Disclaimer: Do I really have to say this? You know it, and I know it. So I'm not saying it!

Author's Note: Does no one get the hints about the unknown woman (I repeat: WOMAN) working with Dru that I've left in plain site! SHEESH!

Author's Note 2: It's official...my Muses have driven me crazy.

Author's note 3: I never knew writing Gunn would be so much fun!... Of course, that just might be him and his group letting me garble the English language to my heart's content.

Twilight Unicorn: The Vampiric Unicorn (who has really nothing else to add up here. Now down below is another story!)

Part 6

LA: "Abandoned" Warehouse, noon, Day 2

Buffy and Angel pulled up to the old run-down warehouse, then looked at each other.

"You ready for the obstacle course?" Buffy asked.

Chuckling mirthlessly, Angel replied, "Considering we're unannounced and unexpected... What do you think?"

Buffy rolled her eyes as they both got out of the car and headed towards the building. Offhandedly, she commented, "Maybe we should of called ahead."

The two Warriors stopped, looked at each other, grinned evilly, then exclaimed, "Nah!"

"Besides," Angel said as they continued walking, "I still owe them one for putting me through the ringer when we first met."

"That's a long time to hold a grudge, Honey."

Angel shrugged, "Seven – almost eight – years. I've held grudges before that were longer than you've been alive, Beloved"

"You aren't holding any others right now, are you?"

"No...and I think we need to start watching where we're stepping. Last time I went inside I kinda gave them some suggestions on how to improve their defenses."

"And knowing them, they probably 'improved' on those suggestions, huh?"

"Mmm-hmm, and here's the first one now," Angel said as he stopped, looking from the ground up to a lamppost ten feet in front of them.

Buffy followed his gaze, and winced, "Ooo, that would just anger a vamp!"

Directly below the lamppost was a bar with twenty crosses nailed to it, connected to a thin wire leading down to the ground, then across to just a foot beyond where they were standing. It was easy to see that whoever triggered the wire would then get a bar full of crosses in their face.

Carefully stepping over the wire, the two continued. After Angel picked the warehouse door's lock, they silently entered the building, accidentally triggering the next 'surprise'. As water sprayed down on them from the sprinklers overhead, Buffy shook her head as Angel looked at said sprinklers in pleased surprise.

"Glad to know that holy water doesn't affect me," Angel said.

Buffy just giggled as they stepped out from under the spray.

LA: Inside the Warehouse

"We've got incoming!" a rookie shouted. "A man and woman. They got past our outside defenses."

Gunn looked up from the crossbow he was inspecting, and said, "How far are they in?"

"Just 'bout to hit the second wave," the rookie called from where he stood watching. A few seconds later, he exclaimed, "What the fuck!"

"What is it?"

"Those two just went through the second wave like it was nothin'!"

Gunn frowned, remembering setting up that particular group of defenses with crossbows, a grid of stakes, automatic flamethrowers, tanning bed lights, holy water and crosses. If something made it all through that, then they had to be pretty good. He hadn't even told Angel about most of that stuff, and definitely not about the last defense.

"They're hitting the third wave!"

Gunn made a quick decision at that shout, and called out, "Everybody prepare for some uninvited guests! If they make it past the third wave we're going to have to go hand-to-hand!" He then thought about how the defenses were set up, with the outside pretty much a warning, the second being designed to take out vampires, and the third and last to kill demons with silver knives, axes, and a few other nasty surprises. He knew whoever made it past that was trouble and very dangerous.

A minute later – just at the moment the rookie on lookout said, "I don't believe it!" –, Buffy and Angel staggered to a stop into the room where Gunn and the others were.

There was a moment of tense silence between the two groups, before Gunn busted out laughing. Wet, clothes ripped in places, singed, cut up, bloodied and not looking too pleased, the two Warriors glared death at Gunn.

"I told you we shoulda called ahead," Buffy said breathless.

"You agreed with me not to, Love... And are you done laughing yet, Gunn," Angel asked crossly.

"Give me a minute!" Gunn gasped out, then looked at the two again, a fresh wave coming over him.

"I take it you know these two, O Fearless Leader," said the rookie from where he stood, twenty feet from the two Warriors, crossbow trained on them.

Quickly getting himself under control, Gunn said soberly, "Yeah, I know these two." He then called out, "Weapons down everybody! It's clear. Go back to what you were doin'."

As everyone left, Gunn said to the rookie, "Remo, stay will ya? I'd like you to meet the two crazies that flew past our defenses."

Remo walked over to Gunn's side as Buffy and Angel moved towards them. As the four faced each other, Gunn said, "Remo, I'd like you to meet the souled vamp: Angel, and the Slayer: Buffy. They're the ones who saved you and your family last month from gettin' eatin' by those demons. I'm surprised you didn't recognize 'em. Buffy, Angel, I'd like you to meet Remo, the rookie. He just started out with us last month after you guys saved his butt."

The three nodded greetings, then Angel looked at Gunn and said, "Those were some pretty tight surprises, Gunn. I'm impressed. Where'd you think of the tanning bed lights from?"

A slow grin crossed Gunn's face, before saying, "I was listening to Cordy grumbling about a tanning session she had planned one time and instead had to go hunt demons with you guys on one of our dates, and it just came to me." He became serious as he then said, "You should of called ahead and I would have told you where the secret entrance is. Also, what brings you two here? You didn't come to visit, I know that."

Buffy and Angel looked at each other, then back to Gunn and Remo. It was Buffy who answered, saying, "There's a slight situation in Sunnydale, and the gang there needs all the help they can get. We volunteered you and your group here to go."

"It's bad enough that the other Slayer can't handle it alone," Gunn asked.

"Yeah," Angel said, "they're barely keeping it under control, and that's with everyone there helping out."

"Why don't you guys go then? We could take care of things here while you do that," Gunn asked and commented.

Buffy shook her head, then explained, "We can't. We got our own situation that we have to handle personally."

"What's the situation?"

"Dawn's joined the sword club, and the Taraka Order's after me and a few others we're trying to make sure are not found," Angel supplied.

Gunn nodded his understanding, and said, "Alright, just give me the address of where we're goin', and I'll get them there."

Remo – who had been listening to the whole exchange – exclaimed abruptly, "Excuse me, but I ain't goin' nowhere! This is my territory, and I'm stickin' to it."

Gunn turned to look at Remo crossly, before saying, "I'm sorry, what did you say? Remember who's leader here!"

"If you're leader, then why you's letting these two tell you what to do?"

Suddenly angry, Gunn said, "Where do you think we get the extra money around here from? These guys pay us for favors we do for 'em! They also make sure the cops stay off our back, Remo. So don't go dismissin' them like they're nothin'."

Flinching under Gunn's rage, Remo muttered, "Fine. Have it your way." and stalked off.

Shaking his head, he looked at Buffy and Angel, and said, "Sorry 'bout that. He's still getting used to everything around here."

"Doesn't matter," Buffy said. "But he did bring up a good point: you need to keep some people here to keep you area cleared."

Nodding his agreement, Gunn stated, "I was planning on it. Now, where will we be staying while we're there?"

"Good question," Buffy said, looking from Gunn to Angel. "Don't you still own the mansion on Crawford Street, Honey?"

Angel nodded, then said, "Yeah, we could do that." At Gunn's questioning look, he explained, "I have a mansion that you could probably fit your crew into. It'd be a little crowded, but you could stay there while you're in Sunnydale."

"What kinda condition is it in?" Gunn asked, curious.

"Pretty good. The power and water will have to be turned on though, but that won't be a problem."

"Fine by me. If you give me the address to that place and the one where we'll meet the others, I'll get my group goin'."

Next Part: Let's see -- Sunnydale or Seacouver...which one do you want first?

To All Readers: I really need your input guys. What you say or want will find its way into this tale. Simply put -- you influence the story as I write it.

To Harry: And what exactly are the qualities that make me qualified (and yes, I meant to say it like that!)? Also, you've got me intrigued. Email me, k? We'll continue this conversation that way.

To Cochise112: I already have who is working with Dru, and it's not any that you've listed...although, you came close. Also, keep the Horseman concept in mind! Hmmm...Amanda might make an appearance. We'll see!

To Tegasus: hehe! Multiple Slayers! Interestingly enough, I was already thinking of that... The First Slayer, huh? I'll see what I can do!

To X-Lander: Consider yourself punched! Oh, and your mind's not as sick as mine, cause you've yet to figure out who my mysterious woman is! But you're one of two that have gotten close, so far. And, uh... you really don't want to start a tickle fight with my Muses. They're a little on the ruff side.

To Zantac the Barbarian: (looking back on everything she's written so far, and cringes) Maybe you're right. But the person is Echo, not Charmed Fantasia. Also, I just have no patience with writing emails (unless emailed first), so I put my replies in the story. Doesn't help that I'm writing Author's Notes before I even start the next part! Also, thanks for giving me the correct spelling of Seacouver, I didn't realize I was spelling it wrong.

To El Chacal: No way in HELL am I using Holtz! Besides, he's the wrong gender. Yeah, I should probably mention where Fred is, I'll work it in somehow. And Oz...there's a whisper in the back of my mind about him. We'll see.