Disclaimer: I own nothing of either Buffy or Highlander. I am enjoying borrowing them. Quotes from transcript of "Empty Places"
A/N: A little bit of a change from cannon. Buffy is immortal and while not the oldest, I'll leave that to Methos, she is at least 3,000. Dawn will not be in this story. More information on Dawn and Joyce will be in upcoming chapters. Buffy will have an alternate history with Spike and Angel, which will be explained as the story progresses.
Chapter One – Betrayal and a Decision
Buffy replayed the end of the confrontation in her head as she walked down Revello Drive trying to figure out exactly when her friends, no her family had abandoned her.
FLASH BACK
"I - I don't understand this. For 7 years, I've kept us safe by doing this - exactly this, making the hard decisions. And now, what - suddenly you're all acting like you can't trust me?"
Giles glared at her, "Didn't you say to me today you can't trust us? Maybe there's something there that should be addressed."
No she didn't trust him. Not when he abandoned her after her mom and then Dawn's death. Not when he tried to kill Spike the only other person, before Faith arrived, with the strength to face the Bringers. "Is that why you sent Spike away, to ambush me?"
Then one of the potential's, Rona, opened her mouth. "You know what? I am sick of your deal with this Spike guy. This isn't about him. This is about you. You're being reckless."
Buffy was surprised and a little hurt "What?"
"You are! I don't even know you, and I can tell! You are so obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking."
"That's not what I'm doing."
Then Kennedy just couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Well, that's how it feels to us. People are dying."
Doesn't she realize that this is WAR! People will die. Giles brought these people to her home. Asked her to take care of them. Feed them. Clothe them. Did he give her any help in doing it. NO! He just went out and brought more and more girls back. And then came the biggest shock of all – Willow.
"Kennedy..."
"Why are you always standing up for her?"
"I'm not."
"What do you mean, you're not?" And she really wasn't. The girl who she had befriended, stood beside, and forgave for Dawn's death. She refused to stand by her.
"With everything that's happened, I - I'm worried about your judgment."
Great now she worried about judgment. Not hers – mine.
And then Anya spoke and her words cut Buffy to the core. "You really do think you're better than we are. But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy. But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."
Buffy thought she was surprised before. They actually thought being the slayer was lucky. Obviously they didn't realize everything the slayer had to give up….Then Buffy focused on the room again and Xander's voice.
"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff... but I guess it must be a little bit to my left…'cause I just don't."
She had always listened to them - included them. Hell, they all acted like her life was an open book they could read and comment on any time. "Look, I'm willing to talk strategy, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again."
Then Giles spoke again. "We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this!"
And then they were demanding Faith should take over. She was a slayer to. Yes, she is but there's being a slayer and being a leader and Faith had never been that.
And then Kennedy said, "Maybe we need a vote... to see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge."
Well of course they wanted her. She's not forced to work to put food on the table. She gets to be their best buddy. Well, if they want Faith to lead them against the First. "Fine."
"What?" Several people sputtered.
"If you want Faith to lead then she's all yours. But I won't be here to help you. The First is guarding the vineyard for a reason. There's something there that it doesn't want us to have and if you don't want to help me take it I'll find someone who will. You can stay in the house I'm leaving. Suddenly, I desperately want to be away from you people."
Many of the potentials looked pleased. But the core Scoobies looked worried and a little afraid.
Quietly Willow asked, "Where will you go?"
"Oh! Now you're worried. Well don't."
Buffy calmly walked upstairs to her room and pulled a duffle bag out of her closet and began packing. Quickly she threw in her clothes and a few weapons from her chest. As she was putting a picture of Joyce and Dawn in her bag she heard her door open. When she turned to see who it was Willow was standing there.
"What do you want?"
"I wanted to know how to reach you? In case we need you to fight."
"Oh I'm not good enough to lead but if you need a little muscle you might ring me. That is rich. I'm leaving because you want me to. I'm not coming back. Ever."
Lord, these people are amazing. They tell you they don't trust you and then turn right around and ask for help.
Buffy looked sadly at Willow and then took a long slender bundle wrapped in soft clothe from under her mattress. As she slowly unwrapped the bundle she began to speak.
"You never really knew me – any of you. Part of that is my fault. There are things about me and the life – lifetimes – I lived before I came to Sunnydale that you don't know. There was a time I thought I could share my other life with you. Before Joyce died. Before Dawn died. Before you sacrificed the sister of my heart. I even considered telling you when all of this with the First started to happen. But now – I'm glad I didn't share anything with you. You and the other Scoobies have always felt you had the right to run my life. With Angel, Riley, Dawn, Spike. You never even considered that I could make my own decisions or allowed me even the simplest aspect of humanity – the right to make mistakes."
Finally she stopped speaking and looked down at a beautiful sword gleaming in the light. It looked to long and heavy for a girl her size to wield but there were some benefits to being a slayer. The hilt was simple in the design of a Celtic cross with a large emerald set in each side. The slayer lovingly rubbed the blade with the cloth.
"No you never knew me."
Buffy calmly picked up her bag, grasped the sword and walked out her bedroom door, down the stairs and out of her house.
