Xander ran through the cemetery as if the devil himself was at his heels. It seemed as if he could not reach his destination fast enough. He wasn't sure what he would do if he were too late. //That's a lie! You know exactly what you'll do if you don't make it there in time!//
Looking toward the East, Xander saw the sky beginning to lighten. //No! Gods, just need a little more time!!// Reaching deep within himself, he found the strength to increase his speed. Never before had he run so fast. Of course, he'd never really had reason to.
As he ran, the past hour played through his mind as if it were a video recording.
Xander was pulled out of a fitful sleep by the sound of someone pounding on the door. He rolled out of bed, grabbed his robe and went to answer the door. //I swear, if this is Spike, I'm gonna fuckin' stake the bastard. Can't believe he came here last night. Of all the nerve...//
Taking a look out the peephole, Xander saw Buffy on the other side of the door. //Jesus!! This is almost as bad!//
Stifling a groan, the brunette opened the door only to find a fist coming toward his face. Unable to avoid the blow, Xander found himself knocked back onto the floor with what he knew would be a black eye by morning.
"What the fuck was that for??"
Without answering, Buffy walked into the apartment and calmly closed the door behind her. Bending over, she offered Xander a hand, which, after a moment of hesitation, he took and stood up.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Buffy watched Xander's face as it flickered briefly with confusion, then realization, before settling on anger.
"It was between me and Spike. It was no one else's business." Xander crossed his arms in front of him and silently dared her to say otherwise.
"You're right, Xander."
"Huh? I mean, well of course I'm right!" His voice sounded sure but there was, once more, confusion in his eyes.
"It was your and Spike's business. But you have friends, family really, who rely on you. People who trust and love you. Who want only for you to be happy. Those same people who you lied to for months before I came back."
"You punched me because I didn't tell everyone Spike and I were together?" Xander and Spike had never gotten the courage to tell their friends that they had become a couple. They had feared their relationship would not be welcome.
"No, Xander, I hit you because right now Spike is sitting outside his crypt waiting for the sun to come up!"
"What?!" Xander's heart dropped into his stomach when his mind's eye pictured his lover turning to dust, only to be blown away by a breath of air. Instantly, tears welled up and his eyes and began to run, unchecked, down his face.
Running to his room to grab some clothes and his shoes, Xander called over his shoulder, "What the fuck did you say to him, Buffy? Would it have been so hard to see him as more than a vampire? What did you do? Tell him he wasn't good enough for you, again? Jesus, Buff! Couldn't you have just let him down easy?"
By this time, he was sobbing and could barely see the shoelaces he was trying to unknot because of the blinding tears in his eyes. He looked up when he felt a hand take the shoe from him. Watching Buffy untangle the mess he had made of his shoe, he tried to make out what she was saying.
"...told him I wanted him... asked him to move in... said no... was in love... else..."
"What?" Xander managed to latch on to a few words. "He... he told you he was in love with someone else?"
"Yeah. Didn't tell me who, though. Until tonight." Buffy looked back up at Xander as she handed him back his shoe. "I found him while I was out on patrol. He told me about your relationship and about what happened last night when he left my house."
"Why didn't he say anything?" Xander had finished getting ready and was looking for his keys. He had to go find Spike.
"You didn't give him much of a chance, did you?"
The young man stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Buffy, the color draining from his face.
"Oh God!"
"Xander, snap out of it!" The slayer located the keys and gave them to Xander. "You have to hurry up and get out there! I couldn't budge him. You're the only one who can save him. It's not too late, Xander. Go! Go find Spike."
With that, Xander ran out the door and headed straight to the cemetery.
Finally, he was there. Stopping abruptly, Xander saw Spike sitting on a head stone facing the barely pink sky. He couldn't believe this was happening. There had only ever been one other thing that had driven the vampire to end his own existence. Xander's heart twisted at the idea that he had caused Spike the amount of pain that the chip had. Not even Drusilla leaving him had made the blonde consider this.
"Spike."
Slowly, as if he thought he was dreaming, Spike turned around. "Xan?"
Xander saw his lover's tear streaked face and immediately reached out to him. He wasn't sure what to say at that moment but he knew he had to get them inside quickly.
The vampire watched as his love raised his hands toward him and shrunk back. He couldn't bare it if, in his last moments, Xander had decided to show him how angry he really was. He was ready to finally die and he wanted to leave this world with the memory of the happy times they had shared.
"Spike, please! We have to get inside!" He moved forward again and, this time, managed to wrap his arms around the weeping vampire. "Please don't leave me again!"
"You... you don't want this?" Spike looked into his lover's eyes. "But, after last night... I thought..."
"No! Gods, Spike! I love you! I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you last night! I should have given you a chance to say something... anything!" He looked at the even-brightening sky. "Spike, please!!! Come into the crypt!"
Sliding off the tombstone, Spike placed a soft kiss on Xander's lips. Then, holding onto each other as if they might never let go, they walked into the crypt and closed the door just as the first rays of sunlight crested the Eastern horizon.
End Series
Looking toward the East, Xander saw the sky beginning to lighten. //No! Gods, just need a little more time!!// Reaching deep within himself, he found the strength to increase his speed. Never before had he run so fast. Of course, he'd never really had reason to.
As he ran, the past hour played through his mind as if it were a video recording.
Xander was pulled out of a fitful sleep by the sound of someone pounding on the door. He rolled out of bed, grabbed his robe and went to answer the door. //I swear, if this is Spike, I'm gonna fuckin' stake the bastard. Can't believe he came here last night. Of all the nerve...//
Taking a look out the peephole, Xander saw Buffy on the other side of the door. //Jesus!! This is almost as bad!//
Stifling a groan, the brunette opened the door only to find a fist coming toward his face. Unable to avoid the blow, Xander found himself knocked back onto the floor with what he knew would be a black eye by morning.
"What the fuck was that for??"
Without answering, Buffy walked into the apartment and calmly closed the door behind her. Bending over, she offered Xander a hand, which, after a moment of hesitation, he took and stood up.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Buffy watched Xander's face as it flickered briefly with confusion, then realization, before settling on anger.
"It was between me and Spike. It was no one else's business." Xander crossed his arms in front of him and silently dared her to say otherwise.
"You're right, Xander."
"Huh? I mean, well of course I'm right!" His voice sounded sure but there was, once more, confusion in his eyes.
"It was your and Spike's business. But you have friends, family really, who rely on you. People who trust and love you. Who want only for you to be happy. Those same people who you lied to for months before I came back."
"You punched me because I didn't tell everyone Spike and I were together?" Xander and Spike had never gotten the courage to tell their friends that they had become a couple. They had feared their relationship would not be welcome.
"No, Xander, I hit you because right now Spike is sitting outside his crypt waiting for the sun to come up!"
"What?!" Xander's heart dropped into his stomach when his mind's eye pictured his lover turning to dust, only to be blown away by a breath of air. Instantly, tears welled up and his eyes and began to run, unchecked, down his face.
Running to his room to grab some clothes and his shoes, Xander called over his shoulder, "What the fuck did you say to him, Buffy? Would it have been so hard to see him as more than a vampire? What did you do? Tell him he wasn't good enough for you, again? Jesus, Buff! Couldn't you have just let him down easy?"
By this time, he was sobbing and could barely see the shoelaces he was trying to unknot because of the blinding tears in his eyes. He looked up when he felt a hand take the shoe from him. Watching Buffy untangle the mess he had made of his shoe, he tried to make out what she was saying.
"...told him I wanted him... asked him to move in... said no... was in love... else..."
"What?" Xander managed to latch on to a few words. "He... he told you he was in love with someone else?"
"Yeah. Didn't tell me who, though. Until tonight." Buffy looked back up at Xander as she handed him back his shoe. "I found him while I was out on patrol. He told me about your relationship and about what happened last night when he left my house."
"Why didn't he say anything?" Xander had finished getting ready and was looking for his keys. He had to go find Spike.
"You didn't give him much of a chance, did you?"
The young man stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Buffy, the color draining from his face.
"Oh God!"
"Xander, snap out of it!" The slayer located the keys and gave them to Xander. "You have to hurry up and get out there! I couldn't budge him. You're the only one who can save him. It's not too late, Xander. Go! Go find Spike."
With that, Xander ran out the door and headed straight to the cemetery.
Finally, he was there. Stopping abruptly, Xander saw Spike sitting on a head stone facing the barely pink sky. He couldn't believe this was happening. There had only ever been one other thing that had driven the vampire to end his own existence. Xander's heart twisted at the idea that he had caused Spike the amount of pain that the chip had. Not even Drusilla leaving him had made the blonde consider this.
"Spike."
Slowly, as if he thought he was dreaming, Spike turned around. "Xan?"
Xander saw his lover's tear streaked face and immediately reached out to him. He wasn't sure what to say at that moment but he knew he had to get them inside quickly.
The vampire watched as his love raised his hands toward him and shrunk back. He couldn't bare it if, in his last moments, Xander had decided to show him how angry he really was. He was ready to finally die and he wanted to leave this world with the memory of the happy times they had shared.
"Spike, please! We have to get inside!" He moved forward again and, this time, managed to wrap his arms around the weeping vampire. "Please don't leave me again!"
"You... you don't want this?" Spike looked into his lover's eyes. "But, after last night... I thought..."
"No! Gods, Spike! I love you! I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you last night! I should have given you a chance to say something... anything!" He looked at the even-brightening sky. "Spike, please!!! Come into the crypt!"
Sliding off the tombstone, Spike placed a soft kiss on Xander's lips. Then, holding onto each other as if they might never let go, they walked into the crypt and closed the door just as the first rays of sunlight crested the Eastern horizon.
End Series
