Los Angeles

The Plaza Hotel

2:30 am

Buffy Summers, currently one of twenty Slayers and counting, stood standing

in the bathroom of her hotel room after her shower, staring into the steamed

up mirror at her reflection, lost in thought. "We stopped the First so why does

something still feel wrong?"

"Cause kid some things are still wrong in this dimension."

Buffy jumped and yelped. Clutching her towel closer to her, she spun around

to meet the blue eyes of the short, badly dressed, balancing demon more

commonly known as Whistler.

"Do you mind, this is a naked place. Which means you knock before you

scare the shit out of someone. Now get out so I can get dressed. Then we'll

talk about what's wrong with this dimension. Okay?" As she's talking she

grabs him by the arm of his jacket and throws him out of the bathroom and

slams the door in his face.

5 minutes later she exits the bathroom fully dressed in a pair of light blue

pajama pants and a white tank top. She stomps out of the bathroom crosses

her arms over her chest and glares balefully at the annoying demon, who is

currently standing in front of the television watching, from the sounds what

appears to be the porno channel.

"Damned scramblers can't see anything good." He glances up at her and

grins, turning off the t.v. he gestures to the large suite. "Swanky place you got

here. How'd you manage it?"

She sighs, "The Watchers Council may no longer be operational but their

bank accounts are."

"Why ain't you staying with the Prince of Prozac and his unable bodied crew

of screw-em-ups?" He lounges out on the couch as Buffy continues to glare at

him from her standing position in front of the bathroom.

"He's living in an office filled with evil lawyers and demons. I didn't want the

girls to be uncomfortable. You know, slayer senses and all that. And Hey

aren't you being a little harsh. I thought you liked Angel and his crew. At least

that's what you said in heaven."

"Ah, so you do remember more that peace and happiness from your time in

heaven. The Powers we're beginning to wonder."

"What's to wonder can't they just read my mind, or heart or whatever it is

they read when they want to stick their noses into other beings business?"

"You know that's not how it works kid The Powers respect the private

thoughts of all beings, especially their warriors."

Buffy looks at him an eyebrow raised. "What a bunch of BS Whistler."

Finally she looks away. "Whatever, you know what I really don't care about The

Powers right now, why don't you tell me why you're here? So I can put your visit

out of my mind and concentrate on the new Slayers popping up all over the

world."

Whistler sighs and pushes himself up into a sitting position. "That's why I'm

here kid."

Now suspicious she slowly approaches, "What's why?"

Whistler looks at her sympathetically, Guess she doesn't remember

everything. "You've been feeling haven't you. That something's still not right

with the world."

"We just fought a war with over a thousand Turok-Han who were fighting for

the very first evil. People died, young girl's died, please tell what's supposed

to be right about that?"

"I could give you the whole 'there are casualties in every war speech' but we

both know that means shit when anyone is killed during a battle. We also

know that's not what I meant. You've done what you were supposed to, you're

no longer needed in this world kid."

Buffy starts to look a little upset at this. "What do you mean I'm not

needed? There are Slayers to be located and trained. Or are you on that little

'Buffy's gone too far kick' that seemed to be going around earlier? Are you

gonna kick me out of my hotel room?"

"No actually you're being kicked out of this dimension." Whistler stated

calmly.

"What?!!"

Whistler stands and holds up his hands in what he hopes to be a placating

manner as the Slayer starts towards him. "Don't shoot the messenger kid. This

is coming from the big head herself. And anyway you agreed to the terms of

your return to life." That manages to stop her in her tracks. For which Whistler

is eternally grateful facing a pissed off Slayer (especially one with this ones kill

record) not something he ever wants to face off with.

"What terms, what are you babbling about Whistler. I suggest you get to the

point or I'm going to rip out you spine and use is as a putter."

Whistler winces at the imagery. "Geez kid, that imagery makes me almost

long for a good ole' rib-cage into a hat threat."

She re-crosses her arms and begins to tap her foot in irritation. "Spill,

mouthpiece."

"Okay, okay. This is how it is. You are one of the greatest warriors, when you

died you were out of the Powers reach, but when Red resurrected you. You

became theirs once again and since the Hellmouth is now nothing more than

a great big pot hole they feel you're no longer needed here in this dimension.

But there are a lot of dimension that are having problems that the heros of

those worlds can't deal with. So you'll be the Powers . . . balancer so to

speak."

"Like you?" Buffy asks scepticism lacing her tone.

Whistler shoots her a dirty look. "No not like me. Me I'm completely non-

confrontational, barring the occasional stubborn champion. I'm bound by very

strict codes not to do more than show potential champions a more righteous

path but I can't directly force them to do it. While you, you have no such codes,

you're also not gathering champions, you're going to be sent to different

dimensions and hopefully, helping the heros reach their full potential, or taking

some of the pressure off of them."

Buffy stood staring at him for a full minute before throwing back her head

and howling in laughter.

After about five minutes of listening to her slightly hysterical laughter,

Whistler finally breaks in annoyed. "Alright, alright quit with the guffawing kid

it ain't that funny. In fact it's not funny at all."

Buffy finally starts to calm down, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry

but you really had me going there for a minute. I mean what kind of godly

beings are going to allow a witch to rip someone out of heaven, just so that

they can have a tool to clean up the messes in other universes. I mean that's

insane." She starts giggling again.

Whistler stares at her sadly. She finally stops laughing. "Jesus you're not

joking are you. Their really going to send me away."

"I'm really sorry kid."

She practically falls into a chair in shock. Finally she looks up at him. "What

about my friends, my sister?"

"They'll stay here and fight the good fight."

She looks at him incredulous. "How can they expect me to leave them?"

He looks at her sadly. "They just do."

"Will I ever see them again?"

He shrugs still looking at her sympathetically. "Don't know kid, the cards

haven't been drawn yet. Look all I know is that if you're ever really needed in

this world you'll be sent here."

Buffy doesn't appear to be listening. "How am I going to say goodbye to

them?" Silent tears pouring down her face.

Whistler takes off his hat with one hand and rakes a hand over his head with

the other. "Look kid, I'll come back in three days, you have until then to say

goodbye and get your affairs in order."

She's shaking now. "O-okay."

He heads towards the door and opens it just before he closes it he looks at

her once more. "Remember kid three days."

(AN: this is my first fanfiction, so please be kind & review)