Wow, I still do NOT own any of the characters. Darn. Oh well. Hope you like this part! And thank you, once again, for all the reviews. I love them!!!
Alone
Buffy breathed heavily as she, Blade, and Karen burst into the warehouse, burdened down by an assortment of things. Buffy's things, to be exact. After screeching away from the Towers, they had made a quick stop at her apartment to grab the things she would need. Then they had dropped the truck off and gone back to the warehouse.
Buffy rushed to the middle of the warehouse, setting up white candles in a circle around her. One by one she lit them, taking slow, deep breathes. Concentrate, Buffy. You can do this. Just do exactly what Willow taught you.
She pushed away any hurt she felt because of the mention of her best friend's name. She pulled ground lavender out of a bag and slowly poured it into the shape of a star with a circle surrounding it. The Pentagram.
Buffy closed her eyes while she extended her hands in front of her, palms facing up. "I seek protection, Oh Lady, from those who mean harm. Keep this place safe by your power."
Blade and Karen watched in confusion and awe as the candles surrounding Buffy magnified in intensity. Buffy did not even pay attention but continued with the spell.
"Hear me! Make this place free from harm. By your will, so mote it be!"
Her voices echoed throughout the warehouse, bouncing on the walls until it finally disappeared. A bright light appeared, starting first at her and then spreading until it filled ever crevice, no matter how small. Blade and Karen shielded their eyes as the light intensified so much that it was impossible to look straight at it.
Suddenly, as quickly as it had come, the light disappeared. Buffy lay on the ground in the circle, eyes closed. The candles still burned, yet the flames were blue in color. Blade walked forward to make sure she was alright, but stopped when she started to speak.
"No," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "You can't break the circle. The spell won't take its final effect if you break the circle."
Blade nodded curtly, acknowledging the words. He backed up and turned to Karen, stumbling slightly as his injuries finally caught up to him. She reached for him, helping him to regain his balance. He shook his head, trying to cure his blurry vision.
"Serum," he whispered, his teeth clenched. "I need my serum."
Karen nodded and ran over to the destroyed computers, carefully avoiding the circle. She pushed the mess off of one of the desks and looked frantically through the drawers, searching for the serum. Her search was interrupted by the sudden yell by Buffy.
"Get over here. Now!" Buffy yelled, suddenly having the energy to sit up. Blade and Karen walked forward, but did not penetrate the circle. Buffy motioned for them to come in and they did, apprehensively. She pulled out a long, curved knife and held it high in the air.
"From their blood, protection is granted!"
She slowly dragged the knife across her palm, wincing as it bit into her skin. Blood pooled up slowly until she turned her palm, letting the blood drip on the pentagram. She looked at the other two and both of them put their palms out. Karen gasped in pain as the knife dug into her own palm. She followed Buffy's lead and let her blood drip on the symbol. Blade followed suit, though he paid no heed to the pain of the knife. He simply stood there, allowing the knife to bite into his skin.
As his blood touched the symbol, the pentagram turned bright red in color. It got increasingly redder until, in a gust of wind, it disappeared. The candles extinguished themselves.
Blade backed out of the circle, the scent of the blood causing his bloodlust to rise even more. He ran over to the destroyed desk and frantically searched through it as he slowly began to lose control of his human self. The bloodlust rose to heights that he had started to forget about as he searched for his serum.
"What's wrong with him?" Buffy asked as she watched Blade scatter things everywhere. Karen looked at her, giving her a sidelong glance.
"He needs his serum," she explained cautiously. "He's part vampire – he needs blood."
Buffy nodded, her eyes glued to Blade. Indecision filled her as she stared at his now shaking back. I have to do it. He needs blood.
She walked forward, ignoring Karen's exclamation. She felt a hand grab harshly onto her shoulder but she simply shrugged it off. She grabbed Blade, pulling him away from the desk. He pushed at her and she stumbled back but grabbed him again with great determination.
"Blade, listen to me," she ordered, her tone no-nonsense. "Take my blood. Bite me. You need it."
"No," he whispered harshly, fighting the bloodlust. "I can't."
"You have to. You don't know where your serum is and you need blood. Take mine."
He turned to her, staring directly in her eyes. He tried to argue but the bloodlust was too much, his strength all but spent. He saw the determination behind her eyes and somehow, he knew that she had been forced to do this before. She would be able to take it.
Buffy gasped as his teeth slowly bit into her neck. Her whole body stiffened as she felt the blood leaving her body. But she refused to falter, instead putting every ounce of her strength into standing.
Blade pulled back suddenly. Buffy swayed for a moment before murmuring, "God, I hate this part." She fell to the ground, her eyes rolling back in her head. She didn't even notice when Blade jumped forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
Buffy sighed as she walked through the graveyard, idly twirling her stake. Things were so hard after the…accident. She couldn't concentrate, she felt lost all the time. It would have been easier if Giles was there but he was gone. Just like they were.
"Buffy," a voice called, almost caressing her name. She turned, stake raised but lowered it as a platinum blonde head came into view. Spike. She lowered the stake and gave him a small smile.
"Hey," she said, her voice soft. Spike walked up to her, concern evident in his eyes. "Fancy meeting you here."
"I'm worried about you Buffy," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She tried to move away but his grip was too strong. She stared into his eyes, watching as conflicting emotions ran through them. Concern, worry, pain,…love. Yes, he loved her though she could never love him back the same way. He was a brother to her, someone who could protect her. Someone who she could always go to.
His arms encircled her and suddenly she was sobbing. Tears she had held in for two weeks rolled down her cheeks as she slowly sank to the ground. She cried into his chest, not even caring anymore. All she could think about was how much it hurt, how much she missed them.
"I miss them so much, Spike," Buffy sobbed. "Why couldn't I save them?"
"Shhh, kitten," he whispered. "Some things are just meant to happen. Sometimes, you can't save everyone."
They sat there, on the ground of the cemetery, for hours. Buffy just cried, finally releasing her pain. She couldn't stop crying. Memories came back to her, threatening to tear her apart. She wasn't even able to say good-bye to Xander – he was dead before she woke up. Dawn had managed to give her goodbyes, but even that was too brief. Willow – Willow was alive the longest. She managed to hold onto life longer than the other two. But in the end, she had died.
And there was Giles – she had never gotten the chance to tell him how much he meant to her. How much of a father he was. She had missed her chance and now, she could never tell him.
Finally, her tears slowed down. She looked up, a shaky smile on her face as she looked at Spike. He gently brushed the hair off of her face.
"Thank you, Spike," she said softly, still clutching his shirt. "Thank you for being here."
He nodded. "I will always be there for you, Slayer. Always."
The two of them slowly stood up and started walking hand-in-hand out of the cemetery. But because of their grief, neither of them noticed the man hiding in the bushes. Neither of them noticed the crossbow he held in his hand.
Spike turned around, a frown creasing his forehead. He could sense something out there, something that wasn't right. He took a step forward, dropping Buffy's hand. She turned around, feeling her Slayer Sense prickling.
"There's something here, pet," he said, craning his neck back and forth. "There's something here that – "
His sentence was cut off as a crossbow bolt shot through the air, hitting him directly in his heart. Buffy ran towards him, not even realizing that she was screaming his name. Spike looked at her, one last time, his eyes bringing with love and sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Buffy. I love – "
He couldn't even finish his sentence as he disappeared into ashes. Buffy stared at the falling ashes, shock on her face. *He's gone. Just like the others. Gone.*
She turned around, her eyes hardening as she saw the bushes moving. She leapt forward, just in time to land on a man who was trying to run away. He looked at the Slayer coolly for a moment before he saw the malice behind her eyes. His heart was gripped by fear as he watched her eyes grow cold.
"Why?" she whispered, her eyes burning into him. "Why did you kill him, you bastard?"
"He was evil," the man said, trying to free himself of the Slayer's grasp. She only grasped him tighter, not caring when he let out a yelp of pain. "He deserved to die."
Buffy laughed, a harsh, loud sound in the stillness of the night. "Evil? Who said he was evil? He had a soul you asshole! He had a soul!"
"He's a vampire. All vampires deserve to die."
"Who the fuck sent you? Who?" Buffy yelled the last word, her hand tightening even more. The man lay there for a moment, refusing to say anything. She tightened her grip again, a vice-like grip on his now feeling less arm.
"The Council," he whispered, looking away. "Quentin Travers."
Buffy pushed the man away, anger filling her even more. "That bastard. That fuckin' bastard!"
The man started to run away, turning his back on her. But he couldn't run fast enough. Buffy picked up his fallen crossbow and shot it. The man howled in pain as he went down, a bolt sticking out of his lower thigh. She walked forward menacingly, placing another bolt in the crossbow and firing. He screamed again as this one shot in his arm. He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face.
"Please," he begged. "Please don't kill me."
Buffy tilted her head as she watched the man squirm in pain. She pointed the crossbow at him once more, aiming for his heart. But she lowered it slowly her eyes colder than the man had ever seen.
"I'm not going to kill you," she said, throwing the crossbow aside. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to help you."
She spun on her heel, leaving the hurt man lying on the ground. He cried out to her but she paid no heed to it. She just walked, ignoring the pleads of the man. *I am alone. I have no one. Then again, the Slayer walks alone. She always has in the past. And now, she always will. I am the Slayer.*
Buffy gasped as she awoke. She felt wetness on her face and she brushed her hand across it. Salty tears came off her hands. She stood up slowly, wincing at the stiffness. She looked around but Blade was nowhere in site. Only Karen was there.
"It's Karen, right?" Buffy asked. Karen jumped in alarm and spun around. She nodded at Buffy.
"Yeah, that's right."
"Where's Blade?"
Karen pointed towards the room that Buffy had been in earlier that evening. Buffy nodded her thanks and started towards it, knowing that there were answers that she had to find and answers that she had to give.