Adventures of Faith the Slayer

VI Quick Study

Disclaimer:  None of these characters belong to me.  They belong to their respective creators.  I'm merely borrowing them to satisfy this nagging plot bunny in my head.

Spoilers/Timeline:  post the Pretender series and disregarding the two made-for-TV-movies/ post Season 7 of BtVS

Summary:  There's a new Watcher in town who doesn't speak with a straight-up British accent...

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

VI. Quick Study

TELL ME SOMETHING, J, and I want an honest answer, dude," Faith was sparring with her newly acquired Watcher since the Scoobies set up roots in Cleveland a couple of years ago.  She was in the basement dressed in her most comfortable pair of sweat pants and ribbed white tank top breaking some sweat first with the three hundred pound punching bag they set up on one corner of the spacious HQ basement-cum-training center of their comfy Cleveland home.

Jarod peered from behind the leather black punch mitts he had on.  He learned his lesson from his last practice session with Faith that the Slayer doesn't mess around when it comes to kicking and punching; she doesn't throw girlie punches or kicks -- they hurt like hell for days on end!

"What is it?"

Faith lowered her fists from her fighting stance and straightened up.

"You're not really a watcher, are you?"

Jarod's screwed up his face, his lips pouted just so that made it impossible to resist him.  He was so pure and innocent and at the same time he was mean and devious.  Faith was kinda crushing on him, but she'd be beaten to death first before she admitted she digs her 'watcher'.

"Why'd you ask?"

Faith cocked an eyebrow.  Evasive tactics.  She should've expected this.

"Look, we're all cool here, alright?  You obviously know squat about the demons and the undead roaming the city.  Hell, I doubt you're even aware of what a Hellmouth is until you got yourself tangled up in our kooky little group of ragtag 'warriors' ridding the world of evil," she made air quotes and paused to take in a deep breath.  She looked Jarod square in the eyes.  "We didn't press the question on you when you first appeared because like us, we -- and by 'we' I mean me, Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander -- figured you're running away from something.  When Giles asked if you were a fellow Watcher, it was obvious you didn't know what that job title position was, but you copped up to being one anyway."

Jarod remained silent while Faith theorized his being tangled up in their little group.  He had to admit, this latest Pretend of his proved to be one of the most OUT THERE he has done since breaking out of the Center.  Sure he has seen and done countless Pretends, but battling demons on a day-to-day basis was something different.  If it were the metaphorical demons he could easily assess those, but these demons they faced were in the literal sense of the word.

"Look, let's just say that I'm good at what I'm doing right now and I've saved your cute little ass countless times when you were being too rash and goes into battle head first, hm?" Jarod bargained, his trademark slow, mischievous grin that made his eyes crinkle at the sides and shimmer with unspoken deviousness slowly appearing.

Faith studied her sparring partner for the longest time.  She got the vibe that Jarod was a good person with very dark secrets.  Whatever those secrets were, he was adamant not to get them involved in it.  Besides, having someone under the forty-mark for a watcher's kinda cool.  Wesley would've been quite an eye-candy when he came to Sunnydale to take over from Giles as Watcher, but he was too British back in the days.  If only he'd shown that rugged, bad boy side of his that he somehow acquired since his move to LA then she wouldn't have doubted why Cordelia went crazy over him.