I'm sorry that it took so long for this chapter. Everytime I sat down to write I heard a voice(that sounded just like my mother's) asking me why I wasn't studying or working on a paper. So now that finals are over, I can write guilt-free.

This story is not abandoned. There is still more to come and I hope to update a little more now that I'm on summer break.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Destiny Beckoned

Never before and never again, would Spike feel the kind of fear that he felt that night. He'd cut a swath across continents, hung out with the lowest of the low, been tortured by the best of them, but none of that even came close to fear that he felt when Dante appeared at the mouth of the cave.

Dante stood there at the mouth of the cave, laughing. His laughter startled the baby who immediately began to cry. Buffy hugged him close, rocking him and trying to quiet him. They were in enough danger as it was, there was no need to draw Dante's attention towards the baby.

Dante stopped laughing and looked around the cave. Spike shuddered at the skull face as he watched them. The cave was completely silent, except for the baby's muffled cries. Then Dante spoke, in a voice that Spike had only heard in nightmares that he didn't even want to remember, "Powerful magic here." He looked around the cave again and this time his gaze landed on Willow, who had gotten to her feet and stood prepared to fight if needed. "Such power for something so small and human," He stretched out a skeletal hand towards her, "But that can be changed."

"Get out of here," Willow said, through gritted teeth.

Dante laughed, a horrible laugh that would echo through the nightmares of all who heard it, and said, "You naïve child, you think to banish ME? I've conquered dimensions, destroyed worlds," His voice sank to a terrifying whisper, "And done evils that your mind can't begin to comprehende."

Spike was crouched behind Buffy, Dawn and the baby. He'd been sheltering them from falling rock when Dante had arrived and hadn't moved since. He leaned forward and whispered into Buffy's ear, "Run."

"What?" She whispered back, not taking her eyes off Dante.

"Run," Spike repeated. "Take the bits and run as fast as you can. We might be able to hold him off until you can get to L.A."

Buffy nodded. She was still in pain and weak from the baby's birth but she knew that they had a better chance if they ran. And if it came down to it, she would insist that Dawn take the baby and leave her behind. Dante was not going to harm a hair on her baby's head, not as long as she was alive. She slowly began to move, trying not to attract Dante's attention. Buffy placed her hand on Dawn's arm and whispered, "When I say the word, run."

Buffy had just tightened her arms around her baby and was about to move into a crouch when a green jet of light hit inches away from her foot. She let out a cry and the baby began to wail.

Dante lowered his staff and eyed her, "You're not going anywhere, Slayer. You and I have unfinished business." He turned back to Willow, "I'll deal with them later but first…"

"Leave," Willow ordered, her eyes had turned black and there was an aura of power radiating from her. Tara stood behind her. Tara wasn't nearly as powerful as Willow but she was prepared to fight if needed.

"Bind your powers to mine," Dante continued, as if Willow had not spoken. "You do not realize the power that you can achieve. Join your powers to mine and you will discover such things as you cannot imagine."

"Never," Willow said.

"The process has already begun," Dante told her. "I see your thoughts, you've already harmed others in your quest for power."

"But not..not intentionally," Willow stammered, thinking of Dawn's broken arm.

"Intentions do not matter," Dante replied. "Your deeds are what are important. You've already made the sacrifice required of you to join me."

Willow looked at him, confused. She could not think of any kind of sacrifice that she would make for evil.

Spike glanced over at Anya, who was still laying on the floor of the cave. She had not moved since the stunning spell had been lifted and Spike couldn't even tell if she was conscious or not. But he had an idea of what Willow's sacrifie had been.

"There is no going back," Dante continued. "Not when you've destroyed something so pure and innocent."

"I haven't…." Willow started to say.

"Don't deny it you foolish child," Dante told her. "You've started down a path that leads only one way, as my servant."

"No," Willow said, "I'll never serve you."

Dante shot a blast of green light that threw Willow backwards. Willow fell to the ground but the defiant expression never left her face.

"This is your last chance," Dante warned, aiming that staff at her. "I could have destroyed everyone here many times over but I offered you the choice to live, adding your powers to mine, serving me with ultimate power over all as a reward." Willow didn't answer so Dante added, "The type of power you've never dreamt of, everything you've ever wanted."

"No," Willow insisted. "Not that kind of power."

"Then you will watch the whole world die," Dante said, his voice raising in anger. "And then suffer agonies you can't imagine, until you beg me for death." He turned towards Buffy, "And I'll start with the Slayer." He pointed his staff at both Dawn and Buffy. "The slayer blood is in both of you, which one of you dies first?"

"Neither," Spike said, standing in front of them.

Dante eyed Spike, "A vampiure protecting a slayer, things have changed in the past millennium."

"Welcome to the 21st century," Spike snapped with a bravado that he didn't feel.

"I've let vampires live in the past," Dante observed. "But you, there's not enough evil left in you to bother with."

"What?" Spike said, trying to distract Dante from Buffy and Dawn. "Not enough evil? I'm evil, just ask around." He looked around the cave, "Tell him, tell him how evil I am."

"Spike," Buffy said. "This is not the time…."

"It doesn't matter," Dante told her. "Soon you'll be dead, this dimension will belong to me and more will soon fall."

"You've been stopped before," Buffy said.

"You don't have the power to stop me," Dante informed her. "Even with your witch, you can't. There is only one thing that can defeat me and that has been lost in the mists of time."

Spike suddenly winced. His hand felt like it was on fire. He looked down and realized that he was still holding his mother's necklace. A closer glance showed something strange. The center gem, a large sapphire was glowing. Spike stared at it, was it possible, could this cherished keepsake of from his mother be…..

Spike didn't think. He instantly raised his arm, pointing the glowing stone at Dante. Dante laiughed, not seeing what Spike was holding and shot out a jet of green light at Spike. At the same instant a jet of blue-white light shot out from the stone. The two lights and for an instant they both hung in mid-air but soon the light coming from the stone in Spike's hand began to move towards Dante, pushing the green light back. The stone burned Spike's hand but he held on, pointing it at Dante who was trying to pull his staff out of the hold of the blue-white light. Spike was vaguely aware of voices around him but he paid them no attention, all he could focus on was making sure the blue-white light was steady. Soon the light reached Dante's staff and surrounded it, the light continued until it completely surrounded Dante. Dante let out a horrible scream that lasted until the light consumed him completely. There was a great explosion and Spike was thrown backwards as what was left of the cave disappeared. He hit the ground and lay there for a minute and when he raised his head all that was left of Dante was black ground where he had stood.