FIC: Never Free V

["xenarip13" <xenarip13@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Never Free V
Please see prologue for all disclaimers.


Never Free V  Discoveries


Giles looks at his surrogate daughter closely.  He can' get over the 
differences in her.  Yes, she looks changed on the outside, but the 
watcher senses the darkness in her as well.  He sees the light and 
life has gone out in her eyes.  Suddenly, it occurs to him why it 
seems so familiar to him.  Until this apparition walked up to their 
door, he saw it mirrored in the young witch's eyes.

`My slayer returns and a spark of life comes to Willow, but I see no 
answering desire to live in Buffy.' Giles looks on as Buffy 
stretches, `I know you love her&it's why you came back at all.  So, 
why can't you let her in?' 

"You can stop stretching, Buffy.  I would imagine it isn't necessary 
for you.  It never was before really." Giles sets his tea cup down.

"Sure," Buffy stands looking around the new training area in the back 
yard, "What shall we do first?"

"Since I'm sure telling me how this happened to you isn't going to 
happen."

"Not now, but I will."

"Fine. A few questions then first. I promise to keep them strictly on 
topic about training information."

"Okay. What do you want to know?"

"How has your stamina been affected? Your eating habits? Sleeping 
habits? Limitations to your strength? Healing factor?"

"Whoa." Buffy holds up her hands, "Slow down. I'm not going anywhere&"

"Yet. Since you're obviously something new, I need to know as much I 
can. It could happen to one of the other girls." Giles is unusually 
harsh.

"I see.  I'm a specimen.  I'm a study to take notes on just in case." 
Buffy spits out, "Fine, but I wouldn't worry about it happening to 
someone else.  This is my burden to carry alone."

"You never did and still don't have to be alone. You chose that and 
you have always been more than a study and never a specimen, but what 
can I do? We could help you if you let us&"

"Drop it&please." Buffy reaches to pull her hair back tying it up, "I 
don't sleep much. I don't need to. I eat much the same as I did 
before&maybe a little more. I'm not sure. My stamina seems unending 
until I just absolutely must sleep.  I can go for&hmm&maybe 7 days or 
more without sleep if I need to.  After that, I crash out hard, but 
not necessarily for long.  If I am battling consistently, I sleep 
more often.  As for my strength and healing, it's easier to show you. 
Step back."

The slayer stalks past Giles to a wooden martial art training dummy. 
She draws back her fist and slams it straight through the dummy. She 
pauses, twists her arm and pulls back out of the mangled dummy.

"My god, Buffy!" Giles runs up to her, "Your arm. That was 18 inches 
of solid oak you just put your arm through."

Buffy holds her arm up, "I didn't even scratch my arm, Giles. I'm 
fine. Would you like to see it again?"

"No, that&that won't be necessary."

"I can punch through most flesh just as easily. I don't use weapons 
much anymore except to make a kill faster." Buffy shrugs.

"I'd estimate that as at least five times as strong as before if not 
more. Your skin undamaged means your healing is&"

"Let me show you.  It's the only way to really grasp it." Buffy 
smiles, but Giles sees a slight insanity to its beauty.

The blonde walks over to a chest sitting a few feet from the ruined 
dummy. She rummages through it.

`These are nice. Someone has been bringing in money. It's good to see 
they are doing well&for the most part,' She remembers Willow as she 
thinks the last part.

As her hand settles on the perfect choice, her thoughts are only on 
hurting herself and how vain that has proven to be in the past. She 
turns to face Giles wielding a three foot sword. Lightning quick, the 
blonde slayer moves through a training kata Giles taught her years 
ago. Giles watches, but can barely see anything other than a blur as 
she moves.

"Bloody hell." Giles whispers at her prowess and speed.

> From inside the house looking through the patio doors, Willow watches 
in awe as the blonde flows through intricate motions. The witch takes 
in the play of muscles in the slayer's arms, the blonde hair and the 
scars.

`Still so powerful&beautiful,' her thoughts supply, `Yes, and damaged&
perhaps broken beyond repair,' Willow shakes her head at her own 
thoughts, `I don't believe that or she wouldn't have come back,'

Outside, Buffy halts the kata as suddenly as she began it. She looks 
straight into Giles eyes with her bright sapphire gaze. As she holds 
his attention, she flips the sword around, point to her abdomen. In 
an instant, she shoves the sword through her body burying it in her 
abdomen up to the hilt. Her stare never leaves Giles until she hears 
the patio door shatter with the witch's scream.

"Buffy!" Willow comes through the busted glass toward the blonde.

"Giles, stop her," Buffy commands.

Giles, without thinking, rushes to get between the witch and the 
wounded slayer.  He wraps Willow in his arms stopping her from 
getting to Buffy.

"Giles, she's hurt&she did it herself&how could you let&"

"Willow!" Buffy commands her friend's attention, "I did it. He didn't 
let me. I'm fine. Watch!"

The blonde instantly pulls the bloody sword out of her body. Both 
Giles and Willow watch as the wound closes immediately after the 
sword's withdrawal. The slayer barely flinches at the action.

"I don't seem to be able to sustain an injury for long. I have taken 
away your job my friend, because I can't seem to die either." Buffy 
sighs.

The blonde looks at her friend in her watcher's arms. As she looks 
from their shocked faces to her own stomach, her eyes catch the red 
of blood at the witch's feet.  They are seriously injured from her 
walk through the broken glass.

"Damn it. I'm sorry Willow. It seems even without doing much I can 
cause you harm." Buffy croaks out still holding the sword now 
dripping her blood.

"Buffy the sword&it's drip-dripping&" Willow points to it with a 
trembling hand.

"Sorry&" Buffy walks to the grass.  She thrusts the sword into the 
ground when she pulls it out the blood is gone.

"Giles, you should take care of those wounds on her feet."  Buffy 
throws out over her shoulder.

"I have my own tricks, Buffy, but thanks for the concern."

The slayer turns to face her friend. She sees Willow standing on her 
own in control again. Behind her, the slayer notices three younger 
slayers and Dawn standing inside looking out a repaired sliding glass 
door. The blonde looks down at the Wicca's feet.  They are healed and 
no longer covered in blood.

`Impressive," Buffy whispers.

"Thank you," Willow nods, "You underestimate me. I wouldn't do that 
if I were you.'

"I'll keep that in mind," Buffy drops the sword, "Shall we eat. I 
know I'm hungry."

"I could eat," Willow answers.

Buffy heads in the direction of the house. She moves past Willow far 
enough away to inhibit any chance of being touched.

"Yes, well Buffy, it would be a waste to try to train you, but you 
will be assisting with training them," Giles waves at the young 
slayers at the window.

"Fine. I can do that." Buffy tosses out as they hit the patio.

"Perhaps, they can teach you something about what it means to stay 
where you are needed&"  Willow accuses.

"Yes, like Kennedy."  Buffy strikes back cruelly.


TBC





Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

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