Timeline:Set after season 7 for Buffy, but season 7 of Buffy happened at the same time as season 2 of Stargate. I'm going to use BtVS timeline so for example May 2004 means the end of season 3 of Stargate.I hope it will not be too confusing.

Rating PG-13.

Chapter 1-After the battle

California, Earth, May 2003

The sun was slowly reaching the horizon when the bus with survivors of the battle with the First was still about 10 miles from L.A. Most were sleeping except three of them - Giles behind the steering wheel, Buffy who was too busy with her thoughts to sleep and Faith, well she simply decided she doesn't want to sleep yet, so she didn't. Faith was actually thinking about her future as well, but she wouldn't admit it.

Buffy's POV

What are we going to do now ? That's what Dawn asked me and I wish I could just say "We saved the world I say we party" but I know that won't happen. No moving on. No normal life for Buffy. Color me responsible. I have more work to do then ever. Finding the new slayers, rebuilding the Council or better to say creating a new Council. I will not allow the slayers to fight the same way as I did. They deserve something better - no fighting alone, payment and the most important thing: a chance to leave if they want to. I won't force anyone to fight this war. That would only lead to a fast death and I've already lost more then I can stand. I don't know what I would do if something happened to Dawn though I can't stop her from fighting, I know that now. She is way too stubborn to stop just because I want her to. I guess that proves she was made from me. I better prepare her for whatever she might face. It could be worse. It's not like she's dating a 240 year old vampire who will lose his soul as soon as she jumps his bones. At least I hope she doesn't. If I found out anything like that, the guy would think Silence of the Lambs was a happy fairy tale when I was finished with him. And the others? Xander and Willow ? Will they move on now when they have the chance? Part of me wishes they will, the other part feels lost without her best friends. I guess the second part of me should be happy then, because they won't go away. They could have left a long time ago, but they chose to fight and they won't stop. I just hope I won't suck at being a leader as I did the last time. I screwed up and almost got all of them killed. Argh! I really should stop this emotional crap before I get all 'Poor Buffy' about my incapability. Lets think about what has to be done. First we have to get this thing organized and ... What was that? Did anyone else feel it?"

"Faith did you feel it?" Buffy looked around curiously."Like something changed."

"Kennedy stopped snoring?" Faith smirked, watching one of the new slayers. "I have no idea how every one managed to doze off with that trombone concert. I mean my roommate in jail wasn't exactly quiet, but this is beyond human snoring. I'll have to ask Red if becoming a slayer makes you snore louder."

"I didn't mean that. I feel like I just realized something."

"That Giles can't drive a bus? Cause I knew that the minute he sat behind the steering wheel.".

"I'm talking something supernatural here Faith.", Buffy mused, an expression of caution spreading over her face. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was. Perhaps just an after-batlle trauma? She needed a long holiday. They all did and they deserved some rest. Buffy hoped the trip to LA won't take long, because Robin could use a doctor to take care of the cut on his chest. The slayers would heal before they reach Angel's hotel, which will spare Buffy the necessity to explain five girls covered with bleeding wounds to the doctors. The slayers had other needs though. Buffy closed her eyes, imagining herself taking a hot bath. No electricity in Sunnydale for the last three days meant no shower, flush toilets or warm food.

"Sorry B. Didn't feel a thing.", Faith leaned back in her seat, trying to fall relax. "You don't plan to freak out, do you?"

"It's OK. It's probably just me." Buffy sighed. "That I can't figure out myself."

"I know how it's like." Faith nodded with a serious expression.

"Really?"

"Hell Yeah!" Faith grinned mischievously." We all have times when we can't figure YOU out."

"Did I tell you how glad I am that you're here?" Buffy pretended to be angry, but in fact she was glad Faith made her snap out of the depressed mood. She could use some fun after the last weeks filled with almost nothing else but fighting the First's servants. Of course Giles wasn't enthused by Buffy's idea their first stop should be Disneyland. He planned to take them to England to one of the manors that belonged to the Watchers Council and Buffy was sure he already had a precise vision of a perfectly functioning organization in his mind. Willow mentioned she sensed about four hundred slayers all over the world and combined with the witches from the Coven ... Buffy made a mental note to force Giles watch the X-men to get an idea what's coming.

"Figured." Faith once again interrupted Buffy's brooding. "Look B I'm not going anywhere and I'm planning to save your sorry ass so many times that you'll start to feel guilty and you'll forgive me my past."

"You don't get it do you?"

"Not as often as I used to before we met." Faith responded without hesitation.

"Faith!! Could you please forget your Hungry and Horny Philosophy and listen to me?" Buffy rolled her eyes. "I meant I already forgave you. Also you should realize one thing.", she grinned. "The two of us will be the role models for all new slayers. It's all planned."

'Someone should tell B that life can not be planned, not completely.', Faith thought, looking at the road ahead in silence. 'Sometimes things just happen. I believed she has already figured that out considering her own life. Well, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do, but I definitely won't be like Mr. Broody in LA. The time in prison changed me. True. But I haven't changed the way everybody hoped. I still could kill a human if necessary. Some humans are as bad as the demons we face. I knew that long before I went psycho and my time in prison surely didn't change this opinion. The two of us as role models? We better keep the amount of newbies who show the same behavior at minimum or this new Slayers&Watchers Council won't survive a month.'

Westburry, England

"Here you go. All done." Willow stated, sitting by her computer. It's been three weeks after the Sunnydale was destroyed. They spent only few days in LA and soon moved to Westburry in England where the Council's Manor was situated. The location was practical, because it took only one hour to drive to the Coven and was remote enough to build there a training center without drawing too much attention. Also the house belonged to Quentin Travers and Giles knew the access codes to Council's accounts were hidden in a safe inside the library so the first thing Buffy and Willow did after they moved in was to rob the good old Quentin.

"Anything interesting or just the usual boring stuff?" Buffy replied, not expecting anything except factory making tweed. The Council's belongings didn't really interest her. "I still can't believe how easy it was to transfer all that belonged to the Council to our account. Well what do I own?" Buffy asked, but reconsidered the question when she saw the looks the other gave her."What do WE own?"

There are mostly libraries, warehouses and transport companies."Dawn went through the list. "They used them to get whatever they needed wherever they needed it without questions. A lot of cars, several fishing boats and even five helicopters. Can't wait to fly one."

"Over my dead body." Buffy tried to reduce her enthusiasm.

"Do I really have to wait another two years?" Dawn replied with a grin. "Or you are not keeping that tradition?"

" I think I'll skip it just this time." Buffy announced."What else is there?"

"Pieces of land all over the world, several shops and a Zoo."

"A Zoo? That is so cool. We can train the monkeys to fly the helicopters and drop nuclear bombs like in Project X. Or we can try to mutate the crocodiles or... " Andrew stopped making his creative ideas when Faith smacked him over his head. "One mutated crocodile and you're his first meal. Got it?"

"I still don't get why would the Council own a Zoo?" Buffy wondered, curious why would someone like Quentin Travers need an animal, except maybe for using a polecat instead of a self-portrait.

"That's quite simple." Giles responded."When they needed to transfer a demon they said it was some kind of animal for the Zoo and they didn't have any problems.We should go to find out what exactly is in the warehouse.The list was destroyed when the Council's headquarters blew up. From what I've heard the artifacts stored there are very powerful."

The gang got out of the manor house into the afternoon sun. Usually the weather was cloudy but today was an exception. Buffy could easily see around the whole 20 square miles of land that belonged to the manor, consisting mostly of woods and parks. There was also a heliport in front of the house, a small lake on the south side, connected with a creek that kept the water fresh, with several boats chained up to the shore. The main residence was pretty much in the middle of the manor. It had two wings in a shape of a horseshoe, three floors and could easily accommodate over several hundred people, which was another reason why Buffy and the others chose it as a new training center for slayers and watchers. Xander was already putting together a crew that would construct another building, they could use as a gym. The warehouse they were now heading to was at the north side, more than a mile away from the house. Since the weather was nice they decided to walk instead of taking the car and enjoy the clear sky. From outside the warehouse looked like a low brick building with just one floor but that changed as soon as they came inside. The gang stared at the huge space that was inside. It was about 150 meters wide and 100 meters long however that wasn't what surprised them - the height of the warehouse was at least 30 meters and it was filled with piles of books, various weapons from ancient swords to rocket launchers, excavations ,religious items and magical artifacts and weapons. Willow was in awe, feeling all the power coming from them.

"Giles. Some of these ..."

"Are not even from this dimension. I know." Giles finished for her." They have been gathered over the centuries. Everything useful that had been collected during the fights against demons was brought here. In the past the Council had a lot of wizards working for them and they were able to travel between dimensions, bringing quite interesting objects."

"Someone could think I needed these weapons when I was fighting Glory, but NO they were simply sitting on their asses, drinking tea and discussing the cricket league ." Buffy was getting angry. The Council had an arsenal that could wipe out half Europe, but of course why would they share? Just another dead slayer, right?

"We don't know if anything here would be effective against Glory."Giles tried to calm her down without success. "But you are right. They could at least try."

"Let's get this over with." Buffy broke the argument off, walking down the stairs and headed to the nearest pile."Giles you'll sort the books. Me, Faith, and Vi will take a look at the weapons. Willow, Kennedy - the magical items. Xander, Dawn ,Andrew will go through the other-dimension stuff."

Everybody spread to their destination, Xander's group walking to the opposite side of the warehouse. Andrew couldn't resist and started picking up objects along the way, wondering about their function. Most of those proved harmless but when he took 'The Eye of Rag-nul' in his hand, his right arm suddenly started turning green and reshaping itself into a large claw. With a shriek he threw the eye away, his arm turning back to normal. After this experience he decided the best place for his hands were his pockets and carefully followed Dawn and Xander, who didn't notice what happened to him. After about two minutes the three of them came to the other end of the warehouse, observing the objects stored there.

"WOW. That's a big circle." Dawn stated, looking at the large metal ring in front of her. "Can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a circle that big."

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