Something Wicked
by Jillbone
The Friends and Family Plan
[reviews]
Chapter 3 : The Friends and Family Plan
Boston 1996
"Buffy, we really do need to talk about our new situation here," Giles said softly as he sat down next to his slayer.
"New situation?!? Giles, my parents are dead! What are we gonna do now?" Buffy looked at her sister across the room. Faith sat in the corner trying to look tough and not cry at the same time. The blonde turned to look at Giles again with tears in her own eyes. "I'm the slayer and I couldn't save them. What good is all this strength, all this power if I can't even save my parents?"
Giles gently put his hand on her shoulder. "It was a car accident, Buffy. Not a demon or a vampire you could fight. You can't save everyone from everything. It's not your fault." He took of his glasses, polishing the lenses and clearing his throat awkwardly. "The, uh, the Council has arranged for you to come live with me. They'll expedite all the legal paperwork for us. There's no need for you to move. We can stay here...if you like."
Buffy looked at him, hopeful for the first time in a week. Then, her face fell. "I won't go anywhere without Faith, Giles. She's my sister. I won't just abandon her to foster care or something."
The watcher smiled a bit sheepishly, realizing he had been misunderstood. "I told them you would say that. All arrangements would be for both you and Faith."
The blonde's face lit up and she called over to her sister. "Hey Faithy, we're gonna be ok now. We're gonna go live with Giles."
Faith walked over and stood shyly next to her sister. "Really?" she sniffed. "Ok." Buffy stood and gave her sister a comforting hug. Slipping his glasses back on, Giles also stood and embraced his new "family."
Sunnydale 1997
Giles was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper when the four teenagers walked in. Assuming it was just his slayers returning, he called out to them, "How was patrol tonight?" Looking up he finally saw the two extra teens. "I mean, how was petrol tonight? I mean...ah...dammit," he broke off stammering.
Faith smirked at him. "Oh come on, even I could've thought of something better than 'petrol'."
Buffy saw Giles glaring at her sister and sighed. "It's ok. They know."
At that, the normally calm Englishman jumped out of his chair, dropping his paper. "What?!? Part of having a secret identity is usually keeping it a secret!" He took off his glasses and began cleaning them so furiously he almost popped a lens.
Faith dropped gracelessly onto the sofa. "Careful, G. That almost sounded like sarcasm."
"I'm sorry, Giles," Buffy said hanging her head. "But we really didn't have a choice. They saw us dusting a couple of newbies." She looked up at him through her lashes. "We kinda told them that you would explain everything."
Never one able to resist "slayer puppy eyes," he slipped his glasses back on. "Alright then. Everyone please sit down." Settling on the sofa next to Faith, Buffy watched Willow and Xander sit down watching Giles slowly pace.
"This world is older than any of you know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the Earth, made it their home, their Hell. In time, they lost their purchase on this reality, and the way was made for mortal animals. For Man. What remains of the Old Ones are vestiges: certain magicks, certain creatures..." He trailed off noticing that he had lost everyone's focus but Willow's.
"Yes, well, the books tell that the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed -- infected -- by the demon's soul. He bit another and another...and so they walk the Earth, feeding. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out and the Old Ones to return."
Willow was the first to speak, albeit hesitantly. "So those things we saw tonight were like half-demons?"
At Giles' nod, Xander felt brave enough to speak up. "So what are they?" he asked pointing at Buffy and Faith.
The watcher sighed. "That's a bit harder to explain. Into each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of evil."
Faith leaned over and stage-whispered to Buffy. "He loves this part."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Xander raised his hand. "I may not be the best math student, but even I know that there are two of them, not one."
Faith's smirk instantly disappeared. Giles looked at the girls uncomfortably, not sure how much information to give. "A new Slayer is only called after the previous Slayer has died," he stated looking away.
Both Willow and Xander stared at the slayers like they were aliens come to earth. Willow opened and closed her mouth for a moment unable to gather her thoughts. Shaking her head, she asked, "One of you died?"
"I died...just a little," Buffy stated quietly. "By the time I was resuscitated, Faith had been called. So now there are two Chosen Ones." (Spike...If I ever see that bleach blond idiot again) her demon warned menacingly. (Not now) Buffy thought tamping down on her rage.
Willow looked sadly at the two girls upset by the thought of anyone having to go through that. She turned to Giles. "But why was Faith called? Why was Buffy called in the first place?"
"At any given moment, there are hundreds of girls throughout the world with the potential to become slayers. We don't exactly know why a slayer is called or what criteria is used, but I do have an idea as to why Faith was called." Giles paused and looked at his slayers tenderly. "Most slayers do not have any brothers or sisters. Probably to minimize the amount of stress put on a family. But Faith was most likely called because of the blood she and Buffy share being twins." Seeing the surprised looks on Willow and Xander's faces, Giles continued quickly, "Fraternal twins, obviously."
Buffy snuck a peek at Willow trying not to be too obvious while Faith grinned openly at the two teens across the room. Willow was trying to wrap her head around all the had learned tonight, but it was difficult at the speed her thoughts were moving. And Xander, predictably, was picturing the slayers naked with a vacant look on his face.
Noticing the state the room had turned into, Giles cleared his throat. "Why don't I give you two a ride home and we can meet again tomorrow morning in the library?"
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Xander Harris was having trouble clearing his mind enough to fall asleep. All he could think about was how odd his life was. (Just this morning I was worrying about what shirt to wear. Now it's vampires and demons and god knows what else.) He rolled over and sighed. (As if I didn't have enough to worry about. I can't get a date to save my life, I'm failing math, and now look, supernatural creatures.) He closed his eyes and started to drift off with a little smile. (But damn, those girls are hot. I wonder if I got a shot with either of them.)
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Two blocks away, Willow Rosenberg was also having trouble sleeping as her mind was babbling nonstop about vampires, demons, and slayers. (Oh my god. I can't believe I saw a vampire tonight. I can't believe that I'm even thinking about vampires. And slayers. That explains why they're so fast and strong and well...no, it doesn't explain the leather fetish, but I'm sure there's a good reason for that too. What a lonely life that must be. I mean Faith seems to handle it pretty well, but Buffy just looked...I don't know, lost or something.) She shut off her light and pulled the covers up. (I can't just sit around and do nothing now that I know about all this. This is my town too. There must be something Xander and I can do to help them.) Yawning, her last thought was. (I have to do something.)