Fic: Souls, Slayers... and a Scythe???

Author: mkcrl120

Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to Joss Whedon or Mutant Enemy or some other people. I own nothing and wrote this just to get it out of my system.

Summary: Set two weeks after the events in Explaining Africa 3

Authors Notes: I have no clue about Africa. Which is probably always a good place to start writing a story. So if details I've used for place names, and tribal names and whatever are wrong then just (correctly) assume I have no idea what I'm doing.

Rating: 15 by English standards (mainly for language)

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Chapter 2a:

Mid-afternoon
The next day.

The first thing Roger heard when he awoke was a heated debate. Not recognising any of the voices he decided to chance opening his eyes. All he could see was Xander sprawled out across a sofa in the living room.

'Why is Xander alseep in on the sofa?'

Stretching out to free the kinks in his neck, he also realised. 'Why was I alseep on the other sofa?'

Turning to try and locate the source of the noise, he noticed the television was still on. Risking movement he crawled across to where the off button was. Pressing it, the noise stopped. 'Thank you.'

Xander started to fidget.

"I guess at least one of you is up then." he heard from somewhere.

"Amy?"

Roger sat up, resting his back against the sofa he had been sleeping on. He took a quick look around, but can find no sign of her.

"In the kitchen."

Roger stood up and walked into the other room.

Amy was making some sandwiches. "Want one?"

"No thanks."

"How's the hangover today?"

"Think I slept through the worst of it. What's up with Xander?"

Amy paused. "You don't remember?"

Roger looked around blankly. "Let's assume not."

"You two went on a serious session once you got back."

"I take it you didn't join us."

"I had a few but really wasn't in the mood."

"It's not like Xander to be in the mood."

"I think he was drinking to forget something."

"Ohhh..." Roger tried to recollect, "Okay, I give in what did I do this time?"

Amy patted his arm reassuringly. "Trust me. It wasn't you, okay."

There was a cough from behind them, "Eugh... my tongue tastes horrible."

Roger turned to the new voice. "Hey Xander."

Xander grunted in reply. He sat down at the table as Amy handed him a fruit juice. He looked up gratefully.

"Sooo....." Amy began.

Roger watched as Xander tried to muster up some enthusiasm. "So?" was the best he could manage.

"I've been narrowing my search to the more southern countries. Specifically those with beaches and major ports."

Roger shared a look with Xander. Neither seemed to have the first idea what she was talking about.

"Okay," Roger ventured. "That's great."

Amy suddenly turned to him, "You."

"Correct."

"From you, I need Shote's phone number."

Xander interrupted. "We've been to see those demons. They weren't the one we're looking for, remember?"

"They told us that major wish demons generally live at the south of the continent."

"They did?" Roger queried. At Amy's look. "Fine. I'll get Shote's number now." He quickly popped into his room to fetch his mobile.

Scrolling through the numbers he quickly found Shote's.

He handed it to Amy, who pressed dial and went into the living room to make the call.

Turning to Xander, who was quietly leaning on a pile of books. "Do you know what she's on about?"

"Vaguely."

"Wanna Aspirin?"

"Sure."

=====

Amy finished her call, and went back to see the others.

Xander was drinking Aspirin, and Roger was starting on her sandwich.

"I asked you if you wan... forget it. I've spoken to Shote. He's come up with the twelve most likely options."

Amy watched as Xander looked at her. "So why did Shote... why didn't he come up with a list before?"

"Cos someone," she paused to shoot Roger a look, "didn't actually describe what we were looking for properly."

Amy watched him fidget under both her's and Xander's glare. "I told him we were looking for a helpful demon."

Xander held his head in his hands. "Wish Demon. Use the phrase Wish-Demon. It may help narrow it down some."

"So... any idea which order we see these things." Roger began planning a road trip.

"I think research may be in order." At Xander's look she continued, "Shote's going to email a list of contacts for each area once he's contacted them. If we can narrow it down before we start going all over the continent, it might save us some time."

Xander smiled, "Okay. So what questions do we want to ask these guys?"

Amy chipped in with, "Firstly, does the demon live in a cave?" This was definitely her sort of thing.

Xander followed suit. "Have they been visited by a vampire? Or if they don't know, would they grant wishes to other demons?"

Amy continued. "How does it grant the wishes? Make sure the wisher is going to take some challenges and not just turn up with a gift or sacrifice or something."

To Amy's surprise, Roger amended one of the previous comments. "The demon doesn't actually have to live in a cave. They just need to grant wishes from one. Or more specifically, have been in Africa granting wishes from one sometime last year. Can't we be more specific than a year?"

Xander replied with, "Summertime. He was back by the time the school year started."

"Okay... what else?"

Roger countered with, "We need to be sure that they are powerful enough to give a vampire a soul."

Amy explained, "These are the most powerful ones Shote knows of. If they're not on this list then we'll go to the next level down and start again."

Xander thought about it. "I'm not even sure how powerful they have to be to ensoul a vampire. The fact that a vampire once had a soul, probably makes it easier than say ensouling another type of demon."

"I'd have still thought ensouling a vampire took power."

"My friend Willow was able to do it as one of her first spells. She had the actual spell translated for her by her computer teacher."

Roger thought about it, "So not much power needed then?" Then he thought about it some more. "Hang on, her COMPUTER teacher taught her the spell?"

Amy thought back to the watcher files she'd read. "The same Willow who later..."

"Yes that one. And Ms Calendar was a techno-pagan."

"And they employ one of those in all American high-schools?"

"I doubt it, it's probably only in schools which reside on a hellmouth."

Amy thought about it. "There are lots of mystical hotspots around the planet. Some have definitely had hellmouth level potential over the years. So you reckon, schools in these areas could all be at risk?"

"I don't know. The only other hellmouth I was aware of was in Cleveland. The only students I know that went there, were the slayers we sent."

"Probably had a headmaster that was a zombie or something." Roger joked.

"Wouldn't be surprised." Xander retorted. "Our biology teacher was a giant bug."

Roger laughed 'til he saw Xander's face.

Amy had to ask, "But the headmaster was normal right?"

"I think so, least 'til he got eaten by some bullies. Snyder was a bit weird though."

"Snyder? That the headmaster?"

"Principal."

Amy felt she had to clarify, "And this principal got eaten by some bullies?"

"What sort of bullies were at your school? Were these zombie bullies or something?"

"No Flutie got eaten by the bullies. Snyder got eaten by a snake."

"Well," Amy began. "Giles's journals certainly differ in perspective from your versions."

"So he's exagerrating?" Roger asked hopefully.

"No. It's just Giles goes into the ritual of an Ascension and all it entailed. Xander just summarises it as "Principal gets eaten by giant snake'."

"It was a giant snake?"

"Yes." both Xander and Amy shouted at him.

Roger held up his hands. "Chill. I don't know all that stuff. Amy have you got access to these journals, especially ones where zombie bullies eat teachers."

"They weren't zombie bullies. They were hyenas."

"I can get you electronic copies if you want?"

"Don't really like using computers, you couldn't print the.... you had hyenas in your school? What is this, some twisted version of the Lion King?"

"They weren't real hyenas. They were in the zoo."

"You're talking about the possession incident, aren't you?"

"Read about that, did you?"

"Well it was one of Giles's first entries that mentioned you in detail. And you were the person I was being sent to work for."

"So... this entry... reported how you stopped the possessed students from eating any more teachers?"

"I was possessed as well."

"You ate your headmaster?"

"No."

"So you didn't eat anybody?"

"Just the mascot."

"You ate a fellow student?"

"Not that type of mascot. Ours was a pig."

"Okay... Your school sounds very scary."

"If I'm being honest, it's probably no worse than the one in Cleveland."

"Where you sent these... slayers? Aren't you worried for them?"

Xander thought about it, "Not really no. They can handle themselves and they've got good backup."

"So these slayers... some sort of american football team eh?" Roger did a very fake macho pose, "The Slayers... wuh..." at Xander's look, "No..? Martial arts team perhaps?"

Amy decided to explain. "They're a bunch of teenage girls who ca.."

Xander interrupted her, "...they look like the sexiest cheerleading squad you can imagine."

Amy turned to face him, and his smile told her he was enjoying this far too much.

"You sent girls into the school from hell?"

"'School On Hell' I think is a more accurate description. Though from what Giles said, I don't think their school is actually on the hellmouth."

This was news to Amy, "You don't think?"

"The opening of the hellmouth isn't actually directly underneath the school. I remember hearing that when we first moved out there. They hadn't located it by the time I left, and I can't say I've asked since." At Amy's look, "They're doing their tasks, I'm doing mine."

"But still they're just girls."

Amy was quick to snap at him. "Don't you give me that just girls crap! These are slayers, they could kick your arse without breaking a sweat."

"Look, I'm didn't mean no offence. But you can't send children into areas like that without adult supervision. No matter how many self defence classes they've been to."

Suddenly, realisation dawned on Amy. "You don't even know what a slayer is..."

"I'm sure they can handle themselves, but..."

She looked over to where Xander was trying not to burst out laughing. "They're a bunch of mystically empowered young girls who have been given the ability to fight demons." She began to recite from memory, "In each generation a slayer is born, one who is chosen to..."

"You said slay-ers. As in plural."

"See, he is paying attention."

"Well," Amy stammered. "Previously, for centuries there has only been one. She fights alone sort of thing." She saw the looks the others were giving her. "Recently a spell was performed that allowed this power to be shared out amongst lots of other girls."

"So why haven't you got it?"

"Cos I was a watcher, not a potential."

"Okay... what's a potential?"

"Never mind." Roger patiently listened, "There aren't any, not any more. They're all Slayers now."

"Right, let's assume I understood that. So where there was one, there is now many?"

"Yes."

"No."

Amy and Roger both turned to Xander, "What?"

Xander waggled his eyebrows. "Where there were Two, there is now many." he corrected.

Amy chastised herself for forgetting. "Of course."

"So." Roger paused to get his thoughts in order. "There always used to be one right? In each generation?" At their nods he continued. "But then there were two?"

Again they nodded.

"So what's the deal? I take it it's a family thing. Oldest daughter gets the power, so last generation there were twins right and it split the power and now the twi..." seeing the looks on their faces caused him to drop off that line of reasoning.

"It's more of a 'one dies, another is called' sort of thing. And it doesn't really travel in families."

It was Xander's turn to ask a question. "It kinda travelled in families?"

Amy explained, "If your mother was a potential and not called, then you had a good chance of being one too." At their looks, she amended, "Least if you were a girl."

"So..." Roger began again. "At one point each slayer died, and another was called. I'm right so far?" Another set of nods. "Then one died and two were called?" Frantic shaking of heads. "Explain it to me."

Amy waited to see if Xander was going to do it, 'It was his finest hour after all.' When no response came she explained it herself, "One died and another was called. Same as always. But the first was able to be brought back." Amy watched Xander's face through all that and was amazed when nothing shone through. Least not until she was able to establish contact with his remaining eye. It was when she was looking at him, that he figured she must have read about that incident too.

Roger missed this byplay completely. "Okay, so now we have two where there should only be one. So it's already screwed, so next time one of them died the power went to lots of girls instead of one." Seeing their disapproving looks.

"One died, and another was called."

"So nothing's changed?"

"Apart from there still being two." Xander explained.

"I give up. Unless... they both died at the same time in a major battle and that's what caused it to screw up."

"No. I mean one of them died in a major battle, but the other was still alive."

"So another was called and we're back to two again."

"No, this time we were back to one."

"You're changing the rules."

Amy continued as Xander suddenly went deep in thought. "But the remaining one was in jail. So they had to bring the other one back using magic."

"Hang on, you just can't throw a jail-sentence in at this point."

"And before you suggest that magically bringing someone back caused the mass empowerment it didn't."

"So she died again and this time it was ma.."

"No. They both stayed alive. They found this scythe, and they used magic to power the scythe to empower all the potentials."

"You cannot throw in jail-sentences, magical scythes and first there was one, then two, then back to one again and hello here's lots of them... how was I supposed to guess all that?"

"You weren't supposed to guess any of it, we were explaining it to you."

Amy noted Xander had moved to sit back down. 'Hangover must be kicking in,' she reasoned 'there has been a lot of shouting going on.'

"Not very well..." Roger muttered under his breath.

"You didn't even know about slayers!"

"I wasn't employed to know about slayers. I was employed to know about demons in Africa. Seems you had demons in America completely covered with Xander and his school exploits."

Xander looked up at the latest comment, but still didn't say anything.

Amy looked decisive. "Right, we need to get you up to speed. I'll get Giles' journals online and try to explain as much as I can."

As she was leaving the room, she heard Roger speak to Xander. "You know after all that, I'm still not fully aware what a Slayer is."

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End chapter 2a:

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