Twenty

Epilogue:


Spike leaned against a tree. He was smoking a cigarette. Wasn't drunk. And hadn't drunk for a while now. Probably because he caused enormous amounts of pain to the people he might have called his friends by bringing all their true loves back from the dead. Real classy of him.

But they still didn't know what he had done. Only Giles. And the Watcher hadn't spoken more than ten words in the ten weeks that they had been back. The only time was when the watcher had asked if he was going to stay in England to train the new Slayers. Spike had said he would and Giles nodded. Nothing more.

Not that there was really a need anymore. Something had happened to the world. There were only a handful of vampires and hardly any demons. It seems like Buffy's little disappearing trick had thinned out the population. Those who hadn't been killed were migrating to different dimensions, and a good thing too, because the Slayers had started dwindling. About half of them had died in the big fight and the rest were loosing their power. Spike kept training them but they were loosing passion and power by the minute.

Spike took another drag. Everyone knew what everyone was going through, because everyone felt the same thing. Loss. It was incredible. And confusion. Why the magical vacuum? Why the migration? Why Darla?

Every person he knew was trying to figure it out. All of the Scooby gang had reunited underneath Giles' roof in London. Pouring over books and looking for the slightest sign of a clue. Darla was unconscious in a Los Angeles hospital bed, threatening to wake up any second. Angel's gang was watching over her now. Amazingly enough, the man who knew everything returned to the vampire who remembered nothing. Spike snorted. Angel could repress a cow. And it seemed like the forgetting theme continued with the people who Cordelia hadn't done her mojo on. Dawn, thankfully didn't remember Joyce and the rest of the world was at peace.

Spike had finished the last drag of his cigarette, cursing that it was the last one of the pack, when he heard familiar sounds of fighting near by. He strolled along figuring it was just gangs fighting over some piece of turf when he caught a familiar scent in the air.

He went running.

The dust cloud revealed a tiny girl standing in jeans and a tee-shirt. Blond hair pulled up in a ponytail with a stake on her right and a crossbow on her left.

"Buffy." Spike whispered.

"Oh good," She said with a small smile. "I'm glad to see you first. I just got here. Where exactly am I?"

"London."

"Oh." She looked around, "that's right."

"Buffy."

"And what are you doing here?"

"Patroling."

He could barely talk. He didn't need to breathe, but he lost his breath once again. Did she know? Did she remember? She obviously didn't think he was a soulless monster, so it wasn't the first few years of their... relationship. Did she get pulled out of heaven? Is she real? Thoughts, questions, swirled about, but his body was stone still. He really could not believe what he was seeing.

Spike stumbled to her and touched her hand with a single finger. It was warm, alive, and moving. He caught her glorious scent and watched as she turned her big eyes up towards his. She put the stake in her pocket and the crossbow on the ground.

"That's good."

"Buffy..."

"So Cordelia came up to wherever the hell I was and told me that I had a choice. I could either stay dead forever, with the threat of waking up numerous times whenever they needed me. Or just stay alive and ageless until they summoned me to die. Apparently, there's a huge movement with this youth generation about procrastination and irresponsibility since they aren't 'THE Chosen One' anymore and I need to keep teaching them as they come along. I guess I'm a good teacher." Buffy shrugged." Cordelia really didn't tell me the details; apparently it's this whole free choice phase that the Powers that Be are going through. Annoying isn't it?"

"Buffy?"

"Cordelia made me an immortal." She said softly. If Spike couldn't move earlier, he would have turned to a rock right now. Immortal, it didn't even seem like a word. What was the meaning? What does this mean?

Buffy then squeezed his hand. She hesitantly looked up, paused, then stood on her tip-toes to kiss Spike softly on the lips. It was the sweetest kiss he had ever received. He responded by bending his head and pulling her closer. He didn't deepen it because he didn't want to ruin the moment. Unfortunately she pulled away too soon and he let her leave his grasp, but not his gaze.

"You look good." She whispered.



***************


The crowd was silent as a single beam of light shone down from the ceiling and onto the floor. There was nothing but floating particles that responded and reflected against the bright whiteness. A few coughs echoed through the tents but each sound was greeted with angry glances. Soon everything was quiet except for the rustle of changing positions from the uncomfortable spectators.

"It was at this moment, that Riley, in a jealous rage, shoots Spike in the back. Blood dripping from Spike's side, he pulled away in pain, only to see that the bullet had punctured his lover's lung. Buffy coughs once and her blood rolls down from the corners of her mouth. The vampire picks up the dead body of the Slayer and holds it close to him. Willing to wake her up with his strength.

"He hears her heartbeat slow and her breathing fills with liquid. And in a moment, he knows that he only has a few moments left. The vampire changes from his human face to his demonic one and slowly descends upon her neck. He kisses her once, very sweetly, then drains her in front of Riley. The human murderer cannot move for shock and sorrow. With her last breath, Spike cuts open his wrist and feeds the everlasting immortality to his lifeless love."

Giles ends, his head bent forward and shoulders bowed. He lifts his hands up to the air and turns around so that everyone can see the truth. With extreme slowness, he takes off his hat and holds it to his heart, motions that tell the audience that these words are true.

"Never has there been a story of such sadness or sincerity. This was the horrible yet honest tale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Spike the Vampire, the soulless monster she unlives for."

Applause roars from the audience, as the entire crowd stands up for the brilliant tale. However, no one knows how much this tale cost more than the four in the front row. Willow and Tara clap as they look knowingly into one another's eyes; Xander and Anya lead the teary applause, while Buffy and Spike are brought down on an invisible platform. Holding hands and kissing in front of the entire world.

The mob explodes into wild adoration over viewing the vampire pair who risked everything to be with one another. A modern day Romeo and Juliet, and with an equally tragic ending. The audience found it a fantastic tale, but in the end, they would still go back to their lives devoid of learning anything. Occasionally they will remember the thrilling tale and sigh at the daring. However, they will never apply its message to their daily life. Which is how it ought to be.

A knock, and then Cordelia Chase walks into the not-so-white-anymore room. D'Hoffryn sits in the center, watching the cinematic smiling and happiness around him.

"Sit down, Miss Chase, I forgive you for interrupting the best part just this once. The next time, I will do something horrific to you. I think you will be punished by always having a song stuck in your head. Maybe something by Hillary Duff."

Cordelia smiled and ignored the obvious jab at her timing.

"I never figured you for the romantic type." She said, leaning against the edge of the doorframe.

"I find it strangely appropriate. It's a farewell," he paused, "to her."

"To Buffy?"

"Yes."

"Ironic. She has the chance to live forever and you are telling her goodbye." The demon gave a dignified snort.

"It's official then. You made her an immortal."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she is needed." Cordelia said with furrowed brows.

D'Hoffryn laughed shortly, then became stonily silent. The girl in white felt the awkwardness and tried to change the topic to the happy people on the screen.

"Is this the story he wished to have end?"

He sighed.

"Yes. It is. I did a fantastic job. Don't you think?"

"No. I don't." She said, when sitting down next to him on an empty stadium seat. The only empty chair in the entire fantasy.

"Don't you see the beauty of everything? It is so peaceful here and simple. Clear and beautiful. And it hardly lacks entertainment. The love story still ends with a death scene, but it's perfect and don't you see? The people learn nothing. So a story like this could still stand in a world of absolutes. It is fascinating to know, truly, who you are when there are so many divides in your life. You could gain a world of perspective here. Miss Chase."

"Why did you choose her?"

"Do you want to know, or do they?"

Cordelia smiled.

"A little bit of both really."

"Then you are stupider than your employers," D'Hoffryn snapped. "Do you think I would pull Anya from eternal heaven, for my own selfish reasons?"

"I don't know. I never thought you would understand what she died for."

"Oh I understand. She was killed in doing something that she believed in. She stood for her ideals and her friends, just like she did when she was a Vengeance Demon. When she was mind. How could I take that away from her? No matter how much I miss her, I respect her death. Something the Powers that Be should understand when it comes to Miss Summers."

"There is happiness too." Cordelia said calmly.

"The world is starting over. Don't you see? The Demons are leaving and the magical are being drained. The Powers know that underneath this world, lies the Old Ones who eventually arise to claim this earth again. So they forbid Buffy Summers to die. She is the one person who deserves heaven and you have taken it away from her. THAT is ironic. You, a heavenly being, have betrayed her. Her confident. Her friend. Ironic, Miss Chase. My farewell is not unexpected; it is your blindness that describes the word well. "

Cordelia sat up to her fullest height and defended her words.

"They will be there; Buffy, Spike, Willow, Conner, Illyria, Angel, and maybe even Darla. They will be there to make sure the world is balanced."

"Darla, Conner, and Illyria have just entered the game. Willow will die, and Angel will become disillusioned when he does not receive his reward." D'Hoffryn's eyes flashed, "And Buffy will share the vampire's desire to rest."

"But Spike—"

"Spike has no soul and will never regain it again." The demon looked into Cordelia's astonished eyes, "The world is restarting and you have doomed your greatest allies."



Never has there been a story of such sadness or sincerity. This was the horrible yet honest tale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Spike the Vampire, the soulless monster she unlives for.


The End.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Note: SO! I hope you loved this story! I did and I'm working on the sequel as we speak: D'Hoffryn's Choice: The Dog's Crumbs. Probably going to be a while because if I consciously post while I am writing, I stop writing. It's a thing...

However, just a little reflection on the story:

1) The opening sequence had to be the ultimate fantasy. You don't know what is going on or if it's even real. But obviously it's in another world. After I went to the Circus with my sister, I literally SAW the prologue. I had it stuck in my head for five years. It took me three years to write it down, then another year to come back to it. Literally, I never thought this story would ever finish.

2) Every time Buffy and Spike got a vision, they would break the boundaries of the world. A touch, a thought... their relationship in this world is equated with bestiality or a drug addiction. It's worse. It's NEVER done. Speaking of Drugs, don't do them. But read about Jack Kerouac doing them. He's one of my favorite authors and he influenced the Benzedrine.

3) D'Hoffryn was totally inspired by the episode Selfless and the commentary done by Drew Goddard, when he said that D'Hoffryn literally couldn't kill her. This is because Anya was his favorite and that letting her go broke his heart more than killing Hallie. That's why D'Hoffryn wanted to keep the world because he knew he would never see Anya again. As a vengeance demon, he knows what justice is. And Anya's actions were honorable and true. If he loved her, like he did, then he could never take her back.

4) Don't you HATE it that they never say, "I love you" to one another? I TRIED. I fucking wrote it a thousand times in a thousand places, but I couldn't do it. And then I figures out why—I think that they are the ultimate pairing because they are capable of phenomenal love that novels are made of, but they never had the time. You got a glimpse of it during the end of S5 (she kissed him when he didn't tell Glory), and beginning of S6 (Once More With Feeling). But then things got out of hand and then self destruction hits. Spike keeps on the right path, but Buffy kinda makes a left at Albuquerque. The other thing is that I don't think that Spike is capable of the same love that he showed in S6 when he has a soul. WHICH is why...

5) Spike has no soul.


Look out for the sequel; I also want to thank Guinevere Jenasea for beta-ing. Guinevere, get better and drink lots of soup. And Jenasea you are a goddess on earth. Also Sania Delian for helping me out with the outline in the very beginning. (It's changed, hasn't it?)

And my reviewers:
I LOVE You are fantastic, wonderful people who brighten up my dreariest days! Thank you for your love and support. I couldn't have done it without you.