Goodbye
Episode 5
Jake's Room: Council Base:
'Geez!' Jake thought to himself, 'She has only been her for two weeks, and I already have fallen for her.'
Jake was sitting in his room. He was supposed to be resting up from the battle against the dark witch. He didn't really consider it a battle since there wasn't really any fighting. He was resting up, but he was also thinking about this new member of the Scooby gang, Cindy. She was a very powerful witch and he wondered if she would ever go for him.
'She is so beautiful,' he thought to himself, 'I wonder if she would ever go for me. She looks out of my league.'
There was a knock at his door.
'Please let that be Cindy!' he thought.
He stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it. Standing there in the doorway was Angel.
"Damn!" he muttered under his breath.
"Is something wrong?" Angel asked.
"Nope, everything is just fine," he answered.
"Ok, well that's good. They need us at the meeting room. It's something about the vampire queen," Angel told him.
"Alright, hang on a sec," Jake said. He walked over to his nightstand and put on his necklace. There was a cross hanging from it. He turned the lights off and followed Angel to the meeting room.
They were the last ones to get there. Everyone else was already seated around the table.
"What's going on, Giles?" Jake asked.
"Well, our spies have found that the queen is still alive. She is no longer in control of large amounts of vampires," Giles told them all.
Jake went over and took a seat next to Cindy. She gave him a smile. He smiled back at her.
"So what you're saying is she is no longer the queen of the vampires, but she is still alive?" Buffy asked.
"Exactly!" Giles exclaimed.
"So where exactly is she hiding out?" Sarah questioned.
"Our spies have found that she is constantly on the run," Giles told them, "She never stays in the same place for more than a day or so."
"Well, that means that we're gonna have to find and dust her!" Buffy smirked.
"Yes!" Giles said, "But to do that, we're gonna have to split into groups. We need to be able to cover more area."
"This shouldn't be too hard," Angel said.
"Buffy, you and Amanda will go with me. Angel, you and Sarah will search together. And Cindy, you go with Jake."
That took Jake by surprise. He wasn't expecting to be paired up with Cindy. He actually thought he was going to get stuck with Sarah again. Not that there was anything wrong with Sarah, but now he got to hang with the new girl.
"We'll meet back here in about four hours," Giles said.
"Sounds fine," Sarah said.
"Each group will take a different part of the town. Make sure to search everywhere, sewers, abandoned warehouse, you name it," Giles finished.
Docktown: Sunnydale:
"Now this is one of the better places in Sunnydale," Jake sarcastically said to Cindy.
"That's cool. I couldn't tell," she answered back sarcastically.
It was cold in Docktown. Jack was wearing his leather jacket and Cindy was wearing a sweatshirt. She had the hood up.
"Geez, I never knew South California could be so cold," Cindy said.
"It's only this place at night," Jake told her, "It's just the wind that makes it cold."
They kept walking. They walked past the bars and old warehouses. They looked abandoned, but a vampire could be hiding in there.
"So, how long have you lived her for?" Cindy asked.
"Umm…well I think this will be the third year or something like that," he answered, "I used to live in Erie."
"Whoa that's cool! I don't remember you at all," Cindy said.
"I used to go to the church near your house," Jake told her.
"Really, that's the same church I went to!" she exclaimed, "but I don't remember you."
"It's all good. I don't remember you either," he said.
"Yea, so what's up with this town?" Cindy questioned.
"Well, it's located on the Hellmouth. That means demons are attracted to it. A few weeks ago, we invaded the queen's headquarters. Buffy fought her, but she fled when we were attacked by this new breed of vampires. We found Buffy and Angel locked in cells in her palace. Sarah and I freed them and then went after the queen," Jake told her, "She used to be our friend and the slayer before she was turned. That's why she is strong."
"Oh, I see," Cindy said, "Why did you come here anyway?"
"Well," Jake began, "I was invited to go on a trip with Dani, the queen, and her friend Sarah to this place. When we got here, Dani's parents were killed by vampires. That's when she met Giles. He told her that she was the next Slayer. One night, she was out slaying and a vampire named Spike changed her. Afterwards, Sarah was called as the Slayer. She and I permanently moved here. We want to dust her or find a way to return her to normal. Shortly after Dani was changed, she became queen because she unified the vamps. They took over Sunnydale and some surrounding cities. But we stopped the vamps for now. They could unite back under Dani's rule again. That's why we have to dust her."
"Ok, that was a little more than I asked for, but oh well," Cindy said.
"Sorry 'bout that. Just though you might have wanted to here the story," Jake said.
"It's all good!" she exclaimed.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash!
"What was that?" Cindy asked. She was a little scared.
"Don't worry!" Jake said, "It's just a vampire, nothing that I haven't dealt with before."
He turned and run towards the direction of the crash. As he ran, he reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a stake. He had left his crossbow back at the base. Oh well, a stake was always good to have. Cindy ran after him.
Jake reached the back of the warehouse. He noticed a trash can lying on its side. At first, he thought it was a dog, but then he caught a shadowy figure slip into the building. Cindy came walking up besides him.
"Maybe it was just an animal?" Cindy says hopefully.
"Or not," Jake said, "It was a vamp! I saw it slip into the warehouse!"
'I wish we still had the communicators,' Jake said to himself as he completely opened the door to the warehouse.
"Do you have a stake on you?" Jake questioned.
"Yea," she answered, "Angel gave me one before we left. Why are we doing this anyway?"
"Well, it's my job," Jake answered, "Well not really, considering I don't get paid. But oh well!"
"So, you're telling me you risk your life for nothing!" Cindy exclaimed.
"Yea, I guess you could say that," Jake answered.
"You should come back to Erie with me," Cindy said, "You don't have any reason to be here. They don't need you hear. They already have two slayers and Angel. The only reason you are here for is to get beat by demons."
"Hey!" Jake exclaimed, "I don't get beat by demons. It's the other way around. And my friends do need me!"
"Listen, Jake!" Cindy began, "This is not your place! This isn't right for you! You should be off in some college getting an education and getting a real job! You shouldn't be here fighting demons and vampires!"
That's what hit Jake smack in the face. Cindy was right! He shouldn't be here risking his life everyday for people that don't even need his help. He should be in college getting a degree.
"What's wrong?" Cindy asked.
"You're right!" Jake exclaimed, "I shouldn't be here! They don't need my help! Come on, let's get back to headquarters."
Council Base:
Jake and Cindy arrived at headquarters about forty-five minutes later. Cindy said that when they returned to Erie, that she would let him stay with her while in college. Jake was happy that he had a place to stay and now a friend.
When they got back, no one else in their little group was there. Jake went into Quentin's office. Cindy followed.
"Hello, Jake. How can I help you?" he asked.
"I've decided to leave," Jake said.
"What! Why?" Quentin questioned.
"I'm leaving because the council doesn't need me. They have three slayers, a witch, and Angel. What good would I be?" Jake answered.
"You help us out a lot, Jake. Where will you be going?"
"Well, I was going to return to my old town, Erie, with Cindy," Jake told him.
"And what are you planning to do there?"
"I was going to enroll in a college and have a normal life."
"You can leave if you want, but I want you to know that you are making a huge mistake. When will you be leaving?"
"We were thinking of leaving after this little talk."
"I just have one more thing to say. You will be back and when you do, I will allow you to have your job back."
"Sir, I promise you! I won't be back. Goodbye."
With that, Cindy and Jake left the office. They went to their rooms and gathered their belongings. Then, they met in front of the entrance.
"I called a cab," Cindy said, "It'll be here in 5 minutes."
"It's fine with me. Are you sure it's ok if I stay at your house? I mean, you don't have any family members there, right?"
"Actually, my sister, Stephanie lives with me. It used to be my grandmother's house. After my parents left, I got the house and Stephanie decided to stay there."
"Oh, I see."
The cab arrived a few minutes later. Jake and Cindy put their luggage into the trunk and then sat in the back seat. About fifteen minutes later, they cab pulled up in front of the airport. Jake and Cindy climbed out. Jake opened the trunk and got their luggage, while Cindy paid the driver.
They walked into the airport. It was bustling with business. Cindy walked up to the front desk. Jake followed, carrying the two bags.
"How can I help you?" the woman at the desk asked.
"Yes, I'd like two one way tickets to Erie, Pennsylvania," Cindy told her.
"Two tickets to Erie, that will be two hundred dollars," she said.
Cindy handed her the money and got the tickets in return.
"The plane leaves in ten minutes. The gate is the closest one on your left."
"Thank you," Cindy said.
Jake turned to the left and walked towards the gates. Cindy walked right next to him. It was quiet. Neither of them spoke. The attendants at the gates took their tickets, and they boarded the plane. Jake took the seat next to the window, and Cindy sat on the end. Before he sat down, Jake put their luggage in the overhead compartment.
Jake stared out the window as the plane took off. He couldn't believe he was leaving his home and friends. He hadn't even said goodbye to them. He began thinking about his new life back in his old town, with a new friend and family, Cindy and her younger sister.
Sunnydale, California:
Sarah and Angel arrived back at headquarters. No one from their little group was back yet. Sarah went to her room and took a shower. Angel went to his room and took a nap.
Giles, Buffy, and Amanda returned fifteen minutes later. All three of them took showers. Buffy went to train and Giles opened a book. Amanda just sat in her room. She was thinking about Jake. She had a crush on him.
Angel awoke to a knock on his door. He got up and opened his door. It was Buffy.
"Oh sorry, did I wake you?" Buffy asked.
"Yea, but its ok," Angel told her, "What is it?"
"Quentin wants us in his office now. I was sent to get you," Buffy said.
"Alright," Angel said, "Let's go."
The two silently walked down the hall to Quentin's office. Giles, Amanda, and Sarah were already standing in the office. Angel and Buffy entered and stood next to the others.
Quentin began, "Now that you're all here, I have important news to tell you of."
"Is it good news or bad news?" Giles questioned.
Ignoring Giles, Quentin spoke, "Jake made a decision today. He decided to quit working for us."
"What!" Sarah exclaimed.
Quentin continued, "He has returned home."
"Returned home?" Buffy questioned.
"Yes, he has returned to Pennsylvania, his birthplace," Quentin told them.
"No way, why would he do that?" Sarah asked, confused.
"He was tired of risking his life everyday for nothing. And he wanted to go to college."
"Why didn't he say goodbye?" Amanda asked, shocked.
"I'm not exactly sure."
"I'm guessing that Cindy left with him," Angel stated.
"Exactly, Jake didn't say if he would return or not. I told him he could have his job back if he ever returned. Thanks for your time. I have to get back to work."
Everyone silently walked off to their rooms. Sarah walked by herself. Her best friend, for two years was gone, without even saying goodbye. She was heartbroken. She sadly walked off to her room and cried herself to sleep.
Amanda walked off to her room. She was greatly saddened that she had never told Jake how she felt. She liked him the moment the guards locked him in the cell with her. She regretted not telling him her feelings. She lay down on her bed and feel asleep, dreaming about him.
Giles reached his room a few minutes after Angel. He was also thinking why Jake just walked out and left. He had always thought of him as a great fighter and a great addition to the team. He was the one who trained Jake and Sarah for fighting vampires and demons.
Buffy didn't really know Jake that well. She just knew a little about him, from what Giles had told her. One thing that she had forgotten to do was to thank him for rescuing her from that cell. She had meant to tell him. She fell asleep thinking about him too.
Angel was a little confused. He wondered why Jake had left. Like Buffy, he knew very little about Jake. He remembered when Jake and Sarah had freed him from that cell. He was thankful, but never got around to telling him that he was. He entered his room and sat down on the bed. He continued thinking why Jake would leave behind his friends.
On the plane that was heading for Erie, Cindy sat quietly. She had sat on the end. She hadn't sat in the middle next to Jake. Jake sat in the seat next to the window. She was happy that he had decided to come home with her. She found herself attracted to him when she first saw him on her doorstep the week earlier. That's when she started having doubts about Jake leaving his friends to come live with her. She began to feel sad, but she didn't say anything to him.
Jake stared out the window. He realized everything and everyone that he was leaving behind. He felt sad for leaving and felt even worse for not saying goodbye to anyone. The only happiness that he felt was that he was with Cindy, the woman that he had fallen in love with. The woman he felt a strong connection with. As the plane reached Erie, he could see the skyscrapers. Memories of his childhood came back to him.
