A/N – Thanks
to Marsters’ Girl for beta’ing this fiction!
Chapter
Twenty
The
gang watched in shock as Spike fell to the floor, unconscious. Buffy crouched down, brushing her lips
across his forehead before getting up, determinedly walking over to the elder.
She
retracted her stake from her hand and lay it in front of him. "You wanted a sacrifice of love? If I give you my life, will they get the
scrolls?"
"Buffy,
no!" Willow and Xander cried out simultaneously
in shock.
"They
will." The elder responded calmly.
Buffy
turned to her friends. "I need you
to do something for me." She took
a breath. "Don't let him dust
himself. And tell mom and Dawny and
Giles that I love them.... and that I'm sorry."
"Buffy,
please..." Willow whimpered as her
friend hugged her.
"I
had a good innings. Hell of a lot
longer than any other slayer!" She
laughed through a tear.
"I
love you, Buff." Xander muttered,
as he embraced her too.
As
they pulled back he smiled, "I'll keep Junior out of trouble."
Buffy
smiled, as a tear dripped from one eye, "Thank you." She turned to the Sioux elder and let out a
very Spike-esque smile. "I'm
ready."
The
old man smiled and began to mutter something under his breath.
Oz
and the elder watched as the group shimmered away. Without one word they closed their eyes and resumed their
meditation.
------------
Dawn
shrieked in shock as Spike materialized on the sofa next to her and Buffy in
the armchair. The rest of the gang
seemed to shimmer in to various parts of Giles' apartment; all apparently
asleep. The scrolls materialized
magically in front of the two watchers, who jumped; Wesley spilling his tea
down his front.
"Buffy!" Dawn giggled, still confused, throwing her
arms around her sister as she awoke.
"Dawny?" Buffy frowned, confused. "Am I dead?"
Dawn
frowned right back. "Okay and
no! You're home!"
"Oh,
god...” Tears sprung to Buffy's eyes at the thought that the Sioux had taken
Spike regardless. Dawn frowned and reached
up to brush away one that escaped her sister's eye.
Buffy
looked over her sister’s shoulder, as she was hugged again, and nearly trampled
her in her haste to get to her sire's side.
"Spike!" Buffy whimpered, pouncing on her sire;
trying to wake him while peppering him with kisses
"She
thought he was dead." Angel
muttered in explanation, as Joyce, Dawn and Giles looked to them in askance of
the slayer's vigour. Wesley was still
cleaning up his mess of a shirt in the kitchen, hugging Cordelia in welcome on
the way.
"Why
would she think that?" Dawn
frowned.
"Tell
you later, Dawny...first; anyone get the scrolls?" Willow asked, glancing around.
"They,
uh, just appeared when you did." Giles
indicated the table and the witch sat down; eager to be in research mode and
take her mind of Oz.
Xander
turned to Giles. "Yeah, and what
was up with that?"
"A
gift...I suppose." Giles
suggested, as he took one of the scrolls - too eager to be doing something
constructive - If only to block out the moans coming from behind his couch.
"Could
have done with one of those on the way in....though the plane had its
perks." Xander admitted.
---------
Two hours later.....
"Anything?" Buffy asked coyly from her position on her
sire.
"Whatever
you want, pet." Spike agreed.
"Shopping!" Buffy bounced excitedly, causing Spike to
cross his eyes in ecstasy.
"Huh?" He groaned unintelligibly.
"Love
your clothes, baby, really I do.... but honey, there are other colours out
there I swear." Buffy smiled at
the trapped look on his face.
"Anything
but that?" Spike tried.
"Na-ah,
you said anything!" Buffy grinned,
laughing happily when he pouted and leant down to kiss him.
"Guys? I think we've found something." Buffy and Spike came up for unneeded air,
and looked expectantly at Willow who had spoke.
"If
we are correct then, this is the spell which will guide us to the sacred ground
on which..." Giles held up a
different scroll. "... We use this
to perform the ceremony to expose the gate to us."
"And
the other three?" Buffy asked.
"Two
are basic help with the incantation; ingredients etc. And one is a shopping list." The gang laughed and eventually Giles joined in - though he wasn't sure how funny it was
since he'd spent nearly an hour translating the whole thing only to find it
read:
Chicken
Eggs
Milk
Sticks
for fire
Tobacco.
Beer....
Giles
stopped laughing. Actually it wasn't
that funny. He was gonna cry.
"I
think he's cracked." Dawn whispered to her mom.
Joyce
smiled and patted Rupert on the back, "I'll get you a nice cup of tea,
dear."
"So,
you guys ready to perform the first thing?" Buffy asked, bringing them back on track.
"Guess
it’s up to me, huh?" Willow smiled
at the group as they cleared her a space and she sat down, lighting a single
candle in front of her. She took the
relevant scroll from Giles and began to read, concentrating solely on the
peripheral flame.
Willow
gasped as she was mentally catapulted through the air. Air rushed around her, whipping her hair up
around her face.
She
could faintly hear Dawn asking if that was supposed to happen, and Giles
confirming that she was being shown the way.
She
seemed to be taken on a guided tour of Sunnydale. The High School, the Bronze, where the old Initiative base had
been, the beach, make-out point then finally out into the desert.
She
seemed to stop rushing at this point, her tour slowed, showing her a suspicious
looking cave. The sun was bright in the
sky, but the desert seemed eerily dark.
Close to the cave were five evenly spaced cacti. Her viewpoint tilted and a light shone in-between
the plants, forming a pentagon shape.
Willow
watched as the sun set and then rose.....to nothing. No cacti, no cave......no desert.
Buffy
caught Willow as she fell back gasping, the spell broken. "Are you okay?"
Willow
nodded, still breathing heavily.
"What
did you see?" Xander asked.
"It’s
in the desert. We have to hurry. We haven't much time. Tomorrow it happens." The witch breathed, still a bit shaken from
her metal travels.
"Lets
go."
-----
Buffy
watched as the two watchers, the seer, the witch and the zeppo set up for the
spell. Angel was somewhere in the
distance, warily watching for any sign of a predator.
Buffy
shivered and Spike wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her cool body soothingly,
"You'll be fine, love."
Buffy
took a deep unneeded breath, "Yeah."
They watched as the two women placed a vile of their own blood at
opposite points in front of a cactus, though within the pentagram that Willow
had seen.
"Just
not big on the magic." Buffy
admitted, as the guys placed a pentagram at the remaining cacti.
"You'll
be fine." Spike reiterated,
pressing a kiss to her cheek from his position behind her.
"We're
ready Buffy." Giles indicated that
she should stand in the middle of the five points. Buffy turned, pressing a brief kiss to her lover's lips before
moving where required.
"I
don't understand it." Buffy said
worriedly, as she scanned the scroll of parchment in her hands.
"It
shouldn't matter." Giles soothed,
hoping that was indeed the case.
"The
words will be enough." Willow
concurred with a smile for her friend.
"Here
goes..." Buffy muttered under her
non-existent breath.
With
another unneeded breath, she began to read.
As
she read the wind picked up, swirling the pentagrams and blood around her head
in a mini-tornado. Buffy looked up
briefly, but continued reading, hating the feeling of unknown magicks flowing
through her veins.
Spike
growled as the dust and sand around them wove around the slayer, obstructing
her from his view. Buffy let out a
little shriek as a silver force-field suddenly erupted around the centre,
throwing her up and out of the pentagram and straight into Spike's arms,
sending them both tumbling to the hard desert floor below.
The
wind slowed and the dust subsided to reluctantly reveal the disappearance of the
pentagrams and vials.......and the appearance of...
"That’s
it?" Cordy asked, frowning down at
the tiny wooden door that was suspended in mid-air, with the rest of them.
Xander
snorted, "Remember that Halloween?"
"Right
there with you." Buffy nodded then
looked up to Giles. "I just smash
it, right?"
"I
believe so." He looked to Wesley
for conformation.
"The
demon is said to enter through the door-way...I can't see why not." The other watcher admitted.
With
an uncaring shrug, Buffy raised her foot and sent it crashing down on the door.
Epilogue:
"Mmmm,
this is nice." Buffy murmured
contentedly, and she snuggled down into Spike's arms.
"Mmmm..." He purred, too relaxed to speak.
They
were lying on their new couch, in their new home, in front of their new
fireplace, which boasted a newly made roaring fire and a new flat screen TV. The place was beautiful.... and Buffy had
spent a small fortune of Spike’s well-hidden cash making it that way.
Buffy
shifted so that she was on top of him, their lips just touching as she
enunciated her words. "You know,
just you and me.... recent apocalypse averted... no well meaning friends and
family..."
Spike
lifted his head slightly, drawing her lips into a soft and gentle kiss.
*Love
you.*
Buffy
smiled; she would never tire of hearing him say that. *I love you, too.*
"Hi
guys, hope we're interrupting!"
Xander plopped himself down on one of the soft chairs around the sofa,
as he threw Dawn the DVD they'd bought.
"Catch Dawnster!"
Dawn
slid it into place, dropping onto the end of the huge couch that Buffy and
Spike were still lying on; stunned at the sudden intrusion.
"Hi
honey, thought we'd come celebrate your new place properly."
Buffy
sat up, kissing her mother hello, "Hey, mom."
"We bought popcorn
though!" Willow smiled, throwing
everyone their packet as she; Giles and Joyce shared the other, smaller sofa.
"We've
been invaded." Buffy murmured, as Spike
sat up, pulling her into his arms as everyone settled down for the movie.
Spike
glanced at the group then at his mate's happy expression and reached round her
for some popcorn, "Wouldn't have it any other way, love."
The
End
A/N: Wow, this was a long one… My other series will be resuming as
promised ASAP as soon as my pesky RL worries are out of the way! Just thought I’d take this note to thank
everyone who has reviewed this story so faithfully, especially Esther and JM –
who lovingly do it every update! Definitely
good motivation for me! Let that be a
warning/suggestion for all of you!
Again, a BIG thanks to my beta; Marster’s Girl, whose amazing talents
ensure that everyone gets to read double-checked work – Thanks, babe!
Loved
it? Hated it? Let me know....