**********
The day of the fight everyone prepared
themselves in their own way. We planned
our strategy out and all of us had memorized it. Weapons were made, stocked, and divided among us. We divided up into teams as well with
different missions for that night.
"All right. I guess this is the part where I ask everyone if they are
absolutely sure that they want to go into this battle tonight. If you don't then you don't have to go. No one will think any less of you," I
told everyone there and no one said anything.
"All right then I also want to make sure that everyone stays away
from Buffy. She's mine. If you run into her yell - yell loudly. Everyone clear on that" I asked while
looking directly at Angel. Everyone
nodded and mumbled yes.
"Good. Teams are important
to making sure this night goes off correctly.
I have divided everyone up into teams based upon ability and
relationships. Team leaders will be
given mission objectives and instructions on how to carry out those
objectives. It is the role of the
leader to make sure that that mission is accomplished at any and all
costs. If you are not happy with your
group tough shit," I said and pulled out a piece of paper. "Methos, team leader. Mac, Kate, and Amanda are yours. Your objective is hand-to-hand battle. Find the largest cluster of demons and
attack them. Kill whatever you can, take
out as many as possible. This is a
dangerous mission. Kate, if you don't
feel comfortable with this then let me know and I'll reposition you."
"I'm good," she told me and I
nodded.
"Next leader is Gunn. You have Cordy, Oz, and Lindsay. Your mission is to take down and destroy any
ceremony looking stuff. Fire has been
known to work effectively. You can look
for the path of least resistance or follow the path Methos' crew clears. Whatever you decide Gunn."
"Ok," Gunn answered and squeezed
Cordy's hand tightly.
"Last team is Giles as leader with
Cassandra and Willow as members. Your
mission is magic. Make sure you assist
the other teams with magic and break down any spells B might have cast to open
the Hellmouth. OK?" I asked them.
"Ok," all three of them answered
with confidence.
"You three are to stay mostly away from
the battle. I want you alive and capable
throughout the fight. You are the
backup staff. The *last* line
only," I emphasized the last sentence heavily.
"Ok," Giles told me.
"What about me?" Richie asked.
"You know what you are doing. Should we all fail and not return an hour
after sunrise then you are to take Dawn far, far away from here. I expect you to protect her with your life
and take good care of her," I told him and he actually took it ok.
"Good," he said and I nodded in
agreement.
"And Peaches and myself?" Spike's
voice came out finally.
"We are to stop B. That is our mission," I told him and
Angel nodded. "Spike, you can join
a team if you want or you can go solo.
Whatever you choose is ok. B is
mine though. Angel and Spike are the
backup plan should I fail," I got out to everyone, laying my fear out in
the open for everyone to recognize and accept.
"Faith, don't you think you should
rethink this. Perhaps Angel is the best
one for the job," Giles suggested.
"No Giles. She is the Slayer. This
is her job Giles. She is the Slayer and
she needs to slay a vampire tonight," Spike's voice clearly stated loudly
throughout the room. Everyone turned to
look at me. I nodded in understanding. Angel was clearly pissed that Spike was
backing me on this one.
"I don't want to send an innocent girl
to her death!" Giles yelled back at him.
"I have already lost my daughter.
Others that I consider to be my own children too have been taken from me
as well. I don't want to lose Faith
too!"
"This is her fight Giles. You know that as well as everyone else in
this room. You can't prevent her from
fighting Buffy. You can't protect her
either. She isn't a child; she isn't a
frail little girl that can't protect herself.
She is the *Slayer*, which
everyone seems to have forgotten during the last week or so. This is her job, her destiny. She knows the repercussions of fighting
Buffy and she is ready for them Giles.
I know that you look at her as one of your own children and I know that
you don't want to lose another but you should be more worried about that
beautiful little girl standing in the corner over there instead of Faith. I love Faith and I don't want to see her die
anymore than anyone else here, but she is the best option that we have right
now. If we send in Angel or myself and
they lose then B will have the momentum and probably will be able to take out
whomever we throw at her next. Faith
has no other place in this fight other than to fight Buffy," Spike harshly
explained to everyone in the room. His
voice was raw with emotion and his accent thick. "I don't want to see anyone else die tonight Rupert, but
unless Faith faces Buffy a lot more will die," Spike softly admitted the
last sentence.
"I still think that perhaps Angel would
be the best option."
"No.
I'm taking her first. If I fail
then Spike and Angel can fight for dibs at her next," I told everyone and
stared down Giles.
"Ok," Giles finally relented.
"Good.
Now everyone knows the teams and assignments so I suggest that you all
go about your own personal business. Make sure you are ready to die and leave your significant other
perhaps for good. We leave the house at
dusk," I told everyone and walked out of the living room where we were all
meeting. Angel followed me down to the
basement where I was stocking up on equipment for the fight.
"Do you really feel that Richie should
guard Dawn? He could be utilized in the
field," Angel asked as he sat down on the weight bench.
"Yes.
If something should happen to any of us Dawn needs to be guarded. Richie plays it off like he is babysitting
but he likes her and she likes him.
They are both Immortal children forever stuck in bodies that will never
age. They know each other very well now. No one else is qualified besides Spike for
that job," I answered as I continued to place weapons in my equipment
vest.
"And sending Kate out with Amanda,
Methos and Mac? She's mortal and will
probably die Faith. Is this something
personal with her?"
"Despite the fact that Kate and I have
never managed to get along over the vast amount of time that we have known each
other I am not going to rejoice if she was to die. She said she was ok Angel.
She's a strong woman and if she is fated to die then by me moving her to
another team nothing will not change that."
"So you in theory knowingly sent her to
her death?"
"As I knowingly sent everyone else to
theirs as well. Everything is a risk
Angel. Everyone could die tonight, no
one could die tonight, but some of us will probably die tonight. Others – innocent others – have already died
Angel. I don't want more to die but
they will if B wins and you know that.
I won't allow that to happen. If some of our team has to die to save the
world then that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. To insure the safety of
the world in the future is my number one concern tonight."
"I know Faith; I know," he softly
told me and walked over to me. He took
the vest out of my hands and set it down on the floor next to me.
"What are you doing? I need to get ready
for…" I started to ask him but he cut me off by placing a finger to my
lips.
"I'm just making sure I'm ready for
battle too. Just making sure my
significant other knows how much I love her." Angel pulled my tank top up over my head before I realized his
hands were moving. I in turn ran my hands
up under his tank top pulling it slowly up his body as my hands slid up his
chest. He leaned down and kissed me
after the tank top cleared his head and I wove my hands into his hair holding
his head to mine. Clothes were taken
off with hurried, clumsy hands. Finally
when we were both naked he led me over to the weight bench. He laid down on his back and helped me
straddle him. He held my waist and
helped me ride him until we both reached our peaks and then I collapsed on his
sweaty chest, both of us breathing heavily.
"I think you did a good job of making
sure I was loved. Thank you," I
told him.
"We still are talking seriously after
tonight," Angel told me.
"Ok," I vaguely answered him,
kissing him once more on the lips and then reached for my tank top.
***********
As the day progressed I made sure everyone
had all the equipment and arsenal they were going to need to do their
mission. Oz and Willow did a low level
protection spell over me, Cordelia, Gunn, Kate, Giles, Lindsay, and themselves
to help protect us a little from the injuries we were going to incur. Methos and Mac cooked us a dinner at 3 pm
and it was a little weird. It was like
the final supper and a changing point for everyone to look back upon. We all ate around the table. Angel and Spike drank blood that I had
gotten out of me yesterday for them for tonight's dinner and talked amongst
themselves. Giles and Cassandra sat
side-by-side hands interlaced as they ate.
Methos and Mac tended to dinner and everyone until everything was served
and then they ate sitting down across from each other at the ends of the
table. Richie sat next to Dawn, his arm
constantly touching a part of her.
Cordy and Gunn were sitting next to me off to my right. Nothing fazed those two. Gunn was chowing down and Cordy was laughing
with Willow about something that happened in high school. I was happy to see Cordy laughing like she
was and I was glad to know Willow would laugh despite everything that happened over
the past week for her. Oz and Lindsay
were whispering quietly to each other at one corner of the table near
Methos. I looked over at them and
caught them kissing gently between hushed whispers. Kate and Amanda were eating silently. I didn't expect to see emotion out of Kate, perhaps Amanda
though, but there was no touching at all between the two of them. Something wasn't right between the two of
them and I feared that because of this uneasiness that something bad would
happen to one of them. I just watched
everyone react to the people that were surrounding them, memorizing the faces
and smiles of the people I had grown to love and cherish. I had a really bad feeling about what was
going to happen tonight. I knew that
everyone wasn't going to come out of this fight alive. Angel caught my eye and broke my
thoughts. He just held my gaze for what
seemed like forever and finally he just smiled a soft smile at me. I returned it gently and then looked away as
Cordy grabbed my arm to pull me into the conversation she was having with
Willow. I didn't get another chance to
catch Angel's gaze during that meal.
After dinner we took turns cleaning the dishes and straightening up the
house because Giles said something about not wanting to come home to a
mess.
Angel still managed to find a moment to get
me totally alone amidst the chaos and confront me about everything in the last
few days.
"No matter what has happened in the last
few days or the last few months I just want you to know that I love you
Faith. I need you to understand that
ok? I love you so fucking much it hurts Faith.
Just remember that when we head out there, despite whatever you may
think about my feelings for you know that I love you with all of my mind and
soul," Angel told me and then pulled me into a quick hard kiss on the lips
and then pushed himself away from me and held me at an arms distance from him.
He took in my shocked expression and my lips about to form words and his placed
his finger on my lips effectively silencing me. "No words Faith. I
just had to let you know how I feel about you because for some reason you have
grown to doubt my love. I don't doubt yours. I know how you feel about me. Just
remember I love you," he told me again and then walked away from me. I touched my lips gently and then headed out
to meet up with the rest of the people to go and head out to find B.
**********
About 15 minutes before dusk we split up into
our groups and each group had a vehicle.
We left for the cemetery as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Quentin and his group from the Council
unfortunately beat us to the graveyard and to Buffy.
"What do we have here?" Buffy asked
as she and her group appeared from the shadows surrounding Quentin and company
as they attempted to sneak through the graveyard. "Well, well if it isn't Quentin Travers, Watcher
extraordinaire. I thought I told you to
stay out of my town?" Buffy quipped as she walked in closer to the group
away from her own group.
"Buffy Summers. Ex-Vampire Slayer. I'm here to stop you and your plans. I won't let you ruin this world," Quentin said to her, no
fear evident in his voice. Robin then
came forward to assert herself and stand next to her Watcher and boss.
"So this is the new Slayer? I think you are teaching her the wrong thing
Quentin. My boy told me that she shot
Faith not him with the crossbow bolt."
"Faith was going to stake a very
important piece of information."
"Even when Xander was alive he wouldn't
have told you anything no matter what you did to him. What makes you think he would tell you when he's a vampire?"
"He would have given us everything we
wanted. I have complete confidence in
that."
"What's her name?"
"It isn't important…" he started to
say.
"Robin," she interrupted
Quentin. "Remember it because it
will be the name of the person that killed you," she snapped at
Buffy. Buffy laughed in her face over
that comment.
"You are merely a child and yet you
threaten me. Do you even know who I
am? Who I was?"
"You were a disgrace to the Watcher's
Council. You thought you controlled
them instead of them controlling you.
You dated the very thing you were supposed to kill, a vampire. You fell in love with a demon and chose him
over everything else. You were a
disgrace to the Watcher's Council and your name is never spoken of highly at
Headquarters."
"I'm sorry which vampire lover are you
talking about? Angel or Spike? Cause someone didn't do their research. I have dated two vampires. Now, which one are you referring to
again?"
"That's right. You dated father and son.
That is a little messed up don't you think?" Robin asked Buffy,
attempting to taunt her. Buffy took a
few more steps toward her and Robin visibly tensed.
"I don't find anything messed up about
it at all. Vampires are better than
humans. Once you date a vampire a human
will never do it for you again. I would
suggest that you try that but you aren't going to live through the night so
that kinda won't work out for you," Buffy told her honestly.
"I don't think that I am going to be the
one not living through the night B. I
think it is you."
"What did you just call me?" Buffy
asked as she kept advancing on the group in the circle.
"I called you B. The other Slayer, Faith, kept calling you
that whenever she referred to you."
"I'll let you in on a little secret that
was her personal nickname for me. No
one else calls me that," she said and then attacked the group of 5 people
inside the group of vampires, renegade humans, and demons. Robin tried her hardest to fight off Buffy's
attack but she knew once Buffy attacked her that she was just postponing the
inevitable. Quentin and his 3 other
Watchers fell almost immediately and were ripped to shreds by the demons that
killed them. Buffy didn't kill Robin
immediately; she played with her and used her as training practice.
"Start the rituals," Buffy yelled
as she punched Robin in the face.
"I'll be right with you." She finished her instructions to
them. "Keep your eyes open for
Faith and her attack."
"Will do," Xander answered for
everyone and then he led the different groups into their objectives to opening
the Hellmouth.
**********
We arrived about 5 minutes before she killed
Robin. We all parked in the same area
and then divided up into our groups and then we all moved as one. Our groups went in different directions to
keep the demon count from adding up too much on a certain group. I went looking directly for B while Spike
and Angel teamed up and were taking out any stray demons and vampires. I beat whatever got in my way on my quest to
find B. I found her fighting rather toying with the Slayer, Robin. I didn't really care to interfere, B was
about to kill her and even if I did interfere from the looks of things if I had
she wouldn't have survived long enough to get to the hospital even with Slayer
healing abilities. B was just going to
end it and put her out of her evident misery.
I walked up about 6 feet from them when Robin made her final fatal move
and B grabbed hold of her head and snapped her neck quickly and then latched
onto the side of her neck and drained her.
She dropped the girl's body and looked up at me locking eyes with me
while in game face with blood all over her lips. She morphed back into her
human face and licked all the blood from her lips before she even acknowledged
me other than her stare.
"So you actually showed up. Damn Faith
you brought all your surviving group members!" B laughed at me after she
surveyed her surroundings and saw all of my crew attacking hers. "You are really planning on sending all
these people to their death?" I
rolled my eyes at her.
"God, Spike was right. You have been a vampire for what a week and
you already think you are a goddess? B,
get over yourself," I snapped at her. Her whole power trip thing was
starting to get old.
"Well then tell me Faith…do you ever get
one of those nagging feelings at the back of your mind that death is
coming?" B asked me. "You
know the ironic thing is I didn't get that feeling a week ago when I actually
died. I get it for tonight though. I
know you're gonna die cause I'm gonna kill you. And I know that I am going to
die because I know who is gonna kill me.
So tell me Faith, do you ever get that feeling?" B asked. I nodded to her.
"I know the feeling B. I know that you are going to kill me. I know.
Only thing is that I am prepared to die. You won't get the chance to get off on it though. Are you prepared to die tonight B?"
"You forget Faith. I'm already dead."
"No B – you are undead not dead
yet. You are gonna die tonight. Everyone is gonna die tonight from your
team."
"I seriously doubt that."
"Well I'll chase them down then. They won't survive very long B."
"You won't get a chance. You are going
to be dead *F*," Buffy mocked me.
"Death won't stop me from making sure
you and yours are dead for good - Buff," I told her and she tsked and
shook her head in a "no-no" fashion.
"So enough with the pleasantries
Faith. I think that we have already
been in this position once before. You
and me: facing off to the death. And
didn't I kill you before too?"
"You tried, but you failed then, and you
aren't going to succeed now either," I told her. We came at each other until we are standing face to face. Slayer verses Slayer-Vampire.
"Ready to cut loose?" Buffy asks
me, taking my lines from the last time we tried to kill each other.
"Try me," I answered her with her
own line from years ago. A time long
since passed but never completely forgotten. The roles reversed now each of us
on the opposite sides of the line then we were the last time.
"Well I think you said something like
'Give us a kiss'," Buffy smirked.
I blew her a kiss and then punched her in the
jaw hard. Her head shot to the side
with the blow and then the fight was on.
B and I exchanged blows in a frenzy, blocking each other's attack while
our own attack was getting blocked as well.
It went on like that for about 10 minutes until B landed a solid kick to
my jaw. I heard before I felt my jaw
break again. She had managed to rip the
screws out and dislodge the rods they had placed in my jawbone to keep it in
line. Pain raced through my face and I
took a few steps back away from her to regain my composure. She didn't let me, however, and attacked
immediately kicking me again in the chest sending me flipping backwards over a
gravestone. I landed on my hands and
knees on the other side. I looked up at
her, fighting consciousness, just in time to see her boot connect with my
head. It caused me to flip over and cry
out in pain. I realized if I survived
this night that plastic surgery was going to be a must. She moved to kick me once again, but I
rolled away from her just in time. I
grabbed a hold of a tomb to pull myself to my feet. I looked at her as I felt blood drip off my face.
"Damn Faith – I so wanted this to last
longer and to be a better fight. I
thought you out of all of them would give me that. I'm actually disappointed in you – what a shock! You always have managed to disappoint me
Faith," Buffy said to me. I took a
shaky step away from the tomb and pulled out a stake. She laughed. "You
think you can kill me?"
"No I don't, but I fully intend on
hurting you before you kill me," I got out despite my broken jaw. She frowned. I charged her and again we fought heavily. She landed blow after blow to my body, I
only deflected those to my head because I figured that my body could take
it. Then when I attempted a spin kick
on her she grabbed hold of my leg threw me down on the ground and snapped my
knee in two over her leg. I cried out
in pain and tried to get away and to my feet.
I was up on one leg and when I went to take that next step I stumbled
and ended up falling. My knee buckled
underneath the slightest amount of pressure and I fell to the ground and
groaned when the bone cut through the flesh.
She laughed and I threw my stake at her in uncontrolled anger. It embedded itself deep in her heart but, as
Spike said, it didn't kill her.
"Ouch! Faith, you weren't supposed to do
that!" B yelled at me. As she
pulled out the stake I looked around desperately for something to save me. I
found nothing. The next thing I knew I
felt her pick me up and throw me onto the tomb next to me. After I landed I felt my bruised and broken
ribs send pain through my body, my broken knee jarred and sent a sharp pain up
through my leg, and I had the wind knocked out of me from when she slammed me
down on the tomb. I bit my lip, drawing
more blood from my body, to keep from uttering any sound for her. She walked up to next to me. I tried to move but the pain in my body left
me immobile, an easy target for her.
"I can't wait to tell Angel how you
died."
"Go ahead. Make sure he knows that I died without him in my life…tell him
how I didn't love him anymore and that Spike and I will finally be together in
the open wherever we end up," I told her. She looked confused.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me B. Me and Spike. We were seeing each other behind your back and behind the
Poof's. Did you really think that Spike
would love you? Or that I would really love Soul-boy?" I asked her.
"You little slut!" Buffy said and
then slammed my own stake that she had just pulled from her body, down in my
heart. I realized then that I was going
to die this time with no chance of survival.
My hands closed around hers and the stake. I looked up at her and smiled.
"You did it B, you killed me," I
got out with a small smirk on my face.
"I didn't know you had it in you.
You never fail to surprise me B," I told her. She laughed evilly and then latched onto the
side of my neck. I closed my eyes and a
single tear rolled down my face. I felt
it all happen but I couldn't stop it at all.
I felt my life leaving my body and felt the darkness closing in around
my vision. "Angel I'm sorry,"
I thought to myself - I had no energy left to breathe out the words. I opened
my eyes to look up at the stars one last time.
I saw Spike tackle Buffy off of me and heard him yell something to
someone. Suddenly I felt my death stop,
as if it were being merely put off, temporarily delayed. I looked around to see
Willow and Cassandra next to me. They
were chanting I think and drawing symbols in the air around me. They picked me
up after a few moments and placed me in the back of Methos' Land Rover and we
were then moving. I don't remember the
ride at all but I do know they lifted me out of the car and placed me in the
other guest bed at Giles's house. They
continued to talk but I couldn't make out what they were saying to me – the
blackness was coming back to me and I welcomed it.
**********
Meanwhile…
Spike tackled Buffy off of Faith and yelled
for Willow and Cassandra to get her away from here. Buffy managed to get away from Spike and they both rose to their
feet, standing, facing one another.
"You saved her? Why Spike? I thought you were *my* lapdog.
What was she giving you something I couldn't," Buffy challenged him.
"Yeah, luv, she was. She listened and she cared and she always
could relate to everything I had to say.
She saved me from death after I escaped from you. She cared enough to save me. She gave me the strength I needed to come
out here to face you pet – to make sure you died tonight. And if all that isn't enough for you to
understand why I chose her over you then I'll let you in on a little secret
luv, she is a hell of a lot better than you in bed!" Spike told her with
sadness, confidence, regret, and every other emotion evident in his voice but
those ice blue eyes held the truth. He
had loved her but she was dead and this *thing* was not her.
"You didn't have the balls to cheat on
me Spike. You were whipped to every
word I had to say. You were a pathetic
excuse for a vampire. Angelus at least
had a soul to blame his love for me on, but you, you were worse, you had no
soul to blame it on. There is no way
that you could possibly love Faith and cheat on me with her," Buffy said
confidently.
"I did cheat on you Buffy. Just once.
That once was enough to let me know that you were shitty in bed
though," he said to her, keeping his eyes on her at all times. She was starting to get mad and angry.
"I should have killed you when I had the
chance. You are a worthless piece of
shit Spike!" Buffy snapped at him and took a step towards him. "But you are alive still and for that
I'm thankful."
"You couldn't kill me even if you
tried," Spike retorted.
"I think I did something to you that is
far worse than death. You have no
balls, no dick, one eye, and no hands. I think that you are worse than dead
right now Spike," Buffy shot back at him.
"I seriously doubt that Buff," he
told her. They began circling each
other.
"You think that you can take me like
this? Faith couldn't take me and you think that you can?"
"Yeah, I don't have something that she
had," Spike answered.
"Oh yeah, what is that?" B asked
him.
"I don't have a death wish. Remember that thing I told you all Slayers
have? Well Buff, I'm not a Slayer. I want to live forever," Spike
announced to her.
"Too bad, cause I sense your number
coming up very shortly. Like now,"
she told him and then attacked him. He
dodged a lot of her attacks but he couldn't beat her. They both knew that. She
beat the hell out of him again, reopening cuts that were almost healed. Finally after fighting for only 10 minutes
roughly she had him on the ground; he was cradling his now broken arm to his
chest and coughing up blood. He looked
up at her as she stood in front of him.
She was bleeding as well from her fight with Faith and then Spike. She looked tired too.
"This isn't how it should be. You shouldn't be on your knees about to die
in front of me. I thought that you were
supposed to dance with me and you were supposed to kill me. I didn't think that it would be this
way."
"Buffy…" Spike asked looking up at
her, hoping perhaps that she was his once again.
"But I guess that it is fitting. I mean,
after all I am the Slayer turned Vampire.
It is only fitting that I still slay those of my kind that aren't
acceptable. Which you are one of those
Spike," she informed him and smiled evilly. "I had you there didn't I; I can do this tortured
thing," Buffy told him and he looked at her sadly.
"I just want you to know one thing
Buffy," he said to her, his voice getting softer.
"Yeah William what is that?" She
asked him cockily.
"I have always loved you. I was only
with her once and it wasn't cheating; it was just something that needed to be
done for Faith's mental health. You are
my one true love, the one I would step into the sun for, the one I would die
for; you are my everything. I just
thought you should know that," he told her and then he closed his eye and
took in a shaky breath. He looked back
up at her with tears rolling down one side of his face from his one open
eye. "I love you Buffy,
goodbye," he told her.
"What are you talking about Spike?"
She asked him and he raised his head to something behind her and she started to
spin around to see who or what he was acknowledging. She made it to see who it was right before the blade cut through
her neck, severing her head from her body.
The body turned to ash and fell all over Spike, mixing with this tears
and blood on his face and body. Spike
looked up at Buffy's killer and nodded a curt nod to him and then more tears
fell down his face and onto the ground all around him.
"I guess thanks would be a bad thing to
say. But I would like to thank you for
killing her. She never wanted to be a
vampire. I was going to hold her until the day she died of old age. We were going to adopt kids and have a
semi-normal family. Obviously that day
never came. I am so sorry that you had to be the one that did this. I know how
much she meant to you. I um…thanks for
saving her and setting her free," Spike managed to get out and then looked
back down at his ash and blood covered body.
"I did what needed to be done. She had to die and I knew that you and Faith
could not kill her. I'm sorry it had to be me, but it is done. Come on let's
get you inside. The sun will be rising soon."
"No need to help me anywhere mate. I am
going to stay right here and well, I am going to see one last sunrise old
man," Spike said and locked eyes with the man before him.
"Spike, I don't think that this is a
good idea," the man argued.
"You always have to be right don't you.
Can't you just let me make my own decision for once? Just once that is all that
I ask for. I am nothing anymore. I am a vampire that betrayed his kind and
killed them. I loved the Slayer, I mated with the Slayer, I killed alongside of
the Slayer, I have a soul-happy Poof of a Sire, and my best friend in the whole
world that I just recently acquired in this century is a beautiful radical
Slayer. She is going to die tonight,
mate; I couldn't stop Buffy in time.
Faith is going to die and *I* couldn't even keep *her* alive. I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will look after her.
Promise me that!" Spike said to the man.
The man looked completely puzzled.
"What are you talking about Spike? You
just said that she is dead."
"She is going to die very shortly, in
minutes at the most. I gave her
something, a present that she wouldn't have asked for, ever. I'm not sure that she will like it. I gave her life, eternal life. I left blood
in the refrigerator at the house for Cassandra and Willow to use to save
her. I told them if she was drained
then to pour it down her throat, lock her up in chains and cast a few binding
spells over her until they could get the Orb of Thesulah into the store and
cast the restoration spell for her soul.
Cordy can talk to the PTB and arrange for her soul to be anchored so she
can have eternal happiness and what not.
You just have to promise me something."
"What? Why did you do this? She would
never want to be a vampire. She hates
them with a passion."
"You know so little about her. You really do. I have so much knowledge of
her from the limited amount of time that we have been talking to each other.
Perhaps she was always honest with me because she knew I would give it to her
straight and tell her everything I knew.
She would do anything and I do mean *anything* for you. You are her life
Angelus…you are her everything. Don't let her die unloved. Don't reject her
when she becomes a vampire. She needs your support and your love. Can you give her that? Can you forget about Buffy? Forget about
everything in this world except her?
She did it for you Angelus… she gave up everything for you, for a chance
with you. Everything that she has ever
done has been for you since the day that she first saw you. Don't disappoint her in her eternal
life. Love her, cherish her, worship
her, and don't do her wrong. I know
that you have it in there somewhere to be a good guy. That is my dying wish Angelus.
Love her. That is it. That is the last thing that I ask of you.
Love her no matter what she does or what she becomes. She has had too much pain in her life, help her heal, love her
please," Spike begged Angelus. He
got to his feet and looked up to his Sire's face. Ice blue eyes locked with chocolate brown ones.
"I hear the sunrise here in Sunnydale is
amazing. You will have to tell me about
it when we meet again. I have to warn
you though you and Buffy will be waiting for a long time for Faith and I. We have a lot of things to take care of
before we allow Death to come for us," Angel said to Spike. He dropped to his head and kissed Spike on
the lips ever so gently. "Thank
you for teaching me how to love her William.
Thank you for showing me everything I needed to see," Angel told
Spike.
"Love you Sire. Love her as you did me, love her as you did
Dru, and love her as you did Darla.
Don't love her as you did Buffy.
Don't substitute her. She will
never be Buffy. She is Faith. She is perhaps better than Buffy. She has some of the darkness and some of the
light. She is a figure that has seen
them both, touched them both, and chosen to fight in the middle, never fully
siding one way or the other. Never let
her side Angelus. If she chooses one
side over the other then the world will end and hell will be brought forth on
Earth. Dru told me that the day before
you staked her. Dru knew about the
betrayal and that you were going to kill her. She welcomed death and an end to
this world. Don't let her side – keep
her neutral. Love her, cherish her, and
protect her and be ready to die for her. She loves you Peaches for some bloody
ridiculous reason. Never forget that
she loves you completely – heart and soul.
She is everything. She is
everything," Spike whispered the last sentences to Angel.
"Goodbye my Childe. Take care of yourself and of Buffy. I don't want to have to kick you ass the
minute I see you again." Spike
grinned in return, mischief dancing in his eyes. "I love you William.
Take care." Angel said to him and then he was gone. He walked away in the opposite direction
towards the chaos and fighting still going on in the cemetery. He headed off to continue doing his job and
to stop the Hellmouth from opening.
Spike stood there, tears rolling down his
face as he cried for his lover, dead and lying around him. He cried for not being able to save her, for
not being able to protect her. He
cursed everything that he could think of for letting her die and become what
she hated and feared. He cursed
everything for not giving her a soul when she became a demon and for letting
her do the things that she did to him.
He cursed them for not allowing him to be able to kill her himself. Then in a moment of calmness and clarity he
just realized that perhaps this was Fate's way of allowing him and Buffy to be
together in the sunrise and together in the future forever. His last thought before the sun touched his
body as it rose over the horizon was of a night he had spent with Buffy on a
playground at the Sunnydale elementary school.
Buffy had first admitted her love for him that night while they sat
together on a swing that night, roughly 2 years prior. He smiled as his body caught fire and burst
into flames, his ashes mixing with Buffy's on the ground in the cemetery.