HUGE NOTE: Unless the chapter is entitled "Epilogue" it is NOT, I repeat, NOT the last chapter. Thank you.

Special Thanks:

Gigi13: I hope to convert you into a Spawn shipper!

Saifai: Thank you! The fight was the hardest thing in the world to write! I had the choreography from the episode but I wanted to write it in a way that the reader got something new out of it. So thank you. And again, thanks for understanding about the age thingy. Dawn is 12. As much of a Spawner as I am, no one can really be in love with someone when you're that age. But that doesn't stop me from inferring to things that may occur when she gets older… smirk

Tempete, lepetitemorte, bloodykey: Thanks for being loyal. Can't wait to see what you think about this chapter.

Naughty169420: Hey! I haven't seen you around for a while. I'm glad that you still like the fiction and hope you read and enjoy the next part.

Spikaholic101: Thank you! Just wanted to tell you that I LURVED Not So Little and cannot wait for the rest. For all my fans who have not read Not So Little, I suggest you do so after reading my chapter!

Enn-Enn: I love that you always tell me your favorite line. It really helps! Keep it up, girl!

Cali-luv: It has been a while, I'm glad you found a way back to me!

JaD, Alixtii, cole (I love Charmed!), wiccanlover (I heart wicca!), whoo!: Ah, I remember being a first time reviewer. Thank you for reviewing. I hope you do it again. More so, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

PART EIGHT

"I just don't know what's got into me. It's just a prayer for the dying... for the dying." Prayer for the Dying by Seal

She didn't know how long she was there. All she knew was that now she was walking. Almost like a puppet being pulled by strings, Buffy walked away from what she had done. She just walked and walked, each block looking the same to her dead eyes. The faint tapping noise of her feet was all she heard. Suddenly, she felt willed to look up. She was in front of her house, not her home. Her home was in hell. She opened the door quietly, knowing her mother would be asleep right now. She barely noticed the house was in disarray until she saw a laundry basket turned over in the hall in front of her bedroom. She bent down slowly and picked up a red sweater that caught her eye. It was too small for her and her mother, who could it belong to? Her eyes turned to the purple room and suddenly it hit her.

Dawn. She had forgotten completely about Dawn. Dawn, her whole reason for entering that hell, and she had forgotten her. She blinked and suddenly woke up. She frantically searched for her sister, looked for her everywhere. She called out her name over and over, but she couldn't think. The hospital, Dawnie was hurt. She had to be at the hospital. Forgetting her original plan, Buffy ran out of her house as fast as possible, barely remembering to close the door behind her.

Spike had arrived with Dawn a half an hour ago. He stayed with her as long as he could but he realized he had to leave when he heard that the nurse was calling Joyce. He caressed the girl's cheek. It was time to say goodbye. He leaned down, his lips leaving the barest echo of a kiss on her lips.

"Goodbye, lil' bit," he whispered before turning on his toe and leaving. He wouldn't see her again for another two years.

Buffy entered the hospital, being sure to avoid where most people were. She didn't want to run into her mother, it would stop her from doing what had to be done. However, when she turned the next corner, she practically ran into her mother's back. She whipped back and stood there, listening.

"Your daughter," the doctor paused, obviously not knowing her name.

"Dawn," Joyce said quickly.

"Yes, Dawn. Well, she's been through some trauma. We can't figure out how exactly she obtained all these wounds, but her body has shut down. She has gone into a comatose state and we don't know when or if she will wake up. Now-," but after these words Buffy wasn't listening.

Dawn was asleep now and they didn't know if she would wake up. Slowly, she traveled around the hallway and snuck into Dawn's room. She shut the door and locked it.

She never noticed how small she was before. Surrounded by all the machines, beeping and assuring her that Dawn was still alive, it suddenly hit her how small and fragile Dawn was. Buffy approached her younger sister slowly, and touched her arm. She pulled away quickly, startled by the cold flesh.

"Oh Dawnie, look at what I've done..." Buffy whispered, touching her sister's hair.

She noticed all the cuts that was scattered along Dawn's body. Slowly, she caressed the girl's hair. Her girl, it was hers, she was hers. A sudden rush of possession filled her. She leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm going away, Dawnie. I don't know where. But I promise, the second you wake up, I'll know. And when you do, I'll come back. I will always protect you," she whispered.

Just then she heard the door rattling, someone was coming. She glanced at her sister one last time, soaking her in. She left quickly and soundlessly, not leaving any trace that she had been there. Her mother could barely smell Buffy's perfume when she entered the room seconds later. She had lost one daughter and was about to loose another. She couldn't stop the tears; nothing could stop the pain from consuming her.

Later, when Joyce returned home to take a shower, she noticed the door to Buffy's room was opened. She had shut it earlier because she couldn't stand the fact that she had just kicked out her own flesh and blood.

"Buffy?" she called out hopefully.

The first thing she felt was the cold breeze that hit her side from the open window. Clothes were strewn randomly about. Later, she would discover that Dawn's favorite red sweater was also missing. She didn't have to glance at the closet to know Buffy's suitcase was gone. She knew the second she spotted the note nestled on Buffy's bed, snuggled warmly between two shirts. She slowly stepped toward it, delaying every second it took to read the letter. Her hands were trembling when she picked up it up. She finally glanced at the words, written carefully in her daughter's handwriting.

Dear Mom,

There is nothing I can say to express how sorry I am for all the trouble I have caused you. I have to do this... I can't make pretend anymore. Something happened tonight, something that I can't fully explain to you. All you need to know is that I have to leave and I know I'm not coming back for a while.

Joyce stopped. Her eyes blurred so badly that she couldn't read the rest of the letter. Sobbing openly, Joyce clutched the letter to her chest. She was alone now and there was nothing she could do.

Meanwhile, at Sunnydale High, the rest of the Scoobie gang was also feeling the absence of their most beloved leader. Oz slowly pushed Willow around the campus with Cordelia strolling along beside them. Giles and Xander came up from behind them, although their progress was hindered by Giles' slight limp.

"Willow, are you sure you should be out of bed?" he asked, clearly concerned.

She smiled at him. "Look who's talking."

Giles returned the smile with a small one of his own. "Yes."

Cordelia broke the conversation in two words. "Any word?"

Xander sighed. "You guys haven't seen her either?"

Willow shook her head, "No."

Oz tried to be optimistic. "But we know the world didn't end 'cause," he paused to look around, "check it out."

Giles slowly took off his glasses and squinted. "Well, we, uh... we went back to the mansion. It was empty, um... and Acathla was, was... dormant." He slowly stuttered through it, not needing to mention that Buffy wasn't there either.

Willow continued to be optimistic. "I think the spell worked. I felt something go through me."

Cordelia smiled. "Plus the orb did that cool glow thing."

Xander tried not to let it show how glad he was that Angel was gone, and failed. "Well, maybe it wasn't in time. Maybe she had to kill him before the cure could work."

Oz shrugged. "Well, then, she'd want to be alone, I guess."

Willow felt the optimism start to drain out of her but continued onwards. "Or maybe Angel was saved, and they want to be alone together."

"Perhaps," Giles sighed.

Cordelia again tried to be hopeful. "Well, she's got to show up sooner or later. We still have school."

"Yeah," Willow said faintly, searching the crowd for her best friend. "She'll be here in a while."

But subconsciously Willow knew that Buffy wouldn't be coming back, not for a while. But she still had hopes. Maybe Buffy would return after all. She couldn't be far.

Buffy watched as her friends walked into the school from her hiding spot from behind the tree. She never thought she'd miss school, but she did. She was going to miss her friends but she couldn't stand being here. Too many memories, good and bad, swamped her. Everywhere she was, he was too, like ghost haunting her constantly. A light breeze brushed her hair behind her ear, and she could have sworn she smelled Angel's cologne. No longer being able to stand there, she turned away from the school. She never looked back.

Nothing else made sense for a while. Everything was mechanical. It was only until she felt the rumble of the engine beneath her that she woke from the trance. She watched as the bus passed by her home and by the hospital. She placed her hand on the glass and prayed for her sister. Once the hospital was out of her eyesight, Buffy's heart hid inside its stone barrier once more. She was calm once again. She barely glanced at the sign as they passed it, trying not to allow the words register in her mind.

NOW LEAVING SUNNYDALE

Come back soon!

…

What will happen to Dawn? To Buffy? Will Dawn ever wake up? Review and find out…

Yours Eternally,

CS