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Prologue
 
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Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters belonging to the show are not of my creation. I take no credit for them.

Author’s Notes: Much thanks to my wonderful beta for this story, slaymesoftly, who was patient, wonderful and supportive all throughout the writing of ‘Seven Days’. Also, many thanks to all my wonderful readers, for whom I have written this alternate ending/sequel.
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Previously…


“I miss you…”

Her heart flooded with a warmth unlike anything she had felt before. The burdens of the past had been laid to rest. She had given her heart completely, and despite the pain, she didn’t regret a moment of it. Her life ahead was full of much smaller hurdles, and she could just begin to imagine what it would be like. Her sister and friends were safe, and their paths were clear. She was hurt, but she was alright. Buffy would live, she would love, and she would dance with her lover watching over her, always.

“Rest well, Spike.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

A bright light flared from the amulet, then nearly exploded with black dust. A gust of wind sent the papers of Angel’s desk flying. The dust circled over the amulet, rising more and more until a skeleton could be seen in the center, hand raised in defense ofits skull. Muscle formed on bone, expanding and finally showing the full shape of a man. The sound of someone crying out in defiance and pain could be heard just as flesh began to cover exposed muscle, then black clothing and white hair completing the figure.

The wind was gone, and the ashes were gone. Spike stood in the office, doubled over and breathing hard. He squinted, looking around him in suspicious confusion. The faces he saw certainly weren’t what he expected. “The hell…?”

“Spike…” Wesley was the first to speak, obviously stunned.

“Spike.” Angel’s furious voice followed.

A blond head poked into the office. “Blondie bear?”

Spike looked from one to the other, wide-eyed and beyond confused. “Have I gone on tour, or somethin’?”

……………………………………………………………………………………………


Mementos


Winifred Burkle was the only one to occupy the lab of Walfram and Hart at 3 AM . The room was dim, since she only needed one small light over the small counter she had set up her equipment on. She had discovered that one of the perks of living in one of the penthouses of WR&H was that she had an entire lab to occupy her thoughts if she was ever struck with a case of insomnia.

Actually, all she had really been struck with was a case of conscience.

The lab was too quiet. The small hairs on the back of Fred’s neck stood up. She turned quickly to look behind her, but all she saw was testing equipment. Shrugging, she turned back around and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the bleached blond standing in front of her.

“Spike!”

The smirk on his face was subdued. “You knew I was here.”

“Well, yeah…” She gave a meek little shrug and fixed her glasses. “But the popping up out of nowhere got to me.”

He walked around her, standing by the table and wrapping his arms around himself, as if cold. “Thanks all the same…” He caught sight of the amulet laying on the table, and nodded towards it. “Still investigating the bauble?”

Fred studied the ghost for a moment. Some of his usual energy seemed sapped right out of him. “What is it, Spike?”

Smirking, he shook his head. “That obvious, am I?”

She nodded. “Always.”

Shrugging, he began to pace. “Just Angel, is all…” He ducked his head, not wanting to meet her gaze. “He still won’t call her…”

“Buffy?”

He nodded. “Claims she’s got better things to worry about. That this would only be an…inconvenience to her.”

Fred smiled sympathetically. “Don’t you worry too much, Spike. Soon, I’ll have this figured out, and you can call her all on your own.”

“She’d come, you know…I know bloody well, she’d come.”

Not knowing what to say in return, Fred turned back to her work.

Curious, Spike peered over her shoulder, at the amulet. “Fred…was wonderin` somethin`”

“Yeah?”

“The amulet…you said that it’s been holding my soul this entire time…ever since the Hellmouth closed, right?”

She nodded, most of her concentration still on her work.

“I, um…I saw something…between now and then…after I burned up, I…”

Her interest struck, Fred turned to face him again. “What did you see?”

He ducked his head again, looking nervous. “I saw…something…something different than the hell that’s trying to drag me in, that’s for sure…it wasn’t heaven…it was…” He sighed. “It was exactly what I wanted to see…”

“While you were in the amulet?”

“Don’t know…it didn’t feel like I was in the amulet. I remember being somewhere else, being WITH someone else…I was happy there…”

Fred frowned, going over the small puzzle. “Well, we got the amulet from Wolfram and Hart…we suspect that they were trying to trap Angel inside of it, bind him to this place, the way you’re bound. You were stuck inside of it that entire time…” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s another trick. Maybe the amulet has a way of showing you what you want to see, while you’re trapped inside.”

Spike looked as if his entire world had fallen out from under him. He stared hard at her, and for a moment Fred wondered if ghosts could get any paler. When he closed his eyes tight and placed a trembling hand over his mouth, she grew even more concerned.

“Spike?” She moved closer to him. “Spike, what…?”

He shook his head, holding out a hand to try and stop her from coming any closer. “That’s not true…that’s impossible. I know what happened, and there’s no way that that could have all been just some illusion…”

“Spike, what did you see?”

Spike had to get away. He stepped back from her, then reached back to lean against the counter. His hand fell through, soon followed by the rest of him. He toppled down through the floor and out of sight.

“Spike?”


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Pictures were scattered absolutely everywhere. There were at least five photo albums that everything had to be sorted into. The Summers women had had a hell of a vacation, and they had been determined to document everything.

“I still can’t believe you climbed that mountain without any gear.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “I thought you were over all suicidal tendencies, but…”

Buffy gave her a light shove. “It wasn’t suicidal. It was just…fun.”

“Fun? Buffy, it was SNOWING for one…” She waved a picture of The Slayer looking frozen but determined after falling into a large pile of snow.

“Ooo, give me that one!” She snatched the picture out of Dawn’s hand, then slipped it into the black leather photo album that she had chosen.

Dawn made a face. “I don’t know why you picked that one…since when did you go all goth? Seriously, Buffy, look-“ she held up a purple and green photo album that she had been using. “This one looks MUCH better…”

“No thanks,” Buffy slipped a few more pictures in. “I’m happy with this one.”

Her younger sister rolled her eyes again, but then squealed as she heard the doorbell. “That’s Andrew! I sent him to get some more pictures developed!”

The Slayer watched her sister hop over piles of pictures and struggle to get to the door. She shook her head, smiling indulgently as she looked down at her photo album. It was black leather, with a polished silver frame. She flipped idly through the pictures for a moment, before coming to the very back of the album. There, etched in silver, were two words:

For Spike.


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Another Author’s Note: Come on now, you all didn’t honestly think I was going to make it EASY, did you? Stay tuned for more chapters!
 
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