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“So it’s the only way?” Buffy asked, eyes full of hope that Giles might come up with something else.
“I am afraid so. We are running out of time,” Giles stressed. “Willow doesn’t have much energy left. If we don’t move quickly, she will die. She cannot sustain this sort of power drain.”
“But why me!” Buffy said, getting up, angry with this turn of fate. “Why does it have to be me? There are tons of Slayers now, why not someone else?”
“Fate chose you, Buffy. Your Slayer heritage was not forced upon you beyond the confines of tradition. The power is you, intertwined with you. It is more you then any of these other girls. They took their power, you were given it. It can only be you who gives it away. Willow needs it to feed them. Now they are feeding on her, her energy. If you give her this she will keep them as slayers with your strength. It can only be you, Buffy.”
“But it means she won’t have any power left. If we transfer it to Willow, Buffy won’t be a slayer anymore,” Dawn said, concerned.
“Yes, that is what it means,” Giles said, looking at Buffy.
“What about me, G-man?” Faith said.
“I am sorry, Faith. It has to come from the original living source. Although both you and Buffy are original slayers, and not created by Willow, Buffy is the last true “chosen one”. When the power was split for two it changed fate for the first time. You both have equal power, but Buffy has the original power. She is the only one whose power is strong enough to do this.”
“I have to go and think,” Buffy said. She got up and ran to spare room where the sleeping Kennedy, Charlotte, and Susie lay.
Buffy thought of everything at stake. If she did this the world would be a safer place. There would be many slayers, not just one. They could beat evil, truly beat it. She would be normal, truly normal. She didn’t even know what that was like anymore. She looked at Kennedy, who just hours before had been so willing to give up her power for Willow. Willow, her best friend. Could she let her die?
Giles knocked softly at the door. “Buffy,” he began, cautiously entering the room. “I know we haven’t been exactly close these past couple of years, but I thought, well, you might, want to talk.”
“Do you know what this means?” Buffy asked him. “Giving this up, what this means to me?” She looked at Giles.
Giles came over to sit beside her on the floor. “No, Buffy, I must say truthfully I don’t. You speak of wanting to be normal, but when given the chance you can not bear the thought.”
“Giles that isn’t fair. Being the Slayer is who I am, it’s what I have always been. I don’t know how to be anything else.”
“That is where you are wrong Buffy. Being the Slayer is what you do, not who you are. I see who you are, Buffy Summers. You are a woman of incredible strength and courage. You are creative and you are a warrior. Being a Slayer may give you strength and speed, but it does not define you. You are still a woman to look up to, be proud of, even if you no longer posses super human abilities. People do not look up to you for your strength here.” He pointed to her arms. “They look up to the strength here.” He pointed to her heart.
“It’s just…” Buffy started, looking stricken. “I don’t know if I am strong enough to know that, to do this. What if I loose everything and realize there is nothing else there.”
“That won’t happen, Buffy,” Giles said. “I’ll be here and so will everyone else. We will deal with it together.” He put his arm around her and held her for several minutes. Laying her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry about everything,” she said after a while.
“There is no need for apologies,” Giles said, making his way to stand. “I should see how Willow is doing.” He went to the door.
“Giles,” Buffy called out after him. “I just wanted to say I am who I am today because of you. I want you to be proud of my decisions. Proud of me.”
“I have never been anything else,” he said, smiling at her and leaving the room, giving her space to make her decision.
******************
Everyone was anxiously trying to amuse themselves in the living room when Buffy emerged.
“Let’s do this,” she said, determination on her face. “Let’s bring Willow back.”
“Are you sure?” Dawn asked.
“Not at all,” Buffy answered. “But I know that when it is over I will have my friends here to help me, and that is enough.”
“Let us get started then,” Giles said, getting up to gather supplies.
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