Title: To Save The World

Author: Anna

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: yes, please!

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS, Mutant Enemy, or any of the characters. I think you already knew that though…

Note: takes place after 'Empty Places' This is a one-shot fic, just to vent about how incredibly angry I was after watching 'Empty Places'

          The roar of the motorcycle died down as Spike and Andrew pulled into the Summers' driveway. Andrew dismounted, still a little dizzy, and took slow steps towards the house. The motorcycle ride back had been full of quick turns and high speeds that left Andrew's stomach in a not-so-good mood.

          Turning off the bike, Spike took no time in helping Andrew but instead brushed past him and into the house.

          "Hello?" he called out, noticing the house was quiet. A few girls picked their heads up, but they quickly left the room as Willow and Dawn came down the stairs. Dawn's eye make-up had been smudged and the streaks were it had run down her face were visible. It was obvious she had been crying. She ran a hand through her hair and then crossed her arms over her chest.

          "What did you find?" she asked, trying to hold back tears.

          Andrew stepped through the doorway and stood next to Spike. "A guy. A guy that tackled me."

          "Huh?" Willow asked to Spike, rather than Andrew.

          "There was a survivor. Had Caleb's mark on his face. Where's Buffy? She needs to hear this, too." Spike walked into the dining room and took a seat at the table, searching through the pile of papers Giles and Willow had collected from the police. Willow approached the table while Dawn didn't move an inch.

          "Buffy… she… well, we kind of…" Willow couldn't even find words to describe it. Spike looked up, impatient at first but quickly became worried.

          "What happened, Red? Is she okay? Did Caleb come back?" visions of Buffy's lifeless body ran through Spike's mind.

          "No, no. Nothing like that." She amended quickly. "Well, actually, yes. Caleb came back. But everyone's fine."

          "So where's Buffy?" Spike asked, growing impatient again.

          Willow could only look down in shame.

          "She's gone." Dawn's soft voice was loud over the silence that filled the house. "We kicked her out and voted Faith as our new leader." She wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek.

          Spike's eyes locked on Dawn. "What?" he said as he slowly rose from his seat.

          "This is my house, too, and I made a decision. If you don't like it, you kow where the door is."

          Willow unconsciously took steps backwards, knowing that there was nothing stopping Spike from taking out his rage on them. Part of her trusted him not to, but part of her thought that they deserved it.

          Spike's clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and spoke. "You threw her out of her own house?"

          "Yes." Dawn answered.

          Spike's eyes opened. "You threw her out of the house she's lived in for seven years? The house the worked at the Doublemeat Palace to pay for?" he began to shout. "The house she kept you safe in?"

          "Yes." Dawn answered again.

          Spike crossed the room towards her, knocking over a chair in the process, and stood looking down over the little girl he had watched grow up.

          "You threw out the person who sacrificed her own life in order to save yours?"

He was furious. "What kind of damn gratitude is that? She did everything for you and this is how you repay her?"

          Dawn was crying again. "You're bias, Spike. You don't see how her judgment has worsened. You only see through her mistakes because you love her." She spat.

          Spike broke the eye contact and looked down at the floor. Quietly, he turned and opened the front door. As he walked through it, he said, "And I thought you did, too." Then he closed the door behind him.

          Dawn let her tears fall when the door clicked shut. Willow, who had been watching the scene from a safe distance, rushed to the teenager and wrapped her arms around her, comforting her.

          "It'll be okay Dawnie, we'll all be okay." Willow whispered.

          "No. We won't. We won't be okay." Willow pulled back to look at Dawn. "What did we do, Willow? What did we do?"

          The hum of the motorcycle sounded from the driveway and soon faded as Spike took off down Revello Drive, following the scent of his love. It was only a few minutes before he spotted her walking down the sidewalk. She looked up as he drove up beside her, and he thought, just for a second, that he saw a hint of a smile on her face.

          "Spike." She greeted.

          "Buffy." He answered. There was an awkward silence for a moment. "I've been to the house. I heard what happened."

          She drew in a deep breath and wrapped her coat around her tighter.

          "Come. Get on the bike." He insisted. She complied, and wrapped her arms around her waist as they drove off into the night. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling.

          "Where are we going?" she asked. It took a moment for him to answer, but he did.

          "To save the world."

THE END