"What do you mean it's killing her?"
"Feel her forehead Giles."
Giles put the palm of his hand to the girl's forehead. She was burning up.
"See what I mean? She's not accepting her Slayer powers. That's probably why she's all bruised."
"It still doesn't explain the fever."
Spike let out a huff. For a Watcher Giles didn't know much. "Listen Rupert 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. If a Slayer is called, but she doesn't accept her gift then she gets sick, and by sick I'm not talkin' about a little bitty cold. I mean like sick-deathbed sick."
Giles looked at Spike with shock. Apparently he'd seen this before. What Spike said next confirmed it.
"Saw this myself long time ago, only a few years after I was turned. The girl lasted maybe 2 months before she died."
Giles turned his head to look at Merrick. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Merrick walked into the kitchen with Giles following him. Spike took Giles place near the girl, just stroking her hair, trying to give the girl some sort of comfort. She looked like she could use it.
"It all started about a month ago…
Flashback…
Dany was visiting her mom's grave. It was about 10pm. She knew it was stupid to be out this late in a graveyard, but she couldn't be at home right now. She didn't want to be. As she was about to leave she heard a noise. Staying still and listening to the sounds around her, she suddenly turned around and saw a man standing at the gate. He walked over towards her and…
"I'm glad you are already here. This will save me the trouble of having to pick you up."
He tossed her a sharpened stick of wood, which she caught mid-air with ease.
"Now what I have to say may sound strange, but I beg you to hear me out. You've been having strange dreams, have you not? Dreams where you are in a different time and someone else's body as maybe a wench or a maid? You are-
She cut him off mid-sentence. "killing?
"Yes, now this means-
Again she interrupted. "I'm a Vampire Slayer. Yeah, I know what's your point?"
Merrick was shocked. Not having to explain was strange. "You know of the supernatural?"
"Enough of it to matter. Look I understand what you want me to do. So can we get down to killing the vamps?"
"Fair enough."
Two weeks later…
"Where have you been?" Merrick was appalled. She had not been patrolling as often as she should.
"Look Merrick I can't do this. Not anymore."
"Look Danielle –
"I told you to call me Dany." She hated being called by her full name.
"Fine Dany I understand that this calling, this destiny is hard at first. Yes it can take its toll but-
"No you don't understand I can't do this. I won't." She started to walk away ignoring her Watcher's words to stop.
"Danielle Grace Lawson!"
She turned around and gave him a look of hatred. "Just stay away from me Merrick, I don't want this calling. This destiny as you so kindly put it, is just causing me problems. Alright?" With that she stormed off into the night.
End of flashback…
"She patrolled all of 3 times then just stopped. When I caught up with her and had the argument, I couldn't understand what the problem was. Finding her tonight now I know."
"You think….
"I have a feeling with her foster parents beating her and her fast recovery healing powers, she was getting hurt worse. So she shut her body down to not allow her system to heal itself. In doing so it has caused her to become sick."
"You think that's it?" Spike said from out in the living room.
Giles left the kitchen. "What do you mean Spike?"
"How do you think she knew about all this to begin with? She must have found out about this from someone."
Merrick stood it thought. Spike/William was right. In all the years he had training Slayers, none of them had known about this beforehand. He just wondered how she found out. But right now there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Do you have any idea on how we can help her?"
"Well if she shut her body down to stop the healing process, all she needs to do is let some pent up Slayer energy loose right?"
"Not gonna happen Giles. One she's too out of it to let loose anything and second if she hates the calling that much she's not gonna do anything that will involve it."
"So what do you suggest Spike?"
"There's only one thing we can do."