Chapter 25

September 1, 2008…

Sebastian had his staff assembled in front of the building Monday morning. Since his London house was rarely used anymore, he had reduced the staff to just Charles, and a couple of part-time maids; the country house also had a reduced skeleton crew. His personal chef, Ruby, had been easily persuaded to come work for the Academy. Buffy, Joyce, and Dawn were there to be supportive. Tara was teaching kindergarten through 2nd grade, since that was only 27 students. Willow would be covering science, math, and magic for the 4th – 7th graders. Due to being the best candidate not already snatched up by a school, Michael had the job of teaching the 4th and 5th grades. It meant that he and Dawn lived 45 minutes apart, but it wasn't a hardship, since her family was also still in Sunnydale. 6th grade went to a teacher selected from a list of Council-recommended applicants, Ms. Carling. The night-custodian was actually a non-hostile demon from the Sunnydale community. He was from a nocturnal species that saw exceptionally well in the dark, so he would be coming in to clean up once the children were all in bed.

The 7th grade was the hardest to fill, since junior highs and high schools in California went on a 6 – 7th period system, dividing the school day into 45 min – 1-hour classes for each subject. Public schools around the country generally ran the same way, so the American girls would be expecting this system. Willow was only covering three of those periods, for biology, math, and the magic elective. Sebastian had managed to persuade Buffy to teach P.E. (self-defense), so that was another hour. They were still required to have world history, English, computers or Spanish, and a choice of electives for the final period. Matthew was probably going to receive the world history course, if he could handle sixteen 12 –13-year-old girls. Sebastian was starting to worry that he'd have to teach English and a foreign language himself, if he couldn't find suitable teachers in the next few days. They were still working on getting the computer lab up for Willow. It would be used by all the grades for writing reports and learning keyboarding skills.

"I still say it looks like a castle," Dawn said.

"It's not a castle," Sebastian argued immediately. "It's just utilizing classic architecture."

"It's a castle, baby. Practically everybody's been saying so," Buffy added.

"Humph. Joyce, Rupert, back me up, please. There are no parapets, no moat, no drawbridge, so therefore, it is a large, grey building, not a castle."

"Well, he's got you there, ladies," Giles agreed.

"Mom, doesn't it look like a stone castle?"

"Well, not with the big, multi-paned windows…"

"Maybe they don't see it 'cause they're old?" Dawn suggested.

"Hey!"

The Academy owned two brand new full-size vans, which were currently on their way back from the airport with the first students to arrive. The children seven and under were accompanied by Council guardians for their flights. The school staff had been outside for around ten minutes, when the first van pulled up in the drive.

"Remind me why I'm the one who had to pick up ten hormone-crazed little girls?" Spike growled to his cousin, escaping the van as soon as he had put the vehicle in 'park'.

"You lost our last poker game," Sebastian smirked.

"Never. Again," Spike replied. "They insisted on screeching at an insane bloody volume the entire hour! I now have a bleedin' teeny-bopper song stuck in my head!"

The rest couldn't help but giggle at the poor vampire.

"Mr. Spike? Jan's bag is stuck," one of the girls called from the back of the van. He growled again, and stalked towards the group. The girls took one look at his expression and scattered out of the way. Spike yanked the bag out from under the back seat and tossed it at the girl it belonged to, nearly knocking her over. "Geeze, what's his problem?" the girls muttered.

Spike made a not so polite gesture at his cousin, and stomped behind the gym to go smoke. Buffy and Dawn burst into giggles again.

Kara pulled up a few minutes later with some of the youngest. "Spike disappeared already?" She said, feeling his irritation through the claim.

"Yep! The 'Big Bad' got chased away by a group of little girls!" Buffy exclaimed, before collapsing in a fit of laughter again. Kara just shook her head, and rounded the van to open the side door.

"Okay, girls, everybody out. It's time to meet your teachers." Kara helped each small girl down from the van and nudged her towards Tara, who had stepped forward at the same time.

"Miss Kara?" a little girl with blonde pigtails asked. "I have to go potty," she whispered."

"That's okay, sweetie. Miss Tara will take you. She's right there." Tara smiled at the girl and waved her closer, holding out her hand to lead her into the building. The other little girls followed along.

"Ruby, can you take this list and check off the teens, then show them their rooms? Buffy, dear, take this one to Tara and check off the little ones. We want to make sure we have everyone we're supposed to," Sebastian requested. To the rest he said, "Alright, we don't have any more flights coming in until this evening, so let's all head inside and make sure the girls know where everything is."

"Sebastian, the tiny ones' suitcases are still in the van. We need to get those inside before everyone wanders off," Kara reminded him.

"Mommy, can we go inside and see the new school, too?" Ana asked.

"In a minute, honey. Go stand with Aunt Joyce while we get all this stuff out, okay?"

"Okay!" Ana and Lillian skipped over to their favorite babysitter to wait.

The structure was large enough to house two staircases, front and back, and a central elevator. The kitchen and dining room for the students was on the first floor. Tara and Willow's apartment was on the second floor, with the girls, as they were "den mothers". What Willow hadn't realized, when she had agreed to the task along with Tara, was that they would be laundering all the uniforms for the girls too young to be responsible for them on their own. That was every girl under the age of 10, according to Sebastian.

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"Ten 7th graders and ten kindergarteners present and accounted for, sir," Ruby said, handing the clipboard back to Sebastian.

"Ruby, could you be a dear and show the young ladies how to use the laundry machines before you head back to the kitchen?"

"Not a problem, sir. I'll make sure they know to keep their whites away from their darks."

"You're a gem, Ruby."

"I'm going to work on the apartment some more, unless you need me for anything?" Buffy asked.

"No, we're fine. It's enough that they get unpacked and learn the rules today," he replied.

"I'm proud of how you've gotten this all together, honey. It hasn't even been a year since you got the idea, and now it's all happening. Let me know when to come down for dinner." They had a kitchen in their apartment, but the couple had been so busy, they hadn't had the chance to stock it since they moved in.

"I will, sweetheart."

"Uncle Baz! We want to see the school room!" Sebastian suddenly found his goddaughters tugging on his pants.

"Where did you two come from? Where's your mother?"

"She went to talk to Daddy. She says he's sulking," Lillian repeated.

"A big word from a little girl…so, you want to see the rooms, eh? I guess I can spare a few minutes for my favorite girls."

"Yay!" Their first stop was the kindergarten classroom, which Tara had accented with lots a bright colors and animal pictures on the wall. "Oooo! It's so pretty!"

"Can I go to school here, Uncle Baz?" Ana asked. "Mommy says we old enough! Please…?"

"That's completely up to your parents, sweetheart. I don't think your mum wants to drive up here every day. It's a long trip."

"Poo…" she pouted.

"All those girls are going to live here?" Lillian asked.

"That's right, Lilli. These girls don't have nice houses and families like you do, so they get to create a new family here."

"Sebastian," Tara interrupted. "The girls are settled for the time being and waiting for the tour."

"Right. Girls, you can either come with us, or go find your parents – it's okay, either way."

"We want to see more," Ana declared. Her sister nodded along in agreement.

"Alright. This way." Sebastian and Tara carried the girls up to the large common room diving the dormitory floor in half. The girls were assembled there, along with Ruby, Willow, and Michael.

"Good morning. Now that you've all had a chance to claim your beds and put your things away, it's time to make with the introductions. I'm Mr. Pierce, your headmaster. To my left, is Miss Maclay. You may also address her as Miss Tara. That's Miss Willow, or Miss Rosenberg to you older students, and this is Ruby, our chef and house supervisor. And finally, this is Mr. Long, who will be teaching World History for you ladies in 7th grade. This common room is stocked with board games and puzzles that you all are free to use on your off time. However, the privilege will be revoked if this room is constantly messy. There will also always be fruit and juice stocked in that refrigerator for snacks, with permission from your den mothers.

Now that that's out of the way, let's take that tour."

They followed Sebastian and Tara down the stairs, the teachers coming along at the rear to make sure no one strayed. Each classroom had a sign on the door in bold print for its designated purpose. They went down the line, starting with the kindergarten classroom, and ending with six rooms reserved for the 7th grade class. Willow and Ruby tried not to laugh at the older girls twittering on about "how handsome their headmaster was, and how sophisticated his accent was". Then, they moved on to whispering about "the cute history teacher", which, thankfully, Michael missed hearing, or he would have been blushing like a beet. Their last stop in the tour was the dining hall, where the older girls were informed that they would be setting the tables while dinner was being prepared. They groaned typically in response.

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Giles, Joyce, and Dawn had left for work once the general hubbub was over. Kara and Spike were sticking around in the teachers' lounge, waiting to head to the airport for the rest of the teens. The Council had actually been smart enough not to book the girls on overnight flights, even though they were coming from England.

"Do you think this whole venture will work out?" Spike wondered.

"Probably. Sebastian's a smart guy. He's disciplined, organized, and has a ton of money to throw at any problem, so I think they'll be able to handle 100 kids right now."

"I think the Watcher and Mum will be dropping by for a while in the evenin's. She was goin' on about the poor girls not getting any mothering."

"Well, the maternal instinct never goes away. Come on, let's go see what our girls are up to."

"Probably attached to 'Uncle Baz'," Spike snarked. The twins were getting to an age where seeing their parents every day wasn't a novelty anymore. Spending time with extended family, though, was one of their favorite treats.

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When evening came, Sebastian took pity on his cousin, and went with Kara, instead. The five-year-olds had been put to bed, the older girls were personalizing their rooms, and the family had retreated up to the Pierce apartment. Giles and Joyce were back, too.

"You know, Giles…we still need an English teacher," Buffy hinted.

"And hey, why not a former librarian?" Willow chipped in.

"Now, wait just a minute, girls. I already have a full time job, and I need to hire another employee, now that Tara is teaching here. It's hard to find competent help, you know."

"It's just one hour a week, Giles," Willow coaxed.

"Class time, yes, but there's also lessons plans to create and papers to grade. You forget, I've already worked at a high school."

"Bummer," Buffy pouted. "Who are we going to find on short notice? If only we knew someone who got their degree in English…" she hinted, rolling her head towards Spike. He froze like a deer caught in headlights.

"I can contact some people I graduated with," Michael offered, in response to the question.

"That only works if they know about our world, sweetie. It's kind of hard to hide the supernatural around here," Tara said kindly.

"Oh, right…that does narrow down the list, huh? Well, we can take turns covering the class until Mr. Pierce finds a permanent candidate. We just stick to the lesson plan and make sure the girls read the books. Throw in some vocab tests, and they'll be okay for a while. They don't have to get to creative writing until later in the semester."

"That's a workable plan, Michael. I'm glad they taught you to be adaptable at university," Giles said approvingly.

"Thanks, Mr. G." The boy smiled widely, causing Joyce to pat Giles' hand to acknowledge he did a good thing.

"What about Ms. Carling? She's the only one that isn't teaching multiple grades," Willow suggested.

"I can suggest it to Sebastian. If she's as trained as a teacher as she's supposed to be, then she should certainly be able to handle 16 more students in the next grade up. Maybe we could combine the classes and broaden the curriculum? Our 6th graders would get further ahead, if they wanted to, right?" Buffy said. The group was astonished to see that she cared. Buffy had had as little to do with the project as possible, up to this point. Even just living in the building hadn't been her first choice.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with management here, Buffy," her mother said.

"I don't…but Sebastian's been worried about the problem, and I care about him being worried…handing out a couple suggestions while we wait doesn't really make me involved."

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Six British teens upstairs later, the group was more than ready to call it a night. The teachers had to start classes tomorrow, albeit by working slow until the rest arrived throughout the week. The girls in the building already had to have something to do, or they'd be running amok through the halls. Whatever their other differences, Potential Slayers seemed to share a wealth of energy. The new playground equipment was going to get a lot of use.

By Saturday, all 100 students had arrived safely and were settling in. Sebastian talked with Ms. Carling, at Buffy's suggestion after the family meeting that night, and found her sufficiently knowledgeable for this semester of 7th grade English. This gave them time to find the best teacher for a permanent position. Sebastian was teaching a semester of Spanish, and a semester of Latin as the electives the state would know about. The 7th grade girls were also taking Intro to Magic, Demons, and Prophecies on Saturday mornings, courtesy of Willow, Giles, and occasionally Buffy, for personal Slayer accounts..

Pierce Academy was soon off to a great start. Little did they know how the school would grow in coming years.

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Kara enrolled Ana and Lillian at the elementary school she had attended when she'd moved to Yorba Linda, after thoroughly interviewing the kindergarten teacher. She wanted a teacher who could come up with ways to challenge the girls, since they were already ahead of the curve, and would keep an eye on Lillian's sun-sensitivity. They needed to know that the teacher would not force Lillian to go out and play when she complained about the sun being too bright or hot. It had become clear in the last year that Lillian had inherited a little of her father's sun allergy, and was extremely susceptible to sunburns. She often needed sunglasses, too, and wore them voluntarily.

The twins had started school on Sept. 2nd, a Tuesday, and by Friday, Kara was prepared to ask Lillian how she was handling the voices, when she picked the girls up.

"Wish Mr. Brown a good weekend, girls. You'll be back on Monday," Kara said, signing them out.

"Momma, I don't wanna go home, yet! Mister Brown gave us Play-Doh!" Ana whined.

"You have Play-Doh at home, too, Anastasia. Go get your backpack, sweetie. Aunt Steph is coming over for dinner."

"Okaaaay…"

"I wish more of the kids had her enthusiasm for school. We'd get more done each day," the teacher commented.

"Well, Ana's like a light switch on most things – she's either on or off about it, and if she's 'on', then she's got enthusiasm seeping out her pores. How is Lillian doing?"

"Excellent, scholastically, but it's taking her longer to warm up to the other children. She's a sweet little girl, though. I have no doubt she'll make friends eventually," he replied.

"Thanks for being understanding. Kids shouldn't feel ashamed for feeling shy. Lillian's only shy in new situations. Once she feels out what's going on around her, she'll be in there right along with Ana. At least, that's how she's been with our friends' kids."

"That's what I suspected. Oh, she's got some artwork to show you. We were painting today."

"Alright. I'll ask her about it when we get home. Girls! Time to go," Kara called. "Say goodbye."

"Bye, Mister Brown," they chorused.

Kara took the girls' hands and walked out to her new sedan.

"So, do you girls like your new school?"

"I do!" Ana replied. "They have lots of monkey bars."

"Lillian?"

"Mister Brown's nice. He let's me paint what I want to."

"That's nice. And how does your head feel?" Kara asked.

"It's okay. Aunt Tara helped. The other kids are loud, though."

"Like lots of Anas?" Kara teased.

"Yeah, lots."

"I'm not loud!"

"Anastasia, what's the most common thing your father asks you to do?"

"Umm…use my inside voice?"

"Exactly."

"Oh…Mommy? Is it bad that I'm loud?" Ana wondered.

"No, sweetie, it's not bad. It's just nicer to be a little more quiet inside, where other people are around to hear you."

"Okay. I'll try."

"Thank you. Now, what should we make for dinner for your Aunt Stephanie?"

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Cordelia and Connor came over the next day to hang out, and use the pool during the current heat wave.

"How did the girls do with their first week of school?" Cordy asked.

"It was pretty smooth sailing. Ana fit in right away, and Lillian says she's not getting the headaches. I'm not 100 sure she'd tell me if she was, though."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"She's developed kind of a secretive nature, with her feelings. She'll only be completely honest if we're one-on-one with her, and even then, it takes her a while to speak up if something is really bothering her."

"Sounds like how Buffy was in high school, only without the teen drama," Cordelia said.

"Geeze, that's a scary thought."

"Yeah, I never got the point. I mean, there's power in saying what you think, you know? It's no wonder I had to instruct Angel in how women think."

"I hope you didn't spill all our secrets…"

"And lose my advantage in a fight? So not happening! It's much more fun to get the apology presents," she said brightly.

"Which I'm sure he's been properly educated on about what's appropriate," Kara added.

"But of course!" They shared a knowing laugh, and turned back to fully watching the kids.

"And what's got you two birds cackling away?" Spike asked, stepping out to the patio.

"Just girl talk, honey."

"Would that be the kind that makes all men want to protect their bits and bobs, luv?"

"Spike, you're way too paranoid," Cordelia declared.

"Try spending twenty years with Darla and Dru."

"Eeew…"

"Yeah. 'Nough said."

"How are you out in the sunlight, anyway? Vamps are supposed to go poof," Cordelia wondered.

"I made him a little magical something for Christmas after we started dating," Kara replied.

"Really? I thought it had something to do with your being mated…Could you make one for Angel?"

"Well, the ingredients are kinda rare…"

"Brood Boy in daylight? He wouldn't even use it. Gramps was rarely even awake when the sun was up."

"Pfft! That was a long time ago. Angel's been adjusted to longer hours to accommodate the team for years, and with Connor getting older…" Cordelia argued.

"I'll see about putting together another one, but I'm not making promises, Cordy. It really does take rare ingredients. They aren't even found in this dimension," Kara replied.

"That's okay. I'm happy that it's just a possibility. In brighter news, Connor seems to be coming out of the Year of Brooding. I'm hoping he'll be back to normal by his birthday."

"I don't envy you the teen years," Spike remarked.

"Ugh – I don't even want to think about it, yet. I'm only 27! You guys are so lucky never to age," Cordelia said emphatically.

"Not all the-"

"Hey! That's mine!" one of the children yelled.

"Stay put, ladies. I'll take this," Spike sighed, crossing the grass to the children.

"Do you think the kids will always be close?" Cordelia mused.

"We can only hope…" Kara replied.