Note: As always thank you everyone for the wonderful feedback. Ok, this is a shorter chapter than what I had planned. Lots of personal family stuff going on and then a couple weeks ago I got into a car accident and hurt my wrist a little bit. Thankfully no one was severely injured and we were all able to drive to wherever we were going. This was actually my first car accident as the driver in the years I've been driving and thankfully it wasn't my fault. So anyway I decided to split up the chapter, I was going to have the tests also be in this chapter but since it hurts a bit to write for a long period of time I stopped it at the point I did. Hope everyone enjoys.

Chapter 31

May 6, 2001; Next Morning; Hyperion Hotel

Rupert Giles, Official Watcher to one Slayer, unofficial Watcher of many Slayers. All morning he had been doing what he did best, watching and observing the activities around him. He watched as Spike made his way downstairs and to the kitchen, he watched as Spike took a mug of blood and a plate full of breakfast foods upstairs to, he assumed, Liz.

Later he observed the others come down for breakfast and he listened to their chatter. Some still spoke of their recent battle, others spoke of wanting to go to the mall and shop for a couple hours…if the malls had been open in LA, and some wondered about who would be the true slayer. There was a possibility it was one of them but there were still potentials or now temporary slayers all around the world. They were fewer than they were a few months ago but there were others still out there.

An hour after everyone's breakfast he witnessed Spike and Liz at the round red couch in the middle of the lobby and Spike gently massaged away the aches from a lumpy mattress. None of the Angel Investigation team paid attention to the two, although Spike had only been there for a few days they didn't seem surprised or concerned about their relationship.

Giles couldn't say the same about some of the members of the Scooby Gang or their recent house guests. It was clear from the glances in the new couple's direction that it raised questions and suspicions.

Giles could see Kennedy would be a problem. The young nineteen year old girl, who was technically too old to be called as a new slayer, made her displeasure known with snide comments and icy glares. The senior watcher honestly didn't know what her problem stemmed from.

At first he thought it was the standard slayer vs. slayer problem most of the girls were experiencing to some degree. However it quickly became apparent that it was an array of things, jealousy, fear, and hatred.

Liz was close to the Angel Investigations team, they listened if she had some input but they didn't put any more or any less weight on her opinion that he could see. Whereas even though Kennedy was sleeping with Willow, her opinion didn't carry much weight with the group. In fact they tended to brush off what she said because they only saw her as Willow's lover and not an essential part of the group.

The fear came in when Liz had that electrical charge come from her open wound a week ago. It meant that Liz wouldn't be a normal potential. That unknown factor put fear in the other potentials, Kennedy included, although she didn't want to admit it. They didn't know what that otherworldliness would do to them or their situation.

And the hatred probably came from people taking Liz's side in matters. Like the issue last night, Kennedy, although she had Slayer healing, was still bruised and swollen. It would take nearly a full day for her injuries to heal completely. Spike and Liz really pummeled her and no one, not even Willow, which surprised him, took her side. They all reprimanded her or told her if she did it again she was out of the hotel.

Now Giles leaned against the front desk in the lobby, with his tea warming his palm, and still he watched. Everyone was gathered in the large front room for the meeting Giles called, talking amongst themselves. It was time to put into motion his plan for weeding out everyone but the real slayer.

He spoke to Buffy, Angel, and Wesley already about the help he would need administering the slayer tests. All three were on board, though it was clear to him that they weren't overjoyed in having to spend more time than usual with the temporary slayers. Giles had tried to get Spike in on the training as well, since he had been before in Sunnydale but Spike refused and told him he'd help Liz but the others could 'stuff it'.

RosBtVSRosBTVSRosBTVSRosBTVS

Liz glanced at her watch, discreetly so as not to offend Giles. They had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes when would this sucker start. She quietly thought.

To distract herself Liz began to play with her and Spike's entwined fingers. Spike turned to face her and smiled. She'd seen a lot of those non-smirk smiles on him lately. She loved them, especially being on the receiving end of them.

Last night their relationship had taken another step. Not all the steps, they hadn't had sex together yet, much to her chagrin, she had been ready and wanting but Spike didn't want to rush. Thankfully there had been more intimate touches passed between them last night though. The very fingers she played with now, played her expertly last night and she had been delightfully pleasured and very grateful to a pleased and cocky Spike. A slight pink blush blossomed over her cheeks as she remembered how she thanked him for making her feel so wonderfully cherished.

Spike brought her closer to him, lifting her legs over his and leaned into the side of her neck. "You're blushing." He rumbled quietly.

"Care to take a guess why?" She whispered back.

Spike lowly laughed. "Oh, I know why pet. I look forward to a repeat of both later today."

Her blush deepened and she kissed his lips quickly. "So do I."

"All right." Giles called out to the room, gaining everyone's attention.

Finally, Liz sighed as the conversations around them dwindled. Looked like the meeting would be starting. Hopefully it would be quick so she and Spike could go back up to her room.

"Thank you." Giles said. "Ok, I realize we haven't been given a whole lot of time to process everything that occurred in Sunnydale but unfortunately it's not an option, besides when have we ever gotten a well needed break." He joked lightly.

There was silence, no one really finding Giles's attempt at humor all that funny, when Xander popped up with. "Oh come on people there has to be a time when we had a break?"

"Not many are springing to mind Xan." Buffy shook her head. She could only remember one break she had and that was when she died. It's the kind of break she wouldn't recommend, most people didn't come back from that.

"Which is why it should be obvious. So few they should stand out." Xander pointed out.

"Besides when you, Willow, and Giles were here during my first summer away and me when I died, there weren't many."

"Didn't you get a break when you were gone that summer too?" Willow asked, curious as to Buffy's answer since they never really talked in depth about when she went to LA to stay with her Dad.

Buffy shrugged. "It wasn't completely a monster party but I also didn't have a quiet summer. Vamps, a demon here and there, the normal for me."

"Hmm, I never knew that."

"Anyway, if I could interject please?" Giles intervened, though he hated to break up the three friend's first tentative conversation since Buffy left Sunnydale and kicked out of her mother's home a week ago.

Willow and Buffy shared an amused glance and then turned their attention back to him.

"As I was starting to say, we now have another important matter to deal with. It is clear from the incident last night in the basement that we need to start immediately with testing who the next real Slayer will be. Right now with so many girls imbued with the Slayer powers it causes an obvious problem. Since there is only supposed to be one all of your instincts are telling you to take out the others. You all think you're the one, however once we start administering the tests it'll become clear who is really the next Slayer."

Liz raised her hand like she was in a classroom setting. Spike smirked at her, amused that he's mated to a teacher's pet. All sorts of interesting scenarios that he wanted to play with Liz in private came to mind.

Giles nodded to her and Liz asked. "With these tests it'll show who the next Slayer is but what will make the others who aren't the Slayers stop trying to being the alpha dog? I can't see that instinct going away with the tests."

"Once it's established the instinct will minimize, right now the next Slayer is unknown so the Slayer essence inside all of you is clawing to establish dominance over the others. When there is a clear leader that urge will dissipate. You are correct however that the instinct will still be there and will be until the spell has worn off." Giles told them.

Great, Liz mentally sighed. So these tests wouldn't make the Slayer inside her shut up completely. At the moment, with all the temporary Slayers present, she wanted to fight them all. Even Buffy, despite knowing that she had been the Slayer long before she knew about vampires and demons.

"When are we starting the tests?" A temporary Slayer named Melissa asked.

"Today promptly at ten-thirty in the morning." Giles stated.

"What will the tests consist of?" Kennedy's words a little muddled from her swollen jaw.

Giles put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the front desk. "Various tests involving mental processes, instinct, extra sensory perception, physical strength, prowess, and of course Slayer dreams. That is all I will tell you, it is important these tests be as unknown as possible. Just know that we will test everything and it will take a few days to go through these tests."

With that he ended the meeting and told everyone that they had an hour to prepare and do what they pleased. Many girls, Liz included, looked a bit dazed at what was to come. It would be an interesting few days for them all.

TBC

Coming Up: Giles talks to Kennedy and stage 1 of the tests start.