A/N: Completely AU. I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer anymore than I own WWE. Be warned, angst lies ahead.
I know your life
On earth was troubled
Nineteen year old Buffy Summers knelt by the headstone, eyes filled with tears. Her 'friends' thought she was a stuck up bitch; thought she couldn't cry.
They couldn't have been farther from the truth. She just didn't like wasting her emotions. There was no need for hysterics every time someone died. Somebody died every minute, somewhere around the world. Why bother, that was her motto. But there were some special circumstances where she actually would cry buckets.
Like this. She'd known him from the time she was born, but she'd never thought that he'd die before her.
It had always been an inconceivable notion. When she became the Slayer four years before, she had finally understood about Death. It would sneak up on you, and steal your life force before you ever realized what was going on.
That was what had happened with him.
And only you could know the pain
Oh, she'd known that he fought his demons every fucking day. They'd all known that, at least she and his brother had. But neither of them had paid attention to the warning signals he'd sent out.
She'd been too caught up with slaying, and with staying alive. His brother had been far too busy with a solo wrestling career. They hadn't noticed the increase in his pain.
She barely repressed a sob as she whispered, "I wish you'd told us. I wish we'd seen the signs."
You weren't afraid to face the devil
Buffy's companion stood a little apart from her, just watching. It was obvious how much this was affecting her; she was always such a brick. Every last member of their family was. They had to be.
None of the Hunters were or could ever be afraid of facing Satan or his followers. They'd all ended up in that position more than once during the course of their lives.
But the one who had committed suicide had been fearless in the face of demons. He'd been so reckless, and it was like he was tempting Fate. Toying with her, like he was daring her to take him. Just go ahead, had always seemed to be his taunt. See if I care.
You were no stranger to the rain
Buffy gazed up at the stormy sky. It would rain, and soon. That was alright though since he had always loved the rain.
It was a good thing, too. So many slaughters took place in the rain. She didn't know why, but demons really loved the rain.
Go rest high on that mountain
Son, you work on earth is done
Slaughters were what her family, all of whom had been born demon Hunters for generations, called the complete annihilation of the demons they stalked. She tossed an ironic smile towards the heavens, knowing somehow, that he would see it.
The 'Scooby Gang' and the worthless Watcher's Council thought that she was simply the Vampire Slayer. She, on the other hand, didn't know why she'd been Called when it violated every thing she'd ever heard of.
It had even fucked up her magic for the first few days. She'd been so pissed off, and even though she had all the Slayer gifts, felt so helpless. But once the battle between the Slayer and the Hunter had come to a truce, she'd started feeling more confident.
Hunters were rare to begin with. But a Hunter who was a Slayer really was unheard of. Giles had always wondered why she calmly broke the rules and even laughed about it. The way she figured, just being the Slayer was breaking the rules. There was no reason why she had to follow the rules meant for the Slayer because she wasn't the Slayer. She was a leader in her family, one of the top Hunters. And she just happened to have been Called as a Vampire Slayer.
So many times, she'd call him up, and tell him about the general stupidity of the Watcher in question. He'd laugh right along with her every single time. He'd berated her when she went and got herself killed, although he had to admit that he'd have done the same thing.
Every Hunter would have. Maybe it wasn't the accepted Slayer way, but it was the accepted way of the Hunters.
Do what you have to if it'll wipe out the demon.
Go to heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and Son
He watched her, knowing what was going on inside of her pretty blonde head. He'd found out what exactly Hunting consisted of when he was eleven years old. She'd been much younger.
He wanted to loathe the person who had helped her to grow up so damn fast, but he couldn't find it in him. His brother had had a hand in it, to tell the truth.
Besides, she had been destined to be a Hunter, and had acquired the title of Slayer along with it.
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered round your grave to grieve
Even though it had been several hours since they'd buried him, Buffy could still hear her family's words.
"He saved my life," one pregnant Hunter girl had sobbed. Buffy didn't know the redhead personally, although she was fairly certain that her name was Maori. She was only fifteen or sixteen, she was positive on that account.
Another of the group he'd rescued had looked at her with such sympathy that she had wanted to break into tears right there at the funeral.
But she was the solid brick wall of her family, the core shelter of the Hunters. That meant that she had to wait until the funeral was over to break down.
I wish I could see the angels' faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing
"Your work is done, uncle." Buffy stared at the headstone for another minute. "It isn't fair. You were one of the best. But you chose to end your life. Not that I don't understand, but still..."
Her other uncle gripped her tiny shoulder. "We will always speak of how he laid down his life while training a group of teenage Hunters. Of how he killed the Polagra demon, but just before he got in the killing blow, it infected him with the poison."
She turned to him, her hazel eyes filled with tears. "And we will never tell the fact that he could have healed himself with the supply of magic he had fine tuned to fight demons."
"No, little one. We won't."
"Not unless some other Hunter displays the traits he did," she said sadly, walking towards the gate.
"Only then," he agreed, joining her on the path.
Go rest high on that mountain
She paused at the gate to the cemetery, linking her hands with her uncle's before turning to look back at the grave. "I'm gonna miss him so much."
"I will too, little one," the man known as Kane looked down at his tiny niece, his sister's oldest child. "I'll miss Mark just as much as you will."
"No," Stephanie, having just joined her friends and fellow Hunters, shook her head, "we'll never miss the Mark that we knew because he's in our hearts. It's his smiling face, right before a fucking slaughter—of all things—that I'll miss."
Son, you work on earth is done
The brunette witch and Hunter turned GM smiled as her words had the desired effect.
In the midst of her snickers, Buffy managed to gasp out, "So true. My first slaughter was a colony of Marana demons. I'm all of eight years old, and Great-Aunt Kalian decides that I should go with them on the trip. We're just outside the infestation site when Uncle Mark turns to everyone and, with a smile on his damn face, says, 'If one of our family should die at this place, then that person shall die with a grin upon their face!' I remember thinking, 'Die? I could die? They didn't mention this…'"
"You were eight?!" Stephanie shrieked, as they climbed in the car.
"I remember that," Glenn chuckled. "I thought that Joyce was going to kill our aunt. I don't blame her anyway. You shouldn't have had to face demons at that age."
The most unconventional Slayer in history looked at her uncle, eyes sad. "Nobody should ever have to face demons, Uncle Glenn. Nobody and that includes an eleventh generation demon Hunter. I'm a twelfth generation Hunter and a Slayer to boot. But I still can't stomach the fact that if it weren't for Hunters and the Slayer of the generation, this world would be overrun by demons."
The three pulled away from the holy ground cemetery that had been the burial site for seven generations of the Callas family branch of born Hunters. At least, that had been the original family name. That had changed, just as fighting styles and some of the traditions had.
But the Hunters were a close-knit group, and always had been. That, at least, would never change.
Go to heaven a shoutin'
Two weeks later, in another state, a young Hunter daughter pushed her children out of the womb. She had the Potential to become a Slayer, but she'd never been Called. Unknowingly, she passed both Hunter traits and Potential to her daughters.
Small and petite, the girls would be. Bethany Michele would be a Slayer one day. It was already foretold. She would be the one of the greatest Slayers, second only to the other Hunter Slayer.
Marcela Alison would be a strong Hunter, with as deep a well of magic as her sister.
Both of them had only been able to be born because Mark Calloway had protected their mother two and a half weeks before. He hadn't had to die, but he had chosen to while lying there with demon poison soaking into every fiber in his being.
Love for the Father and Son
Now he had taken over the guarding of his young niece from Jenny Calendar. After all, everyone needs a Guardian Angel.
And he would watch as she continued to fight the good fight.
A/N: This is dedicated to a sweet, extraordinary young man who died far too young. Whitney taught me to care and that was a precious enough gift. His smile was an even rarer one.
He had Down's syndrome and several other conditions, but he was far wiser than I was, even after I'd stared the temptation to die in the face. I'd seen too much of life, and he'd seen too little.
I was twelve when he died; he was fifteen. They sang this song at his funeral. Go rest high on that mountain, Whitney.
Also, if you think this is depressing, don't worry. I didn't try to write it as such, although since I connect this song to Whitney's death, I do tend to feel down.
Please review.
P.S., Yes, I know this story sucks. Feel free to tell me so.
This story has now been fixed in several areas, and is the second story in a series. The third story should be posted sometime in January 2004.