If someone Buffy loved got vamped

[tkts]

This question pretty much automatically arises from watching episodes like "Doppelgangland" and "All the Way" ... what if someone Buffy loved, like Willow, Xander or Dawn, got attacked by a vampire and turned?

Would she be able to kill the vampire? Would she even try, or would she find another way? After all, Willow was able to recreate the gypsy curse and restore Angel's soul. So, for instance, if Dawn had been turned by the high school vamp in "All the Way," could Willow have used the curse to make her ... a vampire, still, but a vamp with a soul and her original personality?

And would it make the audience like Buffy less if she made that kind of effort for someone close to her, but dusted every other vamp she came across?

[winterdreamer]

I've actually wondered this a few times.....it would be a neat story. I would like to hope she wouldnt kill a vamped friend or family member....
I've thought a few times that instead of just dusting all the n00b-vamps, they could just re-soul them as they woke up, I mean a few of them (like Holden) probably would have been pretty decent guys. And they wouldnt have the manditory post-soul remorse/anxiety/rat eating because they hadn't done anything to feel guilty about.

[CourtneyDax]

In "Doppelgangland", the Scoobies were prepared to kill Vamp Willow before they figured out it wasn't her, so I'm not so sure that they would do absolutely everything for them. But, if the gang were able to mass produce the Gypsy Curse to all the Vamps she see's, then Buffy would have quite the task force. You also have to remember that some people are just as evil as a demon, even with the souls they have. i.e. Warren and Caleb(Maybe for him? Was he human?)

[Talkie Toaster]

Jan 28, 2010 4:12:41 GMT -5 CourtneyDax said:

In "Doppelgangland", the Scoobies were prepared to kill Vamp Willow before they figured out it wasn't her, so I'm not so sure that they would do absolutely everything for them. But, if the gang were able to mass produce the Gypsy Curse to all the Vamps she see's, then Buffy would have quite the task force. You also have to remember that some people are just as evil as a demon, even with the souls they have. i.e. Warren and Caleb(Maybe for him? Was he human?)

That would have made a good storyline arc... like doing the curse on vamp Willow without knowing human willow was still around and inadvertently transferring Human Willows soul to Vamp Willow and turning human Willow into some unholy monster

[joxerlives]

I figure;
a) tranquiliser gun
b) Orb of Theseluh
c) Mohra demon blood

That's how it always works out in fanfic

[buffyfan21]

Hmm, interesting thought. Surprisingly, I have never given it much consideration before. I think if someone Buffy loved got vamped: her friends, her sister, her mom, etc., she would understandably have trouble killing them. This was demonstrated in the episode, Doppelgangland, when Buffy could not bring herself to kill Willow's vampiric twin. With this in mind, I imagine it would be even harder for Buffy if it were for real. I think that as hard as it would be for Buffy, she would eventually come to realize that it would be her duty as a slayer to kill the vamp before it went around killing innocents all over Sunnydale. So, in this respect, Buffy would be very much like Gunn when he was forced to stake his sister after she was turned.

Buffy would do the right thing, as we have seen many times that she is capable of making those tough decisions. She killed the love of her life, Angel, in Becoming part II to save the world. Xander even killed his friend Jesse after he had been turned by Darla (yeah, so it was an accident, but still).

Thinking on it, I am actually surprised that one of Buffy's loved ones never got turned: Willow going off with a vamp in Welcome to the Hellmouth, Joyce inviting Dracula into her home, Dawn parking with a vamp in S6. All of these are scenarios in which Buffy's loved ones could have easily found themselves victim to either getting turned, or worse, killed. Luckily, Buffy always seemed to show up and save the day before things could go that far. It is also really surprising that Dawn never got killed or vamped, considering the number of times she found herself in those types of situations. For example, getting kidnapped by Harmony and her gang of minions.

[CourtneyDax]

Jan 28, 2010 14:44:50 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

This was demonstrated in the episode, Doppelgangland, when Buffy could not bring herself to kill Willow's vampiric twin.

Not quite right actually. It was Willow herself that stopped Buffy from killing the Vamp twin. Buffy was all ready to stake Vamp Will but the human Willow said no, and Buffy's reflexes are very good, you see. But I do agree that it would be a lot like Gunn's situation.

[buffyfan21]

Jan 28, 2010 16:27:29 GMT -5 CourtneyDax said:

Jan 28, 2010 14:44:50 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

This was demonstrated in the episode, Doppelgangland, when Buffy could not bring herself to kill Willow's vampiric twin.

Not quite right actually. It was Willow herself that stopped Buffy from killing the Vamp twin. Buffy was all ready to stake Vamp Will but the human Willow said no, and Buffy's reflexes are very good, you see. But I do agree that it would be a lot like Gunn's situation.

^^ Oh yeah, you're right. Buffy definitely didn't seem to have any issues with killing the doppelganger, but I'm sure if it had actually been Willow as a vamp, Buffy's resolve would not have been as clear cut.

[Billie Erin]

I think looking at how she killed Angel for Acathla she'd probably dust them if she needed to, unless it was Dawn- I think she'd probably try and ensoul her little sister

[gumgnome]

I think that although it would tear her up for a while, she would see it as her duty to kill them. I don't think she would want them ensouled because their lives would still be so dramatically changed by the transition.
On a separate note, I always find it funny in "Doppelgangland" when Willow says to Buffy, "I just can't kill her" and Buffy responds "Me neither" when about thirty seconds ago, we saw Buffy half an inch away from staking the doppelganger!

[buffyfan21]

Jan 29, 2010 12:20:53 GMT -5 gumgnome said:

On a separate note, I always find it funny in "Doppelgangland" when Willow says to Buffy, "I just can't kill her" and Buffy responds "Me neither" when about thirty seconds ago, we saw Buffy half an inch away from staking the doppelganger!

Same here. I've never quite understood that.

[CourtneyDax]

Jan 29, 2010 12:20:53 GMT -5 gumgnome said:

On a separate note, I always find it funny in "Doppelgangland" when Willow says to Buffy, "I just can't kill her" and Buffy responds "Me neither" when about thirty seconds ago, we saw Buffy half an inch away from staking the doppelganger!

I think it was more of a "I don't want to, but I have to" moments. Like you said, its Buffy's duty.

[tkts]

Jan 29, 2010 13:29:33 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

Jan 29, 2010 12:20:53 GMT -5 gumgnome said:

On a separate note, I always find it funny in "Doppelgangland" when Willow says to Buffy, "I just can't kill her" and Buffy responds "Me neither" when about thirty seconds ago, we saw Buffy half an inch away from staking the doppelganger!

Same here. I've never quite understood that.

Two (related) reasons:

1) When Buffy was about to stake VampWillow, VampWillow was in the process of attacking RealWillow. Seeing her friend pinned to the floor by a vampire is a pretty strong reason for Buffy to go for the stake instinctually.

2) When Buffy says "me neither," VampWillow is captured and not resisting. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any times when Buffy dusts a vamp who isn't attacking her or someone else. When Spike gets his chip, she passes up numerous opportunities to dust him, even though she knows he's still malicious. I don't think Buffy can bring herself to kill anyone who isn't an immediate threat.

[buffyfan21]

Jan 30, 2010 0:37:41 GMT -5 tkts said:

Jan 29, 2010 13:29:33 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

Same here. I've never quite understood that.

I can't think of any times when Buffy dusts a vamp who isn't attacking her or someone else. When Spike gets his chip, she passes up numerous opportunities to dust him, even though she knows he's still malicious. I don't think Buffy can bring herself to kill anyone who isn't an immediate threat.

Good point. If Buffy doesn't perceive someone as a threat, she pretty much just leaves them be. Case and point, When Buffy found out that Anya was a vengeance demon again, she did not attempt to kill her until after Anya proved herself a threat by killing all those frat boys.

[gumgnome]

That doesn't track though, because she kills loads of vampires when they've just risen from their graves. It's pretty darn likely that they are going to kill, but she doesn't wait to find out.

[buffyfan21]

^^ Yeah, but I mean in terms of when a vamp (or demon) is unable to kill for whatever reason: chipment, a soul, reformed, etc., Buffy doesn't think of them as a threat and doesn't kill them. Obviously Buffy is going to perceive a feral, bloodthirsty, newly sired vampire coming up out of the ground as a threat and do her duty to kill them. Also, once Buffy gets to know someone and has them in her life, she has trouble killing them after they turn bad: take for example Angel(us) and Anya. Although she attempts to kill Anya and does succeed in killing Angel, you can tell that both of those situations were certainly difficult for her. Anyway, I dunno if that makes sense.

[hellmouth]

What if Giles had been turned? What a twist that would have been. I think that Buffy would have killed Giles. I think that Giles would rather be dusted than have his soul restored and becoming what he spent his life trying to destroy.

[joxerlives]

Think that was the subject of one the novelisations? Would be a nice metaphor, she leaves her father figure behind her (like the kissing Dawn and door shutting in Lis My Parents Told Me)

[buffyfan21]

Feb 1, 2010 14:17:30 GMT -5 hellmouth said:

What if Giles had been turned? What a twist that would have been. I think that Buffy would have killed Giles. I think that Giles would rather be dusted than have his soul restored and becoming what he spent his life trying to destroy.

I think it would have been interesting had they explored that on the show, perhaps in an alternate reality episode or something. If anyone here reads the Buffy novels, there was one series called "The Lost Slayer," in which Giles actually gets turned into a vampire and makes it his mission to then try and kill Buffy and Co. Interesting story.

But I agree with you, I think Giles would rather die than live as a vamp. For Buffy to be put in a position where she has no choice but to kill her father figure, would probably be gut wrenching and heart tearing to say the least.

[gumgnome]

Feb 1, 2010 13:41:50 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

^^ Yeah, but I mean in terms of when a vamp (or demon) is unable to kill for whatever reason: chipment, a soul, reformed, etc., Buffy doesn't think of them as a threat and doesn't kill them. Obviously Buffy is going to perceive a feral, bloodthirsty, newly sired vampire coming up out of the ground as a threat and do her duty to kill them. Also, once Buffy gets to know someone and has them in her life, she has trouble killing them after they turn bad: take for example Angel(us) and Anya. Although she attempts to kill Anya and does succeed in killing Angel, you can tell that both of those situations were certainly difficult for her. Anyway, I dunno if that makes sense.

I agree with you on the whole, but I think that it would depend on when it happened in her life. For one thing, I think there is a difference between Anya going back to being a vengeance demon and one of her friends being vamped. In the former case, Anya is still Anya - she's just bitter and out for revenge. In the latter case, I think Buffy would know (particularly in later season) from the start that the vampire was not her friend. By Season 5, I think she'd be pretty resistant to any attempts from the vampire to make her think that it was still her friend and would see it as her duty, not only as the Slayer but as their friend, to slay it immediately.