CHAPTER SIX: WATCHERS
They found an empty bench outside in the sun and sat down, both of them simultaneously pulling out a small tub of yoghurt from their bags. Buffy grinned, recognising the diet that she had been taught so long ago.
Buffy watched as the girl struggled for a moment, obviously trying to remember something.
"You look confused," Buffy said after a moment.
The girl grinned sheepishly. "I was trying to remember your name," she confessed.
Buffy grinned. "We haven't done the name swap thing yet."
"Oh," she said. "Well, in that case, I'm Erika Wylcroft."
"Buffy Summers," she said.
She watched as Erika's face fell.
"Uh…I just remembered something," Erika said, a little disappointed that the first person she had considered becoming friends with was the one person she was trying to avoid. She stood up, about to move away.
"Erika, wait," Buffy said.
"Did you know?" Erika asked, almost angrily. "I mean, was this some grand scheme of yours and the Councils? Get me to almost relax and then BAM! Pounce on me the second you get a chance."
Buffy stood up, nowhere near Erika's height, but feeling more comfortable on her feet.
"Look, I honestly didn't know. I didn't know you were gonna be in that class there, and I didn't sit there cos I knew you were…who you are," Buffy said. "I only worked it out when I saw you drawing on your notebook, I swear. And as for the Council, I don't work for them. And neither do you. They work for us."
Erika scoffed at the thought. "You obviously haven't met anyone in the Council then."
"Oh, believe me I have," Buffy said. "They're a bunch of pompous old Brits who have no idea about any of it. The only good thing they've done for me is to give me my Watcher."
Erika wanted to believe her. She looked like someone who would be a terrific friend and…maybe if she had someone who knew the pressures and demands of slaying it wouldn't be as bad.
"I know you've had some really crappy experiences, with slaying and with the Council, so have I, but…this isn't about the Council. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's not really about us. It's about them," Buffy said, pointing to all the students who were milling around campus.
Erika sighed, hating that Buffy was using Ryan's logic.
"I don't wanna lose everything again," Erika admitted sadly. It seemed like a weakness for her to be admitting her fears to almost a complete stranger, but there was a certain kinship between them. They were both Slayers, and they obviously thought along the same lines.
"I know. It's hard when you lose things. When you lose people. Especially people you love," she said comfortingly.
Erika sat back down and Buffy sat next to her.
"I couldn't save him," Erika said, tears coming to her eyes.
"I know how you feel," Buffy said quietly.
Erika looked up at her. "You've lost a Watcher?"
Buffy nodded. "My first Watcher. He died and I couldn't save him. It hurt so much that I'd failed him."
Erika sighed softly and looked down at the ground once more.
"What was his name?" Buffy asked quietly.
"Ryan," she replied. "Ryan Evans. Yours?"
"Merrick. I didn't know his first name," Buffy said.
Erika wiped tears from her eyes and looked up at Buffy again.
"Ever lost the person you loved most to a vampire?" she asked.
Buffy nodded, thinking of Angel becoming lost to the demon Angelus. It wasn't quite the same thing, but in her mind it was.
"Were they turned?" she continued.
"Yeah. That wasn't fun," Buffy said.
"Did you…did you kill him?" Erika asked.
Buffy sighed, suddenly seeing why Erika really didn't want to get back into slaying. She had had to stake someone she had loved.
"It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but…yeah. I did it. I had to. It was either him or the world, and…well, we're standing here, so…" Buffy trailed off.
Buffy suddenly saw the ring that Erika was playing with. An engagement ring.
"The man you were engaged to…he was turned?" Buffy asked gently.
Erika looked up in surprise and then realised she had been fiddling with her ring once more. She nodded sadly.
"Two weeks ago," she replied.
Something Giles had said the other evening rang clearly in Buffy's mind.
"Her Watcher was killed nearly two weeks ago."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "Musta been hard. Losing your fiancé and your Watcher."
Erika looked at her wondering if her new friend truly understood.
"Hard doesn't really cover what I was feeling," Erika said.
Buffy nodded, wishing she knew what to say. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost the two most important people in my life in one hit."
Erika turned her head and stared at Buffy. "I only lost the one."
Buffy looked confused for a second and then realised. "You and your Watcher were together?"
"Yeah," Erika said softly. "We were gonna get married, defy the Council. Watchers and Slayer aren't meant to be together like that."
Buffy nodded, remembering that Giles had been fired for loving her, though it had been for having a father's love. She'd have to take that up with him later and just make sure that he didn't still feel that way.
"Are…are you and your Watcher…I mean…I know it's really none of my business, but-"
"We're together. But…we've only been together for two days or something. It's kinda…very new," Buffy explained.
"And Professor Giles, he's you're Watcher, yes?" Erika asked.
Buffy nodded. "I heard you kinda gasp when he introduced himself. It didn't even occur to me that you were the other Slayer."
"I had no idea it was you either," Erika said. "I mean…no offence, but…you're kinda…"
"If you say small, I may have to kill you," Buffy said, a smile on her face.
Erika grinned and leant back. "Well,
I'll just stop my sentence right there then."
They sat in companionable silence until Buffy heard her name being called from across the yard.
She looked up and saw Willow walking towards her, Tara in tow, a grin on Willow's face.
"Heya Will, Tara," Buffy greeted as they got closer. "Guys, this is Erika. Rik, these are my two good friends, Willow and Tara."
Erika politely shook hands with the two girls who quickly sat down on the grass in front of them.
"We just ran into Giles," Willow said, giving her friend an excited grin. She was still having troubles adjusting to the fact that Giles and Buffy were a couple. Even though she could see how incredibly right they were for each other, it was still a little wigsome to think of them as being together. "He said that you'd made a new friend."
Buffy grinned and rolled her eyes. "Strange concept I know, but…yeah. I'd like to think so."
Tara saw Erika give a small smile and go back to fiddling with her ring. She saw the sad look in Buffy's new friend's eyes and quickly decided against questioning her on it.
"So what's new? How does it feel to be back in college?" Willow asked.
"Kinda strange," Buffy said. "But…it's nice being back after so long. Plus, the whole not having to worry about fees thing is kinda nice."
"And Giles seems alright. I didn't even know he was a professor until just now," Willow said.
"Yeah, the Council got him a job here. I swear, they've only just started becoming decent," Buffy said.
Willow shot her a look, wondering why Buffy was carelessly talking about the Council in front of someone who was practically a stranger.
"You noticed they too huh?" Erika asked. "I swear, it was a good thing that they put someone besides Travers in charge."
Buffy looed at her confused, while Willow and Tara exchanged baffled looks.
"Travers isn't in charge?" Buffy asked.
Erika shook her head. "Not anymore. The Head of the Council demoted him, so he's pretty much just a regular guy now."
Willow couldn't help but interrupt. "How do you know about the Council? You're not training to be a Watcher are you?"
Erika grinned and shrugged.
"Oh…I forgot to mention," Buffy said. "Erika's the new Slayer."