She'd been to hell. She'd been to heaven. Both literally, and metaphorically. It only took seven years to get out of California.
By rights, she should have gone to Cleveland. There was a Hellmouth. But it only felt fair to pass that up. Been there – done that. It was time to move on.
You have the power to do real good, and to make a difference. Never forget the fear you felt when you faced the night without that power. We're all slayers now, but most people aren't. I'm asking you to find your way to fight for them.
She was the first slayer to meet her successors without having to leave the field. They looked to her for guidance and leadership. But it didn't have to sit on her head anymore. At least, not like that. Not right now.
At twenty-two she was both way too young and way too old. Leave it to Willow, her wannabe Jo of a girlfriend, and Rona, who the other girls had apparently taken to calling . After six months of playing Mrs. Garrett and General Patton, she deserved some Buffy time.
So Willow, Kennedy, Rona, and Andrew set up shop above the newest Hellmouth. Giles was to return to England and work with the Devonshire coven to locate the remaining missing slayers and to recover from the decimating blow done to the Council. Wesley would work on the same task from LA.
"None of you really like me all that much, and Anya was really the closest I had to a friend, but you guys let me matter. I can be useful. Just helping the girls out so they can help everybody else. I'll do what you want."
Cleveland would make for the ideal training ground. They would need the largest concentration of slayers there anyway to deal with the Hellmouth. Willow could probably get her way into Case Western or at worst Cleveland State. Whichever watchers Wesley or Giles found would start off operating away from home, so Willow and the Slayers would be able to maintain their independence and advantage. The new watchers would all have to take field rotations, and they'd learn to take place supporting the slayers. When they were deemed ready, they could spread out from there. And with Willow coordinating things, everybody was just a phone call or an e-mail away.
Sunnydale was the worst, and LA is bad. But there have always been monsters all over the world. We spread out and cover the hotspots. Cast a wide net. But we keep in touch. Nobody's ever alone out there ever again, even when they are..