Author's Chapter Notes:
This is something I started after battling writers block for the last two weeks. Not really writing chapters just going until I'm ready to post. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks
Follows season 7 of Buffy through part of touched going slightly AU at the end of the episode and veering way AU from there on. Dialogue from Touched written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner. Dialogue from End of Days written by Douglas Petrie and Jane Espenson.

Disclaimer Joss is a God and I am humbled in the presence of his art. He owns the known universe and all writing credit is due to people who actually wrote these words. I am just a lowly peasant and will try to make an entertaining story based on his genius while making no profit what so ever. It really is sad isn't it.



Buffy awoke slowly the feeling of security and strength relaxing her body and her mind. She was loath to give that feeling up and let the real world in again. If only she could stop time and spend the next eternity here in this moment she would be forever grateful.

The fact that these feelings were being generated by lying next to Spike here in a strange bed in a stranger's house was not lost to her. But the reality of the last twenty-four hours and the emotional toll they had taken on her had wiped any thought of wrongness about these feelings from her mind.

She opened her eyes and gazed on the sleeping face of the man she used to think of as her mortal enemy. He looked so peaceful while he slept. She had rarely taken the time before to notice how innocent his features became while he was lost in slumber. It was her fault really, so used to the pressing need to deny that she had felt anything for him while she came to lose herself in his touch, that she couldn't let herself see him as anything but a monster. The evil soulless dead thing that she had accused him of being so many times. Now she knew of course how wrong she had been. He was the one who was alive. She had been devoid of feeling lost in thoughts of death and destruction not wanting to let herself step into the light.

The last year was a true test of what made her. She could have easily given up, let any big bad have that lucky day Spike had told her about in the alley. And yes at first she had wanted it. Wanted it so badly she could practically touch it. But she hadn't. There was something to be said for inner strength. Well it was more outer strength at the time. Her world had changed as she had accepted the fact that her friends had needed her. That Dawn needed her.

So last night was something of a shock. She could understand the lack of trust from the girls. They didn't know any better. They were trusting her with their lives. So in a way it was easy to see that with the loss of a major battle that they would doubt her leadership, question her decisions.

But the others. Well she easily would have dismissed the thoughts by Faith. After all there was history there. A lot of it. That in itself not such a big surprise. And hell Wood wasn't even really part of the group; he had no idea how things with them usually worked. And Anya. The girl was terrified and while others would have bit their tongue and held back she let any thought she had fly. Blunt and to the point just like always so no she wasn't the least bit shocked about her.

She had suspected that it would eventually be Giles that would be the vocal one in the group and he sure hadn't disappointed her in that area. He had doubted her since his return from England. She knew it was true. The second he had found out about her helping Spike it was written all over his face. And the chip. Oh that had sent him over the edge. He had looked like the world as he knew it had ended, convinced she had finally lost her mind. It was downhill from there. They had not really spoken since the murder attempt on Spike. Of course that wasn't what Giles and Wood thought it was but they were wrong. They had planned to kill him in cold blood. But it was their failure and her subsequent loss of trust in the man she thought of as her other father that had cinched it. Yeah, it was only a matter of time before he would turn from her.

Willow was a jolt of surprise. Buffy didn't know when it had started happening but she believed that her friend had started questioning her when Kennedy had finally been fully in the picture. She had no doubt that the outspoken potential had dropped none to subtle clues about how she thought Buffy was doing. No no doubt at all. But in her heart it hurt her to know that her best friend would suddenly find someone who could easily sway her opinion of her.

Then there was sweet fumbling protective Xander. The one person who always stuck by her side. Even if the times were rough. Tonight he had hurt her more than she thought imaginable. The only guy in her entire life that had never left, that had been her quiet support, her rock, and he had turned from her too. His words had stung. She had felt each syllable as if he had reached over and slapped her after each one for impact. The blows she had traded with demons and hell gods alike had hurt less. It was no comfort to her that they reinfroced the feelings of guilt she already had over his injuries. He had lost an eye because of her. There was no denying the fact that she had personally failed him. She hadn't been able to keep him safe and he had paid a price for it.

But the worst. Nothing compared to the feeling of betrayal she felt when she had listened to her sister tell her to leave. She had wanted so desperately to crawl into a dark hole and let the earth swallow her whole. It hadn't taken a rocket scientist to figure out that they had convinced her that she was a danger to them and herself. They had used the fear that had been lapping at their heels to show her sister that she was, what was it, reckless. Like she was just playing with all of their lives. Like she enjoyed this.

She hated all of this. It was not the life she had chosen but one that was chosen for her. How could she willingly lead some thirty odd girls who were barely in their teens into battle knowing that some of them would die? So they made the choice for her. Maybe it was better this way. Oh she had no doubt that she would go to that vineyard and find what that demented preacher was hiding. And she knew in her gut that she would not stop fighting until the First was no longer a threat. She still lived in this world and had no delusions about stopping an apocalypse. That was what she did. But this time she would do it alone. No Potentials following on her heals, no sister slayer suddenly back fighting the good fight, no more Watcher giving her quiet guidance, no group of Scoobies helping her and keeping her from losing the girl inside of her and no more sister to protect.

Buffy let out a deep sigh. It was time for her to let the moment end. She debated with herself for a second wondering if she should wake him or let him sleep. Although she didn't want to disturb him she knew he would be hurt if she just left without letting him know she was going.

She used the tips of her fingers to gently touch his cheek.

"Spike." He stirred ever so slightly but was still sleeping.

"Spike." She repeated louder this time, her hand now caressing his face.

His eyelids fluttered for a moment before opening and he gazed into her eyes.

"Hey." The comfort she felt as she stared into the azure depths of his eyes held her voice in check for a moment. She could feel a slight tightening sensation in her throat.

He had cocked his head at her in that questioning way he had. "You alright pet?"

She thought about that for a minute. Was she alright? Probably not. No this was something that was going to be bothering her for a long while she had no doubt about that. But was it something she could work around, a feeling she could bury inside herself so that she could do what needed to be done like always. Yeah she thought she could manage that.

"Not so much but I'll deal."

"Anything I can do?" She could feel the sincerity in his voice wash over her frazzled emotions. It was soothing.

Sometimes it scared her how easily some things could change. A year ago, well even a few months ago she would have been hurling insults at him and rushed off. But now she wanted to do anything else. It would be easy for her to slip back into bitchy Buffy mode like she used to do around him. She knew that they were past that now however, that somehow they had built a tenuous friendship, had let trust develop between them. It was familiar and comfortable the closeness they were sharing with each other. Strange for two people who had never really been close before.

"You already have." She gently brushed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

His eyes held a look of wonder that she had never seen before. The sudden feeling of warmth in her chest caught her by surprise. It was genuine affection she realized, a pleasure she had taken from making him happy with a simple gesture. She let them enjoy the moment for just a little longer but it was over to soon.

"I'm going to the vineyard." It was fact not open for debate, but said without the harshness she had come to expect from her Slayer-in-charge persona.

"Want me to go with you?"

She gave him a soft smile. He was understanding, not pushing to help just offering the quiet support she so desperately needed right now.

"I think I need to do this alone." She watched his face for any sign of disappointment but saw none. The last word she spoke seemed to strike a nerve somewhere. There was a slight twisting in her gut, a painful tug at the thought of being truly alone. It wasn't the thought of facing Caleb by herself, she had every confidence that today was not going to go in his favor, but the thought of what would happen after he was gone that worried her. She had nowhere to go. In that second she didn't feel like going any where by herself.

"Maybe you could walk with me? You know use the sewers to get there?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as desperate as she felt.

"Sure pet."

********

Together they had walked through the dark musty tunnels that connected all of Sunnydale without speaking. The lack of oral communication didn't disturb her though. It was a companionable silence something they were both comfortable with. She was amazed at how much his small gestures of unwavering support were strengthening her spirit.

If he hadn't shown up last night it was quite possible that she would have searched Caleb out this morning. There would have been too much fear, too many questions about what had happened with the night before for her to concentrate on fighting and beating the preacher. That would have been a disaster of course. Not being able to focus on the fight would only get her mashed into tiny slayer pieces, get her killed.

It was a serious revelation to herself. There weren't many people you could turn to at a moment like this and have the result she did now. How this vampire had become that person was still a mystery to her. She hadn't known when her feelings for him had changed. There was a time when she thought they were working through the things that had happened after her return from the grave, and suddenly the progress they made would be wiped clean. The night in her bathroom she thought that there was nothing either of them could ever do to get beyond that one horrible act. But she had been wrong. Not two weeks after he had left had she started to see why things had progressed the way they had. Neither of them were blameless for the actions that led to his desperation to show her how he felt and how he thought she felt about him. It didn't matter at the time that she didn't feel much for him besides a grudging trust and confidence.

Their footsteps thudded quietly against the cement tunnels as they neared the outlet to the culvert that would lead to the vineyard. It was time for her to focus and let the musings she had been dwelling on all morning go.

They stopped inches from where the sunlight entered the opening brightening the tunnel and letting her see her surroundings better. They both stared out of the tunnel at the green grass that was on the other side leading up a slight slope to the vineyard itself. It was time for her to get to work.

She turned to him not quite knowing what to say. How did you thank a person for moments like these? She was sure there wasn't a convenient Hallmark card somewhere for the occasion.

"Want me to wait here?" Why wasn't she shocked that he would offer to wait for her to return? Or at what her answer would be.

"If you wouldn't mind? I mean if you do you don't have too and all. Just if you want to."

"Don't mind pet." He gave her one of those smirks that always seemed to annoy and warm her at the same time. "Just don't take all day."

She gave him a soft smile. "Thank you." She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a friendly squeeze before walking away into the light.

********

She hadn't had much in the way of obstacles as she had entered the vineyard almost as if the bringers were somehow distracted. Buffy made her way quietly through the building searching for where Caleb was hiding. She was a little impatient for this last fight to begin, knowing that he was just a stepping-stone for her to deal with the First.

The last Bringer had spotted her and charged straight at her. It still amazed her how well these guys could fight without being able to see. She easily twisted its neck and threw it down a set of stairs. There he was, the bastard.

"Hey. Heard you got something of mine." She started down the steps.

"Well if it ain't the prodigal Slayer." She really hated his cheesy accent.

"Where's it at? You know I'm gonna find it sooner or later." She glanced around the room looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"No you're not. I lay one hand on you and you're just a dead little girl." Asshole.

She shrugged at him. "So lay a hand on me. If you can."

As he swung his first punch Buffy bent backwards at the waist letting his fist pass over her harmlessly. Flipping over him as he recovered and swung again she used the momentum to roll forward in a summersault. Gaining her feet quickly she ran atop the wine barrels that lined the walls. Easily dodging his clumsy attempts at trying to hit her. She stopped as he tripped and one of the barrels opened.

She was kind of stunned when he seemed to be talking to someone in the corner of the room. Maybe he was losing it big time.

"Do you have to look like that?" Correction lost it.

"It's just a little confusing."

He pulled himself up and turned towards her taking a swing. She did a forward flip carrying her over his head. Running over a barrel she used her speed to step against the wall turning so she could face him as she landed. He swung his fist and she dodged hearing it connect with the shelf that had been behind her. She ducked and weaved his punches seeing the fury that was burning itself onto his face. She ran her back to him.

"You whore!" That made her stop and turn around.

"You know you should really watch your language. If someone didn't know you they would think you were a woman hating jerk."

She watched as he knocked over the nearest barrel in his anger. Behind it she could see a hatch. That had to be it.

Letting him come to her she ducked the punch he threw and rolled away letting her speed help her slide into the open hatch. She listened as the door closed behind her and was followed by some loud thumping. It was enough to buy her some time.

Getting to her feet she looked around the small cave that the bringers had excavated. In the center stood a large stone which had tools littered around it. In the center the stone changed to what looked like ebony. Deeply embedded in the ebony rock was a weapon of some sort. It had an ax like blade at the top and what looked like a wooden stake at the end. It was all red and chrome and Buffy knew that it belonged to her.

She could feel it calling to her drawing her closer. It radiated with a power that seemed to hum in her blood. Oh yes this was definitely what they were trying to keep her from. She smiled as she stepped closer to it.

Standing in front of it she could hear a thump behind her and turned around.

"So you found it. Not impressed. Cause the question now girly girl is can you pry it from solid rock."

It gave her no small amount of satisfaction as she easily slid her hand around it and gave slight tug freeing it into her grasp.
She admired it for a moment glancing along its sleek lines, testing its weight. It was the perfect weapon for someone like her.

She almost laughed when she heard the choking noise coming from Caleb.

"Darn." It was said quietly but Buffy didn't mistake the dread she heard in the simple word. "Now before you go hurting yourself with that thing why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now."

"Yeah you want it?" She turned in her hand and brought it up ready to use.

"You don't even know what you got there." He shuffled a few steps back as the words left his lips.

"I know you're backing away." She smiled a little as she took a step forward.

"You think wielding some two sided doodad's gonna make a difference?" His words didn't bother her but she noticed to his right was suddenly another her.

Oh not good in the least. The First.

"Let her go Caleb." It was strange hearing her own voice coming from somewhere else. "I said let her go."

"I let her go and she slices me open with that thing." He had a point it was what she was thinking of doing.

"No she doesn't. She hasn't got time. She has friends and her friends are in trouble. Faith go boom." For some reason Buffy knew that this wasn't just a tactic to get her to leave it was real and she had a really bad feeling about it.

"I'm not letting her outta here with that thing." He sounded really pissed. Good that helped.

"Sure you are and you'll come back for it later. When she's got her back turned."

Not waiting anymore Buffy headed forward and ran out of the room focused solely on the thought that the others were in trouble and needed help. She used her Slayer speed to run through the buildings and into the day outside. Running full tilt she made her way to the culvert where she knew Spike was waiting for her. Ducking inside she pulled herself up to where he was reclining against the wall waiting patiently. It felt good to know she could depend on him.

Panting she regained control of her breathing so she could talk.

"All done pet?" She shook her head negatively.

"Faith the others they're in trouble. I think they planned a trap for them."

"What do you mean? And where did you pick up that?" He pointed at her newfound weapon of choice.

"It's what they've been hiding. The First showed up and said something about them being in trouble and Faith going boom."

"Right. What now then?" Quiet belief. She was relieved.

"Could you find out if they're okay? I need to finish this but I can't not with them..."

"Go I'll see what's going on." He cut her off. "I'll take care of it. Don't worry everything will be okay." His words and the truth she felt from them sunk in. It was enough for her to know they were going to be looked after by someone she could trust.

"Meet me later in the tunnel in front of the house?" She wasn't ready to see them yet but didn't have any idea where else to go.

"Sure luv." She gave him a grateful smile and turned back to leave. "Buffy."

At the sound of her name she faced him, tilting her own head to the side in question.

"Be careful." She nodded at him touched by the simple words.

"You too."

********

Going back in to her enemies’ den had not filled her with any sort of trepidation at all. In fact she was almost relieved that she was taking the fight to him getting it done on her terms instead of his. Too many times in the past she had to wait for the big bad to make their move only finding that they had anticipated her attacks and made her work all that much harder to overcome them.

But today was different. Not only had they not suspected that she would show up and take the weapon that truly belonged to her but they had sent her off on a diversion thinking they could wait and gain the upper hand while she was distracted. So advantage Buffy for once. It was a powerful feeling to say the least knowing that things were going your way.

She moved along quietly her back against the wall, seeking the place where they had fought earlier. There was no one guarding the entrance to the stairway just as before. She peeked out to the floor below her watching as a furious Caleb paced back and forth across the room. He didn't sense her walk down the stairs and pick her way over to him. Stopping behind a few barrels she watched as he finally turned back in her direction his face betraying a barely controlled rage.

"You know maybe you should do some breathing exercises all that rage can't be good for the blood pressure."

She watched a thin smile form on his lips.

"You ready to finish this little girl?"

Her fist meeting his face was more than enough answer for her to give. As he twisted away they both circled each other. Tensing she swung her now what was she going to call it an ax? Didn't quite seem to fit. Maybe a scythe it kind of looked like one and she was hoping this one would bring death quickly to her foe. Scythe it was then, as it finished its arc while he ducked out of the way.

He threw a punch at her and it connected with her jaw, sending her tumbling away the scythe dropping from her fingers. Standing quickly she kicked out at him connecting with his stomach doubling him over. In return he punched out at her again this time hitting her in the face full out. She twisted and turned away diving for the scythe on the floor. Reaching it she picked it up and used the pike end in a staking motion against him. He had twisted his body away but her blow had been lucky and it sank into his shoulder. Ripping it away she turned adjusting her grip and spun the blade towards his neck.

He blocked her swing with his forearm and used his feet to kick her away. Landing roughly she lashed out with her leg knocking him to the ground. Swiftly she gained her feet and swung the blade down towards him. He caught it in his hands and pushed her back away. She hit the wall with a thud and slid down it.

"You understand nothing. I am more powerful than you can even imagine." She watched as he stalked towards her.

"Really seems to me that you’re the only one that's injured here." She tossed her head letting him see she didn't give a care about who he thought he was.

She pushed herself from the wall using a rapid series of punches and kicks to drive him backwards. Taking his momentary lapse to full advantage she swung the blade again this time feeling it sink into his stomach. She looked him in the eye and saw the disbelief staring back at her. Pulling the scythe free she watched as he slumped to the floor.

"Well that didn't take very long." She turned to the sound of the semi familiar voice.

"Whistler. What are you doing here?" She studied the rumpled messenger looking at him with distaste.

"Just doing a little wine tasting. California is good wine country you know."

"What do you want?"

"Now is that anyway to greet an old acquaintance?"

"Seeing that I haven't had the displeasure of laying eyes on you for the last five years tell me something must be up."

"I always thought you were a smart girl." Tired of his games Buffy grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall.

"So do I get to make that hat now? You got something to say than spit it out otherwise I haven't got time for this."

"Okay okay don't get all huffy already. Yes I've got some news." Before she could back away from him she felt a fist connect to her side.

Rolling away from the suddenly reanimated Caleb she gathered herself to fight again. Looking at his face she saw black blood oozing out of his eyes and nose and his mouth. It was really gross.

He charged at her all rage and fury head ducked as he built up speed hoping to hit her. She turned easily away and punched out knocking him against the other wall. She turned the scythe in her hand and stepped forward to use it to impale him. He dodged and punched her face sending her reeling but upright.

She was tired of this and it was going to end now. She feigned a punch at his head, which he ducked, and with one arm she swung the scythe in a vicious arc slicing his head clean from his body. Now they were done.

Whistler's throat clearing drew her attention to him again.

"So talk."

"This wasn't the way things were supposed to happen."

"Things in general or are you being specific? Cause got to tell you I am so not into the cryptic anymore."

"This may take awhile."

"I'm all ears." She sat on one of the nearby barrels.

"I suppose your friends told you what the Beljoxa's eye told them."

"Yeah the First is able to take advantage of this time because of my resurrection."

"Well that was the simplified version but not quite accurate."

"Splain. And quickly please I have lots more to do today."

"More then you know. Your being alive again isn't the aberration that let the First start it's little death fest. It was a price that you paid in it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing comes free you know. Magic has it's own price and a spell like the one your little friend used to bring you back to the living was very powerful. So the more power the higher the price."

"Could you just answer the question your starting to give me a headache."

"No one appreciates the drama anymore." She heard him sigh. "The God Osiris that she called on demanded a sacrifice but not one of blood. Right now it holds what it considers the dearest thing in all the universe. A part of the chosen warrior of the light. A part of the purest presence on the planet. A part of your soul Buffy."

She had no words for that revelation the only thing she could do was gape at him in open astonishment. It couldn't be true could it? How could a person only walk around and live with only part of their soul? He must be mistaken if she was missing such an important part of her wouldn't she have known it? Wouldn't there have been signs?

"I'll explain it as simply as I can. You came back missing a small slice of your soul. Osiris kept this part of you in a sacred urn and used it to call upon the powers of the First evil. Osiris was the keeper of the underworld after all and death and destruction not such a bad thought to him. But you were here living again trying to put a life together for yourself."

She felt the intensity of his gaze as she fumbled to make her brain work and process the things he was telling her.

"Maybe a bit more then." He nodded at her. "A soul is not what makes a person that's your personality. The soul is merely the essence of your being the part of you that transcends after this life. It holds everything you experience in life and what makes you you. The fact that you were able to function as much as you did shows just how strong you are as a person. The loss of a part of your soul is like gouging a body part out. You don't know what it is but you could feel something is missing. That was you. The loss of feeling wasn't the fact that you were pulled out of heaven, which I understand to be terribly traumatic by itself, but because you were missing part of what made you alive."

Images of the year before flashed through her mind. She could feel how distant she had felt from her sister and her friends. How much she had felt only pain and sorrow as she trudged through her everyday routine. The horror at herself for turning to Spike just so she could feel something even if it was simply intense pain and pleasure in his touch. The hate she had unleashed on him after thinking she had killed Katrina. It was then that she realized the rant she had shouted at him was really directed at herself. She was the one who was the soulless monster.

"Oh my God." Her eyes squeezed shut as the images swirled in her brain. "How? They said I was okay. Tara promised."

"It wasn't something anyone would think to look for. After all you weren't totally without a soul. And the clause for payment is not something that is really widely known. The young witch you asked to look into it wouldn't have known that the price was so high. But that small piece of you was enough to draw out the largest evil in all the world and make it want to be again."

She took a shaky breath. "You said things weren't supposed to be this way tell me exactly what you’re talking about."

"The Powers wanted something better for you. I know it's hard to believe but they have considered the sacrifices you have made already. They want to reward you."

"Could you vague that up a bit more? I think I might be able to find a point in that statement."

"We know how to stop the First and how to reseal the Hellmouth."

"Now that is information I really could use for once!" She couldn't help the little thrill of excitement she got from thinking all this could be ending soon. "Okay so how do we do this?"

"First we need to take away the thing that is fueling the Firsts power."

"What is it and how do we do that?"

"Thought you would have gotten it by now. That little piece of you is what is giving it the power it needs to stay in this dimension. If it had your whole soul or if you had died it would have lost the life force eventually and the First would fade on its own. But your alive which means that the energy your soul has is never depleted and the creep could go on as long as you're living."

"So what are you trying to say? I need to die again cause I'm so done with that. Been there got the t-shirt."

'No. I told you they want to reward you."

"Then what do we do?"

Without answering Whistler walked towards her and placed his hands on either side of her face. Suddenly there was a bright light surrounding them, a feeling of power surging through her body. As quickly as it began the light faded and he removed his hands.

Panting from whatever force had traveled through her she searched his eyes desperately.

"What?" She didn't know what else to say, or what other words to use to convey her confusion.

"We did the easiest and best thing possible. The Powers rejoined your soul and restored it to you."

"Just like that?"

"Of course this is the Powers that Be you know the force that guides the universe? There are very few things that they can't do. And of course this means that the First is now no longer a threat. Without the life force in your soul it will fade within a few days and with its loss of power the Bringers will retreat to whatever hole they crawled out of."

"And resealing the Hellmouth?"

"For that we're going to need a little help."

"What kind of help?"

"That vampire friend of yours. We have a simple incantation that is to be done over the seal but it needs two beings with pure souls."

"Um did you say pure souls and mention Spike in the same sentence?"

"Oh stop it isn't that unbelievable is it? He was turned as someone with a clean soul and he only recently recovered it this year. He hasn't done anything that would change that. The only killing he did was not in his control so his soul remains untouched."

"And mine?"

"How do you think the Powers choose the Chosen One hold a raffle? They find the purest soul with the best heart and gift her with this destiny. You are that girl. The soul you have is the purest in all the world."

"But if that's true what about the things I've done and what about Faith?"

"You haven't done anything that would affect your soul. Just enough to give you a few regrets nothing anyone else wouldn't have to deal with. And Faith was a glitch. You see since you were still alive there was no more room for such a pure being. They picked as best they could but she was never near enough to be what she should have been."

Her head was beginning to spin from all the details she was gathering. She could feel the headache beginning in her temples.

"How do we get started?"

*******

She had walked through town letting the sun warm her back as she headed to her meeting with Spike. There was too much to think about and she found that trying to let one coherent thought enter her brain was only going to make it hurt more. The fact that she didn't feel any different now that she had her whole soul then she did just before Whistler had done his laying on of the hands was kind of confusing. Did all the value she had placed on a soul really mean jack? Was everything she had ever been taught mean absolutely nothing?

Groaning at the pain stabbing her temples she let the thought lapse. Maybe it was better if she didn't fully understand right now. At least the First was now something she didn't have to worry about. And soon she and Spike could reseal the Hell mouth and everything would be back to normal.

Only it wouldn't and she knew that for a fact. For some reason she was sure this was going to be one of her last days in the town she had considered her home for the last seven years. There were so many memories good and bad for her here. But that was all they were now memories. Maybe it was time for her to do what she should have many years ago.

She entered the manhole that was two blocks from her house so she could meet with him without anyone knowing she was there. It seemed odd to her that he was now accepted into her home while she was not. That thought brought a sharp pain in her chest right near her heart. Yes that wasn't going to get better any time soon.

As she rounded the last bend she saw him leaning against the wall his head bowed and eyes closed. To someone who didn't know him it would simply look like he was resting. But Buffy did know him and it was that posture that told her that something truly bad had happened.

"What is it? Are they okay? What happened?" The words rushed out of her mouth, the concern she felt choking her voice.

His head had whipped up at the sound of her voice. She was still walking towards him her feet moving quickly as if the answers were only steps away.

"Easy pet. They're a little banged up but they're going to be alright." The calm in his tone was working its way into her harried brain. She really had had way too much to deal with lately.

"What happened?" This time she was calmer.

"You were right of course bloody trap it was. Dummies walked right into it too." He stopped and looked deep into her eyes. "There was a bomb."

"Oh God."

He reached out and touched her arm softly. She knew he was going to tell her something she didn't want to hear but had to know.

"Four of the little ones didn't make it. Faith's injured but she's gonna be alright. Everyone else is okay really."

She nodded her eyes growing shiny from the tears that she was refusing to shed. It was her fault after all. Her fault that all of this badness from the last two years had happened.

"Don't do that. Don't go blamin' yourself for this. They made their own choice."

How did he do that? Know what she was thinking all the time and comfort her. He could always see right through her. She took a steadying breath.

"They're going to be okay?" She hoped if she heard it again it would make it all better.

"Yeah the Potentials are tougher than they look right and Faith well you couldn't even take her out. Little bomb hasn't got a chance. The others didn't go with her they stayed behind for once."

She sighed. It wasn't the best news she had ever heard but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and she knew it.

"And you took care of Preacher man did you?" He was changing the subject letting her brain drift into denial land. He was a blessing this week.

"Oh definitely. No more sermons for him." She smiled at him truly feeling grateful for his presence.

"Knew you could luv."

She snorted. "Well you were the only one."

"Bollocks they just got a little scared is all." That was weird. Was he defending the people she used to think of as her family? The same people that had treated him so horribly.

"Spike it's okay. Well maybe not okay but it doesn't matter right now."

"No?" He didn't sound convinced.

"Something else has happened."

"Good or bad?" He was a little hesitant she could tell and she couldn't blame him. So much lately had been very much of the bad.

"Mostly good I think."

So she told him everything that Whistler had told her not too long ago. She held nothing back letting him know exactly what had been done to her and to them. His eyes had lit up when she mentioned the ending of the First and was pleased when he listened quietly as she finished her explanation.

"Told them there was always bloody consequences." He mumbled and she had to smile at his inherent distrust of magic. "So what do we do now then?"

"Now we get to reseal the Hellmouth."

"And how exactly are we gonna do that?"

"Well first we have to get to the school."





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