Not the One

The two girls started for the main road. As they walked, Faith couldn't help but look at Alden. She definitely looked like Buffy.

"So, you said you're new around here? How new?"

Alden shrugged, hands still deep in her pockets. "Well my family moved here around the turn of the century. But my Dad moved away before he met my mom."

"Gotcha. Hey, you're pretty good with that thing."

The blond smiled. "I guess. So…you're a Slayer?"

"Yeah. Got called last year. Pretty sweet deal…except the whole constant looming death thing."

"Yeah…that would suck."

"So where do you live?"

Alden couldn't help but laugh a little. "Why, you going to walk me home?" She paused. "I think I can get there on my own."

Faith nodded. "Guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah." With that, Alden took off down the street.

Faith watched her go and shook her head. "Weird chick."

The Slayer stood where she was in the middle of the street for a few minutes more before turning back to do another sweep of the cemetery. Watching Darla get dusted wasn't enough. Faith needed to feel the vampire turn to dust beneath her own fingers. She needed the rush.

Alden made it home without further vampire interference. She walked in, hanging her jacket on the coat hanger on the wall. Just as she started for the stairs, a girl of about ten appeared.

"Where did you go?"

"Katherine, shouldn't you be in bed? It's late," Alden scolded softly, ushering her sister up the stairs.

"Mom started to get worried."

"I'm fine. I was just out for a walk."

Katherine brushed a few particles of dust from her sister's hair and rolled her eyes.

"A walk? Where a desert?"

"Look, don't tell Mom or Dad. It wasn't a big deal."

Just as they reached the landing, a door opened and a boy of thirteen stuck his head out.

"You got one didn't you?" he asked.

It was Alden's turn to roll her eyes. She shoved her sister into their brother's room and shut the door.

"Yes, ok. I did. But it was just one."

"What was it like?" Katherine asked, her eyes wide with awe.

"No big deal really...it impressed the Slayer though."

Her brother's jaw dropped. "You met the Slayer? Was she hot?"

"Jonathan, shut up. And besides, how would I know?"

"What was she like?" he asked.

"Shorter than I expected. But cool I guess." She caught sight of the clock on her brother's wall and let out a yawn.

"Now come on. You two need to go to bed. We've all got school tomorrow."

She ruffled Jonathan's hair before leading Katherine to her own room.

"Sleep tight."

"Night, Alden."

By the time morning dawned Faith had taken out half a dozen vamps. She returned to her hotel room and collapsed on the bed, her body exhausted. She hadn't slept much in the last few days.

"Crazy night," she mumbled to herself as she curled up against the pillows.

Hours later, Giles looked up from his cup of tea to see Alden standing in the doorway. He nearly dropped the cup at the sight of her. He cleared his throat and tried to put the unease from his mind.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"I hope so. I was told I could get books for European History here. I'm new." She leaned against the counter, chin propped in her hands.

"Oh…yes. Which class did you say?"

"European History."

Giles nodded and disappeared into the stacks. He took his time finding the materials she would need. He needed time to wrap his head around the fact that Buffy may still have relatives in Sunnydale, even some ninety years later. Alden stood waiting, tapping her fingers on the edge of the counter. Just as Giles returned with the books she would need, the doors swung open and Willow and Xander wandered in.

"Willow, Xander. Don't you have class?" Giles asked, handing Alden her books.

"Yeah but...the material just isn't as intriguing as it used to be," Willow mumbled.

Xander shrugged. "I just don't like second period."

Giles looked between the three students and cleared his throat.

"Is there anything else you need?" he asked.

Alden shook her head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Miss..." He trailed off.

"Summers. I'm Alden."

"Oh, yes. Right. So sorry. Well if you need anything else Miss Summers. Don't hesitate to stop by."

"Thanks." She gave the group a raised eyebrow before disappearing.

Willow and Xander stood agape as she disappeared. Giles pulled out a cloth and began to clean his glasses.

"She looks so much like Buffy," Willow breathed.

"Ok...somebody tell me I'm crazy...I think my best friend's great, great, great grandkid is attractive."

"We can't think that way. We don't want to confuse or frighten her," Giles reminded them.

"But Giles, she's...what if she's the Second Slayer?" Willow posited.

"The Chosen line isn't genetic. It would be highly unlikely."

"But...what if...what if the fates say that a Summers girl is supposed to be the Slayer right now...here in Sunnydale?"

"I suppose it's possible. I believe she's just moved to town," Giles responded.

"But guys...Buffy's been here since like the 1900s," Xander interjected.

"People move away, Xander. For all we know they all moved away and now are just deciding to come back...but it's really some predestined occurrence."

"Willow, positing theories is all well and good but I think we've done enough of that for some time. You two need to return to class. I'll...I'll see you after school."

He watched them leave and heaved a sigh. He wanted to believe that Willow's ideas had merit but it just didn't seem possible.

"Think, Rupert, think." He returned to his office and sunk into his chair.

He spent the better part of the afternoon pondering the situation only to be interrupted by Faith.

"Hey, Giles you in here?" she called, tossing her jacket over the back of a chair.

"Coming," Giles replied. After giving his glasses a quick clean, he emerged.

"How was patrolling last night?"

"Not bad. Felt good to stretch the old Slayer muscles. Saw something kind of weird. This girl...she slayed a vamp. Looked kind of like Buffy."

"Alden."

"Yeah...how'd you know?"

"She goes here now."

"Oh...yeah well I guess that makes sense." Faith leaned against the table, arms crossed over her chest. "You should have seen her. Girls' got some moves. Slayer moves."

"You think she's the Second Slayer?"

"I don't know. She took out Darla."

"Darla? Really?"

"Like it was nothing. Not a scratch on her."

"That's very…interesting…it would seem to support Willow's theory that she is indeed the Second Slayer come to Sunnydale to take Buffy's place."

"But the Slayer…the Chosen line…it's not a family thing, right?"

"At this point, I'm not entirely certain what the line is or isn't. It's been so fundamentally altered by Buffy's journey to the past. It is possible a descendant of hers was given the destiny."

"We should ask her."

"Oh yes, very good. 'Hello, welcome to Sunnydale. Are you the Second Slayer?'. That will go over smashingly well."

"Don't have to get all cranky about it. It was just a suggestion. But honestly, I wouldn't mind having another Slayer out there. Makes my job easier."

"Yes well…now you know how…she felt before you and Kendra came along."

Faith just nodded. It felt strange to talk about Buffy like she was still around. "You know…not to diss B or anything but…I think we should stop talking about her like she's here.:

"I don't know what you mean," Giles tried to deny.

"Sure you do. We talk about her like she never left. Like she's going to walk through that door. But she's not. She's not here, Giles. The sooner we deal with it and move on, the sooner we're all saner for it."

"When did you become so insightful?"

"Don't know…kind of scary, huh?"

"Yes well, I think perhaps we should work on your training. You haven't been that active the last few days and I think it's best to keep in good physical condition."

Faith let out a laugh. "Have you seen me?"

"You know what I mean."

Faith gave him a smirk and nodded. "So...let's do this thing."

"Right. Just...give me a moment to get ready." He disappeared momentarily into his office to don padding. When he returned he found Faith lounging in a chair.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." She stood, facing off with Giles.

They sparred for some time, the world around them seeming to melt away. Faith was in the moment, gliding through air as if she wasn't on the ground. Giles managed to block many of her advances, forcing her to think on her feet. Neither of them noticed the figure watching from the doorway until Giles landed on the floor with a loud 'thwack'. He gasped for breath as Faith pulled him back to his feet.

"Do you always spar with the librarian?" Alden asked, a bemused look on her face.

Faith couldn't help but crack a smile. "Sometimes. Giles here is a good sport."

"Yes..." He wore a pained expression as he sat down, massaging his back. "Is there something else you needed, Miss Summers?"

"I was wondering if I could just look around."

"Yes, of course. Look through whatever you like."

Both Giles and Faith watched the girl set her bag down and head up into the stacks.

"Much more studious than Buffy," Giles commented as the doors to the library opened and Willow and Xander walked back in.

"Hey, Faith."

"Hey guys. Did you meet super chick up there?" Faith replied.

"Super chick?"

"Yeah...she took out Darla last night."

"Darla? Wasn't she...really powerful?" Willow asked.

Giles nodded in the affirmative. "This is the same young woman from this morning."

"Alden...Buffy's...relative."

Giles nodded again. "But we mustn't mention Buffy around her. It's very likely she doesn't know who she was...and most definitely not by that name."

The group grew quiet for a moment, Xander's gaze travelling up onto the next floor.

"Hi there," he said, drawing the group's attention to Alden.

She was leaning on the banister. "Hi. So...the Slayer hangs out in the school library?"

"Sometimes," Faith answered.

"She knows you're the...oh well...sure...that makes sense," Willow rambled.

Alden gave Willow a grin as she descended the stairs. "We met last night. I didn't see you in classes today."

Faith shrugged. "School's not my thing."

"My brother would love you....actually I think he already does and he's never even met you."

"You have siblings?" Giles inquired.

"Yeah...Jonathan, he's thirteen and Katherine's eleven. They were pretty freaked about the whole vampire encounter."

"I'd imagine it would be rather frightening to young children."

"Well...freaked in a good way...they can't wait until Dad lets them go out."

"So you patrol often?" Xander asked.

"No not really. I was just checking out the town and happened to run into a vampire."

"You're moves are pretty tight. You got off without a scratch."

"Guess I got lucky."

Giles looked between Willow and Xander and cleared his throat. He could tell they were on the verge of asking the question they'd all been wondering for the last few hours.

"Alden, how long has your family been in Sunnydale?"

"Since the turn of the century. My great great great grandmother and her family moved here. She used to write her children letters. She was a Slayer too."

"Yes...Anne Summers. Her history is rather well preserved in the Watcher's Council records."

"Funny story...she refused to have kids until she nailed this one vampire...Angelus. Apparently he was real nasty."

"Yes...I believe that was in 1888," Giles stated.

"So...I know we've all been wondering...are you a Slayer?" Faith asked.

The room grew quiet as the question hung in the air. Alden looked from Faith to Willow to Xander and back.

"No." It sounded so confident.

"You're sure? I mean...you could have fooled me."

"Trust me, I'm no Slayer. It's not a family thing."

'Well the Council believes the Slayer line was altered when you great great great grandmother became a Slayer in the last 1880s. There have been two Slayers."

"But I'm not one. Really...we would have known."

"Yes, I suppose you would have," Giles mumbled.

Faith looked around and pushed herself onto her feet.

"I'm going to head out for an early patrol. You want to come with?"

"You don't want me hanging around. I don't want to distract you."

"I'm kind of used to slaying tag team," Faith assured her.

"Where are you going to patrol? I have to pick up Katherine from school but I can meet you after."

"Cool. I was going to do a sweep of Restfield. Business has been pretty heavy there lately."

"I'll see you there in like half an hour."

"Later."

They watched as Alden left the library. It hadn't as been as awkward as they'd imagined.

"So…you think it's really a good idea to take her on patrol with you?" Willow asked.

"Why not? She can handle herself."

"Well it's just…you never invite us on patrol," Xander explained.

"That's not true," Faith denied.

"Xander's right. We don't get to patrol with you. Not that...we want to. The big scary...death and all not high on our list but you know...we're your friends."

"And she may just be the Second Slayer."

"Faith, don't push the subject. We don't want to...alienate her."

"Chill guys. It's cool. We'll kick some vamp ass. It'll be like bonding time."

With a final wave to the gang, Faith left. Giles watched her go and shook his head.

"What's wrong Giles?" Willow asked.

"I just hope Faith doesn't press the matter. She has a tendency to be a bit...overbearing."

"She misses Buffy. It's understandable. I mean...I kind of want to hang out with her too," Willow commented.

At the elementary school, Alden sat in her mother's car, waiting for Katherine to appear. She finally spotted the girl and honked the horn.

"How was school?" Alden asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Ok, I guess. It's a new school."

"Did you make any friends?"

"It was the first day. I wasn't trying to make friends."

"Just asking. Hey, can you tell Mom I'll be a little late for dinner. I'm hanging out with some people from school."

"Friends?"

"Yes."

"Who are they?"

"You're way too nosy for your own good. Do you know that."

"You're going to see the Slayer again, aren't you."

Alden rolled her eyes and pressed on the brakes. "She invited me to go along on patrol with her."

"Why can't you tell Mom the truth?"

"Because she doesn't want us going out and doing this stuff, Kat. You know that."

"Dad doesn't mind."

"I know but please just don't tell her where I am."

"Fine. But you totally owe me."

"Fine. I'll do whatever you want for a week. Sound fair?"

"I think we can work with that," the eleven year old said, a grin on her face.

Alden just shook her head as the car sped forward. By the time she dropped Katherine off and arrived at the cemetery the sun had ducked below the horizon enough that vampires would be out. She spotted Faith leaning on a tombstone just inside the gates.

"Sorry it took so long. My sister doesn't know when to shut up."

"It's fine." Faith tossed a stake to Alden and headed further in to the cemetery.

The walked in silence for a time, both listening and watching their surroundings. Faith finally let out a breath.

"So, where'd you learn to fight?" Faith asked.

"My Dad started to train me when I was fourteen. It's kind of a family tradition. Guess when you have a relative that's a Slayer, you get overprotective."

"Makes sense. You should train with me and Giles. I know he'd appreciate someone else I could spar with."

"Maybe. We try to keep what we know under wraps. My Dad is convinced that if the Watcher's Council found out civilians were fighting vampires, they'd throw a fit."

"You got that right. Seriously...English people are so uptight."

Alden laughed. Before she could speak, a hand appeared from a freshly dug grave. Both girls stopped moving, stakes poised. Their readiness was not rewarded. The vampire took a good ten minutes to claw its way out of the ground.

"I think our boy here is a little slow," Faith said smugly.

"Maybe he got stuck?"

Their taunts only enraged the vampire, lunging at Faith. She managed to avoid his attack, landing a solid kick to his chest. Alden watched, waiting for an opening. Faith went flying over a tombstone and landed on her back.

"A little help?" she called, trying to catch her breath.

The vampire tuned to Alden and she took a few steps back. He matched her pace for pace until he'd backed her up against a tree.

"You look a little scared, Slayer," he laughed.

"I'm not the Slayer," she shouted, slugging him across the jaw.

The vampire went stumbling backwards, distracted just enough for Alden land a kick to his knees, taking him down. Faith was on her feet again, slamming her stake through his heart.

"You ok?" she asked as the vampire turned to dust.

"Yeah. He just pissed me off."

"I guess vamps do that."

"He assumed I'm the Slayer just because I'm out here and I have a stake."

"I guess we all kind of assumed you were...I mean...even if you haven't been called yet. You've still go the skills."

"But we would have known if I was a Slayer in waiting. They have a system for it, don't they?"

"I suppose. Never really thought about it," Faith admitted as they moved on.

Nearly an hour later the sky had gone completely dark and the pair happened upon a vampire nest. Nearly a dozen vampires lounged inside an abandoned crypt.

"We can't take them all out," Alden whispered.

"Why not. You split them up, take them out two at a time. It's easy."

"I'm not you, Faith."

"You'll be fine. Just stay sharp."

Before Alden knew what was happening, the vampires descended, having sensed their presence before they could make a move. The girls were quickly divided, each having to fight off five or six vampires at once.

Faith managed to knock out two early on. Unfortunately, the others backed her in to a corner. Alden was having even less success fending off the vampires. She had never taken on more than one before and she didn't know what to do. All of the training she'd received from her father seemed to disappear from her brain. Within minutes the stake had been knocked from her hand and they'd pinned her to the ground.

'Faith!" she screamed as she felt a pair of fangs sink in to her neck.

Faith managed to push through the quartet, slamming a stake through them like butter. The stability she'd had knowing Buffy was there to back her up seemed to course through her in that moment, giving her the added strength she needed to take out the others.

By the time she'd dusted the remainder of the group, Alden lay bleeding and bruised on the ground. Two wounds gushed from her neck and Faith could see one of the bones in Alden's left wrist pushing through the skin at an odd angle.

"Oh God." She hadn't seen that kind of carnage since her first Watcher had been killed.

"Faith," Alden gasped, trying not to choke on blood.

"I…I'm going to get help." She had to keep it together. There was no sense in losing it now. Faith knew she had to get Alden to a hospital. There was no way she was going to heal on her own. She wasn't a Slayer. As gently as she could, Faith picked up Alden and took off for the nearest hospital. By the time she burst through the emergency room doors, Alden had blacked out from blood loss.

"Help! I need help!" Faith shouted.

One of the nurses approached. "What happened?"

"She was attacked. Please she's lost a lot of blood. You've got to help her."

"Follow me," the nurse instructed, leading Faith to a gurney.

"Is she going to ok?" Faith asked, her voice choked with emotion.

"I don't know. Please, you need to go sit in the waiting room."

"Can…I use a phone?"

"Go ask at the nurse's station."

Faith stood still in the middle of the hallway as the nurse wheeled Alden away. She needed to call Giles…he'd know what to do. He could call her family. Several minutes passed before she regained use of her legs. She made it to the nurse's station and dialed Giles' number. It rang a time or two before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Giles…it's me."

"Faith? Are you alright? You sound upset."

"I overestimated her, Giles. I took her out and nearly got her killed."

"Alden?"

"She's in the emergency room…I need…can you call her family?"

"Yes…of course. I…just stay there."

Faith hung up the phone and resigned herself to a seat in the waiting room. She replayed the event over in her mind, trying to figure out what she could have done differently. She was startled from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Giles, Willow and Xander standing around her. Four other people stood nervously beside them.

"These are Alden's parents, Carter and Melissa."

"I…I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have-" Faith began but Carter raised a hand.

"Please. She's got Summers blood. She's strong."

"But she's not a Slayer…I should have believed her."

"Summers?" a doctor called out.

The group of eight turned and followed her down a hallway to a room. Alden lay in the bed, a temporary splint on her wrist and a gauze pad on her neck. Her eyes were half open as the group walked in.

"She's lucky. If she'd lost any more blood she would have died," the doctor informed them. She looked at Faith. "You did the right thing getting her to the ER."

"Instinct I guess," Faith muttered. She moved to sit by Alden's side.

The doctor gave them all a reassuring look before leaving them to visit. Alden's eyes opened and she looked guiltily at her parents.

"I shouldn't have lied. I'm sorry."

"We'll talk about it when you get home," her mother said.

"What happened?" Carter asked.

"We were out patrolling and I thought we could handle a vamp nest. Like a dozen vampires. I overestimated," Faith answered before Alden could open her mouth.

"I told them I wasn't a Slayer," Alden informed her parents.

"I apologize for our over-confidence," Giles said. "We…recently lost a Slayer and were…anxious to have that stability back at the Hellmouth."

"It's why we came back. I knew we needed to be here. Summers have been here since the town was founded."

"Who knows…maybe you have a little Slayer blood in you after all? I mean…the knowledge has to be passed down somehow," Willow interjected.

Giles cleared his throat, motioning for Faith to stand. "We should let Alden rest. She's had a very trying evening."

Willow and Xander gave Alden and her family waves before leaving the room.

"See you around," Alden called as Faith headed for the door.

"See you around."