Worthy?
"Quiet!" Giles smashed into the desk, his action thankfully ending the girl's self-righteous prattle. "I have heard quite enough from you. Would you like to know why I am allowing you to be tested?"
The blonde pouted and nodded.
"Very well, the Cruciamentum was developed to test a Slayer's worthiness on her -."
"Who says I'm not worthy?" Buffy demanded, her eyes glittering. "I killed the Master and Lothos!"
"And," he ignored the interruption. "If the Council had demanded the test a year ago they would have been told to bugger off."
"But now?"
"But now we have your conduct over the Angelus," Buffy flinched, "affair. And your complete inability to do your job."
"You've no idea how hard it is being the Slayer!" the blonde protested.
"Hard?" Giles raised an eyebrow. This self-involved little madam needed a bloody wake-up call. "You want to play that card do you? I don't doubt being a Slayer is a terribly difficult thing but you're the first Slayer in centuries to have friends, a home, a loving mother, and the opportunity to complete your education. Compare that to Kendra who was given to the Council at birth. Or Faith who's mother was, according to records, an abusive drunken whore with a succession of boyfriends who quite possibly molested her. Who had to watch when the first person she ever loved was tortured to death. Two girls who were more than willing to share your burden with you, but were looked down on and ignored. In Faith's case treated as little more than a tool," something Giles silently admitted that he'd also been guilty of. Ah well, there was still time to rectify that mistake. "The truth is that for all your protesting you love the power, being the centre of attention. It's the attendant responsibility that troubles you."
"How dare you!" the Slayer began to stand.
"BLOODY SIT DOWN!" once the suddenly pale-faced blonde had obeyed, he continued his tone quieter but no less intense. "Because of your refusal to slay one of the most dangerous vampires in cre-," seeing the girl's mouth open to deliver the tired defence he'd gotten sick of hearing, he dropped his voice an octave. "DON'T. SAY. IT." Satisfied the blonde was intimidated into silence he continued. "Because of you Jenny," bile rose in his throat as he remembered finding his lover's corpse, "Kendra and countless others lost their lives."
"I sent Angel to hell."
"Yes, you eventually did your duty but just a little too late. And then you ran off, leaving a grieving middle-aged man, two inexperienced teens, a trainee witch, and a cheerleader to do your duty for you. And then, when you eventually deign to return, you show exactly how much respect you have for me and my loss and concern you have for your friends by concealing the vampire's return. Anything could have happened to Angel, his soul could have been removed, but your vampire was back and that was all that mattered. Time and time again, you have shown yourself to be arrogant, selfish, and self-involved, your only loyalty to yourself."
"If that's what you think of me why are you my Watcher at all!" Buffy screamed.
"Yes," he nodded. "A very good point. And to that end, one of my conditions to this Test is no matter the result I am to be exclusively assigned to Faith. If you survive your test, a Mr. Pryce will be your Watcher."
"You can't," Buffy croaked.
"I can and have. Furthermore I've resigned my position here." He'd only taken the job for its close proximity to Buffy, but with his need for contact with the older Slayer gone and all the painful memories of Jenny around the school he had no wish to be there any more. "And I will expect you to stay away from both Faith and I. Angel," he put all the disdain he could muster into his utterance of the vampire's name, "apart I will be speaking to each of your friends. Whether they wish to remain involved with Faith and I will be entirely up to them." He made a show of looking at his watch. "Haven't you somewhere to be?"
He sighed as the diminutive Slayer stumbled out of the library, leaving him alone with his pain. Buffy had so much potential, an unquenchable spirit, and fiery bravery but slowly those qualities had worn away to reveal a selfish and capricious child who's only concern was her own happiness. Time and time again she'd ignored his opinions about Angelus. The simple fact was she had as little regard for him as he now had for her.
Faith tensed at the knock on her hotel room door. "Ah shit," she muttered as she sinuously rose from her bed. There were only three people who'd knock on her door, none of them welcome. Bill, the sleazy dealer down the corridor who kept on pestering her to try some of his 'free' product in exchange for some of her product. Or some demon who'd heard the Slayer was here and wanted to try his luck. Or worse of all, Faith grimaced, it would be princess B visiting the trailer trash to order her on some mission or other.
Damn, all she'd wanted when she'd come to Sunnyhell was to have somebody to share the burden of Slayership with. But Sunny Valley Buffy wasn't interested in hanging with a low-class Boston Soutie, she'd rather hang with a mass-murdering demon.
Well fuck her. She'd do her duty and party with any available stud. But that didn't stop the pain of rejection from the one person she had more in common with anyone else. Reaching the door, she pulled it open. Her mouth dropped open at the haggard-looking man stood there. "G...G?"
"Hello Faith," the Watcher strode into her room, his face paling at what he saw there.
"Yeah sorry," Faith jibed. "Housekeeping's day off."
"I didn't know."
She raised an eyebrow. "Would it have mattered?"
"Of course," the Englishman shook his head, "that's unimportant. Earlier tonight Buffy was killed."
Shit, Faith felt her breath shorten. Her legs suddenly shaky she stumbled over to her bed and sat down. She'd long since lost any warm feelings for the bimbo but this meant she was the one. And unlike B, she really was all alone. "Fuck," she croaked. "What happened?"
"A master vampire killed her, but I killed it. However," Giles coughed. "There is another matter I wish to speak to you about. I'd like you to move in with me."
"Oh yeah, why that's G? Now No 1's dead you wanna bring No. 2 off the bench?" Faith felt her insides twist with bitterness and hurt.
The Englishman grimaced. "No Faith, in point of fact I have been considering this move for some weeks. As your Watcher it behoves me to see to your welfare."
Yeah right, Faith scowled as she looked around the pit she laughingly called home. On the other hand.... Finally, she came to an unpalatable decision. "I don't do kinks."
"I beg your pardon?" G looked bewildered.
Faith sighed, she'd have to spell it out. "I'll do any position you want and how often. But I don't do kinky stuff," she'd been to G's place a couple of times and it was a wicked place, real classy, way better than this shit-heap. And G was a decent-looking guy, it wouldn't be that bad.
"Faith," for a second the Watcher struggled to find words. "I'm more than a quarter of a century your senior. I wouldn't dream of using you in that way."
Faith chuckled, she might only be a kid but she knew how the world worked. "G, I've got the goods and I know how things go, you give me something and I give you something."
"Faith, there are only one thing I want from you."
"Oh yeah," Faith arched an eyebrow. "What's that then?"
"A second chance to be your friend and Watcher."
Faith stared at the Englishman. He was a guy, she couldn't trust him. On the other hand, the last person she'd trusted had been her first Watcher. Finally she nodded. "Five by five."
Epilogue
The next night, Faith, together with a crossbow-wielding Giles and Xander, went to see Angel and informed him of Buffy's death and that he had 24 hours to leave town. When the others were informed of Buffy's death, Willow decided to leave the Scoobies and demanded that Xander do the same, but Xander ignored her. As Cordy had already been estranged from the group thanks to Xander's unfaithfulness, she also left, but a new Scooby gang was formed around the core members of Giles, Faith, and Xander, with an arriving Tara and Amy offering magical support and two demon fighters from LA, the Gunns, transferring in to add muscle.
Faith became the most successful and long-lived Slayer of all time, living until her thirtieth birthday, saving the world a record twenty-three times. In addition she defeated the Sisterhood of Jhe, The Devil's Alliance, Mayor Wilkins, The Dark Council, ADAM, Temprus, Glory, the Torika, Darla, Jasmine, and the Black Thorn. In addition she slayed Mr. Trick, Spike and Drusilla, Penn, London's vampire king 'Bare-Knuckles', Droca the Destroyer from Brazil, Moose Mulligan, Canada's vampire king, and Sophia, the Mediterranean vampire overlord.
When she was buried, her friends and family were there, together with her children, Jesse and Jenny Giles-Harris.
"Quiet!" Giles smashed into the desk, his action thankfully ending the girl's self-righteous prattle. "I have heard quite enough from you. Would you like to know why I am allowing you to be tested?"
The blonde pouted and nodded.
"Very well, the Cruciamentum was developed to test a Slayer's worthiness on her -."
"Who says I'm not worthy?" Buffy demanded, her eyes glittering. "I killed the Master and Lothos!"
"And," he ignored the interruption. "If the Council had demanded the test a year ago they would have been told to bugger off."
"But now?"
"But now we have your conduct over the Angelus," Buffy flinched, "affair. And your complete inability to do your job."
"You've no idea how hard it is being the Slayer!" the blonde protested.
"Hard?" Giles raised an eyebrow. This self-involved little madam needed a bloody wake-up call. "You want to play that card do you? I don't doubt being a Slayer is a terribly difficult thing but you're the first Slayer in centuries to have friends, a home, a loving mother, and the opportunity to complete your education. Compare that to Kendra who was given to the Council at birth. Or Faith who's mother was, according to records, an abusive drunken whore with a succession of boyfriends who quite possibly molested her. Who had to watch when the first person she ever loved was tortured to death. Two girls who were more than willing to share your burden with you, but were looked down on and ignored. In Faith's case treated as little more than a tool," something Giles silently admitted that he'd also been guilty of. Ah well, there was still time to rectify that mistake. "The truth is that for all your protesting you love the power, being the centre of attention. It's the attendant responsibility that troubles you."
"How dare you!" the Slayer began to stand.
"BLOODY SIT DOWN!" once the suddenly pale-faced blonde had obeyed, he continued his tone quieter but no less intense. "Because of your refusal to slay one of the most dangerous vampires in cre-," seeing the girl's mouth open to deliver the tired defence he'd gotten sick of hearing, he dropped his voice an octave. "DON'T. SAY. IT." Satisfied the blonde was intimidated into silence he continued. "Because of you Jenny," bile rose in his throat as he remembered finding his lover's corpse, "Kendra and countless others lost their lives."
"I sent Angel to hell."
"Yes, you eventually did your duty but just a little too late. And then you ran off, leaving a grieving middle-aged man, two inexperienced teens, a trainee witch, and a cheerleader to do your duty for you. And then, when you eventually deign to return, you show exactly how much respect you have for me and my loss and concern you have for your friends by concealing the vampire's return. Anything could have happened to Angel, his soul could have been removed, but your vampire was back and that was all that mattered. Time and time again, you have shown yourself to be arrogant, selfish, and self-involved, your only loyalty to yourself."
"If that's what you think of me why are you my Watcher at all!" Buffy screamed.
"Yes," he nodded. "A very good point. And to that end, one of my conditions to this Test is no matter the result I am to be exclusively assigned to Faith. If you survive your test, a Mr. Pryce will be your Watcher."
"You can't," Buffy croaked.
"I can and have. Furthermore I've resigned my position here." He'd only taken the job for its close proximity to Buffy, but with his need for contact with the older Slayer gone and all the painful memories of Jenny around the school he had no wish to be there any more. "And I will expect you to stay away from both Faith and I. Angel," he put all the disdain he could muster into his utterance of the vampire's name, "apart I will be speaking to each of your friends. Whether they wish to remain involved with Faith and I will be entirely up to them." He made a show of looking at his watch. "Haven't you somewhere to be?"
He sighed as the diminutive Slayer stumbled out of the library, leaving him alone with his pain. Buffy had so much potential, an unquenchable spirit, and fiery bravery but slowly those qualities had worn away to reveal a selfish and capricious child who's only concern was her own happiness. Time and time again she'd ignored his opinions about Angelus. The simple fact was she had as little regard for him as he now had for her.
Faith tensed at the knock on her hotel room door. "Ah shit," she muttered as she sinuously rose from her bed. There were only three people who'd knock on her door, none of them welcome. Bill, the sleazy dealer down the corridor who kept on pestering her to try some of his 'free' product in exchange for some of her product. Or some demon who'd heard the Slayer was here and wanted to try his luck. Or worse of all, Faith grimaced, it would be princess B visiting the trailer trash to order her on some mission or other.
Damn, all she'd wanted when she'd come to Sunnyhell was to have somebody to share the burden of Slayership with. But Sunny Valley Buffy wasn't interested in hanging with a low-class Boston Soutie, she'd rather hang with a mass-murdering demon.
Well fuck her. She'd do her duty and party with any available stud. But that didn't stop the pain of rejection from the one person she had more in common with anyone else. Reaching the door, she pulled it open. Her mouth dropped open at the haggard-looking man stood there. "G...G?"
"Hello Faith," the Watcher strode into her room, his face paling at what he saw there.
"Yeah sorry," Faith jibed. "Housekeeping's day off."
"I didn't know."
She raised an eyebrow. "Would it have mattered?"
"Of course," the Englishman shook his head, "that's unimportant. Earlier tonight Buffy was killed."
Shit, Faith felt her breath shorten. Her legs suddenly shaky she stumbled over to her bed and sat down. She'd long since lost any warm feelings for the bimbo but this meant she was the one. And unlike B, she really was all alone. "Fuck," she croaked. "What happened?"
"A master vampire killed her, but I killed it. However," Giles coughed. "There is another matter I wish to speak to you about. I'd like you to move in with me."
"Oh yeah, why that's G? Now No 1's dead you wanna bring No. 2 off the bench?" Faith felt her insides twist with bitterness and hurt.
The Englishman grimaced. "No Faith, in point of fact I have been considering this move for some weeks. As your Watcher it behoves me to see to your welfare."
Yeah right, Faith scowled as she looked around the pit she laughingly called home. On the other hand.... Finally, she came to an unpalatable decision. "I don't do kinks."
"I beg your pardon?" G looked bewildered.
Faith sighed, she'd have to spell it out. "I'll do any position you want and how often. But I don't do kinky stuff," she'd been to G's place a couple of times and it was a wicked place, real classy, way better than this shit-heap. And G was a decent-looking guy, it wouldn't be that bad.
"Faith," for a second the Watcher struggled to find words. "I'm more than a quarter of a century your senior. I wouldn't dream of using you in that way."
Faith chuckled, she might only be a kid but she knew how the world worked. "G, I've got the goods and I know how things go, you give me something and I give you something."
"Faith, there are only one thing I want from you."
"Oh yeah," Faith arched an eyebrow. "What's that then?"
"A second chance to be your friend and Watcher."
Faith stared at the Englishman. He was a guy, she couldn't trust him. On the other hand, the last person she'd trusted had been her first Watcher. Finally she nodded. "Five by five."
Epilogue
The next night, Faith, together with a crossbow-wielding Giles and Xander, went to see Angel and informed him of Buffy's death and that he had 24 hours to leave town. When the others were informed of Buffy's death, Willow decided to leave the Scoobies and demanded that Xander do the same, but Xander ignored her. As Cordy had already been estranged from the group thanks to Xander's unfaithfulness, she also left, but a new Scooby gang was formed around the core members of Giles, Faith, and Xander, with an arriving Tara and Amy offering magical support and two demon fighters from LA, the Gunns, transferring in to add muscle.
Faith became the most successful and long-lived Slayer of all time, living until her thirtieth birthday, saving the world a record twenty-three times. In addition she defeated the Sisterhood of Jhe, The Devil's Alliance, Mayor Wilkins, The Dark Council, ADAM, Temprus, Glory, the Torika, Darla, Jasmine, and the Black Thorn. In addition she slayed Mr. Trick, Spike and Drusilla, Penn, London's vampire king 'Bare-Knuckles', Droca the Destroyer from Brazil, Moose Mulligan, Canada's vampire king, and Sophia, the Mediterranean vampire overlord.
When she was buried, her friends and family were there, together with her children, Jesse and Jenny Giles-Harris.