Ashes to Ashes

First in a series

Prologue: The Greatest Sacrefice

By Shelley L. Inks

Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you

I aim nothing more than to see you there

And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away

We'll be lost before the dawn

If only night can hold you where I can see you, my love

Then let me never ever wake again

And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away

We'll be lost before the dawn

Somehow I know that we cant wake again from this dream

It's not real, but it's ours

Maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away

We'll be lost before the dawn

Maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away

We'll be lost before the dawn

In those last precious moments time spun out in slow motion on the tower, a huge metal construct built of scaffording that overlooked the beseiged Californian town of Sunnydale. And for that interlude Buffy and Dawn Summers seemed to be the only two people in the world, issolated on the narrow walkway overlooking the quickly expanding portal. Drops of thick scarlet, Dawn's priceless blood, flowed from the many shallow slashes in her stomach, soaking the material of the gothic ceremonial dress she'd been forced into and down her bare feet, over her toes. Small circles of light, like ripples in a pond, growing ever larger. The gateway between worlds had been ripped open. Jagged holes and gashes appeared in the streets, releasing demons of all kinds. Far below the ground trembled and buildings were reduced to rumble in a matter of moments. Truely, it was Hell on Earth.

As lightning high-lighted her tearful face in brillant shades of blue Dawn looked up at her older sister guiltily,"I'm sorry..."

"It doesn't matter," Buffy murmured, resigned to the end of existence. She would protect Dawn with her last breath. In truth, she almost welcomed it. She felt a weariness that ate all the way to the core of her being, the desire to just lay down and let fate take control.

Suddenly the teenager tried to dart past her but with her Slayer reflexes she held her back, bewildered,"What are you doing?"

"I have to jump. The energy..."

"It'll kill you!" Buffy argued, unwilling to sacrefice her only family.

"I know," the dark-haired girl whispered, meeting her sister's eyes."Buffy, I know about the ritual. I have to stop it."

"No." Beneath them the tower trembled violently, making both syblings stumble for balance. As a fierce crackle of lightning split the sky a massive black dragon was born of the portal and circled the structure before roaring into the night.

"I have to. Look at what's happening!" Dawn cried in distress, racked with guilt from Buffy's anguished expression. She loved her sister so, but this was her destiny, her purpose for being."Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop. You know you have to let me. It has to have the blood."

In a flash of pained rememberence it all came flooding back, a seemingly endless mass of jumbled days and weeks. How long had she been fighting? It felt like forever.

"Cause it's always got to be blood," Spike had said earlier that very evening, perched on the loft's ladder in the magic shop, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.

Further back to the hospital. Buffy drawing blood from her wounded hand, pressing her palm to Dawn's red stained one so their life force mixed as their fingers laced. "It's Summers blood. It's just like mine."

This evening again, Buffy arguing her case to her friends,"She's me. The monks made her out of me."

Then to the fireside in the dessert, haunted by the spirit of The First Slayer who told her,"Death is your gift..."

The present came back into focus. Buffy turned and gazed into the distance, the wind tussling her blond locks, and for the first time since her arrival in Sunnydale she felt truely at peace. A deep calm settled within her turmoiled soul. She knew with absolute clarity what was required of her.

As if reading her mind Dawn's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly in denial,"Buffy ... no!"

"Dawnie, I have to."

"No!" the younger girl sobbed, leanning against her, clinging to her possessively, trying to hold her back.

Buffy grasp her sister gently by her upper arms, steadying her as she continued to speak, a final, enduring speech Dawn would later pass on to their closest friends. "Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen," she tenderly stroked the wounded side of Dawn's pale face, kissing away the tears that coursed down her cheek,"Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now.You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."

Moments later Buffy the Vampire Slayer raced down the platform as Dawn stood left behind, sobbing. In a graceful swan-dive she leapt into the open air and fell into the gateway. The portal shrank away to nothingness and vanished. In the distance the sun began to rise. Buffy's lifeless form was found at the base of the tower, lying amid the debris. She was buried in a lush graveyard, surrounded by shade-giving trees and lively grass. Engraved on her headstone above a fresh bunch of wildflowers were the words:

BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS
1981-2001
BELOVED SISTER
DEVOTED FRIEND
SHE SAVED THE WORLD
A LOT

Disclaimer: Obviously this scene and the plot to this point belongs to JossWhedon. From here on most of the ideas are mine and Onyx Nightfur/Nasira is a creation of my mind. All feedback is much appreciated! Onward with the story!