Chapter II
"Gotta move, lamb," Spike said tenderly to her. "I think it's fair to say school's out for the bloody summer."
The cavern was collapsing at the top and bottom, the actual school falling on the vampires.
"Spike," Buffy begged.
"I mean it," Spike told her. "I gotta do this."
His hand was held up, frozen in his rictus of revelatory pain. Buffy took her own hand, interlocked it with his. A moment... and both their hands burst into flames.
The flame of internal love.
They ignored the fire, and looked at each other.
"I love you," She told him, shaking.
And there it is, then. That girl, Cassie, she told me she would say it. She didn't tell me how, or when... but it's been said.
Now I can go.
He smiled kindly. "No, you don't," He told her. "But thanks for saying it."
A quake rocked them, and Spike pushed her away.
"It's your world up there. Now go!"
She looked at him... and went, bolting for her life while Spike gazed at the destruction in front of him and smiled wickedly.
"I wanna see how it ends," He said. Spike smiled as he was eaten from the inside by the power, and the world fell away from beneath him as he died.
Died a hero.
Died a champion.
Died good.