Love and Death Embrace by Addie Logan

Summary: Once, William Pratt was a quiet poet, madly in love with his wife, Drusilla. Now, Spike is a loner, hunting in the night for the monster who took her away. He is focused on vengeance, making no room for anything else in his life – until his plan to get his revenge takes a turn he never could have predicted.

Author's Notes: Parts of this fic get very dark. There’s angst, there’s violence, there’s stuff that’s not altogether happy. It’s not all angst, but there is a good bit, especially in certain parts. If at any point it gets to be two much for you, you can do one of two things: stop reading, hold your breath and hope it gets better, or email me and ask me to answer any question you have about what’s coming up to see if it’s something you still want to read. (I’ll always answer those questions in private emails sent to addie_logan@yahoo.com. I will not answer them in a public forum like my livejournal or a review page. I don’t want to spoil the story for people who don’t want to know.)

However, what I ask you not to do is complain to me about things being too dark or tell me it’s too much for you. I have some readers who have problems with angst and some who don’t. I’m not going to shortchange the ones who do, or myself for that matter, because some people can’t take it. That’s not fair to anyone. So if you don’t like what I’m writing, then that’s your personal preference, and you’re free to read something else. I understand that, and I’m fine with it. I’m not fine with flame wars, nor am I fine with people harassing me, writing me threatening emails, or trash talking me around the internet. (And just so you know, I’m not paranoid – this has happened.)

So, to sum up – there is angst. If you like it, that’s cool, keep reading. If you don’t, that’s cool, too, you can quit reading. Or read with one eye covered. Or something. Just don’t flame me.

Chapter 21

The stake seemed to roll in slow motion to the floor as Buffy watched it move away from Spike’s heart. The sound of Drusilla squealing in delight and clapping her hands echoed in Buffy’s ears, but her focus stayed on the two male vampires.

Spike jumped up from the ground, snarling as he finally faced off against Angelus. Angelus snarled back, his features shifting into gameface. “I took you out once, boy. You’ve even got that scar over your eye to prove it. Don’t think just because Drusilla gave you a little bite that you’ll do any better tonight.”

“I was a weaker man ten years ago, and I still escaped from you alive, Angelus,” Spike snarled in response. “You can’t intimidate me with this.”

“I don’t have to intimidate you to kill you, boy. I’ll see that you’re dust, and then I’m going to fuck that little bitch you think is yours.”

Spike roared in anger, lunging at Angelus. They tumbled to the ground, fists and fangs flying. Buffy’s eyes darted from Angelus and Spike to the stakes still on the ground, and she moved towards one, reaching to grab it.

Drusilla flew at her before she could, screeching and clawing at Buffy with her nails. Buffy stumbled back, Drusilla’s attack throwing her off balance. The other vampire was wild, yelling things that Buffy couldn’t comprehend, and she struggled to defend herself.

“You’ll ruin the game!” Drusilla yelled a she pulled at Buffy’s hair. “You mustn’t ruin my game!”

“Get off me, you crazy bitch!” Buffy snarled, pushing at Drusilla. She managed to get away for a moment, but then Drusilla was back, screaming and clawing again.

Buffy cried out when Dru’s nails ran over her face, drawing blood. Spike turned at the sound, and Angelus took the opportunity to strike, knocking Spike off him and into the wall.

Buffy yelled again when she saw Angelus grab one of the stakes, though this time, her cry was a warning to Spike. He jumped up, expecting Angelus to come for him with the stake.

He didn’t. Instead, he went for Buffy, knocking Drusilla to the ground and grabbing Buffy, pinning her to his chest with the stake at her heart.

“Well, lookie what I’ve got here.”

Spike held out his hands. “Let her go, Angelus. This can just be between us – man to man.”

“See, I don’t think so. I kind of like it like this. How about you, Buffy? Helpless and at my mercy – just like old times.” Angelus put his nose against her hair and sniffed. “Yeah, that’s nice. You’re afraid.”

“Go to hell, Angelus,” Buffy snarled. “You aren’t going to intimidate me.”

“I’ve got a stake at your heart, bitch. I don’t have to intimidate you to dust you.”

Buffy looked across the room at Spike and met his eyes. She could see his fear at the thought of losing her, and knew she had to be strong. She had to make it through this.

They hadn’t had their shot at forever yet…

She closed her eyes for a moment, steadying herself before they snapped open again and she stiffened in Angelus’s arms, standing proud even as he taunted her. “No, but you want to. That’s the only way you can get off, isn’t it – by making your women feel weak. You’re such a pathetic excuse for a man that the only way you can get hard is by making someone else feel lower than you.”

“Shut up, you worthless slut! Don’t think I won’t dust you.”

“Go ahead,” Buffy replied. “Will it make you feel big and strong, Angelus? Will it make you feel like something other than the pathetic little boy your daddy couldn’t love?”

Angelus bellowed in anger as he threw Buffy to the ground. “I told you to shut your mouth! I’ll tear you apart, whore!”

Spike seized the opportunity and lunged across the room, tackling Angelus as he went for Buffy again. The two vampires began to wrestle for the stake, and Buffy reached for the other only to be attacked by Drusilla again.

This time, she wasn’t going to play the other woman’s game.

Buffy kicked out hard, sending Drusilla flying, then grabbed the stake. Drusilla faltered when she saw Buffy was armed before she reached for her hair, pulling at it as she screamed.

“These aren’t the rules! You’re breaking the rules!”

Buffy had had enough. She rushed across the room to Drusilla and pinned her against the wall, stake against her heart. “I don’t care about your fucking rules. All I really want to do right now is dust you for what you’ve done.” She took a deep breath, her hand shaking. “But he loved you once.”

Buffy stepped back, letting Drusilla go. “This is the only time I’ll show you mercy. Run before I change my mind.”

Drusilla looked at Buffy, and something almost like sanity passed across her face for a moment. “Take care of my William?”

“He isn’t yours. Not anymore.”

“I know. He was never truly mine. Always waiting for you…” Her voice held a sense of mourning, but Buffy had no pity.

Drusilla ran from the mansion, and Buffy let her go.

After all, she had more important things to worry about now. She turned back to Angelus and Spike, watching as Angelus brought the stake to Spike’s heart again, only to have Spike swipe it away. The stake fell to the ground, and Angelus reached for it again. Spike freed his left hand and knocked Angelus in the jaw, making the larger man’s head loll back.

Spike took advantage of the moment to push Angelus off him, before jumping to his feet. Angelus moved to get up as well, but Spike kicked him in the gut, making him collapse again.

“Spike!”

He turned at the sound of Buffy’s voice and watched as she sent the stake she’d been holding flying through the air. Spike caught it with ease, then moved back to Angelus, heaving him up by the collar of his shirt and slamming him into the wall.

Angelus took deep, shuddering breaths as she struggled unsuccessfully against Spike’s hold. The tip of the stake barely pierced his flesh, leaving no doubt in his mind that he was facing the end.

“Afraid, Angelus?” Spike sneered, his gold eyes flashing with hate. “How does it feel to be the one on the bottom for once?”

“You can’t do it, boy,” Angelus said, though the tremor in his voice belied the words. “You don’t have the balls.”

Spike sneered, refusing to take the bait, recognizing it as the last-ditch effort of a dying man. “My only regret is this will be too easy on you. You should’ve suffered.”

But he wasn’t going to take the chance Angelus would find a way to escape. For Buffy and Drusilla and all the other women he’d made suffer, that he’d broken and turned into his playthings, Spike was going to end this now.

He shoved the stake into Angelus’s heart, watching the fear and anguish pass through his eyes before he burst into dust and there was nothing left of him at all.

Spike threw the stake on the ground and stepped away, breathing with shaky, irregular pants. Buffy ran to him, and he grabbed her, pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s over,” she said softly, her hands tight around the fabric of his t-shirt. “It’s over.”

“Yeah, it is,” he replied, his eyes on the pile of Angelus’s ashes.

For long moments, he simply held her, letting it all sink in. After ten years, he’d finally fulfilled the promise he’d made to a woman whose heart would never beat for him again. The end hadn’t come the way he’d thought it would, but it had come all the same, and that was what mattered.

He took a step back, his hands on Buffy’s shoulders as he looked into her eyes and asked the question that was forefront in his mind.

“You tasered me? Honestly, Buffy, what were you thinking?”

Buffy looked at him sheepishly. “I was thinking I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“God, you bloody little idiot,” Spike replied, though he couldn’t find it in himself to really be angry with her given what had just happened. He tugged her back into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “In the future, let’s try to keep the tasering down to a minimum, yeah?”

She raised her head, an impish smirk on her face. “I will if you will.”

Spike laughed, reminded of exactly why he loved this woman. She was amazing, and she was his.

And they would have their forever.

His expression grew serious again as he ran his hand down to her cheek. “I love you.”

Buffy nodded and put her hand over his. “I love you, too.”

Finally free and with his past behind him, Spike started his new life with a kiss.

A/N: Yes, that is really the end. No sequels. Thank you to everyone who stuck with this one through the rough parts. I really appreciate your continued readership and support. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to write so much Buffy and Spike fic over the years. You guys rock.