December 23, 2027- New England-

Oscar felt the bond being torn, just as it had been years before when Darla and Drusilla were killed…and now Spike. Now, he was the last of the Aurelius line, but at least the legacy was safe.

If he could keep her grief contained.

The sound ripped through his body, and tore at his nerves. The bond had been broken, and now he was alone. The sound of her anguish reverberated in the chasm of time, “Daddy, please…Why Daddy…? Why?”

The grief in this house was suffocating. But, at least now, there was the promise. A promise that Oscar knew he had to protect, even from those he had loved the most.

He felt their sorrow, and knew, even before the door opened and revealed her, that it was over. Yet, he knew that it had just begun.

Her green eyes burned with a fire both chilled and warmed him, “I thought…” Buffy’s eyes shone brightly, clearly showing him the emptiness she felt, “Oh, Oscar,” she shook her head, “how could I have been so wrong? And now…” the tears began to fall, and she joined him at the window, taking what little comfort the snow’s beauty could offer, “Poor Joni,” she whispered.
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Spike tried to process what he was saying. He knew, could feel something inside of him dying, and there were legends and myths, but no one- no demon, and certainly no human- gave them any credence, but still, he felt it. He knew it. And yet, he still couldn’t believe.

There was a time, when he was younger, and more naïve, not much more than an aimless fledgling really, that he might have believed, but he didn’t believe now.

If he believed, it would destroy her, destroy them.

He had no hope. Angelus, and his time in the prison that Wolfram and Hart had designed for him, had taken that hope away. A hope that was now a handful of dust. A hope that he had spent years mourning, and that he didn’t know how to rebuild.

Spike was incensed, and as he paced, it became more and more difficult to exercise any restraint. Angelus had been cruel, but somehow, Liam was even more so, and the sound of his blood as it rushed through him made it difficult to think, “You’re lying,” he growled, loosening the tight control he was straining to keep on his demon. He stared at Liam as he trembled with fear, “Tell me,” he asked, “why shouldn’t I kill you?”

Liam swallowed his fear, “Spike,” his voice trembled, “I know…” his eyes darted to the golden, nearly reptilian eyes that were looking at him now, “I know…I could have helped, and I didn’t. I don’t even know…” he could feel his chest tightening, “if you’ll even listen to me now…But, I do know that you were never bloodthirsty. Not like I was. And, I tried to beat it out of you, I did,” he shook his head, lost in the memory of what he was, “You were right,” he sighed, his shuddering breath betraying his terror, “You were nothing like me.”

Spike’s fangs flashed. The demon had never been this insistent before. The more Liam talked, the more he brought the demon to bear. All he wanted to do was bury his fangs in his neck, and drink until there was nothing left, “You know nothing about me!” he roared.

“Maybe not,” Liam whispered, the terror in his blood making it difficult to speak, “Maybe that was true,” he stuttered, unable to withstand the naked fury in those eyes, but powerless to look away from it, because now he did know him.

He knew him, because now… “But now it’s not,” he closed his eyes, as the things he could have done to help, but didn’t, flashed across the canvas of his mind, “You want to kill me, don’t you?” he was shamed, and tears of anger, and regret, stung his eyes, looking at the lethal light that flashed, like lightning in Spike’s eyes, “I know that. And, do you know how I know that?”

He waited, but he saw none of the compassion, none of the light, which had always been a constant, almost to the point of being infuriating, in the golden eyes that were staring back at him.

The silence was vociferous, as he had once been. That was when Liam knew… “I know that,” Liam said, “because, I killed you.”

Spike pulled the man up by his neck, and felt his fingers tighten around it. God, do you know how long…How easy…? Just snap you like a twig… “You see?” the man rasped, and as the shock of what was happening to him settled in and became a certainty, his stomach, oddly, sank, and he coughed, desperate to find air under Spike’s crushing grip, “It’s harder to control…isn’t it? You know I’m right…”
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Buffy watched Homer sleep, and frowned, worried. He seemed to be having a nightmare. She tried to soothe him, leaning over him and gently stroking the hair at his temple, “Shhh,” she whispered, trying to calm him with her voice and touch, even as he thrashed, weakly, in his sleep, “Easy now…” the words came, without thought, “Buffy’s here…”

His forehead creased, as though her voice had reached him, and he was trying to make his way through a fog, “So cold,” he murmured, “Nowhere else…It’s all destroyed….Something so small. How could…? I never…Oh…” his voice trailed off, and his eyes slowly opened, suddenly so bright and clear, so full of love, that Buffy felt her heart flutter.

“Hello,” she whispered, the word catching in her throat.

“So beautiful,” he breathed, a sad smile pulling his mouth up in one corner.

Suddenly, Buffy couldn’t understand why her eyes hurt. It felt like she’d been staring at the sun too long. She closed her eyes against the pain. Her heart knew what was happening, but her eyes refused to see it, “…So small,” he was saying, “But, that is how it starts. Everything begins with destruction. Take care of her…and I won’t be far…I promise…”

Buffy couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t bear to see the light growing dimmer, though she knew it was happening.

She knew she should call out to him, knew that he could feel it too, but she couldn’t bring herself to say his name. If she said his name, then it would be real.

If she said his name, then it would be over. And, he would be lost.

Her eyes stayed closed as she felt the light flair and then burn out. Her heart felt cold as she opened her eyes, hoping it wasn’t true.

But, her eyes opened, and the cot he was lying on was once again empty, she wept. And as she did, she felt her foundation shift, as it refused to hold her.

The floor shook, and the building roared in anguish.

She knew that nothing would ever be the same again.