Chapter 14: The Cavalry

******The Next Day******

General Landry hung up the red phone, his ears ringing. The President was not happy that one of their officers had his brains scrambled by a hell god. He was ordering SGC to put down this invader like they would any alien threat. Landry had a feeling, though, that the Slayer would not appreciate a strong military presence in her town. When Landry tried to explain that, it did not go well.

He picked up the phone to call his daughter. "Dr. Lam, I'm going to need you to go to Sunnydale, California and take care of Lt. Colonel Mitchell. The President is ordering me to send in some teams, so you won't be going alone. Take the healing device. It can't hurt, and it might help," he told her.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Who will be in charge?"

"I will be sending Carter. She's already familiar with the area, and I know she'll want to help her team. Teal'c won't be persuaded to leave as long a false god is alive on earth," Landry said. "Be careful, Carol."

"I always am," she replied.

"That place is a literal hellmouth. Don't wander around after dark unless absolutely necessary, and if you do, make sure a team is backing you up. Better yet, don't go anywhere without the Slayer," Landry said.

"Isn't she a teenager?" Dr. Lam asked.

"She's twenty, but she has been fighting real monsters nightly for the past five years. Not one of our guys can truly compete with her real experience," he said. "God speed."

He hung up and made more calls. The first was to General O'Neill.

******Sunnydale******

Buffy watched her father feed Mitchell in dismay. The cocky and confident Lt. Colonel was now babbling about pigs and spiders. It was disturbing on so many levels.

"I can't believe this has happened," she said.

"This isn't your fault," Daniel said, knowing where her train of thought was leading.

"I had to take a trip to the desert and look what happened!" Buffy said in disgust.

"You had no way of knowing this would happen," Daniel argued.

"I knew that being out of touch for hours was a risk," Buffy said, upset.
"But a risk you needed to take," he replied.

"Was it? All I found was that the 'Death is my gift!'" she told him.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"Gift! I want gift!" Mitchell said, clapping his hand.

"Here, Cameron. Eat this biscuit. It's a gift," Daniel said.

Mitchell gave him a wide grin and took the biscuit.

"That's what the First Slayer said. She said that death was my gift," Buffy said.

Daniel frowned. "That's disturbing," he admitted.

They were interrupted by his phone ringing. "General," Daniel said in greeting.

"I'll talk to you later. I need to go check on Spike," she said.

Daniel put his hand over the phone. "Okay, sweetheart. I'll see you later. Spike's with Teal'c, by the way," he said. "Excuse me, General. Can you repeat that?" He held up his hand for Buffy to wait. "I'm not sure that's the best solution, sir." There was a pause while Daniel listened. "Yes, I know that the President has the final say. Yes, I know you can't go against the President….Dr. Lam? Sure. It can't hurt. . . Okay. Good bye."

"What's going on?" Buffy asked.

"The President is pretty upset that one of his soldiers got his brain's scrambled by Glory. He ordered SGC to send in teams to aid in destroying Glory," Daniel shared.

Buffy looked alarmed. "What? He can't do that!" she protested.

"Actually, he can. He's the President," Daniel reminded her.

"Like we need a bunch of amateurs getting killed or worse!" she said, pointing to Mitchell.

"This isn't normal military. These are teams used to dealing with hostile aliens and much better equipped to help you. You can bring them up to speed on what they need to survive Sunnydale," Daniel pointed out.

Buffy pouted but said, "Fine."

"Go check on Spike. I'm okay here with Mitchell. Dr. Lam will be here to take over his care," Daniel said.

"That's good," Buffy said. She waved goodbye to the grinning Mitchell. At least he was a happy crazy man.
When she made it to Teal'c's, he opened the door with a solemn expression on his face.

"Welcome, Buffy Summers-Jackson," he said. It didn't matter how many times she told him that her name wasn't hyphenated, he still used her dad's name more often than not. It wasn't that Buffy minded, but she wasn't willing to let go of any part of her mother. Summers had been her mother's name. As much as she loved her dad, Buffy didn't feel right changing the name her mother gave her in any way.

"How is he?" Buffy asked.

"He is healing," Teal'c said, moving so that she could see Spike on Teal'c's couch. The windows in the apartment were covered with dark curtains.

She moved to see Spike and gasped. The night hours had done much to darken the bruises on his face. One of his eyes was swollen shut. "Oh, Spike," she said in compassion. She sat in the chair next to him.

"I will leave to obtain some blood for him," Teal'c said.

"Okay," Buffy said. After Teal'c left, she looked down at Spike. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I've had worse," he said. "How's the flyboy?"

"He's cuckoo like all of Glory's victims," Buffy said in disgust. "The President is sending in reinforcements, so we'll be getting some backup."

"Your dad's people?" Spike asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yep. I hope we don't end up getting them all killed," she said.

"They're soldiers. That's the kind of thing they signed up for," he said.

Buffy reached out and touched his hand, letting hers cover it for a minute. "Spike, I'm sorry this happened. Thank you for keeping Dawn safe. What you did—I won't be forgetting it."

"I couldn't let her hurt the nibblet," Spike said.

"It's getting harder and harder to keep her safe. I don't know how to beat Glory," Buffy admitted, sitting back in the chair.

"You'll figure it out. It's what you do," Spike reminded her.

"I hope so," Buffy said, her doubt evident.

"Your dad's friends are pretty smart. That blonde lady seemed even smarter than Red," Spike said.

"Samantha Carter? Yes, she's wicked smart. But I'm not sure she's as smart as Will. More degrees, though. I bet she'll be coming with the teams," Buffy said, brightening at the thought. She was sensible and wouldn't let her team do anything stupid.

"More soldiers to fight with you has to be a good thing," Spike pointed out.

Buffy nodded. The doorbell rang. Buffy got up to open the door and was surprised to see Xander. "Xander? What are you doing here?" she asked. She knew how much her friend despised Spike.

Xander hadn't expected Buffy to be there. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a frown. Spike's obsession with Buffy was unhealthy enough without her inadvertently encouraging it.

"Checking up on Spike. I'm assuming the same reason you're here?" she asked pointedly.

"Anya suggested I bring him something to eat," Xander said, holding up the blood.

"Teal'c went to get him some blood," Buffy said.

Spike tried to sit up. "I could use it," he said wearily.

Xander moved to help the vampire, grimacing at the ghastly sight of his face. "Your face hurts me to look at!" he remarked.

"I feel the same way every time I look at yours," Spike said dryly. He held out his hand for the blood.

Both Xander and Buffy were bothered at the sight of the tremor in his hand as he reached for the white container. "Here, let me help you," Buffy said gently, taking it from Xander. She took off the lid and held it to Spike's lips so that he could take a drink. The sight and smell of blood didn't bother her. Her time with Angel had made her indifferent to such things.

Spike felt stronger with every swallow. He took the container from her and finished it up. "Thanks," he said, handing it to Xander, who got up and threw it in the kitchen trash.

"So, Buff, what's the plan? We can't keep letting Glory beat us like that. Poor Cam is no longer fit to be an officer!" Xander complained.

"There are teams from Stargate Command on their way here now. President's orders," Buffy shared.

"Seriously?" Xander asked in surprise.

"Deadly," Buffy said grimly. "We'll have to get them up to speed on surviving night life in Sunnydale. We'll coordinate with them to figure out an attack on Glory."

"Wait 'til I'm back in fighting form. I owe her major payback," Spike said.

"I'll do my best," Buffy said. She looked at Xander. "Can you stay with him until Teal'c returns? I have a feeling he'll be upset if Spike's left unattended."

"He's a real mother hen," Spike said with a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Well, you did a good thing, so I'll try to not warn Teal'c about your poor manners and how you'll eat him out of house and home like you did Giles," she said, a faint smile around lips.

"Hey! I'm a great guest! It's not my fault your Watcher is stingy!" Spike protested.

Buffy let Xander take up that particular argument and left the two bickering, convinced that Spike was on the mend.

*****Later that Evening*****

Daniel was passing around the take-out. All of Buffy's friends were there; missing were Teal'c and Giles. Teal'c was with Spike. Giles was doing inventory at the shop and would be there soon.

"Where's my egg rolls?" Dawn asked.

"That bag has the egg rolls," Daniel said pointing.

"Egg rolls!" Mitchell said clapping his hands.

"Soon," Dawn said, patting his arm. Oddly enough the teen's presence had a soothing effect on him; he calmed down when she was around.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Buffy said. She got up and opened the door.

"Hello," General O'Neill said.

"General?" Buffy asked in surprise. "I thought it'd be Sam." She noticed Giles driving up and waved him in.

"So did General Landry. But I convinced him that I was the better choice. Between you and me, I didn't want to risk her. She's too valuable to the military. She's pissed, but she's sitting this one out," Jack said. He couldn't stand that the thought of her brilliance coming to an end at the hand of an insane hell god's whim. The rules of conduct might not allow him to let his feelings for her to go anywhere, but it didn't mean he couldn't use his influence to protect her when he could.

"Too bad. I was hoping she could keep you cowboys in line," Buffy said, crossing her arms. "Where's your men?"

"I got four teams checking in at the nearby base. The team leaders have been briefed on the situation here. They'll be briefing their team before lights out. In the morning, we'll assemble wherever you like," Jack said.

"Probably take them to the Magic Box. We'll meet in the training room in the back. I'll give them run down on the demon population in town," Buff said. She looked at Giles who stood in the doorway. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," he said.

"Giles, food's in here!" Dawn called to him.

"Good to see you, General," Giles said as he walked to the dining room.

"Jack?" Daniel asked in surprise when he peeked around the corner to see who else Buffy was talking to. "I thought I heard your voice. What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't let you have all the fun without me!" Jack told him with a smug grin.

"Where's Dr. Lam? I thought she was coming?" Daniel asked, not seeing her.

"Oh, crap! I almost forgot," Jack said with a wince as he stepped back out the door. "Come on in, Dr. Lam!"

"You left her waiting in the car?" Buffy asked in disbelief.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't on the war path over the government interference," Jack said bluntly.

Buffy looked offended. "Hey, I can handle some help. I just don't want to be responsible for any more lives," she admitted.

"You're not responsible for my men. I am," Jack said pointedly.

Buffy looked curiously at the exotic looking woman that came through her doorway. She was very attractive. "Dr. Lam?" Buffy asked.

Dr. Lam smiled. "Yes, I am. Carolyn Lam," she said holding out her hand.

"Buffy Summers. Welcome to the hellmouth. Have you guys eaten yet?" Buffy asked turning toward the dining room.

"There's plenty," Daniel said, ushering them in.

All eating stopped when Jack appeared in the doorway. "Jack!" Dawn said happily. She moved to embrace him. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Jack!" a happy Mitchell said.

Jack looked at his officer, deeply disturbed by the man's unnatural joy. "Lieutenant Colonel. How are you?" Jack asked.

Mitchel put his hand in his food and held up some noodles. "Noodles!" he said happily.

Dr. Lam immediately moved to his side. She pulled out a penlight and shined it in his eyes. He became agitated and threw his noodles at her.

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked, upset.

"Oh, this is Dr. Lam. She's the base physician. She's here to help, Mitchell," Jack explained.
"A doctor? Aren't you too hot to be a doctor?" the ever-blunt Anya asked.

Xander looked at his girlfriend with a grin. "It's like you read my mind!" he said to her.

Dr. Lam wasn't used to looks of admiration that had little to do with her skills as a doctor. She slowly pulled the noodles off her clothes and turned off the light. "I'm sorry," she said to Mitchell. "No more light."

"No more light!" he echoed.

"I don't think medicine can help what's wrong with him," Giles said. He stood and moved toward the new arrival. "Rupert Giles. It's nice to meet you."

Dr. Lam was surprised at the accent. "You're British?" she asked.

"Jack didn't give you the rundown?" Daniel asked, giving Jack a look of disapproval.

"I was too busy telling her all the ways she could die here," Jack said with an evil grin.

"Sir!" Willow said in disapproval. Then she smiled warmly at the doctor. "You aren't going to die! We can protect you."

"That's good to know," Dr. Lame said.

"That's Willow," Buffy introduced. "She and her girlfriend Tara are our witches." Tara waved. "Xander and his girlfriend Anya. Xander fixes all the things that get broken around here when demons inevitably attack. Anya is a thousand-year-old ex-demon. So don't take anything she says too offensively."

Daniel put his arm around Dawn. "And this here is Dawn. My youngest," he said, looking down at her proudly.

Dawn flashed a shy smile.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances," Dr. Lam said. "We need to get him back to SGC and see if the healing device can heal him."

"What's that?" Buffy asked.

"It's an alien device that speeds up healing," Daniel explained. "But you have to either have had a Goa'uld inside you or currently have one. The Carters are our go-to with the device."

"It's doubtful it will work," Giles said. "What's happening to him isn't physical. It's magical."

"Excuse me?" Dr. Lam asked. Talks of witches and magic was more than a little discombobulating. They mentioned magic as casually as talk about the weather.

"Glory sucks out the brain essence to keep her sane. It's mystical what she does," Buffy added.

"You can't take him off the hellmouth," Willow warned. "We don't know how being away from Glory will affect him. Not to mention, he may need to be nearby if we kill her and get back his essence."

Dr. Lam frowned. "Seriously?" she asked, not sure they weren't joking.

"Unfortunately, they may be right," Daniel said. "We shouldn't risk it."

"You can stay here. Dawn will sleep with me. You can have her room. Cam is sleeping on the sofa," Buffy said.

"Okay. Let me get my bag in the jeep," she said.

"How about you let me?" Buffy asked, not wanting her to go out after dark.

"I'll go with you," Jack said.

The two went out to the jeep. Jack opened the door. "So how are you holding up?" he asked. She looked more brittle than the last time he'd been here.

She shrugged. "Just this side of peachy," she said.

"We'll figure out a way to defeat her," Jack said confidently. "I've faced a god or two in my day."

Buffy smiled as he shut the door. "I'm glad you're here," she said.

Jack slung his arm around shoulder. "Nowhere else I'd rather be," he told her.

"You know you have issues, right?" Buffy said to him with a grin.

"Don't we all?" he said with a wink.

Buffy laughed, feeling lighter. Maybe having the military here wouldn't be a bad thing after all.

*****Chapter End*****

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