The last part of this story, beta: Mari. Also, there will be a sequel one day.


~~~***~~~***~~~


“Actually, you know what?” Buffy said moving away from Angel as he got back up, “I don’t want anything to do with either of you. This is my fight and you can dust each other for all I care.”



“This is bloody priceless. Lemme guess, the Slayer death wish is strong with this one.” This stopped Buffy in her tracks and she turned to face the blond vampire.



“What do you mean, death wish, I don’t have a death wish,” she all but snarled at him.



“Oh no, Goldilocks? Lemme guess some more then. Stop me when I get to somethin’ that’s not true. You just pissed off your family and friends in order to get them to leave you alone to do your solitary duty. All those idiots the Annoying One’s goons are holdin’ in cages should never have been in danger. This is your fight and your death. Any of this sounds familiar?” Spike asked smirking.



“So what if I did, that doesn’t mean I have a death wish. I just want them out of harm’s way.”



“The Slayer should do her duty, that’s what I’m here to help her with. All those others are just clouding her judgment, anyway,” Angel decided to add to the conversation.



“Really, Peaches? And exactly how did you come by this grand knowledge of yours? Of the two of us, which one is the Slayer of Slayers and who spent the better part of the last century researchin’ the Chosen birds? Or does decidin’ you’re the best thing since the wheel grant you some obscure knowledge that escapes us mere not-quite-mortals?” Spike said starting to laugh at his elder again.



“Shut up, Angel, this doesn’t concern you,” Buffy barked without even bothering to look at the increasingly irate souled vampire.



“You heard the lady, this is a talk between professionals, not broodin’ gits that should only discuss rat fricassee,” Spike threw over his shoulder, keeping eye contact with the Slayer as she approached him. “Listen, kitten, all this noble talk about not endangerin’ those around you and lookin’ out for everyone but yourself? That’s a clear sign of the death wish. That’s how I was able to get the other two before you. Want something to protect? Protect the next bird that’s supposed to get chosen after you.” Spike smiled a bit when his words registered with the Slayer.



“What?” was all Angel could say, never having thought of things from that point of view before.



“Look, you think this life is so bad? Wanna save someone? Want the next chit that’s all cozy and ignorant of the things that go bump in the night to wake up and have to do this everyday? That’s one of the people you wanna save. All your friends and family? Good choices also. There’s nothin’ more important than family,” Spike continued in a more subdued tone and with a slightly far away look. “So stop bein’ the Bitch Ice Queen and let others help. That’s what’s gonna keep you alive.”



Both Angel and Buffy had nothing to say to that, one surprised at the young upstart’s words and the other at how close to home his words struck.



“Now, are we gonna rescue all those do-gooders or are you still too stubborn to accept help?”



“Ok, let’s go,” Buffy said meekly.



~~~***~~~



Spike strolled into the lair of the Annointed One like he owned the place, going straight for the cages in the back holding the humans. Once there he closed the doors behind him and staked the two vampire guards.



“Listen up, you gits. Despite all your ramblings, I was able to find your precious little Slayer and got myself a truce. In about a couple of minutes all hell’s about to break loose. Now, you can either try to help, get out of the way, or stay in these cells ‘til it’s all good and done. Now, what’s it gonna be?”



“You’re lying, you miscreant. My Slayer would never work with the likes of you,” Giles retorted full of righteous pride, but a part of him silently wished Spike told the truth.



“I believe you,” interjected Miss Calendar and she continued to speak over the protestations of the other Scoobies. “If you’ll let us out, we’ll help however we can.”



“I don’t care who made deals with who, just get us the hell out of here. The filth is unbearable,” was what Cordelia felt like she had to add to the discussion.



“Right, then.” Spike threw the keys to the doors to Jenny and walked back through the doors, uncaring what they did next.



The outer doors flew open just as Spike positioned himself next to some minions who were planning their next night’s feeding party, revealing Buffy with a stake in each hand and a chilling smile on her face. “You guys asked for take-out?”



At the same time, Angel dropped from the roof on top of the vampires that were preparing the upper levels for the coming sacrifice.



“Kill them both, they must not interfere with the Master’s return!” Absalom bellowed, looking around for a weapon to use against the Slayer.



Minions threw themselves indiscriminately at Buffy while Spike dusted his nearest targets and tried to get to Drusilla. Angel managed to gain the upper hand against his foes, but was thrown down by an unexpected hit with a crowbar from behind, landing right by his insane childe.



“Daddy, you came on such a wonderful day. Too bad my Knight is lost to me, lost, lost, lost. But you’ll take care of Princess, won’t you, Daddy?” Dru cheerfully said, clapping and smiling at her long lost sire.



“I’m sorry, Dru, but-”



“Get away from her, you Poofter. She’s my ripe wicked plum,” Spike shouted at him, dusting the last of the vamps between him and his quarry.



“Bad doggie, you don’t get to play with Princess anymore. Miss Edith is mighty cross with you. Kill him, Daddy, kill him before the Sunshine gets him.”



“Look, Spike, maybe it would be best-”



“Bloody hell, who cares what you think? Run off to your white hat friends and leave us alone, like you have all these decades. You don’t have any right to dictate anything anymore.” With that said, Spike launched himself at Angel and the two started fighting like they’d been yearning to all night.



After receiving a few punches and a kick to the shin, Spike managed to gain the upper hand, smashing Angel’s nose with a well-placed kick and then jumping on top of him, pummeling him with a series of punches that left the taller vampire unconscious. Just when he was about to leave his grand-sire and focus on Dru, the last thing Spike had expected happened.



Dru started hitting Spike with a viciousness he’d never seen in her, taking him by surprise and overpowering him. She slashed at his face with her talons, embedded her fangs in his arm and kicked him in the groin. Had it been any other, Spike would have probably retaliated and won, but this was Dru. So, instead of fighting back, he felt like he was watching himself be defeated by the one he had dedicated his unlife to. The look on her face was unlike any he had seen in the decades spent by her side. She wasn’t listening to pixies or any of that, she just wanted to hurt him and hurt him plenty for attacking Angel. In a seldom-displayed moment of lucidity, she spoke to the now bloodied William.



“You are dust to me now, Spike. I never want to see you again. I’m going away with Daddy and if you try to follow us, I’ll be mighty cross. You’re fighting on her side now,” she said spitting in her former lover’s face.



Bloody hell, there she goes again with the accusations. Can’t she give a bloke a breather?



“But, Princess, I only did it for you! Let me make it up to you, Dru, please,” Spike pleaded, ignoring the aches and pains his sire had inflicted on him. His mind was still only partly aware of his body, somewhat detached like in a dream.



“Then kill the Slayer.” Dru watched his face as his poorly concealed emotions flickered over it.



Soddin’ hell, she wants me to do what, now? She’s kickin’ me six ways to Sunday to protect her precious Daddy and she wants me to break my bloody word to do what? Watch her shag the Poofter right back into the family? It’s not like she wouldn’t have taken Peaches back hadn’t it been for Darla and Miss Edith telling her she’s off her bloody gourd. She knows that in all this time, I haven’t gone back on my promises and now she wants to take that away from me?



“I promised, kitten. You know I can’t break my promise. If you care for me, don’t ask me to back down on my word.”



“Kill her or that’s it,” Dru proclaimed with the same clarity that had become chillingly apparent throughout the discussion.



“I… I can’t.” Spike let his arms fall at his side and lowered his head in defeat. However much he loved her, the thought of giving up this last bit of himself to her was unbearable. Sure, he could break the truce with the Slayer in a proverbial heartbeat, but only if he decided to. To have Drusilla ask this of him was the ultimate humiliation, hurting even worse than her attack in defence of her Daddy.



“Then this is the end, Spike. Good bye. Maybe we can still be friends,” Dru added with an innocence that belied her game-face and the blood dripping from her talons and down her chin. “Maybe we can have a grand reunion when you bring us the Slayer’s heart to play with. Miss Edith would so love a pretty little heart for her tea party.” Spike recognized the end of Drusilla’s lucidity in her eyes.



“Us, kitten?” Spike asked in a shaky voice.



“Daddy and me. We’ll have a grand time together, like before, but without Grand-mummy. I’ll make his skin sing a pretty little blood song for her.” And with that, Dru helped Angel up and supported him as they made their way past the piles of dust left in the Slayer’s wake right out the door, leaving a heartbroken Spike behind her without even glancing at him one last time. Angel looked just once at Buffy, but shook his head and continued walking with Drusilla.



All the Scoobies had witnessed the last part, since they had just gotten out of their cages and were scanning the lair for more threats. Despite everything they had heard and seen about vampires, the scene had left them speechless and even saddened for the vampire collapsed on the ground in obvious grief.



Meanwhile, Buffy was just disposing of Absolom after they had fought throughout the whole drama unfolding not a few feet away. With that taken care of, the Slayer proceeded to smash the Master’s bones to bits using a large hammer, hitting over and over again, until all her fears and despair left her, finally collapsing from both physical and mental exhaustion.



Not one of those left standing after the battle could think of a single thing to say, the victory tasting like ash in their mouths.



Giles and Jenny went to Buffy’s side and helped her get up from where she lay looking listlessly at the remains of the Master. They started talking to her in soothing tones, trying to bring her out of her stupor. On the other side of the room, Spike’s mind started working again, albeit he was still in shock.



He had just lost his everything, his salvation, his reason for existing. There was nothing for him, now. Except…



Slowly, Spike rose from his position, straightening out his back and surveying the scene with his eyes until he located the Slayer from where the Scoobies had all gathered to comfort her.



“You!” he bellowed. “You’re the one to blame for all of this. Were it not for you, she wouldn’t have left. It’s your fault, you and your stupid hair!”



His outburst startled the Scoobies and brought Buffy back into action. Before she could figure out what he meant, though, Xander took it upon himself to handle the distraught vampire.



“What do you mean, Blood Breath, the psycho leaving you? That was so not her fault it’s not even funny. You came in here all swagger and stuff and you lost her, don’t go blaming the Buffster for your mistakes.”



“What do you want, Spike?” Buffy answered, surprised that dealing with him came so natural, it didn’t even require the energy she felt she no longer had.



“If it wasn’t for you and this bloody town, none of this would have happened. And if you’d done your part for the good of everyone and dusted the Poofter when you first saw him, we’d all be right as rain. But you had to ruin everythin’!” Spike continued fuming, ignoring everyone except the one he held responsible for his disaster. “On account of me not goin’ back on my word, I’ll let you go this time, but I’ll be back, and when I do, you and me – we’re gonna have us a nice little fight to the death: yours!” His eyes and hers met and held, neither yielding, both in pain and for an instant, they recognized their equal in each other. The moment didn’t last, however, as neither of them was ready to see the other one as anything else but an enemy.



“I’d like to see you try, Captain Peroxide!” Buffy retorted without even thinking, her mind still reeling from the day’s events.



“You’ll regret those words someday, Slayer. Until then…” Spike disappeared in a blur of black leather out the broken door of the lair and into the night.



“Well, that was something,” Giles mused partly to himself. He felt quite a bit of dread for the return of the famed Slayer of Slayers, so he made a mental note to increase Buffy’s training program. If she was destined to fight it out with him, he would make sure she was prepared.



“Man, what was up with that guy, apart from his out-dated look?” Cordelia asked without anybody caring one bit what she was saying.



Buffy was left staring after Spike. She couldn’t quite admit it even to herself, but part of her was sorry he was gone. In just a short time, he had managed to discover more about herself than she even thought possible. Now, she couldn’t even get to see what all the fuss was about his fighting skills. He’ll be back, though, someday. And I’ll be ready for you, Spike. Looking around to see if anybody caught her staring, she finally noticed someone was missing.




“Guys, where is Angel?” Receiving no answer, she asked again. “Seriously, where is Angel?” Her eyes landed squarely on Xander who seemed more willing to share what he knew.



“Buff, he kinda went with the crazy woman Spike was screaming about. They just got up and left after Bleach Boy beat the crap out of Deadboy and the loony attacked Spike.” Xander shrugged, not really sorry for Angel’s departure. “I guess they had a thing.” The news chilled Buffy’s heart. She had spent the time since her return to Sunnydale trying to get rid of him, but now that he was gone, she felt sorry and alone. She tried to harden herself and dismiss his departure as something unimportant, but Spike’s words haunted her, reminding her that a lonely Slayer is a dead Slayer. She looked at the others again and didn’t see the hostility she had tried to create. Realizing what she had almost lost nearly brought her to tears.



“Thank you, guys and sorry about earlier. I was… confused. Friends?” she asked full of hope, looking at the assembled Scoobies.



Both Xander and Willow hurried to answer her by hugging her tight and the three teenagers shared a moment of closeness. Cordelia just shrugged and tried to warm herself by rubbing her arms. Giles raised his eyes to meet Jenny’s and she smiled benevolently at the pride he saw in the Brit’s eyes. Perhaps all will be well, Giles dared hope to himself.



“Let me get you home, Buffy. We’ll all talk more about this tomorrow at the library. Tonight was taxing enough as it was.” Giles then proceeded in herding everyone out and they all made their way back to their respective homes. A new chapter was starting in Sunnydale’s existence.