***Chapter Three***
**Causing Damage**
The battle with The First raged on within the caverns and hallways, above and below the High School. The Hellmouth spewed forth its greatest evil yet, in battle with the Slayer, her friends, and the Potentials. Slaughter and mayhem ruled supreme, as good and evil fought for supremacy of this earth. Each side losing solider after solider in battle, trying to beat the life-force out of each other, each causing as much damage to the other side as possible........
"Buffy", Spike called to her as he felt his soul release its power through the amulet, burning its way out from his being, in the guise of several rays of light. As each ray penetrated through his body it unleashed unyielding power, which sought out and destroyed the undead warriors in the legions of The First. Causing them to burst into flame, then dust, then melt away into nothingness, becoming ashes on the wind, like a great sand storm.
Buffy turned in the chaos that surrounded her, she could only stare at the man before her, as he evolved into the implement of destruction that would turn the tide against The First.. She saw him standing alone in the alcove as the amulet unleashed its power. He battled to stand against the physical pain it caused him.. She attempted to make her way to him, taking down as many undead as she could along the way, that the rays of light had missed and yet to penetrate to dust.
So that he wasn't alone.
"Spike! Oh My God!!" She tried to step as close as she could, but the lights' energy halted any attempt, the heat was just too intense for her. She felt the full throttle of the power that was unleashed from the amulet, and the battle that Spike must be enduring, to sustain such a force of power.
"I can feel it Buffy. I can feel my soul, it's there Buffy. It's really there! It kinda stings though!" Spike tried to express what was happening to her. He could see her attempt to reach him, trying to bring her hand upon him, maybe to reassure him of something. He could hear Faith tell the others to 'get out', and saw the girls run towards him, in an attempt to reach the staircase that lead to a way to safety, behind him.
"Spike"
"Buffy go!" He pleaded with her to go, to get out, to live. "Please just go!"
"No, I can't just leave you here!"
"Go!"
"No, come with me now!"
"I can't....... I have to finish this." Spike felt he knew what he had to do, and he had to do this alone.
"Spike, I need you! It doesn't end here. I NEED YOU!!"
"Buffy please, go!" Spike looked straight at her, "I love you, and you need to live! For them! For me!"
"And I need you! You stupid vampire!!" Buffy pleaded with Spike to end it here and leave with her. The walls of the cavern where collapsing, as the Hellmouth closed over.
"Buffy, go please! I love you!" Spike begged his beloved, but he was getting nowhere fast.
With all the strength that Buffy had left she threw herself at him, as the flames engulfed her body she felt no pain, only the essence of the man she loved. With it finally dawning on her, she held on for dear life, even as Spike tried to throw her off him. Buffy pulled herself tighter onto him with every ounce of strength that she had. She pulled her head back and looked into his eyes.
"Spike you stand next to me, next to me in battle, next to me in conflict, and I forgot to mention, next to me in my life, and next to me in my heart. I love you, you big stupid vampire!!"
With those words, the amulet that lay between then exploded, unleashing an emanating band of light, that penetrated the Slayer and the Vampire, drawing them into oblivion, as it consumed them both........
************************
The yellow bus carried the weary and dying from the battle, all wondering what happened to their leader, friend and sister. It all seemed pointless. She hadn't gotten out. No one could look at Dawn or Giles in the eyes, they all avoided looking at each other, they had won the war, and paid with it in blood.
Blood of the Slayer.
Dawn couldn't suppress the emotions within, her loss and pain erupted forward with her silent tears. She crawled deeply with herself, as her consciousness would allow, grieving the loss of her sister, and her vampire friend. Her family was gone.....her mother, her sister and the man who would have protected them all, putting his life on the life for any of them.
They were all gone.
She couldn't help but just continue to look out the back of the bus at the crater, which was Sunnydale. It looked like a huge meteor had just flattened the town, leaving just a great big dust bowl. The Hellmouth would never open again, it had become the burial plane for the Slayer, in a way it seemed an unfit place for her sister to rest in death.
"Willow," Dawn tried to get her attention, "Willow??"
Willow was tending to the wound Kennedy sustained in battle, defending the witch weakened by the magic she had performed to help them win the fight. Will could hear the sorrow echo in Dawns' voice, and saw the tears that silently ran down her face. Tending her girlfriend for a minute, "I'll be back in a minute", she whispered to her lover.
"Dawnie, I'm sorry sweetie." Willow sat down next to the teen, and embraced what was left of the Summers' family, deep down she had knew this day may come, but she'd ignored it, hoping it would never come to pass. Gently she stroked the girl's hair in a comforting gesture, trying to give reassurance. "I'm here, I'm here, I will always be here for you!"
"Willow, I can't leave her there!"
"Dawnie, she's gone, I cannot feel her life-force."
"God, don't you think I can't feel her too! She's my sister for fucks sake!!"
"Dawn, please sweetie!!"
"I can't leave her there, in that dust bowl! I can't!! She deserves to rest in sacred ground, not scorched earth!"
"Okay, when everything settles we'll go back. We'll find her if we can, okay? Put her to rest in a peaceful place, a proper place and fitting place for her....."
Willow finally noticed that Dawn wasn't paying attention to her, she stopped saying anything. The look on Dawns face said it all. She would never rest until she found her sisters body, and moved it out of the Hellmouth, and to sacred ground. Willow worried, on how she was expected to do it, looking at what was left of Sunnydale; the only thing left was a pile of ashes. The only thing Willow truly wished for was that it had been quick and painless for her friend, and if she was honest enough with herself, that Buffy had found it with her love, so that she hadn't been alone.
That they both hadn't been alone in death.
**Causing Damage**
The battle with The First raged on within the caverns and hallways, above and below the High School. The Hellmouth spewed forth its greatest evil yet, in battle with the Slayer, her friends, and the Potentials. Slaughter and mayhem ruled supreme, as good and evil fought for supremacy of this earth. Each side losing solider after solider in battle, trying to beat the life-force out of each other, each causing as much damage to the other side as possible........
"Buffy", Spike called to her as he felt his soul release its power through the amulet, burning its way out from his being, in the guise of several rays of light. As each ray penetrated through his body it unleashed unyielding power, which sought out and destroyed the undead warriors in the legions of The First. Causing them to burst into flame, then dust, then melt away into nothingness, becoming ashes on the wind, like a great sand storm.
Buffy turned in the chaos that surrounded her, she could only stare at the man before her, as he evolved into the implement of destruction that would turn the tide against The First.. She saw him standing alone in the alcove as the amulet unleashed its power. He battled to stand against the physical pain it caused him.. She attempted to make her way to him, taking down as many undead as she could along the way, that the rays of light had missed and yet to penetrate to dust.
So that he wasn't alone.
"Spike! Oh My God!!" She tried to step as close as she could, but the lights' energy halted any attempt, the heat was just too intense for her. She felt the full throttle of the power that was unleashed from the amulet, and the battle that Spike must be enduring, to sustain such a force of power.
"I can feel it Buffy. I can feel my soul, it's there Buffy. It's really there! It kinda stings though!" Spike tried to express what was happening to her. He could see her attempt to reach him, trying to bring her hand upon him, maybe to reassure him of something. He could hear Faith tell the others to 'get out', and saw the girls run towards him, in an attempt to reach the staircase that lead to a way to safety, behind him.
"Spike"
"Buffy go!" He pleaded with her to go, to get out, to live. "Please just go!"
"No, I can't just leave you here!"
"Go!"
"No, come with me now!"
"I can't....... I have to finish this." Spike felt he knew what he had to do, and he had to do this alone.
"Spike, I need you! It doesn't end here. I NEED YOU!!"
"Buffy please, go!" Spike looked straight at her, "I love you, and you need to live! For them! For me!"
"And I need you! You stupid vampire!!" Buffy pleaded with Spike to end it here and leave with her. The walls of the cavern where collapsing, as the Hellmouth closed over.
"Buffy, go please! I love you!" Spike begged his beloved, but he was getting nowhere fast.
With all the strength that Buffy had left she threw herself at him, as the flames engulfed her body she felt no pain, only the essence of the man she loved. With it finally dawning on her, she held on for dear life, even as Spike tried to throw her off him. Buffy pulled herself tighter onto him with every ounce of strength that she had. She pulled her head back and looked into his eyes.
"Spike you stand next to me, next to me in battle, next to me in conflict, and I forgot to mention, next to me in my life, and next to me in my heart. I love you, you big stupid vampire!!"
With those words, the amulet that lay between then exploded, unleashing an emanating band of light, that penetrated the Slayer and the Vampire, drawing them into oblivion, as it consumed them both........
************************
The yellow bus carried the weary and dying from the battle, all wondering what happened to their leader, friend and sister. It all seemed pointless. She hadn't gotten out. No one could look at Dawn or Giles in the eyes, they all avoided looking at each other, they had won the war, and paid with it in blood.
Blood of the Slayer.
Dawn couldn't suppress the emotions within, her loss and pain erupted forward with her silent tears. She crawled deeply with herself, as her consciousness would allow, grieving the loss of her sister, and her vampire friend. Her family was gone.....her mother, her sister and the man who would have protected them all, putting his life on the life for any of them.
They were all gone.
She couldn't help but just continue to look out the back of the bus at the crater, which was Sunnydale. It looked like a huge meteor had just flattened the town, leaving just a great big dust bowl. The Hellmouth would never open again, it had become the burial plane for the Slayer, in a way it seemed an unfit place for her sister to rest in death.
"Willow," Dawn tried to get her attention, "Willow??"
Willow was tending to the wound Kennedy sustained in battle, defending the witch weakened by the magic she had performed to help them win the fight. Will could hear the sorrow echo in Dawns' voice, and saw the tears that silently ran down her face. Tending her girlfriend for a minute, "I'll be back in a minute", she whispered to her lover.
"Dawnie, I'm sorry sweetie." Willow sat down next to the teen, and embraced what was left of the Summers' family, deep down she had knew this day may come, but she'd ignored it, hoping it would never come to pass. Gently she stroked the girl's hair in a comforting gesture, trying to give reassurance. "I'm here, I'm here, I will always be here for you!"
"Willow, I can't leave her there!"
"Dawnie, she's gone, I cannot feel her life-force."
"God, don't you think I can't feel her too! She's my sister for fucks sake!!"
"Dawn, please sweetie!!"
"I can't leave her there, in that dust bowl! I can't!! She deserves to rest in sacred ground, not scorched earth!"
"Okay, when everything settles we'll go back. We'll find her if we can, okay? Put her to rest in a peaceful place, a proper place and fitting place for her....."
Willow finally noticed that Dawn wasn't paying attention to her, she stopped saying anything. The look on Dawns face said it all. She would never rest until she found her sisters body, and moved it out of the Hellmouth, and to sacred ground. Willow worried, on how she was expected to do it, looking at what was left of Sunnydale; the only thing left was a pile of ashes. The only thing Willow truly wished for was that it had been quick and painless for her friend, and if she was honest enough with herself, that Buffy had found it with her love, so that she hadn't been alone.
That they both hadn't been alone in death.