Chapter 6

Homesick

Buffy couldn't stand to be in the crypt any longer. "Spike, I want to go home. I'm getting sick of this place. How can you stand it here?"

Spike smirked. "No, No luv' we'll have none of that. It's not time for you to go home yet, and plus. How could you possibly get there with that beautiful sun out there?" he opened the door just a creak to let a ray of light come in, Buffy was standing in the way and it began to scorch her arm. She growled and stepped away quickly.

"You jerk!" she lunged for Spike and pinned him to the ground.

"Mmm. I just love it when you get rough. Care for a little rough and tumble?"

She quickly realized what he meant and got off of him. "I can't take this anymore Spike! Just let me go ho-"

"No! And have them see you like that? Plus, that would just ruin our plans."

"And that would be?"

"To kill them of course." He had a grin on his face.

Buffy's eyes widened at what she had just heard. "Are you crazy? You expect me to kill my friends and family?"

"Well I sure as bloody hell can't." he points to his head referring to the chip that was placed there. "You need to understand that this is the best for the both of us. They would never understand, never let us be together. They would stake me in a heartbeat. Don't you want to be with me? I did this for you-us." He looked at her pleadingly.

"Yes I want to be with you. But isn't there another way around this? Can't we just talk?" spike snorted.

"Please. Like that has ever worked." She shot him a dirty look. "Look, I'll make it easier for you, I'll round them up and I'll hold them down." She turned to leave. Spike grabbed her arm and whipped her around.

"Why the bloody hell would you want to protect them? You always had to look out for them and yourself at the same time! All they ever did was get in your way!" He did have a point there but she tried to wipe that from her mind.

"You were the one that was always in my way!"

"But at least I can defend myself! Not like your lil' scoobies that barely have the strength to drive a stake through my heart."

He had made his point once again and she knew it, she was losing against him. "Bu-"

"But nothing Buffy! You know I'm right. The only thing left to do is just get rid of the problem." She looked down. He was right, she was getting tired of always having to look after them. She almost died protecting them during a fight and she didn't want to do it anymore. She also know that no matter how much time would go by, she would always have to look after them which wasn't the job of the Slayer. If it weren't for her they'd all be dead. "Not a single thank you." She thought to herself. "He's right, I'm so sick of having to look after them constantly. Can't they just look after themselves for once and leave me the hell alone?"

Spike was noticing that she was arguing with herself. "So I'm right aren't I?"

She rolled her eyes and walked away from him. He was, she just didn't want to admit it out loud. She hated it when he was right.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was the next morning and Dawn and Willow were ready to head out.

"Dawn!" Willow called out from the bottom of the stairs "you ready?"

"Yea! I'm coming!" she came hurrying down the stairs putting the finishing touches on her ponytail. "Where exactly ARE were going? Picnic?" she was pointing to the little bag that Willow was carrying.

"Oh!..no. I want you to take me to where you supposedly saw Buffy." Dawn's face fell. "There's a spell I found in which I can see if someone has been at a certain place. Tara should be here in a minute or so." As soon as she said that there was a knock at the door, Dawn went and answered it.

"Hey Tara!" she said with a smile on her face.

"Hey Dawnie." She stepped inside. "I got all t-the stuff." She walked over and kissed her girlfriend. "Did you get the personal item?"

"Yup, a necklace that I got out of Buffy's jewelry box."

Dawn took one look at it and realized it was the one that Angel had given to her when they first met many years ago. "I thought she had gotten rid of that." She said to herself.

They headed out the door and down the street to where Dawn said she thought she saw her sister. They approached the bushes and Dawn led them through.

She sighed, "Here we are."

Willow and Tara looked around and began to set up. They placed some candles in a circle, lit them, and placed the necklace in the center with sand around it. They stood back and began chanting. Dawn couldn't understand what they were saying, but it sounded like Latin. Soon after the chanting began something was beginning to happen. Blue orbs of light came up from the center of the circle and they were floating, then all of a sudden they got bright. They all shielded their eyes from the light and they exploded. Willow fell to the ground too in shock to say anything.

"N-No." tears were streaming down her face. "This c-can't be." She looked at Tara. "I made a mistake, we need to do it again."

Dawn was confused; she had no idea what was going on. "Uhhh guys? What was that all about?"

Willow looked up at her, "It means that Buffy is.is.. dead."

Her eyes widened and she stepped back. "NO! YOUR LYING!"

"I wish I was, but.."

"Oh my god, this can't be. Not again! Why?" she fell down to the floor sobbing. And Tara was comforting her lover as best as she could. But what they didn't know that near by Buffy was watching from the shadows. Out of sight and out of reach.

"No I'm not. I'm right here. I'm not dead. Dawn, it's ok, I'm right here." It tore her apart to see her friends and family like that but she knew what she had to do to end their pain.