When Buffy, Willow, and Xander entered the library, Giles jumped up from the table he was sitting at and held up a book.
"I knew that particular name sounded familiar," he said. "You said her name is Jasper White. Well, when I was looking for information about what the vampires might be planning, I came across a record of a past watcher." He started to flip through the book he was holding. "Hold on, yes, here it is. Jasper of Whightmore. She was the daughter of Lord Whightmore. Her mother had died shortly after giving birth."
When he said that, Buffy and Xander looked at each other, remembering what Jasper had told them.
Giles continued. "Lord Whightmore was a sorcerer. According to this, when Jasper was 16, she went out with her friends when the Master attacked her. He snapped the necks of her friends and..."
"Can we skip the gory details?" Buffy interrupted.
"Yes, sorry," Giles apologized. "Anyway, it seems the Master liked Jasper and decided to make her one of his followers. When Lord Whightmore found out, he was heartbroken. So, he searched his spellbooks for a cure. He died before he could completely cure her, but he did manage to make things slightly better for her."
"How so?" Willow asked curiously.
Giles went on. "Well, it says here that she doesn't constantly need blood to survive; she can walk in the daylight; garlic only sickens her, and the only things that bother her are fire and a stake through the heart. The traditional holy water and crucifix won't harm her."
"That makes her a difficult vamp to fight," Buffy remarked.
"It might not be necessary to fight her," Giles said. "It also says here that she tries to help any and all slayers whenever she can. She doesn't believe in taking human lives. Her father also gave her other powers so she can help, not hinder."
"She tries to help all slayers?" Willow questioned. "How many slayers has she seen? How old is she?"
Giles quickly scanned the book pages. "Well, um, if these records are correct, she should be celebrating her...205th birthday next month."
Xander's eyes widened in disbelief. "She doesn't look a day over 18!"
"You and Oz seemed to be fooled by her charm," Willow murmured under her breath.
"Can you blame us?" Xander had obviously heard her.
"I wouldn't," Giles backed Xander up. "She was supposedly the most beautiful girl of her time. There were many suitors who came for her. When she was taken, there was great strife in the land."
Buffy's sympathy grew for Jasper at every word. "She had to live alone for that long? Couldn't have friends on either side, vampire or human." A look of determination appeared on her face. "Well, that's gonna change as of now."
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
That night at the Bronze, Jasper was sitting at a table with Cordelia and Oz. Since the latter two hadn't seen Buffy, Willow, or Xander during the day, they had no idea about the girl they were conversing with.
Jasper looked around the club. "Where do you think Buffy, Xander and Willow are?"
"They should be here by now," Oz said.
"I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I hope nothing happened to them," Cordelia stated.
Finally, Buffy and the group entered the Bronze.
Oz stood to greet Willow. "Glad you guys are okay."
Buffy took a quick glance at Jasper, then turned back to the others. "Thanks. We were running late."
"That's okay," Jasper said. "We were just tal..." But she stopped short in her sentence. She had heard something. "Excuse me really quickly. I think I forgot something outside." She got up from the table and rapidly walked out the door.
Buffy watched as she left. "Something about that seems weird. She was too into leaving. Maybe something's wrong. I'm following her." Buffy then followed Jasper's lead.
Xander watched her go. "Let's go guys," he told the others, and they all left the table.
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
About a block away from the Bronze, Jasper followed a guy down a dark street. This only light was the pale glow from a street lamp above.
"It's not very polite to eat and run," she told to the guy.
The guy turned around. "Well, I haven't had dessert yet," he said, and he changed before her, from his human face to his true vampiric form.
Jasper grinned at him. "You don't see me volunteering to be your meal, do you?" she asked, and she also changed.
It was the vampire's turn to smile. "So, you wanna join the party?"
"You mean the one I wasn't invited to?" Buffy asked as she walked up behind them.
Jasper and the vampire turned to face the slayer. But Jasper quickly turned back away, trying to hide her face. "Buffy, I can explain all of this."
"It's okay, Jasper," Buffy said. "I already know."
Jasper's yellow glowing eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" she said, with a look that Buffy could only interpret as joy.
The male vampire reacted to hearing her name. "Jasper? As in Jasper of Whightmore?"
Jasper turned back to the vampire. "The one and only," she assured him.
"The same Jasper that has been destroying every vampire she comes in contact with?" he inquired.
"You got it babe," Jasper answered.
The vampire started to back away, but Buffy stepped in his way to prevent his escape.
"I don't think so," she said. "You can't leave your own party."
"Back off," the vampire growled at her. "I'm not really in the mood for your lousy attempts to slay me."
"Slaying?" Jasper questioned. "You mean..."
"That's right," Buffy completed Jasper's phrase. "I'm the Slayer."
"This is great!" Jasper exclaimed. "I wanted to tell you about myself, but I didn't think you'd understand."
"Such a touching moment," the vampire interrupted. He looked around, mocking them. "Where's my camcorder when I need it? Now, if you'll excuse me..." He tried to walk off.
"I don't think so," Buffy said stopping him. She pulled out a stake. Jasper waved her hand, and one of the silver spheres appeared in her hand. When the vampire saw this, he nearly jumped a mile high. Buffy noticed his reaction.
"What's that?" Buffy asked.
"A fire sphere," the vampire informed her.
"One of the only weapons guaranteed to destroy a vampire," Jasper explained further.
"How does it work?" Buffy inquired.
"You're about to find out," Jasper told her. With that, she threw the orb at the vampire. Just as it was about to hit him, the vampire ducked. The sphere hit a wooden fence behind it, and it immediately burst into flames.
"Too close," the vampire gasped. "I'm out of here!" He ran off. Jasper started to follow him, but Buffy stopped him.
"Jasper, don't. He'll be back," Buffy said. "They're always back."
Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Oz ran up to them. Before they had a chance to see her, Jasper changed back to normal. Buffy smiled at her.
"Um...the fence is on fire," Oz stated the obvious.
"Don't worry about it," Jasper convinced them. She took a deep breath and blew the fire out. The group's eyes enlarged in disbelief.
"Okay, how did you do that?" Cordelia asked.
"Special talent. My dad helped me with that one," she explained. She then turned to Buffy. "How long have you known?"
"Since this morning," Buffy told her. "Giles told Willow, Xander and me."
"Giles? Who's Giles?" asked Jasper.
"He's my watcher. He's also the librarian at school."
"No wonder I didn't meet him. I didn't get to the library."
Xander smiled. "You're going to have to meet him soon. Knowing him, he's reading everything he's got, trying to learn more about you."
Jasper smiled back at him. "There's a lot about me that isn't written in the Watcher Journals."
"You know about the Journals?" Willow asked.
"I've known so many slayers, it's impossible not to," Jasper replied.
"Well then, you had better meet my watcher tomorrow," Buffy said.
Everyone walked off together. Cordelia and Oz looked at each other, not knowing what was going on. They planned on getting the info later.
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
The next morning, Buffy and Jasper entered the library together. Giles looked up and started to talk to Buffy.
"Buffy, how did things go last night with..." he stopped when he saw Jasper. "...finding that lost book?"
"It's okay, Giles," Buffy said. "Allow me to introduce Jasper of Whightmore, otherwise known as Jasper White."
Jasper nodded at Giles. "Pleasure to meet you sir." She extended her hand to him, and he shook it.
"The honor's mine." Giles then said to Buffy, "So, she knows?"
"Yeah, we had a little run-in with a bad guy last night," Buffy explained. "I guess he had heard of Jasper too. He ran at the sight of her."
Jasper smiled. "Well, only after I almost turned him into the Inhuman Torch."
Buffy then remembered something. "Giles, do you know what a fire sphere is?"
He nodded. "Yes, but the magic for producing them has been lost for ages."
"Not entirely lost," Jasper remarked.
Xander, Willow, Cordelia, and Oz walked into the library. "I see you've met our little Jasper," Xander said to Giles.
Jasper laughed. "Watch it, sonny. I'm not that 'little.'"
Oz looked at Willow, confused. "'Sonny?' She looks younger than him."
Willow turned to him. "Believe me, she's not."
"How old is she?" he asked.
Willow whispered it to him. As she did, his eyes went wide. "Oh," was all he said.
Giles turned to Jasper. "So, how does it feel knowing you don't have to be alone anymore?"
"I bet it's kinda weird," Buffy remarked.
"Actually," Jasper stated, "I find it foundd with a double 'd.'"
Oz quickly stated, "See, I'm not the only one who says..."
Everyone gave him blank looks.
"I knew that particular name sounded familiar," he said. "You said her name is Jasper White. Well, when I was looking for information about what the vampires might be planning, I came across a record of a past watcher." He started to flip through the book he was holding. "Hold on, yes, here it is. Jasper of Whightmore. She was the daughter of Lord Whightmore. Her mother had died shortly after giving birth."
When he said that, Buffy and Xander looked at each other, remembering what Jasper had told them.
Giles continued. "Lord Whightmore was a sorcerer. According to this, when Jasper was 16, she went out with her friends when the Master attacked her. He snapped the necks of her friends and..."
"Can we skip the gory details?" Buffy interrupted.
"Yes, sorry," Giles apologized. "Anyway, it seems the Master liked Jasper and decided to make her one of his followers. When Lord Whightmore found out, he was heartbroken. So, he searched his spellbooks for a cure. He died before he could completely cure her, but he did manage to make things slightly better for her."
"How so?" Willow asked curiously.
Giles went on. "Well, it says here that she doesn't constantly need blood to survive; she can walk in the daylight; garlic only sickens her, and the only things that bother her are fire and a stake through the heart. The traditional holy water and crucifix won't harm her."
"That makes her a difficult vamp to fight," Buffy remarked.
"It might not be necessary to fight her," Giles said. "It also says here that she tries to help any and all slayers whenever she can. She doesn't believe in taking human lives. Her father also gave her other powers so she can help, not hinder."
"She tries to help all slayers?" Willow questioned. "How many slayers has she seen? How old is she?"
Giles quickly scanned the book pages. "Well, um, if these records are correct, she should be celebrating her...205th birthday next month."
Xander's eyes widened in disbelief. "She doesn't look a day over 18!"
"You and Oz seemed to be fooled by her charm," Willow murmured under her breath.
"Can you blame us?" Xander had obviously heard her.
"I wouldn't," Giles backed Xander up. "She was supposedly the most beautiful girl of her time. There were many suitors who came for her. When she was taken, there was great strife in the land."
Buffy's sympathy grew for Jasper at every word. "She had to live alone for that long? Couldn't have friends on either side, vampire or human." A look of determination appeared on her face. "Well, that's gonna change as of now."
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
That night at the Bronze, Jasper was sitting at a table with Cordelia and Oz. Since the latter two hadn't seen Buffy, Willow, or Xander during the day, they had no idea about the girl they were conversing with.
Jasper looked around the club. "Where do you think Buffy, Xander and Willow are?"
"They should be here by now," Oz said.
"I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I hope nothing happened to them," Cordelia stated.
Finally, Buffy and the group entered the Bronze.
Oz stood to greet Willow. "Glad you guys are okay."
Buffy took a quick glance at Jasper, then turned back to the others. "Thanks. We were running late."
"That's okay," Jasper said. "We were just tal..." But she stopped short in her sentence. She had heard something. "Excuse me really quickly. I think I forgot something outside." She got up from the table and rapidly walked out the door.
Buffy watched as she left. "Something about that seems weird. She was too into leaving. Maybe something's wrong. I'm following her." Buffy then followed Jasper's lead.
Xander watched her go. "Let's go guys," he told the others, and they all left the table.
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
About a block away from the Bronze, Jasper followed a guy down a dark street. This only light was the pale glow from a street lamp above.
"It's not very polite to eat and run," she told to the guy.
The guy turned around. "Well, I haven't had dessert yet," he said, and he changed before her, from his human face to his true vampiric form.
Jasper grinned at him. "You don't see me volunteering to be your meal, do you?" she asked, and she also changed.
It was the vampire's turn to smile. "So, you wanna join the party?"
"You mean the one I wasn't invited to?" Buffy asked as she walked up behind them.
Jasper and the vampire turned to face the slayer. But Jasper quickly turned back away, trying to hide her face. "Buffy, I can explain all of this."
"It's okay, Jasper," Buffy said. "I already know."
Jasper's yellow glowing eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" she said, with a look that Buffy could only interpret as joy.
The male vampire reacted to hearing her name. "Jasper? As in Jasper of Whightmore?"
Jasper turned back to the vampire. "The one and only," she assured him.
"The same Jasper that has been destroying every vampire she comes in contact with?" he inquired.
"You got it babe," Jasper answered.
The vampire started to back away, but Buffy stepped in his way to prevent his escape.
"I don't think so," she said. "You can't leave your own party."
"Back off," the vampire growled at her. "I'm not really in the mood for your lousy attempts to slay me."
"Slaying?" Jasper questioned. "You mean..."
"That's right," Buffy completed Jasper's phrase. "I'm the Slayer."
"This is great!" Jasper exclaimed. "I wanted to tell you about myself, but I didn't think you'd understand."
"Such a touching moment," the vampire interrupted. He looked around, mocking them. "Where's my camcorder when I need it? Now, if you'll excuse me..." He tried to walk off.
"I don't think so," Buffy said stopping him. She pulled out a stake. Jasper waved her hand, and one of the silver spheres appeared in her hand. When the vampire saw this, he nearly jumped a mile high. Buffy noticed his reaction.
"What's that?" Buffy asked.
"A fire sphere," the vampire informed her.
"One of the only weapons guaranteed to destroy a vampire," Jasper explained further.
"How does it work?" Buffy inquired.
"You're about to find out," Jasper told her. With that, she threw the orb at the vampire. Just as it was about to hit him, the vampire ducked. The sphere hit a wooden fence behind it, and it immediately burst into flames.
"Too close," the vampire gasped. "I'm out of here!" He ran off. Jasper started to follow him, but Buffy stopped him.
"Jasper, don't. He'll be back," Buffy said. "They're always back."
Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Oz ran up to them. Before they had a chance to see her, Jasper changed back to normal. Buffy smiled at her.
"Um...the fence is on fire," Oz stated the obvious.
"Don't worry about it," Jasper convinced them. She took a deep breath and blew the fire out. The group's eyes enlarged in disbelief.
"Okay, how did you do that?" Cordelia asked.
"Special talent. My dad helped me with that one," she explained. She then turned to Buffy. "How long have you known?"
"Since this morning," Buffy told her. "Giles told Willow, Xander and me."
"Giles? Who's Giles?" asked Jasper.
"He's my watcher. He's also the librarian at school."
"No wonder I didn't meet him. I didn't get to the library."
Xander smiled. "You're going to have to meet him soon. Knowing him, he's reading everything he's got, trying to learn more about you."
Jasper smiled back at him. "There's a lot about me that isn't written in the Watcher Journals."
"You know about the Journals?" Willow asked.
"I've known so many slayers, it's impossible not to," Jasper replied.
"Well then, you had better meet my watcher tomorrow," Buffy said.
Everyone walked off together. Cordelia and Oz looked at each other, not knowing what was going on. They planned on getting the info later.
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
The next morning, Buffy and Jasper entered the library together. Giles looked up and started to talk to Buffy.
"Buffy, how did things go last night with..." he stopped when he saw Jasper. "...finding that lost book?"
"It's okay, Giles," Buffy said. "Allow me to introduce Jasper of Whightmore, otherwise known as Jasper White."
Jasper nodded at Giles. "Pleasure to meet you sir." She extended her hand to him, and he shook it.
"The honor's mine." Giles then said to Buffy, "So, she knows?"
"Yeah, we had a little run-in with a bad guy last night," Buffy explained. "I guess he had heard of Jasper too. He ran at the sight of her."
Jasper smiled. "Well, only after I almost turned him into the Inhuman Torch."
Buffy then remembered something. "Giles, do you know what a fire sphere is?"
He nodded. "Yes, but the magic for producing them has been lost for ages."
"Not entirely lost," Jasper remarked.
Xander, Willow, Cordelia, and Oz walked into the library. "I see you've met our little Jasper," Xander said to Giles.
Jasper laughed. "Watch it, sonny. I'm not that 'little.'"
Oz looked at Willow, confused. "'Sonny?' She looks younger than him."
Willow turned to him. "Believe me, she's not."
"How old is she?" he asked.
Willow whispered it to him. As she did, his eyes went wide. "Oh," was all he said.
Giles turned to Jasper. "So, how does it feel knowing you don't have to be alone anymore?"
"I bet it's kinda weird," Buffy remarked.
"Actually," Jasper stated, "I find it foundd with a double 'd.'"
Oz quickly stated, "See, I'm not the only one who says..."
Everyone gave him blank looks.
The End
