The blonde Slayer paced around her small hotel room the following evening. Things had been a little rocky lately, but all in all, practically everything was going according to plan.
Fred was going to come back, and she was going to die. Plain and simple.
She was never going to live to see Dawn graduate from college, or see Angel turn human.
No, she was never going to see those things because her destiny was to die to save another.
Just so happened that person was Fred.
And she’d be damned if she was the cause of one more innocent’s life.
No, she had to do this. She couldn’t be selfish…could she?
Fred had so much more to live for. She had a real future with Wesley.
Six, long years ago, someone would have said the same thing about Buffy.
Now, she was just another pretty face in a long line of vampire Slayers, and she wanted to go out that way.
A cellular phone ringing broke Buffy out of her thoughts.
“Buffy Summers.” she answered sweetly into the phone.
“Hello.” the voice replied into the phone.
Buffy felt an all too familiar chill rush over her.
Oh boy.
***
“Riley.” Buffy spoke flatly. “Why are you calling me?”
“Giles gave me your number. He’s worried about you, Buffy.” Riley told his ex-girlfriend. “He said you were about to do something very stupid.”
“What things do I do that aren’t considered stupid and childish?” Buffy muttered out loud. “Look, Ri, don’t concern yourself. It’s nothing. I just needed to see Angel.”
“Then why haven’t you seen him?” Riley asked. “Giles told me that you’ve seen everyone but him. What the Hell’s going on, Buffy?”
“Riley, just butt out, all right?!” Buffy snapped at him. “How dare you! You can’t just call me up, and give me your holier than thou speech because Giles saw it fit enough to call you. I’m 23 years old, and I can manage my life.”
She shut her cell phone immediately, leaving a stunned Riley on the other end. Buffy was sop angry that she took her cell phone and watched it shatter into a million little pieces as she threw it against the wall.
How dare he? He’s the one who left. They all left her.
Now the roles were reversed.
She was leaving them.
***
Spike couldn’t fucking take anymore. He had to do something, stop her somehow. Even if it meant letting her and the Bloody Poof shag at least a million times over.
At least she’d be alive then.
Said vampire chose that moment to walk into his office.
“Thought I told you to get lost.” Angel sighed, not even looking up at Spike from the documents in his hand. “What do you want, Spike?”
“She’s gonna do it, Angel.” Spike growled. “I can’t stop her.”
“We’ll stop Illyria.” Angel promised. “Even if I have to kill her myself.”
“Not Illyria.” Spike knocked the papers out of his hands, making Angel look up at him. “She’s back in town, Angel, and she’s Hellbent on making sure that Fred lives.”
“Okay…” Angel nodded. “Who?”
“Buffy, nimrod.” Spike growled louder. “She was here earlier. Talking about some plan that she had for bringing Fred back. Something about transferring someone’s soul or some bullshit like that. She came by not long after you’d left. I think she went to mention it to Wesley.”
“Find him.” Angel snarled. “I don’t want anyone leaving this building until I find Buffy, especially Wesley or Illyria. She can’t transfer her soul into something that she doesn’t have.”