Disclaimer: Spike's naked in my bed. He likes my bed, says it is all soft. And he even likes my company..yup, I'm quite the conversation holder...but I did neglect to tell him one thing...that I don't own him or BtVS or anything having to do with the show...Pity me...

A/N: I was bored..and going through a slight writers block with my other two stories so I decided to write this one. If what I write happens on the actual show then it is just pure coincidence. I'm a recovering spoiler- whore..and haven't read any for a few months so I don't know what is going to happen.

Go on..read...enjoy..
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Death...The land was covered in it. Stained with it. You couldn't breathe without taking some of it in, or move without it pushing back at you.

This was a bad day. A long, bloody, tiring, all in all bad day.

My hands were grimy, dirt resided under the broken nails of my fingers. My clothes were torn and dirty just like everything else.

I looked to my side where my watcher stood looking proud, tired, and relieved all at once. He noticed my movement and looked right back at me. His gray eyes were weary and were begging for sleep. A slight smile crossed my face and his mirrored my own.

To my other side stood my two best friends. The black color was slowly fading from Willow's hair and her eyes had become green once again. Xander's arm held her around the waste...his battered body looked barely strong enough to hold his own weight, much less anyone else's...but he still held her. A slight quirk of his lips was just a shadow of his real smile, but it was enough to reassure me that he was going to be all right.

Dawn and Anya held each other up. Both wanting to get home and collapse in bed but they wanted to stay and celebrate their victory as well. Dawn's hair was pulled back, though messy strands escaped and framed her face in a chaotic neatness that only few could pull off. It hit me that moment that Dawn wasn't a little girl anymore. I always knew that she wasn't, it really wasn't that hard to figure out, but she really did look mature in that moment. And it scared me and thrilled me all at once. Mom would be proud of us.

Angel's gang were grouped together. Their eyes large with the knowledge of what they just saw. This was a real apocalypse. My old watcher, Wesley, and Faith stood next to each other. Their shoulders were barely touching and their moths were moving in a conversation I couldn't hear. I took a moment to appreciate how good Wesley looked now..I'm going to have to thank whoever told him to get a new style, he looked really good.

Angel was with that man named Gunn and the girl, Fred, she was a sweetie. Kind of resembled a Chihuahua, with all that nervous energy fluttering about her. Gunn still had a determined look on his face, like he was still waiting for something to fly out at him. Fred just looked tired, and relieved that it was all over. Angel approached them both, putting a hand on each of their shoulder. He gave them strength with just his touch.

Robin laid broken and battered up against the building. A couple of the Slayer potentials that did survive were huddled near him, trying to patch up his wounds. I think he'll be lucky if he makes it through the night. I still haven't forgiven him for what he did to Spike. I understood his motives, but I couldn't ever let him hurt Spike.

Spike....I couldn't find him. Or at least he wasn't in my line of vision at that moment. I looked back over at Giles and he knew what I wanted..what I needed.

"I think I saw him around the corner sitting against the wall before I came over here."

"How hurt is he?"

"I'm not sure Buffy. I didn't get a good look at him."

I nodded at him and turned to find him.

Dust covered the streets..millions of vampires had died tonight from the effects of Willow's magic.

I rounded the corner and found Spike sitting with his back rested against the building. I leaned down in front of him, absently reaching out my hand and toying with the charm that rested around his neck. Without these charms him and Angel would both be dead.

"How you holdin' up?" His raspy voice interrupted my thoughts.

"I was just going to ask the same of you."

"I asked first." His lips quirked in an 'almost' smirk.

"I'm tired. And relieved. You."

"Better than I have felt in a long time." He thought for a moment. "I want you to feel something."

I had no idea what he had meant. I was about ready to tell him that now was not the time for sex when he lifted my hand and put it above where his heart would be.

*Thump*

*Thump*

I looked at him with amazement and wonder.

"How?" I whispered, my hand still resting on his chest.

"Don't know..just that after Red's spell I suddenly felt the need to breathe."

"Do you think the charm did it?"

"Maybe...she destroyed all the demons...Angel and I were the only protected ones. So maybe that was the charms purpose..to make us human."

I hadn't even thought that Angel would be human too. Now I won't lie to you, part of me will always want to be the girl he'll be with and I'll always feel something for him. But then looking into Spike's blue eyes, feeling the warm skin covering his beating heart, I knew I had made my decision.

"I want to take you away from here." Spike looked at me like I was insane.

"What?"

"When we are all rested we should pack up and leave. You, me, and Dawn."

"For how long?"

"The summer..at least. Maybe we'll find somewhere else..away from here."

"What about your friends."

"They can visit. But they deserve their own lives now. I've taken up too much of them as it is."

"And you want me to be in your life. Not Angel?"

"We're both different. He's evolved and changed. I've grown up and experienced things. I've died, been resurrected...I've changed. I'm not the innocent girl that would give him the moon if he had asked me to. He and I are over..we have been for a long time."

He reached out his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I love you." He whispered to me for the first time in at least a year.

At that moment I knew what I had to do. I was scared....but it was the right thing to do.

"I love you too."

He gave me the purest smile I had ever seen. Tears had begun coming out of my eyes as he held me to his chest.

"What's wrong pet?" He whispered as he kissed me forehead.

"Its just that..I don't think I've ever been this happy before."

I gave him a watery smile as he stood up, pulling me with him.

We walked around that corner back to where everyone was. All beaming with pride and with relief.

In this place of death we celebrated life...
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TBC..
A/N: I have one more chapter that I want to do after this but I need to put it together. I had thought about making it a sad story...and believe me, it would've been easy...but I decided to write what I wish would happen. Hope you enjoyed and expect the second and last chapter of this story sometime either late Saturday night or Sunday.