Title: Hurricane, Chapter 2: Dark Clouds Brewing
Author: Sandy S.
E-mail: ssoennin@juno.com
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to Joss and UPN.
Spoilers: Set a few years after season 6
Dedication: For Thia...who is a new and dear friend and whose creativity
inspires me! :o)
Summary: Dawn, a lot of blood, a disappearance, a search. Buffy's worst
nightmare comes true. Spike's POV. Notably, the places in Stillwater (a
real city, btw), Oklahoma were invented and are not based on any real
places within the actual city.
Dark Clouds Brewing
"Thus with the year
Seasons return; but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn,
Or sight of vernal bloom or summer's rose,
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine;
But cloud instead, and ever-during dark
Surrounds me; from the cheerful ways of men
Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair
Presented with a universal blank
Of Nature's works, to me expung'd and raz'd,
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out."
-John Milton, from "Paradise Lost"
A sharp noise resounded through my mind, cutting through the clouds of my dreams. Testing out my muscles, I noticed the softness of whatever I was lying upon...probably a bed. For some reason, I was having a difficult time opening my eyes. My eyelids felt like they were glued together. Wherever I was, the smell was different than home but somehow vaguely familiar. I reached with one hand to search for Buffy who usually snuggled up close to me. Nothing. The sheets surrounding me were cold, and I realized I couldn't hear Buffy's usual heartbeat and the deep breathing sounds of her slumber.
Then, I remembered that Buffy and I had a fight. At least, I'd thrown one of my typical anger fits and stormed off when she wanted to talk with her wanker of an ex, Angel. Wonder what they talked about. I knew she loved me...that she had for three years, seven months, and twelve days now...okay, so maybe it was a little obsessive to know how long she loved me down to the day. But sometimes I still worried that she would treat me differently after having contact with Angel, her first love...that she would see the error of her ways in choosing me.
I tried to push Angel out of my thoughts.
Maybe Buffy and crew spent the night at the Magic Box researching and discussing the new menace in Los Angeles and possibly in Sunnydale. If so, a box of donuts and her favorite coffee might be a good way of apologizing for my behavior.
Rubbing my eyes, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stretched my arms over my head, and yawned out of habit, not necessity. My vampire eyes adjusted immediately to the dim light of the darkened room I occupied.
*What the bloody fuck?*
Leaping to my feet, I trained all my senses to doing an initial sweep of my location.
I was obviously in a hotel room. The bedclothes were messy from my body's earlier movements. The room was furnished with a bureau, television, and coffee pot. An open door led to a small bathroom. A window unit that controlled the air conditioner and heater was installed below the window. The heavy curtains were likely impenetrable by sunlight. The lack of sunlight peering around the edges of the curtains indicated that the world outside was cloaked in darkness.
Noting that I was still dressed in my jeans and black T-shirt from the previous evening, I strode purposefully to the door, grabbing the key I noticed on the bureau. Banging the wood against the wall inside my room and not caring about any damage I caused, I found myself outside on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. Not recognizing my surroundings, I began my hunt for the hotel office.
On the way, I picked up clues to my whereabouts. Most of the license plates on the vehicles in the parking lot were Oklahoma plates. Oklahoma? Oddly, my rusty but still black DeSoto was positioned near the hotel office. Must mean I arrived in the middle of the night. Entering the office, I hardly paid attention to the furnishings and headed straight to the main desk. No receptionists were around. Scanning the top of the polished surface, I searched for a piece of paper, a newspaper, anything that would indicate my exact location. Spotting some empty business envelopes in a letter tray, I snatched one and read the return address.
I *was* in bloody Oklahoma! In a place called Stillwater. Stillwater, Oklahoma? Sounded like the sodding middle of nowhere.
My thoughts spinning, I ignored the receptionist who called to me, asking if I needed any help. I sank into an armchair in the lobby, trying to make sense of what was happening. Desperately, I tried to remember what had happened the previous night. Try as I might, the last thing I recalled was entering the house with Dawn in Sunnydale. I had no idea what occurred next, much less how I got to Oklahoma in...
My eyes fell upon a newspaper laying on the end table next to the chair. Where was the date?
*One day?!*
How the hell could I have gotten to Oklahoma in one day? And what the hell happened in that day?
Finding a payphone across the room, I fished thirty-five cents out of my pocket and proceeded to make a collect call. I gave the operator Buffy's phone number and waited as the phone rang and rang. No response before the answering machine picked up. She obviously wasn't home. Slamming the phone down and cursing quietly, I stormed out of the hotel lobby.
* * *
The only demon bar in the entire tiny city was mainly packed with vampires and familiarly smelled of cigarette smoke and damp mold. The floor was slick with spilled beer and blood. A jukebox mumbled a country music song in the background. I needed some blood, money for the trip home, and a drink, if possible. The only way I knew to obtain these things was to involve myself in a poker game.
As soon as the clientele noticed I had entered the bar, all chatter ceased, and several heads turned to stare. The country music swelled to a crescendo in the silence. Apparently, vampires didn't travel through this city often...not like on the hellmouth. I approached the demon bartender with confidence.
"Spot me a mug of blood, mate?"
The demon grunted and poured me a large mug of the warm, thick liquid. My stomach growled as I drank the coppery blood down. The rest of the vampires continued to gape. Handing the glass back to the bartender, I turned to the vampire on my left.
"Is there a poker table around that I could join?"
The vampire, who was in full game face, smiled at me so that the points of his fangs glinted in the dim light. He clapped me on the back, and as he stood, I caught a whiff of decay. As soon as he touched me, talking resumed. The rest of the creatures in the bar had lost interest.
"You've come to the right place. Follow me." He guided me to the back of the bar, knocking on the closed door next to the bathroom.
The door jerked open roughly, and a vampire dressed neatly in a suit glared out at us.
"Got another one for you," my dirty companion growled.
The young male vampire blocking the doorway looked me up and down skeptically. I smirked at him.
"He's from *out of town*," Decay Boy added.
The other vampire's demeanor changed, and he stepped back, sweeping his arm by to invite me into the room. As soon as I entered, the vampire shut the door firmly and stood in front of it with his arms crossed and legs spread in a stance of readiness.
A group of nondescript vampires sat around the only table in the tiny room. Cards and cash lay on the table. No cigarette smoke polluted the air, and the group drank no alcohol, only blood. The players were obviously serious about the game. The only notable presence in the room was the large male vamp in the corner who practically emanated power. A female vampire slouched in the chair behind him, her head bowed and her arms crossed in an image of submission.
"Join us," the large vampire growled, nodding at the empty chair across from him.
I turned the chair so that the back was pressed against the table and straddled the seat. The vampire on my right narrowed his eyes at my small act of defiance but slid me a stack of bills and coins and a mug of blood without question.
The game began, and right away, I noticed some patterns in the play. The vampires did not speak during each round except to place bets. Other than the large vampire, whom I learned was named Paul, the players were highly inexperienced at the game. After a short amount of time, Paul and I had the largest stacks of money. With each hand that I won, I sensed that Paul was watching me more and more closely.
When I had almost won the money I needed, Paul broke his formula. Reaching behind him, he grasped the long auburn hair of the female vampire and yanked her roughly up to the table. "I think I'm in need of a good luck kiss."
The female vampire chose that moment to meet my gaze through the strands of hair that covered her face, and I saw abject terror written in her wide blue eyes. Then, she began struggling and grunting in attempt to remove herself from Paul's hold. As Paul crushed his lips to hers and then pushed her back into the chair, the other vampires at the table laughed cruelly. In the past, I would have joined them, but my love for Buffy and the soul that permeated my existence shot compassion for the female through my heart.
"Well," I drawled, "I can see that you have a pretty prize there, Paul."
Paul chuckled, shuffling the cards. "Yea, I guess I do. But they're a dime a dozen in this part of the country."
I just bet they were. "I'd like to get a hold of a piece like that."
"Hmmm. How about this one?" Paul dealt one card to me and one to himself. "We play. High card takes the cash and the girl."
I laughed. "I've always wanted to do this. They've done it in the movies enough times."
Paul leered at me. "Well, this isn't the movies. This is for real."
Paul really had no idea with whom he was dealing. I fingered the card in front of me. "Good."
We flipped our cards at the same time. Without warning, I used the moment to overturn the card table as well. Taking advantage of the others' shock, I executed a few well-placed kicks to the vampire guarding the door and to keep Paul at bay. These vamps evidently hadn't seen a good fight in many moons. Grabbing the female's cool hand, I hauled her out of the fray and hurried out of the poker room and the bar. Shouting and loud noises trailed after us as the vampires chased after us into the night. Dragging my new acquaintance along, we piled into my car and raced down the highway.
* * *
My vampire companion was mute as I accelerated the car to avoid our pursuers. She remained curled up in the seat as far from me as she could get and stared into the blackened windshield. Her flowered dress was ripped and now that I had her away from the other vampires, I realized she looked like she hadn't eaten or bathed in days.
After only a few minutes, the cars and motorcycles behind us faded into the background as we raced out of Stillwater. Honestly, I was relieved to leave the little town. True, I had seen the rather large university, but the rest of the town left a lot to be desired. Several miles down the highway, we neared a truck stop where I knew I could fill up the gas tank and obtain necessities for us.
As I was parking near a gas pump, she spoke softly but clearly, "Do you have money for the gas?"
I smiled at her, pulling a wad of cash out of my pocket. "Did you think I hadn't taken any with me before I left that joint back there?"
Smiling shyly in return, she reached into the top portion of her dress, revealing that she had hidden several folded bills. "I got some, too."
"What's your name?"
"Callie."
I offered her my hand, and she gripped it tightly before releasing it. She might be beaten down, but she was tough. "I'm Spike. Where are you headed?"
"Wherever you are."
"I'm off for California. I can drop you off anywhere along the way if you'd like."
"O-okay." She seemed hesitant.
"I'd take you where I was going, pet, but you wouldn't last long." Buffy or another of the gang would stake her on sight. After all, Callie was just another evil, soulless vampire.
She nodded in understanding.
"Listen. I'm going to fill up the tank here, make a phone call, and buy some supplies. They have showers here. See if you can take one. We'll talk about food when you get back. Do you know how to drive?"
"Yea. I don't mind helping with that."
She watched me with wide eyes, reminding me of the family I had in Sunnydale and the trust they had in me. A stab of loneliness went through me. We got out of the car together, and I started to unscrew the gas cap. As she was walking toward the well-lit building, I heard her growl almost imperceptibly.
"Hey, pet!" I called after her.
She twirled back to face me, the wind blowing her long hair and skirt.
"Do me a favor. Don't get a snack!"
She frowned in confusion as if wondering why another vampire would ask her to do something like not feed. Then, she shrugged in agreement and kept walking.
After I gassed up the car, I checked the fluids. Everything seemed to be in safe working order. Then, I opened the trunk to see if my spare tire was flat. Shock could not even describe my feeling at what was in my trunk. Reaching inside, I pulled out what lay on top of my jumbled heap of clothes.
Dawn's jeans and T-shirt were thoroughly stained by still damp blood. I concentrated hard and tried to understand. No memories welled up to explain her blood-saturated clothing being in my trunk.
*Damn it!*
I hit the trunk lid with my fist. Luckily, no one was around to witness my behavior.
*What the hell is going on?!*
Tears welled in my eyes. What had happened to my Dawnie? I leaned over the trunk in grief and confusion. That was when I smelled something underneath Dawn's blood...something I had smelled before. Recognition flooded my mind, and anger came right after it until I was trembling with disbelief.
*He* wouldn't dare, and if he was back in my life, he would regret messing with me.
Swallowing my feelings, I headed into the truck stop. I gathered a few supplies, including a map of the United States and a map of New Orleans. While I was paying for everything, Callie returned from her shower appearing refreshed. She came to my side, gazing at me curiously because she felt the tension in me.
When I finished picking up my purchases and was heading toward the car, I told her brusquely, "C'mon. There's been a change of plans."
She doubled her walking speed to keep up with me. "W-what change?"
"We're going to New Orleans."
End chapter 2
**Note: Paul means "small" and is symbolic of Paul's role as small time leader of the vamps in Stillwater and his narrowmindedness. Callie means "beautiful."**
Dark Clouds Brewing
"Thus with the year
Seasons return; but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn,
Or sight of vernal bloom or summer's rose,
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine;
But cloud instead, and ever-during dark
Surrounds me; from the cheerful ways of men
Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair
Presented with a universal blank
Of Nature's works, to me expung'd and raz'd,
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out."
-John Milton, from "Paradise Lost"
A sharp noise resounded through my mind, cutting through the clouds of my dreams. Testing out my muscles, I noticed the softness of whatever I was lying upon...probably a bed. For some reason, I was having a difficult time opening my eyes. My eyelids felt like they were glued together. Wherever I was, the smell was different than home but somehow vaguely familiar. I reached with one hand to search for Buffy who usually snuggled up close to me. Nothing. The sheets surrounding me were cold, and I realized I couldn't hear Buffy's usual heartbeat and the deep breathing sounds of her slumber.
Then, I remembered that Buffy and I had a fight. At least, I'd thrown one of my typical anger fits and stormed off when she wanted to talk with her wanker of an ex, Angel. Wonder what they talked about. I knew she loved me...that she had for three years, seven months, and twelve days now...okay, so maybe it was a little obsessive to know how long she loved me down to the day. But sometimes I still worried that she would treat me differently after having contact with Angel, her first love...that she would see the error of her ways in choosing me.
I tried to push Angel out of my thoughts.
Maybe Buffy and crew spent the night at the Magic Box researching and discussing the new menace in Los Angeles and possibly in Sunnydale. If so, a box of donuts and her favorite coffee might be a good way of apologizing for my behavior.
Rubbing my eyes, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stretched my arms over my head, and yawned out of habit, not necessity. My vampire eyes adjusted immediately to the dim light of the darkened room I occupied.
*What the bloody fuck?*
Leaping to my feet, I trained all my senses to doing an initial sweep of my location.
I was obviously in a hotel room. The bedclothes were messy from my body's earlier movements. The room was furnished with a bureau, television, and coffee pot. An open door led to a small bathroom. A window unit that controlled the air conditioner and heater was installed below the window. The heavy curtains were likely impenetrable by sunlight. The lack of sunlight peering around the edges of the curtains indicated that the world outside was cloaked in darkness.
Noting that I was still dressed in my jeans and black T-shirt from the previous evening, I strode purposefully to the door, grabbing the key I noticed on the bureau. Banging the wood against the wall inside my room and not caring about any damage I caused, I found myself outside on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. Not recognizing my surroundings, I began my hunt for the hotel office.
On the way, I picked up clues to my whereabouts. Most of the license plates on the vehicles in the parking lot were Oklahoma plates. Oklahoma? Oddly, my rusty but still black DeSoto was positioned near the hotel office. Must mean I arrived in the middle of the night. Entering the office, I hardly paid attention to the furnishings and headed straight to the main desk. No receptionists were around. Scanning the top of the polished surface, I searched for a piece of paper, a newspaper, anything that would indicate my exact location. Spotting some empty business envelopes in a letter tray, I snatched one and read the return address.
I *was* in bloody Oklahoma! In a place called Stillwater. Stillwater, Oklahoma? Sounded like the sodding middle of nowhere.
My thoughts spinning, I ignored the receptionist who called to me, asking if I needed any help. I sank into an armchair in the lobby, trying to make sense of what was happening. Desperately, I tried to remember what had happened the previous night. Try as I might, the last thing I recalled was entering the house with Dawn in Sunnydale. I had no idea what occurred next, much less how I got to Oklahoma in...
My eyes fell upon a newspaper laying on the end table next to the chair. Where was the date?
*One day?!*
How the hell could I have gotten to Oklahoma in one day? And what the hell happened in that day?
Finding a payphone across the room, I fished thirty-five cents out of my pocket and proceeded to make a collect call. I gave the operator Buffy's phone number and waited as the phone rang and rang. No response before the answering machine picked up. She obviously wasn't home. Slamming the phone down and cursing quietly, I stormed out of the hotel lobby.
* * *
The only demon bar in the entire tiny city was mainly packed with vampires and familiarly smelled of cigarette smoke and damp mold. The floor was slick with spilled beer and blood. A jukebox mumbled a country music song in the background. I needed some blood, money for the trip home, and a drink, if possible. The only way I knew to obtain these things was to involve myself in a poker game.
As soon as the clientele noticed I had entered the bar, all chatter ceased, and several heads turned to stare. The country music swelled to a crescendo in the silence. Apparently, vampires didn't travel through this city often...not like on the hellmouth. I approached the demon bartender with confidence.
"Spot me a mug of blood, mate?"
The demon grunted and poured me a large mug of the warm, thick liquid. My stomach growled as I drank the coppery blood down. The rest of the vampires continued to gape. Handing the glass back to the bartender, I turned to the vampire on my left.
"Is there a poker table around that I could join?"
The vampire, who was in full game face, smiled at me so that the points of his fangs glinted in the dim light. He clapped me on the back, and as he stood, I caught a whiff of decay. As soon as he touched me, talking resumed. The rest of the creatures in the bar had lost interest.
"You've come to the right place. Follow me." He guided me to the back of the bar, knocking on the closed door next to the bathroom.
The door jerked open roughly, and a vampire dressed neatly in a suit glared out at us.
"Got another one for you," my dirty companion growled.
The young male vampire blocking the doorway looked me up and down skeptically. I smirked at him.
"He's from *out of town*," Decay Boy added.
The other vampire's demeanor changed, and he stepped back, sweeping his arm by to invite me into the room. As soon as I entered, the vampire shut the door firmly and stood in front of it with his arms crossed and legs spread in a stance of readiness.
A group of nondescript vampires sat around the only table in the tiny room. Cards and cash lay on the table. No cigarette smoke polluted the air, and the group drank no alcohol, only blood. The players were obviously serious about the game. The only notable presence in the room was the large male vamp in the corner who practically emanated power. A female vampire slouched in the chair behind him, her head bowed and her arms crossed in an image of submission.
"Join us," the large vampire growled, nodding at the empty chair across from him.
I turned the chair so that the back was pressed against the table and straddled the seat. The vampire on my right narrowed his eyes at my small act of defiance but slid me a stack of bills and coins and a mug of blood without question.
The game began, and right away, I noticed some patterns in the play. The vampires did not speak during each round except to place bets. Other than the large vampire, whom I learned was named Paul, the players were highly inexperienced at the game. After a short amount of time, Paul and I had the largest stacks of money. With each hand that I won, I sensed that Paul was watching me more and more closely.
When I had almost won the money I needed, Paul broke his formula. Reaching behind him, he grasped the long auburn hair of the female vampire and yanked her roughly up to the table. "I think I'm in need of a good luck kiss."
The female vampire chose that moment to meet my gaze through the strands of hair that covered her face, and I saw abject terror written in her wide blue eyes. Then, she began struggling and grunting in attempt to remove herself from Paul's hold. As Paul crushed his lips to hers and then pushed her back into the chair, the other vampires at the table laughed cruelly. In the past, I would have joined them, but my love for Buffy and the soul that permeated my existence shot compassion for the female through my heart.
"Well," I drawled, "I can see that you have a pretty prize there, Paul."
Paul chuckled, shuffling the cards. "Yea, I guess I do. But they're a dime a dozen in this part of the country."
I just bet they were. "I'd like to get a hold of a piece like that."
"Hmmm. How about this one?" Paul dealt one card to me and one to himself. "We play. High card takes the cash and the girl."
I laughed. "I've always wanted to do this. They've done it in the movies enough times."
Paul leered at me. "Well, this isn't the movies. This is for real."
Paul really had no idea with whom he was dealing. I fingered the card in front of me. "Good."
We flipped our cards at the same time. Without warning, I used the moment to overturn the card table as well. Taking advantage of the others' shock, I executed a few well-placed kicks to the vampire guarding the door and to keep Paul at bay. These vamps evidently hadn't seen a good fight in many moons. Grabbing the female's cool hand, I hauled her out of the fray and hurried out of the poker room and the bar. Shouting and loud noises trailed after us as the vampires chased after us into the night. Dragging my new acquaintance along, we piled into my car and raced down the highway.
* * *
My vampire companion was mute as I accelerated the car to avoid our pursuers. She remained curled up in the seat as far from me as she could get and stared into the blackened windshield. Her flowered dress was ripped and now that I had her away from the other vampires, I realized she looked like she hadn't eaten or bathed in days.
After only a few minutes, the cars and motorcycles behind us faded into the background as we raced out of Stillwater. Honestly, I was relieved to leave the little town. True, I had seen the rather large university, but the rest of the town left a lot to be desired. Several miles down the highway, we neared a truck stop where I knew I could fill up the gas tank and obtain necessities for us.
As I was parking near a gas pump, she spoke softly but clearly, "Do you have money for the gas?"
I smiled at her, pulling a wad of cash out of my pocket. "Did you think I hadn't taken any with me before I left that joint back there?"
Smiling shyly in return, she reached into the top portion of her dress, revealing that she had hidden several folded bills. "I got some, too."
"What's your name?"
"Callie."
I offered her my hand, and she gripped it tightly before releasing it. She might be beaten down, but she was tough. "I'm Spike. Where are you headed?"
"Wherever you are."
"I'm off for California. I can drop you off anywhere along the way if you'd like."
"O-okay." She seemed hesitant.
"I'd take you where I was going, pet, but you wouldn't last long." Buffy or another of the gang would stake her on sight. After all, Callie was just another evil, soulless vampire.
She nodded in understanding.
"Listen. I'm going to fill up the tank here, make a phone call, and buy some supplies. They have showers here. See if you can take one. We'll talk about food when you get back. Do you know how to drive?"
"Yea. I don't mind helping with that."
She watched me with wide eyes, reminding me of the family I had in Sunnydale and the trust they had in me. A stab of loneliness went through me. We got out of the car together, and I started to unscrew the gas cap. As she was walking toward the well-lit building, I heard her growl almost imperceptibly.
"Hey, pet!" I called after her.
She twirled back to face me, the wind blowing her long hair and skirt.
"Do me a favor. Don't get a snack!"
She frowned in confusion as if wondering why another vampire would ask her to do something like not feed. Then, she shrugged in agreement and kept walking.
After I gassed up the car, I checked the fluids. Everything seemed to be in safe working order. Then, I opened the trunk to see if my spare tire was flat. Shock could not even describe my feeling at what was in my trunk. Reaching inside, I pulled out what lay on top of my jumbled heap of clothes.
Dawn's jeans and T-shirt were thoroughly stained by still damp blood. I concentrated hard and tried to understand. No memories welled up to explain her blood-saturated clothing being in my trunk.
*Damn it!*
I hit the trunk lid with my fist. Luckily, no one was around to witness my behavior.
*What the hell is going on?!*
Tears welled in my eyes. What had happened to my Dawnie? I leaned over the trunk in grief and confusion. That was when I smelled something underneath Dawn's blood...something I had smelled before. Recognition flooded my mind, and anger came right after it until I was trembling with disbelief.
*He* wouldn't dare, and if he was back in my life, he would regret messing with me.
Swallowing my feelings, I headed into the truck stop. I gathered a few supplies, including a map of the United States and a map of New Orleans. While I was paying for everything, Callie returned from her shower appearing refreshed. She came to my side, gazing at me curiously because she felt the tension in me.
When I finished picking up my purchases and was heading toward the car, I told her brusquely, "C'mon. There's been a change of plans."
She doubled her walking speed to keep up with me. "W-what change?"
"We're going to New Orleans."
End chapter 2
**Note: Paul means "small" and is symbolic of Paul's role as small time leader of the vamps in Stillwater and his narrowmindedness. Callie means "beautiful."**