Watcher's Council, London, 0110 hours (London Time).
Quentin Travers was the current head of the Watcher's Council of Great Britain, the organization that's been tasked for thousands of years with watching over and training Slayers, and those who have been deemed to be possible Slayers. As of the current moment though, he's a man leading an organization that is in-charge of no Slayers; following the Council's refusal to help the vampire with a soul known as Angel before the event known as the Ascension, the Slayer Buffy Summers let it be known through her new Watcher, Wesley Wyndham-Price that she was no longer taking any orders from them. Then there was Faith Lehane, the current Slayer that the line had gone through… to Travers, she had been categorized as a rogue Slayer. Someone who, once awakened, would be put on trail by the Watchers for murder and helping the previous Mayor of Sunnydale in his plans for Ascension.
As he sat on the large armchair in his office at the Council's London headquarters, Travers could only think about what could have been. His intention was to hold a kangaroo trial for Faith who would, with a majority of the Council's inner circle supporting him, be found guilty of crimes that would put the Council into disrepute. The man knew that with nearly every girl who could become a Slayer one day being watched in some fashion by the Council, Travers intended to have Faith put to death so that the line could continue on to the next girl. A girl that he intended to have under the total control of the Council. He intended the new girl to function as the Slayer has always functioned, alone… with no weaknesses such as friendships, or lovers, or family to pull her away from the mystical duty that a Slayer had been bound to do for thousands of years.
Once he had discovered that Faith was in a coma, Travers had put a Special Operations Team on standby in the L.A safe-house so that should Faith awaken, then they would swoop in after being notified by their informant inside the hospital; and then take her away. Travers knew that the team leader had scouted the docks, only to find that it would be ridiculously easy to bribe on of the ship captains to smuggle them on board. Then they could make other arrangements when they reached the destination. However, if all else failed, Travers gave the Special Operations team full authority to take out the target; in this case Faith, and anyone who helped her.
It was a little over two months ago that he received disturbing news from the Council informant, she had called headquarters during an important meeting that he was chairing. Annoyed, he picked up the phone only to find out that Joyce Summers… the mother of Buffy Summer had visited Faith. The thing that had worried Travers was that it was not the first time, he later found out that Joyce Summers had been visiting Faith at least three times a week. According to the informant, she would bring fresh flowers and even a fresh change of clothes for the girl in the coma should she wake up. The informant had told him that whenever she stepped into the room to change the bedding, or check Faith's vitals…. Joyce would always be holding her hand. She would even talk softly to Faith, only stopping when the informant walked into the room. For the next two months, he had been receiving reports about Joyce's comings and goings from the hospital and he had grown concerned. Then he received a call from his old friend, the Watcher…. Or at least to Travers he was known as the former Watcher to Buffy, Rupert Giles.
As Travers took a sip of scotch, he recalled the phone call he had with Giles a couple of days ago.
"What are you saying Rupert?" asked an incredulous Travers, "you are well aware, as I am, that the government…. No government on the planet has the capability of handling the creatures of the darkness. The Council has been watching over the Slayer and guiding her in her quest to make the world a better place without any governmental interference."
"Maybe it's time for that type of thinking to end, Quentin" said Giles as he sat on his couch after having seen of Joyce and the others at the Sunnydale airport, "I've told you that the ways of the Council are antiquated, it needs to move into the twenty first century."
"And would you have the Slayer become the weapon of any government?" asked Travers as he stood up in outrage, "the Slayer is not bound by governments, the Slayer is not bound by human laws. Instead, the Council will be the sole voice that the Slayer will live by."
"Quentin" said Giles, "I've told Joyce that you and the Council know about her going to visit Faith, she said that she'll continue to do it… she'll continue to see her if and when it pleases her. And I agree, she's not yours to control."
"It does not matter, Rupert" said Travers, "we do not care if Joyce Summers believes its her right to see Faith, or not. The end result is that no matter what she believes the supernatural… including the Slayers are our duty. Governments are aware of this; governments have given us free reign to look after the supernatural."
"That does not…." said Giles as Travers interrupted him.
"I have received news that the Slayer, Buffy Summers and Joyce Summers, as well as two friends are heading off to Colorado Springs" said Travers, "would you happen to know why?"
"Have you been following me?" asked an incredulous Giles as he stood up.
"Just answer the question Rupert" said Travers.
"Yes" said Giles, "Buffy's friend, Willow, she's been given a very prestigious offer.. and I told Buffy and Joyce to go with them. She went to meet some people from the Air Force, and Joyce will tell them about Faith and Buffy."
"What!" said Travers, "Rupert, that was not your call to make!"
"The both of them" said Giles as he smirked into the phone, "both Faith and Buffy will be under my charge, I have already asked Joyce to talk to the people from the Air Force about helping them. And Quentin, with their abilities…. I believe that the military would be able to give them a better future than you ever could…. Than I alone ever could."
"Rupert!" said Travers as he pressed a button on the phone on his table, "you don't know what you're doing."
"Joyce asked me to give you a message" said Giles, "if the Council comes near her or Buffy, the Air Force would be informed… if Faith happens to die while in the coma, then the Air Force will be informed. The Council has to change to remain relevant… the world has changed, Quentin. We need their support."
"We are the ones who support the Slayer" said Quentin, "not the military."
"And where the hell was the Council when the Mayor Ascended!" said Giles, "where were you then?"
"Miss Summers made her thoughts very clear" said Travers, "she didn't want to take orders, so…"
"So you and the Council decided that it would be better if she failed?" asked Giles, "and what if she had failed? What then? Faith was in a coma… and you know that a new Slayer can't be called until….." It was then that Giles opened his eyes wide as he made a realization in his mind.
"Oh my God" said Giles, "you never intended to put Faith on trial… even if you did, she would have been found guilty anyway and sentenced to death. Then when she died, the new Slayer would have been activated and you would have made sure that she would be placed under the Council's control. And she would have killed Olvikan."
"Those are your words, Rupert" said Travers calmly, "that's just supposition on your part.. you have no proof of anything."
"Did you know that it was Olvikan?" asked Giles, "did you know? Did Wesley know? Did you and the Council hide information from us because of a vendetta? Because Buffy made a decision?"
"Need I remind you, Rupert" said Travers, "the Council has information on every vampire, every demon… Miss Summers made the decision not to use our resources and…"
"That's just it" said Giles, "I don't think the military would have abandoned her just like that."
"We would have stopped Olvikan eventually" said Travers, "we knew he could have been killed once he ascended, and we could have used the new Slayer to kill him."
"And if the new Slayer died?" asked Giles, "If the new Slayer had died fighting Olvikan, then another one would have been called."
"Yes" said Travers.
"Quentin" continued Giles, "you're…."
"Remember old friend" said Travers calmly, "the Slayers are the weapons of the Council. The Slayers always change, but the Council will forever remain."
"And that's the problem" said Giles as he put the phone down and leaned back on his couch, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
Back in the present day, Travers put down his now empty glass and got off his armchair. He walked behind his large, intricately designed mahogany table and picked up his umbrella, and brown coat that was hanging on the back of his desk chair. HE then looked up when he saw lightning flashing across the London sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder just as someone knocked on his door.
"Yes, Rose" said Travers as his secretary walked into the room, taking the elderly man out of his thoughts and back into the real world.
"Mr. Travers" said Rose as she stepped into the large room, "you have a call from Sunnydale; it's Michael.."
"Thank you" said Travers as he picked up the phone on his desk, but not before looking back at his young secretary, "it is a little past one in the morning Rose, I would like for you to go home and rest."
"Thank you, Mr. Travers" said Rose as she opened the doors, before turning around again, "good night, Sir."
Nodding his head at Rose, Travers managed a small smile before the brunette young woman closed the doors to his office. He then pressed a button on his phone and put the receiver to his ear. Then he sat down and listened intently to Michael's report, particularly on the sections that mentioned alien technology and that one of the Slayer's friends was tapped by the Air Force to possibly word with said technology. Ever since that fateful conversation the day Willow and the others left for Colorado Springs, Travers had ordered a two man team to watch over Giles and Buffy, to record their movements and other pertinent information.
As he continued hearing the report, he became increasingly concerned.. particularly when Michael said that the Slayer indicated that she was offered a place in the Air Force Academy, and that she had asked for a year to get Faith up tp speed should she be out of her coma. The thought of having a rogue Slayer like Faith taking over for Buffy sent a shiver down his spine as he continued to listen to the report, the thought of another Slayer that would not listen to the Council was unheard off… a Slayer telling the Council that would not be taking orders from them was also unheard off. Travers knew that this had to be rectified, and rectified quickly.
"Michael" said Travers once the dark haired man had finished his report, "I want you to call Collins in L.A. Tell him to move to capture Faith on the authority of the Watchers Council. She is to be taken out of Sunnydale and brought to London. Tell him to get whatever paperwork he needs, and get it done by tomorrow."
"Yes Sir" said Michael, "and what about this whole situation with this so-called alien technology, and the Slayer being offered a place in the Academy?"
"Do not concern yourself" said Travers as he reached for a card codex, "I have contacts in the Department of Defence and the State Department, I am sure that they have an inkling of what's going on. In the meantime, I'd like for you to send people you trust follow this Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill."
"Standard background package, Sir?" asked Michael.
"Yes" said Travers, "these people are interfering where they shouldn't be, and I for one would like to know what authority they have to take away what is rightfully ours."
"And Miss Summers?" asked Michael, "would you like for us to send a message?"
"No" said Travers, "taking Miss Lehane should be more than enough. I feel Miss Summers still has the mind to realize that with Miss Lehane gone, she's the only one available to guard the Hellmouth. As for her training by the military? Let me take care of that, I'll use my aforementioned contact to put pressure on the Air Force to know their place… that the supernatural is not the domain of hunters, or the military. The Council is the only organization that is been destined to deal with these threats."
"Yes, Sir" said Michael, "and would you like for us to continue surveillance?"
"Yes" smiled Travers as he sat down.
Sunnydale General Hospital, Special Wing, 0930 hours.
Giles had been at the airport to pick up Tara, Buffy and Joyce after their plane landed at half past midnight that day. Following some excited babbling from Buffy about what kind of technology that Willow would be working with, the Watcher could see that the blonde Slayer… the one that he loved as he would a daughter, had finally made a decision for her future. Giles had suspected that Joyce and the others couldn't tell him everything; he knew that there were something's that were being hidden from him.
Joyce, who sat beside him while on the way back to her home, picked up on some vibes that Giles was giving off. She assured him that, while there were somethings that they couldn't tell him, Buffy and Willow were extremely excited about the prospects of eventually working together. Nodding his understanding, Giles smiled and continued driving with a renewed vigour of having Buffy and eventually Faith train together before the latter takes over.
It was that renewed vigour that prompted Giles to ask Joyce if he could follow her to see Faith at the hospital, and was glad when she agreed that it would be for the best if he could come as well. After all, eventually he would be one of the most important people in her life. As he passed the receptionist, Giles did a double take as he passed the blonde haired woman when he noticed her looking at both him and Joyce oddly. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he followed Joyce who was carrying a vase of fresh flowers into a room a few doors down.
Entering the room, he looked in surprise at Faith who still had wires on her body measuring her heart rate, her brain waves, oxygen and other medical needs.. but the thing that surprised him even more was how pale she looked. He mentally kicked himself when he saw Faith just lying there helpless, he had never even come to the hospital to see her even though he knew that she was hospitalized in Sunnydale General. The truth was that he didn't want to face up to the truth that he, and by extension the Council, had failed Faith on so many different levels. As he closed the door behind him, Giles saw that Joyce had held Faith's hand as she was talking to her about their day. She was telling Faith about going to Colorado Springs and that once she comes out of the coma, there'll be people who'll do their very best to look after her interests first.
Giles grabbed a chair and sat on the other side of the bed. He knew that it was time for a massive change, Slayers for so long had worked without support.. but now times were starting to change. He reiterated to himself that he wanted things to change as well, that the Council needed to understand that the Slayer was a human being.. not just a weapon. And he intended to begin that change now. He slowly reached into Faith's bed and held on to her hand. Looking at Joyce, he saw her nod and the small smile that she had given him as he held Faith's hand tightly.
So Giles leaned in closer to Faith's bed and spoke to her softly, hopeful that his voice would go through.
"Hello, Faith"
TBC.