FF: Eternal Slayer (2/?)

["Connor Macbeth" <connor_macbeth@xxxxxxxxx>]

Disclaimers: I make no money, and little of this is mine. The pendant 
is a Flint Fireforge original. Again, excuse my ignorance of Dates, 
I'm guessing on B's first day of school. By the By, Endgame hasn't 
happened yet and H2 NEVER happened. (Zeist was just TOO lame.) 
Feedback (positive hopefully) is welcome. Pardon the Delay. I think 
I'm rambling now, do you think I'm rambling? 

Eternal Slayer: Chapter Two - Pathways

Seated in a window booth at Waldo's Diner, Morgan O'Cameron sat 
across from a young blonde girl she had sensed as soon as she had 
stepped off the bus. Watching her eat she wondered where she put it 
all, this Buffy girl had eaten easily three times as much as she had. 
Nursing her coffee, Morgan watched Buffy polish off a slice of key 
lime pie. 
"Finished?" Morgan asked with a grin.
"Yeah, for now at least. Now, what's this "Quickening" thing you 
hinted at?" Buffy asked in between coffee sips.
"When one Immortal takes the head of another, the essence of the 
fallen Immortal flows into the victor. It enters the body in a form 
akin to lightning; Imagine walking into a hurricane with a very 
powerful magnet strapped to your arse like in those Looney Tunes 
animated shorts."
"I always liked Droopy, you never get the drop on him." Buffy 
replied with a smirk. "I don't mean to sound condescending, but I 
find it kind of wrong to go about killing others of our "race" just 
because of some game."
Morgan nodded. "Don't feel bad for those thoughts. Far too many 
Immortals have lost what little humanity they may have had over the 
centuries, because in the end, there can be only One."
Buffy drained her coffee and was hit by a sobering thought. "So 
someday you and I might have to fight?" 
"Maybe. I was spared from fighting my mentor, Juan Sanchez Vila 
Lobos Ramirez." Morgan grew a wide smile as she said the name in a 
half broken Scottish accent. "The Kurgan got old Ramirez while I was 
raiding Spanish galleons in the Mediterranean. I never got a chance 
to get my revenge on him." Morgan said, gazing off into space.
Buffy leaned forward slightly. "What happened to this Kermit guy? 
And I'm not even going to ask about the galleons."
Morgan grinned a little grin, "Well, The Kurgan was decaffeinated 
by Ramirez's last student, the Highlander, about ten years ago." 
Morgan signaled for another coffee refill. "Ok, Rules of the Game. 
Rule one, we never fight on Holy Ground, of ANY sort. Granted we 
don't know what will happen if we do, but legend has it the last time 
that happened was in a graveyard outside of Pompeii. Rule two, All 
fights are one on one. No interrupting fights, and no ambushes. Rule 
three, we keep everything a secret. I for one do not believe that 
Humanity could handle others having Immortality that isn't available 
to them. And Rule four, not so much a rule as it is a side effect. We 
can't have children. Ever. Questions?
"Yeah? Pompeii as in "POMPEII" Pompeii? Cool. I can understand the 
secrecy thing, that's OLD news. A "There are more things between 
heaven and hell." Sort of thing huh?"
An auburn eyebrow rose slightly. "I'm surprised, you don't seem 
the "Horatio Hornblower" type to me. No offense."
"None taken. Uh, who? That was something Giles used to say. I just 
liked the way it sounded." Buffy shrugged. 
"Giles? Hang on; I came here looking for a Giles. He's the 
grandson of an old friend of mine." Morgan nodded as the waitress 
refilled her mug and pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. "A 
Rupert Giles. He has a dagger that I've been hunting for four 
centuries. How do you know him?" Morgan asked, propping her elbow on 
the tabletop and resting her chin on her fist.
Buffy genuinely felt she could trust the tall Irishwoman before 
her so she answered honestly. "He was my Watcher."
"Aye, I thought you said you were new to the game, an Immortal has 
to be around for a while before they get a watcher."
"If you would let me finish?" Buffy said with a glare. "I AM new 
to the Game?"
"Then WHY did you have a Watcher?" Morgan interrupted.
"Because I'm a Slayer." Buffy replied simply.
The entire Diner's clientele had their attention drawn to the 
sudden impact of the tall woman's head hitting the table. 

At the traffic light outside the diner, a red sports car pulled up 
to the red light. In the passenger seat sat a red haired young girl 
who looked to have been crying for a very long time. The gentleman at 
the wheel looked at the young girl with great concern. "Willow. I 
don't like the idea of you staying at your parents' house alone right 
now. They won't be back from Jerusalem for another month and I would 
feel better if you would stay with Dawn and I until they return."
"Giles. I already told Xander that I want to be alone for a while. 
Tara picked up on that and went to visit her mother in Vancouver; I 
just need some time to come to terms. OK? I do however?" Willow 
trailed off as she gazed into the diner window and saw a stunning 
redheaded woman sitting across from? Buffy? 'Great Willow, what part 
of the mourning process has hallucinations?' "Think you're 
absolutely right. Let's swing by my house and I'll pack a few bags." 
Giles, caught completely off guard by Willow's acquiescence, missed 
both, Willow's paled complexion, and the tone of her voice, not to 
mention the green light for several beats and was brought back to 
reality by the honking horn behind them.
Giles waited at the door as Willow entered her parent's house, 
every step bringing back the image of her best friend sitting with a 
gentle smile on her face when they had buried her this morning. 
Willow pushed the scene out of her mind and resumed packing. She 
paused as the urge to read the blonde Slayer's diary emerged and she 
sank onto her bed to read.

November 10th. 
I just moved in to my new room. A new town, a new school, a new 
house, and I guess a new Buffy. I barely remember the old air headed 
version of myself and that was about two months ago! The divorce has 
been really hard on Mom. Anyway, I had barely gotten out of my first 
period when this (brunette) carbon copy of my old self, Cordelia 
Chase, gave me the coolness test and I PASSED! Yeah me. 
We had walked through the halls to a water fountain when I saw 
Her. This cute redhead was drinking from the fountain and had barely 
swallowed when Cordelia slammed her with insults. I can't seem to 
stop thinking about this Willow girl. (By the by, her name is 
Willow.) Turns out I have three classes with her. 
I met the Librarian, Rupert Giles, to get a book for history and 
He knows! After I checked the dead guy in Aphrodesia's (and I get 
ribbed for being Buffy?) locker, I meet up with this creepy Brit and 
he gives the exact same speech Merrick gave me about being 
the "Chosen One". I guess I have a new Watcher. I just hope I can 
keep this one alive.
Anyhoo, Willow invited me to this club, The Bronze, and on my way 
there, I ran into this TD&M (Tall Dark & Mysterious) who gave me a 
silver cross and a warning about something called "The Harvest". I'll 
bring it to Tweed Man's attention tomorrow. Now Diary, if you'll 
excuse me, I have redhead dreams to get to.

Willow closed the diary and picked up a necklace from her 
nightstand. She had found the pendant in a pile of Vampire dust. 
Carved in the shape of an Aspen leaf from emerald and set in silver, 
she had given it to Buffy without a second thought, citing that since 
she had staked the vamp, she should get it. And with trembling 
fingers, she'd placed the necklace around the Slayer's throat. In a 
moment of weakness, Willow's fingers strayed and brushed the fine 
hairs on Buffy's neck causing the Slayer to shiver slightly. 
"I was going to tell you then Buffy I really was. That was the 
moment. Then those four vamps attacked and after that, I chickened 
out." Willow spoke to the shadows. The rest of that night was a blur, 
but that one moment of decision, continued to haunt the wiccan to 
this day. The tears were about to fall when Willow remembered Giles 
was waiting. Standing, she grabbed her bag, the diary, and on her way 
to the door, she paused and fastened the necklace around her own 
neck. Walking down to Giles, she handed him the duffle and 
wordlessly, they left the Rosenberg residence. 

Buffy looked to Morgan as they left the Diner, "Decaffeinated?"
"I'll explain later," Morgan replied as she guided the young 
Slayer out.
TBC