"We have an interesting… Uh.. Summer ahead of us." Giles announcedto the Slayerettes as they sat down at the library table on the last day ofschool. He was fidgeting with a large envelope.
"I got Ah...summonsfrom the Watcher Council to bring myself, Uh, Buffy and her support personnel." He looked at them all. "That's you Willow and Xander. ToEngland."
They were initially exciteduntil they saw that Giles was very nervous. He was far too nervous for aregular trip back home. He obviously didn't like the summons. "Ihave the tickets, airline tickets here."
"Wow." Xanderjumped up and laughed. "Vacation in Britland." He laughed."Hey Giles, you getting called on the carpet?" Willow elbowed himsharply in the ribs.
Giles looked flustered."Uh, no. Something is up on a massive scale. Everyone is beingrecalled to England. We will see Kendra again for example... and theother Slayers..."
"OTHER SLAYERS!"Buffy jumped up into his face. "What other Slayers?"
"The one Slayer pergeneration is per region. Created before mass transit, it was unlikely for themto ever meet, or cross territory." Giles looked down at the summons in hishand. "What ever is happening, it is big enough for the entireWatcher council to be involved and every functioning Slayer and reserve Slayerto attend too. I think we are at Armageddon.” Shocked silence followed hisannouncement.

"I don't know how longwe will be gone Mom." Buffy added after explaining what was happening withthe Watcher council with her mom.

Joyce hugged Buffy. "Iknow you will love the trip." Joyce kissed her daughter's hair. "DOtry to be safe.” Joyce felt the ice-cold hand of fear grip her heart. She knewshe had to be strong for Buffy. If that meant staying inane in hercomments then so be it.

"I will mom. Thisis really important. I will try to keep in contact but it may not alwaysbe possible." She hugged her mom and then went up to pack. Joycewatched her go upstairs. *I'm losing my little girl. If she survivesthis, I know she won't be my little girl anymore.* Joyce turned back to thekitchen and her cup of tea. It was going to be a LONG summer.

England, Watcher Councilheadquarters outside London:

The Slayerettes stepped outof the Van, which had delivered them to a quiet country estate. The man hadinformed Giles he would place their luggage in their chambers, they wereexpected in the main hall.

They entered, a largemeeting was occurring. The room was full of approximately 12 young women andtheir watchers. The speaker stopped and looked at them. "Who areyou?" He asked.
"Sunnydale HellmouthSlayer and support personnel." Giles spoke authoritatively and thendirected them to sit in unoccupied seat at one of the rear tables.
"Glad you could make it."The speaker then went into the introduction. They were told how eachregion of the world had it's own Slayer/Watcher combination. Yes, eachwas told only one in a generation... but that was long before mass transit.Some teams lineage went back a long way; others were shorter and recent. Themost new 'line' being the Sunnydale Hellmouth, now with it's first Slayer.
The Founder, a very oldvampire, who started the Slayers and had founded the Watcher's council, hadcalled them together. She had taken the side of human kind against the demonsand now the Demon Lord was once again seeking to turn Earth over to theDemons. It was now time to stop the Armageddon.
"The Watchers willretire to the Library meeting room, The Slayers will retire to the Gym fortraining. Support personnel will go where appropriate." They were dismissed.

*Wow. Strong woman heaven.* Xanderthought to himself as he watched the Slayers work out. They were doing movesand battle styles with one another. He didn't think was humanly possibleto achieve. He was proud of Buffy. She seemed one of the best in thebunch. He missed Willow, who had gone with Giles to the Watcher meeting.

"Attention! Sunnydale,Proust, Ireland, England, Jamaica, Dali, Arabia, Brazil, report here. The restgo to you rooms to rest." The eight Slayers walked up to her. Xanderrealized they were the ones who had been the best of the slayers. Xanderstayed because Buffy stayed.

"You are the best ofthe best. You eight will go on to Budapest to be trained by Tirla and theCucularaine for the upcoming fight." The woman smiled sadly. "You think I work you hard. Wait until Angelus gets his hands onyou... Dismissed, be packed you leave at dawn." The Slayers startedto leave
Buffy's heart skipped abeat. Angelus? Did she mean her Angel? She hoped she would see him again whenshe came to Europe. Buffy hurried over to Xander. "Do you think it is
Angel?" She asked hopefully.
Xander looked at her, herface was lit up; she shined just thinking about him. "I dunno. Maybe…" He watched as she bloomed before his eyes. *God, she still loved him. Evenafter the threats, the deaths and all Angelus did to them... she loved him!*Xander sighed as he followed the now excited Slayer.
"I gotta go talk toGiles!" Buffy ran off in search of her Watcher.

"Interesting."Giles told Buffy "We are being sent to Tirla's home to be training for theupcoming battle. You think Angel is with her?" Giles removedhis glasses and polished them. She sometimes wondered if he would wearthe glass out..." They callthe Cucularaine Angelus, I hate to call him Angelus, but that is how theyrefer to him. Maybe it isn't our Angel..." He looked into the heart brokeneyes of his Slayer and couldn't keep the secret.

"Yes Buffy." Giles sighed. He couldn't stand to see his Slayer in such pain. "Itis our Angelus... your Angel. They arrived here the day after they leftSunnydale. Apparently the woman who saved us, and re-ensouled Angel, wasthe Lady Tirla."

"Who is this Tirlaperson?" Buffy asked. Giles hesitated. Normally he wouldn't tell her. Butnow... she needed to know.
"Tirla is a vampireElder." Giles started slowly. His usual hesitation andstuttering was nowhere to be heard. "It is unknown truly how old sheis. It is believed she is one of the first vampires. She is unique in thatshe has her soul intact. It is believed she is a different species ofvampire than most. She saw how the animalistic vampires were seeking to destroythe humans, and she formed the Slayers and The Watchers to stand against thepowers of Darkness. Now with Armageddon on the rise through the DemonLord, Tirla has taken a direct hand in the offense against the DemonLord."
Buffy stared at Giles. Wherehad her stuttering Watcher gone? "Tirla is whom Angel is oath bound to for121 years? That little tiny woman is Tirla?" Giles nodded.
Giles thought internallythat Buffy was thinking with her hormones again. It could really beirritating, but what did he expect from a 17-year-old girl. "Yes, itis Tirla and they were here working with the Watcher's council last week. I donot believe the council was aware of Angel's true nature however."
"Last week! He was hereand I missed him!" Buffy moaned
"Well, you'll see himin Budapest." Giles told her. Buffy just smiled and ran off to pack

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