Harris Residence

Living Room

Sitting in silence, Josh and Sarah sat beside each other on the couch, while Xander stood awkwardly in front of them waiting for Buffy to return from making her phone call to the N.W.C Academy.

All eyes landed on Buffy when she entered the living room holding a cell phone in her hand. She looked at Xander and said, "I called Rona. She's sending a team out to patrol this sector."

Xander nodded with agreement and followed her lead in sitting down in the two loveseat chairs placed across from the couch.

Buffy placed the cell phone down on the coffee table and held her hands together eyeing her children, who were still dumbfounded with a million questions.

"Um…" Buffy broke the silence but was unsure of what to say to make her kids understand. "…well…" she shifted in her seat uncomfortably, "… it's really an interesting story, um…"

Xander took her hand, hoping it would calm her nerves. Buffy clutched his hand desperate for him to step in at any time.

"What your mother is trying to say is that…" he looked at the teens, "… this changes some things."

Rolling her eyes at him, Buffy frowned, Duh, I could've said that, Xander.

Sarah corked a brow, "Well, duh… Let's just start off with… What's a Vampire Slayer?"

Josh snapped his fingers with a nod, "Good question."

Buffy nodded in agreement and replied, "A Vampire Slayer is… um…" she decided to explain it in another way at second thought, "… At the time one person—one girl was chosen. I was chosen—" she began carefully, "—destined to protect this world. I fight vampires and demons and every now and then, I avert the occasional world-ending apocalypse…"

The teenagers stared at her.

By the blank expression on her children's faces, Buffy got the feeling that she might've explained herself too fast. She swallowed and released a breath, "A-any-anymore questions?"

"Do you have like superpowers or something?" Josh asked. "I mean that guy—that vampire?" Buffy nodded. "Well, he had nothin' on you, ma. He was huge! And you're… not! I had no idea that you could do that…"

Buffy cleared her throat, "Um, yes, I have 'superpowers'… I'm strong."

"Really strong," Xander added with a lopsided smile.

"I can heal pretty fast," Buffy added lamely.

Sarah frowned, eyeing her mother heedfully, "Are you human?"

Taken a bit off guard by the question, Buffy rose to her feet and sat on the edge of the coffee table taking her daughter's hand. "Yes, I'm human." Buffy tucked a piece of Sarah's long dark blonde behind her ear and said, "Being the Slayer doesn't change that. I'm still me. I'm still your mom. I carried you for nine months and you hurt like hell when you came out," she offered her daughter a smile. "I'm just… a little enhanced."

"Like Wonder Woman?" Josh smirked.

Buffy smiled and turned her eyes to Josh, "Minus the outfit and the lasso… but, kinda…"

Sitting back on the couch, Josh nodded his head, "Cool."

"How long have you been the Slayer?" Sarah asked.

Buffy quickly counted the years in her head losing track after eight, "A long time. Your father has been with me pretty much from the start. So has your Aunt Willow and Pop-pop."

"Are they Slayers, too?" Josh asked.

Xander shook his head and said, "No, your Aunt Willow and Aunt Tara are witches. Very powerful and good witches."

The teens were shocked by that news. Their sweet and innocent Aunts were powerful forces in the supernatural.

"Does Aviana know?" Josh asked, thinking about his three-year-old cousin his Aunts had adopted a few years before.

Buffy shook her head, "No. She's too young and besides, telling her is something your Aunts need to do. Not us." She explained.

"What 'bout Pop-pop?" Sarah shifted her gaze from Xander to Buffy waiting for her reply.

"Originally, he's what's called, a Watcher. A Watcher guides and helps train a Slayer. Your Pop-pop comes from a long line of Watchers. The Watchers Council assigns a Watcher to a Slayer when she's called and they help her." Buffy tried to explain.

Sarah frowned as another surprise presented itself, "Pop-pop was assigned to you?" She looked at Buffy with unblinking eyes. "He's not your dad?—I thought…"

Releasing a breath, Buffy shook her head, "No, Giles isn't my 'real' dad. But he's very close to it. He's your grandfather—always."

Josh frowned, "You said originally? What's he now?"

"Besides your Grandfather," Xander began, "he's the director of the Watchers Council Division in England." He quickly glanced to Buffy, waiting for the nod of her head for him to continue, "And your mother is the director of the Watchers Council Division here at home."

Shocked, Sarah looked at Buffy, "That's what the Academy really is?—A Watchers Council?"

Buffy nodded her head, "Yes, it's not just a private boarding school like everyone thinks it is. At the Academy, we find and train newly chosen Slayers. We teach the Watchers. Your Aunts are High Priestess's and lead a Coven of Witches and Warlocks from around the world. They all live at the Academy. Your Aunt Faith is a Slayer, too and so is Vi and Kennedy, and Rona… they're all Slayers."

"Like Hogwarts?" Sarah asked. She had read about the magical school located in Scotland in one of the books at the Academy's library when she was little. Sarah had always thought it was just a fictional story but now she was rethinking it entirely.

Xander shrugged in agreement, "Kind of." He really wished Willow was here at this moment to explain to his daughter the value of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was the one, who set up the functional and valuable relationship between the two ancient organisations to magically work together.

"What about you, Dad?" Josh looked at Xander. "What are you?"

"An average Joe," Xander replied with a shrug.

Looking at him from over her shoulder, Buffy tossed him an easy smile, "He's a bit more than that."

Understanding her sincere meaning, Xander smirked. For twenty-two years he's followed the Slayer into every battle, her every adventure. He's stood at her side and loved her with his entire heart. He's come to terms with his lack of any supernatural powers years ago, though he was a skilled fighter, his real power was loving his wife, keeping her together with his unmovable belief and loyalty for her. He gave her strength, and advice—even when she didn't want to hear it. He understood her.

He looked back at the kids and said, "I'm the guy that builds the Academy—which seems to always be expanding."

Sarah frowned wondering seriously for the first time, what actually happened to his father's eye? They always said it was from an accident but what happened really? Did her father get hurt fighting vampires or something worse?

"So," Josh tossed his eyes between his parents, "vampires and demons are real?"

Buffy nodded, "Very real."

"How come we haven't seen any… vampires or demons before?" Sarah asked.

"Because I work very hard to have people protect this area—to protect you," Buffy said. She released a breath and took her kid's hands again, "I know this is a lot—more than a lot. I know that you have so many questions and you might even feel a bit lied to… I understand—we," she looked back at Xander, "understand. But I just want you to know, we're still your mom and dad. That's never gonna change. You still drive us nuts," the teens let out a weak laugh, "and you make us so proud. But most importantly, no matter what, we love you two so much."

Xander leaned forward and placed his hand on Buffy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze in solace.

Later

Josh's Bedroom

Since the conversation with their parents, Josh and Sarah retreated away to just process everything that had happened.

Sarah sat on Josh's bed with a laptop in her lap, while he sat in a chair at his desk on the laptop in front of him.

They were surfing the internet for more information about Slayers, Vampires, and the Academy. It was surprising just how many websites were deciated to two of the three on their search list, but these websites seemed too fantasical; not based in reality more like fanfiction then actual truth.

"This website says," Sarah began, "the Slayer lore is: 'Into every generation, there is a chosen one. One girl in all the world. She alone will wield the strength and skill to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.'"

Josh turned in his chair to face his sister, "That's kinda what Mom said."

"I thought she said that Aunt Faith is a Slayer too." Sarah frowned. "Then why does it say, 'one girl'?"

"She also said that the Academy finds and trains Slayers from all over the world. Are they all like her? It's not really 'chosen one' anymore." Josh looked at Sarah to see her shrug. He turned back to face his laptop staring at the Google image of the N.W.C Academy, realising everything that goes on there. His green eyes turned to the small picture he kept on his desk of him as a child grinning at the camera like a fool in his parent's arms. "So Mom is like a… superhero."

Sarah looked up from her laptop and smirked, "Yeah, I guess."

Josh twisted back to her in his chair, "You really think Pop-pop was Mom and Aunt Dawn's dad?"

Sarah shrugged, "I thought it was like a nickname-thing or at least he's their stepdad… I dunno… I thought Pop-pop was more than just moms Watcher."

"He is," Josh told her in earnest. "You heard her, Pop-pop is the closest thing she's ever had to a father and that he'd always be our grandfather."

Sarah thought about it for a moment and looked at her brother. She wished she was accepting about everything like him. He seemed to be taking this life-changing event really well, it was annoying. Sarah nodded, "You're right." She agreed as an attempt to think more like her brother.

They sat silently for a minute when Josh broke the quiet with a chuckle, "Besides, Buffy Giles just sounds weird."

Throwing his pillow at his head, Sarah tried hard to cover her embarrassed smile, "Shut up, idiot."

Catching the pillow, Josh continued to laugh at his sister. "Did you see how ma pulverised that vampire? She kicked the shit outta him like he was nothin'!" He tossed the pillow back on the bed. "She sent him flying in the air! And he turned into a cloud of dust! It was so cool!" His smile grew and spun around in his chair.

"Did you see Dad?" Sarah looked at him. "He kicked that other vampire's ass to next Tuesday!" She shook her head with disbelief. "Dad—our dad the same guy that makes chicken nuggets have sword fights is like… Captain America or G.I Joe or something…" Sarah smiled at the thought of her goofy loveable father. "He taught me to ride a bike." She looked at brother, "This so weird."

"I know," he agreed. "It's so weird."

2 Days Later

It seemed like Sarah and Josh's entire world just flipped upside down but in actuality, it was kind of the same. Her dad was still Dad; silly, charming, and totally in love with mom. And Sarah's mother was still Mom; warm, loving with a deep reserve of inner strength, and Sarah never realised that mom was kind of really cynical. Very little rattled her except for unwashed dishes and piles of clothes left unfolded.

They still acted the same as they always had—normal. But nothing about them was normal—at least not anymore…

Their mom ran a thousand-year-old institution where they house and train Vampire Slayers, Watchers, Witches, and Warlocks to protect the world from supernatural Evil.

After School

N.W.C Academy

Walking into the N.W.C Academy as she has done a million times before, Sarah was looking at this ginormous building in a new light.

She wondered if this place was purposefully designed to appear like a regular fancy looking private boarding school. All of Ohio seemed to think so since it got the best school award every year by the city.

Sarah headed down the familiar hallway towards the main offices.

Peaking into a few of the classrooms, she noticed witches floating pencils in the air and spinning them around. Why didn't I ever notice this before? She wondered.


She rounded into the main office to see Andrew sitting at his desk.

Sarah found it ultra strange to think that Andrew—someone she's known all of her life was in on the supernatural-thing too. He was just so geeky. Does Andrew have secret superpowers too?

"Sarbear," Andrew looked up from his comic book and smiled. He always liked the youngest Harris kid. She was sweet and quick with a quip, much like her mother. Besides, the eldest Harris kid, Josh made Andrew feel like a silly nervous teenager again. He was handsome and so charming his with a splash of his father's goofy personality. "Looking for your mom?"

"Um, sure," Sarah frowned, a little unsure why she came here in the first place. She skipped dance team practice—which she's been doing a lot lately in order to spend more time in the art classroom studio.

Andrew looked at the closed door remembering that Buffy was in a serious meeting with the Shaman. "She's in a meeting now but it'll probably be over soon."

"Actually," she began not really wanting to wait around, "can I go to the library?"

"Sure—absolutely!" Andrew stood, "I'll walk with you, I need to stretch my legs." He moved around the desk and ushered out of the main office and led the way down the hallway toward the mammoth sized library.

Library

"So… Mom told me that she's a Vampire Slayer," she watched Andrew's expression twist with surprise. "She has like… superpowers."

"Buffy is a hero," Andrew said without hesitation and matter-of-factly, which stunned the teen. "She's saved my life like a hundred times."

Sarah looked at the blonde haired man, taken back by his clear and genuine admiration for her mother.

Sarah needed to know more.


Sarah waved to Andrew goodbye and entered the library. She spent a lot of time in here growing up after her grandfather would send letters of books she needed to read that the library stacked. Books like; Beauty and the Beast, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or Charlotte's Web. It was how she mostly connected with her beloved grandfather—through literature. Josh seemed to connect with their grandfather through music. It was always surprising for people who didn't know Josh well, to find out that he has a vast knowledge of music, much of that was thanks to their grandfather.

One of the Academy library keepers; a well dressed middle aged woman named, Midge, stepped out from her office and smiled at the Harris daughter.

"Hello, Miss Harris," Midge greeted, "I haven't seen you around here in a while."

"Dance team is on break." Sarah quickly explained. "I've been really getting into art lately," she began, "I was, uh, wondering…" Sarah took a step towards her, "… if you had any books about Berthe Morisot?"

Midge smiled, "Your interest in the arts is so refreshing. Not enough people around here are interested like how you are. You're just in luck, we do… of course." She led the way up the stairs towards the back end of the giant library.

This library had every book on every subject. As a child, Sarah liked to challenge the library staff with book titles—granted they were mostly children books, her knowledge and interests had grown up since then. But the books Sarah really wanted was about the Vampire Slayers history.

Sarah tried to think of a way to ask for a book on Slayers without freaking out the librarian. Granted she probably already knew about Slayers and supernatural things but she didn't know that Sarah knew.

She watched the middle-aged woman step down the ladder and face her holding a big book about Berthe Morisot. "Anything else, dear?"

"Y-yeah, actually," Sarah bit her bottom lip staring down at the book in her hands. "Can you show me the books about… Vampire Slayers?"

Midge eyed the thirteen-year-old with surprise, "Oh?"

"Yeah, I know about them—about Mom. She told me and Josh not too long ago. I just… I wanna know more about the Slayer's origin."

Replacing her surprise with an easy smile, "So your mother and father finally told you," Midge eyed the young teen, "I was wondering when they would." Midge squeezed a hand around Sarah's shoulder, "C'mon, dear, let us find out more about your mother's heroic history." She gestured for her to follow her further back of the library.


Wide-eyed, Sarah stared up the numerous stacks of books that were specifically just about Vampire Slayers. The number of books there was overwhelming. It would take her years to get through half of the books.

"There are many, many books about the history of the Vampire Slayer," Midge looked up at the stacks than to the teenager, "but I think for what you're looking for is…" she placed her hand over a line of books toward the bottom of the shelf, "… right here on these shelves."

Sarah went over and read the titles of the books Midge had pointed to.

"I'll leave you to thumb through them. If you do take a few out you know to—"

"—Write it down in the big book." Sarah nodded looking up at the middle-aged woman, "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Midge."

Midge smiled sweetly, "Of course, sweetie."

Leaving her alone with the books, Sarah touched the leather bindings of the old looking books, carefully reading the titles. "Watchers Diaries," she frowned and noticed that there were years also written on the bindings. "… 1996 … 1997… 1998… 1999… 2000… 2001… 2002… 2003…" the books went on until this year. Stuck between twenty-three years worth of history, Sarah decided to randomly pick a diary year.

She sat down the floor opening it.

Immediately her eyes were wide with shock. Sarah recognised her grandfather's handwriting. What had been more surprising was her mother's name written all throughout the diary. Her mother being a Vampire Slayer was very real.

She flipped to the first page of the book noticing a photograph glued onto the page.

It was a picture of her mother. She looked very much the same in the photograph as she does now, just a little younger. Quickly doing the math in her head, Sarah determined her mother's age in the photograph was twenty maybe twenty-one years old. Her mom had always been so pretty with her vibrant green eyes, big infectious smile, and long blonde perfect hair.

People tended to frequently remind Sarah every chance they could get was how much she looked like her mother.

The shape of their eyes were the same, except their colour. Sarah's eyes are a hazel colour with an outline of green and her mother's eyes are green with small flakes of brown and blue. Her hair was a dark blonde with a beach wave, unlike her mother's hair which was a perfect golden yellow hue and always fashionably styled. Their noses were alike and the shape of their jaws to the point of their chins were also similar.

Sarah didn't inherit her mother's fashion instincts, that was more Josh. Sarah's style was more tomboy casual. She often wore oversized knitted sweaters that swallowed her slim frame or button-up shirts, a pair of straight legged 501 Levi's (with paint stains), and a pair of brown weathered Doc Martens Melissa plain lace-to-toe shoes. Her fashion style wouldn't exactly be featured in Vogue magazine.

Eying the photograph carefully, Sarah found it so hard to wrap her head around how strange it was that her mother was some sort of superhero. She has always been just mom.


After finding the Watchers Diary with her mother's name written all over it, Sarah quietly walked out of the library, catching up with her mother when she finished with her meeting with some scary looking man in all black and a mystical looking blue face.

Sarah wasn't sure why she didn't tell her mother that she was looking up the origin history about Vampire Slayers, it's not like she would've been mad about it. But Sarah got the feeling that her mother wanted to ease her into the Vampire Slayer's long history because it could be overwhelming. From the looks of those thousands of books on just Vampire Slayers alone, Sarah could see why.

When they got home, Sarah went straight to her room and read the journal and by the end, she was left more than shocked. There were hundreds—more than hundreds of questions floating in her head.

Harris Residence

Kitchen

So lost in her own disbelief, Sarah hadn't realised she had walked into the kitchen. She blinked noticing her mother standing at the sink rinsing the suds from dishes.

Sarah immediately noticed the flinch in her mother's body but as fast as it appeared the tension vanished. She always seemed to have a sixth sense towards her surroundings. Sarah knew for certain that her mother has eyes in the back of her head. If was very hard getting away with anything if her mother was around. Now, she could see why.

"Hey, Mom," she slid onto the stool holding a Watchers Diary in her arms.

Buffy glanced back over her shoulder and smiled warmly, "Hi, sweetie. Your father and Josh are coming home with a pizza—with extra pepperoni." She smiled reminded of how much she was like Xander. They both loved the pepperoni.

Her eyes dropped to the Watchers Diary placed in front of her daughter. Buffy lifted her gaze up to Sarah, drying her hands with a dishtowel. "So you went snooping in the library, huh?" She turned and leaned over the counter island on her elbows.

"Yeah," Sarah looked down at her hands with a saddened look on her face.

Concerned, Buffy tilted her head slightly, eying her daughter, "What is it?"

"I read one of Pop-pop's diaries." Sarah began.

Buffy did not respond wanting her to finish.

Sarah struggled to find her words and look at her mother at the same time. "You died?"

Catching her breath, Buffy knew this subject would come about eventually but she didn't realise it would happen so soon. "It was only for a few minutes," Buffy explained. "And it was your dad that brought me back."

Pinching her brows together, Sarah's frown deepened with confusion, "But it said that you were dead for four months."

Buffy stood straight with realisation as her eyes dropped to the diary catching the year engraved in the leather, "Oh."

"How many times have you… died?"

Hating this conversation, Buffy finally answered, "A few—twice. The first was… by an ancient vampire. There was this prophecy… He bit me and dropped me in a puddle so I drowned—" Buffy watched her daughter's eyes widened, horrified, "—B-but your father brought me back to life only minutes later."

"When?" Sarah wanted to cry and wrap her arms around her mother and hug her tightly. "When did that happen?"

"When I was sixteen," Buffy watched her daughter's eyes grow even wider.

Sixteen was the age of her older brother. Their mother was dead—flatlined at the age of sixteen.

There was so much she didn't know or understand about her mother. And she wanted answers now. "What happened the… second time?" She asked though she had just read about it in the diary. She had read everything about her Aunt Dawn, the demon God, Glory, and her mother's selfless sacrifice to save her sister and the world from an impending demon dimension takeover.

Buffy grew serious, not wanting to discuss the events that led up to her demise. Besides, Buffy knew that Sarah already knew if she read the diary in full. "It was a bit more complicated."

Sarah's eyes moistened in fear for her a life without her mother in it. She still needed her so much. There was so much that she hadn't shared with her. "Mom, I don't want you to die." She said with a tearful voice.

Moving around the counter island to her daughter, Buffy lovingly ran her fingers through Sarah's wavy dark blonde hair and cupped her cheek, "I'm not going anywhere."

Sarah felt comforted by the familiar loving gesture of her mother tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I wanna learn," Sarah said suddenly looking at her mother.

"Learn what?" Buffy knew the answer but wasn't sure how'd she want to respond—especially, since hasn't spoken about it with Xander yet.

"To fight. I need to learn to protect myself."

Standing straight up, Buffy pushed her hair back and released a breath. Sarah knew what her mother was going to say. The expression on her face gave her thoughts away.

Buffy shifted uncomfortably and said her famous line, "We'll see."

"You always say that." Sarah frowned in disappointment.

Buffy let out a faint laugh, "I need to talk to your father about it."

"Why?—You're just gonna train me on how to use a stick and throw a decent punch."

Buffy smiled at her daughter and placed her hand over hers, "There's more than knowing how to use a stake and being able to throw a punch… Sarah, slaying is very dangerous. If you really knew what was out there—"

"—Then show me. Mom, I want to learn—I need to learn." She pleaded. "What happens if something—a vampire attacks me and you're not around?—What then? I need to know how to fight."

Not wanting to give her daughter a definitive reply, Buffy tapped her fingers on the counter then began to move back toward the sink. "For now, I need you to set the table. Your father and brother will be home soon."

Huffing with disappointment, Sarah rolled her eyes and slid off of the stool. She knew her mother would react; that she would be weird and distant on the subject 'cause it made her uncomfortable.

Xander's Truck

"Colour me any colour,

Speak to me in tongues and share,

Tell me how you'd love to hate me,

Tell me how you'd love to care,

Well, I just want to shake us up,"

Josh sat forward and turned up the volume dial on the radio.

In Xander's truck, he had a small wooden rack placed between himself and Josh on the seat with a stack of CD's. Josh frequently thumbed through it, though he knew exactly what was placed in the rack. It was the same CD's his father listened to every day for the last sixteen years. But Josh had his favourite's.

"Let's mingle,

And make it well,

Come together now,

Yeah, let's gel,"

"Hey, Dad," Josh looked down at the pizza box on his lap, "can I ask you something?"

Xander's wrist hung over the steering wheel, looking forward to getting home. "What's up?"

"Your eye…" he trailed off, feeling a bit nervous.

Sitting up in his seat, Xander kept his eye firmly ahead on the road. "Yeah?"

"What happened?"

Josh could practically feel the tension in his father's body at his question.

Xander was silent for a long time. He should've known this conversation would happen. As his kids got older they were becoming more curious, now more than ever.

"Back in Sunnydale—"

"—That crater town?"

Xander nodded his head, "Yeah. But before that… Sunnydale was located on a Hellmouth—which is a place that attracts supernatural stuff. Anyway, we were—your mom, me, Aunt Willow, Aunt Tara, Aunt Faith, your grandpa, other Slayers were fighting this evil called, the First. Me, Aunt Faith, and a group of Potential-Slayers followed your mother into a cavern… There was a fight and I got hurt." He decided to brush over the event, afraid to tell his son the complete truth, which was far more brutal and placed Buffy in a terrible light.

Josh knew there was way more than that but he wondered why he would do something so dangerous without having any powers like his mom seemed to have. "Why'd you go into the cavern in the first place if you knew it was dangerous? You said it yourself, you're an 'average Joe'—no powers."

Eying the silver band around his left-hand ring finger, Xander thought of his wife and his unbreakable loyalty towards her.

"I've followed your mother into every battle that you can possibly imagine. Even the most dangerous and the most terrifying… I've stood at her side. I didn't have to. But I needed to. What your mother does… it's more than just being a superhero with special powers. She cares so much and she'll do whatever she possibly can to protect everyone." He released a breath, "So yeah… I needed to be there, standing side by side with her in every battle—Even if it meant losing an eye." For the first time, Xander looked at his son and said, "Your mother had lost a lot worse."

Feeling his heart clench with pride and bravery, Josh stared at his father with serious green eyes, "I wanna learn to fight. Like you," He said. "I wanna stand at Mom's side too."

So proud and moved by his son's love and loyalty towards Buffy, Xander turned his gaze back to the road and smirked, "We'll see."

Josh let out a breath and rolled his eyes at his father's response. He turned his head back out to the road.

"Let's mingle,

And make it well,

Come together now,

Yeah, let's gel,

Well, let's bungle,

How we come together,

Yeah, how we gelled,"

Later

Master Bedroom

Flicking off the bathroom light, Xander reentered the bedroom rubbing his chin, realising just how long he's neglected to shave, he was beginning to grow a bit of scruff. Maybe I should shave in the morning… What does Buffy think? Xander thought to himself as he shooed Braxton from his spot then climbed into the bed. He sat beside Buffy, leaning back against the backboard.

"What'd you think about this scruffiness I've got growing?" He asked, still rubbing his hand around his mouth, chin, and up his jaw with uncertainty.

Without looking up from the open book propped up against her bent knees, Buffy said, "I think it looks like you're growing a cat on her face."

He looked at her with a frown, "You don't like your man with a bit of bristle?"

"Honey, that's not bristle, that's a live animal." She glanced at him, looking over the rim of her black rectangular reading glasses.

"Hm," he frowned, "fine, I'll shave it tomorrow."

Buffy looked back down at her book, "Thank you."

Looking at her, Xander watched her read her book for a minute and traced the line of her profile with his eye and suddenly ached to kiss her pouting lips.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked without looking up from the book.

"'Cause I think you're pretty." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Buffy did not react, keeping her eyes on the pages of her book, seeing straight through his flirty facade and waited for him to really tell her what was going on.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Xander sat back against the backboard and said, "Josh and I had a talk today."

"About?" Buffy turned the page, continuing to read undisturbed by the conversation.

Xander released another breath, "My eye."

Instantly, Xander felt her eyes on him and the book was long forgotten. Her expression was of surprise and a bit of uneasiness. After all of these years, she still blamed herself and felt tremendous guilt for his injury. He was so adamant that he didn't want to find a way to fix his eye for reasons that were beyond Buffy. She has tried over the years to tell him that she, Willow, and Tara had found a way to heal him without disturbing the magical balance of the earth and dimensions of beyond. But Xander remained steadfast in his decision to keep everything as is.

"And what'd you say?" Buffy asked nervously.

It hadn't escaped Buffy's notice that Josh was staring at her a little bit longer and a little bit differently than usual. There was a look on his face of wonderment and perfect clarity. It was strange but Buffy did not address it, hoping it was nothing. It was bad enough that she felt Sarah's stares all throughout dinner. But Buffy knew why Sarah was glaring at her and it was because she hadn't gotten her way.

"The truth…" he said, "… Not the whole truth but enough. I told him that I'd follow you into every battle without hesitation. I told him that I needed to be there at your side no matter how dangerous it is. I told him that you're a hero—my hero."

Buffy felt her heart flutter as she soaked in his words then narrowed her eyes, knowing him better than that. "And…?"

"He wants to be trained to fight."

Slowly nodding her head, Buffy closed the book in her lap and revealed, "So does Sarah." She placed the thick book on the nightstand, then removed her reading glasses, and faced him, "She went snooping around at the Council's library today and found the Watchers Diaries—In particular, Giles' diaries about me."

"Jeez," he ran a hand over his face, "what'd she find out?"

"That I've died… twice. Well, I accidentally let the first time slip not realising the one she read about was…"

"… Shit," Xander shook his head and rubbed his scruffy chin. "How'd she take it? It couldn't be easy... to hear something like that..."

Buffy nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, she was pretty shaken. And also she was begged me to train her." She looked at him, "Should we?"

"What do you think?"

"I think, now that they know, it would be smart for our children to be able to protect themselves if we're not around. I'm the Slayer for god sakes and my kid keeps calling a stake, a stick."

Smiling with amusement, Xander reached over and laced his fingers through hers. He gave her hand a squeeze, "I think you're right. I think it might be time to bring them into our world."

"I hate this. I never wanted this for them."

Bringing her hand to his lips, Xander kissed the back of her hand, "I know. Me either. But its who we are. They have a right to know who we are."

Keeping her eyes on their conjoined hands, Buffy swallowed her forming tears that hung in her eyes, "They're my babies."

Unable to comfort her with his words, Xander did the next best thing, he pulled her close to him. He wrapped his arm around her back, hugging her tightly. His mouth pressed against the top of her head sharing her angst.

They shared a mutual feeling of uneasiness and relief. They hated that they've exposed their children to their dangerous and often unforgiving world of the supernatural. But then they were totally relieved that they knew and they could be completely—mostly honest with them. There were still many things they wanted to keep their children in the dark about them.

N.W.C Academy

Training Room 3

Josh and Sarah stood side by side staring at their mother as if she had grown four heads.

When they said that they wanted to be trained to defend themselves against the evils lurking in the night, they hadn't realised they'd first be thrown into the training room with their mother's Slayers, Vi and Kennedy. Buffy demanded them to throw a punch at the Slayers they've known all of their lives.

Buffy held her hands at her hips waiting for one of them to step up first and try to attack her.

"I'm not punching Kennedy, ma." Josh crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. "'Cause, no offence," he looked at the brunette, "she's a girl. I'm not hitting a girl."

Rolling her eyes, Kennedy looked at Buffy to talk some sense into him.

Buffy remained patient, "Normally, I'd be so proud of your stance on not hitting girls but, sweetie, I guarantee you, Josh, that you won't hurt Kennedy."

Josh frowned, dropping his arms to his sides, "Then why do you want me to punch her?"

"Because there are evil things out there; male, female and... all of the above that will be as strong and as hard to defeat as Kennedy. And they won't care if you can't fight them because your mom and dad taught you some morals. Try it." Buffy urged him on.

Taking a deep breath, Josh drew back his fist, readying himself to fire it at Kennedy but before he could, Buffy's hand wrapped around his fist tightening it. "You're not gonna slap her. You're going to punch her." Josh gritted his teeth as Buffy squeezed his fist tighter, showing off her remarkable power. "Think of it as life or death. How far will you go to save your own life? It starts with the punch."

Josh nodded with understanding. He turned his green eyes from his mother back to Kennedy. She remained still. Her hands were not up to defend herself. She just stood casually with her arms at her sides looking a bit bored.

He mentally apologised to her and fired his fist aiming at Kennedy's face.

In a flash, Kennedy caught his fist and wrapped his arm around his back and brought him to his knees.

Josh gritted his teeth in pain. He tapped out of the arm lock. He looked up at his mother to do something—anything but she stood before him with her hands folded across her chest and a smirk of amusement tugging at her mouth.

Buffy stepped away from him and looked at Sarah with a large smile, "Okay, your turn, honey."

Sarah stepped forward staring at her mother with an uneasy look on her face.

2 Hours Later

Xander entered the training room to see his children slowly fighting Vi and Kennedy. They seemed to be getting the hang of it but they had a long way to go until Buffy deemed them ready for the field.

Stepping up behind Buffy, Xander kissed the side of her neck and found his place at her side.

"They look good," Xander said, trying to be optimistic for his clumsy-looking children.

Smirking at him, Buffy replied, "They're not great but not a total loss. They just need practice. This is only day one."

Xander circled his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her into his side, "That's my optimistic girl."

Unable to keep herself from smiling, Buffy tore her eyes from her children and looked at Xander. She ran her hand down his clean-shaven cheek than let her hand fall flat against his chest, "Remember the days I used to kick your ass training?"

"Oh, you mean last week?" Xander looked at her then shook his head with an easy smile dancing across his face, "No. I have no such memory of that." He gestured to his head, "Head injury."

Xander watched her grow serious with concern. He read her thoughts easily, "We're doing the right thing, Buf." He reassured her.

Laying her head against his chest, Buffy felt comforted by the slight pressure of his lips pressing against the top of her head. "I really, really hope so."


Song Used: "Gel" by Collective Soul 1995