Sunnydale, California, home of the Hellmouth and the best slayer to come around since the beginning of the slayer line. But now, it isn't just the home of the slayer, it is also the home of many other champions for The Powers that Be.
"Nate! Get out of the shower! I have to get ready for school!" Dawn yelled as she slammed her hand on the door to the bathroom at the Summers’ residence.
"Dawn! I am in the kitchen! Eve is in the shower!" Nate yelled from downstairs.
"This is getting ridiculous," Dawn muttered as she stalked back to her room.
*
"So, what's for breakfast, Willow?" Nate asked.
"Well, I am not really sure. Someone raided the fridge last night, and it is kinda empty," Willow said, holding the door to the fridge open. Just then, Buffy came walking in the backdoor. She looked like she had been through the ringer.
"You okay, Buffy?" Nate and Willow asked in unison.
"Yeah, just a big demon that needed to be slayed. What's for breakfast?" Buffy said nonchalantly.
"Someone raided the fridge. Nothing in here," Willow said again, pointing to the empty fridge.
The front door slammed as Sasha walked in carrying six large bags of groceries with five more floating behind her.
"I saw the fridge was empty, so I decided to go shopping," Sasha said when she saw their surprised faces.
"Food!" Nate yelled as he dug through all of the bags.
"Freeze!" Willow yelled. Nate stopped in his tracks.
"What?" Nate asked.
"Well, I don't want anything to get damaged with you digging through the bags like that." Willow looked through the bags and took out the eggs, milk, bread, and bacon.
"I'll help you cook," Sasha said.
"Guys, I need to take a shower, and Eve won't get out!" Dawn complained, walking into the room. "And I'm hungry!"
"Breakfast will be finished in a moment," Sasha said calmly.
"Hey guys," Eve said, walking into the room. "What’s going on?"
"Thank you!" Dawn said throwing her hands up into the air. She shot down the hall for the bathroom. The gang could all hear the door slam.
"Someone is in a hurry," Eve said with a smile. The gang all shook their heads. Buffy sat down on a stool.
"So, Buffy, no problems last night?" Willow asked as she sat a plate down in front of her.
"No worries," Buffy said with a smile. "Has anyone heard from Gabe, lately?"
"Actually I was just talking to him," Sasha said with as casual a tone as she could muster.
"So, he is back in Sunnydale?" Buffy asked.
"No. We had to have a little chat. Nothing any of you need to know about," Sasha said as she started to make eggs. "Eve, don't even try to read my mind. I don't like it when people do that."
"This clandestine crap with you and Gabe not telling us what is going on is going to have to stop," Buffy said, looking a little ticked.
"It's for your own good. Right now the only thing saving you all from unspeakable evil is the fact that you don't know anything about it. The time is coming. Sooner than any of you think," Sasha said in a worried tone.
Buffy, Eve, and Nate walked out of the kitchen looking slightly angry.
"We might as well give up on getting straight answers from either of them," Eve said with defeat in her voice.
"Well, I think the thing that is ticking me off the most is the fact that I am actually getting used to hearing riddles when I ask either of them questions," Buffy said.
"I think we just need to relax. I mean, we are going to be fighting for our lives again soon. It isn't exactly going to be easy." Nate said, lying on the couch.
"You’re right. We are going to be fighting for our lives," Buffy repeated. "That’s why we need to train. We aren't going to get anywhere eating bonbons and sitting on the couch." Nate looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, come on. I'm at my best right now," Nate said putting his arms under his head. Buffy folded her arms over her chest.
"If you’re at your best, then we should just give up," Buffy replied.
"Are you in, Eve?" Buffy asked. Eve smiled.
"Yes, of course."
"Nate?" Buffy asked while Buffy and Eve both gave him a look.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I'm in," Nate replied.
"Great, then after breakfast it’s off to the magic shop," Buffy said.
"Guys, breakfast is done, come and get it!" Willow yelled from the kitchen. Dawn raced down the stairs and into the kitchen with the others following close behind.
*
It was sale day at the Magic Box. Anya was rushing all over, with Xander, Willow, and Sasha trying to help. Buffy, Eve, and Nate had bowed out on the pretence of having to train in the back room.
"Nate, c'mon, I have seen slugs move faster than you," Buffy called out as she watched Nate and Eve spar.
"Would ya mind shutting up, Buffy? Eve is faster than she looks!" Nate yelled back, narrowly missing a kick to the face.
"You are such a pushover," Eve mocked, landing a kick to one of Nate's knees and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Pushover am I?" Nate spat as he swept her legs out from under her and sent her to the mat as well.
After a brief struggle in which Buffy had to separate the two, it was Buffy's turn to spar.
"Okay. I’m gonna show you both how it's done," Buffy said, looking from Nate to Eve.
*
Sasha was standing in the corner watching the fun.
They'll never learn to fight at their full potential squabbling like that. Guess I am going to have to give them something to unite against.
Her eyes glowed, and then rips in space opened around the three. Ten large, hulking demons with vile yellow skin burst out and advanced on the trio.
"Where did these come from?!" Nate said, backing up a bit.
"Now, this is just weird!" Buffy said, looking around and getting a feel for the demons.
"I guess we kinda need to split up. Everyone take a couple," Eve said. "I've got the three over here."
"I'll take the three of these," Nate said.
"Then I get the ones in the middle," Buffy said, smiling confidently. They all charged the demons, and the demons charged back.
Buffy grabbed a sword and sliced her first demon with ease. "One down, three to..." Buffy began but was interrupted as she went flying into the air, across the room and into a wall.
"Are you ok?" Eve called from across the room. She kicked at her demons. One flew into the air and knocked another one down. She smiled. "One-on-One!"
She grabbed the nearest weapon, sliced the demon in half and ran over to where her other two lay.
Nate gave his demons a cocky smile. "Piece of cake," he said as he fought them head on. He seemed to have the upper hand until one of the demons grabbed his demon friend and threw him at Nate. They went flying into a table, smashing it in half.
"They must really be having a good workout back there," Xander said, looking at the training room door. He jumped as he heard what he thought was a table being smashed.
"These things are stronger than they look," Buffy said as the three Champions were thrown back together.
"Guess we are going to have to work together to get rid of them," Eve said wiping a trickle of blood from her forehead.
"Isn't this an after-school special in the making?" Nate said sarcastically. "If you two can hold them off for a minute, I should be able to shove them back to where they came from."
"Guess that's a plan," Buffy said before launching herself back into the demons.
"I think I am going to try something different," Eve said. Her eyes glowed and the weapons on the walls began to fly. They hacked their way through the demons almost as fast as Buffy. But the demons kept growing back the limbs that they had lost and, worse yet, the limbs that dropped were becoming full-demons themselves.
"Arugate, toka, yeshaine, carasha," Nate said, summoning the power in his veins. White-hot energy began to form around him, pulsating with power. Then the energy shot out, hitting the demons and vaporizing them.
"Whew," Nate said after the last demon had disappeared. "That was intense."
"Yeah, I've never fought a demon that could do that," Buffy said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "You both did great."
"Thanks, but you were great, too," Eve complimented.
"One thing bothers me though," Nate said, looking around the room. "When I vaporized those demons, I felt something; a very powerful force. I am not sure they were demons. More like golems."
"Golems?" Buffy questioned.
"Energy constructs a witch or warlock can construct to do their bidding," Nate explained.
"I think we need to have a chat with Sasha," Buffy said as they walked back into the main part of the store.
The trio of Champions were sweaty, hot, tired, and their expressions all seemed to be the same…suspicious. Xander and Anya looked at them and gave them a funny look, as they could smell them from where they were.
"I think they need a shower," Anya whispered to Xander, who nodded in agreement.
"Sasha, can we talk to you for a moment?" Buffy asked sweetly.
Sasha smiled and walked over to them. "How was your training?"
"Did you send us those wonderful demons?" Buffy asked with a fake smile on her face.
"Yes. You needed a little extra help with your training," Sasha said. They all looked at her with confusion written on their faces. "You needed help in becoming a team."
"Well, just make sure it doesn't happen again," Buffy said in an irritated tone.
"Never," Nate added.
"Again," Eve finished off the thought.
"Don’t worry. I think that experience taught you what you needed to learn," Sasha said.
"Does everyone who works for the The Powers that Be act like you?" Anya asked. "Because, if they do, it is a wonder they have any champions at all"
Sasha turned on Anya, looking at her with eyes that had seen countless horrors. "The Powers that Be act in ways that not even I know sometimes. But making those golems to unite those three," she said, pointing at the trio, "was right. They need to be brought together not just geographically but emotionally or they won't stand a chance." She turned and walked out of the Magic Box with everyone watching her.
"Kind of uptight isn't she?" Anya asked no one in particular.
"She has a point, Anya. We weren't exactly playing nice before she sent the golems after us. I can see why she did it," Buffy said.
"Me, too," Nate said, like he was losing a battle. "Plus, I sensed no real malice. They wouldn't have killed any of us."
"Well I guess that’s something to think about," Eve said.
*
Sasha, are you sure such a drastic measure was necessary? Gabe asked concern filling his voice.
It was the only way. They were lost. It was unity they needed. This has brought them together. Sasha thought. You know, I have been doing this almost as long as you. And I believe you are doing something similar with two other champions.
I guess you're right. They will need unity to stand up to the First. And now they have it.