Night had fallen earlier than they expected. For a moment she felt the barest hint of nervousness creep into her mind, but she pushed it away. She rose, looking silently down at Spike. His brilliant blue eyes met hers, knowing and understanding. It was time.
They moved almost as one, passing Wood and Giles who were setting things up in the heart of the room, making ready for the spell to be cast. Striding to the weapon’s chest, she grabbed the sword she’d taken from Angelus the night they’d rescued Wood. How long ago had that been? Days, weeks, months? She only knew that it hadn’t been long enough.
Spike, beside her, picked up a few stakes, a bottle of holy water and the heavy axe he’d used to dust Darla. She tried not to let the chilling knowledge that the holy water and the stakes would be useless against a Master Vampire like Angelus wash through their link. Instead she caressed the blade in her hands, fascinated by the play of light over its deadly surface.
They didn’t say goodbye. Nobody wanted to acknowledge the fact that they might not be coming back again. Only Dawn stopped them, a long-fingered hand resting on Buffy’s arm. The two exchanged knowing glances, embracing quickly, the tension in the air thickening.
“Come back to me.”
Then the door was opened for them by an invisible hand, and as they walked into the darkness and it shut gently behind them, her voice whispered to them, words that were painfully familiar to Buffy, though Spike was confused. Be brave. Live. For me.
Seeing the tear that coursed down his love’s cheek, the Slayer paused. //Pet?
In response, he felt a flood of memory wash over him, all her emotions and thoughts bared to his gaze. If he hadn’t known before that she loved him, he knew it now.
She turned, looking at the edge of the platform, then up into the sky beyond. A beautiful stairway opened before her eyes, bathing her in a soft orange glow. And it all became clear. She turned back to Dawn, lips curled slightly in a loving smile.
Teenage Dawn shook her head. “Buffy, no!”
His darling girl smiled, grabbing her sister by the arms. “Dawnie I have to. Listen, there’s not much time. Listen. Tell Giles… Tell Giles that I figured it out. And- and that I’m okay. Give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.”
Then she turned, eyes rising to that brilliant pathway, lighting up before her as Hell began to descend on Earth. She ran, a tear stricken Dawn calling her name. And then she jumped, into the glowing portal of crackling energy. Agony blasted her body and she screamed-
The memory abruptly cut off, leaving the echo of that searing pain crackling through him. He gasped for breath, then relaxed as a wave of tenderness and apology rolled over him. /Sorry. Didn’t mean to let it get that far along. Kinda got stuck reliving the moment, you know?
Wordless, he swept her into a hug. When he put her down, there were tears in his eyes. //You won’t have to do that again, Buffy. I promise. His only reply was a resigned smile.
They continued towards the mansion, looming over them now like a ruin from an old horror-movie. Except here, the actors didn’t get to carry on living if their character died. They stopped at the front entrance, easily dusting the few minions who hadn’t deserted their semi-crazed master.
Turning to face her, Spike saw Buffy’s eyes harden as they began to glow softly, their silver light warming him and infusing him with fresh determination. She stepped back, raising a slender leg and slamming her booted foot into the old door. It crashed open. When Spike looked at her in astonishment, she shrugged.
“Might as well tell Daddy that I’m home.”
At her reference to Angelus as part of her family, he snarled possessively and grabbed her hips in a fierce hold. //Mine
/Always, my love.
When he released her, she smiled at him, her dainty fangs gleaming coldly in the faint moonlight. Suddenly she froze, eyes closing. Opening their bond, she let him feel the faint tugging she could feel from her Sire. Her eyes met his. /Looks like Daddy heard me.
Without waiting for him, she stalked into the darkness of the hallways. He’d lost track of where they were by the time they made the fifth turn off the main hall. When they made their tenth, he admitted to himself that he was hopelessly lost. As soon as they reached their destination, the door to the dingy room swung open.
Spike stared. Inside, it was pitch black and totally silent. Without Buffy’s advanced sight, there was no way he’d be able to fight in there. He raged silently. Trust Angelus to pick a place he could pick them off one at a time. No. They would win this. They had to win this.
Buffy turned to him and just as their eyes met, exchanging a silent promise, a long arm shot out of the darkness. It gripped her by the neck, and the Slayer just caught a glimpse of cold yellow eyes before she was yanked into the darkness. For the next few seconds, the longest of his life, there was utter silence.
****
Inside, Buffy reacted immediately. The doubt she’d felt last time she’d faced Angelus was gone. She felt strong, confident, and powerful in a way she hadn’t felt since she’d dived into Glory’s portal. Whipping her sword up, she sent the blade to bite into her captor’s arm.
Angelus released her with a feral snarl, one she answered gladly. They circled one another warily, the darkness no obstacle to her demon’s eyes. He lashed out, hoping to catch her off guard, but she caught his fist with her own and backhanded him across the face.
One of his legs swept up, his foot landing heavily in her stomach. She flew backwards, bracing herself for the inevitable crash. The next moment she contacted the wall, her head cracking into the stone with a sickening thud. Stars burst behind her eyes as something popped loose in one of her vertebrae. Snarling, she shook off the dizziness and leaped back into the fray.
****
Spike had never been so scared in his life. One minute there was silence, the next there are savage snarls and Buffy comes flying out of the darkness and into the wall beside him. He winced as he heard the resounding crack of her head as it made contact, followed by the snap in her spine. Then she vanished back into the shadows.
Frantic with worry, he tried to see what was going on, squinting in vain. As though she’d sensed his desperation, a surge of knowledge hit him. He knew where everything in the room was, and it took him a long moment to figure out that he was actually seeing through her eyes.
Angelus’ deep, growling voice caught his attention as he taunted Buffy. “So, Buff, not only are you the greatest siring mistake of the century, now you’re the worst excuse for a vampire, too. You shack up with a human. But no, not just any human. The Slayer. It’s priceless.”
****
Inside the chamber, Buffy felt Spike growl with rage and she laughed. Angelus lunged, aiming a punch at her chest. She jumped sideways, landing a solid kick to his hip that made her demon purr its satisfaction when the bone shattered. He howled his rage, leaping out of range again.
“Did you forget, Angelus, that you ‘shacked up’ with a Slayer, too? Angel loved me like he never loved anyone. You killed Darla for me. So I’d say you were the greatest siring mistake of the century, at least from her point of view.”
Spike’s amusement was plain from his seat inside her mind, but she could feel the demon raging below the surface. Then her Sire was darting forwards again, managing to spin her around with a powerful punch to the jaw. She winced, her fangs slitting her lower lip as her jaws snapped together painfully. Growling, she used the momentum of the turn to roll away from his follow-up kick, shifting quickly and slapping him across the face hard enough to knock him into the wall.
He grinned, feeling the slide as her control on her darker side loosened. He probed a loose tooth with his tongue, circling her again as he carried on taunting her, his dark eyes seeking an opening she was determined not to give him. His voice was low, seductive. Believable.
“You can’t live with him, Childe. He’s human. He will die, and then you’ll be left alone again. You see, you can’t live with humans, but that pesky soul won’t let you live with vampires either. Not a human, not a vampire. You’re nothing. You’re living on the edge between darkness and light, and either way you turn it’s going to burn you until there’s nothing left.”
The last word was a roar as he sprang forwards, his hands gripping either side of her head. Their eyes met, his alight with triumph. She felt his fingers tighten in her hair, felt Spike’s anguish as he realised what was happening. And then he twisted, and the world went black.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
This is NOT the end of the story. Yes, I've been cruel and left you with a cliff-hanger. So don't abuse me for giving you a dusty ending. Enjoy! -evil laughter-