Notes:  Possible spoilers for this last seasons of Criminal Minds, or the last few of NCIS.
 

Demon Criminal Investigative Services: Membership and Dues.
 
 

Tony looked at his lunch date, winking at her.  She started to open her mouth to squeal. "Please don't.  I'm around squealing girls all day long who think I'm the cheese's meow according to one."

She hugged him around the throat instead.  "Tony!  You're back?"

"No, I'm not back but I am going to piss Gibbs off and try to steal you," he teased.

She pulled back to look at him.  "He'll growl and chew on you like a puppy on a slipper."  She sat down and looked at him.  "Where did you go?"

"DCIS."

She blinked.  "You're on the demon squad?" she mouthed.

"No, I'm pro-tem head of them and then senior agent for the agency once the new president picks a real head."  She gaped.  "I need a head of R&D and the labs."

She swallowed then slumped.  "That would leave Gibbs all alone."

"I heard, Abby."

She frowned at him.  "He's grumpy because you left."

"I left because I needed to leave.  Things had been going bad for a few weeks.  Ever since Ziva and Madame Director.  You okay?"  She nodded.  "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm okay.  Just sad.  He kinda snapped."

"McGee's enough to do it to nearly anyone," he said dryly, leaning closer.  "We have a vampire in a coma in the infirmary," he said quietly.

She gave him an odd look.  That was strange even by her standards.  "Why?"

"He's a Champion and got exploded in LA."

"Oh.  Interesting."

"We're there to keep the two sides from harming each other, no matter which side started it.  I need someone who knows their way around a lab for the investigative work and someone who can handle the three kooks I have in R&D.  I've got a signed contract of outside help from a math genius if we need one.  We have all the remaining slayers but the ones out working," he finished quietly.  "I can offer you what you're not getting now.  No nosy bitch in your lab.  I won't care what you wear as long as you're covered.  I don't care about your music as long as no one complains.  Then you two can work it out.  I'm only going to be doing nosy friend checks to make sure it's all right.  We have a caf pow machine in the caf too since we're on a base.  Free room and board.  The complex has a gym and pool and all that good stuff.  Xander loves the pool.  He goes and works out his frustration at having to do admin. things for the Watchers Council in it."

"Wow.  The only thing it'll lack is Gibbs."

"I'm not ruling it out but he told the president he never wanted to deal with this stuff ever again after the Initiative mess and the assassination.  Wish granted as I've heard wish demons say."

She giggled.  "You're sure you want me?"

"I'm definite I want you.  We can pack you up and steal you tonight at the end of your shift if you want.  That way you can disappear with only a note."

"That'll really piss him off."

"Well, probably," he admitted with a grin.  "But he did yell at you for being yourself the other day because he was pouting."

She shrugged.  "Can I email him?"

"Yeah.  Just don't tell him where the base is so he can't storm it to kidnap someone.  Or else I'll have to sic the girls on him.  After twenty teenage girls get done with his makeover I'm sure he'll be more than happy to be reasonable."

"That's mean."

"It's been a long week, Abby."

"Sure.  You can snatch me away.  I'll leave letters."  He smiled and handed over something.  She read the contract and blinked.  "That's more than I make now."

"We're a smaller agency.  You're a department head now."  He smirked.  "But I'm still on an expense account so I can get lunch."  She gave him a hug and ordered her grilled veggie salad, her favorite thing from here.  He got his usual thing and it was a nice meal.  Afterward he took a pepto, made the orders and went to bug Fornell.  Who glared at him.  "Just wait, he'll get crankier.  Anyone I might use?"

"The FBI isn't known for free thinkers, DiNozzo."

"I know that.  You still have one or two pop up now and then."

"Not in this branch.  I move them to Des Moines."

"Sure.  You call me directly if you get a case we need to help with.   We have a nice plane.  We can be here within hours.  I'll have a regional liaison set up with the local PD by tonight as well.  She's considering."

"That's fine.  I can agree with that.  CIA?"

"They can call if they run into something.  They're big boys over there too," he said dryly, heading off and up the hall.  Across a walkway and into another building.  Then down a few flights of stairs to work off lunch and to a gated doorway.  Fortunately his new pass worked and he had administrative access.  He walked in and smiled at one man who was out talking to another agent.  "I am here to poach," he said happily.

"Oh please don't," Hotchner begged.

"He can have Emily," one guy said.

Tony looked at him.  "Nope, not my thing."  He looked at him.  "Your office?"

"Me?"

"No, not you.  Though if you piss me off I'll offer a job to Garcia so you'll have to match my department head salary offer."

He groaned but led him into his office.  "Who did you want?"

"I want Reid or Giddeon.  It's part profiling and part psych job with people who're shocked, horrified, or have battle stress.  If I can find a second one to put on call for that I will but I haven't."

"For?  I heard you're somewhere in Homeland now."

"DCIS."

Hotchner winced.  "Oh, that's going to suck.  The strange stuff?"

"Every day.  We're keeping the two sides from hurting each other, no matter which side starts it."

He nodded.  "I wish you luck.  Giddeon left."

"When?"

"Last month."

"Damn.  Any idea?"  He shook his head.  "Hmm.  I'll see if we can track him down."

"You can have Prentiss.  I won't mind losing her.  She's causing some friction."

"No, we need someone good, Hotchner.  I wouldn't mind taking you but you'd be creeped out by the slayers we have."

"Do we call you for that stuff?"  He nodded and handed over a contact sheet from his bag.  "Good enough.  You sure you want Reid?"

"I think it's going to take some flexible minds and ways of thought."

"I'll see if I can find you a good person for battle stress.  He can't."

"That's why I was going to try to get both," he said with a mean grin.

"I'd gut you if you had."  He went to tap Reid.  "It's you."

"Me?  Why?"

"He needs young, flexible minds."  He pointed.  "In there, Spenser."  He went to talk to him, letting Hotch sit in his desk chair.  He looked at the other person on the team.  "I don't know," he admitted at his odd look.

"For?"

"DCIS.  That's the senior agent in the agency.  New head to be announced after the swearing in."

"Charming.  I couldn't do it."

"Me either.  He was going to try to get both."

"Well, it wouldn't be sexual pervs or motives," Derek said dryly.  "Think he'll try for Garcia?"

"No.  I will gut him for that."   He heard Spenser cackling.  "That's a bad sound."

"Very," Derek sighed.  He shook his head.  "I'll miss the little guy."

Spenser came out.  "I'm staying local and on call for both," he called.  "No parties yet."  He went back into the office to see what Tony needed more specifically.  He had case examples of what had been handled in the last week so that was good.  He even knew someone he could call in Las Vegas about the real psychological needs he'd have.  And a name he could offer as a field agent.  His old friend was very bored out there.

Derek answered his phone.  "Morgan."  He listened then laughed.  "I'll let him know.  Thanks."  He hung up and called the office.  "Spenser, tell DiNozzo to run and hide.   Gibbs heard he was local and recruiting.  He wanted to beat him if he was going to come for McGee."  Tony made a quip about having some twin geniuses out of MIT coming instead.  "That might save his life, but I'm doubting it.  Sure."  He hung up.  "Gibbs won't storm Quantico but he'll try to get him at the airport."

"Even better.  I hate the sight of fresh blood," Hotch complained.  He went to see how much he could still depend on Reid around the office.  It was going to cause problems if it kept him from answering cases.  Fortunately it looked like he'd be able to do it all by laptop and files.  Maybe a personal call for serious cases now and then.

***

Tony walked back into his office and Xander got up.  "What's up?"

"Typing at our computer nerds of the day.  They found someone trying to hack us."

"Good for them.  They stop them?"

"Embarrassed them and got them kicked out of school."

"Even better."

"They'll be here tonight.  I'm assigning Pruit to meet them."

"He'll freak out."

"It's good for him."  He grinned.  "Shrink?"

"Interviewing three in Las Vegas next week."  Xander beamed at that.  "The girls need one that badly?"

"I could use a shoulder too.  Dawn's still trying to be stoic.  Most of the girls are trying to relax into routines.  Faith could probably use one too.  And she needs relieved for a few weeks.  I figure two months on, one off should be okay?"

"That'd be good," Tony agreed.  "Got any ideas?"  Someone up the hall screamed.  "Which one was that?"

"Probably Caridad.  Who I wouldn't mind.  She could use a good dose of steady and Wes is that."

"She's how old?"

"Older than Buffy was when she was called at fifteen."

"Sixteen or over, seventeen if possible."

"She'll turn seventeen during it."

"That's mean."

"She volunteered."

"Fine."  Xander grinned.  "Anything else?"  He shook his head. "What do you think about hiring detectives and CSI instead of all agents?"

Xander shrugged.  "Like I have a clue what the difference is?"

"Good point.  More science oriented."

"Still, not a clue."

"I'll figure it out."

"Get the ones who've handled some."

"I think I can do that."  He smiled and made shooing motions, letting him go talk to Caridad or whoever had just yelled.  Tony got onto his computer tech's IM and typed at them for a bit, letting them find him what he needed.  They could run a name search through any databank in any department.

***

Tony smiled at his new hire.  He hoped.  He hoped.  "Mr. Sanders."

Greg stopped and looked around then at him.  "Do I know you?"

Tony held up a card.  "I'm hoping we can fix that oversight."

Greg looked at it then at him.  "You're joking," he said with a grin.

"Nope.  I need good investigative people.  You've handled two of our cases in the past without realizing it.  I need free-thinking people I can count on that don't have a stick up their butts from the system telling them how to think.  You could even wear ungodly t- shirts.  Xander does.  That sounds a lot like you."

Greg sat across from him.  "I love the lab, even if they are down on my shirts, my free- thinking ways, and my hair."  He ran a hand over it.

"Our head of R&D is goth, Greg.  We don't care what you wear in the office as long as it's really clothes and not paint.  In the field you'd have to not be stained, wrinkled, or too nasty to be believed as an agent."

Greg nodded.  "Are you the real head of the agency?"

"Until the new president picks and I've heard his pick is going to agree with most everything I say right off.  The one suggested is a physicist.  I'll be senior agent in the agency once he's appointed."

Greg considered it.  "You remember those days when you still loved the job but you were frustrated because there's people you work with who can't even look up the meaning of the word respect?"

"Many times.  I switched jobs because of it a few times.  I heard you had that.  That's why I came to interrupt your hunt for breakfast today."

Greg smiled.  "It's a good offer."

"Five grand more a year than you made as a DNA tech."

"That's a nice salary."

"I'm looking at other guys with your qualifications to be on the investigative team.  Probably a light caseload but I'll promise you'll have messy ones."

"I'll consider it and maybe take you up on it in the second round of hiring if the deal stays that sweet."

"I can't blame you for that if you still love your present job," Tony assured him with a smile.  He pointed at the card.  "Call me.  We'll probably have openings for a while."

"I can do that." He shook his hand.  "Think I could get a written offer?  Make my boss jealous?" he asked with a teasing grin.  Tony produced one and he snatched it to look over. "Wow.  The clothing clause is even written in."

"Abby Scuito is head of R&D and our labs."

"Abby from NCIS?" he asked, giving him an odd look.  Tony smirked and nodded.  "Then you really want brains and free thought."

"We do.  We'll need it."

"Let me be nagged two too many times," Greg said.  "I'll consider it harder."  That got a nod and he got up, stuffing that into his pocket with the card.  It was a great offer and Grissom would see that other people appreciated him more than he did.  Hopefully.  He went back to the lab and his boss's office, tapping before leaning in.  "Got ten?"

"New case?"

"I'm off the clock, Griss."  He walked in and shut the door.  "I just got a governmental job offer."

"From?"

"DCIS.  New agency under Homeland."

"Lab?"

"Field."  He showed it to him.  "I'm considering but not too hard at the moment."

He looked it over. "That's a good contract," he said, handing it back.  "You knew there was a pay cut, Greg."

"Not complaining about the pay cut, Griss.  I'm complaining that I'm a yo-yo.  I'm in the field.  We have a great, competent DNA tech that you and others undermine by sending me in there to look over her shoulder."

"She hasn't complained."

"She won't.  She'll quit first."

Grissom sighed but nodded.  "I can see how that's a  problem.  You still can't wear band t- shirts in the field, Greg."

"No but I don't have to dress like Nick, right?"

"No," he agreed.  "You don't."  He took off his glasses.  "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Negotiation, boss man."

"I can understand that, Greg.  Fine, I'll try to keep Ecklie from shoving you back in the  lab without your consent or knowledge.  You can quit dressing so plainly as long as you're neat and professional looking and you can cut your hair again as long as it's not too messy.  Better?"

"Much," he said, grinning at him.  "Thanks, Griss."  He walked off happier and wrote the email address on the card that it had worked and he knew a few CSI in other cities who could use the job.  Because they were tired of theirs.

***

Tony walked into the precinct in New York and smiled.  "This looks familiar."  He went to the front desk.  "Hi.  I need to see these two men for a short talk," he said, handing over the profiles.

"Reporter?"  Tony held up his badge.  "Oh.  Fed."

"Head of an agency Fed, yes.  Not a bad one.  A good talk actually."

She smiled.  "If you say so."

"Recruiting," he hissed.

"Oh!  Good talk.  Sure."  She paged them for him and then followed the directions she gave him.  She shook her head.  "I'd hate to see them go.  They're nice guys."

Tony walked into the room and shut the door.  "Detective Taylor, I didn't know I had invited you to talk."

"You talk with my people, you talk with me."

"I'm hiring for the new agency under Homeland.  I need good, experienced, open-minded professional investigators for my team."  He pulled a contact sheet out of his inner jacket pocket and handed it over.  "If New York has a case, and you often do, that is how you get in touch with us.  I have a regional liaison set up already out of SVU and one out of the 23rd.  So if you catch something you can call them or me directly."  He smiled, showing him out and closing the door behind him, locking it even.  Because he knew stubborn Marines.  Then he pulled out the two offers.  He looked at the names then handed them over.  "You two both came highly recommended.  You've both handled our sort of case before.  You're not prejudice about one side or the other.  We can promise you'll be part of a good, strong covert agency that's growing up like a family.  I'm doing almost all the recruiting and I'm making sure we can all work together.  Danny, the head over the labs and R&D is Abby, formerly of NCIS."  That got a nod of appreciation.  "You'd be doing what you do here.  Sometimes sent on cases, sometimes cases sent in.  Depends on the need of the case.  We're on a newly reconstructed and reopened base.  We offer free housing, caf, amenities, gym, pool, laundry, cable.  Internet.  Travel for cases."

"That's a good offer," Don Flack said quietly.  "Need a soul?"

"No, we're dealing with those things that like to take them," Tony said honestly.  Don moaned.  "We see it as we're dealing with it whenever either side does something to the other.  No matter which side started it.  It's a small agency but we're growing.  We're also tied very tightly with the new Slayers Council since the old one got blown up and there's only about three of them left.  We have all the remaining girls in training back at the base too.  I will warn you they squeal and pounce.  Especially the younger ones."

Don smiled but nodded.  "It's a great offer."

Tony sat across from him.  "Six years ago I was Detective DiNozzo, Baltimore Homicide, Flack.  Then Gibbs recruited me for NCIS.  I'm a tough boss but I'm fair and I'm not going to tell you how to get to a conclusion on a case.  I care that you get there and you get there right.  Not how, if you pray over it, if you angst over it, if you nibble at your desk over it.  I won't say some cases you won't want to eat after seeing.  We've all had those I'm sure."  Danny nodded.  "Which is why I need good, qualified, strong, honest, open-minded people to be on the team.  We have six right now and we're looking for about ten more so we can have partners.  You'd be equal to Danny.  He gets his from the lab, you get yours by footwork.  We'll be spending some good time on the road depending on cases."

He thought about it.  "My Pops would scream and rant.  I'm third generation."

Don nodded. "That's a consideration but with us you'd just be Don."

"Which could be nice now and then," he agreed.  "Here I get politics."

"I don't play politics.  Once the new president appoints a formal agency head I won't have to do it again," he promised with a smirk.  "My agents might get some 'this is our turf' bullying but nothing else.  We're under Homeland."

He sighed but shoved it off.  "My family would scream for decades if I took that.  I'll agree to handle local things."

"Can't have too many of those," Tony agreed.  "Though I was hoping I could bring you two in together as a working set of partners."

"Those rumors are false," Danny said dryly.

"I don't care."  He snorted and waved a hand.  "I don't care if you're doing stuffed animals that've been possessed, Danny.  As long as it's not compromising the evidence I don't care what you do.  Or who you were."  Danny gave him an odd look.  "It was a point given as a reason for suggesting you.  You could do so much more without the black ball of your past hanging over your head.  I could care less and after a few years, no one else will if you transfer.  Even back here."

Danny leaned on the table.  "You know?"

"Danny, my dad works up on Financial Row and kicked me out at the ripe old age of twelve because I didn't want to be a banker."  Don hissed at that.  "I don't give a damn what sort of marks you wear.  We all grew out of youthful stupidity.  There for a while I was a satantist trying to get my father devoured by something.  Didn't work.  Now I know why."

Danny snickered quietly.  "Good to know, Tony."  He looked at Don.  "You'd get out of your shadow."

"He doesn't have to tell me right now," Tony promised.  "Give it a week, let me know, Don."  He nodded.  "Talk to your family."

"My dad said most Feds are hired because they're too stupid to be cops.  I don't think you all are."

Tony laughed.  "My last boss was a Gunny Sergeant in the Marines.  He taught by head smacks."  Danny laughed but nodded a bit.  "So I see you've met Gibbs?"

"Twice.  Two very bad cases."

"I came in about five and a half years ago," Tony told him.  That got a smirk.  "They took me from him.  The president personally asked me to be senior agent in the agency for him.  After meeting my second, Xander, I can see why.  He's not used to admin. or federal level stuff.  He was a carpenter and hunter of this stuff.  He came in under practical experience.  He's down in Miami right now handling a case.  The girls are probably repainting the base."

Danny grinned.  "I'm seriously going to consider it tonight after my shift.  You trying to steal anyone else?"

"No.  I've heard about Monroe.  I'd rather eat live demon eggs that'll eat me from the inside out."  Don laughed.  "I've met Stella on a case before and I love the woman but someone's got to lighten up the gloom and glare I can feel aimed at my back from Taylor.  She does a good job here.  Besides, I don't think she wants to do this sort of case."

"Nah, last one with anything strange she handed off and went to scrub," Don said.  "I'll let you know within a week, Tony."

"Sure.  Let me know, guys.   I'm flying out in about two hours.  I can have the relocating fairies come back to help Danny move if he needs to.  I have a moving company on call for our people.  They moved me, Abby, and a few others already."

"Where's the base?" Don asked.

"North Dakota.  We'll get to travel for cases.  I did mention paid travel, right?"  They nodded.  "Good.  Bit tired.  The slayers decided to have a horror movie binge with my tapes and kept me squealing in fear and laughing at the monsters."  He shook their hands.  "Let me know, guys."  He left, going out past Mac and Stella.  "Evening."  He smiled and winked at her, making her swat him with a folder.  "I'd offer but we'll have strange stuff now and then."

"Don't want it anyway," she assured him.

"Okay."  He walked off whistling, handing in his visitor's pass on the way out.  Half an hour later Danny called and Tony set things in motion so he could fly out with him to North Dakota.

***

Xander was walking through the graveyard.  "Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty.  Here, ghosty.  Nice ghosty.  Some of the time but I'm sure you're a nice ghosty when you're not lonely and pissed off."  He looked around.  Something was off.  So when the demon ran at him he was pretty prepared.  He still got knocked down but he beat its ass.  "You know, I wasn't here for you.  I'm here for the killing ghost."  He slugged it again.  "I don't want to deal with your kind at all today."  He held it down.  "Why attack me?"  It babbled about slayers and dreams and bad things.  "We already had that.  That was the Sunnydale apocalypse a few months back."  He let it up and looked at it.  "Trust me, all the slayers we can find are with us.  We have people finding the others to bring them to us if they want to.  Any other reasons?"  It whimpered.  "I'm too damn tired after putting up with twenty mother hen slayers last night to kill you.  Your kind is usually harmless.  I'd remember that."  It ran off.  He turned and ran into the ghost he wanted, working on the banishing.  He slumped when he was done, looking around to make sure nothing else was coming at him.  "I hate these sort of days."  He heard music and looked around in confusion.  "Must be a car.  No more ghosties killing mourners."  He walked off making notes on the PDA Tony had given him to break.  Or so he had claimed that's why he had given it to him.  He walked over the foot of one grave and stiffened, moaning in discontent.  "Not again."

The ghost flowing into him looked around.  "This is a mess," he decided. He realized he was speaking out loud and the voice ranting in the back of his head was the real person.  "Um....  Have not a clue, man."  The real person shifted them around so he was the voice in the back of the head.  //You okay?  The first thing I knew you were going 'here, ghosty' and I turned to look.//

"You're missing time; that was over ten minutes ago," he muttered, making notes.  He called Tony while he did.  "One killer ghost down.  One in me, boss.  Miami, still.  No idea."  The ghost supplied his name and he looked at the headstone.  "He said his name's Tim.  Yeah, that's the headstone.  Sure, Tony, we'll come see you back on base in a few hours."  He hung up and looked at the headstone.  "Just let me drive and all that stuff, okay?"  He walked off, heading back to his car.  He saw someone watching him and shrugged.  "DCIS.  Case related.  You?"

"Miami-Dade CSI," he said, holding up his badge.  "You got yours?"  Xander found it so he could look at it.  "Which agency is this?"

"Sub-closet in Homeland."  The other voice was telling him something.  He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.  Then he looked at the guy.  "Were you out here about the mourners dying?"  He nodded.  "Got it, it's gone."

"What's gone?"

"The spirit.  Unfortunately it was feeling lonely because no one visited him so he got vengeful of others visitors."

"Um...."

"Read the print under the name, junior," Xander said dryly.  He did then shuddered and moaned.  "You know, we're hiring."

The guy looked at him.  "After my reaction?"

"Sometimes you have to but you have to be open to look at both sides of the case.  I know we have a lab, we have investigative teams.  My boss is former NCIS.  I'm guessing that's the same?"

"Yeah, basically only he did military crimes.  You're serious?"

"Yeah, the new ghost I sucked in after banishing the last one said you'd neat and Tim said he needed to kick Eric's ass but not today so we should head since he's parking according to him."

Ryan looked then nodded.  "Yeah, probably.  We'd like a report."

"Sure, come to North Dakota and get it," he said with a  grin.  "Because he's freaking out."

"There's a reason for that.  Hey, Delko, DCIS."

He looked at him.  "Ghost?"

"Banished.  Sucked up another one who wanted to do some travel."  He dug out a contact sheet.  "Call us directly."

"We can do that.  You want Wolfe?  He's an annoying prick but he's good.  Plus it'd get him away from the reporter that he nearly caused a city-wide panic with."

"We were all new, Delko," Xander said dryly, saying what Tim wanted this time.  "Even you and me.  Rookies make mistakes if their elders aren't watching. The same as toddlers do."  Eric stiffened at that.  "But yeah, I think he'd do good in the agency.  I'm trying to get him to North Dakota to see if he'd fit in."

"I'll get you clearance."  He went to call that in.  Xander shrugged at Ryan.  "We'll talk on the plane."  He finished his report and sent it, getting back a confirmation and a complaint that Dawn was making the girls hyper.  He groaned but called.  "Why did the dispatch officer complain to me that you're making the girls hyper?  Well, I might be bringing back one.  Tony thinks he is.  Oh, tell them I'm possessed again but he's really nice so far.  No growling this time.  Sure.  No, I don't need a party."  He sighed in defeat.  It'd make the girls feel better.  "They can help cook dinner tonight how about that?"  She squealed and hung up so he did and put the phone back into his pocket.  "Slayers."  Ryan gave him an odd look.  "The last twenty-six of them and twenty are in residence as of yesterday's traveling to hotspots.  Dawn's making them hyper."

"I'm sorry."

"Nine are below the age of ten.  Watch out for pouncing and squealing.  So?"

"I might be able to get a day off to do that."  Their boss rode up and Xander stiffened.  "Don't.  Just don't."  Xander made himself relax and yelled at the voice mentally, making him calm back down.  "H, DCIS handled the case."

"How?"

"Banished."  He pulled up his report to let him read it.  "Including case notes about how they died of cold exposure here in Miami."

He read it over then looked at him.  Xander held up his ID badge.  "Under?"

"Homeland."

"You're very young."

"I've been doing this since I was sixteen.  I came in under practical experience, Lieutenant.  I worked with slayers.  Now I work with all the slayers."

"I see."  He handed the PDA back.  "Are you ...uncomfortable?"

"Bit squishy in my shoes.  Must've rained last night.  That and it's been a long night.  The slayers pounced last night because they were sulking.  I had to listen to them complain that they can't date on base."

"Base?"

"Our home base is a reopened military base that we had reconfigured for us.  It's in North Dakota.  I gave Delko a contact sheet so you know how to contact us the next time one of these comes up."

"Thank you for that.  Heading back now?  No silver bullet?"

Xander pulled out his gun, popped the clip, handed him one then put the clip back and the gun back in the holster.  Then he smirked.  "Sure, if you want one so you can replicate it."  He walked off.  "Can I recruit Wolfe?  I think he'd do well with us since you guys don't appreciate him.  I can have him back tomorrow if he doesn't like us."

"Mr. Wolfe...."

"I have no idea, Horatio.   That's Homeland's seal on the ID."  He shrugged.

"Five grand more a year, choice of clothing, investigative teams instead of solo or partner working at the moment.  Some travel, not always though.  Free housing, cable, all that.  Free food.  We don't care what you sleep with unless it becomes a case."  He turned to look at him.  "And you can be yourself, OCD and all."  Ryan gaped.  He knew he hadn't mentioned that.  That proved that possession to him.  Xander smirked.  "We don't mind.  The arms master won't either.  Well?"

"Go with him.  I want him out of this city," Horatio said quietly.  This...agent was making his skin crawl for some reason.  He did not want him in his city.  "Make sure your phone is on for a GPS lock.  Call once you're wherever you're going.  I'll check on him in the system."

"Yes, Horatio."  He followed him.  "Maybe I should drive."

"That's fine.  We're going to the airport.  The agency's plane is with Tony in New York while he's recruiting."  That got a nod and Ryan drove them off.  He giggled.  "Damn the look on their faces was pretty.  I haven't gotten to freak anyone out in days."

"Did it to me too."

Xander looked at him.  "I've got a slight case of being a seer and I suck in spirits, Ryan.  Tim said you're an asshole but Eric's a bigger one and he should remember.  Mostly.  They *were* drunk at the time so it's a bit fuzzy."  Ryan gave him a horrified look.  "If you crash and we all die it's going to be really hard to explain this to St. Peter."

Ryan paid more attention to the road.  This was just too strange to be true.

***

Tony walked into the base and looked around.  "Xander's possessed again!" he announced.  People went running.  "He texted he recruited too!"  Danny snickered.  "Apparently the new possession is good at that.  No clue yet.  We'll have to talk to him later."  He walked him into security, getting Danny his new ID badge while there.  "There we go.  Passcard system in effect all over the base."  He walked him around, showing him where everything was.  The dorm mother gave him his own apartment in the single's complex so that was nice of her.  "The moving company is bringing his stuff."  They kept going, getting in a small snack until Dawn caught then.  "This is Danny, our new agent.  He's out of New York's CSI labs."

"Hi, Dawn Summers.  Buffy's my big sister but she's ...asleep or whatever they're calling it now."

"Xander's possessed," Tony said, snatching a bit more food.  She swatted him again.  "Hey!"

"Of course he is.  You sent him to deal with a ghost, Tony.  Did he suck up the one killing people?"

"No, a different one.  His report was already put in.  He banished that one."

"Then maybe this one will be nice and all that.  The soldier isn't too bad and the hyena likes me."  She smirked.  "No food until dinner.  It's a special Xander dinner since he just solved his first solo case."

"Fine."  He brought Danny to the weapons area.  "Hey, Benny Ray?" he called.  He popped out of the armory.  "Danny Messer, New York CSI, this is our arms master, Benny Ray Riddle.  Yes, long 'I' after an imaginary 'h' instead of short or else he'll snark and be mean."  He smiled.  "CSI are forensic cops so he's a scientist first."

"I'll make sure his field arms are in good working order so he doesn't have to worry about anything," he promised, shaking his hand.  "What're you trained on, Danny?"

"Department issued Browning nine mil."

Benny led him in there to look. "We have one in the same size.  Did it feel right in your hand?  Too big, too small?"

"Bit too small."  Another was handed over.  "That's nice.  Heavy but nice."

"Okay, so lighter."  He got him another one and that got a nod.  "Good, that'll be your field gun."  He put a tag on it.  "We have individual lockers."  He led him over to his.  "I'll put reloads in here for you or they're in the cabinet behind the door if you're desperate.  So's the cleaning supplies."  He let him have the key to the locker.  "All yours."

"Thanks.  What about around base?"

"We have security and if they get past them, you can run and get it," Tony promised.  "That way you don't have to worry about it at the desk.  I know most CSI aren't fully comfortable with their guns.  That's why we're CSI instead of regular officers.  Xander's possessed, Benny Ray."

"I'll find the chains, boss."

"Thanks."  He grinned and walked him off.  "There we go.  Let's finish up at the office so you can pat your brand new computer."  He walked him into the building that housed the offices, labs, all that work stuff.  "Second floor is the lab.  Third is desk space.  Fourth is empty but Xander wanted to confiscate it for the witchly crew we're building.  Dawn, the one in the kitchen, is one in training."  They got off on the lab floor so he could look around.  "Abby, did the last set of machines get here yet?"

"Earlier today and already blew a fuse.  Tech support's still really crappy but I got it fixed."  She came out and smiled, holding out a hand.  "Abby Scuito."

"Danny Messer.  Manhattan Felony CSI."  He shook her hand.  "I heard you're the lab boss?"

"Lab and R&D," she said happily.  "So if you need it, come see me.  Research or case work.  I'll assign you lab codes and coats, all that stuff."

"Sure, I'd like that.  I'm great at fingerprints but I can run nearly anything but DNA."

She walked him off to show him around.  "I've got it, Tony.  Go wait on Xander."

"Thanks."  He went to do that, finding him and a new person with him.  "Are you possessed by a twin?" he teased.

"No, the guy I took the place of.  I caught him banishing the ghost," Ryan told him.  "So he offered me a job because I shuddered."

Tony shrugged.  "We'll see if the work calls to you.  You are?"

"Ryan Wolfe, out of Horatio's lab, Mr. DiNozzo."

"Agent or Tony, Ryan.  We're not that formal around here."  He looked at Xander.  "So it is really Tim Speedle in there, huh?"

"You want me to tell everyone about that poker game at the convention in Atlanta about seven years ago or so?"

"No, not really," Tony admitted but he was grinning.  "Nice to have you back.  How in the world?"

"He was by my grave going 'here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty' and I looked.   He said it was about ten minutes but on this side times doesn't mean that much to us.  He walked over the foot of my grave and since I was paying attention it let me catch onto him and he sucked me in."

The voice changed back to Xander's.  "I don't wanna be a hoover anymore.  Can't we fix this?  He's complaining about my shirt, Tony."

Ryan looked at his shirt of the moment.  "Speed wore grunge stuff and that's ugly, Xander."  He walked off at someone's urging.  "It's all right.  Tim and I picked on him about it earlier."

Tony nodded.  "Still not safe.  Ghosts can be grumpy.  Since this one was grumpy in life, I'm sure it'll be worse."  He walked Xander off to the infirmary, making him lie down so they could look him over and see if a good banishing would work.

***

"Our newest members of staff that joined us tonight," Tony said, nodding at the three boys.  "Are Danny Mesesr, formerly of New York CSI.  Ryan Wolfe, formerly of Miami- Dade CSI, and Xander's new passenger, Tim Speedle, also formerly of Miami-Dade CSI.  I'm very sorry if you have to run into the boss down there anytime soon.  Especially since Ryan quit by phone two hours after he got here."  The others clapped and laughed but welcomed the new guys.  Xander even let Tim take over, though he had been complaining that he had no idea what Tim was talking about in the labs.  Tony watched.  They'd work it out.  Both were very stubborn young men.  Xander more than most so he'd have control of his body more often than not.  Tony watched as Danny snuck off to call someone, smiling at his use of his new cellphone.  Tony answered his when it rang.  "DiNozzo.  Hey, boss.  How's cases?  Doing a lot of recruiting actually.  It's been a bit fun.  I've gotten to piss off a few different agencies for the last few weeks."  One of the girls squealed.

"Sorry, happy coworker, kinda.  Well, future coworker."  The slayer looked at him.  "When you're old enough."  She shrugged and went back to talking to Ryan about Miami, where she was from originally.  "What's up?  Need help on a case?"  He smiled.  "I have talked to Abby and she said she's happy and fine.  They've given her a nice, shiny, new, large lab to play in and set up.  She's got all the toys she wants and lab-wide music if she wants.  Actually I hired two CSIs today.  She said her R&D department loves her ideas.   She's a department head, boss.  Of course she's having fun.  No nosy person staring over her shoulder.  No one yelling at her for being bouncy on a gloomy day.  She did say that she wasn't looking forward to her first real, harsh winter but she'd be fine.  Sure, I'll text her and have her call you, boss.  How's Probie?"  He smirked at the grumpy answer.  "I'm sure it'll be fine, Gibbs.  You smacked me, him, and Kate into it, you can smack the new one.  And the director.  Well, if you really wanted to you can look at her and tell her I'm heading my own agency at the moment.  Watch her freak, boss."  He hung up on the shuddering he could hear going on.  "Abby, call Gibbs.  He still doesn't know you work here."

"Of course not.  He'd storm the state and kick both our butts."  She went into the hall then into the nearest office to call, watching the security cameras since it was in Security.  "Hi, Gibbs.  I'm fine.  Were you worried about me?  That's sweet."  She smiled as he grumped at her.  "No, I'm good.  My lab is great.  My people are wonderful and understand me.  We sat around all day and worked on the two new machines that kept blowing fuses then we had a few caf-pows and got to work on the research side of things.  I am.  I've had three cases recently so I can do research in-between bad things.  Well, right now I'm working on the restraint spray stuff to see if I can make it work better and faster.  Because it's practical and Tony wanted me to.  Just in case so I could share it with him.  No, I'm not in DC, Gibbs.  If I was still working in DC, I wouldn't have moved.  Nope, that was part of our signing bonus, that we'd be whisked away to the new office's location by their moving company.  They did a really good job.  Nothing got broken, nothing got smooshed.  They even cleaned out my fridge, let my landlord do the tour so I got my security deposit back, and then rearranged my stuff here before I knew it was here.  No, I donated all my old food to a food panty."  She stared at a camera.  "Gibbs, give me a minute.  No, I'm sitting in security watching the cameras and something just happened.  I'll call back."  She hung up and texted Tony.  He and the head of security came in.  "I have no idea what that is."

Tony frowned.  "Me either."  He did what he usually did when he couldn't identify something.  "Xander!"  He came jogging in.  "What's that?"

He looked then he smirked.  "That is a badly injured beast.  Stay."  He grabbed something and headed down to check it over.  "Hey," he said gently, looking at it.  "Are you looking for sanctuary?"  It stared at him and growled.  He darted it with the tranq dart.  It fell onto its side and the medical team came out.  "That's a shape shifter.  It's a lesser type of werewolf."  He came over to look.  "Any indication of silver?"

"Looks like a baseball bat," one of the team said.  "Let's go."  They carried the thing into the medical bay and got to work on the injuries.  "Will stitches help?" she asked Xander.

He shrugged.  "Won't hurt.  They might shrink or stretch when they change back though."

"Then we'll use butterflies."  She got to work on the one on his leg.  "Do you think this was a natural occurrence?"

"Nope," Xander said, pointing at something. "That is a powder burn."  They groaned and cleaned up that area too.  He'd sit guard on it for tonight.  The new force field containment system that they used in the demon jail they watched over worked in here as well and they had a portable system set up just in case.  It went around the bed and Xander waited.   When the werewolf shifted back he looked at him.  "Morning, want some coffee before we talk or after?"

The man rolled over to look at him.  "Who're you?" he rasped.  "Where am I?"

"DCIS."  He leaned forward.  "You came in pretty banged up last night, kid.  Powder burns, a few cuts, looked like a broken rib.  You in any pain?"  He shook his head.  "Good, then our docs are really good.  Can I get him a coverall once you've checked him over?" he asked the doc coming toward him with the tray.  He took his coffee and she went into the shield to examine him.  He laid there then Xander led him off to an interrogation room.  "Okay, let's get down to this.  You were changed.  That's not an issue.  The issue is you had been shot a few times and cut a few times plus we found a few places that looked like baseball bat hits.  Do you remember any of it?"

"None of us remember things."

"I know a few who do, kid."  He slumped.  "How long have you been changing?"

"Six months."

"Do you usually lock yourself up?"

The kid snorted.  "Why should I?  They're my woods!  I'm supposed to run free in them!"

"Then what happens if you make it to civilization?" Xander asked, taking a sip of his coffee.  "Beyond the fact that half the town knows how to deal with you guys."

"We're immortal," he sneered.

"No, I know for a fact you're not because I've seen other werewolves that've been killed.  By humans and not.  It'll also keep those who hunt you guys off your fur.  Because I have a friend who changes and a hunter did come for him.  He didn't care that he was human all but three days a month."  He finished his coffee.  "Someone's looking things up to see what happened last night.  So let's start with the basics.  You look like you're under eighteen.  Do your parents know?"  The kid went stiff.  "We're going to have to tell them that you're here.  It's either they come here or we drop you off.  That's the only way you're leaving the base right now."

"I'm on the old base?"

"Um-huh.  Demon Criminal Investigative Service took it over and changed it.   Before you can sneer and ask, yes we do investigate it when the humans are hurting demons and when humans are the victims.  No matter who did what, we're fair.  That means we have to investigate if you did something or if the humans did it to you, as well as patching you up last night.  Now, do you want to call your parents or should we?"

"No.  They won't want to hear this."

"They're going to hear this one way or another."

"They'll kill me."

"No they won't."  Xander smiled.  "Even in a pack situation, a vet giving medical attention isn't unwelcome."

"They don't know."

"Then maybe they should because if the hunters come for you, there's no one to watch your back if you're not part of a pack or protected.  Now, name and phone number?"  He slid across some paper.  "Please."  He wrote it down.  "Thank you."  He went to make the call himself, leaving a guard on the door.  "Do we have anything?" he asked while he dialed.

"Local farmer had his barn broken into.  Shot the animal he thought it was."

"Cut and baseball bat marks?" Xander asked before inputting the last number.  The guard with him shrugged.  "Call the sheriff?"

"He's at his mother's.  He'll call in a bit."

"That'll work."  Xander hit the last number. "Ma'am, this is DCIS agent Xander Harris.  I have a boy named Jeremy who wandered onto our base last night a bit beaten up and we've just now gotten him to the point of giving us your phone number.  Yes, ma'am, that's us.  On the base, ma'am.  Because of his condition you'd have to come down to pick him up," he said.  "I don't know if he's in any trouble yet," he admitted when she asked.  "That's what we're trying to figure out now.  Please do.  We're at the old base.  Yes, ma'am.  North gate and tell them your son's here in Interrogation three.  They'll show you where to park and how to get to us.  We're giving him food right now.  He should be fine but this is a formality.  Thank you, ma'am.   Yes, ma'am."  He hung up and went back, finding the kid was eating cereal.  "She said it'll take her about an hour to get here.  You roamed a long way."  Someone knocked then walked in.  Ryan leaned down to whisper in his ear.  "You sure?"  He nodded.  "Correlate that back for me please."  He nodded and left so Xander looked at the kid.  "By the way, she let on that she was your aunt.  She have custody?"

"My mother can't drive."

"As long as you're not in trouble it'll probably be a reasonable family relation so that'll be fine.  If not, we might have to go talk to your parents."  Dawn came in.  "What's that?" he asked, nodding at the folder in her hand.

"One of the werewolf hunters is in town."  She let him see.  "The Sheriff caught him last night in the woods on the other side of town."  She nodded at the kid.  "We ran him through the databank for him and he's keeping him under arrest."  She looked at the kid. "You lucked out.  This guy has killed over sixty werewolves that we know of."  The kid went pale.  "That's why you need a safe place and someone to watch over you.  So you don't end up like him."

"We're meant to be free."

"Freedom versus death.  Not a great choice," she said dryly.  "Still one you have to make.  Because if you attack a person, they can and will get you for that."  She left the file and the room.

"One of her sister's friends is the same werewolf I know.  It's a thrill to run in the woods.  I can fully get that feeling.  I've had that same thrill of freedom, going all out, letting the wind and the scents on the air guide me."

"Are you one of us?"

"No.  There's other ways to do the same thing."  The local sheriff walked in with an older woman.  "His aunt he had us call?"

"His mother.  His aunt'll be here soon.  We passed her house and she was warming up the car."  He shut the door.  "We'll keep the hunter."

"No, we'll keep the hunter," Xander assured him.  The sheriff looked stunned.  "We don't care which side did what to who.  Humans go after demons we get it.  Demons go after humans we get it.  We're going to figure it out fairly on either side.  We may still use your jail since ours is built for demons who've hurt people."

"That's perfectly fine, Harris.   We know you do your best to try to be fair."

"That's why we took him in last night when he showed up after having been shot with buckshot and cut a few times, plus a bit pummeled.  What did he get caught doing?"

"A milk cow.  Showed up at his girlfriend's house to try to get her.  That's probably where the other injuries came from.  The farmer does load buckshot."  The boy's aunt was let in.  "Mabel, I heard so I brought Clarice.  If he's not in trouble we'll let you drive them back."

"Would he normally be in trouble for hurting that cow?" Xander asked.  The Sheriff nodded.  "Do you want to handle the problem or do you want us to?"

"I think the farmer would settle at reparations."  He looked at the boy.  "I can talk him into it, but I will promise you he won't let your mother pay him for it.  You'll have to pay him back all by yourself, Jeremy.  We've also got to talk about safety issues.  You might not have minded turning but no one else feels that way and you roaming around is dangerous to others."

"Most of us from Sunnydale agree that safe caging and someone watching in case of hunters is usually enough," Xander said.  He held up a hand at the horrified noises.  "I'm not talking a little cage or one he can break out of.  I'm talking something like an old barn that gets converted and strengthened so he had some roaming room but he was safely contained in case guys like this hunter come after him.  With either someone watching over him to make sure he doesn't get out or alarms in case he does.  It can be as elaborate as you want it.  I know someone who took over an older, underground crypt and put jail bars on the doors."  He opened the file and put something in front of him.  "This is what happens if someone like this hunter guy gets you, Jeremy, and there's many ways to kill a werewolf.  I can name three off the top of my head.   Running free is great, special, and wonderful, but you're dangerous when you've changed.  We don't want to end up on your doorstep to notify someone like some cop did for her.  Because judging by her pelt she was under ten."  He went pale at that.  "If you need it tonight, we might be able to set up a temporary containment area.  Or was last night the last night?"

"Last night was the last night of the full moon," his mother said.  "You know others?"

"One of my best friends in high school was one.  He ended up killing a female were who went after his girlfriend because the female wanted him.  He found some method of control to stop the change, but Jeremy doesn't seem to want that."

"No, we found he was different because the boy ordered some wolf blood through the mail and did it to himself," the Sheriff admitted.  "If we had to we could probably use the old jail on the edge of town until he's got something set up, Clarice."

"I want my son to be safe."

"Then you need to worry about where he is when he's changed and worry about hunters.  They don't care that he might be a nice boy the rest of the month and every day."  She nodded.  "If you're handling it then I'll turn the boy over to you.  Do you want his medical records from last night, ma'am?"  She nodded so Xander went to get them for her and handed them over.  "This is the full file.  Pictures and all.  We used butterflies because we weren't sure if stitches would be ripped out when he changed back."

She patted him on the hand.  "You did what you could.  Thank you, Agent Harris."  She left, glaring at her son the whole way out.

"Could've been a natural accident," Toy said from behind Xander.  He nodded, not looking back at him.  "Where is your friend Oz?"

"Back in Tibet the last I knew."  He turned to look at his boss.  "It sucks."

"Yup, but the first thing you learn on this job is you cannot always stop people from making bad decisions and they have to live with what they decided to do forever.  If he had killed someone, he'd be down in the jail on homicide charges.  He's lucky the sheriff was being fair."

Xander nodded.  "I know.  Thanks."

"I know it doesn't make you feel better, Xander.  It never will."  Xander nodded.  "Now, go sleep.  You haven't yet."  Xander grimaced but went to his apartment in the single people's building.  Tony went to file the report on this incidence and the hunter.  Hopefully the sheriff would be able to keep him on attempted murder or send him to wherever he had killed the last few times was.

***

Tony looked out across the sea of people there for the inauguration.  He had been summoned in to talk to the president.  He had no idea why but he had been.  He watched the swearing in, looking across the crowd.  He had decided to bring Xander with him this time, so he was watching Xander watch the crowd too.  So when Xander tensed, it was a bad thing.  He looked where he was and didn't see anything.  Well, no.  Wait. A small heat shimmer.  He moved closer, following his agent, who was following the heat shimmer on the cold day.  Then Xander pounced the invisible person, making some people scream when she appeared underneath him.  "Nice work," he said.  He handed over the special cuffs.  It short circuited the hands and wrists, which meant if she had any powers that went through them they were also short circuited.  They hauled her up and to the waiting Secret Service agents.  "Hey, Bob."

"Tony.  Where are you now?  Gibbs is howling in displeasure, man."

"DCIS."

"That explains why you have the blue and orange person then," the other agent said.

"This is DiNozzo.  He's the second-in-command Gibbs is growling over losing."

"Don't tell him but we've got Abby too," he said with a grin.  "Those cuffs were her idea."  He put her into the back of the car.  "Xander?"

"Standing guard," he sighed.

Tony grinned. "You wanted to go back to the Oval Office?"

"Um, no.  Ugly carpet, boss."

Tony walked off chuckling, letting himself be led off by the presidents guards.  "Hey, Joe."

"Tony.  What was that?"

"DCIS business."

"Damn glad it's not me."

"I think that's our agency's motto," Tony said thoughtfully, cracking them up.  "The boss still being a pain?"  Everyone nodded.  "Sorry."

"Not a problem," Joe promised.  "Abby?"

"Don't tell him but I've got Abby."

"That's good.  How's she liking the snow out there?"

"Lots and lots.  She and Xander made snowmen with the younger slayers yesterday until someone suggested an idea.  Them and my computer techs."  That got a laugh and they pulled into the White House.  "Ah, this place again.  I went on a tour once.  I thought it was a great place.  Then I had to start playing politics at work."  They all laughed but he was led inside.  "Sir," he said, smiling as he walked in.  "Sorry about her."

"Who was that with you?"

"Xander Harris.  Head of the Slayer's Council and my second-in-command at the moment."

"I see.  You know you're not officially in charge?"

"Of course.  You'd drive me nuts."

The president burst out laughing.  "That's a good thing at least.  How is it going?"

"We are at full staff, fully stocked, and have been handling cases since the week I took over.  There were two agents on one the day I showed up actually.  Xander was handling it with a team leadership approach.  I've successfully poached a few good hires.  We have three investigative teams.  Each one has at least one CSI on it for gathering evidence.  Abby has the lab working well and they can all work with her.  We have the special prison set up and two new residents in it.  We have the local town's cooperation and they do appreciate us.  We've worked with them on a few cases.  One of the jail's residents came from a case in LA that was handled by a local liaison we trained to work with us.  The other came from a local case.  A werewolf hunter with over sixty kills to his name."

"Good," the President agreed.  "What do you have left to set up?"

"Xander's still dealing with the issues in England over the Watchers Council being destroyed by the First Evil.  They lost all the knowledge they had as far as we know.  Since right now the slayers are under our control...."

The president scowled.  "Why?"

"There's three watchers left, another that's comatose in our infirmary thanks to the explosion in LA because they had a power battle, and most of them are underage.  They're doing the same work and training them works well for us because our people need some of the same training, sir.  During that battle in Sunnydale, they had to activate *all* the slayers.  No matter how old.  We have one placed with a foster family that's six and activated."  That got a shudder.  "They know.  They're doing wonderfully with her.  One of her big brothers is our liaison officer out there actually.  I know the first year is expensive but the salaries are typical of what the FBI pays for those same positions and we've had a lot of good come of us doing the work instead of traumatizing others.  Like earlier.  I'm not sure if your detail would've spotted her since she was cloaked."

"I saw that.  That was good work."

"That was Mr. Harris."

"Oh.  I see."

"Who has been doing this same work since he was sixteen, sir."

"Ah.  So practical experience.  That's reasonable.  Do you see any areas you're lacking in?"

"Xander was talking with Wesley, the watcher who's assigned to the active hellmouth in Cleveland.  He said if we can find the library it's likely going to be in different languages.  I know Xander speaks some.  The slayers instinctively know some demon languages and most of the older ones know Latin."  That got an odd look.  "It's the typical research book language.  As Wesley put it, they spend their second year of Watcher training doing everything in Latin."  That just got a nod.  "It got past the language barriers the girls had.  That's something that may come up someday if we're asked to oversee something like a treaty or something.  Xander got asked to witness one last week," he said at one of the guard's snorts of derision.  He groaned.  "They all know we're fair, no matter which side starts things, sir.  We handle it because no one else should have to.  I joked our team motto earlier was some guy saying 'better you than me'."

"Good.  I like that approach.  How often do you go out on cases?"

"We get stuff sent to us more often.  So far we've had to send out single agents ten times since November and a full investigative team once."

"So not too bad."  The president sat down.  "Do you think you can work with a politician above you?"

"Sir, one of the clauses in the contracts say that we will not force people to be someone other than themselves.  We need free thinkers and if they do what the director at NCIS did to my former agency, they're going to rebel and possibly kill in a few cases.  Someone who had a bit of knowledge, maybe a bit of sense; we'd like that.  Most of us though, we do something in the agency.  Even Xander has to help me do paperwork."  Xander was let in.  "She gone?"

"Called your former boss.  He's got her in a special, monitored, suicide cell with our portable containment field system in place.  That way I could show up and be pouted at."

"Most politicians yell, son," the president said.

Xander smirked at him.  "Why would I put up with that?  I get enough of that from the twenty slayers in residence we have right now, Mr. President.  You've never been yelled at until you've been yelled at by twenty teen and preteen girls.  At once."

"Preteen?"

"The six-year-old I told you about was the youngest but as of tomorrow we have eight under ten?"

"Yeah, think so," Xander agreed.  "Which is my duty to deal with as well as sit on an investigative team.  My people do the same thing his does only for different reasons.  My girls also help if there's a hunt situation and we have to track down something.  Not the little ones but the older, fully trained or nearly trained ones.  We also pay for our portion of the food because slayers eat like herds of animals at every meal."

"Would someone who's former military sitting overtop of you be good for your people?" the president asked.

"If they can put up with people like Abby, sir.  It takes a very open mind to deal with demons.  Most military people see things in a very clear cut way."

"Some are freer thinkers," Xander pointed out.

"Some are," Tony agreed.  "Most that I've met aren't."

The president nodded.  "What about someone who had a skill that you could use?  Someone like ... Fornell, is that his name?"  One of the guards nodded.

"He'd still have to put up with Abby.  He can, but they're not going to be tea drinking buddies and we have a cafeteria so there's going to be contact.  Fornell could, as long as he was warned ahead of time.  Actually, another agent might be nice," he admitted.  Xander nodded.  "Have you found any more watchers?"

"Found more dead watchers.  Another six probates we have to deal with so their magical artifacts and books don't get into the mainstream.  How Travers created this big of a mess I do not know but I want to unbury him and kick his ass around for a bit."

"He might possess you too," Tony said dryly.

Xander looked at him.  "He wasn't that good alive.  At least Tim was."

Tony snickered.  "He certainly was."  He looked at the president again.  "We try to keep things at least civil since we're working and living together.  It'd be better if whoever was coming in knew something about dealing with people, sir.  Just so they don't get too stressed out or driven insane by the girls doing PT in the snow like I was the other day."

"The girls thought it was brilliant to build snowmen so they could do crossbow practice that way," Xander defended.  "So did Benny Ray.  Even if you did piss a few girls off by grounding them from chocolate for a week so one of them was a Tony snowman."  The president coughed.  "Sorry."

"Why do you live on the base as well?"

"Because if something happens, we don't have time to come in from separate houses, sir," Xander said.  "The last apocalypse we had warning to get ready but not when it'd start.  We had to be ready when it started.  The next one, from what we've heard in underground rumors, we won't even have that.  A day's warning at the most to get people into place and it'll be in LA.  Downtown LA.  Like that Wormhole Extreme show that I'm told isn't really real, yet I know a hacker who knew one of their hackers way back when, we're on the frontlines of this particular problem.  There's going to be times when having the National Guard around would be nice.  Slayers take up that problem and there's still probably going to be ones that the National Guard would be nice to have."

"The last president decided to have us live there so we were in constant, immediate help range," Tony agreed.  "We both came on after the base renovations were done with, sir.  Xander got told about the program when they showed up to take the younger slayers out of harm's way  I got told when I got appointed to my job at a personal interview."  That got a nod.  "We do use what's there, like the pool.   It's how Xander unstresses so he doesn't kill the girls when they get whiny.  We use the gym we have set up for training purposes and PT to keep in shape.  He set it up so there's a singles' quarters and a married and couples' quarters in two old barracks buildings that were pretty big.  There's also grunt and newbie barracks which the girls live in.  Even though half the time they seem to live on my couch so they can steal my movies."

"They can't go home?"

"Even if a few can, and most can't, what sort of home is going to be able to train them to deal with the violent urges they have because of the calling or the super strength and enhanced senses?" Xander asked bluntly but he sounded kind to his ears.  "I'd love nothing more than to send them home.  Most of the girls were taken from their homes by the old Council and raised by the watchers.  Some as young as six days old."  The guards all hissed at that.  "We don't do that anymore.  I refuse to.  I will tell the girls what's going on.  I will help them if they want to stay home and their parents think they can deal with it.  Right now, we're dealing with all the girls that were already called and were already in Watcher custody.  We can't find records on them, they were in the building that blew up too.  Along with the library of all the knowledge we had."

Tony patted him on the back to silently tell him to calm down.  "We're doing phenomenal for a first year, start up agency, sir.  When Xander walked into it, they were handling the build up to the apocalypse in Sunnydale.  He had ten young girls that he had evacuated and then he went back to get more after the battle that were injured or needed mental help after their first real fight was really a war; the Watchers did something to try to take over by blowing up the building they were in and putting everyone else into some strange coma.   Our motto so far has been 'we'll handle it' and then we keep going.  Half  the time, we're making up things as we go along.  Our R&D department is wonderful.  The cuffs we used today came from them.  The first fully created pair actually.  It shorts out any gifts you may have in your hands.  Including for those who use magic.  Whoever you put above me, let them know that.  Let them know that we're all sometimes doing double duties.  I take field cases, I take training times.  I recruit, all that.  Xander does too.  Plus his duty to the girls that're left.  Unless you want to hire us some more people then our budget is pretty well set with the expenditures I reported last month.  Maybe a bit of room in the travel budget for emergencies and things.  Half of the people in our books are local liaisons.  Someone to handle the stuff locally and who know when to call us in instead of going to stake the vampire themselves.  That problem has come up once or twice."

"So you need someone who's got a loose style of leading but who can help out if necessary?"

"If they're going to sit in the office and complain about their suit, they're probably going to be found frozen in the snow," Xander said honestly.  "Tony and I both pull sixteen hour days, sir.  None of our teams are exactly idle, even if they're not overworked yet.  If they start to we may need to add another team.  I'm not sure.  I'm told things are going to be different after the next apocalypse.  I'm hoping so.  I don't know why though.  Again, book was in England and got blown up."

"I'll take that into consideration.  Do we reimburse the slayers or pay salaries to them?"

"I was able, with Wesley's help, to find the people over there who dealt with the Council's finances.  They've turned that over to me.  So no, you aren't paying for the girls to sneak out and go shopping.  Though I do wish someone would tell the gate guards to not let them out."

"I tried.  They're good at being sneaky."

"We still need to look into magical wards," Xander reminded him quietly.

"I know.  Dawn is.  As well as other things she said might be useful."  He patted him again.  "Who did you have in mind, sir?"

"I had one in mind but I don't think he'd work well.  He's very...typical of what you'd find at the FBI's higher ranks plus a bit political."

"Sir, half the time our cases end in a death," Xander said honestly.  "The only way to stop a demon from eating someone when it's already doing it is to knock it out or kill it.  And about ninety percent of the time, you have to kill it in that circumstance or you become food too.  The rest are things like vampires terrorizing towns.  You can't really lock them up.  It'd pull all the Red Cross's supplies to feed them monthly.  Spirits we make go on if they're causing deaths or mayhem.  A good half the cases where humans are trying to do something against the demons, those end up in a stand off of some sort.  A real 'if I can't have my thing that makes me money no one can' issue.  It's part combat and part investigation.  We do what we can but right now we're kinda having all the small issues."

"I can see that, son.  You need some coffee to stay awake?" the president asked.

Xander shook his head.  "I slept last night since the girls weren't having nightmares and trying to sneak in to cuddle.  But thank you for asking, sir."  He smiled sweetly.

"We warn all new incoming people that the girls squeal and pounce, sir," Tony told him.

"My daughter did the same for years," he agreed.  "You'll keep me informed of the bigger bad things?"  Xander looked at his calendar then circled a date.  "The tentative date for the next one in LA?"  Xander nodded, handing back the pen.  "We'll keep that in mind.  Thank you, boys."

"Not a problem, sir.  We'll take our prisoner back with us."  Tony nodded and walked out.  "Xander, no bouncing in the White House.  You scare people," he chastised as they walked out together.

"I tried not to."

"I know you did."  They got shown to their rental car, which the Secret Service had picked up for them, then they got to pick up their prisoner.  "Do not irritate Gibbs," Tony warned before they walked inside.  "Hi, here to pick up," Tony said dryly to the guard he knew.  "Our strange one?"

"Cells, DiNozzo."  He led them that way.  "Nice tackle, sir."

"Thanks." Xander grinned.  "Perfected it taking chocolate away from a female friend with issues."  The guard laughed.  Xander looked in the cell.  "Awww, you went back to invisible.  How cute."  He pushed a button on the top of the generator and it zapped her unconscious again.  "There we go."  Tony went in to recuff her and make sure she had been frisked, handing Xander something.  "Tony, cloak on her head, that's not hair."  He came in to remove it and she struggled but yay.  It made her quit going invisible.  They got her out to the rental and found someone behind them when they moved to get in.  "You must be Gibbs."

"I am.  DiNozzo."

"Boss."  He grinned, leaning on the roof of the car.  "How's everyone?"

"Bored.  You guys?"

"Not so bored.  We've got a lot of stuff we're settling into right now.  This is Xander, he's my second-in-command at the moment."  Xander nodded politely.  He checked the prisoner then his former boss again.  "You look good."

"No cases this week.  Where is Abby?"

"Safe."

"With you?"  Tony nodded.  "You stole her?"

"She's heading my R&D department and my labs, Gibbs.  With cases like this, can you blame me for getting someone who can figure out what goo belongs to which group of demons?"  Gibbs snorted.  "She's had to come up with ten new tests since she joined, Gibbs.  Really.  Plus some new containment procedures.  Xander, she's muttering."  Xander glared and she slunk down.  "Thank you.  Maybe we should get one of the girls on these trips?"

"We get more fully trained and you can have one per team.  You know that."  He looked at Gibbs again then opened the back door and took something off her throat before slamming it again.  "Sorry, missed one."

"It happens to the best of us," Tony assured him.  "I'm sorry, boss, but I needed someone who could rewrite forensics for me.  She could.  She loves it.  She's got a bunch of girls there to mentor.  She's become a house mother to the younger slayers.  You should call more often."  He smiled.  "We should get her back before she tries to escape again."  He grinned.  "Come see us sometime, Gibbs.  We're not that mean.  Just a bit hard to find at the moment with all the snow."  He smiled before sliding in to drive, Xander getting into the passenger's seat.  They pulled out and Tony sighed.

"If you want him that much, ask him out," Xander said.

"Still straight, Xander.  No matter how much you and Abby think I'm not."

"Uh-huh.  That was a girl sigh, Tony."

"It was not!"

"It was too.  I hear plenty of them all the time.  It was a girl sigh."  He looked at their prisoner then at him.  "None of us will care where you stick it, the same as you don't care about where we do."  Tony grimaced but shook his head. "Okay, if you're sure."  He looked at the prisoner again. "I can feel that and I will keep you unconscious the whole flight back."  She slumped again and quit trying to escape.  She knew of this one and he meant it.

***

The president called a special man over in the Pentagon.  "I need a direct number to someone and I think you have it."  He leaned back in his chair, listening to him ask who he needed to see.  "I need to see your boss's best friend and teammate.  Yes, him.  Here, tomorrow, or video conferencing from wherever he might be at the moment as long as it's a secure channel.  Because I have an offer for him and I think he's the only one that can get it done," he said honestly.  "Yes, I'm serious and you'll probably be yelled at when he takes me up on it.  That's fine, we can arrange that.  Please.  Anytime tomorrow.  Buzz me first to let me know.  My secretary will be waiting."  He hung up and looked over the budget as it stood.  Not *too* bad but they were being hopelessly optimistic based on what Homeland Security went through in its first two years.  So he fixed that problem and sent it off with his Chief of Staff to make sure it was pushed through. They did not need DiNozzo or Harris getting upset when their budget ran short with a few months left to go in their fiscal year.  With the file his people had found on Harris, that might be a bad thing.  A very bad thing.  Which would be up to that agency to fix.

***

Tony looked up as their new boss's ride landed, smiling at the military transport.  He stood up straighter against the side of his beloved mustang, nodding when the younger looking man walked down.  He was about his age.  Looked pissed.  "He told you and didn't let you make a decision?" he guessed.

"He did.  Pulled me off my old project and put me on a plane last night after our discussion.  Not that I was doing a lot there since my team's on permanent hiatus."  He shook his hand.  "Daniel Jackson."

"Tony DiNozzo.  Your agency's senior agent.  I've been doing your job for the last few months."

"Does that mean there's a lot of paperwork?  You look tired."

"We had a hunt last night."  He nodded.  "Get in?  It's chilly out here."

"I was in Colorado."  He did put his bag in the trunk and walked around to get in.  "Agency cars?"

"Personal car.  Do you have more stuff coming?"

"It'll be shipped."

"That's fine.  We have a moving company on retainer for the next six months."  That got a nod but a small smile.  "It was easier while I recruited.  I could whisk people away before they had second thoughts about dealing with us."  He pulled them off, heading back to the base.  "What did they tell you?"

"It's a lot like my last posting but with more sane people.  My last team leader was a bit insane.  Mostly from the paperwork he just got nominated to do."

"Then you and Xander should get along pretty well.  He did tell you we're dealing with demons?"

"No," Daniel said slowly, then laughed.  "Not much different then."

"I heard about yours and your third-in-command knew a hacker that talked with a hacker on your project, Daniel."

"I knew there were some leaks.  That show came out."

Tony snickered.  "Xander watches it with the girls."  Daniel groaned.  "Sorry.  You'll probably like Xander.  He's also head over the Slayer's Council.  We have the girls since there's almost none left and a lot of them were underage."

"Girls?"

"Long story.  Want it from the start or just an  outline?"

"Tell me whatever you think I need to know, Tony."

"That'll take longer than the ride back to base, Daniel."

"Danny's fine."

"Sure.  Well..."  He went into the whole story, how the agency got started, why Xander got sucked into it, all that.  He finished up with a, "Xander's off recruiting two people at the moment to teach people lessons on what's what for his people but also ours in case we need it."  By then they were parked outside the gate and Tony was waiting on Daniel to do something.

The quiet groan he got was a good sign.  He'd fit in well with their insanity.  "But we're all set?"

"We've been handling cases since I got here," Tony agreed.  "Mostly singly.  One team level case."  That got a grin and a nod.  "You'll do fine.  You're our only linguist.  There's lots of them available to study.  Ask Xander, he'll tell you."  That got a nod.  "Your past military experience will be good for some of us.  I got us people who could think freely but they're still mostly cops and agents.  We need some framework and really, I hate paperwork.  I've got it cut down to approving cases after they're done to hand on, monthly reports, and the budget."

"Thank you."

"I had to make it so I could stand to do it."  That got a laugh and a nod.  "You ready to be pounced?  The younger girls all pounce and squeal."

"Yeah, I can stand some happy people."

Tony restarted the car and drove them to the gate.  "Paul, this is our new agency head, Daniel Jackson."

"Sir.  If you have a personal vehicle, your parking spot is the blue one by the single people building.   Let us know if you have any problems."

"I will, thank you."  He saluted and Danny saluted back.  They drove on. "This is nice."

"The last president decided it'd be easier if we lived together.  Which it is.  With the snow we get here it's a lot easier to find them.  The brick building that's only two stories high is the slayers' quarters.  Single people is the tower on the left, married on the right.  Green roofed building with the ivy being worked on by a few of the people is the admin., case floor, lab, and magic building.  Armory is the blue door.  I'll give you the full tour."  He parked in Danny's spot, getting a scowl from the guard on patrol.  "I brought him with me."  He got out and so did Danny.  "Jerve, this is Daniel Jackson, our new head of the agency."

"Sir," he said, saluting.

Danny waved it off.  "I was a civilian contractor.  No need to salute."  He smiled and let it go.  "Good job making sure we should be here."

"Thank you, sir.  DiNozzo, Wolfe's freaking out in the armory.  His OCD fit is annoying Riddle."

"I'll get to him in a minute."  That got a nod and they went to check Danny into his place, making him smile at all the touches that had already been stolen from his apartment.  "You actually get the biggest apartment.  If you run out of library room we have an official one you can claim a bookcase or three in.  C'mon, gotta save Ryan from the Marine."  They walked out together, heading to the armory.  "What happened?" he asked his arms master.

"No clue.  He stormed in here and got to work cleaning *everything*.  He won't talk and he's humming again."  Tony winced.  "I'll let you handle it."  He looked at the other guy. "New recruit?"

"Daniel Jackson.  I got appointed last night to run this mess."

Benny Ray grinned.  "It's not too bad.  If Xander was in control it'd be worse."  Tony walked off nodding at that.  "I'm Benny Ray, I'm the arms master here on base.  We have individual lockers for personal sidearms and the armory.  What're you competent on, sir?"

"Danny's fine, Benny Ray, and I just left a military contract."

"Wonderful."  He led him inside, watching as Danny pointed at some things.  "Anything you favor so we can set her aside for you?"

"I'm going to miss my zat.  I'll want to use it on politicians."

Benny Ray gave him an odd look then smirked.  "Deke!"  His helper came out of the back.  "This is Daniel Jackson."

"Sir, it's an honor.  I've heard what you've done for this planet."  He shook his hand.  "What can we do for you?"

"He's the new head.  You got anything like he was using?"

"Got at least one so I could look them over."  He led him into the special back room, finding him a zat.  "You need to check that.  I was fixing the trigger wire."  Danny fired it at a target on the wall.  "Hmm, looks like it works.  Let me know if it doesn't."  He handed him a staff weapon too.  "You might need that too."

"If I do, there'd better be an emergency."  He handed it back.  "I'll use it on a politician."  They both laughed. "Thanks, guys."

"Let me get you your locker, Danny."  He walked him out to show him his locker, get him his key, and put a regular sidearm into it just in case he needed it.  "I put reloads in there after it's checked back in.  Cleaning stuff and more bullets are behind the door if you need it."  That got a nod.  He looked around.  "Wolfe must've moved onto ice cream."  He led him off.  "This is our gym and training area.  One of my teammates runs the training for self-defense and with the slayers.  He and Xander agreed, even the youngest get it in case they're attacked.  You're lucky, they're in classes or we'd all be pounced by the squeal patrol."  He led him on.  "This is our caf.  Pretty decent food.  Now and then the girls take it over and make special meals that end up with dessert."

"I've noticed we don't have a lot of women."

"Tony tried to recruit about ten of them, none of them wanted to come.  Too sensible to be messed up in this was the usual answer he complained about.  He complains he has no one to flirt with."  Danny smiled so he got him some coffee and they walked on.  "As you can see, we have underground tunnels between the buildings.  The special jail for demons is down there too.  Just in case something happens.  We've only got four residents.  One human werewolf hunter, three demons.  Including the one that tried the president the other day."

"I saw that.  That was good work."  He sipped his coffee as they kept going.  He smiled at the library.  "This is nice."

"Most of the books in here Xander brought with the girls.  It's what he managed to evacuate from Sunnydale."  He shrugged.  "Don't ask me what happened.  He told me and it made my head hurt."

"My last project did that to many people."  That got a laugh and they walked off, finding more places that he needed to see.  Abby gave him a careful hug when he got to the lab.  He smiled at her for it and she bounced off again.  The case floor looked like most police precincts he had seen.  Desks grouped together, coffee maker in the corner.  One guy hating his paperwork.  They moved onto the office.  Danny smiled at the touches he had that showed Tony had basically lived in the office.  "Who did the finger paints?"

"Cordette.  She's six.  Willow's spell activated her too," Tony said with a smile.  "She's with a foster family in LA.  One of our local liaison agents who's FBI.  His brother's on call in case we need his math speciality for something and she's loving her school.  Alan's kept her happy, cheerful, bouncy, and wonderful.  We pop in each time we're in LA."  He smiled at Benny Ray.  "Call from Eric and Calleigh."

"Ah.  Old friends who weren't guilt tripping him because he never fit in and came here where he does.  Gotcha."  He handed him over.  "Showed him admin., Abby, caf, case floor, and the library, boss."

"That works.  Thanks, Benny Ray."  He nodded and left.  "Xander's bringing back two to help with the slayer training.  Both with weapons experience."

Benny Ray grinned.  "We'll see."  He walked off, going back to his armory.  This was the easiest job he had ever done.  Even if he did have to  put up with the squeal patrol.  Dawn stopped him in the hall, staring at him.  "Yes, you still have to qualify on the range.  New head's in.  He's a nice guy."  She smiled and walked on.  "Telepathy work?"

"No, not yet.  Still trying."

"Xander's recruiting for your side."

"I heard they're cute.  The girls will have new crushes."

"Good, it's freaky when one pinched me last week," he muttered as he walked off, making her cackle.  She was still healing but getting better.

***

Xander knocked on the motel room door, holding up his badge.  "We need to talk, boys."

"Who're you?" Dean Winchester sneered.  He looked at the badge.  "ISC?"

His brother Sam sat up on his bed suddenly.  He knew that acronym!  It had been all over the networks he searched on!  "International Slayer's Council?"

"Yup."  He walked in and shut the door, looking at the loudmouth.  "I'm the unfortunate head Watcher in this universe until Giles wakes up or I can talk Wes into taking it back."  Dean laughed.  "We have twenty-six slayers left that we know of.  We need to have someone who can help us find others and honestly, I need help training.  We're working with DCIS but they still need hunting training."

"DCIS?" Sam asked.

"You know that little office in Homeland that used to give out demon information if you asked?" Xander asked.

"Yeah.  Dad said they were morons messing where they shouldn't be."

"After a demon assassinated a president, yeah," Xander agreed.  "But necessary.  We investigate it no matter which side interferes with the other.  We're technically sheltering under DCIS because we've got a bunch of young girls and just me.  The other two are on hotspot areas.  One of the last three of us is out hunting girls and he's not that good at it. The other guy's taking a rotating slayer on the new hellmouth.  We've got a few in LA.  Then I've got the rest.  I can't train them all.  The DCIS guys are good, but they're not hunters.  They don't know what we need to train them to do.  They can train them as commandos but staking a vampire is different than shooting someone in a tree."

Dean nodded.  "Then why come to us?"

Xander smirked.  "Because if I didn't the FBI is coming tonight to throw you both in  the pokey.  Since you're on our side and we're fierce bitches about our caseload, which they don't want anyway, they turned your case over to us.  If you'll come help me with the slayers, we'll shield you from the credit card fraud, weapons charges, two homicide charges, and the shitload of assault charges that follow you guys around."

Dean sat down, staring at him.  "Two homicide charges?"  Xander nodded.  "Why?"

"They decided two of the things you hunted were still human.  You never showed them differently."  He pulled up his PDA and accessed their files, handing it over.  "That is what I got from the FBI.  They want to toss you in jail but I claimed you when I heard from a snitch over there that the boss has.  He decided you might have some use.  I know you guys know a lot.  Our agents could use the teaching.  The girls really could.  I was a hunter myself before Sunnydale fell in but I had a watcher who did most of the research for our slayer."  He looked at Sam.  "I can promise you housing, a paycheck, we all live on base.  There's the demon prison.  The twenty girls in residence are doing good.  I'm doing the best I can and I will warn you they squeal and pounce."  He looked at Dean again.  "If I walk out and you guys don't follow me, they're watching.  Which would you rather do?  I can help you with the field stuff.  The girls can help you with the field stuff.  You'd be able to get any case that you felt was needed as field training as long as it wasn't an active DCIS case."

"We have one that's a family vendetta."

"Okay.  And?"  He shrugged.  "Still holds.  Plus Dawn's learning magic.  She's a powerful witch but she's sixteen."

Dean looked at him.  "What's the bad for us?"

"The girls will crush.  They'll squeal and pounce.  They're bouncy."  Xander sat down on the foot of the bed to stare at him.  "When Willow did her spell to activate enough slayers for that battle, she called them *all*.  Including one that's six that we placed with a foster family in LA."  Sam moaned and slumped.  "I've got seven who're now under ten.  We had a few birthdays this month.  They need the same training and I can't train them.  We have a good defense trainer with DCIS's guy, Major Matt.  I can teach them how to hunt.  I can't do it alone and saving other hunters from a fate worse than being eaten for doing the job is right to me.  I'm not going to say you can't network with your people.  Nothing like that.  Hopefully within a year we'll be able to wake up those from the LA explosion so there's a real head watcher.  I'm a sub since Wes didn't want it."

"What explosion?" Sam asked.

"Some of the watchers wanted to take control so they blew up Angel's building in LA," Xander told him.  "However they did it, Rosenburg went missing and the rest of everyone, including Angel, who is a vampire, is in a coma.  They came after the younger girls too.  Some they tried to kill; some they didn't.  We managed to save twenty-six and we have another fifteen in a coma in our infirmary."  He looked at Dean again.  "I need help.  You guys aren't quite the A-Team but you'll do and you won't have to watch your brother be molested in prison.  I'm hoping I can make them give up within a year. If not, it may be two but you can still hunt with the girls as field training."

Dean considered it.  "You're sure?"

"Look outside."

Dean went to look out the window.  "There's a Fedmobile out there."

"I have a plane waiting to take us to North Dakota," Xander said, standing up. "We can bring your car.  Not an issue.  Mine's a rental."  He grinned.  "That way everything you hold dear comes with you.  All I'm asking is to give us a try.  If you can stand it, then we're all good.  If not, then maybe we can work something out.  We do have liaisons doing part of our job for us.   A roaming pair shouldn't be that hard to sell."

Dean looked at him.  "A year?"

"If possible.  I'm hoping I haven't screwed them up that badly yet."

"I doubt you have," Sam said.  He and his brother held a silent conversation then he nodded.  "I'd hate prison more."

"You guys can get off base. The local town's great," Xander promised.  "They love us.  We have a fully recommissioned base.  It's got everything."

"Armory?" Dean asked.

"With a Marine who used to teach newbies weapons over it.  He was on a strike force team.  His former boss is in charge of self defense training.  One of the guys is an agent on a field team.  He's former DEA.  Their loose and free agent helps out wherever we need him to.  I will warn you we don't care which side started it.  We investigate it if humans are bothering demons or demons are going after humans.  We've gotten both sides.  If it's not harmful we don't bother them."  That got a nod and Xander felt the bad thing going on.  "Hold on, need to make Tim go back to sleep again."  He closed his eyes and argued but this time Tim won.

"Sorry.  He's a bit bouncy himself.  Yes, the girls could use it," he told Dean, who was staring in horror.  "He was walking next to my grave going 'here, ghosty' and I looked.  Besides, he needed me.  Now the girls need what you can show them.  Before they all die. Most of them are good, nice girls but two I want to spank, he wants to spank, and Dawn wants to spank.  They're older ones too.  Oh, Faith might want to be spanked.  If you take her up on it, she doesn't do serious and it's all fine with us.  We don't care where you stick it as long as it's legal and doesn't screw up a case."

"You're possessing him?" Sam asked.

"Yeah.  Helped him hire one of our CSI agents too.  It'll be good for everyone.  Now pack."  Xander's head shook.

"Sorry.  Tim used to be a CSI in Miami.  We pissed off his former boss by poaching out of a cemetery when I got Tim.  The girls like to come bother him with personal problems since he's honest but grumpy.  Though I agree, some of the older ones are growing egos and need spanked.  So, let's pack and go, guys.  Feebs don't have that much patience."

"We're flying?" Sam asked.

"Military transport.  We semi-permanently borrowed one from the Air Force.  Only team cases and special times get the private plane."

"Want us to do an exorcism or something?" Dean asked dryly.

"Why?  He'd hang around and nag.  The girls would kill you.  He's my third.  We've got it worked out most of the time.  Let's go.  It's only four hours away.  The new head guy is showing up today.  He's going to be cool to work with.  He's used to more insanity and aliens."

"Aliens?" Sam asked.

"That Wormhole Extreme show was real?" Dean asked.

"A real project but it was highly classified.  They had a leak.  We aren't supposed to know that."

"Which one did we get?" Sam asked, looking concerned.

"The linguist from what my snitch said."  He waved a hand.  "C'mon, guys.  I let the girl take care of the ghost for you.  We banished it."

"You guys banish?" Sam asked, but he did start moving.

"Yeah.  What do you guys do?"

"Salt and burn the corpse or whatever's holding it," Dean said dryly.

"Oh.  Well, teach the girls that too.  It's a different method and they hate the banishing chant.  It's in regular Latin instead of the special use Latin the Watchers use."

Dean shook his head.  "We'll fix it."

"The girls who don't speak English speak Latin," Xander warned.  "We're working on it. We have one that speaks Mandarin Chinese.  English as a second language classes weren't as important as self defense at first."

Sam smiled.  "I'm sure the new linguist will be pleased."  They checked the room and found one last thing then they left together.  They headed off, following Xander.  The Feds were following them so they were a strange parade.  But once their car was on the plane the Feds left.  Sam shook his head.  This was going to be insane.

***

Tony looked at the two new, horrified, recruits then at Xander.  "This is dangerous."

"They do the real work, Tony.  They're here for the slayers and you guys can borrow them to teach the agents."  He grinned.  "If you're going around hunting demons, you can't do things by the legal textbook or you don't get things done."

"Credit card fraud?"

"How else do they fund the calling if they're on the road all the time?  Probably more common than you think."

"I guess.  Danny was amused at the girls when they came to babble at him in Latin.  He got their native languages and is going to help with the ESL classes."  He smiled at the two guys who looked back at him.  "Hey, Tony DiNozzo, senior agent in DCIS."

"From Gibbs' team?" Dean asked.  Tony gaped.  He smirked.  "Our dad's a former Marine.  Heard of him when a few of his friends got into trouble.  Relax, we don't eat anything but junk food."

"We try to keep Xander off his junk food diet but we're not always successful.  Don't feed him chocolate," Tony said dryly.  A few of the girls giggled at that.  "Let's get you two settled in."

"Already did, introduced them to Danny, who was horrified when I walked past him and said hi and knew his name."  He grinned sweetly.  "Speaking of, you've got a problem coming in Miami according to the underground in LA.  Crissy's email said so."

"We'll see what we can do," he agreed, going to check Xander's email for that.  Abby could do that for him and find the issue too probably.   They really needed to give Xander a new email and use his old one for tips.  He ran into Dawn on the way.  "New slayers team helpers are in."

"Oooh. The poor girls."  She went to help peel the girls off them.  "Just because they're pretty doesn't mean we're not on the schedule, girls," she called from the doorway.  They all glared.

Xander nodded.  "She's right.  They're teaching you older girls how to hunt demons and some of the demonology classes.  You'll see them at dinner.  Shoo."  They trudged off.  "Keep it up, no dessert."  They trudged faster and tried to look cheerful about it.

"You survived the squeal patrol, I'm impressed," Matt Sheppard called, heading for the gym since they had him.  Xander gave him a pat on the arm in sympathy as he walked past him.  "At least I won't have to listen to them thinking about hitting on Messer today."

Xander giggled.  "See, we're insane, doing good work for the world, and fun," Xander said with a grin.

"I'll agree with insane and probably fun, we'll see about good work," Dean said, giving him a look.  Xander grinned back.  "Where are we teaching?"

"They have classes downstairs from their dorms."  He walked them that way.  "By the way, Benny Ray is over the armory if you need stuff or want to get with him sometime soon, Dean.  He's got all the cleaning stuff too."  He pointed at a door.  "External entrance to the armory.  Or take the tunnel and the first right."  He opened the slayers' building's main door.  "This is the girl's building.  They live on the second floor in dorm style rooms.  Down here we have six classrooms.  All but the last one are taken but we have a bigger, empty storage space if you'd rather."  He showed them into one.  "This is where I've been doing demonology.  Then I go teach a class on it to the agents who're in residence.  Straight out of the book for me.  I've only handled about a hundred."  He heard a knock then someone walked in.  "Danny.  Problems?"

"Faith said the other guy sent her another girl before dying."

"Wonderful," he sighed.  "Okay.  Is Faith keeping her or bringing her home when she comes in two days so Colleen can go?"

"Do Mandy and Crissy come back?"

"They refused.  I told them when they needed a break to call for one."

"I guess that's fine," he decided.  "The new girl goes where?"

"Depends on her age and personality.  I'm not going to stick one that's in her early twenties with one of the kids."  That got a nod.  He got the three main classification manuals for Sam.  "The majority of what we run into is in there.  Special cases, specially called things, those things, can be found in the library.  I talked Giles into sending his books and stuff with us when we evacuated the youngest girls from Sunnydale.  Plus all the really dark artifacts and anything Spike found laying around Sunnydale."

"Spike?" Danny asked.  "Did I meet him?"

"No, he died and his death closed the hellmouth out there for good.  It started the sucking problem."

"Oh, okay.  Read that report.  Any idea on the comas?"

Xander shook his head.  "I'm researching when I can.   Dawn too.  I can warn you now there'll be a fight when they wake up.  Buffy was on a 'mother slayer' kick and didn't want normal people around again.  She tried that right before I took the younger and injured with me.  I pointed out she didn't have anyone else to do it.  So we'll have an argument."  That got a nod.  "Anything else on the new girl?"

"Not yet."

"We still need people to find them.  Dawn's doing a location charm this weekend once she's gone over it with her teacher in Devon.  I'm hoping she can find Willow and Willow can wake them up.  I'm tired of being the head watcher.  A watcher, but not the head guy.  Oh, have to hit England next week.  Fair warning, I'll be in a foul mood when I come back.  Probates, all that stuff.  Insurance people too."  Danny winced in sympathy and patted him on the back before leaving.  "I need to check for open rooms."  He went up to do that, finding two open near Faith's.  Then he called her.  "How old, does she need a big sister, and is she going to need or want a roomie or special training?"  He listened then grimaced.  "How old?  And she can...  Well, I just got us two hunters to help me.  You can send Wes to England with me next week if you want.  Sure, that's fine.  I'll set her up with her own.  What's her name?"  He made the sign and put it up.  "All ready for her, Faith."  He hung up.

"She's fourteen and knows more about bombs than I do.  Her daddy's bomb squad and someone came after his team."  They all winced at that.  "So we'll see.  She's native though."  He heard the girls coming in and checked his watch.  "Time for ESL, Demonology one, and math."  He nodded and they headed down to work on that.  Abby was teaching math for him right now.  Danny was doing ESL lessons.  He walked into Demonology.  "We have a new girl found," he announced.  "Someone went after her parents.  Faith said she does not hug.  Fair warning."  He opened the book to his current spot.  "Okay, looks like we're back onto the class of demons that never came near the hellmouth."  He smirked.  "Sorry."  He went back to reading but Sam moved him. "You sure?"

"I have run into two of these at Stanford."  Xander let him have the lectern and sat down to listen.  He needed the lesson too.  Dean sat down next to him.  Dawn passed him a note, getting a smirk back.  He nodded and wrote a response, handing it back.

"Talk later," Sam said.

"Yes, Sammy," Dean said.

Xander grinned.  They'd work with the insanity they had going on around here.

***

Xander showed up at Giles' bed that night and looked down at him.  "Well, another good hire.  Got us two hunters to help the girls.  They're good, Giles.  They grew up learning this stuff.  They even said they'd ask their father and friends about going out to hunt other slayers so we can help them too.  Willow really screwed the pooch with her spell."  He smoothed out the blanket over his feet.  "But we're doing okay.  The agency is fully working.  We're going well and I'm still going on cases.  If you'd ever wake up, you could take over the job I don't want to have so I can do casework and mentor the girls instead.  Because the girls are scary together.  Really scary.  They even talked Dean into taking them shopping and traumatized him scary.  He begged for liquor when he got back scary.  But you probably saw that with Buffy.  Have a happy sleep."  He walked off, going back to check on his desk for needed casework stuff.  It was his job too.  No free rides around here.

The End.

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