Destiny Lost
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 22
The Factory
Spike scanned the room quickly as the new horde of vamps came in. Willow grinned at him evilly, and he knew there was no going back down that road -- not that he had any desire to. What he really wanted was to tear her skin aside with his bare fangs, mush around in her insides until she writhed with agony and then stake her into eternal damnation where Dru could wreak her own special breed of after-life torture on the red headed traitor. Spike also wouldn't mind the taste of Nathan's blood on his lips, but the sorcerer had vanished somewhere when Spike wasn't looking.
However, the blond vampire's bloodthirsty thoughts were derailed by the extreme odds against him. Part of Willow's band of vamps circled around Spike and his two friends, while the rest moved toward the whitehats menacingly. As Spike watched, Angel and Xander pulled out their crossbows. Xander handed his crossbow to Buffy, quickly showing her how to use it.
Soon, the bolts were flying and vamps were exploding into dust left and right. But it didn't even seem to make a dent in their numbers. Then Spike heard a whooshing sound and something bright whizzed past him, nailing one of his two remaining minions. Spike's eyes grew wide as he saw the creature catch fire and explode into dust. Whirling, Spike saw that Xander had pulled out what appeared to be a flare gun and was helping Angel and Buffy pick off as many vamps as possible, using the flares to catch the vamps on fire.
Another flare whizzed by and Spike ducked, barely avoiding being hit. "I'll be dust if I stay here any longer!" he complained. Growling to himself, he grabbed the nearest vamp and used the weaker creature as a shield, roughly dragging him across the room towards the whitehats. The captive vamp screamed as crossbow bolts hit him in the arms and torso, but Spike paid the creature no heed. Finally, Xander saw what Spike was doing and shot a flare at the vamp, forcing Spike to drop him as he combusted. But by that time, Spike had managed to reach the whitehats and was standing beside the three of them.
"What the hell do you want, Spike?" Xander demanded, grabbing Spike by the collar and shaking him roughly.
Spike disengaged himself from Xander's grip fairly easily and replied, "I'm willing to make you wankers a deal. I'll show you a secret way out of this joint if you'll help watch my back."
"Why should we trust you?" Angel asked, looking up from where he was crouched with his crossbow.
"Because, mates, it's really quite simple," Spike said with a knowing grin. "What other choice 'ave ya got?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sonya lay prone on the table after Giles had completed the spell. She could move if she tried really hard, but somehow it didn't seem worth the effort. She felt drained and weak, and so, so tired.
A gentle hand touched her forehead, smoothing back her hair. "How do you feel?"
She opened her eyes and saw Giles leaning over her, a look of concern evident behind the frames of his glasses.
"I feel..." she started to say OK -- not quite the truth, but it would make him feel better. But instead, gasping sobs came out.
Giles gathered her up in his arms and rocked her back and forth the way one would a small child. "Don't worry, Sonya," he murmured. "It will be all right."
But deep down inside, they both knew nothing would ever be the same.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Xander had first thrust the crossbow into her hands, Buffy hadn't known what to do with it.
"Bolt goes here, trigger there, now shoot," Xander said, putting more ammo in her pockets. Buffy stared at him as he delved into his pockets for his flare gun. Then she looked over at Angel firing his crossbow.
After watching for just a second, she got a better idea of what to do. She raised the crossbow and took aim at a particularly nasty looking vamp who was giving her the eye. She pulled the trigger, and watched the bolt fly as if it were in slow-motion. It impaled the vampire right in the center of his heart. For a second, Buffy was amazed at her perfect aim, then she snapped herself out of contemplation-mode, loaded another bolt into the crossbow and took out another vamp.
After Spike's daring run across the room, the vampires began moving closer to them. The projectile weapons were holding them off for now, but just barely.
"Is there another choice?" Buffy asked after hearing Spike's offer, giving the others a glance.
Xander and Angel both frowned. "There's got to be another way," Xander muttered.
Suddenly, Buffy saw a vampire with a sword running toward Xander. She tried to shout out a warning, but she wasn't quick enough. However, faster than her eye could follow, Spike yanked the flare gun out of Xander's hand and shot the charging demon in the chest. The vampire burst into flames and exploded, his sword clattering to the ground at Xander's feet.
Xander paled, obviously realizing how close to death he had just been. Looking up at Spike, he studied the vampire closely, his face inscrutable. Finally, he spoke. "You've got a deal, Spike." Xander extended a hand for the vampire to shake. "Consider this our temporary truce."
Spike shook the hand Xander had offered and then scooped up the sword lying on the ground. Extending it to Xander, handle first, he said, "How's your swordsmanship, Harris?"
Xander grinned and took the sword from Spike's outstretched hand, quickly decapitating a vampire that had been trying to sneak up on them. "Good enough. Now where's that secret exit you were talking about?"
Spike gestured for the others to follow his lead and made a break for it, shooting his last flare at a vamp that crossed their path. "I'm out!" he yelled over his shoulder.
"Catch!" Xander called back, tossing him the box of flares. Spike caught it deftly and reloaded the gun as he ran. As they reached the other side of the room he pointed at a hallway that was just a few steps away. "Over there!"
Xander nodded and sent Buffy and Angel on ahead, staying behind with Spike to cover their backs. "I hope this secret exit is as secret as you claim," he told Spike before ducking into the hallway.
"Me, too, mate," Spike muttered, shooting a flare and killing a vamp before he turned and ran after the others into the hallway. "Me, too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow saw where her traitorous ex-lover was going with the whitehats and growled, grabbing Seth by his plaid shirt and ordering him to go after them. "They're trying to trick us," she scoffed, "But Spike underestimates me. I know exactly what he's up to. I'm not a moron like that crazy ditz Drusilla was." Giving Seth a sultry smile, she purred, "Now that poor Spike has fallen out of my good graces, I'm going to need another big strong man around the house." Willow ran her fingers lightly up and down Seth's strong, muscular arms. "If you play your cards right, baby, it could be you."
Seth grinned. He wasn't a fool. With Willow by his side, he could rule ove r the all the vampire factions in Sunnydale. And that was what he planned on doing. "Anything for you, my lady," he drawled, pulling Willow into his arms and giving her a passionate kiss. All the other vamps watched them with respect. They now knew that Seth was Willow's new favorite. And in the world of the undead, that meant something.
Willow allowed Seth to enjoy his moment of glory before she put on her resolve face. "Get them and kill them," she ordered, pointing to the hallway where Spike and the others had disappeared. "Half of you go that way with Seth and try to catch up to them. The other half follow me. We'll get them one way or another."
With that, she walked to the front door and slammed it open, leading a large group of vampires around to the side of the factory where they would lay in wait. "This is gonna be so much fun," she giggled, skipping along the path. "They'll never know what hit 'em!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oz was waiting in the van with the motor running, as per his instructions, when he saw Willow and a group of fifteen or so vampires leave the factory and duck around to the side of the building. Frowning, Oz watched for a minute, curious as to what they were up to.
Glancing down at his watch, his eyes narrowed. It had been over twenty minutes since Xander and Angel had gone inside. He would give them 5 more minutes to make it out okay and then he would have to do something drastic. Oz drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited. He hoped they were alright...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xander could hear the vampires following them and cursed. "I thought you said this way was secret," he whispered at Spike accusingly. "Shouldn't they have given up and turned back by now or something?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I've got it all under control."
Xander snorted. "Yeah, right. I feel SO much better now."
The four of them were crouched under an old, rotting stairwell. As they waited, trying not to make any noise, they saw a group of almost twenty vampires troop by, obviously looking for them. Once the coast was clear, Xander inched his way out from under the stairs and turned to help Buffy out. Angel and Spike followed shortly. Once everyone was more or less on their feet again, Xander turned to Spike and said, "Okay, now what? I figure we have maybe 5 or 10 minutes at most until they double back and find us."
Spike grinned. "Yeah, but once they figure out that they've missed us, we'll be long gone."
Angel frowned. "Long gone how? I wish you'd just tell us where this secret exit is."
Spike laughed softly. "That's the joke, mates. There IS no secret exit. While they're searching for us in this maze of halls and rooms, we'll be calmly walking out the front door like we bloody well own the place!"
Buffy couldn't help but laugh. The idea was so absurd that it actually made since to her. Gesturing with her crossbow, she said, "Well, what are we waiting for? We don't have time to dilly dally around here. Let's go!"
Spike turned and led them out of the hallways and into the main room, which was completely disserted. "See?" he said smugly, "It worked like a charm."
"Let's not celebrate just yet," Angel admonished him. "We're not completely out of danger."
Spike rolled his eyes. "You always were a downer, weren't you, Angelus? Must be that whole soul thing. What a drag."
Angel ignored him and headed for the door.
"Hey, now don't get your panties all in a wad, mate," Spike called after him. "I was just makin' an observation."
Xander made shushing noises at both of them. "Quiet!" he hissed. "You two are being loud enough to wake the dead!" At the dubious looks he received, he added, "Well... um... pun not intended, but seriously, we need to keep it down. We don't want Willow and her vampire goons to hear us."
"Oh, it's far too late for that, my dear."
Xander looked up and gasped. Willow and a large group of vamps were standing at the front door. They'd obviously been waiting outside until Xander and the others returned. Just then, Xander heard footsteps from behind him and whirled, coming face to face with Seth and his group of vamps. They were trapped... again. Xander sighed. "Suddenly I'm getting a sense of deja' vu and I'm really not liking it."
The vamps began to advance on the four of them.
Xander turned to Spike and snapped, "Thank you SO much for not helping matters with your stupid plan! Next time I'm surrounded by a group of undead fiends who want to kick my ass, remind me not to call on you for help, okay?"
Willow smirked. "I could have told you that a long time ago, Xand." She pouted prettily. "Too bad you didn't think to ask."
Buffy took a step closer to Xander and whispered, "Any ideas?"
Xander shrugged. "Running comes to mind."
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the front doors went flying. From amid the wreckage, a large, zebra-striped van emerged driving over vamps left and right and screeching to a halt right in front of Buffy and Xander. The passenger side door opened and Oz leaned out. Grinning, he asked, "Anybody need a lift?"
Xander looked behind them and saw that Seth's vamps, who had escaped relatively unharmed from Oz's drive-by, were gathering their forces and preparing to attack. He heard Willow yell, "Get them! Don't let them escape, Seth!" She was slowly picking herself up from the ground, brushing bits of glass and wood off of her clothing.
"Everybody, into the car!" Xander ordered, shoving Buffy in first and motioning for Angel and Spike to follow.
"We're taking him with us?" Angel asked, pointing at the peroxide blond vampire with a scowl.
Xander shrugged. "Why the hell not? Stranger things have happened. Now move!"
Angel complied and Xander turned to Spike, who was rapidly loading a flare into his gun. "Well, are you coming or not?" he yelled, grabbing the vampire by the arm and pulling him in the direction of the van.
"Just a bloody second!" Spike replied, still fussing with the gun.
"Oh, have it your way," Xander cried, exasperated. "But we're not waiting around for you."
He jumped into the van and signaled for Oz to drive. As the musician gunned the motor and headed for the spot where the front doors used to be, Spike jumped up and grabbed the side of the van, planting his feet firmly inside as he leaned out the open door and aimed his gun at Willow. "Hey sweet cheeks!" he yelled, getting her attention. She looked up and paled noticeably at the sight of her ex-lover training a flare gun on her.
"Spikey, wait..." she started to say, raising her hands.
Spike smiled and pulled the trigger, the flare hitting her directly in the chest. She screamed as she was consumed by unnatural flames and disappeared into a pile of dust. "I'll see you in hell, baby," he told her ashes before climbing all the way into the van and pulling the sliding door closed behind him.
As Oz used the van to steamroll over any vamps who got in their path on the way to the doors, Spike sank down onto the floorboards and tossed the flare gun aside. He wouldn't be needing it anymore tonight. "Rest in peace, Dru, baby," he whispered as he watched the nighttime cityscape pass by in a blur through the van's windows.
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 22
The Factory
Spike scanned the room quickly as the new horde of vamps came in. Willow grinned at him evilly, and he knew there was no going back down that road -- not that he had any desire to. What he really wanted was to tear her skin aside with his bare fangs, mush around in her insides until she writhed with agony and then stake her into eternal damnation where Dru could wreak her own special breed of after-life torture on the red headed traitor. Spike also wouldn't mind the taste of Nathan's blood on his lips, but the sorcerer had vanished somewhere when Spike wasn't looking.
However, the blond vampire's bloodthirsty thoughts were derailed by the extreme odds against him. Part of Willow's band of vamps circled around Spike and his two friends, while the rest moved toward the whitehats menacingly. As Spike watched, Angel and Xander pulled out their crossbows. Xander handed his crossbow to Buffy, quickly showing her how to use it.
Soon, the bolts were flying and vamps were exploding into dust left and right. But it didn't even seem to make a dent in their numbers. Then Spike heard a whooshing sound and something bright whizzed past him, nailing one of his two remaining minions. Spike's eyes grew wide as he saw the creature catch fire and explode into dust. Whirling, Spike saw that Xander had pulled out what appeared to be a flare gun and was helping Angel and Buffy pick off as many vamps as possible, using the flares to catch the vamps on fire.
Another flare whizzed by and Spike ducked, barely avoiding being hit. "I'll be dust if I stay here any longer!" he complained. Growling to himself, he grabbed the nearest vamp and used the weaker creature as a shield, roughly dragging him across the room towards the whitehats. The captive vamp screamed as crossbow bolts hit him in the arms and torso, but Spike paid the creature no heed. Finally, Xander saw what Spike was doing and shot a flare at the vamp, forcing Spike to drop him as he combusted. But by that time, Spike had managed to reach the whitehats and was standing beside the three of them.
"What the hell do you want, Spike?" Xander demanded, grabbing Spike by the collar and shaking him roughly.
Spike disengaged himself from Xander's grip fairly easily and replied, "I'm willing to make you wankers a deal. I'll show you a secret way out of this joint if you'll help watch my back."
"Why should we trust you?" Angel asked, looking up from where he was crouched with his crossbow.
"Because, mates, it's really quite simple," Spike said with a knowing grin. "What other choice 'ave ya got?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sonya lay prone on the table after Giles had completed the spell. She could move if she tried really hard, but somehow it didn't seem worth the effort. She felt drained and weak, and so, so tired.
A gentle hand touched her forehead, smoothing back her hair. "How do you feel?"
She opened her eyes and saw Giles leaning over her, a look of concern evident behind the frames of his glasses.
"I feel..." she started to say OK -- not quite the truth, but it would make him feel better. But instead, gasping sobs came out.
Giles gathered her up in his arms and rocked her back and forth the way one would a small child. "Don't worry, Sonya," he murmured. "It will be all right."
But deep down inside, they both knew nothing would ever be the same.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Xander had first thrust the crossbow into her hands, Buffy hadn't known what to do with it.
"Bolt goes here, trigger there, now shoot," Xander said, putting more ammo in her pockets. Buffy stared at him as he delved into his pockets for his flare gun. Then she looked over at Angel firing his crossbow.
After watching for just a second, she got a better idea of what to do. She raised the crossbow and took aim at a particularly nasty looking vamp who was giving her the eye. She pulled the trigger, and watched the bolt fly as if it were in slow-motion. It impaled the vampire right in the center of his heart. For a second, Buffy was amazed at her perfect aim, then she snapped herself out of contemplation-mode, loaded another bolt into the crossbow and took out another vamp.
After Spike's daring run across the room, the vampires began moving closer to them. The projectile weapons were holding them off for now, but just barely.
"Is there another choice?" Buffy asked after hearing Spike's offer, giving the others a glance.
Xander and Angel both frowned. "There's got to be another way," Xander muttered.
Suddenly, Buffy saw a vampire with a sword running toward Xander. She tried to shout out a warning, but she wasn't quick enough. However, faster than her eye could follow, Spike yanked the flare gun out of Xander's hand and shot the charging demon in the chest. The vampire burst into flames and exploded, his sword clattering to the ground at Xander's feet.
Xander paled, obviously realizing how close to death he had just been. Looking up at Spike, he studied the vampire closely, his face inscrutable. Finally, he spoke. "You've got a deal, Spike." Xander extended a hand for the vampire to shake. "Consider this our temporary truce."
Spike shook the hand Xander had offered and then scooped up the sword lying on the ground. Extending it to Xander, handle first, he said, "How's your swordsmanship, Harris?"
Xander grinned and took the sword from Spike's outstretched hand, quickly decapitating a vampire that had been trying to sneak up on them. "Good enough. Now where's that secret exit you were talking about?"
Spike gestured for the others to follow his lead and made a break for it, shooting his last flare at a vamp that crossed their path. "I'm out!" he yelled over his shoulder.
"Catch!" Xander called back, tossing him the box of flares. Spike caught it deftly and reloaded the gun as he ran. As they reached the other side of the room he pointed at a hallway that was just a few steps away. "Over there!"
Xander nodded and sent Buffy and Angel on ahead, staying behind with Spike to cover their backs. "I hope this secret exit is as secret as you claim," he told Spike before ducking into the hallway.
"Me, too, mate," Spike muttered, shooting a flare and killing a vamp before he turned and ran after the others into the hallway. "Me, too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow saw where her traitorous ex-lover was going with the whitehats and growled, grabbing Seth by his plaid shirt and ordering him to go after them. "They're trying to trick us," she scoffed, "But Spike underestimates me. I know exactly what he's up to. I'm not a moron like that crazy ditz Drusilla was." Giving Seth a sultry smile, she purred, "Now that poor Spike has fallen out of my good graces, I'm going to need another big strong man around the house." Willow ran her fingers lightly up and down Seth's strong, muscular arms. "If you play your cards right, baby, it could be you."
Seth grinned. He wasn't a fool. With Willow by his side, he could rule ove r the all the vampire factions in Sunnydale. And that was what he planned on doing. "Anything for you, my lady," he drawled, pulling Willow into his arms and giving her a passionate kiss. All the other vamps watched them with respect. They now knew that Seth was Willow's new favorite. And in the world of the undead, that meant something.
Willow allowed Seth to enjoy his moment of glory before she put on her resolve face. "Get them and kill them," she ordered, pointing to the hallway where Spike and the others had disappeared. "Half of you go that way with Seth and try to catch up to them. The other half follow me. We'll get them one way or another."
With that, she walked to the front door and slammed it open, leading a large group of vampires around to the side of the factory where they would lay in wait. "This is gonna be so much fun," she giggled, skipping along the path. "They'll never know what hit 'em!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oz was waiting in the van with the motor running, as per his instructions, when he saw Willow and a group of fifteen or so vampires leave the factory and duck around to the side of the building. Frowning, Oz watched for a minute, curious as to what they were up to.
Glancing down at his watch, his eyes narrowed. It had been over twenty minutes since Xander and Angel had gone inside. He would give them 5 more minutes to make it out okay and then he would have to do something drastic. Oz drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited. He hoped they were alright...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xander could hear the vampires following them and cursed. "I thought you said this way was secret," he whispered at Spike accusingly. "Shouldn't they have given up and turned back by now or something?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I've got it all under control."
Xander snorted. "Yeah, right. I feel SO much better now."
The four of them were crouched under an old, rotting stairwell. As they waited, trying not to make any noise, they saw a group of almost twenty vampires troop by, obviously looking for them. Once the coast was clear, Xander inched his way out from under the stairs and turned to help Buffy out. Angel and Spike followed shortly. Once everyone was more or less on their feet again, Xander turned to Spike and said, "Okay, now what? I figure we have maybe 5 or 10 minutes at most until they double back and find us."
Spike grinned. "Yeah, but once they figure out that they've missed us, we'll be long gone."
Angel frowned. "Long gone how? I wish you'd just tell us where this secret exit is."
Spike laughed softly. "That's the joke, mates. There IS no secret exit. While they're searching for us in this maze of halls and rooms, we'll be calmly walking out the front door like we bloody well own the place!"
Buffy couldn't help but laugh. The idea was so absurd that it actually made since to her. Gesturing with her crossbow, she said, "Well, what are we waiting for? We don't have time to dilly dally around here. Let's go!"
Spike turned and led them out of the hallways and into the main room, which was completely disserted. "See?" he said smugly, "It worked like a charm."
"Let's not celebrate just yet," Angel admonished him. "We're not completely out of danger."
Spike rolled his eyes. "You always were a downer, weren't you, Angelus? Must be that whole soul thing. What a drag."
Angel ignored him and headed for the door.
"Hey, now don't get your panties all in a wad, mate," Spike called after him. "I was just makin' an observation."
Xander made shushing noises at both of them. "Quiet!" he hissed. "You two are being loud enough to wake the dead!" At the dubious looks he received, he added, "Well... um... pun not intended, but seriously, we need to keep it down. We don't want Willow and her vampire goons to hear us."
"Oh, it's far too late for that, my dear."
Xander looked up and gasped. Willow and a large group of vamps were standing at the front door. They'd obviously been waiting outside until Xander and the others returned. Just then, Xander heard footsteps from behind him and whirled, coming face to face with Seth and his group of vamps. They were trapped... again. Xander sighed. "Suddenly I'm getting a sense of deja' vu and I'm really not liking it."
The vamps began to advance on the four of them.
Xander turned to Spike and snapped, "Thank you SO much for not helping matters with your stupid plan! Next time I'm surrounded by a group of undead fiends who want to kick my ass, remind me not to call on you for help, okay?"
Willow smirked. "I could have told you that a long time ago, Xand." She pouted prettily. "Too bad you didn't think to ask."
Buffy took a step closer to Xander and whispered, "Any ideas?"
Xander shrugged. "Running comes to mind."
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the front doors went flying. From amid the wreckage, a large, zebra-striped van emerged driving over vamps left and right and screeching to a halt right in front of Buffy and Xander. The passenger side door opened and Oz leaned out. Grinning, he asked, "Anybody need a lift?"
Xander looked behind them and saw that Seth's vamps, who had escaped relatively unharmed from Oz's drive-by, were gathering their forces and preparing to attack. He heard Willow yell, "Get them! Don't let them escape, Seth!" She was slowly picking herself up from the ground, brushing bits of glass and wood off of her clothing.
"Everybody, into the car!" Xander ordered, shoving Buffy in first and motioning for Angel and Spike to follow.
"We're taking him with us?" Angel asked, pointing at the peroxide blond vampire with a scowl.
Xander shrugged. "Why the hell not? Stranger things have happened. Now move!"
Angel complied and Xander turned to Spike, who was rapidly loading a flare into his gun. "Well, are you coming or not?" he yelled, grabbing the vampire by the arm and pulling him in the direction of the van.
"Just a bloody second!" Spike replied, still fussing with the gun.
"Oh, have it your way," Xander cried, exasperated. "But we're not waiting around for you."
He jumped into the van and signaled for Oz to drive. As the musician gunned the motor and headed for the spot where the front doors used to be, Spike jumped up and grabbed the side of the van, planting his feet firmly inside as he leaned out the open door and aimed his gun at Willow. "Hey sweet cheeks!" he yelled, getting her attention. She looked up and paled noticeably at the sight of her ex-lover training a flare gun on her.
"Spikey, wait..." she started to say, raising her hands.
Spike smiled and pulled the trigger, the flare hitting her directly in the chest. She screamed as she was consumed by unnatural flames and disappeared into a pile of dust. "I'll see you in hell, baby," he told her ashes before climbing all the way into the van and pulling the sliding door closed behind him.
As Oz used the van to steamroll over any vamps who got in their path on the way to the doors, Spike sank down onto the floorboards and tossed the flare gun aside. He wouldn't be needing it anymore tonight. "Rest in peace, Dru, baby," he whispered as he watched the nighttime cityscape pass by in a blur through the van's windows.