Part 8: Something Different

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"What's the word Faith?"

"All systems go, B."

"Good."

Buffy, Faith, Spike and the others walked forward to the edge of a cliff, where they could look out and see thousands upon thousands of Turok-Han below them on the floor of the hellmouth.

"I'm not worried." Buffy said more to herself than for the others around her.

The snarling Turok-Han army below took notice of them, and rushed towards the cliff where Buffy and the others were positioned.

"I'm not worried." Buffy said again, fearlessly this time.

The battle began.

"Buffy!" Spike called out from where he was standing.

"Spike!"

The amulet began to activate, and started to shoot out what looked like rays of sunshine, which started dusting Turok-Hans in every direction, till all were nowhere to be seen. The ground started to shake, the building started to collapse, and Faith and the others left as ordered.

Buffy rushed to Spike.

"I can feel it, Buffy."

"What?"

"My soul... It's really there…. kind of stings."

The amulet continued to shine, making Spike glow along with it.

"Go on, then."

"No. No, you've done enough. You could still—"

"No, you've beat them back. It's for me to do the cleanup."

The walls continued to crumble around them.

"Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer."

"Spike!"

"Buffy, this isn't the best time to be stubborn. Now I mean it! I gotta do this." He put his right hand up to stop her from moving any closer, not wanting her to get hurt.

Buffy laced her fingers through Spike's. A burst of flame surrounded their joined hands.

"I love you." Buffy said simply looking into his eyes, and wasn't surprised to feel tears in her own.

A thousand images; messages of past moments, moments shared between the two of them were playing in his head, showing anything and everything they had gone through. And all he could see was Buffy's beautiful tear streaked face with eyes that held nothing but truth, telling him that she loved him and meant it. Then he realized Buffy's intentions. She was going to stay. But he knew that he couldn't let that happen, not after everything. He knew what he had to do to save his slayer, his girl, his love. "Look at me, Buffy."

"Spike…no, don't ask me to leave, you can't—"

"Buffy, listen…if what you said was true and I know it is, then you would do this for me. I need you too."

"I have to—"

"No, you don't." He knew what she was going to say, being Buffy, she would want to put all the weight on her shoulders, bear it all. But she's done enough, too much for this world.

Another earthquake rippled through causing Buffy to let go of his hand.

With everything he had left, he poured into the last two words Buffy will hear from him. "Now, go!"

Confused, as to why he wouldn't just let her try to do something, she looked at him, searched his eyes, searching for an answer, and that's when she knew. He was doing this because he loved her.

Another tremor shook the surface, telling her the next one would be the last. She tore her eyes away from Spike's and without looking back, she ran.

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-Wolfram & Hart, present-

"Giles tells me that it had something to do with when you got your soul." Buffy informed Spike.

Angel looked on, broody as always.

Xander, bored and thinking of how dull the office looks, leaned back.

Alex, totally amused with the one holding him, called out "teyeaeha" and laughed again, patting Spike's face.

"My soul?" Spike asked totally fascinated with what Buffy had just said.

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-Africa-

"You have endured the required trials." The demon said to him.

"Bloody right I have."

Slowly, painfully, Spike rolled onto his side and pushed himself up onto his knees. His face was swollen and bruised. More bruises, burns and other injuries covered his chest and arms and who knows where else. "So you'll give me what I want. Make me what I was. So Buffy can get what she deserves?"

"Very well." The demon replied, his eyes aglow.

Spike watched the demon nervously and anticipated what was to come.

"We will return..." The demon's hand reached out toward Spike's chest. "...your soul."

The hand touched his chest making it glow a fiery yellow-orange, his eyes flashed the same color. He threw back his head and screamed in pain.

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-Wolfram & Hart, present-

"Yeah, when you got your soul..." Buffy confirmed. "I'm guessing that wasn't the ONLY gift you won."

At his awed look, she continued, "After what we did– shared-- that last day in Sunnydale…" Buffy explained, "then the..." she smiled, "outcome, Alex, well it proves there is something different about you, doesn't it?

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TBC...

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A/N(s): Yes, I borrowed from the actual script to write parts of the flashbacks. Thanks to buffyworld for use of their transcripts.