Chapter 9:

Spike hurried to the Summers house. He'd been so worried after Darla's visit the night before, that he hadn't been able to get to sleep until almost noon. Then he'd slept in well past sunset. Darla was up to something, of that he was sure. But he had no idea what.

Just as he approached the house he heard a scream from around the back. He ran around the house and kicked in the back door. There was Darla biting Joyce.

"Let her go!" Spike yelled.

"I just had a little, there's plenty more. Aren't you hungry for something warm after all this time? Come on, Spike. Just say 'Yes'!" With that she shoved Joyce into his arms so that her bleeding neck was offered up to him. The smell of blood called out his demon and he felt his fangs come forward.

He growled at Darla, but she only smiled at him and said, "Welcome home." She walked around him and then left the house.

Just as he was about to put Joyce down and call for an ambulance, he heard Buffy call, "Hey! I'm home." As she walked into the dinning room and saw them. Her eyes went wide. Before he could do or say anything, she barreled into him, sending him flying out the back door.

She stood over her mother and yelled, "You're not welcome here. You come near us and I'll kill you."

********************

Buffy grabbed the phone and dialed 911, then she rushed back to her mother.

"Mom! Mom, can you hear me?! Yes, I need an ambulance, 1630 Revello Drive! My mother cut herself, she lost a lot of blood! Please, please hurry!" she cried as she dropped the phone, "Mom!"

"Hey, Buffy!" she heard Xander call from the front of the house. As she looked up both he and Willow came through the kitchen door. "Oh my God!"

"What happened?" asked Willow.

"It was Spike. God this is all my fault."

"Spike? What do you mean?" asked Willow.

"I knew that guy was no good," said Xander.

Then the sound of an ambulance came down the street. "I'll explain later," Buffy said as the paramedics came through the door.

***************

"Do you remember anything, Mom?" Buffy asked as the doctor left the room.

"Just, um, your friend came over... I was gonna make a snack... "

"My friend? I thought you and Spike went way back?"

Just then Giles arrived.

"No, not Spike, Darla. Poor thing, I must've frightened her half to death when I fainted." "

Buffy's eyes went wide. Was it possible? She had wanted so desperately to believe that Spike was good. Seeing him with her mother had been devastating. Now to be offered the chance to believe that her trust hadn't been misplaced.

"Someone should really check and make sure she's all right," Joyce continued. "I guess I slipped and cut my neck on... The doctor said it looked like a barbecue fork." She looked at Buffy strangely, "We don't have a barbecue fork." Then she looked at Giles, "Are you another doctor?"

"Oh! Um... No, Mom, this is Mr. Giles," explained Buffy.

"Oh, the librarian from your school," Joyce said confused, "What's he doing here?"

"Uh, I-I just came to pay my respects; wish you a speedy recovery."

"Boy, the teachers really do care in this town."

"Get some rest now." Buffy kissed her mom and she and Giles went out into the hallway of the hospital. "She's gonna be okay. They, they gave her some iron... Her, uh, blood count was a, a little..."

"...a little low," Giles finished for her, "It presents itself like mild anemia. I would say that you were lucky you got to her as soon as you did, however Willow and Xander said something about Spike being a vampire?"

"I'm sorry Giles, I know I should have told you. He told me, the other night, after we fought the Three."

"Whoa, hold on a minute," Xander interrupted. "You knew he was a vampire and you let him stay in your room?!"

"It wasn't him, Xander. My mom said something about someone named Darla. As for Spike, he explained it all to me, there's these gypsies and a curse, and he has a soul. It's a thing."

"Be that as it may," Giles interrupted, "I'm your Watcher. You should tell me about anything dealing with vampire's at once."

"Hold on a minute, why'd you tell Willow and me that it was Spike?" Xander asked.

"When I got home he was holding her. He must have chased Darla away. Oh my God! He probably saved my mom's life and I attacked him and told him I'd kill him if I saw him again. I-"

"It's about time you figured that out," came a British voice. They all turned to look, as Spike casually walked around the corner. "How's your mum?"

"She's going to be fine. I'm so sor-"

"No worries, Slayer. What's important now is stopping Darla before she comes after you or your mum again."

"And why exactly should we trust you?" Giles asked.

"You shouldn't, but you don't have much choice." Spike handed Giles a card, "I'm sure the first thing you'll want to do is look me up in your books. He should be able to tell you where to look."

"Malcolm Forrester?! How did you know I was trying to contact him?" Giles asked surprised.

"Didn't. You're more on top of things than I thought, Watcher. Let's just say Malcolm's the whole reason I'm involved in any of this, so he can have the pleasant job of convincing you to trust me."

"Do you know where we can find Darla?" Buffy interrupted.

"I have a good idea. But I need to warn you, she's most likely going to say things-"

"Lies to make me not trust you. Yeah I get it Spike. Don't worry, I fell for that once. I won't again."

"It's not the lies I'm worried about, it's the truths."

*****************

Reflexively her eyes closed as Darla exploded into dust. When she opened them she could see Spike leaning heavily against the wall. His t-shirt was torn in several places, but the dark blood from the bullet wounds made it look almost whole.

"Are you. . ?"

"I'm fine Slayer. Hurts, but it'll heal. It's hardly the first time I've been shot."

"That's good. I mean the healing not the. . . It's not true is it? I mean you couldn't have. . . "

"Killed a Slayer? It's true. Now why don't you run on back to the hospital and check on your mum?" His voice was cold, detached. "I'm think I'm just going to lay down and bleed for a while."

Buffy was torn. On the one hand not only did she want to see her mom, but she also wanted to get away from Spike. She was beginning to feel like a pendulum, swinging back and forth between trusting Spike and not trusting him. She needed time to think.

On the other hand, the part of her that not only trusted him, but was deeply attracted to him wanted to stay and take care of him. After all, he had just taken several bullets for her and distracted Darla enough for Buffy to get close enough to stake her without getting shot.

"Mom's not going anywhere, and someone should bandage you."

"You don't have-"

"Yeah, I do."

Angelus jerked awake. He felt like he had been stabbed, as if someone had cut something inside of him. Something was missing, but he couldn't tell what.

The woman next to him in the bed began to whimper, "No. Grand-mum? They've taken her all away."

Then Angelus understood. Darla. She was gone. Even on the other side of the world he always had a dim awareness of his Sire. That connection had now been severed.

It was an absolutely stunning thought. He would never see Darla again. It had been decades since she had gone back to the Master, but it had never occurred to Angelus that he would never see her again.

"What happened Drusilla? Do you know?" he asked his companion.

"All the ladies dance around. But they always fall down."

Angelus sighed. If Drusilla knew anything useful he wasn't going to get it out of her. His mind still couldn't grasp it, Darla gone. She had always been a survivor. What could have killed her? He had to know.

It would be a difficult trip. Last he heard of her she had gone to California, and making that trip with Drusilla as weak as she was would be difficult.

Drusilla had become more and more agitated. There was no way she would go back to sleep now. Sighing he tore off several strips from the sheets. Then he gagged and bound her, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her into the next room.

Normally the flimsy bonds would not have been enough to hold the mad vampire, but ever since Prague she had been weak. He threw her down onto the floor among the bodies of the demon monks who had failed to cure her.

If he remembered correctly the town Darla had been going to was supposed to be on top of a Hellmouth. If he was lucky he might stumble across a cure for Drusilla there. Otherwise he might just abandon her and find himself a new companion. He would make this last attempt to cure her since he now had other reasons to head to the Hellmouth, but her sickness was beginning to make her more trouble than she was worth.

"Did you find anything out last night Giles?" Buffy asked as she entered the library the next day.

"Quite a bit actually. Mr. Forrester was quite helpful, and all my other sources seem to confirm what he told me. Were you able to find Darla?" He was worried about her. Buffy did not seem her usual perky self. Last night had obviously taken its toll on her.

"Found her, staked her. Found out the guy I have a crush on killed a Slayer. He wouldn't talk about it, Giles. She said it, and he didn't deny it; he wouldn't say anything. How could he. . ."

"I'll tell you what I can," he said gently. "You already know about his soul."

Buffy nodded.

"When his soul was restored, his Sire and the other vampires of his clan left him to die. He spent the next few years looking for his Sire. When he finally found her, she was battling a Slayer. He stepped in and killed the Slayer to save his Sire, but she rejected him again. After that it seems he decided to take to killing vampires, as a way of . . . atoning I suppose."

"So how does this Forest guy know all this? Why should we trust either of them?"

"Forrester. He was the Watcher of a Slayer about twenty years ago. His Slayer and Spike crossed paths. They began to work and train together. They worked as a team for several years until Spike's 'family' heard about it. His Sire and Angelus, one of the most vicious vampires of all, hunted the two of them down and killed the Slayer. Evidently Spike has always consider this his fault.

"Mr. Forrester has been studying several old texts and realized that the Master was trying to open the Hellmouth so he sent Spike to help stop it. . ." Giles paused, waiting for Buffy to say something. It was obvious that she was having a hard time dealing with Spike's past.

"Buffy, I'm not happy that you hid what you knew about him from me. . . But I think we should work with Spike. The Master is a powerful foe, and if he gets free. . . We will need all the help we can get. However I'm not sure I approve of you carrying on a . . . relationship with a vampire, whatever the other circumstances are."

"You're right, Giles. I should have told you, and Spike and me? It's ridiculous! So I'll. . . I've got class."

Giles watched as Buffy got up and left. He was glad she hadn't pushed him for too many details, or asked if Forrester had told him anything else. He was also glad that she had agreed to work with Spike. Trusting a vampire went against everything that Giles had ever been taught as a Watcher, and yet both what Forrester had and hadn't said told Giles all he needed to know.

First of all, Forrester had also told Giles about certain prophecies he'd found, 'The Slayer shall die, and the Master shall rise'. He had sent Spike to stop the Master once Buffy died. However, Forrester had also indicated that Spike didn't believe in the prophecy and wanted to prevent it. That alone would have given Giles good reason to treat Spike as an ally. While Forrester was willing to let the prophecy play out, Giles was determined to stop it and if the vampire could help, then so be it.

Secondly, whereas Forrester had glossed over Nikki Wood's death, saying simply that she had lost a fight to Angelus, the report the Council had sent him was far more detailed, if just as misleading.

It talked about a 'demon hunter' named William that she had trained with, never mentioning that William was a vampire. The report's description of her death read:

According to witnesses Nikki Wood was last seen in the company of a large, well-dressed, Caucasian male with dark brown hair. She and the man were said to be engaging in intimate behavior when they were interrupted by a short caucasian male with white hair and dressed in 'punk' clothing. This second man has been identified as the vampire known as 'Spike' who is reputed to have killed the Slayer Xin Rong in 1900.' Witness accounts say that the two men fought, when the first man ran off, Spike decapitated Nikki Wood with her own sword.

Even Giles, had he read the report before speaking to Forrester, might have assumed that the brunette man was the demon hunter William. However, having learned of Spike's other appellation - William the Bloody - he saw a different chain of events.

Angelus had drained Nikki, and possibly turned her. Spike had attacked him, driven him off, then cut off Nikki's head to save her from becoming a vampire.

It was that act that earned Spike Giles' respect. More than once Giles had had to burn or decapitate the bodies of friends so as to spare them the awful fate of rising again. If Spike, a vampire, viewed that fate with as much horror as Giles did, then Giles felt he could be trusted.

Chapter 11: Prophecy Girl (Part 1 of 3)

"Three in one night. Giles would be so proud," Buffy said as she brushed vampire dust off of herself. "Crap, I broke a nail."

"Let's hope that's all you ever break, Slayer," Spike said.

"You know, you could actually help instead of just standing there watching me."

She was just teasing him. He'd given her the lecture many times on how it was important she knew that she could handle things herself. Most nights Spike wouldn't even come on patrol with her, claiming that if he was there she would expect him to jump in at the last moment and save her.

"I like watching," he said, looking her over in a way she would have found highly inappropriate if it had come from anyone else.

"Well, I think I've done my sacred duty for tonight, and it seems a shame to let a perfectly good lover's lane go to waste."

She walked over to him and pulled him into a kiss. He pretended to resist for a moment, then his arms snaked around her and he held her tightly against him. She began to lose herself in the kiss. As his tongue explored her mouth, she suddenly felt as if the whole world was shaking.

He broke off from her suddenly, a look of fear in his eyes as he clutched her tightly.

"And here I thought that whole earth moving thing was just a metaphor," Buffy said as car alarms went off all around them.

*******************

The Master stood with his arms spread above him as the earth shook.

"Yes! YES! Shake, Earth! This is a sign! We are in the final days! My time has come! Glory! GLORY!" he cried out.

The earthquake ended as quickly as it had started. The Master looked over at Collin, the young vampire boy who was the Anointed One.

"Whadaya think? 5.1?" the Master asked him.

*******************

Buffy opened her gym locker and began to change into her training sweats. On the bright side, training meant more time with Spike. If she was lucky she could corner him away from Giles and find a way to ask him to the Spring Fling. She had meant to do it last night, but the earthquake had shattered the mood.

Buffy had shrugged it off. She'd been raised in California, and it was hardly her first, or the biggest earthquake she'd been in. But, she figured, they must not have them in England. The earthquake had given Spike a major wiggins.

Giles seemed to suffer from the same thing. When she'd checked in with him that morning, he seemed distracted. He didn't even seem to care about the mess Mother Nature had made of the library.

Still, she had more important things to worry about than Giles. Like how to ask Spike to the dance. And whether her friendship with Xander was going to be okay.

Earlier in the day he had asked her to the same dance. She'd turned him down, and had tried to be as nice about it as possible. Still she had been able to see the hurt in his eyes. Rejection was never easy. Although she felt badly about hurting Xander, she knew it was better for him to understand that she just didn't feel that way about him than to let him think that there was a chance.

She also felt bad for Willow. She knew her best friend had a huge crush on Xander, and now she felt guilty for not realizing that Xander was attracted to her. Maybe if she'd noticed sooner, she could have explained her feelings to Xander sooner and he would have noticed Willow.

She shut her locker door, and played with the stake in her hand. She set it down on one of the sinks, turned on the water, and looked in the mirror, wondering how life could be so complicated.

She looked down and saw blood pouring out of the faucet instead of water. 'Eeww,' she thought. 'Can't a girl wash her hands without the Hellmouth busting in.'

She instantly ran to the library. As she opened the doors to the library she said to herself, "Giles, you are not gonna believe this."

Then she stopped, realizing Giles was in his office talking to someone.

"It's clear. It's what's gonna happen. Uh, it's happening now!" Giles said, clearly upset.

Spike moved into her view and pointed to a book.

"I know what it says. It's why I'm bloody here," Spike told the Watcher.

"Spike?" Buffy said to herself.

Spike continued. "Look, Watcher, Buffy's good. Real good. She'll come through okay; we just have to trust her."

"Listen. Some prophecies are, are a bit dodgy. They're, they're mutable. Buffy herself has, has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass." Giles insisted, emphasizing his point with vigorous finger pointing.

"I've heard the whole thing from Malcolm, and you know what? I don't believe your prophecies. You're wrong."

"I wish to God I were! But it's very plain! Tomorrow night Buffy will face the Master, and she will die," Giles said angrily.

For a moment Buffy was stunned. She couldn't believe what they were talking about. Then she began to laugh. The two Englishmen suddenly became aware of her presence and looked at each other. Buff started to walk slowly away from the office, gasping for breath. When she got to the table she turned to face them. Tears glittered in her eyes.

"So that's it, huh? I remember the drill. One Slayer dies, next one's called! Wonder who she is?" she asked with an edge of anger in her voice. "Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?" Buffy asked her Watcher.

"Buffy, I. . ." Giles started but he couldn't find the words.

"They say how he's gonna kill me? Do you think it'll hurt?" she asked. Her voice was choked with fear. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Spike tried to hug her but she stepped away.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled at him. "You knew. This whole time you knew. Were you even gonna tell me? Either of you?" she asked, hurt.

"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to," Giles explained. "That there was. . . some way around it. I. . ."

"I've got a way around it. I quit!" Buffy said defiantly.

"It's not that simple, pet." Spike said.

She wanted to hit him. He hadn't called her pet since their first training session together. It had always been Slayer. Now that she was being asked to die suddenly she was pet again?

"I'm making it that simple! I quit! I resign, I-I'm fired, you can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over! That's what you came to do, isn't it, Spike? So go do it. I'm tired of fighting all the battles."

"I'm not sure that anyone else can," Giles said sadly. "All the. . . the signs indicate. . ."

"The signs?" She threw a book at him. "READ ME THE SIGNS!" She threw another one. "TELL ME MY FORTUNE! YOU'RE SO USEFUL SITTING HERE WITH ALL YOUR BOOKS! YOU'RE REALLY A LOTTA HELP!"

"No, I don't suppose I am." Giles said quietly.

"I know this is hard," Spike tried to reason.

"What do you know about this? You're never gonna die!" she yelled at him.

"You think I want anything to happen to you, pet? Why do you think I've been training you? Do you think I could stand it? We just gotta figure out a way. . ."

"I already did. I quit, remember? Pay attention!"

"Buffy, if the Master rises. . ." Giles said.

Buffy ripped the cross from her neck. "I don't care!" She calmed down. "I don't care. Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't wanna die."

She was on the verge of tears again. She threw her cross down and ran from the room. She could hear Spike calling out behind her, but she didn't care. She put on a full burst of Slayer speed and ran for home.

Her only thought was of Mr. Gordo. At least he didn't lie to her and expect her to give up her life to protect him. All he wanted was a good snuggle.

Chapter 12: Prophecy Girl (Part 2 of 3)

A/N Prophecy Girl is one of those pivotal episodes of Buffy for Buffy. I didn't think I could do it justice by summarizing it, so this next chapter is both long and mostly straight from the show. Don't worry though, if you don't feel like reading what's more or less a transcript, just look for the &&&&&&&&& section break. That's the point at which I start rewriting.

Buffy sat in her room looking through a photo album and listening to the radio.

Her mother knocked on the door and peeked in.

"Hi, honey. You alright?"

"Sure," Buffy said without emotion.

"Probably just full from that bite of dinner you nearly had."

"Feel like telling me what's on your mind?" her mother asked concerned.

Buffy spun around excitedly to face her mom, "Mom, let's go away!"

"What?"

"Anywhere, just for a while, all weekend!" She was desperate to convince her mother.

"Honey, I-"

"No, it'll be great!" She was more and more excited by the idea. "You and me, a mother-daughter thing. . . We can talk about all the embarrassing things you love to bring up."

"You know the gallery's open on weekends."

Buffy's face fell. "Mom, please!"

"Isn't the Prom tomorrow night? Or Spring Fling, whatever they're calling it?"

"I-I guess."

"Nobody asked you?"

"Oh, someone. . ."

"But not the right someone. See, sometimes I actually do know what you're thinking." Joyce went over to Buffy's closet. "Well, then, uh, this probably isn't the best time for this, but, uh. . ." Joyce was smiling in anticipation of her daughters reaction.

She opened the closet to reveal the beautiful white sleeveless gown that Buffy had been desperate to have.

"I saw you eyeing it at the store. I figured. . ."

Buffy got up. She couldn't believe her mother had gotten the dress for her. "Mom, we can't afford this."

"The way you've been eating, we can afford it."

Buffy ran the shimmering fabric through her fingers. She was so touched by her mothers gesture. Her understanding.

"It's beautiful," was all she could say.

"I think you should wear it. To the dance."

"No, I-I can't go to the dance," Buffy said. Her eyes tore away from the dress toward the floor.

"Says who? Is it written somewhere? You should do what you want. Homecoming, my freshman year of college. I didn't have a date, so I got dressed up and I went anyway."

"Was it awful?"

"It was awful," she paused dramatically, "For about an hour."

"Then what happened?"

Joyce wore a big grin, "I met your father."

"He didn't have a date either?" Buffy smiled, her mother's story taking her thoughts away from her doom for the first time.

"He did. And that's a much funnier story that you will NOT get to hear. Oh, but it was a beautiful night!" Her mother exhaled; a dreamy look crossed her face.

"And you had your whole life ahead of you," Buffy said, wistfully.

"Yeah."

Buffy looked away. "Must be nice."

**************************

Cordelia and Willow walked down the stairs of the high school.

"Oh, Kevin said that he'd bring everything to the Bronze last night. He promised! We'll never get everything ready in time," Cordelia said.

"He probably forgot. It's not THAT big a deal." Willow said.

"Uh, you don't understand. I'm not mad! He totally flaked on me. On me! And I don't even care. God help me, I think it's cute! Oh. . ."

Willow smiled. Cordelia in love, who would have thought it possible. It was almost human. They reached the Audio-Visual room. Through the window they could see Kevin and his friends lounging about the room.

"There they are! They're watching cartoons. That's so cu. . ." Cordelia caught herself. "That's not cute. That's annoying. I'm annoyed."

"Right. I'm furious," Willow humored her.

"Men. I don't know why we put up with them."

"I hear ya."

"Obviously, Kevin has underestimated the power of my icy stare," Cordelia said.

As she opened the door Kevin's body fell into the hall, dead, a bite visible on his neck.

Cordelia screamed. "Oh, my God! Kevin!" She knelt by him. "No!"

Willow looked up from the pair and went hesitantly into the room, taking in the site of the dead teenagers, and their blood spread around the room. She noticed a bloody hand print on the TV behind which Looney Toons was playing.

"Kevin!" Cordelia cried.

*****************

Buffy stood before the mirror in her room, admiring her new white dress, wondering what Spike would think if he saw her in it.

Her mother ran into the room. "Buffy?! There's something on the news. Willow."

*******************

Buffy sat next to Willow on Willow's bed. The light from the setting sun offered little illumination.

"I've seen so much," Willow said blankly. She was hugging her knees and it was obvious she had been crying. "I thought I could take anything. But, Buffy, this. . . this was different."

"It'll be alright." Buffy comforted her friend.

"I'm trying to think how to say it. . . to explain it so you understand."

"It doesn't matter as long as you're okay."

"I'm not okay. I knew those guys. I go to that room every day. And when I walked in there, it. . . it wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs. And they had fun." A tear rolled down her cheek. "What are we gonna do?"

"What we have to," Buffy said. Her friend didn't hear the slight edge of fear in her voice. She got up off the bed. "Promise me you'll stay in tonight, okay?"

Willow nodded. Buffy started to go.

"Buffy?"

Buffy stopped and turned back.

Willow smiled through her tears. "I like your dress."

Buffy looked down at it and smiled weakly, then she looked back up.

"Take care," she said as she left.

**********************

Giles was getting weapons out of the cage in the library and preparing them as Ms. Calendar watched.

"Okay, so this Master guy tried to open the Hellmouth," said Ms. Calendar. "But he got stuck in it, and now all the signs are reading that he's gonna get out, which opens the Hellmouth, which brings the demons, which ends the world."

"Yes. That about sums it up, yes." Giles nodded.

"The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. She's so little," Ms. Calendar said crinkling her nose.

"You know how to get in touch with this, uh, brother Luca chap?" Giles said, referring to the monk who had read several of the portents of doom.

"Hmm. As far as I can tell, no one can. He's disappeared. Did send out one last global though. A short one.

"What did it say?"

"Isaiah 11:6, which I dutifully looked up." Ms. Calendar picked up the Bible she had marked, prepared to tell Giles what she had found.

"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them." Giles quoted.

"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom."

"Well, that depends where he's leading them to. Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into Hell.'"

"So Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid."

"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be." Giles unsheathed a knife and examined the blade.

"Well, then we need to warn her."

"I don't intend involving her at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Buffy's not gonna face the Master. I am."

"No, you're not," said Buffy as she entered the library. Her hands were on her hips. All traces of her former fear were gone. "So, I'm looking for a kid, huh? And he'll lead me to the Master?" she asked business like.

"Buffy, I'm not gonna send you out there to die," Giles told her firmly, "Now, you were right. I-I've waded around in these old books for so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like. I-it's time I found out."

The Slayer and the Watcher faced off.

"You're still not going up against the Master," Buffy insisted.

"I've made up my mind."

"So have I."

"I made up my mine first! I'm older and wiser than you, and just. . . just do what you're told for once! Alright?"

"That's not how it goes. I'm the Slayer."

"I don't care what the books say. I defy prophecy, and I am going. There's nothing you can say that will change my mind."

"I know."

She pretended to turn and go, but instead punched him in the face, knocking him out. He fell backward to the floor. Ms. Calendar scrambled to his aid.

Buffy picked her cross up off the table and put it back on.

Ms. Calendar lifted Giles' head into her lap. She looked up at Buffy.

"When he wakes up tell him. . . " Buffy realized she didn't want to think about what her last words to her Watcher might be. She couldn't think of anything that could encompass how she felt about everything he had done for her. "I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it."

"You fight the Master, and you'll die," reasoned Ms. Calendar.

"Maybe." She picked up the crossbow Giles had been preparing. "Maybe I'll take him with me."

She left the library and the school. As soon as she got outside Buffy saw a young boy on the front lawn.

"Help me. . ." said the boy.

She lowered the crossbow and walked over to him.

"It's okay. I know who you are," she told him.

The boy vampire held out his hand. She took it, and he lead her away.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As soon as the sun had set, Spike had set off in the direction of the Summers' house. He didn't know what he was going to say to Buffy. Half of him wanted to run off with her out of this town, away from all duty, responsibility, and the cruel whims of fate. He would have, too - if he thought they could run far enough.

He knocked on the door and Joyce answered.

"Hello, Spike," she said smiling.

"Hello, Joyce. Is your daughter home?"

"No, she just left. There was. . . there was an attack at the school. Willow was there. . ."

"Willow? Is she all right?" Spike was ready to bolt. He didn't actually know the red-headed girl but he knew that she was Buffy's friend, and that was enough for him.

"It's okay. I mean, why don't you come in?" Joyce moved aside so he could enter. He nodded and followed her inside. "She wasn't there during the attack, she found the bodies."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't notice how closely Joyce was scrutinizing him.

"It's you, isn't it?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Buffy. Earlier, she said that the wrong boy asked her to the dance. You're the one she wanted to ask her."

"I didn't know about any dance, but um, maybe. Look Joyce-"

"She's too young for you."

"I know, Joyce, I. . . I'm sorry about this. It wasn't anything I intended. Your daughter, she's. . . she's Buffy. You know?" he cocked his head at her. So much for the poet. He couldn't even think of a single adjective to describe Buffy.

Joyce smiled at him, "I know. So you love her?"

He nodded.

"Hurt her, push her too far, and you'll regret it. But I don't think you'd do that."

"Perfect gentleman, I promise you. I wouldn't want to hurt her anymore than I'd want to ruin our friendship. We are still friends aren't we?"

"Yes, Spike. Just remember how young she is." The older Summers' woman smiled at him.

He smiled back. Vampire or not, he thought she would manage to make him suffer if he hurt her little girl.

"I need to find her Joyce. . . I'll see you around."

He left the Summers' house and got back into his DeSoto. He felt awful for lying to Joyce, about who he was, and about hurting her daughter. He'd already killed her once, even if it was only a nightmare. Now he was trying to send her off to her death.

He drove to Willow's house, but found out that Buffy had already left there. He was driving to the school when he noticed Buffy's other friend Xander. He pulled over and got out of his car.

"Just the dead guy I was looking for," said Xander.

"Hello to you too. Do you know where Buffy is? I have to find her."

"She's gone."

Spike's withered heart contracted even more. It was too late. She had already been killed.

"No," he moaned.

"Buffy, she's gone to fight the Master," Xander continued.

Spike could have hit the whelp.

"Look, I know you can find this Master guy. He's underground, right? Take me to him." Xander demanded.

Spike looked the boy over. He wasn't much to look at, but he had guts. Spike could appreciate that. Still the boy was going to get himself killed.

"You're way outta your league, whelp. The Master'll kill you before you can even breathe. If you're lucky."

"How can I say this clearly?" Xander said as he held up a cross.

Instinctively Spike growled and backed up. 'The whelp's not totally daft,' he thought. He had to admire him.

"I don't like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire." Xander lowered the cross. "But Buffy's got this big old yen for you. She thinks you're a real person. And right now I need you to prove her right."

Understanding dawned on Spike. "You're in love with her."

"Aren't you?"

Chapter 13: Prophecy Girl (Part 3 of 3)

A/N Okay, once again this chapter is really close to the original episode. I didn't make any major changes, but I still feel this stuff is really important. Although I have changed some things, it's similar enough that if you want you can skip down to the &&&&&& again, where my story line takes back over.

The vampire boy lead Buffy to the entrance to the Master's lair. He stopped and Buffy looked at him. The boy pointed, inviting her to enter. Then he left, going back the way they had come.

Buffy watched him go. Then she turned and made her way down into the lair, her crossbow at the ready. She looked around at the hundreds of candles burning everywhere.

"Welcome," invited the Master, his voice seeming to come from all directions.

"Thanks for having me." Buffy looked around trying to find where he was. "Y'know, you really oughtta talk to your contractor. Looks like you got some water damage," Buffy quipped.

"Oh, good. The feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the. . ."

Buffy spun around and launched a bolt in the direction of his voice. With his lightning fast reflexes the Master caught it just before it entered his chest. Buffy quickly reloaded the bow.

"Nice shot," the Master said appreciatively. "You're not going to kill me with that thing." He snapped the bolt in two and slipped back into the shadows

"Don't be so sure."

"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."

"You know, for someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide." Buffy was getting frustrated. She had been training for this moment for over a month now.

"I'm waiting for you. I want this moment to last."

"Well, I don't."

She kept searching the shadows of the cave. Suddenly the Master was right behind her.

"I understand," he said.

She turned around, but before she could fire the Master knocked the crossbow out of her hands. He grabbed her by the neck. She swung up with her arm, knocking his hand away.

She ran a few steps then turned to face him. She was ready for this she told herself.

He held his hand out toward her and suddenly she couldn't move. Her body relaxed leaving its fighter's stance.

He approached her, making slow twisting motions with his hand. She knew she needed to run. She knew he would kill her if she just stood there.

He came up behind her, "You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything." He whispered in her ear, "You're the one that sets me free! If you hadn't come, I couldn't go. Think about that!"

Anger and fear coursed through Buffy. Stupid Watchers and their stupid prophecies. Not to mention stupid Spike. All that training was turning out to be for nothing. No one had warned her about this thrall thing.

The Master bent down and bit her at the base of her neck. It was nothing like when Spike had bitten her. It was less painful, but by the same token there was none of the euphoria.

Try as she might, she couldn't seem to fight him. He drank only a few sips of her blood before he broke off.

"Oh, God! The power!" he cried in ecstasy.

He released her shoulders and she fell face first into a pool of water. She couldn't move, as water forced it's way into her mouth and throat.

"And by the way. . . I like your dress."

He stepped over to the edge of his confines and pushed against the field. He forced his hand through, and the mystic barrier burst in a flash of light and energy. He climbed up out of his lair.

***************

Spike and Xander saw the light coming out of an adjoining tunnel.

"What was that?" Xander asked.

"It's too late. He's broken free. Buffy's. . ."

They both took off at a run in the direction of the flash. Spike got there first and saw Buffy lying face down in the pool of water. He pulled her quickly out of the water and cradled her in his arms. He didn't need to check to know that her heart was no longer beating. Sobs broke from Spike's throat and tears rolled down his face.

"She's dead!" he moaned.

Xander looked down at them and swallowed hard. Then he seemed to muster his strength.

"No. She's not dead." Xander insisted.

"She's not breathing."

"But if she drowned, uh, there's a shot! CPR!" Xander said hopefully.

Spike nodded and gently lay her body down.

"You have to do it. I have no breath."

Xander took off his jacket and laid it over her. He knelt down by her face and looked at her a moment, then he bent over her and began CPR.

"C'mon. C'mon!" Xander begged.

Spike had given up though. He began sobbing again. Death was too familiar to him; an old friend he knew too well.

Xander refused to quit though. "C'mon! Breathe!"

Suddenly Buffy opened her eyes wide and she drew a sharp breath.

"Buffy?" Xander asked.

She turned her head to the side and coughed out a bunch of water. Xander and Spike looked at each other and smiled in relief. Xander stroked her hair gently. She looked up at him, surprised to see him.

"Xander?" she asked.

"Welcome back," Xander said, a huge smile across his face.

Xander and Spike helped Buffy up. She seemed dazed as if her mind was someplace else.

"Easy. Easy," said Xander.

"The Master?" Buffy said, but she didn't seem to be addressing either of the two men. Her eyes were fixed above her as if she could see him.

"He's gone up," Spike said.

Buffy started to leave the lair.

"No. You're still weak," Xander insisted as she pulled out of their grip.

"No. No, I feel strong." She smiled. "I feel different." She looked at them over her shoulder. "Let's go!"

Buffy marched determinedly toward the school with Xander and Spike close behind.

"So, how do you know where the Master's going?" Xander asked.

"I know." Buffy said assuredly.

A vampire tried to block their way into the school.

"Oh, look, a bad guy." Buffy said flippantly.

She punched him on her way by, and he fell flat on his back. They entered the school and headed to the stairway that lead up to the roof. A hole was visible in the door where someone had punched through the hollow core to unlock it.

"Okay, you two wait here, keep the rest of the vampires off me," Buffy told them.

"Right," said Xander.

"Spike, better put on your game face."

He vamped out. "I'm ready. Don't worry, we'll take care of the clean up down here."

"One way or another, this won't take long," Buffy said as she lifted her long skirt and ran up the stairs.

**********************

Inside the library, Cordelia was trying to barricade the door and keep out the horde of angry vampire's outside. Up in the stacks Willow and Ms. Calendar were also trying to keep out the vampires that had found the back way in.

Although they had started to realize that the Hellmouth was actually located somewhere inside the High School, none of them had noticed the tentacles that came out of the cracks in the floor caused by the previous night's earthquake.

A hand reached through the broken window of the library door and tried to grab Cordelia. She hit the vampire's hand and then when that didn't work, bit it. The vampire screamed and let go.

"See how YOU like it!" Cordelia yelled.

"This won't keep 'em out for long!" Willow shouted over the din as she tried to brace the door.

She looked down just in time to see a tentacle wrap itself around her ankle. She screamed.

Ms. Calendar turned at the sound of Willow's scream and grabbed hold of her.

"GILES! GILES!" the teacher screamed.

Giles came running out of his office in time to see a huge, green, multi-headed and tentacled demon burst through the floor.

"The Hellmouth!" he said in awe.

Up above all of it, the Master looked in through the skylight and clapped his hands.

"Yes. Come forth, my child. Come into my world." He tried to raise it up with the sound of his voice. He was so intent on the scene below he didn't notice that he was no longer alone on the roof.

"I don't think it's yours just yet," Buffy said.

The Master turned his head and stared at her in surprise.

"You're dead," he said unbelieving.

"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you." All trace of her earlier fear was gone. She knew with absolute certainty that this was her moment, and she was ready.

"You were destined to die. It was written," said the Master clearly annoyed.

"What can I say?" Buffy shrugged. "I flunked the written."

The Master growled and reaches his arm out to try his hypnosis on her again. The force of his will caused her body to jerk.

"Come here!" he ordered.

Down below them Willow continued to scream as the tentacled demon tried to drag her into the earth.

"GILES!" Ms. Calendar screamed again.

Giles grabbed an ax from the table and rushed up the stairs to help them.

"GILES!"

He swung the ax into one of the heads, and the creature roared in agony as the two women kept screaming.

Above the Master's thrall seemed to be working on Buffy as she slowly approached him. He grabbed her by the throat again.

"Did you really think you could best me here when you couldn't below?" Arrogantly he let go of her throat to emphasize his power over her.

Buffy looked at him curiously. "You have fruit punch mouth."

"What?"

She took advantage of his confusion and punched him in the mouth, throwing him to the ground.

"Save the hypnosis crap for the tourists," she said as she spun around to kick him as he rose. She was ready for this, it was what she'd trained for.

He tried to punch her several times, but she was too fast for him. Every time he swung at her, he only left himself open to her attacks.

Inside the library, Giles continued to hack away with his ax at the huge demon. One of the tentacles smashed into him and sent him flying into the table. The table cracked in half and one side stuck up in the air like a giant spike.

Cordelia was still backed against the main doors of the library trying to keep the vampires out. She heard some grunts and screams from the hall along with several crashing sounds. All of a sudden no one was pushing on the door anymore.

"Let us in," came Xander's voice.

Cautiously Cordelia looked into the hall, no one was there but Xander and Spike. She opened the door and the two men came running in.

Both Spike and Xander came to a dead halt as they saw the hell-beast that had emerged from the library floor.

"Well, that's something, isn't it?" Spike said a moment before he rolled across the floor to grab one of the swords that had been scattered by the demon. He came up on his feet, sword raised, and began to try and distract the demon from the librarian and the two women above.

On the roof, Buffy and the Master continued to fight. Despite her skill Buffy realized she'd forgotten the first rule of Slaying. Always have a stake.

As she spun around the Master she noticed the upended table through the skylight. She laughed in triumph.

"You laugh when my Hell is on Earth?" the Master demanded.

"You're that amped about Hell. . ." she grabbed him by the neck, and threw him through the skylight. "Go there!"

He crashed through the glass and impaled himself on the broken table. The Master didn't simply explode into a pile of dust. His ashes rose off his body high into the sky, leaving his skeleton behind. As he died the demon screamed in anguish as it lost its hold on this reality and was sucked back down into the Hellmouth.

Buffy watched from above. She waved down to Giles and Spike, "Hi guys. How's it going?" Then she headed back down the stairs.

"The vampires?" Giles asked.

"No worries, Rupert. The whelp and I took care of them," Spike said. He hated to admit it, but the boy was starting to grow on him. He had balls; maybe there was some hope for him.

Buffy entered the library and stared at the skeleton of the Master lying in the center of the room.

"Buffy. . . Buffy?" Giles asked.

"Oh, sorry." She was smiling and tearing up all at once. "It's just been a really weird day."

"Yeah! Buffy died, and everything," Xander said matter of factly.

"Wow. Harsh," Willow commented, still a little in shock.

"I should have known that wouldn't stop you." Giles smiled as he tried to make light of the not so funny situation.

Buffy smiled up at him again.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Ms. Calendar looking at the rubble.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get out of this place. I don't like the library very much anymore," Giles revealed sullenly.

"Hey! I hear there's a dance at the Bronze tonight. Could be fun," Xander suggested.

"Yeah!" Cordelia smiled and agreed.

"Buffy?" Willow asked smiling.

"Sure! We saved the world. I say we party." Giles looked at her incredulously. She looked down at her dress. "I mean, I got all pretty."

"And what about him?" Ms. Calendar asked nodding toward the Master's skeleton.

"He's not going anywhere," Buffy said looking down at him. "Loser."

They all started toward the door at once, talking over each other.

"I'm not dancing, though," Giles told Ms. Calendar.

"We'll see," she smiled at him.

"You can come with us, Spike," Willow offered.

"I'm hungry," said Buffy.

"Get something to drink," Willow advised Spike.

"Is anybody else hungry?" Buffy asked.

"Well, no, don't do that. Just hang," Willow replied to whatever Spike had told her.

"I'm really, really hungry," Buffy said.

Spike hung back to speak with Buffy. "By the way, I really like your dress."

"Yeah, yeah. Big hit with everyone." Buffy said, taking one last look at the Master's skeleton.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Buffy clutched the leather duster around herself as she and Spike walked back to her house from the Bronze. Once the Master had been defeated it had become a magical evening, magical in the good sense. Sadly now it was coming to an end.

There was a silence between them as they walked down the street. At the Bronze they hadn't needed to say anything. He'd just held her as they danced, her face pressed against his chest, his hands on her waist.

Finally Buffy couldn't take it anymore and she broke the silence.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, pet, I have to."

"But why? Why can't you just stay. I know the Master's dead, but there's sure to be more badness. . . "

He stopped and turned toward her, placing his fingers on her lips to silence her.

"It has nothing to do with that. If I could, if it was just me I would stay. But. . . I have family to attend to."

She looked at him, puzzled.

"Oh, I always assumed with how old you were that you didn't have any family any more. That and the whole cryptic loner thing."

"Yeah, well it was just my mum and me, back when I was alive. And you're right, she's long since dust. But family's more than just that. It's blood between you and people, and there's still blood between me and some."

'Oh look, it's the return of cryptic guy,' Buffy thought.

"So that's it then?" she asked. "I'm never going to see you again?"

"Didn't say that pet. I'm just not sure when I'll be back. Maybe next fall. . ."

"Well that's okay," she tried to grab onto that one piece of hope. "I'm going to spend my summer in L.A. with my dad anyway. So, I mean. . . I guess I'm going away too. But you're coming back, right?"

He smiled sadly and gently kissed her lips. "I hope so, pet."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Reluctantly, Spike made his way back to his apartment - but he didn't go inside. Everything he would need was already packed in the DeSoto. He had paid the landlord in advance for the next several months. He hoped that having a place ready and waiting would help him justify coming back to Sunnydale.

He got into his car and set out north for Stanford. It would be a long drive if he wanted to make it there in time for the graduation. He was filled with both bitterness and anticipation. He couldn't actually attend the ceremony since it would be held in the broad daylight. Even so, soon he would see his son again.

Chapter 14: When She was Bad

Buffy was sitting alone on a couch in the student lounge, staring into space, when Willow and Xander found her.

"Buffy!" Xander called, but she didn't seem to hear him. "Buffy!"

"Fine! I'm fine." Buffy said, snapping out of her reverie

"Good. It's good that you're fine," said Xander as he sat next to her on the couch.

Willow sat down on the couch opposite Buffy and pulled an apple out of her bag.

"What were you thinking about?" Willow asked.

"Nothing."

"Oh, c'mon, you can tell us. We're your bosom friends. The friends of your bosom," Xander said, smiling at his own joke.

He pulled a power bar out of his bag.

"Xander," Willow admonished him.

Xander winced at his power bar. Willow frowned at her apple. They tossed them to each other over the table.

Buffy smiled at them. "I wasn't thinking anything, really."

"What'd you do last night?" Willow asked excitedly.

"Mm. Slept. I had weird dreams," replied Buffy.

"Dreams are meaningful," Xander said in his important voice.

"Tsh! Tell me about it. The other night I dreamt that Xander..." Willow stopped, blushing. "Uh, I-it wasn't Xander. I-in fact it wasn't me. It was a friend's dream, and she doesn't remember it."

"I bet she doesn't," Buffy told her friend.

Just then Giles came up the stairs.

"Buffy!" he called.

"Giles!" Buffy got up. "What is it? You look worried."

"This vampire activity, I think I know what they're up to," he told her worriedly.

"Well, we'll deal with it," she said trying to calm him.

"I hope it's that simple," worried Giles.

"It is not to worry. Trust me," she said casually.

"Oh, I don't know. I mean," Giles chuckled, "I've killed you once, it shouldn't be too difficult to do it again."

"What?" Buffy said, her eyes wide.

Giles swung at her, knocking her down onto the table between the two couches. Then he was on top of her his hands around her throat.

Xander and Willow just sat on the couches, munching their food. Willow smiled at Xander.

Buffy struggled against Giles, but she couldn't break free of his grasp. She clawed at him, and his skin tore away. Underneath was the Master's face. Buffy stared at him with terror.

Her eyes shot open and she looked around her bedroom. Sighing, she turned on the light. 'The Master comes back and kills me dream #34,' she thought.

She picked up the envelope that was lying on her bed stand and looked at the strange colorful stamps. There was no return address on it, and the stamps had characters in a language Buffy couldn't identify. She supposed Giles would know what it was, where it had come from. But he would want to see the letter, and that was just for her.

She pulled it out and looked over the elegant cursive script again.

Dear Buffy,

With any luck this letter finds you happy and well.

I'm sorry to have to send you this letter. It would seem more polite to call, but I don't have access to a telephone right now, and I assume that you are still at your father's. Hopefully this letter will reach you soon after you return to Sunnydale.

When I left I told you that I had family matters to attend to. I thought they would be of the routine nature and that soon I would be able to return to you. An unfortunate turn of events has resulted in someone quite close to me being in mortal peril. I have no idea how long it will take to resolve this situation, or even what part of the world I may find myself in.

I can no longer promise to return to Sunnydale in the near future, for this I apologize. Of course, I in no way expect you to wait for me, but know that you are never far from my thoughts.

Love,
Spike

This must have been the twentieth time she had read the letter. It still made very little sense to her. Was it really from Spike? It sure didn't sound like Spike. Then again, if someone had kidnapped Spike and was sending her the letter to throw her off the track, then you'd think they'd at least throw in a 'bloody hell' or a 'bollox'. Or maybe write it in his accent or something.

Maybe it really was Spike. Maybe he didn't have a family at all, but a girlfriend somewhere and he hadn't wanted to tell her about it so he was making up this whole family thing. Maybe he just realized that he didn't really like her after all, or he'd met someone new.

Once again she reread the letter, hoping to find some clue, to find something to comfort her. To make her feel a little less alone. No amount of checking helped her find it.