Spoilers: Anything up through Season Eight of Stargate: SG-1 and through finale of Buffy. Ignore anything that was said about the Scoobies during Angel’s final season.

A/N: Anything like ~this~ indicates telepathy.


Back To Work

“How was the vacation, Daniel?” Sam asked, eyeing the bruises on his neck as they walked to the gateroom.

“Ahh, not as relaxing as one would think. We kind of... met these two girls.”

“Two girls huh?” She asked with a knowing grin.

“Not those kind of girls. They were... well... girls. Mid-twenties kind of girls.”

Sam put on a mock disappointing look on her face. “Shame on you two, robbing the cradle that way.”

“There was no robbing of the cradle!” Daniel protested. “They were lost and Jack gave them a ride back to their cabin. The next thing I knew we were helping them clean their cabin.”

“Now you’re trying to place the blame on the General,” she tisked.

“No, I’m not blam... Well, yes. Yes, I am blaming this on Jack. He got curious about the girls so we went to investigate last night. And we were attacked.”

“Attacked?” Sam asked. “By the girls?”

“No, this... thing.”

She sent him a skeptical look. “A thing?”

“Yes, a thing. I don’t know what else to call it,” Daniel explained. “It was huge, slimy, and wouldn’t die when Jack shot it.”

“Well, what happened? How did you get away?”

“Those two girls beat them up and cut the things’ head off with swords.” He turned serious eyes to Sam. “They were strong. Goa’uld strong.”

“Perhaps they are Goa’uld,” Teal’c said. He had caught the last part of the conversation when he joined them.

“I don’t think so,” Daniel insisted, adjusting the pack on his back. “For starters, they saved our lives. I don’t know many that would do that.”

“It could be a trap,” Teal’c suggested. “Designed to put you at ease to enable them to gather information so they may strike at a later date.”

“No, when we listened in on their conversation they knew nothing about outer space or aliens. And that’s impossible,” Daniel said.

“He’s right,” Sam agreed. “The Goa’ulds genetic memory would have at least given them the knowledge, even if they had never been off of Earth.”

“I think they were something else entirely,” Daniel murmured.

“They could be a Hok’taur,” Teal’c said after a moment.

“It’s possible that humans on Earth are naturally evolving into a stronger version,” Sam said in excitement.

“I don’t know,” Daniel said as they entered the gateroom to see the event horizon shining in the gate.

“SG-1, you have a go,” came Jack’s voice over the intercom.

***********

“So what you’re telling me is, is that aliens are real?” Buffy asked, sitting at a large table in the new council’s headquarters.

“According to this, they are. And they use something called a Stargate to travel to different worlds in the galaxy,” Willow said. “They have specialized teams that go through wormholes to explore and gather technologies.”

“Plus, they do a lot of world savage just like us,” Dawn chimed in.

“Is it me, or does all of this sound vaguely familiar?” Faith asked, furrowing her brow.

“Because there was a TV show a couple of years ago called Wormhole X-treme,” Andrew said, his eyes bright with excitement. “A military team would go through a gate and meet all these different aliens. They even had an Air Force consultant. Their leader had this stupid line he was always saying - ‘It‘s what I do’.”

“Didn’t the show only last a year?” Xander asked.

“Yeah. People complained that it was far-fetched and hokey. They special effects were really bad,” Andrew added. “Except that really cool one where this spaceship landed, it was awesome.”

“If they only knew,” Xander muttered, flipping through the file in front of him. “So do we worry about these guys?”

“Nah,” Buffy said with a shake of her head. “I think they’re too busy keeping the world safe from aliens to worry about demons.”

“Do you think it’s possible that they will investigate us?” Giles asked.

“Probably will, knowing Jack,” Faith said. “But I think they’re got as much to worry about from exposing us as we do. We could always return the favor.”

***********

“That was quick,” Jack commented as he looked around the briefing room table. SG-1 had only been gone for half an hour before returning with SG-4.

“There was some sort of a disrupter burst during the Jaffa attack and SG-4’s GDOs shorted out,” Sam explained. “They were alive; they just had no way to get back safely through the gate until we got there.”

“Fairly anticlimactic,” Jack said. “Let’s look into this disrupter burst shall we? You guys are dismissed. Carter, can you stay for a sec?”

“Sure sir,” she answered as Daniel and Teal’c left the room. “What’s up?”

“I need for you to do me a favor, but I can’t ask you to do it in an official capacity.”

“What do you need?”

“I need you to find out all you can on an organization called Girls Unite,” he answered, fiddling with an ink pen. “I don’t know where they’re based at, I don’t even know last names. What I do know is first names - Buffy and Faith. There’s some guy named Giles in charge. You can probably find out about him through his former employer, Quentin Travers. I know the leads are slim, but I need all the information you can find.”

Sam grinned. “It’s those two girls Daniel said you met.”

“It’s not like that, Carter,” Jack said with a roll of his eyes. “Those girls were fast and strong. They killed these... things that just dissolved into a puddle of goo. I want to know what’s going on.”

“I’ll get right on it, sir.”

**********

Several months later, Buffy walked into her office on a late Monday morning to check her email. She was surprised to see a message from a General O’Neill. Frowning, she wondered how he got hold of that address. It was mostly used to keep track of their other offices around the world.

She opened the email to reveal a simple message:

Buffy,
There’s a problem. Call me at (975) 555-2643 ext. 610.
Jack

Her frown deepened as she picked up the phone and dialed the number. She rapped her fingers on the desk as she listened to the ringing through the phone. Before long a familiar voice came over the line.

“O‘Neill.”

“Jack? This is Buffy.”

“Hey! How’s my favorite little slayer?”

“How’s my favorite former leader of a group going through the Stargate who is now head of the program?” She countered.

“Touché. Did some investigating of your own, huh?”

“A while back,” she admitted. “What’s going on?”

“Carter brought something to my attention.”

“That would be Samantha Carter, right? Former team leader, recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and is the current leader of SG-1.”

“Yeah, that Carter,” he said, impressed by how much she had found out.

“The one you have lusty wrong feelings for?”

“Will you just drop it? She’s engaged,” he said irritably.

“Dropping it. What did she bring to your attention?”

Jack sighed and she could almost hear him rubbing his eyes. “We’ve got some strange deaths in town. Bite marks on necks, arms, and legs, plus blood loss. Then the bodies disappear. Sounds like vampires. Can you come?”

“And what makes you think we’ll come out there?”

“I know you’ve had problems with the military before, and I assure you we’re not like the Initiative. But I know you’re not someone who would walk away from their duty. People are dying out here and we can’t stop it. Now are you coming or not?”

She laughed. “Ok, you got me. We’ll send a few people out today to take care of it.”

“Can my team help?”

“I don’t know...”

“Ah, come on. They know the town, they can help,” he said.

“Fine. Where do you want to meet?”

*********

Jack and Daniel waved as Buffy, Faith, and Dawn made their way over to the café table. The girls were casually dressed against Colorado’s cool November temperatures and smiled as they sat down.

“Long time,” Jack said.

“Can you hold on for a sec?” Buffy asked and looked over at Dawn. “Ready?”

The brunette nodded and muttered something under her breath. Daniel swore she was speaking Latin, but he wasn’t sure. She opened one hand, with the palm open. “They’re clean, but there’s a guy on a neighboring rooftop that’s awful nosy,” she said.

“And...?” Buffy prompted.

“He’s sleeping now. Andrew will take care of it.”

“Want to fill us in?” Jack asked.

“Just making sure this was a private conversation. I’m Buffy, that’s Faith, and my sister Dawn,” she said, introducing herself to the ones she didn’t know.

“Sir, she’s the one with the strange background check,” the blonde next to Jack said.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d drop it,” Buffy said with a tight smile.

“It’s dropped,” Jack said with a nod.

“But sir...”

“Drop it, Carter. It’s not why they’re here,” Jack said. “Dawn, I’m Jack and that’s Daniel, Murray...”

“Teal’c,” Faith said behind a cough.

“And Samantha Carter,” he continued, shooting Faith a look.

~Goku, this is Bulma. Come in Goku,~ came Andrew’s loud voice in everyone’s ear. Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal’c looked around in confusion.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Buffy muttered. ~I told you not to call me that.~

~But you’re our Goku. Fighting for world peace, always coming back from...~

~Did you need something?~ Dawn asked, seeing the anger in her sister’s eyes.

~I took the guy’s videotapes so there’s no record of the meeting. He’s not carrying any I.D.~ He answered sullenly.

“NID,” Jack cursed.

“Or The Trust,” Sam said.

~Thanks. Stay there and make sure he doesn’t wake up.~ Faith ordered.

~Sure thing, Vegeta. Bulma out.~

“We had to bring him why?” Faith complained.

“Because Giles’ insisted on us bringing one more. Would you have preferred Kennedy?” Buffy asked with a smirk.

“No!” The two girls cried simultaneously.

“What sort of technology did you use so we could hear that voice in our minds?” Teal’c asked.

“That was Andrew, one of our watchers. He didn’t use technology, it was magic. He’s still a little shaky on the whole magic use thing,” Dawn explained.

“A little?” Buffy asked. “He’s worse than Willow when she started. We’re lucky he hasn’t killed anyone with his flying pencils.”

“He’s a little erratic,” Dawn agreed.

“Magic?” Sam said skeptically. “You’re saying that was a spell?”

“Yeah, a fairly minor one. You weren’t suppose to be involved,” Dawn said with an apologetic smile.

“I thought Willow was your witch,” Daniel said, keeping his eyes away from Faith who kept winking at him every time he looked her way.

“She’s one of them, but she’s at a wicca retreat. We were under strict instructions to not bother her unless it was an apocalypse,” Buffy explained.

“Can we get down to business before the sun sets?” Faith asked, seeing how low the sun was in the sky.

“Sure,” Jack said. “Carter, you wanna show them what we’ve got?”

“No need,” Buffy said as Dawn pulled out a map of Colorado Springs that had several red dots on it. “We noticed that most of the deaths occurred in this part of town...”

“How did you get that information?” Sam asked. “It wasn’t in the papers.”

“If we could hack into the SGC‘s computers, a little thing like police records are no problem,” Dawn said, her eyes twinkling.

“As I was saying,” Buffy said, pulling their attention back to the map. “We think that the vamps have a hideout in that area.”

“Do you guys know of any abandoned warehouses in that part of town?” Faith asked.

“There are two,” Sam said and she pointed to two places on the map.

“They’re awfully close together, B,” Faith said as she studied the locations compared to the places where the bodies were found.

“We should split up and check them out,” Buffy said and the dark haired slayer nodded in agreement.

“Are you sure splitting up is such a good idea?” Jack asked. “You’ve got no idea how many are in there.”

“We’ll be fine,” Faith said. “Plus, if there was trouble, we can always escape into the sunlight where they can’t follow.”

“All right. Faith, you and Andrew take that one,” Buffy said, pointing to one of the warehouses. “Dawn and I will check out the other one.”

“Wait a minute, you said we could help,” Jack protested. “When does that happen?”

“You just did,” Buffy said with a grin. “You helped us narrow our search.”

“Not good enough. We want a part in this.”

~What do ya think?~ Dawn asked.

~Why not, they can help.~ Faith said. ~They’ve all had training and they’ve faced aliens before so we know they won’t freeze up.~

~Fine with me.~ Buffy said, then she turned to the others. “Jack, Sam, you’re with me. Daniel, Te-Murray. Umm, can we just call you Teal’c? We know that’s your real name.”

“That would be acceptable,” the large black man answered.

“Great. Then Daniel and Teal’c go with Faith. But you have to follow our orders, we’re the experts here.”

Jack grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go, kids.”

Buffy just rolled her eyes.

**********

They led the members of SGC to their rented SUV which was parked down the street. Andrew was already there, waiting for them. Buffy did another quick round of introductions.

“Here’s the tape,” Andrew said, holding it out.

“Set it on the ground,” Dawn told him. Then she mumbled something and the tape melted until it was a solid piece of plastic.

“Getting good with the mojo there, little B,” Faith said.

“Actually, I was trying to catch it on fire,” Dawn said with a pout.

“Ah, close enough.”

“Is that your truck over there, Jack?” Buffy asked. When he nodded, she smirked at Faith. “Told you so.”

“Great, you’re smart, now shut up and let’s go,” Faith said grumpily.

Buffy grinned and opened the back of the SUV. She unzipped a large, black bag and began handing out stakes. “I trust you guys learned enough to know what to do with these?”

“I believe we are to put them through the vampire’s hearts,” Teal’c said, grasping his firmly. “But if there are many in there, will we not require more than one stake?”

“Only if you drop it,” Andrew said, eyeing the Jaffa eagerly. “The vampyres turn to dust so you can reuse the stake.”

“Is there a problem Andrew Wells?” Teal’c asked, seeing how the young man was studying him.

“Are you really from Outer Space?”

“Yes.”

“That is so cool,” the watcher gushed.

“Leave the big guy alone, Andrew,” Faith said, pulling him away from Teal’c.

“Wow,” Jack said as Buffy pulled out a large weapon. “Who gets to play with that?”

“Me,” she said.

“Can I see it?” He asked. She nodded and handed it over to him. He swung it around several times to get a feel for the balance. “This is sweet.”

“Thanks,” she said, taking it back. “The scythe was made especially for the slayer.”

“Cool. So we ready?”

“Yeah, Dawn and I will ride with you and Colonel Carter. Daniel and Teal’c can ride with Faith and Andrew.” Then she tossed the keys to Faith.

“All right!” Faith cried, running to get in.

“Just try not to kill anyone!” Buffy called out before crossing the street with Jack. She let Dawn into the back of the extend cab before climbing into the passenger seat.

Sam turned to Jack. “Sir.”

“Relax Carter. You can have shotgun next time,” Jack said as he opened the driver’s side and pushed the seat forward so she could get in the back.

She glared at him as she got in. “That’s not funny, sir.” He just grinned in response.

They rode in silence for several minutes until Buffy said, “I’m not a science project to be studied, Dr. Carter.” She emphasized the Doctor to let Sam know that she knew more than just the woman’s rank.

“Sorry, please call me Sam.”

“Lemme guess. You wonder how a little thing like me could be deadly?”

“Partly, yes,” Sam admitted.

“It’s destiny. I was chosen, got lots of speed and strength, end of story.”

“Chosen?” Jack asked.

“Boy, your research sucked if you didn’t learn about the slayer’s history,” Dawn said in slight surprise.

“All we could learn was that until several months ago, there was only one. She was to face the forces of darkness alone and she had a guide called a watcher. Only now, there are hundreds of them and you help run a facility to train them.”

“Not bad, Sam,” Dawn said in approval. “When one slayer died the next was called. One girl out of hundreds of potentials. Buffy and Faith are the last...”

“Dawn, TMI,” Buffy interrupted from the front seat.

“What does she mean, you’re the last?” Jack asked.

Buffy sighed. “I died for a few minutes towards the end of my first year as a slayer. It caused another slayer to be called.”

“Faith.”

“Kendra actually. She died a year later. Then Faith was called. The new slayers were activated by a spell.”

“I still don’t understand how someone of your stature could contain such enormous power to fight supernatural creatures,” Sam said with a shake of her head.

“Magic,” Buffy said with a shrug. “And I know you have problems believing in magic, but please, just trust us.”

“You’ll understand better after we take care of the vampires,” Dawn said, placing a sympathetic hand on the Colonel’s shoulder.

*********

“Would it not be more prudent to slow to the acceptable speed limit?” Teal’c asked from the back seat as Faith sped her way down the street.

“Hell no! This is much more fun.”

“You have to excuse her,” Andrew said from beside Teal’c. “She’s only had her license for a few weeks. She thinks driving fast is a real rush. I found that it’s a good idea to just hold on and not think about it.”

Teal’c nodded his head in acceptance and adopted Andrew’s posture - one hand on the door handle, the other gripping the seat.

“Is it true you’ve met the Roswell greys?” Andrew asked suddenly. “I just know that they have to be real.”

“Whatever makes you believe that?” Teal’c asked.

“You guys go out and meet aliens. I just figured you’d have met them. They probably hang out in outer space just watching over us.”

Daniel choked on his coffee. “How much did you guys find out about us?”

“Just enough to know what you guys are up to and whether you were a threat to us. Nothing big,” Faith answered. She flashed Daniel a grin. “Don’t worry about him, he’s always shooting his mouth off. He believes that Jedi are real and are out there fighting for justice.”

“I’m only a paduan apprentice,” Andrew said excitedly. “One day I will be a Knight.”

“See what I mean,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“The movies are a great source of entertainment. I myself have seen the original movie fifteen times.”

“I know there was a reason why I liked you,” Andrew said to Teal’c.

“Faith, what should we expect from the vampires?” Teal’c asked, shifting uncomfortably from Andrew’s adoring gaze.

“The vampyres...”

“Andrew, I can take care of it,” Faith interrupted. “They’re faster and stronger than humans. They’ll be more interested in killing and feeding from you than anything else. They might look human instead of bringing their demon out, so trust no one in there ‘cept one of us.”

They pulled up next to the warehouse and Faith shut the engine off. “There are definitely some vamps in there.”

“How many?” Andrew asked.

“More than five, less than twenty.”

“Buffy says there are vampyres in the other warehouse, too,” Andrew said after a moment.

“Must have split to hide better. Andrew, go in on the other side with our alien friend. Book boy is with me,” Faith said, unbuckling her seat belt. “Oh, and Teal’c. Keep an eye on him, he tends to get hurt a lot.”

“What? You don’t trust me to look after him?” Daniel asked in an injured tone.

“I do, but he’s got a... a... well, a stronger fighter sense,” Faith lamely tried to explain.

“Huh?”

“It’s a slayer thing. I can sense vampires and I can sense he’s a stronger fighter. It’s really hard to explain.”

“Are all slayers able to do this?” Teal’c asked.

“Only Buffy and Faith,” Andrew said as he checked his stakes. “Giles thinks it has something to do with how long they’re been slayers. He’s noticed that over the years they’ve both gotten stronger and faster. Kind of like Jedi Masters.”

“I swear Andrew, one more Star Wars remark and Boba Fett will die,” Faith said with a glare.

“You wouldn’t?” Andrew asked in fear.

“Try me. Now let’s go in.”

***********

Jack saw a faraway look in Dawn’s eyes and guessed that she was talking to her sister on the other side of the building. When her gaze returned to normal, he asked, “What’s happening?”

“Buffy said we’re to move in quietly and wait until the fighting starts before doing anything else,” she whispered. Then she slowly opened the back door and slipped inside.

He quickly followed and moved to get ahead. He noticed that while Dawn had her own inherent grace, she didn’t move like her sister. He knew he’d feel better if he took point.

Dawn rolled her eyes, but let him take the lead. She knew exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it. Jack was seemed to be so much like her sister in the respect that he’d rather put himself in danger than risk anyone else that it was kind of freaky.

“Wow, nice place you guys have here,” came Buffy’s voice echoing through the large building. “A few rugs, some throw pillows, this place would be perfect.”

Jack and Dawn peered out from behind the crates they were hiding behind. Buffy was standing in the middle of a large clear spot of the floor. She coyly held the scythe behind her.

“Seriously. I think I could live here,” she continued as several figures stepped out of the shadows.

“Whoa, where’d they come from?” Jack whispered.

Dawn placed a finger over his lips to quiet him.

“Oh, and look! It even comes complete with roommates. How did I ever get this lucky?” She asked with innocent wide eyes.

“Great, a valley girl. Next thing I’ll know she’ll be taunting them,” Sam muttered from her position behind some other crates.

“So, what do you guys do for fun? Go out and kill innocent people because it makes your weak little minds feel stronger?”

“Another slayer for me to rid the world of,” one of the vampires said. “There are so many of you now, another dead one won’t be missed.”

Buffy pulled out her best pout. “Damn, you guys don’t even tremble before me anymore.”

“Should we?” Another asked with a smirk.

“Well, yeah. Original slayer here. You know, Buffy?”

Several took a step back. “You can’t be. She’s much taller,” said the first.

“Yes, because height always equals strength.” Buffy pulled out her scythe and began waving it around while she ranted. “Why is it that men always think that a tiny woman is helpless? I can kick your ass to the curb and back. Hell, I could have kicked your ass to the curb when I was seven and I wasn’t even a slayer then.”

All attention had been on her left hand where the scythe was. No one noticed that she had thrown a stake with her right until the first vampire turned to dust. There was a stunned silence before the vampires moved in on the seemingly alone slayer.

“That’s our cue,” Dawn said. Then she stepped out from her hiding place to stake the closest vampire.

Jack cursed to himself as he saw the girl enter the fight. He had no idea why Buffy would risk her sister like this. Wasn’t Buffy’s job to protect people?

He traded blows with the nearest vamp before plunging his stake into its chest. A grin appeared on his face as it turned to dust. “Sweet.”

“Jack! Duck!” Dawn called out and he instantly complied.

Turning to look at Dawn, he saw a fireball fly from her hand and hit the vampire that was trying to sneak up behind him. Her shoulders sagged slightly when the vamp turned to dust.

“You all right?” He asked.

“Yeah, it just takes a little out of me,” she said before avoiding another vampire’s fist.

Jack stepped up behind it and quickly staked it.

Sam moved out from behind her crate when she saw Dawn and Jack join the fight. She rushed a tall vampire with dark hair. The vampire moved faster than normal humans, but after years of fighting the superiorly gifted Jaffa and Goa’ulds she was prepared.

She ducked under the vamp’s swing and knocked its legs out from under it. While it lay on the floor she staked it. The scientist in her briefly wondered how it was possible for the body to turn to dust. It had to be against the normal laws of nature. Such a thing should not be possible.

Pulling her brain away from such a wonderful puzzle, she turned back to the fight. She staked another one coming towards her and she blinked to keep the dust out of her eyes.

“Dawn!” Buffy cried as she saw her sister being thrown by an escaping vampire. It jumped down the stairs to the lower level of the warehouse.

“Are you ok?” Buffy asked as she ran over to her sister.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dawn said, disentangling herself from the broken crate she had landed on. “Did he get away?”

“Yeah. Looks like we’re going to get a tour of Colorado Springs’ sewers.”

“Joy.”

“Sewers?” Jack asked.

***********

“Oh, watch out! Here comes another one,” Andrew warned Teal’c. The young watcher was staying as far back from the fight as he could.

Teal’c blocked several blows before slamming his fist into the large vampire’s face. As it reeled from the blow, the Jaffa quickly staked it.

“Andrew Wells, it would be more beneficial for you to aid in the battle rather than call out warnings,” Teal’c said as he engaged another vampire.

“Actually, no, it wouldn’t. I tend to get in the way and cause problems.”

“Would your magic skills not be of assistance?”

“I haven’t learned those yet. Willow says I’m not ready,” Andrew said with a suffering sigh.

On the other side of the warehouse, Faith ducked under a swing and then brought her fist up to connect with the vampire’s jaw in one smooth motion. She then kicked it, sending it over to Daniel who staked it through the back. He smiled at her as the dust fell before him.

“Watch out!” She yelled.

Daniel turned in time to be tackled by a behemoth of a vampire. He placed his hand under the vampire’s chin to keep its fangs away from his neck. Rolling slightly side to side, Daniel tried to dislodge it, but it was too big and strong.

Suddenly, the weight disappeared and dust settle over him, causing him to sneeze. He opened his eyes to see Faith smiling as she stood over him. She held out her hand to help him up.

“Vamp dust. Must be great for your allergies,” she said as she easily hauled him to his feet.

“Better than being dead,” he said a little shakily.

“Two of them are getting away,” Andrew cried out.

Faith turned and threw her stake at one of the retreating figures. It crumbled to dust, but the other one disappeared before she could grab Daniel’s stake. “Dammit! Andrew...”

“Dawn said they’re already in the sewers chasing one that escaped them,” Andrew said before she could finish.

“I hate the sewers,” Faith muttered. “All right guys, let’s hunt him down.”

As they followed Faith into the tunnels, Teal’c asked, “Andrew Wells, I am curious. If your magic skills are lacking and you are not a capable fighter, why do they continue to allow you to be a member of their organization?”

“Mainly because they need all the watchers they can find,” Andrew answered with a shrug. “Plus, I was kind of evil for a while. This way they can keep an eye on me.”

“And he bakes,” Faith added from the front of the line. “Never underestimate the value of a well-baked cookie.”

**********

“I don’t like this,” Buffy said as she led her group through the dimly lit tunnels.

“What’s not to like?” Jack asked. “It’s dark, dank, and smelly. Who wouldn’t like this place?”

“They’re leading us down here for a reason,” Buffy said with a slight shake of her head. “It’s not a coincidence that a vamp escaped both warehouses into the sewers.”

“What do you think is down here?” Sam asked.

“Probably a master vamp,” Dawn said, as her eyes kept searching the tunnel.

“There are different kinds of vampires?” Sam asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Most vampires are your regular everyday, run of the mill bloodsuckers,” Dawn said. “But some of them can become powerful and reek more destruction. They usually have a following and are harder to kill.”

“Sounds like fun,” Jack said as he tightened his grip on his stake. “So how many of these master vamps have you killed?”

“Umm, let’s see. There was Lothos, the Master...”

“The vampire’s name was actually the Master?” Jack asked incredulously. “Isn’t that sort of redundant?”

Buffy shrugged in the dim light. “He was really old, maybe he just forgot his name. Then there was Angelus. I’ve survived fights with Spike, Kakistos, Darla, and Drusilla. Oh, and the Three - they were an elite assassination group.”

“What do you mean, you survived?”

“We fought, I’m still alive, but didn’t kill them.”

“You mean there are...” Jack began but stopped when Buffy held up her hand.

“There are two of them just around the corner,” she whispered. “Stay back and let me take care of them.”

She moved forward and disappeared. Jack could only marvel at her ability to move silently in the ankle-deep water.

There were sounds of a short scuffle and then Buffy called back, “It’s clear!”

They sloshed their way around the corner and were surprised to see Faith and her group as well. They were standing in a junction of four tunnels.

“I still feel another vamp,” Faith said.

“Yeah, and it’s a big one,” Buffy said. “He’s moving, but I can’t tell where.”

“Split up again?” Faith suggested.

“Yeah, sound good. Dawn, you and Daniel take that tunnel,” Buffy said pointing back the way she had come. “Andrew and Jack that one.” She indicated the tunnel Faith had come from. “Faith, you and Sam go that way. Teal’c, you’re with me. Don’t try to fight the vamp. Just find them and wait until Faith or I get there. Dawn, hook us up.”

“Everyone?” She asked.

“No, just us. Too many voices and I’ll get confused,” Buffy said, crinkling her nose. “Now let’s get this over with so I can take a shower.”

They broke off into their groups and headed down their assigned tunnels.

Daniel was walking behind Dawn when a small side tunnel caught his eye. He stopped and poked his head in it. Nicely manicured nails suddenly weaved before his eyes and a voice said, “Be in me.”

He blinked his eyes and then smiled when he recognized the figure in front of him. “Sha’re?”

“That’s right, Daniel. I’m here. Come along like a good little puppy.”

Smiling brightly as his dead wife, he followed her down the tunnel.

**********

“This is the last place I saw him,” Dawn said when the others arrived. “One minute he was behind me, next thing I knew, he was gone.”

“Spread out guys, see what you can find,” Jack ordered, worried about his missing friend.

“Here!” Buffy called out after a few minutes. “It’s a smaller tunnel. You have to be looking at it just right to see it.”

“Let’s go,” Jack said, trying to push his way passed.

“Whoa, me first,” Buffy said, putting a hand out to stop him. He moved to protest but she stopped him with a glare. “I know he’s your friend, but Faith and I are in charge. This guy is out of your league. If we were after the Gold, I’d follow your lead.”

“The gold?” He asked.

“You know - those alien snake things you fight.”

“Oh yeah, them,” he said with a slight grimace.

“Now are you gonna follow my lead, or go back to the surface and wait?” Buffy imperiously asked.

Jack sputtered. “You’d make me sit up there and do nothing while a friend of mine is in trouble?”

Buffy looked at him with serious eyes. All traces of the Californian Valley Girl were gone, leaving the full force of the slayer. “If it meant the difference between keeping two men alive rather than dead? Yes, I would.”

His eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t stay there.”

“You would if you were unconscious.”

Seeing how serious she was and knowing she could easily carry the threat out, he nodded in acceptance. “I’ll behave.” She raised an eyebrow. “I promise.”

“Ok. Dawn, Teal’c, watch our backs,” Buffy said. Her and Faith started down the side tunnel.

They had only been walking for five minutes, but to Jack it seemed like forever. One of his best friends was missing and was probably in the hands of a master vampire. He only hoped that Buffy and Faith could handle this new threat before Daniel got killed... again.

Faith signaled for them to stop and they gathered in a tight huddle. “There’s a large maintenance room just around the corner. We think the vamp is in there,” she breathed.

“Remember to not do anything stupid,” Buffy whispered, looking straight at Jack. “Faith and I will take care of this.”

Then the two slayers turned and went around the corner. Buffy motioned for Jack to cover one side of the door and Faith the other. The others fanned out as best they could in the small tunnel. When everyone was in position, Buffy kicked the metal door in and off its hinges.

She walked boldly into the room and quickly scanned it. “Crap. What are you doing here?”

Everyone rushed in to see Daniel sitting on the floor gazing lovingly up at a dark haired woman standing next to him. She wore her long, dark hair pulled back from her face and it hung in large curls down her back. Her lacy dress clung to her thin body.

“Miss Edith told me you’d come,” she giggled.

“Daniel!” Jack said and moved to his friend, but Buffy stopped him.

“No, Jack. Not yet,” she said, her gaze never leaving the vampire’s delicate face. “Why don’t you hand him over, Drusilla?”

“Tsk, tsk,” Drusilla clucked. “That’s not how we play the game.” She smiled down at Daniel. “The shiny slayer thinks she can change the rules.”

“Daniel, what the hell are you doin’?” Jack asked.

“He can’t hear you,” Dawn said, trying to stay hidden behind Teal’c. “She’s got him in some sort of trance.”

“Oh, for cryin’ out loud.”

“Did you hurt him?” Faith asked. “Just wonderin’ cause I heard you were into that torture thing.”

Drusilla turned her dark eyes to Faith. “Oh, such darkness...”

“Is he hurt?” Buffy asked impatiently.

“No, I didn’t taste him, although he has a delicious glow,” Drusilla pouted. “Miss Edith said I was not to touch him. Said he’d make me burn from the inside. Holy water in the veins.” She looked at Dawn. “Not like the pretty green one.”

Dawn edged further behind Teal’c’s considerable bulk. Jack caught the motion and frowned slightly. Something was happening and he hadn’t the slightest clue what it was.

“It’s shiny, too. Too much power,” the vampire whimpered suddenly.

“Is it me, or is she a little off her rocker?” Jack asked out of the corner of his mouth.

“She is,” Buffy said. Her eyes narrowed. “What do you want, Dru?”

“I want my Spike back.”

“He’s dead,” Buffy said flatly, her face a blank mask.

The vampire snarled. “I know. Made him get his shiny soul. Nasty, evil.”

“I didn’t make him do anything. He chose to fight for it all by himself.”

“Because you stole him from me.”

“If you weren’t such a skanky ho he wouldn’t have been looking in the first place,” Buffy shot back.

“I’m not the only one who’s more than a little confused by this conversation am I?” Sam asked.

“Indeed, you are not,” Teal’c said, watching the slayer and the vampire. “It appears they share some history.”

“None of it good,” Dawn whispered from behind him.

Teal’c turned regarded Dawn with curiosity. She smiled nervously and gestured for him to keep an eye on Drusilla.

“Then where is William? Or has he found something effulgent?” Drusilla was saying.

Buffy opened her mouth to answer, but stopped as a perplexed look crossed her face. She looked to the others. “I’m drawing a blank. Effulgent?”

“Bright, shiny, radiant,” Sam supplied.

“Oh, then no. He’s dead.”

Drusilla giggled. “No, he’s not.”

“Yes, he is,” Buffy said softly and Jack was a little surprised to see unshed tears shining in her eyes. “He died saving the world.”

“I know,” Drusilla said with an evil smile. “The stars stopped whispering his name, but they started again.” Her gaze lifted upwards and she clapped her hands in childish joy.

Buffy could see Jack readying himself to grab Daniel while the vampire was distracted. She reached out and laid a restraining hand on his arm. He turned his angry gaze to her and she shook her head.

“I named all of the stars. Spike told me I couldn’t do it, but I did. I can see them all.”

Trying to keep her temper in check, Buffy calmly asked, “Is Spike alive, er, well undead?”

“Miss Edith and the stars say he is. I miss him,” she said sadly, bringing her eyes back to face the blonde slayer.

“Buffy, where did Angel get that amulet Spike wore?” Dawn asked, peering our from behind Teal’c.

“I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out,” she answered, her voice hard as steel. “Drusilla, if you give us Daniel, we won’t hurt you.”

“What?” Faith and Jack exclaimed.

“We can’t let her walk,” Faith argued.

“You’re not leaving a vampire alive in my city,” Jack said.

“She won’t stay here, will you, Dru?”

Drusilla shook her head. “I want to find my Spike. Maybe daddy knows.”

“I want you to understand something, Dru. This is your only get out of jail free card. I’m only doing this out of respect for Spike and how much he loved you.” Buffy set the full force of the slayer in her gaze. “If we ever cross paths again, I’ll kill you.”

“Shiny little slayer. Still doesn’t see what’s before her.” Then she knelt next to Daniel. “Miss Edith says you’d be bad for me and you can’t stay.”

“But Sha’re,” he began.

“Shush, little lamb.” She looked deeply into his eyes and after a moment he blinked in confusion.

“Who are you?” He looked around and saw the others. “When did you guys get here?”

“Daniel, get your ass over here,” Jack said, relieved to see that his friend finally seemed to back with them.

The archaeologist stood and walked over to stand between Jack and Sam. “Umm, guys. What’s going on?”

“We’ll explain later,” Sam said, keeping her gaze on Drusilla.

“Remember what I said,” Buffy reminded her.

“The king of wands is waiting for his queen of swords, but doesn’t know how lost they both are,” Drusilla giggled. “The little green star shines brightly. Next one in danger.”

“I think it’s time to go,” Buffy said.

“With you on that, B,” Faith said, warily eyeing the vampire who slowly spun in circles.

**********

“This definitely goes down as one of my weirder days,” Jack said as they stepped out into the warehouse that Faith’s team had cleared out.

“Indeed, General O’Neill.”

“Do we know what that green thing she kept talking about is?” Sam asked.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Buffy said. “She’s kind of crazy.”

“She looked at Dawn every time she mentioned it,” Sam pressed.

“Drop it,” Buffy said, clenching her jaw.

“Not this time,” Jack said, walking over to her. “I let you drop her background issues, but this seems to be pretty important. What’s going on?”

“This has to do with her background,” Buffy said. “As for everything else, it’s our department. We’ll take care of it.”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “What was all that stuff about Spike and William?”

“Spike and William are the same person, sort of. Drusilla was his sire and they were together for over a hundred years. They split up about four or five years ago,” Dawn explained.

“He died in May saving the world,” Buffy said wearily, her eyes slightly haunted.

“Saving the world? From what?” Daniel asked.

“An ancient entity called The First,” Andrew said dramatically.

“Andrew, don’t start one of your stories or I’m gonna deck ya,” Faith warned.

“Doesn’t matter right now,” Buffy said, walking to the door. “We need to leave and see an old friend.”

Dawn, Faith, and Andrew followed, leaving the members of the SGC standing there.

“That’s it?” Jack called after them. “You’re leaving?”

“We came, slayed the vampires, so we’re outta here,” Faith said, waving bye.

“Call us if you need us again,” Buffy said before she shut the door behind them.

Jack turned to Sam and Daniel. “I want you guys to find out everything you can on someone named Spike or William. Access their computers if you have to. Plus, find out who this Angel is. I think he’s involved somehow. Lastly, find out where they’re going. Something’s going on and I want to know what it is.”

~finis~

To the sequel... No Rest For The Weary