Chapter Two
(For Athenewolfe's Bday :P)


"Bufffffffffffffffffffyyyyyyyyyy?!!" a newly re-ensouled Angelus screamed. "My god Spike, what have you done?"

Joyce Summers was in shock. Her sixteen-year-old daughter had just walked straight into Hell. Only the lying scream of her daughter's ex lover cut through the madness that threatened to overwhelm her. Regardless of what Spike had been or had done before now, he had given his very life trying to save Buffy from Angel's actions, and now he too was dead.

"Angelus?" she called to get his attention.

"No! I'm Ange...." he started to say as he turned, but Joyce had already palmed the 9mm from her purse. She had never been to a firing range, never had taken classes, and the only training she had was reading the owner's manual of the Beretta, but as she kept pulling the trigger, every hollow point bullet found its mark in Angel's chest. Every bullet struck true in the vampire's upper chest area - be it luck, talent, or the fact that she was standing less than twenty feet from him. She continued to fire until all she heard were the empty clicks of the firing pin. Either way, Joyce’s aim would have done any hunter proud; the souled one was riddled with bullets.

Regaining more of her senses, Joyce looked around her and discovered that the house was now empty save herself, Giles, Xander and the broken hulk of Angel's body. Drusilla and the remaining minions had escaped during Buffy and Spike’s descent into Hell.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexander Lavelle Harris remained in shock for days afterwards. Buffy was dead; his best friend and woman-of-his-dreams was no more. The tears wouldn't even come.

Since Buffy had arrived in Sunnydale, Xander had felt like he mattered. He had been fighting for a cause. True, he was only human, but to him that made his contribution that much greater. Honestly? Xander had figured that he would be the first one of the Scoobies to get killed. But no, it had been Buffy that had died – twice; now that he remembered her drowning. The guilt he felt for not telling her about Angel's soul ate him alive.

And Angel?? Angel acted as if nothing had happened. Hearing Angel tell it, the whole thing – Acaltha and Buffy being dead – was somehow all Spike’s fault. Damn, and Xander thought he was bad about blaming others.

That was why he hated Angel in a nutshell. In so many ways, Xander had wanted to be Angel. Angel embodied what Buffy loved, and he so wanted to be whom Buffy loved. When he’d been told Angel had lost his soul, Xander tried to get Buffy to stake him, true. However, even then, he’d been sure that even soulless Angel would follow Buffy, cause damn, Xander sure would have. But no, Angelus had gone insane instead and wanted to hurt them all. Now Angel blamed all his evilness on Spike. Yeah, Xander believed that… not!

And Spike?? Xander admitted to himself that, in many ways, he’d always feared the bleach blonde much more than he’d ever feared Angel. Spike never even noticed the Scoobies. Well, Spike had noticed, but he just didn’t seem to care. He was all about the Slayer. Nope, no world endage for Spike - just good, old-fashioned fighting. Just the leader of one gang trying to kill the leader of the other.

Yet, now Spike was dead helping Buffy save the world.

The only half-decent thing to have come from the whole thing was an offer from the Council for Xander to be trained as a field operative when he graduated. He looked down at the beer he’d had stolen from his dad and raised it to mental picture of Spike. "Spike? This bud's for you."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow Rosenberg stared quietly at the picture in her hands – one of her and Buffy Summers. She had lost her best friend; not to drinking, or drunk drivers; not to drugs or gangland violence; not to natural disease or some freak accident. No, she had lost her best friend to the insane plans of said friend's ex-boyfriend.

Buffy had taught her that she mattered - that Willow Rosenberg wasn't just a shy nerd. She, Willow Rosenberg, could be anything she wanted to be, even a powerful Wicca. Buffy had touched her life in every possible way, the way only a best friend could, and now because of Angel, Buffy was dead.

And Angel?? Afterward, the butthead had dropped by the Scooby meetings with his chest bandaged up acting as if nothing had happened, telling them he would be able to help them patrol soon. In Cordy's words, “As If.” Didn't Angel understand the level of his betrayal? Didn't he get that he had killed Buffy?

In fact, the Scooby gang had disbanded. Angel had sent the Scooby gang to Hell. Didn't Angel understand that his only ticket into the group had been Buffy, and now Buffy was dead? Of course, according to Angel, everything had all been some plot of Spike's, but why would he even think they would believe that? Of course, Spike probably grasped the idea that killing off all humans was a stupid thing for a vampire to do. Hey?? Food here. You kill us, what will you guys eat then?

And Spike?? It was funny how hindsight was 20/20, but now Willow could truly see the differences between the two vampires. She was pretty sure that if Spike had lost his soul to Buffy he would have stayed at her shoulder regardless, but no, they had been stuck with poophead Angel. What had Giles called Spike??? Oh yeah, a "Champion for the other side'. It fit; Spike didn't hunt the helpless; he preferred his prey with bite.

Willow found it strange that while she’d never really known Spike, she missed him nearly as much as she missed Buffy.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Rupert Giles knocked back another shot of good scotch whiskey. With the death of his slayer, he should have been on his way back to England, but instead, the Watcher's Council had begged him to stay. They requested that he remain in Sunnydale to train the remainder of the Scoobies fully, so they might keep the Hellmouth safe. He had gotten one of them killed; he truly didn't intend to kill the rest as well, but orders were orders.

'Buffy.', Just the thought of her name made him wish Giles could trade places with her. After all, it was as much his place as hers. The girl had been like a daughter to him, and now she was dead. Dead at the hands of a “man” that argued he loved her. Dead at a vampire's hands - a vampire that blamed everyone else but himself for his own shortcomings.

Angel. The brooding pillock. Giles had hoped as Joyce had that the bullets would at least keep the wanker out of their hair for awhile, but within three days, Angel had reappeared, acting as if Spike had planned the whole world ending scenario, just to show Angelus up by stopping it. Bloody hell, what kind of idiots did Angel take them for?

Rupert looked across the table at Joyce; he truly hoped the woman would recover. If it would help her, he would stake the mud-bogging bastard himself. Most times, hatred was a useless emotion, but at this point, Giles’ hatred of Angel sustained him and kept him going.

And Spike? Spike had been the catalyst to saving the world. The unsouled vampire had given his unlife not because it was right thing to do. Oh no, Spike had done so simply because he had given Joyce his word that he would dust before harm befell Buffy. His actions had put the Council into an uproar - an unsouled monster willingly giving his life to save the world. Every researcher worth his salt had the inevitable task of combing the catacombs of the council library in search for a possible prophecy that had predicted this.

As he had promised the vampire, Giles he filled his shot glass and Joyce's one more time. "To Buffy and Spike."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joyce Summers felt adrift; her only child was dead. Her Buffy had sacrificed herself so that everyone else might live. Part of her was proud of her daughter’s action, but the rest of her selfishly wanted the world dead, just so that she could have her daughter back. She was a terrible mother; she should have known. Maybe if she had, her daughter would still be alive. If she had known, she and Buffy could have worked out things. The tears flowed freely and easily as she drank herself into a stupor. Perhaps, she could have saved her daughter from the lies of men like her father… men like Angelus.

And Angel?? He had actually magnanimously forgiven her for shooting him. Bastard. Fortunately, that had been the only time she had seen him so far. She fully intended to shoot him again next time, then stake the asshole. Buffy deserved better than an over-bearing, manipulative asshole like him. She had heard from everyone of his attitude. Oh god, she hoped she saw him again soon. Death was too good for him.

And Spike?? Joyce wished she could have known him better. He had turned out a hero. He had offered up his own life just on the strength of his word. The ceremony tomorrow would pay respects to Buffy and Spike had been set up by the Watcher's Council. Joyce felt both proud and a bit awed that her baby and Spike were being honored in this way. She looked back at Rupert as he refilled the shot glasses. "To Buffy and Spike."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin Wood sat watching the service honoring the current slayer with trepidation. She had willingly worked with two vampires. This Angelus, a vampire with a soul, and William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers, and for the life of him, Robin couldn’t understand why. Angelus he might could have understood. That one had a soul after all, but Spike? And yet, in the end, it had been the slayer-killing vampire that had given his life to save the world. William the Bloody, who had taken off Robin's mother's jacket, had walked unaided and willingly into Hell. In an odd way, Robin thought it gave his mother's death more meaning.

And Angel?? The recently re-ensouled vampire had constantly tried to draw Robin into conversations, condemning his mother's killer for his actions on the Hellmouth. It was strange how the mind worked. Robin had not so politely informed Angel that Spike might have killed his mom, he hadn't slept with her first. Their fight had been a pure one – that between a Slayer and a vampire. Spike hadn't tortured his mother’s friends or killed her teacher. 'Face of an Angel.' Oh God, Robin couldn't stop himself from laughing. 'Face like an Angel's ass' maybe.’

And Spike??? Sure, Robin completely recognized that while Spike was truly the enemy, he had never been the monster Robin’s six-year-old mind had conjured. He still hated the bleach blond vampire, probably always would, but now he understood Spike. Now, Robin respected him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drusilla, his beloved childe, had fed him her own blood to help him regain his health after poor Ms. Summers had shot him. However, as soon as became nearly healthy, Dru had turned on him. Surprisingly sane, Dru had told him in no uncertain terms that this time he had taken too much. He had taken her parents, her siblings, her friends, and even her sanity – all that had been forgivable, but the death of her childe as part of a fool's game was the straw that broke the camel's back. As the current master of the Order of Aurelius, Drusilla had cast him from the Order, under pain of death if he ever tried to reclaim what he had lost. Every Vampire alive now knew that Angel was fair game.

Xander. Angel had tried to apologize to the boy for his evil, alter-ego's actions. You know, it wasn't like HE was responsible for Angelus actions. But the boy had turned and walked away, not even taking the effort to insult the 'brood boy'. Of course, he knew Xander was only jealous of the connection Angel had shared with Buffy. Still, couldn't Xander understand that it wasn't Angel's fault that he was Buffy's soul mate? The boy just needed to grow up and accept the truth.

Willow. He had thought that the young redhead possessed the most intelligence of the lot, but obviously not. She had, of all things, refused to invite Angel into her home. Didn't Willow know that since Spike had murdered his precious Buffy, she never needed to fear Angel losing his soul again? But the Willow had very politely asked him to leave before she called Sunnydale's finest. SHE had done the soul restoration. Didn't she know that he was Angel? That Angelus and he weren't the same person? Why should he be held responsible for what Angelus and Spike had done? She didn't blame Xander, so why him?

Giles? He was the worst of the bunch. Giles had informed Angel that the only reasons he had yet to be dusted were, one, Buffy had once thought highly of him, and two, Joyce hadn't asked them yet.

Now, Angel got it. Like Xander - Giles was jealous of his connection with Buffy. Even to himself, it had been eerie how he had always known what had been best for Buffy. Buffy had accepted that. The watcher should just grow up.

Joyce? Despite the fact that Buffy's mom had shot him for no apparent reason, Angel had tried to be nice, but Joyce was getting on his last nerve. Pedophile indeed! Soul mate people, look it up. Was Joyce jealous of Buffy for having someone like Angel in her corner? Might be the case; after all, the woman acted as if Spike had been the second coming. Didn't she know that Spike had always been second best? That Spike would never be Angelus’ equal, and to compare Spike to Angel was ludicrous? Yet somehow, Joyce in her grief blamed Angel. Angel, being the person he was, understood the woman needed someone to blame, what with her non-existent parenting skills.

Robin Wood? Oh, that was the funniest of all. Even though Spike had killed his mother, Robin only viewed the dead loser as a hero. He had nearly snapped the man's neck for comparing Angelus unfavorably to Spike. So Spike killed slayers. Where was Spike when you needed someone to torture? Out in a fight of course, the boy was too weak to torture. Angel was now actually proud that Spike had killed the bastard's mother. His only regret was that Angelus hadn't been there to kill the rug rat as well.

Spike?? The bleach blond menace had forced the issue. Spike had killed two slayers. It wasn't Angelus' fault that the first slayer he had met had been Buffy, who was far and away the best slayer of all time. Angel had made sure of that himself by his constantly pointing out her faults until she corrected them. Yes, his tutelage had turned her into an unbeatable force.

Of course, Angelus had done the same thing to Spike back in the day. So how was Angelus supposed to beat Buffy in a fair fight after all when no one had ever taken the time to coach him? Not that he needed much coaching, mind you. Still, it would have helped. Angelus couldn't one up Spike by defeating Buffy in a fair fight, so he had had to improvise. Hence it was Spike's fault. Well… Spike and Buffy's. Angelus felt that if Buffy loved him half as much as he loved her, Buffy wouldn’t have been able to prevent Angelus from turning her and claiming her. ???

Buffy? His heart; his soul; his reason for living. She was dead now, but he would carry on his quest for redemption in her name. Like a questing knight, Angel decided he would right the wrongs of the world in her name. Even though her friends were being unreasonable, he would stay on the Hellmouth and keep them safe. After all, what else would one expect from the Power's only true Champion?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A gathering stood in the sun room of the Crawford Street mansion. Today was the day. Seven witches chanted, calling on the magical energy that had come from the self-sacrifices of both Slayer and Vampire. Allowing the energy to take its own shape so that it would best reflect the dead heroes. Slowly, ever so slowly, a five-foot, white marble statue formed.

First, Buffy appeared in the marble wearing medieval knight's garb, a bastard sword rested on her shoulder. She seemed to be looking slightly above her with a mischievous smirk on her face. Then, beside her a gray marble statue started to form.

The gray statue was of a man also in knight’s clothes. His own mischievous smirk was marred only slightly by his game face. It became evident that it was Spike, and he had his arm around Buffy's shoulders.

The look shared between the two statues once seen together could only be described as a bedroom look. The assemblage gasped, thinking the Wiccan's were being disrespectful. However, the mage’s shocked look quickly dispelled that notion.

Everyone but the Watcher's Council's inner circle were lost at the meaning of this. Yet, Joyce Summers’ face filled with awe and longing, while Angel's filled with hatred and anger.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Quentin Travers had demanded to Rupert Giles that he make sure that Willow, Xander, Joyce and even Robin Wood join them at Giles’ flat after the ceremony, Giles had been positive that Travers merely wanted to convey his condolences. However, he quickly discovered that he had been completely wrong.

"Rupert?" Quentin began. "Can you bring us your best scotch? We have much to discuss."

"Buffy's dead," Xander informed him in a flat, emotionless voice.

"Ahhh," Quentin said with a glint in his eye, "very astute deduction young man, but incorrect."

"Buffy is living in Hell?" Willow asked shrilly, her voice filled with fear.

"Again a very good guess; however, now that we have the final clue to this mystery, we know that neither has happened," Quentin stated, obviously pleased with himself.

"The statues?" Joyce and Rupert asked together.

"Of course," Quentin said, filling his own glass and then knocking back a shot. "Statues made from death energy would have reflected how the Miss Summers and William the Bloody last appeared on in this world. Even if they had been in Hell, the only difference is that the statues would have been formed in black onyx."

"Then what were the statues doing?" Robin Wood asked.

"The statues merely displayed what Buffy and Spike were doing in the exact moment the spell was cast," Travers informed them, pleased to give them hope.

"I, for one, am glad the spell wasn't cast minutes later then," Joyce answered him. She was proud to know her daughter was safe, but she certainly didn’t want a statue of her little girl doing adult things.

"But it's only been fifteen days," Xander whined. "Buffy wouldn't be that close to Spike that quickly."

"Ahhh," Quentin explained, "from their dress, I can tell you they seem to be in Silvana, which means five years have passed for them."

"Silvana, you say?" Giles took off his glasses. "Meaning the two of them are the Champions spoken of in the Silvana Chronicles?"

"Can we get my daughter and Spike home?" While Joyce couldn’t be happier that they were both alive, she desperately needed to see her baby to truly believe it.

"According to prophecy Joyce," Giles said with a smile, "we just need to wait thirty more days, then pick up Buffy, Spike and your grandchildren in New York."

"Grandchildren?" Joyce smiled at the idea. If she was going to lie to herself, this fantasy appealed to her. . She looked back at Travers. "Can your Council get Buffy back into High School? That Principal Snyder is being an ass."

Quentin Travers’ smile embodied the cold authority that had gained him his spot in the Council. "Buffy will be in high school even if we have to 'retire' Principal Snyder."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel listened to the conversation filled with rage. Didn't they know that 'his' Buffy would never knowingly spend more that three minutes around Spike without staking the pest? Buffy loved him and only him.


(Elsewhere…..)

A portal opened, and Spike stepped out of it, finding himself fifteen feet in the air. He promptly fell directly on his ass in the middle of a large, sunny clearing. It took him a few moments to realize he wasn't dusting.

Just as he considered standing up, the Slayer stepped through the portal and fell directly on top of him. He wanted to scold her, but the girl was crying uncontrollably. Immediately, Spike pulled Buffy to him, stroking her hair while she sat astride him, in hysterics thinking about the chances of those she held dearest.

"He's gonna kill them Spike," Buffy sobbed into his chest. "My mom, Xander, Giles… Angel is gonna kill them all, and I'm not there to stake him."


*Thought since this is Athene Wolfe's chappie, I could throw in a few lines of Spuffy :P*

Next
Back