Untitled Crossover
First Chapter
Giles looked at his Slayer. No matter how many Slayers they found, the others would be someone else's Slayer. Buffy had been his Slayer from the first time she'd walked into the library and insisted that she was retired, no matter how hard he'd fought against the bonds of love that insisted on chaining them together. She'd cemented her status as his Slayer when she'd gone down to face the Master, knowing that she would die. She'd become irrevocably his during the months of torment from Angulus. Those bonds had been shaken, but not broken, during Buffy's Cruciamentum. THey'd been stretched and took time to get them back to what they'd been, but the' d held strong and didn't break.
Giles still felt that he'd failed Faith in those months that she'd first appeared. But the logic side of him knew that he hadn't failed her- the Council had. They'd had the unprecedented situation, of two SLayers, and the COuncil had bollixed things on both times. The first, they had neglected to inform the Watcher of of the first Slayer that there was a second one running around. WHich is a rather important bit of information to have. The second, they assigned the Slayer to a Watcher that already had a Slayer. The bond between a Watcher and a Alyer ws a special one. THe Watcher had to be everything his SLayer needed. Often times, the Slayer grew up with her Watcher. That hadn't happened with BUffy and Giles, but their bond was no less strong because of it. A Slayer had one Watcher. If her Watcher died, another was sent to her. She would have a Watcher, but the second one wouldn't be her Watcher. A Watcher had one Slayer. If his Slayer died, as they so often did, he woulnd't recieve another Slayer. He'd just exist, a broken hearted shell of the man he used to be.
THe best way to explain the bond is, a Watcher and Slayer, when it's the right Watcher/Slayer team, imprints on each other like ducklings.
Buffy and Giles had imprinted. Giles could care about Faith, reach out to her and want to help her, want what was best for her, but she was a Slayer while Buffy was his Slayer.
Giles looked at his Slayer as she bounced exuberantly on the porch. "Calm down, dear heart. His eyes twinkled at her with good humor and understanding. "You don't want to scare the poor girl away because of your boisterous enthusiasm even before we tell her aboutthe scary side of the world, do you?"
Buffy grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry, Watcher Mine." She stopped boucning, but the excitement was still evident in her eyes.
Giles turned questioning eyes to her. "Why are you so excited about this?"
Buffy shot him a grin. "I get to help mold the next generation of Slayers. How cool is that?" She rang the doorbell, the Florida sun catching the gold in her hair and casting a halo around her head.
Giles was struck anew by just how young his Slayer was- and that she'd been so much younger when he'd first sent her out to fight the darkness. She was the oldest living Slayer in history. Giles was proud of her, even as he recognized the obscenity of children fighting and dying in a war most of the world didn't know about.
The door opened, and a sweet looking older lady looked at them with Willow's eyes. "How may I help you?"
Giles and BUffy looked at each other, and BUffy relinquished control to her Watcher. "Yes, we were looking for Rose?"
The woman beamed at them and the sunlight seemed to grow that much brighter because of it. "Come in, come in." She ushered them in, still smiling brightly. "Oh, it's so nice to meet new people and to have visitors! Usually the men come asking for Blanche."
Giles nd Buffy found themselves seated on the couch and being offered tea and cookies in short order.
After settling in, the lady looked at the two of them expectantly, as though waiting for them to say something.
Giles cleared his throat, but BUffy's impatience got the better of her. "Will Rose be out here soon?"
The gentle woman laughed, a twinkling, musical laugh that floated on the air. "Oh, goodness! I'm Rose."
Giles and Buffy shared another look.
Apparently, Buffy wasn't the oldest Slayer anymore.
Giles looked at his Slayer. No matter how many Slayers they found, the others would be someone else's Slayer. Buffy had been his Slayer from the first time she'd walked into the library and insisted that she was retired, no matter how hard he'd fought against the bonds of love that insisted on chaining them together. She'd cemented her status as his Slayer when she'd gone down to face the Master, knowing that she would die. She'd become irrevocably his during the months of torment from Angulus. Those bonds had been shaken, but not broken, during Buffy's Cruciamentum. THey'd been stretched and took time to get them back to what they'd been, but the' d held strong and didn't break.
Giles still felt that he'd failed Faith in those months that she'd first appeared. But the logic side of him knew that he hadn't failed her- the Council had. They'd had the unprecedented situation, of two SLayers, and the COuncil had bollixed things on both times. The first, they had neglected to inform the Watcher of of the first Slayer that there was a second one running around. WHich is a rather important bit of information to have. The second, they assigned the Slayer to a Watcher that already had a Slayer. The bond between a Watcher and a Alyer ws a special one. THe Watcher had to be everything his SLayer needed. Often times, the Slayer grew up with her Watcher. That hadn't happened with BUffy and Giles, but their bond was no less strong because of it. A Slayer had one Watcher. If her Watcher died, another was sent to her. She would have a Watcher, but the second one wouldn't be her Watcher. A Watcher had one Slayer. If his Slayer died, as they so often did, he woulnd't recieve another Slayer. He'd just exist, a broken hearted shell of the man he used to be.
THe best way to explain the bond is, a Watcher and Slayer, when it's the right Watcher/Slayer team, imprints on each other like ducklings.
Buffy and Giles had imprinted. Giles could care about Faith, reach out to her and want to help her, want what was best for her, but she was a Slayer while Buffy was his Slayer.
Giles looked at his Slayer as she bounced exuberantly on the porch. "Calm down, dear heart. His eyes twinkled at her with good humor and understanding. "You don't want to scare the poor girl away because of your boisterous enthusiasm even before we tell her aboutthe scary side of the world, do you?"
Buffy grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry, Watcher Mine." She stopped boucning, but the excitement was still evident in her eyes.
Giles turned questioning eyes to her. "Why are you so excited about this?"
Buffy shot him a grin. "I get to help mold the next generation of Slayers. How cool is that?" She rang the doorbell, the Florida sun catching the gold in her hair and casting a halo around her head.
Giles was struck anew by just how young his Slayer was- and that she'd been so much younger when he'd first sent her out to fight the darkness. She was the oldest living Slayer in history. Giles was proud of her, even as he recognized the obscenity of children fighting and dying in a war most of the world didn't know about.
The door opened, and a sweet looking older lady looked at them with Willow's eyes. "How may I help you?"
Giles and BUffy looked at each other, and BUffy relinquished control to her Watcher. "Yes, we were looking for Rose?"
The woman beamed at them and the sunlight seemed to grow that much brighter because of it. "Come in, come in." She ushered them in, still smiling brightly. "Oh, it's so nice to meet new people and to have visitors! Usually the men come asking for Blanche."
Giles nd Buffy found themselves seated on the couch and being offered tea and cookies in short order.
After settling in, the lady looked at the two of them expectantly, as though waiting for them to say something.
Giles cleared his throat, but BUffy's impatience got the better of her. "Will Rose be out here soon?"
The gentle woman laughed, a twinkling, musical laugh that floated on the air. "Oh, goodness! I'm Rose."
Giles and Buffy shared another look.
Apparently, Buffy wasn't the oldest Slayer anymore.