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Survival of the Fittest: The process or result of natural selection.(Oxford Dictionary)
"The Lord God says: Raise your hands in horror and shake your head with deep remorse and say, 'Alas, for all the evil we have done!' For you are going to perish from war, and famine and disease!" Ezekiel 7:11
Willow seemed finally to break from her shock-coma a bit when Xander pulled up in front of Buffy's home. She slowly blinked, and looked towards Xander, looking confused, "Where's Oz?"
Xander inhaled sharply, closing his eyes, "Wills...I'm...Oz...is gone..."
"Oh..." she cast her eyes down, caressing her stomach as her lower lip trembled. She lifted her head after she was sure she had control of her emotions, wondering if she was so horrible for not wanting to cry. Shouldn't I cry? I loved him so much...would it be terrible to cry?
She shook her head slightly as she lifted her head and looked at Buffy's silent home. Whatever she was feeling at the moment had to be a million times worse for Buffy, she was sure. Last time she had seen the Slayer, she had been blaming herself for what had happened, but no amount of arguing could convince her otherwise.
If Giles was here...she winced at her own thoughts. Giles wasn't here...he wouldn't be there for them, to give them advice, or help the lost teenagers. They had just graduated high school...they weren't adults yet! They couldn't do this without the guidance of Giles! He was smart...and always there for them, and when they most needed him, he was gone.
Who will lead us?
Xander touched her shoulder lightly to get her attention, "I think we should leave town...tonight," He told her softly, "I don't think I can stand another minute in this ghost town."
Willow nodded. She didn't think she could last that long here either. "Okay," She said softly, "But where will we go?"
Xander pulled a face, then shook his head, "Don't know, Wills...where can we go?"
Good point...everywhere is a ghost town...there's no place to go...or be...
Xander climbed out of the van, and with a heavy sigh, Willow followed him up to Buffy's door.
When Buffy came down after her shower, she saw Spike sitting on the couch, looking through Giles' journals.
She felt irritated at his intrusion into Giles' private thoughts, but bit back her anger. Now wasn't the time to pick fights with the blond. She had a feeling that they would need to work together from now on.
"Spike?"
He looked up, closing the journal, "Uh...sorry..." He actually looked embarressed to Buffy's surprise, "I was just...you know...reminiscing by myself."
She smiled, her irritation disappearing, "Yeah...those were the good days..." Spike arched an eyebrow, and she sighed, "You know, compared to right now, Angelus was the good, old days."
"Have to agree with you there," He shook his head as he rubbed the back of his neck, "You said Willow and the whelp were still alive, correct?"
Buffy nodded, then looked down at her feet, "Actually...I don't...really know...I haven't seen them for two days..."
Spike cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze, "Are you all right?"
It wasn't exactly the question she expected from the vampire, and he must have seen the surprise on her face, because he let go of her chin and ran a hand through his hair, shifting on his feet uncomfortably. "We'll get your friends and find Angel, then."
"You're...coming...?"
Spike shot her a look, "Why? Do you want me to leave?"
"No," Buffy shook her head, "It's just...you hate Angel..." Oh God...what if he tells him about last night...it'll hurt him...
"Yeah, well, I don't exactly love the nonce's company, but beggers can't be choosers, right?" He replied with a shrug, "And I won't tell him what happened, Slayer...it's 'tween you and me only. I don't care if you want to tell him or your friends, but I'm not going too."
She smiled for the first time in days, whispering softly, "Thank you, Spike..."
He nodded, grabbing his t-shirt and pulling it over his head just as the door opened.
Both blonds turned towards the door, tensing. You couldn't be too careful nowadays. The only dangers in the world weren't vampires or demons anymore...it was desperate humans.
Xander and Willow froze in the doorway, staring at the blond vampire in shock and confusion.
Buffy didn't know quite what to say to them, and Spike nodded at them curtly before heading up the stairs to get his own shower. God knew when they'd have hot water again once they left home.
"Buffy?" Confusion was evident in Willow's voice while Xander simply looked enraged. He never liked Angel, and they'd be no way in hell he'd ever accept Spike, she was sure.
"He...just showed up," Buffy explained, "Drusilla died...she was one the first...he had no where else to go..."
Willow nodded, already accepting their situation. At a time like this, there was no reason to turn people out. They needed all the help they could get. And Willow knew first-hand what the vampiress meant to Spike. He had risked the Slayer's wrath and the powers of a witch to win back her love.
She would have to ask how torturing her went. At least this time, he didn't appear to have any broken bottles on him.
She still had nightmares about that...at least, before the real nightmare descended on Earth.
Xander, however, was another matter, "Why in the hell did he come here for?! He's a vampire! You're a Slayer! And he's using your shower!"
"Xander..." Willow tried to break in, but he ignored her, "Goddam it, Buffy! We're in enough trouble as it is! We don't need him trying to kill us on top of it!"
"Angel's still alive," Buffy told him softly, "If we want a chance to find him, Spike's the one to do it. He's got that whole, Childe-Sire thing working for him..."
"Yeah, and while he's working it, he could be chomping down on Willow!"
Willow paled and Buffy clenched her fists angrily, "This is non-negotiable, Xander. We need him. This is no time to start leaving people out. Plus, none of us have been out of California all our lives! How in the hell are we supposed to find our way around? Spike's been all over the States, and we need him to help us!"
Xander glared at her, "I don't like this, Buffy...he'll kill us first chance he gets."
"I got news for you, Xander. He was here all night and had plenty of chances to kill me, but he didn't. So, I'm taking a leap of faith here and saying I trust him. You don't have too, Xand, but could you at least trust me?"
Xander shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair, "Buffy..."
"Slayer," Spike interrupted as he came down the stairs, glancing at his watch, "I figure the poof will be leaving LA as soon as night falls. I figure we better get some supplies and another bike..." He glanced at Xander, "You know how to ride?"
"I got Oz's van," Xander said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the vampire with all he was worth.
"Won't do shit. You'd have to abandon it a mile out of town. The highways' are all clogged with traffic. Cycles are the only way to get around," He glanced at Buffy and Willow, "The whelp and I will handle the bike, how 'bout you two handle the food? Get only cans and anything else that won't rot or anythin' on the road."
Willow nodded, faintly surprised, but more relieved at the way the vampire took charge of the situation. It felt better to have someone leading them, instead of them wandering blindly around.
"Okay, Buffy and I can do that," Willow smiled slightly, but it was still tinged with sadness.
Xander glared at Spike, then snorted as he stalked out the door.
Spike exchanged a look with Buffy before pulling on his duster, gloves and helmet to protect him from the late afternoon sun.
LA was burning.
Angel stood inside his apartment, dark curtains lifted to view the world outside. Thick, black smoke choked the sun, and Angel watched the fire licking at buildings, worry filling his mind.
Will it be sun-down before the fire reaches me? Who set it? A firebug or the army? Humans trying to cover-up their mistakes?
He shuddered, letting the drapes fall down, obscuring his view of the flames as he picked up the phone, dialing a number from memory.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is out of ord---" The phone went dead before the dead, disjointed voice could finish it's recorded message, and Angel slowly hung up, staring down at the phone for a few moments. Such a simple object...yet the loss of it filled him with gut-wrenching silence.
Just one more thing created by human beings that was now useless since the world was ended.
He lifted the drapes once more, watching the flames with a haunted look in his eyes. He wondered if once the flames reached him...would he even want to flee before them.
Xander's eyes were squeezed shut, his arms wrapped around Spike's middle as the vampire roared down the empty streets of Sunnydale on his motorcycle.
He inhaled sharply when he felt Spike take a turn, the world tilting on it's axis, and then they were upright once more.
He breathed a sigh of relief as the bike finally stopped in front of Mark's Cyclery, trying to look as manly as possible as he stumbled off the back of the bike, trying to steel his shaky knees as he drew himself up to smirk at Spike. "You drive like a total pussy..." He taunted the vampire, who glanced at him, Xander's face reflecting back at him in the visor.
"You're sweating," Spike replied simply, going up to the shop door, and kicking the glass, then reached up, unlocking the door.
"Hey! That's breaking and entering!"
Spike slipped in the door, rolling his eyes as he removed his helmet. "So sue me. I'm going to be stealing too...got a problem with that?"
"Yes!" Spike shook his head, disappearing inside the shop, and Xander glowered as he followed, "Just because everything's gone to shit doesn't mean we have to commit crimes!" Xander insisted, and Spike glanced at him.
"Fine..." He opened his wallet and flung a wad of cash at the boy's face, "All it's good for now is wiping your arse with, Harris...but by all means! Go stick it in the bloody cash register!"
Xander stared at the cash lying on the ground, then scowled at Spike before going to find a helmet that would fit him, not admitting that Spike was right.
Spike rolled his eyes, glancing around at the bikes before finally picking a white and blue one that was simple and light enough for Xander to work, and kicked up its stand, rolling it out.
Xander returned with three helmets, "I guessed on Willow and Buffy's sizes..."
Spike nodded, "We need gas, mate...I'm not going to be able to siphon it without lifting up my visor and torching myself and then taking out half of Sunnyhell with the nice fireball I'd create..." Spike pulled out a length of rubber hose from his duster pocket and a packet of tic-tacs, grinning at Xander almost evilly. "So, it's all up to you."
Buffy pushed a shopping cart down the aisles of grocery store, looking for Willow, finally finding her near the magazines...staring at a picture of a woman holding a baby, her husband's arm wrapped the woman's waist. The perfect picture of domesticity.
"Wills?" Willow lifted her eyes, and Buffy flinched at the look in them, looking haunted, and she gently removed the magazine from the redhead's hands. "You okay?"
"Yeah..." Willow frowned, looking at Buffy, "I...I haven't cried for him, yet...not since he died...oh God...am I horrible? Terrible in some way? I love him...but I can't cry..."
"Wills, it's okay..." Buffy reassured her, "You'll cry for him...I know you will...it's just...first, you have to deal. When I...when I sent Angel to hell...I didn't cry till he came back. I was too numb...too worried about how I was gonna survive without him..." She looked down at her feet, closing her eyes. "You'll cry..."
Willow nodded, glancing at the nearly full shopping cart, "Don't you think that's a little too much?"
"Yeah...probably..." Buffy smiled wanly, "But you know me and shopping...and all of this is free...so..."
Willow smiled a bit, hugging her arms around her, and shuddering as if cold, "We can pick stuff up as we go too...cans are our best bet...they last forever...an-and...we'll probably need some camping gear too..."
"Yeah...Spike and Xander are getting that, I think..."
Willow nodded, then glanced at Buffy, "Why did he come back?"
The blond shook her head as she began to push the cart, "I...don't know, exactly...but probably because he really had no where else to go...Drusilla's dead."
"Drusilla?"
"Yeah...he said...she was one of the first ones taken...they were in Texas..."
Willow nodded slowly, following Buffy, trying to think. "Where will we go?"
"I...I don't know...but LA's a start...for now. I'll guess we can decide what to do once we meet up with Angel..."
As they wheeled the cart to the front entrance, Buffy paused to grab a couple packs of Camels, and threw them in the cart, and Willow gave her a look, "When did you pick up smoking?"
"Not me, Spike," Buffy told her, and Willow raised an eyebrow.
"You had sex with him."
"What?!"
"You had sex with him."
"How the hell did you get that from a couple of cigarrettes?!" Buffy asked, and Willow shook her head.
"Call it best friend radar..."
"Don't tell Xander...please!" Buffy pleaded, "He won't understand...it was just...a thing...I just wanted to forget everything for awhile and...um...he helped..." Buffy's face was bright red, "Please?!"
"Cross my heart," Willow said with a small smile. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend that she and Buffy were dishing together in the girl's bathroom between periods at school. But as soon as she opened them again, the world was once more dead, and nothing really mattered but their ability to survive.
We will survive...we have too...she dropped her hand to her stomach, where Oz Jr. was growing, and she smiled genuinely, a faraway look in her eyes. Buffy glanced at her curiously, unable to figure out what she was smiling about. We will survive...
Xander popped more tic-tacs in his mouth, struggling to hold in his lunch. His clothes reeked of gasoline, as did his breath, and he couldn't wait to get back to Buffy's so that he could brush his teeth for three hours.
He and Spike had practiced with the motorcycles, till the boy had gotten the hang of it, and then drove back to Buffy's house. They would leave the next morning at dawn. Although the daylight hours weren't vampire-friendly, Spike was loathe to endanger the others by traveling on clogged roads at night, especially with Xander being very inexperienced with the cycle. As it was, they would have to take it very slow.
The men had grabbed a few sleeping bags from a sporting goods store, and Xander watched doubtfully as Spike grabbed two rifles and a couple of boxes of ammo.
"What are you doing with those?!"
"Mate, I met some very dangerous people roaming the roads...desperate humans are not a pretty sight..."
"I don't care! We can't shoot them!"
Spike was fast getting annoyed with the boy's constant complaining, and he whirled on him with a growl.
"Listen, Harris! This isn't fun time, all right?! This is survival, pure and simple! Only the strongest will beat this! Grow a fuckin' backbone, and get a grip on reality! The world's dead, and there's no laws anymore! Anarchy is everywhere. Either you help, protect the womenfolk, hold down the fort, circle the wagons and what other stupid Americanisms you can use...or I'll shoot you here myself!"
Xander took a step back, staring at Spike in shock, "You're threatening me?!"
"Yes, I am," Spike tossed a rifle at him, and Xander caught it by reflex as Spike slung the other one around his shoulder by the strap and grabbed the sleeping bags. "Let's go."
Xander watched as the vampire stalked towards the door, then looked down at the rifle, shuddering, praying that he wouldn't have to use it. Oh God...I can't do this...
Willow and Buffy hugged each other as they stared at the TV. Deep shudders ran along their spines as they watched the drama unfold before them.
"It's...it's not real, right?" Willow whispered, "It's...it's a show..."
"Yeah...it's called Wheel of Anarchy..." Buffy replied bitterly, watching as a huge man wearing a loin cloth cocked an army issue carbine, and shoot a man point blank in the head, and Willow nearly screamed as blood spattered against the camera lens.
Blood and snot ran down the killer's face as he waved his hand, and a struggling soldier, coughing up blood and phlegm was dragged before the camera, and they watched as the man brought a huge, bowie knife across the soldier's throat, bellowing as the blood gushed out of the soldier's wound.
Spike and Xander came in just in time to see the killing blow, and the vampire growled, stalking towards the tv and jerking the cord out. He took a deep breath, turning around to berate Willow and Buffy for watching, but their faces stopped him.
All three of them were pale, their faces drawn and eyes haunted. He swallowed his anger, reminding himself that these were really children...forced to grow up before their time...even the Slayer. Americans...
Spike shook his head slightly, keeping his voice low and soothing, "Listen...we're not the only ones to survive...and I know how much all of you want to protect the world...it's in your blood...especially yours, Slayer...but once we hit the road...it'll start becoming life and death. A shoot first, ask questions later, kinda deal. We see people coming towards us, if we have time, we hide. If not...we'll draw our weapons...and deal with whatever situation arises..."
He glanced at Buffy, who looked horrified by the prospect. "You three may have to kill another human...I know none of you have done it before...but you may have too. The first time...it's hard...but remember...it's all about surivival at this point...all six of us..."
"Six...?" Buffy frowned, looking at Spike in confusion.
"You, me, the whelp, Willow, Peaches and the kid..."
Buffy blinked in surprise as Xander gave her a look, "Oh, good...you told everyone then..."
"I didn't..."
Spike rolled his eyes, mumbling beneath his breath about certain Slayers who needed to study up on vampires. "Heartbeats. There's four of them in this room right now. Two of them comin' from the witch. Can I finish?"
They all nodded, and Spike glanced towards the windows as they darkened. "We'll take turns standing watch at night, armed, and ready to shoot. Remember, every time one of you make a decision...it'll affect the whole group. If you hesitate to shoot, then one of you could be killed, understand? Whatever reservations you have about killing a human...forget it. It's a new world order, kiddies, and let me tell you...it fuckin' sucks. We all on the same page here?"
He watched as they all nodded, but doubt suffused their faces, and he sighed, knowing that most likely, he'll be the one defending the group if it was humans attacking. At least till Peaches joined up with him. He never thought he'd ever see the day that'll he'd be glad for his ensouled Sire's presence...but then again...a hell of a lot had changed.
"Right...Harris...you take first watch, and then the witch, then the Slayer and then me. If you start to doze off, wake someone up. Don't fall asleep at the switch, people...or some of us might not be waking up..."
They nodded slowly, and as Spike turned away, he closed his eyes with a deep breath. The odds were against them...but he always liked to play the odds...didn't he?
They would survive...he would make sure of it.
As the sun dropped below the horizon, night found Angel in the underground garage, staring at a black, chrome work of art.
He smiled sorrowfully to himself, remembering how Cordelia had reacted when she had seen it, proclaiming it was a death trap, and that he would smash his head in an accident, and no amount of vampire healing could put him back together again. He had been touched by her worry.
Till she pointed out how many Prada and Vera's she could've gotten for the money he had spent on it.
He shook his head slightly, pushing those thoughts away as he rested his hands on his only means of survival...his only means to Buffy.
He closed his eyes, picturing sea-green eyes and blond hair that smelled of vanillas and skin that tasted like strawberries as he threw the clutch, a loud, roaring sound echoing in the otherwise silent garage.
He could survive...
The world was ended, but he would survive. For her. Always for her.
As he manuvered his way out of town on his Harley, he glanced one last time over his shoulder, taking one last look as the City of Angels burned to the ground.
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