Chapter 14

Summary: After Quentin Travers fired Giles, he sent Wesley to Sunnydale to administer the ritual on Buffy’s birthday. Wesley is also supposed to evaluate the situation and if necessary have Buffy go back to England for reorientation. Meanwhile Faith and Anya get together while Spike and Buffy have sex in the cemetery after Buffy stakes the vampire she fought in LA. During Wesley’s flight and trip to Sunnydale he considers whether or not another Slayer will be called if Buffy dies and also whether or not he will have to “care of” Rupert Giles while the special operations team is there. Buffy and Spike are oblivious to the danger while Anya and Faith have awoken in each other’s arms.

Author’s Note: Thanks to Screaming Flamingos for the idea about Anya .
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It started simple, Buffy thought, but then again, doesn’t it always? When Wesley Wyndam-Pryce arrived in Sunnydale he had waited until the morning and then walked into the library as if he had owned it. She and Faith had been in a discussion with Giles over whether they should take out the mayor now while he was still mortal, or wait until he became demon.

The real question was the sanctity of human life. Should they kill a human, albeit an evil human, or should they wait for him to become a demon, risking the innocent lives that he would no doubt kill? Sure they could try the police, but frankly the mayor owned the police. The Feds? Like they would ever believe how dangerous he was! All it would take would be for him to summon one demon and he would be free.

The discussion had waged on between the three of them. The Slayers were in agreement that the mayor should be killed. Giles was resistant, believing that there had to be something else that they could do. It took all of Buffy’s strength to not blurt out that Giles should not be so judgmental. She knew he had killed Ben. But that was another time, literally.

Wesley had chosen that moment to interrupt them. He walked up to them and introduced himself as their new watcher. With a cold glance he had dismissed Giles and immediately started to lecture Buffy and Faith on the proper place of the Slayer. What the hell were they, puppies?

After a few minutes, Faith had simply walked off. It was funny how that was reminiscent of their first meeting in her prior life. This time, however, Buffy didn’t go after Faith. She knew the younger slayer just needed to blow off some steam and would be back sooner or later. Besides, Willow had been tutoring the girl in the basic skills needed to pass her GED and they had a session scheduled for three o’clock. It had been Anya’s suggestion so that Faith could ‘increase her earning potential.’

Buffy had attempted to explain to Wesley that Giles knew the situation best and was ideally suited to help them. When that hadn’t worked she had tried the “perhaps they could work together” approach. Finally she had pulled out the “I have four years of knowledge as a present from the Powers That Be” argument on Wesley. The man had accused her of lying and then proceeded to tell her that he was her Watcher and that she was to obey him. Obey? That had caused her to storm out as well.

Things went downhill from there. Fast.

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“Vengeance Demon? You are associating with a Vengeance Demon?”

Anya looked at the annoying man who was yelling at Faith, “Actually Wesley, technically I am a former Vengeance Demon as I gave up my powers to return to this timeline with Buffy and Spike. Plus I technically am not an associate. Friend, orgasm buddy, roommate; those would all be more accurate terms. For a Watcher you are very inaccurate. No wonder they fire you as well. ”

Spike smirked as he watched the scene unfold before him. He had shown up at the library to see if his girls had convinced Rupes to let him kill the mayor yet. Instead, he found that Wesley had shown up and was yelling at his girls. Willow, who had been tutoring Faith, looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Giles on the other hand looked like he was having fun.

“Anya, do tell - they fire Wesley as well?”

“Of course they did Giles. I mean they only fired you because of fatherly love or something like that, but Wes was fired for incompetence. That was before the First started killing potentials and their Watcher’s, so you’re rather lucky about being fired.”

Wesley sputtered, “Well now I have proof that you are lying. The Council would never fire me. I cannot believe that you have allowed this to go on Mr. Giles. This nonsense has to stop. Faith you will move out of the Summers’ household at once. You can live with me. Ms. Summers will go through the Cruciamentum on her birthday and you will all stop this nonsense about time travel.”

Spike’s eyes flashed yellow, “My mate will not go through any test for your stupid council.”

Wesley paled, “Mate?” Turning he ran out of the library.

Spike growled and stalked off to find Buffy. Anya and Faith hurried after the vampire.

Willow turned to Giles with a puzzled look, “Orgasm buddies?”

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Wesley picked up the phone and called the Council headquarters.

“I need to speak to Quentin Travers, NOW!”

“Yes sir, I know it’s early in the morning, but this couldn’t wait.”

“It’s about Buffy Summers, she is mated to a vampire.”

“No sir, apparently everyone knew but us.”

“No the other Slayer knew, apparently she lives with the vampire and a Vengeance Demon.”

“Are you sure sir? Isn’t that a little extreme? Okay, sorry sir. It’s not my place to question. Yes sir.”

Wesley hung up the phone and started to pack. He was going back to England.

Across town another man was hanging up the phone. “That was Travers, we have new orders. Stake the vamp, he is no longer needed for the Cruciamentum. It’s to be a clean sweep. Kill them all.”

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Anya was the first to realize the problem. Faith had decided to patrol, so Anya returned to the library. She wanted to talk to Giles to find out if he knew anything about the Magic Box yet. She knew that Spike and Buffy had bought it for them, but they hadn’t told her about the purchase yet. It was so frustrating to try and pretend to be ignorant of the surprise. But in the alternate timeline Xander had told her it was rude to tell people that she figured out the surprise before they gave it to her. She as suppose to act surprised anyway. Humans were strange that way.

It’s not like much surprised her anymore; she had taken over all of Joyce’s and Spike’s bookkeeping. It was a good thing to; didn’t people understand budgets and investments? The sale of the gems had provided the Summers household with plenty of money and they were just going to leave it in their accounts. Finally Anya had gotten frustrated with the lack of capital gains and took over all the accounts. Besides, she could earn a commission this way.

Anya was deep in her mussing when she noticed a glint of metal in a nearby tree. Looking up she realized that there was a man with a gun. Confused she mentally calculated where the gun would be aiming for…

“GILES!!!!!!!!!!!!” Anya screamed and took off for the library.

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Giles was shelving books in the library when he heard Anya’s scream. He turned to see why she was yelling, when a shot rang out. His turn towards Anya saved his life; the bullet that had been aimed for his heart entered his shoulder. The impact caused his to lose his balance, falling he hit his head on the bookshelf. Anya ran up to him and dragged the unconscious Watcher behind the bookshelf. She pulled out her new cell phone and dialed 911.

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Across town Faith was heading towards the cemetery to patrol when she spotted Wesley exiting his apartment. He had just started to load his suitcases in the car when three vampires stepped out of the shadows and began to attack. Faith sighed *watcher-dude can’t even go five minutes without attracting trouble.*

The lead vampire had managed to grab Wesley and began to drain him when Faith stepped up. In a flurry of kicks and punches she had staked them all. Wesley looked at her confused. “You… you saved me!”

Faith rolled her eyes, “yeah watcher-man, that’s what I do. You know slayer and all.”

“Wesley stuttered… “But…but you’re a rogue. You live with a vengeance demon and a vampire. You refuse to follow your watcher’s orders… why did you save me?”

“Look, not much of a follower here. But I do my job, save the world, and all that jazz.”

Wesley looked up at her stunned and confused. He knew what the Council had always told him, but the wild slayer had just saved his life. He reached out and stroked her cheek, not noticing that she flinched and stepped back.

“Okay not much with the touchy feely here. Just where are you going anyway… thought you just arrived?”

Faith’s question seemed to snap Wesley out of his daze. “Run Faith”

“What? I don’t run, and if you haven’t noticed, the vamps are dust.”

“No, run… the Council has just declared the Sunnydale Slayers rogue. The special operations team is here to kill you.”

Faith gasped and her eyes flashed in fury. Wesley had stood up and tried to go back to the car. Faith grabbed him. “You’re coming with me.”

Faith pulled out her new cell phone. In frustration she threw it down. She had forgotten to charge it again.

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