Chapter Sixty-Six

Hellmouth: 3 days later

A/N Welcome back to the World Without Shrimp (WWS), this series is combined rewrite of BTVS season 8 and Angel season 5, as they happened at the same time. Season 8 will be pretty different to the comics because I haven't read all of it, and you know, different universe, but some of the themes or characters will pop up now and then. Season 5 will be the same up until episode 11 I think, so for those there will probably just be some scenes we didn't see, or rewritten ones. But I won't go all out and write the whole plot because you can go watch it. Episodes will all be marked in the chapter list but you'll be able to tell by the timestamp anyway. Also the episodes of season 8 are more spread out because it has to go from May 2003 to July 2004, instead of from September. I think that's all. Yeah this does kinda read like they're living in the Weasley's house.

Somerset, England, the world without shrimp, May 23rd 2003 three days after the battle

"Moooorning." Buffy said - with an elongated 'o' - to Willow and Tara who were standing by the sink. Tara looked like she was about to hop up onto the counter and Willow looking up at her in awe. Oh and they were kissing. Immediately after the reality of Buffy's words had sunk in - not before some overdue lingering - they broke away from each other. Willow turned around in Tara's arms and they both blushed a little and smiled. Buffy smiled back because she genuinely felt happy. It'd been a calm couple of days, with no Hellmouth underneath them, the vamp level was lower than they were used to, so no one had been out patrolling in a while. And Buffy wasn't the only slayer anymore, there were ten slayers living in the house now - all under one very snuggly roof.

Buffy sighed as she walked over to the kettle and made herself some coffee - now they were in England everyone had really started to up the tea drinking but she couldn't get her head around it, hot water and leaves? With milk? The logic was perplexing, so she was sticking to the coffee. They were in England at Giles' suggestion - the town had been completely destroyed - no one had anything, they had to make a base for themselves. And Giles missed had missed his mother country whilst he'd been back with them fighting the first. He'd missed the tea too - somehow it just wasn't the same in California. Buffy was slightly doubting the man too because it'd rained non-stop since they'd arrived. Oh no, but not consistently, no for this was the Queen's England, so it rained in dribbles and patches for most of the day. Anytime someone would venture outside it would start up again. Even in May the rain still dribbled.

"What do you mean? It's always like this." Dawn had moaned to Giles the evening before, it was accompanied by a few nods from Willow, Tara and a few of the slayers who'd been to England before.

After the great battle at the Hellmouth they had sat around in the desert dust for a while, trying to scrabble around for what to do next, or where even they could go. When Giles had just decided all of a sudden and said they should try it because they really had nowhere else to go. Buffy didn't want to go to Angel, she knew he was busy with his own apocalypse - something about Cordelia and giving birth and an angel called Jasmine? Just from what he'd briefly mentioned when he gave her the amulet. But they had nothing, no passports, no papers, no belongings apart from what they carried on them so Willow managed to cobble together some kind of teleportation spell for the bus - in theory if they were all inside it, it would travel as one object and not split them up as teleportation through dimensions could do. However, this was a simple distance teleportation.

After they'd landed (somehow still in one piece) the bus crashed into the back hedge of the Giles (nee Fairweather) family house, the front glass shattering over the seats as a dozen Americans cowered over the injured and themselves as the metal box splintered and came to a stop. There were countless branches sticking through gaping hole at the front of the bus - Giles himself narrowly missing his own eye being torn out of its socket by a wayward twig flying in his direction. The crash and the bang of it all was rather a palaver but it meant they landed safely in the quiet English county of Somerset. Giles had his own flat in London where he liked to live but this was where he'd grown up - a quaint country house in the middle of nowhere, half a mile from the nearest village. His father had thought it a good place for him to study the likes of demons before he was sent to the Watcher's Academy, and had moved in when he was no more than three years old, after his grandmother suggested they come to live with her for his watcher's education. For she had been the eldest of her sisters and took the responsibilities of an active watcher.

The house had been in the Giles' family possession for more than a hundred and a fifty years, it had high walls and cobble mixed bricks that laced the grey with the slight pinkish of new clay. As the bundle of lost boys (and girls) walked the path, those closest to Giles were surprised he owned such a building. "This explains how you could afford to be unemployed for a year, sorry G, I meant on sabbatical." Faith said, patting Giles on the back and crossing the threshold into the oversized house. On the inside the walls were painted an embarrassing magnolia cream, all except for the library - which was so overcome with books that it could no longer be seen that the walls were weather-boarded in dark oak wood. Slats of it peeling in places where the place needed touching up with varnish but it still had the aura of a home - according to Tara.

The group was soon organised into bedrooms and soon the house was flooded with girls asking to go shopping. But over the last couple of days everyone had settled into a routine of daily tasks. With so many of them it was easy to organise the cooking and cleaning and laundry. Buffy had come down in the kitchen in her pyjamas wrapped in a blanket for her coffee and some thickly sliced toast when she'd been welcomed by the sight of Willow and Tara. They'd been working on joint spells - going back to their coven roots (literally) and exploring more about Gaia and the ever lorn root systems. Buffy knew they were close to Devon, she wasn't quite sure how far exactly but she had a feeling Willow and Tara would be going back there soon. A thought that pained her for the loss of two of her best friends, but if she did work out how far it was she was sure she could visit or vice versa.

But that was all speculative, right at that moment she was happy to enjoy their company in a cosy blanket - for it was a draughty house - and just relax. Somehow the world wasn't really on her shoulders anymore. "Happy birthday Will." Buffy said as the kettle began to wheeze and blow thick steam into the paned glass window, she opened the latch and let in a gust of cool mid-morning air, chilling them. Willow gave an excited shriek and leaned further into Tara's shoulder - they too were still in pyjamas, some they'd put on especially to come down to breakfast and were now calling 'lounge wear' as an excuse not to get dressed properly.

"Thank you, I'm so excited, the first birthday I've had in years where my parents can't ring and moan and where we're not in the middle of an apocalypse or finals." Being in May, Willow's birthday was always obscured by something and it was rare it got celebrated at all, Tara always remembered but the last few years had been touch and go. The previous year for example she'd been in the middle of destroying the world, and the year before that a demonic hell-god was in the middle of destroying the world, and the year before that they'd all mystically slept through it and she'd been attacked by an ancient slayer in her sleep, and the year before that... Ok yeah you get the picture, not a lot of Willow birthday celebrating had gone on when they lived in Sunnydale, and she was sure as hell going to make up for it now. Plus she was planning her own party so it had to be good.

*Flashback* Somerset, the world without shrimp, 1963 December 4th

Rupert walked into his father's study with a quiet tip-toe, his glasses were far too big and perched on the end of his nose, stuck around the middle with sticky tape to keep them fixed to his face. A pair that'd earned him the nickname 'jam jar' by the kids across the road. This was one such time that he pushed them up to meet the bridge of his nose - he was a quiet child, contemplative, focussing on the nature of his studies and knowing that he must do well to be a pride to his family. His father had requested his presence in the study after supper and he was rather nervous, the study was for his father's 'important business' and 'private thinking' his mother always warned him into staying out of it.

Mr. Giles put down his paper with a slight ruffle of dense paper and made an attempt to clear his throat and pushed his own glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Ahh Rupert, yes come here boy I need to speak with you." He said properly in his standard English and Cambridgeshire accent, he sounded posh, Rupert knew he was hiding his thick country accent behind there somewhere from when he was a boy. His father was kind at heart but the watcher's council kept him professional so he appeared cold, he was so busy most of the time Rupert got overlooked.

Rupert sat down in the armchair opposite his father with the billowing spruce desk between them - the walls of the study matching those of the library in dark oak, the spruce was lighter so they wouldn't clash, something Mr. Giles' mother thought of. Rupert shuffled his legs into a suitable position and tried to peer over the edge of the humongous desk, he could see a little but nothing above his father's brow which he now furrowed as he picked up a cigar from the thickened brown ashtray at the corner of the desk. "Now, son, you are what? Almost ten years old." Rupert went to reply but his father dismissed him with a wave of his cigar-free hand, "it hardly matters, I have called you in here today to speak with you about your future. Now, what are you thinking of doing for a career?"

Rupert had hardly thought on the matter since he was very small and had dreams of being a fighter pilot, when he shook his head in unknowing of the answer his father continued. "Son, you are going to be a watcher. I am one and your grandmother before me, it's in our blood Rupert." Rupert lifted his hand to speak and began to mumble about being anything but a watcher, but it hardly mattered, as his father had said, it was destined, and as far as his father was concerned there was little he could do about it. "Our family, we are watchers. That's what my business deals with boy, we manage slayers, keep them fighting evil. One girl in all the world, chosen, to fight the demons and the forces of darkness. That's our responsibility and it comes with sacrifices, you'll sacrifice any other life to fulfill your role. The end of this year I'm sending away to boarding school - the Watcher's Academy no less, where you'll learn how to control slayers and demons and keep track of them, you should start a diary of your findings. This is very important Rupert, you must do our family proud."

Rupert himself sat stunned for a few short moments, he had no idea what to think - minutes before he had been enjoying pork sausages and boiled potatoes with greens as his supper and now he was here and his father was sending him away to boarding school, and apparently now there were demons in existence. His father seemed to think it all rather blase and insignificant. He ruffled his son's hair and left him sitting in the study alone, smiling as he chuckled at the boy's shock and once again pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Somerset, the world without shrimp, 2003 a week later

The 'troops' as Kennedy was now referring to them as, were the remaining slayers from the battle, the ones on the bus and the ones still under Buffy's care. They came to here the next morning with a request to train, not that they needed to, but as soon as they had Giles set up the once used, ancient training room. Buffy and Faith thought it might be an idea to set up some individual training teams or 'divisions' in different places. The word had already been sent out to anyone nearby that any slayers could seek refuge or training at the manor house. Between the two of them her and Faith worked out a schedule of different activities on different days and possible different countries where they could be slayers in need of training.

A big spot on the map was Cleveland because there was a second Hellmouth located there, another thought was Rome, from Andrew. He thought it would be 'exotic.' Buffy had laughed this off but Giles mentioned something about there being reports of mystical stirrings coming from there. So there would be three divisions, England, run by Buffy and Dawn could act as a junior watcher for the time being - as per her own request because Buffy wanted her to study, Faith was the one who eventually gave in and let her because she was going to be surrounded by demons anyway she might as well know about them. And where better to learn that the library of a watcher family.

Faith wanted to take a swing at Cleveland eventually, and Andrew wanted to go Rome no matter if he had anything to do with the slayers or not. Xander was remaining impartial and trying to get some construction work, but worth mentioning because with all the girls in the house he was rather missing the presence of Spike to even them out. In truth they all were, Buffy more than most, Willow and Tara were chiefs at comforting but there was a level that they couldn't understand, they had never truly lost each other. She'd even tried talking to Anya about it but it still wasn't quite the right fit, eventually she ended up crying on Faith's shoulder because it worked. Despite her being seriously horny for a fight and killing she'd softened with her time near the scoobies, she knew she'd leave and go to Ohio when she had her team, but there was something about being needed that she found settled her. So far they had a team of ten slayers at the house, not including Buffy and Faith, Rona having just got out of her cast was ready for training again. They'd also gained two new slayers, Erin who was from the surrounding village and Lillian who'd come across from Swansea, with a thick Welsh accent in tow. Neither of whom had ever had a watcher before and excited Dawn at the prospect of being able to show off her skills.

For their first patrol Buffy and Giles took the girls down to the nearby graveyard just after dusk, it was so ancient that the church next to it was crumbling into ruin. Some of the headstones were barely readable, the letting having faded and sunken back into the stone it was carved in. There were black ones, and white ones and the crumbling mossy cobble ones. Some were so new there were only wooden crosses sticking out of the broken earth, everyone was careful not to step on those ones. "It's a myth." Giles began, "that new graves are marked with a cross to prevent the body from rising as a vampire. Wouldn't work though, a cross won't kill a vampire, but it will keep them from attacking you, unless they have learnt to control the pain - Buffy wasn't that something Angel can do?"

"Yeah, it still burns him but he can channel the pain so it isn't visible to you or I." Buffy replied, walking around the back of the group and handing out stakes to those who had forgotten their own - the newbies amongst them. "Always be prepared, that's lesson one." She continued holding up a finger for case in point. "A vampire already has their weapon," she stopped to point to her teeth, a couple of the girls chuckled. "You have to bring yours. So they will always start with the upper hand-" Buffy would've continued but one the graves behind her was breaking up, the cross falling backwards into the dry mud as fingers and bloodied nails began to emerge from the broken soil.

"Get back all of you. Let Buffy show you what to do." Giles said, to which Kennedy rolled her eyes because most of them had been on patrols before, had fought in the battle against the First and an army of uber vampires but now they were being asked to watch? Giles knew they would be raring to go but he wanted the newer ones to have a bit more of a chance, better to start on an even keel.

Suddenly Buffy swung the scythe right through the vampire's head and stood back a little breathy when he turned to dust. Wiping her hands off on her jeans she turned to face the group, smiling as she'd needed to get out the rush of killing something for over a week. As the other slayers did, it was a disappointment to some of them when none of the other graves rose again into vampires. Erin was rather relieved, she didn't think she'd ever be able to face another one so soon, especially when she'd recognised the one Buffy killed as the local baker. She'd never held a stake before, much less seen a vampire, she didn't know a single thing about being a slayer, it was still all a big mystery.

She'd been in the garden one afternoon playing with her dog Rusty - he was a Jack Russell with brown spots and a big patch over one ear - when something big and ugly had burst through the hole in the fence. She was spooked at first, but then it had felt like she was supposed to fight it, that whatever this thing was it was in her blood to kill it. The adrenaline pushed her forward and she threw her arm out to hit it but missed, she tried it again but the demon dodged her lame manoeuvres. After a while it looked as if it was board and ran back through the now gaping hole in the fence. Her dad had been really mad about it and hadn't accepted the explanation that 'a big ugly weird thing broke it and tried to attack me.'

Then over the coming days Erin had noticed that she was a lot stronger than she used to be and was suddenly having these dreams, big gaping black ones with reoccurring characters, she didn't believe they were real at first, as anyone would with people they've never met suddenly in their minds. She thought her brain was making up stories. Her dad did too. But then she saw the posters, the ones about the slayers with a picture of Buffy on the front, when she recognised the girl from her dreams she knew they was something weird going on. And her instincts told her to follow it. But standing in a graveyard, with a bunch of other girls that apparently had known for a while that their job was to kill demons. It was all a very strange world she'd been thrown into, and she missed Rusty.

Dawn was sitting in the library with her books whilst Buffy was out, with all the slayers out of the house she thought it about time she could actually get some studying done without a dozen teenage girls hanging around chewing gum and gossiping. At least they had three bathrooms now, and she didn't have to share a room, not that she'd minded but it was nice to have her own space again. A year of bunking with girls and she needed a break, and her own hairbrush again.

Tara slinked around the door, leaning her head against the wood as she knocked carefully, knowing Dawn didn't like to be disturbed. Dawn's head lifted at the sound of the knocking and she was about to grab the largest book on the table and hurl it through the doorway but she heard Tara's soft tone follow and decided against it. "Can I come in? I know you've only just got the peace." Dawn nodded and pulled out the chair next to her, closing the leather binding on the Sumerian prophecy translation she was working on.

"How are you doing Dawnie?" Tara said as she at down sideways on her chair, legs all tangled up and crossed, for no lesbian can sit in a chair correctly. Dawn looked up and gulped a little, taking a sip of the hot chocolate she was masquerading as coffee to look like a grown up. Tara knew the difference just by the smell but she just smiled and ignored it.

"I don't know, we escaped the First, which we've been trying to do all year, then we teleported and I felt sick for like three days, oof, how did Anya used to do that all the time?" Tara chuckled but held off interrupting. "And now we're here, which is awesome because there's lots of space and resources and less demony danger. But I feel a little bit homesick, I know that Sunnydale wasn't the best town in the world, but it was home and now it's gone and we can't even visit. So many memories, just gone." She admitted and looked down at her nails that were fidgeting with each other and picking at the holes in her skin left by nervous picking. Tara recognised it from the way she used to pick at her own hands when she lived at home. Her father pushed her limits and her finger nails would get picked, the anxiety settled into a habit, that and Willow was a big nervous nail biter.

"I miss it too, I keep thinking about all the places me and Willow went together, where we first met, where we had our first date. All those places we can't see again. And..." Tara trailed off from mentioning it because she didn't want Dawn to get upset.

"Mom." Dawn said, bringing her fingers up to her eyes and wiping away the welling tears, then she pulled Tara into a hug. She was all warm and comfortable in a woolen orange cardigan. Tara was like her replacement mom, she knew Buffy was always be her sister, but Tara was there for the tears and the hugs and saying the right thing. Buffy did that too but Dawn needed the balance. It was so odd how Willow used to be her favourite and now the tables had turned, she'd realised how much she relied on Tara for that little extra bit of support.

"It'll be ok, I know it will. And you know I won't ever break a promise." Tara replied, pulling back from the hug and extending her right hand. Dawn smiled, she knew it was true, Tara never broke anything, not rules, nor plates and never promises. Dawn took her hand and shook it lightly, grinning as she took another sip of secret hot chocolate.