I know it's been forever since I last updated, and I'm really really sorry. Here's the third chapter for Moving On.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Buffy.

When they left his crypt, Willow and Tara were in front of Dawn and Spike, both groups were in conversation, but Spike noticed Willow looking back and giving him a small smile. He dismissed it as her still feeling guilty about what happened.

"Did you mean what you said?" spike looked over and seen Dawn looking at the ground.

"Ev'ry work. I'll be dust before I'd let anything happen to you." He put his arm around you and kissed the top of her head.

They headed for home in silence.

They were almost out of the cemetery when four experienced (but not quite master) vamps came behind them. "Alright Spike, your says of fighting for the Slayer are over."

Spike turned to Tara. "Glenda, take the Bit and get our of here!"

"But Spike-"

"Go Niblet, I'll see you back at the house."

She ran to Tara and Willow ran to Spike's side, ready to fight.

"Red," the vamps were starting to close in. "You should get away while you can."

"No way! I'm not going to let you fight this alone."

"Willow-" Spike started seriously, but Willow interrupted him.

"I'm not going. You can't beat them alone."

"Yes I can. And if I can't... It doesn't matter. Just get the hell out of here! I don't want to have to worry about you." But it was too late now for Willow to do or say anything,

One of the vamps attacked Willow while the three others moved in on Spike. He punched and kicked at them, blocking most of their hits but barely getting any in. He turned when he heard Dawn scream. Tara was on the ground and Dawn was trying to pull out of the fourth vampire's grip. "Dawn!" Spike tried to get to her, but the two vampires surrounding him made that impossible. "Willow... a little magic would be useful right about now."

She had just staked her vamp when she turned to look at Spike and noticed the situation.

Spike managed to stake one while Willow used her magic to blow the other one off its feet.

Spike ran over to Dawn as fast as he could. The vamp had one arm around Dawn, one arm behind her, and had just sunk his teeth into her neck. "Dawn!" He reached out to get her away from the vampire.

"Spike... No!" Dawn managed to call out.

As soon as Spike touched Dawn, the vampire pulled out a really long stake from behind Dawn and thrust it toward Spike's chest.

Luckily Dawn knew what the vamp was going to do and had the use of her legs. She kicked Spike in the stomach, making him bend forward just in time for the stake to miss his heart.

He stood their shocked for a second, not realizing what just happened until he looked down and sine the stake protruding from his chest, and from the feel of it, it seemed to have gone all the way through him.

Tara had just gotten off the ground (she was unconscious) and was looking to see what was happening and if there was any way she could help.

The vamp let go of Dawn and she fell to the ground. A blow to the head had knocked her out.

After dropping her, the vampire landed a powerful kick over Spike's heart, which sent him flying backward and into Tara. Forcing the stake sticking through him to pierce her heart.

As they fell to the ground, Spike could hear her breathing stop and could feel her heart cease to beat.

His dream flashed before his eyes, the part he forgot. Tara dying. His fault.

"N-no""

He went to pull the stake out of his chest but when his hand came in contact with it, pain shot through him like fire, causing him to yell in pain.

The vamp was standing over him. "You know... that's a real pretty thing you were trying to protect." He put his foot on top of the stake and pressed down, forcing Spike to wince. "Don't worry..." the vamp reached down and yanked the stake out of Spike's chest. "I'll take real good care of her." He smiled evily and raised the stake, ready to plunge it into Spike's heart.

Images of what could happen to Dawn flashed through his mind. Anger raged through him as he bit back the pain and kicked the stake out of the vamp's hands before it could pierce his skin. He groaned and gripped the stake wound just below his collarbone, the pain almost unbearable.

As soon as he was on his feet, the vamp sent a kick to Spike's head, which he painfully blocked.

'Can't give up' Spike thought with gritted teeth, 'If I do who knows what will happen to Dawn.'

He ducked and blocked every hit, barely getting any in, knowing that if even one got through it would be all over for him. However, one did get through. The vamp punched him in the stomach then flipped him over his head and threw him into the ground.

While Spike lay on the ground, in too uch pain to move, the vamp went to a near by tree and pulled off a bare, sharp branch since he couldn't find the one he dropped during the fight.

He stood over Spike, wiping the blood from his lip and looked at Spike with glowing hatred in his eyes. "She will pay for what you have done.

Spike put his hand underneath him. When he landed he had felt the long stake on the ground. Now he only needed the perfect moment.... Then Dawn would be safe.

As the vampire went to kill spike with the pointy stick, Spike pulled the longer one from under him and the vamp fell on it. Luckily Spike's arm and stake were longer than his.

As the dust settled, he heard Willow run over. She had finally been able to stake the other vamp. Exhausted, and in a lot of pain, he let his arm and the stake fall to the ground.

When Willow got close enough to see what had happened, she stopped dead in her tracks and lifted her hand to her mouth. "Oh goddess." She seen all three of them on the ground, covered in blood.

When Spike heard Willow, he opened his eyes and tried to raise his head. "R-read"

She knelt next to Spike. "What happened?"

"She... she's dead."

"What? Who?!" She didn't notice Tara was dead, obviously.

"...Tara."

"What?!" She looked and seen the hole in Tara's chest. "No!" she ran and cradled Tara in her lap. "Tara, baby, please, no." She sat there rocking Tara's body and mumbling words that didn't really make sense. Tears were streaming down her face.

Spike was still in too much pain to move so he just lay there, waiting for the pain to stop.

That's all that happened until Dawn woke up. She lifted her head and shook it, trying to clear it and make sense of the situation.

"Uh... Spike?"

Spike lifted his head in surprise, which caused him to wince. He didn't expect her to wake up so soon. "Dawn."

When she got to her feet she fell back to her knee, the sudden movement made her head spin. She didn't want to chance falling down again so she crawled over to Spike on her hands and knees. "Spike! Thank goodness your alright... well... still un-living anyway."

He smiled weakly, "I wouldn't be if it hadn't been for you." ((Referring to the first time he was almost staked)) He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Wait, where's Tara and Willow?" She turned and seen Willow rocking Tara. She looked back at Spike with confusion. (She couldn't see Tara's wound) "What's wrong with Tara?"

She noticed his smile was gone and had been replaced with sadness. "No... She's..." she put a hand to her mouth.

He nodded. "She's dead."

Tears were welling up in her eyes. "How?"

He looked away from her. "She's dead... because of me."

"What do you mean?"

He looked back into her eyes and she could see pain in his, physical and emotional. "I killed her."

"What?!" Willow had heard him. "You killed Tara?!" She stood up after grabbing a stake that was dropped near her, leaving Tara on the ground. She went to Spike and with her adrenaline rush giving her extra strength (plus her magic), she grabbed Spike by the collar and lifted him to his feet and rammed him up against the near by tree.

"Willow, No!" Dawn tried to stop her, but Willow held her back with magic.

Willow pulled back her arm, preparing to thrust the stake into his heart. She seen the tears in his eye and she halted her hand, her senses coming back to her.

"No, do it." Spike started to say, a single tear trailing down his cheek, "It's my fault. I deserve it."

Her hand started shaking violently. She dropped the stake and both of them fell to the ground. Dawn knelt next to Willow and put her arms around her.

That's it for now. I can't believe I waited this long to update. I have an excuse though because I had thought I lost the rest of the story. Please Review