Chapter 3: Making Choices

Warning: I don't know; maybe language and innuendo somewhere along the way.

Disclaimer: BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. characters belong to . I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: Thanks to my betas…zigpal, ktweaver and AshDawnSoulmates.

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London

6 months later…

Taking the scenic route around the British Isles, Nya kept slaying vampires and demons. But mostly, she was learning more about herself and Darla. Wow, she never thought she'd ever feel sorry for the thing that sired Angel. And it was doubtful Darla ever thought much about her human history once she was turned by the Master.

Nobody should have to suffer like that! Nya wondered if that had some part in why Darla had been alright with becoming a monster. She had already suffered at the hands of the worst human monsters; what's the difference in becoming a demonic one? By the time the Master had come around, Darla was so twisted up, that she already confused pain with pleasure, having had to fake it for the ones who tormented her privately, then condemned her publicly. Wasn't there a book like that? The Scarlet Letter or something?

So when the torture continued at the hands and fangs of the Master – eww to those mental images of Darla's past! – it didn't even faze the undead former prostitute. She had learned at far too early of an age that her body wasn't her own; it belonged to whoever her mother and father rented it to.

After a while, Nya had to shut the memories off. She taught herself to put up mental walls around the persona of Darla and just sneak peeks when she needed info about the time or place they were. It was from one of those glances, Nya found out the Master had a lair in London. If she was lucky, she could take care of him now – damn the consequences to the timeline.

It was laughably easy to clear the nest. 'Darla' informed her sire that a Slayer was seen in the area, and 'could she take the others to hunt the bitch?' The Master beamed proudly at his favorite childe before ordering everyone to capture the Slayer, but to bring her to him alive!

Two hours later, a slightly askew Darla 'stumbled' back into the lair alone. He angrily demanded to know where the Slayer was. "What happened out there? Where is the Slayer?"

Nya smirked. "Oh, didn't I tell you before? She's standing in front of you."

Startled by her attitude and words, the Master gasped, "You? How could you be a Slayer?"

"Not sure. Doesn't really matter anymore, now that your minions are dust, Master," she snarled the name sarcastically.

"You shall pay for your treachery!" he declared before attacking her in a rage.

Nya just fended off his blows with ease. "Please. I killed you before and I can kill you again – especially now that I have vampire strength added to my own."

Just as she plunged the stake into his unbeating heart, Buffy whispered to him, "You will never get the chance to hurt those I care about."

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London

1860

Her life continued on this way for over a century: killing the baddies. Only now, she took the spoils of war. Apparently she was immortal, but with basic human needs, so she needed money to take care of those needs. And it's not like the dusted vamps or slain demons needed the jewels or coins anymore. The only exception to this was if she recognized the artifacts and knew who they belonged to. If there was somebody to return them to, she did. If there wasn't… well, the local church got a donation. She didn't need to be greedy about it.

After she spent some time in the newly-formed United States, she decided to head back to the Motherland, and how weird was it that she thought things like that? But Giles would have been so jealous that she got to spend time with the founders of the US. Even if he was an Englishman, his love of history would have overshadowed any patriotism.

Her time there was mostly spent just talking to the men. She was afraid that if she got involved in the fighting, she'd screw things up. She probably shouldn't have even gone to the colonies, but she was tracking a demon, and it led her onto a ship heading that way. By the time she finished killing the thing, and found out what was happening, they were already out to sea.

What Nya didn't know was that her conversations with three such men ended up in the history books. At least the paraphrase of things she told them.

She said to Patrick Henry, "What is the reason for being alive if you are not free?"

This was changed into the famous line: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" Patrick Henry - March 23, 1775.

Another time, she was talking to Samuel Adams and told him, "If you do not have something to fight for, you will not fight. My friends and family are my something."

He shared that wisdom with another, writing: "He who is void of virtuous Attachments in private Life, is, or very soon will be void of all Regard for his Country. There is seldom an Instance of a Man guilty of betraying his Country, who had not before lost the Feeling of moral Obligations in his private Connections." Samuel Adams - Letter to James Warren, November 4, 1775.

But her favorite man to talk to was Benjamin Franklin. He was so down to earth, yet so wise. He reminded her of Giles. Perhaps that's why she told him, "If you do not stick together as a team, your enemies will be able to get rid of you easier."

When it came time to make the formal decision to stand against England, he told the other men gathered: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately (attributed)." Ben Franklin - At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

Now they were gone, so here she was…back in London. Nya was bemused to find the Watchers Council's headquarters. She even talked to several of them, testing to see if any could tell what she was. Yet even the Slayers couldn't sense the demon within her. Made life simpler for her. She didn't want to have to fight the good guys.

One night, she was in a church, collecting holy water. She overheard a young girl in the confessional crying out that she was cursed. She was convinced that her ability to see the future was evil, and the narrow-minded priest wasn't really helping the poor thing out with his interrogation.

So, Nya waited outside for her. She was stunned to see Drusilla standing in front of her. And she knew it was Spike's crazy girlfriend – although he wasn't alive yet, was he? The only difference was this Drusilla wasn't completely loony-tunes. Probably because Angelus didn't exist to break her mind and spirit.

"Good evening, Drusilla," Nya greeted her, stepping from the shadows.

Drusilla's eyes widened in fear when she saw who it was. She had dreamed of this being. "What does the ender of demons want with me? Am I a demon?" she cried.

Nya grabbed her and shook her to make sure she had Drusilla's full attention. "Of course not! You may not believe it, but you can help a lot of people with your ability."

"It's evil! My family and the church believe so. The only way to purify me, is to take the vows," Drusilla managed to explain through her tears.

Nya took her hand and stroked it comfortingly. "Is it evil to save people's lives with your vision? Do you honestly think it is better to hide in the church, ignoring this than it is to share it with others? Others who will use what you tell them to protect the world?" she encouraged the young seer.

Drusilla stopped crying and gaze at her benefactress hopefully. "They would?" she pleaded, desperately wanting this to be a gift and not a curse.

"They might need to prove that you truly have the sight, but I think they would. If they do not, I would not mind having a companion," Nya offered, almost wishing that the Council would refuse Drusilla. But she knew that was her own selfishness talking. The seer would be better off with the Watchers and Slayers.

"Would you turn me so I could stay with you forever?" Drusilla inquired with her deep, soulful eyes boring into Nya's.

The daywalker shook her head, "No. This is not a good thing. I was fortunate; it is doubtful that if I turned anyone, they would have the same luck."

Drusilla seemed to understand. Given her talent, she probably understood better than Nya how it happened. "Can I meet these people? Who are the observers?"

"The Watchers Council. They help the Enders of Demons – except they use the phrase 'Vampire Slayers'." Nya took a moment to make sure Drusilla understood the importance of what she was about to say. "But you can't tell them about me, alright?"

"Certainly not! They do not see shades of gray, only black and white," Drusilla agreed.

Nya brought Drusilla to the Council, and the seer passed the tests with no trouble. In fact, she was the strongest one they had. Although they said their goodbyes, Drusilla promised to tell Nya of any visions that affected her or her future.

Over time, Nya got the sense of which vampires and demons she could slay without hurting her timeline too much. It didn't stop her from killing any she came across, but it did keep her from hunting them down. The Three were ones she did go after since she knew Angel wouldn't be there to save her.

Sadly, she knew one death she couldn't stop was Merrick's. She wouldn't have tried so hard with Lothos if it weren't for avenging his death. And she might not have moved to the Hellmouth either. Nya had to be sure Buffy was there for the Halloween spell that sent her back in history.

Nya stayed close during the time leading up to Buffy's Calling as the Slayer. Each generation of seer since Drusilla had one that would share necessary information about threats to that particular Californian Slayer without informing the Council. She stayed in the States, and sent the occasional note about events Angel was supposed to affect. But she had her own battles to fight against the forces of darkness.

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A/N: Next…Not sure, should there be a next? Nya meeting up with the Gang post-Halloween?