Chapter 5: First Mistake

-Sunnydayle High-

Spike looked around with awe, he was truly re-living this part of his life, and this time he would live it right. He knew what was about to happen, he knew how she felt, he wouldn't let himself be compromised for love. Buffy turned around to say a few last words to the potentials, then she would tell them to follow Spike down to the Hellmouth, Spike knew this was his chance to talk to her, his last chance to tell her that he would fix it, because after this came fighting and then if he didn't play his cards just right next would come death, again. She was just about to send him off to the basement with the potentials when he approached her.

Spike: "Buffy, wait."

Buffy stops mid sentence and looks at Spike, as did everyone else, Spike hadn't meant for there to be an audience but it couldn't be helped, he had to tell her before they went into the Hellmouth. He walked up to her. Buffy looks up at Spike as he stands before her, she could tell that there were things on his mind that he wanted to say, yet all he could do was stand and stare at her. Spike decided to take a chance, he knew how she felt and decided to do something that he had been thinking about doing since he returned to Sunnydayle but never had the chance to. Without a seconds hesitation Spike kisses her, at first Buffy was shocked, she hadn't expected for him to kiss her, but she quickly responded remembering how much she had missed him. Onlookers just stare at the couple, some of the potentials giggle slightly despite the fact that they were about to go into war, Xander and Giles tried to avert their eyes yet said nothing, and Faith and Anya look on as if they are about to applaud. Slowly they pull away; a single tear falls down Buffy's face which Spike wipes away with his thumb as he looked at her.

Buffy: "We promised that we wouldn't say goodbye."

Spike: "not goodbye, kisses are hello's remember."

Buffy smiles slightly at that remembering what she had said about kissing Angel when Spike had asked her about it, it made her feel like he was ok with what had happened between her and Angel, and it made her feel better.

Spike: "Buffy, I'm gonna change things this time, I promise, we're bothgonna make it out this time."

Buffy: "Spike…"

Spike: "Shhh, I'm gonna fix it, promise."

Spike kisses her forehead one last time and then starts to walk away but Buffy grabs his coat sleeve and he turns to face her once more, he could tell that she wanted to say something, and he knew what it was. Three words that he longed to hear, but he knew that she wasn't ready to say them yet. So he just grins slightly at her.

Spike: "don't worry pet, I know."

Spike then turns and walks down the corridor to the basement door, slowly the potentials start to follow the direction that he went in, and Buffy just watches him walk away.

-In the Hellmouth-

Spike was back to where he started, the amulet started to light up again, Spike was pushed against the wall as the power from its light flew out of him, the pain was all too familiar but so was the peace that he felt from his soul. For a moment Spike felt as if he would make the same choice that he had before, but he knew that this was his chance to change things, and if he did what he had done the last time then he would end up back in judgment and this chance would be wasted. Buffy approaches him and he remembers the words that she is about to say.

Buffy: "Spike!"

He looks at her, the light that's pouring from the amulet around his neck lights up her face and he can see every line of her face that makes out her expression, she was scared. Potentials start running out of the Hellmouth, the ground starts to shake more, there wasn't much time left. Spike could hear Faith yelling for Buffy to hurry up, then their dialogue started out just as it had the first time, however this time when she asked him to go with her out of the Hellmouth Spike did something different. Spike looked into Buffy's eyes and pulled the amulet off, the light stopped and they ran. Debris started falling from the ceiling, everything was falling, and getting sucked in. They run through the corridor of the school barely avoiding falling pieces of wood and metal. The sun is shining brightly when they get out of the school, however they had left early enough that the bus hadn't taken off yet. Spike starts to burn up but he keeps running and somehow he makes it to the bus alive. Things go by fast, Spike hides from the sun under his coat but continues to watch out the window as the bus drives off, he and Buffy are sitting in the farthest back seat having entered the back of the bus. Spike got to see what had happened to Sunnydayle, things that he hadn't seen the last time that he had had this experience. He watches the town collapse into oblivion, then the bus comes to a halt and Spike turns to look at Buffy, the sun is high in the sky so Spike is able to sit comfortably in the bus without having to worry about being hit by any direct rays.

Spike: "Told you we'd both make it."

Buffy just smiles, then their eyes meet and Spike holds on to her gaze. His plan had worked, he had escaped judgment and now he had time to spend with her. Spike leans in and kisses Buffy once again, however that was when everything went blank again.

-Elsewhere-

White, when Spike openes his eyes Buffy is gone and he was surrounded once again by the blinding white light that had accompanied him when he first was killed in the Hellmouth. The smell of her hair and the feel of burns on his skin from the sun were gone, there was only nothing-ness. His plan hadn't gone exactly how he had expected it to.

Spike: "Bugger, not this again."

Then just as before Spike turns around and sees the same tall, intimidating black man before him, a nonchalant expression upon his face with a suit and tie corporate look to go along with it.

Spike: "So what's the deal with you mate? You just sit around here and usher people through the door all day?"

Man: "This is my lesson; I did not complete what I was meant to in life so I must repay my debt here."

Spike: "Uh, right then… so what's your name? I apparently seem to keep ending up here so I suppose I should have something to call you."

The man is silent for a moment, it's then that Spike notices that he's not as well kept as Spike originally thought, while his business clothes look clean and nice there is a small drip of red at the back of his collar. If Spike's senses had been working like they did before he had died Spike assumed he would have smelled the blood, however he then realizes that he couldn't smell anything, his sense were irrelevant in this place. Spike didn't say anything however, he simply dismisses the minute detail of what could possible be blood. It's also at this time that the tall man before Spike decides to answer his question.

Man: "Michael."

Spike: "Well Michael, how come you didn't complete what you were meant to do in life?"

Spike didn't know why he was asking questions; he figured he might as well learn something about this guy seeing that he could very easily run into him again; however Michael didn't answer him, at least not with his words. Michael turns around and opens the blood red door for Spike to walk through, and that's when Spike sees it. He understood now how someone could not complete something; it's easy to leave life's tasks unaccomplished when you've killed yourself. In the back of Michaels head there was a bloody hole. It looked like he had taken a pistol to his head and just pulled the trigger as fast as he could, and now he was here serving out his punishment for all eternity.

AN: I know, you're all sad that Spike didn't cheat the system and stay with Buffy, but he's still got two chances to get it right so don't worry. Also this story is still building up to the ending where everything will comes together, so if something dosent make sense just keep reading it will in the end.