Forward :

Due to ff.net's downtime I elected to begin using a yahoogroup to post my stories to. For those of you who wish to catch the latest parts ahead of the ff.net readers by at least 24 hours then I suggest/ask/beg that you join up at :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Journeyverse/

I tend to try to post 1-2 parts per day on this group...

There also a surprising amount of discussion going on about the verse as well... shrug so if you like that kinda thing then drop by. :)

Now, On to the story

******

Jan 14th

Buffy looked across the table at Willow for a long moment, almost opening her moth to try to talk to the red head about her new patrol pal. But for the hundredth time she thought better of it and closed her mouth again.

Willow's been... well, she's been happy... Buffy thought as she watched the Redhead laugh with tara. Happier then I've seen her since Oz left.

Buffy shook her head, if patrolling with faith was doing this for her then so be it. But if Faith hurts her... Buffy shook her head clear of the dark thoughts and smiled across at her friend.

As she leaned in and joined into the discussion Buffy decided that she'd keep a closer eye on the trio.

*****

That Night

That night Buffy stalked the southern graveyards, trusting Riley and the commando's to handle the north. She was determined to make certain that Willow wasn't in any danger from Faith.

She watched as the unlikely trio entered the graveyard, walking and talking like any group of teenage girls out on a lark. Buffy grinned and shook her head, it was amazing sometimes that this trick still worked in Sunnydale. You'd think that vamps and demons would soon realize that attacking teenage girls in this town was a quick way to commit suicide.

Buffy listened in as the three hunters walked casually through the graveyard.

*****

"C'mon, Red." Faith cajoled the young witch, "Spill already..."

"For the last time, Faith," Willow said, exasperated, "I am NOT telling you one of my sexual fantasies."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud." Faith grinned at her, "I told you mine."

Willow pantomimed a gagging motion, "Yeah, thanks so very much... Another image of Xander I could do without."

Beside them Tara snickered.

"What'r you laughing at, Tiger?" Faith demanded, "It's not like my fantasy involves whips and leather crops..."

Tara looked shocked, her voice gone. Willow stared between the two suspiciously, "Have you two been talking behind my back?"

"N...No!" Tara managed, "Sh... she's lying... I swear!"

Willow grinned, "I know, Tara... It's alright."

Faith had broken up laughing, "Jeez, Tiger, you're just too easy to bait."

Tara blushed.

Faith laughed some more, "You know... I'd almost think from her reaction that she found those 'images' of Xander interesting."

Willow laughed.

Tara's breath caught, as she watched Willow's reaction.

Willow looked over at Tara, eyes widening as she thought she say a look of guilt on the blond's face. "You... You weren't right? I mean... you're a lesbian... you can't be interested in Xander?"

Tara blushed, "Not... i...interested... but I could have been I think."

"What!?"

"I'm into girls, but I'm not stupid Willow." Tara said defensively, "Xander's... Xander's a sweety."

"Sweety?" Faith crowed with laughter, "God, he'd turn so red if he heard that. Big bad vamp hunter a 'sweety'."

"Well he is!" Tara said, flushing a bit, "If I had known some guys like him when I was growing up..." Tara's voice caught as she thought of her brothers and cousins and how they had treated her and the other women around town. "I... I might be into guys now."

Faith looked at the shy blond for a long moment, humor forgotten. She had seen something familiar in Tara's face, and her mind was rushing to identify it. Finally she gave up, but shifted the thought for further consideration.

"C'mon." She said finally, "Let's keep up the patrol."

*****

Buffy shook her head as she followed the group, taking much more time then usual in order to avoid Faith's attention. I'm surprised Willow puts up with conversations like this...

She followed the trio at a long distance, trusting her hearing to keep track of them through their unguarded conversations. She almost missed the first vampires that attacked the trio.

*****

She watched the motion with a quiet smile. The blond was tracking the three as well. That would make the game more fun.

*****

"What have we got here?" The lead vamp asked, smiling. He was an old hand at Sunnydale and figured that he knew easy pickings when he saw them. Everyone knew that the Slayer was a blond, and the only blond in this group was far to conservative to be the 'killer cheerleader' that haunted the nightmares of the local undead.

Faith grinned right back, "I'd say we have our first kill of the evening."

The lead vamp faltered. This wasn't supposed to be the way things went. "Huh?"

Faith palmed a Stake and let fly with an underhand motion, burying the wooden implement into the lead vamp at twenty feet. The vampire had time to pale slightly, "Oh shit." He said as he dusted.

"It must suck to be you guys."

The remaining four vampires looked at each other, a little spooked by the innocent tone the redhead had taken. They didn't have much time to react.

Willow focused on her surroundings, taking in everything and imprinting it on her mind's eye. Then she closed her eyes and casually tossed two stakes into the air. They caught at the apex of their flight path and hovered for a moment before suddenly flashing through the air and into two of the vampire's chests.

As the remaining two vamps looked at each other in panic Faith turned to willow, "You know Red, you're getting pretty good at that."

Willow smiled, "Thanks. I've been working really hard on my control..."

"It's been paying off."

The two vampires broke and ran.

"Thanks." Willow said.

"Uh...guys?" Tara said timidly.

"What?" Faith asked

"They're getting away."

Willow and Faith looked after the running vamps in surprise. "They're running? Damn. They sure don't turn vamps like they used to."

Willow grinned at faith's comment, "Let's get 'em."

The trio broke into a run, chasing the fleeing vampires down.

*****

Behind them Buffy gave up stealth for the moment and took after them at a dead run herself, wanting to be close enough to lend a hand.

She smiled slightly, her mid still going over what she had see. Willow is getting better. that levitation trick is lethal.

*****

"Damnit." She cursed under her breath. "I hate running."

The woman slung a duffel bag over her shoulder and broke into a run, chasing the blond who was chasing the trio, who were chasing the vampires.

Why does this suddenly feel like a bad Warner brothers cartoon?

*****

The two vampires ran in a blind panic, trying to escape the three girls chasing them.

"Marcus said it would be easy!" the first complained as he ran.

"Easy for who!?"

The first vampire shook his head, not bothering to answer.

The two vampires were stopped by a voice ahead of them.

"It was easy. Exactly according to plan."

Both vampires stopped in shock and relief as Marcus, the closest thing to a Master vampire in Sunnydale at the moment, materialized from the shadows with twenty of their brethren behind him.

"According to plan!?" The first one said in shock, "They got Stevie, Mark, and Jackie!"

Marcus shrugged, "So it wasn't exactly according to plan, I had expected them to cull out all the weak links."

The two vampires looked at each other in fear. "W... what?"

Marcus smiled nastily, "Get ready. Prove to me in this fight that you're not weak and perhaps I won't dust you myself when we've killed the second Slayer."

"Second Slayer!?"

*****

The trio broke into the open and stopped dead.

"Uh..." Faith said.

"Oh." Willow finished.

They were face to face with twenty three very angry looking vampires.

*****

"Uh... Hi Guys..." Faith said, looking over the group a little nervously.

"Hello, Faith." Marcus stepped forward.

"Marcus." Faith said flatly.

Willow stared at her, "You know this guy?"

Faith shrugged, "Yeah, he used to work for the mayor."

Marcus smiled slightly. "So did you."

"What can I say?" Faith asked with a twist of her lips, "Everyone fucks up sometimes."

"True." Marcus said with a slight smile. "You should have stayed on our side, Faith."

Faith laughed, "I was never on *your* side, Marcus. I was on the Mayor's side. He was planning on dusting the bunch of you when he was done with ya."

That shook the vampire slightly, but he regained his composure quickly. "Be that as it may, Slayer... We're tired of dealing with two of you in town... so you have to die now."

Faith grinned and looked the group over. "Bring it."

*****

Willow stared between the Vampire and the Dark Slayer, a little shocked by the conversation. When Faith smiled at the vampire and spoke those last two words the red headed Wiccan paled. A few vampires she could handle, but twenty three was pushing what the entire scooby gang to handle safely.

Is she insane?

Willow didn't have any more time to think as the vampires charged as a group, their attack oddly coordinated for Sunnydale's undead population.

Oh shit.

*****

Buffy broke from cover in time to watch the first wave of vampires attack the trio.

Crap! She stopped for a second, taking in the sheer number of vampires in the group. The scene was too chaotic to get a fast count but it looked bad. Buffy broke into a flat out run toward the brawl as the first contact between the combatants was made.

*****

Faith sidestepped the lead vamp, jamming her stake into it's heart with one smooth motion and moving on before the vamp even realized it was dust. The next three posed a greater problem, and Faith was quickly put on the defensive.

The fight was fast and furious as the Slayer met and matched the best that three vampires could send her way, blocking clumsy punches and jockeying for a position to make the best use of her stake. Unfortunately with three vampires at once it was impossible to gain the initiative and she found herself being forced back step by step. Belatedly she realized that another three vampires were circling around to cover her rear.

Trouble.

*****

"Inciendre." Willow said, her voice black as she raised her hand, fingers splayed wide.

At her command two vampires burst into flames and fell, flaming, to the ground. Before she could do more then think about the next target, however, she was tackled by a vampire who had charged through the makeshift bonfires.

*****

"Willow!" Tara screamed as he lover went down in a heap, a vampire clawing for her throat.

The blond witch didn't even think of spells. She charged the two rolling and clawing combatants and leapt onto the back of the vampire as it rolled on top of Willow. Her stake quickly found its mark and the vampire dusted, dropping the blond solidly onto the redhead.

"Ummm... Hi." Willow grinned.

Tara blushed, even as the noise of the fight rushed around her. "Hi yourself." She said as she rolled clear.

The two witches got to their feet in time to meet the next group, stakes in hand and spells on their lips.

*****

Faith ducked low, avoiding a fast punch, and kicked out in a short sweep that took a vamps legs from under him. As she straightened she caught another punch, deflected it to one side, and stepped in close to drive her stake into the offending vampire's heart. Quickly, so as not to lose her stake to the vampire's dusting effect, she pulled back and turned on the next closest.

By this point she was solidly surrounded and things looked grim.

*****

"Incien.." Willow began to say as another vampire charged her, only to be cut off as he connected and drove her to the ground again. "Oof!"

Tara couldn't spare her lover a glance this time, as she was struggling with a problem of her own. A vampire had gotten too close to risk using the flame spell, and now she was struggling to drive her stake into the vamp's chest. Unfortunately, the Vampire apparently considered this to be an unacceptable solution to their disagreement and was fighting back rather effectively.

*****

Buffy dove into the fight at full speed, driving her stake into the back of the vampire that had tackled Willow and tackling the one that was slowly moving it's teeth towards Tara's throat.

Slayer and vampire had barely touched the ground when her Stake found it's chest and it burst into dust, leaving her to roll back to her feet with an exhilarated grin on her face.

"Heya, Will, How come I wasn't invited to the party?"

*****

Faith planted her hand firmly on the closest Vamp's shoulder and jumped up, using him as leverage. Her jump vaulted her over the vampire's head as she did a brief handstand on the vamp's shoulders and landed solidly behind him and clear of the circle of vamps surrounding her.

"Thanks for the assist, babe." She blew in the vamps ear as she drove her stake into his back.

As the vampire dusted she spared a brief glance around and was surprised, and relieved, to see that Buffy had joined the party.

"Hey, B!" Faith grinned at her sister Slayer, "Nice of ya to join us."

*****

Buffy shook her head, suppressing a slight smile at the cheerful greeting of the Dark Slayer. "We need to have a chat when this is over, Faith."

"Anytime, B." Faith called over as she turned to face off against the vamps still pursuing her. "In the meantime, Good luck... and have fun!"

Buffy snorted, but hefted her own stake and eyed the approaching vamps with trepidation.

*****

Slowly the Slayers and Witches were pushed back into a tight group, facing their opponents back to back.

"Damn." Faith said as she dusted another, "This is one rough night."

No one bothered to reply since, other then Buffy, they were breathing to hard to spare the wind for speech.

By this point there were still at least fifteen vampires plus the leader left to deal with and even the Slayer's were beginning to feel the fatigue wear down their systems.

Then the game changed again.

"This a Private party?" A sneering voice came from the shadows, "Or can anyone join?"

*****

She arrived, a little winded, in time to watch the four warrior women dealing death to vampires right and left. But it didn't take long to realize that it wouldn't be enough. For every column of dust that drifted to the ground there was another two vamps ready to move into its place.

She nodded, and hefted her MP5 as she stepped out of the shadows.

"This a Private party?" Miss Parker asked sneering at the group of vampires, "Or can anyone join?"

*****

At the sound of the voice the fight lulled to a brief stop as everyone turned to look at the source of the question.

The four defenders let out a breath of relief that went unnoticed by the vampires.

"Guns don't hurt us, Mortal." One of the braver vampires said, "Leave and you'll live."

Miss Parker sneered, "I'll take my chances."

"Your funeral."

A small group split of from the four girls and charged her.

She opened up with short, controlled, bursts. Aiming for center mass, not worrying about exact placement of her shots. At first the vampires grinned under impacts and kept coming, but a few seconds later the screaming started.

*****

Marcus would have paled if he had any blood to drain from his face. Whatever the bitch was firing, they weren't normal bullets. He did a quick mental count and the numbers refused to come up in his favor.

Shit.

Marcus backed into the shadows, waiting until he was well clear of the killzone before shouting out an order to his vampires.

"Back off! Get Clear!" he yelled, "We'll get them later!"

With those parting words he faded completely into the darkness.

*****

"Back off! Get Clear! We'll get them later!"

At the command form their leader the vampires fighting the Slayers and Witches broke and ran.

Buffy threw her stake in a hard overhand throw, dusting one through the back as it ran. Willow got another with a flame spell, but Faith was too tired to follow up and Tara lacked the energy to cast another spell.

Miss Parker stepped into the clearing, her MP5 blazing as she emptied her clip into the retreating vampires, frying another four before the clip ran dry. By the time she had dropped int and reloaded the rest were long gone.

Buffy looked up at the approaching woman and nodded, "Thanks."

Miss Parker nodded back.

Faith grinned, "Yeah, Miss P. Thanks for the assist."

Parker looked at Faith, a smirking grin on her face. "If you three are planning on doing this regularly I think it's time we had a long talk about the advantages of the right tools for the job."

******