Ok... here's the next chapter! I still don't own any of it, sorry.
And a HUGE thanks to my beta, Cylon One! You Rock!
And guys, please... don't kill me when you read the end. The plot bunnies threatened to send evil furbies with knives chasing after me...
XxXxX
Xander watched as the man's face eased into the recesses of deep sleep. For some reason, he felt himself drawn to the man's voice. Ripper had been right when he said that Johnny was choice meat. He was tall, almost as tall as Spike, with dark hair that resembled Angel's in color- though Xander thought he looked better with it than the broodmeister ever did- and was cut short, close to his skull- the very same skull that had been engulfed in flames just four hours previous.
"Ugh. I'm outta here. You coming Spike?" Buffy said when she had had enough of being ignored.
"Buffy, as much as I want to see him fried to a crisp, I am going to warn you…it's still daylight out." Xander said after jumping from her sudden outburst.
Spike looked out the window. "Eh, enough clouds are out an' about. Just let me grab my blanket." He disappeared into Giles's back room and came back a few minutes later with the heavy blanket he used on his hated but necessary trips into the light. The two left Giles' to head to where ever they were headed. 'Probably Willie's,' Xander thought.
"Giles… who is the Devil's Ghost Rider?" Willow asked him.
Giles gave another evil grin. "Not who- what. The rider was a person who made a deal with Mephisotles. When the deal was called in, the person became Mephisotles' bounty hunter. It was the job of this person to carry out the 'deals of the devil' so to speak. Rumor has it that one of these bounty hunters- the one known as the Phantom Rider- was able to turn from Mephisotles' control. His name was Carter Slade. It is said that he was sent to collect a debt from a town worth a thousand souls. He realized that if these souls were to be handed over to the demon, Mephisotles would become too powerful. So he hid the contract for over 150 years. Until the next Ghost Rider who could be trusted was called."
"So what does that have to do with Johnny?" Xander asked from his spot on the floor where he was leaning back against the couch.
"Johnny Blaze was the Rider I called to track down my son, Blackheart." The three in the room turned toward the door of Giles' home to see a tall, intimidating man standing there. His voice was like oil and it seemed to thicken the air in the room with power. The man was dressed in long black robes and leaned slightly on a silver cane, though Xander thought that was more for show than anything.
"And just who are you?" Xander spoke up, rising to stand between the new comer and the couch where Johnny laid, his instincts screaming at him that the man was evil.
"I am his creator. The one who made a deal with him and later merged his soul with my follower, Zarathos." Xander tensed as the man stepped closer, his cane coming up to rest under Xander's chin. "Such power in one so young… much like Johnny had. You would make an exceptional Rider, I think. Ah… so nice of you to join us, Rider."
"What are you doing here?" Johnny asked from his spot behind Xander.
"Merely answering to the same call you are, I presume. The call of power." The man looked back at Xander and murmured. "Strange to see it come from one so untrained and innocent. Call on me if you need help, boy. My name is Mephisotles; you will do well to remember it." Before the others could even react, Mephisotles vanished as quickly and silently as he had appeared.
"That was Mephisotles?" Willow squeaked.
"Yes. And he's right, I was answering a call." Johnny said and looked at Xander. 'But did he say it came from Xander? There's too much power here. I can't tell where it's coming from.'
"What call?" Giles asked him.
Johnny sighed. "I'm not sure. I can't trace it from here. I'll have to wait until nightfall."
Xander turned to look at him. "Why nightfall?"
Johnny grinned and looked over at Giles who grinned back. "Zarathos has a much better way of sensing than I do."
-Nightfall-
Johnny stood in Giles' front yard, waiting for the change to occur. He knew it would be quick and painless but he didn't want to damage the somewhat familiar man's home. Buffy and Spike had yet to show their faces and Xander, Willow and Giles were standing a distance away on the porch. Johnny really didn't want them to get hurt by stray flames, or from Grace. As the sun dipped below the horizon and the flames began to burn the skin from his bones. Johnny lifted two half-burnt fingers to his mouth and let out a long piercing whistle. After a few seconds, the group turned to the road and saw a bike of flame tear down the street. It stopped in front of the flaming skeleton that stood in Johnny's place. The skeleton the other now knew to be Zarathos turned and looked back to the porch. For almost a minute, none of the three moved until Giles stepped onto the lawn and up to Zarathos. In the blink of an eye, he too was enveloped in flame (though he had black flames licking at his skeleton) and stood in leathers.
Zarathos nodded his head. "Hello Ripper."
"Zarathos. Been a while."
"Yes. Ready to ride?"
"Yes" Ripper looked back at the two on the porch. "Are they coming?"
Zarathos nodded again. "Xander rides with me."
"Thought so." Ripper raised two fingers to his mouth and used the same call that Zarathos had. Several minutes later, a beautiful old golden Indian with black flames encasing the tires and tail stood before him. The two mounted their bikes and motioned for the others to come off from the porch.
"Did you know Giles could… that he was…?" Willow asked Xander.
"No. No idea…"Xander told her. "But you have to admit… Ripper's ok in my book now. Even with the whole Ethan thing. That Indian totally makes up for it."
