Rory Harris sat in the private waiting room next to Matthew McNally and the rest of their group waiting for word on Xander and reviewing the week.
"Xander said we're unprepared for dangerous Wesen." He murmured softly. "And he's right, the last day has really driven that home. I need new training methods, I need to figure out how better to prepare them. The world teaches harsh lesson, but it's our responsibility to learn those lessons."
"I had a similar thought." Matthew said. "When Jesse was telling us what happened in Los Angeles, that I can't shield them from the dark side of the world. Especially given that they have a need to help those who can't help themselves."
"Diana said something like that to me once too." Faith said, smiling at her mother. "That whether I'm a Grimm or a Slayer, I will walk in a lot of dark places and she can't protect me from what's in them. But God gave her to me to help me deal with what I find in those dark places."
"Margaret suggested we start a support group." Diana added. "Of mother's of vampire hunters, fathers can join too. We can give them more support, if we can prop each other up. They're not going to stop, they can't. Amy and Jesse might be able to walk away, because neither of them have a need to hunt, Amy's other side isn't an animal after all, but Xander and Faith can't walk away anymore than Buffy could when she had the chance. Something made them the way they are and this is the life they must live and we, as their parents, have to accept that and give them all the help we can."
"Do you think Xander will be alright?" Tika asked, Xander was much her brother as Jesse was.
"If he survives, he'll rapid adapt in some way." Rory answered. "We'll figure it out and help him master it. Once Amy gets the Magic on that shithole figured out, we'll destroy it. Paul's got the Wesen Council coming to pick up the Wesen we found in that drug den, they'll see about getting them help. He's also dealing with Devon since he saw a few things. And they've got contacts in human society, the same ones that are trying to help the human survivors of the fight ring. As for the ones addicted to Magic, Amy's going though her mother's stuff looking for information on any Hexenbiest that might be able to help them. There's other Magic users in this town and some of them may be able to help as well. We won't just give up on them."
"Amy said the Zauberbiest's Magic was twisted, dirty in some way." Faith said. "That might make it harder for the Magic addicts to recover. These people didn't go there looking to get high, that's what makes this so horrifying. That creep hooked them on purpose though innocent things like tea and what they thought was tobacco. Though trinkets he sold in his shop, he didn't wait for people wanting to get high, he forced them to become people who want to get high. Like the people who worked with those demons in L.A., the Wesen rep called them amoral, opportunistic losers willing to prey on their own. Monsters who choose to be monsters."
"Aside from the vampires, Sunnydale is a peaceful little city." Margaret said. "The kind of place parents want to raise their kids. Both normal humans and Wesen are safer here with a Weider community here, but other places may not have the luxury of a Weider community. And always on the edges are human monsters, the ones that choose to prey on their own. Rapists, murders, pedophiles. Drug dealers."
"Faith is considering moving back to Boston after graduation." Diana said. "She's going to run into more dangerous Wesen out there in the world. Yes, different training methods are needed. I can't send her out unprepared to face the world."
"Xander thought he would stay in Sunnydale and help protect it." Cordelia said softly. "It's why he enrolled in UC Sunnydale, but Sunnydale doesn't need as much protection as he thought, dangerous Wesen are rare here, this drug dealer not withstanding. Vampires are the big issue and there's more than enough Wesen willing to hunt them in this town. Grimm exist to deal with dangerous Wesen, that the basic skills translate to hunting vampires is helpful but in Sunnydale multiple Grimms just aren't needed. Out there in the world they are. I think Xander and I are going to need to talk about that and make some decisions. Where he goes, I go, but knowing he'll have to deal more with Wesen issues out there in the world, than vampire ones, isn't going to be easy. But we're solid and we'll make it work, because he's determined to not to be a Boogieman."
"Same here." Faith said. "More like an honest cop. And no, that doesn't mean I plan to attend the Police Academy in Boston. I'll figure out a way I can help. Xander's studying to be a Counselor, Amy's studying prelaw. Maybe, I'll be a teacher, like Diana and I'll wait for that moment when they get it, because I found a way to show them, I want to help, not hurt them."
The door to the private waiting room opened and they all stood up, eager to hear what Xander's condition was.