust through your heart? To disintegrate into dust that wafts in the wind? Would he feel any pain? What would happen to his soul?
When Pitatch plunged the stake into his chest, Spike saw the world leave him slowly. Agony seared through his body. It wasn't just the knowledge that death was close. It was the look on Buffy's face. As he fell backwards, he kept his eyes on her. He saw the tears, the ache in her eyes, the disbelief.
He was leaving her behind. After he promised to be there for her, for all eternity.
All thoughts banished when he felt a release. His body turning to dust. The world became a black, noiseless room.
Then, his body felt warmth. For nearly 100 years he was cold. And this new warmth was inviting and rapped around him, consuming him.
Opening his eyes, the black world began to lighten. Was he going to heaven?
A shape began to materialize in front of him. Buffy. She was floating above him. Then it was heaven, because his heaven would only contain her.
She began to speak, her beautiful lips moving. He loved to kiss those lips, and felt better knowing that he would do so for eternity.
But something was off. The calmness rushed off to a realization. Heaven was the building in the Initiative where he died. And Buffy wasn't floating above him. She was crouching on the platform above him. Crying and bleeding.
Why would his angel be bleeding?
Senses returned. His injuries began to hurt, and something heavy pressed onto his chest. And he could hear her talking.
"Spike? What's going on?"
This wasn't heaven. He was still on earth. A stake had gone through his heart, and he was still on earth.
The heavy object on his chest turned out to be her axe. It was lying on him, no wound. Removing it, he sat up.
"I don't know."
Grief began to disappear from her face. "You're not dust?"
Touching his body to confirm, a smile formed on his face. "Apparently not."
"But I saw the stake go through your heart . . ."
"Believe me, luv," he chuckled, standing, "I'm just as confused as you."
Buffy stood with him. "But you're here."
Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms. "Yeah."
Cupping his face in her hands, Buffy stood on her toes to kiss him. As he rapped his arms around her waist, he entered her mouth, tasting her.
I'm here, and she's here, and . . .
Buffy pulled away quickly. She stared at him as if he was a stranger.
"What the fuck is going on?"
Confused, he held up his hands. "I don't know! If I could explain . . ."
"Oh yeah! Explain this!" Grabbing his hand, she placed it on his neck, and pushed two fingers onto the skin.
"Luv, what's going . . ."
He stopped when he felt something. A thump.
Then a second.
Then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. It was a steady stream of thumps. Coming from him.
A heartbeat.
"Holy shit." His other hand came up, feeling the other side of his neck. The heartbeat was still there.
"Why are you doing that?" She looked almost like a child, fearful.
"I know why."
It was a voice behind them, someone coming into the room. Both looked at the new presence.
Elyog.
"What happened?" asked Buffy.
Uneasily smiling, the demon approached the two. "You knew that the Leader had various other experiments besides the machine." As they nodded, she continued. "Although we didn't know why, he had us working on ways to make other demons energy sources for him."
"Yeah, he said you had to find out how to make a vampire edible," Spike blurted out quickly, nodding furiously.
Elyog smiled. "That was a hard problem. Making a vampire a source of energy that the Leader could use. I worked on it for months. Then, the answer came to me suddenly. It was so simple."
"What was it?" Buffy asked.
"To do that, you need to make the vampire human."
Silence swallowed the room.
"What?" Spike's mouth fell open.
Rolling her eyes, Elyog continued. "It's not that hard. A vampire is just a human with a demon inside, like a virus."
"No," screamed Buffy, "The human is dead! You're talking about bringing life back to a dead body!"
"Calm down," Elyog put her hands up in defense, "That's not it." She put her hands down, then bent down to pick up the stake. "The Leader's plan was to re-animate the tissues, make them live." Bringing up the stake, she displayed it to the two. "A stake kills the demon. But this stake has a spell on it. The demon is killed, but the body remains, and life is forced back into the tissues."
"So I'm just a living corpse?" growled Spike.
"You're different. A regular vampire would be, but you have a soul. To live, the human must have a body, and a soul. The stake killed your demon, but because your soul protected you, it also brought you back to life."
Walking to his side, Buffy took Spike's hand. "So he's alive? A human, I mean."
"That's it. He doesn't need to feed off others, he has his own blood."
Amazed, Buffy smiled, then turned her attention to Spike. He stared at the ground, pensive.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"This is too weird." His eyes began to water. "I'm mortal." Surprisingly, as the tears fell down his face, he began to laugh. "I'm alive. I'm alive!" Then, he grabbed Buffy and swung her around. "I'M GOD DAMNED HUMAN!"
Stopping, he pulled her into a hungry kiss, devouring her mouth. Their kiss lasted an eternity.
"Ah-hum." Elyog coughed, breaking apart the sweethearts. "I suggest you go celebrate where it's less depressing. After all," she smiled, "It's a beautiful day." Bending down, she looked at the body of her cousin, impaled with a pole. "I have some clean-up to do."
Quickly becoming serious, Buffy went to her. "I'm so sorry it had to be this way . . ."
"Shh," she raised her hand to silence, "They are simply casualties of war. They knew that when they fought." Sliding her arms through the body, she hoisted it up. "Go on. Go live."
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
A cool breeze tousled the leaves remaining on the branches. But the warm November sun shone down.
From the darkness in the mouth of the cave, Spike and Buffy watched this scene. Drinking in the sights.
Buffy walked into the sun. It was too warm for her jacket, so she shrugged it off, folding it in her arms. She turned and watched Spike, still in the safety of the darkness.
"Come on," she beaconed, grabbing his arms and pulling him.
"No," he stated, feet firmly planted, "I can't."
Letting go, she backed up. "Why?"
"I've thought that I was gonna live in the darkness forever. I don't know if I can be apart of this," he indicated the beautiful day, "Of this world."
Hiding a smile, Buffy went into the darkness with him. "You can. I've been brought out of it so many times. And I'll be here for you."
"Will you now?" he grinned, reverting back to his cocky attitude.
"Duh!"
Her hand found his, and he clutched it. Timidly, he put his foot out, and stepped into the bright day.
"Wow, 's bright." Shading his eyes, he looked around. "Don't see what the big deal is."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she punched him. "Then go back. See if I care."
Beaming, he pulled her to him, holding her. "Not on your life."
Tilting her head up, they shared a pure, sweet kiss. Then, she leaned her head on his chest.
"So," Buffy asked quietly, "What are we gonna do now?"
"You know pet," Spike answered, using his finger to lift her chin up, "I don't bloody know."
Rating: R- I am simply a product of the perverted world.
Summary: Buffy, after running away from Sunnydale, comes home six years later with a new identity. While searching for some mysterious evil threatening to destroy all, she begins to see how much she was missed.
Author's Notes: The end is near, and so I face the final curtain. *Sobs* Oh, this is the last chapter (besides the epilogue, but that doesn't count). I hope you all loved this story. And, I hope you liked the weird little cliffhanger from the last chapter. A lot of you were angered at the fact that I may kill a character. But, as I said in the beginning, this will have a happy ending. I'm going to publish a little ficlet tomorrow or Monday while I prepare the sequel. So much to do, with no idea where to go with it. Crap, I'll figure it out. You all have been wonderful readers, and your reviews and pointers have been helpful. I love you so very much.
PS: The disclaimer was simply from my brain. I love movies where the protagonist ends up with his/her true love. So, the disclaimer was probably an amalgam of all the sappy chick-flicks I've seen in my seventeen years. And the first sentence is taken from the song "My Way". God damned Ebay for fucking that song up!
Chapter Eighteen- Casualties of Battle
It was something he thought quite a deal on: What would it be like to die? What would it be like to have that stake thrust through your heart? To disintegrate into dust that wafts in the wind? Would he feel any pain? What would happen to his soul?
When Pitatch plunged the stake into his chest, Spike saw the world leave him slowly. Agony seared through his body. It wasn't just the knowledge that death was close. It was the look on Buffy's face. As he fell backwards, he kept his eyes on her. He saw the tears, the ache in her eyes, the disbelief.
He was leaving her behind. After he promised to be there for her, for all eternity.
All thoughts banished when he felt a release. His body turning to dust. The world became a black, noiseless room.
Then, his body felt warmth. For nearly 100 years he was cold. And this new warmth was inviting and rapped around him, consuming him.
Opening his eyes, the black world began to lighten. Was he going to heaven?
A shape began to materialize in front of him. Buffy. She was floating above him. Then it was heaven, because his heaven would only contain her.
She began to speak, her beautiful lips moving. He loved to kiss those lips, and felt better knowing that he would do so for eternity.
But something was off. The calmness rushed off to a realization. Heaven was the building in the Initiative where he died. And Buffy wasn't floating above him. She was crouching on the platform above him. Crying and bleeding.
Why would his angel be bleeding?
Senses returned. His injuries began to hurt, and something heavy pressed onto his chest. And he could hear her talking.
"Spike? What's going on?"
This wasn't heaven. He was still on earth. A stake had gone through his heart, and he was still on earth.
The heavy object on his chest turned out to be her axe. It was lying on him, no wound. Removing it, he sat up.
"I don't know."
Grief began to disappear from her face. "You're not dust?"
Touching his body to confirm, a smile formed on his face. "Apparently not."
"But I saw the stake go through your heart . . ."
"Believe me, luv," he chuckled, standing, "I'm just as confused as you."
Buffy stood with him. "But you're here."
Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms. "Yeah."
Cupping his face in her hands, Buffy stood on her toes to kiss him. As he rapped his arms around her waist, he entered her mouth, tasting her.
I'm here, and she's here, and . . .
Buffy pulled away quickly. She stared at him as if he was a stranger.
"What the fuck is going on?"
Confused, he held up his hands. "I don't know! If I could explain . . ."
"Oh yeah! Explain this!" Grabbing his hand, she placed it on his neck, and pushed two fingers onto the skin.
"Luv, what's going . . ."
He stopped when he felt something. A thump.
Then a second.
Then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. It was a steady stream of thumps. Coming from him.
A heartbeat.
"Holy shit." His other hand came up, feeling the other side of his neck. The heartbeat was still there.
"Why are you doing that?" She looked almost like a child, fearful.
"I know why."
It was a voice behind them, someone coming into the room. Both looked at the new presence.
Elyog.
"What happened?" asked Buffy.
Uneasily smiling, the demon approached the two. "You knew that the Leader had various other experiments besides the machine." As they nodded, she continued. "Although we didn't know why, he had us working on ways to make other demons energy sources for him."
"Yeah, he said you had to find out how to make a vampire edible," Spike blurted out quickly, nodding furiously.
Elyog smiled. "That was a hard problem. Making a vampire a source of energy that the Leader could use. I worked on it for months. Then, the answer came to me suddenly. It was so simple."
"What was it?" Buffy asked.
"To do that, you need to make the vampire human."
Silence swallowed the room.
"What?" Spike's mouth fell open.
Rolling her eyes, Elyog continued. "It's not that hard. A vampire is just a human with a demon inside, like a virus."
"No," screamed Buffy, "The human is dead! You're talking about bringing life back to a dead body!"
"Calm down," Elyog put her hands up in defense, "That's not it." She put her hands down, then bent down to pick up the stake. "The Leader's plan was to re-animate the tissues, make them live." Bringing up the stake, she displayed it to the two. "A stake kills the demon. But this stake has a spell on it. The demon is killed, but the body remains, and life is forced back into the tissues."
"So I'm just a living corpse?" growled Spike.
"You're different. A regular vampire would be, but you have a soul. To live, the human must have a body, and a soul. The stake killed your demon, but because your soul protected you, it also brought you back to life."
Walking to his side, Buffy took Spike's hand. "So he's alive? A human, I mean."
"That's it. He doesn't need to feed off others, he has his own blood."
Amazed, Buffy smiled, then turned her attention to Spike. He stared at the ground, pensive.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"This is too weird." His eyes began to water. "I'm mortal." Surprisingly, as the tears fell down his face, he began to laugh. "I'm alive. I'm alive!" Then, he grabbed Buffy and swung her around. "I'M GOD DAMNED HUMAN!"
Stopping, he pulled her into a hungry kiss, devouring her mouth. Their kiss lasted an eternity.
"Ah-hum." Elyog coughed, breaking apart the sweethearts. "I suggest you go celebrate where it's less depressing. After all," she smiled, "It's a beautiful day." Bending down, she looked at the body of her cousin, impaled with a pole. "I have some clean-up to do."
Quickly becoming serious, Buffy went to her. "I'm so sorry it had to be this way . . ."
"Shh," she raised her hand to silence, "They are simply casualties of war. They knew that when they fought." Sliding her arms through the body, she hoisted it up. "Go on. Go live."
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
A cool breeze tousled the leaves remaining on the branches. But the warm November sun shone down.
From the darkness in the mouth of the cave, Spike and Buffy watched this scene. Drinking in the sights.
Buffy walked into the sun. It was too warm for her jacket, so she shrugged it off, folding it in her arms. She turned and watched Spike, still in the safety of the darkness.
"Come on," she beaconed, grabbing his arms and pulling him.
"No," he stated, feet firmly planted, "I can't."
Letting go, she backed up. "Why?"
"I've thought that I was gonna live in the darkness forever. I don't know if I can be apart of this," he indicated the beautiful day, "Of this world."
Hiding a smile, Buffy went into the darkness with him. "You can. I've been brought out of it so many times. And I'll be here for you."
"Will you now?" he grinned, reverting back to his cocky attitude.
"Duh!"
Her hand found his, and he clutched it. Timidly, he put his foot out, and stepped into the bright day.
"Wow, 's bright." Shading his eyes, he looked around. "Don't see what the big deal is."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she punched him. "Then go back. See if I care."
Beaming, he pulled her to him, holding her. "Not on your life."
Tilting her head up, they shared a pure, sweet kiss. Then, she leaned her head on his chest.
"So," Buffy asked quietly, "What are we gonna do now?"
"You know pet," Spike answered, using his finger to lift her chin up, "I don't bloody know."