~* Buffy Goes to Stars Hollow *~

~* Left Behind *~
Disclaimer: I don’t own any characters from Gilmore Girls, or anything in the Buffyverse. Though I wish I did. The characters that I make up, are mine.

A/N: I realize now that I forgot to inform that this story was inspired by a challenge on another site awhile ago. So I do have guidelines to follow.
Some of those guidelines were.
Rory is in high school with Dean.
Lorelai and Buffy are interested in each other and should eventually hook up
Faith (if she is to appear) should be gay
Willow can’t be with Kennedy or a male.


It’s not guidelines I would have followed for myself, but it has been challenging and made it interesting. I appreciate the reviews more than you know. They really inspire me to write these chapters faster.
So no more talkie, time for story.

_____________________________________________________________________________


“Let’s get you up luv,” he said pulling her to her feet. Buffy’s legs felt like jelly as she struggled to stand.

“But how?” she managed finally. “ You died.”

“It’s a long story,” Spike said as he supported her weight on his side. “I didn’t die in Sunnydale. Well I did die in Sunnydale but I came back.”

“I know that part,” Buffy said.

Spike looked at her in surprise. “ You knew?”

“Andrew,” Buffy said.

“That little ponce promised me,” Spike began. Then he stopped figuring this wasn’t the time.

“Why did you tell him to lie Spike? Why did you let me believe that you had died that day? After what I told you and you didn’t even tell me you were back.” Buffy said refusing to move anymore.

“This really isn’t the time luv, let’s get you all warm and cozy in your house and then we’ll sit down to a cuppa and talk.” Spike said.

“The others!” Buffy said, having completely forgotten about the others. “ Did they get out?”

“They were taken somewhere else,” Spike said.

“And you didn’t stop them!” she exclaimed.

“Don’t want to argue luv you were several moments away from walking towards the bloody white light. I thought that a live slayer was priority.”

“Right. Sorry,” Buffy said. “ Did you see which way they went?”

Spike shook his head. “ They were there one minute and gone the next.”

“Great,” Buffy mumbled. She tried to take a few steps on her own but her knees buckled under her. Spike caught her before she hit the ground. Buffy held onto his arms. “Just let me get my sea legs.” She said.

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Spike pointed out.

“Well you tell the room to stop spinning and I will tell my legs to move,” she said, just before sinking to the ground again. If she wasn’t so cold and her friend’s weren’t in danger part of her thought she might enjoy the comedy aspect going on. Just then she remembered something and with a sigh she reached into her back pocket and pulled out what looked like mush.

“What the bleedin’ hell is that?” Spike asked.

Buffy pouted. “ My donut,” she said sullenly. “ I knew I shouldn’t have brought it but I was afraid to leave it behind.”

“Did you hit your head on the way down pet?” Spike asked.

“We’re all under a spell,” Buffy sighed as if it were an every day event. Which, let’s face it, it almost was.

Spike let a drawn out.” Right.” Before he pulled Buffy back to her feet. “Drop the sodden donut and we will go find Red and the nibblet.”

“Sounds like a capital plan,” Buffy replied. “ Let the wackiness ensue!”

“You seem all right now,” Spike pointed out.

“I find death usually agrees with me,” Buffy teased. “Does something for the complexion.”

“You’re not concerned with your friends?” Spike asked skeptically.

“Of course I am, but this spell makes with the happy and it’s hard to concentrate sometimes that’s all.” Buffy smiled and then became serious. “ And the fact that I am looking and talking with you makes me think I actually bit the big one and I am in heaven right now.”


Spike smiled as he put his arm around her to steady her. “ If you were in heaven pet, I can guarantee you, I wouldn’t be there.”

“Good point.” As she held on a little tighter than she needed to.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Together they walked down a series of endless tunnels searching for a sign that they had gone this way. The shock of the event was wearing off and Buffy started to feel the cold again. It felt like the ice water had spread to her bones and no matter how hard she tried she’d never be able to feel warmth again.

“Are you alright Slayer?” Spike asked, his voice concerned.

Buffy closed her eyes as she let that husky voice float around her. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It didn’t seem possible and yet after everything they had been threw she had learned not to be surprised anymore.

“Peachy,” Buffy said. If she tried to say anything more, all the events from the past year would tumble out of her mouth in and endless line of word babble.

Suddenly Spike stopped. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.

Buffy listened. She couldn’t hear anything but her own ragged breathe. “ Ah not equipped with vampire hearing give me the cliff notes here.” She said.

“Footsteps,” Spike explained as he propped her against a wall for support.

“Hey, I don’t appreciate being a sewer prop,” Buffy said. As she tried to stand up, she felt herself start to fall again.

“No offense luv but you’re slowing me down. Just stay here.” He said as he moved off.

“Hey!” Buffy whispered as loud as she could before it verged on yelling. Then she sunk to the ground. “ Well this sucks.”

Spike moved down the tunnel. He had heard voices but the reason for leaving Buffy was more than that. He knew he was going to see her again and was going to play it as cool as possible, but just seeing her floating on the water, made him remember the day he hadn’t saved her.

Being away from her had been hell, but being with her was torture. He couldn’t ignore the fact that he had noticed how her white dress had clung to her wet body like a second skin. How her nipples were dark and hard beneath the white surface. He couldn’t ignore that, beneath the smell of sewer, her hair still smelled like vanilla. And most of all, he couldn’t ignore the familiar way she had fit against his body.

Walking away from her was better. Soon he would have to explain everything about why he was back, and what was going to come. Soon.


He heard the footsteps draw closer and pressed his back against the sewer wall. A long dark shadow fell over the wall as it came closer. Spike felt his muscles tense the way they did before a fight. He felt his face tighten and shift as his vamp face appeared.

As it turned the corner Spike felt a lion like growl spring out of his throat as he pounced. The figure wasn’t nearly as big as he thought it would be and he tackled it easily. He heard a high scream as they fell in a clump to the floor. Spike straddled it and raised his fist to strike when he stopped suddenly.

“Sorry nibblet,” Spike apologized.

Dawn lowered her arms (having raised them in defense) and squinted in the dark to make out who it was. That voice. The name. “Spike?”

“In the flesh,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Sorry.”

Dawn brushed the dirt off her pants as she stared at him with a look of shock on her pretty features. “ I can’t believe it.” She said in wonder and then her eyes narrowed skeptically, “Are you the first?” she accused.


“The first is down for the count luv. It’s me.” He stroked a piece of hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear.

Without thinking Dawn threw her arms around his waist and pressed the side of her head against his chest. Spike smiled as he hugged her back, pressing his lips against the top of her head.

“I missed you so much,” Dawn, whispered. She had never been so happy to see a vampire in her whole life. “ I thought you were dead.”

“I rarely stay dead these days luv,” Spike smiled.

“Did you see Buffy?” Dawn asked as she reluctantly drew her arms away.

“ Yeah. She’s alright.” He assured her.

Dawn smiled. “ Thank you.”

“Where is Red?” Spike asked.

“Haven’t heard that name in awhile,” came a voice behind them.

Spike found himself looking at Willow and smiled at the familiar face. Willow hugged him too realizing it was the first time she ever had. With everything that had happened it was good to see someone from the old days. “You might want to get rid of the vamp face Spike. Civilian coming up behind me.”

Spike nodded as his face returned to normal as Luke turned the corner. “How did you guys get free?” Spike asked.

Dawn looked at Willow before speaking. “ He let us go.” Even as she said it she seemed unsure.

Spike’s eyebrow was raised in doubt. “ He let you go?”

Dawn nodded, looking around her nervously. “ Yea. He said it wasn’t time for us. And he just let us go. Except for Kate. He didn’t let her go. He said that he was sure that we would come back to rescue her and that we could try.”

“That doesn’t seem right.” Spike said.

“We have to go Spike. Most of us are under a spell and we aren’t at full power,” Willow said. “ Where is Buffy?”

“Here. Buffy is here. Buffy is slightly paralyzed but she is here.” Buffy said from down the tunnel.

“Buffy!” Dawn cried happily as she ran towards her sister.

Dawn threw her arms around Buffy, which knocked them both to the ground. “I guess the paralyzed part didn’t hit home with you huh?” Buffy said evenly as they both lay there.

Dawn raised herself up. “Oops sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“I’ll get her,” Spike said.

“No I’m fine,” Buffy said. The cool stone against her head actually felt good. It was preventing her from throwing up. Just then she felt the ground began to tilt as it got farther and farther away. She realized that Spike had scooped her up in his arms and was heading quickly towards the exit.

“Put me down,” she said weakly.

“We have to get moving luv just enjoy the free ride.” Spike muttered under his breathe as he held her against his chest.

“What about Kate?” Luke asked. “ We have to get Kate.”

“Look Luke. We all want to get Kate back, and we will. But we have to go get some things and come back later.”

“I am going to go get her now!” Luke said refusing to move another inch.

Willow put her hand on her hips. “ I didn’t want to have to do this.” She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

“What did you do?” Dawn asked.

“A little spell. It will make him follow us out of here. Think of it as a less dead zombie spell.” Willow said.

Together they started back along the dark tunnels in search of the exit. Luckily Spike hadn’t been as turned around as they had and found the way back easily. Dawn hadn’t ever been so happy to be in a cemetery in her life. She gulped in the fresh night air as she hurried towards the car.

“When we get back to the Inn,” Willow began,” you have to help me get Michel and Lorelai together so we can do a forgetting spell.”

“No more spells for me,” Dawn said, “ I tend to make magic do the wacky.”

Willow smiled, squeezing Dawn’s shoulder. “ Only in a helper capacity.”

Dawn nodded taking a deep breathe. “ Alright.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

Once they got back to the Inn, Willow and Dawn rounded up Lorelai and Michel with only a few minutes to spare. Willow had explained that it would work smoother if she cast the forgetting spell within the lust spell. There brains were already foggy from the spell and if the forgetting spell were cast now then it would all just seem like a dream.


Willow gathered all the ingredients and Dawn brought them into the lobby under false pretenses. Once the spell was cast they both fell into a deep sleep. “So what will they think happened today?” Dawn asked.

Willow shrugged. “ I put in some everyday events into their heads. It will just seem like a typical day for them. Don’t worry.”

“What about Luke and Kate?” Dawn asked.

“I did the spell on Luke already. He is at home sleeping it off. As for Kate I can’t do anything about her right now she’s out of range,” Willow explained.

“But Kate works for Luke, he’s totally going to notice if she doesn’t show up tomorrow,” Dawn said.

“I implanted a memory in his head, that she is very sick and wants to be left alone,” Willow said,” he assumes that we are stopping by to take care of her.”

“Well it seems like everything is worked out,” Dawn said sadly, “ But Kate is still missing.”

Willow replaced the ingredients and packed up her things. “ I figure they need her for something. For tonight we need to get some rest Dawnie. We are no good to her like this. Tomorrow morning we will try and figure something out.”

Dawn smiled sadly. “ It’s weird. I made this spell for a Saturday figuring that if anything happened then we would have Sunday to work things out.”

“Small favors eh?” Willow said putting her arms around Dawn’s shoulder. “ Let’s go.”

Dawn put her arm around Willow’s waist as they headed to the car. “ I guess this is the beginning of everything?” Dawn said out loud.

“We’ll make Stars Hollow regret the day they welcomed us in,” Willow smiled.


_____________________________________________________________________________


Back at the old Victorian the scoobies shared, Xander turned in early to avoid another awkward run in with Willow. Willow helped Buffy undress and get into the shower, and then into bed.

Dawn made up one of the spare rooms for Spike. She was fitting the bed with clean sheets while Spike leant against the doorway and watched.

“Sorry about the boxes,” Dawn said over her shoulder, “ Everything we didn’t unpack got stored here.”

“I’ve slept in worse places nibblet,” Spike said. “ I could have found a nice crypt. You didn’t have to take me in.”

“Of course we did,” Dawn, said putting the last of the pillows on the bed.

After she finished she turned and sat down on the side of the bed, looking at her folded hands in her lap. “It’s going to get bad isn’t it?” she whispered.

Spike walked over to sit next to her. “As a rule, yea. Most likely luv. This is just the beginning. We’ve been through this all before. Same game just different players.”

“Are you going to stay?” Dawn asked looking up at him from under her lashes.

“Until the end.” Spike assured her.


_____________________________________________________________________________


Some people weren’t settling down for the night. One sat alone, cold and terrified in the deep cavern underground.

Kate wrapped her arms around her raised knees and lay her head down. Her body was emptied of tears but her body still shook from the cold. She remembered being at the Inn waiting for Luke to return to her. Then there was darkness and loud noises and the feeling of being pushed around by strong men. One minute she was safe and warm and the next she was in a cave fearing for her life.

She had been filled with an overwhelming lust for him and had almost gone through with it. A glance at her watch told her it was past midnight. In one instant her feelings of love had disappeared and she felt empty. Up until now she felt that Luke was coming for her and she had held onto that hope and certainty. That wasn’t the case anymore. Something had gone through her moments ago and then left-taking with it, any bit of hope she had left.


Her voice was hoarse from screaming. Her pleas went unheard. No body had come for her. No one had explained to her why she was here. She didn’t know which were better, waiting for someone to come, or waiting alone. If they came for her it might be the end. The terror was consuming her.

And just then a figure appeared. Kate shrank away trying to make herself as small as possible.

The figure stopped in front of her. “Who are you?” Kate asked in a tiny voice.

“You don’t recognize me?”

Kate shook her head.

“Well I suppose that is expected. It’s been awhile. Especially with that damn forgetting spell they put on you.”

Kate shook her head. “ I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please let me go. You have the wrong person. I don’t know you. I’m nobody.”

The figure laughed. At least she figured it was supposed to be laughter. It was loud, deep and sent shivers up and down her back. “ No body? Everything would point to the contrary Kate.”

“I don’t understand,” Kate pleaded feeling the well of tears coming again.

“We met once, you and I.” The figure said. “ You left an impression. It would seem to me I didn’t do the same to you.”

“Who are you then? When did we meet?” Kate asked, her voice edging on hysteria.

“In Ireland, Kate,” the figure said.

“Ireland? I haven’t been there since I was a baby,” Kate insisted. “How am I supposed to have remembered you?”

“It was Ireland,” the voice insisted. “Over one hundred years ago.”