Unholy Alliance by Jaho

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Joss owns all. Just taking them for a little spin where he left off.
Distribution: Forever Faith: /mysticmuse.net/faith
The Mystic Muse: /mysticmuse.net
All others, please ask first.
Feedback: Feed my feedback demon!! Do it now! Now I say! LOL.
Spoilers: Post Season 7.
Author's Note: Set roughly 8 months after Lady Killer but has nothing to do with that story.
Pairing: Buffy/Faith

Summary: The Slayers make a deal that may cost them more than they bargained for.

They slowly walked down the ramp of stairs that had been rolled up to the plane's door, looking around.

"The weather here is on par with the hospitality, I see." Faith said. She'd had a run in with an English stewardess. Buffy had to hold her back from slugging the bitch in the face.

Buffy, it seemed, was the only one capable of talking her girl down when she got really angry. Well, Buffy and Dawn. Faith was very fond of Dawn so she usually listened to her, as well. Faith was a spitfire, though. Full of emotion and passion, that Buffy sometimes wished she possessed, herself.

The whole gang walked down the stairs after them. Dawn, Willow, Kennedy and Giles. Xander had stayed behind in New Orleans. He had gotten an incredible job that paid him some pretty good money as the supervisor of a construction crew. When it came down to it, a stable life was what Xander deserved. Plus he had a girlfriend now.

Neither Buffy nor Faith liked her, but if he was happy so be it. Same way with Anya; nobody really cared for her either. But the guy needed some stability and happiness. So, when Giles had suggested going to England to rebuild the Watcher's Council, they had suggested that Xander stay behind with his new and stable life.

Xander was the most surprised when Angel had called and Buffy said that he wanted to speak to him. He took the phone, wondering what the hell Angel would want to talk to him for.

It seemed that some years ago, Wolfram and Hart had procured a new hand for an employee named Lindsey. Angel offered him a similar deal. The vampire had heard about what happened to Xander and decided to let all old grudges lie. He invited Xander to L.A., at his own expense.

"Hey look at me. Fancy new eye guy." Xander said, before Buffy jumped into his arms and hugged him.

"Tell you the truth, I'm pretty happy for me too. At least I have depth perception again."

That had been six months ago. After that, he had landed both a sweet job and a pretty hot girlfriend. Her name was Danielle and she was really good to him. Still though, Buffy and Faith never liked her. That seemed to be the pattern with Xander's girlfriends.

They all exited the plane, gathering at the terminal where their passports had to be checked. Another of Angel's gifts was giving Faith a free identity again. Seems that a big stony demon blocking out the sun, made some people forget that she had escaped from prison. Angel used Wolfram and Hart's connections to completely clear Faith's name. At least her old name.

She preferred to be called 'Faith Summers' now. And she had the ID and passport to show it.

Showing their passports, Buffy and Faith walked with the rest of the gang to the spot where they could get some rental cars. Having that information and getting the keys, they walked to their cars and drove to Giles' England manor.

Darius looked down wistfully at the pile of dust that had once been one of his long time compatriots.

"About an hour ago, my lord." One of the vampires that flanked him stepped up. "We were hunting when the Camhrac hoard attacked us."

Darius hung is head and closed his eyes. He knew what decision must be made, but he was reluctant to make it. However, these attacks on his people required more than he was able to give alone.

"Summon them. Prepare the papers for truce." He said, void of emotion before he turned to walk back to his lair.

The rest of his pack that had been surrounding him looked at each other in a mixture of awe and desperation. There hadn't been a truce between the vampires and the Slayer in over 400 years. But, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Buffy had decided, after unpacking, to take their car and go into town. Giles' ranch was just on the outskirts of Newcastle, and Buffy wanted to get out and blow off steam.

"Sure thing B!" Faith had answered enthusiastically when Buffy asked if she wanted to go out. Faith couldn't wait for the chance to go out and shake her ass, especially with her sexy little girlfriend. Just watching the blonde's ass sway back and forth on any dance floor was enough for her. Buffy started to get ready, dressing in her usual. Skin tight jeans and a tank top. At least Faith had rubbed a little of her fashion sense on her girl. But still, Buffy had the ability to make any piece of clothing look amazing.

Faith was sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're friggin' gorgeous, do you know that?"

"Huh?" Buffy looked back over her shoulder, grinning. "You're feeling very complimentary."

"As long as I'm with you." Faith stood and continued to get ready, still admiring Buffy's body.

There was a club in Newcastle, called 'Right Time'. After two passes, they had stopped the car and decided to walk the rest of the way to the well-lit nightclub. Neon and hard lights were everywhere. Apparently this was a very popular place.

Buffy was surprised when Willow hadn't wanted to come along. Actually, it really wasn't that surprising. With the amount of books that Giles had in his library, she was amazed that the redhead hadn't broken into joyful tears.

They walked along the street together, passing a few scattered alleyways. When they were just beginning to past the last alleyway before reaching the club, each heard a scant whisper.

"Slayers..." the voice rang again. The dark figure retreated slightly, his hands outstretched in a position of submission. "I haven't come to fight! Please just listen."

The two girls hesitated slightly, stopping their advance on the vampire who stood before them but still keeping their stances.

The, still darkly shadowed, vampire knelt to one knee extending his right hand. In it was a parchment scroll that had been sealed with a waxen imprint. "To give you this."

Buffy took the paper from his hand, cracking the seal and stepping back into the lighted area of the alley so she could read the elaborate calligraphy.

The vampire race of England proposes talk of a temporary truce between the vampires and the Slayers, in order to fight a common threat. Past experience would dictate that we meet at a neutral location to discuss terms.

"Baby..." Buffy said. "I think our night out just got cancelled. We need to show this to Giles."

"It's unusual but not entirely unheard of." Giles said, rubbing the lenses of his glasses as he leaned up from the parchment scroll. "There have been two times in the recorded history of the Watchers that a proposal for a truce has been made."

He got up from his chair and rounded the table, leaning on it and facing the group.

"Well, the details of each situation are very sketchy. However, one thing that is blatantly clear as that both times, it was a very dire time. If the vampires are offering a temporary alliance then things here must be much worse than I had thought."

"I think it would be wise. If for no other reason than to assess what the situation is, that has them willing to go to this extreme." Giles sighed. "Whatever it is, we're going to know about it sooner or later anyway. Plus they obviously know where to find you girls."

Darius sat alone in his chambers in a large wooden chair that had been carved for him by one of the finest Italian craftsmen of the 17^th century. He hung his head, sighing.

"My lord... ?" One of his concubines came close to him, putting her hand on his arm.

The 1000-year-old vampire lord looked up at her. "How did it come to this Marina? It doesn't seem that there is any hope any more."

"You're doing what you must, my lord. Try to get some rest, please?" He sighed again, absentmindedly running his fingers through his shoulder length white hair. His mind was troubled thinking over the events of the past 6 months.

So much death. Even more than he, as a vampire was willing to bring. For over 600 glorious years he had led this clan with a firm but skilled hand and intellect. Now it seemed that everything was falling apart.

"I can't believe this is happening." Buffy said, snuggling into Faith's shoulder and slipping an arm around her waist. Faith reciprocated by wrapping her arms around the small blonde and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I know. It's really fucked up. But I know we'll get through it. We always do." She smiled down at her girl.

"Just the truth." Buffy leaned up and kissed her brunette companion, slowly sliding her hand up to rest on her breast lightly. She parted Faith's mouth with her tongue, hearing the brunette moan into her mouth as their tongues explored each other.

"Damn, B. What are you on? Kennedy hook you up with some Ecstasy or something? "

Buffy laughed softly. "No silly. Just letting tonight be tonight. I planned on going out with my girl and then coming home and having a little roll around type fun. I got jipped on the going out. But I'm not missing out on this."

The blonde leaned down for another kiss. Faith pushed her back, moving on top of her and never losing contact between their mouths.

Buffy smiled up at her, hesitating just a moment as their mouths separated. "Say it, please?"

"Goody." Buffy brought her girl down into a warm embrace. "Who do you want to go first?"

Buffy smiled, nibbling her bottom lip as she slowly made her way into Faith's favorite position. She pressed her breast lightly into the brunette's mouth, feeling the warmth of her tongue surrounding her nipple. Faith's fingers worked lightly between her legs, testing her wetness. From experience, she knew that Faith wouldn't give her release until she was almost ready to pop.

Buffy moaned lightly, her eyes closed, just rolling on the sensation that her girl was giving her. Faith's fingers worked gently into her wetness as she nibbled and licked lightly at each of Buffy's nipples, bringing the most intoxicating sounds from her.

"Oh Faith... Faithy. I love you... I love you." She chanted over and over as her mantra, while her arousal was driven higher and higher. Her hips trembled and her breath came in ragged gasps.

"Are you close?" Faith looked up at her girlfriend's face. Buffy only nodded in compliance, gasping for breath. The brunette immediately responded, "Now. I want it."

Buffy scrambled up over Faith, kneeling just over her face and feeling herself held tight around her waist. Her hips bucked as she felt Faith's tongue on her, penetrating right to her center. It didn't take Faith's skilled tongue very long to bring her girl groaning over the edge and letting a small gush of liquid into her mouth.

The blonde knelt above her resting her weight on both hands as she caught her breath. Just like always. Faith loved to see her girl this way, staring down at her and caressing her body.

Buffy slowly worked her way down her lover's body, snuggling against her tightly. She kissed her girl, tasting herself softly on Faith's lips. "Mmm... " she moaned, smiling lightly. "You now?"

The five of them approached warily, facing the vampires. Each group was in a line, flanked evenly. In Buffy's group she was in the middle, Faith to her left and then Kennedy. To her right, Willow then Giles.

It was the verge of dusk and the vampires hadn't disappointed by being late. There were a total of nine. One central figure flanked on each side by four more that varied in appearance. Their appearances ranged from middle Victorian style to biker-esque attire.

"It would appear we are." , the middle figure said, a slight smile on his face. "Shall we address protocol or just get down to business?"

"Fine then." He began to pace back and forth as he spoke. "Slayers... the world of the supernatural has certain laws. Do you know what happens when you break those laws?"

"You think I'm being humorous. But I'm very serious." Darius hesitated "Roughly six months ago, my clan encountered a demon that was unlike any other that we had ever faced. It was brutal and animalistic. From what we can determine it was a product of a chance breeding between a Fyoral demon and a Shih-Raga. We call them Camhrac. It's an ancient Gaelic word that means death."

"So? Some new demon. Kick its ass and move on." Buffy said. Still not impressed.

"From what we've heard, the little buggers were so anxious to get out of the mother that they clawed their way out from the inside. You should be a little more concerned than you are with this information."

"Good. So why shouldn't we let them kill all of you and then just take them out."

"Timeline." Darius said. "They seem to breed and come to maturity with incredible speed. By the time they kill off our kind, there will be too many of them for even all of the Slayers to stop. Oh and did I mention that they prefer vampires but will eat anything? When my kind are gone where do you think they will go to next?"

"Mark my words. The entire human race... nay, every living thing will die. And when they are done... if they are hungry enough, they will start to feed on the earth itself. Like I have been saying Slayer, like it or not we need each other. We can work together and wipe them out now, or there is no hope left."

They all looked between one another, contemplating what they had just been told.

"That, it would seem, is what we are here to discuss." Darius said. "I propose complete peace between our kind until this is resolved."

"Agreed." Giles said, realizing the severity of the situation. The girls looked at him. "It's ok. They will abide. It's tradition."

"When it's over, life... or unlife as normal resumes. You must realize the severity that we are facing here. Otherwise we would have never come to you." The white haired vampire looked up at the group. "So, do we agree?"

The entire group looked at Buffy as she began to speak. "First, we lead. When we hunt these things, your people take orders from us."

"Second, for the entire time of our 'truce', hunting season is off. I don't care where you get your blood. Hospitals... blood banks... I don't care. None of your pack hunts humans."

His entire brood looked at Darius as he slowly stroked his chin, contemplating what to say next. "Agreed on one condition. I only control my clan. Other vampires are not mine to control."

"Hey, I watched 'Devil's Advocate' quite a few times when I was hot for Keanau Reeves." The blonde whispered back. Then she stood back up straight, waiting for the Vampire leader's answer.

"We agree." The leader made his decision. "Tomorrow evening my emissaries will meet with you and the Watcher, to share information. I'm sure he would be most interested." The white haired figure motioned to Giles.

"Indeed." The Englishman answered, looking warily at the hoard before them. He knew that they were ready in case this was some type of trick. The girls were armed and Willow had quite a few offensive spells prepared, in case she needed to use them.

The vampire lord stepped forward. "Tomorrow evening, then." He bowed deeply and quickly turned, walking away with his long cloak flowing behind him. Then, two by two, the flanking members of his group followed behind him.

"So what does everybody think?" Buffy asked, sitting down at the large research table in Giles' library.

Faith propped her feet up on the table, Giles casually walking by and brushing them off again. She gave him her usual look. "They're gonna fuck us the first chance they get, B."

"You know there's only one reason they came to us. They're fuckin' piss scared because they ain't the top of the food chain anymore."

"Well yeah." Willow intoned. "But if this new type of demon really is as dangerous as they say, it would be in everyone's best interest to work with them. Wouldn't it? I mean the leader was right, if you mess with supernatural laws and start crossbreeding demons... really bad stuff could happen. Just like he described."

Giles stood at the end of the table. "You're right. All of you are right. There is no doubt that this is going to be a very risky endeavor, but we have to maintain our roles and be careful. I'll do some research tonight on both Fyoral demons and Shih Raga. Find out what their mutual weaknesses might be. That way we may have some strategy as to how to destroy the hybrids."

"Okay Giles. I'll be back in a bit to help you." Buffy stood "I wanna go check on Dawn and give her the sitch."

Dawn was in the kitchen when they found her. They gave her the basic rundown of everything, reassuring her all along that everything would be all right.

"I still can't believe you're doing this Buffy. I mean it just sounds like such a risk." Dawn said. The all stood around the counter, snacking intermittently on the frozen pizza that the young girl had prepared.

"Of course it's risky Runt." Faith said through a mouthful of food. "We're at risk every day."

Buffy lightly punched Faith in the shoulder for talking with a gross mouthful of food. She hated that. Faith just looked at her and winked, not caring.

"But you guys are Slayers. Isn't it against the rules to go partnering up with vampires?"

"Well, " Buffy shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first rule I've broken regarding vampires. What's one more?" They both knew what she meant. Both the Angel love affair and the miserable Spike ordeal.

"Look... Dawn." Buffy said, putting a hand on the 18 year old's "I promise that this will all work out ok? When it's done, we'll go right back to killing vampires ok?"

"Yeah." Faith added. "And you know how much I love your big sis here. I'll always keep a good eye on her. Pinky swear."

Faith offered out her extended pinky and Dawn took it with her own. "Ok. Let's go help Giles then. I can help. Research girl, remember?"

"Damn was that boring or what?" Faith said as she entered their room. "I'm used to stayin' up all night, either slaying or doing the old *uunnh*, but fuck. Reading old dusty books isn't my idea of the nightlife."

The 'uunnh' noise was punctuated by a quick thrust of the hips. There it was. Faith's trademark gesture that always made Buffy grin.

Buffy smiled as she began to disrobe for bed. She loved the fact that Faith and Dawn had grown so close. "You really love her don't you?"

"Hell yeah." Faith settled back against the pillows on her side of the bed. "What's not to love? She's my buddy, and it's good to have a friend."

"Good. You have no idea how happy that makes me." She continued to get undressed while Faith watched intently. Buffy looked up at her.

"Nuh uh." Buffy stood up crossing her arms across her chest and covering her breasts from Faith's prying eyes.

"Yep, and I'm looking forward to it. But it's not fair that you still have all your clothes on." She still stood defiantly with her hands over her chest.

Buffy watched while still disrobing, as Faith unbuttoned and shirked off her jeans to reveal her normal lack of undies. Her mouth watered at the sight of her shaven prize.

When they were both finally unclothed, Faith rushed into her. Holding her close around the waist she kissed her long and deep, both growing hot with passion. Finally their kiss ended for literal need of oxygen, and Faith pushed her away.

The dark Slayer made a sultry show of walking to the bed and sitting on its edge, grinning at her girl.

"Now for that spanking... " Buffy grinned, crossing the room and obediently crawling over her girlfriend's lap and lying face down.

The two girls awoke slowly, the sunlight streaming through the lace curtains of their room. Buffy leaned her head up from Faith's shoulder to find the brunette's eyes already open.

"Hey back." This was their morning ritual. Faith sat patiently and waited for Buffy to wake up, just to say hello.

"Right now? About how damned cute you are, next about how we need to get something to cover those damned windows so we can sleep longer." Both of them always awoke at the first hint of sunlight and, being Slayers, that wasn't always enough to give them enough rest.

"We will." Buffy leaned down to kiss her girl who accepted gladly. "So should we get dressed?"

"I guess." A still unrested Faith answered, unable to sleep anymore. They both got up and began to get dressed. Today they would definitely have to go out and buy some poster board or something to cover the windows.

"I guess we should go see Giles." Buffy said, pulling on the g-string that Faith loved for her to wear and then her jeans.

"Yeah." Faith responded by sitting up and starting to pull on her own clothing. Buffy rushed to her, stopping her hands at her knees and kneeling before her.

"I didn't say we had to see him right now." Her sheepish grin was enough to convince her lover to stay unclothed. Buffy kissed each of Faith's thighs gently. The brunette could feel the heat from Buffy's touch and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"Mmmm.... You are so convincing." Faith moaned as she lay on the bed, feeling Buffy slide the jeans from her calves. She was left, largely unsatisfied last night. Buffy had passed out at the fifth orgasm so she had snuggled against her girlfriend and gone to sleep with her. Now, her arousal renewed, she needed some relief.

"Oh God, B... " Faith whispered as she felt the blonde Slayer's mouth on her inner thigh, getting closer and closer to the center of her need. Buffy spread her girlfriend's legs and inched closer to Faith's needing sex.

Faith's breath hitched in her throat as Buffy's tongue crept closer. Buffy's fingers were already working on her, spreading Faith's lips and rubbing gently as she licked the area just above her girl's need. Leaning her head back, Faith let herself roll on sensation as the blonde Slayer's tongue slipped lower... lower than necessary. A broad grin spread on the brunette's face when she knew where Buffy was headed. Her girl knew what she needed.

Buffy's tongue delicately slipped between the cheeks of her ass, begging entrance into Faith's most intimate space.

"Oh yeah... " the brunette groaned, as Buffy's tongue probed her back entrance, slowly rimming her. She held a soft handful of Buffy's hair as the blonde licked up and down.

My girl knows just what I like, Faith thought as she rolled on sensation alone. She felt Buffy's fingers enter her as she continued to lick at the forbidden spot. Two fingers. Just what the dark Slayer needed. Faith's hips bucked forward, needing more of Buffy's sweet touch on her body.

The blonde held her face close to Faith's bottom as she fingered slowly. She knew, from experience that Faith was getting close. Very close. So she stopped.

"Only what you like baby." Buffy said, withdrawing her fingers from Faith's sex, coated in sweet liquid. The blonde only moved her hand the slightest bit and pressed against Faith's ass. From the combination of Faith's arousal and Buffy's sweet ministrations the middle finger slid into her easily.

Buffy moved her face up to Faith's center, licking and sucking on her girlfriend, slowly sliding her finger in and out as she licked.

Faith's body rocked with pleasure and she held both hands behind Buffy's head, riding her orgasm to its hilt.

"Oh God B... " she whispered, coming down from her physical high. "Come here. Now baby"

"Great job." Faith said, holding her lover tighter and still catching her breath. "I love you, B. You are a dream come true."

"Over here." The Englishman said, standing up from his latest stack of books. When they saw him they walked over and sat down.

"No, but I've found quite a few things. They aren't all good." Giles came down from the ladder that he was using to check his top shelf.

"It would seem... " the Englishman started. "...that the two types of demon have bred their own weaknesses away."

Giles lay an open book in front of them. "From what I can tell, both demons have polar opposite weaknesses. The Shi-Raga has an affliction to weapons forged of pure iron, and the Fyoral are immune. The Fyoral have a dislike for silver. That also has been bred out, as the Shi-raga are immune to that particular metal."

"In it's own way yes. There is only one common weakness that each breed shares."

"Sunlight. The same weakness that the creatures you are fighting side-by-side with have."

"This isn't the type of thing that I like to have permeating my life." Buffy said.

"I know." Giles nodded. "But if this is serious, we have to consider every option. Even this one."

Buffy looked down, considering all that was available to them. Both the Slayers looked up at the same time.

Darius' eyes opened slowly at almost the precise moment of sundown. Even here in their secret haven, far beneath the earth, the vampire lord sensed the waning of the sun.

He sat up, his eyes adjusting quickly, and rose from his large canopy bed that was adorned with shades of scarlet and gold. Then he turned gracefully and glanced down again at his bed, lovingly looking over the bodies of the two vampire maidens that lay holding each other in slumber.

With a slow movement of his hand, he moved the air back and forth over each one, in kind, as if he were caressing first one and then the other without actually touching them. Then he dropped to one knee and rested both elbows on the mattress as he watched first Marina and then Bethany open their eyes and yawn as if awakening naturally from a restful slumber.

"Good evening, Darius." The raven haired, Marina said to him. She was the oldest of all his surviving progeny, having been only the fourth vampire that he had ever made, and she was also his very favorite. Even after all this time.

He smiled at the two of them fitfully and stood to prepare himself for the night's events. He gathered and slipped on his usual clothing; long sleeved shirt, plain trousers, and his long coat/cloak, which was the only part of his wardrobe that could be considered extraordinary. It hung almost to his ankles and was made of the finest crushed velvet, brocaded in gold down each side.

Having dressed themselves, his two maidens came to attend him. Bethany brushing his long white hair while Marina retrieved some of the soot from last night's burned out fireplace.

She held the small handful of black soot in front of him, occasionally dabbing her fingers into it and applying it to his exposed skin. When this was done, he vaguely resembled a human albino.

In his state of undeath, his skin was beyond pale from lack of sunlight. It was so white that it was almost luminous, even in total darkness. Therefore the slight layer of blackness was added to hide that feature and to bring back some semblance of what all vampires enjoyed as their greatest weapon. The ability to pass for human.

Shortly thereafter there was a knock on the door of Darius' private chamber, and Bethany crossed the room to answer. The door opened and two male vampires entered reverently, bowing deeply and giving respect, first to their lord and then to both of his mistresses in turn.

"Marcus... Olivier... " their leader nodded his head slightly to each. "Have all the preparations been made?"

"Yes my lord." Marcus bowed. "All the information that we have collected thus far on the Camhrac has been collected within one journal."

"Excellent. You should move to make your appointment then." The ancient vampire moved to sit in his handcrafted chair, being handed a book of poetry written by Grainer, by the brunette female.

"My lord... " The younger vampire said, prompting Darius to turn once again to see him. "This truce. It would... it would seem to be the perfect opportunity to draw out both of our enemies and destroy them."

"I only mean... bringing the Slayers so close... and not taking the opportunity to weaken and destroy them as well. Is that truly your plan? Why not destroy all of our natural enemies in one fell swoop?"

"Because that is not the way it is done, Marcus." The older vampire said. "You have been my right hand for how long?"

Marcus lowered his gaze to the ground. "That if we lose are traditions, we lose what we once were."

"And... If we lose what we once were, how do we even know what we are?" Darius turned his back once again to walk to his seat.

"But Sire... " Marcus moved as if to put a hand on his master's shoulder and Darius spun on his heel quickly.

"Do as I say Marcus!!! " His eyes flashed red with anger and his voice was not much more than a bestial roar. Marcus' eyes opened wide with fear. After a moment, he dropped to one knee, his head held low in submission.

Closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself, the vampire lord moved a step forward and placed a hand on Marcus' head caressing his blonde hair.

The elder turned again, not bothering to meet either Marcus' or Olivier's eyes as they exited his chambers.

"Foolish old traditions!" Marcus spat after the door had closed. "They are as out-dated as he is."

"Don't worry... " Marcus said after a deep breath. "We'll make him see. We can't move against the Slayers without his consent. Come now. We have to meet our 'allies'. "

They both walked up the passage that led to both the surface and their agreed meeting point with the Slayers.

Kennedy paced back and forth, absentmindedly twirling a stake in her left hand. It was well after sundown "They're late."

"Would you sit down already, Ken? Yer makin' me nervous here." Faith said, and the other raven-haired Slayer sat down beside her, back against a large oak.

"They'll be here, if they're really serious." Buffy said. "If not, it's business as usual and we hunt them down too."

No sooner had the blonde uttered those words, than four dark figures made their way from the unnatural mist that had only begun to thicken in Willingham Park. "There... " Buffy pointed.

All four girls rose from their cross legged positions upon the grass and stood at the ready as the vampire males approached.

"I knew you guys weren't much on timeliness. " Buffy said confidently. "How do you do with honesty? Can we be square?"

The vampire that Buffy took as the obvious leader spoke. "You can be sure that our clan is most sincere."

All of them contemplated his statement for a few moments, looking back and forth between each other. "What do you offer as proof of that?" Willow asked.

"Only this." Marcus held a leather bound journal for everyone to see. "Even our own kind have never seen this."

"Ooh... a book. " Buffy said, sarcastically. "Well pack my bags and book my trip."

The figure moved forward and handed the book to the small blonde Slayer. "It contains all the information that we have gathered about every confrontation with the Camhrac. My leader commands that I present it to you."

"Yes. My name is Marcus and I am my lord's right hand. If any word comes from me, you may be certain it is from his own mouth."

"Last night... " Marcus fired, trying to keep his voice calm. His eyes narrowed. "...was a gesture of peace. Darius hardly ever leaves his chambers anymore. You should take that as a complement."

"Kennedy... !" Buffy held her hand up to silence the young Slayer, and Willow put her arm around the spitfire.

"So'K." the blonde intoned, not losing her eye contact with the advancing vampires. "How do we know that what's in this book is true? Not just some bloodsucking fantasy or heresay? When do we get to find out what's real about this supposed 'great threat' ? "

All eight figures turned, both vampires and Slayers, to face the on-coming group of shadowy figures that had been advancing upon them all from flanking positions. There were twenty or more, total.

As the group of demons sprung to attack, all of the champions moved to fight against them.

The Slayers dropped into fighting stances, varying from their own individual teachers.

The demons approached them from each side, and as they approached the group got a better look at them. Their skin was white and drawn tightly across their bodies. At first glance they almost passed for humans... almost. But as they got closer, the differences were glaringly obvious. The tattered clothing that hung limply from their bodies gave them away, at least as zombies. But there were more differences that, seeing them up close, set them completely apart as their own race.

The first demon lunged and Buffy caught it, sending it careening over her head into the nearest tree. Its body crashed against the oak as the next opponent charged. It caught her full front and she rolled back finding herself straddling the demon and plunging her dagger into its chest again and again.

The beast convulsed a few times and finally was still, and then the blonde rolled back to her feet and faced her next opponent.

Two of the demons lurched at Faith and she caught one squarely around the waist, rolling with it to the ground and pummeling with her fists. Before she knew it, the other was gripping her from behind and sinking its teeth into her trapezius. Her elbow shot back, hitting the beast square in the jaw and knocking it from her as she felt the blood running down her back.

Kennedy ran forward slicing the demon with her double-edged sword. Its back split open and it roared in pain before spinning quickly and bashing the younger brunette across the chest with its forearm. She was lifted off her feet and sent at least six feet by the impact, but her training took over and she hit the ground in a roll that brought her immediately back to her feet.

Faith continued to wrestle with the demon that was on the ground beneath her; finally gaining the advantage she needed to wrap both hands around its throat and try to choke the beast. It responded by scratching her with its claws along her left shoulder and only a second later Faith felt her head beginning to swim. She fought through the feeling of dizziness and continued to squeeze harder, closing off the creature's air passage. Then she felt herself tackled by another and knocked to the ground.

"Incendre!" Willow shouted drawing her hand back and hurling forward a huge fireball that caught two of the Camhrac with its impact, knocking them back and setting them ablaze. Satisfied, the witch drew back her hand to hurl another but stopped. Her eyes widened as the two creatures she had just hit rolled onto their knees and shook off the flames as .

An arc of bluish energy shot from both hands striking the same two demons and coating them with a thick layer of ice. The witch didn't know if the creatures were actually dead, but at least the frozen block she had encased them in would keep them immobilized for the moment.

Marcus and the three fighters that accompanied him seemed to be at least holding their own for a short while.

The Camhrac attacked in mass, which was their main strength. They also possessed preternatural speed. When they lunged there was next to no chance of getting out of the way. Unfortunately for the vampire warriors, the demons did indeed prefer to feast upon undead flesh. While the three Slayers and the witch were in combat with roughly 7 of the creatures, the rest of the pack had centered in on the living dead.

The four vampires had each drawn weapons, in turn, dropping to face their incredibly aggressive opponents. Marcus and Olivier fought valiantly with several of the beasts up until the point that they heard two loud screams, coming from their own group. They both turned their heads in time to catch one of their companions being dragged off by each leg, screaming and clawing at the ground.

The other was more of a horrifying sight. The blonde vampire, who appeared to be only in his early twenties, screamed as four of the large humanoid demons pinned him to the ground while biting large mouthfuls of his flesh from his bones with their sharp fangs. Muscle and sinew pulled away from bones with sickening pops, until finally one beast plunged his hand into Dimitri's chest and drew out his heart, causing the body to fall into dust.

It roared a howl of victory, turning to run after his fellow fiends and leaving the survivors to regroup, leading the other members of his pack behind them. Eventually, even their silhouettes vanished into the misty air.

They all rolled to their feet, composing themselves and each other, eyes scanning the area for any more potential opponents. The girls and the two male vampires stood, only seeing darkness in their area of the park.

"Not a thing." Faith stood, clutching her left shoulder with her right hand. It was quiet, unnaturally so.

"I don't get it... " Willow said "Why would they just leave? I mean. It looked like they had the upperhand."

"Because they had enough food to carry them through the night." Marcus dusted himself off and straightened his leather coat. "They're like pack animals. Food is their only motivation, and they don't make unnecessary kills."

"What the hell are we dealing with?" Kennedy asked her three companions. Not surprisingly, none of them had an answer. Willow moved toward and put an arm around her.

Marcus moved toward the group of females, noting their individual injuries. You should come with us. We can help with the injuries that you have sustained."

"I... I think I have a broken rib." Kennedy said, clutching her side "But it should be okay by morning." Willow hurried to help her lover.

Blood continued to flow from Faith's shoulder despite the fact that she clutched at it, trying to stifle the bleeding.

"I don't see anything... " the Blonde Slayer said, tearing her own shirt from her own back and applying it to her lover's neck to stifle the bleeding. "Tell me something we don't know."

"You have the opportunity to stop the bastards before they split and hunt on their own." Marcus turned to his remaining companion. "How many were there this time?"

The Vampire considered. "There were only eight when they attacked only 2 nights ago."

"It does not matter what matter what our matter bloodline is." The leader destroyed them.

With the agreement that they would meet back in two hours, the Slayers and Willow departed for Giles' house to get cleaned and bandaged up. Meanwhile the two vampires had departed for their lair, to arrange for the transport and restraint of the two creatures, just in case they were still alive when thawed.

"They have more than doubled their numbers since the other night. It seems they are breeding faster now."

"Injured but alive. They fought well." Marcus said. "The witch also managed to capture two."

"Really?" The ancient vampire's brow rose. This had his interest. "Where are they?"

"Frozen my lord. I sent two of the younger to retrieve their bodies and arranged for the upper portion of the lair to contain them. The Slayers will return shortly. Do you really want me to lead them back here?"

"Don't show them the entrance to the lower levels, but yes. I will be in the upper level shortly."

"How does it look?" Faith asked as Buffy dabbed antiseptic cream to the bite wound on her neck.

"The bite is pretty deep. But it looks like it's healing already." The blonde said as she applied the antiseptic ointment to the wound and covered it with gauze. "It should be gone in a few days."

"Me neither baby." Buffy leaned down and captured Faith's lips in a gentle kiss. Then she returned to the job of taping the gauze down to Faith's shoulder.

"Vamps were right about one thing." The brunette said. "They are damn tough. But it's nothing we can't handle." She looked down at the now healing scratch marks along her right upper arm. "This still fucks with my head though. When that thing scratched me, I got way dizzy. Like, get me drunk and take me home, dizzy."

Buffy leaned down and inspected the scratches. "You think it was some kind of poison?"

"There ya go." Buffy said applying the last piece of tape to the gauze. "All patched up, good as new."

Faith stood wrapping her arms around the blonde's petite waist and planted a short kiss on her forehead. "Thanks babe."

"Well it's a good friggin' thing that I'm never gonna have to find out, ain't it you cute little shit"

"You know it. I love when you talk dirty to me." The blonde told her before they melted into each other, Faith's hands caressing slowly down her back and cupping her buttocks. "Easy now dear, we have guests." Buffy said pulling back from the kiss.

"You know if you guys wanted to fool around you could at least close the door." Willow said, leaning against the open door frame.

"Not that it would help." Kennedy chimed in from behind her. "They have the room right next to ours, and neither knows how to keep their voice down."

When the girls got back to the park, Giles in tow, they found the vampire Marcus waiting for them. He was very curt in his demeanor.

"Follow me." Was all he said before turning and leading them to the very edge of the park. They stopped at a large steel grate which was a ventway leading to the sewer system.

"Always. " Faith intoned as the vampire lifted the grate to allow them entrance.

They made their way through a long system of tunnels, until they all finally reached a certain point in the underground system and made a turn into a barely seen walkway that led down a long set of steps.

"You are about to enter a place that not many humans have every been and lived to tell the tale." Marcus said as he pushed a large steel door open and led them into the upper level of the vampire lair.

There were armed guards on either side of the door on the inside. Each brandished automatic weapons. None of the four guards tripped any of the Slayers' senses.

Finally they found themselves at the main hall of the upper level. There was a large cage assembled and one of the Camhrac paced warily back and forth in its confines.

"There were... " The young vampire who watched over the cage said. "They woke up when the ice melted. Finally when they realized that they couldn't get to us, they turned on each other. That one killed and ate the other."

"Yes." Marcus turned his head to address the Slayers and their Watcher. "We've found that their appetite is veracious. We vampires can go for days at a time without feeding. They cannot. They are like drug addicts, and must feed at least every night. Sometimes more."

The beast paced before them, eyeing them and occasionally reaching a claw between the bars and trying to reach one of them, Slayer or vampire.

"It's their metabolism." Marcus answered. "They need to feed constantly. Without food it will probably die by tomorrow."

"What about their claws?" Faith asked. "I nearly passed out when one of them scratched me."

Marcus reached forward with unnatural speed grasping the beast by one wrist. As the demon struggled against his grip, Marcus squeezed the index finger of the beast's hand and a clear liquid oozed out onto his own hand. He lifted his finger to his face and smelled the liquid, drawing his head away almost immediately in disgust.

"A neurotoxin of some kind. Probably meant to immobilize their victims while they feed."

"Deal with it." Buffy said. "We're gonna get the upperhand on these bastards. One way or the other."

"Good girl." Faith said, snuggling her arms around Buffy. "I've gone through enough shit to finally be here."

"Happy. I never really knew what that word meant, yunno? Not in my whole life. I just kinda existed. Floated around place to place, killing vamps and shit."

"Occasionally, hell yeah. After a good fight, or a hell of an orgasm." Faith said grinning. "But that shit's temporary, the happy part goes away after a while."

"Well, a certain blonde finally fell for my feminine charms and realized that I'm the hottest bitch on the planet."

"See there, that's why I love you. " Buffy said, rolling over to face the brunette. "You're just so suave."

"And don't you friggin' forget it." Faith smiled drawing the blonde's mouth to her own. Buffy's hand slipped down her back and gently trailed across her thigh, her kiss growing urgent with passion.

"Easy tiger." Faith said, pulling back slightly. "We have a real simple agreement. You're in charge on the battlefield, and I'm in charge in the bedroom."

"Always." Faith said, pushing the small blonde back against the headboard, kissing her way from her neck to her breasts. Buffy moaned loudly as the brunette's nimble fingers touched gently along her inner thighs, trailing toward but staying carefully away from her center. Faith knew the just the right combination of touches and sensations to play the older Slayer's body like a harp, always eliciting the perfect symphony of pleasure.

Buffy's breath came in ragged gasps, her hands tangled in her bedmate's raven tresses. Her body was on fire and she needed desperately to be quenched. She felt a shiver run through her body as Faith nuzzled her neck and whispered against her skin, the close proximity of her lover driving her even crazier. "Are you ready, baby?"

Buffy gently bit her bottom lip in anticipation as she repositioned herself on the bed, slipping off her lace panties and settling onto her back. Faith's eyes slowly moved between the blonde's legs.

"Mmm... " The younger girl purred, running her fingers along Buffy's slit and lifting them to her mouth. "There's the good stuff."

It seemed impossible but the blonde got even wetter at the sight of Faith tasting and savoring her juices. "You know that drives me wild."

Faith only nodded sliding her body between the older girl's legs, feeling them open and wrap around her. Starting at her navel she kissed and trailed small circles down Buffy's body until she finally settled between the blonde's legs, her mouth watering at the sight of her tasty treat. Finally, after what seemed like ages to Buffy, she slid her tongue inside of her and felt the flavor flood into her mouth. Finally centering on her clit, Faith wetly caressed it back and forth.

"Oh God Faith, that's so good." Buffy moaned softly slipping a hand to the side of her girlfriends face, the expert ministrations driving her closer and closer to her release.

When she came it was like a lightning bolt shot through her, leaving her body soaring out of control. Finally her spasms grew less frequent and less intense and she was left catching her breath with her eyes closed. When her lids finally fluttered open her girlfriend's face was above her, grinning from ear to ear.

"God yes." She said pulling Faith to her, tasting her own flavor on the brunette's lips.

The brunette's hand casually strayed between Buffy's legs feeling the ample amount of wetness with her fingertips. She moaned into her girlfriend's mouth, kissing her deeply and letting their tongues explore one another. Faith's middle and ring fingers entered easily, curling upward to hit the G-spot and letting the pad of her palm put just the right pressure on Buffy's clit with each gentle thrust inward.

"Mmm... Faith." Buffy gasped, clinging to the younger girl. She held tightly to Faith gasping occasionally into her mouth while feeling her fingers drive her wild.

The second orgasm hit as a complete surprise, separating her lips from her lover's to scream her release, once again ending in the contented rise and fall of her chest.

"You make me so hot." Faith said to her, gently brushing stray hairs away from her face with delicate movements of her fingers. When she finally caught reality again, Buffy answered.

"I guess they can't sleep either." Willow laughed, hearing the second prolonged scream muffled slightly by the wall that separated their rooms.

"Like I said before. Neither can keep their voice down." Her dark haired bedmate said, grinning.

They sat in silence for a while, occasionally kissing and snuggling back into each other.

"Me too." Kennedy answered. "It's not easy to find happiness. Even in a normal life, much less one of ours."

"Nope. Once in a lifetime if you're lucky. Much less two." The redhead drew Kennedy to her, kissing her deeply. Her own tongue intertwining and mixing with the soft wetness of Kennedy and the warm steel nub that pierced the center of brunette's tongue.

Through everything she had been through with all of the gang, Willow had never forgotten Tara. Her lover and best friend. But after a time with the brunette that lay in her arms she had realized that a person doesn't have to forget the past to embrace the present. The memory of the blonde witch would be with her until the day she died. However, thinking back on her, Tara would never have wanted her to be bitter or alone forever.

Willow lay in bed every night wondering whom she would spend eternity with when she finally left this world. Would it be Kennedy or would it be Tara? Who knew? But, in the life she had chosen, she was willing to accept any happiness that was given to her.

She held the younger girl against her body, enjoying the feeling of their naked flesh pressed against each other. The heat between Willow's legs grew, dampening her opening as the brunette's fingers danced between her thighs.

"God Willow." Kennedy gasped between kisses, trailing her tongue gently down her neck and to the redhead's navel. Slowly, lower and lower toward the smooth prize that Willow kept shaven. Groaning loudly as Kennedy's finger entered her.

"Yeah baby." Kennedy said roughly as she fingered the older girl. "Let's give 'em back some of their own medicine."

Willow could tell that the brunette was incredibly excited. And, from experience, she loved to give pleasure. That was a definite bonus.

"Fuck Ken... " she vaguely heard herself moan. "Yes baby!" She screamed as the first orgasm took her in its grasp, her body spasming over and over.

Slowly she groaned the brunette's name. "We need to get some sleep." The redhead said. "Dawn is our wake up call."

Willow's eyes closed sleepily as Kennedy snuggled against her. "God, you were fantastic."

"I um... I love you too. Willow. Let's let this conversation go back to, vacationing for min?

The brunette rephrased her statement. "Look I just meant... I know you love Buffy. She's your best friend, so you want to stay with her and the rest of the group. I just wish all of us didn't have to fight all the time. It's all we ever do."

"Ken... " the redhead began "That's because it's what you were meant to do. You're a Slayer now. "

"You know I used to wonder why Buffy didn't retire after Sunnydale. There are like what, a hundred different Slayers now? But she does it because she's one of the people who can."

"Sometimes I think Slayers are like mini-Hellmouths. They attract weirdness wherever they go, because they are the ones who can fight it."

"Equals three times the weird." The redhead held her girlfriend tighter, thinking deeply for a while. "Do your parents still have that house in Singapore?"

"When this is all over, how about you and me take a few weeks away? Just the two of us?"

Kennedy smiled. "That sounds awesome. I'd love to." She leaned up and kissed her lover again, then snuggled into her shoulder.

They got a fitful few hours sleep before being awakened by the knock at their door.

Buffy knocked on the door to the vampire's lair at about an hour before dawn. The small window in the steel door opened and a pair of eyes looked out at her and her group.

The small window closed and they could hear a mechanical movement behind the door. Then it opened. None of the guards said a word to her as the five of them entered.

They entered slowly, all of them keeping an eye on the human guards that flanked the doorway. Moving past the guards, they were greeted by three of the Master's brood. Marcus was not among them.

"Good evening." The closest one said. "I've been instructed to show all of you to the preparation area."

Tentatively they all looked at each other and followed the vampire's lead, warily keeping their senses keen. They walked down a long hallway, Buffy first then Faith followed by Kennedy then Willow. Giles made to follow the rest but felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Watcher... " The younger vampire said. "My Lord asks that you come this way, while the Slayers prepare. He wishes to meet you very much."

The whole group stopped. Buffy, in particular, looked back at Giles. After a few moments of silence, he replied curiously. "Alright then."

Buffy nodded and continued down the dank hallway, with Faith and Kennedy while Willow headed off with Giles. She was wary, but felt confident that her Watcher and the Wiccan could handle anything that came against them.

"Rupert Giles." Darius stood from his chair and motioned to a chair beside him at the large table to which he was at the head. Giles entered the room of what appeared to be a large library.

"Darius the Destroyer." Giles countered with Willow in tow, letting the vampire lord know that he also had done his research.

"Ahh, yes. I remember that title." The ancient vampire said. "But that was a long time ago. I find it true that over the course of years, life or should I say unlife, changes us all."

"Sometimes that is so, yes." Giles said, warily taking a seat and motioning for Willow to sit beside him. The vampire lord looked up at them, strangely looking very tired.

"I'm sure you have an extensive library Rupert. But what I have in this room is completely in your disposal."

"That's kind of you." Giles answered. But he was never one to beat around a subject, when he wanted to know something, and he wanted to know why he was here. "You asked to see me."

"At last report the Watcher's council has of you, you had disappeared and assumed to have been destroyed in the middle of the seventeenth century."

"Yes... " Darius smiled. "A decent writer, but a terrible bore in person." His eyes rose to Willow.

"Oh yes." The vampire said. "I know the name. I hear it whispered in fear by some of the local covens. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you as well."

Willow winced at the statement, knowing that she had permanently ruined her reputation with most of the covens of the world while in her darkened rage to destroy it. She accepted this, just as she accepted the potential power that still lay bound within her.

Darius smiled. "Because I just had to meet the Watcher of the infamous Buffy Summers. The man who helped put a stopper on the Apocalypse. The gatherer of potentials, and one of the few surviving members left of the original Watcher's Council."

"And it's been a long time since I've had some real conversation. Full and mentally filling. Don't you ever feel the same?"

Buffy, Faith and Kennedy entered the main area of the preparation area. It was, by in large, a huge armory. Axes, swords and knives adorned each wall.

"Hello Slayers." Marcus got up to meet them. "I trust you will find everything in order."

Marcus motioned to the five vampires that sat to his left, and began to introduce them.

"This is Sasha and Mitchell." Marcus motioned to the male and female vampires that sat, casually holding each other and staring at the Slayers.

Marcus continued. "Also Kara, Snake and Hammer." He motioned to each one individually. "They relatively young, but they are our most highly trained fighters."

"Hey Slayer." Hammer answered, rising from his seated position. "Looks like we're dancing together this round, eh?"

Buffy and Faith both caught on at the same instant, but Buffy was the first to speak.

"I get it." The blonde said. "You five have been training for quite some time, haven't you?"

The vampire, on the other side of the room was slightly taken aback. "Yes... So... ?"

"So what if we have?" the large vampire said to her, slowly approaching the group of Slayers.

"So it must really yank your chain that you've been training all this time, and now here we are." Faith said smirking. "And now you're all neutered and can't even take a swing."

The vampire growled shifting into game face, and Sasha and Mitchell moved forward, facing down the both the Slayers and their large counterpart, holding him back.

"Is it possible that we kill each other later?" Sasha said, trying to calm her companion. "We are working together now. Darius' commands remember? You don't even want risk angering him at this time Hammer."

"Fine." The vampire said, being dragged away from the fierce gaze that he shared with the brunette Slayer. "Let's get ready."

Unseen in the corner of the room, Marcus smiled at the thought of the conflict he was sure would come.

"Your name is Faith." The brunette heard a small voice from behind her, as she sat at a bench sharpening the business edge of her sword.

She turned her gaze and looked downward. A slight smile softened her features at the sight of the young girl, who in appearance was only seven or eight. She had long blonde hair and wore what resembled a sundress, which was from the style of the turn of the last century.

"That's me." She turned and pointed both thumbs toward herself. "What's your name?"

"Melissa." The smaller female said as Faith put down her sword, hopped off her chair, and went down to one knee.

Faith reached up and grasped the small girl's hand, confirming what her Slayer senses had told her but she didn't want to acknowledge. Cold. Vampire.

"It seems like everyone knows me." Faith said, grinning at the cute child in front of her. "How old are you?"

"Older than you... " the small girl giggled. "And yes, everyone knows you. Both you and your lover are the oldest and most successful Slayers in history."

The words sank in slowly. Then finally, the brunette spoke. "How did you know that me and B... ?"

"It's very obvious." Melissa responded, "Her scent is all over you. When you both passed me in the hallway, it was difficult to tell your smells apart."

The small blonde let out a light smile. "I can be unseen... when I wish to be. It comes with age."

Faith reached behind her and grabbed the sword from the bench, continuing to sharpen it as she talked to the small vampire.

"It's... pretty friggin' cool. A lot better than... " Faith said, instantly catching her words and their connotations. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... "

"Don't be sorry." The seemingly young vampire said to her. "I was very young when I was made. So I really don't remember much about the daylight. My vampire mommy lost a child just before she was made. When she found me, she stole me from my birth mommy and made me."

At this, Faith felt her heart sink. And for one of the few times in her life, her emotional defenses fell.

Faith was still on one knee, caressing the small blonde's locks. "What brings you to me?

"The truth." Then the small vampire began to tell all of her suspicions and thoughts.

Buffy turned around. "There's more to this than we've been told? I know. I'm not stupid."

"There's more. I've been talking to someone down here, and I don't really know why, but I trust her. She told me not to trust Marcus. Ever."

"Yeah. Melissa told me not to trust him. Eyes in the back of your head, girl. OK?"

"Totally" the blonde answered. She was now more aware than she had previously been of who her allies and enemies were. "So this girl. Who is she?"

"Just a member of this particular family of vamps." Faith shrugged. "But she really doesn't trust this guy Marcus. She says that he's trying to take control of the clan."

"Apparently she can see things that other people don't. She can... turn kinda invisible. I don't know how."

Buffy considered for a while. "It's hard, working with them. I know a lot of them hate us."

"I know babe. What do you suggest we do? Keep helping them, or tell them to fuck off? It'd be a lot simpler."

They both sat in silence for a while, milling over the choices that lay before them. Finally Buffy spoke. "Giles seems to trust Darius. Keep an eye on him. As long as Marcus doesn't make a move toward him, we should be safe. We kill the bad guys, just like always."

"Ok babe." Faith nodded her head in agreement, putting an arm around her companion. "Let's kick some ass. Just like we do best."

"So what's the subject?" Giles asked, casually flipping through the book that was open in front of him.

"Sin and redemption... roughly 210 A.D." Giles countered after a brief pause. "An interesting subject, for one such as you."

"Interesting." The living Englishman said. "Would that mean that, after all these years, you have developed a conscience?"

The 1200-year-old vampire considered for a while before it spoke again. "Perhaps we could say that the longer one lives within a body, the more of the original inhabitant begins to emerge."

"A teacher." The ancient vampire lamented. "Now more than ever, I wish nothing more than to give my knowledge to others."

The Slayers had prepared themselves, as well as they could. They were ready to hunt and kill. The troupe of vampires had prepared themselves as well. By sunrise, they had all set out within the sewers and underground tunnels that connected the cities of England.

If there was a place that the Camhrac would use as a nest, the underground would be it.

Willow's head shot up, and a smile spread upon Darius' face. "The Slayers need you, young Rosenberg. You should go to them."

Her gaze instantly went to Giles, who assured her visually that he would be fine. Giles nodded, letting her go to join her companions. He followed the redhead out to the door, shutting it behind her.

"This is a very unused area." Kara said, as the group of nine patrolled the sub terrain's tunnels.

"All the better." Buffy said, taking the lead through the tunnels. Dimly lit through the cavalcade of tunnels, the blonde took point. Her sword was drawn and she was ready for action. However, she sensed nothing. Not a thing tripped her Slayer senses.

In the dark corridor, one of the demons opened its eyes. It sensed something. It was something predatorial. Food. It woke its fellow hunters and began to follow the scent.

In the chasm, the Slayers followed a scent of their own. Their preternatural senses giving them a small edge of the creatures who had dragged off a member of the vampire society as nothing but food. Not that they felt sorry for any vampire, but felt sympathy for and empathy toward any victim of this new threat.

Not even their Slayer senses picked up on the proximity of the demonic presences that surrounded them.

It's time, Buffy panicked as the sounds of attack surrounded her. Time to fight.

The Slayers and Vampires dropped into fighting stances as the hunters surrounded them.

The fighters all dropped low, instantly knowing that they had fallen into a trap.

Their eyes scanned the darkness, catching briefly the shapes of the multiple Camhrac clinging to and crawling along the walls and floor of the tunnel that they found themselves in. Those who had them raised their swords. The demons may not have a weakness toward sharpened steel, but it didn't mean that they couldn't die from it. Enough damage to the central nervous system would surely mean a dead demon, nonetheless.

Buffy dropped low, swinging her sword at the legs of the closest creature that charged forward. The blade hit its shins and it tripped forward, snarling its anger. She twirled the double-edged sword in her hand and plunged it into the demon's chest. The beast trembled roughly in her grip and finally gave up its life.

Faith slashed diagonally across her opponent's chest, felling it to the ground. The creature's scream was no more than a Banshee's abominable wail; it's sound causing the dark Slayer's hands to fly to her ears. Faith tried to shake it off as she watched the beast quickly scurry to its feet again and lunge for her. Skillfully she dodged and slashed out at the thing again, striking its back deeply.

It's animalistic instincts taking over, it began to crawl slowly across the ground in an effort to escape. Faith's first response was to move in and finish it off, but she didn't have the opportunity as to the fact that she had to duck her next attacker.

Willow drew her hand back, her palm open. "Exiamus!!" she yelled, sending the ball of bluish energy that had formed in her open hand into a grouping of advancing creatures. Three were hit, sending them careening back into a far tunnel wall. Knowing what she did of the creatures, she knew that fire or ice spells were of no use in destroying them. So she used only spells that caused displacement or physical force. The three monstrous abnormalities hit the tunnel wall with force, but they recovered quickly only to be struck by a continuation of the same spell that knocked them back again, leaving them motionless on the ground. Willow didn't know if they were unconscious or dead, but she knew the severity of their ambush and continued to cast in spite of the oncoming demons.

The vampiric fighters were just as skilled as anyone suspected, blocking and returning attack from the demons with equal fervor. The band was obviously very skilled.

The large vampire, Hammer, struck with sufficient force to kill a mammoth. Every blow dealt a death strike, his axe penetrating deeply and rending flesh from flesh. In the middle of one of his deadly strikes he was jumped from behind and knocked to the ground by one of the faster Camhrac. The hugely muscled vampire struggled in the demon's grasp and felt his leg being bitten by another. The creature took a large hunk out of his thigh before Hammer swung his arm down and smashed it away with the business end of his axe.

The blade caught the side of the offending creature's head and split bone and brain. It dropped dead at the blow. Several other of the demonic hybrids began to run at the sight of one of their comrades being slain so easily. Their instincts being what they were, the first thought they had was to run at the sight of such a predator.

When the battle was done, the Slayers, witch, and vampires stood and regained themselves.

The group looked around, surveying what damage had been done and if there were any casualties. The answers came positive from all around.

"Thank God." The blonde said. "Well I think we know the general area to look." She tried not to let the sarcasm in her voice ring as much as it did.

Buffy looked around at her fellow fighters. "What do you think? Follow or regroup?"

The vampires sighed heavily. "Regroup." Hammer said, the vampires obviously less quick to recover than the Slayers. "We meet back here tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Faith said. "That'd be good." She dropped her sword and moved to Faith's side.

"Just lay down.. " Faith said as she pulled the sheets up over her girlfriend. "You need your rest."

"But you still need your rest, so settle down." The dark Slayer said, feeling Buffy relax under her touch. They both needed to be at 100 percent if they were to face what lay before them. Buffy closed her eyes and eventually nodded off.

*Still so beautiful* Faith thought, looking down at her sleeping lover. *She looks so weak and vulnerable while she's sleeping* Although she knew that it was far from the truth.

*In need to talk to Melissa again* she thought. I'll take care of it, B. Don't worry.

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Unholy Alliance

by Jaho

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