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Sayonara Sunnydale

The chip was out, and Xander knew the time had come to make his choice. To age and die and know that Spike would stay until his death and then move on, or accept the offered gift that meant eternity, or close enough.

They'd had the orb for years, just in case. And a printout of the spell that had been laminated to make sure it stayed safe.

They left a note for Willow and for Dawn, and one for Buffy, though that one had turned out really hard to write.

And then they headed out to see the world.



Paris

They ate baguettes on the steps of the Louvre and watched the tourists pass, oblivious to the killers in their midst.

They ate their real meal in the shadow of the Sacré-Coeur basilica, perched atop Montmartre, looking down onto the city. It wasn't that the orb spell hadn't worked, but Xander learned some tricks from Grandma Dru. It was easy to convince some folks they wanted to be bitten. A little intense eye contact and a muttered word or two and they would follow, just as easy as can be.

As long as no one died the soul was fine.



Vienna

"It's not blue, Spike. It's supposed to be blue."

"'T's just a piece of music, Pet."

"I know, but it should be blue. Why isn't it blue?"

Spike leaned over the bridge and looked down at the murky brown Danube.

"From the smell I'd say it's chemical run-off from the factories further up-stream. There's tannins, hydrocarbons, lots of dyes and a bit of blood. If we go out tonight we're eating steak, okay? No fish. We're not eating anything that can survive in all that muck."

A heavy sigh. "It should be blue, Spike. Like on my Granny's music box."



Prague

The skyline of the Old Town Square was a riot of bright red tiles and pointy towers. A gothic-looking church rose up majestically above the smaller buildings, loaning its shade to the vampires down below.

One stood lost in memories, the other held him close and waited, patiently for once, till he made his peace.

"She wanted to come back, y'know? She thought that what she'd lost would be here waiting. Gods, she made a fuss when I said no. I swore I'd never come to Prague again and she just laughed. My Princess always knew more than she told."



Venice

They arrived midway through Carnivale, just in time for the Masquerade Ball in the Piazza san Marco. Xander pointed out it was costumes only, and Spike produced a pair of outfits noblemen could wear. Xander wasn't sure, he didn't have the greatest luck with dressing up, but Spike insisted, and then promised he could top if he was good.

Xander was the best he'd ever been. He half-believed the costume was possessed, but then surely he could have waltzed a better waltz if that were so. They danced the night away, and snacked discreetly in the shadows when they could.



London

The feeding here was easy. They even found a vampire-lovers club just crammed with volunteers, and wandered through the rooms selecting entrées and desserts. Then they paid a visit to an old friend in the city.

Giles wasn't exactly pleased to see them, though he'd heard what they had done. He questioned Xander closely on the tricks he'd learned from Dru, and made him swear repeatedly that no one would ever die upon his fangs. When he asked how Spike had lost the chip they both refused to breathe a word.

That was how he knew that it was Ethan.



Extended version can be found here.