The Queen Slayer | TO {2}

She Is The Shield

SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

There were always casualties in war.

That was a guarantee the minute you signed up or were drafted into it. It was an unspoken hard fact that not everyone who was there for the first day of training would be there when the war finally came to an end.

Today was that day for Sunnydale.

The Hellmouth was literally collapsing in on itself, taking the small California town and those lost during the battle down with it into the earth.

Given that she had been the last one out of The Hellmouth, which had resorted to her having to leap across buildings to escape as street after street started to fall into the crumbling Hellmouth, Buffy found herself in a state of shock as she landed on the hood of the school bus that Giles was driving straight of town. Their remaining soldiers including her brother still inside, all of them watching as the town crumbled behind them, falling into the depths of the earth like a sinkhole until nothing but a crater was left in the town's wake.

The Hellmouth and Sunnydale were officially gone.

Just as the bus came to a skidding halt, Buffy jumped off the roof of the bus, smiling as Jeremy instantly leapt out of the back, his arms wrapping her up into a tight hug.

Holding onto him just as tightly, she let out a small chuckle as she spotted the bruise forming on his cheek making it clear that in order to keep her promise Faith had literally had to punch Jeremy, knocking him unconscious before hauling him onto the bus.

"Your little bro is a stubborn one B." Faith chimed as she jumped out of the bus nudging Buffy's shoulder playfully "Threatened me with something I might actually have found pleasant in a different scenario when he found out you were still down there."

The innuendo had Buffy shivering in disgust.

She so did not want to hear that.

Trying to force the traumatizing thoughts from her mind, she pulled back from the hug with her brother and smiled at the other Slayer "Thank you." She whispered nudging her back slightly.

They would never be hugging people.

Letting her eyes drift back to the bus where she could see the newly called Slayers all slumped in their seats, either too exhausted or injured to move, Buffy sighed before crossing her arms over her chest.

This war had taken a lot out of all of them.

They had lost people along the way, not everyone who had gone into that High School this morning was with them now.

Anya, several Slayers, along with Spike were gone.

"I don't understand." Giles's voice cut through Buffy's thoughts as he climbed out of the bus alongside Willow and Tara, his eyes glued to the abyss that had once been their small town "What did this?"

Buffy inhaled sharply, letting her eyes drift back to the new canyon that had formed, the welcome to Sunnydale sign still standing, perched precariously on the edge of what used to be the town.

The sign finally tethered a little before finally falling backwards into the pit that used to be its city.

"Spike."

The amulet had connected with Spike's soul, letting out a strong burst of pure power. Enough power to not only wipe out the remainder of The Firsts army in one fell swoop, but it had been strong enough to take down the entire Hellmouth along with them.

It had cost Spike his life, yet Buffy had recognised the look on his face during his final moments.

Peace.