Note: Thanks to my beta t_geyer for her unending patience, perseverance and support.

SECTION 3 - MY LAST BREATH

Hold on to me love
You know I can't stay long
All I wanted to say was
I love you and I'm not afraid


(Evanescence - Album - Fallen)




Chapter 3.03
Monday, May 27th, 2002


Skip tested the barrier once more. As he had suspected, it was now weakened sufficiently for him to be able to push his hand through it with little resistance. He rolled over as if simply shifting in his sleep, but in actuality his new position allowed him to watch his captors through barely open eyes, awaiting the opportune moment.

He had hoped that at some point they would leave him alone with Lorne, but he wasn't quite that lucky. Instead, he took his chance when Connor left the hotel to fetch lunch for its occupants, leaving him unattended except for Gunn.

The street fighter's axe blows were deflected by Skip's natural armour and the momentum of the axe seemed to work against the man as he tried to square up against his much larger opponent. Skip's fist sent him flying backward before he could regain his balance, the axe sliding off Skip's shoulder and dragging Gunn's arms down and to the left instead of being stopped by muscle and bone. Skip heard the satisfying crack of ribs as Gunn hit the wall and a fraction of a second later it was followed by the even more edifying sound of his skull impacting with the solid 1920's architecture as whiplash drove it back.

The demon took a few steps toward where the man slumped like a marionette with its strings cut before he reconsidered. 'Like some twenty-something Sabrina's going to be able to get rid of the boss... And she might get kinda grouchy if I start killing off all the people she worked on bringing together.'

With a few simple gestures the mercenary opened up a portal to another plane and stepped through.

---

"You look like death." Buffy tried to raise a fraction of a teasing smile to accompany her remark as Spike pushed his way into the shaded room, but her eyes were bright with unshed tears.

The vampire's eyes latched in horror onto the empty bed next to the slayer. "Niblet?"

"It's okay, sweetie. They took her away to do a catscan... to see if they could find any sort of physical reason why she might not have come round yet."

Wes couldn't help but almost smile when the vampire was obviously too worried to even realise what the slayer had called him. "I think now that Spike's arrived that Bee and I are surplus to requirements. We'll get out of your way."

"Are you going to go to the funeral?" Buffy's voice lacked its habitual surety.

Wes looked at his watch. "I think I should be able to make it."

"Will you tell Tara and her parents that we're sorry and that we would have been there if it hadn't meant leaving Dawn?"

"An' look after Tinkerbell for us if the boy isn't up to it?" Spike added.

Wes gave them a single nod and a reassuring half smile. "Consider it done." With that, he held the door open for Bee and then followed her out.

Spike closed the remaining distance between him and his mate, his arms wrapping around her as she leaned her upper body into him. He rained soft kisses on her face as she clung to him, her grief washing through him even more strongly in the instant that they touched than it had when it woke him or as it had seemed to intensify while he had traversed the underground tunnels to make his way to her. All he could do was to be there for her, his emotional strength protecting her even as his physical strength had been drained from him. Her tears finally fell, gently at first and then great racking sobs that could only be sustained for so long before she fell silent once more. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Spike crawled on top of her and then rolled them onto their sides so that he could wrap her against him more effectively.

They didn't need words. In times like these words are simply a way to express your feelings and there was no emotion that slayer or vampire experienced that the other didn't instantly know. Cheek to cheek, the vampire's tears mingled with her own and she knew that he was sad in the most part for the simple reason that she was... because that was how things work when you're in love with someone. You share their grief and their sadness and in doing so, you take a small part of their burden from them.

Spike offered her everything that he was and it was everything she needed. He shared her sorrow, her anger at the witch for leaving them and for hurting Dawn and the man who had come to mean so much to her and her guilt that, as yet, she was unable to grant forgiveness for Willow's actions and she wouldn't be able to do so until she knew that her loved ones were going to fully recover. He shared her regret that the women had drifted apart since they had moved on to college and her worry that, had Willow not felt compelled to use magic to "keep up" with her supernaturally gifted friend, then she would still be alive, well and happy.

When the hospital staff rolled Dawn's gurney back into the room they lay asleep in each other's arms.