Teacher's Pet

Author's note: I do have most of the first and second seasons in outline but I made the mistake of watching the third season again and got dragged into what happened in this version of the Wishverse and what happened after that. My first reaction to it means a major change in what happens from season three on and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that so, while I'll still update seasons one and two when I get them typed I'm mostly focussed on two possible versions of what happens next.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it odds are I don't own it.


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“Xander, you’ve got some drool.”

Grace smirked and looked back at Xander.

“Now,” Dr. Gregory said, walking between the desks to look at Buffy, “anyone who did the homework will know the two ways ants communicate. Miss Summers?”

“Communicate?” Buffy squeaked. “With each other?”

“From the homework.”

Buffy stared at him in horror and her gaze fell on Willow, who was stroking Xander’s back. “Touch,” she guessed.

“Touch, yes. And?” Dr. Gregory prompted.

Willow was sniffing at Xander and Buffy frowned at her. “B.O.?”

“Thank God somone finally mentioned it,” Blaine joked.

“That would be smell, Miss Summers. Is that everything or does Miss Rosenberg have anything else to tell you?” The bell rang and everyone started to gather their things. “Chapters six to eight by tomorrow.” Dr. Gregory started back to the front of the classroom. “A moment if you please, Miss Summers.”

Grace left the classroom but leaned on the wall just outside the door, waiting for Buffy since they both had english next.

“It’s Grace, right?” Blaine said, coming and leaning over Grace. “We haven’t really met. I’m Blaine.”

“The guy with the death wish,” Grace agreed easily.

“You don’t think I’m scared of you, do you?” Blaine sneered. “I’m a star in this school and you’re nobody.”

“You’re the one who’s hitting on the captain of the football team’s girlfriend,” Grace pointed out. “While he’s standing right behind you.” She looked over his shoulder and smiled at Greg, “Hey.”

“Hey,” he smiled back at her, brushing Blaine aside and stepping right up to her. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, making their relationship very clear to everyone watching.

“Yummy,” Grace breathed as he lifted his mouth from hers.

“Don’t you two ever stop?” Buffy demanded as she came out of the classroom. “Every time I see you you’re sucking face.”

“You’re the one who got asked to stay after class,” Grace pointed out as she pushed away from the wall, which put her into complete contact with Greg. “Don’t break him too badly,” she suggested, glancing at Blaine, who was standing beside Larry looking sheepish.

“Just enough to convince him not to touch other people’s,” Greg hesitated a moment, “girlfriends.”

Grace grinned at him, kissed him briefly, and started away. “Come on, Buffy, or we’ll be late for class.”

“You really need to keep a better eye on who you choose to hit on,” Greg said, turning to face Blaine.

Grace and Buffy hurried away from the confrontation and to their next class. “So what did Dr. Gregory say?”

“Do the homework,” Buffy admitted. “I just don’t know when I’m going to find the time.”

“Don’t come crying to me,” Grace snarked at her. “I’m in most of the same classes as you, except I’ve got a couple junior classes, and I find time to do the homework.”

“You’re not...”

“And you’re not working a full-time job, renovating a building, taking ten hours a week of outside classes, and trying to do all this without the support of any parents. I don’t want to hear what you’re doing that I’m not.”

“So how do you find time to do the homework?”

“Very little sleep,” Grace admitted. “Right now the full-time job isn’t because the full-time job is in Pittsburgh but I’ll have to find another job here because I can’t afford to not be working full-time. And I’ll still do the homework. You just have to set up a schedule and stick to it.”

“And what happens when...”

“Are you two dicussing the assignment?”

“No,” Grace said honestly. “Just homework in general.”

“Well...”

“We’ll be sure to keep our discussion to english while we’re in your classroom,” Grace said quickly. “We were just discussing setting up a homework and study schedule for Buffy.”

“Oh,” the teacher looked more relaxed. “That doesn’t sound that bad, but please confine your general homework discussions to when you’re not in my class.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Grace smiled at her before the two of them headed for their desks.

* * *


“So what’s up?” Grace asked as she came into the gym after practice.

“Well, we talked it over and we decided you need to have something to reflect your position as squad manager.”

“I thought we...”

“Not a cheerleader’s outfit,” Sheri assured her.

“But,” Joy walked over and took a jacket from under the bleachers, “we wanted to do something.”

Kayla and Sheri helped her show off the jacket, which was a more stylish and fitted team jacket. They showed her the razorback on the back and the cheerleader on one arm and the words squad manager on the other.

“Way cool,” Grace told them.

“But it’s conditional. The jacket goes with the binder.”

“Still pretty cool.”

“Well try it on,” Joy prompted, passing it to Grace.

Grace slipped the jacket on and turned to show it off.

“And just in case you think we wasted the money on the jacket the same company that did our new uniforms threw in the jacket.”

“Do you like?”

“I like,” Grace told them.

“I still think she’s too bossy,” Aura stated. “Telling us we have to do our homework.”

“The squad manager is just like the coach,” Kayla said. “She’s responsible for scheduling practices, arranging tournament participation, and ensuring everyone is eligible. You don’t bring your grades up to meet state requirements you’ll be suspended until your grades improve. That goes for everyone including me and the other captains.”

“None of you are stupid,” Grace said flatly, “despite the airhead reputation some of you have.”

“Airhead?”

“I didn’t make your reputations, you’d done that all by yourselves long before I got here. Anyway, Aura, Harmony, and Chelsea are officially on academic probation as of today. You can stay on the squad and cheer at any school only events but nothing involving other schools until you bring up your average.”

“What?!”

“Mr. Flutie stopped me on the way in. And can I mention I just love the idea of having to spend my Friday lunch period listening to your teachers bitch?”

“Why only them?”

“Aura and Chelsea are failing one class and Harmony’s let her average slip below a C minus. She has to be bring her average up.”

“I will quit the cheerleading squad before I take orders from a nerd who’s only on the squad because she’s tutoring a football player,” Aura stated.

“I might be a nerd but get the stick out of your ass before I kick it far enough up to pull it out your plastic perfect nose,” Grace snarled at Aura. She headed out of the gym before she did something she regretted.

“I am only going to say this once more,” Kayla said to the entire squad. “Grace is the squad manager. She is in charge of everything but the actual cheering.”

“She didn’t order the uniforms.”

“Uniforms were ordered before Christmas. If we were just ordering them now it would be Grace’s job. And I don’t care if we did originally give her the position just because she’s dating Greg. It’s hers now and I’m going to do everything I can to convince her to keep it.

“So it’s very simple. Get used to taking orders from that nerd or turn in your pom-poms now.” Kayla walked right up to Aura, “Now which is it going to be?”

“I quit,” Aura said bluntly. She turned and left the gym.

“Me too,” Chelsea said, following her.

“Harmony?”

“I’m staying. But I’m going to need help getting my average up.”

“Would it be easier if Grace tutored you?” Sheri asked her. “Instead of some random nerd?”

“Yeah,” Harmony nodded. “I mean, she’s still a nerd but she’s a cool nerd.”

“Is there such a thing as a cool nerd?” Cordelia asked as the entire squad headed for the locker room.

“There’s Grace,” Joy answered her.

“I think she’s too cool to be classed as a nerd.”

There was a general sound of agreement and the subject was dropped.

* * *


“Where is Dr. Gregory?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. I’m Ms. French. Take your seat so class can begin.”

Grace pushed her wolf out, growling below a human’s ability to hear.

“That’s enough of that. Take your seat.”

Grace raised an eyebrow at her but took her seat.

“That’s weird.”

“What?” Willow asked Buffy.

“If Dr. Gregory dropped his glasses why wouldn’t he pick them up?”

“Take your seats please. I’m Ms. French and I’ll be subbing for Dr. Gregory.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?” Buffy asked.

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t,” she looked at the seating chart, “Buffy.”

Grace growled again at the lie.

“I understand you’re studying insects.” Grace tuned her out and turned her attention to her cheerleading notes.

“Grace?”

“I was ignoring you,” Grace said without even looking up, “so if you want me to answer whatever question you just asked you’ll have to repeat it.”

“I asked what you’re so engrossed in that you aren’t participating in the class discussion.”

“Nothing that’s any of your concern.”

“Tell me, did you treat Dr. Gregory so disrespectfully?”

Most of the class laughed at the question.

“You find that amusing?”

“Dr. Gregory and I had an understanding. I show up, do my assignments, and take the tests. I don’t do class particpation in biology. In return he got my complete and undivided attention in junior chemistry. It works well.”

“Well, I am not Dr. Gregory and I want you to pay attention and participate in this class. We were just speaking of the lonely yet majestic mantis.”

“It’s a stick with legs,” Grace informed her. “How magestic can a stick with legs be?” She ignored the growing scent of anger coming from the teacher. “I give them points for being very into female empowerment, along with black widow spiders, but they’re still sticks with legs. Ugly sticks with legs.”

“You disrespectful little...” Ms. French hissed.

“The word you’re looking for,” Grace cut her off, “is bitch. And I am the biggest bitch you are every going to meet.” Grace pushed her wolf hard and laced her words with a snarl.

Ms. French took a step back in surprise. “Why don’t you go back to whatever you were doing.”

Grace smirked at her and turned back to her practice schedule, her wolf still out. She kept half an ear on the discussion but didn’t participate. When the bell rang she gathered up her books and walked out of the room, pulling her wolf back in.

* * *


Grace watched from a distance as Buffy tried to argue Xander into not meeting Ms. French. She smirked as Xander walked away from Buffy and she fell into step with him.

“Don’t start,” he snapped at her.

“I’m not going to say anything,” Grace assured him. “You’re old enough to be stupid if you want.”

“What do you want?”

“What would you want if one of us was meeting the new male teacher?”

“What kind of pervert invites a teenage girl to their house alone?” Xander asked as he pulled out the piece of paper with the address on it. “Don’t show up and embarrass me.”

Grace wrote the address down and wrote a phone number on the paper. “If I don’t hear from you by nine I will come looking for you.”

“Fair enough.”

They walked together for several minutes until Grace peeled off to join Kayla and Sheri. “By nine, Xander.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed. “I’ll call.”

“Why is dweeb boy going to be calling you?”

“He’s doing something really stupid and he’s going to be calling to tell me he’s still alive. If Sunnydale wants to participate in State next year I have to get the applications in by the first. That means starting with city and moving up.”

“That sounds like a lot of work,” Sheri said.

“I’m just squad manager,” Grace shrugged. “I can make the applications but I can’t make the decision. Right now,” she looked at Kayla, “the decision is yours.”

“Start making the applications,” Kayla decided. “We can start focussing on prepping for next year now. I’ll get together with Joy and start on new routines for the season.”

“I’ll start on the applications in the...” Grace stopped as Greg put his arms around her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he nuzzled her neck. “You busy tonight?”

“Not really.”

“So if I invite you to dinner there’s no reason you won’t come?”

“Why would I?” Grace turned to face him, draping her arms around his neck.

“My parents want to meet you,” he admitted. “Mom told me to invite you to dinner tonight.”

Grace tilted her head and studied him. He looked calm enough but her smelled terrified and her wolf was amused he was so scared. “What time?”

“Seven,” he suggested. “I’ll pick you up at...” he stopped as he realized he didn’t know where she lived.

“Meet me at the Bronze at six-thirty,” Grace told him.

“That works,” he agreed. He gave her a brief kiss and hurried away.

“I’ll start on the applications in the morning,” Grace said, turning back to her conversation with Kayla and Sheri.

“Meeting the parents is huge,” Sheri pointed out.

“Why?” Grace frowned at her.

“What if his parents hate you?”

“My parents hate me,” Grace sighed, “why should his be any different? I never figured out the whole parent thing because I didn’t have to deal with any.”

“Why is dweeb boy any concern of yours anyway?”

“Because he was my little brother’s best friend.”

“Was?”

“My little brother died just after I came to Sunnydale,” Grace admitted. “But, Xander and Willow were his best friends and, really, they’re the only thing I have left of him.”

“Oh.”

“It’s hard losing someone close to you,” Kayla said sympathically. “Is that why your parents hate you?”

“I lived and he died,” Grace said with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m going home to figure out exactly what one wears to meet the boyfriend’s parents,” she looked into the distance. “I might have to go shopping. I don’t think Nancy sent me anything fit to be worn in polite company. Of course, it’s better than what Benny would have packed for me.”

“From experience, you don’t want to be too casual or too formal. A nice outfit but...” Kayla let it trail off.

“I need to go shopping,” Grace sighed.

“You want us to come with?” Sheri asked. “We’ve both done the meet the parents thing.”

“I’d like that.”

“Cool.” The three of them headed for the parking lot.

* * *


Grace leaned on the porch railing and watched Greg pace nervously. She crossed her arms and waited while he decided he was ready for them to go inside. When her wolf started to point out prey behaviours she sighed loudly.

Greg looked at her and frowned.

“Are you ashamed to be dating me?” Grace asked him.

“No,” he said quickly.

“Are you ashamed of your parents?”

“No!”

“Then why are we sitting on the porch waiting for them to come out and find us? If you’re not ashamed of me and you’re not ashamed of them why aren’t we inside? You invited me to dinner, Greg, and I’m getting hungry.”

“I’m just nervous,” he admitted, walking over and wrapping his arms around her. “I want you to like them, want them to like you.”

Grace breathed in his scent, standing up to get closer to him. She pulled his mouth down and kissed him, not letting him deepen the kiss. When she moved back he let her go reluctantly and she gave him a push in the direction of the door. “I am not meeting your parents on the front porch because you were too scared to introduce us.”

Greg immediately took her hand and opened the door, pulling her inside and closing the door behind her.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming in.”

“So was I,” Grace admitted, her head tilting as she studied the man sitting there.

“Grace, this is my father Dan Hanson. Dad, this is my girlfriend Grace Kelly.”

“Mr. Hanson,” Grace said politely.

“Call me Dan,” he said as he came to his feet and crossed the room to stand in front of her. He studied her silently for a few seconds then held out his hand to her. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Grace.”

Grace grinned at him and shook his hand, “I’m very pleased to meet you too.”

“Greg, go help your mother in the kitchen. I’ll keep Grace company,” still holding onto Grace’s hand he moved her towards the chair opposite the one he’d been sitting in.

Greg watched them nervously for a few seconds but turned and headed for the kitchen.

Grace sat in the chair opposite Dan and resumed her study of him. Whatever it was that made Greg so yummy had come from Dan, she could smell him and she wanted a taste to compare them. She wouldn’t, that would hurt Greg, but she wanted to.

“So, how did you and Greg meet?”

“Greg needed a history tutor.”

“Seems to me we hired him a history tutor. From the university.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think anyone else could have taught Greg history even if he had a dozen other tutors.”

“I noticed he seemed to be studying his history book,” Dan frowned at her. “Of course, he also seemed to be studying a playbook.”

“He was,” Grace agreed.

“And what does a playbook have to do with history?”

“I took the major battles and conflicts of World War II and turned them into plays that he could reference back to his history book. Plays he understands, so I gave him history in a form he could understand.”

“You turned an entire world war into a playbook?”

“Yeah,” Grace agreed simply.

“Mom says get out of her kitchen,” Greg said as he came back into the living room. “What are you talking about?”

“Playbooks.”

“Grace is really good at making me understand history by turning it into plays I can study,” Greg stated, sitting on the arm of Grace’s chair.

“Explain to me how she made the invasion of Normandy into a play.”

“Stuck in your own endzone play,” Greg explained. “If the Germans could stop the Allies from landing on the beaches of Normandy the entire D-day offensive would have been stopped and the Germans would have the momentum again. The ocean was like the endzone, it didn’t do the Allies any good to stay in the water, they had to get past the beach and into the French countryside to stay alive. The beach was the goal line.”

Dan frowned as he considered what Greg had said and compared it to the history he’d learned. “That’s not a bad analogy,” he admitted. “The attack on Pearl Harbor?”

“I didn’t need a history tutor for that one,” Greg smirked. “That was one of the stupidest things the Japanese could have done. We were ignoring the war in Europe before they attacked US soil. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the beginning of the end.”

“The battles in North Africa?”

“We haven’t started North Africa yet,” Grace told him. “I’m thinking about skipping plays and going straight to movies for the war in North Africa.”

“Movies?” Greg looked interested. “What kind of movies?”

“War movies,” Grace said innocently. “I even promise not to drool over the leads.”

“Grace?”

“Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, and maybe a few others. I’ll call Benny and ask him for some suggestions.”

“I’d rather have plays,” Greg sighed.

“You don’t want to curl up with me in the dark?” Grace asked, looking up at him innocently.

Greg looked down at her, mouth open to answer, and his mouth snapped shut. “If I curl up with you in the dark I’ll never be able to pay any attention to the movies,” he finally said.

“Good answer,” Dan smirked at him.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Greg grabbed Grace by the hand and pulled her over to the dining room. “Mom, this is my girlfriend Grace. Grace, this is my mother Diane.”

“Mrs. Hanson.”

“Call me Diane,” she said quickly. “And I’ll call you Grace, if I may.”

“You may,” Grace agreed with a little smile. Her smile disappeared abruptly as her cell phone rang. “Excuse me a moment.” She walked back to the entryway before answering it. “Xander.”

“Buffy was right,” he sighed. “Ms. French was a giant bug that preys on virgin boys. Buffy slew and I’m fine. No need to come looking for me, they’re taking me home.”

“You should have listened to her.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh. “I just...”

“Let your male ego be flattered that she was paying attention to you and never stopped to question why she chose to focus her attentions on you and Blaine and not any of the others.”

“I didn’t know I had anything in common with Blaine,” he protested.

“Buffy might not be able to explain why she feels so strongly about some people but you should have stopped to consider what she is before you rejected her arguments completely.”

“I’ll remember that for next time,” Xander said simply. “They’re waiting for me.”

“I’m glad your stupid thing didn’t turn out fatal,” Grace said simply. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Xander sighed, hanging up on his end.

Grace let out a long sigh as she hung up her phone and turned it off. She put it in her pocket and turned to face the others.

“So what did dweeb boy want?”

“Let me know he was still alive and headed home. He was doing a stupid thing tonight and I made him promise to call me by nine or I was going to go looking for him.”

“A stupid thing?” Greg asked skeptically.

“Yeah, a stupid thing. Also known as meeting the new teacher alone in her home.”

“He was meeting Ms. French alone? Lucky guy.”

Grace growled softly and slapped him in the back of the head.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Don’t drool over other women when you’re talking to me,” she snapped at him.

“Uh,” he hesitated.

“You were drooling,” Dan told him.

“Ms. French is a very attractive woman,” Greg said to Grace, “and if I had a choice between spending time with her or you I would always choose you.” He closed the distance between them and lifted her chin to look into her eyes, “She might be attractive but you’re incredible. Beautiful, intelligent, understanding,” he caressed her cheek.

Grace smiled briefly at him, “You were still drooling over another woman. But I forgive you because I know you can’t help being stupid sometimes. You’re only male.” She gave him a peck on the lips and headed back to the dining room.

“Oh,” Dan chuckled at Greg, “I like this one.”

“Yeah,” Greg said with a grin as he relaxed, “so do I.”

Dinner conversation was kept light and mainly focussed on school and Grace relaxed slightly. She was still nervous, she could still smell something not human from Dan but she relaxed as much as she could.

“So what brought you to Sunnydale, Grace?”

Greg froze, fork halfway to his mouth.

“It’s okay, Greg,” Grace assured him. “My mother was killed and her lawyers dragged me across the country to deliver me to a father I didn’t know existed.”

“So you live with your father and his family?”

“No, I live in a building I’ve bought and am renovating because after my brother was killed his mother threw me out. Kelly hates the very sight of me so I try to stay out of her sight.”

“Kelly?”

“My step-mother, Kelly McNally.”

“I know Kelly,” Dan stated. “Her son Jesse ran away about...”

“A month ago. I know, she completely and totally refuses to acknowledge Jesse is dead. His ashes are in an urn on my kitchen counter.”

“Are you sure he’s dead?”

“Trust me,” Grace said simply, “he’s dead. Dead and dust.”

Whatever Dan had been going to say was stopped when his mouth snapped shut.

“Is that why you won’t tell me where you live?”

“I just don’t live in the best neighbourhood and I didn’t want you worrying about me all the time,” Grace said honestly.

“Is that why you’ve never invited me to your place?” Greg asked her. “Not even to pick you up?”

“I haven’t invited you to my place because it’s just where I’m living at the moment, it’s not home yet. It will be. We’re getting things in order, another couple weeks and we’ll have it cleaned up enough to start with the rebuilding part of the renovations.”

“We’ll have it?” Diane prompted.

“I’m not stupid enough to think I can do the renovations myself,” Grace told her. “I have a contractor who is going to be doing the majority of the work. Some of it I can do myself, until we get past the clean-up anyway, and it’s that much I don’t have to pay him.”

“I hope you checked out his licences and qualifications,” Dan told her. “There are a lot of con-artists out there.”

Grace dropped her head and grinned at the table. She wasn’t quite sure how she would explain he was doing it because his clan leader told him he was and that he would do it the best he could because he didn’t dare disappoint either of them.

“Grace?” Dan prompted.

“Sklar Construction is a perfectly respectable company,” she said simply. “And I did all the checking I’m going to do.”

“Did they tell you about the necessary permits and inspections?”

“I have seven building permits in my window,” Grace told him. “Electrical, structural, plumbing, heating, conversion, more structural, and another conversion. I don’t need any more building permits. And we’ve had five inspections done so far, all on the conversion permits. They don’t seem to believe I’m turning the building into an extended single family home, with the exception of the store on the first floor.”

“Is that what you’re doing?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t that a bit extravagant?” Diane probed.

Grace shrugged. “I got the building at a bargain basement price and the renovations are pretty much at cost. He’s fitting me in between his actual paying jobs which is why it’s taking so long.”

“So when do I get to see it?” Greg asked her.

“When it’s finished,” Grace said simply.

“I could...”

“Greg,” Grace said his name softly and he stopped talking.

“You better invite me over the day it’s done,” he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

“I will.”

“So who wants dessert?”

* * *

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