Author’s Note: Big thanks to my lovely beta Kar and all my readers and reviewers. This has been a rough one, and I appreciate you all sticking with me during real estated-related hiatuses.

Previously: The gang investigated ways to stop Willow’s demon from rising, and Xander got an ominous message about Tara.

In our fifteenth installment the Big Bad makes his presence felt, and our story comes to an end.

Chapter 15

There was a sick, sizzling sound when Spike's boots touched the carpet. Tashi blinked a few times and watched Xander Harris solemnly turn off the still-dripping sprinklers, finally silencing his clanging phone. Buffy stood mute in the doorway, holding on to the knob like she might fall. Bianca wandered the room, running her fingers over Tara's books.

Tara's throat was open, her eyes wide and empty. It didn't seem real; Tara couldn't be dead. "You all need to get out of here," Xander said quietly. "I'll call it in. But if there's a crowd like this, there will be questions."

"Should have bloody well known better!" Spike shouted suddenly.

Buffy put a hand on his shoulder. "You should wait in the hallway," she whispered. "There's holy water all over the place."

Spike shoved her off and stalked away. Tashi closed her eyes, frightened at the soft, shattered sound of him crying. She had never seen Spike like that. It was scary. He was cool and solemn and heroic, like a statue. He wasn't supposed to sob in hallways. And Tara wasn't supposed to open doors for demons.

"Why did she do it?" Buffy asked, like she was asking the question for her.

But Xander answered a different question. "Willow's big demon is going to wipe humanity off the earth, right? If Tara's a demon, she gets to keep her."

"Will she... is she--"

"No." Xander gently closed Tara's eyes. "She's just dead."

"How, I just... it's Willow, Xander. How did this happen?"

"I'm sorry, I know this is bad timing, like really bad," Bianca's quiet voice broke in, startling Xander and Buffy. "But I think you might want to look at this." She handed the open book to Tashi. "This is what she was reading, before..."

"What is it?" Buffy asked, coming around to look over her shoulder. Spike was suddenly behind her as well; she could feel his approach even though she hadn't heard him come back in. It was difficult to remember sometimes that he was a vampire.

Tashi read the text aloud, turning the damp pages with care. A sleeping spell, one powerful enough to knock out a whole town for hours.

Bianca frowned. "That's great as a stalling tactic, but there will still be three slayers when the spell wears off, right?"

"Not necessarily," Buffy said quietly.

Tashi could practically hear Spike's brain spinning up to argue about what they all knew Buffy was proposing, but Xander beat him to it. "I cannot have this conversation right now," he said quietly. Tashi realized he still hadn't moved from his place by the body. "All of you need to get out of here, and I will meet you back at Connie's when she has been... taken care of."

The younger slayer turned to look at Spike, but his face had closed off and he just nodded. "Right. Girls, let's go."

Bianca took the book from her and tucked it under her arm. Tashi let them all file out before her and stole a last glance back at Tara. Xander had brushed the hair from her face. She looked peaceful. Tashi hoped that was true.


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Buffy could feel Spike's fury radiating at her, but what was she supposed to do? Just let Willow destroy the world? Then they would all be dead. Her own life was no where near worth the whole of humanity. Did he think she wanted to die?

Well maybe he did, and maybe she did. A little. She frowned and kicked a rock. It wasn't fair. She had just decided that maybe it wasn't so bad being alive again. And now she was back on that tower again. Being the slayer was definitely not about fair.

"Can you do the spell?" she asked Bianca bluntly, knowing she was coming off as emotionless and cold. She couldn't help it. Thinking about Tara and Willow and all of it, it just rendered her sad and helpless.

Bianca shrugged. "I can try anyway."

"We should go to the school," she told them. "That's where the hellmouth opens. We need to be close, don't you think?"

There was a loud popping sound. Willow stood in front of them, crossed arms and pleasant smile. Buffy felt a little sick. "Gee, Will. Such a shame we never got to have that chat," she spat.

"Too bad, really," Willow agreed. "But soon the earth will be free of the curse of humanity, and the world will be returned to its rightful rulers."

"You are really reaching, you know that," Spike laughed. "This shit about demons as the indigenous life of earth making you feel better about bringing about the extinction of humanity?"

Willow shrugged. "Just looking forward to retirement," she quipped. "No more humans, no more wishes to grant."

"Right," Spike replied wearily. Buffy nodded as well, and then ran Willow through with her sword.

She was going to make some sort of retirement-related pun, but Willow was still just standing there. She tapped experimentally at the blade protruding from her chest. "Hmm. Ouchie." She lifted her head to grin at Buffy as she slowly pulled out the sword. "You know, you really should have paid more attention to Giles. Then you might actually know how to kill me." Willow took a few steps back and smiled at them all. "And besides, it doesn't matter what you do to me. The third is here, and it has already begun. Stopping us is impossible."

"The impossible child," Bianca muttered.

Buffy was going to ask her what that meant when the ground started to shake. "Impossible or not, we're going to try, okay?" she asked Bianca as calmly as she could manage.

"What are you going to do?" asked Tashi.

She could feel Spike's eyes boring into her as she answered. "When Bianca starts the spell, I'll do... what I need to do. When the spell wears off, there won't be three slayers there."

"Sorry, B. You can't go back for thirds until I've had seconds."

Buffy took in the shocked look on Spike's face before turning to face the speaker. She was rail thin, curves whittled away. Her dark hair was cropped close around her too-white face. If the sheath on her right boot was any indication, she still favored really big knives.

"Faith?"

"Sun will be up in a few hours. Baby Cordy here does her mojo, and when you wake up, I'm gone. Everyone's a winner."

Buffy just blinked at her. "Faith... you're alive?"

The wraith laughed. "No. I'm not alive."

Spike took a few steps toward her. "How..."

"Drusilla wanted her family back together. When I tried to stop her, she decided to get her revenge in a creative way." She turned to look at Buffy. "You see, the thing inside us, the demon or animus or whatever the fuck that makes us slayers, it doesn't like intruders." She turned her eyes up to the sky. "I've been wanting to do this for a long, long time. But Angel... Cordelia told him I had a fucking purpose, you know. And this, this will do."

"Angel knew?" Spike was seething, Buffy could hear it in his voice.

"I don't," Buffy stammered. "I don't even know what to say, Faith."

Faith grinned. "Then don't say anything, B. Just tell the girl to start the spell."

"You're not doing this," Spike whispered dangerously.

"I am, Billy. Deal with it. It's either me or one of them. So get your undead ass under an awning or something and let me fulfill my damn destiny."

Buffy put a restraining hand on Spike's shoulder. "Take Bianca somewhere... shady and watch over her." She turned to Tashi and Faith. "Are you ready for this?"

Whether they were or not, they were going to have to face it anyway because the ground was shaking and cracking and little grey forms were starting to worm their way up out of the ground. Faith turned to smile at them briefly. "Remember kids, don't die."

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Xander picked up Tara's keys and followed the police in her quiet little car. Like an automaton he watched them maneuver the body. He answered the questions, filled out the forms, and then sat under the silent stars outside the coroner's office trying to get past the numbness. He had been through all this so many times. Lieuko, Anne, Lara. He had held Tara's shaking hand while she waited for the doctors to turn off the machines that were keeping her wife technically alive. He hadn't stopped holding her hand for hours.

It wasn’t real to him yet. Even when he’d turned in his white hat, Tara had been part of his life. They met every May at Buffy’s grave. She was there every Christmas, even the years when Jess was with his mother and Giles overseas. Tara had been part of his life for longer than anyone.

Anyone real at least. Doesn't it ever bother you? It looks like their names should rhyme, but they don't. He felt sick at the memory of laughing at that with Willow at the reception, back when she used to pop in and out and none of them could bring themselves to end her. She was their friend.

And now she was going to kill them all, wipe them all off the face of the earth. Except, apparently, the ones she was still fond of.

Xander jumped to his feet and dashed to Tara's car. He tried Jess's phone, but got no answer. He left a desperate, rushed message for Anya and forced the gas to the floor. He parked the car on the curb of Jess's building. The ground began to rumble and something roared in the distance. He couldn't stop. He took the steps three at a time.

"This was your idea," he could hear her familiar voice lecturing. "You wanted them to know what it felt like to lose everything they ever cared about. I'm pretty sure this will cover it."

Xander felt his heart sink. How many times had he told Jess to keep his mouth shut around Willow. He remembered all too well his own mistakes in that regard. Of all the things he'd ever done, those slips of the tongue were his more regretted mistakes.

"I didn't mean this, Aunt Willow; and I was drunk. This is... this is insane."

Xander struggled with the door, but it held fast.

"Now, just let the nice man bite you and you'll wake up tomorrow feeling much better."

The door finally gave against his throbbing shoulder and he tumbled through the opening. Willow pounced on him, knocking him aside. He thrashed, trying to throw her off, trying to see his son. He could hear the nauseating sound of tearing flesh and his son's scream. Xander managed to twist himself around just in time to see Jess thrust a broken chair leg through his assailant's chest. His son then whipped around to club Willow with the same shattered piece of wood.

"Ow!" she protested, landing hard against the broken door. The entire building seemed to buck and shift as a horrible noise burst from somewhere far away. Jess clapped a hand to his throat and slumped against the wall. He looked from one to the other then limped toward his son.

Willow's hands on his shoulders stopped him. "No, let him go. It will be easier."

"Easier than what?" he demanded.

She gave him a sad little look. "Than the way the rest of you are going to go." She leaned forward to kiss his forehead and he wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed.

Willow struggled, kicking at him and clawing at his hands. He tried tightening his grip, but then her knee in his stomach sent him flying again.

She stood scowling in the door frame. "Oh, that was not cool, Xander. And really ineffective. I mean, you'd think just one of you could have looked up how to kill us before--"

Her lecture ended rather abruptly as her head separated from her body in a bloody rush. Xander's eyes widened as a spattered Anya looked over the corpse at him. She dropped the sword and brushed past the body just before it flared into flame and then nothing. He dragged himself to Jess's side and helped her tape gauze to his son's neck. Then her head crashed into his chest and his eyes closed despite himself and he fell deep into dark.

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A brief epilogue to follow. Feedback very much appreciated. I know I haven't responded to the last set of reviews. I hope to get to them later tonight. I've just been swamped lately.