Angelus stood lounging in the doorway of the crypt, oblivious to the two vampires occupying it. He watched in perverted amusement as the two demons twisted and turned in all their naked glory. The perfect contrast of light pushing against the darkness moved in a simplistic rhythm as old as time itself. As the passion between the two demons heightened,

Angelus' interest waned; he purposely waited until the most inappropriate moment before making his presence known.

Drusilla was the first to notice they were no longer alone, the dark haired vampire squealed with delight on seeing that her beloved sire was finally home.

"Bloody hell" Spike muttered as his lover pulled away from his unsatisfied body. Watching Drusilla start out of the bed, Spike grabbed her arm and threw his shirt at the naked woman. Reluctantly, Drusilla pulled the shirt over her shapely figure and headed straight for her sire.

While Dru headed in one direction, Spike slipped quietly out of the other side of the bed and tugged his jeans up his muscular legs with a frustrated snarl of anger. He then stood quietly in the shadows while his lover ran to the older man.

On reaching her sire Drusilla lifted her delicate hand as if to lovingly caress his cheek but instead she swiped him straight across the face. Angelus growled at the surprise greeting, his dark brown eyes flickered with golden specks of the demon.

"DRU!" He yelled out his displeasure as his childe moved even closer.

"That was for letting the Slayer hurt grandmother" she waited for a second as if checking behind his eyes and then her whole face broke into a devilish smile. "My bad boy's really come home"

"You better believe it, baby" Angelus smiled and walked further into the crypt. He ran his finger along the side of a tomb and looked down his nose in contempt. The whole place just screamed of Spike, even after a hundred years the kid still hadn't learnt any class.

Spike's lair was dark, dank and lacked the more refined requirements of home but, it was better than the mid day sun. Angelus had no fear of the Slayer finding him, Spike might be a dumb prick at times, but he had been taught well. His grandchilde would never set up home in a place the Slayer was aware of.

Angelus mistakenly thought that even Spike wasn't that stupid.

Perching on top of the tomb the demon started to make himself at home.

"You've been a very naughty boy" Dru fussed all around her sire much to Spikes disgust. He had been right to worry about Angelus' return.

**One sniff of the old sod and Drusilla was reduced to a bitch on heat. **

Spike bit down the temptation to stake the bastard there and then. Drusilla would never forgive him and besides **Why should he do the dirty work when there's a perfectly good slayer just down the road** That thought alone was enough to calm the rage flowing through his veins. He would bide his time, keep his cool and then...give the wanker up to the Slayer the very first chance he got.

Preening like a peacock, Angelus started to boast about his latest conquest.

"I just had me a real good kill. A certain young, redheaded Wicca" the memory was still fresh enough to bring a definite gleam to the demon's cold eyes.

Every kill he took washed the soul deeper into oblivion and as far as the demon was concerned, that's just where it was staying.

Dru's eyes shone bright with admiration

"Clever daddy, that bad soul has gone away forever now" she clapped wildly as she danced around the room. Throwing her hair back, Drusilla held out her arms and spun around and around like an excited child in the school yard. Her voice started singing as she turned

"We can have a party and wish this world goodbye"

Ignoring his black goddess, Spike walked from the corner of the crypt and slowly clapped his hands in mock applause

"Congratulations. She's really gonna to kill you this time, mate" the younger vampire had come to understand, only too well, that if you messed with the Slayer's Scooby gang you better hope to kill every one of them, or else there was real hell to pay. Angelus had seriously underestimated the wrath of the Slayer. Buffy was going to go on a slaying tornado until every inch of Sunnydale was covered in a fine layer of dust, no vamp was now safe from here to eternity.

"You seem to forget the small fact that if she kills me she loses him too. Oh, I have no doubt she'll try, but at the end of the day" Angelus ran his tongue over his lip as if savoring the thought. "At the end of the day, I'll break her and ride her all the way to hell" a smug grin spread across his handsome face

Spike snorted and shook his head at the arrogance.

"She's not the same little girl you played with last time, she's all grown up and she kicks serious ass"

"Some things never change that much" Angelus laughed at the notion.

**Buffy had gone running back to the soul at the very first sign of trouble, she'd jumped his bones and given him perfect happiness with no thought at all to the consequences. Thereby, bringing back the curse in all its' glory. Spike was wrong, She hadn't changed at all**

"You always did fancy yourself far too much. Little Buff moved on once with no trouble at all, she'll do it again after she dusts your sorry ass. I really can't see her going for third time lucky" Spike knew he was hitting the mark by the anger spreading across Angelus' face.

But despite the elder vampire's anger, Spike kept his cool. His eyes were bright and fully alert as he waited for the attack he was certain would follow, but this time the scourge of Europe surprised him.

"She seems to have risen in your estimation, maybe after all this time the Slayer has a new lapdog? Is that why you haven't killed her, or could it be something else..Poor old Spike, I heard all about your little problem, to be cut off in your prime" Angelus mocked as he walked slowly forward.

"A vampire with no bite, it's just so pitiful. Maybe I should put you out of your misery for old times sake?" he asked snapping a piece of wood and raising it precariously close to Spike's dead heart.

Spike's fingers curled into tight balls as a black raged boiled behind his expressionless eyes. As the wooden stake penetrated his skin he struck with one powerful crack, sending Angelus crashing to the floor with blood dripping from his mouth.

"Don't worry your head about me, mate. This old dog can still bite you" he advanced on his prey, prepared to strike again the moment it moved.

Angelus slowly sat up, anger blazing from his yellow eyes. But, instead of attacking, he threw his head back and started to cackle.

"Maybe they didn't cut your balls off after all" he held out his hand and waited for Spike to make the first move.

"My balls are just fine, you'd do well to remember that" Spike gripped the offered hand and pulled Angelus back onto his feet.

"You naughty boys are fighting just like old times, if only grandmother was here" Drusilla wrapped her arms around both men and hugged them.

"So, what's the plan this time? I take it you do have a plan or did you just piss off the Slayer for the hell of it?" Spike asked pulling away from the other two.

"Oh, there's a plan alright. The End of Days is knocking on the door just waiting for our kind to let it in. Drusilla, I need your help, what do you know about *the key*?"

Drusilla closed her eyes and swayed her head from side to side. "I'll ask the stars to tell me all their secrets" Dropping to the floor, a soft moaning came from her lips as she slipped into a deep trance.

"The key, look for the key, Dru" Angelus urged as he and Spike joined her on the floor. As the trance pulled her deeper inside, Drusilla twisted her hands in her thick hair and whimpered.

"The key hides where everyone can see it, but nobody knows. It hides behind a facade of deception, pretty pictures cloud their minds, but none of them are real" Drusilla moaned as she tried to see further into the past.

"Where does it hide?" Angelus grabbed her shoulders and pulled her body closer to his face. Drusilla's eyes were open but there was clearly nobody home. Angelus was about to shake her when he was stopped by Spike's firm grip on his arm.

"Let her do her job, mate. If you bring her back before she's ready she'll never be able to tell you what you want to know"

Angelus glared down at the offending hand but remained silent. Spike was beginning to get slightly above his station. Once the key was found lessons of obedience would have to be learnt all over again.

Drusilla started moaning again as new visions flashed inside her jumbled mind.

"The key is in her heart now, but it's not in her head. She knows the truth, yet she still loves the lie"

Angelus opened his mouth again but the look in Spikes eyes stopped him.

"An only child has no sister" Drusilla's head dropped and she wrapped her arms around herself as she rocked back and forth. Spike knelt over and gathered the trembling woman in his arms, he then held her until she fully awoke from the trance.

"What the hell does it all mean, Dru?" Angelus demanded, his patience spent. He didn't want riddles, he wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Dru sat up and ran her hands through her hair, flicking the dark tangled mess over her shoulders. Her eyes first sought out Spike and then she turned to her Sire.

"This key's been hiding right under your nose and you couldn't smell it. The Slayer holds the key"

Spike sat back on his heels in surprise as the riddle unraveled itself inside his head, without a word he waited to see if the other two would pick up on the connection.

"The Slayer hasn't got a sister?" Angelus started to argue but as the thought entered his head so did visions of Dawn.

"Pretty pictures are only phantom memories, little sister is the key" Drusilla couldn't make it any clearer if she tried.

When Angelus stood back up a very satisfied grin graced his full lips.

"Poor little Buff, things are really not looking good for our heroine"

"First her friend and now her sister. Too delicious" Climbing to her feet, Drusilla wrapped her arms around her sire and squealed as he spun her around.

The two vampires were far too busy congratulating themselves to notice that Spike didn't share their joy.

The knowledge that her best friend was now lying in the town morgue with her neck snapped by a demon that she alone was responsible for releasing was something Buffy would have to live with for the rest of her life.

The Oracles had warned her, they had tried to tell her that loved ones would fall before the battle had even begun. But nothing could have prepared Buffy for this pain, the reality was unbearable.

"I've just heard about Red"

"Spike" Buffy looked up, her eyes were red and swollen with grief and the last thing she needed was to face a vampire the way she was feeling.

**Or maybe that's just what she needed** for a second Buffy contemplated slaying the pathetic excuse for a demon but that second passed when she realised that, sadly, Spike wasn't the vampire she needed to kill.

"Get away, it's really not safe for you to be anywhere near here" her small voice trembled it's warning

Spike didn't move.

"Way I'm thinking, it can't be that good for you either. I'm taking it as read that the other Scooby doobies weren't too happy about.Well, Angel getting all happy and psycho again"

Buffy bit back the bitter sob that rose in her throat and acknowledged that Spike's statement would go down in history as the understatement of eternity.

Once again Wesley had been the one to come to her rescue, he was the only one in the room who didn't condemn her for her actions. Buffy would never forget what went down in that room.

**"Yes, in hindsight it was a foolish thing to have done but, if you remember correctly, at that precise moment in time there wasn't a single human being on this planet that expected to wake up. Buffy and Angel made a mistake" Wesley had tried to reason that nothing was black and white. This time nobody had seen this coming.

"Buffy and Angel made a mistake.And Willow paid for it with her neck" Xander shouted him down begging for a fight, he had a fire burning in his stomach so hot that only severe violence was going to extinguish it. Xander didn't even care who he hit; he just needed to pound the living daylights out of anything that moved.

Buffy looked across the room and shivered at the hatred in her friend's eyes. No matter what happened after this day, one thing was very clear, nothing was ever going to be the same again

After hours of screaming, crying, blaming and downright bitterness, an uneasy truce had been called. In their hearts most of them knew that no matter what was said, Buffy would carry the responsibility of Willow's death on her shoulders for the rest of her life. She would carry the guilt not because of anything they said, but because that was the person Buffy was.

Xander was the exception of course; he stormed out of the house threatening to kill anything that stood in his way, nobody moved to stop him.

Buffy looked around the room at the remaining occupants. Tara sat in a quiet state of shock; Anya tried her best to help but once Xander had left she just stood looking kind of lost. Wesley walked over and laid a supportive hand on her shoulder, he didn't offer any words but Buffy understood and welcomed the support she found in the small gesture. Walking slowly across the room she stopped before her Watcher, hoping against hope that Giles would understand, but it was Giles who had frightened Buffy the most.

After the initial anger he just became so defeated, as if the thought of facing the demon again was simply too much for him to bear. His kind caring face had drained of all colour, prematurely aging before her very eyes.

Staring into his pain filled eyes, Buffy felt the ghost of Jenny Calendar drift in through the window of her memories and her already guilt flooded heart burst its safety banks.

Fleeing from the room, Buffy had only managed to reach the front step before collapsing under the strain.

And that's where Spike had found her.

"You have to kill him this time, Slayer, really kill him" The vampire's hard words broke through the painful reminiscence like a hot knife through butter.

"I really don't need a vampire telling me how to slay" Buffy tried to look menacing but Spike could see past the facade. The Slayer was down for the count, he just hoped for all their sakes that she wasn't going to lie there until she was counted out.

"Buffy" he took a cautious step forward carefully watching her fingers. One movement in the direction of anything wooden and Spike was running. When the Slayer kept her hands in her lap he continued.

"Killing the girl was just a start, he was just making sure that you could never bring back soulboy. He's going to run riot now; the wankers got plans to destroy the whole world, again. He's teamed up with Glory and this time he really might do it" Spike took another step forward and still the Slayer's fingers didn't so much as twitch.

"Let them do it, I really don't care anymore" Buffy's shoulders slumped forward as Willow's gentle eyes came to mind. Then as an afterthought she added " I'm tired of fighting, I never win"

Spike stopped right in front of the girl, he could sense the pain she was feeling and on any other day he might have enjoyed the torment. But not today, today he needed her alliance; today he needed a fully enraged slayer not a broken shell.

"Well maybe you should care, they both know about the key now" Spike played his trump card and waited for the Slayer to take the bait.

He wasn't disappointed, Buffy's tear stained eyes shot up in alarm.

"The Keys safe, they'll never find it" she defended fiercely. Apart from Giles, nobody knew the Key's real identity and her watcher would die before giving away the secret.

"You're wrong, they already have" Spike saw a spark of anger ignite in the Slayer's dead eyes and if he could have, he would have breathed a sigh of relief..

"I don't believe you, you're bluffing" even as she spoke the words, alarm bells started screaming inside her head that maybe he wasn't.

"Am I? Okay, lets see. This so called key wouldn't be so high with long hair" Spike raised his hand to exactly Dawn's height. "Has an annoying elder sister who goes by the name of Bitch.. Getting the picture yet?" He stood with his eyes locked on the Slayer's face, watching as realisation dawned in her eyes that he was indeed telling the truth.

"How?" Buffy gasped out the word as panic for her sister's safety rose through her body.

"Drusilla, she's psychic remember. Slayer, you have to get off your arse and protect your sister, they think I'm out hunting her now and if I don't get her, they will "

"I knew I should have dusted her skanky ass in LA" Buffy cried in rage at her stupidity

"How could I have let her go? She owes me her unlife, dammit " Buffy jumped from the step. For the first time, thoughts of Willow were pushed aside as the need to protect her own flesh and blood took over.

**Even if Dawn wasn't technically her flesh and blood** Buffy knew that wasn't the point. She loved the little brat just as much as any real sister could and there was no way those bastards would take Dawn.

"Buffy, Drusilla's a vampire and Angelus is still her sire. She'd never turn on him, pet. Not for anything." Spike tried to explain the bond of sire and childe but Buffy wasn't interested.

"So why are you telling me all this?" Buffy raised suspicious eyes to the blonde vampire.

Spike shrugged his shoulders and a small sneer twisted his lips

"Some of us are not that loyal" his thoughts turned to Angelus groping Drusilla and the hatred he felt for his grandsire exploded through his dead veins like a ship's flare on a dark night at sea.

"I want to help you, I'll watch your back and when the time comes, I'll see you're able to nail the sonofabitch for good. All I ask is the same deal as before, me and Dru get to leave Sunnydale in one piece." Spike watched and waited for a few seconds

"Well, do we have a deal?" he asked holding out his hand.

Buffy looked down at the hand and contemplated her options. Angelus and Glory together would be formidable allies, if she were to defeat them she would need all the help she could get. As the image of her dead friend's face metamorphosised into that of Dawn's, Buffy made a decision

Slowly accepting Spikes' cold hand she shook hard.

"It's a deal"

Buffy screamed out her mother's name as she ran from the car and dropped to her knees.

Joyce Summers' body lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of the steps, the only sign of injury was a small trickle of blood that ran down the side of her face. Sobbing almost hysterically, Buffy lifted her mother's head and lovingly cradled it in her lap.

"Dear God, not again" Wesley jumped from the car closely followed by Giles, but it was Spike who arrived first.

Ignoring the Slayer's feeble protest, he lifted the hair away from her mother's neck and checked for a pulse. A slight throbbing reverberated against his cold fingers confirming his suspicions.

"She's just banged her head" Spike gripped Buffy's arms and forced her head to look up.

"She ain't dead, Slayer, she just got knocked out. You better pull your self together because we still need to find Dawn" Spike shook her small shoulders until the light shone back in her eyes.

"I thought I. I thought she." Buffy slowly started to understand what the vampire was telling her. Taking a closer look at her mother, she watched in relief as her chest slowly rose and fell with shallow breaths.

Coming to her senses, Buffy looked into Spike's expressionless face and slowly nodded. In the house she could hear Wesley and Giles checking every room calling for Dawn and the longer the silence remained, the greater her fear for her sister grew.

Joyce Summers stirred and raised her hand to the lump growing on the side of her face. Her eyes flickered and rolled as the pain exploded inside her head, but as the darkness cleared from her vision, she sighed with relief at the sight of Buffy's face.

"Mom are you all right? What happened? Where's Dawn?" Buffy's questions came so fast that Joyce didn't have time to answer any of them.

"You're home, Buffy we were so worried" her voice was still too shaky to sound angry. As she struggled to sit up, the older woman became aware of all the concerned faces and her memory started to return.

"Where's the kid?" Spike pushed Buffy to one side and squatted down in front of her mother. He didn't have time to waste of sentimentality. If he's sussed the situation correctly, the key was now in very dangerous hands.

Joyce struggled for a moment, as if trying to find the replay button in her head "I remember now, Dawn said she saw Angel outside with some girl. I tried to stop her going out but she insisted that you would be with him" she reached out and gingerly touched the bump on the side of her head, the red angry swelling throbbed in protest against her fingers.

"Did he do that to you?" Buffy's teeth clenched in anger as she silently added yet another tick in the *I will kill this bastard without a second thought* column. Anger seethed through every fibre in her body, it was more than just hatred that fueled her passion to kill this demon now. With each new attack against her friends and family, Buffy found her very soul being stripped away revealing more and more of her dark side.

Joyce shook her head as she tried to see the picture more clearly

"No, Angel grabbed Dawn and as I ran out of the door, the girl who was with him slammed me against the wall. It all went black after that." Joyce's fingers found the sticky smear of blood on the side of her face and she winced slightly.

" Buffy, what does Angel want with Dawn? What's going on here" her mother started to panic again, only this time it was for her younger daughter's safety.

"Mom, I haven't got time to explain everything now" Buffy attempted to stand but was stopped when Joyce reached out and caught her arm.

"Well I suggest you make time, Buffy. I'll ask you once more, what does Angel want with your sister?"

"It's not Angel anymore, it's Angelus" Giles answered as he walked from the house.

"Joyce, Buffy's right. If we stand here talking about it we'll never find him. But I give you my word, no harm will come to your daughter, either of your daughters if I can prevent it an any way" The Watcher would be damned if he allowed the demon to harm another of his surrogate family. Anxious to get moving, the three males of the group turned to leave. Buffy stood back, torn between her concern for her mother and her need to find Dawn.

"I'm coming with you" Joyce stumbled slightly as she tried to stand, a large wave of dizziness bringing her movement to an abrupt halt.

Wesley, being the nearest male, reached out a steadying hand and prevented the stubborn woman from trying again.

"Mrs. Summers, you could possibly have concussion, the last thing your daughter needs is to have to worry about your health. Buffy, Spike and Mr. Giles will find Dawn and deal with Angelus. In the meantime I suggest a quick tip to the x-ray department, just to be on the safe side" Wesley slipped his arm around Joyce's shoulders and without giving her time to argue he escorted her to Giles' car.

Buffy mouthed a silent thank you and, with her mother safely out of the way, the hunt for her sister was back on

"Where the hell would they have taken her?" Buffy pushed the lid off the tomb so hard it shattered against the stone floor. Spike had followed the Slayer in but had already sensed that the search would be useless, Angelus and Drusilla were long gone.

"Looks like there was a change of plan and the bastard didn't see fit to include me.... Maybe that Glory bird would know" the blonde vampire offered, slightly worried by the recent turn of events. If the Slayer thought for one second that he was holding out on her, he'd be filling an ashtray before you could sneeze.

"I don't know what to do, I'm running blind here." Buffy ran her hand through her hair and looked back towards the door where Giles stood holding a crossbow.

" I need a plan, I need research and I need help" she admitted knowing this was all too much for one person, even if that person was a slayer.

Sadly, the people Buffy needed the most were no longer available. At any other time in her life she would have called Willow and Xander whenever she needed help. And if things got really desperate, there was always Angel and the LA gang to full back on. But that was now impossible, her whole support group was in ruins. Unless she could rally what was left of her depleted troops, the war would be lost before the first battle cry had sounded.

"Leave it to me, I'll hunt down little sister, it shouldn't be that difficult. But you better round up what's left of the cavalry, I've a strong feeling we're gonna need it" Spike didn't give the Slayer time to argue as he slipped away into the darkness.

Wesley quickly informed her that her mother had checked out fine at the hospital but was being kept in overnight for observation.

**At least that was one less thing for the Slayer to worry about ** he thought as he studied the girl's exhausted face.

Buffy walked slowly across the room, then knelt down in front of Tara and clasped the girl's trembling fingers between her own hands.

"I know you must hate me at the moment and believe me you have every right, but I really need your help. I can't do this on my own" Buffy's eyes pleaded for Tara to understand. For a moment the witch looked as if she was about to dissolve into tears again but, slowly, she lifted her head and her red swollen eyes met the slayer's gaze.

"I don't hate you, Buffy. I know you loved her as much as I did. Willow would want me to help you in any way I could, so what can I do?" Tara squeezed Buffy's hands and although the pain in her heart was still threatening to suffocate her, the knowledge that she wasn't completely alone in her grief was enough to help her through.

"Research party, we need to know exactly what we're dealing with and when we find it, we destroy it, once and for all" she announced finally feeling that she was getting somewhere.

"There's no time for a party, pet. I've found your little sister" Spike burst through the door, bringing the room to a complete stand still.

"The old high school library, they've got her tied up and swinging from this bleeding great chain"

Spike had easily followed his lover's scent, leading him to the ruins of the old school. Peering through the wreckage, he had watched long enough to see that Dawn was indeed there, along with Angelus, Glory and a couple of dozen friends.

"They were doing some kind of ancient ritual right over the original hellmouth. I heard Glory saying something about a lightning strike charging the key and then I had to shift me arse before they caught me" Spike grinned at how cunning he had been. It was good to know he could still sneak with the best of them.

At the news, Buffy moved straight for the weapons chest and started strapping on anything she could carry.

**Maybe they would have their party after all**

"Buffy, we're still blind here, we have no idea what we're facing. We can't just storm the building" Giles tried to reason but when he saw it was having no effect he tried a different approach.

"We have to think this through this time or we could all end up dead" The coldness in his words struck like a hard slap in the face.

Buffy knew that Giles was probably right, In a perfect world they would have all the time they needed. Only this world wasn't perfect and, as always, there was never enough time.

"Okay, you want a plan here's the plan. You guys keep as many off my back as possible, we get Dawn safely away, then I kill the who ever's left standing" Buffy glared back daring anybody to contradict her. **End of plan**

Dawn was terrified but she focused on the fact that Buffy would be there at any second and she would save her. What else were big sisters for?"

Checking that the gag was secure, Glory nodded to Angelus to hoist the chain higher into the air.

" That will keep the brat quiet for a while, she was giving me one hell of a headache" Glory moaned and then looked down at her hand. "Not only that, now I've snapped a nail" she really wasn't amused any longer, the sooner they used the key the better.

"And you're sure this will work? I mean it looks a little pathetic" Angelus frowned as he watched the young girl twist and turn in the air. In the distance the faint sound of thunder started to rumble over the horizon.

"How many times do I have to tell you pretty boy, the key needs to be converted back to its natural form. The lightning will strike the girl and the charge will be enough to open the lock. Is that really too hard to understand?"

Glory ignored the menacing snarl she received from the demon and looked up into the dark sky, anxiously waiting for the next strike. If she had been paying better attention she might have realised that a strike of a different nature was just about to gatecrash her party.

"And me" Buffy turned and her eyes blurred at the sight of Xander walking towards her. A strong feeling of Deja vu touched her heart as her friend offered her a large silver sword.

"This time you take his head right off his shoulders" Xander's eyes still shone with bitterness but the hatred was no longer directed at her.

Accepting the weapon Buffy nodded

"Clean off his shoulders " she agreed

She then turned to Spike and reminded him of their deal

"Angelus and Glory die, Dru walks." This time, the Slayer held out her hand and the vampire accepted.

"Well, as you already invited my sister I thought I'd just drop by and say hi" Buffy turned and staked the vampire creeping up behind her without a second thought.

"Well, don't just stand there kill them!!" Glory screamed out in temper and watched as the room filled with demons

In the confusion that followed, the Slayer lost sight of her friends, each fully engrossed in their own battle for survival. Buffy scanned the room for Angelus but before she got a chance to move, Glory attacked.

"It doesn't matter how many times I beat you, you keep coming back. Do you know how annoying that is?" she taunted the Slayer and backhanded her across the face.

Buffy was through with playing games, she lunged at the blonde and hit out with every dirty trick she had ever learnt. For the first time the blonde woman realised that the little slayer might be a bigger problem than she first thought.

Across the room, Angelus stood laughing as the two women ripped into each other.

"Bitch-fights are such fun, but it really should be me having the fun" he turned to Drusilla and stopped to find Xander standing right behind him with a crossbow pointed straight at his heart.

"I promised Buffy that I'd let her kill you, but if you so much as blink I'll break that promise in a heartbeat" the absolute hatred that shone in the boy's eyes gave Angelus little reason to doubt he was lying.

Angelus growled low in throat and stared into the boy's eyes. He could see Drusilla approaching and bided his time. But before his childe got a chance to bite, Spike materialised from nowhere and dragged his lover to one side.

Standing as still as stone, Angelus listened carefully as the approaching lightning drew closer.

**Any second now** a small smile turned the corners of his lips. He wasn't wrong.

As the lightning crashed through the roof, Angelus jumped at Xander and threw him across the room knocking the boy out cold. He then lunged for the chain supporting Dawn and hauled it higher into the night. Within seconds, the lightning returned hitting the chain and sending in spiralling through the air.

Glory was holding the Slayer by the throat when the lightning struck; Buffy raised her knee and kicked out hard, breaking free, her eyes raised to the chain in sheer horror

"Spike!!" Buffy screamed out as the chain holding her sister started to slip.

On hearing the familiarity in the Slayer's cry, Angelus looked up and glared at the younger vampire.

"You're her fucking lap dog after all" he lunged forward and viciously pinned Spike to the floor. Angelus' eyes changed as his fingers moved to tear Spikes head from his shoulders. The blonde vampire's hands frantically reached for a weapon, but there was nothing that would bring the older demon down. Just as Spike realised his time was well and truly over, Angelus cried out in pain and collapsed onto his body.

Pushing with all of his might, Spike threw the dead weight off and looked up in amazement. Xander Harris stood smiling down at the prostrate vampire with a large brick in one hand and deep satisfied grin on his face.

"And that promise to the Buffster still stands, deadboy." he sneered to the fallen demon.

"You help the Slayer and I'll get the kid" Spike felt a surge of adrenaline shoot through his body as, once again, the vampire with nine lives lived to tell the tale.

Grabbing the chain, he tugged down hard but it wouldn't move. Seeing that Buffy was busy getting her head kicked in, Spike raised his hands and started to climb.

Angelus pulled himself up and roared with anger. Grabbing hold of the bottom of the chain, he shook with every ounce of strength he possessed to throw the younger vampire off.

Spike laughed and continued to climb, this was the best fun he'd had in years. Just knowing how pissed Angelus would be was worth all the risk.

Holy water and wooden bows whizzed through the air, from all directions, as he ascended the chain. On reaching the top, Spike's strong arms reached over and ripped the gag from the frightened girl's mouth.

"Getting down's gonna be even more fun" he started to laugh but stopped as what sounded like a small earthquake ripped through the building. Free from her gag, Dawn screamed at the top of her lungs while the remainder of the library started to fall apart around them.

"Now, its coming now" Glory screamed and waited for the lethal strike. Buffy could only watch as the room filled with electricity and the hellmouth cracked wide open, waiting for the key. The room flooded with blue lightning, it bounced off the walls and shot out in every direction, sending the remaining demons scattering for cover.

High above, there was a large crackle and what happened next would leave the Slayer bewildered until her dying day. Spike purposely pushed Dawn out of the lightning's path leaving himself wide open. The bolt bounced off Dawn and immediately incinerated the vampire where he hung. Dawn screamed even louder as the chain broke and fell to the floor.

"It didn't hit her enough, there's not enough power" Glory exploded as the lightning strike moved from the room.

Keeping his head low, Xander crawled across the floor and on reaching Dawn, he quickly untied her hands

"Run, run and don't stop" he yelled at the top of his voice. Dawn didn't need telling twice, she bolted out of the library like a frightened rabbit and kept on running

"Nooooooooo"

Glory tried to start after her but Buffy kicked her legs out, tripping the bitch off her heels and straight over the side of the hellmouth. With a final stream of obscenities, Glory disappeared into its darkness.

"Enjoy the trip home" Buffy muttered sarcastically and pulled herself to her knees. After all the excitement of the last few minutes the room fell very silent

With Glory gone and the remaining demons running, the only sound that could be heard in the library was the hysterical sobbing of Drusilla. The tormented demon fell to her knees and was frantically scooping up her lover's ashes.

"Mummy's here, mummy's here" she cried over and over in a futile attempt to collect up all the dust.

Buffy turned her attention away from the grief stricken vampire, in all the confusion she'd lost sight of Angelus.

"Where is he?" Buffy's eyes searched the room but there was no sign of the demon. Dragging the sword that Xander had given her from the wreckage where it had fallen, she slowly raised it in her hands.

"I have a head to cut off" her cold voice left no doubt that their last dance would soon be over.

"He must have taken off after Dawn" Xander cursed that he'd missed his opportunity to kill the bastard once and for all.

"Then we better find her, Angelus is just crazy enough to try again" Wesley and Giles both headed for the door and Xander turned toward where the stacks used to stand.

Nobody had quite left the room when they heard Buffy cry out in pain.

Angelus pounced from the shadows and kicked her straight in the face, the dazed slayer scrambled for her sword but Angelus' reflexes were faster. He kicked the weapon over the edge of the hell mouth and one hand grabbed her hair and the other her throat.

"I really wish we had more time to play, lover. But soon we'll have eternity." Angelus laughed as Buffy struggled. Every time she moved the demon's fingers tightened on her throat, cutting off her air supply

Wesley and Giles turned back just in time to witness the demon lower the Slayer over the hellmouth's opening

"Glory got it all wrong, the stupid bitch thought it was the sister." Angelus taunted as Buffy struggled to breathe.

"The kid was only the key to her world, it was you Slayer that really held the power. Your blood will open the door to every dark dimension, and you alone will set them all free... Watch" Angelus grabbed Buffy's arm and bit into the vein, he held the dripping wound over the hellmouth and, as the blood ran down her hand and dripped into the abyss, the earth rumbled far below

"The death of the greatest slayer ever will bring about the end of days and you didn't know it. Angelus watched with bliss as the fear of defeat spread across every face in the room.

"Poor old Spike he would have loved this, if only the dumb prick hadn't got himself killed." As Angelus started to open his fingers he was startled by the sound of insane howling.

Drusilla's last thread of sanity cracked at the sound of her mate's demise. She flew at her Sire clawing at his face with her nails.

Angelus let go of Buffy's throat and raised his hands to fend off the frenzied attack, but not in time. With a piercing scream Drusilla carried them both over the edge and the two vampires disappeared into the darkness.

Xander ran to the hellmouth and reached in, just as Buffy struggled to pull her exhausted body free.

"Shit, that was close" the boy sat back and smiled at his friend with genuine relief.

"Too close" Buffy gasped for air and rubbed her bruised throat. She could still feel the demons phantom fingers gripping her flesh.

All eyes looked towards the hellmouth as the ground once again started to shake. The sound of a thousand cries of frustration seeped up through the ground as the earth once more moved together and sealed over the crack.

One by one the battle weary warriors made their way towards the Slayer.

"Can somebody please explain what just happened?" Buffy shook her head in bewilderment. **Maybe it was the lack of oxygen but, suddenly, it all seemed surreal**

"Well, don't quote me on this, but I think we won" Wesley removed his broken glasses and rubbed his eyes.

Giles shrugged his shoulders and indicated that he was as confused as everybody else was.

"Looks like Drusilla saved us all the trouble of killing him" Xander looked almost disappointed. **It really would have felt good doing it himself, but the end result was the same. Angelus' long reign of terror was over once and for all. On that thought Xander smiled

**May he rot in hell**

" So, what next?" Anya walked over and dropped down in an exhausted heap next to her lover.

All eyes turned on Buffy as she walked over to where the earth had rejoined and stared hard at the ground. Wrapping her arms around her body, the small wide eyed girl turned to face her friends

"Your guess is as good as mine" she replied still too traumatised to think straight.

For the longest time nobody moved.

Buffy stood quietly to one side, trying desperately to make sense of all the madness of the last few days. So much had happened in such a short span of time that it was almost impossible to contemplate just how much her life had changed. She felt as if she should be doing something, but was still unclear to what that *something* was. The victory over the End of Days had left a bad taste in her mouth; it had cost them all far too much to celebrate.

"You should be very proud of yourself, Buffy. The whole world will never know how close it came to going out for the second time in a week." Giles tried to find something good about the victory, it really wasn't easy after all they had lost but as the Slayer's Watcher, it was his job to lift her when she was down. For a while, after Willow's death, he had forgotten that. Looking into the eyes of the girl he would always consider a daughter, the Watcher promised that mistake would never happen again. Reaching out a tired hand, Giles wiped the blood way from her cheek with a fatherly smile that shone with pride.

Buffy sighed deeply and pulled her tangled hair away from her face.

"But the price, as always, was too high Giles. It's always too high" she allowed herself to be wrapped in his strong arms, desperately seeking some kind of comfort. Buffy felt totally empty, as if all that she had ever known had been ripped away from her soul and lost forever.

"This time the price was necessary " a voice the Slayer had heard once before filled the room.

Buffy jerked away from Giles and watched as the Oracles materialised into her dimension. No longer resembling small children, these beings were fully-grown.

"You seem to have forgotten the importance of this battle, Slayer" the male walked forward. Buffy looked at Giles but from the confused expression on his weary face she could tell he couldn't see their visitors. Her eyes turned to her friends and like Giles, they were also unaware of the higher presence that had entered the room

"You haven't just closed the hellmouth, slayer. You have sealed it for a thousand years" the female oracle also moved closer. "Because of those sacrifices peace will reign in this dimension for a millennium"

Buffy took a deep calming breath to stop the bitterness that still danced in her blood from spilling over.

"That's great, but it doesn't make the pain sit any easier with the survivors" she stared straight into the female's crystal blue eyes to made her point

**Yes the world would turn another day, another thousand years but not for everyone. Willow, Angel and even Spike would never benefit from this great peace. So, as far as she was concerned, the price would always be too high**

"Buffy?" wondering what was troubling the girl Giles reached out a hand and placed it lightly on her shoulder

"Why can my friends not see you?" Buffy asked the Oracles, annoyed that the others were left out.

"They are lower beings, they are of no importance to us"

Buffy stalked forward. After the way they had all fought together, she refused to accept that statement

"You're wrong, they fought by my side and in more than one case they laid down their lives. My friends are not lower beings" she defended fiercely

The two Oracles seemed to communicate with each other and, after agreeing, the high school library filled with light, illuminating them for all to see.

"Wow! Oracles, that's so cool" Anya walked forward recognising the painted creatures from past encounters. Xander automatically fell into a protective step beside her

"What's an Oracle? Do we have to kill them?" he asked cautiously. It had been a very long night and he was all out of trust.

Buffy turned and shook her head

"No Xand, the killing's all finished. They just informed me that we closed the hellmouth for a thousand years, nothing's getting back out. It's over" Buffy turned back to the Oracles and raised an eyebrow

"It is over, right?" she demanded just needing extra confirmation

"You are correct, demons will still walk your world but their numbers will dwindle and fall. Vampire Slayer, you did well and we have something for you"

"Something for me?" Buffy's small voice asked in confusion, this was the last thing she expected to hear from them. Past experiences told her that the Oracles usually wanted something from her.

"We have good-byes"

Buffy's eyes widened and a large sob broke from her mouth as a shaft of silver light transformed into the spirit of her best friend.

Willow stepped forward radiating only the pure beauty a true soul could project. Her red hair shone in the silver light and her large eyes sparkled from her almost transparent face.

Buffy trembled in shock as tears streamed down her cheeks

"I'm so sorry, I'm so very sorry" she whispered over and over as the apparition moved closer.

"Buffy, please stop blaming yourself for my death, no matter what you think it wasn't your fault. It was my time, I served my purpose and I'm moving on. Don't be sad, never be sad. Just remember that I loved you and my life was better for all the good you brought in to it" Willow's honest face smiled at her friend, moving even closer, she raised her hand to Buffy's cheek and wiped away a tear. Buffy gasped at the touch; there was no substance to it at all, it just brushed her skin like a cool breeze on a warm summer's night.

"No more guilt, no more blame, if you can find some peace so will I " Willow shimmered as the light moved "Okay?" the spirit asked one last time

Buffy was so choked with emotion she could hardly breathe again, but somehow she summoned the strength to nod her head

"Okay" the small word broke her heart but the crack in her soul mended slightly. Buffy turned and watched Tara walk forward, she took a step back as the two lovers whispered their last good-byes, finally Giles and Xander surrounded the girls and there were tears all around

Buffy looked back towards the Oracles

"Thank you" she whispered in genuine appreciation for their gift

"There is another goodbye"

Buffy watched as a new figure walked threw the light

"Hello Slayer. Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me." A handsome young man, with fair hair and glasses cracked a cocky grin

Buffy blinked twice before recognising the spirit in front of her

"Spike? She gasped as the penny dropped

"Look what you've done to me, you've turned me into a bleedin' white hat after all. I'm a bloody hero" the spirit grinned brightly.

"Buffy's tearstained face broke into a large smile

"How will you ever live that down" she teased through her tears but this time, they were tears of happiness. Spike's selfless act hadn't gone unnoticed.

"They're taking me up there with Red, giving me back a bleedin' soul. This is all your fault you know" still the voice held only a light laughter.

"You'll be in good hands then" Buffy looked over towards the group surrounding Willow's spirit and smiled softy

"Better than that, they promised Drusilla's soul will be there too, maybe things are looking up after all" again that cocky grin appeared leaving Buffy with no doubt that part of the demon had also survived

"It's time for us all to leave " The Oracles stepped forward again and the two spirits faded from sight.

"Before we depart we have one last debt to repay. There" the female pointed and a naked body dropped from a bright shaft of light.

The figure of a naked man fell to the ground with a soul-shattering cry and lay trembling with fear on the cold floor

"Angel" Buffy and Wesley gasped simultaneously and started towards the figure

The body immediately curled up in to a foetal position, shaking violently against its new surroundings.

"Buffy stop, it might be Angelus" Giles put out a nervous hand

"It is the body of the soul, not the demon. The demon is one of those trapped for a thousand years." The Oracles reminded them that Angelus was not coming back in any of their life times.

At the sight of the terrified man, Buffy's eyes widened in horror

"Oh God, what have you done to him?" she begged, pushing past Giles' hand

"He is Shanshu, a living human being. All the sins of the demon have been washed away, along with all of the memories."

"What, what do you mean?" Wesley walked closer and looked down at his old friend, slipping off his jacket he placed it over Angel's nakedness. The trembling figure looked up with large frightened eyes, but didn't speak.

"We have freed him from all of his guilt, all of his pain, Angel can have a new life now with no memory of the demon's crimes. We can build him a whole new existence, no death or demons, no questions asked."

Buffy nervously made her way to stand next to Wesley.

"Just like they did with Dawn" she whispered. Suddenly the light went on. Angel would no longer be Angel; he would have a whole new life, a wonderful guilt free life.

"But there's no place in that new life for a vampire slayer, there's no place in that life for me" the truth of the statement slammed into her head.

**If Angel was going to start again it would have to be far from Sunnydale, far away from anything that could trigger a memory of his past life**

"This is Angel's destiny his reward. But, if the new life is to be given a chance, the answer to your question is yes, Angel will need to leave here forever. We can give you a few seconds together to say goodbye."

"I've never said goodbye" Buffy bit her bottom lip at the heartbreaking prospect.

"Of course, we can't stop you telling him anything if you disagree with this. As his lover, you and you alone will have to decide what path is best trodden."

Buffy knelt down on the floor and lowered her head until her eyes were level with the deep brown pools she had loved for longer than she could remember. Deep confusion flickered across Angel's sweat covered face as he struggled to understand what had happened.

Finally, he rested his troubled eyes on the beautiful face in front of him; something about that tender visage gave him comfort from the burning agony that squeezed every nerve in his body. There was something familiar about the eyes that reached right into his soul, but he couldn't quite remember why.

"Angel?" The beautiful face whispered the word almost like a caress, cutting deep through the pain. Gentle, yet firm arms slipped around his body and helped him to sit up. Wrapped in these arms, Angel felt safe and the confusion that was threatening to burst through his head subsided a little.

Buffy reached out her small hand and softly stroked his fevered skin, her eyes never once leaving his face.

"Pain, so much pain" Angel gasped for breath and clutched at his chest.

Buffy's eyes frantically searched the Oracles for answers. There must be something terribly wrong for it to hurt that much.

"He has just been reborn, birth is painful, but it will lessen with time." was the only reply she was given. Turning her full attention back to her lover, she placed her finger beneath his chin and tilted his face towards her

"The pain will ease soon, I promise"

As Angel continued to clutch his chest, Buffy realised for the first time that she could hear the strong beat of his heart. Placing her small hand next to his she let the beats pass through his skin and into the palm of her hand.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. "That's a great sound" she whispered in awe.

When her eyes finally looked back into his face they flooded with tears, a mixture of joy and pain trickled softly down her cheeks. Joy for the sound of her lover's heartbeat and pain for the knowledge of what she must decide.

Looking into his innocent bewildered face, Buffy knew she could never let him learn of the part his demon had played in Willow's death, not to mention all the other atrocities that had yet to come to light. Some things really were better forgotten, or in this case never remembered

Angel searched Buffy's face and panted for breath with each new heartbeat.

"It's a good pain, Angel. It's a new beginning" squeezing her eyes shut the Slayer wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders and hung on for dear life. Angel didn't understand why, but he was filled with an overwhelming need to hold this beautiful girl in his arms for as long as he could.

"I love you" her voice floated softly into his ear as her wet cheek pressed up against his warm face. "And no matter where or who you are, I'll never forget that"

Buffy finally forced herself to pull away, fighting every instinct that screamed at her to hold on and never let him go. She moved her body away from the love of her life, knowing that after this day she would never be able to see him again.

This time they were being torn apart not for her chance at a normal life, but for his.

"Ssshh, sleep now, you need to rest. When you wake up it will all be better" her gentle voice persuaded Angel to lay back down on the floor.

Softly stroking his thick dark hair she felt all the tension leave his large frame.

"Now close your eyes" Buffy's voice caught on a sob that shook her whole body.

Without question, Angel did as he was told, immediately the pain seemed to fade and he felt himself floating away.

"The next time he wakes all traces of this last meeting will be gone, in his dreams his new life has now begun" The Oracles announced quietly that the change had already started.

Buffy leant down and kissed his sleeping head one last time

"Goodbye my love" as the words slipped over her lips the finality became all too real. **Goodbye**

"I'll take him back to England with me, that should be far enough to keep him safe. It's a terrible decision to have to make Buffy, but you have just saved him a lifetime of torment. I'm so very proud of you" Wesley squeezed her arm and walked away

Giles walked up quietly and stood behind her while Wesley and Xander gently lifted Angel from the cold floor and carried him from the library. Buffy's eyes clung to the vision of his back until long after it had faded from sight. Then she stood in the circle of her Watcher's arms while her heart broke for the second time in as many days. Death and re-birth had both touched her world this week and, because of this, Buffy knew that her life would never be the same again. Just as the Oracles had predicted, she had indeed lost a part of her soul

"Buffy, it's for the best, you have to believe that. Angel will never know now of the demon's crimes, he will have a long happy life this way. Giles stroked her hair and whispered softly as if calming a frightened child waking from a bad dream.

**That's what her life had turned into, an empty shell of a bad dream.**

Buffy lifted her chin and what Giles saw reflected in her heartbroken eyes made the older man shiver right down to his toes.

"I've lost him all over again, only this time it really is forever" the small girl's eyes aged a lifetime with the acceptance, but she refused to cry.

"Come on, lets find Dawn and get the hell out of here" Giles turned and started to walk

Buffy Summers took one last look at the hellmouth and knew she would never set foot in the place again.

Maybe in time she'd able to look back and remember past the pain, back to the days when the world was still in danger but the fight was still worth while. Angel days, Willow days, maybe even the odd Spike day would all be put away until the pain didn't burn so bright.

And when she did finally allow herself to remember these days, Buffy knew there would be friendship, laughter and lots of love to fall back on. Those were the days that would see her through the rest of her life.

"You're right, it is for the best that Angel never remembers. More than anybody he deserves a second chance." Buffy nodded as she remembered all the times that Angel had sacrificed himself for her happiness. Now it was her turn to carry the pain.

Giles stopped and turned back, he watched a small tear trickled down her cheek but she ignored it and held her head high

"And besides, I'll carry the memories in my heart for both of us and even when the hurt becomes too much to remember, nothing will ever make me forget"

On to The World Turns Full Circle