Authors Note:

I was super nervous about this chapter, but my beautiful beta, LJS, assured me it was good enough to post.

I hope you all enjoy it, because even though I was nervous about it, I think its one of my better chapters.

As usual, please review, it fills my heart with joy.

Chapter 13

"Alright, spill!" Dean demanded from the driver's seat, "we've ditched pyro chick, now I want some answers, what's Buffy's plan?"

Sam turned around to look at Willow, confused look on his face, "how did she even tell you about the plan? Buffy didn't get anywhere near you."

"Telepathically," Willow explained, looking uncomfortable, "It comes in handy sometimes."

"Alright, whatever," Dean responded impatiently, "Now, the plan?"

Willow somehow managed to look even more uncomfortable before responding, "let's just wait until we're back at the school, okay? That way I only have to explain the once?"

Dean didn't look convinced at her reasoning, but agreed reluctantly.

"Alright, can we have the plan now, please?" Dean all but demanded through clenched teeth.

Willow fidgeted, clearly feeling awkward, "Well, um, the thing about that is, Buffy said I'm not allowed to tell you the full plan," she spat all her words out quickly, her words tumbling over each other in her haste to finish the conversation.

Dean practically burst out of his chair, "what! Why the hell not?" he shouted at the witch. Her flinch in response made him instantly feel guilty. He visibly calmed himself, running a hand over his face. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Seeing her, with how beat up she's looking, it's just more than I can handle," he took his seat across from Willow. She reached out and grabbed his hand in sympathy.

"I know, trust me, I know. But it's for the best. We can't risk exposing her."

"Expose her?" Sam asked, "We can't even find her, how could we expose her?"

"Well, um-"

"It's not the real reason, is it, Red?" Spike interrupted, "Buffy knows we'd never betray her or out her plan, whatever it is. Slayer is planning on doing something dangerous, and doesn't want us to try and stop her."

The guilty look on Willow's face was answer enough for everyone.

Dean snatched his hand out of Willow's, "What is she going to do?" He demanded through clenched teeth.

Willow looked ashamed at first, but quickly straightened her spine, sending a glare Spikes way. "I'm not going to tell you. I trust Buffy, and if she says you shouldn't know, then you shouldn't know."

"Wills, c'mon-" Xander begun.

Willow pointed to her face, "resolve face, Xander." Her comment made her life-long friend smile for a moment, but it quickly melted away.

"Look, I get resolve face, you're not speaking a peep, but we gotta know something. There's gotta be something we can do." Xander tried to compromise, quickly becoming the voice of reason, "we can't sit on the side lines while Buffy fights the good fight."

"We won't!" Willow perked up, "she asked us to handle some stuff that she couldn't do."

Dean was rubbing his hands over his face, "So she gave us a to-do list, but she won't tell us what's on hers?"

Sam interjected, giving Willow a break from the guilt, "She has a point. I mean, if one of us were captured, who knows what they could get out of us."

Dean grunted in acknowledgement. He eventually raised his head, "Alright, Will, what does she have for us?"

Willow sent him a small smile, "Well lucky for us, she wants us to keep doing what we've been doing. We need the rings from each of the Horsemen. And we need to figure out how to find her and Lucifer when the time comes."

Dean's anger rose again, "You mean the thing we've been trying to do for months?"

"Yes," Willow replied, "but this time, she gave us an idea on how to do it."

Dean was in his room, stewing in his own anger. He shouldn't have listened to Willow at the hotel. He should have grabbed Buffy and ran, risks be damned. Now she's going on some death mission that was too dangerous to tell him about. He snorted at the situation. Only his luck would result in getting a girl that was as stubborn as he was. His amusement quickly fled when the reality of his situation sunk back in.

He reached for a bottle of whisky, looking at it in his hands, deciding whether he should have a drink. Before he had a chance to decide there was a knock at his door. Opening the door, he found Dawn, with Spike standing not far behind her. Buffy's sister looked horrible. The stress and worry she had been through showed on every part of her body. Her hair was greasy and lifeless, her eyes bloodshot, she was far too thin, and much too pale. She was the physical embodiment of agony, and it made Dean's stomach clench just to look at her.

"Hey Dawnie, what's going on?"

Dawn looked lost for words at first, so Spike stepped in, "We heard you say Big Sis looked banged up. Lil Bit here wanted to know what she looked like."

Dean looked over Dawn again, "You sure you want that? She didn't look good, Dawnie."

Dawn raised her eyes to his, looking angrier than he had seen in weeks. Her depressed mindset had extinguished her usual fire, but his statement brought it back. "What? You think I can't handle it? I've been the Slayers sister for most of my life, I've seen her at her worst, and I want to know how bad it is," she pushed into Dean's room, brushing him aside, and grabbing the bottle that was in his hand, "gimme that," she mumbled.

Dean looked at Spike incredulously, who smirked back in response, "These Summers women, they get what they want. One way or the other." Spike walked past Dean, taking a seat next to Dawn on the bed.

Dawn opened the whisky, talking a huge gulp, "Gahhh," she exclaimed, sticking her tongue out in disgust at the taste. Spike smiled at her, looking wistful. She caught the look, and asked about it. "Big Sis did the same thing first time we drank together." Dawn smiled at the statement, taking Spike's hand in her own, giving it a squeeze.

Watching the exchange, Dean couldn't help but feel jealous. There was a connection between Spike and Dawn that Dean would never have with her. It was the same connection that Spike shared with Buffy. Looking at their clasped hands, and remembering the support Spike had given Dawn in the past couple of months, Dean was starting to understand why. There was a connection of memory, of battles fought, lives lost and evil destroyed. It forged a bond that Dean would never be able to take away from them, and the more time he spent with Spike, he realised, he didn't want to take it away. Spike's relationship with Buffy would always bother him, but Buffy had been right. Spike was a hero, and had earned Dean's respect.

With that line of disturbing thought, Dean reached for the bottle, taking a swig himself before handing it to Spike. The vampire looked surprised at Dean's gesture, taking it for the olive branch that it was. He nodded as he took the bottle.

"Alright, so she looked bad, but how bad?" Dawn asked, obviously nervous, but determined to get any information about her sister that she could.

Dean sighed, pulling a chair over so he sat in front of her, "I'm not gunna sugar coat it, I know you wouldn't appreciate it," Dawn nodded in agreement, so he continued, "she was bruised and cut up in every which way you could imagine," Dawn gasped in horror but he continued, "it looked like she had been tortured. Maybe to try and get her to agree, or maybe to scare Sammy into agreeing. Either way, she was beat up. If she were human, I mean totally human, I don't think she'd be standing. Maybe not even living."

By the time he had finished, Dawn was silently crying, and Spike looked close to it. Guilt immediately smashed into him "Dawn, I'm sor-"

"No, don't be sorry. Thank you for telling me." She replied, wiping the tears from her face, "My whole life, they've always tried to protect me from this stuff," She looked to Spike beside her and smiled, "Spike was the only one who treated me like I wasn't a kid." She took the whisky, taking another drink.

Dean cleared his throat, "I wasn't finished," he replied, surprising them both.

"There's more?" Dawn asked, shocked, and frightened for her sister.

"Yeah. When I first saw her, all I could do was stare at her body, looking at the wounds and the bruises, but then I looked at her face, expecting it to break me. And don't get me wrong, it was just as beat up as the rest of her, but she looked into my eyes, and she smiled, Dawnie." The thought of it brought a smile to his own face, "and it was her smile. Not a smile to make me feel better, or try and reassure me. It was a genuine smile, and the look in her eyes was even better. She knew that she was going to be free. She's going to get through this, we're going to beat the devil, and she's coming home."

Dawn smiled through her tears, the same smile Buffy had given him, and it almost broke him to see. Her smile was rare these days, and the fact he managed to get it out of her made him content. He had come to care for Buffy's sister, the need to protect her and make her happy reminded him of how he felt for Sam.

"She's coming home."

"Course she is, Lil Bit, what have I been tellin' ya?" Spike said, putting an arm around her shoulder and shaking her a little, making her chuckle.

"Alright, alright." She looked back at Dean, and her appreciation and thanks shined through her eyes. She reached for the whisky bottle, taking it with her as she left the room, "I'm taking this. Like you even need it. Anymore of this crap and your brains will start dribbling out your ears," she continued as she walked down the hall, "and don't even get me started on what Buffy will say when she gets back."

Dean felt put out, but Spike laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks for that mate, she needed it."

Buffy sat behind Lucifer as he made his plans, and commanded his demons. She was never allowed far from his sight, not after the first escape attempt. He might not care about his demons, but he certainly cared when Buffy killed two in her attempt. She paid dearly for that one.

It seemed that she paid dearly for many things. If Luci was having a bad day, Buffy knew about it. It made Buffy proud to know that no matter how many beatings she had endured, she had managed to retain her bubbly personality and, of course, her quips and wisecracks.

Her demeanour yielded strange reactions from her captor. Lucifer responses could range from amusement to murderous rage, depending on the day. His treatment of Buffy was much the same. While beating and torturing her, he would either display remorse, or he would show perverse enjoyment. Buffy wasn't sure which Lucifer she hated more.

Remorseful Lucifer angered her. He would wear a sad expression as he dug into her skin, explaining that if she would just agree, it could all stop. She knew his regretful demeanour was another lie fed to her to make her comply. His attempts to befriend her and gain her trust made her sick.

The Lucifer that enjoyed her torture wasn't much better. He was his true self during those moments. The true Prince of Darkness. His vessel displayed just how much he enjoyed her pain every time, his human body betraying the arousal Lucifer felt from hurting her. During the longer sessions, he would chain Buffy to the ceiling, leaving her arms stretched above her head, and he legs dangling off the ground. He would let his hands wander when they weren't busy hitting, stabbing or peeling. Buffy knew he had no sexual attraction to her, Lucifer would never lower himself to a human body, but he knew his wandering hand made her uncomfortable. Caressing and touching the places she only wanted Dean to caress and touch, Lucifer managed to hurt her more than any other form of torture. The caresses were light and uncommon at first, but as her time with him continued, so did his exploration.

The physical torture Buffy could handle. She was the Slayer, made for physical altercations. It was the mental attacks that were wearing her down. Nightly, he sent her visions to occupy her dreams. At first, she tried to avoid sleep, but Lucifer made sure she slept, even if he had to force her. The dreams started pleasant. Sweet dreams of Dean, her friends, her sister, and her mum. Before she knew who sent them, she thought of them as her sanctuary, her break from the torture. But eventually the dreams started to turn. Dean would leave again, telling her he never loved her, and that he had just used her to defeat the Devil. Her friends would kick her out of the school, like they did her house, calling her a failure. The most heartbreaking were the dreams of her mother and sister. They would throw her out of their lives, naming her a freak and degenerate, just like she always feared.

She mocked Lucifer for his attempts, knowing deep down that even if these situations were sore spots for her, they weren't real. But they continued, and broadened. Buffy started to dream about Dean in Hell. She would watch him torture soul after soul, not able to move or stop him. She started to dream of all the people she had saved, but in these dreams, she failed, over and over, leaving their mutilated corpses for her to stare at for hours on. Lucifer's latest dreams were the worst of all. He started showing the people she couldn't save. Her Mum, Anya, Tara, Jenny Calendar, and Kendra. They would stand before her, in their rotting, decaying bodies, and they would scream at her. For hours they would scream, blaming her for their deaths, regretting ever having known her. They felt so real, that her heart would wrench each time she watched it. She knew if she did not leave Lucifer soon, those dreams will be the ones that break her.

"Buffy, you look so intent, what could you be thinking?" Lucifers voice whispered into her ears. She hadn't even heard him approach.

"Oh you know, just sunshine and daisies. The usual stuff. What you thinkin' about?" She replied, trying to appear nonchalant.

Lucifer smiled sardonically, "Now, now, you know I don't like it when you lie."

"Ya know, I don't get that. I mean, you're literally nicknamed 'The Deceiver', I would have thought you'd at least be cool with a little lie here and there."

Lucifer chuckled, choosing to be amused today. "You're clever, Buffy, I'll give you that," he replied, sobering, "but it won't save you. And it won't save them." As he finished speaking, he placed a hand on her head.

The bedroom around her vanished, and was replaced with a city. The city had been razed to the ground, buildings smashed and scattered, with cars and furniture strewn through the streets. Bodies piled everywhere she could see. She saw the bodies of children, clinging to their parents even in death. She saw people in their work attire, work out gear and even their pyjamas, and they were all dead. There wasn't a single living body as far as she could see. The city was deserted, left as a remnant of what humanity once was.

"You could stop this from happening, Buffy." Lucifer said beside her. She hadn't been aware that he had travelled with her to this vision, "You've saved the world many times before, and you could do so again. You just need to say yes."

Buffy scoffed, trying not to show her dismay at the scene before her, "You expect me to believe you? You want this! You want the end of humanity, it's like your whole schtick."

"I've always been misunderstood," Lucifer sighed in disappointment.

"Yeah, buddy, you're a real puzzler, what, with the impending Apocalypse and all," Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes.

Lucifer chuckled before continuing, "History is written by the victors, Buffy. I never wanted the end of humanity, I wanted an end to their evil. From the original sin, humans have continued to destroy this planet and each other. I tried to show my father their evil. I created my demons, bringing forth humanities true evil to the surface, but he still turned against me. I proved that humans, deep down, were capable of the worst of sins, and yet I was banished." Lucifer's face was a perfect balance of sadness and bitterness, so genuine that Buffy had to remind herself who he really was.

"And let me guess, you think the only cure for our evilness is total destruction? Coz I got a bit of a problem with that."

"I don't want to destroy you, Buffy," he said, reaching a hand out to caress her cheek, "you embody the best of humanity."

Buffy tried to stop herself from flinching from his touch, but failed miserably, "So what? You'll keep me as a pet?"

Lucifer smiled sadly as he moved his hand away, "I might have hated humanity once, but you've shown me that they can be better, that there is purity amongst your kind."

Buffy shook her head as she stepped back, "if this is you trying to convince me that you're the good guy, you're talking to the wrong girl. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt."

His sad smile didn't slip as her touched her on the head, shifting their vision to another destroyed city. There was more movement and life here, but not much. Destruction and death ruled in this city, there was no mistaking it.

"Let me guess, another city I can save?"

"No, this city isn't from the future. It's now, and it's real. This isn't a vision, Buffy," He grabbed her by the arm, dragging her through the streets, "welcome to Iraq."

She was shocked as she looked at the destruction around her, "Why did you bring me here?"

"This is humanity, Buffy. At their very worst, this is them, with their best not being much better. Is this so different from what you saw before?"

Buffy continued to watch the land around her. There were bodies littered in the streets, occasionally being moved by those who searched for loved ones, either hoping to find nothing, or seeking for confirmation. There were crying children, worried mothers and grieving fathers.

"This country has been bombed, and raped," Lucifer commented sadly, watching a parentless child wander the streets. "Not just by their enemies, but by their own people. This is what humanity is capable of, Buffy. You look through the pages of history, and you'll find much the same."

He turned back to her, taking her by the hand, "This is what I want to stop, this is the part of humanity I want to put an end to. The destruction, the evil, the greed, I could stop it all. I could make a new Eden, with the best of humanity residing. But I need you, Buffy. I am too removed from humanity to truly understand them. But with you as a vessel, I could make Earth to be how it was intended. I would not destroy you, Buffy," he raised his hand back to her cheek, and this time she didn't flinch away, her shock keeping her frozen, "I would save you, and this Earth. You would no longer need to fight. You could be normal. My world would have no need for a Slayer." His hand hardened against her cheek for a moment, showing her a new vision, one he hadn't shown her before.

She was standing in the living room of a beautiful home, with her friends and family standing around her. Dean approached her, "about time you got here. You organise this shin dig, and leave me with hosting duties? Not cool, Summers."

Confused, Buffy started to pay more attention to her surroundings. She was at a baby shower. Not just any baby shower, but Dawn's baby shower. Her sister stood by the fire place, her hand on her rounded belly, looking happier than Buffy had ever seen her. She soon saw Sam approach Dawn, placing a kiss on her cheek, and a hand on top of Dawn's own. The sight of her sister brought a tear to her eye.

"Present time!" A familiar voice declared behind her, entering the room.

"Mum?" Buffy croaked out, watching her mum enter the room and hand Dawn her first present. Looking around, Buffy started to notice all the friends and loved ones she had lost in the past. Anya was sitting with Xander, Tara with Willow, and Jenny with Giles. It was everything how it should have been if the evil of the world hadn't tainted their lives. Tears were rolling freely down her face.

"I could make this a reality, Buffy. I could bring them all back, and give you all the life you deserve," Lucifer whispered strongly behind her, putting a hand on her waist.

Buffy had no witty response this time. She continued to watch the scene play out, not wanting to miss a moment. Lucifer smiled to himself as she seemed to unintentionally lean into his touch, letting the scene and his warm touch calm her tormented mind. His hand moved across her stomach, pulling her closer.

"Just say yes, Buffy," he whispered, "this could be your life. Just say yes."