1. The characters from the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer show belong to WB
(and/or UPN), Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, Sandollar and Joss Whedon. The
Highlander characters belong to Rysher Entertainment. The others are
original characters created by myself.
Immortal in Residence
by Scott R. Barnett
Sunnydale High School December 4, 1996
A tall and distinguished looking gentleman walked down the hallways of the school. He smiled at the students that were already there, but did not say anything. He quietly made his was to the library. This was his place. This was his refuge. It was quiet and peaceful, just the way he liked it. He unlocked the doors and made his way inside. He made his way over to his office and put down his briefcase. He then turned around and hung up his long trench coat that he had just taken off.
As he was sitting there going over his paper work for the day he felt an odd buzzing in the back of his head. It was something that he had not felt in a few years. He had been grateful for the lack of it, but evidently the rest was over. He got up and reached into the trench coat. He pulled out a long broad sword from it. He then walked out of his office, while holding the sword behind his back.
When he came out he saw a women with black hair standing near the counter. She was the only one in the library, other than him. She was just looking around and did not appear to notice him. He figured that this was probably due to the spell that he had placed on himself last year. This spell masked his true nature. She looked to be in her late twenties and appeared to be of Romani decent.
He walked up to her, brought the sword around in front of him and said, "Sir Rupert Giles of the Order of the Lion." He said this like he was challenging her.
She looked at him, startled. She then saw the sword that he was holding at the ready. She gulped and said, "Hi. I'm Jenny Calendar. I'm the new computer teacher here at the high school. I am replacing Mr. Johnson"
He looked at her closely and realized that she was probably a newbie and did not yet know what she truly was. He put down his sword on the counter and smiled at her.
"Sorry about that. I'm Rupert Giles. I'm the school librarian. I do a bit of Renaissance work with a local group and was just practicing."
"Oh. Well I was told to report here to pick up some books."
"Yes. Here they are." He handed her a box of books.
"Thank you. I guess I'll get going now."
"Good idea. Classes start in a few minutes. After your last class please come back. There is something that I need to talk to you about."
"Ok. Good to meet you."
"Good to meet you too."
Ms. Calendar then walked out of the library. Giles picked up his sword and returned it to his coat. He then sat down again and began to think about what just happened. It was obvious to him that she had no idea what she was. Even without the telltale buzz she should have known he was an immortal, like her, when he challenged her. She had not. He figured that she had probably just become an immortal in the last year or so. She was lucky that she had not stumbled upon any of the immortals that were just out there to take as many heads as possible. It had been a couple of decades since he had had a student, but he figured he could do it if she wished. Besides, he had found her to be quite attractive looking.
He picked up his phone and started to make some phone calls. He had a number of contacts all over the world and through them he could usually find out anything that he wanted to. He usually liked to research any new immortals in the area. He did not like to go into a possible fight without knowing what he was up against.
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A few hours later Giles sat back in his chair. He had just gotten off the phone with the last of his contacts. He now looked over the information that he had gathered. It looked like he had been right about the Romani part. She was really Janna of the Kalendish people. This was the same gypsy clan that had cursed Angel with his soul. He wondered what her real reasons to be here were. If she were here to hurt Angel, he would stop her. Angel had become a good friend and ally to him and his Slayer. The fact that the souled vampire and his Slayer had fallen in love was an interesting side note.
Everyone associated with them worried a little about this. They thought that Angel would loose interest in Buffy when she got older. Since Angel was a vampire, he was immortal and would not age. Buffy on the other hand was mortal and would get old, or so everyone else thought. Giles knew differently. He knew from experience that Buffy was also an immortal. She just didn't know it. No one did, other than him. He had placed the same spell on her after she had become immortal. Actually the spell was slightly different. The one on her was two ways. She would not be noticed by another immortal, but would also not feel the buzz of that one either. This was last month when she had died at the hands of the master vampire. Everyone thought that it was Xander's CPR that had brought her back, but Giles knew the truth. He had decided that it was best not to say anything to her at that time. She needed to grow up and mature a little more first. He would protect her until then, and then he would tell her. He had already begun teaching her how to properly protect herself from other immortals. He just disguised it as training against vampires. The fact that a lot of the same moves with a sword would work against vampires was a nicely added bonus. He also knew that her close friends, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg were pre-immortals. There were also two other students, Cordelia Chase and Daniel 'Oz' Osborne that were also pre-immortals. Any immortal with enough experience could sense someone who would become immortal. How they all came to live in this same town was beyond him. He just assigned himself their silent protector. He would teach each of them when the time came. He had come to look upon some of these children like they were his own and cared for them as such.
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The end of the day came and Ms. Calendar walked back to the library. It had been an interesting day. She had met a number of the students and was impressed with a couple of them. They were Willow Rosenberg and Daniel 'Oz' Osborne. They were naturals when it came to computers. Especially Willow. She felt that Oz probably could be better if he wanted to. Instead, if she was correct, he seemed to be a rather laid back type of boy. The problem was that she just couldn't get a read on the boy. His grades were good, but he didn't seem to apply himself to a lot. She also saw that Willow appeared to be close friends with Xander Harris and Buffy Summers, both of whom were also in her class. They also appeared to be at odds with another student in the class, Cordelia Chase.
When she entered the library she got a bit of a surprise. Three of the students that she had just been thinking about were sitting around one of the big tables. They were Willow, Buffy and Xander. Mr. Giles was sitting there as well, talking to them.
"Hello." said Ms. Calendar.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Calendar. Allow me to introduce you to these students. They help out in the library here after school and during their free periods." said Giles.
"We've already met. They are in my fifth period class." said Jenny.
"Ah. Very good. If you students will excuse us, I have to talk to Ms. Calendar here about some school things, as this is her first day." said Giles.
"Ok. See you tomorrow Giles." said Buffy.
The students all walked out. Giles got up and locked the library doors, to avoid any interruptions.
"Please sit down Ms. Calendar. What I have to talk to you about will take a little while and it would probably be best that you are sitting down. It may shock you a little. Please keep in mind that what I am telling you is the truth. It may sound like fiction, but it is not."
Jenny sat down and placed her bag on the table. Giles also sat down and glanced at the papers in front of him for a moment. He then looked up at her and stared into her eyes. As he did this he muttered something under his breath. Right after he did that she suddenly had this weird headache. It felt like a buzz in the back of her head. She looked back up at him and it went away.
"What was that? What did you do to me?"
"I did nothing to you. I merely removed the spell on myself and revealed my true nature to you."
"Are you a mage?"
"Yes I am. But that is not really what I was talking about. I am like you. I am immortal."
"What? I'm not immortal. There's no such thing amongst humans."
"That is not true. There are approximately nine to ten thousand of us walking the earth. When did you die the first time? I'm guessing it was in the past year?"
"I didn't die. I was in a bad automobile accident this past June, but I survived it. The doctors had been surprised."
"You did not survive it. You died. When you died you became immortal. We are born as pre-immortals. We grow up mortal until we die the first time. Then we become immortal. No ones no why, but that is the case. We recognize another immortal by the buzz that you felt. It goes away when you look at the person. As an immortal you can die, but you will revive. Your healing process is now supercharged. Any wound you get will heal very quickly and you cannot get sick. There is one way that you can die permanently. That is by the total removal of the head. If you wish it I will train you in how to defend yourself."
"Why would I need to defend myself?"
"There is an abomination called the Game that some immortals play. It is a ritualistic combat to the death. It is usually done with swords, though some immortals use battle-axes. I do not play it if I can help it. I do not believe in it and stress this on any student that I may have. There are also two rules that all immortals follow. The first one is that once challenged, you must fight. No one else can help you with the fight. The only exception is that a teacher may step in to defend their student. The other rule is that there will be no fighting on holy ground. That is the only safe place for our kind."
"So let me get this straight. I will live forever and can recover from any wound, except if I loose my head. I have to fight other immortals to survive and I can't fight on holy ground."
"Yes. You will also not age. You will look the same as when you first died. The other thing is that no immortal can have children. We do not know why, but all immortals are sterile."
"Oh." she said with a sad look on her face.
"I am sorry to tell you this. I know a lot of immortals that are saddened by this. Some of them have adopted children, but they can not have any of their own."
"How old are you? I know now that I only died last year, but when did you?"
"I am 825 years old. I was born in the year 1171 AD. I was born into the House of Kent in England. My father was the Earl of Kent. I am now the Duke, having been elevated from Earl in 1430. At the age of 18 I became a knight in the army of King Richard I. I accompanied him on the first crusade. Over the next 20 years I served both him and his successor, King John I. By the time that I first died I was the Knight General of the King's army. I died in battle at the age of 38, in the year 1209. By this time I had succeeded my father as the Earl. Another immortal found me after the battle and took me away from there. He taught me about us and how to change my identity. I roamed for many years after this. I traveled all of Europe and Asia. I eventually made my way back to England and recovered my lands. I did this under the guise of a "cousin". The bloodline that I had forged was the best claim presented for the title and the lands. By this time there was no one there that recognized me. I still control those lands and the title to this day, having kept them through various identities. The Duke of Kent is known as a recluse. This is so no one realizes that all of the Dukes have been the same person."
"How did you become a mage?"
"My mother was a witch. My father and I knew, but no one else. She taught me with his permission. Over the years I have studied with others or by myself. I am now fairly powerful. The reason that I cast that spell on myself is so no other immortal, which comes to Sunnydale, will recognize me as one of their own. Like I said, I do not play the Game. Luckily, you are the first immortal to come here in several years."
"Why did you come here anyway?"
"I must have your oath that you will keep this secret that I am about to tell you. It could put your life at risk if it was to become known, and the lives of several children."
"I swear."
"About a hundred years ago I joined a group of people called the Council of Watchers. I am a Watcher. We find, train and assist the Slayer. The Slayer is one girl in all of the world. A Chosen one. This girl is given, by the powers-that-be, the strength, skill and stamina to fight vampires and demons. Buffy Summers is the Slayer for this generation. The other two kids that you saw here this afternoon know about her and I, and help us in the fight. None of them know about me being immortal though. Please keep that a secret as well. You will want to keep your own immortality quiet too."
"Wow. That is amazing. Vampires you say? Aren't they just myths?"
"Please. Do not try to tell me that you do not know anything about vampires, Janna of the Kalendish people."
"What??? How did you know who I was?"
"I have many sources throughout the world. I contacted them earlier, after I first met you. I check up on all possible immortal threats. I was not sure if you were a newbie, or just acting. Why are you here Janna? I know about the curse on Angelus. Is that why?"
"Yes. My uncle sent me here to see to it that Angelus was still hurting. My people hold grudges for a long time."
"I see. Well let me tell you this. Angelus, or Angel as he now goes by, is an important member of our team. He helps us with fighting the darkness and research. He is also in love with Buffy, and she returns it. If you try to hurt him, or Buffy, you will answer to me. This is no idle threat. I can and will avenge him or her. Are we clear on this?"
"Uh.. Yes. I do not mean to hurt him. I am just to watch him."
"Ok. As long as we understand each other we will get along fine. Now, do you wish to be my student? I will train you so that you can survive. While doing this you can help our team in our fight."
"Yes. I would like you to teach me. When will we begin and where?"
"We can begin tomorrow night. I have complete access to the school and we can train in the gym on the nights when we're not needed for the fight. We will also train on the weekends. Come with me now and we will find you a sword."
They left the school and drove to a particular shop in a nearby town.
"Good evening Claus. How are you doing?" said Giles.
"Evening Rupert. I am doing well. Is this lady new to our world?" said Claus.
"Yes she is. Her name is Jenny Calendar and she is my student." said Giles.
"Good to meet you Ms. Calendar. I assume that you are here for a sword?" said Claus.
"Yes we are. Might we see what you have?" said Giles.
"Certainly, come this way." said Claus.
They walked into the back of the shop and looked at the swords. They finally found one that Jenny felt comfortable with. Giles bought it and presented it to her as a gift.
"Use this sword well Jenny Calendar, and don't lose your head." said Giles.
She thanked both of them and they then drove back to the school so that Jenny could get her car. Giles told her she should invest in a good long coat to wear. That way the sword could be hidden from view. She should carry her sword with her regularly, as she would never know when she would need it.
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Sunnydale High School October 20, 1997
It was now a little over a year later and Jenny turned out to be a very good sword fighter. She had also started helping out the team. As she got to know Angel she soon regretted her job. She finally told the group about herself, except for the immortal part. She also told them about the clause in the curse dealing with him loosing his soul if he were to have a moment of true happiness.
When Giles heard this he started looking for a way to get rid of this problem. He researched for many weeks on it and finally found a binding spell for Angel's soul. With the help of Willow and Jenny he cast the spell on Angel. Jenny never told her clan about it.
Over the year two more students had joined their little group. These were Cordelia Chase and Daniel 'Oz' Osborne. Cordelia had kind of been with the group for quite a while now, but had just recently started dating Xander. Since then her attitude towards the group had really started to change. She had become a much more caring person, and tried to help the group in any way she could. Oz had recently joined the group. He got into it when he started dating Willow. Shortly afterwards they found out he was a werewolf. It was after this discovery that he joined them in their fight.
Over time Giles had told Jenny about Buffy also being an immortal and that the others were pre-immortals. Jenny agreed with Giles's reasoning and kept the secret from the children. Also over time it was apparent that Giles and Jenny had some feelings for each other. They started dating. This, for some reason, amused the kids.
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It was seven o'clock at night and Angel rushed into the Library. The rest of the team was already there.
"Hi everyone. I got here as soon as I could. What's up?" asked Angel.
"There are a group of demons that will attempt to open the Hellmouth. The prophecy calls for several human sacrifices. One of them is supposed to be the Slayer." said Giles.
They continued their research into this. What they did not realize was that the demons were already there in Sunnydale and were in the caves right below the library, near the Hellmouth itself.
Without warning an explosion happened and left a gaping hole in the floor near the tables. Eight demons then climbed out of the hole and attacked them. Cordelia, who had been sitting near the hole, had been thrown by the explosion into the wall. Giles rushed over to her, but shook his head to the others. She was gone.
They all started to fight the demons, but they were too strong. One by one they started falling. First Xander, then Willow and finally Oz. Angel and Buffy seemed to be holding their own, as well as Giles and Jenny. Then two of the demons ganged up on Buffy and broke her neck. This spurned Angel, Giles and Jenny on. The finally defeated the demons and Giles and Jenny performed a spell to reseal the Hellmouth.
The three of them climbed back up into the library and went over to the children. Angel started to cry over Buffy's body and Jenny for the others. Only Giles sat down and calmly took off his glasses to clean them.
Angel saw this and became angry. "What are you doing Giles? These children were just massacred. Don't you care?"
"Calm down both of you. Remember what I told you Jenny." said Giles.
"What are you talking about?" asked Angel.
Giles sighed and said, "The children will be alright. They will reawaken shortly. These children are special. They are all immortals." said Giles.
"What? I have heard of immortals but I never knew that they were." said Angel.
"They are. Buffy has been one for about a year. She died the first time at the hands of the Master. It was at that time that I realized that all of them were pre-immortals. None of them know it, though. I will explain more after they wake up. In the meantime, could you go and pick up some pizzas. I don't know why but you tend to be very hungry after you die the first time." said Giles. He then picked up his sword and started cleaning it.
Angel just looked at him for a moment and then went to do what he asked. He came back about fifteen minutes later. Buffy and the others were just starting to awaken. He put the pizzas down and rushed over to Buffy.
"What happened? Aren't I supposed to be dead?" asked Buffy.
"You'll be alright. When the rest of them awaken I will explain." said Giles.
Pretty soon the rest of them awoke and they were all quietly sitting around the table eating some pizza, lost in thought. Giles cleared his throat to get their attention.
"If I might have you attention I will explain what happened to you all." said Giles.
They all looked at him with questioning eyes.
"First off please keep what I tell you to yourselves. For your safety and the safety of others please do not tell anyone, even your parents. Second, please let me finish my explanation before asking any questions." said Giles.
He looked around the table and they all nodded their heads to him.
"Ok. Here's the deal. Yes, you all died. No this is not heaven. You are still on earth and living. The reason that you are still amongst the living is that you are all immortals. No you are not vampires. There is a race of humans living amongst us that are immortal. Both Jenny and myself are among them. You all are now too. We cannot die. If we do, we get back up. All wounds heal within minutes and we cannot get sick. The only way to kill us permanently is by the total removal of the head."
Seeing that they didn't quite believe him he picked up his sword and cut himself across the arm. They all watched as blue lightning shot across the cut and it healed within seconds.
"Now you see. You will all live forever and look the same as you did at the moment of your death, which for most of you is just a half hour ago."
"What do you mean by most of us?" asked Buffy.
"The only one that did not die for the first time tonight is you Buffy. You really did die a year ago at the hands of the master. I knew it then, but I determined for your own safety that it was not time to tell you. An experienced immortal can tell who will become immortal. We call them pre- immortals. I knew when I met you all that you would eventually become immortals."
"If you are immortals, how old are you both?" asked Willow.
"Jenny is still pretty young, having only died for the first time a little over a year ago. I on the other hand am quite old. You like to joke around about my old fashioned ways. Well they are old fashioned because I was born in the year 1171 AD. I am 826 years old. I died for the first time in 1209 AD at the age of thirty-eight."
"Wow!" said Buffy.
"I will tell you a little about myself. At the age of eighteen I joined the ranks of knights under the rule of King Richard the First of England. I was the first son of the Earl of Kent. I still hold the title, though it is Duke now, and control those lands. I fought in the first crusade alongside of Richard the Lionhearted. After the battle I was inducted into the Order of the Lion. This is a prestigious order of knights that was setup by Richard I. Over the next twenty years I served both King Richard I and his successor, King John I. I died in battle in the year 1209 at the age of 38. I was the Knight General at the time. Another immortal found me at that time and taught me about what we were. I stayed with him for a time and then wandered the known world for many years. I eventually made my way back to England, where I laid claim to my title and lands under the identity of a "cousin" of the last Earl. I made sure that my claim was better than anyone else's. I have retained the title and lands since then, though I was elevated to Duke several hundred years ago. The Dukes of Kent are known as recluses. I did this to insure that no one realizes that they are all the same person. About a hundred years ago I joined the Council of Watchers. They know that I am long lived, but they think it is due to a spell placed on me by a black mage. They also think I am only a little over a hundred years old. I will not be telling them of your conditions, for your safety."
"Is that why you carry the sword?" asked Xander.
"No. I carry the sword due to the Game. It is an abomination that a lot of immortals play. It is a ritualistic dual to the death between two immortals. I do not play this and try to instill it in all of my students. There are two rules that all immortals abide by. The first one is that once challenged, you must fight. The only exception is that a teacher can step in for a student. The other rule is that there is no fighting on holy land. This is the only safe place for our kind. If you all agree, I will take you all on as students. I am already teaching Jenny, and have been teaching Buffy. I know I had told you that it was for vampires, but the truth is the same moves would work on vampires as well. Do you all agree to be my students?" said Giles.
They looked at each other. They were all a little stunned and frightened at this new development. They nodded at each other.
"Yes. Please teach us." said Buffy.
"Very well. We will start tomorrow. I will pick up swords for each of you. Please buy a long coat, if you don't already have one. This is to keep the sword hidden. I will show you how to attach the scabbard to the inside of your jacket. Now I must do something that will be a little painful at first. When you feel a buzz in your head look at Jenny and me. It will go away."
He muttered under his breath and suddenly they all felt it. Even Angel, it appeared. They all looked at them and then the pain went away.
"That buzz is how you can identify another immortal. When you sense it just look at the immortal and it will go away. It will become less disturbing each time. You will eventually get used to it. I had put a spell on myself, Jenny and Buffy to stop the buzz from happening, for our safety. Jenny and myself were able to sense other immortals, but they could not sense us. Buffy's worked both ways. This was so she would not start asking about it. That is the other thing that I have not really told you. You all know that I am somewhat knowledgeable about magic. The truth is I am a master mage. My mother had been a witch and had taught me her magic. I have studied with others and by myself through the years since then. I am now going to put this spell on all of you. This will protect you until your training is complete. I am going to modify it so that you will be able to sense each other though." said Giles.
He then muttered under his breath again.
"It is done. I will remove this spell once your training is complete and at that time teach it to you all. You will then be able to choose if you wish to use it or not. Now, why don't you all go home and get some rest. Tomorrow is Saturday. Please meet me in the gymnasium at 10am."
They all left except Angel and Buffy.
"Giles, why did I feel that buzz?" asked Angel.
"I don't know. I had felt you before now, but never really thought about it. My guess is that you were a pre-immortal when you were turned. You are now both an immortal and a vampire. I have been looking for a spell that will change you back to human. I imagine at that time that you will retain your immortal status, but not your vampire one. I will keep researching." said Giles.
"Thank you." said Angel.
Buffy and Angel then left. Giles packed up and along with Jenny they drove off to see Claus again.
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Sunnydale High School October 21, 1997
The next day the whole gang met Giles in the gymnasium. Jenny and Angel were there as well. Angel had come through the sewers and come up through the sewer opening in the boy's locker room. Angel and Jenny were going to assist Giles in the training. Angel was fairly good with a sword as well. He had learned it in his mortal days.
Giles called each of them forward and presented them with a sword and scabbard. He included Angel in this.
"These are your swords. My gift to you. Use them well and don't lose your head." said Giles.
He then showed each of them how to attach the scabbards to the inside of their coats.
"You should keep your sword with you at all times. You never know when you will need it. I know that you will not be able to take them to class, but you can leave them with me in the library during the day. Be careful to not let anyone know that you are carrying them. The excuse that I use when someone sees it is that I belong to the Renaissance group in town. This is actually true. It reminds me of my days as a mortal. You all may want to join up to make it legit. It's actually a lot of fun. You don't have to attend the events if you don't want to and the annual fee is rather minimal.
Another thing that I will teach you is a little magic that you can use to age your selves. This will be needed in a few years when the rest of your classmates start looking older than you. After a certain time though, you will probably have to leave Sunnydale and find a new home and identity. That is one of the hardest parts about being an immortal. Hopefully that won't happen for at least another forty or so years. However, if you should die publicly you will have to move on immediately. I will show you how to setup new identities. You should always have at least three of them setup at a time. This way you can just leave without stopping to get anything. Once you're "officially" dead it will be difficult to retrieve anything from your current identity. You will just have to pick one of your alternate ones and start fresh. I have done this many times over the years. It is difficult, emotionally, to do but it is absolutely necessary. You don't want someone to realize that you are immortal; they will probably come after you for witchcraft or something. If the government finds out, they will want to take you to study. The world as a whole is not ready to learn of our existence. They cannot comprehend it.
Another hard part is watching your friends and families grow old and die. A lot of immortals move around a lot so that they don't have to see this. This is a personal choice that you will have to make on your own. The last two things that I need to tell you will probably upset you. I am sorry, but they are the truth. All immortals are sterile. We cannot have children. Some immortals adopt children, but we cannot have ones of our own. We do not know why, but it is the truth. Also, your parents are not your birth parents. All immortals are foundlings. We don't know where we come from, but we know we are not born to our parents. You were either adopted by your parents or possibly the hospital simply replaced your parent's child with you. This does happen. Sometimes when a woman's baby is stillborn the hospital will replace it with a baby that was found nearby with out the woman knowing. Due to magic that is inherent in us we grow up to look like our parents, even though we were not conceived by them. Please do not be angry with your parents. Like I said, they may not know that you are not theirs by birth. Remember, other than birth, you are their child in all other ways." said Giles.
Everyone just stared at him in shock. Most have them had some tears in their eyes. After they recovered from this they started the lessons.
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They finished up three hours later.
"That was a good start children. We will continue your training in the late afternoons after classes and on the weekend mornings. Please come back here tomorrow at the same time. If for some reason you can not make it to a class, please let me know ahead of time. I know that all of this has not yet sunk in. It might help to talk about it amongst you. Also, please come see me at any time if you want to talk. I am more then happy to try to help you deal with this or any other problems that you may be having. You can either come to see me at the Library or at my house. You may all leave now." said Giles.
Giles walked over to the benches where he had his equipment. He started packing it up. While he did this he sensed some people come up behind him.
"Giles, can we talk to you?" asked Cordelia. Cordelia, Willow and Buffy were all standing there.
"Certainly. What can I do for you girls?" said Giles.
"Well, we're scared. For me, I don't know what to do. The thought of living forever scares me. It's not something I ever thought about. I'm going to out live all of my friends and family. I don't know what to do." cried Cordelia. The other two girls were nodding their heads in agreement with what Cordelia was saying. They were also crying a little.
"My girls, please don't let this scare you. Yes you will most likely outlive most of the people you know. Just remember that you have each other though. Lean on yourselves and the young men who love you for support. Jenny and I are here as well. I know what you are going through. I went through it as well. The important thing is to love the people that you have in your life for however long they are around. Don't shun them because you're afraid to lose them. You'll end up very lonely if you do. Now come over here." said Giles.
He held his arms open wide and all three girls came into them. He stood there hugging the three girls for a few minutes while they tried to compose themselves. He then let them go.
"Now, I believe that there are three young men over there who love you girls very much. Why don't you girls go over there and spend this beautiful Saturday with them. Enjoy your life, don't dwell on those things that you can not change. You are all very strong, capable young women who can do anything you set your minds to. Go on, get out of here." said a smiling Giles.
The girls each hugged him once again and then walked over to their respective boyfriends and left.
Jenny walked over to Giles and gave him a hug from behind. He turned around in her embrace and kissed her.
"I heard what you told them. They needed to hear that." said Jenny.
"Yes they did. I think they'll be all right. Now, why don't we go out and have some fun as well." said Giles, while leading Jenny out of the school.
END
Immortal in Residence
by Scott R. Barnett
Sunnydale High School December 4, 1996
A tall and distinguished looking gentleman walked down the hallways of the school. He smiled at the students that were already there, but did not say anything. He quietly made his was to the library. This was his place. This was his refuge. It was quiet and peaceful, just the way he liked it. He unlocked the doors and made his way inside. He made his way over to his office and put down his briefcase. He then turned around and hung up his long trench coat that he had just taken off.
As he was sitting there going over his paper work for the day he felt an odd buzzing in the back of his head. It was something that he had not felt in a few years. He had been grateful for the lack of it, but evidently the rest was over. He got up and reached into the trench coat. He pulled out a long broad sword from it. He then walked out of his office, while holding the sword behind his back.
When he came out he saw a women with black hair standing near the counter. She was the only one in the library, other than him. She was just looking around and did not appear to notice him. He figured that this was probably due to the spell that he had placed on himself last year. This spell masked his true nature. She looked to be in her late twenties and appeared to be of Romani decent.
He walked up to her, brought the sword around in front of him and said, "Sir Rupert Giles of the Order of the Lion." He said this like he was challenging her.
She looked at him, startled. She then saw the sword that he was holding at the ready. She gulped and said, "Hi. I'm Jenny Calendar. I'm the new computer teacher here at the high school. I am replacing Mr. Johnson"
He looked at her closely and realized that she was probably a newbie and did not yet know what she truly was. He put down his sword on the counter and smiled at her.
"Sorry about that. I'm Rupert Giles. I'm the school librarian. I do a bit of Renaissance work with a local group and was just practicing."
"Oh. Well I was told to report here to pick up some books."
"Yes. Here they are." He handed her a box of books.
"Thank you. I guess I'll get going now."
"Good idea. Classes start in a few minutes. After your last class please come back. There is something that I need to talk to you about."
"Ok. Good to meet you."
"Good to meet you too."
Ms. Calendar then walked out of the library. Giles picked up his sword and returned it to his coat. He then sat down again and began to think about what just happened. It was obvious to him that she had no idea what she was. Even without the telltale buzz she should have known he was an immortal, like her, when he challenged her. She had not. He figured that she had probably just become an immortal in the last year or so. She was lucky that she had not stumbled upon any of the immortals that were just out there to take as many heads as possible. It had been a couple of decades since he had had a student, but he figured he could do it if she wished. Besides, he had found her to be quite attractive looking.
He picked up his phone and started to make some phone calls. He had a number of contacts all over the world and through them he could usually find out anything that he wanted to. He usually liked to research any new immortals in the area. He did not like to go into a possible fight without knowing what he was up against.
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A few hours later Giles sat back in his chair. He had just gotten off the phone with the last of his contacts. He now looked over the information that he had gathered. It looked like he had been right about the Romani part. She was really Janna of the Kalendish people. This was the same gypsy clan that had cursed Angel with his soul. He wondered what her real reasons to be here were. If she were here to hurt Angel, he would stop her. Angel had become a good friend and ally to him and his Slayer. The fact that the souled vampire and his Slayer had fallen in love was an interesting side note.
Everyone associated with them worried a little about this. They thought that Angel would loose interest in Buffy when she got older. Since Angel was a vampire, he was immortal and would not age. Buffy on the other hand was mortal and would get old, or so everyone else thought. Giles knew differently. He knew from experience that Buffy was also an immortal. She just didn't know it. No one did, other than him. He had placed the same spell on her after she had become immortal. Actually the spell was slightly different. The one on her was two ways. She would not be noticed by another immortal, but would also not feel the buzz of that one either. This was last month when she had died at the hands of the master vampire. Everyone thought that it was Xander's CPR that had brought her back, but Giles knew the truth. He had decided that it was best not to say anything to her at that time. She needed to grow up and mature a little more first. He would protect her until then, and then he would tell her. He had already begun teaching her how to properly protect herself from other immortals. He just disguised it as training against vampires. The fact that a lot of the same moves with a sword would work against vampires was a nicely added bonus. He also knew that her close friends, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg were pre-immortals. There were also two other students, Cordelia Chase and Daniel 'Oz' Osborne that were also pre-immortals. Any immortal with enough experience could sense someone who would become immortal. How they all came to live in this same town was beyond him. He just assigned himself their silent protector. He would teach each of them when the time came. He had come to look upon some of these children like they were his own and cared for them as such.
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The end of the day came and Ms. Calendar walked back to the library. It had been an interesting day. She had met a number of the students and was impressed with a couple of them. They were Willow Rosenberg and Daniel 'Oz' Osborne. They were naturals when it came to computers. Especially Willow. She felt that Oz probably could be better if he wanted to. Instead, if she was correct, he seemed to be a rather laid back type of boy. The problem was that she just couldn't get a read on the boy. His grades were good, but he didn't seem to apply himself to a lot. She also saw that Willow appeared to be close friends with Xander Harris and Buffy Summers, both of whom were also in her class. They also appeared to be at odds with another student in the class, Cordelia Chase.
When she entered the library she got a bit of a surprise. Three of the students that she had just been thinking about were sitting around one of the big tables. They were Willow, Buffy and Xander. Mr. Giles was sitting there as well, talking to them.
"Hello." said Ms. Calendar.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Calendar. Allow me to introduce you to these students. They help out in the library here after school and during their free periods." said Giles.
"We've already met. They are in my fifth period class." said Jenny.
"Ah. Very good. If you students will excuse us, I have to talk to Ms. Calendar here about some school things, as this is her first day." said Giles.
"Ok. See you tomorrow Giles." said Buffy.
The students all walked out. Giles got up and locked the library doors, to avoid any interruptions.
"Please sit down Ms. Calendar. What I have to talk to you about will take a little while and it would probably be best that you are sitting down. It may shock you a little. Please keep in mind that what I am telling you is the truth. It may sound like fiction, but it is not."
Jenny sat down and placed her bag on the table. Giles also sat down and glanced at the papers in front of him for a moment. He then looked up at her and stared into her eyes. As he did this he muttered something under his breath. Right after he did that she suddenly had this weird headache. It felt like a buzz in the back of her head. She looked back up at him and it went away.
"What was that? What did you do to me?"
"I did nothing to you. I merely removed the spell on myself and revealed my true nature to you."
"Are you a mage?"
"Yes I am. But that is not really what I was talking about. I am like you. I am immortal."
"What? I'm not immortal. There's no such thing amongst humans."
"That is not true. There are approximately nine to ten thousand of us walking the earth. When did you die the first time? I'm guessing it was in the past year?"
"I didn't die. I was in a bad automobile accident this past June, but I survived it. The doctors had been surprised."
"You did not survive it. You died. When you died you became immortal. We are born as pre-immortals. We grow up mortal until we die the first time. Then we become immortal. No ones no why, but that is the case. We recognize another immortal by the buzz that you felt. It goes away when you look at the person. As an immortal you can die, but you will revive. Your healing process is now supercharged. Any wound you get will heal very quickly and you cannot get sick. There is one way that you can die permanently. That is by the total removal of the head. If you wish it I will train you in how to defend yourself."
"Why would I need to defend myself?"
"There is an abomination called the Game that some immortals play. It is a ritualistic combat to the death. It is usually done with swords, though some immortals use battle-axes. I do not play it if I can help it. I do not believe in it and stress this on any student that I may have. There are also two rules that all immortals follow. The first one is that once challenged, you must fight. No one else can help you with the fight. The only exception is that a teacher may step in to defend their student. The other rule is that there will be no fighting on holy ground. That is the only safe place for our kind."
"So let me get this straight. I will live forever and can recover from any wound, except if I loose my head. I have to fight other immortals to survive and I can't fight on holy ground."
"Yes. You will also not age. You will look the same as when you first died. The other thing is that no immortal can have children. We do not know why, but all immortals are sterile."
"Oh." she said with a sad look on her face.
"I am sorry to tell you this. I know a lot of immortals that are saddened by this. Some of them have adopted children, but they can not have any of their own."
"How old are you? I know now that I only died last year, but when did you?"
"I am 825 years old. I was born in the year 1171 AD. I was born into the House of Kent in England. My father was the Earl of Kent. I am now the Duke, having been elevated from Earl in 1430. At the age of 18 I became a knight in the army of King Richard I. I accompanied him on the first crusade. Over the next 20 years I served both him and his successor, King John I. By the time that I first died I was the Knight General of the King's army. I died in battle at the age of 38, in the year 1209. By this time I had succeeded my father as the Earl. Another immortal found me after the battle and took me away from there. He taught me about us and how to change my identity. I roamed for many years after this. I traveled all of Europe and Asia. I eventually made my way back to England and recovered my lands. I did this under the guise of a "cousin". The bloodline that I had forged was the best claim presented for the title and the lands. By this time there was no one there that recognized me. I still control those lands and the title to this day, having kept them through various identities. The Duke of Kent is known as a recluse. This is so no one realizes that all of the Dukes have been the same person."
"How did you become a mage?"
"My mother was a witch. My father and I knew, but no one else. She taught me with his permission. Over the years I have studied with others or by myself. I am now fairly powerful. The reason that I cast that spell on myself is so no other immortal, which comes to Sunnydale, will recognize me as one of their own. Like I said, I do not play the Game. Luckily, you are the first immortal to come here in several years."
"Why did you come here anyway?"
"I must have your oath that you will keep this secret that I am about to tell you. It could put your life at risk if it was to become known, and the lives of several children."
"I swear."
"About a hundred years ago I joined a group of people called the Council of Watchers. I am a Watcher. We find, train and assist the Slayer. The Slayer is one girl in all of the world. A Chosen one. This girl is given, by the powers-that-be, the strength, skill and stamina to fight vampires and demons. Buffy Summers is the Slayer for this generation. The other two kids that you saw here this afternoon know about her and I, and help us in the fight. None of them know about me being immortal though. Please keep that a secret as well. You will want to keep your own immortality quiet too."
"Wow. That is amazing. Vampires you say? Aren't they just myths?"
"Please. Do not try to tell me that you do not know anything about vampires, Janna of the Kalendish people."
"What??? How did you know who I was?"
"I have many sources throughout the world. I contacted them earlier, after I first met you. I check up on all possible immortal threats. I was not sure if you were a newbie, or just acting. Why are you here Janna? I know about the curse on Angelus. Is that why?"
"Yes. My uncle sent me here to see to it that Angelus was still hurting. My people hold grudges for a long time."
"I see. Well let me tell you this. Angelus, or Angel as he now goes by, is an important member of our team. He helps us with fighting the darkness and research. He is also in love with Buffy, and she returns it. If you try to hurt him, or Buffy, you will answer to me. This is no idle threat. I can and will avenge him or her. Are we clear on this?"
"Uh.. Yes. I do not mean to hurt him. I am just to watch him."
"Ok. As long as we understand each other we will get along fine. Now, do you wish to be my student? I will train you so that you can survive. While doing this you can help our team in our fight."
"Yes. I would like you to teach me. When will we begin and where?"
"We can begin tomorrow night. I have complete access to the school and we can train in the gym on the nights when we're not needed for the fight. We will also train on the weekends. Come with me now and we will find you a sword."
They left the school and drove to a particular shop in a nearby town.
"Good evening Claus. How are you doing?" said Giles.
"Evening Rupert. I am doing well. Is this lady new to our world?" said Claus.
"Yes she is. Her name is Jenny Calendar and she is my student." said Giles.
"Good to meet you Ms. Calendar. I assume that you are here for a sword?" said Claus.
"Yes we are. Might we see what you have?" said Giles.
"Certainly, come this way." said Claus.
They walked into the back of the shop and looked at the swords. They finally found one that Jenny felt comfortable with. Giles bought it and presented it to her as a gift.
"Use this sword well Jenny Calendar, and don't lose your head." said Giles.
She thanked both of them and they then drove back to the school so that Jenny could get her car. Giles told her she should invest in a good long coat to wear. That way the sword could be hidden from view. She should carry her sword with her regularly, as she would never know when she would need it.
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Sunnydale High School October 20, 1997
It was now a little over a year later and Jenny turned out to be a very good sword fighter. She had also started helping out the team. As she got to know Angel she soon regretted her job. She finally told the group about herself, except for the immortal part. She also told them about the clause in the curse dealing with him loosing his soul if he were to have a moment of true happiness.
When Giles heard this he started looking for a way to get rid of this problem. He researched for many weeks on it and finally found a binding spell for Angel's soul. With the help of Willow and Jenny he cast the spell on Angel. Jenny never told her clan about it.
Over the year two more students had joined their little group. These were Cordelia Chase and Daniel 'Oz' Osborne. Cordelia had kind of been with the group for quite a while now, but had just recently started dating Xander. Since then her attitude towards the group had really started to change. She had become a much more caring person, and tried to help the group in any way she could. Oz had recently joined the group. He got into it when he started dating Willow. Shortly afterwards they found out he was a werewolf. It was after this discovery that he joined them in their fight.
Over time Giles had told Jenny about Buffy also being an immortal and that the others were pre-immortals. Jenny agreed with Giles's reasoning and kept the secret from the children. Also over time it was apparent that Giles and Jenny had some feelings for each other. They started dating. This, for some reason, amused the kids.
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It was seven o'clock at night and Angel rushed into the Library. The rest of the team was already there.
"Hi everyone. I got here as soon as I could. What's up?" asked Angel.
"There are a group of demons that will attempt to open the Hellmouth. The prophecy calls for several human sacrifices. One of them is supposed to be the Slayer." said Giles.
They continued their research into this. What they did not realize was that the demons were already there in Sunnydale and were in the caves right below the library, near the Hellmouth itself.
Without warning an explosion happened and left a gaping hole in the floor near the tables. Eight demons then climbed out of the hole and attacked them. Cordelia, who had been sitting near the hole, had been thrown by the explosion into the wall. Giles rushed over to her, but shook his head to the others. She was gone.
They all started to fight the demons, but they were too strong. One by one they started falling. First Xander, then Willow and finally Oz. Angel and Buffy seemed to be holding their own, as well as Giles and Jenny. Then two of the demons ganged up on Buffy and broke her neck. This spurned Angel, Giles and Jenny on. The finally defeated the demons and Giles and Jenny performed a spell to reseal the Hellmouth.
The three of them climbed back up into the library and went over to the children. Angel started to cry over Buffy's body and Jenny for the others. Only Giles sat down and calmly took off his glasses to clean them.
Angel saw this and became angry. "What are you doing Giles? These children were just massacred. Don't you care?"
"Calm down both of you. Remember what I told you Jenny." said Giles.
"What are you talking about?" asked Angel.
Giles sighed and said, "The children will be alright. They will reawaken shortly. These children are special. They are all immortals." said Giles.
"What? I have heard of immortals but I never knew that they were." said Angel.
"They are. Buffy has been one for about a year. She died the first time at the hands of the Master. It was at that time that I realized that all of them were pre-immortals. None of them know it, though. I will explain more after they wake up. In the meantime, could you go and pick up some pizzas. I don't know why but you tend to be very hungry after you die the first time." said Giles. He then picked up his sword and started cleaning it.
Angel just looked at him for a moment and then went to do what he asked. He came back about fifteen minutes later. Buffy and the others were just starting to awaken. He put the pizzas down and rushed over to Buffy.
"What happened? Aren't I supposed to be dead?" asked Buffy.
"You'll be alright. When the rest of them awaken I will explain." said Giles.
Pretty soon the rest of them awoke and they were all quietly sitting around the table eating some pizza, lost in thought. Giles cleared his throat to get their attention.
"If I might have you attention I will explain what happened to you all." said Giles.
They all looked at him with questioning eyes.
"First off please keep what I tell you to yourselves. For your safety and the safety of others please do not tell anyone, even your parents. Second, please let me finish my explanation before asking any questions." said Giles.
He looked around the table and they all nodded their heads to him.
"Ok. Here's the deal. Yes, you all died. No this is not heaven. You are still on earth and living. The reason that you are still amongst the living is that you are all immortals. No you are not vampires. There is a race of humans living amongst us that are immortal. Both Jenny and myself are among them. You all are now too. We cannot die. If we do, we get back up. All wounds heal within minutes and we cannot get sick. The only way to kill us permanently is by the total removal of the head."
Seeing that they didn't quite believe him he picked up his sword and cut himself across the arm. They all watched as blue lightning shot across the cut and it healed within seconds.
"Now you see. You will all live forever and look the same as you did at the moment of your death, which for most of you is just a half hour ago."
"What do you mean by most of us?" asked Buffy.
"The only one that did not die for the first time tonight is you Buffy. You really did die a year ago at the hands of the master. I knew it then, but I determined for your own safety that it was not time to tell you. An experienced immortal can tell who will become immortal. We call them pre- immortals. I knew when I met you all that you would eventually become immortals."
"If you are immortals, how old are you both?" asked Willow.
"Jenny is still pretty young, having only died for the first time a little over a year ago. I on the other hand am quite old. You like to joke around about my old fashioned ways. Well they are old fashioned because I was born in the year 1171 AD. I am 826 years old. I died for the first time in 1209 AD at the age of thirty-eight."
"Wow!" said Buffy.
"I will tell you a little about myself. At the age of eighteen I joined the ranks of knights under the rule of King Richard the First of England. I was the first son of the Earl of Kent. I still hold the title, though it is Duke now, and control those lands. I fought in the first crusade alongside of Richard the Lionhearted. After the battle I was inducted into the Order of the Lion. This is a prestigious order of knights that was setup by Richard I. Over the next twenty years I served both King Richard I and his successor, King John I. I died in battle in the year 1209 at the age of 38. I was the Knight General at the time. Another immortal found me at that time and taught me about what we were. I stayed with him for a time and then wandered the known world for many years. I eventually made my way back to England, where I laid claim to my title and lands under the identity of a "cousin" of the last Earl. I made sure that my claim was better than anyone else's. I have retained the title and lands since then, though I was elevated to Duke several hundred years ago. The Dukes of Kent are known as recluses. I did this to insure that no one realizes that they are all the same person. About a hundred years ago I joined the Council of Watchers. They know that I am long lived, but they think it is due to a spell placed on me by a black mage. They also think I am only a little over a hundred years old. I will not be telling them of your conditions, for your safety."
"Is that why you carry the sword?" asked Xander.
"No. I carry the sword due to the Game. It is an abomination that a lot of immortals play. It is a ritualistic dual to the death between two immortals. I do not play this and try to instill it in all of my students. There are two rules that all immortals abide by. The first one is that once challenged, you must fight. The only exception is that a teacher can step in for a student. The other rule is that there is no fighting on holy land. This is the only safe place for our kind. If you all agree, I will take you all on as students. I am already teaching Jenny, and have been teaching Buffy. I know I had told you that it was for vampires, but the truth is the same moves would work on vampires as well. Do you all agree to be my students?" said Giles.
They looked at each other. They were all a little stunned and frightened at this new development. They nodded at each other.
"Yes. Please teach us." said Buffy.
"Very well. We will start tomorrow. I will pick up swords for each of you. Please buy a long coat, if you don't already have one. This is to keep the sword hidden. I will show you how to attach the scabbard to the inside of your jacket. Now I must do something that will be a little painful at first. When you feel a buzz in your head look at Jenny and me. It will go away."
He muttered under his breath and suddenly they all felt it. Even Angel, it appeared. They all looked at them and then the pain went away.
"That buzz is how you can identify another immortal. When you sense it just look at the immortal and it will go away. It will become less disturbing each time. You will eventually get used to it. I had put a spell on myself, Jenny and Buffy to stop the buzz from happening, for our safety. Jenny and myself were able to sense other immortals, but they could not sense us. Buffy's worked both ways. This was so she would not start asking about it. That is the other thing that I have not really told you. You all know that I am somewhat knowledgeable about magic. The truth is I am a master mage. My mother had been a witch and had taught me her magic. I have studied with others and by myself through the years since then. I am now going to put this spell on all of you. This will protect you until your training is complete. I am going to modify it so that you will be able to sense each other though." said Giles.
He then muttered under his breath again.
"It is done. I will remove this spell once your training is complete and at that time teach it to you all. You will then be able to choose if you wish to use it or not. Now, why don't you all go home and get some rest. Tomorrow is Saturday. Please meet me in the gymnasium at 10am."
They all left except Angel and Buffy.
"Giles, why did I feel that buzz?" asked Angel.
"I don't know. I had felt you before now, but never really thought about it. My guess is that you were a pre-immortal when you were turned. You are now both an immortal and a vampire. I have been looking for a spell that will change you back to human. I imagine at that time that you will retain your immortal status, but not your vampire one. I will keep researching." said Giles.
"Thank you." said Angel.
Buffy and Angel then left. Giles packed up and along with Jenny they drove off to see Claus again.
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Sunnydale High School October 21, 1997
The next day the whole gang met Giles in the gymnasium. Jenny and Angel were there as well. Angel had come through the sewers and come up through the sewer opening in the boy's locker room. Angel and Jenny were going to assist Giles in the training. Angel was fairly good with a sword as well. He had learned it in his mortal days.
Giles called each of them forward and presented them with a sword and scabbard. He included Angel in this.
"These are your swords. My gift to you. Use them well and don't lose your head." said Giles.
He then showed each of them how to attach the scabbards to the inside of their coats.
"You should keep your sword with you at all times. You never know when you will need it. I know that you will not be able to take them to class, but you can leave them with me in the library during the day. Be careful to not let anyone know that you are carrying them. The excuse that I use when someone sees it is that I belong to the Renaissance group in town. This is actually true. It reminds me of my days as a mortal. You all may want to join up to make it legit. It's actually a lot of fun. You don't have to attend the events if you don't want to and the annual fee is rather minimal.
Another thing that I will teach you is a little magic that you can use to age your selves. This will be needed in a few years when the rest of your classmates start looking older than you. After a certain time though, you will probably have to leave Sunnydale and find a new home and identity. That is one of the hardest parts about being an immortal. Hopefully that won't happen for at least another forty or so years. However, if you should die publicly you will have to move on immediately. I will show you how to setup new identities. You should always have at least three of them setup at a time. This way you can just leave without stopping to get anything. Once you're "officially" dead it will be difficult to retrieve anything from your current identity. You will just have to pick one of your alternate ones and start fresh. I have done this many times over the years. It is difficult, emotionally, to do but it is absolutely necessary. You don't want someone to realize that you are immortal; they will probably come after you for witchcraft or something. If the government finds out, they will want to take you to study. The world as a whole is not ready to learn of our existence. They cannot comprehend it.
Another hard part is watching your friends and families grow old and die. A lot of immortals move around a lot so that they don't have to see this. This is a personal choice that you will have to make on your own. The last two things that I need to tell you will probably upset you. I am sorry, but they are the truth. All immortals are sterile. We cannot have children. Some immortals adopt children, but we cannot have ones of our own. We do not know why, but it is the truth. Also, your parents are not your birth parents. All immortals are foundlings. We don't know where we come from, but we know we are not born to our parents. You were either adopted by your parents or possibly the hospital simply replaced your parent's child with you. This does happen. Sometimes when a woman's baby is stillborn the hospital will replace it with a baby that was found nearby with out the woman knowing. Due to magic that is inherent in us we grow up to look like our parents, even though we were not conceived by them. Please do not be angry with your parents. Like I said, they may not know that you are not theirs by birth. Remember, other than birth, you are their child in all other ways." said Giles.
Everyone just stared at him in shock. Most have them had some tears in their eyes. After they recovered from this they started the lessons.
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They finished up three hours later.
"That was a good start children. We will continue your training in the late afternoons after classes and on the weekend mornings. Please come back here tomorrow at the same time. If for some reason you can not make it to a class, please let me know ahead of time. I know that all of this has not yet sunk in. It might help to talk about it amongst you. Also, please come see me at any time if you want to talk. I am more then happy to try to help you deal with this or any other problems that you may be having. You can either come to see me at the Library or at my house. You may all leave now." said Giles.
Giles walked over to the benches where he had his equipment. He started packing it up. While he did this he sensed some people come up behind him.
"Giles, can we talk to you?" asked Cordelia. Cordelia, Willow and Buffy were all standing there.
"Certainly. What can I do for you girls?" said Giles.
"Well, we're scared. For me, I don't know what to do. The thought of living forever scares me. It's not something I ever thought about. I'm going to out live all of my friends and family. I don't know what to do." cried Cordelia. The other two girls were nodding their heads in agreement with what Cordelia was saying. They were also crying a little.
"My girls, please don't let this scare you. Yes you will most likely outlive most of the people you know. Just remember that you have each other though. Lean on yourselves and the young men who love you for support. Jenny and I are here as well. I know what you are going through. I went through it as well. The important thing is to love the people that you have in your life for however long they are around. Don't shun them because you're afraid to lose them. You'll end up very lonely if you do. Now come over here." said Giles.
He held his arms open wide and all three girls came into them. He stood there hugging the three girls for a few minutes while they tried to compose themselves. He then let them go.
"Now, I believe that there are three young men over there who love you girls very much. Why don't you girls go over there and spend this beautiful Saturday with them. Enjoy your life, don't dwell on those things that you can not change. You are all very strong, capable young women who can do anything you set your minds to. Go on, get out of here." said a smiling Giles.
The girls each hugged him once again and then walked over to their respective boyfriends and left.
Jenny walked over to Giles and gave him a hug from behind. He turned around in her embrace and kissed her.
"I heard what you told them. They needed to hear that." said Jenny.
"Yes they did. I think they'll be all right. Now, why don't we go out and have some fun as well." said Giles, while leading Jenny out of the school.
END