Chapter Twenty-One: The Beginnings

"Dawn," Joy had driven herself practically crazy with guilt by the time she got up the nerve to call Dawn. It had been so long since Joy had actually spoken with the slayer's sister and she felt terrible about the way she had dropped the friendship. She wasn't sure what she would exactly, but somehow Joy had to inform Dawn that she had finally consented to accepting the role of 'slayer'. Well, I guess I can't put it off any longer. "Dawn...I don't know exactly what to say..."

Dawn interrupted Joy before she had a chance to stumble over her words any worse. "Why are you calling me, Joy?" Dawn couldn't hide the surprise in her voice when she answered the phone and discovered Joy on the other line. They hadn't spoken to each other for over two weeks and both of the girls felt it was Joy's fault. By introducing Joy to her sister, all Dawn had wanted was to help Joy and to help her understand what she was, but obviously that plan had backfired. So, really, Dawn felt that she had done nothing wrong in her friendship with Joy.

Joy didn't know how to respond. "Well...I just wanted...I umm..." She sighed in frustration. Joy hated being tongue-twisted. She always seemed to know exactly what to say in every situation, even though half of the time she was just utilizing her sarcasm. But now she couldn't even come up with one word to express her regret about ditching Dawn.

"Joy, I'm kind of in the middle of something so if you could possibly make this quick. That would be great." Dawn sounded annoyed.

"Okay, here it goes..." Joy took a deep breath, pushed aside all her pride, and began her apology. "I've been thinking a lot lately about how rude I was to you after the whole 'slayer' thing, and I feel terrible about it." She sighed. "I don't really know why I behaved that way, I mean you were just trying to help and be my friend, and that's a lot more than anyone else here tried to do. You didn't deserve for me to start ignoring you like I did...I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, and I'd really like it if you would forgive me." Dawn was silent and Joy was afraid that she might have hung up. "Hello? Dawn?"

When she finally did speak, it wasn't what Joy was expecting. "Well, you did give me a second chance. I guess...I guess you deserve for me to give you another chance as well."

Joy was too pleased to speak. "Really, just like that?"

"Yea, just like that. I've missed your friendship Joy." Dawn explained. "No matter what's happened, I think we could be great friends, still."

"I hope so," Joy smiled to herself as she thought of having her friend back.

"I'm glad you agreed to come back, Joy," Dawn's sister greeted Joy as she entered the Summers' house the following Friday after school. "I felt awful about the way I let you leave last time we saw you. I mean, after just forcing all that information onto you and then just expecting you to understand..."

"Yea, whatever, I'm here now, so tell me what you want." Joy leaned against the wall. She didn't want to be there, but Dawn begged her to come over until Joy finally had to give in. She agreed to visit Buffy the vampire slayer, and listen to whatever she had to say, but beyond that Joy gave no promises. So now she was there, at the same place where a few weeks ago she had been informed of her 'destiny', waiting to hear what other expectations awaited her in her future as a slayer.

The old guy that first told Joy who she was, was there, sitting on the couch rubbing furiously at his glasses with a handkerchief. He spoke first. "Miss Peters..."

"Oh god! Is he for real?" Joy smirked. "What's with the 'miss' shit? It's just Joy, okay?"

He nodded. "Fine. Joy, I appreciate you coming out here after being frightened away the last time we talked. I'm assuming that you've accepted the truth about what you are and are here to learn more about what it means to be the Slayer?"

Joy shrugged. "Actually, I'm here because, like before, Dawn wouldn't stop bugging me until I agreed to come. I'm fine with being the slayer, whatever, but I really couldn't care less about knowing what that means." She dropped onto the couch opposite the older man and stretched out comfortably.

"I see we have a lot of training to do with you." He sighed. "Buffy, I think we should take Joy to the training room at the Magic Box."

"Wait a minute, who said that I was going anywhere with you guys? I came over here to talk, not to go anywhere or to do anything, okay?" Joy stood. "I honestly don't understand you guys, but I'm willing to listen to whatever you have to say. So, just talk okay? Talk quickly and get right to the point and then I'm gone." Her gaze fell on each of the people around the room. Buffy was still standing in the entryway, just outside of the living room, openly staring at Joy, up and down as though analyzing every inch of the young, new slayer. Giles had finally ceased cleaning his glasses and had returned them to his face and he now sat very still with his hands on his knees, and a contemplating frown on his face as he watched Joy. Dawn had taken a seat in an overstuffed chair beside the couch, leaning forward, clearly excited, her round eyes sparkling as she watched the interactions between the new and old slayer. Joy returned to the couch and sat in silence.

"Alright, we'll talk," The older man picked up the conversation.

"Hold on, before we start, what was your name and who exactly are you?" Joy interrupted quickly.

He smiled. "Rupert Giles." He introduced himself. "I am, or I was Buffy's watcher."

"Her watcher? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Is a watcher some British term for a nanny or something?" Joy laughed.

"I beg your pardon!" Giles exclaimed. "I am not a nanny!" He cleared his throat.

"I am twenty-two! I do not need a nanny!" Buffy defended herself. Dawn snickered.

"A watcher, Joy, is a sort of guardian for slayers. A watcher trains and instructs their slayers in order to prepare them for whatever battles they may be faced with in life." Giles explained.

"So, Rupert's sort of like Buffy's teacher?" Joy turned to Dawn. She preferred talking with her friend, then with this strange British man.

"We all call him Giles." Dawn pointed out. "And yea, I guess he's sort of a teacher, he's always been more like an uncle though."

Joy looked back at Giles who was straightening out a fold in his tweed jacket. "Yea, I'm going to be calling him Rupert. He's definitely more of a Rupert. It's very British Professor-ish." She grinned. "That's cool with you right Rupert?"

He nodded hesitantly. "Sure, whatever you like," he tried to resume his explanation. "Now, I am glad that you have agreed to realize that you are the slayer, but now I need to explain to you what your position entails. Obviously the title 'vampire slayer' clarifies the fact that you will be fighting vampires. I believe you have already fought a few of those creatures, and as I understand, you defeated them very well." Joy shrugged; she didn't realize that she should be proud of the fact that dusting vampires was easy for her. "What about demons? Have you ever fought one of them?"

"Aren't vampires demons?"

"Well, yes, vampires are a type of demon, but there are so many varieties of demonic species." Giles walked over to the desk at the back of the room and returned carrying a large, leather-bound book. "These are just a few of the many kinds." He handed the book to Joy and she flipped through the pages. Unconsciously, her mouth dropped open as she glanced at the many detailed illustrations of demonic creatures that filled the pages of the thick manuscript. "Many people would have a difficult time accepting that these beings exist in our world, and I know it's terrifying to think about, but unfortunately Joy, for people like you and Buffy, you don't have the luxury to live in denial about demons." He paused to make sure that the new slayer understood everything he was trying to explain to her. "Joy, as the slayer, it is your destiny to fight this evil and destroy it."

Joy was silent. She had not response. After learning that she was the slayer, Joy assumed that it meant she would possibly have a few more meetings with annoying vampires which she would fight and kill, but the idea of demons also invading her life had never crossed her mind. It was too strange for her to process.

"Joy, are you okay?" Dawn leaned in close to her friend. Without realizing it, Joy's eyes had started to cloud with tears. She was overwhelmed with this new information.

She blinked quickly. "Yea, I'm fine." She stood up and headed towards the door. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go. This was, well, unexpected. I just need some time to think. Thanks for talking to me though," she slipped past Buffy and smiled reassuringly. "I'll call you tomorrow Dawn." She hurried out the door and to her car without looking back at either of the Summers girls who were standing in the doorway watching her leave. This is just too weird. I don't understand any of it. I mean, I believe it, strangely, I really do believe it. But, I don't understand it. Why me?

Once they had watched Joy drive away, the Summers girls closed the front door and returned to the living room where Giles was waiting, unmoved from his seat on the couch. Buffy and Dawn sat together on the couch opposite Giles and waited for the watcher to speak.

"Well Buffy, you are the slayer, so I am curious to hear your thoughts about Joy Peters." He waited for Buffy's response.

"She's sort of got an attitude," Buffy shrugged. "But no worse than Faith, I guess. She seems capable of adjusting if we just give her a chance to get used to us."

"I hope you're right, because if you guys can't get along then I don't know what will happen to our friendship." Dawn sighed. "Can I invite her over for dinner tomorrow night?"

Buffy nodded, "Of course, you can invite her over any time. I just hope she wants to come."

"I'm sure she'll want to come, she doesn't seem to like being at her house very much, but promise me we won't talk about the whole slayer thing. Maybe if she can get to know you as my sister she can be more accepting to knowing you as the slayer." Dawn suggested.

Giles agreed. "Buffy, we cannot force her to be comfortable with her destiny, but I only hope that our friendship will be enough to help her with accepting her new self. If we can't help, I don't know how she'll ever become a good slayer!"