Disclaimer in part one

Andrew finds a weapon of choice.

"I said kick,' buffy raged. "Now try it again."

Andrew tried again and this time he landed flat on his back.

"You're not trying," Buffy shouted at him. "How can you protect my sister if you can't fight."

"Give it up B," Faith walked out into the center of the room, from the bleachers where she'd been watching. "Some people just don't have it in them. Won't fight, not even to save their own life."

"Faith stay out of it. He has to learn to fight."

"You may teach him to do a passable job o' going through the motions." Faith circled Andrew. Then deliberately telegraphing her moves and moving slower than she'd watch Andrew do, she made her move. Andrew made an attempt at blocking her, but she easily got through, knocking him back down on to the mat. "You'll never teach him to fight. Best let him find his own way, else the big bad is gonna be that much more annoyed when it finishes off Andrew here and is ready for Dawn."

"Yeah like how?"

"Damn B, I don't know. But he was part of the gang that stymied you and the scoobs for most of a year. Course, you're a Slayer, built for action not thinking. Not that you don't think but come on, that's what you have Giles and Willow for. Frees you for doing what comes natural. Fighting. Which, for Andrew, just ain't natural. Never has been never will be, I'm guessing. There's a better way."

"And that would be?"

"Bunch of new girls coming next week. Pick him out a Slayer.' Faith grinned. "That way he'd have someone strong and capable, and you can train her yourself."

"Him, a Slayer and Dawn? Maybe you'd like to join his harem."

"Might be interesting," Faith smiled, causing sweat to pop out of Andrew's brow. But I'm a solo type girl. Besides, I'm leaving."

"You're what?"

"Xander offered me a position as Prime Slayer for the Cleveland Hellmouth."

"What???"

"Robin's got a job as Assistant Principal in a school there, and He gets to be my Watcher."

"What am I going to do?"

"Stay here, train the brats," Faith shrugged. "Form some kind of Slayer Swat Team that can go anywhere there's more trouble than the local team can handle. Help Giles with the admin stuff."

"Don't you think it's Xander's job to tell me this?"

Faith shrugged. "I'm sure he will. Soon's he's finished with Andrew's room?"

"M-mmy room," asked Andrew. "What's wrong with my room."

"Not big enough, and twinkle toes here thought you should be in the room next to Dawn's. Where you can better protect her and she can keep an eye on both of you." Faith stretched. "So Xand and some of the kid slayers're pulling out all those tools and painting walls and such. All so Trading Places. Books are coming in from England, and Willow's gonna plug your computer into the net. She nearly freaked when she saw that your computer ain't even as modern as Xander's."

"So, the little man found something he's good at."

Andrew started and dropped the sling. After he had left buffy in the gym, he had come here to this field behind one of the barns, and cast stones at a tin can he had propped up against a clump of dirt.

"A sling," Faith stepped forward out of the shadows. "Kind of David and Goliath for me, but hey if it works go for it."

"Well, not really good." Andrew waved a hand at the can. "I never hit the target."

"Nope, but I been watching, and you come real close three tries out of five. You just need to get that final bit down. Get centered. Try taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly before you cast."

"Maybe you could show me?" Andrew held out the sling, he had fashioned out of leather strings and a pouch." Faith took it, examined the workmanship ."

"Nah, not my thing," Faith handed the sling back. "I need something more solid, I can aim down, like a crossbow. That's solid. A stake's even better, cause then I'm up close and personal, which is where I want to be." Faith paused. "Go ahead, give it a try."

Andrew did as instructed and the stone flew wide. "That doesn't work," he complained.

"What? You expecting miracles your very first try? Don't give up on me boy, not when you're so close. Give it another try."

"This time he can wobbled."

"See you just need practice. Do it again."

"Fantastic," crowed Faith.

"Fantastic," muttered Andrew. His right shoulder ached and he was tired. But the last dozen casts were right on, and the can was now a twisted hunk of dented metal. That was good, he thought.

"You may sit," Faith told him grandly. "But don't go anywhere. Be right back."

"Back," stammered Andrew. "Uh, why?"

"Gonna see how you're doing against a moving target."

"Giles, he can't even fight." Buffy paced back and forth in the Library. "How's he going to protect Dawn if he can't fight." She turned her eyes full on her Watcher. "Faith says he'll never be able to."

"Well, with the number of Slayers about, perhaps that will never come up."

Buffy took a seat and flopped int it. "Willow, did I make a mistake?"

"Well gee Buff, I don't know." The red haired with looked Buffy in the eye. "I wanted to keep her safe. I could have done it too. I could have been her Watcher, which would have made it even easier for me to keep her safe. But somebody decided Andrew could do the job."

"Will, don't be like that please. I couldn't let them send him away where I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him and giving him a Slayer. That's just wrong."

"I know that Buffy." Willow's smile lit up her whole face nd Buffy blew out a sigh of relief. Willow's smile faded. "Except maybe for the wrong part, because I still think you let him be Dawn's Watcher for the wrong reasons."

"The wrong reasons?"

"You let him be Dawn's Watcher so you could keep him here, which is so the wrong reason for picking him to be Dawn's Watcher." Willow closed her eyes and opened them again. "How can I put this, look, if he were a vampire he would be a minion. He'd never be a Master Vampire like Spike or Angel. He'd be a good loyal minion, but that's all he'd ever be. Give him a task to do and he'll do the best he can to do it, and he'll get it done if anyone can. But put him out there where he has to decide between the tasks and he'll either choose one task , even the wrong one, and do his best to get that one task done. Or, he'll tread water trying to do them all, which he won't be able to do, and we'll have to keep bailing him out. It's not his fault. It's just the way he is. He'll do a good job protecting Dawn." Willow's mouth lifted into a wry grin. "Even from me. Just keep him where you can keep an eye on him and keep him from falling to the dark side, which probably won't happen unless he falls sway to some powerful personality, well more powerful than his, which may never happen."

"Maybe," Buffy muttered, looking down on her folded arms. Then her head shot up, and she glared at a startled Willow. "What do you mean even from me?"

"I, uh, do a magickal sweep of the school and farm every night, to make sure everything is, uh, okay. Anyway, her room has been warded, not with really powerful wards, and the could be gotten through easily but not without effort and warning Dawn so she could have her shields up."

"You do a magickal sweep," Giles looked sternly at Willow. "You sure that's all it it?"

Willow squirmed under Gile's' glare. "Yes Giles, I swear, that's all I do."

Giles opened his mouth but was drowned out by excited shouts coming through the window.

"Cari, you're not supposed to let him hit you. And not with my shirt on. God, that'll take work to get clean. I swear..."

"Andrew," Buffy shouted as she. Willow and Giles, rounded the barn. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" She started running forward and faltered when something yellowish blurred her vision. She stumbled, still moving forward, and wiped her eyes. Eggs? Bits of shell? "Andrew," she growled, just as a dark form insinuated itself in front of her."

"You need to chill B," said Faith. "Just a training session."

"Just a what," Buffy gaped at her. "What do you mean a training session?"

"Andrew needs practice hitting moving targets and the brats need practice not being hit by moving objects." Faith picked some eggshell from Buffy's hair. "You could do with some praise as well."