Chapter 1
“ASHES OF THE COUNCIL”
A dark, emotional, character-driven, and safe-for-all-audiences (no sexual violence). Portrays threat, fear, trauma, and the emotional stakes around Buffy being targeted by Kralik and Quentin Travers, as Kralik intends to break, torture, and turn her, which preserves the horror and danger without crossing into explicit or harmful territory.
A Spuffy-centered, post-Not Fade Away story with Angel/Faith and Wesley/Willow.
Post–Angel Season 5 AU | Spuffy | Angel/Faith | Wesley/Willow
Prologue
The dragon’s corpse still smoldered when the three of them—Angel, Spike, and Wesley—walked away from the ruins of Los Angeles. The city was broken, burning, and empty. Gunn was gone. Illyria had fallen in a blast of god energy that left nothing behind but a crater and a ringing silence.
There was nothing left to save.
So they headed east.
Cleveland
The Cleveland Hellmouth breathed like a sleeping beast beneath the city. The Scoobies had fortified the place with wards, weapons, and a rotating army of Slayers. But when Angel’s group arrived, the welcome was… wrong.
Xander didn’t smile. Faith didn’t crack a joke. Willow’s eyes were red from crying.
And Giles—Giles couldn’t look any of them in the eye.
Spike felt the dread first. “Where’s Buffy?”
Not how is she. Not how is she. Just where.
Faith stepped forward, jaw tight. “She’s gone, Blondie.”
Angel’s voice dropped into something cold. “Gone where?”
Willow swallowed. “The Council. Or… what’s left of it.”
Wesley stiffened. “Travers is dead.”
“Yeah,” Xander said. “Turns out dead doesn’t stick as it used to.”
The room went still.
Faith continued, “Travers came back. Brought Kralik with him. And they grabbed Buffy two weeks ago.”
Spike’s world tilted. “Kralik. As in Cruciamentum Kralik.”
Giles flinched.
Spike rounded on him instantly. “You knew.”
Giles didn’t deny it. “I… I believed I could control the ritual. I believed it would weaken her just enough to—”
“To what,” Angel growled. “To break her again.”
Giles’ voice cracked. “To protect her. Travers threatened Dawn. He threatened all of you. I thought if I cooperated—”
Spike lunged, but Faith shoved herself between them.
“Not now,” she snapped. “Save the punching for the monsters.”
Willow stepped forward, voice trembling. “Travers resurrected Kralik. And he wants revenge. He wants to turn her. Torture her. Break her mind before he makes her a vampire.”
Spike’s face went white.
Angel’s went murderous.
Wesley whispered, “Dear God.”
Faith crossed her arms. “We’re going after her. All of us. But you three need to hear the rest.”
Willow hesitated. “Buffy… she fought. Hard. But they drugged her. And Travers said he wanted Spike and Angel to come for her. Said he wanted them to watch.”
Spike’s hands shook. “He’s not laying a finger on her.”
Angel’s voice was low, lethal. “We end this. Tonight.”
Giles finally spoke, voice barely audible. “There’s more.”
Everyone turned.
Giles looked at Spike first, then Angel. “Travers told Buffy… that you two didn’t want her help in Los Angeles. That she wasn’t needed. That she wasn’t wanted.”
Spike froze.
Angel’s expression shattered.
Willow whispered, “She believed him. Giles told her you didn’t want her there.”
Spike’s voice broke. “Why would you do that?”
Giles’ eyes filled with tears. “Because Travers said if she went to L.A., he’d kill Dawn. I thought I could keep Buffy safe by keeping her away from you. I thought I could buy time.”
Angel’s voice was a whisper of fury. “You lied to her. You let her think we didn’t want her.”
Giles nodded, shaking. “And now she’s paying the price.”
Spike turned away, fists clenched so tight they bled. “We’re getting her back. And when we do, she’ll never believe another word out of your mouth.”
Faith stepped forward. “Gear up. We move in ten.”
THE RESCUE
The abandoned Council compound was a maze of stone, iron, and old magic. They fought through resurrected Council loyalists, through demons bound to Travers’ will, through Kralik’s twisted traps.
Spike felt her before he saw her.
A Slayer’s heartbeat—weak, erratic. A Slayer’s scent—fear, blood, defiance. Buffy.
They burst into the chamber.
Buffy was chained, bruised, drugged, but still fighting. Still glaring at Kralik with pure Slayer fury.
Kralik turned, grinning. “Ah. The vampires she thinks don’t want her.”
Spike didn’t even speak. He launched.
Angel followed.
The fight was brutal, fast, and fueled by pure rage. Kralik fell first—dust exploding across the stone floor. Travers tried to flee, but Willow and Wesley bound him in a cage of crackling magic.
Spike reached Buffy first.
She looked up at him, dazed. “You… came.”
He cupped her face gently, terrified of hurting her. “’ Course I came. Always will.”
Angel knelt beside her. “Buffy, we never said we didn’t want you. Giles lied.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I thought… I thought you didn’t need me anymore.”
Spike shook his head fiercely. “We needed you. We always need you.”
Buffy leaned into him, exhausted. “I tried to fight him. I didn’t break.”
Spike’s voice cracked. “I know, love. I know.”
Willow and Wesley freed her from the chains. Faith covered the rear. Angel lifted Buffy carefully, and Spike stayed glued to her side, refusing to let go of her hand.
Travers screamed from his magical cage. “She was meant to be broken! She was meant to—”
Willow silenced him with a flick of her fingers.
Faith smirked. “Finally. Peace.”
AFTERMATH
Back in Cleveland, Buffy slept for nearly a day. Spike never left her side. Angel stood guard outside her door. Willow and Wesley worked together to dismantle the last of Travers’ resurrection magic.
When Buffy finally woke, Spike was there, holding her hand.
“You saved me,” she whispered.
Spike shook his head. “You saved yourself. We just showed up for the encore.”
She smiled weakly. “Stay with me?”
“Always.”
Angel watched from the doorway, a soft, sad smile on his face. Faith nudged him.
“You okay, big guy?”
Angel nodded. “Yeah. She’s safe. That’s what matters.”
Faith grinned. “Good. Because you and I have some unfinished business.”
Angel raised an eyebrow. “Do we?”
“Oh yeah.”
Meanwhile, Willow and Wesley sat together in the library, hands brushing, magic humming between them.
“You know,” Willow said softly, “we make a pretty good team.”
Wesley smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
