Chapter 26
The sun was setting and the shadows were growing longer, the small group of friends sat around the fire as the night set in, Dawn still sat away from the rest of them, no longer standing, but sitting crossed legged staring out into the vast expanse.
"Someone should go see if she is okay," said Faith.
"Rather you than me, she nearly bit my head off the last time I attempted it," said Andrew.
"It's no good me trying, I think she still looks on me as her principle," said Robin.
Willow had fallen asleep, her head resting on one of the rucksacks; Xander laid his jacket over her to keep her warm in the cooling night air.
"Maybe Dawn's right, maybe we are giving up on Buffy and Spike too soon, I mean would they write us off so quickly?" reasoned Xander.
"What do you think Rupert?" asked Faith.
Giles had been staring into the campfire in contemplative silence
"At this moment in time, I honestly don't know, I'm all out of answers, I think I'll go check on Dawn," he sighed.
Giles got up, unsteadily, flexing his cramped limbs. He walked over to Dawn, his heart heavy.
"Try and get her to come and sit with us, she must be freezing," Faith called after him
Giles walked over to Dawn, and stood beside her.
"Feel like some company?" asked Giles tentatively.
Dawn just carried on staring out into the night; Giles took the non- response as a yes and sat down next to her.
"The desert is beautiful at night, isn't it?" asked Giles.
Dawn sighed in resignation, they weren't going to leave her alone, and she turned to look at Giles's profile.
"I can't leave here, just don't ask me why, I have this feeling, and it's not just me in denial, this whole thing just doesn't have that same air of finality about it, like last time," said Dawn.
"Dawn when we lose someone, we never want to believe they are gone, in a way they're not, they are a part of us, their memory lives in side us," said Giles.
"They've only been dea.gone a few hours, wherever they are right now, I have absolute faith, that Spike is taking care of her," said Dawn.
She shivered in the cold night air; Giles touched her arm.
"Dawn, you're freezing, won't you come and sit with the rest of us?" asked Giles.
"Ok, as long I don't get any lectures about how I'm kidding myself about Buffy and Spike," said Dawn.
"I'm sure they won't Dawn, we just hate to see you sitting here all alone, and you're not alone, you have me as well as Xander and Willow, you know that right?" Asked Giles.
She gave Giles a weak smile.
"Yeah I know that," she replied.
Giles got up and put out a hand to help her up. Putting an arm around her, they walked back to the campfire.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Spike drummed his fingers on his arm impatiently.
"We're waiting," said Spike.
"Sssh remember what Tara said about time passing slower here," said Buffy.
"Buffy, we've been to hell and back, all for them and their sense of order, I think we deserve a little respect," said Spike.
"You gotta love those PTB's and their warped sense of humour," said Buffy.
PTB's: "You have two paths open to you,"
"Oh great make it simple, why don't you, why don't you just zap us back where we came from?" asked Spike.
"Spike, we don't want to annoy them, they can just as easily 'zap us' to that hell dimension they were keeping toasty for you, if you piss them off," Buffy reminded him.
"Ok, so we have two paths open to us, and they are?" asked Spike.
PTB's "The first path is, that you remain in our realm and serve us as a God and Goddess in one of our heavenly dimensions, you would have supreme power over that domain, being answerable only to us,"
"Tempting, does that include a swimming pool and choice of car?" asked Spike
"Spike! Pack it in, you should know Gods don't like to be mocked," said Buffy warningly.
PTB's: "The vampire has a sense of humour, very good, may we be allowed to continue,"
"Yes, don't mind him he's just a little annoyed at having to die twice in three months, you were saying?" asked Buffy, trying to take the attention away from Spike.
PTB's "The second path that is open to you, is that you can return to your Earth, The slayer will retain her powers and you will be returned as a vampire,"
"That's it? Buffy goes back to being what she was and I get to be a vampire? Sorry, but I was expecting a little more that's all," said Spike.
Buffy looked at Spike, making a decision in her head, she couldn't let him go back to being a vampire again, because the end result would be the same, they would still lose each other eventually.
"We're staying here," said Buffy.
Spike opened his mouth to argue with her.
"But.." said Spike
"Surely you don't want to be returned to being a vampire Spike, you know how that will work, hiding in the shadows during the day, only walking with me in the night, year after year, watching me grow older and weaker, while you stay the same, until one day.." Buffy trailed off unable to finish her sentence.
"You never wake up?" said Spike
Spike put his arm around her. He knew he could never bear to see that happen, but he also knew he would never leave her, so if they returned to earth, it would be inevitable.
"I never really thought about that until now, guess that was my problem always living for the now, with no thought of tomorrow, and the fact that maybe you wouldn't want me around for the lifetime haul," said Spike.
"Wow, you really do have some confidence issues, maybe that time in my living room when we had that talk, I should have come out and said what I was really thinking," said Buffy.
"And what were you thinking?" asked Spike.
"That I'll never be ready for you to not be here, If I can't live out a life with you, both of us growing old together, then I think it's better that we stay here," she said.
"But Dawn?" he asked.
"The others will take care of her, I know that, and in time Dawn will recover, she did before, she's strong, after all she is a part of me, and not just my sister," said Buffy.
"Buffy, I can't let you do that," said Spike.
"What other options do we have?" she asked.
Buffy looked upwards.
"We choose to stay," she said, a lump forming in her throat.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Willow awoke from a weird dream; her neck and shoulders ached from where she had rested on the hard ground. She looked around at all the faces illuminated by the glow of the campfire. Xander smiled at her sadly.
"So you are awake then?" he asked.
"Yes, and I had the strangest dream," said Willow.
"What about?" asked Faith.
"About Buffy and Spike, they were in the dark, but then Anya and Tara found them and they were okay, they were led to this strange place, I know they spoke, but I can't for the life of me remember what was said, and then I woke up," said Willow.
She looked at Xander; tears shimmered in his eyes at the mention of Anya.
"Do you think it was some kind of message?" asked Giles.
"It could be, it felt kinda real, or surreal should I say," said Willow.
Dawn looked at Willow, and smiled her first genuine smile, since it had all happened.
"I told you they were okay," said Dawn.
Willow looked at her pityingly.
"It was just a dream Dawnie, it may not mean anything," said Willow.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tara and Anya came into the room where Buffy and Spike were sitting.
"We've been asked to escort you outside, the PTB's wish to discuss your case in private, before sending you to your final end," said Tara.
"I don't like the sound of that," said Buffy.
"Well why couldn't they have just told us themselves?" asked Spike
"Come on it'll be fun, we can talk over old times, now tell me how's that Xander Harris?" said Anya enthusiastically.
They led Buffy and Spike away out of the room and into the corridor. Left alone, the PTB's took on their physical form, they consisted of four women and three men, and they sat on stone seats that appeared by their will.
Female PTB 1: "Surely we cannot be more charitable? They have both proved that they are willing to die for their love; a love that strong, amongst lesser beings is rare,"
Male PTB 1: "We cannot be seen to be giving special favour to these people, otherwise everyone will feel they are a extraordinary case,"
Female PTB 2: "They are not just any people, both are champions, or are at least worthy of that name, they have died whilst serving others,"
Male PTB 2: "What do you have in mind?"
Male PTB 3: "They have already chosen their path,"
Female PTB: 3 "So? We can give them what they desire and still keep balance,"
Male PTB 2: "We shall return them to earth then?"
The powers that be, turned to look at the eldest of their kind, an aged woman, who had yet to speak. She held up her hand and the others were instantly silent
Female PTB 4: "It has been decided, they will be returned to earth, the woman will remain a slayer as previously suggested, but the male, the vampire will retain his godly powers that were bestowed on him, during their final test, remember when we allowed that other vampire to remain a mortal, he was back within a few hours asking that we return him to his super human state. But in saying this, William will also be subject to mortal ways and age and die like all mankind, and live among them until that time, when we call them both home,"
The first female PTB, that had pleaded their case, was the youngest of the council, she clapped her hands in delight at the outcome.
Female PTB 1: "Can we tell them?"
Male PTB 1: "Why not let them find out for themselves?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Anya and Tara both looked at each, telepathically receiving a message from the PTB's. They turned toward Buffy and Spike smiling.
"It's time," said Tara.
"Time for what?" asked Buffy
"It's time for you to leave silly," said Anya.
"Just what heavenly dimension are we being sent to? Just don't tell me it has anything to do with watchers, had enough of living in slayer heaven, couldn't stand a paradise full of anally retentive English guys," said Spike.
"You're English," Buffy reminded him.
Tara and Anya led Buffy and Spike out into the dark corridor they had first found themselves in. As they walked along it, Tara and Anya both gave each other secret smiles.
"What are you so happy about?" asked Spike, noticing their expressions.
"You'll see," said Anya.
They came to the end of the long corridor; it was a dead end, nothingness all around them.
"What now?" asked Spike
Tara turned to Buffy giving her a quick hug. She drew back and looked at Buffy.
"Give that hug to Willow for me, tell her it will be okay, just give it time, and tell her I am so proud of her," said Tara.
"I don't understand, we're not returning to earth, we said we wanted to stay," said Buffy in confusion.
Anya turned to Spike and hugged him tightly. Spike felt awkward at her show of affection, he swiftly patted her hair and pulled away. Before he had time to realise what Anya was about, she kissed him full on the lips. Buffy frowned.
"Give that kiss to Xander for me, and tell him to stop moping around and go get some," said Anya.
"If you think for one moment, I am bloody kissing that poof, then you are mistaken, hey wait a minute..." said Spike, as he realised what Anya had just said.
"And in a few years when you are picking out babies names remember ours are very pretty," said Anya.
"Goodbye," said Tara and Anya in unison
"But.." Said Buffy
The corridor was filled with a pure white light, and in a flash, Buffy and Spike were gone.
"It was nice seeing them again, lets hope they have lots of years and orgasms ahead of them," said Anya.
Tara shook her head, the afterlife certainly hadn't been boring since Anya had joined her just a few months ago.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They'd sat around the campfire all night, the conversation had turned to the happy times they had all shared, while they had lived in Sunnydale, even smiling at some of their more dangerous times that they had got through.
"Remember the very first time, we were introduced to Spike?" asked Xander.
"Yeah, he showed up at the Bronze and informed Buffy that he was gonna kill her," said Willow.
"Guess they never did get around to it," said Giles.
"It's not like they didn't try though, I remember Buffy telling me about the time she literally caused a church organ to fall on Spike's head," smiled Dawn
"Ah, don't forget the time he dug up that stupid ring and they almost had a fight the death on campus," said Giles.
"Wow, I sure missed a lot," said Faith.
"They certainly had, I er mean have an interesting history," amended Robin, quickly.
Andrew looked at the lightening sky, he yawned tiredly from having been awake all night.
"Look it's almost morning," said Andrew sleepily.
Willow gasped and clutched her chest.
"What is it Will?" asked Xander.
She looked at the group.
"I can feel them," she said.
TBC
A/N I am sorry, I really had hoped to wrap the story up in this chapter, as I am going to be away on vacation all week, I hope to get up, what will be the final chapter (I think) on either Saturday 1st of November or the Sunday. And I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews!
The sun was setting and the shadows were growing longer, the small group of friends sat around the fire as the night set in, Dawn still sat away from the rest of them, no longer standing, but sitting crossed legged staring out into the vast expanse.
"Someone should go see if she is okay," said Faith.
"Rather you than me, she nearly bit my head off the last time I attempted it," said Andrew.
"It's no good me trying, I think she still looks on me as her principle," said Robin.
Willow had fallen asleep, her head resting on one of the rucksacks; Xander laid his jacket over her to keep her warm in the cooling night air.
"Maybe Dawn's right, maybe we are giving up on Buffy and Spike too soon, I mean would they write us off so quickly?" reasoned Xander.
"What do you think Rupert?" asked Faith.
Giles had been staring into the campfire in contemplative silence
"At this moment in time, I honestly don't know, I'm all out of answers, I think I'll go check on Dawn," he sighed.
Giles got up, unsteadily, flexing his cramped limbs. He walked over to Dawn, his heart heavy.
"Try and get her to come and sit with us, she must be freezing," Faith called after him
Giles walked over to Dawn, and stood beside her.
"Feel like some company?" asked Giles tentatively.
Dawn just carried on staring out into the night; Giles took the non- response as a yes and sat down next to her.
"The desert is beautiful at night, isn't it?" asked Giles.
Dawn sighed in resignation, they weren't going to leave her alone, and she turned to look at Giles's profile.
"I can't leave here, just don't ask me why, I have this feeling, and it's not just me in denial, this whole thing just doesn't have that same air of finality about it, like last time," said Dawn.
"Dawn when we lose someone, we never want to believe they are gone, in a way they're not, they are a part of us, their memory lives in side us," said Giles.
"They've only been dea.gone a few hours, wherever they are right now, I have absolute faith, that Spike is taking care of her," said Dawn.
She shivered in the cold night air; Giles touched her arm.
"Dawn, you're freezing, won't you come and sit with the rest of us?" asked Giles.
"Ok, as long I don't get any lectures about how I'm kidding myself about Buffy and Spike," said Dawn.
"I'm sure they won't Dawn, we just hate to see you sitting here all alone, and you're not alone, you have me as well as Xander and Willow, you know that right?" Asked Giles.
She gave Giles a weak smile.
"Yeah I know that," she replied.
Giles got up and put out a hand to help her up. Putting an arm around her, they walked back to the campfire.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Spike drummed his fingers on his arm impatiently.
"We're waiting," said Spike.
"Sssh remember what Tara said about time passing slower here," said Buffy.
"Buffy, we've been to hell and back, all for them and their sense of order, I think we deserve a little respect," said Spike.
"You gotta love those PTB's and their warped sense of humour," said Buffy.
PTB's: "You have two paths open to you,"
"Oh great make it simple, why don't you, why don't you just zap us back where we came from?" asked Spike.
"Spike, we don't want to annoy them, they can just as easily 'zap us' to that hell dimension they were keeping toasty for you, if you piss them off," Buffy reminded him.
"Ok, so we have two paths open to us, and they are?" asked Spike.
PTB's "The first path is, that you remain in our realm and serve us as a God and Goddess in one of our heavenly dimensions, you would have supreme power over that domain, being answerable only to us,"
"Tempting, does that include a swimming pool and choice of car?" asked Spike
"Spike! Pack it in, you should know Gods don't like to be mocked," said Buffy warningly.
PTB's: "The vampire has a sense of humour, very good, may we be allowed to continue,"
"Yes, don't mind him he's just a little annoyed at having to die twice in three months, you were saying?" asked Buffy, trying to take the attention away from Spike.
PTB's "The second path that is open to you, is that you can return to your Earth, The slayer will retain her powers and you will be returned as a vampire,"
"That's it? Buffy goes back to being what she was and I get to be a vampire? Sorry, but I was expecting a little more that's all," said Spike.
Buffy looked at Spike, making a decision in her head, she couldn't let him go back to being a vampire again, because the end result would be the same, they would still lose each other eventually.
"We're staying here," said Buffy.
Spike opened his mouth to argue with her.
"But.." said Spike
"Surely you don't want to be returned to being a vampire Spike, you know how that will work, hiding in the shadows during the day, only walking with me in the night, year after year, watching me grow older and weaker, while you stay the same, until one day.." Buffy trailed off unable to finish her sentence.
"You never wake up?" said Spike
Spike put his arm around her. He knew he could never bear to see that happen, but he also knew he would never leave her, so if they returned to earth, it would be inevitable.
"I never really thought about that until now, guess that was my problem always living for the now, with no thought of tomorrow, and the fact that maybe you wouldn't want me around for the lifetime haul," said Spike.
"Wow, you really do have some confidence issues, maybe that time in my living room when we had that talk, I should have come out and said what I was really thinking," said Buffy.
"And what were you thinking?" asked Spike.
"That I'll never be ready for you to not be here, If I can't live out a life with you, both of us growing old together, then I think it's better that we stay here," she said.
"But Dawn?" he asked.
"The others will take care of her, I know that, and in time Dawn will recover, she did before, she's strong, after all she is a part of me, and not just my sister," said Buffy.
"Buffy, I can't let you do that," said Spike.
"What other options do we have?" she asked.
Buffy looked upwards.
"We choose to stay," she said, a lump forming in her throat.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Willow awoke from a weird dream; her neck and shoulders ached from where she had rested on the hard ground. She looked around at all the faces illuminated by the glow of the campfire. Xander smiled at her sadly.
"So you are awake then?" he asked.
"Yes, and I had the strangest dream," said Willow.
"What about?" asked Faith.
"About Buffy and Spike, they were in the dark, but then Anya and Tara found them and they were okay, they were led to this strange place, I know they spoke, but I can't for the life of me remember what was said, and then I woke up," said Willow.
She looked at Xander; tears shimmered in his eyes at the mention of Anya.
"Do you think it was some kind of message?" asked Giles.
"It could be, it felt kinda real, or surreal should I say," said Willow.
Dawn looked at Willow, and smiled her first genuine smile, since it had all happened.
"I told you they were okay," said Dawn.
Willow looked at her pityingly.
"It was just a dream Dawnie, it may not mean anything," said Willow.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tara and Anya came into the room where Buffy and Spike were sitting.
"We've been asked to escort you outside, the PTB's wish to discuss your case in private, before sending you to your final end," said Tara.
"I don't like the sound of that," said Buffy.
"Well why couldn't they have just told us themselves?" asked Spike
"Come on it'll be fun, we can talk over old times, now tell me how's that Xander Harris?" said Anya enthusiastically.
They led Buffy and Spike away out of the room and into the corridor. Left alone, the PTB's took on their physical form, they consisted of four women and three men, and they sat on stone seats that appeared by their will.
Female PTB 1: "Surely we cannot be more charitable? They have both proved that they are willing to die for their love; a love that strong, amongst lesser beings is rare,"
Male PTB 1: "We cannot be seen to be giving special favour to these people, otherwise everyone will feel they are a extraordinary case,"
Female PTB 2: "They are not just any people, both are champions, or are at least worthy of that name, they have died whilst serving others,"
Male PTB 2: "What do you have in mind?"
Male PTB 3: "They have already chosen their path,"
Female PTB: 3 "So? We can give them what they desire and still keep balance,"
Male PTB 2: "We shall return them to earth then?"
The powers that be, turned to look at the eldest of their kind, an aged woman, who had yet to speak. She held up her hand and the others were instantly silent
Female PTB 4: "It has been decided, they will be returned to earth, the woman will remain a slayer as previously suggested, but the male, the vampire will retain his godly powers that were bestowed on him, during their final test, remember when we allowed that other vampire to remain a mortal, he was back within a few hours asking that we return him to his super human state. But in saying this, William will also be subject to mortal ways and age and die like all mankind, and live among them until that time, when we call them both home,"
The first female PTB, that had pleaded their case, was the youngest of the council, she clapped her hands in delight at the outcome.
Female PTB 1: "Can we tell them?"
Male PTB 1: "Why not let them find out for themselves?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Anya and Tara both looked at each, telepathically receiving a message from the PTB's. They turned toward Buffy and Spike smiling.
"It's time," said Tara.
"Time for what?" asked Buffy
"It's time for you to leave silly," said Anya.
"Just what heavenly dimension are we being sent to? Just don't tell me it has anything to do with watchers, had enough of living in slayer heaven, couldn't stand a paradise full of anally retentive English guys," said Spike.
"You're English," Buffy reminded him.
Tara and Anya led Buffy and Spike out into the dark corridor they had first found themselves in. As they walked along it, Tara and Anya both gave each other secret smiles.
"What are you so happy about?" asked Spike, noticing their expressions.
"You'll see," said Anya.
They came to the end of the long corridor; it was a dead end, nothingness all around them.
"What now?" asked Spike
Tara turned to Buffy giving her a quick hug. She drew back and looked at Buffy.
"Give that hug to Willow for me, tell her it will be okay, just give it time, and tell her I am so proud of her," said Tara.
"I don't understand, we're not returning to earth, we said we wanted to stay," said Buffy in confusion.
Anya turned to Spike and hugged him tightly. Spike felt awkward at her show of affection, he swiftly patted her hair and pulled away. Before he had time to realise what Anya was about, she kissed him full on the lips. Buffy frowned.
"Give that kiss to Xander for me, and tell him to stop moping around and go get some," said Anya.
"If you think for one moment, I am bloody kissing that poof, then you are mistaken, hey wait a minute..." said Spike, as he realised what Anya had just said.
"And in a few years when you are picking out babies names remember ours are very pretty," said Anya.
"Goodbye," said Tara and Anya in unison
"But.." Said Buffy
The corridor was filled with a pure white light, and in a flash, Buffy and Spike were gone.
"It was nice seeing them again, lets hope they have lots of years and orgasms ahead of them," said Anya.
Tara shook her head, the afterlife certainly hadn't been boring since Anya had joined her just a few months ago.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They'd sat around the campfire all night, the conversation had turned to the happy times they had all shared, while they had lived in Sunnydale, even smiling at some of their more dangerous times that they had got through.
"Remember the very first time, we were introduced to Spike?" asked Xander.
"Yeah, he showed up at the Bronze and informed Buffy that he was gonna kill her," said Willow.
"Guess they never did get around to it," said Giles.
"It's not like they didn't try though, I remember Buffy telling me about the time she literally caused a church organ to fall on Spike's head," smiled Dawn
"Ah, don't forget the time he dug up that stupid ring and they almost had a fight the death on campus," said Giles.
"Wow, I sure missed a lot," said Faith.
"They certainly had, I er mean have an interesting history," amended Robin, quickly.
Andrew looked at the lightening sky, he yawned tiredly from having been awake all night.
"Look it's almost morning," said Andrew sleepily.
Willow gasped and clutched her chest.
"What is it Will?" asked Xander.
She looked at the group.
"I can feel them," she said.
TBC
A/N I am sorry, I really had hoped to wrap the story up in this chapter, as I am going to be away on vacation all week, I hope to get up, what will be the final chapter (I think) on either Saturday 1st of November or the Sunday. And I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews!