Chapter 7

Disclaimer: But…but…but…but Mommy, I want it!!

This chapter is rated M.

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Chapter 21

Buffy yawned slightly, feeling the rising of the sun in her bones. It was still pitch black out but it would be coming up soon. It had been a rather good night, she had spent it watching over her pair as they'd worked their way through their patrol area.

Both were really quite good, though Samantha tended to be a bit hesitant about engaging the enemy. Marjorie had done a good job of coxing her though. She had kept her voice calm as she admonished the girl and was sure to praise her when she did well. She would be a good teacher one day.

The group had encountered about five vamps that night, a rather good haul. But the sun was about to come up and it was time to go home again. The remaining demons would go underground and the Slayers would return to their Academy, leaving the area for the humans to come in and work during the day.

As they approached the warehouse where they had parked the van the two younger Slayers seemed to relax, laughing and joking a little more. Buffy, however, grew even tenser. Something was wrong. Something was different. So, leaving her charges as they walked closer to the warehouse, she slid quietly into the night.

…

Faith smiled slightly at Lucky as they entered the warehouse where the van was stored. If anyone had told her years ago that she would be happy to have another person's support she would have laughed in their faces. But the truth was she'd been a little nervous about tonight's meeting with Buffy.

She and her squad, who were the Council's troubleshooters, had been put on assignment when the older Slayer had arrived in Cleveland. Willow had sent her a private communiqué via magick with the information. To say she'd been caught by surprise had been an understatement.

It seemed to be going pretty good so far though. There had been no insults flying, no fights to the death. Buffy had even complimented her. Of course, they'd been in front of the students and hadn't really been able to talk, but Faith was trying to look on the bright side of things.

She looked around the large warehouse, seeing the van sitting in the darkness, looking for Buffy's team but seeing nothing. They must be running a little behind. She heard her girls giggling behind her and then she realized what was bothering her. It was too quiet, there weren't even the usual night sounds. Then she caught a soft pfft! sound and looked over to see her two student charges drop to the ground.

Faith found her body reacting without thought, dropping and rolling behind a garbage barrel. She frantically looked up to see Lucky's girls down as well and Lucky standing out in the open, her left hand raised and a tranquilizer dart partially embedded in her gauntlet. She was wavering slightly so the dart must have nicked her. Faith wondered what the hell was in those things that would take down Slayers so fast, even without a full dose.

She found herself almost surging forward to help Lucky but stopped herself. She couldn't do shit if she got knocked out. Faith looked around, the warehouse was dark and murky even to her Slayer sight. The ceiling was crisscrossed with rafters and she couldn't see any movement to indicate a sniper. These guys were good.

Her position sucked, she decided as she looked around. The bad guys had the high ground and she was stuck crouching behind a damn trashcan! Her Slayers senses weren't the best, but Faith knew she should be able to feel if there was anything demonic close enough to be shooting darts when she concentrated hard enough and since she couldn't it must mean they were dealing with humans. That jibed with their tactics as well, demons didn't usually take the far off approach.

That made the situation even trickier. Where she would be able go full out against a vamp or a demon she would have to check herself while dealing with humans. She had no interest in killing off another human being, even if it was an accident. She had enough guilt to last her a lifetime, thank you. The van wasn't to far away tough and Faith was considering making a break for it and using it as a battering ram when the whole thing blew sky high.

"OH SHIT!" She yelped as she was rocked back for the force of the blow, pathetically grateful for the meager protection provided by the trashcan. The Slayer shook her head to get rid of the ringing in her ears, lucky she healed real fast or else she might not have any eardrums left. She ducked back around the trashcan in time to see something very strange.

Two teams of men, suited up in full tactical gear and armed to the teeth ran in the back door of the warehouse, skirting the flames. They were obviously using the distraction provided by the bombed van to grab up the downed Slayers. Having already been knocked down and out by the tranquilizers the girls could offer no resistance. Two men from each team gathered the girls up while the third man kept watch, weapons raised.

"Found a big one, boss!" she head one of them yell, "Whatya' want I should do with her?"

"Take her out," was the reply, "we don't have the facilities to transport more of them. Besides, the boss likes young ones!"

Faith growled low in her throat and prepared to launch herself forward. She wasn't going to loose Lucky, not like this. Then the man was lifted up in the air by a hand through his chest. For a moment no one spoke, shocked by the horrible crunching, ripping sound and then the small hand that held his heart tightened, destroying it between her fingers. Then the man exploded into dust, the necklace around his neck clattering to the ground.

"They're not human," Buffy stated calmly as she brushed her hands off, her eyes glowing gold. "The snipers are taken care of so you can stop playing dead," she winked down at Lucky, "and you can come out here and join the fun, Faithy."

"Faithy?" Faith sauntered out, indignant, "What the hell is that?"

The answer was cut short as Lucky's chain shot out and wrapped around the neck of a vamp that was overcoming his shock and turning to aim his weapon at Faith. With a snap of her hand the razor sharp edges tore through his neck, separating his head from his body. He burst into dust and caused the rest of his team to explode into motion, going after the Slayers.

Buffy was quite impressed with the teamwork displayed by Faith and her second. The two had obviously been working together for a long time now. They seemed to know each others every move and often seemed to move as one single weapon of mass destruction.

Faith utilized the Scythe like an extension of her own body, using both the axe end and the stake end equally. Her fighting style was still powerful, showing the overwhelming force of her Slayer strength. She wasn't as impulsive and wild as she'd once been, however, showing that the years had taught her some caution. She had become an excellent fighter.

Lucky was a wonder to watch. Buffy had heard of chain weapons and even seen one are two, but the one being employed now was obviously in the hands of a master. The weapon cut through the air, making a harsh whistling sound, and Lucky used her whole body to keep it going. Whipping forward it would lop off a limb or a head or sending the stake end to plunge into a heart, causing the vampire to turn to dust. As she brought it back to herself she would wind the excess length around her free hand or a foot, even her neck once, to keep the momentum going, never letting it stop. The rapier remained at her waist but Buffy had no doubt she could wield it with equal skill.

The fight didn't last long, even the tranquilizer guns didn't give the vampires an edge once the Slayer's knew they were there. When it was over Faith and Lucky were standing in the middle of six piles of dust, having killed all five remaining vampires. Buffy was leaning over one of the students, checking her breathing. She would be fine.

"Thanks for the help, B!" Faith snarked, swinging the Scythe onto her shoulder.

Buffy flicked her eyes to Lucky, but the other Slayer merely regarded her steadily. Faith had obviously told her about Buffy's real identity. Buffy didn't really mind though. Anyone who had earned the rebellious Slayer's trust must be a very special person.

"Did you need my help?" She asked instead, standing back up.

"Well…"

"My two took out the snipers and the other team," Buffy merely cocked her head and gazed off into the distance, ignoring the glare from Lucky, "I told them to wait in the building next door when they were finished. If you guys would mind picking them up and then calling for a retrieval team, I have some unfinished business to take care of."

"Wait a minute," Lucky stepped in front of her, her green eyes narrowed in irritation. Her bookish appearance obviously belayed a rather sharp temper. "You saved me and I'm grateful, but you can't just leave right now. We have things to take care of."

"Yes, Elspeth Harsgrove," Buffy turned her intimidating golden eyes on the other woman, "We all have things to take care of. You're job is to take care of these girls and Faith, a job on which I congratulate you for attaining, and my job is to leave right now."

"How the hell…?" Did you know my name, she finished the thought in her head as Buffy turned and walked out of the warehouse, nodding at Faith as she left.

"Well, she's not like you described her," she turned to Faith.

"She ain't exactly how I remembered her, either," Faith scratched her head for a moment and then shrugged. Buffy was right about one thing. There was still shit to be taken care of.

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Author's Note:

Finally, I got it out! Hope you like it. Thanks for the reviews. I'm off to go collapse now.

Omake:

Friend #1:What's you're problem?

Author: I'm having issue's.

Friend #1: What about?

Author: I couldn't get this chapter out as fast as I want.

Friend #1:Why not?

Author: Ponies are evil!!

Friend #1: Huh??

(My life is strange...stupid kicking ponies!)