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Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N: Quick one, here. I'm glad you all liked the previous chapter! Buffy appears later in it (just so you all know).

This chapter was VERY hard to write, since it introduces my take on characters in this alternate universe. It is also longer than some of the other chapters. Some familiar faces are OOC. No flames, please, if you review.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

XXXXXXXXXXX

When Giles finished telling Joyce about Buffy, he took in a deep breath. He had spent a good deal of the afternoon acquainting the middle aged woman with a cursory history of Slayers and Vampires and why they opposed each other, but there was still so much more ground to cover. Buffy's mother looked stunned. The Watcher could understand her amazement, but what he couldn't comprehend were the next words issuing from her mouth.

"I don't know what game you're trying to pull, Mr. Giles, but if you truly believe in vampires and such and that my daughter is a killer of anything, then you're just as disturbed as she is!" Joyce yelled.

Giles hastened to assure her. "Believe me, Mrs. Summers, this is not an elaborate hoax. It is not a lie fabricated by me," he said. "Your daughter truly is a Chosen One."

Joyce sank down into a chair, feeling incredibly guilty. She'd thought that her daughter was the one who needed help, but it was now alarmingly clear to her that Rupert Giles, seemingly mild-mannered British librarian, was the one who was nuts.

Apparently, somehow, he had escaped the loony bin and had convinced Buffy that she was a Slayer! Joyce wondered how many others Giles had duped with his lies. Were the men wearing black working with him? How many others just like him were under her nose at Sunnydale High?

Buffy's mother willed herself to look normal, banking down fear and anger to keep her daughter safe. She wondered if Rupert Giles corrupted an innocent like Buffy through drugs or alcohol so that she thought she was a Slayer of vampires and demons.

Perhaps Joyce could, at some future point, involve Officer Harrison again. Maybe he could do something not only with the dangerous librarian but with the men wearing black.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Joyce asked, "So, that take-charge display I witnessed on Parent-teacher's night was actually Buffy being a Slayer?" Giles nodded.

"I am sorry we all concealed the true nature of your daughter's calling," the Watcher said, "but if we had revealed it, it might put you in great danger from evil forces."

**Oh, you should get an Oscar for your award winning performance, Mr. Crazy Giles!** Joyce thought angrily, determined that, whatever the cost, she would drag Buffy away from him and from Sunnydale High School as soon as she located her daughter.

"So," Joyce chose her words carefully, "Are you a Slayer, too?"

Giles said, "No, I am her Watcher."

"And, what does a Watcher do?" She wanted to know.

Giles sighed. He had spent most of the day with Joyce, but he knew that all Hell would break loose when Buffy found Angelus, Drusilla and Spike. He needed to help her in any way that he could, and one of his greatest hopes possibly lay in Buffy's mother trusting him.

"The Watcher prepares the Slayer for battle," he answered, almost like he was reciting some dogma. "He acquaints her with the forces she will fight and provides her with the weapons she will need to defeat the forces of evil."

His speech sounded so believable that Joyce had to admit: she had a tough time thinking that Giles wasn't playing with a full deck. She forced herself to believe that for the time being, mentally saying, **Mr. Giles is a loon...Mr. Giles is a nut...**over and over.

"Do you have any proof that vampires and demons exist?" Joyce asked.

Giles considered before responding. He admitted, "I could show you images; however, I get the feeling that you won't believe me." Before Joyce could reply, the Watcher said, his tone judgmental, "No, of course you don't."

Giles had a feeling that Joyce was just trying to humor him. The Watcher also knew that time was running out. His serious blue eyes bore into Joyce's, willing her to look at him and take him at face value.

"Look, Joyce!" He exclaimed. "Suffice it to say that there are such forces which are heading toward this school, and possibly wherever Buffy is hiding. We must intervene and reach her before they do!"

Joyce couldn't take any more of this! She argued, "If there are monsters out there like that, then perhaps our best option is to get away from here until we can...". She paused, hoping her next words would calm the mentally unbalanced man. "...get some stakes or other weapons or something," she finished.

Giles reached for the phone on the wall and dialed Xander's cell. He hated to involve Buffy's friends but until she was found and the other Slayer arrived, the Watcher knew he had little choice.

On the third ring, he heard Xander's voice. "Hello?" the brown haired boy asked.

"Xander," Giles instructed, "I need you, Willow and the others to meet me at the Bronze so that we can discuss how best to proceed while Buffy's absent. That will be the most inconspicuous."

"Buffy's gone?" Xander's voice repeated. "Was it a demon? Did she find a recovered Deadboy and they're partying somewhere?"

There was a moment's pause, then Giles said, "I shall pretend that I did not hear that remark, Alexander. I'll go to the magic shop in town and grab some books. Just meet me at the Bronze tonight."

"Got it," the boy promised. "We'll be there and ready for action, G Man." Before Giles could reprimand the boy for calling him "G Man", Xander hung up his phone.

As Giles hung up the library's phone, Joyce forced down any fear. Her success lay with him believing that she was starting to trust him. She didn't know that his schemes had gone so far! Imagine him dragging Willow, Xander, and Lord-knew-who-else into his insane paranoia! It was all up to her now! She had to go with him to his place, get whatever evidence she could, and go to the authorities.

Buffy's mother's eyes fell to the desk in the office they were in. She desperately looked for any kind of weapon she could grab to fight Giles, if need be. Spying a letter opener on the table, she quietly reached for it, then she slipped it into her purse.

Her outer countenance normal (or so she hoped), she asked, "Should we take my car?"

"No, we'll take mine," he said, ushering her toward the high school exit. Before he could leave, Curtis and his men blocked Giles' departure.

"Going somewhere, Rupert?" the black Englishman asked snidely.

"Just going to drive Mrs. Summers home," Giles fibbed. He wasn't going to tell his fellow Watcher about making battle plans.

Curtis's eyes fell on Joyce, who remained silent. He seemed to be scrutinizing her for any signs of treachery. After several moments, he curtly nodded.

"You may go," Curtis informed them. Giles steered Joyce through the main door. He started to follow close behind her, but Curtis' voice stopped the older Watcher.

"One moment, Rupert," Curtis said. Giles motioned to Joyce to wait on the steps for a moment. When he saw that she wouldn't run off, he turned back to look at Curtis.

"Yes?" Giles asked.

"I sincerely hope that your business is the transportation of Miss Summers' mother to her home," Curtis punctuated his every word, "because if your intention is to warn the errant Slayer, I am advising you: don't. You are on thin ice as it is."

Giles looked at Curtis coldly.

"I realize that," Giles responded. "I don't know where Buffy is, so you needn't think that I would contact her."

"Glad to hear it, Rupert," Curtis said. "Things will progress so much better if you and your little, ahem, group stay out of our way until Miss Summers is found and dealt with. You are dismissed."

When he was alone, Curtis took out his cell phone and punched in a long sequence of numbers. Hearing Travers voice, Curtis frowned while he prepared to deliver his report.

"Mr. Travers, Rupert Giles has gone to find Miss Summers, I am sure of it," he said into the phone. At Travers' urgent tone, Curtis relayed what had occurred.

Travers' voice instructed, "Follow them; then, report everything that has happened directly to me. Code red."

Curtis smiled evilly, saying, "Yes, sir."

He hung up his cell phone, realizing that his time was nigh. Ripper Rupert Giles, the darling of the Council, was about to slip up so royally that Travers would confine him and his followers at the headquarters in London.

Curtis had waited a long time to be the chief Watcher, second only to Quentin Travers in the Watcher's Council. Now, his years of suffering would come to an end. Once he unseated Rupert, Curtis would be promoted; then, he would eventually get rid of the old fool, Travers. Once that was done, he would deal with the Slayers and any other irritants his way.

The next Slayer and her Watcher had come highly recommended. He had taken steps so that they would be next in line to take over Sunnydale. It wasn't as though things could be left to an inexperienced chit like Miss Buffy Summers.

It was time for rougher measures; it was time to show all of the vampires, demons and other evil miscreants that the Council meant business. The Council was so routed in tradition and morals that vampires and other demons were seizing the high ground more and more.

**No more Mr. Nice Bloke,** he thought.

Curtis would show them who truly was boss. If those who were incarcerated learned respect, he would let them live, he decided. He might even let them back into the game.

With those reassuring thoughts, Curtis ordered his lieutenant Mr. Tennant, "Richard."

The sandy haired attendant looked up from his laptop. "Yes, sir?" he said in his usual Scottish brogue.

"Fetch me the brown case in the back of my car," Curtis commanded.

Tennant did so.

"What about the principal, sir?" Tennant asked when he returned. Curtis had to admit, he'd forgotten that little troll.

"Leave him to me," he said, his eyes falling on his case. "I'll take that." Tennant handed the case to Curtis. The third-Watcher-in-command told the Scottish man to follow Giles. Tennant respectfully left and went to follow Curtis' instructions.

Sinking into a chair and tilting it back, the ebony skinned Watcher puffed on his cigar, his hands resting behind the back of his head.

**They won't get far,** he thought, smiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As they walked around a corner, Giles told Joyce, "Hubert Merrick was to be her Watcher. When he died, I took the position."

They reached the Watcher's car in the parking lot by the back entrance of the school. A cursory check revealed no bugs or other instruments that could be used to listen to the pair's conversation. Giles started the engine, his eyes looking for any of his fellow Watchers, while the middle aged woman frowned.

"Doctor Merrick?" Joyce queried. At Giles' insistent nod, Buffy's mother said, "But…how could he be a Watcher?"

"It was his job to bring her into the fold," the Englishman said. "He was to be her instructor. He was killed before that could become a reality. If we could solicit the next Slayer's aid and that of her Watcher, we may be able to buy some time until we can take Buffy somewhere safe. I shall make some inquiries as to the other Slayer's exact whereabouts."

Joyce tried to relax but found it extremely hard. She hoped that Buffy wouldn't do anything foolish until her mother could get to her. Maybe if Buffy wasn't too far gone into this Slayer nonsense, she could receive medicine like she had before and be cured.

When Buffy was located, whatever it took, Joyce would fight for her and make sure Buffy never saw Rupert Giles or the other students at Sunnydale High again!

**Hold on, Buffy...**her mother mentally said, **things will get better in time.** Giles took to the road, driving toward the magic shop. Joyce reached inside her purse, her hand grabbing the letter opener. She prayed that she wouldn't have to use it.

Richard waited until Giles was in his car; then, he activated his specially designed GPS. He placed a call to Curtis, turning on the speaker in his car.

When he heard his superior's voice, Richard reported, "I'm preparing to tail Mr. Giles, sir. I'm using the GPS, just like we learned."

"Excellent," Curtis' voice came in loud and clear. "Now we'll see if the investment we made for that mystic technology will pay off."

"I'd better sign off, sir," Richard said. "I don't want my transmission to be detected."

"Of course," Curtis' voice told his junior fellow Watcher. "Let me know the moment you arrive at his location so that we may apprehend them."

"Yes, sir," Richard said. He terminated the call, thinking, **now you'll be in for it, Giles!**

XXXXXXXXXXX

Spike felt himself coming in his sleep while he imagined Dru sucking and cooing in his ear; then, she raised herself from him. Spike looked up, ready to seize his minx of a Sire, but Drusilla was not the one biting him.

A golden haired temptress, looking weak and innocent yet swift and strong was there, her blonde tresses spilling all over his chest, her eyes glowing yellow as she placed her demon's mark on his waiting neck.

"Buffy...," was all the vampire cried.

He tried to flip her so that she was under him, but the Slayer-turned-glorious-vampire would have none of it. She growled low in his ear, but didn't let Spike touch her. Pinning his arms by his sides, Buffy rained kisses all over his body, pausing only when she got below his waist to the prize she wanted.

When Buffy's tongue lapped up all of the juices he had to offer, Spike moaned her name over and over. The Slayer whispered into his ear that she was his, and that he was better than all other men. The vampire shook that dangerous thought away.

The attraction he felt was blinding, just like Dru had told him. He was burning in the Slayer's sunlight, and though he hated to admit it, he wanted the flame she'd ignited to be even hotter as Buffy ignited his craving for her.

"Now," he promised, "we'll do things my way." The blond vampire thought about that song Sid Vicious had sung and hummed a few bars.

First things first, he thought, heading toward Angelus's bed.

Spike studied Angelus' still form. He wanted to off Peaches so bad, but Dru's command that the younger vampire not harm his grandsire still held firm.

Aloud, he said softly, "'f I had my way, you ponce, I would kill you here an' now and put me and Dru out of our misery. But she's not gonna let me do it. She still fancies you."

He reached out to squeeze his Grandsire's neck despite his inability to do any real damage.

There was a slight twitch, then Angel smiled before his eyes popped open.

"Well, well, if it isn't Billy Boy, come to pay ol' Gramps a call!" Angelus taunted softly. "To what do I owe this unpleasant interlude?"

Spike's eyes blazed with hatred. The look in the older vampire's eyes told him that Angelus knew exactly what was bothering Spike.

Angelus laughed, saying, "Stop wasting your un-breath. As long as Drusilla walks, it'll never be over, and she'll always want me before you."

"Shut your gob!" Spike cried, squeezing a little harder.

Unfazed, the elder male vampire jeered, "You just showed her sex; I created her. Who do you think she would prefer, whelp?"

The use of the name the younger vampire used for Xander Harris inflamed Spike's rage. How dare Angelus compare a vampire of Spike's stature to a pup like the human wanker! In an instant, Spike lowered his hand to Angel's chest. Angelus tried to move, but he still couldn't with the magic bullet that was inside of him.

"Go ahead," Angel murmured. "Rip out my heart. End both our pains. Do to me what the Slayer never could."

**The Slayer,** Spike thought suddenly. Color him a Nancy boy for forgetting what really counted.

He had to go through the tunnels and find her. That was what mattered. Angelus was doing what he always did, even when he was defeated: psyching Spike up so that the older vampire could break him, then kill his grandchilde or drive him insane with mind games.

But the platinum vampire was wise to his grandsire's plan. He knew that Angelus was a pup now, and although this would be a plum opportunity, Spike also knew that Angel wasn't worth his time or effort.

"You aren't worth two pence, you sack o' shite," Spike whispered, feeling vindicated when Angelus glared at him. The younger vampire walked away.

Gathering his leather duster while he sang "My Way", the platinum vampire left the house and headed for Sunnydale.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Bronze was teeming with activity that night. Revelers of every type were dancing and picking up dates. One end of the club, however, featured the date less teens. Most nursed their drinks, their lives spent by consuming cokes and numbing themselves to the pain of not having friends to talk to.

An oddity was among them: three teens who actually hung out with each other and were the best of friends. Oblivious to the envious stares of the lonely geeky adolescents, Willow, Oz and Xander downed their drinks, their moods somber and reflective.

"It's been several hours since Buffy vacated," Xander said the obvious.

"Yeah," Oz said, preparing to go to the bar to order three more rounds of coca colas. "You guys want cherry this time?"

"Whatever," Willow said. "You'd think she might have called or something."

"Well," the werewolf told his girlfriend, "we were way harsh. I wonder if they have Slayers in Cleveland?" Xander gave Oz a look.

"Come on," he said, "we've treated each other like crap before and we've always come back for more."

"We're getting into a rut there," Willow said, finishing her coke. "I should have sat next to her in class!" The attractive red headed student frowned a moment later realizing something.

"But, come to think of it, I couldn't 'cause she didn't show in class today…" Willow said.

She felt her stomach doing cartwheels as it churned up a double dose of guilt. She wondered if her best friend would ever come back. It was difficult, but the titian haired girl focused on their meeting with Giles. He would know where Buffy was so that they could kiss and make up with her.

Looking at Xander, she, "So, when is Giles coming?"

"He's getting the books together for us to look at," the dark haired boy said. "That's probably gonna take a couple hours."

Oz nodded his agreement, then the werewolf went to get more sodas. He walked past some huge, pale skinned individuals who hung about separately from the other dancing teens. One pale skinned boy was dancing with Cordelia.

"So, you broke up with that loser, Xander Harris?" He asked, looking at the girl with his intense, green eyes. Cordelia pulled him closer to her and smiled.

"Let's not talk about yesterday's news," she said. "How about you? You new here?"

"No," Pale Guy said. "I just haven't been here awhile. Been away."

"Ooohhh," Cordy said. "Like, studying abroad?"

"You might say that," Pale Guy said. He leaned in closer to her and asked in a seductive voice, "The food here's so eww. You wanna get something else? I know I'm starving."

"Sure," Cordy said. "But none of that greasy stuff they have in town."

The pair left the Bronze, even as Oz returned to the table he shared with Xander and Willow. It was then that he saw several paler than usual guys leaving. What no one saw were two figures who followed the vampires out the exit.

The carrot topped lycanthrope placed the cokes down in front of his friends and said, "Guys…trouble."

Xander and Willow saw where Oz was looking and spotted the pale boys. Grabbing his knapsack, Xander went with the others out the back into the alley.

Cordelia walked arm-in-arm with the boy in front of the dumpsters by the Bronze. "So, what did you say your name was?" She asked.

"I didn't, did I?" The boy responded with his question. "Name's Mark, Mark Whilshire."

"I know them!" Cordy was exclaiming. "Don't they deal in furs?"

"My parents did, yeah," Mark answered. "Too bad they recently died."

"I'm sorry," Cordelia told him. "It's such a loss to the fur buying people, like my mother. What happened?"

"An…accident while we were eating dinner," Mark said. Cordelia kept walking arm-in-arm with Mark. She failed to see his friends shifting into game face behind her.

"I hope my parents never die like that," she said. Behind him, his friends snickered to a private joke.

"What's so funny?" Cordelia wondered, confused. She stopped walking, aware that something incredibly bad was going on.

"Tell her, man," one friend prompted. Mark gave Cordelia a hungry look as the ridges formed and his teeth extended into fangs.

"Maybe I should rephrase and say...I had them FOR dinner," he said, shifting into his game face.

Cordelia screamed, trying to get away. The vampires backed her up against a wall.

"Uh, look!" she shouted. "You don't want to do this! I have friends with me: powerful friends who stake vampires!"

Flexing his black fingernails, Mark came closer. Cordy screamed once more.

"Hey, ugly!" She suddenly heard a male voice call.

Cordelia was so glad that Xander had arrived. The dark haired male kicked the vampire to the ground. When the vamp got up again, something streaked out and stabbed him in his chest. His dust settled all over the young man.

Willow and Oz battled another vampire; the latter trying to hold him as best he could while Willow got a stake. She was about to plunge it in the revenant's unbeating heart when an arm streaked out, flinging the vampire off of the redhead.

Cordelia, meanwhile, recovered in time to see two vampires flying into the air and landing with a vicious thud on the ground. She was about to run away again when she saw that the man who'd saved her was not Xander. She, Willow and Oz had also seen that a woman had joined the fray.

The vampires decided to act as one. They got up, intending to rush the teenagers.

The male newcomer retaliated by stabbing one; the woman took the other two out in quick succession. When all of the vampires had been dispatched, the woman's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Now that's really kickin' it!" She yelled. "'Knew I'd like this town!"

There was censure in the new male's eyes. "Really," he chided with his crisp British upper crust accent, "You shouldn't be so excited over doing your job."

"Blow it out your butt, Wes," the woman told him. Xander came out of the Bronze suddenly. He saw Willow and Oz with Cordy and the pair of girls looked surprised.

It was then that Cordy got a good look at her rescuer. The man looked as though staking vampires was no big deal to him. His face would have been innocent looking if not for the slight scar on its right side, the side where his eye was covered with a patch.

Despite this however, the man had an arresting quality; something which, when one first looked at him, made one want to know more. His remaining eye, which was a deep royal blue, scanned everything, not missing any details. Though he was on the thin side, his olive colored t shirt nevertheless revealed some muscles.

Xander saw that he was not alone. At his side was a shorter woman with dark hair. Her round face was pretty in a party animal sort of way, and despite her tough looking grimace, she also gave the appearance of having had a lot of sexcapades with the man by her side most likely from the familiar way she stood with him.

The girl looked hardened, as if she had firsthand experience about how unfair life could be. She had the "piss off" attitude etched in her dark brown eyes. She stood ready, as though she was waiting for a chance to attack anyone and anything that was bold enough to cross her. She was petite, with a dark tank top behind a battered leather jacket.

"So, this is Hellmouth town," she said, looking around.

Xander took one look at her "come fuck me" face and thought, **Woah!**

"Who are you?" Willow asked. The girl gestured between her and her British companion.

"Faith, Wesley...Wesley, Faith," the girl said. She boldly walked over to Xander, her eyes saying that she liked what she saw.

"Who're you guys?" Faith wanted to know.

Willow introduced everyone. "So, are you, like, a Slayer?" She asked Faith.

Cordelia murmured, "Not another one." No one had heard her.

Wesley peered at the group, asking, "How do you all know about the Slayers?"

"We travel with Buffy," Willow responded.

This time, Cordy could be heard saying, "No, actually, I don't travel with her or those guys."

Xander inquired of Wesley, "What's the deal with you two?"

The blue eyed man gave all of them an intense stare and said, "I am Wesley Wyndham Price, and I'm looking for Rupert Giles. Since you are all familiar with vampires and Slayers, perhaps you could tell me where I and my Slayer may find him."

Xander told them, "I would, but you're a little late. This town already has a Slayer and a Watcher."

Faith took up the slack then, saying, "Yeah, well, B and Rupes are pretty much history in this town." She looked over at her boyfriend, saying, "tell 'em, Wes."

Wesley drew himself up as though lecturing disobedient pupils and said, "As of today, we are the new authorities in Sunnydale. Buffy Summers and Rupert Giles no longer on active duty."

"WHAT?!" Willow shrieked, unable to believe that Buffy had been demoted, or fired. That was so not good. She wished with all her heart that her friend could come back and straighten all of that out.

On a rooftop, Spike had examined the fight, researching Faith's fighting style. He had wanted so badly to face off with her, but logic intruded, telling him to wait for the ideal opportunity to destroy her. Besides, if Buffy was truly gone, perhaps the dark haired Slayer's blood would do.

He had hoped for Goldilocks to return. Spike didn't think that anything would chase her off. But if Buffy had bought it or something, that was life. In any case, he told himself, Dru would be happy when he added Slayer Number Three to his collection.

The vampire pulled back, sitting on the roof as he lit a cigarette and inhaled. He'd find a way to get Faith alone and vulnerable, and then…all Hell would break loose.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was deposited at the Sunnydale boundary that evening. She looked at the town she now called home and considered the decision she had made. Buffy hoped that she had made the right choice.

**Time 'll tell,** she thought as she opened a manhole cover and let herself back into the sewers so that no one could detect her. When she hit the water, Buffy smiled confidently and headed toward her house.





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