Originally broadcasted 12/26/06

Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Classroom – Morning

“Shannon Matthewson, Attorney at Law,” the letters on the door glass read. They were stylish, but professional-looking, just like the young woman who sat tall and straight behind her desk, listening to her client’s troubles. With a toss of her head, her long tresses of hair shimmered, like water in sunlight – like water in moonlight – like glistening waves of water in – like snow-covered mountains in the bright rays of –

“Shannon!”

Shannon looked up quickly from her laptop.

Willow walked up a couple more steps from behind her. “This isn’t creative writing class,” she scolded. “And from the looks of it,” she said, reading what Shannon had attempted to write, “it’s a good thing.”

Shannon’s classmates giggled. Lorinda, two seats up, was turned in her chair, smirking. Shannon glared back, but said nothing.

“Shannon…” Willow called. The slayer looked up at her. “Shannon, please click the link on the homepage and log on with everyone else for the tutorial. Okay?” She gave the girl a semi-stern look and continued walking toward the front of the classroom. “Now, how many of you remember what the significance of the…”

Shannon waited for Willow to pass completely before she sneered at Lorinda. The other slayer merely watched her with a cold smile and turned away as Willow continued past. Willow looked back at Shannon. The girl was already looking at the tutorial.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Skye’s Room – Same Time

“We can do this, Dawn.”

“Of course we can do it,” Dawn replied. “But it won’t solve anything.”

“Who says we have to solve anything?”

“Skye…”

“Dawn…”

“It’ll be like ‘living outside the box’.”

“You mean ‘thinking outside the box’,” Dawn replied.

“Hello. Vampire. I live outside the proverbial pine b–”

“Will you stop being so stupid! It’s not like I don’t want to.”

“But?” Skye prompted.

“But it’s not that simple. I’m not the only one it would affect.”

“Your sister needs to find someone else to obsess over.”

“I’m not talking about Buffy,” Dawn said. “I’m a watcher, Skye. I have a slayer. A slayer who happens to have had her original watcher die in defense of her. A slayer who didn’t want me as her watcher to begin with. A slayer who took a long time to come around to trusting me. Shannon and I are in a good place now and…I can’t just do that to her.”

“Then we’ll see if she wants to come with us.”

“Will not!”

“Why?” Skye asked.

“She’s thirteen, for one thing! There’re laws about minors, you know!”

Skye rolled her eyes. “Is that the best you can do?”

“Even if she was of age, she’s a slayer, Skye. Do you want to be around a slayer without a ‘no staking’ policy in place?”

Skye snorted. “If I stay here, I will get staked. You’ve heard the rumors.” Dawn looked away uncomfortably. “Rowena can only cover my ass for so long, we both know that. And between just us, she doesn’t hold the same sway here she once did, especially since your big sis took over. Who, incidentally, wouldn’t shed a tear if they were sweeping me into a dust pan.” Skye finished the rant and took a breath. “Besides, Shannon wouldn’t stake me.”

“Oh no?”

“Nope. Shannie likes me.”

“Shannie? How do you figure that, and since when do you call her ‘Shannie’?” Skye only smiled at Dawn’s question. “Okay, give. What’s been going on under my nose?”

“Well, let’s just say that after Ethan Rayne off’d old Filbert the Fido –”

“Rupert the Dog.”

“–whatever…Shannie found herself a new stray to look after.”

“What are you saying?”

“Arf.”

“Skye! Has Shannon been here? She’s not allowed in this section of the dorm. None of the junior slayers are, especially after that bout you had with Lorinda!”

“Hasn’t stopped Shannon.” Skye smiled. “And I’m glad.”

Cut To:
Ext.
Watchers Council – Athletic Field – Day

Shannon giggled into her cell phone. “I don’t care. Skye’s pretty funny. I like her, vampire or not…Yeah, well, Bonnie was a bitch.”

“Hey, Shannon! Let’s go!” Casey called out. “Get back to your squad!”

“I gotta go,” Shannon said into the receiver. “Norm, promise me – no tellin’. Okay? Okay, Norm? Not your mom or your dad and especially not little big-mouth Janie.”

“Shannon!”

“I’ll call you later. Gotta run.” Shannon clicked her cell phone off and ran to the group of junior slayers waiting by the track.

“Thanks for joining us, Shannon,” Casey said sarcastically. “Now drop and give me a hundred for holding up the class.”

Shannon immediately dropped to the ground and began to do quick push-ups.

“One-armed,” Casey said.

Shannon stopped, put one arm behind her back, and picked up with number seven.

“From the beginning.”

Shannon stopped, then began again, doing her one-armed push-ups from number one.

The rest of the class moved off to the field to start their training. Shannon lifted her head and smiled smugly as she watched them go.

Black Out

 

 

End of Teaser