Spike felt himself waking up against his will. No longer could he feel Buffy wrapped within his arms the way that they had fallen asleep at the end of the night. No, he knew that this dream had to come to and end just as he thought it would. He opened his eyes and a white light engulfed him, forcing him to close his eyes in blindness. When he opened his eyes again, two strange-looking people were standing in front of him.

"Welcome, lower being," the first person said. She was a woman with brown hair and a black tunic. Both her and the man standing beside her had skin that was gold with blue lightening bolts painted all over them.

Spike stared at the two with a confused look on his face. "What they hell am I doing here?" He asked the two.

The woman started walking up to him saying, "you are filled with questions..."

"Yet you have no answers," The second person replied, also starting to walk up to Spike. The two were finishing each other's sentences as they continued talking.

"We are the oracles," The woman said.

"Higher beings...powers and answers for the Powers That Be." the male finished saying.

"Oh! you two are the blokes that work with the pouf...uh, Angel," Spike said, thinking that it might not be the smarted decision to make fun of Angel in a place like this. For once, he was going to try to show some respect and not let his mouth get the better of him.

"Ah, the vampire with a soul," the woman said.

"Yes, we have helped him in the past," the man said. "But now, we are interested in helping you."

"Me?" Spike asked. "What the hell would some oracles want with me?"

"Lower being, you ask the wrong questions," The woman said, walking around him. Spike shuffled his weight to his other foot, feeling as though she was inspecting him like a bug under a microscope.

"Okay then...what is this? What happened to me today?" Spike asked, hoping that he could get some answers from the two cryptic people.

"We have shown you..." started the woman.

"What your future *could* be..." the man said.

The woman spoke next. "Your future with the Slayer, the warrior."

"The Slayer?" Spike asked, not believing what these two were saying. "You're telling me that this was real? What you showed me is going to happen?" He closed his eyes, remembering the scent of her hair, the taste of her skin, the passion that he felt when he was with her...all real. "I'm getting a future with Buffy?"

"If you complete your task...your destiny," The woman said.

"My task?" Spike asked. He was getting a headache from listening to the two oracles talk back and forth and not making any sense at all. He didn't even think that he had a destiny, much less with Buffy. Spike wanted answers now!

"Yes, protecting the key," the male said as though everyone should know that.

"Keeping your promise to a loved one..." the woman added. "To protect her...until the end of the world." she repeated the last words that Spike and Buffy shared that night.

"Defeat the Glorificus beast and a string of motions will be set in place. A string of events that..."

"That you will most undoubtedly enjoy," the woman finished up.

"Love. A lifetime with the Slayer," the man said.

"All of this shall be yours," the woman said, stopping to stand in front of him and address him. "If you defeat him."

Spike lowered his head, remembering what had happened the first time. He had failed miserably. Even though he knew what to expect, Doc was faster than him. No matter what Spike might throw at him, Doc would win...he would open the portal. "What if...what if I can't do it? I couldn't do it the first time, so what is going to make the second go around any different?"

"We can show you..." the man started.

"What your life will be like without the Slayer. We will give you the day and visions of a life without the warrior," the woman said. She walked back over and stood by her brother. "Then, you must decide." The woman cast out her hand and once again, Spike was thrown into darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike once again woke with the feeling of pain surging throughout his body. However, when he opened his eyes, instead of finding himself in Buffy's room, he was lying on the ground where he had landed the first time after Doc threw him off the tower. <God, what is this going to be like?> Spike thought to himself.

He tried to stand, but collapsed again. His legs were too weak and his back ached. Spike finally managed to drag himself over to where everyone else was standing. No one made a word as they all stared at one thing- Buffy. Dead Buffy.

Xander stood to the side holding Anya in his arms. The two shed no tears, but both were silent and unmoving.

Willow and Tara stood together, holding onto each other for support.

Giles stood there...with an empty and dead expression on his face.

And from behind them, Dawn slowly came down the stairs, holding onto the railing as pain ran throughout her body from the cuts around her side.

And Spike, like everyone else, was frozen.

She was dead. He knew that this must have been what the Powers were going to show him, but the shock from actually *seeing* her lying there, looking so peaceful, was more than he could bear. Before he could stop himself, he was crying. He lowered his head, crying into his hands, as he realized that *he* was the cause of this...getting thrown off the tower had signed Buffy's death certificate. He had gotten her killed. With that thought in mind, his tears only increased, and he didn't know how to stop.

How would he ever stop crying?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although the Powers said that Spike was getting a day, he felt suddenly transported to a day that was weeks after the day Buffy died. These must have been the visions...this was the future, Spike assumed.

Spike looked around himself and saw fires, fighting, and demons running around the street. People were running everywhere, running from the demons or towards some place that would give them safety.

"Spike!" A voice called out from the right.

Spike looked around before turning and running towards the voice. He couldn't tell who it was at first but he could tell that he was suppose to go and help that person. "Hang on!" He shouted.

"Spike! Help!" And then Spike recognized the voice- it was Willow. He found her and saw that dozens and dozens of unrecognizable demons had surrounded Tara and her. There was no escape and they didn't seem to be using magic. <Did they forget their tricks?> Spike thought for a second.

Never before had he seen Sunnydale so overrun with demons. They had set up blockades and pits were filled with dead human bodies. Sunnydale had become the embodiment of pure Hell. There was no way that he could get to her in time and he watched, with a horrific look etched on his face, as the demons slowly began to kill Tara and Willow.

"Spike!" Willow called out as she lay on the ground, bleeding to death. "Xander...Anya, and Giles are dead. Grab Dawnie and get out of here! It's what Buffy would want."

Spike turned around and started running to Buffy's home, somehow knowing that Dawn was supposed to be there. None of this made sense to him, but he kept on running, try to get to Dawn. He had let Buffy down once and there was no way that he'd let it happen again.

<Bloody hell, without Buffy here, all the demons came back and took over the town. There's no slayer here...there's no hope.> Spike realized. <We need Buffy here. If not just for my sake, but for this town's...the world's.> He neared Buffy's house and stopped, falling to the ground in shock as he stared at the sight in front of him.

He didn't even try to fight when the demons came up to him with clubs in their hands, knifes attached to their fingers...all he could do was stare as Buffy's house went up in flames, Spike somehow knowing that Dawn was trapped inside.

He closed his eyes and everything went black...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, lower being, have you chosen?" The female oracle asked him.

Spike shook his head, getting his bearings back. He looked around himself and found that he was back in the Oracles' realm. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He had seen a world with and a world without Buffy Summers. Making the right choice was easy. There was no other option.

"Send me back." Spike said. "I'll kill that bloke this time."

"As you wish..." The male oracle began.

"Kill the demon and set things right in your world." The female oracle added.

"I will," Spike gruffly said as he felt himself being thrown out of the marble building. A bright light surrounded him and he closed his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Spike felt himself begin to wake up once again, he felt ready to take on Doc. He knew what Doc would throw at him and planned out his attack this time. There was no way that he'd get Dawnie get hurt or Buffy die. "Spike....Spike, can you hear me?" Willow asked in his head.

Spike, smiled, remembering already having this conversation with the Witch. "Yeah, loud and clear," he said.

"Is there someone up there with Dawn?" she asked him.

"Yeah, can't tell who," Spike replied, deciding to not let Willow know that he knew who was up there.

"Are you talking to us?" Xander asked to his right.

"Get up there. Go now," Willow commanded, her voice direct and commanding.

Instead of trying to argue with her, Spike leapt to his feet and started heading for the tower. He watched as all the people guarding the steps were thrown to the side, courtesy of Willow, as he started heading up the stairs.

"Spike!" Dawn yelled out to him.

"Doesn't a bloke stay dead when you kill him?" Spike asked as he started walking out towards Doc and Dawn.

"Looks who's talking," Doc replied, smiling at him.

"C'mon Doc, let's you and me have a go."

"I...I do have a prior appointment," Doc started.

"Well, this won't take long," Spike said.

"No, I don't imagine that it will," Doc replied before moving. IN a flash, he was behind Spike and he stuck the knife that he was holding in Spike's back.

"Ow!" Spike shouted. "Bloody hell, that's my jacket!" Doc tried to throw him to the ground, but Spike remembered the move and quickly ducked out of the way.

Instead, he quickly turned around and grabbed onto Doc, pulling him down to the ground along with him. He turned around again and, as though the roles had completely switched, Spike pushed Doc towards the edge of the tower, preparing to throw him off. "See, mate? I told you that it wouldn't take long." He released Doc, and pushed him off the edge of the tower.

He watched as Doc went flying off the edge of the tower before heading over to Dawn. "You okay, Sweet Bit?"

"Yeah," Dawn replied as Spike started untying the ropes that bound her to the tower.

"C'mon, Nibblet, let's go on. Big Sis is gonna be relieved to see you," Spike said, starting to guide her back down the steps. Spike and Dawn walked down the tower together. In the end, Dawn helped Spike get down the last few steps. He was bleeding through the back of his shirt and coat and his back was killing him; however, all the pain dissappeared when he saw Buffy standing only feet away. As he watched her start to walk over to Dawn, he couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

Spike fell to his knees as he realized what he had done. He had saved Buffy...protected Dawnie and her, just like he had promised. And although no one else would ever know, his one little act of pushing Doc off the tower had saved everyone's life.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled, running over to her. She grabbed Dawn in a fierce hug, smiling. "Thank God you're safe."

"I'm okay, Buffy," Dawn said, holding onto her sister. "Spike saved me. He killed the guy up there."

Buffy turned and stared at Spike, her arms dropping from Dawn. She walked over and bent her knees, bending down and looking at Spike. "You saved Dawnie?"

Spike tried to continue ignoring the pain. "I told you I would, Buffy. I promised you that I would." Suddenly, Buffy's arms came flying at him and as she tightly hung onto him. "Ow! Oh, bloody hell."

Buffy jumped back from him, afraid that she had hurt him even more than before. "Ooh! Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No, that bloke cut me up real nice in my back," Spike said. "Just needs some mending, that's all."

"Here, let me help you," Buffy said. She stood and helped Spike stand beside her. Her hands supported his side and stomach to keep him balanced. He almost told her that he could walk just fine until he felt her hands travel over his chest.

"Thank you, Buffy," Spike said, moving his arm to wrap it around her shoulders.

Slowly, Buffy started wrapping her arms around him again, until the two were embraced in a tight hug. Her friends, although watching from a distance, made no move to interfere. "Thank you, thank you..." Buffy repeated in Spike's ear. "Thank you *so* much, Spike."

Spike, unused to being thanked for anything, much less something from Buffy, could only stammer a nervous, "you're welcome."

"Thank you for saving my baby sister," Buffy whispered in his ear. Finally, she let go and started to help him walk. "C'mon, let's get you inside. I don't think Dawn would be too happy that her protector burst into flames."

"Feelings mutual," Spike muttered, started to walk alongside Buffy.

She and Spike eventually walked up to where her friends were standing. "Okay, what's the plan?" She asked Giles.

"Uh...well, I think that, uh, sleep sounds good in a situation like this." Giles said.

"Sleep...sleep, Oh!" Xander said. "I vaguely remember sleep. That's when you close your eyes and rest and then wake up with newly found energy, right?" The gang all stared at him as though he was insane. "Sorry, haven't gotten much sleep recently."

"No one here has," Buffy said. "But I think I'm going to go home and sleep for the next three days."

"I'm right there with you," Willow agreed. "Hey Buff...can we hang out at your house? It just...it just doesn't seem right to be separating...going to different places, after we've done all of this." In past years, after defeating the big bad, they had always gone to Buffy's home for some relaxing time. After Adam, after the Mayor, after the Master...it had become tradition.

"Sure thing, my house is free...plenty of room for everyone," Buffy said. She always loved it when her friends were over at her house. Ever since her mother had died, when her friends were together in the house, the rooms seemed to be filled with life once again. "Me, Dawn, Willow and Tara in Mom's room, Xander, Anya on the couch, Spike..."

"Basement, I know," Spike said.

"Giles?" Buffy asked him, wondering whether or not he wanted to go home.

"I think that I'll just go back to my flat, Buffy," Giles said. He walked up to her and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Excellent work, Buffy."

She smiled. "Well, Spike was the one who saved Dawn."

"Yeah, *me.* The guy who is burning here and loosing blood from a life-threatening stab wound," Spike said sarcastically.

"You're already dead, Spike. You can't get any deader." Buffy replied. She rolled her eyes when he only grunted in response. "C'mon, I think its time to head on home." She turned around, still holding onto Spike, as the gang started making their way to Buffy's home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the sun had set and Buffy had gotten about 10 hours of much-needed rest, she decided to head down to the basement where Spike was resting. She knew that he had gotten stabbed from the fight with Doc and hoped that he had healed up all right. Buffy tiptoed down the stairs as to not wake anyone as she passed Xander and Anya sleeping together on the couch.

She paused at the top of the stairs, not really knowing what she would say when she got down there to talk to him. The two were friends now and she was in debt to him for what he had done today to help her. <I know Spike would be pleased about that,> Buffy thought to herself. It seemed as though he expected nothing for helping her, something else that surprised Buffy. In the past, he'd always wanted something in exchange for his help, but not last night. So, where were they suppose to go from there?

Finally, taking a deep breath, she headed down the stairs. She walked deeper into the basement, finally finding Spike lying on one of the rollaway beds that had been stuffed somewhere in the back of the basement. "Spike?" she asked softly, afraid that he was still sleeping and she didn't want to wake him. She paused, waiting for a response and not getting one.

After waiting another moment, she turned back around to go back up the stairs. "Buffy?" Spike asked, raising his head off the mattress. He'd been sleeping and dreaming...dreaming of the life that he might now have with her. The fact that she was no here was just adding to the distinct possibility that someday they might be more than friends.

"Hey," she said, walking over closer towards him. "You're awake."

"Yeah, well...I thought that I heard something movin' about," Spike said, sitting up off the bed. His knife wound had healed since he'd rested up and he was finally feeling better.

"Are...are you okay?" Buffy asked. She walked over and sat next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Spike said. "Didn't know you cared."

"Spike..." Buffy started, surprised that he still held resentment over everything that she had done or said to him in the past.

Spike shook his head, thinking that he should sometimes not let his ego talk. "Sorry, love...old habit, saying stuff like that to you."

"It's okay," Buffy replied, moving over closer to him. "And...I care," she finally managed to say. <I care a lot,> she thought to herself. Spike stared at her, the corners of his mouth slowly turning upwards to a smile. "Hey," she said, smiling and trying to change the topic. "I hear that the Bronze is selling those blooming onions again."

"Really?" Spike asked. "Someone's got taste there. I'm telling you...those blokes were downright bloody stupid to take that off the menu."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Buffy said. "''S the only thing this place had going for it,"" she said in a very bad British accent. "Tell me something new, Spike."

Spike grinned after hearing that she remembered when he was talking to her at the Bronze. "Well? What'd'ya say that you and I go get one? We can discuss the fine choice of hops."

Buffy smiled and shook her head. He'd remembered that conversation. "Fine, but don't wake anyone up, okay? Xander and Anya are right out there."

"You've got it, Buffy." Spike replied. The two rose from the bed and started to head towards the stairs. Buffy noticed that he'd suddenly stopped calling her "Slayer," that cold title that he always referred to her as. Instead, he finally called her by her name, the word rolling off his tongue. Yeah, she liked that much better.

The two crept past the sleeping couple on the couch and walked out the front door, silently closing it behind them. Buffy and Spike walked down the sidewalk on her street, neither one of them speaking.

Finally, just so he knew, Buffy spoke up. "Just so you know...this is *not* a date, Spike." she said. "Okay? It's merely a thank you dinner."

Spike smiled smugly at her, amused that he knew something that she didn't. "Sure, love. I know that it's not a date." He kept his pace matched with hers as he remembered the day and night that the two spent together. <But maybe someday soon...it will be.>

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The beginning...