Denver, CO - May 1980
"Can you believe Dawnie's already graduating?" Willow breathed. "It seems like only yesterday that your parents were bringing her home from the hospital."
"That was yesterday, Wills. She just got her cast removed," Buffy responded quietly. She, her parents, and the Scoobies were sitting in the high school's bleachers looking down on the graduating class of 1980. The graduates were seated on white lawn chairs arranged in rows across the football field, with the stage and band set up below the scoreboard.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Buffy smirked at her friend, who had received five shushes at once. Mr and Mrs Bradley, Joe, George, and Giles were all one hundred percent focused on the proceedings going on below them, even though they had all seen the ceremony twice before.
Just then, Xander leaned forward from his seat behind the girls and asked, "Why couldn't she just heal her broken arm again?"
"Because Mrs Oeschle saw it happen. There was no way she wasn't going to tell my parents," Buffy answered in a whisper. In an effort to protect them, none of the parents were told about their children's involvement in the supernatural.
"I still can't believe that we've been patrolling and fighting for nearly ten years with almost no injuries, and Dawn got her arm broken when that moron jock in her Drama class grabbed her," Willow fumed.
"I can," Xander countered. "When we patrol, she knows to always expect something, and she usually turns her body with whatever grabs her so she can use their movement against them. This happened in class, when her arms were full of props and other supplies, and in front of a crowd. She couldn't go with it without drawing a lot of unwanted attention."
"Xander, the tactical expert," Buffy deadpanned. Xander reached out to tickle her, but at that moment Dawn's name was called. The Scoobies and their families jumped up and cheered for Dawn, screaming loudly, clapping, whistling, and generally embarrassing her and annoying the people around them.
-=-
Dawn wrapped her arms around Buffy, grinning broadly. "I did it!" she shrieked, then continued softer, "I actually managed to have a ceremony this time!"
"I know. And as the valedictorian! I'm so proud of you," Buffy whispered back. She hugged her sister close to her, then loosened the grip as both sisters began to jump up and down. The rest of the family joined them at that time, and each one congratulated Dawn on her accomplishment.
"So Dawnster," Xander started, throwing an arm across her shoulders, "how long do we get to bask in your presence before you run off to England to get higher learning degrees?"
"I fly out in three weeks. I want to be there to get good classes."
"And where did you say you were going to study?" Joe asked, reaching around to give the girl a congratulatory hug of his own.
"I'll be in the Languages Department at Oxford University. I plan on majoring in European Languages, with a minor in Archeology and History."
"That's quite a load you're setting yourself up for."
"She managed to graduate a year early. I think she can handle it," Buffy proclaimed.
-=-
One week after Dawn graduated, the whole team decided to do a sweep of the city. Buffy and Joe took one third of the town, Giles, Dawn, and George took another, and Willow and Xander took the last third. They wanted to keep the hostile demon population at its absolute minimum for the remaining time Dawn was in town. That way there was less of a chance for a group of demons to crash her going-away party.
Buffy and Joe walked around the abandoned business district, chatting easily. They had grown closer since Buffy and the group had come clean to him right before her Cruciamentum. Joe was a little like Wesley had been at first, Buffy mused. He just wanted to fit in, really. And he had been surrounded by a bunch of annoying little Council-trained know-it-alls until being thrown into the field. Thankfully the situation hadn't gotten so royally out of hand this time around. Joe gestured to a side street, indicating that he thought they should check it out. Buffy was about to nod when she heard something from the opposite alley.
"Let's check this one out first. I think I heard something." The duo turned and started down the alley, pausing when there was a flash of light from the other side of a dumpster. The smell of ozone hit them and they exchanged a look. "Great," Buffy muttered, "Someone's playing with lightning."
-=-
George Hammond rolled his eyes in mock exasperation as Giles and Dawn debated the advantages and disadvantages of so many modern languages being derived from a common tongue, and effects that similar beginning could have on the various cultures of the world. He enjoyed listening to the two get into a vigorous debate as much as the next person – it was, after all, highly entertaining to listen to two such highly intelligent people argue passionately over something they both loved – but seeing as he was not a linguist, he was quickly beginning to feel left out. Normally, at about this time he would be getting into a tactical discussion with Xander, or a scientific one with Willow, or comparing war stories with Buffy, or even just talking quietly with Saied about Egypt. Now, however, all avenues of escape were currently patrolling their own areas.
He tuned back into the conversation to find that they had shifted languages and were both arguing fiercely in a language they had long ago informed him was called Fyarl. If he let it wash over him he supposed it was similar to German, what with all the grunts, spitting, and guttural noises. Of course, the hisses and clacks definitely set it apart as a demon language. George twirled his stake in the air, catching it as gravity worked its way with the wooden weapon. He nearly let it drop when he saw a group of vampires come around the corner at them. A sound forced its way past his lips, alerting his friends of their company. Giles pulled a sword from the sheath at his back while Dawn reached for her daggers. George grabbed a second stake from his pocket. The two groups stared at each other for a long moment; then the vampires charged at them.
-=-
"I think I'm ready to be a dad," Xander murmured. Willow raised an eyebrow at him, supportive of what he felt was right, but curious.
"I mean, maybe not right this instant," Xander backpedalled quickly. "I just mean… You know… Sometime in this lifetime, it's something I'm ready for. I've had over fifty years to work through all of the issues Tony and Jessica left me with. I know what to avoid if I want the kid to turn out half-way decent. And I'm much more mature now than I was even as a forty-year-old, one-eyed carpenter traveling the deserts of Africa ripping little girls from their lives and telling them that they were destined for a life of hardship and early death. Plus, I have the added experience of training four slayers all by myself, and raising Kamaria after Rabi died. Huh… I think I should definitely have a girl."
"You think you'll have a say in your baby's gender?"
"Well… If I adopt I might…"
"Well, when you get to that point, you know you have my support."
"I think I could use a different kind of support right now," Xander stated, hefting an axe into his arms. Willow looked up and saw a demon drop from a building and rush toward them. She raised her arms and magically sent the monster crashing to the ground. A bright light surrounded him, and he split into seven smaller demons. Smaller being six feet tall instead of eleven.
"This is gonna hurt," Xander groaned. He raised the axe above his head and ran into the crowd of demons, letting out a war cry that would have scared anyone listening.
-=-
Buffy leapt onto the back of the sorcerer, jabbing an elbow between his shoulder blades. She jumped off as he fell, turning to throw a small knife into the hand of a second sorcerer while kicking out with her leg and catching a third man under his chin. She rushed over to her watcher and pulled him to his feet, then pushed him into the wall when a sorcerer's staff swung down, just missing the man by a few inches. Buffy punched him in the chest, and the sorcerer flew back to the alley opening. The remaining four huddled together and began to chant. Buffy's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed when she heard them. She took a brief running start, then charged into the group.
Joe watched with his vision swimming. Less than a minute into the fight he had taken a hard blow to the head, leaving him with a mild concussion. He saw Buffy run towards to sorcerers then get thrown back by a spell. He pulled his sword from its sheath and swung the blade towards the group of sorcerers, catching one in the throat. Warm blood surged out of the man's neck, splattering all over the fighters and the alley. He ran his arm across his face, trying to get the blood out of his eyes. That moment of distraction left him vulnerable to the remaining sorcerers. He was magically thrown, much as Buffy had been, into a wall.
When Joe went down, Buffy gave a mental shout for help through the telepathic link the Scoobies shared during their patrols. The answer she received disturbed her. Everyone was in a full battle. She was in this with only an already injured man for backup. She squared her shoulders and began moving back into the fight. She heard the sorcerers chanting, then saw them aim their combined hands at Joe. Her eyes widened when she realized they were going to try to kill him. She jumped at the same time the bolt of light left the sorcerers' hands.
-=-
The first five vampires had gone down fairly easily. Then twenty more showed up. For the next few minutes it seemed like every vampire they dusted was replaced by three more. And even worse, the vampires weren't the easy-to-stake fledges, either. They were all at least thirty years old, and had spent enough time in the world to avoid all of the common mistakes that left younger vamps a cloud of ash.
"Giles, did we find a nest or something?" Dawn shouted over the sounds of the fight. She was using a combination of magic and martial arts and was quickly wearing out. Giles appeared before her as the vampires she had been fighting disintegrated. The man spun on his heel and shoved his stake through the heart of another vampire. He had thrown the sword to George earlier in the fight and was quickly working his way through all of his spare stakes.
"I doubt it. I think," he paused to catch his breath and plunge his stake into another vampire, "I think they just got to town. None of this town's residents have survived long enough to get this strong." There was a whoosh sound off to Dawn's right, and she turned to see six vampires turn to dust as George held the sword at neck level and spun. They paused for a brief second when they heard Buffy's call for help, then another row of vampires surged in on them.
-=-
"Willow! Stop using magic on them! I think these guys are Gjamdsedis!"
"I thought they were native to Sweden," Willow shouted back at him. She did reign her magic back in and focused of her physical training. The sixty demons were each roughly three and a half feet tall, and each was more vicious than the seven demons that were created at the first magic blast. The Gjamdsedi was a demon that got meaner and harder to kill as it got smaller, which happened when it was attacked with magic. It separated into smaller, multiple demons until each one was beheaded. If one little demon was missed, then it began to grow until it reached the full height of eleven feet, and then it could start its own army.
"Any ideas on how to behead all of them?" Willow asked.
"Less talking and more swinging," Xander responded. It was phrased as a statement, but Willow heard the question. He wanted to know if she had any ideas. "Can you use magic to swings extra swords and stuff?"
"No, that still counts as a magical attack!" Willow turned and got to work beheading the little creatures, receiving multiple scratches and bites in the process. She heard the call from Buffy, and sent a quick vision of what she was dealing with back, along with the message that she would help if and when she could. Then she heard Xander cry out behind her and turned to see a Gjamdsedi clinging to Xander's shoulders, it's sharp, pointed teeth piercing the back of his neck.
-=-
Giles, George, and Dawn stood with their backs to each other. They were down to fifteen vampires, but they refused to grow complacent. They continued to fight until every vampire was dust, then they collapsed in the middle of the street, grateful it was too late for anyone to drive by. Dawn leaned her head against Giles's shoulder, breathing hard and wiping blood from her face. George reached over and pressed a strip of cloth against the wound to try and slow the bleeding. Dawn smiled at him tiredly.
After a few minutes to catch their breath, the trio stood and started to make their way to Buffy and Joe's location. The sight they found when they arrived caused all of them to stop, their hearts beating painfully. Dawn screamed her sister's name and ran forward.
-=-
Xander swung the axe with his left arm, just catching the last Gjamdsedi under the jaw. As the body hit the ground all of the corpses turned to mist and dissipated in the air. Willow bandaged his major wounds, then held still while he returned the favor. The duo then started the jog to Buffy and Joe. They heard Dawn's scream when they were still a block away. They ran to the alley and looked inside.
Buffy's body was laying on the ground, her eyes open but sightless. Joe was desperately pumping her chest, trying to keep her heart beating. He looked up at the Scoobies, his eyes filled with tears that he refused to let fall.
"She jumped in front of the blast aimed for me. It… it rebounded and the sorcerers exploded, but Buffy stayed down. I checked on her, but she was just laying there with her eyes open. I… it looked like a lightning bolt, so I thought maybe, if I could just get her heart started again…" The first tear fell and he stared down at his hands, still pressed against the slayer's chest, trying to force life back into her. Giles gently moved him out of the way while Xander and George took over performing CPR.
It took nearly another minute, but eventually Buffy's body spasmed and she took in a gulp of air. Xander pulled her into his lap when she started shaking, still gasping for breath. They sat like that for almost half an hour, Dawn leaning against them and the rest of the Scoobies gathered around, offering their support. Buffy finally calmed down and looked at her friends and family.
"Let's not do that again," she croaked. "I don't know how many more new slayers I can make."
"New slayers?" Joe and George asked at the same time.
"I was dead," Buffy answered quietly. "A new girl was Called tonight. We should try to find her."
-=-
A/N: That's all for now. I tried to obey a reviewer and add in a little action. Was this good?