Giles stumbled forward onto the blood-smeared grass. His eyes glided over Buffy´s body. His lips pursed tightly against his grief which tore at his heart and belly with relentless claws.

Angel´s ash covered her, the final imprint of his last tender caress spiralled away heavenward on a midnight scented breeze.

Angel didn´t kill Buffy.

Angel loved her…

Dark and distant shadows of a long forgotten text floated through Giles´ brain. Magic and chaos leadened his intellect and he surrendered to that which could help him the most.

The spell settled around Spike. Giles´ head snapped up and locked eyes with the unsuspecting creature of the night. He saw the damaged chip flickering dangerously in the Vampire´s Aura.

The chapel was silent. No hymns sung, no sermon spoken. Giles and Xander sat like statues in the front pew. Willow sat at the back with a nervous, furtive Spike.

The funeral director handed the urn containing Buffy´s ashes to Giles.

Xander ran his hand over the softly gleaming bronze and managed a croaking whisper. "Same colour as her hair…"

Giles nodded and rose stiffly. His gaze never wavered as he walked from the chapel.

Xander followed him with rounded, sorrowful shoulders.

Giles and his sanity had parted company…

"I´ve had a dream… I can stop him Xander."

Xander looked into Giles´ hollow eyes and saw vengeance coiled there like a cold, dark snake. Xander had also had a dream; that he would die by Giles´ hand. He trusted Giles with his life, trusted him to stop Spike. The needle stung in the crook of his elbow… "Tell me again why you need blood…" Xander hissed and swallowed the small pain.

"I need the blood ash Xander. I need the strength of those that Spike has betrayed, and those he will b-betray. I-in the dream I had, you d-died. " He hesitated at the young man´s expression of disbelief. " Xander, I think I´m g-going mad. Don´t have much time. Please forgive me…" Giles´ eyes focussed for the last time on Xander´s with love as the young man nodded.

Giles´ eyes were once more bright with menace; his pupils glittered like jet reflecting fire.

Xander shuddered as the needle withdrew and Giles´ forefinger pressed a pad of lint to the wound.

Giles casually tossed his glasses aside and ripped his sleeve cuff up to his elbow. He depressed the plunger, delivering Xander´s´ blood into his vein. "Some for me…" he murmured softly, turning to the heated crucible, "…and some for the gods." He injected the last into the hollow stone on the burner. The blood bubbled to the red stain left by his own earlier. Giles breathed in the smoke then turned off the flame.

"…cool and scrape off the residue," he whispered to himself, smiling.

Giles stepped carefully to his kitchen and started to make a brew. "Tea? " He called softly. Xander nodded and lowered himself into Giles´ sofa. His dream played repeatedly in his mind. He rather expected to have a spectacular death, living on a Hellmouth and all. If his death were a movie, he´d most likely want to see it.

"My Best Friend Ate My Brain."

After tea and biscuits Giles resumed his task. He scraped the blood ash from the crucible and added a teaspoon of both Buffy´s and Angels´ ashes. He´d found a quantity of Angel´s ash in one of Buffy´s jacket pockets. The spell was almost complete…

Spike had betrayed one more Vampire. One that could help them the most… Drusilla. To get Drusilla´s ash, he needed Willow.

End of part 5

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