Dear old Dad…

"You trust him?" Buffy asked, not even needing to say whom she was talking about.

"About as far as I could through this building." Giles shook his head, "We have reports that he's already trying to recruit Slayers from America and Canada. Robin has been able to keep them out of the school, for now, but I fear it is only a matter of time before he tries something rash."

"We could send Faith back."

"Faith has requested that she be allowed to stay in England to help sent things up here."

"They had another fight?"

"It's more than that: I have the impression that they've split up for good this time."

"What happened to 'opposites attract'?"

"It's a widely held misconception."

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"This is the main lab." Xander stood in the doorway, keeping an eye on the S.H.I.E.L.D. delegation as he gave them the grand tour, "Most of our research at the moment is aimed at building up a comprehensive and easy to use encyclopaedia of demons."

"Is that why you have Hank Pym working for you?" Fury asked, getting an immediate reaction from Captain America.

"Dr Pym is heading up the project, under Andrew's close supervision." Xander remained poker faced, but his mind was already running a mile-a-minuet, "He is also under strict orders to see a therapist about is, anger issues."

"You're sending a man who put his wife in the hospital to see a therapist?" Captain America looked ready to explode.

"Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D., we don't throw people out when they make a mistake." Xander had a faint smile on his lips, "Believe me; he will have a long way to go before we completely trust him, and Buffy is watching him like a hawk: he steps out of line, even for a moment, and he'll be sorry."

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"So, what's the big surprise that couldn't wait?" Faith stood in the courtyard, hands on hips, looking at her father, "If it's my credit card bill, you'll need more than Natasha to save you…"

"I have no problem with your spending." Stark smiled, "You have a long way to go before you rival me."

"So what's this about?"

"Wait and see."

A van with a Stark International logo on the side backed into the loading bay and stopped, the driver getting out and quickly opening the back.

"You may need to help get this out." Stark pointed at the crate inside, "It's a little heavy…"

Faith gripped the handles on the side of the box and lifted it of the ground. Even with her Slayer-strength, it was difficult to handle to crate, and she was glad when it was out of the van.

"I'm sorry I'm a few days late, but Happy Birthday." Sark smiled, offering his daughter a crowbar.

"For me?" Faith took the crowbar and quickly opened the crate.

It was black, very, very black. It was so black that you had to concentrate on looking at it, or your eyes would slowly slide off of it. Stark pulled a small remote out of the crate and pressed a series of buttons. There was a click, followed by a wiring sound, and the armour started to straighten itself out.

"It's based on a prototype Fury talked me into developing for S.H.I.E.L.D." Stark explained as his daughter walked, wide eyed, around the armour, "I've made a few alterations to fit with your, lifestyle."

"Wicked cool!" Faith grinned, "Love the paintjob!"

"That was accidental: the external coating is designed to minimise heat signature, making it all but invisible to inferred scanners. It's also stealth, blocking all but the most powerful military radar."

"Bullet proof?"

"To a degree, but it was designed to allow maximum freedom of movement, rather than a firefight. The joints are glass-woven Kevlar: strong a steel but flexible. Same stuff they made the Millennium Dome out of. The chest and back are made out of Adamantium, as are parts of the helmet, legs and arms."

"Sweet!" Faith looked like a five-year-old on Christmas morning, "What's weapons does it have?"

"Again, I adjusted the standard load to take into account that you are a Slayer." Stake pulled a long, incredibly sharp looking Katana from the crate, "This is made of finest Japans steel, folded hundreds of times for strength and durability. I'm hoping to find a way to affix a molecule thick layer of silver to the cutting edge, but it's proving to be difficult." He lifted out a gauntlet, "There is a small tank in the arm containing pressurised holy water, mixed with essence of garlic and silver nitrite: not sure how effective it'll be, but Natasha seems to know more about these thing than she's letting on."

"This is the coolest thing I've ever seen! Can it fly?"

"I'm afraid not: in order to make the armor more user friendly, and remove the need for a huge support team, I had to cut down on the more maintenance intensive systems. But if you ever need parts, just call up the nearest Stark International office, and they'll have what you need for you in a mater of hours."

"This is the best birthday present anyone's ever given me!" Faith wrapped her arms around her father's neck, "Thank you!"

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"May I sit here?" Captain America asked as he approached Jacqueline's table in the large dining hall.

"If you wish." The Watcher looked at him, "So, what's it like, finding yourself thrust into the 21st Century?"

"Disorientating: so much has changed in the last 60-years. There are times when all I want to do is shut myself away from the world."

"But you don't; your sense of duty stops you."

"Duty is all I have left."

"Something I understand all too well."

"I have to admit, I am intrigued as to who Union Jack is underneath that mask."

"Like we told Fury: Union Jack is a tradition. My uncle may be dead, but he's not the only vampire in the world."

"Yes, the others were a little surprised when they found out about vampires and demons. We could probably use someone with experience dealing with them…"

"I am not interested in joining S.H.I.E.L.D., and I can tell you know that Jack feels the same."

"The two of you are close?"

"Close enough."

"It has been good to see you again, Jacqueline."

"Likewise Steven, likewise."

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"You think we can work with them?" Buffy asked as she watched the S.T.R.I.K.E. limo pull away.

"I think that Fury sees us as the Devil he knows." Giles sat back down at his desk; "I've ordered all Slayers and Watchers in the field to report any contact by S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You think Fury will try and insert an agent?"

"I'd be disappointed f he hadn't already."

"And are we trying the same?"

"Getting someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D. would be difficult…"

"But?"

"We already have people in S.T.R.I.K.E.: we can keep an eye on Fury and his people from there."

"So, back to business." Buffy sat in an overstuffed armchair, "Loki…"

TBC…

Again, this story has been delayed due to my work on my original fiction story. The good news is that I only have one more chapter of it planed before I take a few months off and get back to it as a later date.