Epilogue
They chugged east, a three truck caravan trying desperately to stay out of sight. Xander and Spike knew where all the bases were for at least 500 miles, so they could easily avoid them. After that, they'd just have to be careful.
They were only moving at night for now, until Spike and the newly-turned Xander had time to adjust fully to the sunlight. During the day, they took turns watching out for demon hordes that might try to steal their food, and listening to the army's movements through the CB's radio traffic, while the rest of the refugees slept.
Spike marveled at how incompetent the vampire army could truly be. They were yet to realize what had happened to the unaccounted for transport trucks. It was assumed that they'd been checked out for some reason, and the soldiers attending them had been killed or had deserted. According to the bulletins that had come through the day after the incident, more than 90% of the soldiers at Outpost 14 were lost to "some sort of freak accident," including they believed Commander Rupert Giles, General William Donovan, Colonel Alexander Harris and all of the Council Heads. The remaining troops on the base had been on-duty in the outpost buildings, and had no idea what had occurred. An investigation was on-going.
Spike was taking the first shift of guard duty, perched on the roof of one of the transports. It was a cool, damp morning with an overcast that seemed to threaten rain. He held a plastic mug of coffee between his hands, moving carefully to keep a flannel blanket around his shoulders.
The sunlight wasn't the only thing he'd had to adjust to. None of his senses were as sharp as they had been. His body felt weak and tired, and he ached from head to toe most of the time. He was almost painfully aware of even a slight change in temperature, something he'd been completely oblivious to as a vampire. The strangest thing was his heartbeat. He could actually hear it sometimes, pounding in his ears, and it kept him awake everytime he lay down the sleep.
He'd come to understand some things since he'd been changed. His body was equipped with organs (vampire research had catalogued and named them all many centuries ago, but had never explained what they were for) that seemed more or less useless. Only, once he'd become human, they started to function again, as though they were always meant to. As though, in becoming human, he'd gone back to his true, his intended, nature. He may have been wrong, but at least it gave him something to think about during the long hours on guard duty.
A noise came from behind him, startling him from his thoughts. "It's butt-cold out here," Buffy said, climbing up to sit next to him. She was wrapped in a blanket and, underneath it, she was wearing a sweater that Spike hadn't seen in years.
"So that's what happened to my sweater."
She grinned. "I had to take something with me."
Spike's face dropped just slightly. "It should have been me. I should have gone with you."
Her smile faltered just slightly, then brightened again. She reached down and took his hand. "Don't you get it, Spike? You did come with me. When it really counted, you were at my side."
He glanced around at the landscape, blinking back tears. "I'm just glad I finally did something right," he sniffed, wiping his eyes. His emotions were haywire, too, as a result of being human, and he hated that part. At least Xander was going through the same thing, which eased the embarrassment some.
Buffy cuddled up beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. "You're here. Let's forget about the rest."
He wrapped his arm and blanket around her shoulders, holding her close. "Sounds good to me."
His heart skipped a beat when she brushed her lips across his, and he smiled. Oh yeah, he thought as she wrapped her arms around him, this is definitely worth it.
They chugged east, a three truck caravan trying desperately to stay out of sight. Xander and Spike knew where all the bases were for at least 500 miles, so they could easily avoid them. After that, they'd just have to be careful.
They were only moving at night for now, until Spike and the newly-turned Xander had time to adjust fully to the sunlight. During the day, they took turns watching out for demon hordes that might try to steal their food, and listening to the army's movements through the CB's radio traffic, while the rest of the refugees slept.
Spike marveled at how incompetent the vampire army could truly be. They were yet to realize what had happened to the unaccounted for transport trucks. It was assumed that they'd been checked out for some reason, and the soldiers attending them had been killed or had deserted. According to the bulletins that had come through the day after the incident, more than 90% of the soldiers at Outpost 14 were lost to "some sort of freak accident," including they believed Commander Rupert Giles, General William Donovan, Colonel Alexander Harris and all of the Council Heads. The remaining troops on the base had been on-duty in the outpost buildings, and had no idea what had occurred. An investigation was on-going.
Spike was taking the first shift of guard duty, perched on the roof of one of the transports. It was a cool, damp morning with an overcast that seemed to threaten rain. He held a plastic mug of coffee between his hands, moving carefully to keep a flannel blanket around his shoulders.
The sunlight wasn't the only thing he'd had to adjust to. None of his senses were as sharp as they had been. His body felt weak and tired, and he ached from head to toe most of the time. He was almost painfully aware of even a slight change in temperature, something he'd been completely oblivious to as a vampire. The strangest thing was his heartbeat. He could actually hear it sometimes, pounding in his ears, and it kept him awake everytime he lay down the sleep.
He'd come to understand some things since he'd been changed. His body was equipped with organs (vampire research had catalogued and named them all many centuries ago, but had never explained what they were for) that seemed more or less useless. Only, once he'd become human, they started to function again, as though they were always meant to. As though, in becoming human, he'd gone back to his true, his intended, nature. He may have been wrong, but at least it gave him something to think about during the long hours on guard duty.
A noise came from behind him, startling him from his thoughts. "It's butt-cold out here," Buffy said, climbing up to sit next to him. She was wrapped in a blanket and, underneath it, she was wearing a sweater that Spike hadn't seen in years.
"So that's what happened to my sweater."
She grinned. "I had to take something with me."
Spike's face dropped just slightly. "It should have been me. I should have gone with you."
Her smile faltered just slightly, then brightened again. She reached down and took his hand. "Don't you get it, Spike? You did come with me. When it really counted, you were at my side."
He glanced around at the landscape, blinking back tears. "I'm just glad I finally did something right," he sniffed, wiping his eyes. His emotions were haywire, too, as a result of being human, and he hated that part. At least Xander was going through the same thing, which eased the embarrassment some.
Buffy cuddled up beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. "You're here. Let's forget about the rest."
He wrapped his arm and blanket around her shoulders, holding her close. "Sounds good to me."
His heart skipped a beat when she brushed her lips across his, and he smiled. Oh yeah, he thought as she wrapped her arms around him, this is definitely worth it.