AN: Okay, so for those of you reading my multi chappie stories, I'm really sorry but I can't update Glow for at least another couple of weeks. My dad is still teaching his class. And having a horrible time of it, too. Aw :( I will update my LOTR fic as soon as I finish this one-shot. Thank you for being so patient. No flames, please!
Also, in this Hermione is 20, mm'kay?
I do not own Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or "One Day". They belong to J. K. Rowling, Joss Whedon, and Charice.
It just wasn't fair! Hermione thought as she paced back and forth angrily. She had been the next slayer born after Faith had died. Faith had even been training her as her replacement. And then Faith had died. Stupid demon. At first, Hermione had been at a loss of what to do. Then she remembered Faith telling her at the beginning of her training that if anything was to happen to her, go to Sunnydale. Explain to Buffy who she was, and ask if she would finish the last bit of her training. Tara had been finishing her Wicca training and she had heard of Willow Rosenberg, best friend of Buffy Summers and witch extraordinaire. So Tara had come along for the ride. Now she arrives in Sunnydale, and not only is she told that she is not ready to go out in the field, but she shouldn't even be a slayer in the first place!
She had been hurt the first time she had heard that -understandably- but she hadn't shown Buffy. She had walked straight into trouble -unintentionally- and wound up kicking ass. Naturally. Unfortunately, Spike had witnessed her little blow out with Buffy, and followed her. He had stopped in the shadows of a building so she wouldn't see him, and thus proceeded to watch her kick some serious monster butt. After she had finished letting off steam, the blonde vampire had approached her quietly from behind. Having spent so long training though, Hermione whirled and almost staked the poor vampire before she realized who exactly he was. Upon realizing who he was, she had sighed, and muttered bitterly, "Should've staked you while I had the chance." Strangely enough, the two had grown close after that. But after hearing him agree with Buffy time after time that she wasn't ready, Hermione had lost patience with the vampire she had grown so fond of. The two's relationship had faded from being a burning, all-consuming, beautiful flame to almost non-existent. Spike was confused and angry, but mostly hurt. In Hermione's opinion however, he had no right to feel hurt.
(One day, one day, one day)
They're not gonna keep me down
They're not gonna shut me out
They're gonna do what they do
Tara watched her best friend pace her room from one end to another. She felt for her, truly, but she wasn't going to go against Buffy. Besides, she didn't want to upset Willow.
"Maybe Buffy's right, Mi. Maybe you're just not strong enough yet." Tara spoke cautiously.
"That's bull, and you know it, Tara! Faith has be- was training me for two years, and she took me out loads of times." Hermione angrily blinked the tears out of her eyes when she mentioned Faith's name. "Not only that, I have 15 years of gymnastics, dance, and martial arts on my side. I am more than qualified."
I do me
I'm moving against the crowd
I'm drowning out
Way down
They're gonna do what they do
"Mi", Tara said quietly, "just because Faith thought you were ready doesn't mean you really were. Buffy's the slayer; she knows best."
"Faith was the slayer, too!" Hermione finally lost her patience. "Faith was the slayer, too, and she thought I was ready. She treated me like I was her equal, not just someone to put up with." She shouted, frustrated. "And the only reason, the only reason you're agreeing with her is because you don't want to upset Willow."
"Fine!" Tara shouted, rising to the bait. "You're right! The only reason I agree with Buffy is that I don't want to upset Willow. I care about her too much to put her in a position where she would have to choose between Buffy and me. I can't lose her Mi", she finished quietly. "I just can't."
Hermione was silent for a long while afterwards, silently contemplating Tara's words.
"You're not going against Buffy because you don't want to put Willow in a position where she has to choose between her best friend and someone she cares about. Right?" Hermione asked softly.
"Right", Tara answered uneasily, not liking the direction this was heading in.
"So what are you doing to yourself right now?"
Tara started to protest, then felt sick to her stomach as she realized that her friend was indeed correct.
"That's different," she said unsurely.
"How?" Mi whispered. "How is it different? You and I have been friend since we were five years old. You have known Willow less than six months, and you're already forgetting about me."
Tara felt her heart rip into two, splinter, and then shatter at the pain in her friend's voice. Mi had already lost her parents, then Faith. Faith, who was like the older sister Mi had always wanted. Faith, who protected the both of them when the world got to be too much for the two to handle on their own. Faith, who had loved them, who was gone now.
"No Mi." Tara replied shaking her head. "I could never forget you. And I could never forget Faith. Screw Buffy! She wasn't there for your training, she never saw you in the field, and she doesn't know you. You're ready, Mi. I don't care what Buffy says, and I shouldn't be trying to keep Willow happy, I should be keeping you happy."
I do something original
Be unforgettable
They're gonna know my name
Mi and Tara took one final look around the room that had been their room for the last five months, made sure they weren't leaving anything of value behind, and made their way downstairs. Stopping on the last step, they were greeted by a sight of unhappy visitors. Willow was sitting on the sofa, looking down at her hands, hurt but knowing that everything the two had said was true. Buffy was angry that her authority was being questioned, and that her best girl friend was hurting. Xander was looking at the ground ashamed. He had known that Mi was ready; he had just been too preoccupied with Dawn. Dawn was trying to console Xander, and Spike was fixated on the last step where the two best friends stood, trying to catch Mia's eye.
"I take it that it's safe to assume you heard us?" Tara questioned, determinedly not looking at Willow.
"How could you even think that I was forcing you to choose between Willow and your best friend?" Buffy burst out.
Tara met Buffy head on. "If the situation had been backwards, would you have reacted differently, or the exact same way?"
Buffy sighed, and conceded. "That doesn't mean that you should be encouraging her!" She said, pointing to Mi.
"You have something to say to me", Mi said, getting up close to Buffy, "You say it to my face."
"You aren't ready, and you should never have been the next slayer; it should have been Dawn!" Buffy said, finally verbalizing her dislike for the other girl.
Mi sneered, casting an ugly look to her pretty face. "If she wanted to be the next slayer, she should have trained with Faith. Yes, she has a Watcher, but so did I. I had a Watcher, and a trainer, and an older sister. Those who can, fight. Those who can't, teach. Well, Faith could, but she also taught."
Spike spoke up for the first time. "Buffy. Shut up."
The blonde Slayer looked at him sputtering. He had never spoken to her like that. But his focus wasn't on her; it was on Hermione. The beautiful, fiery, fearless, snarky witch/slayer he had fallen in love with.
"Mi… please, stay."
At Spike's voice, pleading, Hermione almost lost her resolve. This gorgeous vampire standing before her, one who had made mistakes, and was not afraid to own up to them was begging her to stay. Her! Hermione Jane Granger, affectionately known as Mi to those who cared about her.
"I can't," she whispered. "I can't stay here, and have to hear you agree with her time and time again that I'm not ready when I know I am. All I really needed was one day, one chance. Was it really too much to ask for?"
Chorus:
(One day)
I'll make you a believer
(One day)
I got this all I need is
(One day)
Don't try to tell me I can't
(Tell me I can't)
(And now)
I'm a light in the future
(Watch out)
Wont stop I'm a mover
(One day)
You're gonna know who I am
I will fly high and free
It's my fate
Wait and see one day
I've been afraid before
To reach for something more
But now I see that it's mine
I'll take it
Just go ahead and try
You're not gonna change my mind
There's no such thing as too late
Yeaaaaaahhhh
(Chorus)
Bridge:
I'm on a mission
No longer listening
To anyone that says don't try
Sometimes you feel it
Deep in your spirit
It's like a fire that won't die
(One day)
Wait and see
(One day)
Oooh
(One day)
Just wait and see
Chorus:
(One day)
I'll make you a believer
(One day)
I got this all I need is
(One day)
Don't try to tell me I can't
(Oooh)
One year had passed since then, and Mi and Tara had made quite a name for themselves throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The Slayer and the Witch. Once upon a time, who would have thought? Meanwhile, in Sunnydale Buffy had realized what a mistake she had made, and after very little convincing on her part, the Scoobies, plus Spike, were off in search of their friends, and in Willow's and Spike's case, loved ones. Strangely enough, when the Scoobies caught up with the two, they weren't fighting demons, or vampires, or any sort of horrible monster(s). They were lying on the grass in the middle of a park -in the middle of the night- using each other as pillows and laughing at fond memories. Maybe not the safest or smartest of ideas, but hey. They were the Witch and the Slayer. By now, monsters knew well enough to steer clear of the two.
Mi stopped mid-laugh, sensing a presence. Multiple for that matter.
"T…"
"I know", Tara murmured. "You can come out now." She called, raising her voice for the others to hear.
The Scoobies came out of their hiding spots. They began to speak all at once, trying to convey just how sorry they all were, particularly Buffy.
"Hey!" Tara and Mi shouted, effectively gaining the attention they were looking for.
"It's fine."
(And now)
I'm a light in the future
And really, what a bright light they all were. Mi was the Slayer, and after some arduous thinking, she gave up the title to Dawn. She wasn't able to imagine a future without Spike, so she asked him to change her. He agreed. Buffy had patched things up with Angel, and had also bequeathed her title of Slayer to Dawn. Now Dawn had one Watcher, two Wicca, and two previous Slayers on her side. She kicked ass. Angel and Spike were to change Buffy and Mi at later points in time -whenever the girls decided they were ready. Buffy and Mi had reconciled their differences, and were close friends. Tara and Willow had started their relationship slowly, and had the support of all their friends. Mi looked around the room from her vantage point of Spike's lap, his arms around her tightly, while she herself was curled up comfortably. Less than two years ago, she and Buffy had hated the other, she had felt like she was losing her best friend to Willow, Xander and Dawn had been her closest friends of the Scoobies, she and Angel hadn't even known of the other, and her relationship with Spike had been fading fast to non-existent. Now? Now they all loved one another. They were a dysfunctional family unit, but if you asked any one of them, they wouldn't give it up for the world.
(Watch out)
Won't stop
I'm a mover
(One day)
You're gonna know who I am
(Know who I am)
I will fly high and free
It's my fate wait and see
One day
One day
One day
One day
One day
One day
"Knew you could do it, Buff." Faith murmured approvingly as she looked down on the scene below her.
"So proud of you, Mi." She whispered and started to fade. A final whisper echoed across the room.
Goodbye.
"Goodbye Faith", Mi whispered, and then curled herself further into Spike.