A/N Out of Sight, Out of Mind is the next episode and it's one that leaves a lot of questions unanswered and is never revisited. Giles' explanation for the invisible Marcie is that the Hellmouth warped reality, people ignored Marcie, she felt invisible, she went invisible. But it never happens to anyone else as far as we know and if Giles was right, there should have been more, (aside from a very brief near miss in season 7 where Buffy just happens to see a student start to fade away). It was a one off that was mostly forgotten about. And who were the men who took Marcie away? What happened to her and the others apparently being trained to be assassins? Huh? Assassins. 😏

But aside from Giles' lackluster explanation, the weirdos and training class full of other invisible kids, none of which will be showing up in this story because I think Giles' explanation didn't really make any sense and the MIB/assassins thing belongs in a different kind of story, the invisible girl and Cordelia's revelations can be fit into this story. Along with a different, setting appropriate explanation for Marcie's condition, like in my mutant crossover stories were it's theorized she might have been a mutant.

Also, I'm going back to the compentant Council I've been working to flesh out in my recent stories and it was during this first season of Buffy that we begin to learn more people out in the world are aware of the supernatural and those weirdo MIB guys were our first hint that the government was also, to a certain extent, aware. Of course, like the Council, they were eventually shown to be complete morons. Well, I've been working on making them compentant too. 😗

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"Kids, I want to introduce you to the head of the hunter team the Watchers Council is stationing here in Sunnydale, Mason Chalmers. Mason, my foster daughter, Faith Lahaine, the Vampire Slayer, and her friends, Alexander Harris and Jesse McNally."

Mason eyed Xander. "And you would be the Dad." Xander gulped. Great, another adult who knew how to glare.

"Yes, Sir." Xander wasn't sure he why felt like he should stand at attention, but he very nearly was.

"That's it? Just an acknowledgement, no excuse 'I was possessed, I didn't know what I was doing?"

"But I did know what I was doing." Xander was confused. "I felt everything, I wanted everything as it was happening. It's not how I'd normally behave, but it felt normal. It's really confusing, but at the time I also thought I wanted to behave that way. And if I'd hurt Faith I'd never forgive myself. I was an animal version of myself, without human values. Diana explained it to me and it makes sense. So no, I'm not making excuses for myself, it was me, but me that was an animal, not a human."

"And you're stepping up, not leaving her to take care of things herself?"

"No! Because that's not the kind of man I want to be! I helped make that baby, the circumstances don't change that and I refuse to be the kind of guy who'd bail, no matter how scary it all is." Xander said determinedly. "If she doesn't want me in her life or thought I'd be bad for the baby, than I'd find out what I need to fix about me so she does let me help."

Mason grinned. "I like him." He told Diana. "He's got potential, he's willing to fight for what he believes in, is willing to shoulder responsibility and is willing to understand and correct any flaws he might have. I think this might work out just fine."

The three teens glanced at each other, confused and then Xander said. "What will work out just fine?"

"My solution to your family problem." Diana answered. "Certain members of nearly every government on Earth are aware of the supernatural. It's not something they can publically acknowledge because they're absolutely terrified it'll cause a catastrophic collapse of society. They may be right, things like the Salem witch trials prove, people panic and overreact in the face of things they don't understand. Maybe eventually they'll be able to ease the public into knowledge and acceptance, but for now, the governments quietly help demon hunting organizations like the Watchers Council. And I've convinced the Watchers Council to help you."

"Help me how?"

"By having a discrete investigation of your family situation done. If they find evidence to support removal, a judge will sever your parent's parental rights and transfer custody to Mason, as your foster father. But Mason will do more than just be a foster father in the modern sense, he'll be one in the medieval sense as well. He'll train you to be a hunter, the Watchers Council will cover the cost of your training and education, which will include higher education via the Watchers Academy, where you will earn a degree and have a job, for life if you want it and prove you can do it, once you graduate. Which means even when you no longer wish to or are no longer able to be a hunter, you'd be moved to a different position within the Council, possibly even as a Watcher yourself some day."

"Oh. Wow. Huh?"