Chapter 2
"Why do I suddenly feel like we're back at your old house in Sunnydale?" said Xander and he lifted his plate above his head and stepped back quickly to avoid a collision with two young girls who sprinted past him on their way to the kitchen, "all the little Slayerettes under foot I'm half expecting the First to pop up in the corner and tell us we're gonna die when it ends the world"
"Not funny Xander." Said Willow with a glare and they both took their places at the long dining room table where everyone was gathered for dinner.
"Ok listen up everyone!' said Buffy as the last two girls slipped into their seats with plates of food. "I'm glad we all took today to get to know each other. I know even in this big house, that with 23 of us it can get crowded. Is everyone ok with their sleeping arrangements?"
The girls all nodded in answer, the house had five bedrooms on the middle floor in which the girls had been split three to a room.
"Great, so let's talk classes. They will start tomorrow at 8 30, be where you are supposed to be at that time. You all have your schedules and you're on a 4 class rotation, except for those of you who are over 16, but we'll get to that later. You'll do an hour of math and science with Willow, and hour of history and Language Arts with Mr. Giles. You also do an hour of weapons training with Faith, and an hour of physical training with me. For those of you who are 16 and older, you'll be split into two groups and you'll be patrolling with Kennedy for practical on the job training. Any questions?" Buffy paused her speech and looked around, a hand shot up in the air.
The hand belonged to Enid, she was small and wiry with long straight hair that was a brilliant red, and piercing green eyes.
"Yes Enid." Said Buffy acknowledge her hand.
"How come only people over 16 get to go out with Kennedy? I mean we're all Slayers here." She said.
There was a murmur of agreement around the table.
"Look I understand how you feel. You have all this power, and you're ready to use it, to fight evil right now, but the fact is, you're just kids, just like I was, and if I had been given the luxury of other people who could fight the evil for me while I was learning and growing into my own skin, I would have taken it. So we drew a line, and I know it doesn't seem fair, right now, but in the long run you'll thank me. Now any other questions?"
Another hand shot up, it was Cecily, a curvy black girl from Savannah Georgia, Buffy acknowledged her.
"Are we going to see real vampires on these nightly patrols?" she asked with a hint of fear in her voice.
"I freakin hope so!' said Kennedy, "how else do you think you'll learn. You have to be put real situations. The place isn't as hopping with demonic energy like the hell mouth but there's a pretty huge cemetery just up the road, so I'm betting there will be plenty of vamps to go around."
"Alright anyone else?" no hands went up, "ok then, lets eat! And tomorrow the edumacating begins!" said Buffy.
Buffy sat on her couch with a cup of tea half watching a trashy reality drama.
"How does that guy manage to get all those girls to be that invested in him after only a week!" said Xander, "I mean…I can't get a girl to care about me that much after putting in a year of work! I then if do get them, I leave them at the altar and force them back into a life as a demon, and they die in the epic fight of good versus evil…..my life is sad."
"Shhhh! He's talking about who he's going to send home!" chastised Dawn as she slapped his leg.
"How you doin Buff?" said Willow softly as she looked away from the tv, to Buffy who was sitting next to her.
"I'm good, I'm really good." Said Buffy, "just basking in the glow of my, not having to go out patrolingness. I wonder how Kennedy and the girls are doing?"
"They're doing great." Willow reassured her, "Kennedy said that some of them are still a little timid, but that's to be expected, they've only been going out there for a month! But she also says that there's a few stand outs, like Gina. Apparently, she dusted a vamp on her first night! Oh!" Willow stopped abruptly as if someone or something had distracted her. "Kennedy said Cecily just fought her first vampire! Kenn is super excited cuz she's been one who most afraid to get her hands dirty."
"Are you talking to Kennedy telepathically right now?" asked Buffy.
"Of course, we do it all the time. It started as a way to keeps tabs on the other for safety but now we do it so much it's just second nature.' Said Willow as she reached for more popcorn.
"That some pretty intense sustained magic Will" said Buffy with a tone of admiration with a twinge of apprehension in her voice.
"I know, but ever since I did that spell to make all the potentials Slayers, I have been able to control it. It's like, something changed inside me, that magic was so powerful you know? I'm not sure what it is…but something is different inside me, something good." Said Willow.
"NO you idiot, you sent Rachel home and kept Claudia? She's a gold digging tramp!" Xander was screaming at the TV and gesturing wildly, as Buffy and Willow laughed.
"Now remember instincts." Said Kennedy as they walked through the grave yard, "you instinctively know what to do when faced with a vampire. All you have to do is trust yourself."
"Looks like it's my lucky day," said a vampire as he stepped out from behind a mausoleum, "a whole group of young girls wandering in a cemetery at night. Who would have guessed?"
"Who wants to take lead?" said Kennedy stepping back as the vampire advanced.
"I got this one," said Gina and she stepped up.
The vampire charged her and she ducked a rolled to the right.
"Nice Gina!" shouted Kennedy, "use his own strength against him just like Buffy taught you!"
Gina dodged another attack by the vampire and pushed him into a tomb stone which broke, she did a round house kick to his face as he tried to stand and knocked him to the ground.
"Great job, now get your stake and dust him!" cheered Kennedy.
Suddenyl two things happened at once, Gina dusted her vampire and Kennedy jumped out of her skin as someone shouted "incendium!" and the vampire that had been sneaking up on her left side burst into flames before becoming dust.
"Or you could use alternative methods to kill them. Don't forget to watch your back there J Lo." Said a voice from the mausoleum.
Everyone's head jerked around to see a girl step out of the shadowy doorway and into the light. She was thin, but curvy in the ways that mattered, her hair was jet black and full of crazy curls that were reminiscent of a lion mane. She had fair skin and tons of freckles, and eyes to piercing green they were hard to look away from. She stepped down and walked over to Kennedy. Her clothing reminded Kennedy of Faith, form fitting, made to show off her assets. The girls came to stand right in front of Kennedy and dropped the bag she had been carrying at her feet.
"So which one are you?" she said directly.
Kennedy immediately picked up on the very thick Scottish accent, and the worn look of her clothes, this girl was far from home.
"Which on of what?" she said.
"Which Slayer. The good one who likes to be bad on occasion, or the bad one who's decided to be a good guy? The girl said all of this so matter-of-factly that Kennedy was thrown.
"Uh…neither." She said, "I'm part of the generation after them, the new Slayers."
"I see…but you're also obvious more experienced than these wee little pups" said the girl looking around at the girls, "let me guess you're the witches Slayer Lesbian lover."
"My name is Kennedy." She said through clenched teeth, "and her name is—"
"Willow," the girl cut her off, "oh I know all about Willow."
"and who exactly are you?" piped up Gina.
"You're a little firecracker aren't ya?" said the girl throwing her and appreciative smile. "I'm Leon, please to meet you."
"Leon?" said Gina, "that's a boys name. Why'd your parents give you a boys name?"
"It's actually Endellion." She corrected, "but when your fool mother decides to give you a traditional Druid name, you find a good nick name. They thought at first they'd call me Delli, but the picked up quick, that I was no Delli." She winked at the girls as she said this last line.
"So how can we help you Leon?" said Kennedy still somewhat stiffly.
"You can take me back to your place, believe it or not I know it wasn't random, our meeting, I have a mission, I have things to do and they involve people in that house." Said Leon.
"Ok…..cryptic much. It goes against all my better instincts, but tag along, we're heading back to the house in a few minutes.
Dawn and Buffy were sitting on their sofa, Buffy reached over and stroked Dawns hair.
"This is nice Buffy, just being us. No big bad on it's way. It's been a really long time since I felt like we were a family. Since Mom died really" said Dawn.
"I know." Said Buffy gently.
Just then they heard the front door slam shut. And Kennedy shouting that they had returned. They got up and headed through the kitchen into the main room. The first thing Buffy noticed was the strange girl in the blood red t shirt standing to Kennedy's left.
"Kennedy I thought I told you, no more bring strays home!' Buffy teased. Kennedy shrugged.
"She just showed up, dusted a vamp with magic, and then asked me to bring her to you." Kennedy said, "my work is done. Ok girls, showers and bed."
The girls dispersed and Kennedy made her way through the kitchen and out the back to the boat house she shared with Willow. Buffy and Leon stared at each other for a moment before Leon finally broke the silence.
"You've got to be Buffy, am I right" she said.
"You got it, now not to be rude, but who the hell are you and how'd you know we were here, how'd you know us at all actually" said Buffy.
"I'm Leon. I'm from one of the most powerful Druid orders still operating today." Leon explained.
"A druid what now?" said Buffy.
"A druid order. We're a community that live together and govern our lives and magic in certain ways." Leon explained.
"Govern your magic….Kennedy said you killed a vamp with magics, so…you're a witch" said Buffy.
"I am, from one of the oldest practicing groups in the world" said Leon.
"Well see the thing is, we've already got a crazy powerful Wicca, I don't think we're in the market for a Druid right now." Buffy said.
"I know about Willow," said Leon with a slight sigh "why do you think I'm here? All magic is connected, with the big stuff, if a witch does it, all witches will feel it on a level. We felt Willow, and she has a future too big for her to even understand. That's why I'm here. My faction saw the signs, and they sent me."
"Signs of what exactly?" Giles entered the room from the direction of the library.
"Of a Grand rising." Said Leon. Giles stopped and exchanged a look with the new stranger, and then without looking away her spoke.
"Dawn go get Willow." He said.
Buffy and Giles sat on the couch by the fireplace across from the strange girl that had so suddenly entered their lives. Buffy looked at Giles for some sign of explanation for whatever it was that was going on. In his classic fashion Giles cleaned his glasses and put them on before leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees as he engaged Leon.
"So you say your name is Leon? And you are a Druid?" he said calmly.
"It's Endellion, actually. Ancient Druid name, but I hate it. And yes I'm part of the Order of Laoch." She said.
"The Order of Laoch?" said Giles, his eyes lighting up, "Are you really? I've heard of them of course but there has been little known knowledge for the past three decades."
"Ok, time out Giles, I'm gonna need some more here," said Buffy, "she just shows up here, and says she's from this Order of Lunch thingy…..no offense" she nodded to Leon "but what's the deal, why do you look like Christmas came early and what does this all have to do with Willow. She's a Wicca, not a Druid."
"It's all the same really…." Said Leon but then she shot a look at Giles and raised her hands in submission, "I'm sorry Encyclopedia Brown, please explain away."
Giles shot her a whithering look but continued.
"The order of Laoch has been spoken of since the first days of the Druids, they are said to be unique because while the Druid faith allowed for the use of magic in both men and women, the Order of Laoch was exclusively female, falling more in line with the teachings of the Gaias and the Wiccas. It is said that the Order of Laoch, were fierce warrior women, harnessing the power of the elements and nature to create in themselves supernatural abilities beyond any other witches." Explained Giles.
"Damn straight, Sorry…continue…." Said Leon.
"They were also known to have the best Seers because their techniques for connecting to the raw power of the earth were superior to all others, and therefore a closely guarded secret, only members of the order were allowed to practice."
"Until now that is…." Said Leon, "Our Seer has had a vision, and things are about to change. Do you know the other thing that our Order is known for Mr. Giles?"
"Well…." He said with a pause, "It has long been legend that the most power Grand of White came from your Order." He said.
Leon grinned as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"That's exactly right." she said.
"Ok, the most powerful what of who?" said Buffy, looking from one to the other.
"A Grand," said Giles, "It's a witch of such extraordinary power she has the ability to bend the world to her liking. They can harness the elements, the very fibers of what binds our universe together, and with practice, change it. They are one of the most power forces in existence."
"Willow…." Said Buffy softly.
"Somebody call me?" Willow walked into the room with Dawn and Kennedy, she looked around mildly confused at the somberness of the setting and then even more so as her eyes fell on the unfamiliar face staring at her from the chair by the fire.
