Title: The End
Author: Paradox761
Email: Paradox761@mail.com
Website: members.tripod.com/~Paradox761
Disclaimer: Joss and co. own all things Buffy, no copyright infringement is intended. So please don’t sue, I don’t have any money anyway.
Summary: Post “Wrecked”, alt ending for season 6, and the series. B/W/X-friendship, Slight B/X and Ay/X.
Spoilers: “Wrecked”, and most of season 6.
Author’s note: For the purposes of characterization, in this story Spike did not attempt to rape Buffy. I am NOT a Spike fan, and this is NOT a fix-it fic. But I started this story before that happened, and I find it hard to write Spike as a sympathetic character after that scene. So to continue with the story as planned, that scene didn’t happen. Also, this story takes place before the Angel episode “Sleep Tight”. Also, I started this story after “Wrecked”, as I was starting to become unhappy with the way season six was turning out. I must say though, I couldn’t be happier with the way it ended. I could never top “Grave”, nor would I try. So I’ve gone in a different direction with this. But I did paraphrase some lines from Xander’s speech.
Dedication: To Jordan and Jessica, my angels. May they rest in peace.
Special thanks to: Wayne, Rob Clark, Ghostrider, Ozmandayus, Maggie C., Furious George, Bill, Calen, Chorlton, John, Wicked Raygun, DaBear, Cobra, Jeconais, Nathan Postmark, David, Drake Roberts, Angelus, Queen Boadicea, Scott, Malaskor, and The Crowe for the feedback and the encouragement with this story. I really appreciate it.

(2/12)

Xander walked into the Magic Box to find Anya and Dawn sitting at the main research table. Anya was counting the day’s till, and Dawn was pretending to do her homework. “Have you guys seen this?” he asked, tossing a newspaper onto the table?

“What?” Dawn asked as Anya turned the paper around to face them both.

“Bank robbery in LA over the weekend,” Xander said. “Three guys in Star Wars masks. Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and a storm trooper.”

“Let me guess, the security cameras were frozen solid,” Dawn said as Anya read the article.

“Camera-sicles. They cleaned out the tellers’ drawers, then…”

“They used some kind of device to override the safe’s computerized lock,” Anya read from the newspaper.

“They got away with nearly $200,000,” Xander continued. “Then they locked everyone in the safe. It took the cops two hours to get it open.”

“Eyewitnesses on the street said the robbers escaped in a black van,” Anya read. She looked up at Xander. “The Trio.”

“Exactly!”

“So?”

“What do you mean so? We have to do something about this.”

“What are we going to do Xander, they’re human,” Anya said. “It isn’t our job to catch bank robbers, that’s what the police are for.”

“But we know who did it,” Xander insisted. “We have to do something. Maybe we can phone in an anonymous tip to the cops.”

“And have them showing up at the mansion?” Anya asked. “Willow and Rak will make mincemeat out of them.”

Xander let out a frustrated sigh and took a seat across from Dawn. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hate this, you know. We’ve never had an enemy before that we couldn’t fight.” He paused, casting a glance toward Dawn. “Not that Willow is our enemy, you know. She’s just a little confused right now, and we’re just trying to help her.”

“Save it, Xander,” Dawn said. “I understand what’s going on, you don’t have to sugar coat it for me. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“I know Dawnie, you’re right,” he said solemnly. “It’s just…this whole situation, it’s hard on all of us. Sometimes I have to sugar coat things for myself too, you know.”

Dawn just nodded a little and gave Xander a little half smile to let him know that she was okay. Of course, she really wasn’t, none of them were. They hadn’t been since Willow blew up and took off. The withdrawal she was feeling from not using magic was just too much for her to take, and it sent her right over the edge. She had resented them for trying to get her to stop using magic. She accused them of being jealous. And the more they asserted that they were just trying to look out for her because they loved her, and they didn’t want her to hurt herself or anyone else, the angrier she became, accusing them of not trusting her. She tried to tell them that she needed to use magic, to help with the slaying. That she didn’t need to stop all together, that she could be trusted. And while Xander didn’t know much about magic, he knew about addicts, and he knew when someone was trying to justify an addiction when he heard it. Willow didn’t much like being called an addict, and responded to the perceived personal attack with one of her own. It had only been the three of them that night in the Magic box, the slayer and her original slayerettes, and Xander was glad of that. Some of the things that were said that evening made him cringe when he thought about it. Things that could never be forgiven, even if forgiveness was asked. He often wished that he could forget that night all together, just wipe it and all the pain it caused from his mind, but he knew he would never be able to. She was vicious, like a cornered animal, and while Xander was used to personal attacks thanks to his parents and in no small part Cordelia, Buffy was not. Or at least she wasn’t used to hearing them from friends. Xander suspected that she never really got over that, the emotional attacks that had been inflicted on them both. They both promised never to repeat what had been said, not to anyone. Xander had kept that promise, and he was sure Buffy had too.

Xander had tried to lay a comforting hand on Willow’s shoulder, to calm her down and stop the verbal onslaught that she had been unleashing on Buffy. Willow knocked him half way across the room, right through a glass shelf. And when Buffy tried to restrain her, she knocked her even farther, and took off into the night. That was the last time they had seen Willow in person. She had kept in contact with them though, letters, phone calls. She wanted to show them that she could be responsible with her powers. She thought that she could do that by becoming more powerful. At least that’s what she told herself the reason was, to prove herself. She thought that with great power would come better control, but the dark magiks she had conjured began to affect her. The more powerful she became, the more powerful she wanted to become. She would tell them about talismans she had acquired to increase her power, taking pride in her increased skill, yet ignoring the fact that she had stolen these items. And that on more than one occasion, the original owner had ended up dead, by Rak’s hand they had deduced. She would tell them about demons she had conjured, again, ignoring the fact that once she was done with them, they went on a killing spree. Sacrifices had to be made sometimes, she would say, for the greater good. As to what good she thought she was doing, it was never clear. They had all pleaded with her at one time or another to see reason, but she was too far gone. The power had affected her in more ways than she was willing to admit. It had darkened her soul.

That’s what Tara had told them, before she left town. She tried to keep track of Willow’s power, and after a while it wasn’t hard. It had grown so much, that it radiated though the whole town. And it was dark magic, of that she was sure. It attracted witches and warlocks from all over the state, leading them straight to Willow’s door, and Rak’s waiting hands. It was when Willow cast a spell to lure Tara to the mansion that she had gone past the point of no return in most of their eyes. She wanted Rak to cast a spell on her, to feed off of her power. She must have thought that if she got Tara addicted they way she had been, and Amy still was, then she would stay with her. They managed to get Tara out just in time. She left after that. She was afraid of Willow, more than she ever thought possible. And she just couldn’t handle the emotional stress anymore. Xander couldn’t blame her. Willow’s seeming quest for godhood was taking it’s toll on all of them. They were falling apart because of it. And Xander was finding himself wondering if there was any of ‘their’ Willow left inside the redheaded witch. The mere thought almost brought him to tears.

“Where’s Buffy at?” He asked, trying to take his mind off of such thoughts.

“She’s training with Spike,” Anya said.

“Again,” Dawn added in an irritated sounding tone. But Xander knew that what it really was, was concern.

“Now Dawn, I know that Buffy has been spending a lot of time with him lately, and it’s a bit…” Xander paused, searching for a word.

“Weird?” Dawn supplied.

“To say the least,” Xander murmured. “Buffy’s just under a lot of stress right now, she has a lot on her plate. I mean, no sooner had she come back from the dead before everything started falling in her lap again. Giles leaving, this whole thing with Willow. She’s just trying to catch her breath. And spending time and talking with Spike makes her feel better because…well, I don’t really know why. But it does, so we should just give her time to work everything out. She’s still here for you Dawn, and so are me and Anya.” Anya looked up and smiled, giving Dawn a nod. The two of them had really grown much closer since Tara left.

“I know guys, and I appreciate that. I’m just worried about her. I mean, you don’t think…” she trailed off. “What I mean is, this is kind of how her and Angel started out, isn’t it?”

“What? No! I mean, no! That’s just…no!” Xander exclaimed, rather in shock. “The situations are completely different.” He paused in thought. “Well, slightly different.” He paused again. “For the most part. Look, the point is, despite everything Spike has done to help us, and despite his feelings for Buffy, she could never return them.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to be in love with somebody to get horizontal with them,” Dawn said.

“She’s right,” Anya said without looking up.

Xander flashed Anya a ‘you’re not helping’ look before turning back to Dawn. “Okay, first of all, where did you learn that kind of language?” Dawn just looked at him. “And second, Buffy wouldn’t do that either.”

“Right, ‘cause Buffy always makes the right decisions when it comes to relationships,” Dawn said, dripping with sarcasm.

Xander rolled his eyes. “If there’s one thing that a string of bad relationships will give you, it’s lessons learned. And from Parker Abrams, she learned that meaningless sex can be emotionally costly and painful. And from Angel, the second time around, she learned that keeping secrets from your friends regarding vampire smoochies can, and will, be enormously disastrous. Trust me, she would never make that mistake again.”

Buffy pushed Spike up against the wall of the training room forcefully, pressing her lips to his. His hands where in her hair, pulling her face into his as he returned the kiss with just as much vigor. Her hands clawed down his chest a ways, and stopped. Suddenly, she pushed off of his chest and away from him.

“No!” she growled, partly at him but mostly at herself.

“What’s the matter pet, not rough enough for you,” Spike said with his trademark leer, advancing on her again.

“I mean it, back off!” Buffy said a little more forcefully, pushing him away. “This is insane, and it ends now. And if you…”

“Tell anyone, you’ll stake me dead,” Spike finished. “Not to be a doubting Thomas Luv, but I’ve heard that before. You got it written down on a card or something?” Buffy just glared at him. Spike smirked. “Face it Luv, you want me. You need me. I’m like a drug in your system, and you just can’t get…”

Spike was cut off by the right cross Buffy delivered across his face. “The only thing I need you for, is as a moving target,” Buffy growled through clenched teeth. “Now are we going to spar, or what?”

Spike just smirked again. “Have it your way, pet,” he said, taking a fighting stance.

The two of them squared off, sizing each other up. They traded a few light jabs and kicks, nothing serious. Spike thought that once Buffy found out that Spike’s chip didn’t work with her anymore, she wouldn’t want to spar with him anymore. But she wanted to now more than ever. He didn’t understand it. It wasn’t long before the practice blows became more serious. Spike dodged two punches, and delivered a kick to her ribs. She grunted and spun around, backhanding Spike across the face rather hard.

“Jesus, slayer! This is just supposed to be practice, what’s got your panties in a bunch?”

“Less talking, more fighting,” she said, advancing on him again.

The punches came faster now, and Spike barely had time to block them. He tried to counterpunch, but she was just too fast. He caught one in the chest, and he sent him flying across the room, into the fighting dummy.

Spike picked himself up off the floor and rolled his head, cracking his neck. “So that’s how you want to play,” he muttered. “Fine by me.”

He had more time to prepare before Buffy came down on him again. He dodged one punch, grabbing her arm and bringing his knee up into her ribs, hard. Buffy grunted in pain and twisted her arm away, getting in an uppercut, and a kick to the midsection. Spike spun away, coming back with a flurry of punches, one of which caught Buffy across the face. She spun away from it, coming back around with another backhand that nearly knocked Spike’s head off.

Spike backed up and the pair started circling each other again. “What’s got you all worked up, pet?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, I know you well enough to know when you’re fighting ‘cause you’re pissed at me and when you’re fighting ‘cause you’re pissed at the world and you’ve just decided to take it out on me. So what is it? Bills piling up?” Buffy took a cursory swing, which Spike easily dodged. “Niblet slacking off in school?” Another easily dodged punch. “Miss the watcher, do you?” A kick this time, which Spike barely managed to deflect. “Ooh, I’m getting closer. Could it be Red and her new little band of half-wits? What’s the matter Luv, making an enemy out of a former friend not as easy as the reverse?” The punch that caught Spike on the chin sent him into the air and half way across the room. He could feel his jaw break. He landed hard, and slowly made it up to his feet. He touched his fingers to his lips and pulled them back to see blood on them. “Pay dirt,” he said.

“Shut-up! You don’t know anything! You hear me, nothing!”

“Oh, come off your high horse, slayer!” Spike shouted. “You think you’re the only one in pain here? You think you’re the only one whose life has turned to shit in the last month and a half? Look around you, at your so-called friends, at your sister. Hell, at me even. We’re not exactly peaches and cream you know!” Spike pointed to the door. “The whelp out there has known her longer than any of us, and yet he’s managed to push aside his pain for the sake of his girl and the Little Bit. You don’t see him running away, wallowing in self pity and regret.”

“Go to hell, you bastard,” Buffy said, the quiet rage in her voice unmistakable. “You don’t know me, you don’t understand. Nobody could possibly understand!”

“Fine. You keep telling yourself that, Luv. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”

Buffy screamed with fury as she attacked. Her arms and legs were a blur as they struck out at the blonde haired vampire. Spike tried to block as much as he could but she was just too fast. One last punch sent him flying into a cement wall, cracking the bricks. He looked up at her where she still stood in the middle of the room, fists clenched in rage. He wiped the blood away from his face.

“I think I understand you better than you think,” he said.

“I hate you.”

“Come now, Luv,” Spike said. “Our dance has always been more complicated than that.”

“What the hell is going on here?”

Buffy and Spike both turned to see Xander standing in the doorway. Buffy grabbed her jacket off the pummel horse and headed for the door. “Just getting ready for patrol,” she said, brushing past him. Xander looked after her for a second, before turning back to Spike. He walked into the room and gave him a hand up.

“You want to tell me what happened?”

“No worries,” Spike said. “She was just working off some aggression. I’m sure she’ll feel better once she kills something.”

Xander nodded, Spike could tell that he was buying it. Apparently Buffy wasn’t the only one who believed in occupational therapy. Spike had come to respect the boy a great deal over the last month or so since Willow’s turn to the dark side. He had been a rock of support for Dawn, and even though she continually brushed him off, he tried to be there for Buffy too. Plus he wasn’t half bad in a fight. It was ironic, that his respect for this boy…no, man, would come so soon after this thing with Buffy started. He knew that if Xander found out, he would stake him without batting an eye. After everything they had been through, to have formed this strange sort of mutual respect was odd enough as it was. But to have it collapse because of the love of a woman, it was downright Shakespearean.

“Well then, let’s get to it,” Xander said, shaking Spike out of his thoughts.

“Right,” Spike said. He watched as Xander grabbed a sword off the wall and headed out the door after Buffy. He picked up his duster and slid it on, thinking about how there just didn’t seem to be any good solutions in what was to come. He took out a cigarette and lit it as he walked to the door. He took a long drag, and let it out. “Bloody hell,” he muttered to himself.




Next Chapter