Dawn snuck out when Willow had retired to her room. Spike wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye. Something was up and Buffy wasn't telling them everything.
'Well if she wants to keep secrets I'll just have to see Spike for myself,' Dawn thought to herself as she walked along the lonely street that lead to the cemetery.
The dark no longer scared her. After all, as the Slayer's sister, she had seen everything that could possibly go bump in the night. Even so, she picked up her pace. After what had happened at Halloween, she wanted to be back home before she was missed.
The walk didn't take her long, but as she entered the cemetery, she was very conscious that Buffy might be patrolling there so she cautiously wandered amongst the headstones. She relaxed as she neared Spike's crypt. No sign of her sister. Maybe she was patrolling a different cemetery tonight.
Slowly, Dawn pushed the door open. It was empty.
"Spike?" she called out as she walked inside. "Are you here?"
There was no reply. Maybe he was out too. Maybe Buffy lied. Spike wouldn't just leave. He wasn't like that. He liked her and she trusted him. He was the only person she could always count on to be honest with her, no matter what.
"Spike?" she called again.
She walked around the empty room. Everything was still in its place. He wouldn't have left without his things. Buffy had lied, but why?
"Where are you Spike?" she said to herself as she wandered towards one of his comfortable chairs.
Her foot kicked something. Dawn stopped walking and looked down. A stake? Why would Spike leave a stake lying on the floor of his crypt? Since joining the 'Scoobies' he did use them, but she had never seen one in his crypt before. As she leaned down to pick it up, she noticed it was lying in a pile of ashes. Vampire ashes? Had Spike been attacked in his home? Was that why he wasn't around now? Her mind refused to even acknowledge any other reason for the ashes in his crypt. Silently she sat down, her fingers slowly tracing through them. She didn't even hear Buffy walk up behind her.
"You couldn't just leave it could you?"
Dawn jumped up.
"Buffy? What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," Buffy said. "I told you, Spike left."
"I don't believe you," Dawn replied. "He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. He wouldn't just leave me."
"So self centred," Buffy murmured as she slowly circled around Dawn. "The whole world just has to revolve around Dawn." She stopped and looked at her sister. "Well he did. He left. He didn't want to, but it was time for him to go. Time for you all to go."
"Buffy, you're scaring me," Dawn said softly.
"Time for me to go home," she continued. "I don't belong here. None of us belong here. I want to go home."
"Buffy," Dawn said louder. "Come on, I'll take you home. Willow will know what to do."
Buffy stopped and looked up at Dawn. "Willow's not real. You're not real. I have to stop you all so I can be well. So I can go home. Mum and dad are waiting for me. But you just won't let me go. I have to stop you all."
Dawn took a step back. A feeling of terror was building up inside her. Then she understood. The ashes...
"You killed Spike didn't you," she said, more a statement than question.
Buffy nodded blankly. "I had to. He wouldn't let me go."
Dawn screamed and launched herself at her sister. Dawn's fists pounded into her body, but Buffy didn't feel them. She was lost in listening to the voices calling to her. The voices which wanted her back. The voices telling her she didn't have a sister. That Sunnydale was a dream, a fantasy. They told her nothing there was real.
As if in slow motion, Buffy grabbed Dawn around the throat. Dawn screamed.
"Buffy please," she begged. "I'm your sister. I love you. Please don't do this."
But Buffy couldn't hear her. But she did hear the snap as she broke Dawn's neck.
"I don't have a sister," she said as she dropped Dawn's lifeless body.
"Doctor," the nurse yelled.
He came running. Together they stood and watched as Buffy's eyelids flickered slowly before opening. Then they closed again.
"She's fighting it," the doctor said to the nurse. "She's trying to come back."
'Well if she wants to keep secrets I'll just have to see Spike for myself,' Dawn thought to herself as she walked along the lonely street that lead to the cemetery.
The dark no longer scared her. After all, as the Slayer's sister, she had seen everything that could possibly go bump in the night. Even so, she picked up her pace. After what had happened at Halloween, she wanted to be back home before she was missed.
The walk didn't take her long, but as she entered the cemetery, she was very conscious that Buffy might be patrolling there so she cautiously wandered amongst the headstones. She relaxed as she neared Spike's crypt. No sign of her sister. Maybe she was patrolling a different cemetery tonight.
Slowly, Dawn pushed the door open. It was empty.
"Spike?" she called out as she walked inside. "Are you here?"
There was no reply. Maybe he was out too. Maybe Buffy lied. Spike wouldn't just leave. He wasn't like that. He liked her and she trusted him. He was the only person she could always count on to be honest with her, no matter what.
"Spike?" she called again.
She walked around the empty room. Everything was still in its place. He wouldn't have left without his things. Buffy had lied, but why?
"Where are you Spike?" she said to herself as she wandered towards one of his comfortable chairs.
Her foot kicked something. Dawn stopped walking and looked down. A stake? Why would Spike leave a stake lying on the floor of his crypt? Since joining the 'Scoobies' he did use them, but she had never seen one in his crypt before. As she leaned down to pick it up, she noticed it was lying in a pile of ashes. Vampire ashes? Had Spike been attacked in his home? Was that why he wasn't around now? Her mind refused to even acknowledge any other reason for the ashes in his crypt. Silently she sat down, her fingers slowly tracing through them. She didn't even hear Buffy walk up behind her.
"You couldn't just leave it could you?"
Dawn jumped up.
"Buffy? What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," Buffy said. "I told you, Spike left."
"I don't believe you," Dawn replied. "He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. He wouldn't just leave me."
"So self centred," Buffy murmured as she slowly circled around Dawn. "The whole world just has to revolve around Dawn." She stopped and looked at her sister. "Well he did. He left. He didn't want to, but it was time for him to go. Time for you all to go."
"Buffy, you're scaring me," Dawn said softly.
"Time for me to go home," she continued. "I don't belong here. None of us belong here. I want to go home."
"Buffy," Dawn said louder. "Come on, I'll take you home. Willow will know what to do."
Buffy stopped and looked up at Dawn. "Willow's not real. You're not real. I have to stop you all so I can be well. So I can go home. Mum and dad are waiting for me. But you just won't let me go. I have to stop you all."
Dawn took a step back. A feeling of terror was building up inside her. Then she understood. The ashes...
"You killed Spike didn't you," she said, more a statement than question.
Buffy nodded blankly. "I had to. He wouldn't let me go."
Dawn screamed and launched herself at her sister. Dawn's fists pounded into her body, but Buffy didn't feel them. She was lost in listening to the voices calling to her. The voices which wanted her back. The voices telling her she didn't have a sister. That Sunnydale was a dream, a fantasy. They told her nothing there was real.
As if in slow motion, Buffy grabbed Dawn around the throat. Dawn screamed.
"Buffy please," she begged. "I'm your sister. I love you. Please don't do this."
But Buffy couldn't hear her. But she did hear the snap as she broke Dawn's neck.
"I don't have a sister," she said as she dropped Dawn's lifeless body.
"Doctor," the nurse yelled.
He came running. Together they stood and watched as Buffy's eyelids flickered slowly before opening. Then they closed again.
"She's fighting it," the doctor said to the nurse. "She's trying to come back."