AN: Okay, it's official: this will be the second to last chapter of After The End. But fear not, my loyal spuffy fans, the story is not over! I'll be starting a new one picking up right after this season's 'finale'. And you'd better read it, because I'm planning one doozy of a cliffhanger… I've noticed some of you were a little confused about what happened last chapter with Spike, and I thought I'd let you know I will be explaining that…in the new story. So that's now two reasons for you to go and read it. The third; it's going to be filled to the brim with spuffy goodness! Meanwhile, here's the twenty first chapter….

Disclaimer: All characters (w/exceptions) belong to UPN, Mutant Enemy, and the all-powerful Joss.

The Champion

            They walked quickly through the silence, making their way back to his office. Still don't understand what's there that's going to help. He moaned to himself as the wanker stopped again. "What now?"

            Angel looked fiercely at him, as if staring hard enough might make the younger vampire combust. He sighed, realizing that wouldn't help the situation any. "Why her."

            Spike blinked in confusion. He hadn't expected that. He puffed himself up, defensive. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

            "Why did you come back." Angel raised his eyebrows. "For her?"

            "Of course for her!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "It's always for her."

            "Don't I know it." Angel shook his head, oddly enough relating to him. They kept walking. "I'd die for that girl."

            "Yeah, well I died for that girl." Spike glowered at him. "You lost your chance, Nancy-boy."

            Angel grimaced. "I know. I'd do anything to just be with her again."

            "Well, you can't." He walked close to Angel, poking him in the chest. "You're just going to have to accept the bloody fact that she's not happy with you." He smiled faintly. "You tear her apart, did you know that? I've never seen her cry so much as she's cried over you. If you loved her you'd leave her be."

            "I do love her." He protested, shoving Spike away from him. "Why else do you think I didn't hang up on you the minute I heard your voice?"

            Spike smirked. "Really now."

            Angel scowled. "She said…" He mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath.

            He held a hand up to his ear, leaning forward. "I can't hear you now, Angelus."

            Angel's head snapped up. "She said you were her boyfriend in her heart," He said in a clipped tone. "I don't know what the hell you did, but it seems she isn't wanting to kill you anymore." He eyed him enviously.

            He couldn't help grinning. "Well now. Isn't this a treat." He shook it off, serious again. "Why are we going here?"

            Angel led the way into the building. "A few months ago, couple days after the final battle, Buffy called to say she was okay." He went into his office, digging through his papers. "I wrote down the phone number she called from somewhere…"

            Spike looked over his shoulder. "How do you know it wasn't from a payphone?"

            "I don't." He stood, a post-it note in hand. "But it's all I have." He looked down at it thoughtfully.

            He reached out to grab it. Angel pulled it back. "Come on now, really." He held out his hand.

            Angel looked down at it again. "If you hurt her I'll kill you," He whispered.

            Spike took the post-it from his hand. "Guess I'll be living forever, then," he replied softly. He nodded at him, and left.

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            BRRRING

            Buffy stood up from the couch, walking over to the phone. "Hello?"

            "Buffy?"

            Her heart stopped. He sounded horribly worried about something. "What is it."

            Giles sighed into the phone. "I think I may have a little bit of the translation…you're going to want to come over here."

            She nodded. "We'll be right over." She hung up, grabbing her shoes. "Dawn, come on."

            Dawn popped her head out of the kitchen. "Hmm?"

            "We're going to Giles'." She went out to the car, barely waiting for Dawn at she sped off.

            "From as far as I can tell, it's an ancient form of Samarian." He said, pointing out some of the words. "See, some of these characters have similar shapes and word structure. But there is an influence…" He frowned at the pages. "That is clearly older than any other language. Willow-" Willow waved from behind him. "Has checked online all the ancient languages, trying to find a match. Like I said, it most closely matches Samarian. By altering a few of these letters to those in the Samarian alphabet they resemble, I was able to form a few sentences."

            Buffy frowned. "Such as…"

            He pointed again to the picture of the man with the amulet. "From this part. I was able to get 'to save them, the champion of heart'."

            "The champion of heart." Buffy bit her tongue. "Spike."

            "Yes." Giles nodded. He flipped ahead a few pages. "And here…it says 'without something, it devours'." He shrugged. "I don't know what that one means."

            Dawn pointed to a word. "Here, that one looks familiar." She stared at it. "It looks like one on the other page."

            Giles flipped back and forth, comparing the two. "Oh dead lord."

            "What?" Buffy inhaled sharply.

            "That's not what it says." Giles studied the words. "Them…I was translating wrong. It doesn't say them." He looked up at Buffy. "It says her."

            "To save her, the champion of heart," She whispered. "Without her, it devours?" Suddenly, she gasped. ["From beneath you, it devours…"] "Guys, this isn't good."

            "I'd say not." Giles sat down, Samarian dictionary in hand. "All we can do now is try to figure the rest out."

             "Great." Xander pouted from the couch. "Why is it we're always sitting around, waiting for the end of the world?"

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            BRRING

            "Hello?"

            Spike gulped. "…Buffy?"

            "I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number." The lady went to hang up.

            "No!" He clutched the phone tightly. "Buffy Summers. Did she used to live there?"

            "I don't know." The woman sighed. "A lot of people move in and out of here."

            "Where are you, exactly?" Realizing that wasn't the best way to phrase the question, he tried again. "Is it a hotel or something?"

            "A rental apartment complex," The woman answered. "Look, do you want the manager's number?"

            "Yes!" Spike dug around in his pockets for a pen. Finding none, he turned to a random passerby. "Can I borrow a pen?"

            The woman gave him the number. After returning the pen, Spike dropped in another quarter.

            "Hello."

            "Hi. I was wondering if you kept records of people who lived at your complex."

            "Why?" The man asked suspiciously.

            Spike searched his brain for something clever to say. "Well, my sister and her friends sort of ran off awhile ago, and we've been real worried about them, thought they might have stopped there."

            "Name."

            "Bu-" He paused. "She might be registered under Buffy Summers…or maybe Anne Summers?"

            "Buffy Anne Summers." The man read off his computer. "Yeah. Lived here for about a month and a half."

            "Great." Spike looked around for that guy with the pen again. "Did she leave any forwarding information?"

            "They all have to leave their addresses before they move out." The man started to read it off. "One-wait. How do I know you're not some ex-boyfriend out to kill her or anything?"

            He rubbed his forehead. "I really need to find her, sir."

            "I can only give you the town."

            "Fine!"

            "Paradise, Nevada."

            "Thank you." Spike hung up, quite pleased with himself. Now all he had to do was get to Nevada. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he found a wad of cash. Odd… With a shrug, he put the money back in his pocket. Paradise, here I come.

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*** She was swimming, gasping for breath. The current pulled her under, tossing her against the sharp rocks and coral. She struggled, trying to kick her way back to the surface. The darkness crept up behind her, enveloping her in its lurid embrace. She tried to scream; more water filled her lungs. She felt herself slipping. An arm plunged into the water, grabbing her and yanking her to safety. The moonlight reflected off of his hair softly, as he pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry, luv." He ran his fingers through her hair, slowly. Always slowly. "I won't leave you."***

She sat up, startled. She'd fallen asleep. Looking around, Buffy realized she hadn't been the only one. Dawn was conked out beside her. Xander was snoring loudly on her other side. Standing up, she realized even poor Giles had fallen asleep on top of his books. Willow sat at the table, jerking as her head fell forward. She's be out soon. Kennedy was sleeping curled up in a chair on the other side of the room.

Buffy walked up behind Giles. Before him, he had the book, along with a notebook filled with rough translations. He had progressed significantly before crashing, she discovered.

"To save her, the champion of heart will rise. Dark will lighten and the world will be anew as it never was." She carefully pulled the notebook out from under Giles' arm. He had finished the other sentence, too. "Dark is held as long as light remains; without her it devours."  She shuddered. There was more. He had started on a new selection; between the two he had. Her blood ran cold as she read it. "Without heart, she will fall."

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