Author's Note:  Thanks to everyone who has submitted reviews, especially the one regarding quotation marks around dialogue.  I've always had a problem with distinguishing dialog from the action, inner thoughts, etc.  I hope this format is a little easier to read.  I'm open to more suggestions on that front BTW.

I really hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew with this one.  I know where I want to go with the story but I want to make it believable in the context of the Buffyverse and it's characters.  I also don't want to have to resort to putting lengthy explanations up here in the 'author's note' just to make the story understood.  A good writer should let the story tell itself (not that I'm a good writer).   Hope you enjoy this chapter, hopefully I'll have another tomorrow.   Reviews are appreciated.

Chapter 3

There's always a prophecy, Spike thought as he made his way through Sunnydale's seemingly endless maze of electrical tunnels.    You would think that they would cancel each other out there were so bloody many of them.  Buffy had appeared to him that morning, bringing a book of some sort.  The language it was written in was very obscure, he wasn't even sure if it was human.  She said she had managed to steal it out of the hell mouth, supposedly it held the secrets to an ancient demon prophecy which foretold the opening of the hell mouth and the final destruction of mankind, your basic good old fashioned doomsday prophecy.  As he hit another dead end, he cursed his lack of familiarity with the more respectable side of town, it wasn't like vamps had much use for the post office.  It seemed like he had retraced his steps a million times, but he was determined to fulfill the quest his lady had laid out for him.  She had looked so fragile, when she gave it to him, begging him to send it as soon as possible.  He remembered how her brows had been knitted with worry as she told him of the prophecy.

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"So, the hell mouth has a library", he quipped.  "Wonder what kind of late fees they charge, aye?"

Buffy just looked at him sadly and motioned for him to sit on the floor beside her.   She opened the text sitting before her and started flipping through it as if she knew exactly what she was looking for, even though there was no way she understood it's language.  She finally stopped flipping and ripped out two of the ancient pages.  "You need to get these to Giles, mail them to him but don't let him know who they're from.  He may not take them seriously if he knows they're from you and we can't afford to take that chance."

Spike tried to shrug off the hurt he felt at being reminded of his lack of credibility with the people Buffy loved.  Even Dawn hated him now.

"What does the prophecy say luv?"

"That It…..the thing beneath us, will begin to gain power, feeding off the souls of the evil that the slayer… that I, have stopped.  The most powerful of all of the slayers, guess that's me, will be trapped in the hell mouth and an imposter will take her place.  I guess so everyone will think that everything is okay and I'll be there to save them.   His followers, demons and humans, will sense his rising and start killing off all of those in the slayer line, the ones who haven't been called yet.  Once the last slayer is gone, the hell mouth will absorb all of the power of the light….the power of the slayer…me… bringing back the darkness, going back to the time before there was light, before men ruled the earth.  And everyone…all the people, the animals, even the plants…"

"From beneath us it devours, right pet?"

Buffy only nodded solemnly.  "Spike, I think this time it really is *it*.  The only chance I have, that any of us have, is to throw the imposter into the hell mouth.  That's the only way I can be freed and It can be stopped."

"Well, I'll just go get the bitch right now and we'll finish this."  Spike stood up angrily as if to leave.

"Spike, no!  You can't, it's too powerful, you won't be able to fight it.  We have to try and weaken it first and we need help.  That's why you have to get the prophecy to Giles."

"Pet, I don't understand.  You said that there are girls dying, we have to stop it NOW before those crazy buggers kill anyone else.  And it's living with Dawn, aren't you afraid of what it might do to her!?  We can't waste any more time wringing our hands."

Buffy grabbed Spike's hands and drew him back down to the floor with her.  "Don't you think I want to stop this now?  I have to be careful.  We have to be careful.  We have to be sure our plan is going to work before we make our move.  The entire world is at stake here.  Of course I care about those girls, but if I let my emotions take over *everyone* will die."  Buffy looked at the vampire with pleading eyes.  "Besides, I'm not worried about Dawn.  It's trying to play itself off as me, so it won't hurt her.  It knows if it succeeds it will have her anyway… it will have all of us.  You know this Spike, you've felt it."

"But Buffy you said yourself that it's getting more powerful.  If it gets more of those girls it will only get worse."

"Spike, don't you trust me?  I need you to do what I ask before it's too late.  We can do this together if you'll just trust me."  Buffy then leaned towards Spike, putting her right hand behind his head and drew him into a kiss.

Oh God, Spike had forgotten how intoxicating it was to be in her arms.   Her mouth tasted so sweet and she was kissing him so gently, so deeply.  It was no longer a violent attempt to feel and to forget what she had lost, she was really kissing him… tenderly, lovingly, passionately.   He would follow her anywhere.  After all, she was the slayer, his slayer, she had saved the world many times before and she would do it again.  He just thanked God that she had learned to trust him again and that he would be the one to help her.  Being with her made the voices stop, he was no longer constantly tormented by his past actions, he actually felt hope.  He knew he had done horribly evil things but now he was on the side of right and with Buffy by his side he could begin to try and atone for his past.  Damn, he sounded like that ponce Angel, but he didn't care because he was finally going to get his second chance.

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Spike finally reached the manhole that came out in the alley behind the post office.  As he eased the cover off, he noticed with relief that the skies were overcast, he would be able to make a mad dash for the back door without bursting into flames after all.  

Once inside the vampire scanned the faces of the other customers waiting in line.  They were going about their daily business, mailing presents to their grandkids, paying bills, they had no bloody idea that the fate of the entire world hinged on the letter he held in his hand.   As he handed the letter to the sour faced middle-aged lady behind the counter giving her the 37 cents he had managed to scrounge up, he inwardly cringed.   Now the entire fate of the world rested in the hands of the United States Postal Service.  God help us all.