Disclaimer in part 1

PART 7

Buffy, Xander and Jackson were making the trek back to Sunnydale on foot. They'd been at it for awhile now and Jackson had finally shut up about his car, much to Xander's relief, but had moved on to swearing and letting out depressed sighs.

Xander however was more worried about Buffy. She hadn't said a word since they left the fiery inferno and was even trailing behind a bit. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. When she did he flashed her a smile. "Who needs fireworks in the summer when you can blow up classic convertibles?"

She didn't even look at him but kept walking. Xander sighed. "Come on Buffy, talk to me."

Buffy finally stopped. "What do you want me to say? At the moment I have three lives going through my mind. Mine, Evelyn's, AND Nefertiri's." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's all jumbling together and I'm having trouble trying to keep myself sane." She opened her eyes, and they were filled with sorrow. "I'm seeing things I don't understand and I keep feeling like I'm MISSING something. And above all I feel like I'm losing myself amidst all these damnable thoughts!"

Xander managed to keep his face calm, even though he was starting worry. Her last comment not only didn't sound like her, but he could have sworn it had a twinge of a British accent in it. He tried another smile out on her. "Buffy, you aren't going to lose yourself. The memories, the feelings, it's all a part of you. It's just parts that have been playing a really lousy game of hide and seek in that head of yours."

"Hide and seek?" She repeated numbly. A bitter smile crossed her lips, "Well I wish they'd go back in to hiding again, because I sure as hell didn't seek them out."

Xander brushed a stray lock of hair from Buffy's face. "Buffy, you'll get through it. Just like you did the Master, Glory, and everything else in between."

"I had you guys though." Buffy pointed out. "This is my head. I really don't think you guys can do much there."

"Willow can always go tramping around in there again when she gets back." Xander suggested.

"Tramping around? Why does that sound dirty to me?" Buffy asked.

"Because my mind is definitely in the gutter now and I'm trying to project that to you." Xander stated. "It's what keeps me sane in times of crisis."

"And here I thought that was sex." Buffy said dryly.

"I don't see Anya around, and unless your willing..."

"Ahem." Jackson cleared his throat. "Hello, audience here. If you two are going do anything kinky, at least wait till we get to town."

Xander grinned at Buffy, "He doesn't want to see any thing steamy."

"Actually I have a video camera in my hotel room." Jackson said, a grin on his own face.

Buffy giggled. "In that case why don't the two of you..."

"Hey!" The guys said in unison.

"Willow's my best friend and all but she doesn't influence me that much." Xander said.

"Look! A car!" Jackson exclaimed.

"Hey Buffy, go hitch us a ride." Xander said. "Show off some leg."

He was rewarded with a glare from Buffy. "Why don't I just push you in front of it instead?"

Jackson frowned. "Oh wait, it's not a car. It's a van. Um, it's slowing down already. Did you flash them, Buffy?"

"What is this, gang up on the slayer day?" Buffy wailed.

"It got your mind off of other things didn't it?" Xander asked.

Buffy nodded begrudgingly. "Yeah yeah. And you know I love ya for it."

The big black van pulled over and the door slid open.

Buffy gasped as she caught a glance inside the van. "Imhotep!"

"It's O'Connell!" Jackson shouted and pointed at the driver.

Imhotep waved a hand and Jackson and Xander went flying backwards. He beckoned towards Buffy and she found herself being pulled into the van.

The mummy merely smiled a mockingly friendly smile.

"Need a ride?" Rick asked from the driver's seat.

"I thought I lost you, there."

"You did—for a little while."

"A little while is way too long. Don't do that again... What did he say, anyway?"

"Who?"

"Imhotep—before he fell. He said something in ancient Egyptian."

"He said... 'Love that lasts longer than the temples of the gods.'"

"No kidding. Talking about himself and that dame…?"

"Talking about us, I think—I think at the end... he envied us." She shook off the somber moment and gave him a mischievous grin. "Care to know what heaven looks like?"

"Naw." He gazed into her eyes. "Hell, I already know."

"They're asleep on the job." Spike said. He motioned to Anya. "Hey you, kick one for me. I don't feel like a bloody headache."

"You ARE a headache." Anya snapped as she knelt down next to Xander. She shoved him hard. "WAKE UP!"

"If you weren't human, I'd..."

Anya glared at him. "If I weren't human I'd be a vengeance demon and you wouldn't dare piss me off because I'd make something fall off or do something even more twisted."

Spike grabbed Jackson and dragged him into the jeep that he had 'borrowed'. "Hurry up and get your soon to be ex in the damn car. The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can save the slayer."

"I don't see why you care." Anya said. "You'll never get a chance to—"

"It doesn't change the way I feel instantly now does it?" The vampire said. "I feel how I feel and that's the bloody end of it. Now drag his ass into the car before I get nasty!" He walked over to Anya and helped her with Xander. "Besides, little bit would never forgive me if I let something happen to big sis."

"Nice to see you have your priorities straight." Anya muttered.

"What hit me?" Xander mumbled as he came to.

Anya cheered inwardly. "You're ok!"

Xander's head shot up. "Where's Buffy?"

Any hope Anya had that she was going to get to keep Xander after all, flew out the window just by the tone in his voice. "We don't know. We came to get you, and the two of you are all we found."

"In other words you lost the slayer." Spike snapped.

"We did not lose her." Xander hissed at him. "Imhotep took her."

Spike's eyes widened. "What? We just left him at the shop not long ago!"

"His powers are growing." Jackson murmured as he woke up. "He probably used some kind of magic to speed things up."

"We have to find her." Xander said, his voice frantic. "I can't lo…" His eyes widened as if he had just come to an epiphany. "That son of a bitch has my face!"

"What the hell is he talking about?" Spike asked as he got in the car and started it up. "Has he gone insane?"

"I think he knows." Anya said softly.

"Well, not MY face." Xander continued. "But my old one. And he just took—oh yeah, I'm kicking his ass."

"We have the little problem of finding her." Jackson pointed out.

"We'll have to see what Giles comes up with in town. We're supposed to meet him at his place." Spike said. "And after we save blondie, I'm going to ask if—"

Xander glowered at Spike from the back seat. "If you even THINK—"

"I was going to ask," Spike went on, ignoring Xander, "If she could lay off the nightly beatings. It's starting to get kinky."

"You're wearing the bracelet!" Giles said, his mouth agape.

Vincent looked at his bracelet nonchalantly. "It seemed the natural thing to do."

Giles watched him warily. "I don't suppose you feel different some how. World domination perhaps?"

"I feel unusual, but not like that." Vincent frowned, as if trying to find the right words. "I feel… Complete."

"How comforting." Giles replied dryly.

The doors burst open and Spike, Anya, Jackson, and a very worried and pissed off looking Xander trudged in.

"Get some weapons. We're going to save Buffy." He announced.

"Buffy?" Giles asked. "They took her?"

"No, Giles," Anya said sarcasticly. "She's here with us, only invisible. Look she's behind you!"

Giles glared at her. "Yes well, you're right, Xander. We have to save her. I was doing a bit of research and it seems they need a sacrifice for what they're doing."

"And that would be…" Jackson prodded.

"Opening the hellmouth." Giles said.

"Why does everyone always want to open the hellmouth?" Xander asked as he started sorting through the stash of weapons Giles had. "When will they figure out its not an original idea?"

"That's not all they plan to do." A feminine voice said.

"Niranjana." Giles nodded toward the woman in the doorway. "I wasn't sure you had made it."

"I did, then I contacted my elders." She explained. "The sacrifice is not only to open the hellmouth, but to allow access to the power to control Anubis's army."

"Hey..." Vincent said suddenly.

"Anubis?" Jackson groaned, not paying attention to Vincent. "Oh that should be fun."

"Well come on ya bloody wankers," Spike prodded, "Lets go stop the big bad, save the slayer and then get this chip outta my head!" At the annoyed looks from the Anya and Giles, Spike shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Guys..." Vincent began.

"Knowing where they went would be helpful." Jackson said.

Giles nodded in agreement. "The young man's right. We…wait, who are you?"

Vincent tried again. "Hello?"

"Jackson Randell. I'm with Xander. Tell them, Xander." Jackson said. He looked around the room. "Hey, where is he?"

"If the rest of you were paying attention," Vincent explained, "you'd have noticed the guy left not long after Niranjana got here."

"Is he crazy?" Jackson exclaimed.

"Worse." Anya said. "He's in love."