Kendra accepted the 7Up from the flight attendant and reclined her chair a little. This certainly was more comfortable than traveling as a stowaway in the baggage compartment. She could only hope she would not get in trouble from her watcher when she returned home.

She placed her head against the headrest and closed her eyes, trying to wrap her mind around the events of the past few days. She felt a mixture of euphoria and guilt knowing she was not the only slayer. Buffy had died in order for her to be called yet it was nice to know she was not alone.

She had learned things that no amount of books or training could teach her. She was not sure about telling her watcher about Buffy's involvement with Angelus or her own part in saving the vampire. Kendra felt that they were all making a huge mistake placing so much trust in the vampire, but she was obviously in the minority on that opinion. Since saving Angelus meant taking down other vampires Kendra had felt it was an acceptable trade off. She just hoped she did not come to regret that decision.

Buffy baffled her, though. Being the slayer was not a job as Buffy seemed to think of it. To be the slayer was an honor, a tradition that she had been taught to place above all else. Her watcher would be horrified to learn that Buffy attended school, had friends, went out on dates and lived at home with her mother. There was a bit of envy in Kendra, she could admit that. She could not even remember who her parents were. She had no idea what it meant to be loved, to be wanted for who she was not what she was.

One thing Kendra knew for certain was that she still had a lot to learn. Her embarrassing attempt at using a crossbow made that evident. She hoped she would be able to return to Sunnydale at some point and learn from Buffy when there was not a crisis.

Buffy had friends, something Kendra had never been able to have. She hoped she was not wrong in considering Buffy her friend now. The others she wagered were nice to her because they had little choice in the matter. Laughing and confiding in others was something foreign to Kendra and she found now that she had time to think about it that she was going to miss it. How could she ever go back to the way things were when she had been exposed to differences that she did not completely object to?

Some turbulence brought Kendra out of her thoughts, her eyes wide as she looked out the window for any sign of trouble. This was one part of being in the baggage compartment she preferred, she could not see if they were going to crash. The plane came out of it quickly, but Kendra was no longer tired or in the mood to think of how different things might be for her if she stayed in Sunnydale.

~The End~

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com