Once again I have to thank everyone for their reviews!! Just for y'all I revised the storyline to include Xander, since he was in demand. I was missing him, anyway.

Extreme spoiler warning!!! This chapter spoils Chosen like you wouldn't believe. Read at your peril if you haven't seen the episode.

Extreme AU warning: This goes AU after Chosen, so it does not conform with Ats Season 5. That doesn't preclude certain things that happened ::cough, cough:: but nothing in Ats Season 5 has happened yet. Just so's you know.

Other AU warning: I know they have that whole drug thing in SG-1, but I liked Junior, so I kept him.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. Sad but true fact.

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Buffy went low and Angel went high and for a minute it was just like old times. She fought mechanically, almost not paying attention as her body kicked and punched. She hoped Giles had been able to get to Willow and get her out. That had always been the weakest part of the plan.

The spell to keep the guns from firing was only good while it was being recited, which meant that Willow was damn near defenseless the whole time she was chanting it. However it was a line-of-sight thing too, so she'd had to physically be in the building. Giles had been certain that he could magic the ropes, but he would have been completely defenseless while climbing the back fire-escape up to the walk-way. And Willow couldn't help if she was chanting the gun-kablooey spell.

So Buffy had to hold everyone's attention while Giles made his getaway. Seems the Proto-Giles guy was helpful there too, but even so, Buffy wasn't yet sure that she trusted the Three Stooges, as she had dubbed them upon sight. She wasn't even sure that this mission was such a good idea. She had no love for the Initiative, Riley was over her and married, and very little in her dreams made sense.

Plus the fact that she wasn't completely sure she trusted Graham Miller. Lots of water under that bridge. Water that was just chock full of pain.

Wow. That was an extremely mixed metaphor. She used one soldier's back as a jumping off point for a butterfly kick.

She caught sight of Three Stooges, efficiently engaging the Initiative soldiers. They weren't her, of course, but they were okay. The Loud One seemed to be in charge - Evil Initiative Col. had called Loud Guy a Col. also, but he wasn't in uniform. Plus Evil Initiative Col. had tried to kill Tattoo Man. That pretty much made him - Tattoo Guy him, not Evil Initiative Col. him - a protectee.

Not that a guy that big couldn't take care of himself. She spared a look around, surprised that they were almost done. Still, it had been twenty to five, which was only about five each. She and Angel could probably have done it by themselves if they'd had to.

Speaking of...Buffy did a quick double kick that cleared a space for a moment and quick-scanned the fight to check on Angel.

Her heart stopped.

Four Initiative commandos had fastened onto Angel, hampering his reach. Evil Initiative Col. was advancing, wielding the crossbow bolt still bloody from his hand. He had a suffering and ecstatic look on his face, like he was seeing the face of God.

If he staked Angel, Buffy would make sure he saw the face of God. Up close and personal.

She began fighting her way toward the little knot of men, but she could already see she would be too late.

"Angel..." she whispered.

Evil Initiative Col. raised the bolt up...

...and Loud Stooge Col. hit him with a flying tackle.

Buffy grinned, relieved, and backhanded another buzz cut.

Evil Initiative Col. should really think twice about that whole hand-raising thing. It just wasn't working out for him today.

Tattoo Guy and Giles Junior Guy each took a guy off Angel, leaving only two to try to hold him. Which wasn't nearly enough.

Pretty soon, everyone from the Initiative was down.

The Three Stooges stood in various parts of the room and panted. Buffy ignored them for the moment, and locked eyes with Angel. The battle wasn't really done yet, just this part of it.

"Did you see Willow and Giles?"

"We crossed them coming through the upper door. They got out safe. I sent the kid with them."

"Good. Where did they go?"

"Transportation. Black SUV. Outside."

"We need..."

"I know. Not a problem."

"Great."

They turned as one and started for the door.

"Hey..." Loud Stooge protested. Buffy turned and looked at him.

Loud Stooge didn't know that the Scooby Gang had gotten some basic information from Graham. Not the whole story, they hadn't had time for that yet. Graham had gone A.W.O.L. as soon as he realized the Initiative plan, and he had met the plane Angel had chartered to bring them back from Europe. He'd only had time for the sketchiest of intelligence briefings. Still, it was enough to know that these guys were also military, and that they needed her help.

They'd also watched the freak-show for a while before tipping their hands.

Buffy was going to do this thing, if she could. Or, actually, she sort of thought she was, since she really hadn't gotten the details yet. She had to...the dreams were definitely connected to these guys. Especially Giles Junior, breathing heavily and peering at her over his glasses.

Plus, Loud Guy had saved Angel, so she kinda owed him for that.

But she also had no intention of making this easy. Dealing with the Initiative always left a bad taste in her mouth and she was so not going to get into another freaking turf war with the military.

So she leaned a little.

"Yes, Col.?"

She threw some attitude in there, just to see how he'd react, how alpha he'd get.

But he didn't come back with some order or some demand for an explanation. He just looked tired and a little lost and he looked at her with sad eyes and said, "I'm sorry. That's all. I just wanted, you know..." He gave an embarrassed little shrug that made him look about nine years old.

The Other Guy, the one who was confusingly Giles-like and yet hot at the same time - Buffy shook her head, 'cause putting those two things together was just wrong, wrong, wrong - he looked at the Loud Guy for a split second, then turned soft blue eyes on her too. And he was even sadder than the Loud Guy.

Tattoo Man just clasped his hand into a fist, set his fist over his heart, and bowed. For such a big guy, he was so damn graceful it was kind of amazing.

But ow! That tattoo thingy had to been immensely painful.

Buffy blinked. These guys were seriously hurting. They needed her. Really wasn't a difficult choice, y'know?

Her voice was deliberately casual.

"What're you guys waiting for?" All three looked at her, sharp and a bit taken aback. "From what I hear, we've got a lot of people to save, and not a whole lot of time to do it in."

Pretty Guy and Tattoo Guy looked at Loud Guy.

"It's about time." he said. His voice was gruff and annoyed, but Buffy could hear hope lurking underneath.

"Buffy." Angel kicked a groggily moving soldier, and everyone turned to him. "They're gonna start waking up soon.

"Right. Let's get out of here." She turned and marched toward the door of the warehouse.

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Author's note: actually, I find Anthony Head extremely hot, but in this story, Buffy doesn't. Maybe next story. Mostly I'm a Buffy /Angel shipper and a Spike/Xander slasher, but sometimes the lure of Buffy/Giles lurks in the hidden shadows of my soul.