Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Great Northern Forest – Pylea – March 2004

Buffy looked at the freshly dug graves with flowers strewn around them and decided it hadn't been her best decision ever to accompany Illyria on the much delayed supply run to Pylea, she would have been happier not seeing this. They had been greeted on arrival by a young slayer named Denise who was still limping around several weeks after having been apparently being shot in the leg which certainly indicated how serious the damage must have been given her slayer healing, and the girl had given them a brief explanation of what had been going on since the last supply run before handing them over to Wesley.

There were three dead slayers resting there under the Pylean soil, two of them Bella and Mary killed in the first engagement and the third girl, Karen had caught a stray round in one of the subsequent skirmishes that had broken out since. The number of wounded was far larger, slayers could usually survive any injury that wasn't almost immediately fatal, just stop all the blood leaking out before they die and they'd usually heal, but to Buffy's surprise they were still taking the field, as much for vengeance as a sense of duty.

'We nearly had to dig another hole for Annette last week, didn't think she'd make it through the night but she pulled through' Wesley told the Chief-Slayer. 'We were on the verge of doing an Emergency Portal back home with her, we've got the right spells and there's a paranormal hot-spot near that should have enough juice but moving her there would have been more likely to kill her than leaving her where she was' he explained. 'She's fine now, be up on her feet again in a couple of days' he told Buffy.

'Three girls dead' Buffy said quietly, 'none of them were over seventeen' she added.

'I hate to sound callous but in slayer terms they didn't die all that young' Wesley replied.

Buffy rounded on him. 'This isn't the old days' she told him forcefully. 'We don't lose people like this anymore' she declared. 'We don't allow it to happen.'

'It's not always up to us Buffy' Wesley told her. 'The other side have a little say in the matter too' he pointed out.

'Humans' Buffy said, crossing her arms. 'We're fighting humans now.'

Wesley shrugged. 'Killing them too' he noted. 'We've had half a dozen clashes with firearm equipped personnel operating in league with Sebassis's Troops and so far we estimate we've taken out close to fifty of them, mostly constructs I'll admit, they aren't as competent as human soldiers but they look like we do so I doubt that matters in the dreams some of the girls are having.'

'Constructs?' Buffy queried. 'Like Hamilton or Eve?'

'More like bad human copies, they don't have his strength or her brains and they have a terrible tendency to not aim properly which makes them diabolical shots' Wesley replied. ' Illyria has mentioned them as being used as guards in Wolfram and Hart Holding Dimensions so it seems the opposition is scraping up everything it can' he continued. 'They're still far more of a threat to us than demons swinging clubs, we've altered tactics accordingly.'

'Why didn't you just put everything on hold?' Buffy asked him.

'Couldn't yield them the initiative' Wesley responded. 'After getting the full story out of the prisoner we took we put it to a vote of the girls and they all said they wanted to get some payback anyway' he explained.

Buffy looked down at the graves again. 'This isn't what I signed the girls up for' she said. 'Not fighting humans with guns, it's crossing over a line I don't want to cross.'

Wesley looked her in the eye. 'Are you saying you want evil to win because if they think all they have to do to beat you is use human soldiers and you'll back away from the fight then evil will win' he told her. 'The Senior Partners aren't retarded imbeciles, they're Machiavellian as much as they are monstrous and if you give them an advantage like that they'll exploit it.'

Buffy looked pained. 'But the girls…' she said, 'it's making them killers not slayers' she told him, remembering what Ashton had sad to her months ago, foul-mouthed jerk must be psychic she thought wryly.

'They're volunteers' Wesley told her. 'Any of them that doesn't want to run the risk of killing another human being doesn't have to, they can chase after vampires back home if they want but honestly it hasn't been as big a leap for them as you think' he told her. 'Rika doesn't seem to care if she's shooting at humans or demons and she gets a good view of them through a sniper scope' he told her. 'Jailbait, I mean Charlotte, broke a mans neck the other day, just sneaked up on him grabbed him from behind and snapped it like a twig.'

Buffy grimaced. 'That's almost like murder' she declared.

'More like pre-emptive retaliation' Wesley replied. 'He was here to kill her when you think about it' he pointed out. 'These are not nice people, they're paid killers who are here to shoot teenage girls, if they get killed instead, well it's difficult to argue it wasn't fully deserved' he opined.

Buffy looked upwards, Pylea's twin suns cast strange shadows amongst the trees that surrounded them. 'So much for innocence' she said.

'Life these days seems to have a great deal more moral complexity than hanging around a high school stabbing vampires with pieces of wood doesn't it?' Wesley asked flatly.

'It was a Golden Age' Buffy replied wistfully. 'This sucks' she said, 'they're dead and I sent them here and now the rest of them are turning into the Dirty Dozen' she declared. 'What am I going to tell their parents?' she asked.

Wesley frowned. 'I would suggest not the truth' he replied. 'Most of them think we're running a girls school, perhaps a field trip accident?' he offered. 'We can't really return the bodies, the bullet wounds are too obvious' he told her. 'You could arrange a mind-wipe.'

'Erase them from history?' Buffy asked. 'They deserve better than that.'

'I doubt the girls here will forget them' Wesley replied. 'Nor the locals, many of the flowers on the graves were from them.'

'Is it worth it?' Buffy asked. 'It's not even our world.'

Wesley sighed. 'If I was an unfeeling bastard I'd point out that we're fighting them here so we don't have to fight them somewhere else' he told her.

'You did just point that out' Buffy replied.

'Well perhaps I am an unfeeling bastard then' Wesley responded, 'but honestly I don't think the people here, human or demon, deserve to be slaves of Wolfram Hart and their allies so if I think that I should act on it' he said. 'If we weren't prepared to go all the way on this we shouldn't have started it.'

'And how many girls are going to end up buried here before the end?' Buffy asked rhetorically.

'As small a number as possible I hope' Wesley replied. 'We've compiled a list of equipment we would like to be added to the next supply run that should help with that and we're being far more cautious in our operations now, there's one more thing though.'

'Yes?' Buffy asked.

'This is turning into a real war now not a one-sided massacre like it was, I'm not the best man for the job here I would suggest Stirling instead' he told her. 'He might be advanced in his years but he knows how to soldier and that's what you need.'

'Can't the mercs help with that?' Buffy queried.

'With all due respect to Ashton and Perković they're not officers, big-picture thinking and overall planning isn't their strong suit' Wesley told her. 'You want something blown up, or someone to keep their heads in a firefight they're fine but running a war is another matter.'

'Okay I'll ask him' Buffy agreed.

'I'm sure he'll agree' Wesley told her. 'Now would you like to see more of the operation we've got running here?' he asked.

Buffy took a last look at the graves then nodded. 'Lead on' she told him.

Great Russell Street – London – March 2004

Willow smiled but made sure to stand well back when Molly started swinging the scythe about, the other London based slayers were also dotted around the room casting envious eyes in her direction. 'That's the first of the 2.1 versions' she told the English slayer, 'I don't know how much better it is than Faith's or Kennedy's 2.0's but it's supposed to be an improvement.'

'Feels like the one Faith had, not like Buffy's original' Molly told her. 'It's weird but they both feel like you somehow' she added.

Willow grinned. 'Everyone says that' she responded. 'There's a lot of Rosenberg in the new scythes.'

'Makes me want to go out and slay something' Molly told her. 'Thanks for teleporting over with it.'

'Hey, if airport security won't let passengers carry a pair of scissors they weren't going to let me onboard a plane with that thing in my hand luggage' Willow responded. 'Teleporting saved me a whole lot of trouble' she joked.

'So has anyone tried holding two at once yet?' Molly asked carefully checking the edge of the blade with her thumb and regretting it instantly when the razor sharp blade cut her skin leaving a drop of blood on the weapon.

'Yeah' Willow answered. 'Holding Buffy's and one of the new one's makes you nauseous according to Faith but holding hers and that one makes you feel like you've drunk a gallon of espresso.'

Molly grinned. 'I can see that' she replied. 'Hey scouse' she called over to Natasha, 'catch' she said throwing it to her, making sure the blade wasn't facing the wrong way.

Natasha caught the scythe out of the air and closed her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. 'It does feel like you' she told Willow, 'I only ever tried Buffy's one before' she added. 'Too weird' she said passing it to the next girl.

'Just remember it's mine' Molly told the other slayers.

'Serial number 0004' Willow told Molly, 'you have to sign for it, got a pen?' she joked holding out a receipt form, Molly always had a pen.

'Triple-O Four?' Natasha asked. 'Who gets Triple-O Seven?' she asked.

'Vi gets five, Rona gets six and Amanda gets lucky number seven' Willow replied. 'Licensed to Slay, well almost.'

'Custom colours would be nice' one of the other girls said. 'I don't like red' she continued.

'I'll choose not to take that personally' Willow replied with a chuckle. 'Hey I got to see the two new swords Knox made for Illyria, they're five feet long, must be an inch thick at the base and get this, the first eighteen inches of the blade from the grip is metallic blue.'

'I don't like blue much either' the girl declared.

'Don't tell Illyria' Willow warned, 'she will take it personally.'

'So what's the news on the dragon leather jackets?' Natasha asked.

'There were too many people wanting them' Willow told her. 'So they're running a lottery with everyone that asked.'

'What's the point in having one' Molly asked. 'It's not like anyone will believe you when you tell them' she pointed out.

'I'd know' Natasha replied crossing her fingers.

'We had to get the Guardian to enchant some leatherworking tools' Willow told them, 'the stuff just won't cut otherwise.'

'And another good reason to have one' Natasha said crossing the fingers on her other hand.

'So how's Euro-Slaying?' Willow asked.

'Like Yank-Slaying but with more castles' Molly replied. 'We were up in Scotland last week, rain never stopped, thank God we're not based up there, it makes England look warm and dry. I think I was in California too long, I went soft.'

'That was all the Twinkies' Natasha told her, poking her in the stomach with a pair of still crossed fingers.

'And you don't get to borrow the scythe until last' Molly told her. 'Going to be in town long?' she asked Willow, 'We're going clubbing later on'

'Do you mean dancing or with real clubs?' Willow asked.

'Maybe a little of both' Molly replied.

'I'll pass' Willow told her. 'Is there anything you want taken back to LA?' she asked.

'How about her' Molly replied, pointing to Natasha.

'Can't teleport with passengers' Willow replied, 'sorry.'

Molly shrugged. 'It was worth a try' she responded with a sigh.

Willow looked around, the doors were closed but she leaned in closer anyhow. 'So how are you getting on with Wesley's Dad?' she whispered.

'We need to get them DNA tested because I don't see the family resemblance' Molly replied. 'He's alright, not as bad as I thought he was going to be, but if I had the choice we'd have the other Wyndham-Pryce here instead' she told Willow, 'at least you could take him somewhere without being embarrassed at the company.'

'He really cramps our style' Danielle interjected, nodding in agreement with Molly.

'If we put in a request could we get a younger watcher?' Natasha asked. 'Emily maybe?' she asked.

'I'd settle for one of the twins' Molly interrupted with a grin.

Willow smiled. 'I'll talk to Giles' she told them.

'Not Deborah' Molly said quickly, 'I bet she'd be a real hard-arse' she joked.

'You should see the training program she's got Dana on' Willow agreed.

Seattle – Washington – March 2004

Angel jumped the twelve foot gap between the apartment building roofs at the run, Spike landing behind him a split second later as they gave chase. 'I don't remember her being this fast' Spike declared. 'And how the bloody hell did she know we'd found her?'

'For the same reason we're looking for her you moron' Angel replied, grateful vampires didn't get out of breath, 'she's psychic.'

'Yeah and psychotic' Spike replied as they chased the willowy figure across the rooftops in the rain. It seemed like it hadn't stopped raining since they arrived, California might be a bit too sunny for a vampire's good health during the day but at least the night-time weather wasn't so reminiscent of his memories of back home in London. There was no way he'd be able to stick out this place very long, he'd get all maudlin and start missing his mum.

'We're running out of buildings' Angel noted, 'got her now.'

'Just don't hurt her' Spike replied.

'What?' Angel responded incredulously.

'Don't hurt her' Spike repeated. 'You bleeding well set her on fire before didn't you?'

'You were going to stake her to prove yourself to Buffy' Angel retorted.

'You had a soul, I had an excuse for being a bastard' Spike replied.

Angel jumped to the next roof they were gaining on her fast now even as they neared the end of the row of apartment buildings. She was agile but didn't have their endurance or their sanity, but even so after a ridiculous amount of time spent finding her in the first place she had then given them the slip twice more until they finally caught up again tonight and she was still leading them a merry dance through the night.

'Should have bought some slayers along as backup' Angel observed.

'She's our problem, you know that' Spike replied.

Drusilla reached the last rooftop and looked around, it was too high for her to jump off, she'd break every bone in her body and they'd just walk down the apartment block stairs and collect her shattered form.

'Leave me alone Daddy' she called out.

'She's bleeding petrified' Spike observed as they landed on the final roof with her. 'We're not going to hurt you love' he told her. 'Honest' he added holding out his empty hands.

'You stink of soul and slayer' Drusilla hissed back then she seemed to shrink away. 'Don't hurt me daddy' she said to Angel. 'Don't burn me please' she begged.

'We're not going to hurt you Dru' Angel told her. 'We just need you to come with us.'

'I don't want my soul back' Drusilla said trembling with fear.

'We're not going to put your soul back Dru' Angel told her.

'We're not?' Spike asked.

'She's insane already' Angel replied. 'What do you think a century and a half of guilt and remorse would do to her?' he asked.

Spike blinked. 'We'd have to stake her' he replied, 'it would be mercy.'

Angel nodded. 'Having the demon running free inside is the only thing that's keeping her this sane' he declared. 'Don't be a naughty girl Drusilla, let Daddy look after you again and everything will be alright.'

'You're not Daddy' Drusilla replied.

'A second ago she said you were' Spike observed.

'She's nuts Spike, you were with her over a century, you should have picked up on the fact she's never been that stable or consistent' Angel replied.

'I think the loving her got in the way' Spike replied quietly. 'Dru honey, come with us and we'll go back to where you're staying and collect Miss Edith and then we'll take you both home' he told her, talking to her in the most smoothing tones he could muster.

Drusilla glared back at him. 'Taking me to the slayer' she hissed. 'Trying to prove you love her again.'

'We'll be a family again Drusilla' Angel told her, 'you, me and William.'

'And Grandmama?' Drusilla asked.

Angel flinched, he could lie but she'd know. 'Darla's gone' he told her.

'No she's not' Drusilla replied. 'What a funny thing to say' she told him.

'She's gone Dru' Spike told her. 'It's just us now.'

Drusilla's expression became stern. 'Grandmama lives on, the voices in the stars tell me so' she declared. 'You're lying' she hissed. 'Tainted and a liar, both of you.'

'Connor' Angel said quietly. 'Darla lives on in Connor.'

Spike looked at him. 'Well try that then' he said.

'Darla had a son' Angel told Drusilla, 'my son. Connor'

Drusilla looked at him, looked into him for signs of deception. 'Daddy and Grandmama?' she asked. 'You made me a baby brother' she said, suddenly beaming.

'He's about this tall' Spike told her, holding out his hand at Connor's height. 'Too late to baby-sit the kid.'

'I can dress him up and play with him' Drusilla declared happily.

Spike made a coughing noise. 'Do you remember the games she liked to play' he whispered.

Angel grimaced. 'He might enjoy a few of them' he replied.

'Too right he would' Spike agreed. 'I always did.'

'I'd already trained her up by the time you got to her' Angel noted.

'Never did thank you for that, probably should have done' Spike told him, 'but I hated your guts because you still liked to go back to give her a refresher course once in a while.'

Drusilla had started rocking her arms holding an imaginary baby in them. 'And I'll sing baby brother to sleep, and tell him stories, and tuck him in at night…' she said.

'We'll talk about it on the way' Angel told her.

'If Grandmama isn't there to look after him I'll have to be the one to give him a bath' Drusilla declared.

'Don't ask his opinion on that idea' Spike told Angel as the two of them flanked Drusilla either side and she linked arms with them.

'Don't worry I won't' Angel replied evenly.

Spike paused. 'So how do you think she's going to get on with Dana?' he asked. 'She's sorta like the anti-Dru when you think about it' he observed.

Angel shook his head sadly. 'You know somehow I just can't see this all ending well' he responded dejectedly.

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