AN: Finally, after twenty-one chapters, the finale is finally here! I honestly never thought I would receive half the reviews that I did, so I just want to thank every single one of you who have read this story or sent reviews in. I will be beginning work on the next 'season' immediately picking up after this chapter. Read, review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: All characters (w/exceptions) belong to UPN, Mutant Enemy, and the all-powerful Joss.
Always Slowly
The loose gravel crunched underfoot as he lightly stepped off the bus. Welcome to Paradise, Nevada. He paused, closing his eyes and letting the other passengers brush past him. She was here. He could sense it. Every inch of his skin was alive with exhilaration and adrenaline. He took a cautious step, feeling her presence all around him. Another. Another.
He strolled through the thinning crowd down the street. Buildings, shops on either side. The residential areas were further ahead. The wind blew through his new duster, chilling him despite his excitement. Where are you?
Round another corner. The shops were starting to close. The sun was setting, cooling the dry, hot air. He let his eyes run over the unfamiliar faces, searching for the blond hair and petite figure. He slowed his pace outside a coffee shop, peering inside.
A young, dark haired man stood waiting for his order. Spike frowned, squinting at him. Xander? He turned, taking the drinks and walking towards the exit. He never even saw the woman on his left as he brushed past her. Well I'll be… Spike smiled as Xander stepped out and walked to a parked car. He leaned against the building casually, watching as the car pulled away. With a smirk, he trailed after it slowly. Always slowly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy wrung her hands nervously. "What does that mean? Without heart, she will fall?" Try as she might, she wasn't as good an actress as she hoped. She knew exactly what it meant. 'The champion of heart…without heart, she will fall.' No. He's gone. There's nothing I can do about that. I can't need him. I can't. She shook her head.
Giles ignored her question. They had spent all day working on the translations, after having slept here the night before. Triumphantly, he finished the last few lines of translation of the first chapter. "Buffy."
She read over his shoulder, aloud. "Into each time before one was sent to save the world. One to balance the forces of light and of dark. Among them, there will be one unlike the rest. The One. She is the way to maintaining the balance for which they have fought. She will be beyond goodness or evil. To save her, the champion of heart will rise. Dark will lighten and the world will be anew as it never was. He will give himself to save them all." She straightened. "It's a prophecy."
"Yes." Giles stood. "And so far it seems to be accurate." He walked around to the center of the room, his eyes still locked on Buffy. "This 'One' has been prophesized before. It was always more of a myth, really." He sighed. "Based on legend, it in itself is the cosmic balance. The-the key, if you will, to ultimate control of good and evil." Smiling slightly, he approached her. "Apparently, it's you."
"Me?!?" Buffy squeaked. Collapsing into the couch, she let herself be comforted by Dawn, Willow and Kennedy.
"Hey, that's not so bad." Willow sat down beside her. "I mean, you were always the Slayer before. Now you get to be a…a Slayer with benefits!"
"Yeah." Dawn wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You can do this-I mean, it's not so different from what you were doing before..."
She whished she could believe them. They all thought she was this super-strong person who never felt like giving up, never felt the pressure of everyone depending on her. What would they think of me, if they knew? She had to be strong for them. There was nothing else for her to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dammit. Even with his super-natural speed, there was no way Spike could successfully chase a car going fifty miles an hour. He could try, though. Which is how he ended up standing in the middle of a street amongst a bunch of houses that looked exactly like each other. This is bloody ridiculous. He could really go for a smoke right now. Too bad there weren't any gas stations around. She's got to be around here, somewhere. I can smell her. He smiled to himself. She hated the whole vampire smelling thing. Didn't make it any less true, though. There was just enough vanilla and jasmine and roses in the air to make him loose his mind. He walked faster.
The whelp turned…somewhere up here. He looked down the street as he crossed it. They all looked the same. The car had turned, he was sure of it. So why were his senses leading him forward?
"William."
He didn't even pretend to look surprised as he turned to face her. "Hello again."
The girl smiled softly at him. "William, you know what you have to do."
Spike nodded. "Yup."
"You cannot inform her why you came back."
"I know that." He blinked at her, irritated. "Can't tell the girl I love I came back because she needs me. Got that message."
The girl smiled again. "Good luck, William." She started fading out, slowly. Always slowly. "There will always be a place for you with us."
"Won't need it, love." He whispered to the night. He was alone again. Suddenly, he knew exactly where he was going.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Buffy, maybe it's best for you to go home." Giles looked up, nodding to Xander as he came through the door with the coffee. "I can call you if I come up with anything else. You and Kennedy should really be resting up, in case whatever this thing is decides to show itself."
"He's right." Kennedy nodded from behind Willow. "You go home, and I'll do another sweep of the streets."
"I'm coming with you," Willow said quickly.
Kennedy smiled.
Buffy stood up, reaching for her jacket. "Thanks. But we don't know what's out there." She turned towards the two girls. "If we do any patrolling it should be all of us."
Willow frowned. "Buffy, we're okay. We don't even know if there's anything out there."
"I agree," Giles offered from the kitchen.
"Look, Buff." Xander set down the drinks and walked over to his friend. "Go home, relax, watch cheesy old movies. We've got this covered."
Buffy looked around at all of them reluctantly. Finally, she pouted good-naturedly. "Fine. Don't let me have any fun." She headed towards the door. "If you guys are sick of crashing here, I've got that spare room."
"We might drop by later," Willow replied, non-committal. "Bye…" She waved as Dawn and Buffy slipped out the door.
"Can I drive?" Dawn stood by the car eagerly.
"No." Buffy got in and started the engine. Dawn sulked around to the other side, slamming the door as she sat down. "I know how to drive, Buffy."
"I know." Buffy pulled out onto the street, heading for home. "I'd just…rather….not have you drive now." She went out onto the main street, barely taking notice of the man walking alongside the road. "You never know what you might encounter driving at night."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike's head snapped up as a car drove past him. That car…. His jaw dropped in surprise as he recognized the scent. Buffy. And not just Buffy, he realized with a start. Niblet? He watched as it sped off out of his view. He broke into a jog, following his girls.
He'd run up the driveway, collapsing on the front porch. One of them, probably Dawn, would open the door, and scream his name. Buffy would come out, speechless. No, Spike corrected himself, She'll be crying. Wait-I don't want her to cry… He tried again. He'd run up the driveway, knocking on the front door. Buffy would open the door, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Spike?" She'd whisper, her eyes watering up. He'd kiss her, and then… Spike grinned at his little fantasy and ran faster. He let the sound of his boots hitting the pavement coincide with her name. "Buf- fy Buf- fy Buf- fy…"
Okay. He had it now. He'd run down the street. When he got to her house, she'd be sitting on the porch. He'd walk up to her, slowly. Always slowly. She'd look up, a smile breaking on that gorgeous face. She'd jump up, and run down to him, leaping into his arms. She would wrap her arms around him, as if he might float away if she didn't hold on to him. She would kiss him as if it was the last kiss they'd ever have. She'd love him the way he'd always begged her to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She pulled into the garage, turning off the lights. Dawn jumped out, darting for the front door with the keys. Wearily, Buffy walked out onto the driveway. This can't be real…I can't be… She dug around in the pockets of her jacket, frowning. As much as the Scoobies, Xander in particular, criticized her, it had become a habit. She stared at the cigarette in her hand. Much as she hated to admit it, she only smoked them because it reminded her of him. And right now, with literally the entire universe resting on her shoulders, she wished he were there with her. Without heart, she will fall. She lit the cigarette, blowing the smoke out above the yard. It really is a horrible habit. I should stop. She took in another drag, slowly. Always slowly. She shivered as the phrase slid into her mind. Shrugging, she dropped the still lit cigarette onto the pavement and went inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He skidded to a stop on the street corner. Closing his eyes, he turned right. The car had gone right. Buffy had gone right. Right? He peaked out to see what lay before him. Small, older houses on either side of the road. A sidewalk. He took a deep, unnecessary breath. Now or never, Spike. This is what you came back for. Can't get all bashful now. He started down the sidewalk.
The sky was completely dark now. Any little kids playing outside had long since been put to bed. Even the dogs were within their homes. The street was quiet. Quiet except for the light clomp, clomp of new boots against the concrete.
His heart, after being silenced for over one hundred years, felt like it was about to burst. He slowed his pace, trying desperately to control his breathing. As he went around a slight curve, his gaze settled upon a small house. He knew instantly it was hers. Whether it was the draperies in the window or the small garden gnome placed jokingly in the lawn, he wasn't sure. But it was hers.
He approached it slowly, as if it might explode should he walk too fast. Always slowly, he noted. It's always been slowly. The irony wasn't lost on him.
Spike stepped onto the driveway. He noticed a lit cigarette lying alongside the grass. Gingerly, he bent over to pick it up. He took a puff, looking down at it with astonishment. "She smokes now?" he whispered quietly to no one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn walked over to the front door, starting to open it.
"Where are you going?"
Dawn looked over at her sister, who was watching from the doorway. "I just thought I'd go outside for some air, that's all."
Buffy raised an eyebrow at her. "Sure."
"I swear-I just want to go for a little walk."
Buffy smirked. It was something she'd been doing a bit of, lately. "It's dark out." She tossed her the cell phone. "Be back in ten minutes."
"Okay." Dawn turned happily and went out the door, humming to herself. Absent-mindedly, she looked around. She screamed as she saw the dark figure standing on their driveway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike jumped as he heard the shrill screech of a Summers girl. He took a few hurried steps towards her. She backed away, her scream still piercing the night's air. "Dawn?"
Her head snapped up, recognizing the British accent instantly. Her jaw dropped as she raised her gaze slowly to his concerned face.
"Dawn?!?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy ran outside, standing on the porch as she cried out her sister's name. "Dawn?!?" She darted down the stairs to the driveway.
Buffy stopped so suddenly she may as well have run into a wall. Her eyes locked on the boots on the driveway. Slowly, she lifted her gaze. Always slowly. Dark pants, met by the edge of a dark colored duster. Hands with skin the color of flour. Broad chest covered by a warm looking sweater. And bleached hair, though so far grown it was hardly blond. She gasped as her eyes connected with his. Her lower lip trembled slightly. "Sp…Spike?"
Spike smiled as she stood there, speechless. Please Buffy, don't cry. He took a step closer to her. "Buffy." The word came out more like a sigh than the name of the one person that meant more to him than anything.
She let the tear roll down her cheek. He's not dead…he's not dead… Abruptly, she walked down so she was standing right in front of him. "Spike."
He reached up, whipping the tear away with his hand. She smiled, never tearing her gaze from his. He leaned down, closing his eyes and lightly brushing his lips with hers. Finally.
As the kiss ended, Buffy threw her arms around his neck. Don't leave me. She buried her face in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
He pulled her close, breathing her in. God, that smell… He was never letting go of her again. "I love you," He whispered quietly into her ear.
Buffy pulled back, resting her forehead against his. She smiled at him, slowly. Always slowly. "I love you too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*wipes eyes with a kleenex* Please, review.
