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A/N2: I was just informed that I missed the notice that fanfic including characters of certain authors were not allowed to be posted to this site. I've modified this story to alter all character names and specific terms to that authors' work.
This is the only site I know of that lists this particular author as one in which they will not archive entries based on their work. If you wish to read the story in its correct form, please visit my author page at TTH.
Thank you Water Mage for notifying me of this mistake – I try to follow the wishes of the owner/moderators of the websites I post to, and honestly didn't mean to break one of their rules.
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A/N: Oh poop! Dulcinea got to this one before me (Hi Dulcinea!! waves crazily )…Oh well, I ended up writing well over double the maximum word limit anyway, so Jinni can't yell at me since my story won't make it onto the list. LOL
Summary: FFA #270 Willow/(a werewolf). When you're recruiting new Watchers, who says you're only allowed to look in your own dimension?
Preternatural Parallel-Dimensional Watcher Recruitment
"You sure this is the place?"
"For the thousandth time, yes, Buffy!"
"I'm just asking, Will! And it wasn't a thousand times…only five. The place just looks too…normal…and the people we've been bringing in aren't actually your average Joe."
Willow sighed.
"Woah!" Buffy exclaimed, clutching her stomach as she felt a wave of something hit her as they approached the house. "You feel that, Will?"
"What?"
"Guess my normal-joe radar needs fixing. Whoever's in there isn't fully human, and he's strong."
Willow stretched out her senses towards the house, and extolled a heavy breath when she was hit with the same feeling as Buffy.
The two woman turned wide eyes towards each other, both pinpointing, at the same time, just what the feeling was. "Werewolf!"
"And I have to ask again…are you sure this is the place? I can understand the 'being a teacher already' aspect, but I didn't think werewolves were on our recruitment menu."
"This is where the spell led me, Buffy…I'm sure."
"Of course, you also forgot to mention that the spell would include other dimensions," Buffy scowled at her. "And he had to be living in one that's teeming with vampires…that I'm not allowed to kill!"
"It's not my fault!"
"No, but staying here for a week is," Buffy's scowl deepened.
"Did you want to get killed or arrested because you didn't know the rules of this dimension," Willow frowned at her.
"No, but all we had to do was offer him a job and leave! It's not like the laws here are the same as the ones back home!" Buffy snarked, mumbling under her breath about how stupid it was to legalize vampires.
"Well, considering the candidate is a werewolf, it's a good thing we read up on the etiquette of preternatural beings in this dimension, or we might have had our throats ripped out for doing something wrong!" Willow snapped back, then sighed. "Just ring the doorbell, Buffy…I wanna go home."
"Yeah, me too…Kennedy, the little bitch-monster herself, is probably trying to start a mutiny in my absence," Buffy said, grim-faced, reached out a hand and pressed the button.
"Why can't you get along with her?" Willow replied, looking hurt.
"Oh, maybe because her ego wouldn't fit in the largest amphitheater in the world, she believes she should be in charge of the entire council and slayers, she's spoiled, undisciplined, and won't even listen to Giles…need I go on?" Buffy said, lifting an eyebrow. She heard someone approaching, but before the door opened, she softly added, "She doesn't deserve you, Will."
Willow blushed and looked down, just as the door opened.
A tall, well-built man answered the door, and stiffened as soon as he laid eyes on them.
Buffy sensed his beast tensing.
"Woah there, Fluffy! We're not here to cause trouble."
"You reek of unfamiliar power, why should I trust you?" the man growled.
"I reek?!" Buffy look dismayed as turned her head and sniffed her shoulder.
The man couldn't help chuckling at that.
"That's better. We're not here to clip your toenails or give you froo-froo grooming…and God forbid if anyone even thinks about neutering you," Buffy grinned back, as she gave him a once-over.
"Buffy!"
Buffy laughed.
"I'm Buffy Summers, and this is Willow Rosenburg…we're here to…uh…ask for your help and offer you a job, if you're interested," Buffy said, looking a little uncertain. "Um…so I guess I should…uh…follow that etiquette thingy for werewolves, huh?"
Buffy slowly stepped forward, drawing closer to the man, but without actually touching him, and waited for his response.
The man looked both baffled and slightly amused.
"The etiquette only applies to Weres, Ms. Summers, but since you went to such lengths to learn it, I'll answer with one of the proper responses," he said as he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.
Buff looked relieved, and turned to nudge her red-headed friend, who was staring at the large man with wide eyes, her mouth formed in a small 'o'.
"Will!" she hissed.
Willow blushed before taking a step forward, mimicking Buffy's movements, and being touched in turn.
"While my response in no way promises my help or protection, I'm willing to listen to what you have to say," the man replied seriously before opening the door wider to let them in. "I'm (Name1), by the way."
"We know, but it's still nice to meetcha!" Buffy said cheerfully as she bounced past him.
Willow smiled shyly at the man, as she moved to follow her friend. "Sorry about Buffy, Mr. (Name1), she tends to be a little forward sometimes...well, truthfully, all the time."
(Name1) chuckled.
As the red-head passed him, he got a whiff of a scent that startled him.
Showing the two to his living room, he stared at Willow.
"What? D-do I have something on my face?" the red-head asked nervously as she swiped her hands over her cheeks and mouth.
"You smell faintly like pack…but not of my kind, and it's faded."
Buffy and Willow looked at each other in surprise before saying, "Oz."
"Oz?"
"Willow dated a werewolf about five or six years ago, but they're not together anymore," Buffy stated, then looked at him curiously. "What do you mean 'not of your kind'? Aren't all werewolves the same?"
"Apparently not," (name1) said distractedly. "The one whose scent you still carry smells…wild, almost…rabid."
The two women exchanged another surprised look.
"Well…we have werewolves in our dimension too, but they can't control the change, and they don't have any type of pack structure – maybe that's why it smells different" Willow offered shyly.
(Name1) gaped at her. "Dimension?"
"Oh, boy…I think we should start at the beginning, Will, or we'll be here all day trying to explain things out of order," Buffy said as she waved her hands in front of her. "So, Mr. (Name1), just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…"
Willow giggled, smacking Buffy in the arm.
"I don't think what we do can be compared to Gilligan's Island, Buffy."
"And just what do you do?"
"We hunt vampires, demons, and the occasional Hell God," Buffy said flippantly, pleased to see that her statement surprised him. "And, unlike here, it's legal."
"Well, not so much legal as it is that our vampires and demons are more…feral…than yours – people generally don't know they exist either," Willow added.
"And a good thing, too! I mean, how could you guys make them legal citizens?!" Buffy scowled.
"Not by my choice…I voted against it," (Name1) scowled before asking. "Is that what you're here to ask my help for? Fighting against these vampires and demons?"
"Not unless you want to," Buffy replied. "We're here to recruit you as a teacher…or more specifically, a Watcher."
(Name1)'s interest was piqued, and he waved at the blonde to continue.
"You see, in our dimension, the world didn't actually being as a paradise. Demons and other monsters used to be in control…" Buffy began.
Between the two women, they explained their world to (Name1) – it shocked him by both its similarities and difference to his own. Of course, that didn't stop him from asking them to prove it…while Buffy definitely impressed him with her strength and skills, Willow was the one to blow him away with her display of magic (she opened a portal to their dimension and introduced him to Giles, though they only kept it open a short time since it was energy draining).
"So…you want me to come to your world to help teach a bunch of little girls how to fight, in addition to educating them?" he asked faintly, still a little dazed by their story.
"Yup…we're hoping to rebuild the Council of Watchers, but a better one. Will found this really cool spell that pinpointed good candidates for new Watchers, and it led us to you – we weren't exactly expecting preternatural parallel-dimensional Watcher recruitment, but if that's the only way we can find who we need, I'm not complaining."
"Why me? People aren't exactly pleasant when they find out someone is a werewolf. Is it different in your world?"
"Couldn't tell you that…people tend to be unaware of the mystical stuff where we're from – no, actually, their brains tend to deny it. It's funny…they'd rather believe that a group of vampires are actually gangs on PCP."
"If you ever changed in front of them, they'd probably think you were just a really large dog who escaped from a human-shaped paper bag," Willow giggled.
(Name1) looked bemused at that.
"As for why…the spell we used had certain parameters – kindness, strength, flexibility, leadership without the desire to control…things like that," Willow explained matter-of-factly.
"I don't know why it chose me, then…I'm (Leader) of the local pack – and (Leader) here tends to mean the Were is not only the strongest, but also one who would kill to gain leadership," (Name1) said grimly, looking away.
"Doesn't sound like you're too happy about that," Buffy replied. "If I were to guess, I'd say you were forced into vying for the position, either due to the current state of the pack, or pressure from outside forces."
(Name1) whipped his head up in surprise.
"Guess I was right…which one was it?"
"Both," (Name1) answered reluctantly.
Willow gave him a commiserating look, and pat his knee with one of her hands. "Well, if you come with us, you don't have to worry about all that…"
"I can't just abandon them!"
"Isn't one of them strong enough to take over for you?"
(Name1) gave pause as he thought about that. He hesitantly ventured, "Possibly (Name2), but the others may not listen to him. He makes a good '(One who enforces)', but (Leader)?....I don't know."
Shaking his head, he bitterly continued, "But that doesn't matter, I can't leave."
"Why not?" Buffy asked curiously.
"I'm part of a (magic triad), though not exactly a willing member. I doubt that those bonds will allow me to leave."
"You don't sound too happy about that either," Buffy looked at him wryly.
"I'm not…not really, though I've come to terms with it in the past year."
"A bond with two other people?" Willow looked at him in interest. Holding a hand up, she shyly asked, "May I?"
(Name1) waved at her to go ahead.
Closing her eyes, Willow held out her hand, hovering it over his body from head to toe. It only took a moment for her to come up with enough information to come to a conclusion.
"I can break it…that is, i-if you want me to," she offered confidently, but shyly. "E-even if you don't want to come with us."
(Name1) looked at her, gob-smacked.
"So, Mr. (Name1)…I guess the option is back on the table – the question is, do you want to join us?" Buffy pierced him with her gaze.
"But…the pack…"
"For once, think of yourself first. Answer the question honestly, then think of ways to make it happen," the blonde stated firmly. "If there's a way, we'll help you find it."
He hesitated, struggling between the need to continue protecting his pack, and the desire to just let it all go and follow his first love…teaching.
"I would prefer to join you," he admitted honestly.
"Then call your pack, Mr. (Name1)," Willow smiled as she laid a gentle hand on his forearm. "They'll need to choose a new leader."
(Name1) reluctantly nodded his head as he stood, muttering under his breath, "This is not going to go over well with them."
"Don't worry, Mr. (Name1)…we'll help keep the puppies under control."
He barked out a laugh and made his way to the phone. Dialing a number, he briefly spoke to the person on the other end, then hung up.
Turning back to the two women, he said, "(Name3), my (werewolf 2IC), will call the pack…they should meet us in another couple of hours. In the mean time, could you give me more information about your organization, and the people within it?"
"Oh! You'll fit right in, Mr. (Name1)!" Willow said enthusiastically.
"Please, call me (Name1)…if we're going to work together, we should probably be on a first name basis," he smiled charmingly and winked at her.
Willow blushed.
Buffy looked between the two and held back a grin. She'd never fully believed Willow's claim of 'Hello, gay now!' – if her red-headed friend was truly gay, she wouldn't appreciate the male form as much as she did…and the attraction between (Name1) and Willow wouldn't be radiating so much heat that Buffy almost had to fan herself.
While she offered her own bits of information, Buffy left most of the explaining to her more intelligent friend. Before they knew it, the two hours had flown by, and Buffy could feel the approach of the pack members.
Since it was his home, (Name1) played the part of host, and ushered his pack into the living room, where they promptly stiffened at the power they felt from the two women. When they made no threatening moves, the pack cautiously arranged themselves on the floor and various furniture…leaving plenty of room between them and the two who smelled of power.
Buffy leaned over towards Willow, even though she knew her whispered words would be heard by the sharp ears of the Weres. "I feel like we have cooties or something."
Her words caused a few of the Weres to laugh, dropping the tension level drastically. (Name1)'s re-appearance in the room with the rest of the pack, reduced it even further, though most of them were still alert to their every movement.
When everyone had settled, (Name1) began to speak.
"I wish to leave the pack."
It was straight to the point, and shocked everyone except Buffy and Willow. Voices rose in protest and fear, drowning out anything that (Name1) would have said if he had continued, so he didn't, and waited for the pack members to settle again.
"Why?!" (Name3) demanded.
"Because I've been given another opportunity…one where I can teach without having to worry about whether or not I would be accepted as a werewolf," (Name1) replied calmly.
"Humans will never accept werewolves!" she scoffed. "They're too afraid of our beast."
"But he wouldn't be teaching humans," Buffy stated, standing up to get the group's attention. "Well…they're human, but…well…stronger…like, human plus, without the side-effect of being a Were-anything."
"And just who are you?" (Name3) growled, the woman (Name1) had pointed out as being his second in command.
"Buffy Summers, Slayer-extraordinaire," she replied cheekily as she bowed.
The group of Weres didn't know what to make of that.
"Slayer? Slayer of what?"
"Vampires, demons, and other flavors of boogey-men," the small blonde replied flippantly.
If (Name1) hadn't been so worried about the response to their presence, he would have enjoyed the reactions of the pack to the perky young woman. They had no idea what to make of her.
"And werewolves?" a chic-looking Chinese man asked from where he elegantly sat in one of the side chairs.
"Nah…we just shoot 'em with a tranq if they get too frisky, and lock 'em up until they've got 10 fingers and 10 toes without claws again," Buffy winked at him.
Willow snickered at that, drawing everyone's attention towards her. She waved nervously at them.
"Oh, that's Willow – don't get her mad…she might turn you into a real puppy."
They looked curiously at the red-head, wondering just how the blushing young woman could be seen as any kind of threat…unless someone thought they could be hurt by all her hand fluttering.
"You do understand that it's against the laws to kill vampires, don't you?" a short, blonde-haired man drawled from where he was stretched out on the floor.
"Not where we're from."
"And where would that be? An exact address would be nice," he grinned at her flirtatiously.
"At 411 Parallel Dimension Street, Already Taken, Oh-Hi-But-No," Buffy smirked.
It took a few moments for the group to make sense of that statement, but as soon as they did, all hell broke loose.
It took (Name1) a while to get them to quiet down again.
"Just listen for a moment, and everything will be explained…Buffy, Willow?"
The two women went into the same explanation and story they had given (Name1) a couple hours earlier, though it was harder to hold off their questions, given the number of people present. It took them longer, but they finally got through it.
"I want to go," (Name1) said quietly in the silence that followed.
"But the pack! There is no one else strong enough to be (Leader)!" (Name3) pleaded.
"I was thinking (Name2)…" (Name1) began.
"I may be an alpha, but I am no (Leader)," (Name2) responded firmly.
The others murmured their agreement.
"Then there are only two other choices…you can ask the (Ruler of the large town) to take you in," there was an uproar of protest at that, "or I can contact the (Leader) of the (Name6) Clan and ask him to send out candidates to take over."
There was less protest for that option, but they still protested.
"Why should we have to choose?" a voluptuous woman snarled from where she sat draped across the arm of (Name2)'s chair. "We're satisfied with you as our (Leader)."
"Oh, I didn't realize that minions had a say in what their masters want to do," Buffy said challengingly, taking an instant dislike to the woman.
The woman stood in anger. "Minion?! Who are you to dare call me a minion?!"
"Someone who will kick your ass if you don't sit down and shut up."
Before (Name1) could defuse the situation, (Name5) launched herself at Buffy.
Werewolves could move fast, but then, so could Slayers. The others couldn't do anything more than blink before the small blonde Slayer punched the other woman in the face, bodily picked her up, and threw her at the stone mantel over the fireplace. The female were dropped like a rock, barely conscious from clipping her head on the corner of the hard surface.
"Anyone else have a problem?" Buffy arched her eyebrow as she looked around.
The pack just stared at her in silence.
"Good."
"You seem to have forgotten another option," the Chinese man, introduced as (Name4), quietly stated. "To go with you."
A few of the Weres perked up at that thought.
"No!" Willow yelped at the same time Buffy shouted, "Hell no!"
"Why not?" (Name1) frowned at them. "Wouldn't they be welcome?"
"Some of them might, but there is no way in hell we'd allow all of them to go," Buffy stated firmly.
"We have a hard enough time with the vampires and demons, (Name1)…exposing our world to a werewolf power struggle would be too much – it would be like, well, to use a really funny analogy, dropping a bunch of wolves in the middle of a herd of sheep," Willow explained.
"Sheep being the regular humans," Buffy added.
"I would keep them under control," the large man said confidently.
"And if they decide to start slashing people indiscriminately in order to create their own pack, because…hell…the entire world is their playground?! No way, uh-uh," Buffy said, shaking her head.
"That's the reason the spell pointed you out to us, (Name1)…you don't desire power – reluctantly accept it, yes…desire, no," Willow explained gently, placing a hand on his arm again.
(Name1) relaxed at her touch, and smiled down at the red-head.
"I think I understand, Willow."
(Name4) watched the exchange, then caught the eyes of the blonde slayer. They smirked at each other.
"What of (Name10)? Why is she not a part of this?" (Name2) asked, raising an eyebrow at his (Leader).
"It's none of her concern – she has made her own choices, leaving me free to make my own…and I forbid anyone of you to say anything to her, on your life, if need be," (Name1) said firmly, looking at a few of the pack members who had protested the most, especially (Name5). "Should (Name10) find out, so would (Name7)…and both may try to use the bond in order to change my mind. Would you prefer to have an (Leader) who is even more unwilling to lead?"
When those few protestors still hesitated, (Name1) whispered, "Let me go."
They dropped their gazes in silent acquiescence.
When the quietness stretched on, with no end in sight, the small blonde Slayer thought it was time to draw the meeting to a close.
"So," Buffy clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "(Name1) wants to go with us…I suggest you let him. You have a few options open to you, so I suggest you all go home and think on it. What say we reconvene here at the same time tomorrow?"
(Name1) almost laughed at how most of the pack members began to automatically respond to the tiny woman's natural authority, before remembering to gain their (Leader)'s permission to leave. He waved them off with a smile.
While the others left, three pack members stayed behind…(Name4), (Name8) and, surprisingly, (Name9). (Name1) turned to look at them questioningly.
"We wish to join you," (Name4) said smoothly.
Buffy looked at Willow and asked, "Can you check 'em out without (Name1)'s aura interfering?"
"Only if I focus on each of them individually."
The red-head lifted a hand, looking at the Chinese man questioningly. At his nod, she placed her hand over his heart and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again and nodded her head at Buffy.
She performed the same test on the other two, getting the same positive result.
"I don't understand why the spell didn't point them out also," Willow said, confused.
"It could be because (Name1)'s aura was too strong, or maybe because they belong to his pack and we would have had to get his permission first," Buffy shrugged.
Willow looked thoughtful. "We should probably perform it again once they leave, it could pinpoint others."
(Name1) turned to look at the three members of his pack curiously. "Why do you wish to go?"
"Freedom from pack wars," (Name8) immediately responded, before faintly smiling as she continued, "and the manipulation of (Name7)."
"The opportunity to pass on the fighting skills of my people, to those who would use it wisely in an honorable war," (Name4) answered next, giving him a slight bow.
(Name9) scratched his head, giving his (Leader) a sheepish look, "I don't have much to offer in the way of fighting skills…you know I'm just a Sub-, (Name1). But…well…their library sounds fascinating, and they did say they were looking for researchers too."
The larger man laughed at that.
"Ever the book-man, eh, (Name9)?"
(Name9) just gave him another sheepish look.
"You do understand that most of your pack laws will have to be left behind, right?" Buffy said questioningly.
"Is there any particular reason why?" (Name1) asked in confusion.
"Because we're looking for individuals, not people whose first loyalty will be to a dominance structure," Willow explained hesitantly. "We've got a lot of young girls that could be influenced by any subtle power struggle between you…you have to show them that you consider each other to be equals as people, or they may start their own power struggles between each other."
"Kinda like what Kennedy's doing?" Buffy asked slyly.
Willow blushed.
"Buffy…"
Buffy interrupted the red-head, "Hey, (Name1)…feel free to steal Willow away from Kennedy. Will might protest that she's gay now, but if she really was, she wouldn't have been checking you out for the past five hours. Personally, I think she's Bi."
"Buffy!" Willow wailed, blushing even redder as she tried to slap her hand over Buffy's mouth.
Dodging behind a smirking (Name4), Buffy continued, "She likes kittens, chocolate, fuzzy sweaters, and mocking Bollywood movies that are only shown on tv in the middle of the night…oh…and keep her away from caffeinated beverages unless you want a hyper woman on your hands that can only speak at one speed…babble."
(Name1) chuckled as he watched a red-faced Willow chasing Buffy around the room in embarrassment.
"Oh! And Will loves smoochies! And don't worry about your Were strength when you have sex…I'm sure Willow can figure out some spell to temporarily make her unbreakable."
"Buffy!!!!!" Willow wailed loudly, her face now matching her hair in its redness, before finally remembering that she was a witch. She began to shoot off spells to immobilize the quick moving Slayer, who easily dodged them.
When one came a little too close, Buffy realized that she probably would be better off in a less enclosed area. She gave an unrepentant grin at the chuckling (Leader).
"Think about it, (Name1)…we'll be back tomorrow, same time, same place," she shot over her shoulder as she dashed out of the room, Willow hot on her heels.
They left four amused werewolves in their wake.
"If the rest of their group is anything like them, I believe this new world will be very…interesting," (Name4) said with a faint smile.
"Interesting?! Try amusing, entertaining…oh, hell…fun!" (Name9) replied with a chuckle.
"With the added bonus that we will be able to kill vampires without being questioned. I wonder if any of them will look like (Name7)?" (Name8) added with a sly grin.
(Name1) laughed.
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The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity for the four werewolves and, surprisingly, neither (Name10) or (Name7) found out.
After the pack voted on accepting a new candidate for the position of (Leader), and (Name1) tested the strength and cunning of the applicants, while keeping a quiet eye on how well each candidate got along with the pack members.
It didn't take long for them to decide upon one.
The vote was unanimous, and while the 'winner' couldn't match (Name1)'s strength, it was close – but with the pack, they were also pleased that he exuded the same calm confidence that (Name1) himself had.
It also helped that David Borough, their new (Leader), came with his own strong-willed, yet quietly elegant, (Leader's Mate)…much to the displeasure of (Name5), who made the mistake of trying to immediately challenge her, and was defeated with one punch.
And finally, it was time to leave…on a cold, crisp winter late-afternoon.
The four Weres stood, surrounded by their packed belongings, in the backyard of (Name1)'s former house, the ownership having been transferred over to the new (Leader) and (Leader's Mate).
They had already said their good-byes to family and friends, and were just waiting for Buffy and Willow to take their leave of the others. The pack had warmed up quickly to them, especially when they had found out that Buffy had almost taken out the (Ruler of the large town) (who had been drawn to her power, and tried to mess with her head to find out more about her) before realizing that vampires were considered legal citizens – not to mention the fact that Willow had the power to severe (Name1)'s bond with both (Name7) and (Name10)…they had never fully approved of the triumvirate, no matter how much more powerful it had made (Name1).
Willow assured (Name1) that severing the bond would have no ill effect on the other two, and that they would still be able to bond with a third, should they decide to do so in the future.
Just before they left, the red-head spoke a simple incantation, breaking the unwanted leash around (Name1)'s soul. He was free, and then he was gone.
And on the other side of the city, two people awoke, crying out in dismay at the loss of their third.
When they rushed over to (Name1)'s house, the pack took great pleasure in telling the (Ruler of the large town) and The (One who carries out the death penalty) that (Name1) had accepted a better offer.
When asked what could be better than the power of the (magic triad), the pack gave them a simple answer.
Freedom.
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"Attention!"
Over a hundred girls scrambled into place, standing tall and proud at the appearance of Willow, Buffy, and the group they had brought.
"Slayers, at ease!" a young female voice clipped out.
The large number of Slayers relaxed their pose into the same 'at ease' stance as seen within the military. Not one girl fidgeted, much to the surprise of the werewolves.
A dark-skinned girl stepped forward.
"The girls are ready for your inspection, Buffy! Welcome back…you too, Willow," she said with eyes sparkling with pleasure.
"Maybe later, Rona…and thanks for the welcome," Buffy replied, flashing the younger girl a smile. "Right now, I want to introduce all of you to some people."
Rona nodded her head and stepped back into place.
"I'd like you all to meet (Name1), (Name4), and (Name8)…they will be taking up positions as your new teachers in fighting techniques. You will all treat them with the respect they deserve," Buffy said sharply as she pointed each of the Weres out. "The fourth person is (Name9), who will be taking up a position in the research department, and may also help out in your educational instruction…I expect you to treat him with the same respect as the others. Who can tell me why?"
"Mental strength is just as important as physical strength!" over a hundred voices shouted.
"Good, good…glad to see you guys picked up on that faster than I did," Buffy smirked as she strolled up and down the front of the line.
The girls giggled, momentarily breaking out of formation before quickly returning to their 'at ease' stance.
"You all are probably wondering just how they'll be able to keep up with you…stretch out your Slayer senses."
Buffy gave them a moment to feel the new people, and watched as they gasped in surprise.
If (Name1) and his group weren't used to hiding their expressions, they would have fidgeted in unease.
"Can anyone tell me what they are?" the small blonde asked.
Only a few girls felt confident enough to raise a hand.
"Stacey."
"Um…are they…werewolves?" she asked uncertainly.
"Correct. But, as you know, we went to another dimension…unlike the werewolves here, they can transform at will, except for the three days each month when the full moon makes its appearance, in which, just like the werewolves here, they have to change."
There were excited murmurs.
"Now, who would like to put our new friends at ease by telling them how we deal with werewolves during the full moon?"
"Tranq 'em and spank 'em," a female voice drawled.
The younger girls burst out into giggles as they watched the second oldest Slayer stride into the room, a smirk on her face.
"You may have gotten the first part right, Faith, but I'm not sure if they'd appreciate the second," Buffy chuckled. "Anyone else? Vi?"
Vi stepped forward with a grin, "If they're not already in one of our specially built individual cages, we tranquilize them and put them in one until they return to their human form. All attempts should be made to avoid killing, unless there are no other options."
(Name1) and his group looked pleased.
"Excellent!" the small blonde said with a happy smile before dismissing everyone.
The girls immediately surrounded three of the werewolves, excitement lighting their expressions as they peppered them with questions and comments.
"You guys are really werewolves?"
"That's so cool!"
"Can you really control your change? Oz can't do that."
"Will you show us sometime? I mean, if it doesn't bother you? Does it bother you? If it does, I won't mind…"
"Tina, stop babbling!"
"How long have you been a werewolf?"
"Does the change hurt?"
Buffy, Willow, (Name1) and Faith watched, grins on their faces, as the three werewolves looked on in bemusement at the numerous girls who were showing no fear at being in the presence of werewolves...who actually thought being a werewolf was cool, unlike the 'it's a contagious disease' mentality of their own world. It would take some getting used to.
When it seemed that the three were starting to get a little overwhelmed by the bombardment of enthusiastic questions, Buffy and Willow shooed the younger Slayers away.
"Sorry about that…they tend to be an excitable lot, what with being hormonal teenagers, not to mention the excess energy as a Slayer," Willow said apologetically.
A smiling (Name8) was about to respond, but was interrupted by an angry voice.
"Where the hell were you, Willow! You were gone for three weeks…you couldn't call?!"
Buffy made a face, and leaned towards (Name1), "Prepare for the onslaught of the evil-bitch-monster, otherwise known as Kennedy…feel free to show your disciplining skills – preferably with her body hitting a wall."
(Name1) just raised an eyebrow, then frowned at the young brunette girl's words.
"I can't believe you would call Giles, and not try to contact me," Kennedy snapped. "I'm only your girlfriend, after all."
"Kennedy…" Willow attempted to calm her down, embarrassed at being yelled at in front of their new staff.
"Don't Kennedy me, Willow!" the dark-haired girl scowled before starting the guilt trip (a very familiar tactic seen by many others), "I thought you loved me?"
"I-I'm sorry, Kennedy…i-it takes too much power to talk between dimensions," Willow began.
"Which was why you should have contacted me…I could have passed your message on to Giles!"
"Hey! Lay off, Bridezilla! Red's first priority is to the Council, and Giles is the head honcho, if you remember, not you," Faith snapped.
"Stay out of this, Faith…"
"Kennedy!" Buffy snapped, her patience with the younger girl having long given out.
"Shut-up, Princess Buffy! She may be your friend now, but if I have anything to say, she'll drop you like yesterday's news," Kennedy snarled, getting into Buffy's face.
(Name1)'s hand whipped out and wrapped itself around the brunette's neck. He pulled her closer and lifted her off the ground, drawing her up towards his face. His hard brown eyes stared into hers.
"You are an undisciplined child, Kennedy," he growled softly. "Willow Rosenberg does not belong to you…you'd do well to remember that."
"Just who do you think you are?!" Kennedy gasped out angrily.
He squeezed her neck harder, drawing close enough to whisper in her ear.
"Your personal trainer. And I have been given permission to deal with you as I see fit."
Willow's hands fluttered before she clasped them in nervousness at the scene unfolding before her. While Kennedy was her girlfriend, she couldn't deny that the younger girl had been causing difficulties since day one, which had steadily gotten worse as time passed – and was at a loss as to how to deal with her anymore…Kennedy didn't listen to her as much as she used to.
Kennedy glared at the large man before spitting in his face.
(Name1) calmly wiped the spittle from his face before taking Buffy's advice and tossing the young girl into the nearest wall…hard. She was a Slayer…she could handle a little roughness.
She crumpled to the floor, dazed but still conscious.
"I'll send word as to where and when to meet me…I suggest you show up if you don't want to make it harder for yourself," (Name1) said coolly as he grasped Willow's hand and threaded it through his arm. "Buffy, if you would be so kind as to show us our rooms?"
Buffy carefully kept her face neutral, though she was dancing with glee inside, and gestured for (Name1) and the others to follow. They quietly left.
Staying behind to 'clean up the mess', Faith, never the tactful one, smirked at the younger Slayer as she approached her.
"You better learn quick not to mess with that one, K. If you'd bothered to hear Giles out, you would have heard he was his pack's (Leader)…that means he's a numero uno Alpha male. You could learn a lot from him."
Faith held out her hand, which the other girl ignored and got to her feet on her own power.
"I don't care what he is," Kennedy spat. "And I refuse to have anything to do with him…I could kick his ass with one hand tied behind my back."
"Don't say I didn't warn you, K…I'll make sure everyone knows which hospital to send flowers to, when he snaps you in half," Faith smirked before leaving the girl to her own devices.
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"I-I'm sorry about that – Kennedy can be a little…intense sometimes," Willow said, looking down in embarrassment.
"Intense?! She's a spoiled brat, Will! Even you can't be so blind not to see that this time," Buffy shook her head at Willow defending her girlfriend yet again. "Thanks for throwing her into the wall, (Name1)…feel free to do it again…and again…and again."
(Name1) chuckled. "I must admit it was quite…satisfying – but I don't know if it would be the best disciplinary tactic for her, though. She's a very angry person…you have to wonder why."
"If you can find that out, more power to you…if you can train her to be a Slayer, I'll owe you big time," Buffy said as she shook her head sadly. "She could be one of the best, but her attitude keeps getting in the way."
"I'll do what I can, Buffy," he promised.
"Oy! Blondie!" a male voice called from the top of the stairs. "Glad you made it back in one piece."
Buffy's head whipped up at the sound of the familiar voice, she began to smile at him, but it quickly fell from her face as she caught a whiff of something unpleasant.
"Stay away, Logan…I can smell that icky cigar smoke clinging to you from all the way down here!" Buffy scowled up at him.
"So?" Logan smirked at her as he descended the stairs.
"You stink! There's no way you're coming anywhere near my lips wi…"
Buffy's words were muffled as the wild-looking man grabbed her into a heated kiss.
"Ew…you taste like an ashtray," the small blonde scrunched her nose, slapping a hand over his mouth as he tried to swoop in for another lip-lock. "You're gonna have to gargle with a gallon of mouthwash if you want any more smoochies, buster! Now, behave...I want you to meet the new trainers."
Buffy quickly made introductions, both parties greeting each other with a little caution.
Logan sniffed, then cocked his head at the four new people. "Werewolf?"
"God, you and the sniffing thing…I don't even want to think about how you deal with over a hundred Slayers on their menstrual cycle," Buffy made a gagging face before replying. "Yes, werewolf."
"Selective smelling, Darlin'" he grinned at her as he wrapped an arm around her waist before turning a speculative eye on (Name1), (Name8), and (Name4). "I wouldn't mind sparring with a couple of you…if you can handle it," he smirked at them.
"Boy, aren't you cocky today? You should be careful not to take on more than you can chew…(Name1) threw Kennedy into a wall when she got all mouthy."
"Anyone could throw Kennedy into a wall…she gets too distracted by her anger."
"True…still, they're a lot stronger than they look."
"I can handle it."
"What makes you think so, Mr. Logan?" (Name4)asked curiously. "I smell no power from you."
"Just Logan, bub. You usually can't, until I start beatin' on you," Logan smirked. He unsheathed his claws, the tips ending just inches from the Chinese man's face.
(Name4) didn't react, other than to raise an eyebrow as he lifted a hand to lightly touch one of the claws.
"Interesting…what are you, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Mutant…and here's irony for you, my nickname is 'Wolverine'," Logan chuckled as he retracted his claws.
The Chinese man smiled faintly in amusement, taking an instant liking to the gruff man.
"Gah! Save the male bondage thing for later you two!" Buffy rolled her eyes.
(Name4) looked startled, causing Logan to chuckle again.
"She's a blonde from California…it takes a while to get used to her way of speaking, (Name4)," he smirked as Buffy socked him in the arm.
"Not to mention that, when you do get used to it, it still doesn't make any sense," Willow added with a giggle.
Buffy looked affronted for a moment before grinning evilly at her red-headed friend – Willow gulped.
"Hey, (Name1)…if you can convince Willow to stop swinging for the home team, I'll pay for your wedding," Buffy said cheekily, winking at him. "We wouldn't want to miss out on her having several little caffeine-intolerant babbling babies, and she can't do that with another girl."
"Buffy!" Willow wailed, flushing beet red before hiding her face against (Name1)s arm and covering one cheek with her hand.
Everyone laughed.
(Name1) slid his arm out from between them and wrapped it around the embarrassed red-head.
"Oh, I plan on spending a lot of time wooing her…you can bet on that," the large man grinned. He used his other hand to lift Willow's face up and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Power and sweetness – it's quite…intoxicating."
Willow was flushed and speechless for the rest of the day, much to Buffy's amusement.
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Epilogue:
To Buffy's delight, (Name1) kept his promise, spending an endless amount of time wooing the young red-head, who couldn't resist his charm and gentleness in the end – Buffy was so pleased, she didn't complain about the fact that their wedding cost her a year's salary…after all, what's money when compared to one of her best friends' happiness.
After several months of yelling, fighting, disobedience, and rudeness, (Name1) was finally able to break through Kennedy's anger, only to find a lonely child who had just wanted to be loved, but ended up ignored. With (Name1)'s careful nurturing and friendship, Kennedy blossomed into a strong, confident, charismatic woman who found her place within the Council as another trainer, working with new Slayers from troubled homes. She made her peace with Buffy and the others, who now looked upon her with eyes filled with love and pride. And while Kennedy never got back together with Willow, she couldn't help but feel content that her one-time lover glowed with a radiant happiness.
(Name4), (Name8), and (Name9) fit almost seamlessly into the new Council, finding a deeply-felt contentment at being fully accepted as both human and werewolf. They happily found their own mates later on…(Name4) with one of the older slayers, and (Name8) and (Name9) with mutants whose strength matched their own. Odd, but fitting, combinations…which breathed new life into the ever evolving human race.
The new Council of Watchers grew over the next few years, and the Slayers and their chosen Watchers began to branch off into small groups, where needed…even other dimensions…as younger Slayers took their places, for their own training. But, even though they left to take up their mantles as protectors, each Slayer made sure to return home as much as they could, to share stories of their successes and losses to those who would follow in their footsteps.
And when they passed on, Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Dawn left the greatest legacy they ever could…
No Slayer fought alone.
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Gah! Bad Sheilynn, bad! (slaps own hand) You should be working on your WIPs! (slaps hand again)
I feel like an addict!
I know some parts may seem a little rushed, but I hope you liked, anyway!
Please review!!