TITLE: THE PRIZE 2
AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE
E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au
FEEDBACK: Sure.
DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss!
He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season
6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once
more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is
still here and Willow is with Tara. SUMMER'S RESIDENCE. Giles
sits down and opens one of his books of demonology. " Now I have found a
mention of Klamath Falls in Henderson's book of American Folk lore. It appears
there was once a tribe of Native American Indians that believed their Shaman
could cure all ills by simply taking them onto himself and passing it on to a
beast of the woods. Now all this comes from surviving tribes from around the
area as the Shamash peoples, as they were known, vanished shortly after white
settlers came into the area." Willow snorts. " So we did it to another race of helpless
human beings." Giles looks at her." Hardly helpless I would have thought."
He reads a part of the legend. " And when the tribe was threatened a dark
one was called forth to vanquish their enemies." Buffy looks
non-plussed at him. "And the $64,000.00 question is? If they were so tough
how come Xander thinks their being held as slaves and why did the book say
these Shamrock people became extinct?" "
Yes that is the question I would like to have answered as well." Giles
asks." That is if it isn't just some excuse for Xander to get Buffy to
finish his trip with him." THE
TOWN OF TENTON NEAR KLAMATH FALLS Giles pulls up in his BMW and Buffy
wakes up from her 'nap'. " Are we here all ready?" She looks at the
sky and sees the sun beginning to set. " Well we can let Spike out of the
trunk soon." A
muffled. " 'Bout bloody time too you wankers!" Emanates from said
trunk followed by a thump and a curse. " Next time rent a damn Caddy Will
Ya! At least it would have more room than this Euro POS!" Buffy steps out and stretches then Willow and Giles get out."
Jeez I've seen bigger towns on the Universal back lot tour!" Willow
exclaims. " And this is where Xander said this Shamash tribe was being
held?" Giles
looks up one way and then the other. " I would have thought he would have
at least been here to greet us?" The town's people walked around them as
if they didn't exist and when Giles asked where the nearest hotel was you'd
have thought he tried to attack the man. Buffy shakes her head. " Welcome
to small town USA the un friendliest place on earth." The sun finished setting and Spike pounded on
the trunk door. " Okay people I know that great yellow ball of death you
people refer to as the sun has gone so how ABOUT LETTING ME OUT OF THIS
FREAKING TIN OVEN ON WHEELS!" Giles
pops the trunk and Spike jumps out and shrugs into his duster. " So where
is the little wanker then?" Buffy grabs him by the shirtfront and begins
to crush his voice box. " Now we did you a favor getting you out of
Sunnydale before that undead lynch mob dusted your ass. You were brought along
as back up so back up and shut the ... Hell up!" " All right sweet cheeks no need for
violence! So is he hiding or what?" Giles points to the hotel Xander told him
about. " I'll go over and book us in while you three mingle and find out
what you can." Giles is on his way to the hotel when he sees a museum of
local interests." Mmm Must check that out when I'm done." He nods to
the proprietor as he passes and notices a large bruise on his face. When he
arrives at the hotel a large man that winced every time he twisted his body
greets him. " Hi can I help
you?" Giles nods and tells him." I'd like two rooms with two beds in
each please." " Yes sir I can let
you have the corner rooms over looking Main Street." He turns and gets the
keys then turns the check in book towards Giles. " Now if you could just
sign in." Giles picks up
the pen and sees Xander's name on the previous days sheet. " I was just
wondering if Mr. Harris was in his room?" The clerk looks scared. " Uh... Harris
you say?" He looks around the room as two men glance over at him." No
sir I don't recollect any Mr. Harris staying here." He turns the book
around then replaces the keys. " Come to think of it I believe we're
totally booked out tonight sir... Ahh.. A convention's in town you know how
rowdy they get." " But you had all ready given me the
keys!" Giles is ready to demand to see his supervisor when one of the men
stands up and leans against the desk." This man causing you any trouble
Mr. Johnson?" The clerk backs
off, his eyes widening. " No sir Sheriff. It was just a misunderstanding
about room availability." Giles
is about to complain when the Sheriff rests his hand on his gun and shakes his
head. " Best you hop in that fancy car and move along to the next town
Mister." Giles narrows his eyes in anger then leaves. As he does he sees
the sheriff rip the previous days sheet from the book and throw it in the bin. Giles makes his way back to the car but pauses to have a look in
the museum." Hello! Anyone here?" He enters and makes his way to the
exhibition of local folklore. He's reading about the local Indian tribes when
he sees an old safe with its door blasted open in the corner. As he gets closer
he over hears the curator tell some one. " Yes Frank I know I said it
would be safe here but it wasn't okay! So freaking sue me!" there is a
space where the man must have been listening to the guy on the other end then
he blows up. " Listen you horses ass I told you the guy knew more than he
let on! But oh no you had to get trigger-happy didn't ya! And now we'll never
know what he did with the stone will we!" Giles backs into something and a vase smashes to the ground as he
leaves. He races over to the car in a blind panic and gets in just as the
others arrive. Buffy notices he's as white as a ghost as she gets in. " Giles you look like immigration just
yanked your green card what happened?" He yells at the others. " Get in where
going to get some petrol then drive like mad to the next town!" He starts
the car as Spike just manages to close the door and he races off to the garage.
He jumps out of the car and the service attendant walks up to fill it up."
Ahh fill it up please." Buffy is shaking her head muttering about crazy
Englishmen when she sees a flash of red from under a tarp. She gets out and
makes her way to the shed and is followed by Spike. Buffy looks around and tells him. " Jeez my spider sense is
going into overdrive here!" Spike replies. " Yeah something just
doesn't feel right." He stops and sniffs the air. " Blood.. Fresh
blood! No more than a day old and lots of it." They both sneak into the shed and she lifts
up the tarp and Spike whistles." Wow! This looks out of place here. What
is it?" Buffy slumps against the wall. " It's a
2001 Dodge Viper in my favorite color and the tags should read BX4EVR."
Spike draws the tarp even further back to reveal the number plates then he
vamps out. " The tags are right and I found that blood." She looks over
to Spike and sees three small holes in the windshield and the driver's side
seat soaked in blood. Spike leans in and swipes up some blood with a finger and
sucks on it. " AB- Is that..." He sees Buffy nod and Spike growls
fleeing the scene. END OF PART 2
