The Slayer's Daughter

By Astra Angel8965

Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure

Rating: PG13

Distribution: I'd be happy to. Just contact me first.

Author's Note: This is an idea I've had in my head for awhile. Thanks to The Powers That Be that ff.net is finally up and running again. And of course, please, please review.

Prologue

London, England. Watchers' Headquarters.

2017.

Willow looked up from the heavy textbook she was reading to the person who had called her.

"What is it, Mrs. Fontaine?" Willow asked, turning her head back down the tiny print parchment page.

"Er, Miss Rosenberg," the middle-aged Watcher began awkwardly. "It is Christmas after all... Don't you want to take a break from studying and come down stairs?"

Willow shook her head, a lock of auburn red hair falling into her right eye. She absently pushed it back. "That's okay, Mrs. Fontaine. I'm quite comfortable where I am, thank you."

"Well, okay, then." The woman lingered a moment longer, then quietly exited.

Willow pushed back her text and leaned back in her chair, sighing. True, she had studying; studying hard ever since she had came to the Watchers' Headquarters to become a proper Watcher.

Ever since she tried to destroy the world -literally- with her unrestrained majick in her grief over her lover, Tara, her friend Giles had shuttled her to England to be tried by the Council. The Council had decided to bind part to of majick. Willow had been too ashamed of herself to go back to Sunnydale, so she had decided to train to become a Watcher. At twenty-one, Willow had been too old to be a Watcher-in-Training, but she was determined. In the first two years, she had covered more material than a four-year Watcher-in-Training could ever do.

She still occasionally wrote to Sunnydale, to her friends. They also wrote back, telling her news about the latest demonic beings and whatnot. Still, the relationship between all of them had cooled off indefinitely.

No one had ever tried to be friends with her, even after thirteen years of service and after she had become an official Watcher. Some people like Mrs. Fontaine had indeed tried, but Willow didn't.

Suddenly a Watcher, Mr. Travers, rushed into Willow's room, interrupting her thoughts.

"Mr. Travers, what is it?" Willow exclaimed, jumping up. Mr. Travers wouldn't just rush into one's room unannounced without a reason.

"Another Slayer has been called," he replied, looking straight at her. "Another Slayer." He hesitated then. "Miss Rosenberg, this Slayer is without a Watcher. Do you want the job?"

Willow nodded her head, eyes wide with excitement. Then, reality crashed down.

For a new Slayer to be called... The previous Slayer must die. Which meant either Buffy or Faith...

She could barely find the strength to speak. "Mr. Travers, who was the Slayer that caused the new one arise?"

Mr. Travers then bit his lip and looked down. "Miss Rosenberg," he said softly. "This news- it may be a blow to you. But remember," he said hastily, "that a Slayer's life is always short. To live past their thirtieth birthday is extremely rare and miraculous occurrence."

"It was Buffy, wasn't it? She died," Willow whispered, tears clouding her vision. Even without Mr. Travers saying it, it was obvious. That must have been the reason why Mr. Travers offered her the job. Because he knew that Buffy had been close to her. She felt her knees begin to buckle, and the older man hurried over to give her a quick hug.

"If it is any consolation to you, the new Slayer is her daughter."

"What?" Willow pulled away. "Her daughter? But how-"

That was right. From the letters Buffy had sent her, Angel had been redeemed by the Powers That Be and became human. They had fallen in love all over again, and Buffy had a daughter, the jewel of their lives, named Callista.

"Callista Summers," Mr. Travers clarified, "fourteen years old, raised by her mother's sister, Dawn Summers."

"I've got to get over there right away." Willow swiftly pulled a suitcase from underneath her bed, flung open her closet, and began throwing clothes into the suitcase at random. Mr. Travers, book me the next flight to America as soon as you can!"

"On it." Mr. Travers nodded and hurriedly stepped out of Willow's room to immediately make arrangements.

The new Slayer was at stake.

Sunnydale, California.

2017.

Thirteen-year-old Callista Summers strolled down the halls of the Sunnydale Mall. True, the mall hardly had much, but it was a suitable place to hang out.

By herself.

Callista used to being a pariah. Being naturally shy with a tendency to stammer, she was never good at making friends.

The mall was also good at another thing- to forget momentarily about one thing. About the sudden death of her mother and father.

"Oh God," she whispered. Tears filled her eyes. Just two days had gone by- the funerals were tomorrow.

She was suddenly yanked from her reverie from a tap on the shoulder. She turned.

An attractive middle aged woman stood behind her. The woman's gleaming red hair was pulled back away from her face, and she was wearing a loose-fitting blue top and a long white skirt. For an instant, she and the woman stared at each other.

"C-can I help you?" Callista asked, more snappishly then she had intended to. Hastily she raised a hand to her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears that lingered there.

"Callista Summers?" the woman asked tentatively. Her voice had a hint of an English accent. "That is you, isn't it?"

"W-who are you a-and what the hell do you want?" Isis winced internally at her harsh words.

"I am your Watcher. You are the new Slayer."

Callista reacted to the words like a physical slap. She turned around from the front of Borders Book and raced towards the parking lot, where her aunt Dawn was supposed to pick her up in ten minutes. She could hear the woman panting as she ran after her.

Callista whirled. "Listen," she told the woman, who had came to a screeching halt behind her. "I'm not the Slayer. That would have my mother's job. Somewhere o-out there in the world, is another lucky girl who was Chosen. But it isn't me!"

"It is you," the woman insisted, never taking her deep green eyes away from Callista's face. "Can't you feel it? Coursing through you?"

"The only thing 'coursing through me' i-is an extreme sense of irritation and frustration, mainly 'cause you won't leave me alone!"

Then, as if by a miracle, Callista heard the loud honk behind her. A familiar honk.

"Aunt Dawn," she called, running towards her aunt's black Mercedes.

"Hello Calli," her aunt replied, then her face grew surprised as she gazed over Callista's shoulder.

"Dawnie? H-how are you?" the redheaded woman asked, walking from behind Callista.

Then biggest smile grew over Dawn's face as she swiftly opened the car door and ran outside, her high heels clicking as she rushed into the woman's waiting arms. "Willow! I'm so glad you're back!"

"W-wait," Callista interuppted, staring at them. "Aunt Dawn, you two... know each other?"

"Willow Rosenberg and I knew each other, and Willow was a close friend of your mother's," Dawn explained as she hugged Willow again.

A pang shot through Callista's stomach at the mention of her dead mother, but she instead focused on the strange scene in front of her that was rapidly unraveling itself to her.

"Would you like to come over?" Dawn asked. "We can talk about your stay in England a-and other things... Come on!"

Without a word, Callista slipped into the passenger seat as Willow started up her green car close to them.

This Willow woman was lucky she knew her aunt and her mother, otherwise she wouldn't have believed her Slayer lies any longer.

* * *

Callista had ran upstairs as soon as the cars had parked in front of the house on Revello Drive, leaving the two women to talk alone over a cup of coffee.

"I swear, I don't know what's going on with Calli," Dawn said, frowning a little as she sipped her hot drink. She set the cup down on the coffee table with a soft thunk. "Maybe it's the hormones- I don't know."

Willow took a deep breath as she leaned forward from the soft couch. "Dawn," she began. "I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well... ever since Buffy died, a new Slayer had been called."

Tears came to corners of Dawn's eyes as she thought about her older sister's gruesome and painful death. "Yes?" she said tightly, her voice choking slightly. "Please, go on."

"Callista is the new Slayer."

For a moment, Dawn was quiet, her eyes opened with shock. "Callista- the new Slayer? But how-?"

"The fact of her being the Slayer is something special... I mean, not many Slayers live to have daughters, especially if the father is a newly redeemed, former vampire.

"That's why I've been sent here, to train Callista into fitting into her destiny. To be her Watcher."

Dawn lowered her eyes. "You've told her, right? I mean, at the mall. She wasn't too happy about, was she?"

"No. I-I think the death of her parents hit her hard. Too hard. She-she is reacting the same way Buffy must have done." Willow paused. "The way most new Slayers do."

"Maybe if Callista comes to terms with Buffy and Angel's death, maybe then she'll accept her role of being the Slayer. I mean, she is the daughter of one; she should have been able to accept it more quickly.

"The funeral is in tomorrow, Willow. Would you like to attend?"

Willow stood up. "Thank you Dawn. I'd be honored to come. If you'd excuse me, Dawn, I have to go."

Dawn walked Willow towards the door. "Do you have a place to stay? You're always welcome here."

"I have rented a condo in a place not so far from here," Willow answered, smiling at the other woman. "And thank you for the offer."

Dawn watched Willow make her way down the walkway to her car. Then she turned and made her way purposefully towards her niece's room.

* * *

Xander sobbed on his wife's arm as she patted him on the back, a few tears in her own eyes too. Xander sniffled.

"Oh God," he whispered, pulling away from the vengeance demon Anya. "I-I still can't believe she's really gone. I mean, she died one time, but I revived her. Then, she died again, but she restored back to life. And now... there's no way to get her back."

Anya nodded silently as she brushed tears from her eyes. At last she stood up, helping Xander up. "Come," she said quietly. "It won't do any good to just sit here and cry about it... Buffy and Angel's funeral starts in about an hour. And since Willow's here-"

"What?" Xander interuppted, surprised. "Willow's here?"

"Of course." Anya gave him a patronizing look as she added, "Willow was close to Buffy, and she knew Angel well too. So why wouldn't she come?"

"Oh. You're right."

Xander was quiet all the way to the church where Buffy and Angel's service was being held.

* * *

Callista plucked at the long sleeve of her black silk dress as she sat in a pew at one of the many churches in Sunnydale.

However, this church was different. Her parents were being buried there.

The coffins remained closed, and with a reason. What person wouldn't be horrified by the remains left behind?

At exactly eleven A.M., the services began. There was tearful reunions, sobbing talks about how brave Buffy and Angel had been. Except that she didn't participate. Many had gone up to her, asking about how she felt and giving her their sincerest condolences. How do they think she felt? She sat, silent and feeling as if she was a stone.

At exactly eleven A.M., that was when the first scream tore through the holy place of worship. The priest had snapped the head of a teacher Dawn had befriended at Sunnydale High. The priest lifted his head from her open and flowing throat, his mouth smeared with blood, and his eyes burning yellow.

"No," Callista moaned, feeling like she wanted to throw up.

The vampires that had killed her parents must have wanted to destroy their loved ones with a bang. To set them up at their funerals.

More vampires burst up from along sides other pews. Their screams of mercy were soon stopped as vampires drank from them.

Willow jumped up and dug around in her bag. Taking a stake, she ran as fast as she could to the still-feeding priest. She kicked him directly in the face, and using the momentary distraction to her advantage, she staked him at once in his undead heart. He screamed as he exploded into a pile of dust.

The rest of the Scoobies, who had been sitting stunned, grabbed Willow's bag. In there was vampire weaponry, although there was little. Others, who had their own stakes and weapons, jumped up and began to fight.

Gunn, along with his wife, Fred, held crossbows and they began shooting bolts into vampire's hearts. Anya was using her teleporting powers to her advantage, using a stake as a weapon. Dawn, Cordelia, Wesley, Xander, Oz also used stakes to drive them off. But none had as much energy and fury directed towards them as none other than Slayer's daughter did.

"Undead bastards," Callista screamed, using a vial of holy water she had found in Willow's bag to pour over a vampire's face. As he cried out in agony, she slammed him to the ground. "This is my parents' funeral, for God's sake! Choose-" She staked the vampire and moved on to another with lighting speed and expert fighting moves she had learned when she was little. "-another damn time to attack us! Don't you goddamned vampires have any damned morals at all?" She launched into a spinning roundhouse kick into yet another vampire.

Oz paused in tossing holy water at another vampire. Being closest to the enraged teenager, he was surprised at Callista's extensive language. But he paused too long, and the vampire shoved him into a wall. Oz ducked as the vampire lunged at him, and she crashed into a wall. He raised his stake and slammed in into her back.

Soon, all of the vampires were nothing more but dust moving in the breeze. All of the Scoobies glanced at each other, then to the surviving, terrified people still standing.

Willow gazed at Callista. Her shoulders were heaving; her eyes wild and sad, glimmering with unshed tears. Without warning, she ran to the heavy doors that the vampires had bolted shut, and opened it easily with two rams of her body.

Willow glanced over her shoulder as she hurried after Callista. The scene seemed to be momentarily under control. The Scoobies were trying to help and reassure the survivors; Cordelia was speed-dialing the hospital.

"Callista?" Willow called out tentatively, stepping out. She peered up quickly at the heavily clouded sky.

"What is it, Willow?" Callista whispered. She was weeping, tears running down her face. She was sitting down on the last step of the church, and Willow sat down next to her.

"I just want to see how you were holding up. That was a good show you put on it there. You make a great Slayer."

Callista didn't say anything to reply Willow. Then she turned towards her, rage and immense sorrow upon her face.

"Why did they have to die, huh? Why did my parents have to die and leave me? Why couldn't they have been normal humans, not have been torn apart by vampires, and not have vampires wreck and kill at their funeral? Why?" Her last word had been more of a racking sob, and Willow hugged the trembling girl tight in her arms.

"Everyone has to go sometime, Callista. I know you know it's unfair now- we all do. But we all have to be strong. For Buffy, for Angel."

Then she pulled away without answering her. Her eyes were glittering... with a steel determination. "You're right- I am the Slayer. And I will not stop until the leader of the vampires who had killed my parents is dead. I'll do it- for Mom and Dad."

This time it was Willow who had to brush tears from her eyes. "You'd be a great Slayer," she said again, and they hugged as their tears and grief overcame them again.