02 SEPTEMBER 2002- DEVON, ENGLAND-11:05 PM-

Spike kissed Buffy lightly on the forehead, and whispered something to her that he couldn’t hear. But, to be fair, he was certain he was in some sort of shock. Spike could be screaming, and he wasn’t sure he would hear him.

Spike led Buffy into Dawn’s gentle embrace, and then turned and walked to him, “Rupert,” he said, his eyes shining with both deep pain and hope, “I need to speak with you.”

“Yes, of course,” Giles breathed, surprised he could speak at all. As Spike stepped closer and took him by the shoulder, Giles noticed the tiny puncture on his throat, and he gasped.

Spike seemed to sense his apprehension, and nodded slightly, “Not here, yeah?” he said, pulling him toward the place that had been his working office, but was no longer.

That small wound let Giles know, even as he was being guided, that they had indeed been banished.
************************************************************

The door closed softly, and Spike turned, giving the Watcher a small smile, “I love her, you know,” he confessed, “So help me, I love her,” his eyes drifted to the ceiling, closed, and he sighed, shaking his head, “Don’t want to see her hurt,” he said, as his eyes fell to his family again, full of pain and love.

Rupert Giles, his eyes riveted to the mark on the vampire’s throat, whispered, “I know.”

“This will kill her,” Spike’s voice broke, “She has to be whole. I have to have her whole.”

Rupert tore his eyes from the mark on Spike’s throat, and ground out the question, hoping against hope that it was not true; that he was worthy of his trust, and that his Grandmother Rachel *had* been correct in her assumptions. “You didn’t…?” he couldn’t even utter the word, “…Not from her…?”

“No!” Spike assured him, “Not after what I…” he shook his head, “No,” he whispered, lost.

“I am grateful for that, at least,” Giles said.

“You may not be,” Spike muttered, his voice sounding tired and strained, “She’s determined,” Spike said, a note of irony in his tone, “Sees me as a model. Won’t see reason…”

“And that,” Giles barked, pointing to the mark that was obviously made by the blunt teeth of a human, “is your solution?!”

“Well, I had to think on my feet, didn’t I?” Spike snapped, hurt, “Surprised I could think at all. I could hear her coming up the stairs…and Buffy…I was so scared. And then…after…What she did…”

“Does she know?” Giles asked, sitting down behind the desk because his knees were weakening suddenly, “Did you tell her?”

“No. Didn’t have time, did I? There was a stake in my back before I could finish…” his eyes went to the floor, “Thank God for your quick reflexes,” Spike whispered, “I felt the magic power up right before I felt the pain…And…her face…”

Giles squinted, “So, what happened to Althenea, that had nothing to do with you. Did it?”

Spike looked askance at the Watcher, eyes still half on the floor “Couldn’t tell you. If I had seen what she had,” he whispered, shaken by the very thought of Buffy’s death. *If I had seen her die, right in front of me…I might not be able to control myself…* “It’s possible. But, I don’t think so. Did you tell her what a thing like this,” he touched the fresh mark lightly, brushing it with his fingers. He took a deep, shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he felt her strength alight him from within. The force of her will and her pain was greater than anything he’d felt before. It would force him to his knees one day, he knew. It was that powerful. So powerful that, right now, it made him seek out the nearest chair, or fall to the floor in a worthless mass of besotted vampire, no good to her or anyone, “would mean, did you?” he asked, his voice a coarse whisper.

Giles shook his head, “If I had…” Giles said, hating to bring a painful memory back to the present, to allow it to inflict the pain Angelus would have taken great delight in, “She was so much in love…” his voice hitched on regret, “If she had known of the power of the bond when Faith…” he stopped, remembering that Faith was dead. He swallowed the hurt that brought to him, and continued, “…poisoned Angel…There is no doubt in my mind. She would have done it. You and I both know that. To have her bound to him…” he shook his head again, the idea unthinkable, “No. I couldn’t have her bound to a thing like him, a monster…No. I did not tell her.”

Spike spoke in a quiet, sad voice, “And yet, here I am. And, it’s too late. If you stake me now…”

Giles blinked, dumbfounded. *He sounds so certain. He’s almost pleading…Does he want me to…? Does he think I could do that…? Now…? *

Giles looked across the desk at him, “No,” he said, “I will not. It would hurt Grandmother,” he smiled ruefully, “and me,” he finished.

Spike sighed, unconsciously relieved, “Then we have a problem,” he said.

“Indeed we do,” Giles agreed.

Giles watched as a shadow seemed to overtake Spike’s face, setting it in grim, harsh lines, “Tell me about these prophecies again,” he said, “There’s got to be a way around them, a way out…”
*************************************************************

“Buffy,” Giles tried to reason with her, “what you’re asking for is dangerous,” he looked at Spike, who had somehow faded into the background. Even he had tried to talk her out of this, to no avail, he would not allow him to tell her…*Sod it…* “Buffy, there is something you need to know,” he told her, silently asking for forgiveness even as he spoke the words, “Look at Spike,” he said, turning her tear-filled eyes to him, gently, “What do you see?”

She studied him carefully and her eyes widened as she noticed the bite mark, “The bite?”

She knew she was right. She could see the tragic certainty on his face. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard, turning back to Giles.

She knew it was true when she saw him nod.

She didn’t want to hurt him. But, she couldn’t be *that* anymore, either. “What do I do?” she asked, “They’ll hunt him. And, I killed someone. I can’t have that killer inside of me anymore. It has to be destroyed…”

“I will take charge of the Council, “Giles said, pained by her words, “We’ll start afresh. Teach…the new Slayer what we know. And no harm will come to Spike. I’ll make certain of that…”

“But, not everyone knows what you and I do. You won’t be able to run the Council forever. Not everyone will see things like you do. People, other Watchers and Slayers, will always hunt him. He’ll never be able to rest. And, you don’t know if you’ll be able to control the Ukesolrill once it leaves me. It’ll be free to…”

He couldn’t watch her be in this much pain. Not when he could do something to stop it. “What if I stayed dead?” Spike asked, “This Ukesolrill, it’s toyed with me before, can’t do much more than kill me. I’ve already been staked- in front of a whole roomful of witnesses. Why not make sure I stay dust? It’s perfect."

“What?” a chorus of voices asked at once.

Spike shrugged, “Better than hurting you, or the Bit,” his eyes twinkled at Dawn as he spoke of her, “Not letting that happen again.”

“But Spike,” Dawn protested, her voice strident, “I’m not even human…not really. I could…”

“Absolutely not,” Spike hissed, his eyes blazing defiantly, “And all the more reason I’m not letting this nasty bugger anywhere near even one hair on your head. Understand me?”

Dawn’s eyes lowered and she said nothing. She was losing him, and she knew it.

“Spike I can’t…” Buffy spoke, even though the words choked her.

Spike raised an eyebrow at her, knowingly, “Then it’s simple. Don’t do this to yourself.”

“I can’t,” Buffy whispered, “I can’t. I hurt you…I…I can’t.”

“Then it’s settled.”
*********************************

“Okay, Buffy, relax,” Willow said softy, “I’ve added a time buffer. You won’t remember. I promise.”

“Will it hurt?” Buffy asked, looking up at her friend, as she lie on the bed, trying to do as she had been told. She reminded herself that this was what was needed, that she wanted this.

She wanted to be done. Finally done… She’d never be done.

He was braver than she’d ever be.

*Spike…I’m sorry…*

“It shouldn’t,” Willow assured her, “You’ll go first. But, we’ll all go through it, remember it the same way,” Willow bit her lip, and averted her eyes, “Spike will take good care of you, make sure you’re safe. He’ll go last, obviously. And when you wake up…”

“He’ll be dust,” Buffy choked.

“Yeah,” Willow whispered, “You sure you want to do this?”

*No, I’m not. Tell me I’m crazy. Tell me to stop. Tell me…*

She nodded.

“Okay. Close your eyes.”

She did.

“EGO adveho pro thee iam, quod queso thee occulto is proeliator quisnam has exorsus suus iter itineris ut semita of Lux lucis ex quicumque would probrum vel vulnero him. Quod EGO scisco thee tego him intus vox of Goodness, ut is may exsisto nurtured illic, in pectus pectoris of insons insontis ut lies novus quod atrum, insquequo talis vicis ut oportet iungo per suus radix, amo valde seas flow in vos, Filiolus, quod convalesco,” Willow took a breath, overcome with the power of what she was saying, and what it would mean to all of them. She didn’t know if they would understand why, but it was the only way.

Buffy didn’t know what she was asking, and Spike wasn’t going to tell her. *They’re both so stubborn!* But, they would need that now, in spades.

“Insquequo talis vicis ut oportet,” she continued, “ut scisco thee ut veil is proeliator ex totus, amicus quod inimicus. Quod operor sic insquequo foes have fio amicitia quod mos suo huic novus proeliator pacis.”

As she finished, Willow felt the power in the air almost disappear, but not quite.

“Okay Spike,” she called softly, once she was sure Buffy was completely asleep, and unaware of what was happening.

She watched Spike come into the room, without a word, solemnly take Buffy in his arms. Even she could tell that this was not something he wanted. But, he was going to support Buffy, Willow knew, even if he thought Buffy was wrong.

And she was.

“We’ll be down at the beach, Red,” Spike said gruffly as he carried Buffy gently out the door and down the stairs.
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03 SEPTEMBER 2002- DEVON, ENGLAND-7:00AM

The smell of his leather as it hugged her made her tears cold and bitter. Not even the murmuring voice of her Watcher, as he held her and cried too, could stop the pain.

She’d seen Spike dust, and there was no way she’d ever forget that, or him.