Chapter 1

Buffy looked out from the back porch over the sweeping landscape. She admired the ornate fountain surrounded by a cobblestone path and what must have once been lovely topiaries, but had long since been over grown. Her eye traveled down to the overgrown greenhouse, the stable, and the other various structures leading down to the boat house, which set nestled on the edge of the river that she could just barely get a glimpse of. She jumped as her silent revelry was broken.

"So what do you think? Can we make a go of it?" said Giles standing by her side.

"I think it's amazing." She said earnestly, "I could never have imagined a more beautiful place….except for the humidity….I've been standing out here for 10 minutes and my hair is already reaching tragic levels. You sure you don't have any old Watcher buddies who own 14 acre plantations in say Arizona, or I don't know, California, that they'd like to donate to an industrious Slayer?"

Giles gave her his patented disapproving smirk and they both turned back to the view.

"Honestly Giles it's everything I ever could have wanted, but being here, suddenly it's all so real. I mean when I first had this idea 6 months ago, it was just an idea. But then you came up with the place, and we came up with the plan, and now, here we are, as of tomorrow, this is real." Buffy turned and walked back through the door as she spoke.

"I mean look at this place." She motioned around the spacious kitchen with it's high ceilings and cavernous cupboards. "I can't believe I live here, let alone that I run a school….oh my gosh….I run a school." They kept walking as they entered the large spacious front room, Buffy turned to Giles, panic in her eyes, "I can't run a school Giles! I quit college, I BARELY graduated from high school! Who in the world is going to send their children to my school?"

"According to our attendance roster 15 families as of this morning." Piped up Dawn from the corner where she was sitting at a desk looking over paperwork.

"15 girls Giles….15 girls and I have to teach them math, and science, and English, and stuff oh and lets not forget the Slaying, I'm no longer THE chosen one with a calling, I'm teacher of the chosen ONES." She finally stopped to take a breath.

"Buffy your sacred calling has never been more important than it is right now. Yes, you are not one now but you are one of many, part of a great lineage and power that will be passed down through the ages. One who's significance has only multiplied over the years and will continue to do so. And as far as the math, and science and the other….stuff. Well you'll have plenty of help there." Giles smiled kindly.

"Yea I mean some of are actually pretty proficient at the book readin' thing." Said a voice from the atrium.

They all looked up and saw Willow and Kennedy standing in the doorway with several suitcases. Buffy ran and crushed Willow in a hug, which Willow reciprocated enthusiastically.

"We saw Xander at the airport and as far as I know the others will be here within the next few hours. Buffy it's really happening!" said Willow as she pulled way to look at Buffy.

"I know. It really is." Said Buffy with a smile.

The sun was setting and sending spectacular beams of light shooting off the water as they all sat on the porch having just finished their first meal.

"Now that's what I call some good down home cookin!" said Xander, dramatically rubbing his belly.

"Xander you don't have to start talking like you live in a Mark Twain novel just because we live in the South now." Said Willow from her spot in a rocking chair.

"I beg to differ little lady," Xander retorted, "We are living just outside the fair town of Opelika Alabama!" he stressed his terrible Southern accent as he said this, "I feel like I'm in one of those old timey romance novels…not…that I've ever read one of those…"

Xander awkwardly focused on drinking his beer and allowed the conversation to continue around him as if nothing happened. They all smirked at his Xander antics and then Andrew piped up from his spot on the steps.

"Well….I don't know about all of you, but I can't wait to see all those hopeful faces tomorrow on the official opening day of—"

"Andrew I swear if you say the words Hogwarts for Slayers, I will punch you until something breaks" Buffy snapped interrupting.

"Fine…."said Andrew while pouting, "but you can't deny it's an appropriate metaphor."

"This is the Joyce Summers School for Gifted Girls, and that is the only name we're using." Said Dawn sternly.

"Yea I'm still iffy on that name, " said Faith, she was sitting on the rail leaning lazily again on of the columns. "Don't get me wrong!" she quickly defended seeing the hurt looks on Buffy and Dawn's faces, " You know I loved Joyce, she was a wicked cool lady, mad respect, I just feel like "school for girls" has such a catholic school girl, getting spanked with rulers, I promise Sister Margaret we were just changing clothes….feel to it."

"What would you rather us call it?" said Buffy, "The Joyce Summers school for Vampire Slayers? That would be a popular google search."

"Yea I see your point." Said Faith, backing down.

"Everyone coming here and their families know what this school is" said Buffy, "we've spent the better part of a year tracking down all the potential that we turned into Slayers, and we have explained to more families than I can count what is going on with their daughters, the 15 girls showing up tomorrow know what they are walking into…..well as much as they can….I'm even sure I know exactly what they're walking in to."

"We've got this Buffy! Don't doubt yourself." Said Willow encouragingly, "Giles and I have got the practical learning under control, I'm going to take math, and science, he's got history and language arts. And then you, Faith, and Kennedy—"

"Can teach them the kicking and punching, a general stabbing of things through the heart with wood." Kennedy cut in, and she and Faith clinked they're beer bottles together.

"We're ready Buff" said Xander, "You guys have the teaching, and Robin has the administrating" Robin Wood smirked and nodded his head in acknowledgment, "This is going to work."

Buffy sighed and nodded her head looking around at all of them.

"This is going to work!" she said confidently.

Buffy bumbled around the room like a hurricane as everyone tried to jump out of her way, she arranged the refreshments for the twentieth time in the ten minutes and then turned to look into the faces of her friends who looked more concerned with her state than anything else.

"So we're sure that we have the living arrangements figured out for all of us? She asked.

"For the thousandth time yes." Said Dawn with a touch of exasperation in her voice, "You and I are taking the apartment in the back off the kitchen. I'm already setting our stuff up there. Giles is taking the attic, it all those book shelves and it's secluded he's in heaven. Willow and Kennedy are in the boat house, Faith and Robin are in the old servants quarters, Andrew is staying in the basement, and Xander is taking the apartment above the stables."

"That's right….I'm officially the stable boy. Now tell me we're not in a romance novel!" said Xander with a smug grin.

"Robin I still feel weird about you taking the servants quarters, I feel weird about you having to live here at all actually" said Buffy blowing right past Xander's attempts at levity.

"Buffy it's not a big deal, honestly people making a fuss about it is worse for me, this place isn't defined by what it was, it should be defined by what it can be. And the servants quarters are actually one of the nicer places to live here, so don't worry about it." Robin put a hand on her shoulder as they shared an earnest moment, but then they heard the sound of tires coming down the driveway and they all turned excitedly to the door.

"This is it," said Buffy "the Joyce Summer's school for Gifted Girls, is about it open"