As she fell through the portal, she could hear him shout. Regrets filled her for a moment before images and feelings swept through her.

Herself at fifteen and the disbelief of learning who she was; the guilt of Merrick dying, burning the gymnasium; learning of her parents’ divorce; the move to Sunnydale; Giles announcing that he was her new watcher; and meeting Willow, Xander and Cordelia.

Falling in love with Angel; drowning at the hand of the Master and then Xander reviving her; meeting Spike for the first time; making love with Angel and the hurt of the morning after; Jenny Calendar’s death; not only seeing but feeling the organ falling on top of Spike; the truce that led to Angel going to Hell; her mother throwing her out of the house and the loneliness of a summer spent in L.A.

The shock of Angel coming back; the disbelief at seeing Faith kill a man; blowing up the school to stop the mayor. The anger at Angel leaving for her own good; that one mistake with Parker and the pain of feeling betrayed; the fight with Spike on that sunny day.

Riley and the Initiative; Adam and the spell to stop him. Dracula biting her; Xander being his servant; and Willow falling in love with Tara. Riley again, flying away and leaving her.

Faster and faster, images and feelings blinding her, so real, not only hers but Spike’s feelings sweeping through her like a tidal wave, drowning her in their intensity. A girl named Cecily; his turning; the confusion of Angelus leaving; a hundred years with Drusilla then losing her because of her visions of the Slayer.

Spike getting his chip; his anger at being neutered; his shame at being chained in a bathtub and needing the Slayer’s help; Willow’s spell and the joy at being loved for those few hours; then the loss and discomfort they both felt when the spell was lifted. Spike realizing he had fallen in love with her; his shame at being love’s bitch again; his hatred of Angel; his love for her mother and Dawn; Glory’s torture; Joyce’s death; and worst of all the pain of seeing her jump, of knowing that if he hadn’t failed her in protecting Dawn, she would be alive, his angel, his hope, his everything.

But then the images changed, to confusing ones, things that never happened; a despair so deep as she saw herself clawing her way out of her own grave; at realising that she was torn out of heaven by her own friends; Spike’s disbelief as he sees her alive; as he looks at her bloodied knuckles; his voice saying that it had been 147 days since she died; his joy at seeing her and his anger when she told him where she was.

Flashes of a singing demon; of two lovers in an abandoned building; herself feeling alive for a while; Willow’s addiction to magic; an attack in her bathroom; Spike leaving; Tara covered in blood; Willow trying to destroy the world and all the pain in it; Xander stopping her; Spike, covered in bugs and his soul hurting him, filling him with shame and guilt.

The First Evil; the potentials dying; a preacher gouging Xander’s eye out; her family throwing her out of her house and Spike comforting her. The final battle; Spike’s sacrifice; her pain at losing him; Anya’s lifeless body. Spike back as a ghost wanting to let her be happy, unaware that she was only half-living since his sacrifice; her own death at the hand of a fledgling because she was distracted.

Underlining all those images, love; burning so bright, so true; it blinds her. Pain at what she lost because of the choices she had to make.

As the flashes stopped, she found herself lying on a soft floor. She opened her eyes and the whiteness of the room blinded her. She closed her eyes again, trying to absorb all that she has just seen, everything that she is feeling. Her brain and her heart crying that it was too much, that no one could deal with that much emotion at once.

Tears started falling softly down her face and into her hair. She curled her body, pressing her knees into her chest as hard as possible, to stop the pain from coming. The sobs that wracked her body were heart breaking to the being watching her. But she knew that this was something needed and that Buffy would feel better once those tears were shed. It was a liberating moment, the one chance to cry without being judged and the one moment to get rid of the pain of the last years.

As the tears slowed, Buffy heard a voice that she never thought she would hear again.

“Hello honey.”
“Mom?”

Joyce was standing there, dressed in a simple white dress, looking at her daughter with a smile on her face. Buffy flew into her mother’s arms, laughing and crying, still reeling from all that she had just seen and felt. Joyce held her daughter, lightly stroking her back to comfort her.

After a few minutes, Buffy detangled herself from her mother’s arms, and eyes downcast, she asked

“Why mom?”
“It had to happen, you know that Buffy. It was your gift, and it was time.”
“But, what I saw, how?”
“Later, be patient for once.”

For once not daring to question her mother, Buffy was silent for a few seconds before asking quietly.

“He was always meant to be the one, wasn’t he?”
“Yes he was honey.”
“But, how? Why?”

Taking her daughter by the hand, Joyce led her to a nearby bench. Sitting down, she patted the seat beside her, waiting for Buffy to sit down before answering.

“He is your opposite yet he completes you, he is the darkness to your light, your equal in everything, you share the same soul, you are one being in two bodies.”

“Soul? He doesn’t have one mom.”

“You know better than that Buffy, you are only trying to justify your actions. You feel him, you know him and you understand him just as he feels, knows and understands you.”

“But…”

“Did you never ask yourself why neither of you managed to kill the other one in all those years? To kill one is to kill the other.”

“Well I died and he still lived...uh…unlived.”

“The night you drowned, your soul never left your body because Xander brought you back too fast, but I can assure you that William felt it and that is the night he started moving toward you.”

“But mom, what about Angel? He is my soul mate, not Spike”

“Buffy, you’re still lying to yourself. You always knew that Angel wasn’t the one for you; in fact he surprised everyone. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.”

“Well, if I’m dead and I share a soul with bleach boy, how come he is not dead…deader?”

“William should be here soon.”

“What?! He can’t be dead, mom, I just saw him, he promised to take care of Dawn, he can’t be dead, he can’t mom!”

Seeing the panic rising in her daughter’s eyes, Joyce quickly added

“Shh honey, he’s not dead yet, But with your spirit here, there is nowhere else he can be. And Buffy, you saw what could happen, and you are here for a chance to change this. There are some things that happened, and because of it the future is out of sync with what should be. And if we let things go as they would, what you saw will happen. The Powers are giving you a chance to stop that from happening but you need Wil…”

Buffy’s voice and the look in her eyes stopped her

“He’s here.”

Sunnydale, minutes after the jump.

Pain. Overwhelming and all consuming. Worse than anything he ever felt before. Nothing could be worse than seeing his golden warrior jump to her death. How could she quit like this? His fault, it was his own damn fault. He failed her, couldn’t protect the Bit, couldn’t stop this from happening. His own apocalypse, his worst nightmare. The end of his world. Nothing else mattered but the fact that because of him, she was dead. God, it hurt so much. It felt like his whole being was being shred to pieces, like his unbeating heart had just stopped once more and it was being pulled out of his chest. Choking on his own tears, dying by inches, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, drowning in the pain. Worse than Glory’s torture, worse than Dru falling all over her “Daddy”. How could the Powers let something like that happened? How could they let someone so pure die? What a failure he was. Love’s bitch till the end, even if right now it was starting to look more like fate’s bitch. He thought he was the one who would die tonight, not his glorious Slayer. Was it his punishment? The result of his years of killing? Was this a way to tell him that he was fucked up? Just tonight, she had invited him back into her house and now, she was dead. That wasn’t even remotely funny of the Powers, it was downright cruel to everyone. Why? How could this ever make sense?

In a daze he pulled himself to his feet, not even conscious of his own wounds, and managed to make his way to her body. She looked so small, so beautiful. He fell on his knees, unaware of the tears that are streaming down his face, blind to everything but her body. He never felt Dawn coming toward him, and he jumped when she put her hand on his shoulder.

“Spike, the sun is coming, we have to leave.”
“Why? Nibblet, why?”

Her own tears were choking her as she looked at them, her sister and her protector. One dead, and the other one clearly dying in front of her eyes. Trying to hold on Buffy’s last speech, trying to be strong for once and hoping she can convince this broken-hearted vampire that being outside at sunrise is not a good option.

“Please Spike; come with me, come home, I can’t do this alone. I need…”

Remembering the promise he made to Buffy, he dragged himself up and slowly managed to pick her body up. Seeing the look in his eyes, no one stopped him, knowing that this was something that they couldn’t refuse him and that if they tried, Spike would probably killed whoever was daft enough to try. They all realized that in the state he was in, he would just ignore the pain from the chip and just lash out at anyone who would dare come between him and the body of the Slayer. And because no one could ignore the pain that was so obvious in the blonde’s eyes, all of them grudgingly had to admit to themselves that despite what they had all believe for so long, Spike’s love for Buffy was greater than they ever thought possible. He looked like a dying man, and though they saw his efforts to look calm, he was breaking in front of them.

“Let’s go home Bit.”

Once they reached Revello Drive, he stood before the door of the house where he had been re-invited in just hours earlier and the pain once again consummed him. Seeing the pain on his face, Dawn gently opened the door and tugged him inside. Still carrying the lifeless Slayer, Spike made his way to her bedroom and gently placed her down on her bed. Looking up at Dawn, he asked her

“Dawn, could you get me something to wash her up?”

Without saying a word, the girl made her way to the door and came back with a bowl filled with hot water and a washcloth. Silently she handed them over to Spike, who was still looking at the body laid out on the bed. Tears still falling down, he gently cleaned Buffy’s wounds and putting the bowl on the nightstand, he climbed in the bed beside her and curled up around her body. Seeing that he had no intention of moving, Dawn simply left the room and closed the door behind her.

When Spike could sense that Dawn was gone, he raised his head and looked at Buffy, his hand slowly combing through her hair. A new wave of despair crashed over him. Never again would he see her fight, hear her snip, smell her skin, feel the heat of her skin. Heat…wait a minute, she was warm, she shouldn’t be warm, she should be cold, not warm. As these thoughts swirl through his head, he felt himself fall and for once, he didn’t fight it, willingly embracing the darkness.

But the darkness was soon replaced by images and feelings, so powerful, so painful, he couldn’t understand them. Nothing made sense in what he was feeling and seeing. So much pain when he thought that he couldn’t feel anything worse after tonight. He had to be hallucinating, how could this be real. But yet he knew. Not knowing how, he knew what he was seeing, and the sheer weight of it was crushing him. Once again, he was drowning for her, in her, because of her. How could her friends do this, how could he? At that moment, knowing what could be, only one thing is clear in his mind.

He would get his soul no matter what. This horror in the bathroom would never happen, and just the thought that it could was devastating. Ashamed of himself for letting her die, for failing her, for hurting her, for leaving her. He swore to himself that he would try harder, that her sacrifice would not be for nothing. How could he do anything else when she was everything. Her pain, her loneliness, her confusion is washing over him, filling him up until there is nothing else. His own pain was washed up, leaving place for hers. And gladly, he took her pain as his own, hoping to bring her a measure of relief. Opening his eyes, he looked into hazel eyes, and in them found his peace.

a/n I am sorry for the delay on this update. I have been unable to work on this for several months. I just sat there, looking at the screen and couldn’t seem to remember where I planned to take this. Although the problem is not completely fixed, I did manage to finish chapter 3. I hope it satisfy all those who requested this. You made me go back to Destiny when I was half convinced I could never work on it again. Special thanks to RebelBaby who wrote me asking when I was going to update. Oh! This was beta’d by the lovely Space Between. I am grateful for the help.



Waiting Room



The moment her eyes met his, Buffy became undone. She never knew someone a body could hold so much pain without dying but in that instant, she understood everything that was revealed in his aching eyes; knew the reasons behind that pain. That he had saw as she had and somehow, he found it within himself to take her pain for his own. She knew which images had hurt the most, just as she knew what he would do to prevent them from happening. and in that moment, she finally came home in what she saw reflecting back to her in his cerulean orbs. A sense of Peace filled her heart just as it was filling his, knowing that together they could do the unthinkable; that they could face these things and stop them from happening. As time seemed to slow and seconds seemed to stretch out into days, they finally understood each other as they never could before, and he loved her even more for what he saw mirrored in her eyes.



Awed by the acceptance he could see shining in her bottle-green depths, and humbled by the strength that shone just as brightly, Spike couldn’t take his eyes off her. Still shaken by the events of the evening, he lay back, supporting himself on his elbows, unaware of his surroundings until a familiar, gentle voice shook him out of his daze.



“Hello William.”



Slowly taking his eyes off Buffy, he turned to look at another woman he thought to be long gone, his azure eyes widening in shock as coherent thought escaped him, rendering him mute . Finally realizing that something was seriously wrong for him to be seeing two women who should be dead, his head whipped from side to side as he looked around. He was in a large, white, seemingly endless room, empty save for a few grey marble benches; the fluid sounds of running water teased his ears but he was unable to see where it came from. Uneasy, he reached out with all his senses to try to identify what was bothering him. Feeling nothing, he suddenly understood that the reason he was uneasy was that his demon, ever present for more than a century, was, for the first time since his turning, silent. He had never been consciously aware that his demon was always there, pushing him, demanding blood and violence, its tangible presence living deep within. But now, with its silence, the only thing he was feeling was peace. His whole being was calm and there was nothing but Buffy. The sudden knowledge that what he always believed to be his demon sensing her slayer was in fact so much more than just that was met with unambiguous acceptance. He could feel her, like a warm, corporeal presence in his mind and looking in her eyes, he could see that she was feeling him too.



Never taking her eyes off of him, Buffy slowly stood up from the bench on which she was sitting and made her way to where Spike was still laying prone. Once she reached him, she crouched down and cupping his cheek with her hand, she leaned and placed a soft kiss upon his lips. Too stunned by the move to react, Spike had no choice but to look at her as she stood again and she thrust out her hand to help him stand up. Gently tugging on the hand she held, Buffy guided him toward her mother. Feeling shy for the first time in more years than he could remember, Spike stood before Joyce with his head bowed, not meeting her eyes for fear of what he would see there. She cupped his chin softly and forced him to look directly at her. Her eyes held nothing but love and a warm welcome.



“Joyce.” Her name came out on a sigh, soft and reverent.



With a warm smile, Joyce gently took him in her arms.



“Hello William.” Dazedly, he returned her hug, squeezing her close for a moment as if he was afraid that she’d disappear.



Joyce stepped back towards the bench she had been occupying with Buffy before he showed up, gesturing for him to join her. He stood where she left him until Buffy gave him a push forward.



“Come on Spike, snap out of it,” she said, her voice teasing. He looked back at her and realized that the shadows that had been in her eyes for the past several months were now gone. In fact, she had never looked better than she did at that moment. Her golden hair was curling gently around her shoulders and the flowing white dress she wore brought out the creamy tawniness of her skin. Translucent green eyes shone at him and he couldn’t stop the smile that formed from spreading across his face .



“You look good Pet.” The words were out before he had a chance to hold them in. Her gaze turned teasing.



“You too. Never thought I’d see you in white. Nice change from the black but I have to say that you’re a bit…pale.” Stunned, Spike looked down to find himself garbed in white trousers and a loose shirt.



“Bloody hell!” He was answered by Buffy’s giggling and Joyce’s amused words.



“Not quite William. This is actually a waiting room, where souls await their entrance into Heaven.”



Once more, Spike was rendered speechless for a moment before his muddled thoughts exploded from him.



“What?!? Heaven?!? You do remember I’m a vamp don’t you Mum?”



“Don’t be flippant Dear. We have a lot of things to discuss and not much time to do it so I need you both to please pull your heads out of the proverbial clouds and listen to me.”



The words had both blond heads snapping to attention. Their movements were so in synch that Joyce had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. These two were definitely linked, no doubts about that.



“Sorry.” Twin voices echoed in the white room. They looked at each other, uneasy with the fact that they seemed so in tune since they had come to this place. Joyce stayed silent, knowing that they were lost in each other’s presence, overwhelmed by the recent events that brought them there. She also had a suspicion that even if she were to say something, neither warrior would hear her.



After a long moment, Spike and Buffy turned back to face the older Summers woman. Bodies that had been relaxed were now tensed; both scared of what Joyce had to say.



“Please relax, both of you. Nothing will happen while you’re here. This is a protected place, a haven. You’re safe.” For some reason, the words failed to relax them, both blonds thinking with her words, Joyce had just jinxed them. Eyes met for a second before Buffy spoke up.



“Mom? You know you just jinxed the whole thing don’t you?” Voice uncertain, she was still too shocked by her mother’s presence to speak with her usual quips.



“Pffft. You’re not in Sunnydale anymore baby. This is Heaven and I can assure you that nothing is going to happen. Now, just sit down and listen to me.” Her voice held the tone that every mother seemed to learn upon giving birth. Buffy had an instant to consider the fact that maybe it was something that appears during the actual birthing process… or maybe there were classes… before Spike elbowed her, and she was pulled from her musings to focus on her mother once again.



“Long ago, a prophecy foretold the rising of the First Evil. It was said that a pair of Warriors would lead the army of Light whom would manage to banish it from the human realm. The pair would be fearless, both equal in power; one a warrior of light and one a warrior of darkness, and together their united power would be unmatched as both of these warriors were separate halves of a single soul. One soul split into two entities and once they were reunited, nothing would be able to stop them.”



“The Powers That Be selected a soul filled with the capacity to love, the strength of mind and endless forgiveness. They divided it and then set it free, waiting for the day when both halves would find the other. The selection of the soul however, was noticed by the First Evil. It created demons and vampires, hoping that one of its creations could destroy the fated pair. If it had come to pass, the First would gain footage and thus circumvent the prophecy. The Powers then created Slayers, infusing one girl with the essence of a demon of The First Evil’s creation so she could fight the evil borne of the first and hopefully keep the Warriors of Light safe.”



“When one half of the soul was given to a newborn male child, the Powers thought the final fight was nearing. But when the boy turned twenty and there was still no sign of his other half, everyone started to panic. When the young man was seduced by a vampire and then turned, the Powers were in a bit of an uproar. I heard that The Powers got very uncomfortable at that point.” Joyce’s voice had started serious but by the end of it, mirth filled her eyes.



Spike could suddenly see where Buffy had gotten her sense of humour. He looked at the Slayer, raising a scarred brow. and Buffy shrugged, her mind trying to catch up with the tale her mother was weaving. After a few moments, Joyce’s eyes grew serious once more. Obviously, the story wasn’t over and it was going to get worse before it was finished.



“The vampire that owned half of the divided soul was sired by one hailing from the original line created by the First. The Aurelius line was vicious, cruel and had no inkling on any human emotions. All of them were killers, unrepentant of the horrors they created, instead revelling in the pain of their victims. From the Master, to Darla, to Angelus and to Drusilla, each of them without a conscience, Angelus being the worst. When Drusilla sired William in 1880, the Powers thought that it meant the First Evil had won. But William retained his half of the soul, burying it deep within with the torture by his elders. When Spike started targeting Slayers, it was thought that it was the beginning of the end because the act of killing a Warrior of the Light meant that he had forsaken the last shreds of his humanity.”



“Everyone was surprised when the other half of the divided soul suddenly emerged, a hundred and fifty years after the other half. Imagine the reactions when she was called as the next Slayer, especially considering the fact that Spike was already known as the Slayer of Slayers. Buffy, I already told you that your death at the hand of the Master started Spike moving in your direction. What I didn’t tell you was that it also was the first sign that the First was preparing to move against the Realm.”





Sunnydale



Dawn knocked softly on the bedroom door. When she didn’t receive an answer, she quietly turned the knob, cracking the door enough to peek inside. Her soft gasp echoed loudly in the empty hallway. Shoving the door open, she ran to the bed in a panic. She reached towards the golden glow that surrounded Buffy and Spike’s bodies but cried out when she encountered a barrier of pure energy that singed her hand.



“Oh my God! Buffy! Noooo!”



Seconds after she cried out, Giles and Willow burst into the room, their panicked eyes sweeping the corners, searching for Dawn’s attacker. When they failed to find any threat to the teen, Giles spoke up, his eyes wrought with anxious fear and confusion.



“Dawn? Why did you…Good Lord!” Turning questioning eyes from Dawn, Willow looked up to see what had caused his reaction, her questioning gaze fading into bewilderment.



“Um, Giles?” She finally said. “Why are Buffy and Spike glowing like a Christmas tree?” Her eyes never leaving the scene before her. Despite the pain of Buffy’s death, in spite of what should be the major wigginess of what she was seeing, the redheaded Wiccan felt oddly peaceful. She glanced at Giles and Dawn and could see that they were feeling the same thing. The crushing grief that all of them had been feeling since Buffy’s jump was gone. Willow felt her lover’s approach and turned towards the door.



“Tara .” The name was soft as a prayer, as though Willow knew that the gentle blonde she loved with all of her heart could have an answer to what was happening. Tara ’s soft smile answered her, her eyes glowing softly. The shy Wicca somehow looked more confident that any of them had ever seen her, Willow included.



a/n This was supposed to be a short chappie, just to get back into it, except that’s not how it turned out. Instead, I found myself writing this. I almost split the thing in two but decided to post it as is, mainly as a gift for all of those who requested I started posting again. I don’t think I’ll be able to update as regularly as I do Rain though. I won’t be able to update anything until after Christmas. Work and personal commitments are keeping me away from my computer.

a/n Thank you to Tasha who once again did a fantastic job on this one. To everyone who reviewed and let me know there was still interest for this, I love you. Hope you enjoy





Sunnydale



Tara walked into the room, her steps slow and graceful. All of those present, and awake, would have sworn she was floating. She went to the bed and gently touched the barrier. She caressed it as she would a lover. Her smile was full, and her eyes sparkled.

“It’s beautiful.” Her voice was as soft as her eyes. She turned and faced the three others.



“Tara ? What’s happening?” Giles’ voice echoed his bewilderment.



“They were needed somewhere. There are some things they needed to know to stop bad things from happening. They will be back when they’ve learned what they need to.”



“Baby? Buffy’s dead, how can she come back?” Willow asked.



The careless tone of Willow ’s voice shook Dawn. She didn’t need any reminder that her sister was dead. The fact that Willow could talk about it so easily angered her. Before she could say anything, Tara raised a hand.



“Willow , you should know that things are rarely black and white with Buffy. She’s dead, and she’s not. There are some things that will always be, and some lines that should never be crossed. I know what’s already on your mind Willow . What you are planning must not happen.”



Willow squirmed. She understood what Tara was talking about. The moment she saw Buffy’s death, the wheels had already begun turning in her head. Before she could deny the accusation, Tara spoke up again.



“I know you have a lot of questions, but you’ll have to wait. I promise to tell you anything you want, as soon as I can.” Her tone was implacable, leaving no doubt that she wouldn’t be swayed. Her job was clear to her, and she intended to do it.



Tara had been downstairs when she was suddenly filled with knowledge. She’d received visions of what could be and of what should be. She had seen what her fate would be unless Buffy and Spike could change things. She had understood that her lover’s addiction to magic, and her need for control, would destroy her. Also, Xander’s fears would cause pain to everyone.



The PTB had channelled powers through her, asking her to work as a conduit between them and the Warriors. She hadn’t hesitated, even when she learned that she could forget everything she now knew. Somehow, she knew that this had always been her purpose, the reason that had brought her to Sunnydale, and the reason she had found herself so drawn to the Scoobies. This was her reason for being. The powers she had been born with were only a way to test her, a way for the Powers to find if she was worthy of her destiny. It was the explanation for why she had always felt apart from other people.



For the moment Tara ’s most important task was to keep the Scoobies calm. She also needed to keep a close eye on Willow to make sure she didn’t try something rash. She had a moment to think that it wouldn’t be easy to complete her tasks before Giles coughed, obviously trying to catch her attention.



“Tara , is there anything you can tell us? Anything at all?” He asked



Tara smiled inwardly. She had been waiting for this. She knew that Giles wouldn’t be able to resist asking. She sifted through the information she had been given, trying to decide what she could tell him. “Why don’t we go downstairs? There’s not much I can tell you right now, but we all had a rough night. Xander and Anya should be here for this too.”



Willow looked at Tara . She suddenly remembered that for Tara it was much more than a night that had been rough. “God baby, I’m sorry. Are you feeling okay? Is there anything I can get you? Anything you want?” She asked her lover.



Tara shook her head. “I’m alright. A bit tired but a few hours of sleep, and I’ll be good as new. Besides, there’s nothing we can do in here. They’re going to be that way for a while so why stay here when there are chairs and a couch downstairs?”



“Of course, you are right Tara . I must admit that sitting down would feel good. Some food too.” With those words, Giles motioned towards the hallway. Silently all three Scoobies went out of the room.



Once everyone was gone but her, Tara went back to the bed. She once more laid her hand on the barrier. “Don’t worry, everyone is safe here. I’ll take care of them. You don’t deserve this much pain, either of you. I’m going to help you as much as I can. May the Goddess protect you both.”



With a last murmured blessing, she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She didn’t see as much as felt the surge of power in the barrier that protected Buffy and Spike. She smiled, knowing that for now at least, they were safe. A lot of people were protecting them at the moment, and they deserved some peace between apocalypses.





Waiting room.





“Shit.” The muttered curse was lost on no one. Buffy remembered the things she had seen as she fell through the portal. She knew exactly what the First had planned. She looked at Spike and saw the horror she was feeling reflected in his blue eyes. The pain that had been gone came back for a minute before she saw his face harden. It was his words that brought her back to reality.



“What can we do Joyce? How can we stop it?” Spike’s voice carried with it a century of bloodshed, violence and strength.



For the first time in a long time, Buffy was reminded of exactly who Spike was, and she was glad. This wasn’t the softer version of Spike to which she had become accustomed to. This was the Slayer of Slayers, and he would stop at nothing in his quest to help her. Hazel eyes turned sharp as emeralds.



“Mom?” The question implied was not lost by Joyce.



“There’s a few more things before we get to that.” She answered, knowing that in front of her stood the Slayer. This wasn’t her little girl, this was the Warrior that had been prophesized a long time ago.