It was Forrest who broke the silence first, stepping forward through the gate then stopping abruptly when Riley growled and moved to stand in front of Graham, who was already flanked protectively by Buffy and Spike. Forrest lifted his hands in a placating gesture, his gaze never leaving Riley's face.

"I knew you were here," he said, smiling slightly. "But I gotta admit, it almost worked. If I hadn't seen your gun poking out from under that redhead's pullover..." He shook his head, a hint of anger creeping into his voice. "What do you think you're playing at, going AWOL like that? Walsh was throwing a fit!"

"I hope she had a heart-attack," Spike muttered from behind Riley, who smiled grimly in agreement.

Forrest either hadn't heard or chose to ignore the comment. "Listen, I don't know what's gotten into you, Riley, and I don't know why the hell you had to drag Graham into this, too, but we can work something out, I'm sure of that."

Riley felt his eyes go wide in disbelief. "What's gotten into me?!? I'm the one who should ask that question! Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice what you were doing to Graham? Or did you expect me to keep still and accept it?"

Forrest frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," Riley snapped. "You were there. You were holding him down while those demons...Christ, Forrest! How could you do that to him?"

Sudden understanding lit the chocolate brown eyes of his former friend. "THAT's what this is all about?! Walsh's experiments?" He laughed uncertainly. "Are you serious? That's no reason to throw away your career, dammit! Graham volunteered, and he wasn't harmed. Why are you so upset?"

"Why am I...?" Riley was so stunned he didn't know what to say. He wanted to yell at Forrest, grab him and shake him, maybe break his neck. The only thing stopping him was the realization that it would've accomplished nothing. Forrest didn't even try to deny what he'd done, and judging from the look in his eyes he really did not see why the idea of Graham being used and abused like this affected Riley so strongly. The complete lack of understanding on his part hit Riley like a blow. He swallowed. "I never really knew you, did I?" he whispered, staring at the stranger in front of him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Forrest asked in exasperation. "Of course you knew me. You still do. I'm your friend, man! Remember? You and me and Graham? Walsh's Three Musketeers?"

Riley felt numb, but still he tried again, one last time. "Do you have any idea of what you did to him?" he rasped, his eyes almost pleading with Forrest to show any sign that he was just play-acting because of the other Initiative soldiers.

Forrest smiled condescendingly. "Riley, I know this has to come as a shock to you. You've always been a bit naive. But it was just part of the job! Hey, you knew the Initiative was doing experiments on the demons. And that was the only way of gaining valid sperm samples from the ugly critters. So where's the problem? Graham wasn't hurt -- knowing him, the slut even enjoyed it."

A snarl from his right warned Riley that Spike was on the move. He reacted quickly, grabbing the vampire's shirt and holding him back. "No," he said, surprised at how cool and controlled he sounded.

"I want him dead," Spike hissed. He was still in human form, but the golden tinge in his eyes spoke volumes about his intentions.

Forrest's eyes narrowed as he got a better look at Riley's companion, a spark of something akin to recognition in his gaze. Riley pushed the vampire back and shifted so Spike was hidden behind the human's taller frame. "Remember the plan," he breathed, then added in an even lower voice, "And the chip."

Spike growled, but he stayed back, venting his anger in a stream of choice obscenities that would've made Riley blush if he hadn't been so angry himself. Forrest craned his neck to get a better look at the blond, but Riley blocked him easily.

"Who is this guy?" Forrest asked suspiciously. "He seems familiar."

Riley waved his question aside. "Forget him. And get out of our way."

His former friend folded his arms in front of his chest and planted his feet. "You're going nowhere, Ri," he said firmly. "Except with us. You're lucky Walsh is so fond of you...so far she's still treating this as an MIA scenario rather than you being AWOL. You still have a chance of getting off with a reprimand and possibly a demotion. So stop being unreasonable and come with us."

Riley straightened. "You don't understand," he said, almost gently. "Graham and I are no longer under Walsh's command. I've arranged for a transfer. As of now we are members of the SGC, answering to General George Hammond only. We're on our way to our transport to Colorado."

Forrest laughed. "That's a good one, Ri. But seriously, stop fooling around and lets get back to the HQ."

"I'm not joking. We're no longer members of the Initiative."

"Riley." Forrest was visibly losing his patience. "There's no way you could've gotten out of the Initiative and into another project within 36 hours. So, what's it gonna be? Are you two coming quietly or do I actually have to arrest you?"

"You can try," Buffy said. She had been uncharacteristically reserved during Riley's conversation with Forrest, but now she came forward to stand at his side, staring up at Forrest challengingly. "I kicked your ass before," she told him matter-of-factly. "I can do it again."

Forrest took a step back, looking from Riley to her and back again. His voice sounded almost sad when he answered. "Maybe. But you won't get that chance." He signaled to the other soldiers, who raised their weapons obediently. "You know the drill, Ri," he said. "We'll use the tasers, but if she gets up again, we'll simply shoot her. And I doubt even the Slayer can survive a bullet in the brain."

Riley clenched his jaws. "Don't do that, Forrest."

"Go with us, and your girlfriend will be fine. Come on, Riley! Don't be so damn stubborn. You're outnumbered and outgunned, and we've got orders to bring you and Graham in at any cost."

The Iowan closed his eyes briefly, fighting to keep calm. As much as it pained him, Forrest was right. They were screwed. Under different circumstances he would've surrendered, hoping to buy them some time until their new commander came looking for them, but there was no way in hell he'd deliver Graham back into Walsh's hands.

He glanced at Buffy, who nodded grimly, then felt Graham move to his other side. He didn't look at his lover, knowing it would only break his concentration. Besides it was completely unnecessary. He knew Graham was going to stand by him no matter what, guarding his back with the same deadly effectiveness as always. He didn't see Spike and lost no time looking for him. In a fight against humans the chipped vampire was next to useless anyhow. Hopefully he'd get Giles to safety at least.

Forrest saw them move into position, saw the cold determination in Riley's eyes and the way his and Graham's arms touched, establishing an easy connection. He shook his head frantically. "No," he whispered. "Shit, Ri, don't."

Riley stared at him, unmoving. "Let us go or take us down." "I'd recommend you to let them go," a deep voice interjected from behind the soldiers.

Everybody froze for a heartbeat. Then the Marines reacted, whirling around and aiming at the new player.

Thanks to his height Riley caught a glimpse of the newcomer...not that it helped in any way, because he had no idea who the man was. All he could tell was that he was tall, dark-haired and had a fighter's bearing, even though he stood with his hands in his pockets, looking completely relaxed. For a crazy second he wondered if Buffy's ex had come to her aid. But if this man was a vampire, he was a decidedly strange one, for his skin was tanned and he was clad in khakis and a T-shirt...not typical vampire-wear.

Then the soldiers parted to give Forrest a clear view at the stranger, and Graham breathed out in recognition. Before Riley could ask him who the obviously suicidal guy was, Forrest did.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man smiled, not very nicely. "That's need to know," he said. "And you don't. What you should know, however, is that I was sent here to make sure Mr. Finn and Mr. Miller make it to their new job safely."

Forrest raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

The stranger's smile never wavered, though it got more dangerous by the second. He held out a piece of paper to the nearest soldier. "Give him that," he ordered, then looked back at Forrest. "Call the Pentagon. Here's the number. Finn and Miller are moving out."

Forrest took the business card, stared at the phone number for a second, then crumpled the paper and threw it away. "I only take orders from Prof. Walsh. And I don't fall for the secret agent spiel either. Identify yourself and consider yourself arrested. We can sort this out at the compound."

"Okay." The tall man sighed almost regretfully. "The hard way it is. Listen, Agent Gates, I just spent three hours going through a couple of files that were sent to me yesterday. I didn't particularly like what I saw. So believe it won't bother me at all to tell the sniper I brought with me to blow your brains out."

Riley blinked. "Is that Trout?" he whispered, having expected a much older man.

Graham smiled slightly. "No, that's Major Shepherd," he explained, just as quietly.

"You think he really got a sniper around here somewhere?"

"Best sniper I know," Graham said. "Don't worry."

His mind racing with a thousand questions Riley looked back at the stranger, who had turned his head slightly, so that a state-of-the-art headset was revealed. "What's it going to be, Gates?" he asked coolly.

Forrest tried to look nonchalant, but Riley knew him well enough to be able to tell he was nervous. The major -- wasn't the guy supposed to be retired, by the way? -- had the air of a professional soldier, and his confidence had to make Forrest wonder. What if he wasn't bluffing? What if he had the authority to take Riley and Graham with him? What if there really was a sniper?

Then Forrest visibly shook himself and sneered. "I think you're lying. There is no sniper. I don't know who you are, but these two won't go anywhere except back to the base." He turned around, glaring at Riley. "Nice try."

Riley didn't even look at him. He could see Shepherd's lips move, and then Forrest's right leg suddenly gave in and he dropped to the ground with a surprised look on his face.

Spike gave a happy whoop from somewhere behind Riley, adding: "A bit higher and more to the left, but the knee is a good start."

Only then did Riley realize what had happened. He'd been so focused on Shepherd he hadn't even heard the shot. Forrest stared at his ruined leg with wide, glassy eyes, his skin turning a strangely gray color. The other soldiers froze, uncertain how to react. Some of them aimed at the major, some kept their guns pointed at the small group around Graham. Two dropped their weapons.

Riley reacted quickly, using the confusion to seize control of the situation. The men knew him and they were used to taking orders from him, which worked to his advantage.

"Okay," he said, facing them with Graham at his side and ignoring both the resident demon hunters and the watching major. "So far I'm not happy with the results of this little exercise. I've seen recruits who had better reactions. Still we're going to finish the drill. Teams one through four will patrol in quadrants eight and nine. Keep an eye out for the yellow-tailed HST that was sighted near checkpoint Delta. Teams four through seven, you do a thorough sweep of quadrants eleven and twelve. We will meet again at checkpoint India at 0600. Until then you will keep complete radio-silence. "

He didn't wait for Forrest to regain enough of his senses to try and challenge him and split the men in seven teams. They looked at him, saw Special Agent Finn pissed-off and in charge, and obeyed without thinking twice.

"Jones, Cook," Riley bellowed, adopting his best commanding officer posture. "Take care of Agent Gates, then rejoin your teams. The rest: stand down!"

"What about Agent Gates?" one of the soldiers asked, while Forrest's leg was dressed quickly by the two medics.

Riley fixed him with a hard stare. "He will be fine. The agent who screwed up and accidentally hit him will face the consequences. Does that answer you question, soldier?"

The man snapped to attention automatically. "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Gentlemen, the clock is ticking. Go!"

And they went.

*****
Part 22:

Buffy waited until the soldiers had disappeared into the darkness, then she came over. "Wow," she commented, swaying between amusement and respect. "That was quick thinking."

Riley was still tense, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "I can't believe that actually worked," he mumbled. "This story had more holes than a block of Swiss cheese."

"The story was only secondary. What counted was the way you presented it." Major Shepherd smiled easily. "Good work, soldier."

Riley blushed a little at the praise and barely suppressed the instinct to stand to attention and yell "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!". Damn, he could understand why Forrest had been so nervous. Everything about this guy just screamed 'superior officer'.

Surprisingly enough, Graham seemed to relax rather than tense in the major's presence. He stopped scanning the surroundings and shook hands with the tall ex-soldier. "Thanks for the save, major," he said. "How did you know we needed help?"

Shepherd shrugged. "We got your e-mail yesterday. Margo -- she's our communications expert," he explained for Riley's sake, "traced the message and we decided to come here in case something like this happened." His face grew serious. "Are you all right?"

Graham nodded. "It was touch and go for a while, but thanks to Riley, I'll live."

"Don't forget Spike," Buffy threw in, grinning at the twin glares her comment provoked. "What? He helped, too, didn't he?"

Luckily, Spike was busy threatening Forrest and didn't hear the exchange. The major watched the bleached blond spew insults at the half-unconscious agent and shook his head in amusement. "You sure draw the strangest people, Graham," he noted.

Giles gave up trying to restrain Spike and walked over to them, holding out his hand to their savior. "I think we owe you our thanks, Mr. ...?"

"Shepherd," the major answered. "Matt Shepherd. I'm a friend of Graham's."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Shepherd. I'm Rupert Giles."

By the time introductions were made, a dark van pulled up in front of the house. The sliding doors rolled open, revealing Xander, Willow and a broad-shouldered, powerfully-built young man with keen, blue eyes. He looked a bit overwhelmed by Xander's bombardment of questions and Willow's cheerful assurances that it was perfectly normal for long-fanged people to explode in a cloud of dust when poked with a sharp stick.

The driver, an elegant, dark-haired woman, walked around Forrest without even sparing him a glance and came straight over to the major, a slightly rigid smile plastered on her face. "Hi," she greeted the assembled group. "I'm Margo Vincent. Everything okay here?" She didn't wait for an answer but turned to Shepherd without ever losing her smile. "May I talk to you for a second?"

He looked a bit puzzled, but followed her obediently. Riley watched her drop her smile and start talking urgently to the major, now and then gesturing towards Xander and Willow, who had pulled Buffy aside and were filling her in on how they had met the team. Giles had returned to his task of keeping Spike from hurting himself by hurting Forrest.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Riley asked, keeping an eye on the blue-eyed man who was strolling towards them slowly.

Graham shrugged. "This is Sunnydale. My guess is they ran into vampire trouble."

Riley grimaced. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. Any idea what they'll do about it?"

"File it away under 'things that need killing' and move on, most likely," Graham replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "They're pretty adaptable. Margo might freak when she finds out how damn difficult it is to get the ashes out of cotton, and Benny Ray -- that's the guy who was in the back of the van with Xander and Willow; the sniper -- anyhow, he might take to carrying a stake, but that'll be about it, I suppose."

"No panic? No trying to go public?"

Graham shook his head. "Not them. They're a black ops team and used to secrecy." He smiled at the sniper. "Hey. Riley, that's Benny Ray Riddle. He taught me to shoot straight. Benny Ray, Riley Finn, my CO."

Benny Ray's handshake was firm, his face unreadable. "Nice ta finally meet you, sir," he said, the soft southern accent strangely at odds with his hard, intense eyes.

"How do you do?" Riley answered automatically. Giles' manners were definitely contagious. His mind was busy wondering just how good friends Benny Ray and Graham were...his lover seemed even more at ease with the sniper than with the major, and he wasn't usually one to make friends easily.

"Interestin' town, this," the southerner stated dryly. "You get a lot of people explodin' here?"

Riley kept his face impassive. "You'd be surprised."

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment. Graham looked from his lover to Benny Ray and back. Riley knew him well enough to realize he was confused by Riley's brusqueness towards the sniper. He was a little surprised at himself. The guy had saved their asses, after all, and he was a friend of Graham. Of course, thinking about it, that might just be the problem.

Benny Ray reminded Riley a lot of his friend. Not only was he similarly built, but like Graham he was a soldier through and through, reserved, controlled, professional. A born fighter. Compared to them Riley felt like a puppy...or rather like a colt: long-limbed, awkward, friendly. Harmless. Not that he actually was. There was a reason why he'd been chosen for a top secret operation like the Initiative, after all. But he knew no matter how well-trained and experienced he was, he was nothing like these two. He was different. He might love Graham with all his heart and soul, but he'd never understand him like Benny Ray did.

It made him dislike the sniper immensely.

Graham was staring at him, his face completely blank, his eyes shuttered. Then suddenly he snorted softly, as if repressing a laugh, and grabbed Riley's arm. "Give us a sec, Benny Ray?" he asked.

The sniper nodded and went back to the van without a question. He even moved like Graham, silent and graceful and economically. Dammit. Riley liked him less and less. Then the grip on his arm tightened and he stopped frowning at Benny Ray's back and focused on his lover, who was...smirking? What...?

"You do realize that Matt and Benny Ray are an item?" Graham asked conversationally. "And that the only guy I ever wanted is you? And that if you don't stop glaring at him, Benny Ray will most likely rip you a new one soon?"

Riley opened his mouth, closed it again, and felt himself blush. Damn. Had he been that obvious? "Uhm...I don't know what you're talking about?" he ventured.

Graham's look told him to cut the bullshit. "Riley."

Riley sighed, but couldn't suppress a grin. "I'll be good."

"I appreciate it. I don't have that many friends. I'd like you to get along."

"Where the hell did you meet these guys? You never talked about them before," Riley asked, genuinely curious.

Graham sighed. "That's a long story." Which basically meant he hadn't yet found a way to sum it up in five or less sentences. "Parts of it are classified anyway. So lets just say I owe them my life and they owe me a jeep and ten pounds of C4 and talk about it later, okay?"

"That sounds like a story I definitely gotta hear," Riley mumbled, then smiled forcedly at Matt and Margo, who had finished their conference and rejoined them.

Matt looked at his communications expert, then at Graham. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?" he inquired. "About this town, I mean?"

Graham returned his gaze blandly. "That's classified."

"Come on," Margo spoke up. "We already saw parts of it. Three persons. They attacked those kids," she gestured towards Willow and Xander, who were at the same time pointing her out to Buffy and Giles, and continued, "and when Benny Ray took them out, instead of staying dead like good little tangos, they got back up and tried to bite me! We had to shoot them repeatedly until they stayed down, and then the kids stabbed them with pointed sticks and they exploded in a cloud of dust. Now feel free to correct me, but that's not exactly normal behavior for dead bodies, wouldn't you say?"

"And those creatures on the video files," Matt added quietly. "They were real, weren't they?"

Graham stared at him expressionless. "Yes."

Riley moved closer to him protectively, but didn't interrupt. If Graham needed his help, all it'd take was a look and he'd jump into the breach, but until then he had the feeling he'd better let his friend handle these people. They didn't know Riley well enough to accept an explanation from him, and somehow he didn't think his patented farm-boy smile would work with them.

However, Graham's friends surprised him. For a moment they looked ready to tie the Marine to a chair and interrogate him, then they took a closer look at his eyes and backed off. Riley's respect for them rose another notch. Not many people were able to look past Graham's infamous poker-face.

Matt opened his mouth as if to say something, but an elbow in the ribs and a look from Margo made him change his mind. "I'll help Benny Ray make some room in the van," he declared. "And then we should get going, or you won't make it to your rendezvous."

Graham nodded, slumping a little in relief. "Aye aye, sir."

Margo stayed behind, watching the two Marines pensively. "I've got two questions, Gray," she said finally, ignoring Riley's glare. Graham cocked his head attentively. She correctly interpreted his silence as consent and went on. "First of all -- are there more of these...things...and how do you identify and kill them?"

Graham looked at Riley, who shrugged slightly and answered in his place. "You might run into vampires and demons just about anywhere in the world, though they seem to be drawn to certain places...like Sunnydale, for example. Basically, if it attacks you and isn't killed by bullets, it's probably some kind of monster. I'll have Willow send you what info we got, if you want."

She nodded curtly. "That'd be nice. I have to know what kind of weapons to add to our armory." She glanced at her two team-mates who were busy checking their weapons. "Benny Ray doesn't like this at all. Anything that can't be killed by bullets makes him extremely uneasy."

Riley could emphasize with that. It had taken Graham and him quite a while to get used to the Initiative's method of incapacitating the HSTs with tasers. "You said you had two questions," he reminded her.

Margo's green eyes twinkled. "Yes. I wanted to ask where you got this shirt, Mr. Finn. I'd like to get one for Deke. -- He's another member of the team, and that thing would be right up his alley."

Riley grinned evilly. "It's not my shirt, but I'll tell you what...I'll give you the address of the guy it belongs to. I'm sure he'll be happy to exchange fashion-tips with your man."

Graham blinked. "You have an evil streak," he told his CO, then he looked at Margo. "And so do you."

"Doesn't matter," Riley said confidently. "You love us anyway."

Gray eyes met his, shining with a mixture of wonder and amusement. "Yeah," Graham agreed. "I do."

*****
Part 23:

"Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye." Spike was doing his damnedest to appear his usual cool, bored and sarcastic self, but he'd never been good at hiding his emotions. The way he looked at Graham was raw enough to keep even Xander from cracking a joke.

Riley had to fight down the urge to invite the vampire along. He couldn't believe he was even contemplating it. The British bloodsucker was annoying, lazy, and undisciplined; not to forget evil to the bones. The only thing keeping him from trying to kill them all was the chip in his head...well, and maybe Graham's presence. Spike really seemed to have it bad for the silent commando. Oddly enough the thought made Riley neither mad nor did it amuse him. He didn't even find it in him to despise Spike anymore. Not after what the vampire had done for Graham.

"Don't get dusted," he said gruffly, not quite sure how to deal with a love-sick demon. Always one to show good will he reached out to awkwardly pat Spike's shoulder, with the result that the embarrassed and enraged vampire promptly decked him.

By the time Spike's howls of pain had subsided and Graham had convinced Benny Ray to put away the stake he'd borrowed from Willow, the potential mushiness of the situation had been successfully annihilated.

Riley touched the blood on his split lip and considered staking Spike himself. Graham handed him a clean hankie, wisely abstaining from voicing his opinion. Willow on the other hand talked a mile a minute, trying to excuse the vampire's action. Xander did his level best to convince Buffy to use the opportunity to get rid of the blond bane of his existence, and Giles lectured Spike on manners.

Matt, Margo and Benny Ray watched in fascination.

Finally, Willow managed to get the chaos under control. Not for the first time Riley was baffled by the witch's ability to turn from a rather shy, sweet girl into a resolute, self-confident woman at the drop of a hat if necessary. She had Spike and him apologizing before either of them realized what they were doing, then she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Now say goodbye already, Spike," she ordered. "The sun's coming up in fifteen minutes and Graham and Riley have to run."

Spike grumbled something incomprehensible and most likely impolite, glaring at her. He turned to Graham, who looked at him curiously. "Uh...listen, Falcon..." he started, a faint blush coloring his pale cheeks, then he sighed in exasperation. "Oh, bugger it," he decided, grabbed the back of Graham's head and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Graham didn't resist, though he did seem a bit startled. After a couple of seconds, however, he hesitantly returned the hug, allowing Spike to hold him and to slip his tongue into his mouth. Riley watched, not quite sure if he was touched or jealous. Strangely enough he didn't really consider Spike a rival, even though he knew the vampire would take Graham away from him in a heartbeat if he could. The point was, however, that he couldn't...and he had to know it. Riley suspected that was part of the reason why the blond was kissing the Marine with almost desperate abandon, all but crawling into Graham's clothes.

When they parted finally, Spike looked positively dazed, while Graham took a step back and leaned against Riley with a mumbled "Wow".

Riley wrapped his arms around him, drawing him closer, his body-language signaling clearly that Graham belonged to him. Margo grinned, greatly amused by the fact that the major unconsciously mirrored Riley's gesture, pulling his sniper into a tight embrace. Benny Ray purred contentedly...like Graham, he craved to be touched.

Even Giles looked about ready to go "Aww".

Then Spike regained his balance and grinned wildly. "Gotta love the Marine Corps," he said, licking his lips. His gaze became speculative. "I suddenly feel extremely patriotic. Where's the next enlistment office?"

Giles groaned. "Spike, you can't join the US Army. You're British."

Spike wasn't deterred. "So? I'll change citizenship. No problem, I know at least four very talented forgers."

"Then there's still the small detail that you're dead," Xander reminded him. "Even military doctors tend to notice something like that."

Spike pouted. "Spoilsport."

"Which reminds me," Xander smoothly changed the subject, "What shall we do with him?" He pointed at Forrest, who was lying shocky and shivering on his side, gawking at his shattered knee.

Benny Ray stared at Forrest, his blue eyes cold and calculating. When he spoke to Graham, his voice was completely business-like. "Want me to kill him?" he asked.

Graham looked at his former friend, then slowly shook his head. "No." He didn't give a reason for his decision, but Riley knew him well enough to have a fairly good idea what was going on in his head. Graham had given his loyalty to Forrest, and even after all that had happened he was unable to harm a man he once would've protected with his life.

Riley exchanged a quick glance with Spike, but kept his face studiously blank. "Call an ambulance and mention he's wearing fatigues. The Initiative will pick him up within ten minutes."

Spike smiled cruelly, visibly agreeing with Riley's intentions. As a vampire, he admired patience in a human, even if he didn't have much of it himself. He liked Riley's idea. Give Forrest a little time. Let him live with a ruined leg for a couple of weeks, let him realized what he'd lost. Then kill him. And no one would ever be the wiser.

Willow, unaware of the men's plan, bristled. "So he's getting away with it?" she complained. "He doesn't get punished at all?"

Giles cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose in a characteristic gesture. "Well, I wouldn't say that. I believe his knee is shattered beyond repair." He didn't look particularly sorry about that. Riley was a bit surprised at his coldness, but then remembered something Buffy had mentioned once about her mentor's 'wild' past. Seemed like there was another story worth hearing.

The major shot his sniper a pointed look. "I remember clearly saying that you should put a bullet in the ground in front of his feet, just close enough to announce your presence."

Benny Ray blinked, trying to look innocent. "Those vampires must've upset me more than I thought," he claimed. "Maybe my hands were shakin'."

Matt's look was eloquent. "Your hands were shaking."

The sniper shrugged, meeting his team leader's gaze levelly. "Awfully sorry, sir."

"Yeah, I can see that," Matt remarked. "Next time you feel your hands shaking, clear it with me first, understood?"

Benny Ray nodded, looking chagrined. "Yes, sir."

Spike sniffed. "Oh, come on, give the guy a break," he said. "That asshole deserved much worse than a shot in the leg."

Shepherd nailed him with an icy glare. "One: that's not the point. And two: that's not your business."

The vampire wasn't impressed. He grinned toothily. "Oh, I don't mind. I'm always happy to give advice."

Buffy chuckled. "That's so true."

"I hate to interrupt what could turn into a reasonably promising Spike-bashing," Xander interrupted, "but shouldn't you get going? -- Not that I want to get rid of you," he added apologetically, "it's just that I thought the helicopter was supposed to pick you up at six."

Riley, who had been watching the subtle interaction between the major and his sniper, started and glanced at his watch. "Oh shit. I plain forgot about that." 05:50. Time to panic. "We'll never make it in time!"

Graham, Benny Ray, and Matt exchanged a look. They grinned.

"You haven't seen Margo drive yet," Graham said.

*******************

Riley had spent two years in covert ops, before going through a special training course and becoming part of the Initiative. There he'd faced vampires and monsters on a daily basis; and since he'd met Buffy and her friends his life had become endangered in some extremely creative ways.

But nothing had ever scared him so much as this lady's style of driving.

It wasn't that she didn't know what she was doing, or that she was unskilled. Quite on the contrary. She was brilliant. Unfortunately, she was also completely and irrevocably insane. Either that, or the concept of brakes was totally beyond her.

Of course, she got them to the pick-up point in less than ten minutes.

Riley pushed the van's sliding doors open and all but threw himself out, pulling Graham with him. He resisted the urge to fall to his knees and kiss the ground, but he did turn on Margo, helplessly struggling for words to express his feelings. "You...you almost...that poodle barely....and that demon...why didn't you swerve?"

The dark-haired woman shrugged. "Graham said run it down."

Riley turned to his lover, who shrugged innocently. "Just doing Buffy a favor."

The arrival of the helicopter drowned out Riley's answer, which, considering his choice of vocabulary, was probably for the best. Benny Ray patted him on the shoulder and yelled against the noise of the rotor, "What's th' problem, amigo? She got you here in time, didn't she?"

Riley glared at the sniper and at Matt, who was grinning from ear to ear. Then he focused on Graham. "I've changed my mind," he told the Marine. "I don't like your friends."

Graham chuckled. "And you haven't even met Nick yet."

"Who's Nick?" Riley asked, then quickly raised a hand to forestall his friend's answer. "No. Don't tell me. I don't want to know. Lets say goodbye and get the hell out of Dodge...or Sunnydale...whatever."

"Yes, sir," Graham replied obediently.

He turned towards the van and helped Buffy and Willow exit the vehicle, nodding his thanks to Matt and Benny Ray, who touched him briefly on the shoulder and then disappeared to secure the area. Margo retreated behind the car, taking her weapon with her and keeping an eye on the helicopter, just in case.

Riley smiled at the girls, vaguely grateful that they had already said their good-byes to Xander and Giles. The two had decided to stay in order to keep an eye on Forrest and Spike. Buffy and Willow, however, had insisted on coming with them. After the ambush in front of Giles' home they were determined not to let their charges out of their sight until Riley and Graham were safely in the air.

Willow put a hand on Graham's arm and led him aside. Riley couldn't hear what she said to him, but that was okay. If he needed to know, his partner would tell him later. Right now he had other things on his mind...like his ex-girlfriend standing in front of him, looking uncharacteristically self-conscious and vulnerable. They stood in silence until the noise from the chopper had died down somewhat, none of them sure what to say. Finally, Buffy met his gaze and smiled ruefully.

"You know, this is NOT how I imagined our relationship to end," she said. Noting his confused look she clarified: "You getting into a helicopter with Graham and leaving for good." She sighed. "But I guess it's better than you losing your soul and going all serial-killer on me."

Riley blinked. "Do I want to know?"

Buffy grimaced. "Probably not."

He smiled, knowing it couldn't quite cover the seriousness of his tone when he answered, "Then please don't tell me. Ever."

She grinned a little at that, then looked down, hiding her face behind a veil of golden hair. "I'm sorry I couldn't love you enough," she said quietly.

She looked so tiny and fragile standing there, so lonely...it was hard to believe she was the same woman who'd fought and killed more demons and monsters than the whole Initiative combined. Slayer or not, she was just human. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her, trying to give her the comfort she needed.

"I'm sorry I asked you to," he replied.

A wet chuckle, muffled slightly by the material of his shirt, made him smile. "I'll miss you," she whispered.

He kissed the top of her head, tightening his grip slightly. "I'll miss you too."

She returned his embrace fiercely for a moment, then stepped back a bit. "I want you to keep in touch, you hear me?" she demanded sternly. "If I don't hear from you regularly, I'll come looking for you." When he didn't agree readily enough for her taste, she poked him with a finger to make sure she had his undivided attention. "I mean it, Riley."

He nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am. Regular reports. Will do." He glanced over his shoulder and noticed a tall, familiar man at the helicopter, visibly growing impatient. Riley's eyes grew wide. "Dammit, he came personally to pick us up. Buffy, we gotta go."

Buffy withdrew reluctantly. "Take care, okay?"

He flashed her a broad grin. "Promise." His gaze found Graham's over Willow's shoulder. He jerked his head towards their ride and received a quick nod in return. Already turning around he stopped one last time, when another thought struck him. "Will Spike be okay?" he asked Buffy.

The Slayer rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, don't worry about him. Giles will get him drunk and I'll get him some demons to kill, and in a couple of days he'll be unbearable as always."

Riley smiled in relief. "That's good."

"Depends on your point of view," Buffy mumbled, then gave him a little push. "Go. That army guy's getting all jumpy over there."

That was one way of putting it. Colonel O'Neill looked about ready to come over and drag their asses to the chopper.

Riley quickly said goodbye to Willow, writing a mental note that he'd have to get her some kind of present to thank her properly for her help, then he turned and jogged towards the waiting colonel. He could feel Graham's familiar presence at his side, warm and strong. His lover was as eager to get out of Sunnydale as he was.

As the helicopter lifted off the ground, carrying them away into the new dawn, he realized that for the first time in a long while he was able to breathe freely.

It felt good.

*****

EPILOGUE:

The Initiative was shut down within two weeks. Professor Maggie Walsh didn't live to see it. She was killed by her pet-project, a demon/human hybrid that in the files was identified as 'Adam'. The creature didn't make it out of the compound alive. It was cornered and taken down by a squad of Marines, who killed it by severing its head at one of the few remaining pieces of furniture in the base...a strange, Y-shaped table in a small, sterile room.

Agent Forrest Gates was charged with assault and treason. While being transferred out of Sunnydale hospital to a military holding facility in New Mexico, Agent Gates was abducted by parties unknown for a period of 36 hours. He was found, naked and covered in what appeared to be scratches from a large cat, outside a bar of questionable reputation. Although nearly comatose, he was reported repeating the word "Aemanan" until he was sedated upon rehospitalization. He died of a fever that refused to respond to any treatment less than a day later, presumably caused by an unidentified infection in what appeared to be superficial skin wounds.

Spike left Sunnydale a week later, claiming he needed a vacation. Willow, proud new owner of a limited edition of Sardia Calendar's book 'Witchcraft and the Internet: Techno Pagans of the 21st Century', pretended not to notice the map of Colorado he tried to hide under his duster.

In Hermosa Beach, California, a group of special operatives under the command of one Matthew Q. Shepherd developed a sudden interest in medieval weaponary and took to wearing silver crosses and wooden stakes in addition to their usual assortment of guns and knives. As a result, the vampire population of the area around the Silver Star Bar dropped rapidly.

And deep down in the world's most secret military base at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Sergeant Graham Miller had a hard time keeping his face impassive as his CO and lover stared at their new superior in shock and yelped:

"ALIENS?!"

The End