TITLE: The End...
AUTHOR: Ragna (writinggoddess@aol.com)
RATING: FRT
SPOILERS: None
DISTRIBUTION: Sure, just tell me!
DISCLAIMER: Everything except what comes out of my pretty little head belongs to Joss and Mutant Enemy. The title comes from part of a Smashing Pumpkins song, featured on the Batman and Robin soundtrack.
FEEDBACK: Wanted. Needed. SEND IT!
AUTHORS NOTES: All the poetry in the story was written by me.
DEDICATIONS: Dedicated to Julee (get better soon), Tiki (thanks once more for the awards), Nicole (I really did love my V-Day fic!!!), Ashley (poor girl...hope you have a beeter V-Day next year, but until then...) and Gillian (who jumpstarted my brain...I'll use the ideas soon!) Also to Erica and Cathryn, and Mandy.

***

It's a cold night, and rainy. The water falls on all those outside, and they run for cover. No demons are out, just the humans, save one. The ruddy light from the moon makes his stark features softened slightly, but all the light in his eyes is gone. The love of his afterlife is wasting away, just as she said she would.

It's to be her last evening of life, and he promised her that he'd bring her home and turn her. She could die in peace, die in his arms, and come back to him.

But he's going to break that promise. And though she can't speak, she knows. And she's upset. He muses to himself a little that she'd go out angry at somebody.

When she died, they'd always thought it would be in a fight, or after botching up a magic spell. But to get beaten brutally, with no warning, was not how it was supposed to end. And now she laid in the hospital, alone. Everyone had given up, and he would take her home.

***

She'd been that way for almost three weeks, machines extending what little time she had left. She tried to survive, but it hurt too much. He knelt down beside her, and caught a glimmer on her hand. She still wore the ring, the one he'd given her only a year before. The diamond sparkled, as did the emeralds. He stared at it in wonder as the doctor unhooked her from the machines. She had only until sunrise, if that long, to live without help, but she would never wake up.

He followed the doctor towards the car, her car. She was laid in the passenger seat, and he drove away, towards their home. A long time ago, it would have been a foreign concept, a vampire and a human living together, but they had made it work. He fought back bitter tears as he navigated his way through the deserted streets. Upon their arrival, her breathing had started to slow, and he quickly carried her inside, to avoid the chilling rain. Once inside, the tears flowed, as he carried her up the stairs. He had done that so many times, and he smiled bitterly at the memory. She would be no more soon, just a name and a decaying body would be left. She had never had children, just family. Maybe one of them would name their daughter with her name. Or a son with his. Not his nickname. His real name, the one he never used.

He laid her down on their bed, and laid next to her, watching her chest rise and fall weakly. She never moved, never uttered a sound, just slowly breathed her last breaths. He held her hand, her flesh slowly getting as cold as his own, and tenderly kissed her forehead. And then she was awake, however briefly, her hazel eye dull, but knowing. And she opened her mouth, to utter her final words.

"Our love is eternal." And then, as he held her in his arms, she took her last breath. And he sobbed, pulling her close as all warmth left her. He regretted not turning her, but he knew it was best. Finally, carefully laying her on the bed, he did what he had planned to do. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and stood in the basin on the floor. He knew that as he opened the curtain, he would exist no more. But to be with her...

The paper fluttered down, finally resting on his ashes.

***

An hour later, their friends and her family arrived. Seeing the windows open, they knew both of them were gone. Slowly, they made their way up the stairs, and saw her dead corpse on the bed, and a pile of ashes in a basin on the floor. One of them picked up the piece of paper and read it's words aloud.

"The rose in my hand withers,
It's petals floating from an unknown heaven,
Traveling down like rain from the sky,
A firey red rain sweetly perfumed.

I look at it, and see nine lone petals,
Clinging to the stem, moving with the wind,
Playing a game with me, smiling.
I set it down and leave it alone,
While the other flowers in the vase
Swing back and forth in the breeze
Of the balmy evening,
Like clouds floating in the sky.
The red roses, gleaming like fire,
The yellow sunflowers, opened for innocent eyes,
The blue bluebells, making an silent song,
The purple lavender, dotting the air,
The white babies breath, so fragile, so sweet,
And the orange poppies, looking like they were
Stolen from the sun by
Angels up above.
Now, glancing to my side,
The rose that once had nine, like the Muses,
Now has three, like the Fates.
One is Birth,
One is Life,
One is Death.
I pick it up, and they fall freely
Back to earth, in the cool, calm moonlight,
Leaving only a slight perfumed smell,
And a new sadness, like that of a loss
Of a love, or of friends.
But the perfume is lovely,
And it pulls me into an innocent bliss,
Bringing peace back into my
Tired, innocent heart.
The rose that withered in my hand
Is on the floor,
Out of my sight, but not
Out of my mind."

Later, those words were inscribed on her tombstone, credit given to her "Eternal Love." His ashes were laid to rest in an urn, tucked inside her casket, and her friends and family wept.

***

"Love? What's wrong?" The soothing voice came from next to her and she woke up.

"The dream..." Alex began, sitting up and trembling with fear.

"Shhhh," Spike soothed. "It was just that, a dream. It won't happen." He also sat up, and gently held her as he waited for her shaking to stop. Her body was pressed against his, hot on cold, and she felt safe.

She slowly stopped shaking, and pulled back enough to place a tender kiss upon his lips. "I know," she said breathlessly, and she embraced him once more, and they stayed entwined for many hours more.

***

The words of two great lovers
Are those of sweet nothings
And fanciful truths.
But the love and lust behind them
More than amounts for the
Ill fated but good intentiond lies
Whispered to woo another.
And when loves are fickle,
Cold and dead,
The words of two great lovers
Whisper in your ear
Of the past, and all that is
Embraced in it.

Alex found the piece of poetry lying around the house one day when she was cleaning. She saw Spike's archaic handwriting, and smiled. Flipping it over, she wrote this short poem.

The lights dance in my mind
The ones only you can see
And touch and feel
As I stand before you.
The orbs prance
To hidden silent music
And my body floats to you
Following the beat of the hidden music.

She would have written more, but the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey girl!"

"Oh, hey Ashley! What's up?"

"Well, what am I supposed to get your sister for the party?"

Alex laughed. "Don't pick pink or blue, whatever you get. And technically, it's not for her."

"I know. So, when's she due?"

"Three months, but we want the shower done before our uncle and Patricia move to London."

"So that's official?"

"Yeah. We're getting two Slayers here. Julee is to replace Buffy, and Nicole is to replace Gaby. You're watching one, and Gillian's got the other."

"No fair! Why don't you have one?"

"Love, I'm on the council. I can't have a Slayer in case I get called to lead."

"Oh, I forgot you're next in line."

"So you've got a place here in Sunnydale yet?"

"Putting first and last month's rent down as soon as I drive in tomorrow."

"Cool. It's nice to have another younger Watcher here."

"Tell me about it. Has Gillian found out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Yeah. She isn't telling us until the party. And then Buffy's party is the next day."

"Retirement or birthday?"

"Combination." The door opens and Spike walks in out of the cold night air. "Gotta go, Ashley. Spike's back."

"You know, I really envy you."

"Why?"

"That delicious guy is all yours."

"Yeah, but you're overlooking the fact he's a vamp."

"One can dream..."

Alex laughs again. "Goodbye, Flirty," she says before hanging up.

"Who was that, love?" Spike asked kissing Alex's neck and lightly biting it.

"Ashley, the other Watcher. You draw blood and I'll hurt you," she said as she pulled away from his embrace. "I can't believe I'm letting Gaby and Xander have the house," she said. A majority of their belongings were already packed up and ready to move. Spike looked at the piece of paper. Reading the poem, he smiled. "You wrote this?"

Alex nodded. "I would have written more, but Ashley called."

"It's beautiful. The poem was for you, by the way."

"Awwww," Alex said, and embraces him. "If you like that, I have more upstairs in a shoebox."

"So that's what you keep in it," Spike murmurred, nibbling at her ear.

"Keep that up and I'll show it to you."

"As you wish."

***

Lying in bed naked, the two looked through the shoebox. "This is one I wrote when I was..." She flipped the page over and looked at the date. "13. I was in middle school."

And the world sings to me
It's voice as sweet as candy
And the birds fly to me
As light as the breeze
And all the love
Washes over me,
Enveloping, warming,
And haunting me
With broken promises and future hopes.

"I never finished it," she said.

"It's beautiful unfinished, love," Spike said, leaning over to kiss her neck again.

"Wait! Here's one. I wrote this the first time I met you." Spike took the small piece of paper that she handed it. It was a haiku, and he read it aloud.

"The man of my dreams
He enters in the night, and
And sleeps during dawn."

He set the paper down. Leafing through other poems he pulled out two. "These are just...exsquisite.

"Everybody thinks I'm the villian,
But it is just an illusion, concocted
By lust and greed, which are indomitable
Things in his life. He sacrifices his love
For me so he can be tainted by the power
Of his hate. What will he do to me? Terror
In my eyes, horror in my thoughts, and in my
Expression, when I think about what he has
Done to you. I am empty, and I don't love
Him when I think of your fear. Sure, he was
Once tender, but his heart was evil, and his
Kiss was tainted. The chances are good that
We will triumph. I believe you will help vanquish
Him and send him far away. His evil will no longer
Taint our love. My desire for you is pure, my love
For you is real, and always will be, my love."

Picking up the second poem he read it, the words flowing out of his mouth and his warm voice enveloping Alex's heart.

"My life, though short,
Was wrought with fear
And scorched by evil.
But I triumph.
And why?
For love. Eternal love."

Suddenly Alex froze. That phrase... "That last part. That was in my dream. You were called my eternal love."

Spike stopped looking through the box. "Are you sure, love?' Alex nodded. "Well, I'll gladly take the name if you want."

"I...I...I don't know." She put all her poems back in the box, but one floated out.

"You missed one, love," he said, picking it up. It was only a few lines, but Spike read it and smiled. "This one might make you feel better, pet."

She took it and read it out loud.

"The world is ever changing,
Ever waking
Ever breaking,
But our love is steady,
Solid.
It is immortal, like my
Lover,
But as in the moment
As the time that ticks by,
And I am constantly surprised.
He comes to me at night,
Turning his head and whispering
Loving thoughts when he thinks I'm asleep,
But I hear them
And in the morrow,
My day is new,
My outlook is fresh,
And a smile resides in my soul."

Alex smiled. "I remember writing that. The next morning after I got hurt killing Rokna. The day Uncle Rupert got married."

"It's beautiful," Spike said again. "And it brings up a suggestion I had. I know that you don't want to leave the house, but if I were to do something with you, one night a week, would you go?"

"Like what?" Alex asked, rolling over and wrapping the sheet around her a bit.

"Take a class at the local college. A writing class."

Alex laughed. "I will." She turned off the light and reached for him, and they fell asleep.

But the dream still came.

***

Baby showers are usually boring. The guys, being smart and bored, met with the two new Slayers, Nicole and Julee. It turned out they'd been best friends all their lives, and that both knew quite a bit about fair and unfair fight tactics. And in the two weeks they'd been in Sunnydale, they'd managed to kill quite a few vampires. Which the men found out the hard way. All except Spike, who Alex expressly asked to supervise, but not join in. After all, he was a vampire.

"No, no, mate. Never leave the center open for attack," Spike yelled to Julee. When he saw she got the lesson, he smiled. He could get to like these two Slayers. They reminded him of Buffy quite a bit. They'd make worthy opponents to whoever they faced. He just hoped they'd live long enough to enjoy it.

***

"Well," Gaby said to the various friends of hers gathered around. She had opened the presents, and was thoroughly enjoying being the center of attention. "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that everything's fine."

"Then what's the bad news?" Buffy asked.

"Everyone should have bought twice as many gifts. I'm having twins! I've known for three months, and I couldn't tell anyone!" Everyone got up to hug her.

"Why?" Gillian asked. She'd been down lately because she and Joe had broken up before he got transferred to Boston.

"Well, we weren't sure if one of them was going to live, so we wanted to wait until we were positive. And they're both going to live. And, I know their sexes and we've got their names picked out."

"Well, what are they?" Alex asked.

"You'll enjoy them dear sister. I'm having a boy and a girl. The boy is to be named William Rupert Harris, after our uncle and your boyfriend, Alex. And the girl's name will be Alexandra Marie. I know Marie was your mother's name, and it just fits."

Alex had tears falling down her cheeks. "You're going to be a great mom, Gaby. I'm going to go get the refreshments now." She walked into the kitchen, and she sat down for a minute. If life was so good, why did she always feel like something was missing? Shaking her head, she grabbed the veggies and went back out.

***

Buffy's party the next evening was a bit more extravagent. The Bronze had been closed except to Buffy and her friends, and everyone attending spent the whole night dancing and laughing. Even Alex snapped out of her meloncholy for a quick swing dance demonstration. It helps when your partner's been around since the dance was invented. But the bad feelings washed over her, and she went outside for a breather.

Then they struck. Ten vampires to her would have been easy if she had a stake. Using what was lying around, she could kill a few, but soon, it was too much. They attacked, and attacked, and attacked, but never fed, and they left her for dead. Exactly as in her dreams.

***

It was a few hours later that Gillian happened to walk out to the alley where Alex was and find her. A panic ensued inside the Bronze, and she was taken to the hospital with a pulse so low it was a miracle she was still alive. The news they recieved upon arriving was even worse: with the amount of damage done, the best life she had to hope for was that of an invalid. Her brain had swollen, meaning there might be brain damage, and it looked as though she was bleeding internally and it couldn't be stopped.

Willow quickly cast the Spell to allow Spike to be in the sunlight, extending it every other day. And he sat there, every day, along with her friends and family, to see little or no change in her condition. She had been right; her death would be long and drawn out, and it was killing every one of her friends. After three weeks, just as she'd said, the doctor told Spike to take her home. Which he did, and everything proceeded according to the dream, with one notable exception: Spike kept his promise and turned Alex before she drew her last breath.

***

"I'm starving," she said, her game face marring the features Spike had grown to love.

"Hold on, love. As your sire, you'll do as I say. At least for tonight. Your last mortal wish was to get a soul as soon as possible. Before you bloody kill anyone, you'll have a soul," he said, dialing Willow up and getting her over before sunrise.

"But I'm hungry!" she yelled, and Spike handed her the same mug she'd always used for him.

"Drink," he commanded, and she did. Since she hadn't gotten a taste for the kill, she would be okay. She finished that bag, and another, and another. Spike looked at her in wonder; she was so much like Alex, but yet...she wasn't. The thing that Spike had loved about her was her warmth and compassion, and those were gone. At least until she got her soul back. The doorbell rang a half hour before dawn, and Willow walked in. "I have the supplies. She's really a vampire?" Spike nodded. "I can do it down here, but she doesn't need to be here. It might be a good idea if you're with her upstairs."

He nodded and headed back up the stairs and into their room, and was surprised to see her looking normal, with her laptop hooked up to her modem. "You won't let me hunt, and I'm glad. Is Willow here?" Speechless, he nodded, and she continued to type away. Not even becoming a demon stopped his lover from getting her work done. The only things that did that night was the re-emergance of her soul and her increasing animalistic instincts towards Spike. Soon, those instincts left no time for the blasted machine, and they spent the day alone together in the dark house.

***

"I have an idea," she said, absently messing with his hair.

"What, love?" he asked.

"How would you like to move into the mansion? I can buy the property up and make it private property for a long time. And we can live there, just us, and be happy. If it won't bring back too many memories," she said as she tapped her fingers on his chest.

"Pet, that's not such a bad idea," he said.

"It shouldn't be. I thought of it," she said, smiling her human smile, the warmth and compassion back in her eyes. Spike knew everything would be all right.

***

When they woke up the next afternoon and dutifully trudged down the stairs to eat, Alex noticed a piece of paper on the floor. It was a poem. One she'd written the night of the party.

"Oh, this was for you," she said, handing it to Spike and moving towards the utitlity closet.

He read the poem silently, and a tear fell down his cheek. On a pale blue piece of paper were the following words:

"As we lay entwined in lovers bliss,
One heart pounds a steady beat
And the breaths are slow,
Calm, relaxed.
And I look at you,
My cold love,
And I share my warmth
In hopes it makes you
Love me more."