After long weeks of BVS-abstinence, we finally meet again!Gosh, I'm happy.

But, I have to say, that this is my final chapter of 'Coming Home'. I hope you liked it and maybe I'll write a sequel if you want me to (I have some thoughts lurking around in the back of my mind...)!

Hugs and Kisses to EveryLastDrop again!

And, of course I STILL don't own anything, I borrowed the characters and two or three verses from 7.22!

So, I hope you enjoy my kinda cheesy, kinda sad last piece of Spuffy-cake.

Thanks for all your reviews!You guys rock!

BloodyHell

P.S. Pleeeeeaaase leave a review!
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It was dark. Dark and cold. She was standing in a small cave, hearing nothing but her own heart pounding in her chest and feeling the panic gnawing at her stomach. The humid air made her shiver and she slung her arms around her.

Where am I?

Buffy didn’t recognize her surroundings, although it seemed familiar. It would have definitely helped if there was any light around her – but, well, there wasn’t.

She reached out her arms and carefully started walking. The ground was crunching under her feet, it was solid but not concrete. Dirty soil, maybe. Buffy’s hand came in contact with a wet and cold wall and she withdrew it, startled – she didn’t stop walking, though.

Some steps later, the atmosphere changed. Warmth filled the cave and light started seeping through some cracks in the wall right in front of her. She touched the clefts and the wall collapsed with a loud roar, making Buffy jump back in fright.

Gee, how about a warning?

With the wall gone, the cave was no longer dark. A beaming light shone into Buffy’s face and she had to squint to adjust to the change. As her vision became clearer, she could see a huge cave in front of her. Stalactites were hanging from the sand-brown ceiling, stalagmites were standing scattered on the floor.

Buffy took a step forward and her mouth fell open; right in front of her was an 80 foot deep crater whose bottom was filled with thousands of Turok-Hans, growling and snarling.

Uh-oh.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, her lungs working fast and loudly.

An echo from the vampires below, a bone-chilling sound that made Buffy shudder in fear:

“You cannot defeat us, Slayer! You and your friends will all die!”

She felt helpless and scared, not like a slayer like her should feel. It was like all her strength and courage was taken away from her – a feeling similar to the one she'd had when she was thrown out of her own house two nights ago. Before a special person sought her out and gave her all her inner strength back. Him.

“No worry, luv. They’re just talking big.”

Buffy turned around and almost cried in relief as she saw Spike standing a few feet away from her, clad only in his black jeans. His white skin illuminated the semi-dark corner and his mien was calm and friendly. He looked like an angel.

“Oh, Spike, I’m so glad that you’re here. There are thousands of these Uber-“

Spike held up his hand to stop her from continuing. “I told you, pet. Don’t worry,” he said, his voice soft.

Buffy’s eyes were huge and her mouth stood ajar. “How can you be so calm? We’re outnumbered.” She turned her face towards the crater. “Look, they’re thousands, we’re two.”

Spike just smiled and nodded, as Buffy looked at him again. “Yes.”

She was getting more and more frightened and nervous – one because of the enemy and two because of Spike, who didn’t seem unsettled at all.

“That’s all you have to say? Why are you so calm? We. Are. Going. To. Die,” Buffy screamed at him, tears filled her eyes.

Again no other movement other than a smile from Spike. “No, you’re not. Believe me.”

Buffy closed the distance between them and stared at him, her face contorted in anger and disbelief.

“Why are you so sure?”

“Just because.” His voice was still calm and tender.

Buffy opened her mouth in protest, but then closed it. Her eyes were huge again, but not because of fear, rather because something had dawned on her.

“You didn’t say ‘we aren’t going to die’.” Buffy paused and continued with a small whisper: “You said ‘you’.”

Now, Spike lifted his right hand and reached out to stroke Buffy’s cheek. A single tear escaped his eye as he slowly nodded.

“Why? Why did you say ‘you’?” Buffy trembled under his touch and she put her left hand on top of his.

“I have to go.”

“Now?” Buffy’s voice was shrill.

He shook his head, he didn’t mean ‘right now’.

“Why? Please, tell me. I need to know why. I have to save you.” Tears were running down her cheeks and a sob escaped her lips.

“Sorry, luv, can’t tell you.” He wiped away her tears. “And you can’t save me. Just take care of yourself and the others. I will be fine.”

“How is ‘going to die’ be fine?” A squeak, a sob. No worry on Spike’s face, though.

“I have to go.”

And before Buffy could protest or react in any way, Spike was covered in flames, a satisfied smile on his face.

“I love you, Buffy.” With a sizzle, he was gone.

“NOOOOOOOO!”

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“Buffy!”

“NOOOOOOOO!”

“Buffy, please! Wake up, luv.”

“Oh god, no!” Buffy was shaking and thrashing about, and Spike was having trouble holding her.

“It’s alright. Everything’s okay. Just wake up,” he whispered softly in her ear.

Slowly, Buffy calmed down, her sobs and cries subsided but her eyes remained closed.

“Ssh. It’s okay, pet,” Spike repeated, holding Buffy close and stroking her back with his left hand. “You had a bad dream, is all.”

“No,” she said with a quiet and hoarse voice filled with sadness and tears. “It wasn’t a bad dream.”

Spike looked up from his position on her shoulder and a frown appeared on his face. “Well, it didn’t strike me as good, either.” He put his left hand on her right cheek and stroked her lip with his thumb.

“No,” Buffy rasped and shook her head as new tears filled her eyes. “It was horrible.”

Spike brushed a soft kiss over her lips and smiled a shy smile. “So, it was a bad dream.”

Buffy scowled at him. “No, I told you it was not.”

“But you said” Spike noticed the shiver in her body and turned his soft blue eyes towards her troubled hazel ones. “Want to talk about it?”

Buffy shifted in his arms and put her head on his chest, pulling him close. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to.” He put his arms around her and nuzzled his face in her hair. “You just seem shaken.”

“I think it was a slayer dream,” she huffed.

Spike’s head snapped up. A slayer dream that vivid and emotionally painful was nothing of the good.

“What happened?”

Buffy looked at him and saw the angel-like dream Spike in her mind. The calm face he’d worn, the smile that had never left his face while he burned and died. She couldn’t tell him, she couldn’t look into his tender eyes and tell him he was going to die. But she had to. No more lies, no more not-telling.

She took a deep breath. “I was in a cave or something, it was dark and cold. Then, suddenly, it got warm and bright. And then there was a crater filled with thousands of uber-vamps and they screamed at me ‘You’re all going to die!’ and then…” Buffy paused and rubbed her eye with her right hand, preventing the tears to escape. With a quiet, broken voice she continued.

“And then, there was you. Looking like an angel.”

Spike chuckled. “You sure it was me? I’m nothing like that poofter.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Looking like an angel, not like Angel with the capital letter.”

“Phew, thank god. So, there was me, looking fantastic as ever…” He prodded her to continue with a tentative smile, which she returned.

“Yes, there were you, standing at the cave’s wall, totally calm. I was shaking in my boots and you… you just stood there, smiling at me like you’ve never been worried at all.”

He smiled at her then with the same smile. “And then?”

“I was freaking out of course, because they told me that we’re going to die and you… you said ‘You’re not going to die. Don’t worry.’ And it hit me, that you said ‘you’ instead of ‘we’. You knew you were going to die and you were calm, at peace.”

Buffy paused as the fear crept up her spine again and she started to shiver again, her usual strong and fierce demeanor gone for good.

“And then you burst into flames and you were gone, “she whispered with a sniff.

Spike held her close but tensed at her last words. She'd had a dream, a slayer dream, where he died, just like he thought he would. It was set in stone, then.

Oh no. His bravery from the day before was gone now, he didn’t look forward to the final end of his unlife. Not any more. Not after last night.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured into her ear, pressing his eyes tightly together to prevent the tears from falling. “It was just a dream, don’t worry.” Oh, his heart was breaking.

A single tear escaped his left eye, just like in the dream, and he burrowed his head further into her shoulder to hide his deep sadness.

“It felt so real,” Buffy mumbled more to herself than Spike. “It felt too real.”

Spike sniffed once and took a deep breath to regain his composure. “We’ll fight, we’ll win. Positive thinking and all that rot, okay?”

Buffy smiled tentatively. “Okay.” God, how I want to believe him. ”Sorry I woke you up.”

Spike returned her smile and caressed her face with his hand. “Nah, I wasn’t sleeping anyway. The sun’s almost up, you know.”

Buffy looked away from his eyes, past his head and through the small window. The sky was filled with yellow and orange beams, announcing another day. It could be the last for them.

She returned her gaze back to his and bit her bottom lip. “I just wanted to tell you… before we face the First… that I, uh, really enjoyed last night.”

Spike face lit up and his eyes sparkled with joy. “Me, too. It was a great night. Not only because we, you know, had sex, but…”

“I know. Because we had each other – as cheesy as it sounds,” she chuckled. Buffy was still badly shaken by the dream, but she had to listen to Spike once more and think positive. Think about what they’ll have when it’s all over.

Just a dream, based on my fears. Nothing to get worked up for.

“It’s not sappy. We just enjoyed everything, without insulting the other. I call it progress.”

Progress towards the end, he thought sadly but kept the smile on his face.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Buffy paused and bit her bottom lip again. “In my dream you said that you loved me-“

Spike brows shut up. “I do.”

Taking in a shaky breath, Buffy continued with a nod. “Yes, I know you do. I just wanted to tell you that-“

“BUFFY!” Dawn was hammering at the door of the basement. “SPIKE! Please stop smooching and get up, we have to go soon.”

The couple rolled their eyes and grumbled. “Since when is Dawn the head of apocalypse-prevention?” Buffy asked as she tried to get up from the cot. Spike wouldn’t let her, though.

“Spike!” She squealed with glee, as Spike started tickling her at her sides. “Stop.”

He laughed and attacked her anew. “No, you were saying something and I want to know what or I’m not letting you out of the bed.”

“That would be a great plan if there wasn’t the nasty chore of saving the world.”

She was still giggling when he released her but she didn’t get up right away. She looked into his amused eyes and smiled with affection.

“I just wanted to tell you that I-“

“Buffy! Spike! The girls are shifting from one foot to the other, Anya and Xander are making out like there’s no tomorrow – well, there could be – and Willow is wigging out about her spell. Could you please come up?” Dawn called from above, clearly agitated.

Spike and Buffy sighed in unison and the former let her out of his grasp.

“Niblet sounds serious. We should go.”

Buffy nodded. “Okay. We’ll talk later?”

Spike pressed a kiss on her lips and let his mouth linger a little longer than usual. “We will.”

As Buffy put on her clothes, he let his fingers trail down her spine. She turned her head and smiled at him. She stood up and headed for the stairs. “You coming?”

“Of course, pet. I don’t want to miss out on some action,” he answered with a wink and got up.

What was she going to say?

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Sunnydale High, moments before the battle

Buffy and Spike walked towards the door leading to the cave, holding hands. Their movements were slow and cautious, both of them knowing that the big battle was going to start in a few moments and then they wouldn’t have time for comforting gestures and togetherness.

“So, ready?” Buffy asked sorrowfully.

Spike kissed the top of her head, her forehead, her nose. “Always,” he said with a kiss on her lips. “And you?”

Buffy bit her lower lip and glanced towards the door. “I’m not sure.”

Spike chuckled, released her hand and hugged her instead. “You’ll do great,” he whispered in her ear. “And now I want to see some enthusiasm and optimism, darling.”

Buffy chuckled a little and smiled at him. “Okay.” A sigh. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d cry like a baby, I’m sure,” Spike mocked with a smirk. “And now off to see the Wizard.”

Buffy nodded and walked through the door Spike opened. “He’s using ‘The wizard of Oz’-references while facing the death,” she mumbled, which earned her a leer from Spike.

“Yeah, let’s just follow the yellow brick road, shall we.”

“Ha ha,” Buffy deadpanned as the door behind swung close and the enemy welcomed them ahead.

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In the cave, the battle is in full swing

Spike stopped fighting the Turok-Hans and grabbed the amulet on his chest.

“Buffy! Whatever this thing does, I think it’s-,” He moaned in pain and staggered backwards.

Buffy didn’t hear him and addressed the girls. “Keep the line together! Drive them to the edge! We can’t let them-“

She stopped mid-sentence as a sharp pain ran through her abdomen. She looked down and saw that the enemy had driven a knife through her.

Ow!

Buffy fell to the floor with a grunt and lay there motionless. “Ow!” she repeated out loud with a moan. She lifted her head and turned it towards Spike, who stood in the corner of the cave, clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain.

Oh no! The cave, Spike. I can’t let him die! Get up, Summers.

With trembling arms and muttered curses, Buffy lifted herself up from the ground, trying to blank out the horrible pain.

As soon as she stood and gathered herself, the Turok-Hans started attacking her again and her way to Spike was blocked.
Ten or more uber-vampires were dusted before she could lay her eyes on Spike again. But what she saw made her mouth stand open and heart beat painfully in her chest.

Spike was in the furthest corner of the cave, his arms stretched out beside his body, his chest heaving with unneeded breaths. But Buffy didn’t notice all of that – her gaze was on the gigantic ray coming out of the amulet on his chest.

It’s the fire. Oh no,please no.

Buffy ran towards him, dusting some vampires along the way, but not really caring about the biggest fight of her life going on around her.

“Spike! You’re burning!” she half screamed, half gasped as she reached him.

He turned his gaze towards Buffy and smiled a soft smile. “Buffy, yes, I can feel it!”

Buffy’s panic-filled eyes blinked and her open-standing mouth closed for a second. “What? What do you mean?” she asked in confusion.

“My soul. I feel it. It itches like hell,” he chuckled.

“What? It’s not funny! There’s sun coming out of your chest!” Buffy screamed at him, clearly panicked and frightened.

“I’m doing it so you can win, luv. Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine.”

Buffy gaped at him, not panicked anymore, but devastated and sad. “So it was a slayer dream,” she whispered.

Spike looked at her with a sad smile. “Seems so, pet.”

“No! This can’t be...”

“Buffy! We have to leave! Now!,” Faith shouted from the stairs leading upstairs.

Buffy realized that the three of them were the last people –minus the fallen slayers- in the cave, which was shaking and crumbling dangerously.

“Yeah, we’re coming. Go ahead,” Buffy answered automatically, but too quietly for Faith to hear.

“Buffy! Move, dammit!” Faith repeated with more force, her mien afraid.

Now Buffy replied angrily and loudly, though never leaving Spike’s eyes. “Yes, I heard you! GO AHEAD!”

Faith obeyed. With curses under her breath.

“Spike, we have to leave. You’ve done enough.”

“No, Buffy. I have to clean it up. Make it a good victory.”

Tears filled Buffy’s eyes. “No, Spike. Please come with me. You did good, we can run now.”

But Spike shook his head, a heart-warming smile on his face. “No. I’m staying. You run. Fast.”

He took her hand and put it against his lips, kissing her fingers softly. Little flames erupted between his lips and her hand, but they didn’t hurt. They just felt warm and tingly – it made Buffy cry.

“I can’t go without you. I need you,” she sobbed, and moved her hand to stroke Spike’s cheek. “I love you.”

Spike eyes lit up and his smile widened a tad more. “No, you don’t but thanks for saying it.”

He had to say it. Although he tried to believe in it, in the exceptional circumstances his mind wasn’t able to grasp that Buffy really did love him. His thoughts just screamed “Get her out of there!”... and that’s what Spike hoped he did when he told her she didn’t love him.

But, his still heart was the only part of his body that didn’t think, just felt – it fluttered with happiness and joy, it ached in pain.

“But I do! I do!” Buffy sobbed and clung to him, interrupting the ray of sunshine flooding into the cave.

Spike hugged her back with all his strength and pressed his eyes tightly shut. “Go! Now!”

He pushed her away and Buffy stumbled backwards. She gaped at him but Spike kept his gaze lowered to the ground, pain clearly written on his face and his chin and lower lip were trembling slightly.

“Please,” he begged her, his voice hoarse.

Buffy blinked once and twice, tears running down her cheeks but she nodded a little. She took a step forward, pressed a kiss on his forehead and sobbed.

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear.

Then she turned around and sprinted for the stairs.

“I love you, too,” Spike whispered, choking back tears, no smile on his face, the feel of her lips still burning on his forehead.

Buffy reached the stairs just as the cave collapsed behind her and she ran with all her power left, not thinking, not feeling, just running. The slayer in her took over.

From the roof of the school, she jumped onto the yellow bus, reaching it just in time.

As the group of survivors stopped a few meters behind the enormous crater that once had been Sunnydale, Buffy slid down from the roof of the bus and landed smoothly on her feet. Her face was twisted in sorrow and grief and her hand covered her mouth which stood ajar.

With slow movements, she neared the crater, blocking out all the voices around her, asking her if she was alright and what happened.

She couldn’t understand the words, her ears were buzzing so loud that she didn't even hear herself sobbing and crying, as she fell to her knees in front of the abyss.

Dawn, Giles, Xander, and Willow were at her side right away, but she didn’t notice them.
Buffy just saw one face in front of her, heard just one voice in her head.

“Spike,” she whispered.

And then she felt it, a burning sensation on her chest. Buffy opened her blouse with trembling fingers and gasped with shock.

Right over her heart, where the sun beam had stroked her, was a thumb-wide red mark ... in shape of a heart.

“Oh god, Spike.”
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The end