Part 5 Chapter 3

Buffy expected the body disappear in a poof of dust. She waited, and she waited. Finally, just as she was convinced that Lilith wasn't really dead after all, the body broke up into a blue mist.

"Oh God, is this going to be like killing Dracula," she moaned. The blue mist swirled around her, completely circling her. It engulfed her, and none of her friends could see her for several minutes.

Buffy at first felt like she was still fighting. Her body, her soul, was being battered from all sides. She tried to fight, but there was not solid for her to attack. And still the blows kept coming, not enough to truly hurt her, but enough to shock her and send her staggering.

She reached blindly for something, anything, to help her, but all her hand encountered was more blue mist. Then the beatings quickly turned to caresses. The mist caressed her just like Spike did, and in spite herself, she felt her body responding. She even allowed a small moan of pleasure to escape her lips.

As suddenly as it started, the caressing stopped. Now the mist was no longer a comfortable warm. It was cold. She felt as though she was drowning. She struggled and gasped for air, calling on all of her Slayer strength to break past the bonds constricted her chest. Her toes and fingers were going numb with the cold, and goosebumps erupted across her skin.

The cold dissipated and was replaced by stunning heat. Sweat immediately poured down her body, soaking her hair and clothes. The mist was heavy too. It was pressing her to the ground, forcing her to kneel. "Is this how she'll kill me?" Buffy thought wildly. "She is going to break me?"

She opened her mouth to gasp for air or plead for help, she didn't know which. It didn't matter because the mist took that opportunity to rush into her body. She felt her heart speed up, and she could almost hear the blood coursing through her veins. Her nose picked up a wide array of scents from fear to arousal. "Is that me?" She could suddenly see through the mist clearly, colors and shapes had never been this bright or defined.

Then it was over, the mist was gone, leaving the Slayer laying on the ground, clutching her stomach and panting. She closed her eyes briefly, bracing herself. She knew when she turned around to face her friends, one from their party would be missing.

The most important one.

But she had to let them know that she was all right. They were calling out to her, in frightened, eager voices. "That's odd," Buffy said aloud, "Why aren't they rushing to me?"

Buffy opened her eyes and rolled over, and gasped in shock. The Scoobies were trapped. The vampires that were supposed to be gone were advancing on them.

And the most important one lay unconscious on the ground before her.

"Why aren't they dead?" She shrieked.

Giles looked sick, but responded in calm voice. "Because Lilith isn't dead."

"What do you mean?" Buffy thought she knew exactly what he meant, but she wanted him to say it. She could feel the new strength coursing through her body, could feel her cells singing with new energy.

"The demon . is in you."

A/N-I know, I know, how could this be the end? Well, it's the end of Spike's journey. We're going to start Buffy's now. Don't worry, Spike is going to be key to her journey. Watch for the sequel, I will be posting it shortly, called Buffy's Demon.