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Part 3
Faith had left the pair when they got back to the room, and made her way to bed for a couple of hour's sleep. Buffy retreated to Spike's room, where it was dark, and fed on a couple of blood bags he said he'd nabbed from a hospital a couple of days back. Then she took the bed, while Spike slept on the floor, and lay with her eyes wide open for a while. She forgot,sometimes, that she didn't need to breathe anymore, and took a few hefty gulps of air. She looked down at Spike, completely motionless, facing away from her. He, of course, had been doing this for about a century. He seemed so peaceful, and Buffy was certain he was asleep, when he suddenly turned over, saw her staring at him, and said with a sheepish smile, "What?"
Buffy smiled back. It was easier than she expected for her to accept this. She had known since she had become the slayer that she would have a short life, battling the un-dead. This was a rest for her. A chance to have a real life, and a real love. "Nothing. You just look cute when you sleep!"
"I wasn't asleep," He denied, "Just resting my eyes!" He sat upright, and took her hand. "Decided what you want to do yet?"
"Been thinking about it. I'll have to tell Giles, and the others...and Mom. But then, the world is my proverbial oyster. How does Europe sound?"
Spike smiled, remembering the old days. "Like home." He answered truthfully. America had never been his kind of place.
The phone rang out in Giles' kitchen. It was the Summer holidays, so he only went back to school to pick up books to go through, and find yet more impending doom. He wasn't expecting a call, so answered impartially, "Giles?"
"Hi, Giles. It's Buffy. You're not gonna believe this..."
Only minutes after the phone had been hung up, and before Giles had had some time for some serious coffee, possibly even scotch, the phone rang again. Giles knew who this one would be!
"Hello, Rupert Giles? This is Antony Baring, from the Council. I'm afraid we have bad news."
"I know. She just phoned me!"
"Phoned you? But, she's dead!"
"Technically, yes. It would turn out we have an actual vampire-slayer!"
"What? This has never happened before! Did she say what happened?"
"Well, I think it's sort of obvious what happened. A vampire changed her, she's now a vampire. She says she's refusing to feed off of humans, though, which I believe."
"Yes, of course. The other one's still with her, isn't she. Faith?"
"Yes, I talked to her, too. There's an old friend looking after her, but there's no need to go into details. He's making sure she feeds, stays out of sunlight, and other forms of trouble."
"Alright. I'll tell the new Watcher what happened. I presume you'll keep watch over Faith, in the meantime?"
"Naturally. Good bye, Mr Baring." Giles put down the phone, and reached for a double measure of Scotch he'd poured while talking. It wouldn't be long before he had Willow and Xander on the phone. And then, worst of all, Buffy's mother.
Buffy and Faith had finally called around everyone. They'd had pretty much the same response all round. Only Buffy's Mom was different. She was alot quieter, and more excepting than Buffy had expected.
"So, what are your plans. Are you coming back to Sunnydale?" Faith said, on the last day of their long weekend off (That was all Giles said they could be spared for).
"No. Not yet, anyway. Maybe in a month or so, when everything's cooled down. But for now," Buffy put her arm around Spike's shoulder, and smiled, even though her insides were ripping at her for leaving Faith behind - for leaving everyone behind. "We're going to Europe. Whistler - You remember Whistler, right - He said he'd meet us in France. Signing us up on the good-guys team. I'll phone you, soon as we get there. Ok?"
Faith nodded, but she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She knew it wasn't Buffy's fault. If it was her, she'd do the same thing. But it still felt like Buffy, who had helped her through so much, was just giving up too easily. Was too happy with her situation.
Buffy and Faith looked at Spike as one, their eyes making what they wanted clear. "I'll just, um..." He pointed towards the hotel doors, and skulked off. Buffy and Faith looked at each other for along time, before giving each other a long hug, tears coursing down both of their cheaks. Faith listened hard, but couldn't, for all her wanting, hear a heartbeat. That was it. Buffy was gone, and Faith knew she would never be the old Buffy. "I'll be seein' ya, girlfriend!" She said, breaking off, and walking quietly to her cab. Buffy shut the door, and waved. Spike came up behind her, but she couldn't see him in the window's reflection. Or herself. All she saw was the hotel behind them.
She turned, as the car drove away, and let him take her into his arms, as she sobbed quietly, knowing nothing would ever be the same between her, and any of her friends again.
France. A new beginning!
The plain touched down in France. The sun was just setting, which was very convenient, but they bother hid beneath high collars on their coats, all the same. Whistler was there, in the crowd, holding a board saying 'Spike and the All New Buffy!' on it. Even though she knew she should be angry at him, she smiled, and wandered over to greet him.
"Ok, Spike, this is Whistler, the good fairy. Whistler, this is Spike," She didn't know what to add to his name. Then she smiled at him, and put an arm around his waste, "My demon lover!" She smiled, happy with herself, and he pulled her into a kiss, that seemed to last for eternity. And it would, if Buffy had anything to do with it!