**** Chapter 6: Changes ****
Buffy walked into the basement, fresh off patrol/training with the girls and Spike to find Faith and Dawn hugging in the basement. Puzzled by the sight she stopped and was bumped into by both Xander and Spike. Spike was the first to push his way past Buffy and down the stairs, as he went the other two followed. Buffy broke out of silence with a slightly jolly, "What's going on?"
Both Faith and Dawn turned to see the three new faces to the room with eyes filled with tears. They slowly let go of the other, just waiting on the other to explain what they had just seen. Faith finally stuttered, "I sa.I mean we saw.no it couldn't have been. Buffy, we saw Joyce." Faith started crying again.
Buffy turned to Dawn, Dawn just nodded her head yes. Buffy walked over to the two girls and held them in an embrace much like they had just been sharing. Not trying to be the party pooper Xander whispered, "What did she say Dawnie?"
Faith interrupted, "Wait, there's more. Let me tell you everything," Faith said while realeasing the girls. "Dawn and I had came down here to train, and I about had her. I had thrown a star at her and she stopped it by simply waving her hand and saying 'no'. Then her eyes started to glow, and she started moving at super-speed. When she had me down she told that axe there to come to her and it flew of the wall to her. After she beat me she was super-tired and could barely stand."
Buffy realized that this sounded familiar and turned to Xander, "Remember when we did the spell tapping into the slayer's power? I could control things, remember." Xander nodded.
"Now, after all this I'm wiggin' right? But Dawn and I are just joking it off, when the room starts to glow and Joyce is here. She looks at Dawn and says." Faith was broken off by Dawn finishing her thought the way she wanted the story told, "she said that I was a slayer. After you died, I was called, but was never trained, no one even knew. She said that when this battle goes down I have to fight." Dawn finished this thought and looked at Faith begging her with her eyes to say no more about Buffy and the fight. "Oh," Faith started, "she also said to tell you that she loved you, and she will see us when the battle is over."
Buffy smiled at Dawn with tears now in her eyes and whispered, "My little Dawnie's a slayer. I knew you were special, but this is beyond anything I imagined." With that Dawn and Buffy were back to the hugging. As they hugged Spike and Xander both walked up and wrapped their arms around them as well. Xander let go after a minute and turned to Faith, "I missed you," Xander quietly said, "you know, the whole you before the evil Faith emerged," he finished with a laugh before he hugged her.
A couple of minutes later the hugging was all finished, everyone stood around waiting for the other to say something. Spike was the first to break the silence, "Buffy, should I ask her?" Buffy looked at Spike and smiled knowing what he meant. "Dawn, your going to have some tough times ahead, especially sooner than later, and you know that. So instead of just being your friend and your trainer, I wanted to know if you needed a watcher?" Spike finished more modestly than he expected too. In his statement there was the Spike that very few got to see.
"Spike, you've always been my watcher," Dawn said with a smile, "I've just not always been your slayer."
Xander patted Spike on the back as he smiled, and they turned to walk back up the stairs. Spike needed to talk to Giles about what he needed to do, and Xander wanted to help him do it. "There getting awful chummy," Buffy laughed to the girls, "we all need to crash for the night, tomorrow we train." Buffy smiled and hugged them both together once more before bounding up the stairs to find her bed for the first time in days.
"Why didn't you tell them everything?" Faith questioned Dawn.
"Because, those things we didn't say where not meant for them just yet. Those things will be the icing on the cake. Besides, you're forgiven Faith, that's something you don't have to share, that's something you have to show." Dawn said as she watched Faith leave the basement. Dawn stood alone in the basement thinking about the coming battle and her role which has just been increased a thousand times over. "My God," Dawn whispered, "it's going to be me this time." She was scared for a moment but quietly calmed herself, she climbed the stairs forgetting the light in the basement, and as she walked out the door she whispered, "Off." With the shutting door the light vanished, leaving the room's walls all new stories to tell.
Buffy walked into the basement, fresh off patrol/training with the girls and Spike to find Faith and Dawn hugging in the basement. Puzzled by the sight she stopped and was bumped into by both Xander and Spike. Spike was the first to push his way past Buffy and down the stairs, as he went the other two followed. Buffy broke out of silence with a slightly jolly, "What's going on?"
Both Faith and Dawn turned to see the three new faces to the room with eyes filled with tears. They slowly let go of the other, just waiting on the other to explain what they had just seen. Faith finally stuttered, "I sa.I mean we saw.no it couldn't have been. Buffy, we saw Joyce." Faith started crying again.
Buffy turned to Dawn, Dawn just nodded her head yes. Buffy walked over to the two girls and held them in an embrace much like they had just been sharing. Not trying to be the party pooper Xander whispered, "What did she say Dawnie?"
Faith interrupted, "Wait, there's more. Let me tell you everything," Faith said while realeasing the girls. "Dawn and I had came down here to train, and I about had her. I had thrown a star at her and she stopped it by simply waving her hand and saying 'no'. Then her eyes started to glow, and she started moving at super-speed. When she had me down she told that axe there to come to her and it flew of the wall to her. After she beat me she was super-tired and could barely stand."
Buffy realized that this sounded familiar and turned to Xander, "Remember when we did the spell tapping into the slayer's power? I could control things, remember." Xander nodded.
"Now, after all this I'm wiggin' right? But Dawn and I are just joking it off, when the room starts to glow and Joyce is here. She looks at Dawn and says." Faith was broken off by Dawn finishing her thought the way she wanted the story told, "she said that I was a slayer. After you died, I was called, but was never trained, no one even knew. She said that when this battle goes down I have to fight." Dawn finished this thought and looked at Faith begging her with her eyes to say no more about Buffy and the fight. "Oh," Faith started, "she also said to tell you that she loved you, and she will see us when the battle is over."
Buffy smiled at Dawn with tears now in her eyes and whispered, "My little Dawnie's a slayer. I knew you were special, but this is beyond anything I imagined." With that Dawn and Buffy were back to the hugging. As they hugged Spike and Xander both walked up and wrapped their arms around them as well. Xander let go after a minute and turned to Faith, "I missed you," Xander quietly said, "you know, the whole you before the evil Faith emerged," he finished with a laugh before he hugged her.
A couple of minutes later the hugging was all finished, everyone stood around waiting for the other to say something. Spike was the first to break the silence, "Buffy, should I ask her?" Buffy looked at Spike and smiled knowing what he meant. "Dawn, your going to have some tough times ahead, especially sooner than later, and you know that. So instead of just being your friend and your trainer, I wanted to know if you needed a watcher?" Spike finished more modestly than he expected too. In his statement there was the Spike that very few got to see.
"Spike, you've always been my watcher," Dawn said with a smile, "I've just not always been your slayer."
Xander patted Spike on the back as he smiled, and they turned to walk back up the stairs. Spike needed to talk to Giles about what he needed to do, and Xander wanted to help him do it. "There getting awful chummy," Buffy laughed to the girls, "we all need to crash for the night, tomorrow we train." Buffy smiled and hugged them both together once more before bounding up the stairs to find her bed for the first time in days.
"Why didn't you tell them everything?" Faith questioned Dawn.
"Because, those things we didn't say where not meant for them just yet. Those things will be the icing on the cake. Besides, you're forgiven Faith, that's something you don't have to share, that's something you have to show." Dawn said as she watched Faith leave the basement. Dawn stood alone in the basement thinking about the coming battle and her role which has just been increased a thousand times over. "My God," Dawn whispered, "it's going to be me this time." She was scared for a moment but quietly calmed herself, she climbed the stairs forgetting the light in the basement, and as she walked out the door she whispered, "Off." With the shutting door the light vanished, leaving the room's walls all new stories to tell.