Impact

The van rested on the outskirts of what used to be Sunnydale. The group looked out with trepidation. Where the craters of Sunnydale began, daylight met the dark. It was eternal night that covered the wasteland, the air pungent with smoke and soot and ash. It was as if a volcano had erupted, and the mountain still rained down from the sky.

Angel had finally connected with Gunn on the mobile phone, and now they all sat wondering what their next move should be as they listened in on Angel’s side of the conversation. Parts had already been revealed. The Blimey seemed to not have a weakness, but as with every other demon that Buffy had slain, the removal of it’s head should do the trick. The trouble was the Blimey was so powerful and quick, they didn’t quite know how to get close enough to cleave of it’s head. But Fred had proposed that Willow conjure up a binding spell, holding the demon at least momentarily for the others to approach and chop it’s head off. It seemed their best course of action, and Willow hesitantly agreed.

But there was more, as Angel revealed once hanging up on his friend back home. The reason Gunn could not be reached earlier while the van’s tire was changed was because Gunn and Fred had been called to the records department by Lorne. He had discovered something that could be quite alarming. The Shanshu prophecy book, as it turned out, was not a lone volume. In fact, there were three volumes in all, and the pieces must fit together as one of a puzzle for the spell of Shanshu to take effect. Dru had one volume, and Angel another. And the third was now missing as well. For how long, no one knew. Perhaps Dru had both, but Angel didn’t think so. He had only seen her with the one volume, and he was fairly certain that she didn’t know there was more than one volume as well. Otherwise she would have never left for Sunnydale, for she had to have known he possessed at least one of the other volumes.

This news surprised the gang, especially Giles and Wesley. Wesley was most chagrined, for he had been studying that particular ritual for sometime. How could he have not known? Angel tried to comfort him. Perhaps, like the ritual itself, it could only be revealed by another vampire? Angel had hardly looked at his volume, and he doubted Drusilla had studied her’s at length, at least not yet.

“This could help us.” Giles started. “She won’t be able to perform the ritual, and when she discovers the need for the two other works, perhaps she’ll come to us?”

The sun was behind the smoke, and Angel was feeling claustrophobic, to put it mildly. He had to get out, and he always thought better while pacing. He couldn’t do that inside a van full of people. Wesley followed Angel out of the van to stretch his legs as well. After a few moments Wes stuck his head back inside. “Angel and I are going to hike around a bit, check out the surroundings. You’ll all be alright?”

“Be careful.” Giles admonished. Willow jumped out, eager to go with the young Watcher. He started to protest but her resolve face was set. Angel saw no harm in her tagging along, so the three of them disappeared into the smog.

Xander and Dawn grabbed a deck of cards out of the back pocket of one of the seats of the van and also clamored outside to play a card game or two. Dawn gathered some pebbles, eager to learn poker, and vowing to own all of Xander’s pebbles in short order.

Giles remained sitting in the passenger seat, a forlorn and contemplative look on his features as he gazed out the windshield. Buffy stretched out on the back seat for awhile, observing him. He had forgotten she was there. He was in research mode, and that brought a small smile to Buffy’s face. She missed the days in the library, but she wouldn’t trade the closeness the two now shared for anything. She quietly got up and came up to the front of the van. He came out of his reverie when he noticed her standing beside him. He smiled up at her, and she smiled back before gently sitting in his lap, straddling her legs around his waist and that of the van’s chair.

“Welcome back, Watcher mine.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and peered outside not seeing Xander or Dawn or the others anywhere. Buffy giggled and kissed his forehead. He looked so cute and shy. “They won’t see us, don’t worry.” She started to unbutton the top of his shirt.

“Buffy!” he stammered.

“What?” her eyes all wide and innocent, her fingers pausing on the buttons midway down his chest.

“Are you certain this is a good idea?” he whispered and shifted, pulling her hips closer down to his arousal. “They could come back at any time.” His breathing was getting ragged, as her fingers continued their journey, opening his shirt and rubbing her finger through the curls on his chest, playing with his nipples between her thumb and finger.

Her eyes sparkled mischievously at him. “Then we better hurry, don’t ya think?” He pulled her face to his and roughly and thoroughly kissed her. “Hurry, yes…love..” he stammered again. Her fingers opened his jeans and then pulled her own down as well, until she settled onto him. He filled her channel so completely and so deeply. They both almost succumbed right then, their senses heightened due to the chance of discovery. Buffy rocked on him two, three times before they both shook and convulsed, and held to each other tightly as their muscles contracted together in ecstasy. They stayed together that way, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Buffy whispered into his ear, “I love you so much, Rupert.” She softly kissed his earlobe, and then lifted herself off of him. He smiled at her, showing her all his love and devotion in his dark green eyes. He pulled some tissues out of the glove box and they cleaned themselves up as best as they could, pulling their clothes back on and in order. When Xander and Dawn opened the van door a few minutes later, they figured the flushed faces of the two were due to the high temperature of the summer afternoon. Buffy and Giles now sat together in the middle seat, so Xander and Dawn climbed into the back. Xander pulled a soda out of an ice chest in the back, offering up each to his friends. They all accepted.

“So who won?” Buffy asked as she snapped the tab open on her soda. The answer to her question was quite obvious by the glum look on Xander’s face. Dawn flounced down next to the window seat. “I did! Not a pebble left to Xander’s name!”

Xander grumbled something that sounded a bit colored, and Buffy flashed her eyes at him. “Xander!” she chastised. “Sorry,” he grumbled. He then proceeded to fan the cards out on the bench between himself and Dawn, beginning a game of solitaire. Even that he couldn’t win at. Five times.

When the van door flew open again, the foursome were expecting Wesley and the rest back from their hike. Instead, the Blimey loomed before them, Drusilla at it’s heels.


TBC