Darkness advanced like a lion on the prowl with slow, relentless stealth.  Buffy slid further and further into the bitter gloom, very close to releasing her soul to death. 

Then there was light!  A small flicker in the distance.

Angel looked down at the claddah ring on his finger, taking a deep breath that he did not need.  The ring took some effort to remove, but eventually came off.  He tossed it into the fire as he spoke, “Te praecurro in tibi muneri me ipso dando atque te ex hoc periculo servanda.  Tibi in aeternum amorem offero...1”

The light brightened until it was more than light – it was an opening.  Still too small to escape through, but growing every second.

“...Si meam mentem penitus experieris,me esse sincerum videbis.  Amor meus te liberam faciet.”

A blinding glare emanated from the opening portal.  Buffy struggled to make out the figure emerging from it.  It was human – shorter – female – blonde – bright smile - ...Darla!  Darla was coming toward her.  Then, as soon as she recognized the being, it retreated back into the darkness, the doorway shrinking.

Buffy did not move.  Her breathing remained agonal.  Her best friend’s eyes filled with tears and she wept, “It-it didn’t work.  Why didn’t it work?!”  Xander and Willow held each other.

At that moment, Joyce stepped forward into the circle.  “Let’s do it!”  The book was carried to the mother who had an incredible determination in her eyes.  She pulled a small locket on a gold chain from her pocket.  Inside were pictures of her newborn daughters.  With one stray tear forging a path down her left cheek, she tossed the item into the now blazing fire.  “Te praecurro in tibi muneri me ipso dando atque te ex hoc periculo servanda.  Tibi in aeternum amorem offero...”

Thank the PTB, the light was growing again.  This had to be her partners in slaying attempting to free her from this cold, dank prison.  Why Darla had come before, she had no idea.

“...Si meam mentem penitus experieris,me esse sincerum videbis.  Amor meus te liberam faciet.”

Once again, a shadowed figure came forth.  Closer, closer, closer...it was a man.  A tall, dark, gorgeous man.  Buffy’s eyes held no recognition for him.  He disappeared, the light following him.

Buffy remained still, her skin white and chilly.

Xander had had enough.  He let go of Willow, relinquishing her to Tara’s care, and boldly stepped forward, bathed in his feelings for the Slayer.  Simultaneously, he chucked a plastic, superhero ring into the flames.  The cheap toy gift from Willow had protected him many a night as he lay sleepless listening to his drunk family fight.  “Te praecurro in tibi muneri...”

“Anya?  Anya!  You have to get me out of here!”  But she was gone.  ‘Maybe they’re getting closer,’ she hoped.

“This obviously is not working.”  Giles held his head low and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  They had performed the spell exactly the way described, yet the Slayer had not improved.  She lay upon the frigid ground, like a Sleeping Beauty whose Prince’s kiss had failed to break her deep slumber.

Giles ticked off in his mind the people who had attempted to awaken the Princess.  A lover, a mother, a friend.  All they had left was a father, a sister, another friend, two acquaintances, and...Spike.  He sighed, then entered the circle.  The others looked on as Rupert fumbled in his inside jacket pocket for something.  He read the top of the letter for a second.  “From the Watcher’s Council, London England, to Rupert Giles.  You have been chosen...official Watcher...new Slayer...Buffy Summers.  You will be expected to...”  The single sheet of paper lofted through the air, blown about by the fire’s heat, but finally landed in the flames, disintegrating to ash.  “Te praecurro in tibi muneri me ipso...”

She was graceful, that was for sure.  Buffy looked on, desperate for the woman before her to be her saving grace.  She finally identified the figure as Jenny Callendar....and then she was gone. 

“Why should I even bother?!”  Willow screamed through her tears.  Tearing herself away from Tara’s embrace, she mustered up all her strength to attempt the ritual.  Her symbolic item came out of her bag, a perpetually pristine, blood red rose.  Once again, the item was thrown to the center circle.  “Te praecurro in tibi muneri me ipso dando atque te ex hoc periculo servanda.  Tibi in aeternum amorem offero...”

The Slayer held little hope by now.  A man, short, light hair.  Oz was venturing toward her, only to retreat, the same as the others.  Buffy closed herself in defeat.  This parade of people made no sense to her, but it was clear she was never getting out of here.  The harder she struggled to maintain faith and hope, the more exhausted she became.  Sleep now taunted and enticed her.

Instantly, Spike came alive.  His eyes filled with tears as he furiously shed his jacket.  Not caring about anyone’s  reactions, which were sure to be of disgust, he ran into the designated area.  Angel’s game face slipped through as he grabbed the young vampire’s arm.  Spike was too enraged to take notice, and he skillfully released himself from the iron grip.  Before anyone could utter a word, the black leather jacket that had once adorned a Slayer, soared into the fire.  With great strength and force, the words were announced, “Te praecurro in tibi muneri me ipso dando atque te ex hoc periculo servanda.  Tibi in aeternum amorem offero...”

Buffy sensed the increase in light, but had no more initiative to utilize in giving it attention.  And that’s when she heard it.  A voice...with a cockney accent.  “...Si meam mentem penitus experieris, me esse sincerum videbis.  Amor meus te liberam faciet.”  It was quiet and distant, but it was definitely there.  She now struggled to open her eyes and concentrate on the dark figure approaching.  Long hair – petite but muscular frame...it was herself!  The figure reached toward her and at that very moment, she was able to move.  First her head, then her arms and finally her legs.  Buffy grabbed the figure’s hand and allowed herself to be lead away...into the light.

“She’s coming back!!”  Giles’ voice cracked.  Each person, as a group, ran to her side.  They stared in awe as her pulse, respirations and color returned to normal.  Her eyes fluttered open, hazel orbs gracing her loved ones with their beauty.

In the background, Spike collapsed where he stood.

“More ice cream, anybody?”  Joyce called out from the kitchen.  The Slayer’s mother recognized her daughter’s voice crying out.  “Me!  More, more!  And I want those chocolate sprinkles too.”  The sounds of laughter permeated the Summers’ house.  Buffy had already eaten enough junk food to choke a horse.

“So, Buffy.  What happened?  I mean, do you remember anything?”  Leave it to Giles to break a jovial mood.

The party’s guest of honor put her third dish of ice cream aside and pondered her answer momentarily.  “Nothing.”

“So, it was like you were asleep?”  Willow retorted.

“No, I mean there I was, awake with nothing.  It was like being suspended in mid-air, only there was no air.  I couldn’t move or anything and I wasn’t breathing.”

“Fascinating.”

“Then I saw a flicker of light in the distance.”

“That must have been when we lit the fire to start the reversal spell!”  Tara was ecstatic to be included in the major coup.

“Every once in a while, someone would come out of the light, then go back into it.  That is, until I saw myself come and lead...myself away.”  She shook her head as if shaking the cobwebs out of her brain.  “The next thing I remember is waking up with a dozen people hovering over me.”

They all giggled, their relief clearly evident.

Spike finally looked up from his hot blood sundae.  “So, the last person you saw was yourself?”

“Yup.”

“Who exactly did you see before that then?”  His question echoed the one on each and every other mind in the house.  They all wanted to know what had actually happened each time the spell was performed, especially seeing how it did not work for the majority of the volunteers.

“Well, there was Jenny,” Rupert’s face turned solemn and Angel’s cringed, “Anya,” Xander and his demon exchanged loving looks, “some man I’ve never seen before,” Joyce smiled sheepishly, “and...”  Buffy stopped.  She suddenly understood.  Her mind had finally pieced together from what they had told her of the reversal spell, that these were her friends’ true loves...the one being who they loved deeply and passionately, above all others.  If she had completed the list out loud, there would definitely be some hurt feelings.

Then another quandary came to her.  “Who was the last to do the spell?”

There was no answer.  Spike was playing with his dessert, Angel was brooding in his, and the rest just looked at each other.

“Well.  It would seem that was, um, Spike, here.”

Buffy’s face filled with disbelief.  “What?!”

Spike threw his bowl to the side and rapidly stood to leave.  He briefly looked around for his jacket, but upon remembering where it had gotten off to, sighed in defeated frustration and set off to storm out.  Once again, a stalwart vampire arm held him in his place, then it pulled him promptly back to his seat.  “I think it’s time for you to talk, blondie.”

Spike sat defiantly with his arms crossed.  “It’s none of your,” he looked at everyone in the room but Buffy, “bloody business!”

Angel opened his mouth to argue when Buffy commented, “No, that’s fine.  If he doesn’t want to talk, then I’m not gonna make him.”  She then turned toward the kitchen, “Mom!  How’s that ice cream coming?  Mine’s all melty now.”  The mother, who had been standing in the doorway, tore herself away to finish tending to her guests.

Four chimes rang out, and one by one, the guests disappeared.  Each received a large Slayer embrace and a heartfelt thank-you.  Willow got a bonus: a Slayer threat that they were to talk later about a certain short, male, band member.

Buffy had already deduced why Darla had appeared in her “nothing world”.  She would have been thrilled to be able to ignore it and move on with her already sufficiently complicated life.  But, no.  Angel just had to know.  On his way out, he pulled her aside.  “I barely have enough time to make it back to L.A. by daylight, but I need to know who that first person you saw was.”  She could taste the despair radiating from him.

“Don’t you already know that, Angel?”

“It was supposed to have been you.”

“Well, it wasn’t.”  A little voice in the far reaches of her subconscious warned her not to say any more, so she didn’t.  She simply kissed him on the cheek, and bid him a goodnight.

Buffy closed the door, leaning against it with her eyes closed.  ‘Man, could this day get any worse?’

“Buffy?”

‘Gee, thanks.’

“Spike.”

“Can I talk to you?” 

“Sure, have a seat.”  He continued to pace the living room, ironically enough.

“Now, I just want to set you straight, so you don’t go around all giddy that such a desirable fella as myself has the hots for you.”

“No, no.  I understand.  If you don’t want me to make a big deal over this, then, I won’t.  No biggie.”  ‘What am I saying?  My life long enemy has fallen deeply in love with me and I’m going to let him pretend that it means nothing?’

“Okay.  Good.”  Spike stomped his way out the door...but then hesitated.  “Slayer?”

“Vampire?”

“What if I do want you to make a big deal over it?”

“Have a seat, Spike.”

Buffy closed and locked the front door.