A/N: Chapter sixty five of the series.

Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in airing the shows.

Feedback: Sure, as you wish.

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Outskirts of London, England

December 2017

Angelus reacted as fast as predicted.

Blood flew from Xander's leg as the blade left it and was swung directly at Buffy's head. The slayer leapt back just in time, seeing the blood glistening on the tip of the metal. She lifted her own sword and parried back, engaging Angelus in yet another sword fight in their history.

Behind them, Spike stared at the unconscious man on the ground, blood splattered all over him. The vampire frowned, remembering the words spoken by the blind man, and he suppressed memories discarded a long time ago.

Spike had left all that baggage behind and moved on, dealing with the hits fate kept sending his way. Blue eyes scanned the world around him and he saw what he'd seen for the past several years.

Destruction and fire.

He knew what he was looking at.

He smirked and flexed his left arm, sore and in pain because of the redheaded slayer's actions and his own half assed plan of impaling her with a sword already buried in his body.

'Bloody brilliant.' He thought, his eyes returning to the man lying on the floor before him. His eyebrows knitted and he wondered what had happened to the man to make him grow and at least have enough intelligence and maturity to acknowledge his mistakes.

Of course, the man was blind and had tried to attack someone who could kill slayers. Xander Harris could very well be insane.

Spike sighed. The destruction around was not his style. Sure, he loved a bit of mindless devastation, but a war shouldn't be fought in such a manner. He was a fighter, and even if his mind and perception of reality was shot to hell, he'd rather fight with his bare hands instead of using swords, fire or any weapon know to man or demons.

The vampire cracked his neck, feeling tired all of a sudden, sick of being pulled around in every direction, sick of being subject to his own feelings, and sick of all the killing.

He knelt down and took Xander's head between his hands. Looking at the man's face, still contorted in pain, Spike thought about killing him or not. It could be so simple, only a twist on the head and the neck would snap very easily. Xander was a watcher, a well trained one, who had always hated him, or so he remembered. The watcher could be a potential threat in the future, and he had already saved a slayer's life.

More accurately, Xander had bought a few more minutes of sucking air, because Spike was there to eradicate all slayers but one.

But it wasn't fair. Xander had fought with honor, and honor demanded to fight him again, in different terms and on their own. The man had earned that.

Spike sighed and let the man's head go. Around him, the battle still raged, and it was getting them nowhere. The slayers fought like lionesses when their cubs were threatened and there were still more than five hundred of them fighting.

On an unofficial recount, Spike could see his army flickering and more and more demon corpses filled the battle field. Seemed those crazy women got stronger as the conflict progressed. He figured he had been crazy as hell the first time he sought one of them. According to what everybody told him, it had been at the beginning of the 20th century when he'd first killed one. He didn't remember all that well, but he was sure he had met several as time went by.

Or it could be the result of brain damage or something related to it.

Whatever the case may be, he had to kill them all and off half the planet as quickly as he could. Standing up straight, he sought a weapon and got ready to fight the next enemy.

Which seemed to be several humans wearing automatic rifles to one side.

Some frenzied slayers tackling a couple of fyarl demons on the other.

And then there were Angelus and the blonde slayer.

Buffy.

Spike shook his head. He had his orders and he would carry them on, not mattering who or what got in his way.

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"You know, this is really getting on my nerves." Angelus growled as Buffy had his arm twisted behind his back. "I should have gutted you on your sleep. Had plenty of time to do it."

"Fourteen years." Buffy grunted as she tried to keep her enemy still.

"What a waste of time." Angelus continued. "You and that annoying brat. I should have cut you to ribbons."
Buffy's anger escalated and she pulled his arm harder, almost breaking it.

"Don't talk about her." She hissed. "Don't you ever talk about her."

Angelus didn't reply as he threw his head back, connecting with Buffy's nose. The slayer pulled harder on Angelus' left arm and dislocated the shoulder before letting go. He screamed and squirmed in the ground, feeling pain running all over his arm, forgetting how painful such an injury was.

"You'll pay for this, bitch!" He growled.

"Yeah? What about my nose? You almost broke it!"

"Shut up!"

"Oh yeah, that's mature."

Angelus growled again and hoped someone could help him get his shoulder back in place, but with such an injury and facing a slayer, he knew he wouldn't last long.

"This has been amusing and all, but..."
Buffy interrupted him with a swift kick to his face, knowing how he wouldn't be able to lift his arm to block. Angelus' head snapped back and he felt blood rushing down his mouth and nose. He coughed and spat blood, feeling his balance a bit off and the pain coursing through his body. Looking around, he saw the vampire who'd caused it all, standing next to the unconscious boy who'd been such a pain in the ass.

Angelus smirked and charged back, knowing the slayer would try to protect the fallen idiot and Spike would fight her.

Maybe then both would kill each other.

Buffy couldn't believe when Angelus scampered off and sprinted right behind him, knowing she had the chance of taking him down while he was alone. If he reached Spike or Drusilla, or both, she wouldn't be able to take him out. Picking up a strange looking sword in a fluid motion, Buffy aimed and threw the blade at Angelus' legs. The sword didn't fulfill the intended purpose, but it worked as Angelus tripped on it, landing unceremoniously on his injured shoulder.

Buffy soon caught up with him, and avoided the punch that Angelus threw while turning around. She quickly straddled him, and while blocking his right arm, she punched him as hard as she could, wanting him out as quickly as possible.

It took her three full strength punches until Angelus was knocked out, and she let out a sad sigh when she noticed his bruised face. She had loved him for so long it amazed her how easily she could act like a slayer again when Angelus returned.

"You should kill him now, you know?"

Buffy looked up and stared into blue eyes she had not seen in almost fifteen years.

"Spike."

"The one and only." Spike replied and lifted a recently acquired battle axe. "Are you going to kill the bloke or just straddle him?"

Buffy blushed and stood up, picking the tossed sword as well.

"My mother told me what you're doing." She said. "And I'm afraid I can't let you do it."

"Who said what?"

"My mother. She said your job was to kill slayers."

"All but one." Spike nodded. "Fix something."

"Do you even care about it?" Buffy asked. "Do you feel anything?"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

"This! This war! All the deaths!"

Spike frowned and looked around.

"I could use a fag, if that's what you're talking about."

Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. There he was, the vampire who claimed had loved her fifteen years ago, not one bit changed except for a new scar on his face and acting like he didn't even care about what was happening.

"It's just the way the game is played, luv."

Something snapped inside Buffy's mind and her heart and her logic tumbled inside until she didn't know what the hell was happening.

"You were one of the good guys." She softly said.

"That was stupid." Spike admitted. "And a long time ago."

"Fifteen years ago."

"What?"

"Fifteen years. You were one of us. Dawn misses you."

"What are we talking about?"

"Spike, what happened to you?"

The vampire didn't reply and instead lifted the axe high on the air.

"I don't know what the bleeding hell you're talking about." He said before taking a swing at her. Buffy yelped and barely moved out of the way on time. She lifted her sword to block another attack, and she kicked at Spike's legs.

The vampire leapt out of her reach and brought down the weapon as hard as he could against her. The impact shattered one end of the axe and the blade of Buffy's sword. Both fighters tossed away their useless weapons and met their battle with their fists.

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Angelus groaned as he opened his eyes.

Feeling his head throbbing, he stood up and quickly looked around, remembering where he was and what he was doing before losing consciousness.

He frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for his enemy and frowning when he couldn't find her. Looking down at his body, he found no puncture wounds and no more blood than what he had on before starting. He moved his left arm and unbearable pain returned, reminding him of his dislocated shoulder.

Cursing out loud, Angelus sought the nearest demon, and like Spike moments ago, he enlisted the aid of one of the fighters of his army. Signaling the demon until the creature understood, Angelus braced himself for the pain when it pulled his arm and relocated his shoulder. Angelus growled and knelt down in pain, wanting to kill the slayer for causing him such an injury.

Taking deep breaths, Angelus rose from the floor and sought another weapon, one of the advantages being that the battlefield was filled with discarded armory.

Finding a broken sword, Angelus frowned but picked it up, and began to look his opponent.

When his eyes fell on her, he smiled when noticing who she was fighting against. An idea began to form in his head and he ran towards them.

Looked like Angelus wouldn't have to wait more.

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The slayer and vampire soon fell into stalemate, both too familiar with the way each other fought.

Buffy had immediately remembered how they used to dance, but Spike seemed to have fallen into step automatically, his body reacting before he had the time to process about what was happening.

"Not bad." Buffy said. "Just like old times."

"I must say, you're far better than any of the other slayers I've fought so far." Spike replied. "But that won't change the outcome."
"So sure of yourself." Buffy chuckled. "As usual. But I've stopped you before, and I'll find a way to do so now."

"You won't." Spike simply said. "But feel free to try."

"What's with everyone telling me you can't be stopped?" Buffy asked. "Ever since the first time you appeared in my life, Angel warned me about you."

"And?"

"And now, every angel that has appeared has told me I can't stop you." Buffy continued. "I don't know what happened to you, or why you seem to be unstoppable, but..."

Buffy couldn't finish her words, when something made Spike's black t-shirt bulge right under his heart.

The vampire's blue eyes grew large and he stared first into Buffy's hazel ones and then down to his chest. The shirt broke and the edge of a broken sword appeared, soaked with the vampire's blood.

"What the...?"

Buffy stepped forward and tried to touch the offending metal, but it was quickly withdrawn. Spike grunted and lurched forward, leaning on Buffy's shoulder. Blood splattered her clothes and he looked at her with confused eyes.

"Spike! What...?"

The broken sword swung again, and it cut through the vampire's neck, spraying more blood into the air and into Buffy's face.

For an instant, the slayer locked eyes with the vampire who had once loved her.

And again, Buffy saw Spike turn into dust in front of her.