Chapter 1: The Chosen Guardian

I was running for my life. I wasn't terrified, or anxious…I just knew what would happen if they caught me. They would tear me to shreds and destroy my soul faster than I could say "pie".

My shoes were getting heavy with all the mud caking up from the dirt of the Greenwood Cemetery. It was slowing me down… Or it may have been the large rolls of hundred dollar bills in my backpack from the First Star Bank I robbed. It didn't matter; I was still superhumanly faster than them. To them I'm nothing…just a criminal passing through that picked the wrong town to rob.

Looking over my shoulder I could see their flashlights and hear the barking of police dogs hot on my trail. My car was parked just outside of town near a corn field. I was so damn close I could almost taste it.

As I was running I started to forget about looking down. I paid the price for it this time and tripped over a tree root, sending me out of control down a hill. I could hear the crushing of leaves as my body pounded the ground as I fell. Through it I could hear water, so I started to prepare for landing.

That's all I remember. Next thing I knew I was sitting in a jail cell with stitches on the left side of my wet head. There was no bruising…there was never bruising.

"Shit…" I cursed, but not because of the throbbing pain my head, but because I was dead meat now.

"You're awake…Detective Frank would like to speak with you," a man in uniform handcuffed me through the cell before opening the door. He led me down hall and into a room with just a table and two chairs.

I took a seat and felt the cuffs on my wrist. They were tight…but definitely not strong enough to hold me.

Detective Frank made an appearance and sat down with a large file. I knew what it was…he knew I knew what it was...but it had to be said.

"Really thought you were gonna get away this time? You're looking at some pretty tough charges here. Auto theft, bank robbery, fraud, assault..." he paused and looked up at me, as if waiting for me to object.

I shrugged, "girls gotta make some money and have a life. Look…you got your money back and I assume you found my car by now. So let's make this clear…auto theft and attempted robbery."

"Right…." He made a note. "And what about the assaults?"

"What assaults?" I honestly had no idea what this guy was talking about.

"Says here you punched a guy through a window back in Hazelton and two years ago you put a man in Amarillo into a coma. Is that true?"

I naturally looked surprised and I think he fell for that. "I punched a guy…but not through a window. Do I look like I have that kinda strength? But that guy in Texas had it coming."

He started laughing, "You're not sweet talking me little lady. The Big boys will be coming tomorrow to pick you up and take you to county prison. Are we clear?"

County? My life was over…unless I planned to escape… "yeah."

What the hell was I going to do? Nazareth, Pennsylvania…should have known to keep driving. I hardly remember what made me stop anyway…sure as hell wasn't for its people or night life.

When I was put back in my cell there was a man in brown coat and a young woman talking with the officers at the front desk. They both looked over at me. Now I was scared. The Feds? The FBI? Who else would be looking for me?

One of the officers nodded and came over to my cell. He opened it without putting handcuffs on me. That meant only one thing.

"I'm free?" I asked suspiciously.

The man in the coat nodded and held a stern look on his face. "Let's go."

I followed the two out of the police station and into a car the woman was driving. I didn't know what to say and I didn't know who they were.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded.

"To the hotel for now…afterwards it depends," he said with a British accent.

Now I was seriously confused. What the hell was a British guy doing in Nazareth busting ME out of jail? Crazier things have happened. So far this tops the cake of craziness.

"The hotel? Dude…I don't know who either of you are, but I'm not into anything like that."

The British man looked to the woman confused. She chuckled at his ignorance and answered for them.

"No, there is something we are going to offer to you, but trust me it will be nothing like that."

I relaxed in the backseat. The woman was pretty cool. She seemed like the White Witch from the X-men comics. I had a feeling they were more like partners than a couple anyway 'cause the British dude was way too old for her.

We arrived at a small hotel and I entered the room still not understanding a thing.

"Alright guys…tell me what's going on here or I bail," I stood firm.

The man was talking to the woman who stayed at the door: "I'll give you call if I need anything. Tell Buffy I'll be here longer than I anticipated. There's a lot of activity here and she needs the proper training."

The woman nodded and left. I was kind of sad to see her go because the British dude was starting to scare me…who was Buffy? And what the hell was he talking about?

The man closed the door and took seat. "Vivian, my names Rupert Giles. I'm a Watcher."

I laughed so hard I felt a cramp grow in my stomach, and I kept laughing till he cleared his throat.

"This is serious business. You have no idea how important of role you have to play. For example…aren't you curious as to how you ended up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania? A new Hellmouth is forming and you shall be its only guardian."

I sat up. He looked dead serious. "So what, you some nut job? Let's slow down a bit here…You're a watcher? So you…watch people? Have you been watching me?"

I was ready for a confrontation. With my strength I knew he didn't stand a chance...so I wasn't worried about that.

"Somewhat…Wait…no…I haven't been watching you. The seers brought me to you. They're the ones that have seen this coming and I've come here to help you find your destiny. You have no idea just how special you are. You have remarkable strength, yes?"

Slowly I sat back down, "my destiny? Seers I've heard of…but they aren't real." I rubbed a hand over my arm...feeling the muscles beneath.

"Vivian you are a slayer. Slayers date back many centuries. Until recently a slayer was a chosen one, a woman born to fight the forces evil…but now there are many slayers fighting evil all around the world. They are women with extreme power, agility, resilience and speed. Underneath Nazareth a Hellmouth has formed. It's a mystical portal if you will...between Earth and Hell. Soon…and it somewhat has begun, but more demons are moving towards this town. As a slayer it will be your job to destroy the evil and guard the Hellmouth to make sure it never opens. See why it is such an important job?"

It was difficult to take all this in at first. His lips were moving and all I could think about was how ridiculous this all sounded. It reminded me of how a few years ago I started to have this enormous strength…it was unexplainable. And agility...speed. It was an incredible feeling when it happened, but I kept it a secret. I was scared of what was happening to me, so I ran from home and went on the road. It had been two years since then…and this guy was freaking me out. I couldn't explain how he knew these things about me…but demons? A portal between Earth and Hell? This dude watched way too many movies.

"Look dude, I think you need help. I'm glad you were able to bust me out…but I should really get going..."

"It's Giles, and I am your watcher, you will respect me," he said in a stern voice.

"Why? 'Cause you got the sheriff to let me go? I'm sorry, but I don't believe anything you're telling me, not without proof," I folded my arms across my chest.

He looked at his watch, "two hours till sunset. We'll need to wait until then." Giles looked at me and sighed, "You're our only hope Vivian. There is some mystical force surrounding this town. All the other slayers that have tried to enter this town…they were killed instantly. Incinerated…actually…right at the city line. You are the only slayer that's been able to do so and survive. You were meant to protect this Hellmouth."

I watched as he cleaned his glasses. If this turned out to be a hoax then he was a really good actor. We'll see…was all I could think about. That and sleep…boy I was tired. But could I sleep knowing this crazed person was watching me? I was willing to take the risk.

"Two hours huh? Mind if I sleep? I haven't slept since leaving Ohio." I fell back on the bed and closed my eyes, and when I didn't hear his response I opened them.

I was no longer in the hotel anymore.

"Hello?" I sat up from the cement slab I was laying on.

It was dark and cold. Where the hell was I? Then I got the sense I was being watched by someone. "Giles? Are you here?" I called out.

When there was no answer I cursed, "That sick son of a bitch brought me to a cemetery while I was asleep?"

As I walked past the headstones and trees I spotted a woman around my age with dark hair. She was holding a wooden stake…you know, like pitching a tent, but she was carrying it more like a weapon.

"Who are you?" I called out to her.

When she turned around and saw me she lowered the weapon. "It's you isn't it?"

I put my hands up to show her I wasn't a threat and gave her a confused look.

"You're the one…The slayer guardian of Nazareth," she smiled.

"I….uh…I don't know what you're talking about."

I began to wonder what the people in this town were drinking. How the hell did I end up in such a crazy town?

She shook her head at me, "no, you do and you'll learn more soon. Giles is a good watcher. He's probably the reason Buffy is the longest living slayer in history."

There was that name again…Buffy…

"Giles? The creepy British guy who says he watches me?"

She laughed, "Yes. But he's really a loyal friend."

"Who is Buffy?"

"She is the slayer that came before you. You're power…when did you first feel it?" she asked.

I thought back, "Couple years ago...uhh…2001. Why?"

The woman had a look of great astonishment, as though she had stumbled upon the answer the world's greatest mystery.

"Oh my god…Buffy died in 2001, calling you to be the next slayer to replace her! Not long after a witch brought her back to life, rising from the dead once again. No one ever realized that another slayer existed, at least from the original lineage…a chosen one."

"Wait…who are you?" I asked a bit amazed.

"Lindsey. I'm a slayer too. A few months ago that same witch broke the slayer line and allowed all potential slayers to be chosen ones. That's how I became a slayer." She gave a weak smile.

"How am I supposed to believe this is real? Demons? Hellmouth? It's science fiction, not real." I corrected.

Lindsey nodded, "That's what I thought too. But Vivian…it's real. Vampires, demons, spirits, Hell on Earth…Don't be afraid of your destiny. Embrace it and save a world that doesn't even know it's in need of saving."

I stepped toward her, "How did you know my name?"

"Vivian!" I heard a male voice shouting in the distance. When I turned back towards her...she was gone.

I closed my eyes feeling a migraine coming on and when I opened them I was back in the hotel lying on the bed. Giles was standing over me, feeling my head.

"Are you alright?" he asked genuinely concerned.

I sat up in shock and pushed his hand away in disgust. A dream? It seemed too real to be just a dream. "Yes, I'm fine."

Giles grabbed some weapons from a bag and handed me an ax. "This is for protection…Just in case we're spotted."

"Oh…right," I trailed off as I saw him pull out a wooden stake. It looked like the same one from my dream.

"Can I have that instead?"

He looked up surprised, "You sure about that?"

I nodded and felt it in my hands…It felt right, like it belonged to me.

As we walked to the Moravian cemetery I couldn't shake my dream. The cemetery we were in…it was the same place in that crazy dream. There was also just no way I could have made up that woman. It was too damn real, but what else could it have been? She knew who Giles was…so maybe he knew her?

"Giles…Do you know a woman named Lindsey? With dark hair and blue eye shadow?" I had hoped he would say no, although I'd run the risk of sounding as equally crazy.

He stopped walking, "How do you know of her?"
I raised a brow, "You mean she's real?" My hands began to shake.

"Was…Lindsey was one of the slayers that died trying to enter Nazareth," he confirmed.

The blood left my face, "you're saying…I was talking to a ghost? I thought…I made her up."

"You talked to her?" Giles paused as I could tell her was remembering her. "Perhaps it was her spirit…..Slayers of the past have been known to have some sort of psychic connection. Even though the slayer line is broken…there must still be a connection. Fascinating, actually."

"In my dream she told me about Buffy…the one you were talking about earlier to that woman. She said Buffy died and I was chosen to be the next slayer," once I said that I began to realize he didn't know that.

Giles had a far worse reaction than that of Lindsey. I thought he was going to break down.

"Oh dear Lord…. You've been a slayer for the past two years and we did nothing to help you. Vivian…I'm terribly sorry about this. We should have met back then and I should have…." He stopped as he appeared to be overwhelmed by some mistake. "I never imagined…I mean I should have imagined, given Buffy's first encounter with death and the brining of Kendra. Then when Kendra was killed Faith was called…"

Giles looked at me like a lost child he never knew he had. It was an awkward feeling since most of what he was saying I couldn't make sense of.

"Did she say anything else to you?" he asked.

I looked up, "Yeah…something about my destiny."