CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER CREDITS: I've used some lines from "Doomed" but embellished a bit.

CHAPTER NOTES: This last one takes place after "Hush" and through "Doomed". I had to go AU quite a bit during this one since I had already moved Spike into his crypt, so I'm taking a few liberties with canon in this final chapter. (For instance, I'm assuming that Buffy managed to prevent the apocalypse without Spike's help, so that scene will not be included here.) I intend to continue to build this Spike and Tara friendship in future fics, so if you liked this story, please follow me as an author for new ones! Thanks so much for sticking with me this far!

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The answer to Spike's dilemma came in the form of an earthquake.

As he braced himself against a corner of the cave, not sure what to actually do in the case of an earthquake, the tremors caused an apparently-thin area on one wall to crumble in. When the ground stopped shaking and the dust settled, he inspected the hole. There was a draft coming from it, which indicated that it wasn't just a nook; it led somewhere. He kicked and dug at the area, widening the hole until it was a small exit. It was like someone had tunneled underground once upon a time and stopped there, not realizing that if they had just gone a foot more they'd have come upon this cavern.

Hoping that the way out was to go forward, Spike held the stub of candle he had left and squeezed himself through the new opening. The breeze ended up being too strong, however, and it blew out the flame. So he had to feel his way deeper into the tunnel. It narrowed a bit then turned to the right for maybe 500 feet before finally opening out into… the sewers? The crevice he just snuck out of was well-hidden, which meant that he might not have to secure his new room as much as he had originally anticipated. Very convenient!

Spike recognized where he was now. Near the intersection of State Street and Maple Court. The light that filtered in from the sewer grates let him know that he had been down there for longer than he initially thought. But, it was still too soon for him to come above ground, unless he wanted to catch fire. So he thought of where else he could travel until the sun set. As it was the day before, UC Sunnydale ended up at the top of the list.

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Only half of the campus had power restored by evening.

With the sun setting, the lack of electricity became more apparent, and Tara figured she had better get back to her room before she couldn't see her way there.

She had spent the entire day with Willow after meeting up with her that morning. First, breakfast (where they discovered they both had a love of odd-shaped pancakes) and then some more spell-planning in the library.

Part-way through their research the earthquake struck, and they almost found themselves buried under stacks of books. It was the first earthquake Tara had ever experienced, which normally would be a frightening event but with a friend there with her…

Wow, yeah, a friend!

The thought warmed her. The only friends she'd really had were her mother and grandmother. It had been a while since she lost both, and she had never been able to really connect with others her age. So to have Willow now, and maybe even Spike...

Her mind wandered to that strange vampire as she headed towards her dorm, pretty much oblivious to the figures that had begun to follow her.

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Spike hadn't actually expected to see the girl again.

Sure, he had found himself drawn there by thoughts of her, but, really, he had planned to figure out something about those bloody commandos, do some quick pick-pocketing, maybe steal alcohol from drunk frat boys, spy on the Slayer…

Wait, it's her, and does she have no sense of self-preservation?

There were three, no, four young vamps trailing her. He could smell the newness of them. Clearly, they had no idea that beneath the university was a hell that would change them forever.

Spike growled inside at the thought that they could wander freely in a way he couldn't anymore. He wanted to send them to that hell.

So he darted across the grassy expanse in the dark, fast enough that Tara wouldn't have seen him. But he noticed that her pulse quickened as she walked, and her gate increased; she was catching on to the fact that something wasn't quite right. As he closed in on them, he saw her glance back at the shadows. She fumbled with something in her pocket that glowed for a rapid second through her clothing.

When a hand reached out for her, Spike hurled himself forward, taking his chances. He knew the chip was going to send a shock of pain through him, but he also knew he wouldn't let anything happen to this girl.

Before Tara realized what was actually happening, Spike had grabbed the outstretched arm and cracked it. Amazingly, the chip didn't fire. He punched the fledge next to this first one, sending borrowed blood flying. Still no shocks. "No pain… I can hurt a demon…"

The other two vampires looked as though they were going to the aid of their leaders, but instead rushed Tara. The witch saw this and hoped her spell had worked. She knew she was no match for their strength, and she had no idea how else to protect herself.

She cried out when one struck her face with his nails, and blood rose to the surface of her cheek. But the violence of his touch caused a spark from the spell to ignite his fingertips. By the time he recoiled, his arm was on fire. The vampire's partner watched on in horror as he burst into flame and dusted.

"Spike!"

Spike caught the end of the fireworks when he heard Tara's voice. The two vamps he injured started to back away when they saw what Tara had done, then they ran off in opposite directions. The third, horrified one wasn't sure what to do until he saw the rabid look in Spike's eyes; he tripped over his own feet as he tried to follow one of the others.

"Yeah! That's right!" Spike yelled as he caught the fledge, shoving him towards a pointy tree branch. "I'm back and I'm a bloody animal! Yeah!"

Moments later, Spike was covered in ash.

Tara's heart was still beating out of her chest, but the knowledge that her spell had worked (although differently than she had expected) and that she had been protected by Spike helped to somewhat slow the adrenaline rush. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the crystal from the spell, and dropped it to the cement where she crushed it beneath her foot.

Spike appeared by Tara's side then, clutching her upper arms in a strange daze of concern, post-fight rush, and realization that he was not entirely powerless. Was she okay? The blood was dripping down her face now, and he was both impressed and surprised that he was more worried about her than he was coveting that nectar.

"S-Spike, oh my God!" Tara hugged him tight. "If you hadn't been here, I d-don't know what would have happened. You saved me!"

He held her awkwardly, not sure how this was supposed to work. Spike had been a lot of things over a century, but a hero wasn't among those.

"Your friends are so lucky," she spoke into his chest, not letting go of him until she felt like her panic was subsiding.

Spike's lips twisted into something that could either be a smirk or a frown. "I don't have 'friends'". He could feel the blood from her cheek being absorbed into his shirt, marking him.

Tara smiled against him in return. She consciously and gratefully flushed with warmth as a sort of gift that his lukewarm body could feel. "You do now."