"I had a Slayer dream." Faith told them. "Only it wasn't so much a Slayer dream, as a means for Xander and Cordelia to deliver a message."
"Why didn't they contact me?" Buffy asked. "I'm the Slayer too."
"Technically speaking, no you're not. The line wasn't split when you died. If Xander hadn't revived you, you would have just stayed dead. The line passes through me. Which they told me and is part of why they contacted me and not you. In case you haven't noticed, they're still annoyed at you and Willow. Since neither of you are willing to apologize for your behavior, they decided to just let it go. It's not worth it to them to keep angsting over you. Anyway, the dream. Immortals still can't come near the Hellmouths, which means guarding Hellmouths, especially this one, falls to humans and Slayers. They asked me to return to Sunnydale and guard this Hellmouth. They want me to try working with you, but if that proves impossible, to remember that I have a purpose and that is to destroy vampires and evil demons. Working with you is optional."
"I can guard the Hellmouth just fine, I don't need your help."
"I'm not here to help you, Buffy. You're not in charge. You don't seem to get that. Xander told me a Seer said, you are not meant to be in charge of anything, you're meant to be dead. Kindly remember, you live because Xander found a way to make it happen. I'm staying whether you like it or not, because he asked me to. He tried help to me, when the two of you were trying to destroy me. He knows what he's asking me to do is hard, but he also knows, that despite what you think, this world needs as many protectors as it can get. The rest of the world has the immortals. The Hellmouth has us. It's time for us to grow up and work together. No more petty power plays."
"Why did they use a dream to deliver a message?" Giles asked. "Why not just call us?"
"Because they're not coming back."
"Back? What do you mean they're not coming back?" Willow asked. "Back from where?"
"They're not coming back to our reality. They've spent the last week on a quest in other realities finding weapons they could use to fight the demon responsible for the Game. Once they had the weapons they needed, they killed the demon. When they sent the message to me, they were in a sort of waiting area, adjacent to the land of the gods. Eventually they will be gods themselves, but they need to grow into it. So, to get to that point, they're going to journey across the multiverse, helping out wherever they can. It's a journey they could be on for decades."
"Xander's not coming back?" Willow asked Faith, tears in her eyes.
"Not for a long, no. And when he does, he'll be ready to be a god and be given his own purview. So will the Queen."
"You said they said the Hellmouth needs humans and Slayers to protect it." Giles said. "Did they have specific humans in mind?"
"Yes, they do. First, you're to hand over Amy the rat to Cassandra, she'll figure out how to fix what happened to her. Then if she wants to help, she'll be invited to help. They also want me to find four other people. Ones you guys should have helped, but didn't. Xander feels bad about that."
"Who are these people we should have helped?" Giles asked, confused.
"Tor Hauer, Heidi Barrie, Rhonda Kelley and Kyle DeFours. He said they were his Pack and couldn't leave without ensuring they received at least some help, even if it's three years after it should have been given. And he says we'll find other humans who could contribute in some way. He says Buffy and Willow have the wrong idea, normal humans are quite capable of protecting themselves and others and keeping them from do so is wrong. Apparently your attitude annoys the gods too. You're not meant to be above anyone."
"I'm afraid I forgot about all of them." Giles said. "It seems, I too have forgotten, people are why we do this. So they can live free of fear. And yes, they do have the right chose for themselves. I will help as much as I can."
"Thanks, G. So are you willing to try, B? Or do we just divide the town in two and only work together during apocalypses?"
Buffy sighed and said. "Fine, we can work together."
"Well, I may not have gotten my hope, that Buffy would no longer need to be a Slayer, but knowing she isn't alone helps." Joyce said. "I will miss Xander, bad jokes and all. And I never got to know Cordelia. But say what you will about Xander Harris, when he sets out to do something, he finds a way to do it. Stubborn doesn't begin to describe that boy. I'm sure he'll help alot of people. It's the purpose that matters most to him, helping."
A/N The story isn't done yet. It will be continued in Immortal Choices Part Two. Which will be Xander and Cordelia's journey across the multiverse, they'll meet some familiar but unknown faces as they cross into realities that are similar to ones they've already been to, as well as completely different ones. While they're journeying across the multiverse, things will not be idle in their Sunnydale. It's not going to be that easy for Faith, Buffy and Willow to learn to work together. And how much are they going to be able to help people who probably feel like they've been forgotten and actually were forgotten?