Chapter Four – Heir to the Throne
The Council's Cleveland headquarters was in a high school. To be fair, the campus hadn't been used as a high school for several years. It had originally been built as a magnate school designed for about 500 students. Budget cuts forced the city to close it down. Two budget crises later the city decided to sell the property.
Xander, of all people, immediately started lobbying to purchase the campus. The "temporary" headquarters the Council established in a warehouse was far too small and poorly laid out for the Slayers' needs. The campus boasted a good-sized gym, an indoor swimming pool and a quarter mile track. That sold Robin Wood, who ran the Watchers Council's training program.
Xander argued that with some renovation work the Classrooms could be converted into dorms and/or apartments for the Slayers, Watchers and whoever else needed to stay in Cleveland. There was plenty of office space and the science labs could be converted into, well, science labs. The campus included a spacious library. The basement for the main building was large and solid. A little work and, viola, instant secure storage facilities for mystical artifacts. It had complete access to all city utilities and it's own T1 line. That sold Willow, Dawn and Giles.
He then pointed out that the campus while roomy was small enough to create a defensible perimeter. The parking lot out front and the playing field in the back provided clear firing lines from all three buildings. The utility building, separate from the rest of the buildings, provided secure access the sewer system. Most importantly, the campus was close to the freeway onramp leading to downtown shopping and the local nightlife. That sold Buffy and Faith.
The only issue remaining was limiting the number of jokes Xander was allowed to make about everyone's life revolving around high school. The agreement came after a very long and brutal evening of negotiations. Xander agreed to only five jokes per day for the first three months after they moved in. He managed to get unlimited joking privileges for the first two weeks, pointing out that he needed at least that long to get it out of his system. After three months he was limited to only three jokes per day. If, however, one of the jokes was actually funny, he could go as high as seven.
---
Eric wandered around the gym aimlessly, joining in on the occasional conversation and just enjoying his morning. Most people found it odd that the Council held most of its social events during the day. In this case the reasons were logical. First, the time of day matched with the time of the final battle and the awakening of the Slayers. Appropriate for marking the anniversary of that day. Second, the majority of Slayers, for obvious reasons, worked nights. The only time available to party was in the day. And third, the Scoobies learned from experience that any event held at night inevitably got crashed by vampires or demons. They wanted to see what it was like to get through a party without a fight.
Eric decided to refresh his drink and changed direction to the buffet table. He heard snippets of conversation as about Faith. The spell worked. You saw the demons."
"Astronauts saw the demons Red. They glowed, bright neon orange glowing ...."
"... keep trying to figure out what tweaks everybody about St. Louis ..."
"... head just goes flying off and landed in the guys soup. The tentacles were still ..."
"... Germans improving, but half the demons around the Hellmouth speak Austrian ..."
Eric was enjoying the vibe when a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Ah, Eric good to see you. We were afraid you and Faye were not going to make it." Eric turned to see Rupert Giles approaching him.
"Hey Giles. We managed to clean out that nest in Alberta faster than I thought we could. Got in late yesterday," he replied. "Left Janie's team in charge of the mop up."
"So are you and Faye still enjoying freelancing?" The Council based several teams of Slayers at each of the four Hellmouths and, as they completed training, positioned additional teams at other supernatural hotspots. Most teams comprised multiple Slayers, two to five Watchers and, if necessary, magical support. Faye and Eric operated as one of freelance teams that went where needed. Plugging holes on other teams when a Slayer was down or investigating various supernatural phenomenon.
"Yea. It's been good for Faye to move around and keep busy. She took Rona's death real hard. They'd been close since Sunnydale."
"Yes, we all took it hard." Rona had been swarmed by a pack of vampires while training some of the younger Slayers seven months earlier. She managed to get all the girls clear and hold off the pack long enough for the relief team, led by Faye, to arrive. That was a bad night to be a vampire in Cleveland.
"The reason I ask Eric," Giles paused," we could use you back at the London office. You're a link to the old Council and your presence would help mollify some of old guard Watchers that prowl around the office."
"You know, there are times when I wonder just what my Grandfather would make of what you and the other 'Scoobies' have done to the Council."
"I honestly don't know what Quentin would have thought. I rather suspect he would hate it."
"I'm not so certain. Grandfather didn't like Buffy's lack of respect for tradition or her blowing off the Council. But he always had a grudging admiration for her spirit and even he acknowledged that she and her friends got the job done. I like to think he would accept what's happened. An army of the light. You guys changed the world Giles. Of course he'd go nuts over the lunatics running the asylum."
"They may be, no," Giles corrected," they are lunatics, but they have done well. Don't sell yourself short Eric. This would not have been possible without your help. You defied your Grandfather's edict and warned me about the murders of the potentials. You smuggled out the files on the First and helped track down the remaining potentials."
"I did what needed to be done Giles," Eric Travers started thinking. "I don't know if I'm ready to head back to London. I chose Cleveland because it's separate from old Council politics."
"I'm not asking you to take charge of the office. Willow and I have that well covered. The older Watchers are having difficulty accepting the changes we've instituted. You are the Grandson of Quentin Travers, the last head of the old Council and presumptive Heir to the Throne. Your visible acceptance of what we are doing should help to calm at least some of them down."
"Is anything interesting happening in merry old England these days?"
"To be honest, no. Dawn has been working on some new research project for the past week. She says it looks like a magical group has been operating in Wales for at least twenty years. Somehow we have never encountered it before. It has ties back to a ninth century group that may have operated out of the same area. We know almost nothing of that group either."
"Really? That sounds interesting. I thought the Council knew every single magic group in Britain. The idea that someone could hide from us, intriguing," Eric's look became thoughtful. "I'll talk over transferring to London with Faye. No promises Giles. The decision is ultimately hers. So what's the current pool on how long Buffy's speech is going to be this year?"
The Council's Cleveland headquarters was in a high school. To be fair, the campus hadn't been used as a high school for several years. It had originally been built as a magnate school designed for about 500 students. Budget cuts forced the city to close it down. Two budget crises later the city decided to sell the property.
Xander, of all people, immediately started lobbying to purchase the campus. The "temporary" headquarters the Council established in a warehouse was far too small and poorly laid out for the Slayers' needs. The campus boasted a good-sized gym, an indoor swimming pool and a quarter mile track. That sold Robin Wood, who ran the Watchers Council's training program.
Xander argued that with some renovation work the Classrooms could be converted into dorms and/or apartments for the Slayers, Watchers and whoever else needed to stay in Cleveland. There was plenty of office space and the science labs could be converted into, well, science labs. The campus included a spacious library. The basement for the main building was large and solid. A little work and, viola, instant secure storage facilities for mystical artifacts. It had complete access to all city utilities and it's own T1 line. That sold Willow, Dawn and Giles.
He then pointed out that the campus while roomy was small enough to create a defensible perimeter. The parking lot out front and the playing field in the back provided clear firing lines from all three buildings. The utility building, separate from the rest of the buildings, provided secure access the sewer system. Most importantly, the campus was close to the freeway onramp leading to downtown shopping and the local nightlife. That sold Buffy and Faith.
The only issue remaining was limiting the number of jokes Xander was allowed to make about everyone's life revolving around high school. The agreement came after a very long and brutal evening of negotiations. Xander agreed to only five jokes per day for the first three months after they moved in. He managed to get unlimited joking privileges for the first two weeks, pointing out that he needed at least that long to get it out of his system. After three months he was limited to only three jokes per day. If, however, one of the jokes was actually funny, he could go as high as seven.
---
Eric wandered around the gym aimlessly, joining in on the occasional conversation and just enjoying his morning. Most people found it odd that the Council held most of its social events during the day. In this case the reasons were logical. First, the time of day matched with the time of the final battle and the awakening of the Slayers. Appropriate for marking the anniversary of that day. Second, the majority of Slayers, for obvious reasons, worked nights. The only time available to party was in the day. And third, the Scoobies learned from experience that any event held at night inevitably got crashed by vampires or demons. They wanted to see what it was like to get through a party without a fight.
Eric decided to refresh his drink and changed direction to the buffet table. He heard snippets of conversation as about Faith. The spell worked. You saw the demons."
"Astronauts saw the demons Red. They glowed, bright neon orange glowing ...."
"... keep trying to figure out what tweaks everybody about St. Louis ..."
"... head just goes flying off and landed in the guys soup. The tentacles were still ..."
"... Germans improving, but half the demons around the Hellmouth speak Austrian ..."
Eric was enjoying the vibe when a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Ah, Eric good to see you. We were afraid you and Faye were not going to make it." Eric turned to see Rupert Giles approaching him.
"Hey Giles. We managed to clean out that nest in Alberta faster than I thought we could. Got in late yesterday," he replied. "Left Janie's team in charge of the mop up."
"So are you and Faye still enjoying freelancing?" The Council based several teams of Slayers at each of the four Hellmouths and, as they completed training, positioned additional teams at other supernatural hotspots. Most teams comprised multiple Slayers, two to five Watchers and, if necessary, magical support. Faye and Eric operated as one of freelance teams that went where needed. Plugging holes on other teams when a Slayer was down or investigating various supernatural phenomenon.
"Yea. It's been good for Faye to move around and keep busy. She took Rona's death real hard. They'd been close since Sunnydale."
"Yes, we all took it hard." Rona had been swarmed by a pack of vampires while training some of the younger Slayers seven months earlier. She managed to get all the girls clear and hold off the pack long enough for the relief team, led by Faye, to arrive. That was a bad night to be a vampire in Cleveland.
"The reason I ask Eric," Giles paused," we could use you back at the London office. You're a link to the old Council and your presence would help mollify some of old guard Watchers that prowl around the office."
"You know, there are times when I wonder just what my Grandfather would make of what you and the other 'Scoobies' have done to the Council."
"I honestly don't know what Quentin would have thought. I rather suspect he would hate it."
"I'm not so certain. Grandfather didn't like Buffy's lack of respect for tradition or her blowing off the Council. But he always had a grudging admiration for her spirit and even he acknowledged that she and her friends got the job done. I like to think he would accept what's happened. An army of the light. You guys changed the world Giles. Of course he'd go nuts over the lunatics running the asylum."
"They may be, no," Giles corrected," they are lunatics, but they have done well. Don't sell yourself short Eric. This would not have been possible without your help. You defied your Grandfather's edict and warned me about the murders of the potentials. You smuggled out the files on the First and helped track down the remaining potentials."
"I did what needed to be done Giles," Eric Travers started thinking. "I don't know if I'm ready to head back to London. I chose Cleveland because it's separate from old Council politics."
"I'm not asking you to take charge of the office. Willow and I have that well covered. The older Watchers are having difficulty accepting the changes we've instituted. You are the Grandson of Quentin Travers, the last head of the old Council and presumptive Heir to the Throne. Your visible acceptance of what we are doing should help to calm at least some of them down."
"Is anything interesting happening in merry old England these days?"
"To be honest, no. Dawn has been working on some new research project for the past week. She says it looks like a magical group has been operating in Wales for at least twenty years. Somehow we have never encountered it before. It has ties back to a ninth century group that may have operated out of the same area. We know almost nothing of that group either."
"Really? That sounds interesting. I thought the Council knew every single magic group in Britain. The idea that someone could hide from us, intriguing," Eric's look became thoughtful. "I'll talk over transferring to London with Faye. No promises Giles. The decision is ultimately hers. So what's the current pool on how long Buffy's speech is going to be this year?"