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The Slayer Line
May 2004 - Italy
"So, what are you saying? That I can't die?"
"No, not exactly. More like you won't age. At least not until the demons are gone from this world."
Buffy sat in shock, not quite comprehending what she was being told. "I'm sorry. Can you go over this again?"
Giles sat down opposite of Buffy, taking her hands in his. "The changes you've felt these past six months, the dreams, the heightened senses, and the even greater strength and healing all stem from the spell Willow performed to activate the potentials. You pulled the scythe form the stone, so the scythe took your powers, your magic, so to speak, that makes you the slayer and used that to activate the potentials. The scythe recognized you as the source of the slayer. As such, you are now directly linked to that power."
"So," Buffy said hesitatingly, "the girls have their powers from me. Why aren't I all weak, then? And, if I die, do they die? Or will they lose their powers or.....or what?"
"If you die, they don't lose their power. There will just be no more slayers activated. The slayer line, will, in effect, die out."
"Ok, that answers that. So why do I still have my powers, my slayerness and a little extra thrown in?"
"The scythe didn't actually take your magic. To shorten this down, all the powers of the slayer resides in you. You have become the first slayer. The only difference is your death will not activate the next slayer, but kill the slayer line."
Buffy absorbed this. She stood up, detaching her hands from Giles, and slowly paced the room. "And, because of this, because of a need for the, or a, slayer, I will no longer age."
Giles sighed. "Yes. And, while it may take quite a bit to kill you now, you can still die. It's therefore imperative that you take extra precautions. Should the demon world find out about this..."
"I understand, Giles."
"Yes, well, we don't want the earth overran with demons."
Buffy stopped her pacing as the truth of what she heard fully hit her. She turned to Giles with tears in her eyes. "Are you saying that I...I cannot," she stopped to gather her emotions. "I cannot die ever?"
Giles went and pulled Buffy into his arms. "I don't know. I hope there will come a day when demons no longer exist and you can rest, but I cannot say when that will be."
The sudden ringing of the telephone startled both of them. With a slight chuckle Buffy went to answer her phone.
"Hello?"
"Oh, hey, Andrew."
"Why? What's happening?"
"Another one? Wait. Who told you this?"
"Ok, ok. Did you call Willow?"
"Well, that didn't take long. Boy, she's getting powerful. Ok, we'll be right over. Assemble the girls. Thanks, Andrew."
Buffy turned to Giles. "We have to go stop an apocalypse in LA tonight." Buffy walked to her room and returned holding the scythe. As they proceeded to exit her apartment Buffy turned to Giles and said, "Did you know Spike's alive?"
Once Buffy and Giles arrived at Slayer Central, an old mansion in the Italian countryside renovated into a boarding school and training facility, the others grew quiet. Buffy looked at those assembled, Willow, Kennedy, Wood, Faith, Dawn, Xander, Andrew, and 20 slayers, all holding some sort of weapon and looking prepared to take on the world. Or, in this case, the demon world.
"Hey, Buff. Everyone's been appraised of the situation and are prepared to go. Apparently this goes down tonight, which gives us just enough time to fly over there."
Buffy nodded her head and looked at the group. "Alright. Let's go. We have a plane to catch."
Due to the destruction of the Watcher's Council over a year ago, Giles became the sole inheritor of the assets and investments of the Watcher's Council. While other watchers did exist, he was the only one that had an active slayer, thus the funds were placed in his care. Aside from renovating the old mansion, his recent purchase of a plane and a ready pilot were perhaps his best purchases.
Once everyone was settled and the plane took off, Buffy and Willow found a quiet area to talk.
"Did Giles fill you in on what we found?" Willow asked.
Buffy nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah, he did. It's a little.... overwhelming. I mean, I never wanted to live forever. Have a life, yes. Have that life extend centuries, no."
"I'm sorry," Willow said quietly. "If we had known what the spell would do, I never would have..."
Buffy cut her off. "Yes, you would have. It's what we had to do to defeat The First."
Willow shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, if I had know what I know now, I would never have brought you back. My resurrecting you just made your life ten times worse. I am so sorry, Buffy."
"Hey," Buffy said, "it's ok. If I knew then what I know now, I may have let Dawn jump. Ok, no, I wouldn't have, but some days....... It's ok, Willow. This is how it was meant to be. "
Willow smiled sadly at her friend. "I know you aren't fine with this, Buffy, so don't act like you are to spare my feelings."
Buffy let out a small chuckle. "Deal. There is something I need you to do for me, before we begin the fight."
May 2004 – LA
"Try not to die. You are not unpleasant to my eyes."
"You kill me.... a flunkie. You don't kill me. Angel.... Angel kills me."
"It was good that you came."
"I killed all mine and I was..."
"concerned."
"I think so. But I can't help. You'll be dead within moments."
"I know."
"Would you like me to lie to you now?"
"Yes, thank you. Yes."
"They'll destroy you."
"As long as you live they can't."
"I wish to do more violence."
"Well, personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon. Let's go to work," Angel said as he, Spike, Illyria, and Gunn faced the alley and watched as demons began their assault. The demons suddenly stopped moving, frozen in place.
"Wait in line, Soul Boy. That baby's all mine."
Angel turned toward the voice, noticing the blonde next to him for the first time, not to mention the group of girls behind her. He felt a hand clasp down on his shoulder.
"You didn't seriously think she'd miss this, do you? We are talking Buffy here," Xander said.
"About bloody time, luv. Was wondering if you'd show up."
"Well, excuse me, but how fast can you travel from Europe to LA? And how long have you been alive?"
"Can we save the bickering for later, guys? We do have and apocalypse to stop." Willow stepped forward and muttered an enchantment under her breath. "Ok, Buffy, you're all set. Remember, no dying."
"Yes, Mom," Buffy said. She turned to the girls behind her. "We only have a few more seconds before the demons unfreeze. Not one survives and not one gets by." She turned back around just as the demons began to attack, twirling her scythe dangerously.