Greeting and Salutations. After much procrastinating (I get caught up reading everyone else's fics), the next DD chapter. Enjoy and Review.
"Have fun in there?" Angel asked as they exited the house. Faith grinned.
"Vamps seen, vamps dusted," she said. "Side note, we gotta work on Willow's stamina. She's out like a light."
"It will get easier on both of you with practice," Dru told them.
"Let's move," Buffy said, running through the exercises taught to her, first by Joyce, then by Yoda. Things were only gong to get worse on the emotion front, especially when they faced him.
"You'll be fine, B," Faith whispered, putting an arm around her sister protectively. "I won't let it happen again. I'll help you. Somehow."
Travers looked at his watch. The girls should be dead by now. A couple of more mitnutes…
That's when they walked in, right as rain, and extremely pissed off.
"Who's this?" The dark haired one, Faith, asked, looking at Travers with distain.
"Uh, this is Quentin Travers," Giles said. "Head of the Watcher's Council." The blonde looked at the man.
"So, the Boss?" She asked. Giles nodded. "Cool," the girl said, shrugging.
"How'd it go?" Giles asked. Faith shrugged.
"Vamps seen, vamps dusted, civilians evacced. Any questions?"
"Any problem with your strength?" He asked. Buffy shrugged.
"Nah," she said, "Xand and Willow took care of it. They're out of it, though. The amount of exhaustion they took on was too much for them."
"Exhaustion?" Travers asked. What the hell was going on here?
Faith turned to Giles. "You didn't tell him? I thought you were putting it in your report," Giles managed to hold in his grin.
"It must have slipped my mind," he said.
"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Travers demanded.
"It seems the girls have a strange link to two of the other teens at school," Giles said. "They are somehow able to hear each others thoughts, as well as being able to add their strength, increasing nearly infinitely, and absorbing each others exhaustion. It really is quite remarkable. I'm surprised we haven't heard of it before."
"And you've allowed this?" Travers asked, near panic. It couldn't be. There was no way; the line of the Protectors was destroyed years ago.
"I could see no problem with it," Giles said, managing to keep from laughing, "The children seemed able to handle it, and it's been more of a help than anything I could do," Travers managed to keep from exploding.
"Mr Giles," he began, "What you have done flies in the face of all the traditions and edicts of the Council, almost as much as a second Slayer."
"Watch it, bub," Faith muttered.
"You have allowed these two to, not only continue with what constitutes as a normal life," Travers continued, ignoring the girl, "but have allowed them to take assistance in their fight from civilians, civilians who have a link that may allow them to control the Slayers."
"WHAT!?" The two girls demanded.
"I cannot allow this," Travers finished, "These two…freaks, their friends and anyone they've come into contact with, must be destroyed, their names wiped from existence. You will be relieved of your duties, and a more suitable candidate be placed to guide the next Slayer…"
"Where, to her grave?" Faith demanded.
"Mr Travers," Buffy started, "I think you misunderstand your place in the world," Travers turned to glare at the girl, "You seem to believe that the Council is in place to control the Slayer."
"Outrageous!" Travers exploded, "The Council of Watcher's exists only to guide and advise the Slayers…"
"Is that why you have ordered us and our friends destroyed?" Buffy asked. Travers shuddered. She was so calm; he could almost believe she had iced water running through her veins, "To 'guide' the Slayers?"
"Our laws…"
"Are in place to control the Slayers, not guide them," Buffy interrupted, "By removing the Slayer from her family, you rob her of parental or sibling support. By keeping her isolated, keeping her from making friends, she has no one to talk to but her Watcher, who is forbidden from making an emotional link to said Slayer. You rob her of any and all emotional support until she is nothing more than a stone cold killer. A weapon, and you alone hold the trigger. Eventually, they give up, and die. Without that support, no human can survive. And make no mistake, the Slayer is human, more than anyone else."
"Who are you to tell me how to run the Council?" Travers demanded. Giles felt like hiding under the table. This was not going to end well.
"My name is Elizabeth Ann Summers," Buffy said. Both Giles and Faith gasped at that admission. She never used her full name, "Daughter of Joyce Summers, or Janelle Orland of Coruscant," now it was Travers turn to gasp. That word had appeared in a prophecy he had read years ago, "Slayer to the Protector Alexander Levelle Harris, son of the Potential Slayer Sarah Andrews. I am the Vampire Slayer, and sister to the Vampire Slayer. I am Slayer, I am Jedi, and I will not allow my fellow Slayers to be used by your Council a second longer. This is who I am. This is my authority. Listen well, because this is your only warning," She turned and walked out, Faith close behind her. The dark haired Slayer stopped, and turned to Travers.
"I suggest you listen to her," she warned him, "Trust me, my sister has a wicked nasty temper. You don't want to piss her off," the two girls were gone before either man could say a word. Travers turned to Giles, slightly taken aback by her admissions, and scared shitless of what she could do.
"Is there something you need to tell me, Rupert?"
"Where the hell did that come from?" Faith demanded after they had left the Library. Buffy grinned.
"Sometimes, the greatest weapon one can posses is the truth," Buffy told her, "When used appropriately, it can cause more damage than a lightsaber. Master Yoda gave me diplomatic lessons as well, the other half of a Jedi's responsibility. Always find a peaceful way out first. Violence should be used only as a last resort," Buffy shrugged, "I saw a few things in a prophecy during research once. When I showed to Giles, he got real nervous, so I presumed it was important. I just added the things that matched that prophecy."
"Sneaky, sis," Faith said, giving her twin a quick hug, "You've been takin' lessons off Dru."
"Nope," Buffy said, "Master Yoda could give Dru lessons in sneakiness. He told me that, during the days of the Republic, just the mention of a Jedi could easily resolve conflicts. They had this huge mystique goin'. Even though there was never an army of them, people were afraid of their reputation."
"They bluffed an entire galaxy?"
"More like…took advantage of myths, legends and rumours," Buffy corrected her.
"Now that's my kind of people," Faith said as they headed towards Xander's, "Except for the 'non-violence' part. Don't think I could get by without a dose of ass whoopin' every night."
"'Specially when the Council comes around," Buffy said teasingly. Faith grinned.
"After your little blow out, I don't think we'll be having too many problems with them," Faith said. Buffy made a noise.
"Don't bet on it," she muttered as she felt Angel and Dru coming towards them.
"How'd it go?" Angel asked. Faith grinned.
"B went cold and commanding on his ass," she said proudly, "Told him to behave himself," Dru looked over at her.
"Some Jedi tricks," Buffy explained, "Calm exterior, heavily veiled threats, announcement of who and what I am. He got the picture."
"Damn straight!" Faith said, "Dope didn't know what hit him."
"Things will be easier now," Dru said softly, "The Council will begin to understand. There will be resistance, but…" she looked at the two she considered her daughters, whom she had guided from the shadows to this point, "You both did well. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Dru," Buffy said. She really had started thinking of the vampire seer as an older sister, and knew Faith felt the same way. She grinned over at her sister, "Race ya to Xander's," she said, speeding off.
"Hey, wait for me," Faith yelled, running after her.
Okay, so Travers didn't get beat up. I've found sometimes the best way to get back at someone is to scare the crap out of them. You like the dressing down he got?
Alright, next chapter's the biggie as the gang head of to Joyce's old stomping grounds. That's right, folks, the Slayers meet the Empire and you know someone's gonna get hurt.
Stay tuned.
Doc.