Of Birds and Slayers

‘She must be mad...’ Shannah was thinking. Buffy had explained to the Scoobies her plan, and the Phoenix didn’t like it at all. Awaking all the slayers in the world...well that wasn’t that bad. But altering, or rather, canceling her mission, it was unbelievable. Now they were all in the living room for the last debriefing before the Great Battle.

“So here's the part where you make a choice” Buffy said, very confident. “What if you could have that power...now? In every generation, one slayer is born... because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman” she pointed Willow “is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power should be our power.”

Every potential was stunned, they listened to Buffy’s plan until the end

“The war will end tomorrow.” The Slayer finished. There was a blank. “Um now you can do your stuff, whatever you want!” none of the girls moved, they were too dumbfounded and scared to think of anything but Buffy’s words.

“Um, Shannah, could you please go with Willow? We’d better take care of your problem now.” The Slayer said to the brunette who didn’t reply and followed the witch upstairs, not without glancing nervously at Kennedy.

After an hour of research, Willow finally found the good spell. There was a knock on the door, and Kennedy stepped into the room.

“Sorry, am I bothering?” she asked quietly.

“No, we’re about to start. “Shannah said with anxiety, she took the potential’s hands. “You’re sure you wanna stay? If anything goes wrong-”

“It won’t, I swear!” Willow tried to reassure her with a smile. But soon her smile disappeared. “In fact it could hurt you but I think you can handle that.”

“Okay...” The brunette nodded and knelt on the floor. The redhead drew a circle with some magic powder on the floor and picked out of a cupboard a jar full of blood.

“It’s dove’s blood,” she explained “I have to draw symbols on your body and uh...” suddenly her cheeks turned more red than her hair. “You...have to be naked during the spell, and in your Phoenix suit.” Kennedy’s eyes opened wide.

“Naked?” She exclaimed

“I’m sorry, it’s how magic works.”

“Calm down K, it’s cool. If one of you dies during the fight, I will die as well. I have to do it, or you’ll lose me.” Shannah’s voice was full of determination. The girl began to undress. Willow quickly turned around to look away, but Kennedy kept staring at her girlfriend. She wasn’t doing it because of lust or anything, she was really worried. Strangely, she noticed that Shannah wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed.

“When I was at the Council’s headquarter, I had to fight demons naked sometimes.” Shannah whispered calmly to her lover who gaped. Then the Phoenix changed: metal claws out, wings unfolded and eyes turned black.

“Alright, now I need some of your feathers” the witch added. Shannah waved her wings violently an some feathers fell down, Willow picked them up and gave them to the Phoenix. “Can you make a fireball and burn them in this bowl, please?” The brunette did what she was told and soon a burnt smell filled the air. Willow sheded the blood on the ashes and stirred the potion. Kennedy was watching attentively both girls, arms crossed. She wasn’t used to jealousy, and she hated that feeling. It increased when Willow sat in front of Shannah, chanting in a weird language, and drew symbols with the potion on her girlfriend’s body.

(Garbage – I think I’m paranoid)

‘You have to be kidding me! She’s touching her breasts!’ Kennedy was trying hard to control her nerves. Her whole body tensed when the redhead’s fingers reached Shannah’s belly. She couldn’t take anymore of this magic crap, and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

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“What’s wrong Junior?” Faith asked. It had been five minutes she was staring at Kennedy. The young girl was letting steam off on the punching ball. The girl didn’t reply, so the Slayer came closer and held the bag. Kennedy blinked twice and looked up at Faith.

“What you’re doing here?” she asked a little bit too angrily. Faith raised her eyebrows.

“What about you miss ‘I slay punching bags’?”

“Fuck you!” The young girl replied and turned away.

“So you’re jealous uh? ‘Bout the magic stuff, Red being gay and all...” Faith smirked. Kennedy stared at her, furious. She opened her mouth to speak but the Rogue Slayer didn’t let her time.

“You know, I never met someone I could trust more than Shannah, nor someone who suffered more than her. She knows what she’s doing, and believe me, I don’t think she enjoys much being in her birthday suit in front of Willow. And Willow doesn’t care about it, she just do her job and that’s all.” Faith said honestly. Kennedy lowered her head and looked down at her feet.

“It’s hard to trust when you don’t know someone...She’s still a whole mystery to me.”

“That’s what people who are in pain do: shutting themselves, building a shell to hide their feelings.”

“You talk like one of those people...” Kennedy stared at the Slayer with sadness.

“Yeah...” Faith sighed. “Anyway, try to chill out about all this crap and don’t worry aboutr her. She’s crazy about you, I can tell.” The brunette smiled and poked into the potential’s shoulder.

“Thanks” Kennedy chuckled and left the basement with her.

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(Rage against the machine – Killing in the name of)

She was free, finally. She could be like any other girl.

‘Well not exactly...’ Shannah thought. But now, her life didn’t depend anymore on The Slayer’s one. She could live her life, save people with her powers sometimes, but live her life. And first, she had to help the Scoobies saving the world, and she wanted to. She went downstairs to find the others.

“Hey, look who’s here, F! Our not anymore guardian angel!” Buffy grinned. Shannah waved at them and noticed the Chosen Two were holding hands. She gave a quick look at Faith who just shrugged.

“Have you seen K?”

“Backyard I guess, training with other poten-girls.” Faith replied.

“’Kay, thanks...”The Phoenix paused “Um...I’m glad for you guys! You’re great together!” she said before rushing out of the kitchen. Outside, the potentials were training hard, Kennedy was teaching them some attacks. She noticed Shannah standing there watching her.

“Okay, everybody! Find a partner and fight, but don’t harm each other!” The Latino girl ordered to the others. Shannah came closer and began to speak but Kennedy took a fighter posture.

“You wanna fight with me?” The Phoenix raised her eyebrows, amused.

“Come on, get me!” Kennedy said calmly.

“Why? Are you mad at me?”

“No, I just wanna know how you fight!”

“Are you sure?” Shannah asked both self-confident and worried. Kennedy nodded.

“Okay, you first.” And she let Kennedy attack her. Her punch was quite strong, but Shannah knew that her own would knock her lover down. She allowed Kennedy to hit her several times without replying, to tease her in some ways.

‘She’s amazing when she fights, I want her, I want her, I want her!’ Shannah’s brain was screaming.

“Come on! Fight back!” Kennedy exclaimed. She didn’t have time to blink, Shannah caught her arm, blocked it in her back with her left hand and draw out her right-hand claws under the potential’s throat.

“You’re sexy in slayer mode...” she whispered into Kennedy’s ear, drawing in her claws and putting her hand on the girl’s waist. “Though I don’t need a fight to want you.” Shannah nibbled her ear and kissed her lover’s neck, it made Kennedy moan and close her eyes. “Maybe we can go to the basement?”

Kennedy was trying hard to think, but her whole body was shaking with longing.

“I-I...need to train, tomorrow, need to be ready...” She babbled. Shannah pulled away from their embrace, still smiling.

“I’ll protect you tomorrow...I promise you. I don’t mind if you wanna train...maybe you want some help?”

“Shannah, baby...”Kennedy looked into her girlfriend’s eyes. “I’m not rejecting you okay? I’m...I want it but, not in there, not now. You understand?” She asked softly.

“Yeah, don’t worry.” And she kissed her lover deeply, getting hisses from the potentials who were watching them. Shannah chuckled and shouted in a deep voice.

“Thirty push-ups for each girl who can’t pin me or K on the ground!”

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It was noon when Spike came back from his walk.

“Hey” he said when he saw Buffy sitting under the porch.

“Hi...” she replied in a calm tone. He sat next to her.

“You shouldn’t be in there, making sure everything’s all right?”

“Yeah, I should be...but I wanted to see you.” The blond girl looked into his eyes.

“You don’t have to, I already know...” he said. Buffy could hear the sadness in his voice.

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s okay. I mean...I understand why- and somehow I saw it coming.” The vampire shrugged. He noticed the Slayer’s curious gaze and added “I mean, this anger when you were speaking about her, the endless training sessions alone in the basement before she came by...and remember! Super vampire nose! I can smell her on you!”

“Are you still with us, then?” Buffy asked with a bit of anxiety.

“Always there for a big battle! You can count on me!” He nodded and went into the basement, leaving the blond Slayer alone.