Reunion
Episode 4 (Part II)
Hotel Parking Lot:
"Buffy?" Giles questioned, slowly standing up, "But you're dead?"
"Almost, but not quite," she replied, "No thanks to you."
She swung her fist, hitting Giles across the jaw. Giles fell backwards to the ground.
"It was right," Wood said aloud, attempting to punch Buffy, "She is trying to kill us."
Buffy caught his fist in mid-swing and gave him a quick punch to the chest. Wood fell back into a seat.
"I'm not trying to kill you," she said, "I'm trying to help you."
Giles crawled up and grabbed her by the legs. She fell on her back, hitting her head on the floor. He took this opportunity to stand up and advance on her.
"We thought we had saved ourselves and everyone by leaving you to die in the collapsing town," Giles told her, "Somehow you escaped, so we're gonna have to kill you ourselves."
Buffy brought her legs up and used them to flip Giles over her. The man smashed through the windshield and landed in the parking lot. Buffy got to her feet and faced an onslaught of punches from Wood. She blocked most of them and then returned the favor.
She managed to knock him out by hitting him into the window. It shattered, knocking him out cold. Buffy turned to face the potentials and Jake.
"Are you all okay?" Buffy questioned.
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine," Jake said, slowly rising to his feet.
He brushed himself off and Julia ran up to help him. She was so scared when Giles and Wood were hitting him. She thought they were going to kill him. She was calm now.
"Look, all of you are coming with me," Buffy informed.
"Where are we going?" Vi questioned.
"I'm not sure yet," she replied, "We're just going somewhere safe."
Buffy bent down and picked up Robin. She tossed him into a seat, and then glanced through the windshield. Giles was still lying in the parking lot, surrounded by glass and was bloody. She turned and faced the girls and Jake.
"Let's go," she said and exited the bus.
The girls and Jake followed her off the bus. They were all so relieved that she had come back and saved them from the two men. Buffy told them to just keep walking down the street. She brought up the rear, Jake led.
That's when she noticed something. Most of the girls were missing, they had died. The only ones remaining were Julia, Danielle, Liz, Vi, Eve, and Ashley. There was also Kennedy. That only left seven girls. She had a big group of them back home in Sunnydale, but now very few were left.
Jake led the girls around the corner and Buffy directed them behind a pizza parlor. They all were puzzled as to why they were there.
"I'll be right back," she told them, "Just stay here."
Buffy walked to the front and entered the parlor. Her friends were all sitting there, eating lunch. Faith looked up and noticed her.
"Hey B!" she called, "Better late than never!"
"Sorry," Buffy replied, coming over to the table, "I had to check something out."
"Oh?" Willow questioned, "Dangerous?"
"No," Buffy answered, "Just something that needed to be taken care of."
"I bet it was tons of fun," Xander put in.
Xander didn't seem himself. He seemed lost, hurt. Buffy snapped out of her thoughts.
"Look, you have to help me find a place for the girls to stay," Buffy blurted out.
"Girls?" Faith questioned.
"You mean the other potential slayers?" Kennedy asked.
"The girls who you left with Giles and Wood," Buffy answered.
"Buffy, you went to the bus and faced them?" Willow questioned.
"Yeah, they're out of the picture for a little while," she replied.
"What'd you do to them?" Kennedy asked.
"Well, Giles is lying in the parking lot, out cold," she informed, "and Wood is lying on the bus, out cold."
"I see," Kennedy said.
"Guys, I really think we should research the thing about them getting possessed," Andrew blurted out.
"Shut up!" Xander snapped.
"We have to find somewhere for the girls to stay," Buffy said, getting back on topic.
That Night:
Buffy and the others had gotten the girls settled into a hotel. It was the same one that the others were staying in. Three girls were in a room and Jake got one to himself. He was relieved to finally get sleep and have a quiet room.
Buffy had to return to Axel's place. She had told him that she'd go with him when he went out slaying. She just hoped she wouldn't have to reveal her identity to him. That was one thing she couldn't do just yet.
"I'm glad you decided to come with me," Axel said as the two walked through Central Park.
"So am I," Buffy lied, "I want to see how you do it."
"Well, you will learn soon enough."
The two continued walking. They hadn't come upon anything yet, just trees and other park objects. Suddenly, out of no where, two vampires sprung out of the bushes.
"There's some!" Axel shouted and pulled out a crossbow.
"What do I do?" Buffy faked panicking.
"Take this," he said, tossing her a stake.
Buffy caught it and stared at it.
"What do I do with this?" she questioned, lying.
"You shoved it into the vampire's heart!" he shouted, "Now let's get them!"
The vampires were now aware of the presence of Axel and Buffy. They weren't prepared for a fight. They dashed off into the trees. Axel ran to the edge of the woods.
"Stay here," he told her, "You should be fine. I'll be right back."
He ran off after the two vampires. Buffy stood there, twirling the stake in her hand. It had been quite a while since she used one. She located a park bench and took a seat on it.
She glanced around, while continuing to twirl the stake. That's when she noticed something lying under a bench on the other side of the clearing. She rose to her feet and headed over to it.
It was a person covered in a thick blanket. She didn't know if they were dead or alive, so she tapped them with her feet. It stirred and she heard a grunt. The person turned over and Buffy noticed that they were wearing a leather duster. She bent down and pulled the blanket off the face. She gasped when she saw the face.
"Spike?" she questioned.
The man jutted awake and looked into the eyes of a young women. She looked very familiar. Somewhere in his mind, he knew who she was. He just couldn't remember though.
Spike was covered in wounds and was in pain. He had just passed the three tests that the demon said that he had to pass. He was exhausted and just wanted to collapse.
"You have endured the required trials," the demon said, staring at Spike from the shadows.
"Bloody right I have!" Spike said, obviously in pain, "So you give me what I want. Make me what I was so Buffy can get what she deserves."
"Very well," the demon said.
It reached out a claw and grasped Spike's chest tightly.
"We will return your soul," it finished.
Spike shouted in pain. Something left the demon's hand and entered his body. His eyes glowed and he collapsed to the ground.
The man rose to his feet. He looked terrified. The vision that just came to him seemed familiar, like the woman. He was also very confused. That's when another vision entered his head.
"It didn't work. Costume. Didn't help. Couldn't hide," he said.
"No more mind games, Spike," she told him.
He looked down at the ground, "No more mind games. No more mind."
Buffy reached for his chest. There were scars there that were healing.
"Tell me what happened to you," she said.
Spike flinched, recoiled, and then looked her in the eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey! No touching. Am I flesh? Am I flesh to you? Feed on flesh. My flesh. Nothing else. Not a spark. Oh, fine. Flesh then. Solid through. Get it hard; service the girl," Spike yelled and began unzipping his jeans.
She smacked away his hand, disgusted, "Stop it!"
Spike reflexively reached up and grabbed her by the throat. Buffy grabbed his arm and threw him across the room. Spike landed on top of some pews, breaking them into pieces. He sat up a little, propped on his elbows behind him.
"Right. Girl doesn't want to be serviced. Because there's no spark. Ain't we in a soddin' engine?" he said.
Spike looked around the room. Buffy walked over to him.
"Spike, have you completely lost your mind?" she asked
"Well, yes. Where've you been all night?"
"You thought you would just come back here and... be with me?"
"First time for everything."
"This is all you get. I'm listening. Tell me what happened."
"I tried to find it, of course."
"Find what?"
"The spark. The missing...the piece that fit. That would make me fit. Because you didn't want...God, I can't...Not with you looking."
Spike stood and walked away to a nearby window. He stood there, mostly in shadow, his body directed away from her. He looked back over his shoulder at her.
"I dreamed of killing you."
Keeping an eye on him, Buffy bent down to pick up a large splinter from the broken pews at her feet to use as a stake, if necessary. Spike started pacing.
"I think they were dreams. So weak. Did you make me weak, thinking of you, holding myself, and spilling useless buckets of salt over your...ending? Angel…he should've warned me. He makes a good show of forgetting, but it's here, in me, all the time. The spark. I wanted to give you what you deserve, and I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn."
Buffy's face showed shock, disbelief and, finally, comprehension.
"Your soul."
"Bit worse for lack of use."
Buffy turned to face him.
"You got your soul back. How?"
"It's what you wanted, right? It's what you wanted, right? And…and now everybody's in here, talking. Everything I did...everyone I…and him...and it...the other, the thing beneath…beneath you. It's here too. Everybody. They all just tell me go...go...to hell.
"Why? Why would you do that…?"
"Buffy, shame on you. Why does a man do what he mustn't? For her. To be hers. To be the kind of man who would nev…to be a kind of man.
Spike walked toward the 6-foot-tall crucifix altarpiece at the front of the chapel.
"And she shall look on him with forgiveness, and everybody will forgive and love. He will be loved."
Spike's stood only a foot away from the crucifix, staring at it.
"So everything's OK, right?"
Spike embraced the crucifix, resting one arm over each side of the cross bar, and rested his head in the corner of the vertex. His body sizzled and smoke rose from where it touched the cross.
"Can…can we rest now? Buffy...can we rest?"
This vision confused him even more. He wondered what was going on. He knew that somehow those two visions were connected. He just couldn't figure out what they had to do with.
Spike suddenly was startled by a sudden jolt of pain.
"Buffy?" Spike called, "Something's happening."
She turned around and looked at him. The amulet around his neck was glowing.
"Spike, what's going on?" she asked.
"I can feel it," Spike shouted, "I can feel my soul…it kind of stings."
Suddenly, a huge column of light shot straight up through the cavern. It went up through the floors of the school and into the sky. It came from the amulet.
This last vision, the man guessed, had to do with the first two. They had something to do with a soul. He just couldn't figure out anything else. He glanced into her eyes again. There was something, something that he couldn't figure out.
This woman looked exactly the same as the woman in his visions. Everything about her was the same as the woman in the visions. He knew this woman. She may have been from his past. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember.
"That amulet, where did you get it?" Buffy questioned, noticing it dangling from his neck.
The man did not answer. He wasn't sure what to do. All he did was sat there thinking who she was and what the visions were about. They were driving him crazy. He didn't look at her again. The man leaped into the woods and kept running.
Buffy wasn't going to lose him again. She took off running after him. Although she couldn't see him, she could hear him tracking through the underbrush. Her slayer senses allowed her to hear it.
The man panicked. He knew that this woman was after him. He was afraid of what she could do to him. He realized one thing though, the woman was awfully familiar. Suddenly, he came into a clearing and ran smack into someone. He fell to the ground.
"What the hell?" the person questioned, glancing down on this man.
The man slowly crawled backwards. He noticed that this person was holding a crossbow. That's when he realized that he was afraid of crossbows, but he couldn't figure out the reason. He crawled back more quickly now.
"Vampire," the person said, aiming the crossbow towards the man, "You picked a bad time to run into me. Now you'll die."
"No!" Buffy yelled as she jumped into the clearing.
"Buffy?" the person questioned.
"No Axel, don't hurt him," Buffy pleaded, "He's not a vampire, he's just a homeless person."
"Are you sure?" Axel asked.
"Yes, I found him sleeping under a bench," she replied, "I guess I must have startled him and he ran off."
"I see," he replied.
"I think we should take him back to your place and give him food and some new clothing," Buffy added.
"Alright," he said, "That would be a nice thing to do."
Axel's Place:
Buffy and Axel had taken the man back to his place. Luckily, Maria and Jason didn't mind at all. The man bathed and Axel gave him new clothing. Afterwards, Buffy brought him some food.
She didn't know why, but this man reminded her of Spike. He even looked like Spike. The amulet around his neck made it seem more coincidental.
"So what's that thing around your neck?" Axel questioned, sitting down next to the man at the table.
The man didn't answer. He just ate the food in silence. Buffy came up and sat down also.
"I don't think he can talk," Buffy informed.
"Oh, well that would explain a lot then," Axel commented, "Well I better be going. I have to finish my job for this evening. Goodbye."
He stood up and headed out the door. Of course, he grabbed his crossbow on the way out. Buffy was relieved when Jason and Maria followed. Now she could talk to this man.
"Who are you?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not sure," the man answered in a raspy voice.
"You look a lot like someone that I once knew," she replied.
"That's strange because I feel the same way," he said, "You look so familiar to me too."
"Maybe I could help you remember who you are," Buffy put in.
"I guess you could. It might be hard though," he said.
"Okay, well where did you realize that you didn't know who you are?" she asked.
"Uh…a few nights ago," he replied, "I woke up in the park."
"Hmm…" Buffy pondered, "Where do you stay during the day?"
"I wander around in the sewers," he answered.
"Why?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," he replied.
"Oh I see," she said, "Well, where'd you get that amulet?"
The man sat there for a second. He was obviously thinking about it. He didn't remember. He just knew that he had found it when he'd woken up and it caught his attention.
"I'm not sure," he replied, "I found it after I woke up."
"That's strange," she said.
"Yes, it is," he agreed.
Suddenly, his head was filled with another vision.
"Give it to me," he stated.
Buffy reached into her pocket, pulling out the amulet.
"Angel said it was meant to be worn by a champion with a soul. He said it was dangerous, something about it having cleansing power."
He looked disappointed, but his expression changed when she placed it in his hand. He placed it around his neck.
"A woman gave it to me," he blurted out.
"Excuse me?" she questioned.
"The woman that looks like you gave it to me," he repeated.
"Oh, that's interesting," she replied.
The man sat in silence again. That's when another vision entered his head.
"Come on, Spike, let's go!" she said pulling his arm, trying to get him move.
"No Buffy, go! Get out of here!" he replied, pushing her away.
She didn't leave his side. The cavern was collapsing all around them. She took her hands and placed them on Spike's hand. She held it tightly. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Fire formed from their lips and hands, but neither moved away in pain.
"I love you, Spike," she said, her hands still holding his.
"No you don't, but thanks for saying it anyway" he replied, "Go on, get out of here!"
Buffy let go of his hands and turned to run. She turned back and looked at him, lying against the seal.
"I love you, Spike," she called and disappeared from the cavern.
"I have to do this," he said, aloud, "I want to see how it ends."
"Did you really mean it?" the man asked.
"Did I mean what?" Buffy questioned.
"Did you mean what you said back there in the cavern?" he repeated.
"The cavern, what are you talking about?" she questioned, now really confused.
"Buffy, did you really mean what you told me before you left me in the cavern?" he repeated once more.
"Oh…my…god," Buffy said in disbelief.
"What's wrong?" the man asked.
"Spike, is it really you?" she asked.
She didn't wait for an answer. She drew close and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
"I think so," Spike replied, "Although I don't remember too much."
"It's okay," she said, "I'll help you remember it all."
"Aww Spikey," Drusilla said, "You're back in your lover's arms."
Spike glanced around, confused. He saw a strange woman, with long black hair.
"Do you think that you stopped me?" she questioned, "Do you think that amulet saved the world?"
Spike was terrified. He had no clue who was talking to him. And apparently Buffy couldn't see or hear this woman.
"She crippled me for a short time," Dru said, "But I cannot be defeated. I followed them here. And this is where they will all die."
"Buffy, I have to go," Spike said, breaking the embrace, "I have to take care of something."
"Alright, but come back?" she asked.
"I'll try," he said.
Spike ran out into the night. He ran and kept on running until he reached the park again. He was scared. He wanted to know what was talking to him back there. Maybe it was just another vision.
"You think that you saved everyone?" Drusilla questioned, appearing next to him in the park.
"Go away!" Spike shouted, "Leave me alone!"
"You thought that sacrificing yourself would defeat me?" she asked.
"Who are you?" he questioned.
"You thought that you'd be happy, thought you received redemption," Dru went on, "But there's always a price to pay with the Powers."
"What are you talking about?" he asked her.
"They sent you back," Drusilla informed, "You cannot leave this town. You are bound to this town because of the amulet."