Chapter 13

Choice and Consequences

A/N: Chapter thirteen of the series. Last one was a long chapter, lots of info. To those actually reading this, what did you think about it? Let me know.

Disclaimer: Once again, all belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in airing the shows. Original characters are mine.

Feedback: Sure, as you wish.

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Buffy Summers walked slowly into Giles' office, her steps unsure and cautious. She didn't know what to think, having spent the night awake going over the info relayed. Her own dead mother had shown up the night before and had asked the unthinkable.

Her own dead mother had asked her to take what she had given in the past, for the greater goof.

She was asked to take a hero and give back a normal human.

'Sick of this.' She thought. 'I'm so sick of this.'

She still couldn't grasp the idea. She couldn't understand how the Powers could be so cavalier about playing with people's lives. What right did they have? Did they think they owned everything?

Giles heard her errant footsteps and frowned when he saw her stop and stand still in the middle of the office, not speaking a word.

"Something wrong, Buffy?" He asked. "It's awfully early, what could posses you to be here at this hour?"

Giles waited but there was no answer. Buffy remained silent and unmoving, not showing any sign or acknowledging Giles' words. The watcher stood up and walked towards her. He slowly placed his hand on her shoulder and sighed with relief as she turned to look at him. However, what he saw in her eyes did not calm him.

"Something wrong, dear?" He asked again. He saw the redness in her eyes and realized she'd been crying.

"Talk to me." He softly said. Had he known what she as about to answer, he'd never asked her to talk in the first place.

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Buffy looked at Rupert Giles, head watcher of the Council, a wealthy and powerful man, sitting with his head in his hands.

She'd told him everything her mother had revealed to her earlier, and she saw the strong man slowly turn into an old, tired man. Slowly, he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"It hardly seems real." He said. "After all these years, I thought we had finally got it right."

Buffy kept staring at him, her heart aching for hearing him talk. She saw the man who had been a father for her and Dawn for the better part of their lives. She didn't want to see him like that. He was supposed to be her father. The strong figure to who she could go for advice and reassurance.

She knew she couldn't ask more of him. She had delivered devastating news, talked about impending doom and they realized they had small chances of surviving the upcoming war.

"Have you at least given it some thought?" He asked.

"Yes." Buffy softly said. "And it doesn't feel right. I can't tell a thousand slayers I'm about to take their power away."

Giles sat straight and stared at Buffy.

"Are you willing to tell them they could very well die because they're slayers?" He asked. "That their choices are to become human or die fighting?"

Buffy nodded.

"Remember the crucible?" She asked. Giles had the decency to look away.

"Of course I remember." He replied.

"For me it's the same thing." She continued. "I had bitched about how unfair my life was for being the slayer. I begged for a normal life, but the moment I found myself powerless, I missed it. I missed the thing that made me special. Knowing these girls; knowing these slayers I trained, they'll choose to fight rather than give it all away."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked.

"I'm certain." Buffy replied. "It's what I would do."

Giles sighed. He pressed the button on the intercom and spoke.

"Ms. Granger, please send for Ms. Rosenberg and my son. Have them come to my office as soon as possible."

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Willow and Xander sat still on the leather couch, not knowing what to say.

"You once had power above all, Will." Buffy said. "It made you do some things we don't want to remember, but you controlled it. You are now a powerful witch and have this awesome power at your disposal. Could you give it all away?"

She then turned and looked at Xander. Even if he couldn't stare back, she knew he was aware of her eyes on him.

"And you, Xander, could you let go of what Willow gave you?" She asked. "Could you go back to a world of complete darkness?"

Her best friends found no words to argue, and agreed with her plan of action.

Together, they tried to come up with several plans in order to ensure their survival. Even though they knew the odds were against them, they didn't have the pressure of a detailed deadline on their shoulders. They were still unsure of what would happen if they survived, but decided it was a bridge they'd cross once they reached it.

"If this army is as large as you described, shouldn't all slayers be with us?" Xander asked.

"Don't know where they'll strike." Buffy replied. "What if I gather all slayers here and they attack on Brazil?"

"What if they do strike here?" Willow asked. "How many slayers are inside the council?"

"About a hundred and fifty." Giles replied. "In all the UK, we could have four hundred slayers here in less than ten minutes."

"The magic of bullet trains." Xander joked.

"Not that." Willow chuckled. "Magic. They are near and it wouldn't take that much magic to bring them here."

"In a worst case scenario, how long would it take for all of the slayers and watchers to get here?" Giles asked.

"About four hours." Willow replied. "We have over a thousand slayers active, the same number of watchers with them. To have the three thousand slayers and watchers it would take an exact three hours, fifty seven minutes and about thirty seconds."

"You don't do half assed jobs, do you?" Xander joked.

They all laughed, and decided to wait for Connor to locate Angel and for Wesley to bring Kennedy back in order to plan ahead.