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We're really getting into it now :D

Warning ::: Character Death
The sky was so blue. She blinked. So very bright.

She knew she’d been shot; she’d felt the pain along with a moment of fear, and then there was nothing. Her body was numb, and her mind was crystal clear.

She could hear Xander talking frantically into his cell phone, and Spike’s voice rang throughout the backyard, screaming her name.

“Goddammit Spike SHUT-UP!” Xander screamed at the agitated vampire pacing back in forth in the small doorway.

Spike was silent, and she couldn’t believe he’d actually listened to Xander. Seconds later his face loomed over hers. She could see the flaps of his duster at it covered him, but she could also smell smoke.

“Spike you’re on fire,” she whispered.

“S’ not important luv,” he managed to choke out. She could see the fear in his face, and she knew it was bad. She itched to reach up and touch his face to reassure him, but she couldn’t, she couldn’t move.

Then there were paramedics, and Spike was shoved out of the way.

“Spike…” she strained. “Spike stay…Dawn…”

Spike clutched his duster tighter and ignored the pain in his feet as he began to sizzle. He didn’t take his eyes off her as they wheeled the stretcher away, and he nodded solemnly at her.

Xander shot him a look, and then hurried to follow Buffy into the ambulance. Spike sprinted back to the safety of the doorway tossing his duster onto the floor. He turned, and watched the ambulance pull away.

“What happened?”

Willow appeared at his side and he pivoted looking down sharply at her. She was covered in blood. He sniffed. Not hers.

“Warren shot Buffy.” It came out hoarse. “Red…?” he nodded to the blood on her shirt.

She uttered two very calm syllables. “Tara.”

He stared down at her. There was concern for Buffy in her eyes, and something else…fury. He almost stepped back; the power of it sent a shiver through him.

Willow stepped away. “I need to go.” She didn’t look back, and walked out the door.

He stared after her. He didn’t know what to do. Buffy…she was dying, again, and the though terrified him. He couldn’t let that argument be their last conversation. He strode down the hall, sweeping his arm along a bookcase knocking its contents to the floor in frustration.

She couldn’t die, not like this. He felt helpless; there was nothing he could do to save her. He was pitiful, spending all this time following her around love-struck, when he should have been protecting her. He should be with her, now, instead of here alone.

Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to recall her face from his dreams.

”I love you.”

He sank to the floor, and wept.

***

Dawn’s face was red, her eyes puffy, but she was finally asleep. Spike rubbed a hand over his eyes, and looked down at her. She had come bursting through the door all smiles, and had skidded to a stop when she had seen the serious look on his face.

Tara was dead.

Buffy was….they still didn’t know.

He’d laid a sheet over Tara’s lifeless body, and shut the door. Dawn had tried to push past him, to see her, but he’d held her back, until she had collapsed in sobs.

She hadn’t asked about Buffy, and he hadn’t supplied any information. Dawn had probably assumed Xander, Willow and Buffy were out trying to find Warren. Dawn had no idea Buffy had been shot as well. It would come back to bite him in the ass later, keeping this from Dawn. He knew he should do something, call the hospital, but he couldn’t. He would wait for Xander or Willow to call. He couldn’t be the one to tell Dawn her sister was dead, he didn’t even know if he could handle hearing it.

She was curled up beside him on the couch, and he sat in rigid silence staring at the black screen of the TV. He’d called the coroner’s office to come get Tara’s body. He couldn’t just leave her there, in plain site, it just wasn’t bleedin’ right. Glinda didn’t deserve this, she was better than all of them.

The front door swung open, Dawn opened her eyes and sat straight up. Buffy, followed by Xander walked warily into the room. Dawn jumped to her feet and made a beeline for Buffy, catching her around the middle. The sobs started almost immediately.

Xander shut the door and looked at Spike.

“Tara?”

Spike cleared his throat. “Called them to come get her, they haven’t come yet.”

Xander nodded.

Spike hadn’t taken his eyes from Buffy; she looked up from Dawn to meet his gaze. Her shirt was drenched in blood, but she seemed perfectly fine. They stared at each other, and he wanted more than anything to take her in his arms and never let go, but he didn’t.

“Buffy, what happened to your shirt?”

She looked down at Dawn who had ceased crying and stepped back.

“Warren shot me, one of his wild shots hit Tara.”

“How…?”

Buffy crossed the room leading Dawn and sat on the couch, Spike didn’t sit but began to pace.

“Willow. She went to the Magic Box,” Buffy sighed. “Bottom-line she’s overdosed on power, she’s out looking for Warren, and we need to find her.”

“Yeah, she's off the wagon big-time. Warren's a dead man if she finds him.” Xander interjected.

“Good.” Dawn spit out bitterly.

“Don’t say that.” Buffy said quietly.

They were all silent. Then Buffy stood again as there was a knock on the door. Xander let the coroners in, and Buffy looked away.

“I can’t…I can’t watch this. I need to go wash this blood off.” She started towards the stairs, and then stopped and turned. “Spike, can I talk to you upstairs for a minute?”

He nodded, and refused to let himself look at Dawn and Xander as he followed Buffy up the stairs. He obediently entered her room after her.

“Shut the door please.”

He did.

She had her back to him, and she was pulling at her blood stained shirt hands shaking.

He walked up behind her, and tentatively placed a calm hand on her shoulder. Her body whipped around, and she buried her head in his chest, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her loosely, and let her cry.
“Why did this happen?”

“Dunno pet, bad things happen, you know this better than anyone. Nothing we can do to stop it.”

“It shouldn’t have been her,” she sobbed into his chest.

“We’ll get him luv, and I’m going to break every bone in his bleedin’ body before I kill him.”

She lifted her tear filled gaze to his. Anger covered his face; his eyes were hard. She hadn’t seen him like this, in a long time.

“You can’t kill him Spike. I don’t want to have to kill you.”

His eyes widened at her statement.

“He bloody killed Glinda! We almost lost you pet, he deserves to have his bloody spine ripped out!”

“We need to find him, before Willow does. Spike…she has really lost it. I don’t know if I can stop her; I don’t want to lose her too.”

***

“What did you do? Willow, what did you do?”

She looked at them, and lifted the corner of her mouth in a smile. “One down.” With a flash of light, and clouds of smoke, Willow was gone.

Buffy and Anya could only stare in horror at the place where Warren had been tied moments before.

***

Spike strode down the empty street. Anya and Buffy had followed Anya’s demon towards Willow, and he’d been sent to keep an eye on the other two. Xander had opted to stay with Dawn. He’d argued with Buffy, telling her he was stronger than Anya, but she hadn’t relented. Here he was hanging out in the alley beside the police station.

“Tsk, tsk Spike; naughty vampire, protecting those two weaklings.”

His body tensed and he slipped into game face, and whirled to face Willow. Her hair and eyes were black, and thick veins graced her pale skin.

“I can’t let you hurt em’ Red.”

She laughed, and it sent chills down his spine.

“Poor William the Bloody, Buffy’s cast-off play thing. Still trying to play the valiant knight? You can’t stop me, no one can stop me. They will pay for what they did to her.”

“Glinda wouldn’t have wanted this, think about what your sodding doing!”

She laughed again. “Even when you were at your best you were no match for me. Now look at you, love sick, neutered vampire.”

He growled and lunged forward. Her eyes glowed and she held up a hand, and his body was suspended in mid-leap.

“You want so much for her to love you, but you’re not worthy.” Her eyes glimmered with a sudden mischievous light. She dropped him onto the pavement, and through back her head, uttering a few old Latin phrases. With a smile, she let the blue light burst from her hands and into Spike.

He screamed in agony.

“Let’s make you worthy Spike.”

A/N: Dialoge taken from S6 "Villians".
Egg Nog...MMMMMM......





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