"You don't have a pulse, Buffy," Willow said through tears. "You're dead."
The last two words echoed round the room in the silence that lasted for what seemed like forever. Nobody wanted to say anything; they didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing. The young woman, their friend, who was sitting infront of them, was dead; yet she was talking and aware of everything. It was against every magical and physical law that existed.
"Bastards!" Giles suddenly yelled to no one in particular, wrinkling up his nose and stamping his foot on the floor. Everyone turned to look at the ex- Watcher in confusion. "The Watcher's Council, those stupid gits!"
"What about them?" Willow asked.
"They.they did this!" Giles cried, his hands forming fists in frustration.
"But how?" Buffy asked from her bed, Spike refused to let go of her but she was feeling much better, except the fact she seemed to be dead.
"They sometimes chose to deactivate Slayer's if they decide they are good enough," Giles explained, turning into walking-text-book mood.
"Good enough?" Buffy didn't understand. "Good enough for what?" She had a feeling it wasn't for something nice like kittens and new clothes.
"To be a slayer for ever," Spike answered. "I thought that was just a myth. That's why vampire's want to kill slayers not just run from them." He trailed off, knowing the scoobies didn't want to know the last bit.
"For ever?" Xander was puzzled.
"It's called the Immortal theory," Giles explained, his British accent seeming stronger than ever. "The slayer and one other she knows become an Immortal. This way she doesn't go mad with loneliness. They stay just like a normal person, except they never age and can never be killed."
"They must be able to be killed somehow?" Buffy squeaked.
"I'm afraid not," Giles said grimly. "One story of Sophia Dellmount, in the 1500's she became an Immortal, some demons found out. They chopped her into hundreds of tiny pieces, but kept her head. The rest of her body was feed to fish. Billions of parts of her body are all over the earth and she feels all the pain. Her head is still somewhere although it has not been seen for about a hundred years," Giles looked at the horrified expressions on the teen's faces. "Of course that was an extreme case." He added quickly.
"You said somebody else, would become an Immortal as well," Buffy pointed out.
Spike thought about it, the other Immortal would have gone through the same things as Buffy did, losing temperature and a heartbeat. Nobody else in the room had had that happen to them, unless.
"It's me!" He said, hugging his wife tighter. "It's me, I'm an Immortal," He looked up at the five other people in the room. They all looked at him curiously.
"How do we know?" Xander snapped. "You could be faking it."
"Xander, shut up!" Willow growled at him. "Spike being the other Immortal makes perfect sense. He is the strongest, and already had no heartbeat and no body temperature. Plus, married."
"I think we should test, to see if Spike really is an Immortal," Giles suggested. "The sun is due up in 15 minutes."
~~~~~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later they were all sitting on the roof outside Buffy's window. The sun was just starting to bob above the horizon. Buffy squeezed Spike's hand reassuringly. He kept turning to glance at his most treasured possession (after a certain petit blond), the chain of Amara, sitting on Buffy's desk all the way inside.
"You ok?" she asked, stroking his hand lovingly.
He nodded but he was obviously petrified. For over a hundred years the sun had been something to hide from, something that killed you or caused a lot of smoke. But now he was waiting for it to rise, wanting for it to cover him in the golden light without the aid of his chain. He snapped his eyes shut and squeezed Buffy's hand harder. What if he wasn't an Immortal? He would burn to a crisp.
"Spike, you can open your eyes." Buffy cooed, stroking his hand. She had never seen him this scared, ever.
Very slowly he opened eyes to see the yellow sun covering everything with light, including him. His skin felt tight and clammy although he could not feel the temperature Spike knew that it was hot outside. He was used to sensing things, being a vampire. But now, now everything was different. It was brighter, louder, clearer.
"Wow," Was all he could say even then he about whispered it. "Wow!"
"It.it.it's different." Buffy stated. "It's.I don't know how to describe it," she to could now sense things better.
"More extreme," Spike finished for her.
"Exactly." She said.
As if by magic, Buffy suddenly was hit by a feeling that she wanted to go to sleep. The colours swirled and merged, sounds distorted and sounded far away and everything spun round and round like little cartoon birdies.
She yawned and rested her head on Spike's shoulder. Five seconds later she was fast asleep.
The last two words echoed round the room in the silence that lasted for what seemed like forever. Nobody wanted to say anything; they didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing. The young woman, their friend, who was sitting infront of them, was dead; yet she was talking and aware of everything. It was against every magical and physical law that existed.
"Bastards!" Giles suddenly yelled to no one in particular, wrinkling up his nose and stamping his foot on the floor. Everyone turned to look at the ex- Watcher in confusion. "The Watcher's Council, those stupid gits!"
"What about them?" Willow asked.
"They.they did this!" Giles cried, his hands forming fists in frustration.
"But how?" Buffy asked from her bed, Spike refused to let go of her but she was feeling much better, except the fact she seemed to be dead.
"They sometimes chose to deactivate Slayer's if they decide they are good enough," Giles explained, turning into walking-text-book mood.
"Good enough?" Buffy didn't understand. "Good enough for what?" She had a feeling it wasn't for something nice like kittens and new clothes.
"To be a slayer for ever," Spike answered. "I thought that was just a myth. That's why vampire's want to kill slayers not just run from them." He trailed off, knowing the scoobies didn't want to know the last bit.
"For ever?" Xander was puzzled.
"It's called the Immortal theory," Giles explained, his British accent seeming stronger than ever. "The slayer and one other she knows become an Immortal. This way she doesn't go mad with loneliness. They stay just like a normal person, except they never age and can never be killed."
"They must be able to be killed somehow?" Buffy squeaked.
"I'm afraid not," Giles said grimly. "One story of Sophia Dellmount, in the 1500's she became an Immortal, some demons found out. They chopped her into hundreds of tiny pieces, but kept her head. The rest of her body was feed to fish. Billions of parts of her body are all over the earth and she feels all the pain. Her head is still somewhere although it has not been seen for about a hundred years," Giles looked at the horrified expressions on the teen's faces. "Of course that was an extreme case." He added quickly.
"You said somebody else, would become an Immortal as well," Buffy pointed out.
Spike thought about it, the other Immortal would have gone through the same things as Buffy did, losing temperature and a heartbeat. Nobody else in the room had had that happen to them, unless.
"It's me!" He said, hugging his wife tighter. "It's me, I'm an Immortal," He looked up at the five other people in the room. They all looked at him curiously.
"How do we know?" Xander snapped. "You could be faking it."
"Xander, shut up!" Willow growled at him. "Spike being the other Immortal makes perfect sense. He is the strongest, and already had no heartbeat and no body temperature. Plus, married."
"I think we should test, to see if Spike really is an Immortal," Giles suggested. "The sun is due up in 15 minutes."
~~~~~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later they were all sitting on the roof outside Buffy's window. The sun was just starting to bob above the horizon. Buffy squeezed Spike's hand reassuringly. He kept turning to glance at his most treasured possession (after a certain petit blond), the chain of Amara, sitting on Buffy's desk all the way inside.
"You ok?" she asked, stroking his hand lovingly.
He nodded but he was obviously petrified. For over a hundred years the sun had been something to hide from, something that killed you or caused a lot of smoke. But now he was waiting for it to rise, wanting for it to cover him in the golden light without the aid of his chain. He snapped his eyes shut and squeezed Buffy's hand harder. What if he wasn't an Immortal? He would burn to a crisp.
"Spike, you can open your eyes." Buffy cooed, stroking his hand. She had never seen him this scared, ever.
Very slowly he opened eyes to see the yellow sun covering everything with light, including him. His skin felt tight and clammy although he could not feel the temperature Spike knew that it was hot outside. He was used to sensing things, being a vampire. But now, now everything was different. It was brighter, louder, clearer.
"Wow," Was all he could say even then he about whispered it. "Wow!"
"It.it.it's different." Buffy stated. "It's.I don't know how to describe it," she to could now sense things better.
"More extreme," Spike finished for her.
"Exactly." She said.
As if by magic, Buffy suddenly was hit by a feeling that she wanted to go to sleep. The colours swirled and merged, sounds distorted and sounded far away and everything spun round and round like little cartoon birdies.
She yawned and rested her head on Spike's shoulder. Five seconds later she was fast asleep.