Operation Slayers and Non Essentials, the Second Coming:

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"Virgin sacrificing aside, you're correct Buffy." Giles stated as he handed her an open old looking book, Dawn striding behind her elder sister for closer inspection. "We have the ingredients for the ritual we require but I'm afraid to have learned that the agents of the First have destroyed all known copies of the text which contained the words needed for the ritual. Willow had a copy of the volume needed but it was destroyed in Sunnydale. To try to keep the words safe, the passage needed was hidden in a novice spell book as in Willow's copy, but the bringers are very thorough I'm afraid." Giles finished.

"So we know nothing?" Buffy asked as she looked up and away from the pages.

Flipping the page, Buffy saw the words written in Willow's hand writing. 'I cast you out with every prayer from every god that walked the Earth and crawled beneath.'

Dawn's eyes widened and her heart raced as she laid her sight upon those words. Inside her head, images of her dead mother being attacked and molested by some evil ninja looking thing that night the First decided to make itself known. That night that she had…conversations with dead people.

"I can do it"

"Beg pardon Dawn?" Giles asked Dawn after she interrupted Kennedy.

"I can do it, I'm going to need a bit of time to remember everything but I can cast the spell." Dawn reiterated."Ok everyone, we attack at noon. For now have your breakfast and say your prayers. Before you all go, do we all understand the plans we made?" Buffy asked, getting a bunch of yes's in response. "Alright well I don't have to tell you all how amazing you all are and how much I love all of you, now go eat. Andrew made a butt load of pancakes….Ah!" Buffy screamed as she shielded herself from the oncoming stampede of hungry Slayers.

Turning to watch the last her charges leave the room, Buffy was joined by her family, the 'original scoobies'. "Remember when we were that young and had all that energy?" Buffy asked aloud.

"You mean three to five years ago?" Xander asked.

Not even looking back Buffy just uttered, "Shut up".

Chapter 18

"Alright, everybody ready?" Buffy asked her band of merry…people.

"Ready when you are Buff" Dawn answered.

"Alright Will, is Faith's team ready?" Buffy turned to her best friend and asked.

Using her ridiculous amount of Wiccan power, Willow used telepathy to try to communicate with Faith who was at the forest Hellmouth entrance. "Faith, you good to go?"

"Ah!" Faith jumped, alerting all of her team and causing Dante to demonically bark. "Jesus Will! Warn a gal before you mentally violate her!"Faith screamed in her mind.

"Not that the thought hasn't crossed my mind, but is your team ready?"

"Yeah, staring down the entrance now"Faith responded.

"She's ready Buff" Willow told Buffy aloud.

Looking back at her team consisting of a bunch of faceless Slayers and watchers, Willow and team Kennedy…the fearless and greatest champion mankind has ever known addressed her warriors. "Everyone, flashlights on! We're going in."

Meanwhile Faith was addressing her team consisting of a group of faceless watchers and Slayers, Giles, Olivia, Xander, Dante and team Satsu. "Line up!" Faith commanded, her group forming somewhat forming a line. "Light em if you got em, time to haul ass!"

Walking through the cave with Buffy on point, team Buffy's slowly made their way about a mile inside without encountering any hostiles. Yet sure enough, the enemy appeared.

"Shh! Lights out!" Buffy hissed to her team, her spider senses tingling. Buffy gave the hand signal for her team to wait and then slowly crept around the darkened corner. Sure enough, around the bend, two bringers were keeping watch by torchlight. Resting the Slayer axe on the cave wall, the blonde crept towards the enemy while unsheathing her dagger on the way. As soon as Buffy got within striking distance of both bringers, she placed her palms together with dagger in hand and bent her elbows in a prayer like position. In almost a blink of an eye, the eldest Summers sister stood between the two bringers and forcefully extended her arms towards either side of the cave passageway. Seconds past as blood ran down Buffy's arms and palms. The woman's dagger was now imbedded into the side of one bringer's neck while the brains of the other bringer was plastered along the cave wall. Retracting her weapons both steel and flesh, Buffy wiped the blood on the bringer's clothes, sheathed her dagger and dragged the newly deceased back the way she came.

"Buffy…have a party without us?" Dawn asked as she saw what the blonde cat dragged in.

"Har-har. Shut up and go use the spell Willow taught you to clean the blood trail."

"Fine….meanie," Dawn declared before she wiped her finger over a trail of bringer blood and walked off.

"Girls, hide the bodies somewhere. Will, how's Faith doing?" Buffy asked.

"Faith, any ide…OWW! GOD DAMN IT THAT HURT!" Xander screeched, hoping on one foot.

"Xan, why don't you scream a little louder? Maybe the bringers can join in on the orgy before they cut into us." Faith asked as her and her team were making their way underground.

"Well if someone would help the half blind man not bump into rocks, that would be much appreciated." Xander quipped.

"Xander, I told you about the spell Willow could have-"

Giles suddenly stopped talking as all of team Faith looked at the source of a deep and demonic noise, that noise being Dante snarling with head bowed and ears split. Without even saying a word, Faith held up her fist towards her team and they immediately held their position and obeyed.

"Dante" Faith whispered to her beast after crouching beside his ear, "stay".

Slowly yet surely, using Slayer vision and all, Faith made her way through darkness in the direction her hound snarled towards. Faith soon found herself creeping towards the end of a dark tunnel, a dim glow emanating from the end. The battle hardened veteran slowly unsheathed her twin butterfly daggers and continued to silently move onwards.

By the time Faith was about a meter away from her goal, she then saw what she already knew was just ahead. With blinding speed and grace, the once dark Slayer extended her arms in front of her chest with daggers in hand, locker her elbows, leapt through the cave opening and wildly back-swung her daggers towards either side of the cave walls behind her….Only Faith's attack was much more calculated than one would think. Looking at the result of the scene that just unfolded, one would be witnessing Faith's daggers buried hilt deep through the chest and neck of two bringers who were apparently supposed to be guarding the cave opening. Faith quickly retracted her weapons and cleaned them off on the clothing of the newly deceased.

"Xander, where are you going?" Giles asked the other man as Xander started to walk forwards.

"I'm gonna go check on Faith," the one eyed Nick Fury look-a-like replied.

"Xander that's a foolish idea, you could get lost or attacked." Olivia cautioned.

"I'll be fine, I'm just going to go find out if what she's found. Hell, maybe she found something and needs to tell us what our next move is?" Xander said as he continued to walk in the same direction Faith disappeared to. However, Xander didn't get very far as a snarling Dante stepped in front of Xander with teeth bared.

"I knew it, Dante is smarter than Xander. Kennedy owes me ten bucks." Satsu announced.

Before Xander could reply, much less move without Dante nipping at his heels, the four legged pet from hell stopped growling and perked his head in the air with curiosity. No sooner did Dante perk up, did he take off into the darkness and was seen trotting back alongside Faith; the woman of the hour dragging two dead bringer bodies, a ball of robe in each hand.

"Well, were in the right place boys and girls." Faith said as she let go of the bodies. "Satz, hide the bodies. If they have anything cool or of useful on them that won't make noise, take it. Giles, work your mojo and go clean up the mess. Take Dante and Xander with you." Faith commanded.

Bending down to scratch Dante under his growing mane, Faith looked her baby boy in the eyes can told him. "Dante, go with Giles." The Slayer then turning her pet's head to face Giles as she repeated her former watcher's name.

"Dante, come." Giles commanded, Faith pushing the beast's butt towards Giles to get her point across. Luckily, Giles's earlier comment a time ago was correct, demons of all species are more intelligent than animals; Dante now trotting over to Giles and Xander as the two started to walk in the direction Faith came from.

"Psst.. Faiiiith…Faiiiiiith..this is the ghost of Christmassss passsttt woooooo-"

"Alright red, I get it. What's up?" Faith responded in her head.

"How you guys doing?"

"Ok so far, found another entrance. You?"

Faith asked.

"Same. I'll contact you after another checkpoint."

"Checkpoint?"Faith mentally questioned, her psychic voice hinting with amusement.

"I…Xander and Andrew were playing video games last night…Shut up."

"Faith, were good to go." Xander spoke out as he, Giles and Dante were now back.

"Contact me at the next checkpoint you reach, Faith out."

"Will? How she doing?" Buffy asked.

"Faith and the rest are fine."

"Buffy, bodies are hidden and Dawn's back." Vi announced.

"Ok girls, form up and move out." Buffy commanded as she took point again and lead the slow and creeping Slayer charge.

Eventually, team Buffy came to a cave opening guarded by a few bringers that was were impossible to sneak up on. Sure Willow could use magic to cloak them, but who knew if their enemies had a heavy magic detection system in place? The battle ended quickly as nothing special or out of the ordinary stood in the Slayers way. However one of the bringers a younger Slayer thought she killed had enough life left in him to roll onto a pressure plate before he died, at which time all of team Buffy was in the open space. As soon as the plate sunk into the sand, a very thick set of steel bars that was encased by barbed and electrocution wire, hit the floor with a booming thud.

"Everyone! Back to back! Watchers and non-melee's in the middle! Will, get that door open!" Buffy quickly shouted.

"Faith, is it wise for us to be scouting ahead? Would it not be better to have another Slayer with you?" Giles asked while creeping along side Faith.

"Age before beauty old man," Faith said with a grin that Giles knew the woman in front of him was sporting. "And in case we get screwed, we have a back-up plan."

"Fair enough" Giles agreed.

Continuing onwards, the trio of Giles, Faith and Dante pressed onwards. Eventually, the three came to a small opened area that was lit by torch, wooden tables and chairs in certain corners. The room appeared empty yet for some reason Dante was growling and Faith's spider senses were tingling, and not in the place she liked. Out of the corner of his eye, Giles spotted a black object on the floor stirring right before he saw skin.

"Faith!" Giles yelled with a whisper. "The bringers are sleeping, finish them quickly".

As quickly as they could, Giles and Faith both crept to each sleeping bringer in the small room and slit their throats one by one. Even Dante tore a messy chunk out of a throat or two. As smooth as the assassinations were going, Faith made one fatal mistake. The Slayer let her last bringer turn over in what she thought was his sleep, as the bringer did not move even though he was facing an approaching Faith with dagger in hand. But alas, Faith ended the bringer all the same…..and that's when it happened.

"FOOLS!" A deep, ominous, yet familiar sounding voice rang throughout the underground. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD STOP ME? I KNEW YOU WOULD COME! I KNEW YOU WOULD INTERFERE!"

"Yet I'm still here aren't I? Why don't you evil things stay dead anyways?" Buffy hollered back into the air, her solders in full ranks behind her.

"Bet ya didn't see this one coming, did ya?" Faith asked as she held her middle finger high in the air.

"THIS TIME WILL NOT BE LIKE THE LAST! THIS TIME…"

Suddenly, somehow…some magical way, an image of Joyce Summers appeared in front of Buffy and her team. "This time dear, you will lose." The former mother of two said with a heartwarming smile.

Meanwhile, the late mayor Wilkin's, third of his name, materialized in front of Faith and Giles. "You can't win firecracker." The man said with a hunched over dry laugh.

Before anyone could say boo, the walls and ceiling around Buffy and her team started to quickly move towards the center of the room; so cliché, yet so effective at rendering Willow useless. Normally, Willow would be able to stop the moving obstacles without blinking. However as soon as the witch started to magically hold off the advancing walls and ceiling, she immediately knew that there was evil magic's a-foot; her straining face and outstretched arms clearly telling the whole story as the ceilings and walls rumbled but stood still. Yet to make matters worse, a horde of demons and bringers could be seen running down the tunnel of the only escape route.

"Hold!...The!...Line!" Buffy screamed.

All the while Buffy and Co were getting ready for battle, another horde of bad guys came out of the wood-work to circle around Faith, Giles and Dante.

"Dante!" Faith screamed as she connected a standing reverse roundhouse kick to a bringers jaw.

Looking up at his master after snarling like the demon he is, Faith now had her pet's attention. Standing back to back with Giles, Faith shouted out another command. "Dante!...Satsu! Go!".

Whining, Dante refused. "Dante! GO NOW! SATSU!" Faith reiterated after carving up a bringer's face….even more than it already was.

After a bit of a whine, Dante ran off in the direction of whist he came.

"Buffy, I…..can't keep holding!" Willow quickly alerted her master and commander as she exhaled.

"Not so tough without your witch now are you?" Buffy asked Buffy, of course the one doing the taunting being the First Evil. Luckily the First Evil evaporated and left Buffy alone, but not before laughing evilly.

Quickly taking a look around, Buffy saw no way out. Her big gun was jammed and her soldiers busy, coupled with the fact of an endless amount of bringers and demons were flooding the room from a narrow path, movement was now an issue. Buffy knew what she needed to do…she didn't like it, but she still knew it had to be done. Quickly the blonde bombshell turned to her best lieutenant and screamed at her, "KEN! On my mark!" Buffy briefly stopped as she needed to inhale a lungful of air in order to decapitate a humanoid demon. "Take the girls and stop the Hellmouth from opening!"

"But Buffy-"

"DO IT!" Buffy growled at Kennedy as she threw the leader of her junior Slayers the Slayer Scythe.

With an angered look on her face, Kennedy only nodded and went to gather her squad. Buffy then unsheathed her long sword from the hip and carved her way to Willow, who was being protected by a few of the younger girls and Andrew; together using the defensive technique Father Gabriel taught.

"Willow! You're not gonna like-"

Suddenly Buffy was cut off as Willow raised her blackened gazed to meet Buffy's, "I know." She said in a thick womanly tone, already knowing Buffy's plan.

"Buffy!" Kennedy shouted as her chosen team was fighting by her side…minus Andrew who was poking the head of a spear a few feet past his Slayer front line. "Ready when you are!"

Buffy and Co still fought on, as Buffy couldn't find the small opening she needed. However, given time, she found it. As soon as Buffy noticed that the enemy charging from the only way in or out started to come in less orderly and farther apart, she roared with a bellow straight from her gut and fling her body onto a bunch of Bringers who blocked the exit. Luckily, Buffy was correct in assuming that this would cause a domino effect and send the enemy still marching in the narrow tunnel crashing down. Kennedy didn't need to ask, she knew that was the signal.

"LETS GO!"

And so Kennedy and her squad, along with a few of the younger girls and watchers, all ran past the fallen blockade and straight into whatever lay ahead. The last thing Kennedy saw as she looked back, was Willow's hunched over form pointing towards a few of the corpses on the ground while chanting.

"They're taking too long, I'll be right back." Xander announced.

Before Xander could even take two strides, Satsu gripped the man by his leather jacket and pulled him back. "Do I need to get the leash?"

"Do I get a treat after?"

"Ha-ha. Now si-"

Satsu was suddenly cut off as Dante came charging from the darkness, barking or growling, or whatever his version of a demonic bark is called.

Xander and Satsu shared a brief look as Dante slide just past the two as he tried to stop, and then started to push Xander forwards from behind the man's butt.

"Crap" The two said in unison as they shared a knowing look.

"Ok girl's listen up." Xander piped up. "Dante is here while Faith and Giles isn't, that means it's time for the Calvary. And guess what, were it. From here on out, Satsu is in charge."

"Oh dear." Olivia uttered.

"Ok girls were going in…but quietly. Flashlights on as we run down dark halls. If we see torches, flashlights off and we sneak up. I'm taking point, and I want Slayers around Xander and Olivia at all times. Any questions?"

"No? Ok, follow up and move out." Satsu commanded as she turned on her flashlight.