Introduction to Beginnings and Endings
Disclaimer: Don't own. Joss Whedon and Dan Harmon do.
Summary: This is how the story ends... A one eyed carpenter walks onto a college campus to recruit a former watcher.
The end of the story begins like this…
The Scoobies were sitting around the conference table loudly discussing everything except the subject that they were supposed to be talking about. Quite frankly, it was giving Dawn a headache.
"Will everyone just be QUIET!" The others all turned to stare at her. "Sorry," she huffed. "But can we please get back on topic?"
"Of course," Giles sounded a bit sheepish. "Xander, you were going to give us a report on how locating Slayers is going."
"It's going well G-Man." Xander ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe even too well. It seems like not a day goes by where we don't find a new slayer. The real problem is lack of Watchers. It would be one thing if we were going to bring all the Slayers here and train them together, but since we agreed not to do that…"
"Yes, I understand," Giles sighed. "Unfortunately the recruitment of new watchers is not going as well as I hoped. As you all know we were planning to recruit former watchers. Unfortunately attempts to find good ones is proving troublesome. As you are aware, The Council's forces were decimated by The First. Most of those who remain are watchers who were dismissed for one reason or another. Quite obviously some of them are exactly what we want, but some of them are not, and determining which is which is proving difficult." He sighed again. "On another matter, Willow, how is the rebuilding of the Council's archives going?"
"Pretty well," Willow shrugged. "We've managed to retrieve copies of nearly all of the Watcher's journals."
"Nearly?" Andrew cut in.
"Yeah. Now it was Willow's turn to shrug. "As I said, we've managed to retrieve copies of nearly all of the journals. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only journals we're missing are the ones for the years 1986 through 1989."
"1986 through 1989…" Giles sounded thoughtful. "That would have been Pierce Hawthorne. I'm not surprised that you were unable to find a copy of his journal. If I remember correctly they were stricken from the record after he left the Council."
"Okay," Buffy said. "I'm sensing a story here. Anybody else feel it?"
The hand of every single Scooby went up.
"See?" She turned back to look at Giles. "Everybody agrees that there's a story. So make with the spilling of the story."
Giles blinked at her. "Right, well, if I remember correctly. Pierce Hawthorne was an American watcher. Sometime during the early eighties he was assigned to a potential. Amelia Harlan, I believe her name was. Well, as you have no doubt guessed, she was called in 1986 and served as the active Slayer for nearly three years. After her death Hawthorne apparently went on a rampage against the council, which led to his dismissal and his journals being banned from the archives. Apparently they were quite derisive of some of the council's actions. I understand he was quite inventive in some of his insults."
"Why did he go on a rampage?" Dawn asked. "Was it just because he thought that the Council's decision's were stupid, or was there something more?"
"Well," Giles said. "I don't know for sure, but at the time the rumor was that she had been killed during the course of her cruciamentum. People said that he had refused to administer her the drug, and so the Council decided to punish both of them."
"He was forced to be her hostage, wasn't he?" Buffy's voice sounded sick.
"Most likely." Giles began polishing his glasses. "As a Council raised Slayer, it's doubtful that she had anyone else."
They all sat in silence for a moment. Then Dawn tentatively raised her hand, "Is it just me, or does this guy sound like one of the good former Watchers? He sounds like someone we'd want to recruit."
Giles smiled at her. "Yes Dawn, I do believe you're right."
Greendale~Sunnydale~Greendale~Sunnydale
Xander walked across the campus of Greendale Community College with his phone pressed to his ear. "Yes Giles. I'm here. Is Wills sure this is the place though? Cause I really haveta tell you is doesn't… Oh, uh, hi Willow. No of course I'm not questioning your ability to perform the spell. I'm just saying that it seems like a strange place for a watcher to be. Now can you give the phone back to Giles? Thanks. Hey Giles. Yes. As previously stated, I am here. Are you sure that you don't have any information about what this Hawthorne guy might be doing here?" Out of the corner of his eye Xander saw a guy who was walking by start at the mention of Hawthorne. "Just a second, Giles. I'm going to see if I can find out where he is." Xander turned away from his phone and grabbed the guy before he could walk to far away.
"Hey," he said, instantly taking in the other man's button down shirt, glasses and backpack, and judging him as not a threat. "Do you know Pierce Hawthorne?"
"Of course." Was it just Xander's imagination or did the other man sound offended by that question?
"Great." Xander tried to give him a friendly smile. "Do you know where I might find him?"
"Probably in the Library study room D. That's where they always are." The guy muttered darkly. "Just go into that building up ahead and follow the hallway to the end. You can't miss it."
"Thanks." Xander turned away from him and hurried into the appropriate building. As he did so, he returned to the phone conversation. "Sorry about that Giles, I had to stop and ask for directions. Hey! Buffy I heard that. I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of asking for directions. That time we got lost was totally Spike's fault."
As he was speaking Xander reached the door marked "Library" and headed inside. He smiled as he heard the sound of the others teasing him on the other end of the phone. It was good having his family back. Now all he had to do was talk to this old Watcher and he would be able to go home. His smile grew wider as he reached a room with the words Study Room D marked on the door. Grabbing the handle, he opened the door ready to convince the former Watcher to return to the council.
What Xander saw made him stop dead in his tracks. There was indeed an old man who he assumed was Hawthorne in the room. The only thing was, he wasn't alone. By his side was a young brown haired woman clutching a stake, who Xander instinctively knew was a slayer. On his other side was a young man of Middle Easter descent clutching a video camera. The three stood with their backs to the wall. Around them the room's seven other occupants stood attentive. On the left hand side of the trio, there was a matronly looking black woman wielding, what Xander was pretty sure was, a large marble rolling pin. In front of her was an Asian man with what looked like a Paintball machine gun. And beside him was a dark haired man in tweed holding a sword in a way that clearly said that he knew how to use it. If Xander thought that those three were weird, the three on the other side were even stranger. At the back stood a young black man holding… was that a wrench? Xander did a double take. Yes, it was definitely a very large wrench. Beside him stood a man (at least Xander thought it was a man) dressed in a stereotypical witch's dress and hat. Xander ignored the outfit though, in favor of concentrating on the black eyes and the fireballs held in each hand. And beside him there was a blonde woman who wasn't holding any weapons, and yet still seemed to exude danger. At the front of the whole group was a brown haired man with a crossbow that was pointed straight at Xander. "Get out of here, Watcher. We're not letting you take Annie."
"Umm Giles…" Xander tried to sound calm. "I think that I'm going to have to call you back."
AN: Sorry about not posting until now. My internet was out when I got home from work, and it just came back.
I really hope you enjoyed this. This is the first part (prologue really) of a new series called Annie Edison, Vampire Slayer. The next story, Pierce Hawthorne, Watcher, will be out next Monday.
As I mentioned yesterday, I am currently undertaking a self imposed challenge in which I post a new story or chapter every day. Tomorrow will be a new Fathers/Sons story called Left Hand.
Until Tomorrow,
Regal