A/N Okay, so I left off in a totally evil place last time, tried to get this chapter written and up as soon as possible. Sorry if I gave anyone "Spuffy" anxiety lol. Thank you all for the great reviews!

Chapter 25

Giles rushed over to where Dawn had fell, Andrew had got there first, together they picked her up and laid her down in a shady place.

"Do you have water or anything?" asked Giles.

"Yeah over in my rucksack," Andrew scuttled away to get the water.

Giles looked at Xander, who had gone to Willow's side, he cradled his best friend in his arms.

"Is it true, you know what Dawn said, about them both being dead?" asked Xander.

"I-I don't know, I can't sense them anymore, the portal was opened by their blood and my incantation, portals like that can only be closed when the blood.." Willow faltered unable to go on.

"Stops flowing?" finished Xander.

Willow nodded,

"Or if they had returned of course, which we know they didn't," said Willow

She looked at Xander with tear filled eyes.

Dawn was waking up, she looked around her at all the concerned faces, and Robin had his arm around Faith as she pressed her face into his chest, trying to hide her tears from the rest of the group.

"What happened?" asked Dawn.

"You fainted," said Giles, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Why..Oh God! Buffy, Spike," she gasped as the full horror of the situation came upon her once more.

"Dawnie," said Willow.

"Get away from me!, you did this, you let them die, you have to bring them back, you have to," sobbed Dawn.

"I can't Dawn, they're gone," said Willow.

"No!" Said Dawn.

Willow went to her and embraced her, Dawn fought it at first, she pounded at Willow's back with her fists, until she broke down and hugged her back.

Giles took out one of his endless supplies of hankies and removed his glasses to wipe away the tears that clouded them. Andrew went over to Xander and wrapped himself around him, Xander didn't know what to do, but he didn't want to push the boy away. He patted Andrew's shoulder awkwardly. All he could think of was that they'd lost Buffy again, wherever they were, he surprised himself by actually thinking that he hoped that Spike was with her. Thought of Buffy alone in some hell was more than he could bear to think about.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At first there was only bleakness, and darkness and silence, then came a sense of existence, Buffy opened her eyes and looked into the void.

"Spike?" she whispered.

Nothing, the blackness of where ever she was, was all enveloping, She panicked, and more afraid of where Spike was, than what could happen to her.

Then she heard it, the most beautiful sound in the world, or wherever she was.

"Buffy?" He said

"Spike! Where are you? I can't see you," she said desperately.

"You and me both love, hang on let me feel my way," Spike replied.

"It might help if there was something to grab on to," Buffy answered, she raised her hand only to touch nothingness.

"Keep talking, I'll follow the sound of your voice," he said

"I'm not sorry you know for staying with you, I finally realised that was what I had to do, the choice I had to make," she said.

There was silence and a huge sigh.

"You always did follow your own road pet, but I wish you'd have done as I asked." he admitted.

"Is it my imagination, or is it getting lighter in here?" she asked.

Buffy jumped as Spike placed a hand on her shoulder, she spun round to face him, it was definitely getting brighter, she could just about make out his beloved features. Buffy went into his arms and held on to him tightly. She raised her head to look up at him, gently stroking his face.

"I love you, you do know that right? I mean really believe it?" She asked.

Spike smiled tenderly at her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the refusing to leave and the burning up with me sorta had my attention," he replied.

He lowered his head and kissed her, they drew apart.

"Oh my God, Dawn," she said in agony.

Spike looked at her sadly,

"It's a bit late in the day to be thinking of her now, apart from the fear for your safety, she was one of the main reasons I wanted you out of there," said Spike.

"Giles made an unspoken promise to me, just before we left, to take care of Dawn if anything happened to me, I just couldn't bear the idea of being parted from you again, now tell me truthfully, that time, when I died in Dawn's place, what was your first thought after it happened? " she asked.

"To take a walk in the sun, but I didn't did I? And why was that! Because I made a promise to protect her," he said.

"Oh don't look at me like that, I had to do it, she's nearly 18, she does not need me so much now.." Buffy trailed off.

They had both been so busy in their argument that they had not noticed the two women dressed in white robes, approaching them. Buffy stopped in mid sentence as she caught the movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Been boinking Spike again Buffy, I can feel the sexual tension a dimension away," said Anya.

Buffy and Spike turned open mouthed to see Anya and Tara standing there, Tara had a serene smile on her face as she looked at Buffy and Spike, Anya looked them up and down in her usual speculative way.

"Are you two gonna just stand there catching flies, or are you going to follow us? There's some people or higher beings that want to talk to you," said Anya impatiently.

"Hello Buffy, Spike," said Tara.

"We really are dead, aren't we?" Spike asked Anya.

"Yep, that just about covers it," said Anya

Buffy ran past Spike, she hugged Tara, tears springing to her eyes.

"Oh Tara, it's so good to see you," said Buffy.

Tara hugged her back.

"How have you been Sweetie?" asked Tara.

"Oh the usual, you know avoiding apocalypse's and my other favourite of course, dying, which brings me to why we are here in the first place," said Buffy.

"And where's my hug?" asked Anya indignantly.

Buffy smiled and hugged the very ex- vengeance demon.

"We'd better go, they will be waiting," said Tara.

"Who?" asked Spike.

"You'll see, if anything in this place, you learn patience, maybe not so much in my case," shrugged Anya.

Tara put her arm through Buffy's and started to lead her away, Anya did the same with Spike, Buffy wasn't so sure that she was down with the latter arrangement, but now was not the time to let any kind of jealousy rear it's ugly head.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dawn managed to get her sobs under control, she wiped away the tears from her face, she stood away from the group alone, not far from the place that Spike had stood, no more than a few hours ago, Dawn glanced across, his footprints were still there, they couldn't be gone, she thought, hysteria starting to rise inside her, she damped it back down.

Andrew had had enough of watching Dawn suffer alone in silence; he went over to her, standing next to her. Dawn turned to look at him.

"If you've come to tell me we have to leave here, then you're wasting your time," said Dawn.

Andrew sighed and looked at her.

"You know how much I liked Spike, maybe more than anyone, but what can we do, just standing around here?" asked Andrew.

"Buffy's not gone you know, she wouldn't do that to me, they will be back," said Dawn.

"She left you once before, didn't she?" Andrew reminded her gently.

"Go away, what do you know about it?" asked Dawn angrily.

Andrew looked at the determination set on her features.

"Ok, I get it, you want to be alone," said Andrew.

He patted her shoulder, before walking off and joining the others.

"Any success?" asked Giles.

"She won't leave, she said she is waiting for them to come back," said Andrew.

"Come on, give the kid a break, she just lost her sister, if she wants to stay for awhile, don't you think we should just let her?" asked Faith

"It's not like we have to be anywhere else," said Robin.

"It gets pretty cold here at nights," said Giles.

"Then we'll build a fire then," said Faith.

Willow had cried herself all out, she felt like a numb hollow shell, she had tried to focus, but was getting nothing, all she could feel was that it was all her fault somehow, even though the idea was ridiculous. If all life was, were one long journey of pain and loss and more pain, then Willow wasn't so sure, that she wanted to be a part of it. She shook her head, it was just the grief talking, the pain, making her crazy, she'd never wanted to feel pain like this again, since Tara.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"How much further?" asked Spike.

"Nearly there," said Tara.

They entered the doorway to a rough stone walled room.

"Wait here, just be a moment," said Anya

Anya walked off through another doorway.

"Where's she going?" asked Spike.

"Just to let them know you are here," said Tara.

"It's the bloody PTB's isn't it?" asked Spike.

"Sssh! They'll hear you, lets not tempt fate anymore than we already have," said Buffy.

"Those are wise words, they can be a little cranky," said Tara.

"I'll give em' something to be cranky about, bloody lot of double-crossing back stabbers," said Spike angrily.

"They are ready to see you now," said Anya.

"That's so good of them," said Spike sarcastically.

Buffy looked at Anya and Tara.

"Aren't you coming with?" asked Buffy.

"No, we'll be waiting here though," said Tara.

"Well of course, that's as long as Spike doesn't piss them off and they send him to hell of course," said Anya.

"Full of puppies and sunshine as always Anya," said Buffy.

"Why thank you Buffy," said Anya, as she beamed at her friend, as usual the irony totally passing over her head.

"Let's get this over with shall we?" asked Spike.

"I hope every thing turns out okay for you," said Tara sincerely.

Spike and Buffy looked at each other, joining hands, they walked through the doorway, into a stark white marbled room, nothing but a stone bench in its centre.

"Homey," said Buffy.

"I know this place, I've been here before, it where I made my deal with the powers in the first place," said Spike.

They walked over to the bench and sat down, several minutes passed and still nothing.

"Wanna play I spy? God, I've been around Andrew too much," Buffy said.

"Don't expect to see anything when they do show, just some mighty voice from on high," said Spike.

PTB: "William the Vampire and The slayer,"

Buffy jumped at the sound of the disembodied voice.

"That's them," whispered Spike.

"Yes?" Asked Buffy.

PTB: "You know why you are here?"

"Because we died and have some issues that need sorting out?" asked Buffy.

"Bloody right we have issues, this wasn't part of the deal," said Spike

PTB: "Yes we did make a bargain William, but we also have our own wrongs to right, and because you died the first time around in the hell mouth and not the slayer, it disrupted the natural order of things,"

Spike was starting to realise something, he frowned, his confusion turning to pure anger.

"You played me, on my love for Buffy, you knew I 'd want to make anyway back to her that I could, and you used that to send me back, just so that Buffy could die, and restore your 'order' said Spike incredulously.

PTB: Every thing that comes to pass is for a reason,"

"I am of on the side of thinking sod reason right now," said Spike.

"Spike let's just hear what they have to say," said Buffy.

PTB: "We are not without compassion, order has been restored, we can be generous,"

"We're listening," said Spike.

TBC