This is heavily based on all those spoilers floating around for the series finale. If you don't want to be spoiled, I'd suggest reading this story on May 21st. I'm not going by every spoiler that's out there, simply because this is the way I've somewhat pictured it in my head. I don't know how much of it's true or false, but this is sort of what I'd like to see. I hope you all enjoy…please leave a review and let me know what you thought -- unless you hated it, in which case I don't want to read anything :P

Thanks!

Title: Never Gave Up

Author: Rachel

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, Twentieth Century Fox Productions, UPN, Sandollar Television, and Mutant Enemy own BtVS. No copyright infringements were intended. This is my story and not meant to copy the show.

Summary: MAJOR spoilers for 7.22: "Chosen." Buffy and the army of potentials defeat the First, but not without a price. Five years later, Buffy is in for the surprise of her life when the man she thought was dead turns up alive and kicking -- literally. B/S!

Rating: PG-13. I'm pretty sure it'll stay that way.

Spoilers: Heavy spoilers for the series finale, "Chosen" and season seven overall...let's just say Buffy and Spike's lengthy and complicated relationship that we all love and adore.

Distribution: The groups that I post on, my site, Sinister Attraction, and anyone else is fine with me, as long as you e-mail me before hand and let me know where it's going.

Feedback: Sure! TripleADayDreamer@comcast.net…constuctive criticism only…no flames

~*~*~*~

Caleb was finally defeated, leaving behind a very deadly scythe for Buffy to fight in the final battle with. Angel had come and gone, causing only more emotional problems between he and Buffy. And every known possible potential had arrived in Sunnydale by now.

At last, it had all come down to this.

Final showdown.

Buffy, leading her army of hundreds of teenaged girls, along with Willow, Giles, Xander, Anya, Faith, Andrew, and Spike at her side, charged into battle against another army of equally, if not more, powerful Turok-Hans.

But less than twenty minutes later, people were dying.

Anya died, recklessly jumping in front of a Turok-Han to protect, of all the people there this night, Andrew. Rona was dead, killed by her own sword in the hands of the deadly Turok-Hans. But Buffy Summers couldn't dwell on what was happening around her right now; no, she would break down and have a good, long cry after this battle -- if she lived through it, anyway.

Buffy had never fought a harder battle ever before in her history of being the Slayer, that much she knew. She would throw one of the uber-vamps (as they had come to be known as by the gang) off of her and barely have enough time to catch her breath before being attacked by another.

And another.

And another one.

Dammit, they just keep on coming, Buffy thought, jumping up and over one of the vampire's swords before swinging her scythe around and chopping off it's head. There must be a thousand of them here.

"Buffy! Duck!" she heard a voice cry out from somewhere within the fray.

Acting solely on instinct and trusting the voice she heard, Buffy bent down and swung back around in one fluid motion, raising her glimmering weapon and following through. A vampire was behind her, its dagger raised high in the air and preparing to strike when Buffy spun around.

After the vampire crumbled to dust before her, Buffy turned to see who had given her warning. Spike stood several yards away, looking at her amidst the sea of Turok-Hans separating them. Although standing a good distance away from each other, Buffy could clearly see the worry and concern in his cerulean eyes. She quickly nodded a "thanks" before climbing to her feet and running to help someone else, weapon in hand and ready to strike.

Dawn was standing with her back to Xander, the two of them fighting off a vampire on each side. "We're not winning!" Dawn screamed out to anyone who was listening. "This is hopeless!"

"Well, what else can we do?" Xander asked. "I'd rather go down fighting than give up completely." And I will not think about Anya, he thought to himself. He struggled, only having vision in his right eye as he swung his sword, but managed to beat back a couple of the oncoming vampires.

Girls were running everywhere, helping their fellow slayers-in-training to the best of their ability. Faith led a group of potentials with Kennedy and Willow by her side, forcing their way to the center of the hellmouth. Willow used spell after spell to set up shields from the charging vampires. "B!" Faith yelled out. "Buffy! We've got a path to the hellmouth!"

"Who has the amulet?" Kennedy shouted next, before thrusting her sword into the belly of some unknown demon standing in front of her.

Buffy, who didn't hear Kennedy's cry over the growling and howling vampires, forced her way over to Spike's side, helping him battle a few of the vampires. "Are you okay?" she asked through the fight.

"Never better, love," Spike answered her assuredly.

There was a lull in the battle as Buffy and Spike paused to finally catch their breath. Buffy looked around at the scene surrounding her, her eyes wide with terror, fear, and worst of all...helplessness. She turned to the blonde vampire, apprehension clearly written on her face.

"Spike, this isn't working," she admitted. "We weren't ready. There was no way we could have been ready for this battle, even with a thousand potentials."

Spike looked around, gasping for breath even though it was unnecessary. "We still have a chance, Buffy." Then, he lifted the amulet that hung around his neck. "We have this."

Buffy sighed, wiping a thin layer of sweat off her forehead. "What good is that, Spike? You don't even know how to use it."

With that, Spike tilted his head to the side, deep in thought. "That's where you are mistaken, pet." He said, before turning on his heel and beginning to run towards Faith, Willow, and Kennedy, who were rapidly approaching the entrance to hell.

"Spike!" Buffy cried out, sprinting up closer towards him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I've got a bloody idea!" he answered back.

Buffy caught up to Spike as he ran past the group of potentials and the gang. "Will! Faith! Watch our backs," she ordered, pausing for a moment in front of the gang. "Keep all of the vampires out of here. Spike says he has a plan…something to do with the amulet."

"All right, Buffy," Willow agreed.

"Watch your back, too, B," Faith warned. She nodded towards the entrance in front of her, asking, "You sure you'll be okay in there?"

Buffy nodded. "Five by five," she replied with a smirk directed towards the brown-haired slayer. "If anything happens and...and Spike and I aren't out in ten minutes, get out. Get on those buses that are over there and get everyone out of this town that you can."

"But Buffy--"

"Don't worry about us," Buffy repeated. "That's an order."

Buffy could see Willow bite her upper lip, wanting to argue but knowing it was better not to. "You've got it, Buffy."

With that, Buffy turned and ran into the school, running towards the basement and following the steady beat of sprinting footsteps several yards ahead of her.

"Spike!" She caught up to him as he stood over the Seal of Danzalthar where the first uber-vamp had ever come out of. "Spike, what are you doing?"

Spike stood with the amulet in his hand as he gazed down at the circle. "When you were...after Dawnie and everyone kicked you out and before I left to go searching for you, Red told me a spell...if we ever found the amulet, we could use it to destroy all the vampires and the First."

"What?" Buffy gasped. "Then use it."

"Only one catch," Spike began, smirking. There's always a bloody catch, he quickly thought. "It's sunlight that'll come out of this bloody thing. And I'm the one bloke here that can start it."

Buffy paled, realizing what Spike was telling her. "No," she whispered. She shook her head back and forth, repeating the word, "No!" this time louder and more forceful. "We'll find another way, Spike."

"It *is* the only way," Spike insisted. "Remember, love? I told you that I always knew I'd go down fightin'." He quickly gathered up his courage and raised his hand, running it gently down the side of her face.

Buffy leaned into his touch, momentarily closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, slowly exhaling. We never get to rest, do we? she thought. "Spike..."

"Get out of here, love."

Buffy shook her head. "No. I'm not going anywhere."

Spike placed the amulet around his neck, near his heart and where he received his soul, and began speaking.

"Gods, I do summon thee

Do my will,

I command this of you.

With this soul, within this vessel,

I beseech you,

Reset the balance

Close this threshold!"

As Spike spoke the last words, a sudden bright light burst out of the center of the amulet. The light raced past Buffy, who spun around and watched it flow down the hallway and out the doors. The Turok-Hans... she thought.

"Buffy!" Willow's voice unexpectedly echoed inside of Spike and Buffy's head. "The vampires are gone! Whatever Spike did must have worked."

Buffy spun around and shakily smiled at Spike. "You did it," she whispered.

Spike, who was barely able to stand on his feet, leaned against the wall to support himself, grabbing the amulet and pressing it to his chest. "Knew this plan would work," he muttered.

Suddenly, the earth beneath them began to rumble. The Seal on the floor lit up, momentarily blinding the couple. Then, the building began shaking, sending shelves, crates, and everything else around them, to the ground. Buffy and Spike steadied themselves until the quaking stopped.

"Buffy!" Willow called out again telepathically. Only this time, it was more frantic…more worried for her best friend's safety and life. "Buffy! Everything is collapsing, the whole town is going to collapse right under our feet if we don't get out *now*!"

Buffy's head instantly whirled to Spike, tears beginning to drip down the side of her face. "I can't leave you," she whispered. "I -- I can't." Buffy stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him, not caring about the consequences. "I just can't." She placed her hands on the side of his face, looking into his eyes…wanting to memorize every plane and curve of his handsome features.

"You need to, pet," Spike told her. He grabbed his chest, groaning, as he felt waves of pain running through his body. He knew this was a suicide mission, but he had been willing to take the risk. Knowing Buffy and the gang would live through it was all he needed.

"This is your chance," Spike suggested. "Get out of Sunnyhell, live that normal life with a backyard and a white picket fence." He sent her a watery and shaky smile at that last part.

"But I--"

"Please, Buffy, just go. For me," Spike insisted.

Buffy pressed her body up against his before leaning in and smashing her lips against his. Placing all of her feelings that she felt for him in her now-breaking heart, and as much emotion as possible in this last moment between the two, she kissed him like it would be her last -- which she knew it would. She sniffed and wiped he tears away from her eyes to get one, last, clear look at him. "I need to tell you, Spike.…..I never got the chance to tell you, with every…Spike, I need to tell you that...I love you."

Spike's eyes widened for a second before he slowly smiled...a sad and regretful smile. "You don't need to tell me something like that just because I'm the one saving the world," he explained, not believing what she was saying.

Buffy forcefully shook her head. "No, Spike…I mean it." How can you look into my eyes and not believe me?

Spike nodded and leaned forward to kiss her once again. "Get out of here, Slayer." he said, pushing her away and falling to his knees.

"I love you," she repeated, pressing a hard kiss on his cheek. Buffy turned and began running, her vision blurring from the salt water streaming down her cheeks. I shouldn't have left him, she thought.

Buffy ran through the doors to the outside and looked around. The ground was littered with broken weapons, dust, bodies, and in the parking lot, three buses were beginning to speed away from the Hellmouth. Willow stood in the doorway of one of the busses, motioning for Buffy to catch up.

Pausing, Buffy took a second to look back at the school building where she knew Spike still remained. She watched as light began filtering out through every window and the walls begin to crumble, cracking and collapsing to the ground. "Good bye," she whispered, before spinning around and running towards the bus that Willow and the gang were on.

"Are we okay?" Buffy asked, once on board.

The original gang and several of the more well-known potentials slowly nodded. Buffy gazed around, taking a mental count of everyone that was injured and wounded.

Dawn gazed through the window, looking back at her high school with a confused look on her face. "Where's...where's Spike?"

Buffy's brave face faltered and she slowly shook her head. "He...he didn't make it."

"Blondie didn't make it?" Faith asked, not fully believing. "Damn."

"Yeah..." Buffy whispered. "Damn is right." More like an understatement, Buffy thought. Spike is…no, I will not cry. I will *not* cry in front of them.

She paused, taking a second to collect herself and swear once more that she wouldn't cry in front of her friends. "Okay, we'll stop at the first non-apocalyptic spot we see," she suggested.

Buffy began walking to the back of the bus to get away from her family. She passed Giles, who reached out and lightly squeezed her shoulder. She looked up at him…tried to smile, but failed. When he looked as though he was going to say something, she held up her hand, pleading with her eyes to not speak a word.

Finally at the back of the bus, Buffy collapsed into one of the plush seats and burst into tears. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad. The world had been saved -- the hellmouth was permanently closed. But at the cost of losing Spike, Buffy wasn't so sure it was worth it.

With tears openly running down her face, Buffy looked back at the town she had called home for the last seven years of her life. The world is safe now, she thought. But this time for good. Once again, another apocalypse averted…my last one I'll ever stop. She faced forward and gazed at the girls sitting on the bus in front of her and then the two buses that were traveling in front of the one she was on. The world will be safe now, I'm not fighting alone anymore.

Almost everything was perfect...almost.

Buffy leaned her head against the glass wall and let out a sob. "Spike," she whispered through her sobs. "Whether you believed me or not, I'll love you, *always*."

~*~*~*~

All he could feel was pain.

All he saw was blackness.

But what he heard?

Instead of silence, he heard a steady thump, thump....thump, thump...

He extended his hands, stretching for something…*anything* to grab onto and pull himself up. He exerted himself until he thought he might give up and quit. But I've got to get to *her*, he told himself. I can't stop moving until I get to Buffy. I'm never giving up until I get back to her.

Her last words echoed in his mind, giving him the motivation to continue pushing his way towards what he hoped would be freedom.

"I love you…"

Finally, after trying several times, a hand shot out of the pile of rubble, reaching towards the heavens. Spike pulled himself up on his knees, shoving the rocks and debris away from his body and trying to stand on his feet.

And that's when it happened.

He took a breath of fresh air for the first time in over 130 years.

"Bloody hell," he cursed. "I'm alive."

~~~

TBC.

Well, there was my take on the end. Now it's just whatever I want to happen. I hope you all liked the first part. I'm a little rusty (haven't written anything in a while) but hopefully it wasn't too bad!