A/N: I don't actually have anything to say here but I thought I'd keep with
tradition. Uh. well. Just so you know, I hate writing end-character lines
and dialogues but I really tried. And Drusilla is harder to write for than
I thought before I started writing this. You've probably noticed that
throughout this. But just imagine Juliet Landau saying these lines and it
seems better. The story is almost over so enjoy!
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Eleven~
It looked like there was just an apocalypse. Considering there almost was, it made sense.
Spike was too tired to take in any of it. Everything was just ruin to him. Familiar ruin. Dust, broken wood, fallen brick, bloody bodies all blurred together from the tears clouding Spike's eyes. He forced them back and attempted to survey the damage, hoping to find something, anything.
Dead bodies were mingled in with piles of wreckage. They were mostly demons, Jupeille's minions, whose faces were even more twisted and inhuman than before. Spike shut his eyes against the bodies that weren't demons. Giles, Willow, Xander. While they'd never really fostered any real affection for Spike and visa versa, there had been growing respect between them for the last few months. Willow had always been the nicest and most open-minded of her friends. And Spike always had a certain degree of respect for Giles considering everything the Watcher had to put up with. Xander had always hated him and Spike wasn't exactly heart-broken over it. But since the chip and that dream, he hadn't really been wishing death upon the sarcastic sidekick. Now they were all the same. They were just bodies.
Spike didn't want to look at the sight before him anymore. He didn't want to be apart of it. But something inside him ached for the closure. His halfheartedly searched for what he felt was inevitable to find. Then he saw a fragile hand grasping a pile of rubble. He forced himself to walk over to the hand and was surprised to see the body it belonged to was rising and falling slowly with life.
He fell on his knees and lifted the small bruised body up to cradle her gently in his arms. Her greens eyes glowed up at him weakly and sadly.
"I've failed them." Buffy murmured.
Spike shook his head furiously and insisted, "no, no."
"They're all dead and it's my fault," she said, her soft voice trembling as tears flooded her eyes.
Stroking a tear from her cheek, Spike said, "you tried. Jupeille is dead and so are most of his minions."
"But it doesn't matter now. Now that they're. I'm sorry."
Buffy burst into sobs, her usually strong body heaving violently. Spike was afraid she'd break from her own tears. He'd rarely seen Buffy look her true size, small. Usually he only saw her the way she wanted to be seen, as the strong Slayer. But now she looked like just a young girl who'd been through too much for her petite frame to take. She was beautiful.
"No, it's okay," Spike said softly.
This was the first time she'd ever let him hold her.
"Dawn," Buffy said with sudden force, "where's Dawn?"
Spike glanced away from her.
"I tried. but the demons got to the house before me."
"There were too many," Buffy murmured.
Spike nodded as he looked into her eyes. She sobbed again but Spike held her close.
"I tried," she said, "I really tried."
"They know."
She looked up at him suddenly, her cheeks tear stained.
"Remember the deal. Remember the deal and come back."
"Buffy, there's no one."
"Come back."
"Of course, luv."
There was silence as Buffy stared out across the ruin and Spike turned his teary eyes skyward.
"I tried." Buffy insisted again weakly.
Spike shut his eyes but one tear escaped down his cheek. After he felt her go limp in his arms, he burst into tears and cradled her lifeless body to him weakly.
"I tried too."
* * * * * * * * * *
"You see?" Drusilla asked with a leer. "What it'll be like?"
"Yes." Spike admitted softly, looking to his feet, "I see perfectly."
Spike raised his head and looked into Drusilla's eyes. She smiled. He leaned forward slightly, eyes closed. As she tilted her head up to him, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her down onto the ground.
"I'm willing to risk it," Spike said, pulling a stake from his coat.
Drusilla glared up at Spike, her amber eyes blazing with anger. Spike ignored her and went to check Faith. She was breathing.
"Stupid dog," she hissed and regained her footing, "Look how long it's taken you to get over the Slayer."
"See, you're automatically jumping to the worst case scenario. Shame, shame, Dru," Spike scolded, "I like to look on the sunny side of life and all that. Sure, maybe I'll get staked tomorrow or Anya will be. maimed by angry villagers."
"Hey!" Anya cried indignantly.
"Sorry, pet, just an example," Spike apologized. "What I'm trying to say is that I just finally got it. I've been moping around for a while, with good reason of course. But you've made me see something, Dru. I'm gonna live for a long time, eternity, weather permitting, and when I think about it, I can't spend all that time moping around. Instead, I think I'll spend it living. With Anya." He gave his lover a quick smile. "Expiration dates be damned."
Anya shrugged the two vampires off of her and ran to Spike. After giving him a quick kiss, she said, "that was almost touching."
"I try," Spike said, linking his free arm around Anya who stuck her tongue out at Drusilla.
"What are you going to do now, stake me?" Drusilla mocked.
Studying the stake in his hand, Spike considered his options. Drusilla was his sire and first lover. But was that reason enough to let her go?
This was taking too long. Drusilla was actually starting to think Spike would try to stake her. Her Spike, the man she'd gone through all of this trouble for. Now he was going to stake her- or at least try to- and go off and fight evil with his peppy new demon girlfriend. Drusilla was considering staking him to put him out of his potential misery.
"Minions!" Drusilla shrieked.
Accordingly, the few remaining minions attacked Spike and Anya. With ease, Spike flipped the first, staked it, grabbed another, punched and staked it too. Anya kicked one off of her, which Spike took care of, and staked another.
'Yeah,' Spike thought, 'this feels good.'
"No, no, no!" Drusilla cried and stomped her foot like a bratty little girl. "You're not playing right. The ace of cups doesn't like being contradicted."
"Oh please," Anya groaned, "do you even know what you're saying?"
Spike smirked.
"I don't need you anyway. Daddy will be able to kiss my knee and make the hurt leave," Drusilla said.
"Fine then. Send the Poofter my warmest wishes," Spike replied.
"You're not going to kill her?" Anya questioned him.
Spike studied his sire again and replied, "I just can't."
Anya nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.
"The stars may paint pretty pictures but someday they will lead you through a tunnel," Drusilla warned before she stormed out of the restaurant, head held high.
* * * * * * * * *
TBC
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Eleven~
It looked like there was just an apocalypse. Considering there almost was, it made sense.
Spike was too tired to take in any of it. Everything was just ruin to him. Familiar ruin. Dust, broken wood, fallen brick, bloody bodies all blurred together from the tears clouding Spike's eyes. He forced them back and attempted to survey the damage, hoping to find something, anything.
Dead bodies were mingled in with piles of wreckage. They were mostly demons, Jupeille's minions, whose faces were even more twisted and inhuman than before. Spike shut his eyes against the bodies that weren't demons. Giles, Willow, Xander. While they'd never really fostered any real affection for Spike and visa versa, there had been growing respect between them for the last few months. Willow had always been the nicest and most open-minded of her friends. And Spike always had a certain degree of respect for Giles considering everything the Watcher had to put up with. Xander had always hated him and Spike wasn't exactly heart-broken over it. But since the chip and that dream, he hadn't really been wishing death upon the sarcastic sidekick. Now they were all the same. They were just bodies.
Spike didn't want to look at the sight before him anymore. He didn't want to be apart of it. But something inside him ached for the closure. His halfheartedly searched for what he felt was inevitable to find. Then he saw a fragile hand grasping a pile of rubble. He forced himself to walk over to the hand and was surprised to see the body it belonged to was rising and falling slowly with life.
He fell on his knees and lifted the small bruised body up to cradle her gently in his arms. Her greens eyes glowed up at him weakly and sadly.
"I've failed them." Buffy murmured.
Spike shook his head furiously and insisted, "no, no."
"They're all dead and it's my fault," she said, her soft voice trembling as tears flooded her eyes.
Stroking a tear from her cheek, Spike said, "you tried. Jupeille is dead and so are most of his minions."
"But it doesn't matter now. Now that they're. I'm sorry."
Buffy burst into sobs, her usually strong body heaving violently. Spike was afraid she'd break from her own tears. He'd rarely seen Buffy look her true size, small. Usually he only saw her the way she wanted to be seen, as the strong Slayer. But now she looked like just a young girl who'd been through too much for her petite frame to take. She was beautiful.
"No, it's okay," Spike said softly.
This was the first time she'd ever let him hold her.
"Dawn," Buffy said with sudden force, "where's Dawn?"
Spike glanced away from her.
"I tried. but the demons got to the house before me."
"There were too many," Buffy murmured.
Spike nodded as he looked into her eyes. She sobbed again but Spike held her close.
"I tried," she said, "I really tried."
"They know."
She looked up at him suddenly, her cheeks tear stained.
"Remember the deal. Remember the deal and come back."
"Buffy, there's no one."
"Come back."
"Of course, luv."
There was silence as Buffy stared out across the ruin and Spike turned his teary eyes skyward.
"I tried." Buffy insisted again weakly.
Spike shut his eyes but one tear escaped down his cheek. After he felt her go limp in his arms, he burst into tears and cradled her lifeless body to him weakly.
"I tried too."
* * * * * * * * * *
"You see?" Drusilla asked with a leer. "What it'll be like?"
"Yes." Spike admitted softly, looking to his feet, "I see perfectly."
Spike raised his head and looked into Drusilla's eyes. She smiled. He leaned forward slightly, eyes closed. As she tilted her head up to him, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her down onto the ground.
"I'm willing to risk it," Spike said, pulling a stake from his coat.
Drusilla glared up at Spike, her amber eyes blazing with anger. Spike ignored her and went to check Faith. She was breathing.
"Stupid dog," she hissed and regained her footing, "Look how long it's taken you to get over the Slayer."
"See, you're automatically jumping to the worst case scenario. Shame, shame, Dru," Spike scolded, "I like to look on the sunny side of life and all that. Sure, maybe I'll get staked tomorrow or Anya will be. maimed by angry villagers."
"Hey!" Anya cried indignantly.
"Sorry, pet, just an example," Spike apologized. "What I'm trying to say is that I just finally got it. I've been moping around for a while, with good reason of course. But you've made me see something, Dru. I'm gonna live for a long time, eternity, weather permitting, and when I think about it, I can't spend all that time moping around. Instead, I think I'll spend it living. With Anya." He gave his lover a quick smile. "Expiration dates be damned."
Anya shrugged the two vampires off of her and ran to Spike. After giving him a quick kiss, she said, "that was almost touching."
"I try," Spike said, linking his free arm around Anya who stuck her tongue out at Drusilla.
"What are you going to do now, stake me?" Drusilla mocked.
Studying the stake in his hand, Spike considered his options. Drusilla was his sire and first lover. But was that reason enough to let her go?
This was taking too long. Drusilla was actually starting to think Spike would try to stake her. Her Spike, the man she'd gone through all of this trouble for. Now he was going to stake her- or at least try to- and go off and fight evil with his peppy new demon girlfriend. Drusilla was considering staking him to put him out of his potential misery.
"Minions!" Drusilla shrieked.
Accordingly, the few remaining minions attacked Spike and Anya. With ease, Spike flipped the first, staked it, grabbed another, punched and staked it too. Anya kicked one off of her, which Spike took care of, and staked another.
'Yeah,' Spike thought, 'this feels good.'
"No, no, no!" Drusilla cried and stomped her foot like a bratty little girl. "You're not playing right. The ace of cups doesn't like being contradicted."
"Oh please," Anya groaned, "do you even know what you're saying?"
Spike smirked.
"I don't need you anyway. Daddy will be able to kiss my knee and make the hurt leave," Drusilla said.
"Fine then. Send the Poofter my warmest wishes," Spike replied.
"You're not going to kill her?" Anya questioned him.
Spike studied his sire again and replied, "I just can't."
Anya nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.
"The stars may paint pretty pictures but someday they will lead you through a tunnel," Drusilla warned before she stormed out of the restaurant, head held high.
* * * * * * * * *
TBC