John was rubbing his temples while Kate tended baby Sarah.
"I really don't know what to do," he admitted. "How to you force someone to fight who doesn't want to? If it weren't for that display at the school dance that got invaded, I'd seriously wonder if Willow made a mistake. It's like talking to a brick wall, it really is."
"Friday's found an effective method," Kate mused.
"You know what we can hardly encourage Friday's bullying."
"You have to bully Tiffany."
"I'm her teacher. I only have her best interests at heart."
"I'd say the same for Friday, but... I don't know what her motivations are," Kate admitted. "I think she does take a bit too much delight in turning Tiffany into a boy - even if she does change her back."
John shook his head.
"We really need to find a way to get through to her, or she will die young," he paused. "It sounds harsh, but I almost which when she's out on patrol, that she would. She's completely unreliable. Her own inability makes her a danger to everyone on patrol. We have to put her with the larger ones in order to reduce the risk! So most nights she gets away with not doing anything, because the rest of the crew is smart enough not to trust her, and virtually ignore her the whole patrol. I can't put her on a smaller patrol to make her fight, because as I said before, her inability makes her dangerous, and I am not about to risk the lives of any of the other slayers. And I certainly can't simply cater to her by not putting her on a patrol at all."
He sighed heavily. Kate jiggled Sarah for a time in silence.
"You could always team her up with Friday."
John snorted, but a grin was forming on Kate's face.
"No, seriously. Tiffany may be a danger to any patrol, but Friday is an asset. I know we've kept them seperate before because Friday likes to bully her, but I really think that this would work. Friday's been less foolhardy since, since Lilly died. I know Friday doesn't like Tiffany, but I sincerely doubt that she would allow Tiffany to be killed. In a group of two, Tiffany would be forced to step in."
John frowned thoughtfully.
"And," Kate added musingly, "if Friday should happen to bully Tiffany around, it would be for her own good. And as we aren't there to see it..."
"Just as long as we tell Friday not to turn her into a boy. I know she fights better as a boy, but she needs to learn to do it in her true gender," John nodded. "We'll give it a try."