Disclaimer: I'm not even bothering. I'm just...not. Oh, and Remo, Sara, Marie, Rave, and (you should remember her from the previous fic) Eve are mine. But if anyone wants to use 'em ('though I don't know why), they can.

Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long, everybody. But when Real Life decides to throw everything it's got at you in an attempt to kill you (literally in one case), you kinda need to deal with that first. Also, I lost a good deal of the notes I made for this story in a notebook of mine, and am having to do this from what I can recall... (several weeks later) Found it!

Author's Note 2: At last count -- Sunnydale: 4, Seacouver: 1. So (by almost unanimous vote), Sunnydale it is!

Author's Note 3: Please excuse any cultural/ethnic errors I may make. I live a very sheltered life "out at the very edge of the boonies, so much so that I might as well be in a cave (as a friend of mine put it)." The only way I know what I do is through television, and we all know how that can distort things horrendously.

Author's Note 4: Shop talk. The Muses stuck me with damn shop talk! (scowls and glares daggers at Muses as she counts them) All THIRTY of 'em!

Author's Note 5: I picked Tara's job before this season of Buffy started, people. I can't help it if I'm practically on the same wavelength as Joss. I swear, this fic and the one before it was Jossed before this season (on either show) started... Hell, last season, too! I'm literally hearing (and seeing) phrases that I've written, thought or mentioned coming to life on the screen...and I was completely spoiler-free this summer. If that's not scary, I don't know what it is!

Twilight Unicorn: The Vampiric Unicorn (who really needs to learn how to cut down on her Author's Notes! (I'm trying, honest! I just have a problem that I keep finding things to say.))

Part 7

Sunnydale: Magic Box, 7pm, Day 2

A strangely rigged truck, a beat up car that had seen better days, and a bike pulled into the parking spaces before the Magic Box. The group was oddly quiet as they got out – or off – of their respective vehicles, all except for the rookie...which set the leader off

"Remo, if you don't shuddap about coming along, I'll personally tell the Slayer in this town to use you as a punching bag...got it!" Gunn said angrily, as he and his riding companion shut the doors of his truck. "As the rookie, you've gotta stick with me to learn the ropes. And at the rate you're goin' you'll stay a rookie...or be kicked out!"

"Chill, man!" Remo said casually, yet seriously. "I get it. I'll play nice."

"Remo shooting his mouth off again, Gunn?" one of two identical girls called out as they simultaneously slammed the doors of their car shut.

"Don't he always?" said the remaining member as he took off his helmet and leaned against his bike, revealing classic Native American features and long dark brown hair that went to the bottom of his back braided in a ponytail.

Shaking his head at the motley group before him – his "hot shot" crew, the best he had –, he said, "Enough chatter. We got a job to do, so let's go do it."

Inside the Magic Box

Anya looked up from the bored examination of her nails at the ringing of the shop bell, and saw what looked like five gang members entering her business. Uneasily, she tapped the shoulder of the person beside her, and whispered urgently, "Willow, please tell me you recognize them!"

Distractedly, the Wiccan looked up from the latest CD she had just labeled, and blinked as she refocused on the group coming towards them. Surprised – but with obvious relief –, Willow said, "Hi, Gunn!... So Angel convinced you to help?"

"Didn't need no convincin'. He and his lady asked, and I came," Gunn said as Willow stood up from behind her laptop, dark circles under her eyes. "You gettin' any sleep, girl? You look dead on your feet."

Shaking her head, Willow replied, "Haven't had the time." She then rubbed her eyes as she continued, "But maybe I will now that you and your group are here." Dropping her hand, she then said, "Care to make introductions?"

"Sure," Gunn gestured to the twin girls coming up beside him, "I'm sure you recognize the Voodoo Twins here, as you and Tara taught them couple years ago. They've really been a help to the team."

"I still can't believe you stuck them with that ridiculous name," Willow said to Gunn, then turned to the two girls, "How are you, Marie and Sara? They been treating you alright in LA?"

The two girls flashed their teeth in matching grins, and said in unison, "We're being treated just fine, Teacher." Then the one on the right said, "They quickly learned not to upset two powerful Latino witches who happen to be twins."

Chuckling, Willow commented, "I'm sure they did, Marie."

"Especially after the first time we joined our power together to fight a nest," the other twin supplied.

Willow winced as she asked, "What did you two do?"

"They literally exploded a demon that was about to gut Gunn in half," said the Native American as he walked forward and held out his hand for Willow to shake. "Hello, my name is Raven Coyote, but everyone just calls me Rave. I've heard a great deal about you and the others from the Vasquez twins here."

Startled, Willow shook his hand and asked, "I hope it's all good...and how did you end up with this group?"

Perfectly white teeth gleamed as his dark brown eyes flashed with laughter while Rave said, "They ran across me on a demon hunt on the outskirts of town. I was attempting a Dream Quest when these fools stumbled into my camp. As revenge, I've joined up with them."

"And that is revenge how?" said Anya scornfully.

"We have to put up with him," Gunn explained, then said as he gestured to the last member of the group to be recognized, "This is Remo. He joined up with us a month ago."

"So he's still in the rookie stage?" Willow commented more than asked.

"You got that right, and plannin' to stay there at the rate he's goin'."

Willow smiled knowingly and said, "He's acting like Dawn when she first became Slayer, huh?"

Gunn looked upward briefly, then said, "You could say that." Then he looked seriously at Willow. "Where's everybody? I'd like to have this group meet everyone before we settle in."

Willow nodded understandingly, then said easily, "Well, Eve and Giles are training right now, but will be out in a few. Xander should be here any minute from work and picking up Tara from her counseling job at the high school. I told everyone to meet up here 'cause you and your group were coming and would probably want to meet and compare notes before settling in."

Grinning, Gunn said, "You know my ways too well, girl."

With a twinkle in her eyes that was not exactly good, the Wiccan said, "Kinda hard not to when Cordelia calls talking about the others...and especially you."

For some reason, Gunn's grin suddenly seemed forced as he said, "Really? What kinda things?"

Just then, the shop's door opened, causing the bell to ring. A man's voice then said, "Looks like they made it before us, Tara... I guess I owe you ten bucks."

Instantly, Willow and Anya left Gunn and the others to go embrace their respective significant other in greeting.

"And how are you and the tyke, An?" Xander asked as he pulled back slightly from his wife to place a hand on her belly.

"He's been pretty quiet, but I felt him kick an hour ago. And business has been slow today," Anya supplied as she snuggled beside Xander.

While Xander and Anya talked, Willow and Tara did as well...but in a totally different way.

"How was watching Anya today?" Tara asked with her mind.

"Fine. Apparently she finally got a whole night of sleep last night," Willow answered in the same manor. "I was able to keep downloading all those gigs for Buffy without problem."

"Have you gotten them all?"

"Not yet, but probably by tomorrow morning. Then I can work on decrypting all of it. How was your day at the high school?"

Just at that moment, a throat cleared loudly behind them, and both couples looked to see Giles and Eve looking at them. The Slayer seemed amused, while the Watcher just gazed at them.

"Hey, Giles, Eve," Willow said. "Gunn and the others are here."

"So I noticed," Giles said, nodding his head to the LA group.

"This everybody?" Gunn asked.

"I believe so... Yes, it is," Giles said, as he looked around to see who was there.

"Good," Gunn said. "Then we can get down to business. What can you lot tell us about what's been going on here?"

"Besides wha' seems ta be a migration o' demons from various areas," Eve said abruptly in her Irish lilt.

"The Watchers Council is looking in on this, but have nothing so far," Giles added.

"So we're holdin' down the fort until we know more, basically?" Gunn said.

"Pretty much," Willow agreed.

"Wonderful." Gunn then looked at his group. "You guys got any questions?"

Heads shook all around. Making a faint sound in the back of his throat, he then turned back to the Sunnydale gang. "You guys mind telling us how to get to the Crawford mansion? Angel said to tell you that we'll be crashing there."

Crawford Mansion: 9pm, Day 2

"How the Hell you can get lost in this sorry excuse for a town is beyond me, Gunn," Rave said as he walked into the mansion, an irritated Gunn following.

"I wouldn't've if the cops in this town hadn't kept pullin' me over and givin' me the third degree!" Gunn snarled. "It's like they've never seen a black man before."

"Not in this town, maybe," Sara supplied as she walked in, her twin sister following.

"Just be glad we knew who was talking to you when we went back to look for you," Marie added.

"That was the third cop to pull us over, too," Remo said, slamming the door behind him. "Gave some dumb excuse that the metal hoops on the hood of the truck were illegal or somethin'."

"On another subject," Rave said as he looked around the mansion, "who gets to sleep where?"

"From what Angel said," Gunn commented, also looking around, "there're two bedrooms and the couch."

"Marie and I will take one bedroom, Gunn," Sara said.

"And the Fearless Leader should get the other bedroom," Remo said sarcastically as he dropped down onto the couch.

"Sounds good. And I'll take the floor, since the rookie seems to have claimed the couch," Rave said. "Which is fine by me."

"It's settled then," Gunn stated. "We'll crash for the night, and in the morning explore, get supplies, and talk with the natives."

As everyone split up to look around the mansion, Gunn said casually, "Oh, and Remo? You get first watch for your attitude."

Next Part: Seacouver. Dawn. Spike. Whistler. Methos. Swords. Unexpected visitors! Flashbacks?

To All Readers: Keep up the input guys, it really does help. Also...HELP! I need someone to email me a detailed description or picture of Amanda of her style of dress and how she looks. I know enough about her to write her as a character, but not enough to describe her physically. Do you know how hard it is to find a description of her in a fanfic! I swear, everyone just assumes you should know what she looks like! All I've been able to get is that she has practically a crew cut, dresses to kill, and bleach-blonde or brown hair. And when you email me concerning this put in the subject heading: Amanda's Description. Thank you.

To Harry: Where's that email? My addy's: twilightunicorn4 yahoo . com, if you need it. I've been waiting patiently. Also, thanks for appreciating my little defense scenarios. Those actually took longer than I expected to figure out.

To fairysk8r: Like I've said with X-Lander -- in time my dear, in time. I will get to that!

To X-Lander: hehehe... Dawn and Spike getting caught...but not exactly as you said! hehehe!

To El Chacal: Kinda hard to have Dawn sing for a purpose when she's in Seacouver, my dear...but we'll see. Wait a minute, she's working at a Blues-bar. What am I saying!

To HighlanderBuffyfan1: (blushing) Thank you! Dawn in a dual... Maybe not quite in the way you want, but I'll see what I can do. She's a fickle one. Although, it's kinda scary to see the Dawn I've created in my story coming to life on the show this season. I'm really freaked about that.

To (the nameless reviewer): Sorry you didn't get Seacouver, but you were kinda outvoted. As you see though, I'm making up for that with the next part.