Author's Note: When I get on a roll, I get on a roll. All of the lovely reviews from new and old readers keep the ball rolling. But if you, dear reader, should find yourself with an unfulfilled hunger from reading this story, maybe you should check out my other stories: Arkhangelsk, The Dead Cannot Die, and From Beaneth You it Devours. Yes I am a shameless self promoter, but someone has to be. I might also be getting some of my older single chapter BtVS short stories up here. Okay, you got me, I only have one, but it's about Faith, and who doesn't love a little Faith sometimes? (BTW: Eliza's new show sucks, I can't believe she gave up an opportunity to be the spin off queen for this crap). I'll shut up now. But keep the reviews coming! Also if you find yourself bored check out my favorite stories, I'm sure you'll find something you like in there.

When I woke up, Spike was gone. From the indent on the pillow next to me though, I know he was here. It was the sunshine that woke me up. He must have reopened the shades before he left, because I woke up bathed in sunlight. A luxury I would soon not be able to enjoy. I got out of bed and showered and dressed and did all my normal generic morning crap. These mundanities would surely pass over into my unlife.

I went downstairs to find Willow, Tara, Dawn, Xander and Giles asleep at the dining room table. There were books scattered all over the place, Willow was face down in her laptop. I did my best to sneak into the kitchen to make coffee. It was moments like this that I wished I could drive, it would have been nice to go out and get a box of doughnuts, but instead they were going to have to settle for various sugar coated cereals or pancakes. I heard rustling coming from the dining room, and a very sleep Willow walked into the kitchen. There were a few computer keys impressioned into her face. I laughed at her.

"What? Is there drool?" she asked.

"No, more like Enter, Shift and perhaps an apostrophe."

"Oh, keyboard face, even better. How are you?"

"Surprisingly okay with my imminent death."

"We did a lot of research last night. I think we can pretty confidently say you won't be a souless blood sucking fiend. More like a sipping pigs blood from a novelty mug fluffy puppy vampire-fiend."

"Yeah, Tara had mentioned something about that. I figured if anything you could resoul me like you did with Angelus."

"No, we also found a way to tether your soul, so even if the slayer keeping her soul thingy is wrong, we'll have your soul on lock down."

"That's good."

"But we haven't found any way around this whole Buffy dies senario. We'll keep looking."

"You have until Saturday."

"Why?"

"Because on Saturday I'm going to die. I like to pencil things like death into my day planner. Makes everything so much easier."

"But, I mean maybe another week and we can find something. Isn't this a bit, I don't know, hasty?"

"Hasty-schmasty, it's my decision, and it's final."

"Okay. Is there anything you want to do before, you know, before you get a sudden sun allergy?"

"I was thinking we should go to the beach, maybe Disneyland. Otherwise pretty much everything else can be done at night. But I was feeling the call of the ocean, and the sun. I might even forego an SPF due to lack of future skin cancer risk."

"You wild thing. Yeah, that sounds nice. We'll pack up a picnic and get the whole gang together, maybe Xander will even grill."

"Do we trust him with matches?"

"I think it's a safe bet that he won't be burning down the sandy beaches anytime soon." Willow grabbed a cup of coffee, "I'll go wake the masses, tell them the plan. A day off of all this research will probably be good for us."

"But you just started the research."

"Yeah, but we can research tonight. I think there are some things that are a bit more important right now, things like you." Willow left, and I grabbed my cup of coffee and went out on the back porch.

I was startled when Anya materialized before me.

"You ran off, and we didn't get to go out and consume alcoholic beverages."

"Sorry, something more important came up."

"What that whole schpiel about you dying? Really it's not that bad, and immortality has its advantages, I mean you'll never need to moisturize again."

"Thanks for the tip."

"No problem. Also you will never need to use condoms or anything. But you've been having sex with Spike so I doubt you have been using them anyways. Not like he's a pregnancy threat right? Do you think he'd be interested in more sex with me? He was very good, and I think with our combined demon stamina we could break Sting's record."

"Let's just pretend you never said that okay? What's up Anya?"

"I talked to the boys. Strange little men those two. The blonde one was attempting to talk to his elbow. He was delusionally believing that they could communicate with Warren that way."

"Did you find anything out?"

"Besides that they know nothing, and have a deep seated fear of men named Bubba?"

"Damn."

"Neither one has seen or talked to Warren since he rocket-manned his way out of there. The blonde one thinks that Warren is going to rescue them. I can't believe these guys were a threat. They are kind of stupid."

"So I guess they had nothing to do with Spike's chip going missing."

"I'm thinking thats a big no. But something strange did happen. I went to see D'Hoffryn, and he was talking to someone new. He doesn't pick up new recuits often, and I'm pretty sure I would have heard that there was a new member of the fold. Even Hallie hadn't heard and she knows all the gossip. He was very familiar, as if I've seen him someplace before. But I mean, I've been around for a while, so that doesn't mean much."

"Familiar? What did he look like?"

"Dark hair, about so high, really nothing remarkable about him."

"Terrific. Well, I'm still suspicious of Warren. He's capable of almost anything, and well, I just know he had something to do with Spike's chip going missing."

"I wish I could be of more help. So when's the big day?"

"The big day?"

"Err, I should probably say night. When are you getting turned?"

"Next Saturday."

"Saturday's are good for that sort of thing."

"I thought so. Hey, we're gonna go to the beach for the day, want to come with?"

"Hmm, I have a 3:30 de-spining. Seriously Buffy, if you had any idea how uncreative women are these days, you'd be so disappointed in your gender. If I have to hear 'I wish he was just the spineless jelly fish that he acts like' one more time, I'm actually going to go mad."

"I wish I could say I can sympathize, but I can't."

"I'll stop out at the beach before that though. Will Xander be grilling?"

"It's a distinct possibility."

"Then I'll bring something to eat, or eat before I get there. I'll see you later." With one grand motion she was gone again. I wish I could teleport, I bet it's even more fun than being invisible.

I went back into the house, gathered up Dawn's and my stuff, and helped pack up the car. I did pull Giles aside and appologize, but I think he kind of understood why I freaked on him. Then we headed off for the beach. It was unseasonably warm. I mea it's spring, it shouldn't be warm enough for beaching. But it was, or maybe none of us cared that it was cooler out, we were just happy to get this moment. One of our last hangin' in the sun Scooby meetings. I have 2 days, 2 days left to live, and for some reason, I still barely feel alive.

I had sent Giles over to Buffy's house and then went to her house myself. I didn't want her to be alone tonight. I hate the thought of her ever being alone again. I'm also scared to death about what I need to do this Saturday. Another slayer's blood in my system. Two years ago, the idea would have thrilled me beyond belief, but now it just fills me with sadness.

I'm going to be responsible for her. I've never been very good at that sort of thing. Sure, I could take care of Dru, but that was really only after Prague. For as bat-shit crazy as the girl was, before Prague she didn't need me to care for her. And after I cured her, she did the taking care of. It was strange, but sometimes I think she thought of me as nothing more than a glorified, taller Miss Edith. She once tried to make me have tea with her and everything.

But Buffy wasn't Dru. She would never be Dru, thank god. She'd never rip the throat out of a child. She'd never have a penchant for priests. She'd never taste the blood of a human if I could prevent it.

I left just before dawn. I had enough time to get back to the crypt, and now here I am. Just me and my thoughts. Well that and Jeopardy. I fancy myself to be pretty good at Jeopardy, if only because after 125 plus years I've come to know a thing or two. Soon though I may have a daytime companion. I can't imagine she's going to come rushing to my arms for me to teach her all about what she's become. If only because she knows. She kills our kind every single day. I won't have to teach her not to touch crosses, or to avoid holy water at all costs. She knows about invitations, stakes and beheadings. She knows we don't sleep in coffins, nor do we turn into bats. Well most of us anyways. She's not your average stupid human, but then again she's not really average in any sense of the word now is she?

I've decided I'm not going to bury her. She's had enough experience clawing her way out of a coffin, I don't think she needs any more. Plus, s'not like we really need to hold another funeral. I don't think she should rise at home though either. If there is something wrong, if her soul isn't there, I don't want the lot of them to have to see it. I don't want them to see her first game face. I don't think they realize what's really going to happen to her. I am going to stay with her until she wakes again, and then she will make her own decisions on what to do, and where to go, and how this whole plan is going to work. I'm leaving it up to her.

I never intended this to happen. After she told me about heaven, well I sort of swore to myself that no matter what happened to her, I was going to make sure she got back there. I will never make it there, but she deserves it. She's as close to heaven as I'll ever get, and if that's any indication of how sweet heaven really is, I don't think I'd be able to handle all of it any ways. But now, I have to do this for her, as much as it's going to kill me to do it. See I might be souless and now chipless, but that doesn't mean I can't feel bad for the poor girl. I'm pretty sure she has the karmic luck of a cockroach.

While she's busy living out what remains of her life, I sit here, waiting for her death. Sick isn't it? Some part of me is so damn thrilled with the prospects of keeping her with me for an eternity, while another part curses me for ever thinking such a thought. Funny thing, I don't have a soul, but when it comes to her, sometimes I feel so much that it's hard for me to believe I'm really empty inside. Maybe she's my soul, my conscious, because I just couldn't bare to hurt her.

**Sorry this is so short... it's kinda a filler chapter, or something. Yeah. Filler.