The Rest of our Lives
By Ariel Dawn

Summery: Set immediately post chosen. The Hellmouth is closed, Spike is gone. “Ya, Buffy, What will we do now?“

Disclaimer: Joss, he is god, not God god, but a lesser, benevolent god with powers us mere mortals can only imagine.

Author’s note: This one of those post Chosen fics. My cousin told me Spike wouldn’t, couldn’t come back, so I started this fic. Does not follow ATS cannon. *denotes thought*
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Chapter 1: What do we do now?

Buffy sat alone in the bus, surrounded by the survivors. Willow and Kennedy ahead of her comfort each other as best they can. Behind her Dawn was curled up in Xander’s arms. Giles was at the wheel. Even Faith and Robin, though he was wounded seemed comforted by the presence of the other. I suppose I have Giles, she thought to herself. Every so often Buffy was compelled to look back at the crater that once was her home. Everything she left back there was gone; her house, her mother’s grave. The only things she had left were in the bus with her. The people who had survived, her friends. The bus careened over a pot hole causing the occupants to lurch forward. The wounded in the bus groaned in agony. Buffy was a little tossled and landed back in her seat unharmed but now very aware of the object in her back pocket. She reached in to her jeans and found herself holding Spike’s lighter. She looked around the bus once more. Spike should be here with them. She looked back at the crater again. Focusing on the shrinking point on the horizon Buffy couldn’t help but wish that things in the hell mouth had gone radically different. She thought out a dozen scenarios in her head, what she could have done instead, to make everything alright, so that they could go on as they had been.

“Buffy?” said Dawn’s voice behind her.

“Hmm?” responded the tired slayer absently. She was still fixated on the object in her hand.

“Is that Spike’s?” said Dawn, “Oh Buffy is he really dead?”

“Vampire, dead long time” said Xander.

The two girls looked at him hard.

“Clearly not ready for comedy, ok, mistake” said Xander backing away.

“He was a good friend” said Dawn, giving her sister a hug, “I’ll miss him”

“Me too” said Buffy sadly.
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But it was more than that. She realised that now. Needed him. He made her life liveable. Wanted him every moment of every day. Missed him so much it hurt. All those clichés that your heard in movies, except it wasn’t a movie, and it was happening in full surround sound cruelty vision. She would let her friends see it though, she thought she was hiding. Sure Dawn had noticed the Navel ring, and another set of holes in her ears, but those were decisions that any normal person would make. It just so happened that Buffy needed pain. Patrolling in LA wasn’t enough. He had ruined her to love anyone else. After you’ve had Spike there was no going back. He was permanently engraved on her soul. So she made it permanent on her body too. Her body was a testament to what he had done to her. She suspected the tattoo artist she went to was a little put out by her wanting him to tattoo a rail road spike just inside her bikini line, or “Spike’s girl” around her ankle, written in cursive script. And as for the rail road spike, most people thought it was a stake.
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Buffy sat alone at an unfamiliar table drinking tea. The kitchen was small, smaller than she remembered it. She hadn’t been here for a long time. Her father’s house had not the comfortable familiarity she had hoped.

“Buffy?” said Willow tentatively in the doorway.

“Willow, How is everything? Is my step thing giving you a hard time?”

“No, she’s nice. It’s awfully nice of your dad to give us all a place to crash.”

“It is. I expect they really don’t know how to deal with trauma in others.”

“Most likely. Xander and Giles are settled with his parents. Xander nearly punched out his dad when Mr Harris asked about Anya.”

“Dad has started talking about putting Dawn in school here. I think he means to keep her.”

“What does Dawn have to say about that?”

“I think it would be good for her to be in a regular school”

“What does Dawn say?” Willow repeated.

Buffy shrugged her shoulders.

“Does she even know?”

“No, and I don’t have the heart to tell her.”

“Oh Buffy”

“She’s been in her room since we got here, has hardly left. She’s been crying almost constantly.”

“It’s understandable,” said Willow, “Why aren’t you?”

Buffy stared at Willow.

“You may think I’m butting in. Buffy, Spike is gone. He was a very big part of your life, you have to grieve.”

“I don’t want to grieve. I don’t want to get over it. Can we not talk about it?” Buffy’s hand flew to her Spike tattoo for an instant.

“Ok, you’re not ready yet.”

“I don’t want to be ever ready for it.

“I know.”

Buffy returned to her own room. Willow was right of course, she often was. She had to start grieving. It was hard. She still felt that she was responsible for all the girls in her care. Those that weren’t in the hospital were camping out in the backyard. Faith had continued on her way not staying long in any one place, the law on her tail. She felt responsible for the fact that her friends no longer had homes in Sunnydale. She felt responsible for the deaths, for the pain, for it all. But she couldn’t think about that now, she had to figure out what they were all going to do. They certainly couldn’t stay there at her father’s house. Giles had mentioned that there was another Hellmouth outside of Cleveland, perhaps they could go there. Buffy pulled back the covers to her bed. She had so much to think about it would be hard to go to sleep. In the next room she could hear Dawn crying. Had Dawn cried like that when she had died? Buffy’s thoughts turned to Spike. How he had been there for her when Dawn needed to be protected from Glory, how he had been like a big brother to her little sister. He had put himself in danger for Dawn’s safety. Spike, who had fought so valiantly at her side, who had helped her right until the end, who had given his existence so that she would live. Spike who had loved her. It was a comfort to know that Spike loved her. Even though she hadn’t returned his affection, it was still a comfort.
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Buffy found herself back in her own house in Sunnydale. She was sitting at her kitchen table. Dawn was making pancakes.

“So what are going to do today? on this bright sunny Saturday?” asked Dawn.

“How about a Picnic?” said Willow as she breezed into the kitchen.

“I say that we go see a movie, something with car chases and masculine undertones” said Xander as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

“Has anyone seen my fuzzy pink scrunchie?” asked Anya as she walked in to the kitchen and started looking in drawers and lifting things up. “ It goes just so perfectly with my skirt.”

“There’s a Sci Fi convention at the conference centre” offered Andrew who was coming from the backyard.

Everyone looked at Andrew with suspicion

“The window is open”

“We got a new shipment of spell books at the Magic box last night,” said Anya, “Giles was going to spend the night going over every detail. Such a riveting life he leads.”

“New spell books, sounds exciting” said Willow.

The group looked at Willow.

“Drooling: I’m not. I’ll just go back to my room.” said Willow

“This is nice, all of us together, getting with the normal.” Said Xander

“I would hardly call it normal. Do you call it normal when witches, ex demons, slayers and vampires share a house? or how about when an ex demon shares a house with her ex fiance?” spouted Anya.

Their was a long pause as everyone tried to think of something to say.

“Well that killed the conversation. Maybe I’ll try to keep some things to myself. I’m just saying we aren’t normal. Ok I’m off to the magic box.” said Anya.

Anya walked out the door. Buffy smiled. Everything stayed the same.

“Did you patrol last night?” asked Dawn. “How was it? Anything big and bad and new out there?”

“Nope, same old same old.”

“Does anyone know how long blood keeps in the fridge?” asked Xander looking into the fridge with disgust. “Cause: gross in the extreme”

Xander lifted a mug of blood out of the fridge.

“Does it smell bad?” asked Dawn

“It’s blood, what do you think I’m going to say to that?” replied Xander.

Buffy took the mug from Xander, heated it in the microwave and headed down stairs into the basement, where Spike was sleeping on his cot. Buffy put the mug down on a table and sat on the edge of the cot.

“Did you think I was hungry?” asked a sleepy Spike

“Not really, maybe I was looking for an excuse to come down and see you.”

“Well I’m always here”

“No you aren’t, really.”

“Pet?”

“This is all an illusion, the normalness, the bickering. This house is even an illusion. Anya’s dead, you are gone. Sunnydale is destroyed.”

“You don’t seem very broken up about it all.”

“I can’t grieve, I told Willow that today you know. I have too much responsibility. I can’t have people see me grieve.”

“Everyone? Even me?”

The house faded away and the two of them were now sitting in the middle of the Sunnydale crater. Before them was Anya’s sliced body, and a pile of dust.

“Is that me?” asked Spike nodding towards the pile of dust.

“Yep”

“Never thought I’d see my own pile of dust.”

“You aren’t really.”

“I suppose I’m not,” said Spike, “but then this isn’t my dream”

Buffy pulled Spike to her and kissed him.

“I don’t want you to be a dream. I’ve wasted so much time. And now you are gone and I’ve lost my chance.”

Spike fell away into a pile of dust, his black leather jacket falling to the side. Buffy fell to her knees and began to weep.
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Buffy woke up in her room crying.

She woke up crying nearly everyday. She looked around the piles of boxes in her room, illuminated by the street lights outside. It was very early in the morning. Certainly things had changed since they had arrived in LA. And now she was about to leave. She had been fooling herself that she could stay in LA.
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He felt hot. He opened his eyes into the blinding sun. Instinctively he turned over and covered himself with his coat, trying to get our of the blinding and burning sun. He sat hunched over under his long black leather duster. He straightened his back cautiously.

“Hold on a minute” he said to himself as he hesitantly stuck his hand out from the protection of his leather coat. Nothing happened. His shock was very apparent. He flexed his fingers in the sun. There was no burning sensation, no steam coming off of his pale skin. He pulled back his coat from over his head and looked into the blue cloudless sky. He looked down at the massive jewel that hung from his neck.

“Healing powers, right,” he said remembering what Angel had said about the pendant. Spike looked around him to get his bearings. He was standing in the middle of a huge crater in the desert.

“Sunnydale, you’ve looked better,” he said as he started walking to the edge. He didn’t really know what exactly happened to him but that was hardly foremost in his mind. He needed to find her, all else was secondary.
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She was back in Sunnydale, in the Hellmouth. Spike stood before her, enveloped in the light, the cave crashing around them.

“I love you” she said.

“No you don’t, but it’s nice to hear , just the same,” he replied

“Why don’t you believe me?” she cried.

The cavern and Spike faded away. She was staring into the basement, his basement really. There was movement on the cot. She was watching a memory. The night before...when they had made love, when it was making love for the first time. They thought they were going to die. Why hadn’t she told him then? She heard herself moan. She knew what she had been thinking then. She wanted to say it, those three little words that he had wanted to hear for god knows how long.

“Why didn’t you say it!” she screamed at herself on the cot. The figures on the cot did not stop. “Why didn’t you say it!” she sobbed.
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Buffy woke up crying. Again. She clutched her pillow and then pulled something out from under it. Looking at it in the dawn light she opened it and made it spring to life. Spike’s lighter. The one thing she had left of his. She had grabbed it the morning of, as she headed up to her room to get clean clothes . Doubt he had noticed it. He wasn’t allowed smoking in the house. She closed it and ran her fingers over it.

“I‘m not ready for you not to be here” she whispered into her dark room.
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Buffy packed away a sweater into her back pack. All around her boxes of the few things she had managed to accumulate in her three months in LA stood motionless awaiting transport to the bus station. Dawn stood motionless in the doorway.

“Please tell me you aren’t actually going to do this” asked Dawn hurt.

“I am, Dawn”

“Why?”

“I’ve told you”

“Explain it to me again, obviously I’ve missed why this is such a good idea.”

“Dawnie,” said Buffy sadly, “There’s nothing for me here. LA clearly doesn’t need me. I have to go be where I am needed. I have to be the slayer, it’s who I am.”

“How can you say that? You are needed, every week Angel is battling some new demon or other.”

“Please, don’t go down that road.”

“I need you. If you’ve made up your mind to leave, let me come with you.”

“Dawn you need to finish high school, live a normal type life.”

“I don’t want a normal life, I want a life with you in it. I want to spend as much time as I can with you before...”

“Before I die again. Finish high school Dawn, that is more important than following your crazy, violent, death wish-y sister. After high school you can do whatever you want. High School. You only have one year left.”

“If I don’t fail anything, 10 months of torture.”

“You know I only want what is best for you.”

“I’m still mad at you.”

“I get it”

“I’ll miss you tonnes, and you had better phone like everyday,” said Dawn, “or else”

“Consider me warned.”

“Will you come back for Thanksgiving?”

“Dawn...”

“Christmas?”

“I’ll try”

Buffy finished packing and clipped closed her pack.

“Can I come with you to the station?”

“I hate good byes”

“So do I. Think of this as see you later.”

“Take care of yourself Dawn. Don’t let evil step mom get you down.”

“I’ll try. I love you Buffy.”

“I know, I love you tonnes too. Willow will be here to protect you. She’s just a blood curdling scream away.”

The two girls hugged and Buffy scurried down the stairs and out the door without another word to anyone else in the house. Buffy hadn’t enjoyed staying with her father and step mother these three months. They had expected her to bounce back from the “Earthquake“, faster that she did. They couldn’t figure out why she didn’t want to get a job or move out, and they really didn’t like her coming home at all hours of the night. In fact less than a month ago they had told her either to get a job or move out. Buffy chose option two. Buffy didn’t need money really. She had the insurance money from the Sunnydale house. It was enough to live on for a while.

Willow and Xander had been supportive of her decision to leave LA. Willow was back at UCLA, still with Kennedy and eagerly awaiting the start of the fall semester. Xander had found himself a construction job, hated being made fun of because of his eye patch and was seriously considering the glass eye route. No one could say that they last three months hadn’t been hard on Xander. He felt Anya’s loss more than he would ever admit to.

Buffy walked to the bus station in the dark. She liked the dark, it was her realm. Spike had once told her that she was a creature of the darkness, just like him. She believed it now. The dark was comforting, but LA dark wasn’t Sunnydale dark. There was too much life going on that wasn’t demonic or undead. There was too many humans to get in the way. Buffy had tried to patrol cemeteries after coming to LA. One too many times she stumbled onto druggies getting their hit or couples getting it on. The vamps she found were hardly a challenge. She left them up to Kennedy and Rona.

“Cleveland,” she sighed as she picked up her ticket at the station. A Hellmouth was somewhere to start. Buffy sat in the brightly illuminated station waiting for her bus to start boarding. She looked at the estimated time of arrival in Cleveland, a day and a half later. How was she going to sit still for that long?

She looked up and saw him. Of course how could she have doubted that he would follow her here.

“Angel,” she said putting her ticket in her jacket pocket and standing up to meet him.

“I heard you were leaving LA.”

“Ya heard right.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, need to find purpose, find my own little hell hole to defend again. The last one is a crater right now.”

“Ok, that’s a reason.”

“I thought it was a pretty good reason.”

“Running away.” He said it more like a fact than a question.

“From what Angel?”

“Memories, me.”

“Yes and no...”

“Buffy...”

“Angel, we went through this two months ago. We can’t have it all back. Things have changed, I’ve changed. I can’t start hoping for something that will never happen. I don’t love you like that anymore, and you don’t love me like that either,” she breathed, “I’m not seventeen anymore.”

He looked away hurt.

“I’m sorry,” she said tearfully, “I need someone who’s love is permanent, soul or not.”

There she had said it. It had been on her mind for weeks now, the truth why she could never be
with him again.

“Buffy that’s not possible.”

“Oh, but it is. It was,” she said with tears in her eyes.

“Buffy...” he said reaching for her.

“Please don’t,” she said backing away from him. “Let me wallow in my own misery. I’ve lived with some form or other for seven years now. Why not a little more? Being a slayer means I’m alone, I’ll always be alone, everyone leaves me or dies. I should be used to it now, don’t you think?”

“Buffy, I won’t leave you, not again.”

“No? Your soul might, and I’ve seen you with out it, Angelus, it’s not pretty. People die.” Buffy exhaled. “I’m sorry that was vindictive. I shouldn’t have said it.”

“It’s all true. It was the reason I left Sunnydale. I always knew I was wrong for you. I guess I just didn’t want to believe it.” He walked away into the shadows. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

Buffy wiped a tear away from her nose and walked back to her bench where she had been sitting. She took a look at the station clock. The bus would be boarding soon. She had known in her heart that is was over, truly over, between Angel and her after they had first arrived in LA. She didn’t know why it had occurred to her at all. Perhaps seeing him with a smile on his face happy to have her in his home, alive and needing him, his soul aching for her made her think about it. His soul. Angel had never, ever wanted a soul. He had proved that when he lost his and started to hurt her in everyway imaginable. Angel hadn’t loved her without the soul. Spike had. That was the difference. Spike had loved her for months before she died. Spike had mourned her death, and he continued to love her after she was brought back, even though she didn’t love him and told him frequently. Spike had even won his soul back, for her. Because he loved her. Angel hadn’t done anything of the sort. It was in that instant, looking at Angel, him smiling at her, firm in the knowledge that his competition was gone, that she knew for certain. Spike’s love had ruined her for anyone else. She knew it. So she would remain alone, like Slayers were supposed to, until she died...again.

The bus was boarding. Buffy picked up her pack and headed for the bus. As she turned wrench her pack on her back she saw something that made her catch her breath. There standing in the bus station squinting against the harsh florescent lights she saw the one person she never expected to see again. Spike. Dressed just has he had been when he burnt before her. Buffy blinked a few times and shook her head, refusing to look back at the same spot. It wasn’t real. It was her imagination playing tricks on her. It was the wrenching conversation with Angel that had made her think about him and now her mind was seeing people who weren’t there.

She headed for the bus once more, then she turned back to check. He had gone. *Silly Buffy,* she thought to herself as she headed outside the station to where the buses were parked. She turned around the corner and saw him again. *Not real,* she thought, *not real.* She closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds hope for the image to go away.

She opened her eyes once more only to find him standing directly in front of her.

“You aren’t real,” she said matter of factly, “ You aren’t him, you think that because I see him in my mind every day that it would be fun to play with my feelings this way. I bet you woke up this morning and thought, Gee I haven’t picked on the slayer for a while what can I do to screw with her brain?”

“Buffy...” he said tenderly, “I’m not the first.” There was pain in his eyes.

“No? I saw you burn. Explain that!”

“I can’t, pet...” he said reaching for her.

Buffy backed away

“Please, why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“For god’s sake, Buffy... I am real. I don’t know why I’m back on god’s green earth again or how long I was gone. Please...” he said reaching for her again.

Buffy braced herself for his hand to slide through her face, but it made contact. As he touched her, her face lightened. Her hand went to his and held it to her cheek. Her eyes watered.

“I want to believe,” she whispered, “Don’t toy with me, I beg you.”

“I wouldn’t do that, pet,” he said tenderly. “Toying with you will get me staked good and proper.”

“Spike?....” she whispered.

“Big bad evil vampire at your service.” he said, his hand still caressing her face.

A tear edged it’s way down her cheek. With one movement Buffy stepped into his arms and hugged him. The tears came in a torrent down her cheeks.

*This is a dream* she thought, a horrible nightmarish dream that will end up with her crying
hysterically.

“If this is a trick,” she said between sobs, “Not only will you die, but it will be a long painful and slow death.”

He smiled.

It was something in the smile that did it. She knew he was real, or that she was just too desperate to fight it. If it was a trick, She hoped that whatever it was killed her.

“I...missed you,” she said resting her head on his chest. She wrapped her arms under this duster and was holding him so tightly it made her arms hurt. She didn’t let go. She didn’t want to let go. She just wanted to hold him, for all eternity.

She could feel his arms around her, caressing her in a very familiar way. Her tears made wet marks on his black t shirt. He smelt the same, his body felt the same. Still she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all too good to be true, that somehow this was not real. And she wanted it to be real, with every fibre of her being. She wanted him. She needed him.

“Um, pet, how’s about we sit or something?” he asked.

Buffy did a mental assessment of where they were. Standing on the curb out side the bus station, people trying to get past them. He detached himself from her, but kept her hand in his as they walked across the street to a park bench.

Buffy tried to pull herself together. She was shaking inside, she couldn’t help it. She resisted the urge to hug him again as she looked up into his eyes.

“How long was I gone?” he asked looking deep into her eyes.

“97 and a half days.”

“You counted?”

“You did, when I was gone. 147 days wasn’t it?”

“Yes it was, a long time.”

Buffy looked down at their intertwined fingers. He relaxed his grip under her scrutiny, but she wouldn’t let his hand go.

“How long have you been...back” she whispered.

“Today. Woke up in the middle of the crater.”

“But how...?” she looked at him questioningly “How did you get here so soon? How did you know I’d be in LA?”

“I stole a car, and I didn’t know you’d be here, I hoped to heaven that you were. Couldn’t think of anywhere else you would be. Angel’s here, figured he’d put you all up.”

Buffy got angry.

“You just assumed I would turn to Angel?”

“Didn’t you?”

“Ug jealous vampires. Predictable,” said Buffy looking away. “Nothing happened Spike. Nothing ever will again. I was living with Dawn at my father’s house, not that it is any of your business. You were dead...er. You’ve always been in competition with him, getting tired of it.”

“I think that after you kissing him,” continued Spike, “that one naturally assumes when one is dead...”

“I thought we talked about that Spike, it was just Hello,” countered Buffy.

Spike made a sound of disbelief.

“And for your information there was no similar hello when we got to LA. By the time we got here, Dawn had finally realised that you weren’t coming back. She was hysterical. I took her to Dad’s right away.”

They sat in silence for a beat or two, before Buffy realised that she hadn’t said hello to him. He face softened and Buffy leaned in towards him, her free hand touching the outline of his face. Slowly and gently she let her lips meet his. She pressed forward opening her mouth slightly letting her tongue probe, finally finding it’s way into his cool mouth. She breathed into him, slightly warming his mouth up, then pulled away gently. She smiled.

“Hello Spike,” she said tenderly, “ Please don’t leave me again.”

“Never pet,”

Buffy smiled again and let go of his hand. Her fingers had begun to lose feeling anyway. Spike started looking through his coat. He found a slightly squashed pack of cigarettes, took one out, and was still searching for his zippo. Buffy smiled as he frantically searched for his lighter. Slowly she took it out of her pants pocket, and lit his cigarette for him.

“Now where did you get that?” he asked taking it from her. “Picked my pocket while you had your way with me?”

“No, I mean yes, I mean... I wanted something of yours, in case you died, or I died. I wanted something of you with me,” she said her eyes on the grass.

“I was with you.”

“I know. Right up until the end. Then you burned,” she said her eyes watering, daring not to meet his.

“And now here I am.”

Buffy looked up once more. She couldn’t stand it, she needed to touch him. She put her hand on his thigh, leaning in. Before she could get any closer he leaned back on his hands and puffed his cigarette.

“How is the bit?” he asked.

“She took your going pretty hard, but she’s ok now. Starts school again soon,” told Buffy, “She hates our step mom, frequently is looking up curses, but Willow refuses to cast them.”

“Your step mum can’t be that bad.”

“Oh she can. It’s why I’m leaving.” said Buffy sadly.

“Leaving?”

“Was supposed to get on a bus to Cleveland, it’s long gone now though.”

“What’s in Cleveland?”

“Hellmouth.”

“Naturally.”

“Wanna come with?”

“I’d follow you anywhere, Slayer.”
 

The Rest of our Lives
By Ariel Dawn

Summery: In which Dawn expresses her dislike of the step thing, finds out that Spike is back and Buffy endures an extremely long bus ride.

Disclaimer: Ya, I know, not mine.
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Chapter 2: Hell wasn’t in Sunnydale, it’s in this bus.

Dawn adjusted her picture of Buffy in her room. Buffy would be in Nevada or Utah or something by now. It had only been half a day really since Buffy left but already Dawn felt alone. Dad and Valery were no help. Already Valery had suggested that Dawn find a part time job. Dawn refused. She held the trump card. Dawn was only sixteen but legally Buffy held her guardianship. Dawn wasn’t going to put up with crap from the evil step mom. It had been clear from the beginning that Hank Summers was grateful that his two daughters were safe from the Sunnydale earthquake and wanted to have them live with him, it was Valery who was pushy.

Xander and Willow stopped by today to check up on her, probably according to Buffy’s instructions. This was Dawn’s time to prove that she could be responsible and adult like, to Buffy, to Willow and everyone else. They had made a sort of bargain. Ten months, to fast track and graduate high school and then she could do whatever else she wanted with her life. That’s what she planned to do. She was pretty sure Buffy’s version of do whatever you want with your life did not mean being turned into a vampire or opening the gates of hell, but surely a respectable position as a watcher would be a good idea. Giles was in England even now trying to rebuild the watcher’s council, with all those watchers dead they would need recruits and who better than one personally trained by the master watcher himself? The high school thing was probably a good idea. Dawn wanted to study ancient languages in England, she wanted to go there, a year after training with Buffy. Dawn planned to spend her spare time working on her translations reading up on demons and other big baddies that could possibly help in some future fight. She was also going to get help from Willow about herbs and other magical things that she needed to know about. Oh, and get a boyfriend who wasn’t a demon/ vampire. Seemed like a lot on her plate.

And cheer up Xander. He was still sad about Anya. She could tell every time she saw him. Dawn wished that she could help him though his pain. Willow had said to give him time, give him space, but it was hard. It seemed that all Dawn wanted to do when he was near was hug him, as if that would make it all better. He was her friend, the only one who truly understood her, and it hurt her to see him in pain.

The only people who seemed at ease with everything was Willow and Kennedy, happy and majorly stuck on each other. Kennedy was nice and all, but Dawn felt that they weren’t right together. Tara seemed the only girl for Willow, even after all this time.

Dawn took a look in the hallway mirror before bounding down the stairs.

“I’m going out,” she called.

“Where are you going and with whom?” asked Valery from the kitchen.

“Out, with my friends,” replied Dawn.

“Back by 10 pm,” instructed Valery.

“Fine,” Dawn grumbled as she slammed the door. *Nasty cow,* Dawn thought.

Willow was at the corner with Xander, Kennedy and Andrew. She smiled as they came into view. This was her real family. All she was missing was Buffy, Giles, Anya and Spike.

“Dawn, you look pissed,” said Xander, “Evil step mom?”

“I know Buffy’s been gone only a day and I know I agreed to stay at Dad’s but I can’t stand that woman. I wish I knew a vengeance demon.” Dawn caught herself as she said the words. “I’m sorry Xander.”

“Movie,” said Willow clearly trying to change the subject, “I’ve heard good things about Chicago.”

“Musicals...not my cup of tea,” said Kennedy. “How about a nice action flick.”

“I’ve had just about enough action for a while now thanks,” said Xander.

“Lord of the Rings?” suggested Andrew.

The group all shrugged and walk on.

“I’ve had a letter from Giles,” said Willow, “He’s arrived safely in England and wants to know all the news.”

“Is he still going to set up a school for Slayers?” asked Kennedy.

“Yes, so he says, but its a big undertaking. He’ll need major help what with the rebuilding from scratch and all of the watchers council.”

“Makes me feel bad that we are going to see a movie,” said Dawn. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I wonder what Buffy is doing right now,” said Xander.

“Probably getting off the bus in Cleveland making her way to the Hellmouth,” said Kennedy, “Itching to fight another demon.”

“Naa, she’s still on the bus. She told me she would phone me on my cell as soon as she’s there,” said Dawn.
__________________________________________
Buffy opened her eyes and watched the wheat fields flash by her through the bus window. It was morning. The windows were tinted, but she didn’t know how tinted they needed to be for him. She closed the curtains and looked over at the sleeping vampire beside her. She leaned over and kissed his forehead before pulling his leather jacket over his head. She looked through a tiny crack in the curtains coverage out into the fields. Before her lay Cleveland , a Hellmouth and new ways to kill and be killed. She wondered if she had done the right thing by leaving Dawn. There would have been schools in Cleveland too. Maybe she should have gone to England with Giles to set up a slayers school. Maybe she just should have started her own life. All she knew now was that it didn’t matter as long as she had him by her side, fighting with her.

The person ahead of her started squirming in his seat. A rest stop was coming up soon. She hoped that there would be a butchers shop or grocery store nearby, Spike was going to need to eat soon. He couldn’t live on the rare hamburgers he had been eating at the last 3 stops. *But if this guy doesn’t stop squirming I will let Spike eat him. But he won‘t do that now, he has a soul.* She should have never taken Spike on a bus full of annoying people for over 24 hours.

The rest stop came and went, no butcher, no source of non human blood. Just a Mickey D’s in the middle of no where. Buffy returned to the bus disappointed that should couldn’t even get him a tiny bit of blood. As she walked back down the aisle she caught a glimpse of the guy in the seat in front of her. He looked familiar, but his beard and moustache were wildly out of place. It wasn’t until he looked into her eyes that she recognized him: it was Oz.

Buffy raised a hand to her mouth.

“Oz?” she whispered.

“Buffy.”

“Oh my god, how are you?” she said as she slipped into the empty seat beside him.

“Surviving,” he said, “You”?

“Same.”

“I heard about Sunnydale. Nasty. Did everyone make it?”

“Everyone being Willow? We lost a few really good people. Xander lost an eye, got the whole pirate thing going on.”

“How is Willow?”

“Good, She’s at UCLA, still very Wicca-y”

“Glad to hear it.”

“So how about you? What’s new?”

“It goes the same, not so good three nights a month, but I haven’t managed to kill anyone in years, so I think that’s progress.”

“I thought you were in Nepal.”

“Was for a while, decided to come back to the good old US of A, there’s only so many yeti jokes I can handle.”

“You should have said hello while you were in LA. I know Willow would have liked it.”

“I didn’t want to interfere. She made her feelings know a long time ago. If she is happy then I am happy for her.”

“So...Cleveland?”

“Cleveland, thought I’d check it out, see if there’s a place for a hairy guy like me. You?”

“Hellmouth.”

“You aren’t going to do to Cleveland what you did to Sunnydale are you?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything to Sunnydale, really. It was the First Evil.”

“Ok, just let me know if you do. K? So I can get out of town.”

“Deal”

Buffy could hear movement from the seat behind her.

“Excuse me for a sec,” she said. Buffy kneeled up on her seat and leaned over the back. She lifted Spike’s jacket.

“Good Morning!” she said pleasantly. “It’s a bright and sunny day outside, so you should probably stay under there.”

“I’ve been crammed into this seat for an unbearable amount of time Slayer,” said Spike annoyed.

“It’s just a little while longer.”

“Buffy sat down in the seat with a sigh, “Only Eight hours to go.”

“Angel?” asked Oz.

“Huh?”

“Angel. Under the coat.”

“No, not Angel,” responded Buffy, “Spike.”

“Spike?”

“Yep”

“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”

“Yep, change is good.”
__________________________________________
“You weren’t serious about that vengeance demon comment, were you?” asked Willow the next day during a shopping excursion.

“No, no really, though sometimes...” Dawn trailed off.

“Dawn, is it really that bad?”

“No I suppose not, she’s not Buffy. She’s not you, she’s not Tara. You guys were my family. It’s like I’ve been abandoned to two people who know nothing about me. They talk about the Earthquake and I have to think about what they mean. Last night Dad joked to me that I was acting like Buffy had died. For someone who wasn’t ever really part of my like, he really pisses me off by trying to be all dad like.”

“He’s just trying.”

“Sure he is”

“Dawnie, promise me that you will tell me if ever you are having problems at home.”

“Ok”

Dawn’s bag started to chime to the tune of Scooby-Doo.

“Hello?” said Dawn into the phone.

“Dawn it’s Buffy.”

“Buffy!” said Dawn happily, “It’s Buffy,” she told Willow. “Are you in Cleveland?”

“No, I’m at a rest stop in, good lord, somewhere in Kansas. It’s been a long ride.”

“How much longer to go?”

“Twelve hours.”

“Wow,”

“Ya, except try having a grumpy vampire complaining beside you the whole way.”

“Grumpy Vampire? You didn’t take Angel with you did you?”

“No Dawn, not Angel. Spike. He’s alive, undead, whatever. He showed up at the bus station.”

“Spike’s alive!” screamed Dawn jumping up and down.

“He says hi, he would have like to say it himself, but it’s daylight, he’s on the bus.”

“So I guess everything is ok with you too then?”

“Everything is good, I think. I have more news, Oz is on the bus too.”

“Oz?” said Dawn like she didn’t remember who he was.

Willow grabbed the phone away from Dawn.

“Buffy, it’s Willow, what about Oz?”

“Will, he’s on the bus, to Cleveland.”

“Is he there? Can I talk to him?”

“Will he’s on the bus, he doesn’t know I’m phoning you.”

“Right, he’s probably not ready, call me when you get to Cleveland. And tell him, well tell him hi for me.”

“I will.”

Willow handed the phone to Dawn.

“Buffy?” said Dawn

“Dawn, I have to get on the bus. I’ll call you when I get there ok?”

“K”

“Dawn I love you.”

“I love you too”

Buffy hung up the phone and walked back to the bus. Spike was still hidden under his jacket and the blanket Buffy had brought with her on the bus, but now he and Oz were trying to play cards in the cramped space. Buffy sat down in Oz’s empty seat

“Dawn and Willow say hi,” said Buffy looking through the crack between the seats.

“How did the nib take the news that I’m back?” asked Spike.

“She was ecstatic, I think she jumped around for a bit.” She smiled. “ Willow especially wanted me to say hi to you too, Oz”

“That’s nice,” said Oz absently.

Buffy smiled knowingly, “So who’s winning?”

“I am,” they both said together.

“Careful Oz, he cheats,” said Buffy, reaching for her copy of Cosmo, “Three more hours until sundown, Twelve more hours until we get off this bus.
__________________________________________
They stopped in a small town in Missouri just after 8 pm. At last Spike would get off the bus. The moment they stopped Buffy could see the look in his eye.

Safely off the bus he pulled her aside

“I need to eat Buffy, it’s weak of me I know but either I feed or I might do something nasty on the bus.”

“I know. I should have tried harder during the day .”

“No, don’t blame yourself, this is my problem.”

“No, it’s our problem,” she said looking into his eyes.

She saw it there in his eyes, like she could read his mind for a brief second. He would have said it if he hadn’t been afraid of the consequences. She wanted him to say it.

“So what’s your fancy, cat? dog? cow?” she continued.

“Except I don’t see any of those just wandering about town.”

“I’m up for breaking into the local butcher shop.”

He smiled.
__________________________________________
Back on the bus they found Oz fast asleep, snoring quietly. Alone in the dark corner of the bus Spike took Buffy’s hand to help her into the seat. She didn’t let go. They sat there in the dark for a long time before one of them broke the silence.

“Tell me what happened, after you left me in the cave,” he asked.

He didn’t want to talk about what happened in the cave. Buffy couldn’t help but let a pained expression catch her face. She took a deep breath and started the cold grim facts.

“I ran. Everything was falling. I ran on to the roof, and kept running. Jumped on to the roof of the bus. Watched as Sunnydale collapsed. The whole town sinking into the ground. When the bus stopped and I slid down from the roof I couldn’t look away. Dawn hugged me, they asked why the town was a crater. You did it, Spike, you closed the Hellmouth. I was so proud of you.” she squeezed his hand. “They kept asking me what we were going to do now. Live, that’s all I could think, because you wanted me to live. And I wanted to. We drove to LA. Angel put everyone up, the wounded went to the hospital. Dawn I think had the hardest time not knowing when you were going to show up. Willow said “He deserves to be in Heaven,” and Dawn lost it. Took her to Dad’s house. I couldn’t have stayed there. When you were gone, I counted everyday. Ninety Seven days. I thought at first I could just move on, be strong for the rest, get us all to LA. But once we were safe I started to shut down.”

“Did the same when you were gone. 147 days. Except I didn’t have to make sure that people were safe, you did that.”

Buffy rested her head on Spike’s chest.

“You had my back, right until the end” she whispered.

She was proud of him. Him, evil vampire, him. He deserves to be in heaven, the witch had said. If that wasn’t praise... In death, a second time around, perhaps the scooby prats had accepted his little contribution to the group, to the saving of the earth. Little? No not little, and she was proud of him for it. Spike couldn’t help but smile.

tbc...
 

The Rest of our Lives
By Ariel Dawn

Summery: In Which Buffy arrives in Cleveland, Bad things happen to Valery and the plot really begins (Plot? What‘s that?).

Disclaimer: So I was walking along one day and was viciously attacked by a demon for the right to own BTVS. Sadly I had to tell the thing that I didn’t own Buffy and Spike.

Author’s note: Thanks to all my reviewers!
__________________________________________
Chapter 3: Shadows and Ashes

Buffy took a look at her new apartment. It was barely furnished, just a bed a set of drawers, stove, fridge, no curtains. Sunlight streamed into the room. It needed work. Buffy threw down her back pack and started looking in cupboards, the fridge and closets. There was no phone, nothing.

She had left a message on Dawn’s phone. Obviously she was at school. The same happened at Willow’s and Xander’s. It was 10 am on a Wednesday morning after all. Only hours ago she Spike and Oz got off the bus. Oz had gone on to wherever he was going. Spike was in a crypt for the day, leaving Buffy alone to get things set up in her new place. She looked into her empty fridge. She needed to go grocery shopping. Buffy sat down on her new bed and rested her head on her hands and started to cry.
__________________________________________
Dawn walked home from school happier than she had been for months. School was ok. It was good to be with kids who weren’t superheroes, like her. She had made 2 new friends, the most normal people she had ever met and there was a boy, Rick, possibly the dreamiest guy she had seen in a good long time, next to Spike of course. She was still cautious- the last guy she went our on a date with turned out to be have a weird hypnotic jacket. Dawn turned on to her street, preparing herself for another encounter with Valery. As the house came into view, Dawn could see the outline of the house, the frames smoking, the house and empty shell of what it had been.

“Oh my god!” said Dawn as she ran to her house.

Her step mother was distraught outside on the lawn as police were trying to get a statement from the wailing woman. Valery caught a glimpse of Dawn running towards the house.

“Dawn!” shouted Valery, “Stop!”

Dawn halted in her tracks, 3 houses away.

“Don’t come any closer! Go to Willow’s,” shouted Valery.

Dawn stood puzzled for a moment before taking off in the direction of Willow’s campus dorm room. Willow met her at the door.

“Oh my goddess, Dawn. Valery called me an hour ago. I’m so glad you are safe.”

“Willow, what’s going on?”

“There’s been some, nastiness at your Dad’s house.”

“No kidding”

“Valery doesn’t know what happened. She says that she saw a bright green light, weird voices and then the house was on fire.”

“What do the police think it was?”

“Arson, but I don’t think pyromaniacs are our problem, think this has demon written all over it.”

“Really?” said Dawn happily

“You didn’t make a wish to a vengeance demon did you?”

“Willow!” said Dawn shocked, “To burn down my house? Like I’d really do that.”

“Just checking, Feel like doing some research?”

“Feels like a distraction if you ask me.”

“Distraction yes, but also useful.”

“ We need to tell Buffy”

“When she calls next.” said Willow, “ I promise.”
__________________________________________
But Buffy didn’t call at all that day. Dawn thought it pretty strange that Dad or Valery hadn’t called her to see if she was alright. The first few days of her 10 months was turning out weirder than ever. Both Xander and Andrew showed up to play scrabble that night, to keep Dawn’s mind off her house burnt up.

“So got any demon-y leads on what burnt down your house?” asked Andrew during a pause in the scrabble action.

Willow and Xander shot him looks of death but he failed to pay attention. He just wanted to talk to Dawn.

“No, Giles took all the relevant books with him to England. I might try on the web tomorrow at school.”

“How was school?” asked Xander obviously trying to change the subject.

“Good made a couple of new friends, my teachers are ok. It’s very normal.”

“Normal is good,” said Willow

“Normal is boring,” said Dawn, “I miss Buffy.”

“I’m sure she will call tomorrow.”

Dawn slept on Willow’s floor that night. She was awakened by a phone ringing early in the morning. Immediately Dawn thought it was Buffy. As she sat up Willow hung up the phone.

“Was that Buffy?” asked Dawn.

“It was Valery. She says it would probably be best if you went to school as normal.”

“She must feel very concerned for me” said Dawn sarcastically as she rolled over and put her head on her pillow.

“Dawn...”

“I’ll go.... 9 months and 27 days.”
__________________________________________

Dawn was safely at school. Willow returned to the site of the Summer’s burnt house. Valery was already there.

“Willow,” said Valery in semi greeting, with her back turned to the witch.

“Valery,”

“It’s all ruined, there’s nothing here to salvage,” said Valery distraught.

“Can the bullshit Valery, you need to tell me everything you know.”

“Are you sure you want that kind of responsibility?”

“Are you loony? I just want to know who’s responsible for the fire and why you are acting all creepy.”

“I just want to protect him.”

“Hank. You saw this coming, didn’t you?”

Valery nodded.

“I have visions, every once in a while. About my life, a glimpse in the future, nothing concrete. Dabbled in witch craft when I was your age. Suspect it’s a consequence. Since the hellmouth was closed I’ve had them nearly everyday. Something wants to kill the Summers. To make sure they are no more. I don’t know why. I want to protect him. It’s why I wanted Buffy to leave. If she’s here, he’s in danger. He doesn’t even know how dangerous she is. I know that Dawn must not come back here. He’s not safe with them around.”

“If you’ve seen the future then tell me who’s behind it.”

“I can’t. I do know that whatever it is will keep coming after them, Hank, Dawn and Buffy. Until the slayers line is ended and the legacy can go on.”

“Whoa, be kind, rewind, please... the slayers line?”

“That’s what the voices in my head said, Before...”

“You had warning? That’s why you survived. But why were you the target if what ever this is, is after the Summers, you aren’t a Summers Valery.”

“No but my baby is,” said Valery putting a hand protectively against her stomach.

“Congratulations then,” said Willow awkwardly.

“Thanks,” said Valery smiling, “ wait a minute,” she said nudging something with her shoe, “I’ve never seen this before.” Valery picked up a wooden box from the ashes of the house. “I wonder how it didn’t get burnt?”

Willow let her mouth open in astonishment. She knew exactly what that was. She thought it had been lost in Sunnydale. Willow reached out with her hands.

“Do you know what it is Willow?” asked Valery.

“Ya...”
__________________________________________
Later that night Willow, Xander, Kennedy and Andrew waited for Dawn to come home from School. Dawn walked into Willow’s dorm room happy and chipper from the bright sunshiny day. The moment she saw the dark faces of her friend she knew right away that things were not all rainbows and puppies.

“No need to ask how your day went,” said Dawn.

“Kennedy, you had better go,” said Willow.

Kennedy rose from the table, kissed Willow and went out the door giving Dawn a ‘cheer up’ smile as she went.

“Ok now you are freaking me out” said Dawn.

“We need to talk,” said Willow seriously, “I know what burnt down your house.”

“Is something trying to kill me again? Cause that’s what you all look like you are going to tell me.”

“It’s worse than that Dawn, if you could sit...” said Xander.

“No I won’t sit, tell me now. Has something happened to Buffy?”

“Not that we know of,” said Willow. “Please let me finish.”

Dawn crossed her arms angrily. They never stopped thinking she was just a child.

“Do you remember the shadow caster box that sent Buffy into another dimension and gave us a demon? The one that came from Principal Wood’s mother?” Said Willow.

“Ya..”

“It was in the ashes of your house.”

“But how...It would have gone down with all of the rest of our stuff in Sunnydale.”

“Valery also told me that she heard voices before the fire, men’s voices. They said something about ending the slayers line and making the legacy go on. I think that something, those men Buffy talked to in that other dimension are trying to kill everyone with Summers blood, so that the legacy of the slayer can go back to the way it was before I cast that spell.”

“Why do they need to kill us?” asked Dawn, sitting finally in a chair.

“I don’t know, I need to do some research on the spell I cast how it can be reversed.”

“So my Dad is in danger, is that where Kennedy went? to protect him?”

“Yes and Valery.”

“What has Valery got to do with it?”

“She’s pregnant Dawn.”
__________________________________________
Buffy sat on a tomb stone in one of the local cemeteries. The sun had only just done down, it had been a busy day. She now had food in her fridge, curtains on the windows, sheets on her bed and weapons unpacked. She wanted some dusty action. After sitting on that bus for so long she needed to make sure that she could still slay.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” a male voice asked her from behind.

Buffy could tell it wasn’t a vampire, just from the way her insides didn’t flip-flop.

“Paying my respects,” said Buffy turning to the voice. The man was mid 30 ish, brown hair, dark eyes. He commanded attention.

“To...Mark Bellamy, 1901-1986?”

“Sure.”

“Ok, You know you really shouldn’t be in here after dark.”

“Don’t you worry. I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t think you realise what you are getting yourself into.”

“You’d be surprised. Who are you anyway?” Buffy asked.

“David Gable, Caretaker of this place.”

“Makes sense, I didn’t expect any other people wandering around cemeteries at night, well except dumb kids.”

“Like you?”

“Harsh much? I wouldn’t exactly call myself a dumb kid,” said Buffy

“What would you call yourself?” asked Gable

Just then two vampires shot out of graves to the left of Buffy.

“You need to leave,” said Gable

“And miss all the fun?” said Buffy, “ hardly.”

Buffy watched as Gable actually took on one of the vamps himself. Having staked one of the vamps she stood back and watched Gable fight against the other. He was having some trouble against the vamp.

“Need some help?” asked Buffy

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure, cause you look a little clobbered,”

Gable punched the vamp in the nose and got back on to his feet, then staked the vamp.

“So you are just a caretaker?” said Buffy

“Those were vampires.”

“Ya...I know”

“Maybe you should tell me just exactly who you are,” he said breathing deeply

“I asked first”

“I am the caretaker of this cemetery. I’ve been hunting vampires since I was 16 when my father
was killed by one.”

“Fair enough,” said Buffy, “Buffy Summers, Chosen One, Vampire Slayer.”

“Nice title, had it long?”

“Since I was 15 or so.”

“Get paid with that title?” he said sneering.

“You really have no clue, do you?”

“I think your aren’t what you say you are”

“Look, I’m not trying to move in on your territory.”

“No, I think you are trying to get close then go in for the kill.”

“Do you really think you are that important mate?” said Spike’s voice from behind Buffy.

Buffy turned around and smiled. He had snuck up behind her while she was in the heat of the
argument.

“I’m sure the vampires would love to get rid of me,” said Gable.

“I’m sure they’d like to eat you actually. Frankly I’m surprised you’ve lived this long,” said Buffy.

“I’m good at what I do,” said Gable.

“Then how come we’ve never heard of you mate? The mighty Vampire Hunter of Cleveland in all his glory?” said Spike.

Buffy laughed. She had been missing Spike’s cocky sense of humour. She let herself be taken in by his eyes. Buffy blinked returning herself to her environment.

“Look maybe you’ve been doing this for a while, but there is not need for us to argue, obviously you have this place under control. I was just looking for a work out.”

“A work out? You call that a work out! This is life and death little girl.” shouted Gable.

Buffy laughed. “Actually, no I don’t call it a work out, I haven’t had a decent work out with a vampire since I last saved the world. It was nice meeting you, I’ll try to stay our of your cemetery from now on.” Buffy turned away and walked towards the exit of the cemetery. Spike followed obediently behind.

“Has an inflated sense of self that one.” he commented.

“His arrogance probably keeps him alive.” said Buffy, “I’m afraid you will have to move.”

“I gathered that much. No problem not the roomiest crypt I’ve ever stayed in.”

“Sorry about the inconvenience.”

“Heard from Dawn lately?”

“No, my phone will be hooked up tomorrow.”

“What were you really doing in there anyway?”

“Hoping to recapture a purpose.”

“And?”

“It was familiar, slaying ordinary vampires again. I haven’t really done that for a while,” said Buffy, “I’d like to feel in the game. That guy really pissed me off though.”

“Want to go back and teach him a lesson?”

“Maybe some other time”

“How’s the new place working out?”

“It’s a work in progress, what we really need to do now is to find the Hellmouth and make certain that it is still very buried. Got any ideas?”

“Well I’d suggest asking Mr Vampire Hunter but he seems pretty out of the loop, doesn’t even know about the Slayer... Probably doesn’t know much.”

“Doubt he gets out of the cemetery much.”

“Well I’ll see if any old acquaintances are in town.”

“Want me to come with?” asked Buffy, “ I’m feeling a bit useless right now.”

“Call Dawn, pep talk from her will do you good.”

“Thanks” said Buffy trying to smile.

“I’ll check on you later.”
__________________________________________
Willow looked over the box she had taken from Valery.

“This has something to do with you doesn’t it?” she said turning the box around on the table. “I wonder what secrets you haven’t yet told us?”
__________________________________________
Dawn answered her cell phone on the second ring.

“Buffy?” said Dawn eagerly.

“Dawn is everything ok there?”

“Oh Buffy. I’m so glad you called. Dad’s house is burnt down. Willow thinks those men from the shadow caster box is trying to kill our family so that the slayer legacy will go back to the way it was.” said Dawn at the speed of a train.

“Huh? Who’s trying to kill you now?”

“It’s not just me Buffy, they are trying to kill Valery, and Dad and probably you too.”

“Where are you staying right now?”

“At Willow’s.”

“Good stay there. Get Willow to put a protection spell on you.”

“Here?”

“Yes, you are safer with Willow, she won’t let anything happen to you until we figure out how to stop this.”

“But I want to be with you, and Spike. I’m safest with you two.”

“Dawn how do you think you are going to be able to get here? Plane, train or bus you will be vulnerable and alone on the journey.”

“Buffy...”

“Dawn, I’ll get you to me, but I want you safe. I love you.”

“I wish Spike was here.”

“You will see him soon. I promise. Can I talk to Willow? Is she there?”

Dawn passed the phone to Willow, who had been keeping one ear to the conversation, while still trying to read the large and dusty volume before her.

“Buffy?” said Willow.

“Who’s protecting my dad?”

“I’ve put Kennedy on it,”

“Good. Keep Dawn safe. Does Giles know?”

“Yes I've called him. He’s sending me the book that came with the shadow caster box. I need to do a little reconnaissance, to figure out how to stop it,”

“Ok, what can I do?”

“Nothing right now, unless you want Dawn to come to you.”

“No too dangerous.”

“Ya, ok. Don’t worry. We are on it on this end.”

“Good K, keep me in the loop ok? I’ll get my new phone number tomorrow. I’ll call you and Dawn tomorrow.”

“How’s Oz?”

“I haven’t seen him since getting off the bus Willow.”

“Oh,”

“I’m sure I’ll see him soon.”

“How goes the decorating?”

“Good, I think. I’ve got a sorta bohemian dungeon thing going on.”

“Sounds beautiful.”
__________________________________________

Buffy hung up the phone in despair. Why had she left Dawn alone? And now her Dad was a target too. She should have never left LA. Buffy punched the phone booth in frustration.

“Did the thing eat your quarter?” asked Spike, “Things aren’t going well in LA,” he said a statement rather than a question.

“Do you know something?” Buffy asked, “or is my pleasant phone booth manner giving me away?”

“Both”

“Spill”

“The word is out that you and your loved ones have become targets. The spell the witch cast has made you all very unpopular with the powers that be and virtually every demon in the world. It used to be that to avoid the slayer you just had to stay out of Sunnyhell. Now you lot are everywhere.”

“What do you know about what’s happening in LA?”

“No one knows for sure, but they know that the natural order will be restored soon.”

“Great, cryptic prophecy.”

“We don’t exactly work in a realm of clear cut facts now do we?”

“Dawn’s in trouble Spike, so is my Dad and here I am hanging out in a city thousands of miles away. I can’t do anything to help them.”

“You need to do something to take your mind off it, pet,” he said walking closer to her and putting his hand on her hip.

“I need to sleep.”

“So you can stew in your own misery. Ya good plan.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion”

“No you didn’t, but I’m giving it to you anyway. You are scared, this is the first time that you haven’t been there to call the shots. The witch won’t let anything happen to the nibblet. You need to protect yourself. Whatever this thing is, it will come after you too.”

“You are right, but Dawn’s life is far more important than mine. She can have a future. She needs to live, to have a normal life.”

“The life that you never had? Are you protecting Dawn because she’s your sister or because she’s you in the life you can’t have?”

“Huh?”

“Face it slayer, you aren’t exactly the most normal girl in the world. Most girls your age have careers, education, boyfriends and are starting to think about families. You aren’t exactly clammering to get those things are you? But you’ve accepted that, because Dawn was your way out. You could live vicariously through her. Has it ever occurred to you that she may not want to have a normal life?”

Buffy stared blankly at him. He could always read her like a book. It was a shame really that since they had gotten on that bus, there had been no declaration of love. Here he was laying her psyche out for her to inspect, again. But he hadn’t said “I love you” since Sunnydale.

He couldn’t take it anymore. “Bloody hell, say something, punch me, do something,” he begged.

A tear trickled down Buffy’s cheek.

“Oh god, I’m sorry,” he said moving closer to her.

“No, no, it’s not your fault. Well probably it is. Am I just so easy to read?” *And why don’t you say you love me anymore?*

“Only to me,” he said taking her hand for a moment. “I’ll let you get some sleep.”

He wanted to get drunk. To be this close and no further was painful. He started to walk away. She grabbed his hand again. *Queen of the mixed messages she is.*

“No,” said Buffy quietly.

“No you don’t want to sleep?”

“I don’t want you to go.” She led him through the lobby of the building.

Spike climbed the stairs to the second floor apartment paused at the door way for the magic words.

“Come in Spike” she said still holding his hand.

Hesitantly he followed her into the apartment. Buffy kicked off her shoes and threw her jacket at a box before pushing the duster off the confused Vampire. She didn’t have a come hither look in her eyes, they were far away and sad. Her eyes and her actions didn’t seem to mesh. She led him to her bedroom. She fished around in her back pack for some PJ bottoms. In a flash her jeans were off and the PJ bottoms were on. Buffy curled up on her bed, under the covers.

Spike stood there intensely confused. She had just changed there in front of him.

“Spike?” she said still curled up on the bed.

“Slayer?”

“Hold me until I fall asleep?”

Spike knew he was helpless against her demands. He climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her petit frame. He had done this before... seemed such a long time ago, another lifetime ago. He couldn’t believe that he was in this position again. He swore at himself for being such a ponce. She had him wrapped around her baby finger again. He was her whipping boy. He knew it, just couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it. She believed in him. That was what had drove him to get a soul, forced himself to work for her, training those blasted potentials, made him afraid to touch her once he got back. Until the prats kicked her out of her own house.

That’s where he saw himself right now, reliving that moment. He didn’t want to think of anything else except that moment.

“I’m not ready for you not to be here,” she whispered into the darkness of the bedroom.
__________________________________________

tbc...
 

The Rest of our Lives
By Ariel Dawn

Summery: In which Spike comes to LA, Kennedy takes a trip, and Buffy gets some house guests

Disclaimer: Joss ended the series...He dropped the ball, I’m just picking it up and playing with it.

Author’s note: Thanks to my reviewers!
__________________________________________
Chapter 4: Through the looking glass

Buffy woke with a start. It was far too early in the morning to be awake. She couldn’t help but think that something terrible had happened. She slid out of Spike’s arms and trod down to the phone booth in front of her building.

“Buffy?” said Dawn as soon as she picked up the phone.

“Dawn is everything alright?”

“Hardly. The motel that Dad and Valery were staying at is gone.”

“Gone?”

“Destroyed.”

“Are they ok?’

“Ya but they’ve been detained for questioning. The police think that Dad’s been setting the fires. They want to put me in foster care. Willow did this cool magic thing and convinced them that I will be safer with you. They even offered a police escort to Cleveland.”

“Good cause the police will protect you,” said Buffy sarcastically.

“Willow hasn’t left me alone for two days, except to go to school.”

“Good. Can I talk to Willow?”

“Um now probably wouldn’t be a good time. Willow and Kennedy are sorta having a fight. It’s the first one I’ve ever heard them have.”
__________________________________________

“What do you mean you fell asleep?” said Willow.

“Hey I’ve been on the mission for a full 24 hours now, don’t you think I deserve to sleep?” balked Kennedy.

“Not when people’s lives are at stake.”

“I think I deserve back up,” said Kennedy, “ I don’t understand why Buffy isn’t here, protecting her family.”

“Buffy isn’t here,”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it? I’m not Buffy. I’ll never be the goddess she is, she’s perfect. You should hear yourself talk about her. It’s like she’s the god damn Virgin Mary or something.”

“Kennedy!”

“Don’t you even try to deny it. You are all in love with her! She can do no wrong, now that the
hellmouth is closed. I don’t know even why you are still in LA, You don’t want to be here. You want to be with her. You are afraid of yourself with out her.”

“No, baby that’s not true.”

“It’s not? I’m not blind Willow. She can do no wrong, even when it means leaving her family to the wolves. Excuse me but I gotta get back to the Summers. Someone has gotta give a flying fuck whether they live or die. Obviously you don’t.”
__________________________________________

Buffy returned to bed but could not fall asleep. Her Dad was going to die because she wasn’t there to protect him. Dawn was in danger too. Buffy moaned. She shouldn’t have left LA. She had to see Dawn safely away from harm, but where was that? The only thing that Buffy would thing of was with Spike. Buffy looked over at the sleeping Vampire. He had fought Glory for her, he had regained his soul for her, so many stupid thing because he had loved her. And she hadn’t clued in until it was way too late that she loved him. God she was stupid. Now something else was after her and her family and he would probably do something stupid sentimentalist crazy thing just to protect her. She might lose him again. She hugged him tight. No, she wouldn’t lose him again. She needed him. *When he wakes up I’ll tell him,* she decided, *and this time he will believe me.*

“Mmm” he moaned as he rolled to face her. He opened his eyes.

“You were awake?” she said with incredulity.

“Creature of the night, Slayer, it’s what I do. Also it’s hard to sleep when you are getting in and out of bed. You really need to invest in a better quality mattress.”

Buffy laughed, then the smile disappeared from her face.

“My Dad has been attacked again. Valery and he are fine but the LAPD are holding them for questioning. It looks like Dawn will be coming here a lot sooner than I thought”

Spike got up out of bed and started putting on his boots.

“Where are you going?” asked Buffy.

“To LA, to get Dawn. You were going to ask me anyway. I’ll be back before you know it, pet,” he said putting a brave smile on his face.

“You are too good for me, you know,” said Buffy.

“No, mass murderer remember? Liked to kill people with rail road spikes?”

“I have a vague recollection...” she smiled, putting her hand to her tattoo lightly.

“Don’t ponder it too hard. You might not want me back. Mind yourself while I’m gone. Whatever it is that is after Dawn is also after you.”

“Spike...” She said reaching for him and laying her hand on his bicep. “Take care of yourself too. I...I need you here with me. Don’t take too long or I’ll kick your butt.”
__________________________________________
Willow opened the Fed Ex box with eagerness. Inside lay the book that she hoped would end this whole mess. She flipped through the pages trying to find a relevant passage. Her ancient Sumerian was rusty, but she knew someone else whose translating skills were just a little better.
__________________________________________
Willow found Dawn outside her school at lunch time. She was surrounded by friends laughing and having a good time. It reminded Willow of her high school days, except without the monsters. And Oz. She had been thinking about him a lot lately and she had an idea why. Her fight with Kennedy opened her eyes, Kennedy was a brat. Hell, Kennedy had said it herself once. She wasn’t a Scooby, could never be one even if she tried. Kennedy wanted to be the slayer, deserved to have her chance at least. But Buffy was in the way. There was something in Kennedy that couldn’t forgive Buffy for being the chosen one. Willow loved Buffy, she was ‘best friend’ and no matter what Kennedy was to Willow there was no way she would ever be disloyal to Buffy. Not again anyway. That’s what the fight had seemed to be, Kennedy was trying to make her choose.

Dawn looked up and saw Willow. They waved at each other.

“Checking up on me?” said Dawn pleasantly as Willow came into hearing distance.

“No, not so much, really. I just came by cause I need your expertise on the translating,” said Willow placing the book on the table.

“Whoa, man, what smells?” said one of the boys at the table.

“It’s the book,” said Dawn calmly reaching for it, “It’s several thousand years old.”

“I spoke to Buffy this morning after you left. Spike’s on his way to get you.” said Willow.

“Cool, so I guess that means I’m Cleveland bound,” said Dawn.

“So you are good for the translating?”

“So totally good, I’ve got a spare this afternoon, to the library with me.” Said Dawn happily “It’s like back to normal for me, this whole sitting with friends thing was just far too weird,” said Dawn smiling at her new friends.

Willow could tell that they understood, obviously Dawn had told them some things about herself. Especially since Willow couldn’t help but over hear as she walked away one of the girls ask about Spike.

“Oh he’s so totally gorgeous, but he’s my sisters, so no touchy for me, besides he’s kinda like an older brother,” said Dawn.
__________________________________________

“So it’s a bust, there’s nothing in here that says anything about killing the Slayer’s family. There is a passage about the interminable knowledge of the Shadow men, the first watchers, but that’s all,” said Dawn dropping the book on the table.

“I guess then we will have to go with Plan B” said Willow.

“What’s plan B?”

“We send a Slayer in.”

There was a knock at the door. Dawn opened it to show Spike and Oz standing in the doorway.

“Spike!” said Dawn happily jumping up to hug him.

“Hey Nibblet, Big sis says hello.” said Spike, detangling himself from Dawn’s arms.

“Oz...” said Willow.

“Hey Will...” responded Oz.

They both were acting far too shy in Spike’s opinion. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out
Oz was still crazy about the witch.

“How are you?” Willow asked.

“Cramped, sitting in a car for 12 hours straight will do that to you,” Oz said throwing a bag down on the ground.

“Needed someone to drive during the daylight,” replied Spike.

“Makes sense to me,” said Dawn

Kennedy appeared in the doorway of the dorm room in a panicked state. She regained her cool when she found there was an audience.

“Willow the police station has been on fire. Valery is in the hospital,” said Kennedy.

“My Dad?” asked Dawn.

“He’s fine, It was like he wasn’t the target at all,” said Kennedy. “Who the hell are you?” she asked Oz. “Did the grand almighty Buffy send her Cleveland Scoobies to do the job she should have been doing herself?”

“I’m not a Scooby,” said Oz, “I’m a... friendly non human who helps when help is needed.” He winked at Willow.

“Good grief, not another vampire...”

Oz shook his head.

“Demon?”

“Kennedy, this is Oz, He’s a werewolf and my ex boyfriend,” said Willow.

“Whoa hold on, ex. boy. friend?” said Kennedy.

“Hey, the clock is ticking, I’d much rather be on the road stuck in the car than listen to a jealous girlfriend row.” said Spike.

“Spike’s right, we need to find out what’s going on here.” said Dawn. “Willow what was plan B again.”
__________________________________________

The group moved to an empty room on campus. The doors were barricaded. The shadow casting box was set up, the flame burned.

“So I’m going in there?” said Kennedy when the portal opened.

“And a big demon comes out,” said Dawn.

“And what happens inside?” asked Kennedy.

“Hopefully the shadow men the first watchers will be there to tell you, why they are killing the slayer and her family. Try to convince them to stop,” said Willow. “Try to find out fast cause will we’d like to keep the nastiness here as short as possible.”

“K” said Kennedy.
__________________________________________
Kennedy looked around her and the desert landscape. There was nothing here but rock and bugs.

“Hello, old guys! Slayer here seeking wisdom and all that, Hello!”

“You are not she,” said a voice from behind her, “You are false.”

Kennedy spun around to see 3 men dressed in colourful robes sitting around a fire.

“Oh ya well I am a Slayer and you can’t do anything about it.”

“Oh but we can, and will. It was us that made the first slayer the legacy must be retuned to what it once was. The blood of the slayer must be spilt and the relic must be returned to what it once was. This is our affair and you are as yet a false slayer, you have not been chosen.”

“Wait a minute, I don’t get it if the slayers blood must be spilt why is her family being attacked?”

“It is our affair, we created the first slayer and so this must be. To return the legacy the cycle must start a new. We have the blood of one”

“Weird much, so what exactly is wrong with having move than one slayer? More demons killed, less hassle.”

“The legacy must be returned.”

Kennedy felt something pull her back to LA and the empty classroom. Kennedy looked around at the people in the room. Willow was collapsed on the floor. Spike had nasty cut above his eye. Oz was bleeding from his lip. Dawn was hiding in a corner.

“Hope you didn’t enjoy yourselves too much while I was gone?” said Kennedy as she regained a standing position.

“Good times had by all,” said Oz.

“What did you find out?” asked Dawn

“They were weird, very cryptic. Kept talking about returning the legacy. They said they had to start the legacy from the beginning. The blood of the slayer must be spilt and the relic must be bathed, whatever that means.” said Kennedy

“The relic? What relic?” asked Dawn.

“Ooh, the scythe? That we took the essence of to create the spell. We have to bathe the scythe in the Slayer’s blood,” said Willow.

“Obviously not just her blood but the blood of her family too,” said Dawn. “Otherwise why would they be attacking Dad and Valery?”

“They said they had to start the legacy anew,” said Kennedy.

“Do you suppose that whatever they did to create the first slayer will happen again?” asked Oz

“Did they kill the first slayer’s family?” asked Dawn

“I don’t know I don’t know enough about this. We need Giles,” said Willow
__________________________________________
Buffy walked along a dark and empty Cleveland street. To her left lay a cemetery. She couldn’t bring herself to go in. Her mind was not focused on what she had set out to do that night, to slay. She was focused on Dawn, where she was and how she getting to Cleveland. Buffy hadn’t asked Spike how he was going to get to LA. She was worried that it was illegal. Spike could take care of himself, but with Dawn with him. She didn’t want them getting arrested by the police.

Buffy shook her head to clear it and headed into the cemetery. She immediately heard the sounds of fighting. She kept walking until she saw a tussle between a vampire and her favourite caretaker of cemeteries, Cleveland’s own vampire hunter, David what’shisname. Buffy rolled her eyes then watched him fight off the vamp. He was doing pretty well. It was clear that he could hold his own with one vamp, clearly not with two. Buffy chuckled to herself.

“Are you following me?” Gable asked once he had dusted his opponent.

“No, this isn’t your cemetery, I thought I would do my job in peace,” said Buffy.

“Maybe you should go back to wherever it was that you came from and leave. Clearly you aren’t needed here.”

“Thanks for the advice. I can’t go back and I think I can make up my own mind about when I need to leave. What is your problem anyway. I would think that you would be happy to have some help or are you still convinced that I’m a vampire too?”

“I’ve seen a lot of strangeness in my time, I’ve survived by not trusting anyone or anything, it’s kept me alive.”

“It’s also kept you alone, Don’t you have any friends?”

“No, they would get hurt if they knew. I don’t need to put anyone else in danger.”

“You are right,” said Buffy thinking about Xander, Dawn, her dad, and Anya. “People do get hurt in this line of work. People die when you fight evil. Anyway thanks for the lovely talk David, Maybe I’ll bump into you again someday.”

“Just leave me alone,” he said leaving the cemetery.

Buffy shrugged and kept walking through the cemetery hoping to find her own distraction to the miserable feelings that were bubbling inside her.
__________________________________________

Dawn, Spike and Oz sat in Mr Summer’s Sedan, enroute to Cleveland. Spike drove.

“We will know more once Giles arrives from England,” said Dawn trying to be cheerful. “Willow and Giles will find out what’s the weakness of all these shadow men and everything will be hugs and puppies again.”

“Sure it will, until the next big bad threatens you and yours again,” said Spike bitterly.

“It’s unfair.” said Dawn

“It’s incredibly unfair. You all deserve to have a somewhat normal life, don’t you think? But it never lets up. She’ll die, again saving some poor soul from death or trying to save the world from apocalypse once more,” said Spike passionately.

“Hey, I hear ya man, saving the world, it’s a thankless and never ending job,” said oz from the back seat.

“So how is Cleveland? Lot’s of demons and vamps to slay?” asked Dawn eagerly.

“Not so much” said Spike

“I heard from this guy I know that there’s this rogue vampire hunter in the central cemeteries, this human who fights vamps cause his dad was eaten like a decade ago or something,” said oz.

“Ya, what’s he like? is he cute? fun to hang out with? Do you think he’d be a scooby?” asked Dawn.

“No,” said Spike right off the bat.

“’Just no?” asked Dawn.

“He thinks your sister is vamp. He’s an ass. Better off without him,” said Spike.

“Protective much? Don’t want anyone moving in on your territory?” asked Oz.

Spike shot him an evil look in the rear view mirror

“‘Moving in on your territory? Wouldn’t it be you moving in on his territory?” asked Dawn as she swung around to look at Oz. She caught Spike’s look. “Oh, you mean Buffy”

There was silence for a while until Dawn could hear the gentle snores of the werewolf in the back seat.

“Spike, I wouldn’t worry about Buffy and the vampire hunter guy. You didn’t see her when you were gone. It was like after she came back from the dead. She couldn’t grieve for you, she wouldn't let you go. She avoided everyone for a long time. Willow said that she’s lost her coping mechanism to deal with tragedy. You, you were there when mom died you were there when she died. Angel tried to comfort her, god knows he tried but she couldn’t let him get close to her. I think she felt she would be betraying you. I know you love her. You’ve loved her for a long time. Just trust her,” said Dawn,” and hey I'm glad you are with Buffy, cause that Angel guy creeps me out, what is up with his hair?”

Spike smiled “You are alright bit.”
__________________________________________
Buffy tossed and turned in her bed. She had been unable to sleep restfully since she left LA but now it was worse for some reason. She couldn’t help but feel that she shouldn’t have left LA at all. Buffy heard someone try to get into her apartment. Instinctively she grabbed one of the stakes that was hidden under her bed. Then she heard the key in the door. It was Spike, he was back with Dawn. Buffy glanced at the alarm clock, 4 am. Buffy herself had only returned home a few hours ago from patrolling.

“Bloody lock,” Buffy heard Spike swear from the other side of the door.

Buffy lay back against her pillows, pretending to sleep. She heard the door open, two people walk in.

“Just put her down on the couch mate,” said Spike.

“Thanks mate,” said Spike after Buffy heard some struggle to put Dawn on the newly purchased couch comfortably.

“No problem man,” said Oz’s voice, “See you around”

Buffy heard one set of footsteps leave and close the door. There was quiet in the apartment except for the deep breathing of Dawn in the living room.

“I know you aren’t asleep,” said Spike whispering in Buffy’s ear.

Buffy opened her eyes and smiled, “I missed you,” she said wrapping her arms and him and pulling him into bed with her. She cuddled up with him like his was her teddy bear and drifted off to sleep again.
__________________________________________
“It’s only a theory of course,” said Giles as he looked at Willow’s research, “It’s all very hit and miss. We cannot be sure this will do anything.”

“But how about we try. It won’t hurt anyone. The shadow men already have killed Valery’s unborn child.” said Willow.

“Yes, the doctor’s report was gruesome.”

“We need to try something to make this stop Giles.”

“But what will happen if it does work? Will all the new slayers cease to be slayers and go back to being potentials or something worse? And what about Buffy? Will she be put through the ordeal of the first slayer?”

“Shouldn’t she be given all the info and make her own choice?” said Willow. “This affects her most of all. After all, what if after I do this thing, the Shadow men don’t want her to be the slayer anymore? Huh? Did you think of that?”

“No, that had never crossed my mind. I suppose it could happen. I have no watcher’s council Willow it’s not exactly easy to know what’s supposed to happen.”

“Look, I’m sorry about the yelling, but we are wasting time. Valery is lucky to be alive, it could be Mr Summers next or even Dawn. We need to hurry Giles.”
__________________________________________

“Can’t I just stay home today? Get my bearings? Come on, Buffy, just one day?” asked Dawn.

“No, I will register you for school this morning, then I’ve got to go apartment hunting and buy you a bed. Dawn it will be easier for me today if you were at school.”

“But how safe am I at school?” asked Dawn.

“She’s got a point, pet” came Spike’s voice from the single bedroom of the apartment.

“I knew it! The two of you would gang up on me. Ok but just today and you’ve got to stay with Spike. Which means you can’t leave the apartment,” said Buffy. “I’ll register you for school this afternoon once we know where we are going to live next month.”

“A month?” said Dawn “ You mean I have to sleep on the couch for a month?”

“No, you will be sleeping in the living room for a month. First task, Dawn needs a bed. Maybe you and Spike can pin some sheets to the ceiling and make a sort of sheet walled room or something.”

“Can I come? It is my bed after all. And Spike needs his sleep after driving and stuff,” said Dawn, “I’ve never been to Cleveland before. I’d like to see the sights.”

“Neither have I, and I’ve been here a total of 5 days!” said Buffy, “Get your coat. Let’s go.”

“Yay!” clapped Dawn.

“Goodie” said Buffy rolling her eyes. She smiled at Spike before she closed the door behind her.
__________________________________________
Buffy arrived home with Dawn several hours later. A bed had been purchased and would be delivered. Dawn had been registered for school and they had stopped by to pick up dinner. They had be been gone nearly all day. The sun was just setting. Spike should be itching to get out of the apartment by now. Buffy was itching to do pretty much anything else but shop. They had bought clothes for Dawn, a punching bag for Buffy and a new red shirt for Spike. It was Dawn’s idea for a welcome back to ‘this dimension of hell’ present.

Buffy opened the door with a sigh with bags of stuff, a pizza and a bag of blood in her arms. She nearly dropped it all as she saw Giles, Willow, Xander Andrew and Oz all standing in her living room with Spike.

“It’s not my birthday... Intervention? You are all my against my free spirited shopping nature?” said Buffy joking.

“No, no, like the happy shopping Buffy,” said Xander.

“Ooh, What did you buy?” asked Andrew heading towards the bags..

“I think we need more pizza, Buffy” said Dawn.

“Ya just a bit, and you!” she said pointing to Andrew “stay out of my business.”

“I’m sorry to crash in on you like this,” said Willow,” I think I’ve had to a breakthrough and we need to test it out, and we need you and Dawn to do that.”

“Cool, great, just like me get the blood into the fridge and we can get going.”

Buffy stepped over the bags and headed to the kitchen.

“Buffy...” said Willow in a sort of warning.

Buffy had already opened the fridge and saw a container labelled ‘Hank’ on it.

“What’s this?” asked Buffy lifting the container.

“We didn’t know when you were going to be back. We didn’t want it to go funky and we didn’t want Spike to drink it,” said Willow.

“Maybe you guys had better tell me what’s going on.”
__________________________________________

“So you want to pour my father’s blood, Dawn’s blood and my blood on the scythe thing and see what happens?” asked Buffy, “Don’t you know what will happen?”

“No really,” said Willow.

“There are a number of things that we think could happen. They spell that Willow performed over the Sunnydale hellmouth will be reversed and the slayer legacy will be restored... which will make you the only slayer again or...” said Giles

“Or nothing will happen,” said Willow, “either way no one dies which is good in my books.”

“I’ll go with that one, dying very much of the bad,” said Buffy.

“There is another caution though. From all we have both found out about that the shadow men are doing it appears that they are trying to start the legacy over again. Killing your family is synonymous with that process. They First Slayer was an orphan. Also it is by no means certain that they will not put you through what ever it was that they did to create the first Slayer and there is also the chance that you will not be chosen as the slayer this time,” said Giles.

The room was silent.

“Wow,” said Buffy at last.

“Ya,” said Willow, “craziness.”

“Well let’s get this party started,” said Buffy. She disappeared into her bedroom, taking her shopping bags with her, leaving the others to prepare.

Spike followed.

“Buffy?” he asked.

“I’m ok,” she said, “I went shopping today and came home to find out that the freedom that I've had, not being the only slayer in the world could be taken away. That’s not so bad you know. I’ve been the slayer for a long time now. I should be dead you know. Hey I was a few times. I guess I liked the idea of retirement someday. There should be someone to take my place and I could go live in the Bahamas or something. Now I’ve got to die again or I could not be chosen at all. I could live a normal like. Finish school, have a job, get married, die with fat grandbabies around my bed, who knows,” she said at break neck speed.

“You could still do all that you know,” said Spike.

“You know I don’t want a normal life... I’ve accepted it and I’ve moved past it. What if I’m not the slayer anymore? It’s all I know how to do. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what the Powers that Be have in store for me this time,” said Buffy pulling the scythe out of her weapons chest. “Hey before I forget, what with the ‘is Buffy the slayer or not’ debate, I bought you a present while we were shopping today.”

Buffy pulled the red shirt out from the bags and held it up to him.

“Buffy, thanks for the present, but you are changing the subject,” said Spike.

“It’s what I do, Spike, I’m avoid-o girl, always have been.”

Buffy walked out of the bedroom leaving Spike behind her.
__________________________________________

Willow had used her time effectively. Candles were lit in a circle around her. Buffy placed the scythe in Willow’s hands. Willow poured the jar of Hank Summer’s blood on the scythe. Dawn stepped forward and let herself be cut by the scythe and dripped her blood on it. Willow stood and handed the scythe to Buffy and exited the circle. Buffy entered and cut herself with the weapon.

“Nothing is happening” said Andrew.

All of a sudden there was a great vortex pulling intangible fields of energy towards the scythe from all corners of the earth. Slayers everywhere lost their powers. On a greyhound bus Faith woke from her slumber as her slayer powers were drained from her. In LA Kennedy found herself with out powers in the middle of her sociology class. In Cleveland, Buffy felt the drain of her powers too. As the vortex stopped, Buffy collapsed in the middle of the circle holing the scythe. Spike leapt into the circle to help her up.

“I feel terrible,” said Buffy as she stood up with Spike’s help. “I feel so weak.”

Buffy and Spike exited the circle and Buffy was helped on to the couch.

“There are no more Slayers,” said Willow. “I can’t feel any of them. What have I done?”

“The only thing you could do,” said Oz tenderly going to her side.

Willow was touched by his concern and smiled up at him from her prone position on the floor.

“What happens now?” asked Dawn.

“Indeed, I don’t even feel potential energy from Buffy,” said Giles.

“Maybe someone else has been called,” suggested Dawn.

“No, I would feel it,” responded Willow.

Spike offered to get Buffy some water. He had left her side for only moment before a bright light started shining from the circle.

“You have stopped the legacy,” said a voice from the green light.

“It must be restored,”

“It is not our legacy now, it is yours, watch them well.”

The green light struck Giles, Xander and Andrew. As if robotic they held Buffy as a demonic presence filled the room.

“Buffy!” shouted Spike lunging from the kitchen.

“No!” shouted Dawn, holding him back, “She has to do this.”

Spike and the others watched as Xander, Giles and Andrew dragged Buffy back into the circle and held her there. The Demon floated around mesmerizing everyone in the room until it settled above the circle. Dawn, Spike, Willow and Oz watch helplessly as the demon entered Buffy’s nose and mouth. Willow covered her ears as Buffy started to scream. Spike broke free of Dawn and pushed the three men away from Buffy. But he could do nothing. The demon was already inside her.

Suddenly her screams stopped and Buffy lay panting on the ground. Spike held her as she opened her eyes. She smiled.

“Hello,” she said, “I’m Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

tbc...