Same disclaimer as always.

There scattered across the ground were the bodies of her fallen slayers, laying just as they had when they died, perfectly preserved. Girls that she had been unable to save, the proof of how she failed as a leader. Tears came to her eyes, tears that she tried to push away. Those girls were dead and it was as if the rest had simply forgotten their sacrifice. A sacrifice that she too had forgotten, but they would be forgotten no more. She walked to each of her fallen slayers and with a single touch sent a prayer with each of them, a prayer and a promise. When she had finished she returned to the men she brought with her. With her hands on her hips she said, "So are you ready to believe me that it is truly closed. Or do I have to help you search for the demons?"

Snape sneered at her as he continued looking around, "No demons does not mean that the hellmouth is closed you ignorant girl. It is the magic that can prove it to be closed."

"Ah yes the magic. Well that you should've been able to feel when you stepped foot in town. No more evil vibe as you enter, nothing pushing you to use your magic, trying to manipulate it to work its will. My spider sense here is gone, nothing setting it off, so trust me it's clean." She bit back at him. Then looked to Dumbledore in the hopes that he might say something intelligent.

Sensing that Snape too had now turned to face him Dumbledore knew it was time to speak. "Yes, the air does feel clean of evil, no reactions to magic. No demons in sight, but that doesn't mean we can trust the way that it was closed. It needs to be a permanent fix, not temporary. Which is why we came here."

She looked at the ground and then looked up at him with defiant eyes as she had spotted something on the ground not far from her. "You want to know how it was closed. Closed permanently, well okay I'll tell you how it was closed. Two slayers walked down here with a bunch of SIT's, slayers in training, they fought the ubervamps off while a wicked witch upstairs was casting a spell, a spell to help them."

"Ah tell us which spell she used and then we can tell how well the hellmouth was closed." Dumbledore now knowing that she might hold the answer to their questions.

She laughed, "No the spell that she cast had nothing to do with destroying the hellmouth, it was a creation spell, a spell call to awaken power."

At that point Snape interrupted her, "Dumbledore come let's leave her here while we go look for ourselves, it's obvious they were trying to open the hellmouth to get the power for themselves. How can we trust what she says, most likely she's just trying to get us to open it for her to try again."

Dumbledore turned to look at her, "Severus we cannot know that for certain, we shall let her continue, then decide the merit of her story. Don't mind him my dear, he just does that to get to people. Now would you care for a lemon drop? I always find them particularly calming myself." He asked as he held one out to her.

She slowly walked over to pick it up, knowing that it wouldn't kill her, but still unsure as to what it was. That was until she saw the twinkle in his eye, and the smirk in Mr. Groucho's. Laughingly she took it and happily popped it into her mouth. "Okay and here I was expecting a truth spell, but if you prefer the lemon drop kind, I won't stop ya, after all it's not like I'm lying." The smirk Snape had was dropping to almost a shade of disbelief. Dumbledore simply chuckled.

"You are quite right, but this is for our safety here, not to mention the safety of the world. So you were talking about a creation spell."

Her smile had yet to drop, "Yes I was. It was a spell to create slayers, to turn potentials into actual living breathing slayers. They helped us to turn the tide of the battle, to kill more and more of the ubervamps, the Turok Hans," a look of fear crossed Snape's face as she said what they truly were, "just imagine the entirety of this place filled with thousands upon thousands of them just wanting to get out into the world. We needed the help."

"So you just assume that a bunch of little girls were able to close a hellmouth. You may have fought off the demons but that doesn't mean this baby is closed." Snape retorted, trying to one up her.

"Well Groucho if you'd let me finish then you'd know that they were to help, but that isn't how we closed it." She walked over to to where she had noticed something earlier. Picking up the amulet she turned back to face him. "This is what destroyed the hellmouth. An amulet worn by something more than human, something with a soul. Right here is the object that had the power to close the hellmouth." Looking back down at the amulet she felt the tears again, tears that she knew were so close now, but she couldn't let them see her as weak, for she was supposed to be the strong one. "He died so that we could live, he died because he knew it would save me, he died because he couldn't lose me again, he died because he knew it was the only way, he died because he loved me. The world as much as it hated him, was lucky to have him, we were lucky to have him."

"Who's this him, this man that's more than human with a soul?" Dumbledore asked intrigued that such a man was willing to die.

"Spike, William the bloody, whatever you want to call him."

Laughter could be heard. "You're telling me that a vampire died to save the world, they want to end it little girl, not save it. Besides they are soulless creatures. So tell me how a creature without a soul, was able to activate an amulet that needed a soul to work."

The tears were now evident in her face as they were flowing freely, as was her anger. "Yes a vampire, just because he was a demon doesn't make him worth less than either of us. He was honestly better than the both of us. He fell in love with a human, that's right a human, that he refused to turn, even though he knew he could. A human that he wanted to better himself for that he was willing to risk his life to get his soul back. A soul that in the end saved the one he loved, the one that didn't deserve his love. He went somewhere down south, Mexico or something I don't know, never really asked the specifics of it, there is a demon there that can return souls, but only if the creature really wants it and is tested to make sure they want it." She looked at Snape, her eyes filled with anger, pain, guilt, and love. "IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH, OR DO YOU NEED MORE. DON'T FORGET THE LITTLE TRUTH POTION YOU GAVE ME, SO HOW THE HELL CAN I BE LYING TO YOU."

Snape looked at her contemplating what to say next.

Dumbledore walked around, feeling around with his magic. "Severus I think she is being honest, the hellmouth is truly closed. Our work here is done, maybe we can say one last goodbye at the cemetery before we leave."

Both men walked back out of the highschool. Saying nothing. Buffy followed behind them, watching to see what they would do. Willow would find her when the time came if she hadn't returned to meet her. Looking up again she saw Snape sitting at her mother's grave, tears ready to flow, even as he tried to push them back. She almost felt sorry for him. But the moment he looked up and moved to her grave her pity was replaced with anger. Especially as he traced the words on her tombstone with his fingers. Until he stopped, he stopped at the word sister, and looked up at Dumbledore with a faint smile upon his face and hope in his eyes.