— Thor's Slayers —

Thor's Slayers
~ Part III ~

###

Chapter One

Legacy of the Ancients

lateVMlover: I will endeavor to make sure that the rest of my writing, particularly that which involves Faith and Buffy is a little more tasteful. I am trying my best to portray Faith as she was in the show. Even at the end after her coma and her stint in prison, she was still such a sassy, sensual character and I didn't want to make it seem like she'd done a 180 and become all puritan like in the two years she'd been involved in the SG world. There will still be romance in the story (see warning below), but I'll try to make the innuendos a little less frequent or a little more subtle. One of the reasons I wanted a pairing to begin with, particularly one from the BtVS/AtS fandom, is to help keep that 'verse alive when Faith is in Atlantis. Without any real genuine Evil to fight, and I don't see any of the SG:A foes as truly Evil (with a capital E), and because Illyria isn't someone anyone can really connect with, I wanted that extra reminder of her world; I thought the B/F pairing would serve that purpose well. I don't like OCs and I didn't think any of the other Scoobies would he good companions. Aside from your complaint (and I welcome them, because they help me write a better story), I'm glad you've enjoyed my story.
.9: Just so you know, I measure the quality of my chapters based on the number of smiley faces you give me in your reviews. So keep it up

Author's Notes: Alright folks, I present to you the first chapter of the third part of Thor's Slayers! I've been pretty set on concluding this particular fanfiction at the end of the third part, but given my expansion into the Stargate: Atlantis 'verse, I've been rethinking that decision. Of course, that's dependent on whether or not I have any remaining will to continue writing and if the story is still being received well. I do have five seasons of SG:A I can cover and while I have no intention of rewriting every episode of the show, I do have a lot of material from both fandoms to play with. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter as my story develops and things begin to flesh out a little more!

As a side note, I've found that when I'm writing or re-reading my scenes with Spike or Dr. Beckett, I've been instinctively trying to duplicate their accents in my head. It makes a mundane conversation so much more fun!

A few things you can expect: as with any fanfiction, I'm taking liberties with the story and existing canon. Some characters may or live when they otherwise wouldn't, some characters will be more or less important than the previously were. And you can bet your asses that Illyria will be a major character who is both kicking ass and being a pain in the ass.

One more important request: I've discovered a difficulty I hadn't expected in writing this story. This is the longest story I've ever written and I've found myself having to look over published material more and more frequently in order to avoid writing something that contradicts an earlier event or repeats previously known information/conversations. PLEASE let me know if you find any continuity issues or any scene that includes characters being given "new" information that an earlier scene had already relayed; helping me find these kinds of problems could help me a lot in the long run in order to make a higher quality of story.

Warning: there is going to be a slightly raunchy scene in this chapter. It isn't explicit and it's pretty short, but it's very there. I thought about scratching it out several times and I think the only reason I ended up keeping it was because I had just read a fanfic where every single love scene consisted of "he/she took him/her by the hand and led him/her to the bedroom..." and then the chapter ended or there was a scene break. It's not that I wanted to read multiple sex scenes but it was repetitive to the point where the romance did't really feel real. I don't want that. I don't want it to be in your face or make this into a purely romance story, but when the romance does rear its head, I want it to be funny or memorable, not a suggestive sentence that trails off. I'll talk about it more later, too. /rant

Sorry for the long author's notes, enjoy!

#

December 13th, 2005
(Moments after departing Earth via the Stargate)

"Huh," Faith commented as she stepped out of the Stargate, "bit of a letdown really."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed from her position at her side and wrinkled her nose. "Not nearly as interesting as the transport rings. Sort of expected a weird psychedelic roller coaster of lights and freaky colors, but nope, just in and out. I do like the puddle look though."

"When have you had the chance to use transporter rings?" The question was delivered in the Scottish brogue of one Doctor Carson Beckett. It was asked purely out of curiosity and the man waited eagerly for an answer even as they made way for the mob following them through the Stargate into the Gate room of what was presumably Atlantis.

"Hang around us, Doctor, and we'll take you to all the great places," Faith said, smiling at the man.

"Frankly lass, I think you've already lost that particular contest," the man replied softly.

Faith glanced behind her to see the Scotsman gesturing to their surroundings.

"Faith," Buffy whispered softly, "we're in Atlantis."

"Yeah...yeah we are," Faith agreed with a smile, watching as the lights continued to gradually turn on to reveal more and more of their surroundings. "Well, at least there wasn't any alien death squads of evil waiting for us."

A coughing fit erupted nearby and Faith noticed several nearby scientists looking at her with wide eyes. "What? Don't tell me you weren't imagining it!"

They shook their heads slowly in unison.

Buffy bumped her shoulder. "They aren't Slayers or soldiers, they still think the universe is all rainbows and unicorns and crap," the former cheerleader murmured in her ear.

Faith sighed. "I really want to fight something. I haven't had a decent fight in way too long."

"Now that sounds like something that might be fun!" Illyria agreed in her Fred/Texan drawl as she joined them.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

Upon finding places to stand that were out of the way, the three women, or rather the two women and powerful, incomprehensibly ancient demon, watched the procession of soldiers and civilians continue to funnel into the room from the Stargate. The flood of people was accompanied by a multitude of boxes, crates, and trolleys jam-packed with equipment and supplies. Because the Stargate was only capable of staying active for 38 minutes and with the expedition doing their best not to deplete Earth's only ZPM, the incredible amount of people and materials had managed to come through in a remarkably short amount of time. Close to 100 people were members of the expedition, and when they and all of their materials had been accounted for, Doctor Elizabeth Weir radioed Stargate Command and General O'Neill, telling him that he could cut the connection.

Just seconds before the Stargate deactivated, two items were dropped through the Stargate, a long, narrow, wrapped package and a champagne bottle that slowly rolled on the ground towards Weir. Faith watched as Weir picked up the bottle and then move to pick up the box. The head of the Atlantis expedition shook her head in what appeared to be amusement, reading what looked like a small note that had been taped to the box before finally holding the champagne aloft with a smile. As if it were a signal, the host began to move about, assembling equipment, stacking boxes and crates, and generally organizing the mass of materials.

"Lehane, Summers, keep an eye on things in the Gate room, do what you can to help the civilians," Colonel Sumner ordered through their earpieces.

Having hoped for the chance to explore, Buffy returned Faith's sour expression and watched as Illyria joined a small group of scientists studying something that looked excessively complicated upon their invitation.

#

"So...Atlantis."

Faith winced at Buffy's tone. The two Slayers had spent 15 minutes standing around, doing nothing but vainly attempt to stay out of the way of the grouchy science types. "Cheer up, no doubt some crisis will smack us in the face and require us to save the day," Faith said cheerfully, nudging Buffy.

"Summers! Faith! Meet me three levels down from your position, there's something you need to see."

Major Sheppard's voice over the earpiece made them snap their heads toward each other.

Buffy glared at Faith.

"I didn't mean this soon," Faith whined.

Three levels of fancy steps later and they jogged toward the sound of Maj. Sheppard's voice and soon found themselves approaching a large window only a short distance from their current position, where the man stood in the company of Col. Sumner, the prominent Doctor McKay, and Dr. Weir.

"Cool aquarium," Buffy complimented as she approached the small group.

"That's no aquarium...it's an ocean," Faith said gravely with a terrible affected English accent.

Sheppard turned to look at her, disbelief written on his face. "Star Wars, here? Now?"

"We're in Space Atlantis dude," the brunette retorted.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before he conceded the point with a shrug.

The two girls finally reached the window and gazed about in wonder, barely noticing McKay, Weir, and Sumner's departure when McKay mentioned there was something Beckett had to show them.

"Feel free to look, ladies, but Col. Sumner does want you in the Gate room. He's not entirely heartless, though, and figured you were probably bored out of your skulls. But scientists can get irksome quickly and they could use more hands getting everything set up, so head back up there when you've gotten yourself an eyeful," Sheppard informed them before following the others.

Faith bumped into Buffy. "How's Atlantis looking now, B?"

Buffy smiled, looking over the expanse of citycape that lay before them, a cityscape that was drowned in the depths of alien waters. "Definitely of the good."

"How are you able to carry all that crap without accidentally activating the sword and cutting bits of yourself off?" Buffy asked curiously as she 'strained' to carry a heavy case of materials towards a blossoming command and control center. "I like your bits, I like your bits even more when they're attached to you," she stated emphatically.

"Takes a specific sequence of muscle twitches from two different muscle groups. Hella awkward to do it accidentally," Faith answered, "Illyria actually showed me how from her memories of Wesley and managed to limit herself to calling me an incompetent and clumsy ape only twice in the process." She huffed out a breath as she carried her own load of materials. In all honesty, it was harder for them to pretend the gear was heavy than it was to actually carry it. The burdens of being the Slayer when surrounded by people who didn't know what they were, Faith supposed.

Buffy snorted.

"Will you show me how?" Buffy asked then furrowed her brows. "Muscle groups?"

"Show you later," Faith promised, then paused and winked, "I'm pretty good with human anatomy."

They had gone back for the next load of materials when Faith noticed one of the scientists, Peter something, walk out of the room at a brisk pace with Illyria at his side. The scientist had looked panicked and Faith didn't think it was because of the Old One at his side. Sure enough, just a few minutes later the duo returned with Weir, Sheppard, McKay, Sumner, and Dr. Beckett. After a moment, the group appeared to be in various states of distress; even Illyria was pulling the 'worried look' off pretty well.

"Come on, let's go see what's—" Buffy began to say as she took a step towards the C&C.

"Nuh uh," Faith interrupted, pulling the blonde back by her sleeve. "You aren't queen here and the Humans that Be want us here. If we can't even do that much, we'll be stuck here forever sweeping the floors and shit."

Buffy pouted.

"We'll find out soon enough. Beckett's there, ya know?" Faith grinned.

Buffy couldn't help but smirk in response to Faith's comment. They'd met the Scotsman back at the SGC when they'd received their battery of vaccinations, which is when they'd discovered that between Faith and Buffy, the man became a Scottish rambling wreck within minutes. "He's going to be fun, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Faith agreed, "I definitely see him as part of the Scoobies of Atlantis."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Scoobies of Atlantis?"

Faith gave her an incredulous look. "B, you know it's going to happen eventually. You and me, we're gonna get us a posse."

Buffy wore a small pleased smile at the notion. "Who else?"

Faith shrugged. "Sheppard is pretty cool, but I bet he'll be on Sumner's A-Team, even if Sumner doesn't like him. I'm not even sure Beckett can work in the field, he's pretty important here, what with being the Chief Medical Officer and all. Illyria? That scientist Peter, maybe? I don't know B, but it'll happen."

"Faith, look."

Faith followed the direction of Buffy's finger to see the Stargate beginning to dial out. Together they watched the Stargate activate, the vortex blasting inward as the wormhole was established.

"So that toilet flush thing killed an Old One?" Buffy asked, obviously skeptical.

"Yeah, pretty wicked, huh? That vortex will vaporize or disintegrate just about anything," Faith confirmed. "Illyria said it wasn't a weak Old One, but wasn't one of the uber strong ones either so maybe it didn't have the ability to...reform or whatever?" she theorized. Noticing movement below, she said, "hey, something's going on."

They watched as Col. Sumner led a squad of soldiers, including Sheppard and Illyria to the Stargate. Illyria who, along with the standard Atlantis civilian uniform she'd been wearing, also now wore a basic kevlar vest and a pistol strapped to her thigh.

"Um, Faith?"

Illyria looked back and met Faith's eyes before giving the Slayer a small nod. Then she followed the other men through the Stargate which deactivated shortly after.

"Faith?"

"We have to trust her, B, and if Sumner is panicked then he won't want unknowns like us underfoot."

"So why take Ill—Fred!" Buffy hissed. "And why give her a gun!"

"How the hell should I know? Come on, when it comes to Fred, we do really need to know what's happenin'," Faith said before she paused and raised an eyebrow at Buffy. "You really think Fred packing heat matters one bit?"

Buffy blinked. "It's a gun!" she said weakly, crossing her arms defensively.

Faith shook her head, "Let's find Dr. Weir."

Given that finding Weir meant walking to the other side of the Gate room towards the DHD room, it wasn't really all that dramatic of a journey as it should have been. Their greatest obstacles were the various personnel, conversing groups, and moving equipment that hadn't paused even while Stargate had been in use. However, arriving at the DHD room hadn't made their goal any easier because there were an equally large number of conversations taking place in the control room, making movement difficult. Weir was involved in several of these conversations, talking rapidly and pointing at various diagrams of the city, making getting her attention next to impossible. Faith waited for a couple of minutes until there was a slight lull in the conversation and tapped the doctor on the shoulder.

"Miss Lehane, I'm sorry but this is a bad time, we can talk la—" Weir began.

"I understand Dr. Weir, but I need to know why Fred just walked through the Stargate," Faith said, her voice steel even if her expression betrayed her worry.

"Fred?" Weir asked, confused.

"Winifred Burkle," Buffy explained, but after a second added a hasty, "and why did she get a pistol?"

Understanding shone in Weir's face before something shifted in her eyes. Faith wasn't sure what it was, but something was definitely there, suspicion maybe?

It was McKay who answered the question, shaking his head and waggling a finger. "I really wish Gen. O'Neill had discovered her earlier and allowed us to make use of her, I mean. Sure she's a gifted physicist, especially in light of the fact that she never earned anything more than a bachelor's degree. And she certainly isn't in the same league as Lieutenant Colonel Carter or myself." McKay scoffed then held a finger up. "However, despite the fact that she obviously didn't know anything about Ancient technology when we first spoke on Earth, she's demonstrated a...somewhat impressive ability to intuit a great deal from some of the underlying concepts that Doctor Zelenka and myself, mostly myself, have taught her."

McKay seemed to swell with pride as he continued to explain, "with my—our assistance, I believe that she could become one of our foremost assets on Ancient technology. Dr. Zelenka even said that it's like all we're doing is reminding her of things she already knew. But take that with a grain of salt because Dr. Zelenka is somewhat prone to exaggeration. I also don't think his ability to instruct is anywhere near as effective as mine, especially the way he was going on and on about his racing pigeons. I'd even go so far as to say that if she is to reach her potential, you should definitely allow me to take her—I mean take over her tutelage. In fact, I—"

"Rodney!" Dr. Weir snapped her fingers to get his attention.

McKay's eyes refocused. "Sorry, what? Oh, Miss Burkle was actually able to correct me on several equipment functions when we arrived here, Dr. Weir, though I'm fairly confident that several of those corrections were mere flukes."

"Flukes?" Weir, Faith, and Buffy asked simultaneously.

"Well, whoever has been working with her on the Ancient language must have been doing a stellar job because Fred detected several nuances in the language that escaped the rest of us entirely," McKay said defensively.

"I didn't know anyone was working with her," Weir asked, making it a question when she looked at Faith.

"Doctor Jackson was working with me on learning a little Ancient, Goa'uld, and Norse. I wasn't all that good at it, but Fred took to it right away when she began sitting in after they met." Faith shrugged, feeling a little guilty for the lie. "So you sent her because..."

"Well, she was able to field strip a pistol, which was enough for Sumner to give her that much and Fred said her hunting days with her father in Texas showed her how to shoot so..." McKay shrugged. "They're looking for ZedPMs, or at least a place to stay because the energy provided by our single remaining ZedPM won't last much longer and the shields around this city are dangerously close to collapsing. She and Doctor Grodin are the ones who are primarily responsible for discovering that particular problem; another reason she's going since she'll have a better idea of what we'll need. Even though she's not nearly as qualified as myself or most of the others, she was one of the very few scientists not busy doing other things with any knowledge of Ancient technology that I trusted to work with the jarheads."

"What shield?" the Slayers asked in unison.

"The shield that's keeping all the water out, obviously," McKay said with the sort of tone one might use with particularly slow children.

"And it's collapsing?" Faith said blandly. "Well...that's bad."

Weir looked at her with an annoyed expression. "Yes, Miss Lehane, it is, which is why your friend went with the others. Don't worry, I trust Col. Sumner to watch out for her."

Buffy coughed to cover up a laugh.

"Thanks, Dr. Weir, I apologize for interrupting you, and you're right, I'm sure Fred will be just fine," Faith said as she and Buffy made their retreat.

Illyria observed the dynamics of the group that was currently drinking tea with the native inhabitants on the planet called 'Athos'.

The natives were even less impressive than the muck on Earth; they had accomplished little in the millennia since the Alterans had departed. They wielded no power, held no significant wealth of knowledge, even compared to the humans on Earth, and seemed to spend far too much time shivering in their hovels in fear of the enemy. In fear of the Wraith.

Yet, despite the lack of any civilization and power, there was a sense of...she wasn't sure what the emotion or feeling was. The shell might have called it something fanciful like 'strength in the face of adversity', but there was a difference between such steadfastness and the natural, frantic desperation to survive that any thinking creature possessed. Illyria had not yet decided which applied to the Athosians.

Of their number, only the one called Teyla provoked any real interest. It was not her status as leader that caught her attention, no, it was that she was able to discern that this particular Athosian wasn't entirely human. It was slight, very slight, but it was there and though it was of interest, it was not worth any more of her consideration at that time.

More interesting were the dynamics within the humans she had traveled with. Since her waking, she had traveled with vampires, with Slayers, but never hidden among human warriors such as these. While applying the term 'warrior' to her companions was quite debatable, it did offer her a new perspective on the muck. Most of her new companions were simple soldiers, warriors that would fight and die at their leader's command. After so much time spent with Angel and his 'team' and the Slayers, she had lamented the possibility of ever finding warriors akin to the days of old. Humans though they might be, they possessed a mindset she could understand and appreciate for all of its simplicity.

The leader of these soldiers, this Col. Sumner, she was still evaluating, mostly because his interactions with Maj. Sheppard revealed unseen facets of the man. At first, Sumner had acted in a manner befitting any leader of warriors. Swift, decisive, and confident in issuing orders to his men, in adapting to a change of circumstances and while he lacked any real power of his own, Sumner's grasp on the power and use of leadership was...adequate.

In a way, it was yet another reminder of her past except that, while her generals and armies commanded power the likes of which the muck could only dream of, they lacked the ability to adapt and make their own decisions in fear of provoking her wrath. It was an interesting contradiction, the human's ability to weaken their own strength of leadership and yet still create a more adaptive fighting force. She hadn't truly understood the concept all those millions of years ago, and applying that ability to the Alterans and to a lesser extent the Asgard helped her understand better why the Old Ones had not simply crushed the mortal creatures that had fought them and eventually entombed them.

Her interest lay also in Sheppard's willingness to disobey, or argue with the colonel, or act without permission as he had when he accepted Teyla's offer of tea that gave her this insight. In the past, she would have flayed the skin off any creature for taking such action without permission, and yet Sumner, who clearly harbored a dislike for Sheppard, had been willing to listen and even follow his subordinate's lead.

It was as fascinating as it was nauseating, to see what had grown on the Earth while her kind slumbered in the Deeper Well. But despite her disdain for the softness and frailty of humanity, she would keep her covenant with the Slayer, watch and learn more about the humans she'd surrounded herself with. She would learn to adapt, as the humans had, and she would learn to be strong once more.

December 14th, 2005
(One day after arriving in Atlantis)

Faith stretched catlike underneath the sheets of her bed, luxuriating in the knowledge that she'd just woken up in the lost city of Atlantis and that she'd done so with somebody's arms wrapped around her. A very special someone. The bed in her assigned room had more than fulfilled her hopes and dreams by being both very comfortable and of more than sufficient size. They'd made good use of that bed to serve as their congratulatory "not dead yet" celebration for their first night three million light-years from Earth. One of the hands that encircled her rested upon her bare stomach and Faith smiled when she felt the hand pull her closer to the equally naked body pressed behind her. Goosebumps erupted on her skin when she felt Buffy lightly brush her lips on the back of her neck. She still felt a little sore, but it was the kind of sore that really good sex left you; Slayer strength and healing has its benefits even in the bedroom.

"Think the rooms are soundproofed?" Buffy murmured into her ear.

"After last night, you better hope so, B," Faith laughed in reply, turning her head to give Buffy a smug look.

Nails scratched along her rib cage in response as Buffy's hands slowly drifted upwards. "Well, then, I'd say it's your turn to test it out. Did you bring it?"

Faith eyed her. "Bring what?"

Buffy blushed, "you know..." Buffy lowered her voice to a whisper as if people were watching, "the thing you did with Carter?"

Faith grinned, already feeling her body beginning to respond to Buffy's question. "What do you think? Check the bag, B. You planning on topping me?"

Buffy shrugged nonchalantly but her gaze remained molten, "if that means what I think it means, then yes. Either way, it's my turn to make you test the soundproofing."

A few short moments later, Faith found herself on her back in bed, looking up at Buffy who was poised on top of her. Buffy leaned down and kissed down her neck before whispering in her ear, "happy birthday, Faith."

Faith might have replied, but when Buffy began moving, her ability to speak seemed to have abandoned her. She didn't make another attempt to speak for some time after that.

#

Faith walked on slightly unsteady legs with Buffy out of her quarters, trying not to grin stupidly in her postcoital haze. At some point they'd have to tell Weir that they were sleeping together, just for the reason that the space could be used for someone else or in another capacity. Buffy had been assigned her own room but, well...like that was going to happen. But for now, Faith's quarters was their self-proclaimed home away from home.

Buffy had been...surprising with her enthusiasm for her first time with the toy and Faith found herself blessing her own forethought in bringing it along. After the 'happy birthday sex', they had taken a long shower before finally deciding it was time to seek sustenance. Or, as Faith had put it, 'time to feed the other H'. However, their plans immediately hit a roadblock upon leaving the room, a roadblock that was distinctly Doctor Elizabeth Weir and Doctor Peter Grodin shaped.

Dr. Weir and Grodin had been speaking rapidly in hushed tones while Peter was pointing at something displayed on the tablet he was holding. So intent on their conversation, they hadn't noticed when the door to Faith's quarters slid open, resulting in the four people nearly running over one another. The only thing that prevented them from doing just that were the reflexes of both Faith and Buffy that allowed the Slayers to jerk out of their way just in time.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Dr. Weir said, as she and Peter turned from their conversation at their near collision. "Oh, Miss Lehane, Miss Summers! I'm afraid I was slightly preoccupied. Still, I suppose this must be providence because we recently received a message from Lieutenant Ford about their mission's progress. You'll be happy to know that Miss Burkle is just fine."

Dr. Grodin nodded in agreement. "My apologies as well, we'll just be..." The man cut off and looked at the two girls closely, taking in their appearance. "Are you two feeling alright?"

"I'm sorry?" Faith asked, looking at Buffy then back at Dr. Grodin in confusion. "We're just fine, why?"

"Well, you look a little shaky..." Peter trailed off.

"And are those bruises?" Weir asked, focusing on the marks on the girls' skin.

Faith blinked and looked at Buffy and then herself. Buffy's cheeks turned pink and Faith had to cough to cover her own embarrassment. "I think we're just fine, Dr. Grodin," she croaked in the aftermath of her coughing fit.

#

Taking in the girls' behavior, Weir remembered their first meeting, Dr. Burkle's question, and the two girls' late arrival and flushed appearances. Ah hah! Weir thought in bemusement, her earlier suspicions about the nature of the girls' relationship now amply confirmed.

"If you two are getting sick, you need to see Dr. Beckett now. Any foreign bacteria that are in this city could be lethal and contagious, so you need see him immediately to determine if you're sick and whether or not it's something native," Peter ordered.

"We're not sick," Buffy said firmly.

Weir considered intervening but in all honesty, this was the most entertainment she'd had since arriving in Atlantis. Had the girls been genuinely upset or angry, she would have intervened, however they both seemed torn between amusement and embarrassment. So, in a move totally out of character, she decided to simply step back and watch the fireworks.

"Bruising, coughing, weak muscles, and flushing," Peter declared, naming their symptoms as he counted them off with his fingers to emphasize his point, "I'll take you there, now."

Faith coughed again and had to look down to conceal the slight smile that she'd gained.

"Well? Come on, let's go," Peter said, gesturing with his arm to follow him.

"Dr. Weir, Dr. Grodin," Faith said firmly, catching their attention. "We are not ill, we've simply been celebrating my birthday."

Weir hid a smile behind a hand when Buffy stepped on Faith's foot. Hard.

Peter still looked confused and at Faith's reply, blurted out, "then how'd you wind up with bruising like that?"

Even though Weir knew the answer to that question now, she was pretty sure that wasn't a question either girl wanted to answer. She was about to suggest that she and Peter leave them be when Weir discovered she'd underestimated the girls' temerity. Faith smiled at Peter and cheerfully answered the doctor's question.

"Really, really good sex."

Weir felt like face-palming, or smacking Faith, or possibly walking away and wishing that this conversation had never happened.

Peter appeared to have stopped functioning, his mouth slightly ajar while his eyes flicked from one girl to the other in rapid succession. "So...you're not sick?" he asked stupidly, almost hopefully.

"Nope," the girls answered in unison.

"Good...good," he said faintly. "That's good." Without another word, he turned on his heel and began walking away at a brisk pace. It wasn't quite running away, but it came close.

Weir turned to eye the retreating man before she sighed, closed her eyes, and counted to ten. "I wouldn't ask this if we were on Earth, but given how few of us are here and how relationship problems can cause friction among a larger population... I feel the need to ask if you two are involved in a relationship, not just a..."

"Wham, bam, thank you ma'am?" Faith supplied helpfully.

Weir felt her face heat at the turn of phrase. "Yes," she said, not allowing herself to look away from the younger brunette's challenging look, "that."

The "yes" was said in unison.

"One that you'd describe as serious?" Weir asked

Both girls nodded.

Weir paused, processing the implications and trying to figure out how to ask certain questions without being...indelicate.

"Um, I don't need my room," Buffy offered, seeing the older woman's expression.

Weir nodded gratefully, "thank you for letting me know, I know that it can be an awkward subject but we have a very limited amount of space that we can secure, so every room counts."

"Dr. Weir, we were told Colonel Sumner might not be cool with us, because...you know. Do you think you could keep this private?" Faith asked hesitantly.

"Who told you that?" Weir asked with a raised eyebrow.

"General O'Neill," Faith answered.

Weir considered the statement before eventually shrugging. "Sumner seems to be a pretty by the books kind of man," Weir conceded, "but I don't get the sense that it would be an issue unless you make it an issue. I won't approach him about this, but I won't lie if he asks either. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Peter and hope you didn't break him."

The leader of the Atlantis expedition turned to walk away before she paused, and looked back at the two Slayers. "The shield around the city is collapsing even more quickly than we'd estimated. It won't last much longer so might need to prepare for the possibility of an evacuation."

"Fuck," Faith cursed.

Weir winced but nodded her agreement at the sentiment.

"What can we do to help?" Buffy asked.

Seeing only their desire to help, Weir smiled at them with a measure of genuine warmth. "If Sumner left no further instructions for you, report to the C&C in the Gate room. Sergeant...Stackhouse, I believe, should be there; he'll direct you to wherever you're needed."

"Will do, thanks Dr. Weir," Faith said.

"And next time ladies, please be a little more discrete about your activities, or wear a high collared shirt."

"Will do," Faith promised.

#

"Liar," Buffy whispered in her ear as the doctor walked off.

Faith gave her a smirk. "Well B, now that that's over with, let's go see Sgt. Stackhouse."

"Yes ma'am."

Illyria observed the ships swooping through the night sky, occasionally angling downwards to strafe the ground. The small ships were using some form of an energy based weapon to attack in a seemingly random pattern. Structures were damaged or destroyed, but few if any humans had actually been killed directly by the bolts of energy that rained down from the sky. The tactic seemed geared more to inspire panic than to cause genuine damage and when the ships began beaming the fleeing humans into their ships, her belief was confirmed.

Based on Teyla's description, these would likely be the Wraith, given their intent to terrorize and capture as opposite to conquer or destroy. Curious, she mused. She'd never encountered the Wraith in the past and she was curious about the species that had driven the Alterans back to Earth, back to the Old Ones and their destructive war.

"Don't worry Miss Burkle, stay close to the ground and stick with us, we'll keep you safe!" Col. Sumner shouted to her as an explosion lit up the night sky just a short distance behind them.

Illyria made the appropriate face indicating fear and continued to observe. The Athosians did nothing to defend themselves and though they had little ability to do so, they didn't appear to even have any system to at least protect their own. Another indication they were inferior to the muck on Earth. Disappointing.

The humans she'd accompanied were able to hold onto their discipline, but upon entering the thick forests they quickly became more erratic, more fearful. Illyria cocked her head, trying to determine what the humans were reacting to with such fear, when Teyla came upon them, and told them of the Wrath's telepathic powers. She understood the significance of such an advantage in various circumstances; her guide would need to be warned about their ability to project and possible read thoughts. She did not know if the Slayers would possess any natural resistance, but forewarned is forearmed, as one of the less imbecilic human sayings went.

Their small party moved on, more clinically and professionally now that they knew not to shoot or bleat in fear at the shadows. The forest that surrounded them was filled with gunfire and screams. She could see the fires of destruction all around her as humans ran in fright at the monsters that hunted them. All things considered, it almost felt like home.

Another explosion nearby had everyone ducking down and Illyria heard Sumner shout some unintelligible words. There was a plume of heat and noise as the man called "Bates" used some projectile launcher that rested on his shoulder to successfully bring down one of the three small ships. It was patently absurd that a simple explosive projectile fired by a flimsy metal tube using the primitive process of combustion was capable of destroying an advanced airborne vehicle that possessed firepower far beyond the humans' own capabilities. Illyria supposed that said a great deal about the potential of humans, or more likely that she had simply expected far too much from the Wraith.

Sergeant Bates turned towards her and shouted, "go find Maj. Sheppard, he'll get you back to Atlantis!"

Illyria nodded and began moving in the direction he'd indicated, but paused as she noticed the Wraith ship speeding towards Col. Sumner and Bates at the low altitude they used to collect their prey. She had only a split second to decide, to choose how she wanted to proceed. She wanted to meet these Wraith, to see these creatures that would drive the Alterans from this galaxy, the creatures that had captured some of her humans.

Her eyes narrowed. My humans. It did not feel like a statement built out of some form of useless sentimentality. No, this was more primal, more natural to her, the feeling she might have had when a rival stepped foot onto her territory and dared challenge her rule. If the muck she had accompanied through the Astria Porta were to be killed, it would be by her hand and no other's. No, that wasn't quite it either, but close. The beam was nearing her, but her current position would leave her just outside of its range.

Would her guide believe her next action to be a breach of trust? The willingness to possibly expose herself for what she was? Perhaps, but if she'd learned anything about humans, it was that they were willing to risk much for the sake of another. Now that several members of the expedition had been or were about to be captured by these Wraith, the humans would make the predictable effort to risk even more of their kind just to save those few that had been taken.

For some reason, she saw Wesley's face, lying on the ground as his blood stained the floor, asking her to lie to him. She didn't know why the memory was suddenly vivid in her mind but it felt...significant.

Illyria stepped into the beam. Yes, she thought, I would like to meet these Wraith.

Author's Notes: Regarding the opening scene: the concept of traveling by Stargate (read wormhole) is just that, a concept, theory. However, if one were to do so, you would not be going in a loop de loop with pretty blue colors. This is partly due to the fact that you would see nothing because your entire body was just dematerialized, making the use of eyes...difficult. So it really would be walking in and walking out with a very short time lag. The listed travel time from Earth to Atlantis as 20 seconds via Stargate.

So about that rocket launcher Bates used to bring down the Wraith Dart: I watched the scene in the episode several times over and I'm pretty sure that wasn't an anti-air shoulder-mounted missile, it was just an RPG (as in rocket propelled grenade, not the iconic Russian RPG), and more specifically, I think it was an M72 LAW. That means Bates was able to shoot down a Wraith Dart flying very fast with an unguided rocket. Holy shit, Bates is either much more of a badass than I thought, or there was some very shift story telling. *shrug*

So...the Fuffy scene. I'm still trying to avoid the M rating and I'm pretty sure I was successful for this chapter. For the mom rule, this pretty much stretches it or breaks it, haven't quite decided, but this will be as explicit as it gets.