Chapter 12: A Nice Demon Roasting

*****A Few Days Later*****

Bobby Finstock had been coaching lacrosse at Beacon Hill high for a long time, and ever since Scott McCall had gotten bitten by a werewolf, the town had become weirder all the time. Of course, Bobby didn't mind. He liked weird, and he loved seeing kids reach their full potential. Bobby figured the good Lord knew that McCall had needed some real help if he was ever going to be a serious lacrosse player and saw fit to give him a gift to be all that he could be.

However, the insanity that had taken place since McCall and Stiles had graduated was a bit much for Bobby. The fear and hate and out right bigotry that those werewolf hunters had brought at the beginning of the school year really pissed him off. He was glad that Natalie was bringing in outside people to help, but he wasn't sure the direct approach that the new counselor Miss Summers had taken was a good idea. However, he had sensed a lessening of tension and fewer scared looks, so he would support it until he felt he shouldn't.

He went out onto the field as the football team was finishing up practice and saw a strange sight. A short man with red hair was standing next to the coach with a baby strapped to his chest.

"Now that's a sight I don't see every day," he murmured.

He walked over to the coach to find out who the new guy is. "Hey, Coach. How's things going?" he asked. The man had been his football coach when he played football the one year back when he was a freshman, so he could never call him anything but Coach. The football coach probably should retire since he had to be pushing seventy. It wasn't like he ever coached the team to any wins. However, Bobby sure wasn't going to be the one to suggest to him that he retire.

"Great, Bobby," he said crossly. "We lost four players this week, and we have a game tomorrow."

"Yea, I heard," Bobby said. If he had a few werewolves on his team, his players might be more tolerant. However, he refrained from saying such a thing as the man was seriously old school. "So who's the guy with the baby?"

"That's Oz," Coach said. "He's a part-time IT guy for the school district, recently widowed with that little one to care for. He's volunteered to help me out with the parents and possibly mentor some of the guys. It's obvious they're needing some positive role models. What's better than a single father taking care of his responsibilities?"

"Very true," Bobby said. "Will you introduce me?"

Coach nodded and stepped over to Oz, who was trying to memorize the positions all the guys were playing. He was off today, but he brought Will with him to practice. The boys loved him, and it broke the ice like he figured it would. This was his second day to come to practice.

"Oz, this is Bobby—called Coach Finstock by the students or Coach Fin by the really lazy ones," he said.

"Coach is what my exceptionally lazy ones call me unless you're standing next to me," Bobby said with a grin. "Nice to meet you Oz. Are you new to town or to the school?"

"I'm new to the town. I went to high school with Buffy and Willow," he said. "Miss Summers and Rosenberg."

The football coach blew his whistle and stepped onto the field to give some instructions, so Bobby asked, "Are you one of our furry friends?"

Oz couldn't help but smile at the coach, who he'd heard a lot about and nodded. "Yes, I'm a werewolf and was bitten in high school my junior year. My wife was a natural born one like Derek, so my son will be one, too."

Bobby nodded. "I bet it's reassuring to know that your son will grow up strong and gifted," he said.

Oz gave him a curious look. "No one has ever said that before," he admitted. "I appreciate that. Most days I just feel fear for him because his mother and her entire family was slaughtered by werewolf hunters."

Bobby looked horrified and reached out, putting hand on Oz's shoulder. "I don't understand evil like that, but I'm glad you and your boy are safe here," he said.

"Thanks," Oz said, grateful for the man's easy acceptance. "We're having a meeting in twenty minutes. I believe Mrs. Martin wanted you to be there. Did she tell you?"

"I don't know. Maybe," he said with a shrug. "Don't tell her, but I don't usually listen when she talks."

Oz laughed. "Well, we'd appreciate you being there. It's in her office. Pizza will be provided," he added.

"Well, then, I'm there!" Bobby said.

Oz liked the man instantly and knew why Scott and the other's spoke so highly about him.

A bit later, he and Bobby were in the principal's office, sitting around the small table in the corner. Willow, Buffy, the Sheriff, and Pam Dale, the freshmen English teacher, were all there.

"Thanks for coming," Buffy said. "Mrs. Dale, have you met Willow and Oz?"

"No," she said, giving them a shy smile. She was in her forties with dark hair and skin. Natalie was good friends with her and knew she wanted to end the chaos in the school.

"I wish there was more teachers than Bobby and Pam that I could be sure about," Natalie said.

"No, this is okay. Pam teaches freshmen, which is an important group. They'll be the ones responsible for the future atmosphere of this school," Buffy remarked.

"Bobby gets all of them," Noah said.

"Very true, Sheriff," Bobby said, reaching for the pizza.

"Help yourselves to some food," Natalie said, giving Bobby a fond smile.

Oz passed his son to Willow, who cuddled him close while he passed out the drinks.

Once everyone was settled, Noah began speaking. "Bobby and Pam, we have some grim news that may seem very insane, but I'm going to give the supernatural experts here the benefit of the doubt. Buffy is a mystically empowered vampire slayer, and Willow is a witch," he shared.

"Cool," Bobby said.

"Fascinating," Pam said.

"The girls believe that there's some dark energy in our town that's drawing supernatural creatures here," Noah explained. "My son and Scott McCall have fought several things besides hunters the past few years. No need to get into them all as we have new things to worry about."

"Is there a way to get rid of the dark energy?" Pam asked.

"Not easily," Willow said.

"My hometown was Sunnydale—you might've heard about it," she said.

"The crater south of Los Angeles?" Bobby asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yep. That was Willow and I getting rid of the dark energy," she said.

"That sucks," Bobby said, frowning at the implications.

"Let's not do that," Pam added.

"Don't worry. That should never happen again," Buffy said. "Sunnydale was a special case. But it was how we closed the hellmouth permanently."

"We're living on a hellmouth?" Pam asked, looking upset.

"It's a beginning of one," Willow said. "It's why we're here. If we can deter dark creatures from taking up residence here, then it won't get stronger."

"Oh, that's good," Pam said weakly.

"It'll be okay," Natalie said, reaching out and patting her hand in reassurance.

"I hope you're right 'cause I don't want to have to take up drinking again," Bobby said, very casually. "The rehab center is expensive."

Oz flashed him a grin but said nothing. The guy was a riot.

"It won't come to that, Bobby," the Sheriff assured him.

"One thing, I want you to be on the look out for is a group of students congregating or closing ranks around another," Buffy said.

"We don't want what happened to Mason to happen on campus," Natalie said.

"Or the incident that happened to Liam," Noah said grimly.

"Did that teacher have consequences for allowing students to hurt him without trying to intervene or call for help?" Buffy asked Natalie.

Natalie frowned and looked uncomfortable. "No," she admitted.

"That has to be corrected," Buffy said.

"I agree," Noah said. "We can't allow the students to run this school or give in to mob mentality."

"It should be a formal write-up," Buffy said. "I will have Liam and Mason—who witnessed what happened—write out a statement. You can have that when you speak to the teacher."

"I will speak to the weres and see what other teachers you need to speak to. Change has to begin with the teachers," Oz said.

"Weres?" Bobby asked.

"Well, werewolves aren't the only things around," Oz added.

"Malia is a werecoyote," Natalie said to him.

"She spent her missing years trapped in her coyote form," Noah added.

"That explains a lot," Bobby said in bemusement.

"We have a few other types also," Buffy said. "The important thing to remember is education is a step in the right direction, but if those in charge show a zero tolerance for bullying or discrimination of any kind, that will go a long way in keeping things under wrap. People can think whatever they want. We're not the thought police, but we don't want them verbalizing those thoughts and creating a hostile atmosphere."

"Very true," Natalie agreed. "I'm going to have a staff meeting on Monday during lunch. I figure if I provide the food, I can at least get their attention. Buffy and I will go over expectations and consequences."

"But we wanted you and Bobby to know that we're going to depend on you to let us know if there's situations we need to address," Buffy said. "Or teachers that you think we should be worried about."

"So you want us to be narcs?" Bobby asked.

Buffy nodded. "Basically," she said with a grin. "You okay with that?"

"Sure," Bobby said with a shrug. Then he reached for another piece of pizza.

"I don't want to get anyone fired," Pam said with concern.

"No one will be fired unless they are fostering a hostile atmosphere," Natalie assured her.

They spoke for a few more minutes, and then Noah had to leave. Buffy followed him out in to the hall.

"Neveah and Grace arrive tonight, and they both are willing to work part-time for you," Buffy said.

Noah smiled. "That's great! I could really use the help," he said.

"They want to stay on part-time status because they'll be nights that they might get caught up in slayer stuff," Buffy said.

"They want the graveyard shift, right?" he asked.

"Can you let them do a nine to seven shift three nights? That'll let them put in thirty hours," Buffy suggested.

"I can do that," he said. "You know, though, I can't really partner them up—not while they're new."

"Then put them with someone that's open minded," she suggested. "When will you work Xander?"

"He wants to work dayshift two nights and mid-shift two nights, Sunday through Wednesday. He's going for the eight-hour shifts," Noah said. "Since none of my guys want to work Sunday, I am happy to accommodate him. He'll do the swing shift Sunday and Monday and day shift on Tuesday and Thursdays."

"That'll allow him to mostly be home when we are," she said, happy.

"That's what he was thinking," Noah said. "I'm going to partner him with Parrish. They've hit it off, and he needs a reliable partner."

Buffy nodded, glad the hellhound would be pulled tighter. Xander was good at bringing people into the fold.

*****Later that Night*****

Buffy and Derek were at Derek's family home making sure the rooms were ready for Neveah and Grace. They were driving in and should be there within the hour. She was glad to get some more slayers in town, so they could keep a lid on things.

Derek grinned at her as she fussed with things. He hadn't seen this side of her as he had yet to meet her sister, but he liked seeing this nurturing side.

She stopped to play with the baby before they left to go slaying. "He's such a cutie!" she gushed as Will grinned up at her and took a wobbling step toward her.

"He's walking now," Oz said proudly. "We have to keep a sharp eye on him, so he doesn't run away."

"From what my mother always said, werewolf babies were particularly precocious," Derek said.

"Good to know," Buffy said, giving him a look that stopped his heart for a moment.

Xander and Parrish came into the living room. "So, Derek, Jordan's off, and I want to see what you got," he said.

Derek looked confused. "Okay," he said, looking at Buffy for help.

"He means that he wants you to go patrolling with him and Jordan," Buffy explained.

"Oh," Derek said. He looked at Xander. "Sure."

"You wanna go with?" Xander asked Buffy.

"I think I'll let you boys play without me," she said. "Take the north side of town, and I'll patrol the south side. Willow will go with me." She stood up and kissed him goodbye.

"I'll see you back here in a few hours?" he asked.

"Yep," Buffy said. "Have fun. Don't let Xander lose his only eye."

"Ha, ha. Make fun of the one-eyed man," Xander said, sticking out his tongue.

Jordan was shocked by Buffy's insensitive comment, but Xander's reaction made him smile. They were an interesting group.

The three men walked to Derek's car, and he drove them a bit closer into town. Beacon Hill only had two cemeteries—one on each end.

"So Jordan was telling me about the Ghost Riders," Xander said to Derek. "That sounds insane—getting erased. Nothing that crazy ever happened back home in Sunnyhell. Once these creepy floating men called the Gentlemen stole everyone's voices, though—that was really weird."

"Huh?" Parrish asked.

"We all woke up—the entire town—unable to talk. They called it a mass case of laryngitis and quarantined the town," he shared. "Then the creepy men went around collecting hearts. They needed seven. Luckily, Buffy found the voice box where they kept everyone's voice, and she screamed really loud. Well, I guess she broke the box first and got back her voice—then she screamed. The gentlemen blew up. Buffy said it was disgusting."

Derek gave the man an amused smile. They hadn't spent much time together, but he knew how important Xander was to Buffy. He needed to get to know the guy, and it was obvious that rambling like Stiles was a clear Sunnydale trait.

"That's crazy," Parrish remarked with a laugh. They entered into a cemetery and saw some commotion.

"Something's happening by that maintenance shed," Derek remarked, picking up his pace. He had no weapon, but the stake Buffy insisted he take in his back pocket. Xander had his axe and some stakes while Jordan was carrying a sword.

A man cried out, and Derek got there first, pulling the guy off the other one. When the man, turned and snarled at him, he realized that it wasn't a man. His claws came out, and he slashed the creatures throat. Xander moved and joined him, grabbing the maintenance work and moving him out of the way. The man ran off in terror. Before Jordan could helps his friends, he was attacked by another demon. He raised up the sword and stabbed the thing in the stomach, causing it to scream and swing its large arms and hit him in the face. Jordan had to jump back and then swung the sword at the thing's head.

Relieved to see it stop moving, he turned to check on his friends.

"Man, first twenty minutes, and we shish-kabobbed two demons!" Xander said excitedly.

Derek was amused at the man's enthusiasm as he reminded him strongly of Stiles except Stiles would've kept going on about it for ten minutes. "We're going to have to dispose of the bodies," he said.

"That's the good thing about vamps—no fuss, no muss," Xander said as he walked over and picked up the head from Parrish's demon. "Jordan, you really got your swing going, didn't you?"

"Well, I stabbed it in the stomach, but it didn't faze it much," Jordan said. "That was the only thing I knew to do."

"Beheadongs work with pretty much everything I've come across," Xander said. He glanced at the weaponless Derek. "You need a sword."

Derek held up his hand and claws came out. "I'm good," he said, looking smug.

"I guess that can work," Xander grudgingly admitted as he glanced down at the dead demon Derek obviously had slain with those claws.

Derek laughed. Then he bent down to pick up the body he'd slain. "I guess we'll throw it in my trunk and take it back to the house. Have a bonfire."

"Oh, we have to stop at the store and get some marshmallows then!" he said with enthusiasm. Parrish shared a look with Derek, both thinking that Xander was a bit strange to want to roast marshmallows over burning demons. Xander felt their judgment and looked defensive. "Hey, you weren't raised on a hellmouth. You get your gooey goodness where you can!" he insisted.

Since Derek knew that his girlfriend would be right there next to Xander roasting her own marshmallow, he didn't protest.

Two hours later, the exact scene he envisioned came to pass. All her so-called Scooby friends were unconcerned about the burning demon bodies as they put marshmallows on their sticks. When Buffy tried to give him one, he waved his hand. "No thanks," he said.

"What? Are you too good to eat a roasted marshmallow? Too common for Mr. Moneybags?" she teased.

"You roasted it over burning demons, Buffy," he pointed out. "That's a bit macabre for me."

Buffy laughed. "Who would have thought that the big bad wolf would be so squeamish?" she asked in bemusement.

"I'm not squeamish," he insisted. "I just think there's nothing wrong with some standards!"

Buffy popped it her mouth. "Fine. I love you even though you have a delicate stomach," she teased.

Derek knew he had to stop arguing with her because she'd only keep going. Then she'd drag her friends in to gain up on him. He'd experienced this once before, so he just rolled his eyes.

Buffy licked her fingers slowly, knowing he was watching. Then she raised up on her toes to kiss him.

Derek was powerless to resist her siren call, and his arms went around her, returning her kiss with equal passion.

"Hey, there's a baby here! None of that!" Xander protested. The irony of having a baby at a demon roast was lost on him.

Derek didn't pause in his kiss and lifted his right hand to flip Xander off.

Willow's mouth fell open in surprise while the two new slayers approved of their leader's new man and laughed in appreciation.

Oz looked at Xander and chuckled. "I think you might've met your match with that one, Xan," he said. Derek was self-contained like Oz, but he wasn't uncomfortable with Buffy's friends. He didn't let their history or bonds intimidate him, nor was he threatened by him. Oz and Xander both had a good feeling about this guy.

Xander knew that if Derek could deal with the ribbing, he might just go to the distance.

"Yea, he's not so bad even if he's too good to eat marshmallows at our nice demon roast!" Xander quipped.

Jordan Parrish just shook his head. These new folks were strange, but he kind of liked them.

*****Chapter End*****

I was going to end with revealing one of the identities of the spies from previous chapter, but I liked this light-hearted bit better. Reviews keep me focused. Thanks a bunch!