Chapter 8: The Watchers

******A Week Later *****

Rupert was not really prepared for his slayer. Not only did he not have the full story of her life, but she was an incredible athlete. Considering she was not raised and trained as a potential, her fighting ability was extraordinary. He had never seen the like in his life, nor had he read the Watcher journals of any past slayers with her talent.

She smiled. "How was that?" she asked him after she went through her forms.

"That was very good, Buffy," he told her.

"Thanks," she said.

"Let me teach you another form," Giles said.

Buffy soaked up everything he had to teach her with eagerness. He added three new fighting forms to her style, and she showed him what her dad's friend, Mr. T, had taught her with staffs.

"Excellent, Buffy," Giles said. They were practicing in her backyard. School was around the corner, and Giles wanted to get in as much training with her as he could.

After an hour, her father came out to see what they were doing. "I think you'll be pleased," Giles said.

He called out a form, and Buffy demonstrated it. Then he had her switch to another, then another, then another, and then yet another.

Finally, she picked up the staff and showed the form Jack knew Teal'c had shown her.

"That's amazing, sweetheart!" Jack said, clapping.

"Thanks!" Buffy said, smiling. "I'm going to go get a drink. Would you like something?"

"A water would be nice," Giles said.

"She's impressive, isn't she?" Jack asked.

"She might be the most talented slayer that this world has ever seen," Giles said. "I would love to see her spar with the current slayer sometime. I have no doubt that Buffy would win."

Jack grinned, proud to hear what he already knew. "She was special before she was called," he stated.

"Yes, I am sure that helps," Giles said.

"I was wondering if you could join us tomorrow at the base," Jack asked. "My team really wants to meet you. They have a lot of questions. My superior officer will be there, too."

"They all know about her calling?" Giles said, still uncomfortable with the idea.

Jack nodded. "Yes. They backed her up while she was slaying, and we reported the encounter to General Hammond, the base commander," he explained. "I'm just not okay with my daughter being in danger without backup of some kind. I always have someone watching my six when I go into battle. How can you expect an underage girl to face actual monsters alone?"

Giles felt a stab of guilt. "Well, it's tradition. It's just been that way always," he said.

"Well, you can tell your superiors that it won't be that way with my daughter," Jack said. "She is too important to me to be used and discarded as a tool of your council."

"I understand," Giles said.

Jack gave him directions to the base, and he agreed to join Buffy there the next day at ten o'clock in the morning.

******The Next Day******

Giles could not believe the process of getting inside the military base that was located inside the mountain. It made him suspect that Buffy's father was involved in something very Top Secret. The deep space whatever they had said did not fit with the level of security he was put through to get to a conference room. A conference room that was deep underground. Giles didn't think that he had ever been so far into the earth before. It was a bit unsettling.

When he went into the conference room, he saw a very beautiful woman with short blonde hair, who looked to be about a decade younger than he was. An older man, who was probably the base commander, and a clearly intelligent man wearing glasses. That must be Dr. Daniel Jackson, a man that Giles had actually heard about somewhat. He had thought the name was familiar and read through some old papers.

"Mr. Giles, thanks so much for coming to meet us here," Colonel O'Neill told him, holding at his hand.

"Hey, Giles," Buffy said, smiling at her as she piled donuts and fruit onto a plate. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I am good. Thank you," he said, amused by her appetite.

Buffy's father made the introductions, and Giles said, "Please call me Rupert or Giles as Buffy does."

"Have a seat, Rupert," Colonel O'Neill said.

The table was a square, and he was at the end of it with the General at the other. His slayer was on his right with her father next to her. Across from her was Dr. Jackson and then Dr. Carter. A military officer and a physicist were quite a combination. Giles could not help but be impressed.

The door opened and a large, dark-skinned man wearing a hat sat down on her other side in the open chair.

"This is Mr. T," O'Neill introduced. "The last member of my team."

"Ah, the one who has been teaching Buffy a new form of fighting with the staffs," Giles said, smiling at the man.

He smiled and titled his head.

"This is Rupert Giles, Buffy's Watcher," Jack said.

"So what can you tell us about your council? Is the Prime Minister aware of what goes with them?" Hammond asked.

"The council has been around as long as the slayer has been in one form or another. The slayer changes, but the council remains," he said. "As for the Prime Minister, I could not say for certain, but I do know that some in the British government are aware."

"Can you explain how a piece of wood turns the vampires into ash?" Dr. Carter asked him. "It makes no scientific sense."

Giles smiled. "No, it wouldn't. It is magic, built, I believe, on the power of wood from the beginning of man's creation to both create and destroy," he replied. "Some circles believe that the Christian symbol of Jesus, who was crucified on the cross, gave the wood power as the cross burns the vampire. However, He died only two thousand years ago, and the slayers have been killing vampires before that."

"So you can't really explain it?" Dr. Carter pushed.

He shook his head. "Not to your satisfaction. Buffy's entire existence is mystical. We use magical means to locate nearly all potential slayers and train them, so they are prepared if they are called," he explained. "She, however, was missed."

"Any way you can tell us how many subterrestrials are on Earth?" Hammond asked.

"Excuse me?" Giles said, not sure what he meant.

"He means demons," Buffy said, grinning. "That's what the military calls demons."

Giles smiled. "Oh, that makes sense as extraterrestrials are aliens," he said. Then an idea occurred to him. "That's what you all are doing here, aren't you?"

"Pardon?" Hammond said.

"The security in this facility is extreme, and Dr. Jackson's reputation and final published paper theorizing the Egyptian pyramids being used as alien landing pads makes sense now," Giles said with a chuckle. "You came across something that proves extraterrestrials are real, and you needed someone with his expertise to help you."

"That's quite a theory," Hammond said.

"I notice that you're not denying it," Giles said.

"Unfortunately, this base is classified," O'Neill told him. "We cannot discuss what we do here."

"Yet you expect me to tell you all about what I do?" Giles asked.

"Whatever you feel comfortable sharing," Hammond said.

"Well, there are nearly a thousand species of demons cataloged worldwide by the Watcher's Council," he said.

"Dear God!" O'Neill exclaimed.

Dr. Jackson's eyes lit up. "Do they have their own languages?" he asked.

"Of course," he replied.

"New languages on Earth that I can learn?" Dr. Jackson asked.

"Great, now we'll never get any work out of him!" O'Neill complained while everyone laughed.

Giles spent a very good day getting to know the other adults in Buffy's life. Dr. Carter took him to her lab, and he identified the demon species that Buffy had killed. He answered all her questions, finding her such a fascinating paradox of intelligence and strength.

"May I ask why you decided to pursue a career in the military instead of focusing on the sciences?" he asked.

"Military family. My father is a general," Carter explained.

"Oh, of course," Giles said. That explained it. "My family has been a part of the Watcher's Council for centuries. I tried to rebel in college, but it only led to a lot of trouble."

"I have never been very good at rebelling," she admitted. "Just defying preconceived notions."

Giles chuckled, enjoying her company.

"This has been difficult for me," Carter admitted. "Buffy has destroyed every preconceived notion that I have about the universe."

"I can imagine," Giles said. "Slayers have a way of inspiring us as well as terrifying us."

"She shouldn't be possible," Carter said.

Dr. Jackson came in. "Is it my turn yet? Did he identify the demon species?" he asked.

"He did," Carter said.

"Can you teach it to me?" Dr. Jackson wondered.

"I didn't bring any of my books," Giles said.

"You have books?" Dr. Jack asked eagerly.

Dr. Carter laughed. "Daniel loves books like I love science," she said.

"The world is a fascinating place," Giles told her.

"It really is," Dr. Jackson agreed.

"Had did you get involved in the military?" Giles asked him.

"Well, have I got blacklisted from the academic world for my theory about the pyramid, the military needed an anthropologist and linguist, and I needed a job," Dr. Jackson explained. "This is my fourth year, and I have enjoyed my work so far."

"The next time I come, I'll bring you some of my books," Giles said.

"That would be great," Dr. Jackson said. "Come to my office. I'll show you some of the work I'm doing, and you can tell me more about yours."

Giles knew that this man would make an incredible Watcher. He was inquisitive, compassionate, and brilliant. He knew more languages than Giles did, and they had fun talking about the slayer myth. Dr. Jackson insisted that Giles called him Daniel and showed him a text he had that he thought referenced the slayer.

Buffy knocked and interrupted them. "Giles, time to eat," she told him.

The two men looked up with identical expressions of confusion on their faces, and she laughed. "You two are like two peas in a pod," she said. "I knew you would get along."

"I guess that I could eat something," Daniel admitted.

"Yes," Giles agreed. He followed Buffy to the cafeteria and was happy to see that Dr. Carter was there sitting with Colonel O'Neill.

"Hello, Giles," he said. "I hope you are not being bothered too much by Danny's million questions."

Buffy was sitting next to her father with Dr. Carter across from him, so Giles sat down next to her. Mr. T joined them with a very loaded tray.

"Giles, after you we finish eating, I was hoping you would watch me and Mr. T spar," Buffy said.

"I would be happy to," he said.

"Buffy O'Neill is very impressive," Mr. T said.

They ate a leisure lunch, talking and sharing stories. Giles told them more about his council, and they shared a bit about their work (the non-classified parts).

Then he followed them into their gym. A short time later, he was very impressed.

The Mr. T moved like no one he had ever seen and pushed his slayer to extraordinary heights. They started with staffs, and both seemed to enjoy the incredible display.

Then they were going at it hand-to-hand, and it didn't take Giles long at all to come to a conclusion.

Mr. T could not possibly be human.

******Sunnydale******

It had been a week since he had last danced and seen Kendra, and Xander was getting desperate.

He started walking by her house after school, hoping to see her.

Finally, his diligence paid off, and he saw her walking with an older African American man.

"Hi, Kendra," he said, waving.

She looked down and did not reply.

"How have you been?" Xander asked her. She kept her eyes downcast and stayed mute.

"And you are?" the man said.

"Xander Harris. I'm a friend of Kendra's," he said, holding out his hand.

"Sam Zabuto," the man said as he shook Xander's.

"Are you Kendra's guardian?" Xander asked.

"I am," Sam said.

"I was just wondering if she wanted to grab a bite to eat with me before going to the Bronze. It's not a school night," Xander said.

"Just you or will others be there?" Sam asked.

"Well, normally my two best friends, Willow and Jesse, are with me," Xander said, worried he wouldn't let her be alone with Xander.

"Kendra, would you like to go out with Xander and his friends?" Sam asked.

She looked up at Sam in surprise. "You would permit me?" she asked him.

"If you would like to, I do not see the harm," he told her. "Just remember, your responsibilities and don't stay in the Bronze too late."

Kendra was nervous but pleased that she was allowed to go with Xander. He was sweet and funny. He told her what all he had been up to and asked how she had been.

"Very well. Thank you," Kendra said.

"What do you spend your time doing?" he asked.

"Training or studying," she replied.

"Training to kill the monsters in this town?" Xander asked with interest.

She nodded. "My watcher believes that this town is on a hellmouth," she told him.

"Okay, two questions. What do you mean by watcher? You said that once before but never explained and what's a hellmouth?" Xander asked.

"Every vampire slayer or potential vampire slayer is given a watcher that mentors and trains them," she explained. "He knows all about the demons and has knowledge of the supernatural. Some watchers may have an expertise in witchcraft, but mine doesn't."

"Okay, watcher because he watches you do all the heavy lifting?" Xander asked.

"On occasion, he goes with me to observe," she said. "The Watcher's Council has been around for many centuries, so I suppose every watcher is more interested in field work than others."

"Wow, a whole council," Xander said. "Do you feel like pizza? I was thinking pizza."

"That is fine," she said.

"Willow's house is not far, so hurry and explain what a hellmouth is," he urged.

"It is a doorway between this world and a hell dimension," she answered. "My watcher believes a very large one exists in Sunnydale, but he is not quite sure where its epicenter is located."

"Probably at the high school," Xander said, grinning. "That would explain why our very nice principal, Mr. Flutie, has an evil troll like Snyder for his assistant principal."

He stopped in front of a nice two-story house.

"An evil troll? Why did you not tell me before? I will go to your school and slay him," she said in concern.

Xander laughed. "I didn't mean literally. He just has the personality of an evil troll," Xander said, before walking up to the door and knocking.

"How do you know what kind of personality an evil troll has?" Kendra asked.

Willow opened up the door in time to overhear her remark. Her eyes lit up with interest. "That's a very interesting question. How does one know that all trolls are evil or if they are even intelligent enough to have a personality?" she asked.

Xander groaned. "I was saying that Synder had the personality of an evil troll," he explained. "Kendra thought I meant he was really an evil troll."

Willow laughed. "He's too short to be a troll. Aren't they supposed to be large? He's like an evil dwarf," she said.

Kendra nodded. "They are very tall and strong," she said.

Willow loved how serious she was taking this absurd conversation. Jesse was two houses down and was watching for them. He came out as they walked close to his house.

"Are you guys in the mood for pizza? I'm starving!" he proclaimed.

"I figured," Xander said, grinning. "You remember, Jesse, Kendra?"

"I do," she said, looking at him briefly before looking away. Was she ever going to get used to talking to boys. How did Willow manage it so easily?

As they walked, Willow asked her questions about Jamaica, and she began to relax. This was something she could handle easily. When the boys declared one could outrun the other and took off, she glanced at Willow in confusion.

"Oh, well, they do that sometimes," Willow explained. "Boys have more energy than girls. Also, their brains at our age are still developing while ours are pretty much fully developed. They tend to think with their hormones. Food and girls are what they think most about."

"Really?" she asked. "I have not spent any time around boys. I get very nervous. Xander is the first to ever talk to me."

Willow was shocked but pleased at her confession. This beautiful and exotic girl had even less experience with boys than she did. It seemed insane, but it made her like Kendra instead of feeling jealous that Xander had a crush on her.

"Oh, I get that way around boys, too, sometimes. Especially if it is about dating or something," she admitted.

"You do not date Xander or Jesse?" she asked.

Willow shook her head. "We have only been friends. Xander and I became friends in kindergarten and Jesse in first grade," she told her.

They made it to the closest pizza place, and Kendra was anxious as there were a lot of people inside. However, the teens had no trouble finding a booth and negotiating pizza toppings. A pitcher of soda was ordered as one free fill went along with the soda order.

While they waited for their food, the object of Jesse's affection came in with her two friends. When she noticed someone new with them, she walked toward them, curious. "Hey, doofus and my stalker. Who's the new girl?" she asked, looking at Kendra.

"This is Kendra. She's from Jamaica," Xander said.

Cordelia's eyes lit up. "Oh, I love Jamaica. We went there last year for Spring Break. It is so beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you," Kendra said.

"I'm Cordelia Chase. I haven't seen you at school," Cordelia commented.

"She's homeschooled," Xander explained.

"Oh, that's too bad," Cordelia said. "We could totally use some diversity in our school."

She took out a piece of paper from her purse and wrote something on it. "Here's my number. If you get tired of hanging out with these losers, call me. I'll show you how to have fun in this lame town."

The server came up with their pizza as Kendra took the phone number.

"Wow. So if I moved to Jamaica and came back, do you think she'll give me her number?" Jesse asked as he grabbed a slice of pizza.

Xander snickered. "You would still be you," he said.

Kendra enjoyed listening to the trio's teasing as they ate. It was something that she had never experienced, and she found that it made her feel good to be around them.

The only thing that marred the evening was what occurred on the way to the Bronze. She took off running for some reason, and Xander was quick to follow her. Willow and Jesse looked at each other and decided to follow suit.

They caught up to Xander, who was watching in awe as she fought two vampires. One was a blonde female in a skirt, which seemed weird. The other was male. She quickly killed the male, and she was fighting the female.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked.

"I told you that she fights vampires, but you didn't believe me," Xander said smugly.

"Well, we should help her," Willow said.

"What can we do?" Xander said. The female vampire snarled and kicked her hard, and she hit the dumpster.

It used that opportunity to take off running.

Xander ran to Kendra's side. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

Kendra slowly got up, holding her side. "I don't know. I think my rib is bruised," she said.

"I guess we should get you home," Xander said.

"So they really were vampires?" Willow asked.

Kendra mentally groaned. Keeping secrets in this town was impossible!

When they took her home, they tried to talk to her watcher, but he did not appreciate their help—not really. He hardly glanced at them.

"Thank you for seeing her home," he said, leading Kendra inside. She went in without saying goodbye—much to Xander's disappointment.

"We have questions about vampires. Can you talk to us about it?" Xander asked.

"No," he said. "Avoid them. Carry a cross if you are scared. It is not your business."

Then he shut the door.

The three friends looked at each other in surprised confusion.

"I don't think he likes us, Xander," Willow said.

"Who's going to answer my million and one questions?" Jesse asked.

"I guess—we should go to the library?" Xander suggested.

Willow grinned. "Well, it's closed. The public library is open at nine tomorrow," she said.

"I'll bring some donuts," Xander said.

"I'll bring the coffee," Jesse said.

"I'll bring my library card," Willow said, excited the boys were willingly going to the library to study with her.

Sure, the topic was scary and disturbing.

Hey, they were studying!

Willow was totally looking forward to their study session.

******Chapter End*****

I hope you enjoyed seeing the contrast of the two watchers. Yes, Kendra WAS fighting Darla. Reviews are very appreciated. Thanks so much!