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Well done, Slayer. You have passed the final trial," the brightly glowing oracle beamed down at the disheveled blonde slayer. There had been no doubt that this one would complete the required tests. Her will and her thirst for knowledge were strong. "We shall answer your question."

Buffy inwardly sighed in relief but outwardly showed not change. The last few days had been difficult and it had taken the last of her strength to defeat the last thorny demon. "Why wasn't another Slayer called when Faith died? Why have my powers been increasing?"

"There was no need for another slayer. We have taken the other's power and put it in you. You will need the strength and skill in the battles to come. You, Buffy Summers, are the last. This is your reward," the oracle responded.

"What kind of reward is that? I don't want to be the last!" Buffy protested angrily. She attempted to rush forward and attack the oracle, but Spike's strong arms held her back. Hot tears welled up in her hazel eyes. She didn't want to be the last slayer. She wanted rest - the peace she'd found in heaven, not to spend eternity fighting demons.

The oracle began fading out of sight and time seemed to return to normal. "Take care, Slayer. The days to come will be rough, but you must persevere. The weight of the world is on your shoulders."

Before Buffy could respond, the oracle was gone. She on her heel and met Spike's sympathetic eyes. "I-I'm the last," she stuttered, her voice breaking. She shrugged off his arms and started walking in the direction of her house. This, on top of everything else, was too much to take in.

Once at the house, she ignored the questioning gazes of her friends. Spike would explain it all to them, he loved to talk and right now she wasn't up to it. There was something she had to take care of first. She shut the basement door firmly behind her and slowly descended the stairs. A low growl came from the direction of the far wall.

Buffy flipped on a light to reveal Faith, in full demonic visage, chained to the wall. She wearily paced in front of the former slayer.

Faith tested the strength of the chains and found them to be quite strong. "Come a little closer, B, I have a secret to tell you," she taunted, tugging on the chains again, though she knew there was no way to get free.

"I'm sorry this happened, Faith. If I had only gotten there a little sooner..." Buffy broke off as the painful memories washed over her. When Giles had called and warned that a very powerful vampire was on his way to California, she and the rest of the gang automatically assumed he was headed for Sunnydale. It was only after Angel reported a surge in mysterious deaths in L.A. that Buffy realized the attack was meant for Faith.

Faith threw back her head laughed mirthlessly. "I'm not. I'll finally find out what makes slayer blood so special. And when I'm done with you, we'll see what that nice tasty key of a sister is like."

Buffy hung her head and slowly pulled Mr. Pointy out of the waistband of her jeans. She tested the weight then lifted her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears. The two slayers had never been very close, but she felt a bond with the dark-haired woman. Faith was the only person who could understand the strain and aloneness that came with being a slayer. "I'm sorry," she whispered the before swiftly burying the stake in Faith's dead heart.

She turned and walked up the stairs, unwilling to see the other woman's body turn to dust and crumble to the ground. Before entering the living room where her friends were waiting anxiously for an explanation, she paused in the doorway and wiped her eyes. Faith was dead and she should have been there to stop it.

"You okay, pet?" Spike appeared in the doorway, his face the picture of concern. He started to reach out and touch her arm but pulled back at the last second. Though she had accepted some comfort from him earlier, he couldn't be sure she would now. He was growing more accustomed to her hot/cold mood swings.

Buffy nodded tersely and brushed past him to join the group. "Faith's dead. There won't be another slayer called. They made me some uber-slayer, the last slayer."

The Scoobies murmured appropriate words of concern and curiosity. She paid them no heed, choosing instead to focus on the rage boiling up inside of her. Her guilt over Faith's death and anger at the cowardly vampire who dared take on a practically helpless, incarcerated slayer were overwhelming. For the first time since she'd been brought back she felt as if she had a purpose, one that didn't revolve around tending to the Hellmouth.

She turned to Spike and spoke, her voice firm. "I need you to take care of Dawn." She held up her hand to stop the squeals of protestation from Xander. Yes, she was quite aware that Spike was a soulless demon, a vampire, blah, blah, blah, but he was the only one she trusted to watch her sister.

"Why? Where are you going?" Dawn demanded, jumping up and moving to stand in front of her sister, arms crossed over her chest. Buffy was always leaving her out of the loop and she was tired of it. After Faith had been killed, she'd rushed off to LA without saying a word to anyone now it seemed she was running off again.

Buffy pulled the teen in for a quick hug then kissed the girl's forehead. "I need to find Vorcus and kill him."

Dawn squeezed Buffy's hand, misunderstand why her sister needed to slay the vampire. There was no way of knowing when Vorcus would try and kill the last slayer.

"I'll watch the Bit," Spike agreed. Part of him longed to join the slayer on her quest for vengeance. It was sure to be a journey filled with violence and bloodshed. It would give him a chance to see the feral, huntress side of Buffy.

"When are you leaving?" Tara ever the voice of reason, queried.

Buffy shrugged her shoulders, unsure of exactly what to say. She was amazed they were taking this so easily. Surely the same friends who tore her out of heaven would protest against her leaving them for an indefinite length of time.

"We'll take care of the hellmouth for you, Buff, just come back," Xander was the first to pull his friend into a hug. She was passed around from Xander to Willow to Tara and a reluctant Anya.

"I'll see what I can do with Social Services' computer system and set up Spike as Dawn's guardian while you're gone," Willow offered, much to the slayer's relief. Though the witch wasn't pleased with the thought of Buffy venturing out on her own, she was pleased that Buffy was excited over something, even if it was tracking down a dangerous monster.

Buffy quickly hugged the redhead again then dashed up to her bedroom and began haphazardly throwing clothes and various weapons into a duffle bag. Spike cleared his throat before entering the room. He wordlessly thrust a thick wad of cash and a cell phone towards her.

"How? Why? Where did you -?" Buffy couldn't form complete sentences. Despite the way she'd treated him, ever since she'd heard about Faith's death, Spike had been her rock. He'd helped her track down the newly risen vampire and chain her in the basement. He'd located the oracle and warned her about the required trials. Now it seemed he was funding her trip.

"Got a job working for Willy. Figured you could use for house payments and such, but you're going to need it now." Seeing that she was done packing, he lead the way back downstairs. "The job won't interfere with watching Dawn. With all the squatters you have in here, someone's got to pay the rent."

Buffy stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to Spike's lips. "Thank you."

Her friends and sister were gathered around the front door. She hugged them all once more and sucked in a deep breath. "I love you guys."

"Are you coming back?" Willow grabbed her arm before she could step off the porch.

Buffy smiled softly. "Yeah, Will, I'll be back. I promise."

They stood on the front porch and watched until she disappeared from sight. Dawn turned and buried her face in Spike's shoulder. "She's not coming back, is she?"

Spike stroked the back of her head soothingly. "I don't know, pet, I don't know."





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