The idea had been for a demonstration, a chance for the twelve girls currently in Giles' charge to see an experienced slayer (or slayers, as the case might be) in action. At the same time, it would help clear out several nests of vampires who'd taken up residence in Nunhead Cemetery near Camberwell. The exercises weren't officially sanctioned by the charitable trust who now oversaw the cemetery grounds, but Giles had been buttonholed with news of a problem by the head of the Grounds Committee the last time the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery had gathered. Since several members of his mother's family were buried there, who was he to say no?

By the time the group had arrived at the cemetery gates, it included not only the twelve junior slayers and Giles, but Buffy, Spike, Xander, Willow, Faith, Wood, Kennedy (who seemed in no better a mood than at lunchtime), and five members of the Council. Somehow, the demonstration had morphed into an observation session with the former Sunnydale contingent as the lab rats. Dawn had made the right choice when she'd decided that she'd be better served staying in and researching her desired universitiesÉthough that research might well be supplemented by room service and movie rentals.

"You do realize these would have to be significantly stupid vampires to come out with such a large group," Spike commented to Giles as they headed through the gates.

"If left to their own devices. However, I have faith that you and Buffy will be able to find a way to flush them out. Faith, Wood, I want you to move in the opposite direction and do the same."

Wood and Faith nodded and headed off down one path, while Buffy and Spike conferred with one another quietly before doing the same, hands clasped. Giles couldn't help noticing that each time he'd seen them together, they often reached for one another's hands as if they couldn't bear to not be touching one another for long. For a moment, he felt a touch guilty for making the call to have Spike's claims he and Angel had left Wolfram & Hart investigated. It had to be done, though; better to know now if Spike was telling the truth than later. If nothing else, he was curious as to the circumstances as to why Angel might have abandoned the deal.

With the two couples gone, the task at hand was to arrange the other active participantsÉand keep Willow and Kennedy away from one another. That was solved by putting Kennedy in charge of one group and Xander in charge of the other and asking Willow to stay on the sidelines. "I think it'd be better if the girls took the vampires on without magic," he told her when she protested. "This is a training exercise for them, after all. Watch them and give me your opinion afterwards."

That seemed to mollify her and she took her place with the other observers. One problem down, his attention quickly went to another. The girls here were not exactly novices, but none had reached a point where Giles was willing to let them go out on their own. The more he'd read of what remained of the diaries left by earlier watches and thought about his early experiences with Buffy, the more he'd become convinced that part of the reason Slayers died so early and young was not just the foes they came up against, but because they were released far too soon. Either they'd had only the barest of training or they'd been under a watcher's care for so long that they didn't seem able to think for themselves. Kendra had been a sweet girl and her adherence to the guidelines laid down generations before had been a refreshing change after Buffy's rebelliousness, but in the end, it had been Buffy who'd been better equipped to handle the unexpected twists and turns a slayer often encountered.

Watching the girls ready themselves, Giles realized the time was approaching when he'd have to make some hard decisions. They might have all been endowed with the power their potential had promised when Willow's spell had been cast, but after a year and a half of training, it was time to admit that some weren't really suited to be slayers. The same ones always hung back, looking tentative, stakes clutched a little too tightly. In the past, they would have been thrown into the fray without hesitation, doomed to die quick; now at least the girls had a choice.

Choices. Willow choosing to leave Kennedy. Dawn choosing to pursue art instead of advanced watcher training. Buffy choosing Spike. No matter how one might try to hold things still, life kept rushing forward.

A sudden rustle in the underbrush snapped Giles' thoughts back to the here and now. Everyone was tensing, waiting to see if vampires had been flushed or if more human trespassers were approaching.

It was a vampire -- or rather, a group of five vampires -- who emerged, game face on and heading straight for Xander's group. Even as the girls readied themselves, Kennedy hurled herself into the fray. There was a moment's hesitation, then her group followed her, running smack dab into Xander's group. Chaos reigned until Xander managed to pull his group back, ceding the field to Kennedy's squad.

Somewhere during all of this, Faith and Wood appeared at Giles' side, breathing hard from their efforts. "And I thought I had issues, Faith commented as they watched Kennedy stake another vampire, her face grim. "If she doesn't watch it, she's going toÉshit!"

This last was uttered as they saw one of the vampires get a hold on one of the girls with Kennedy -- Clare was her name -- and headed straight for her neck. All this happened just to Kennedy's right, but she didn't seem to notice, her attention focused on finding something else to kill. Faith moved, Wood hot on her heels. First she managed to get Clare away from the vamp, shoving her toward Wood, then dispatched the offending undead.

That was the last of them and Faith rounded on Kennedy. "I know you think you're hot stuff, sweet pea, but when there are vampires about, you make sure your teammates are okay."

Kennedy looked as if she was about to blow Faith off, but a glance toward where Clare was huddled in Wood's arms, neck bloodied from where the fangs had penetrated and she turned pale.

"Yeah, she got bit," Faith continued. "Ever been bit by a vampire? I have and believe me, it's not fun. We let our attention wander or get too caught up in our thing, other people get hurt. Sometimes they get dead. Been there, done that, really don't want to deal with it again."

With that, Faith turned on her heel and headed back to Wood. "How bad is it?"

"Not too bad, but she needs some first aid. Giles?"

Giles nodded. They weren't necessary for the rest of the exercise and Clare would probably feel better for the attention. She was one of the ones who'd never be ready to do this, he suspected, and it was time he discussed that with her. Not before tomorrow, though; he wanted her to be calm.

A glance to one side told him Willow was watching Kennedy with some concern and he wondered if she was going to get a sudden urge to patch things up with her soon-to-be-ex out of sympathy. He hoped not; they'd just go through this again in a few months and none of them needed that.

More rustling, most likely the signal that Buffy and Spike had managed to flush their own prey toward the group. "Leave this one to Xander," Giles called to Kennedy, not wanting any chance she might go off half-cocked again. Kennedy nodded, looking somewhat repentant and he hoped she'd learned a lesson. The new arrivals were six vampires, none of whom looked particularly happy at discovering slayers in front of them as they tried to evade the one behind. The others girls moved forward, looking more than ready to have their own shot. Giles looked for Buffy and Spike and was surprised not to see them. He'd discussed this with both Faith and Buffy before they'd headed out, that once they'd driven the vampires toward the girls, they were to rejoin him to observe and provide help if necessary.

Then, as the dust began flying, he spotted them. Apparently they had herded not six vampires but eight; two of them had not moved with the rest of the pack and Buffy and Spike were busily working to dispatch them.

Giles had seen them fight together before, of course; even when Buffy insisted she'd always hate Spike with her last breath and he'd sworn he'd kill her the moment his chip was out, they'd somehow always managed to be close to one another in fight. This time, though, there was somethingÉpowerful about the way they moved together, an ease and harmony he hadn't seen them exhibit before.

Another move, a feint and two vampires exploded into dust. Even before it had settled, Spike had caught Buffy with one arm and pulled her close. A smile lit his face as he looked down at her, joy mixed with something deep and primalÉand that joy was answered in the way Buffy looked back up at him.

He'd watched Spike and Buffy argue with one another, believe they were in love with one another while under a spell, and grope toward a relationship he hadn't understood. Through it all, Giles had always told himself that what they shared was simply due to proximity and had no staying power.

Looking at them now, he began to realize there was a distinct possibility he was wrong.

With their quarry dusted, more than one eye was wandering in the same direction as Giles'. He could hear the other watchers murmuring to each other, likely scandalized by the visual confirmation of the rumor they'd heard that morning with Xander's first tacky comment. Giles knew it was best he speak to both Buffy and Spike, warn them that trouble might lie ahead. Might? There was no "might" about it.

Stakes still in hand, the pair closed for a kiss and Giles made a mental note to not go patrolling with them when he visited Rome. Acceptance might be inevitable, but he didn't really need constant visual confirmation.

"Spike, do you mind not scarring the young ones?" Xander called out. Buffy and Spike ignored him, breaking the deep kiss for a series of short, lighter ones interspersed with whispered words.

Xander was about to say something else, but Giles stepped forward and laid his hand on Xander's shoulder. "Let them be," he said quietly.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Xander asked. "I mean, look at them."

Giles glanced toward Buffy and Spike, then back at the others. The watchers looked grim; the girls were whispering among themselves and he had to wonder what wild stories they might be spinning. "I have. Come on; let's get everyone back to headquarters and do some debriefing." And have some conversations, he told himself.

On to Part Five

Back to Part Three