Chapter 7: The New Watcher
******Colorado Spring*****
After David had dropped her off, Cassie told her mother about what happened that night with Buffy.
"She had told me that she was different. She had told me that monsters and vampires were real," Cassie shared, clearly rattled. "But to see it, Mom. I-I can't explain it. We're not even old enough to drive, and a monster—she called it a vampire—was attacking a homeless man. Buffy didn't hesitate. She went after it and saved the guy. But she wouldn't let the evil thing live. It was like she couldn't, and she just fights—Mom it was incredible. Then she stabbed the vampire with a piece of wood. That's all it took to kill it. It actually dissolved. It was just insane!"
Janet listened as her daughter shared what had happened during her evening out with David and Buffy. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking her over for signs of injury.
"Of course. David and I didn't do anything! We just stood there in shock!" Cassie said. "Well, I did render first aid to the man, whose neck wound was bleeding a lot."
"That's not nothing, Cassie. You probably saved his life. He could've bled to death without that even if Buffy killed the vampire," she pointed out.
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so," she said. "Buffy told David about her calling and what went on in Los Angeles. I pretended that I didn't know anything."
"That's probably for the best," Janet said. "Then you and he can be in it together with Buffy, supporting her. She's going to need it."
"Yeah," Cassie said. "I just don't get how she can be so brave. She didn't hesitate or even seem scared. Jack told me that he gets scared sometimes before battle, so did Sam."
"That's normal," Janet said.
"Buffy's not normal," Cassie remarked.
"No, she's not," Janet admitted. "Does that bother you?"
"Not really. I just don't understand how she can be so brave, Mom," Cassie said. "She's only fifteen. And then seeing her fight. It just doesn't seem natural."
"Well, Buffy would tell you that it is supernatural," Janet said. "There's some type of force inside of her that not only empowers her with the physical gift you witnessed, but it drives her to root out and destroy evil the way antibiotics would an infection. There's not time for her to be scared probably because the power she feels is pumping her full of adrenaline."
"It must have been really awful, then, for that hospital to drug her so much that she was powerless when some guy tried to rape her," Cassie said, feeling sick as she thought of it. "I knew what happened because she talked about it some with me, but seeing her fight and knowing just how strong she is, makes it all seem so much worse."
"I can imagine," Janet said, hugging her. "Be careful when you are with Buffy. That kind of thing could happen again, and I don't want you to get hurt or any ideas that you can fight monsters."
"Don't worry, Mom. I want to be a healer like you," Cassie told her. "Not battle the undead."
Janet smiled, feeling the overwhelming love her daughter always brought out in her. "I am glad to hear that," she said. "Thanks for talking to me about tonight."
"Well, she told David to tell his dad, so I didn't think it would be a big deal to talk to you," Cassie said with a shrug.
Janet was pleased that her daughter felt that she could speak to her. When she went into the mountain the next day, however, she had to speak to Jack, who was with his team and Dixon.
"I guess you are talking about the kids' adventure last night?" she asked.
Jack nodded. "I was just filling in Dixon on what we knew, and Teal'c and Sam shared their experience slaying with her as well," he said.
"I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. It seems insane," Dixon said. "David said he knew that she was special, but he could not believe what he saw."
"You will have to watch her train with Teal'c after school some time," Jack said.
"Cassie was struck by her courage," Janet remarked. "That she didn't hesitate to fight something so scary really rattled Cassie. It was hard for her to understand because they are the same age. She said that you and Sam go into battle and feel fear sometimes, but she didn't see any fear at all in Buffy. Just a drive to save the man and destroy the evil who wanted to kill him."
"She is a remarkable young woman," Sam said.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
Pride filled Jack as he smiled. "That's my girl," he said. "Fearless, powerful, and talented."
"I see you're the proud papa," Dixon observed, laughing.
"She is special," Janet agreed. "But we have to be careful about the three of them going out together as Buffy does attract the supernatural. She's always going to run toward danger, and they're not going to want to leave her alone even though it would be best if they did."
Jack sighed. "We really should train Cassie and David," he said. "Just in case."
"David is already a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do," Dixon said.
"Yes, that's good," Jack said. "We'll train him how to handle himself against the supernatural. Cassie can learn more self-defense and what to do if she's caught out with Buffy."
"I'll get her a cross necklace," Janet said. "Buffy says those actually work."
"It's insane," Sam said, shaking her head.
"A bottle of holy water in a spray instead of just pepper spray," Daniel said, grinning.
"This life of ours has gotten ridiculous," Jack said.
"For real," Dixon said. "I'm just glad the kids are okay."
"Me, too," Jack said.
"Yes," Janet agreed. A small part of her, though, worried about the danger Buffy might run toward the next time she was out with Cassie.
******A Few Weeks Later*****
Rupert Giles had hoped that he would get a job at his slayer's high school as the librarian, but it seemed that only position that the school had available was a fencing instructor. Luckily, he was actually qualified to teach that, having taken it in both secondary school and at university. At university, he achieved master level, so he had no need to fake any papers. He also was going to teach one class of Latin since it was on his resume. The principal of the school did not think there would be enough interest to have more than one class.
It was fine with Rupert as he would need time to spend training his slayer. When he unpacked his apartment and secured his job at the high school, there was a week left before classes would start. He debated hunting up his slayer's father, Jack O'Neill, who had to know what his daughter was at this point. What happened at her old school was too public for her parents to not know about her calling. As an officer, he would not be one to dismiss the changes in his daughter like some parents would. Nor would he be inclined to ignore the differences there would be in her.
Considering his options, he decided to play the odds and go to her home address. The address Colonel O'Neill was listed residing at. It was outside the city, very rustic. A good place for a slayer to train in privacy really.
He walked up the stone path and rang the doorbell.
"Coming!" a voice called out. It sounded female, so he assumed it was his slayer as her father had not remarried as far as they knew.
The door opened, and there she was, staring at him without much expression. However, he could detect healthy wariness along with curiosity in her gaze. Very good to see.
"Hello," he said. "You must be Elizabeth O'Neill."
She nodded. "Yes, that's what it says on my birth certificate," she replied. "I prefer Buffy, however."
"All right," he said, giving her a warm smile. "Do you know who I am?"
"Well, you're down with the British accent, and you're wearing the tweed. Are you my new watcher?" she asked.
"I am," he said. He held out his hand. "Rupert Giles. You may call me Mr. Giles or Giles."
She stepped back, so that he could step into the house. Then she took his hand. "Nice to meet you. I hope you last longer than my other watcher," she said, looking morose.
"Yes, well, Merrick was a fine watcher, but you and he were outnumbered," he said. "Defeating a master vampire like you did so soon after you were called was quite an accomplishment. Merrick's death was a heroic one, but he is missed by all of us."
"My dad and his best friend will be very glad to meet you as they have lots of questions," Buffy told him.
"So your dad does know about your calling?" he said.
Buffy nodded. "When I tried to tell Mom and my stepdad, they stuck me in a crazy house. I nearly died when I was drugged so much that I couldn't defend myself when an orderly tried to rape me," she shared.
"That is horrible! I am sorry that happened," he said, giving her a look of compassion. "Can we sit?"
Buffy took him into the living room, and he sat down on the sofa. She sat down next to him. "Sadly, you actually died long enough to activate another slayer," he told her.
"Really?" she said, surprised.
"Yes, Kendra, the new slayer, and her watcher are currently on the hellmouth in Sunnydale, California, where you were supposed to go," he said.
"Oh, wow. A hellmouth? What exactly is that?" Buffy asked.
"A gateway to this world and a hell dimension. There are several around the world, but the one is Sunnydale seems to have more supernatural activity than most," he shared. "Her watcher has told us that she faces many vampires nightly and often a demon or two."
"Wow. That's a lot of action," Buffy said.
"Yes," he agreed.
"There's not anything supernatural in this town. I've checked. But there is in Denver. Dad took me patrolling once with his team, and we bagged a few vamps and a demon. Mom came to visit me, and I wanted to prove to her that I wasn't crazy," she shared. "My counselor suggested that I show her who I was, and I was glad that I did."
"Really? That was very brave of you," he said. "How did she take it?"
"Very well," Buffy said, smiling. "We're in a good place now, but I'm not ready to go back to California and live with her and Hank. He was really good to me, but he threw me in that place and convinced Mom I needed a psych eval and a drug test."
"Yes, well, that is unfortunate," he told her. "This is why we try to remove potentials from their parents when they are young and train them. Some family members can handle the truth and end up deciding to be watchers or train with the council in come capacity. Many, though, cannot handle the reality of the supernatural. It sounds like your stepfather is one of those. I am glad your parents have been there for you."
"My dad has been amazing," Buffy bragged. "He's been in the military for a long time and says he's seen a lot of crazy stuff. He was more open minded and so are his friends—the team he works with."
"That is unexpected," Giles said carefully. He had not been prepared for such a wide circle knowing her truth. "You said counseling. You have a counselor that you can speak about slaying with?"
Buffy nodded. "Dad had a doctor who worked with his team that he trusted, and he told me that I could show him who I was. He believed me."
"That's extraordinary, Buffy," Giles said. "I wish that I could say that the Council has counselors on staff to regularly help their slayers, but they do not. It's very remiss of them, in my opinion."
"It's been good having someone to talk to about what happened back home. You know my brother Charlie died when I was eleven, and then my dad just sort of let us drift away. He and Mom were really close, and she loved him a lot," Buffy shared, wanting the new watcher to really understand her. "Charlie shot himself with Dad's gun as he knew the combination to the lock box Dad kept it in. Dad blamed himself, and I blamed him, too, I guess. I was angry at him for a long time. My life has been kind of crappy."
Giles felt a deep connection to his young slayer as she was clearly a strong girl, who had survived a lot that had been thrown at her. "I am glad you feel like you can talk to me," he said.
"I'm surprised," she said, looking at him with a searching gaze. "I'm not usually so chatty with strangers. I guess I really miss Merrick."
"I can assure you, Buffy, that I won't let you down," he assured her. "I will do my utmost to guide you and train you to be ready for whatever comes your way."
"That's good," Buffy said.
"Have you had any other encounters with the supernatural since you've been in Colorado?" he asked.
She nodded. "A few weeks ago, I was out with two of my friends, and we came across a vampire feeding on a homeless person in alley when it was still daylight," she shared.
"Really?" Giles said, pulling out a notebook to write things down. He jotted down some notes, recording her comments.
"So now my two close friends know all about the supernatural," she said, looking sheepish. "I suck at secret-identity girl."
He chuckled. "Yes, well, sometimes you cannot help it and must play the hand you are dealt," he told her.
"I'm glad you are being so cool," Buffy said.
"Where is your father?" Giles asked.
"He's at the base," Buffy said. "He should be here soon, bringing supper since I refuse to cook."
Giles laughed. "Glad you have your priorities," he said. "I will be working at the school, so you'll see me there. I'm teaching fencing, so I hope you will sign up for it. It's a good way to work on your sword skills."
Buffy's eyes lit up. "That's awesome! Cassie was talking about taking it for P.E. credit," she said. "I was thinking of signing up for track since I can't be in the Olympics anymore."
"Yes, it isn't really fair," he said.
"Track allows me to get rid of excess energy without accidentally hurting anyone like soccer or lacrosse would," she said.
"That's true," he said. "But be mindful of running too fast."
"I already discussed it with Dr. Carter, the physicist on Dad's team, and she said that as long as I don't run too much faster than the state records, it would be okay," Buffy said. "Not my fault that I was called. I was on track to be an Olympian in gymnastics, you know. I was a junior Olympian. I won a medal and everything."
"Actually, I didn't know that," Giles said, annoyed that the council had not given him a full record of her life. He didn't know about her brother's death, only the parents' divorce. His slayer was exceptionally gifted even before her calling, so there would be no limits to what she could accomplish.
"So I don't think it's fair to always make me hide my light under a bush," she said, crossing her arms and giving him a look that dared him to argue with her.
Giles tried to hide his smile at her mutinous look, but he was unable to. Finally, the front door opened, saving him from commenting.
"Dad's here," she said, jumping up to greet him.
"Who's here?" Jack asked, having spotted a strange car parked. "Why didn't you call me?"
"It's my new watcher," she said excitedly, grabbing the food bag. "I'm starving!"
"Really? Danny will be very happy," Jack said. He looked with interest at the man who was standing in his living room. He was tall and fit with intelligent eyes, hid behind glasses, reminding him strongly of his best friend. Then he spoke, revealing his British roots.
"Hello," Giles said.
"Dad, this is Rupert Giles, my new watcher. Mr. Giles, this is my dad, Colonel Jack O'Neill," Buffy introduced. "What's in the bags?"
"Chinese," Jack said, holding out his hand to Giles. "Great to meet you, Mr. Giles."
"You as well," he said. "I apologize for dropping in unannounced. However, I was not sure what you would know or not know."
"I filled him in," Buffy told her dad.
"So he's up to speed?" Jack said.
"Yep. I told him about being committed, Los Angeles, going slaying with you and Mom, and what happened recently with David and Cassie in Denver," she shared. "Oh, he said that my momentary death called another slayer named Kendra. She's currently at the hellmouth in California."
"That's a lot, Buffy," Jack said, shaking his head.
"Clearly, I have missed the Brits," Buffy replied, grinning as she unpacked the bag of food.
"Mr. Giles, would you like to stay for dinner?" Jack asked.
"If you have enough, I would be happy to," Giles said. He was thrilled to find his slayer so engaging and her father so welcoming. The council's concern about the military father being a problem was obviously out of line.
"I always buy plenty in case we want leftovers for tomorrow," he said, grinning. "The food at the base isn't too bad, but I do get sick of it."
As the food was dished out, and they sat around Jack's kitchen table, he decided to come clean. "So, Mr. Giles, I must warn you, my team has two very intelligent people on it. Daniel—he's a cultural anthropologist and linguist, officially Dr. Daniel Jackson, has about a million questions about the history of vampires and demons, yada yada. Sam, Dr. Samantha Carter, who is a physicist, has had a hard time accepting the supernatural. It's really jacked up her world view," he explained. "She will probably also have a million questions for you. I hope you won't mind talking to them."
"Are you going to bring him onto the base?" Buffy asked, surprised.
"I will talk to General Hammond and see what he says," Jack told her. "It's a big base. I'm sure we can find room for him to meet with the team some place that doesn't compromise national security."
That let Buffy know that her dad had no plan to bring her watcher into his military world of secrets.
She supposed she would have to find a way to keep a secret after all.
Giles, of course, had no idea the inquisition he would face when he met Jack's team.
******Chapter End*****
If it seems odd for Buffy to be so open, remember in this story, she is going to therapy and has had no ill encounters with the Council. Her watcher, Merrick, she remembers with fondness. She wants Giles to like her. Also, she is a bit younger than on the show. Reviews are always very appreciated. Thanks!