Wells-Summers
Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon
Spoilers: Post "Chosen"
"What do you think they're going to do about her?"
"A slayer was killed because of it; I don't think they're going to go easy on her."
"I heard the last time a slayer failed at something like this, she was depowered and had her memory wiped before she was dumped back with her family."
Rolling her eyes, Adrienne gave a sour look to Carolin, "Maybe mentioning that they weren't going to go easy on her wasn't the best thing to say."
Realizing her mistake, Carolin frowned and turned to Janelle, "They're not going to depower her, or kill her and what you heard was not real. I may not know Buffy as well as most, but everyone knows she hates memory spells and killing humans."
Sighing, Janelle sighed, "I guess. I just wished I knew what they were talking about."
"It'll be fine," Adrienne reassured Janelle. The three slayers were sitting outside of Buffy's office, staring at the closed door, more than once wishing that a spell wasn't placed on the door to prevent them from listening in. All Carolin and Janelle knew was that Adrienne, Ali, Buffy and Andrew returned walking, while Lisa returned in a body bag. After telling the others to sit, Andrew, Buffy and Ali locked themselves in Buffy's office while Carolin and Janelle dragged the information out of Adrienne.
"What do you think Buffy will do?" Janelle asked.
"Accidents happen," Carolin answered. "Buffy knows that. She'll be upset, but she's not going to lock Ali up and throw away the key. She'll help her through this, but I don't know if Ali is still going to be on the team."
"Do we want her to stay, though?" Janelle asked. And off Carolin and Adrienne's look, she continued, "I'm not saying I hate her or blame her for Lisa's death; I don't know the whole story. But what if whatever help she needs isn't enough? Will this happen again? We're training to be the best of the best here."
"She'll get past this," was all Carolin could say before Buffy's door opened and Andrew stuck his head out.
"If you would come in, please."
Looking at one another, the three slayers stood and crossed the threshold to Buffy's office. Never having seen the inside, the three slayers were a bit disappointed in what they saw, though they hid it well. It looked like a regular office, one a principal of a high school would have, except for a weapon or two placed around the room. The three sat in their seats, next to a sullen looking Lisa who kept her head held high.
"The three of you may not have known this, but Ali has a fear of water," Buffy started once Andrew took his place beside her. "The specifics of how this fear came about aren't my story to tell, but I would like to ask you don't blame her for what happened. If anything, you should blame me."
"But--"
Whatever Janelle had to stay was stopped by Buffy's raised hand. "I knew about this fear and I let her go into the fight without making sure she was really prepared. It was a bad decision on my part, but we've come up with a solution."
"I've always hated the idea of speaking to a therapist," Ali finally spoke, her voice soft. "Always thought I could overcome this myself, but the only to keep this spot here is if I speak to someone and I will."
"She'll still train with you and do suitable missions," Andrew continued. "And when the time comes, she'll kick some water demon butt."
This elicited a snort with laughter from Carolin, which caused Adrienne to giggle. Before the laughing could spread, Buffy started speaking again.
"We've contacted Lisa's parents. Her body is being flown back to Chicago as they wish to bury her instead of us. Unfortunately, they do not wish us to attend. They weren't too keen on her knowing magic and finding out she was a slayer was too much for them."
"If you wish to pay your respects, you know where she'll be before she leaves," Andrew spoke. "Starting tomorrow, class begins."
"Class?" Carolin asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"We've never done this before," Buffy shrugged. "We don't know where to begin when it comes to taking on students. It was suggested that we get you started on demon research and other Watcher-y like duties while simultaneously making sure you get your slayer limits pushed as far as we can go."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Carolin glared while both Buffy and Andrew answered yes and smiled at one another.
"But it's necessary," Ali defended. She, most of all, knew why Buffy was going to be pushing them. A leading slayer needed to be well rounded in all areas of slaying, not just the fighting aspect.
"Andrew will be putting together a list of books for you to start looking over," Buffy stood as she spoke.
"And what will you be doing?" Adrienne asked.
"I'll also be watching over what you do, except far away, preferably on a beach somewhere," Buffy smiled as she headed for the door.
Short? Yes. But it was chapter that needed to be done. Now, we can move on to my more funny things, like Andrew teaching slayers and Buffy pretending to teach!