Fic: Coming Apart (2/?) (Severe Spoiler Warning)

["buffythebushkangaroo" <buffythebushkangaroo@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Severe Spoiler Warning.

(Spoilers for episodes:

17 - Normal Again.
18 - Entropy
19 - Seeing Red
20 - Villains

You have been warned.)

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*hug*

Anne-Lise.

--

"Feel better?" Anya asked as she watched Spike pat his hair with 
discerning fingers.
Spike grinned. "Oh hell, yeah!" He struck a pose that was supposed 
to appear dashing. Anya found it comical.
"Come here," she whispered huskily. Spike came, and they kissed.
"Take me," Anya whispered, as the African shaman made with the 
legwork and disappeared into the night.
Spike obligingly sank his fangs into Anya's neck. Her shocked 
expression was surprisingly delectable. As he dropped her corpse to 
the floor, Spike wiped his mouth and muttered, "Whatever you say, 
bint."
He grinned into the darkness.
"I'm coming for you, Slayer! You hear me? I'm coming for you!"
He stared down at his grim handiwork.
"Yeah!" He cried. "The Big Bad is coming back to town!"

*

Buffy sat in the darkness of the kitchen, staring into space. Dawn 
had long since been put to bed, and now she was simply waiting for 
Willow to be returned home by the Sunnydale police.
Willow suggested that Buffy ought to make herself scarce, 
especially after her earlier troubles over the death of Kendra. She 
didn't want Buffy to get herself associated with Tara's unexpected 
death.
Although buffy didn't care all that much. The Sunnydale PD were 
hopelessly inept and corrupt; she'd learned that lesson all too well 
from the Mayor.
The door clicked. Quietly, as if whoever was entering was trying to 
do so without disturbing anyone.
"Come on in, Will." Buffy whispered.
"Um," Xander peeked his head round. "I figured you'd still be up. 
Okay if I come in for awhile?"
"Sure," Buffy nodded. "Why not?"
Xander entered and shut the door carefully behind him. "I figured 
you'd need a friend to talk to as much as I do right now," he said.
Buffy smiled. "I really could."
Xander peered about in the gloom. "Dawnie okay?" he asked, and 
frowned as he realised he'd unconsciously used Tara's affection for 
Dawn. The pain was still too new.
"She's in bed," Buffy sighed.
"No, I'm not." Dawn spoke from the doorway. "I heard voices, and I 
wasn't really sleepy anyway."
Xander walked over and gave Dawn a brotherly hug. "Heya, little 
bit." Dawn hugged Xander tightly. He gave her a light squeeze, gazing 
into Buffy's eyes with a shared bleakness.
"Its all coming apart," Buffy whispered. Suddenly she looked up. "I 
know what to do."
Dawn looked to Xander, then to Buffy. "What do you mean?"
"I know why everything's such a struggle," Buffy replied. "I'm short 
a Watcher. Pass me the phone."
Xander obliged and passed her the phone from the wall-mount. "You 
going to give Giles a call?"
"No," Buffy shook her head. "He's retired."

*

Quentin Travers stared at the phone in shock. It couldn't be true. 
The girl was dead! He should've known better than to presume 
something piffling like death would stop *this* Slayer! She'd some 
spunk, he had to admit with chagrin. He'd rather liked her...
He pressed QuickDial on his phone and roared, "Gather the Council. 
Immediately! no questions, no arguments! And get me Rupert Giles!"
He'd never felt so alive.
How auspicious.
How ironic.

*

End Part 2.