A New Beginning

He writhed in pain as the hand was pulled from his chest. His eyes and mouth remained open and the light of his soul poured through every pore of his body. Faces from his past flashed before him. Mothers, fathers, children, so many faces he could barely pick one from the others. He felt the fear, and pain of each as their screams echoed in his head.

The Vampire cried out to them, but no sound escaped his gaping mouth. Then, all at once, it stopped.

Slowly he tumbled to the ground, and pulled himself into a fetal position laying on the cool sand of the cave. Tears flowed from his eyes as "William" came to terms with the pain and suffering his hands had caused. In his mind's eye, blood was covering his hands, his face his chest. It drowned him in it's slick crimson warmth.

Before he had time to contemplate everything he was feeling, another pain filled him. He could sense the movement under his skin, then the tearing as the beetles crawled out of him.
Their numbers grew as they left his body. They appeared from his scalp, nose, palms, feet and abdomen. He screamed as his insides were twisted until the last beetle crept from his neck. He watched it crawl away, and burrow into the sand.

Spike was exhausted. His body had given out completely. Unable to move, or feel a deep desire to with the rising sun just outside the cave, he fell asleep.

The demon hidden in the recesses of the cave casually looked over Spike's still form. "And, your life."

3 Days later Sunnydale California

Dawn sat with Buffy on the couch. They had basically cried for the last 72 hours, and were finally taking a break.

In that time they had buried one friend, and watched two more fly to England. The sisters had found solace in each other. Trying to understand why it had all happened.

Xander sat across from them drinking a tea Anya had suggested to calm him.

The demon had not quite forgiven him, but she had at least been civil after everything that had happened. She had nowhere to go, now that the shop was destroyed. She had already begun to go over the damage and get the insurance company started on a damage claim, but it would be awhile before she had gainful employment again.

So there the four sat. Wondering where to go, what to do... anything that might distract them from the extreme loss of the last few days.

The drone of the afternoon news played. Nothing interesting had happened since Willow's outburst. Apparently, the world almost coming to an end was no secret to the demon residents of Sunnydale. None seemed to want to rock the boat while it was still afloat. For now anyway.

Buffy looked over the remaining members of The Scoobies, and sighed at it's dwindled numbers. "Comon' Buffy.'' A voice sounding suspiciously like the cocky peroxide blonde's, echoed in her head. ''Get up an' do somethin'''

Again she sighed, not moving.

That voice was not one that she wanted to hear. Giles had only just completed the spell that uninvited The Vampire. And on Dawn's insistence.

The Slayer couldn't believe how persistent Dawn was on this. The younger Summers was in no way afraid of Spike when it came to herself, but once Xander let the bathroom incident slip, she suddenly went into "protective sister" mode.

The silence was almost irritating to Anya. people should be talking. ''Aren't we supposed to be telling each other how much we miss Tara, or Willow, or Giles." 'Even Spike.' She thought to herself.

Dawn looked at Xander. 'He really stopped the end of the world.' She grinned, probably the first grin she'd had since she found Tara's body.

No one noticed the car pull up outside.

~~`~~

The two plain clothed detectives walked up the door.

"Look, Brad. I've only been here for a year, I know, but it's been an interesting year." The well built brunette said as he raised his hand to knock.

The older, rounder detective pushed his glasses up on his nose with the hand holding an oversized yellow manila envelope. "Jason, the Chief already knew about the girl. You think we're blind?"

Jason stared at the aging man. "You told me yourself no one believed in any of this stuff until the Mayor himself turned into a, what was it you said? Oh yea, a "giant man eating snake demon".

"Well, I hope she goes for the idea. No special treatment. I don't care what they say she is." Officer Bradley Griggs replied.

Jason Roe finally knocked lightly on the front door.

A few moments later a young teen answered the door. "Can I help you?" She asked in an annoyed voice.

"Who is it Dawn?" Another female's voice asked.

Dawn looked over the men in suits. "The police."

The two men looked at each other. They had not shown their badges, and yet this girl saw through them in a second.

A moment later, the young blonde woman they had come to see came to the door. The brunette stayed, standing just behind Buffy. "Look. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you where the woman with the black hair is. The last time I saw her was before she left my friend's shop."

"Yes." The older man pulled out a small pad of paper and flipped through it. "The Magic Box was one of the places she vandalized."

Buffy just nodded.

"Miss Summer, we know that you have been more than helpful with those events." The younger added.

Buffy was stunned. They had almost thanked her. Maybe getting the city to pay her wasn't as much of a 'way out there' idea as she thought.

"It's why we're here." The older continued. "The records in our files, well the ones we can see anyway, are filled with strange occurrences that you seem to be a part of, but ultimately are absolved of." He took some pictures from the manila envelope he was carrying. "But it's what the video camera's caught that have brought us to you."

Buffy took the pictures she was handed. In them were video shots from a security camera. In one she was bending back the bars of a prison cell. In another she was running through the halls. This picture was slightly blurred due to her preternatural speed. In another she was leaping up the steps 5 at a time.

"Well." Buffy began, not sure how to explain. "I know you aren't here to arrest me. I already told you I had to free them."

The older man cleared his throat.

Jason looked over at him, then to Buffy. "What my partner means is, although we in no way condone freeing them, we can take into account that you were indeed trying to save them, and in a town like Sunnydale, everyone could use a little saving now and then."

They were being too nice. Dawn knew that. She wondered why.

Buffy was of the same mind. These guys were practically thanking her for tearing up their jail. The fact that for once, someone had noticed the town being threatened, was the bigger of the shocks. "So guys. If your not here to arrest me, and I've been more than helpful, why are you here?" She handed back the photos.

"Well, you see Miss Summers." Jason began explaining. "We would like you to consider, possibly, joining The Sunnydale P.D."

Flashes of High School career day rushed through her mind. "Hu?" She shook her head, then a giggle escaped her as she turned and walked back into the living room.

Dawn stood there holding the door. "I guess that's a 'no' guys." And she smiled as she let the door shut.

The two men were left standing on the front stoop. With little more to do or say, they turned and headed back to the sedan. The older man hefted himself into the driver's seat. "That went about as well as I expected."

Jason looked back at the house. "I don't know. I have a feeling about her." He looked back at his partner. "She may consider it."

"You just like blondes."

Jason laughed. "That I do."

England

Giles spoke in a whisper to the woman draped in maroon cloths. "Will she recover?"

The raspy voice of the old bent woman came through her veil. "If her heart is good, she will, but the process is tedious, and difficult for the both her and the sisters."

"How long?"

The old woman looked back at the redhead. Willow was floating nearly 3 feet off the ground and encircled by chanting women in the candle lit basement of the home the coven shared. "All I can tell you, is it will take time. Maybe months."

Giles rubbed his brow wishing there was more he could do. The coven that had warned him of The Dark force in Sunnydale had reluctantly agreed to try to draw the dark energy from Willow. He looked at the fragile shell of the young girl he remembered. "Do what you can."

The old woman nodded before returning to the chanting circle surrounding the form levitating in the center.