Title: Distinction of Species
Author: Jmaria
Rating: FR-18
Disclaimer: Joss owns his people, Lora Leigh owns the Breeds.
Summary: While the Watchers Council created Slayers out of necessity, the Genetics Council created the Breeds out of greed. When the New Council learns what happened, what will they do to help the Breeds survive?
Spoilers: General series through Bengal's Heart, and the anthology Hot for the Holidays. Series for Buffy.
A/N: Set ten years after the Breeds came forward. The main characters of this piece will not show up until the next part. And the BtVS people are a bit ooc in this part. Or, you know, they all spent a lot of time together and picked up some nasty, er cool traits.

Distinction of Species

Behind the Scenes

Buffy Summers frowned at Jonas Wyatt, the Director of the Bureau of Breed Affairs. Not many people got along with Jonas, and it was no surprise that the man was still single. He was good looking, yes, but then most Breeds were good-looking.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Wyatt, that the NWO had nothing to do with the Genetics Council?" Buffy sighed, wishing it didn't have to be her to come and speak with the stubborn Lion Breed.

"Wanna go into detail about the Initiative?" Jonas answered her question with a question.

"Wanna remember that I was the one to bring it down?" Buffy smiled sweetly at him. "And that I supplied your people with adequate back-up to watch out for your people when you were just setting up your compound?"

Buffy had sent her best slayers in to cover their asses those first harrowing months when no one knew what kind of backlash to expect from the Genetics Council. Her slayers had also been in on most of the lab raids to help save those Breeds still trapped by the Council.

"And even if we were, why the hell would we have worked so hard to keep your people safe from them?" It was an old argument. Jonas was suspicious by nature, most of the Breeds were. They'd had a lot of shit roll downhill on them before. "What's this about, Jonas?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, his jaw tightening and his nostrils flaring. It unnerved her when he did that - the big act as if he could scent a lie in her words. She cocked her brow at him and just waited.

"New group of Breeds came in a few days ago. One of them struck us as odd."

"Odd how?"

The Breeds had had over a decade to be out in the world. They'd mixed with things they'd never known before. True shifters, vampires, demons, witches, slayers - all the darker-nature based creatures. Part of the NWO's growing concern had been that one of these other groups would try and turn or infect the Breeds. They weren't entirely human, so the usual vampire bite might not have the same effect on a Breed than it would have on a full human.

"Lawe thought he'd seen a few of them before, when he was assigned that protection detail for Harris," Jonas looked pissed, but Buffy wasn't sure if it had something to do with the fact that he still owed Xander for that favor that he'd done or if he was just remembering having to deal with Xander.

"But Xander was on your land, helping to design the housing for your people ten years ago. Why is Lawe just recognizing them now? And what do you need me for?"

"To verify that you know them."

"Them as in more than one?"

"That's what I said."

"And if I do?"

Jonas only stared at her. She stared right back at him. That was the problem with being alphas, neither one of them was willing to back down in the slightest.

"You gonna show me the pictures, or did you just want to stare lovingly into my eyes all day? Because I don't think that'll sit well with your secretary," Buffy smiled sweetly at him.

Jones glared at her, but grudgingly pushed the pictures her way. The smile evaporated quickly as she recognized the faces in the photos.

"No they fucking didn't!" Buffy hissed, tears stinging her eyes. "Who could have done this?"

"So you do recognize them. Interesting."

In the end, with the help of the Council's most senior watchers, they identified five of the ten Breeds. Not by the names the Breeds had registered under with the Bureau, but by the names of their genetic donors: three females and two males.