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Chapter 8

Teleportation was disorienting to the extreme the first time! Buffy wobbled on her feet as they landed at their destination. Lillian reached out a hand to steady her.

“You’ll get used to it, dear. Do you feel alright?”

“Yeah…just got dizzy for a sec. I’m cool.” She looked around her and noticed they were in some kind of temple, lit by torches. “Whoa, are we in Egypt?!”

Lillian chuckled. “Outside Sunnydale limits, actually. This temple has survived underground for many, many years. It originally belonged to the indigenous people, before they moved away. Come, they’re all waiting to meet you.”

Buffy followed Mrs. Blackwell further into the depths of their sanctuary, discovering that it was much larger than it appeared. They came into a chamber inhabited by nine other women of varying ages. They all appeared older than her mother. A white-haired woman of small stature in a simple shift came forward to greet them.

“And who have we here, Lillian?” she asked warmly.

Lillian smiled. “This is Buffy Summers, the most recent Sunnydale Slayer.”

The assembly tittered excitedly amongst each other as Buffy waved shyly. “Hi,” she said.

The elderly woman stepped forward and took her hands. “My, I forgot how young you would be. We are very happy to welcome you, …”

“Buffy…”

“Yes, Buffy. What an unusual name. I am Sarah, just Sarah,” the old woman added.

“That’s because she’s forgotten her surname,” Lillian teased. “Sarah is the oldest of us, our leader, and her advice is always sound.”

Sarah turned back to Buffy. “We have not added to our order in fifty years, Buffy. I hope you have given our invitation serious consideration.”

“I-I did. Um…I just wanted to know more, to be sure…I’m only 16, so…”

The Guardians nodded with understanding, all smiling kindly. Buffy felt like she was surrounded by grandmothers. They radiated wisdom, tranquility, and love. She felt…inadequate.

“You wish to learn?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, ma’am. I feel that you guys are legit, I just wonder…why me? I’m not wise, or all that smart…I fall asleep in class all the time…and Slaying was hard. I’ve lost a lot…” Buffy admitted.

“You underestimate yourself, dear,” Lillian replied.

“Come, sit, and learn our history…your history,” Sarah stated. She pointed to the empty chair in the circle.

Buffy noticed as the women took their seats that she was in a circular room with chairs at the edges for each member. In the center, on a raised dais, was a large shallow bowl on a bronze stand. She took her seat and waited for what would happen next.

Sarah murmured some words over the bowl and suddenly, an image popped up, like a projection. “Watch how the Slayer was created,” she said.

Buffy’s eyes were riveted to the moving image as she watched a young woman with dark skin and primitive clothing being dragged into a cave. She was chained to the ground, and three tribesmen started chanting. Buffy gasped as she saw a black cloud come out of a box and start circling the girl. She couldn’t understand the language, but she could tell that the girl was frightened and probably calling for her parents. The cloud entered her nose and mouth, and the girl convulsed, then collapsed, breathing hard. When she looked up again, Buffy recognized the look in her eyes. She had become a predator.

The scene flashed forward to the girl hunting primitive vampires and demons, always followed by the tribesmen. The girl was feral and brutal, killing quickly but without mercy. She became hardened as time went on, and she lost her family. Tears fell from Buffy’s eyes as she watched the First Slayer die.

“Did she have a name?” she murmured.

“Sineya,” Lillian replied.

“It’s pretty.”

The next scene appeared to be a secret meeting of women from the tribe. Buffy was able to understand that they were horrified at what the Watcher-men had done, combining a demon with a girl instead of fighting their own battles. Another girl had already been found with the same strength and abilities, and they realized this would go on and on as long as the Slayer spirit could keep finding girls to claim. Three women volunteered to help the Slayer, if that was what she must be, and the group used their own magic to make these women counterparts to the Watcher-men.

Scenes flashed by as humans made progress and spread further across the globe. Buffy recognized listings from the book as the image showed girl after girl in her finest moments. She also saw the best and worst efforts of the Watchers, as power corrupted some and the cultural viewpoints towards women infected others. Slayers went around disguised as boys and men as they hunted. They used weapons Buffy hadn’t even heard of, and even fought on horseback. Seeing many of the girls in action, she felt inadequate about her own former fighting skills, realizing that she could and should have let Giles train her more. A new appreciation for the art of personal warfare blossomed within her.

The movie entered a more modern time, and she watched with concentration as she realized they had reached the 1900 mention of the Chinese Slayer. Buffy wanted to see how she lost to William the Bloody, the only vampire in hundreds of years to kill two Slayers.

“Do you know why she lost?” Lillian murmured beside her.

“She…she fought very well…but, I think she lacked some kind of…spark? I don’t know… There was something missing in her eyes that a lot of the other girls had?”

“You’re right, Buffy. The Chinese Slayer was tired. The Slayers have died younger and younger as the Watchers treated them more like a weapon than a girl. What did you see in the vampire?”

“He’s good, but not that good, but…he wanted it more, didn’t he?”

Lillian nodded. “It’s that hunger that keeps a warrior fighting, whatever their cause.”

Buffy’s mood saddened as she saw the next several girls die with under a year as the Slayer. Coming to World War II, her interest perked up again as she watched that Slayer become a spy, and…working with other demons?

“Did she go evil?”

“No, dear…there is much the Council has neglected to teach you. Those demons saw just as much threat to their way of life as the Allies did. The Nazis weren’t just experimenting with science.”

Buffy’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as it dawned on her that magic had been involved, too. She recognized that vampire again – his hair was black, but his movements were unmistakable. He fought the Slayer, and her successor, but both times ended in a draw. The ‘60s were a fairly peaceful and dull time for those Slayers, and then the ‘70s came. A new girl was called in 1973, just two months after giving birth to a baby boy. For four years, Nikki Wood was an awesome Slayer, in Buffy’s opinion. She was inventive, independent, and balanced school, Slaying, and raising her son. Buffy smiled, recognizing the fatherly way her Watcher behaved. They came to 1977, the blonde gasping as William the bloody made an appearance again, only he was now going by Spike and looked way hot, for a vampire.

He tested Nikki out, fighting her several times, before meeting up on that subway train. Buffy saw flaws in both their fighting, then watched in awe, as Nikki just seemed to give up! She could have gotten out of that, but she just let Spike kill her…and then, he didn’t even drink her blood? Wasn’t that what a vampire was supposed to do with a Slayer?

“Wait, can we pause that for a second?” Buffy asked. She gulped as the women all turned eyes on her. “Um, yeah…that fight right there…why’d it go down like that? She could have had him. And why’d he leave without taking her blood? It doesn’t make sense. Every vampire I met was all ‘Ooo, Slayer, I’m going to drink from your brainstem.’”

Sarah answered her question. “An unfortunate fact of the modern Slayer is that every one of them develops a death wish. The life is hard, as you know, and it only gets harder as you gain fame among the demons and face harder opponents. Without ties to the world around them, they just simply…give up.”

“But, Nikki Wood had ties. She had a son, and a decent Watcher. Why her?” Buffy argued, still confused.

“Nikki was raised as a Potential, Buffy. She heard practically her whole life how it was her duty to protect mankind above all else. Why, exactly, she didn’t fight harder, we can’t know, but we do know that even with family or friends, in the end it is still not enough to keep a Slayer from wanting peace. Perhaps if a Slayer knew love…” Lillian added.

“Okay…so why didn’t the vampire drink her blood? He seemed to enjoy it the first time he got it, as gross as that scene was.”

Lillian smiled enigmatically. “Perhaps you will have to ask him one day, should you cross paths. Do you know how old he was as a vampire when he killed the Chinese Slayer?”

Buffy shook her head. “The book didn’t say.”

“Twenty years. William the Bloody, or Spike, isn’t just the first in a long time to kill two Slayers, he’s also the youngest ever to kill an experienced Slayer. Many vampires and demons have ended the lives of new Slayers, but as you saw, that becomes increasingly more difficult as a Slayer matures. You, my dear, have already gained a reputation in the demon world in your short tenure,” Sarah answered.

“So, I’m famous? Cool.”

The women chuckled at the frivolity of youth. The picture resumed and entered the ‘80s. More than once, Buffy had seen a ‘Giles’ as the Watcher listed, and now she watched, as a younger Rupert Giles became a Watcher, graduating first in his class and surrounded by family.

She stood suddenly and pointed at the image. “Hey!” Buffy looked from the image to a woman that had sat quietly observing her reactions. “Hey! You’re there!”

“I was,” she replied in a proper English accent. “I was Rupert’s grandmother, in another life.”

“Whoa…” Buffy exclaimed. “Does he know you’re…?”

“Heavens, no!”

“We are a secret order, dear.”

“Oh…yeah…so, I suppose I can’t tell I met you, huh? But, he thinks you’re dead,” Buffy replied.

“For all intents and purposes, I am, Miss Summers. To become a Guardian is to live outside of time,” Mrs. Giles replied.

“What does that mean, ‘outside of time’?” Buffy asked, confused.

“She thinks us still in our natural life spans,” one of the other Guardians mused.

Buffy glanced from face to face. “You’re not?” she replied naively.

“Lillian was our last addition, 50 years ago. Do you think she came to us as a 10-year-old child?” Sarah retorted. “I assure you, Buffy, it has been a long time since I was 80.”

“Oh…” The teen felt terribly naïve. “Is that what will happen to me if I join…that I won’t age? I don’t think I want to look this young forever.”

“We age, Buffy,” Lillian corrected. “It’s just a slow process. Our predecessors soon found that it was easier to maintain our secrecy from the Watchers if we didn’t have to keep seeking out new members to replenish our order. We borrow life from the Earth, and that energy is returned upon the event of our deaths. We are just as vulnerable as anyone to poison, knives, and bullets.”

Buffy took in that information and considered the assembly. “So, if I want to wait until I’ve matured, what do you guys say to that?”

“We will respect whatever decision you come to, dear. However, we believe we do need you,” Sarah answered.

“Okay…what are the rules if I join?”

“You must keep our existence a secret. We exist to help the Slayers, which often means subverting the Council. In the beginning, the Watchers created the Slayer out of fear, because the demons had killed off most of their warriors. There was a time when a brave girl could volunteer to be the next Slayer, but the Watchers soon lost control of where the demon spirit went, and they became intent on getting that power back. Many good people have been part of the Council over the years, but just as many have been corrupt, or even evil, and have manipulated their members. There are things to come that will require good people in support of the Slayer and her future generations.”

“Another apocalypse, huh? But…why me? Why prevent there being two Slayers? We could get twice as much done with less danger to both of us.”

The Guardians exchanged looks again, like they were having a conversation Buffy couldn’t hear. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the answers to her questions.

The girl isn’t ready. Her hesitation proves she’s too immature.

Nonsense – she is wise to be cautious after what she’s learned of the supernatural. We need to show her.

I disagree. Too much knowledge of the future could still have adverse effects.

So, only show her enough to convince her.

I still don’t think she’s the one we need. She’s done nothing but resent her Calling.

She wasn’t properly prepared; it’s not her fault.

Oh, just explain that it weakens the Slayer line too much! We waste time bickering.

“The world was not meant to have two Slayers. In an alternate life, it weakened your humanity and the girls that followed you were…incomplete. If the Slayer line is diverted, it will create a weakness, an exploit that evil can use against all humanity. We saved both you and the world with our actions, Buffy. Now, you have the chance to help the world in a different way,” Lillian stated.

“It was that bad, huh?” They all nodded. “And you think that Kendra needs me?”

“In the alternate timeline, she was dead in under a year.”

“Oh. Okay…one last question. If you power me up or whatever, am I on my own? Like, is there some kind of apprenticeship thingy?”

“Do all young people discourse like this?” Mrs. Giles asked to no one in particular. The other Guardians laughed. Buffy’s face flamed red.

“Of course, you will have guidance, Buffy,” Sarah replied. “Lillian will help you.”

“Okay… Can I have a minute to process?” the teen requested. Sarah nodded, and the women moved to the other side of the room to give the girl some space.

Buffy paced as she thought over what she had taken in, and the repercussions, and what she really wanted out of life along with that. She finally made up her mind, and took a deep breath for courage.

“I want to see it.”

“Beg pardon?” Lillian replied.

“I want to see what you prevented,” Buffy clarified. “I get that there’s some big reason you guys need me that you’re not sharing, and I want to see. Full disclosure, and then I’ll give you my answer.”

The group muttered amongst themselves for a minute, a decision made.

“Done,” Sarah stated. “Come here, please.”

Buffy complied, hoping she had made the right decision. She was following her instincts, here. Sarah dipped her finger into the basin, then touched it to Buffy’s forehead.

“Know,” she whispered.

Images flashed through Buffy’s mind starting with her brief death by the Master. On and on the images flashed through her mind, showing pain and awful things – things she did, things her friends did to each other, things that happened to them. They went faster and faster until she came to the last scene - The last thing she saw was the older Buffy dying surrounded by the bodies of those she loved.

Buffy blinked, tears falling down her cheeks. “It’s true? All of it?” she whispered in horror.

“Every minute,” Sarah replied sorrowfully. “A few short years to the end of…everything. We hoped you would decide without us having to show this to you.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Buffy quoted ruefully. “But, it won’t happen now, right? Because I’m not the Slayer anymore?”

“It is true that some of what you saw will be altered, but other things will still come to pass. You must remember, Buffy, that you are full of love. Think with compassion towards all creatures, even your enemies. Hatred leads to a darkness that is very difficult to purge.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to get some of those images out of my head,” the teen muttered.

“They will fade,” Sarah said knowingly. “You will know what you need to know, and that is all you need.”

Buffy grasped onto her inner fortitude and held up her end of the deal. “Okay. Sign me up. I don’t want all those people to die.”

“You are sure?”

“As long as you’re not gonna turn me into some kind of freak, yeah. I still have to go to school…and live with my mom…”

“You will have no more trouble blending into your life then you did as a Slayer. Let’s begin.”

The spell was much more anticlimactic than Buffy was expecting. The Guardians gathered around her in a circle, holding hands, and Sarah chanted the spell. Buffy closed her eyes, expecting some whoosh or flash of lights, but she felt nothing. The chanting stopped.

She opened one eye, then the other. “That’s it? I don’t feel any different.”

“You will,” Lillian promised. “Come, I’ll take you home.”

As they walked out of the temple, a figure emerged from the shadowed recesses of the temple.

“I told you she’d need the full dose to believe.”

“Yes, well, perhaps she will learn to lose some of that stubbornness,” Sarah replied. “What will you do now? We can’t guarantee that the world you go back to will be any better.”

The battle scarred immortal Slayer smiled grimly. “It can’t be any worse. Just make sure she follows the instructions I gave you, and I won’t have to dive off that stupid tower again.”

“You’re so sure the vampire can be persuaded?”

The Slayer shrugged. “It’s his destiny.”





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