**Sorry it took me so long to get the last chapter out to you. I thought about writing a sequel to tie in with Seasons (B)7 & (A)4, but I don't know yet. If you're interested let me know. Enjoy! Oh and if I got some of the British slang wrong, I'm sorry. I just copied from what I've heard the characters say on TV.***
Chapter 17
After three days of trying to keep Wesley and Giles from killing Nigel everyone decided it would be best if they left early. They decided to enjoy one more dinner with everyone before departing.
Jake made sure that Nigel was sitting in between Spike and Angel. He glanced at both of them nervously. Both smiled right back at him. Ham, Will, Scout, Bella, and Ryder had also joined them. Cordelia and Doyle were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the meal. Jake took a seat next to Spike, Ham, Will, Scout, Bella, Wesley, Gunn, Ryder, Oz, Willow, Xander, Giles, and Buffy. With two seats left for Cordy and Doyle, who walked in carrying a large bowl of salad and Cordy with large bowl of pasta. Cordy returned to the kitchen for Spike and Angel's mugs. She sat between Buffy and Doyle, after handing the mugs to them. Nigel looked petrified as everyone took hands. Cordy smiled at Willow.
"Usually we don't say grace, but Cordy and I thought it might be a good idea to say a small spell blessing our friendship."
Everyone (except Nigel) smiled.
Willow closed her eyes and began. "In the name of the goddess, we give thanks. For the friendships forged, for sharing of love, and for the protection and guidance we give. We thank the Goddess for bringing us together and pray she keep us united and make us strong when we part. Blessed be."
Everyone responded. "Blessed be."
Willow opened her eyes and smiled. "Okay, let's eat." Everyone began to dig in.
After dinner, Will, Scout, and Ryder did the dishes as the other moved to the parlor. There Giles started a fire in the fire place, as Wesley answered the knock at the door. He came back wit Finn, who was holding a bundle of books.
"I heard you were leaving." Finn said as he walked in.
"Yes." Giles said, "apparently we were lied to by the council. Nigel, this is Finn, Jake's English professor. Fin, this is Nigel, Jake's new watcher."
Finn extended his hand; Nigel looked at Finn's hand and the shook it.
"So I presume you know too?" Nigel asked.
"Yes and the dean of Rawley Academy." Finn saw both Nigel's annoyed looked and Giles and Wesley's smirks. He smiled when he saw Xander stick his tongue out at Nigel's back. "It was my fault; I investigated Spike and Angel and stumbled upon Jake's secret."
"The Council is not going to like this." Nigel actually sounded worried.
"Screw them." Buffy said walking out of the room.
"Anyway I found these books in the library and thought they might be safer with Jake." Finn said as he put the books on the coffee table.
"Thanks, Finn." Jake said.
"No problem." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out another book. He tossed it to Jake. "I want you four to read this by Wednesday. Then on Thursday everyone is going to discuss the readings I have assigned them."
"Very funny." Jake said, looking at the cover.
Finn said.
"What?" Hamilton asked.
Jake showed the book to Oz. "You're the one who called it."
He laughed and then turned to Hamilton. "You have to read 12th Night."
Xander remembered Oz's early comment laughed. "Finn, you're the man."
"I try." He replied. "Where is the other three?"
"Dish duty." Gunn replied with a smirk. "They were very disappointed to find the council is too cheap for a dishwasher." He said with mock pity, as he eyed Nigel.
Nigel feeling the weight in the room turned on Jake. "Jake, I think it's time you go patrol."
Gunn, Xander, Oz, and Hamilton laughed.
"What?"
"The sun hasn't set yet." Cordelia pointed out.
"Unless of course you want your new charge out searching for nests, she still has time." Doyle said.
Nigel was at a loss for words.
Finn watched Nigel and then turned to Giles and arched his right eyebrow questioningly.
Giles sighed. "I miss the Hellmouth. Bloody hell, did I just say that."
"Don't worry, G-man, we know." Xander said.
"Hey, bright side," Willow added; "now Wesley knows how you felt when he first arrived."
Giles smiled at the memory. ((Giles says please and afterward I get a cookie.)) Wesley looked at Nigel and then to Giles. "Was I really that pompous?"
"Yes!" Giles, Willow, and Xander replied.
Spike who was sitting in the corner watching them was getting a good laugh out of all of them.
Meanwhile in the kitchen Buffy is sitting on a counter watching Ryder wash, Scout dry, and Will putting the dishes away. "I want you three to do me a favor." Buffy said.
"What?" All three asked simultaneously.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's not sexual, god, is that all you guys think about?"
"Pretty much." Scout replied.
"I want you to keep a close eye on Nigel. The council has certain practices that we don't approve of."
"Sure." Will and Scout replied.
"Of course," Ryder said, "but what practices?"
"Well, when a slayer turns 18 there is a test, but it involves the slayer losing all her powers. It almost got my mom and I killed. I want you to email Wesley and/or Willow, if he does anything that could get Jake killed."
"We promise, but how did they take your powers away?" Scout asked as he dried off the last dish.
"Giles drugged me."
"Giles?" Will asked.
"It was his job at the time. They fired him for telling me about it before the test ended."
"They sound like real tyrants." Ryder said.
"They are, watch him." She leaned over, reached into the sink full of soapy water, and pulled the pull out. The room was filled with the sound of water rushing through the pipes. "All watchers keep a diary, if you become suspicious of him he might try something check the journal and then call us."
The three nodded their heads.
"So who are we conspiring about?"
They all looked to see Jake standing in the doorway.
"Who do you think?" Ryder asked with a smile.
Jake returned the smile. She held up the book, "we have an assignment."
"12th Night." Will said taking the book from her. "Finn is absolutely diabolical."
"Are we supposed to act it out?" Scout asked.
"He didn't say, ask him." Jake replied. "Do you guys have to leave tomorrow? Can't we just say I accidentally slayed him."
"I wish, but I think you'll have fun bossing him around. Plus we have to get back to school and work and our lives."
"Well, I'm going to miss you." Jake hugged Buffy.
"Me too." She replied as she put her arms around Jake.
The guys looked at them, then each other. "Group hug." Scout announced.
They all joined in, jokingly Ryder grabbed Buffy butt.
"Ryder!" Buffy kicked his shin.
"Ow, kidding."
"Better be, oh I almost forgot." She pulled away from the group and faced Ryder. "Two years ago we ran into this hunter, Cain. He hunts werewolves for money, he's still around somewhere so be careful."
"You almost forgot that?" He asked as he started to freak out.
"Sorry. It was such a remote incident and since I kicked him out of Sunnydale I just haven't thought of him much."
Ryder took a deep breath. "Sorry, thanks for telling me." He hugged her again.
"Is this a private hug or can anyone joins?"
They looked toward the doorway to see Hamilton watching them.
Jake pushed away from the group and hugged Hamilton. "It's the 'we're going to miss you' hugging party." She explained.
"I like."
Buffy smiled watching the two. She turned back to the others and looked at Scout. "That must have really freaked you out the first time you saw that."
"You have no idea."
"There was also the fact that we along with everyone else thought they were gay." Will added.
Buffy smiled she was sure going to miss these kids.
The next day the Rawley kids helped pack the van. Angel and Spike said their good-byes quickly and then got into the van. Hugs were passed around and Nigel received plenty of warnings about 'council crap'." Ryder and Oz exchanged a meaningful farewell. Buffy and Jake were left.
"Take care of yourself and them." Buffy said.
"As long as you do the same."
"I will."
They looked at each other and then hugged tightly. Giles coughed signaling that it was time to go.
"Send me an email sometime." Jake said.
"We will." Willow replied.
Jake hugged Wesley and then Giles. She watched as they all piled into the van and drove off. When the van was out of sight, the kids turned and looked at Nigel. "Don't even think about it." Ryder told him, and then followed the others into the house. "So did you guys figure out what Finn's project was?"
"Yeah, we have to act out an important scene." Will said.
"Scout's the girl." Ham announced.
Ryder laughed as Scout scowled.
"Shall we start training?" Nigel asked.
"No we shall not, now homework, kicking of your butt later." Jake replied in a fake British accent as she sat down next to Will.
"Who's the cheap import now?" Ryder asked Will.
Scout smiled.
"You're not cheap, just fuzzy." Jake replied.
"Yeah, I'm just a cuddly ball of fuzz."
"Yup."
Nigel watched the sit in the parlor. All but Ryder huddled around a book and began taking notes. Ryder pulled out one of the book Finn had left and begun to read. Nigel watched as Ryder pulled out an empty notebook and began to copy the text.
"What are you doing?" Nigel asked him.
"Translating the text from Latin to English to save time later when we really need it. Hey, do you know if I can make any money off of this? Like if I were to sell it to the council?"
"I wouldn't know."
"I didn't think so."
"What is everyone's problem?" Nigel exclaimed.
Everyone but Ryder ignored him. "You."
"Excuse me?"
"You, you parade in here and tell Wes to leave and then try to take over. I, well, we read some of the Watcher's Journals. And I have to say you watchers are just a huge group of bloody stupid, ignorant, pompous, self-righteous gits. So bugger off, we understand Jake's plight. You are here to train her, fine! We are here to help."
"A slayer does not have friends."
"Buffy does. Wake up, what killed the other slayers? They were alone. You can't protect the world if you are not part of it."
Nigel just glared at him.
"Plus Jake just killed her first high level demon, so back off!"
"It is my job to train her for the up coming battles."
Ryder stood to face the other Brit. "We understand that, but Jake's mom doesn't. She's in New York thinking Jake is an ordinary student living an ordinary life. If Jake get kicked out of school for slaying we can't keep her mom and the press from finding out about her not so normal activities. Which would expose you, her, and the council."
Nigel looked surprised. "The press?"
Jake looked up. "Yeah, my mom's a high profile Broadway actress."
Nigel sighed, "fine we'll try it your way."
Jake went back to work as Ryder sat down and handed Nigel a book.
Three days later Finn's class was assembled at their usual place of the green. The first group sat down after acting out their scene. Ryder walked over and watched from a few away as Will, Jake, Ham, and Scout stood. Scout and Will wore wigs indicating that they were the women; all four wore white sheets.
"We are presenting Act5 Scene1," Will said. "I will be playing the part of Olivia, Scout is Viola, Hamilton is Sebastian, and Jake is Antonio."
Finn looked up and saw Ryder watching them. He nodded at hello to the teen, and then turned back to his class.
"This is the scene when the they discover the truth about the twins." Jake explained. She looked to Finn.
"Go ahead." He said as he flipped to a clean page in his grade book.
Jake stepped forward and turned to Ham, who turned to face her. Jake(Antonio): Sebastian are you?
Ham (Sebastian):Fea'st thou that Antonio.
Jake(Antonio): (sounding confused)How have you made division of your, Selfe. An apple cleft in two, is not more twin then these creatures which is Sebastian?
Will(Olivia): Most wonderful.
Ham (Sebastian): Do I stand there? I never had another. Nor can there be that Deity in my nature of here, and everywhere. I had a sister who the blinde waves and surges have devour'd, what kinne are you to me? What countryman? What name? What parentage?
Scout (Viola): Of Messaline: Sebastine was my father, such a Sebastian was my brother, too. So went he suited to his watery tombe. If spirits can assume both forme and suit, You come to fright us.
Ryder slipped away unnoticed, they would be fine. They had a long rocky road ahead of them, but they would survive. He was sure of it.
***Yes, the ending was actually from 12th Night. I hope you enjoyed this strange journey with me. And as I said above maybe we can do it again. Thanks for your support and check out my other stories.****