Author- Rae

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Buffy smiled up at the man in front of her. He had alost been a father figure, for her whole life.Now he was leaving her, all alone in this world filled with hate. Her smile turned to a sour smile, as the tears escaped her eyes. She watched his back, as he walked away.

"I can't believe this is actually happening." Buffy had tried to be strong, but it just wasn't working anymore.

"Don't worry, Buff he'll be back. He came back last time." Xander put a reassuring hand on the blonde. She pushed away, obviously unsettled.

"I gotta..."

"...go. yeah. We know." Xander smiled, sadly at his old friend.

"Thanks. You know for the support." With that Buffy left, without another word.

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"Knock. Knock." Buffy's voice wavered in fear, as she entered the former bad's place.

Once a safe haven and now just like the rest of the world, unsure.

"Hey love." Spike walked over to her, with a greeting smile. Almost a little too greeting.

Buffy made eye contact long enough to look away.

"Oh. I see. You just came to say, thanks for the tumble... but it's time to go back to the living." Spike's eyes dropped low, knowing the words Buffy wouldn't have to courage to say.

"It's not that, it's just... I'm not ready, I can't do that. I can't love again." Buffy's eyes began to moisten.

"Why because the sorry for a vampire, Angel left you high and dry?" Spike's voice rose angrily.

"You can't bring him into this! That's not fair!" Sudden anger flared through Buffy's body.

"Why not love? Cuz it's true? Or because you know I would treat you better than any man, dead or alive... and you know it's true?" Spike threw his cigarette out in disgust.

Buffy's mouth stayed clamped shut, she didn't know why. She wanted to protest, but couldn't. That was until she felt Spike's cool breath on her neck, shivering in ecstasy.

"You know you want me. I can smell it all over you. Why don't you just give in?" Spike's whispers, peirced the slayer's heart. In that certain way, a whisper can. A way no one had whispered to her, since Angel. Closing her eyes, she savored it. But only for a moment. Resolving her emotions, she stared at the vampire, whose pleading eyes broke her heart.

"Because, I can't go through that again. And I won't." Buffy walked toward the door, only to be stopped by the determined vampire.

"Yeah. Well, that's all good and great. But, what do you want me to do with this?" Spike pounded his fist, into his chest. Pleading to her with his eyes, to take him.

"I can't do this. Spike. I do care, but I just can't do all this... I gotta go." Buffy turned to walk out, this time he let her.

"Yeah. You do that." Spike's words cut through her, like a knife.

"Not now. Why now?" Buffy looked up at the sky, as if something would appear and tell her all the answers. She heard a growl and looked behind her to see a vampire making its way toward her.

"Of course. Life." Buffy finished her conversation with the heaven's above and ran toward the un-dead creature.

::END::