Road Trip

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer…

Within a few minutes massive plumps of smoke were bellowing from the engine. "Oh crap." Said Xander as he slowly parked the car on the edge of the road.

Buffy looked up and down the stretch of road they found themselves on and saw nothing, not a car, a bird or even a lizard.

"We're screwed aren't we?" She asked turning to Xander.

He turned to meet her glaze and replied, again with no emotion, "Yep."

Chapter Three – Breakdown (Part Two)

Our two heroes (or pragmatists depending on your intellect) sat inside their car in the middle of nowhere with not a single thing moving for miles around. The sun was high in the sky resulting in ever increasing temperatures.

"Ow!" Cried Buffy as she moved in her seat.

"What?" Asked Xander.

Buffy pulled out a small black object from her seat, "Damn mobile phone."

The two of them looked out at each then at the black object. Finally Xander asked, "Did you say damn mobile phone?"

"Yeah."

"Okay because that was what I thought you said." Said Xander returning to his glaze to the front of the car.

"Xander?" Said Buffy.

"Yeah."

"I have a mobile phone." She said in a matter of fact kind of way.

"Yeah." He answered with no emotion.

"I forgot I had one." She offered as an explanation.

"Uh-huh."

"Sorry."

He didn't reply. He just kept staring out of the window. Buffy didn't know what to do so she waited for him to say something. He didn't. Finally she decided to break the silence, "Xander?"

"Does it work?" He asked immediately after she finished.

"Oh." Said Buffy realising that she hasn't tried to turn it on. She pressed a button and it lit up. "Yeah."

"What about the signal?"

She looked down at the phone and her face dropped, "Damn." She moved the phone round the car in a vain attempt to somehow get a signal, "Nope."

"Figures."

Buffy kept moving the phone around in the apparent belief that somewhere in the car there was a pocket of air in which the phone would have a perfect signal. Xander was still staring out of the window but all of a sudden his eyes flicked and he turned to Buffy, "Buffy?"

"Yeah." She said not really paying attention.

"Do you reckon it would get a signal on, say, an elevated piece of ground?"

"You mean a hill?" She asked turning to face him.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Would it get a signal on a hill?"

"It might but I didn't see any hills around here."

Xander turned to the front and pointed, "What about that?"

Buffy squinted in the direction of where Xander was pointing and very far in the distance there appeared to be a hill, "Oh yeah." She turned to face him again, "But that's got to be three or four miles away."

"Yeah."

"You aren't suggesting we walk all the way there in the hope that we might be able to get a signal?" She asked.

"You got a better idea?"

Buffy looked at Xander, at the hill then back at Xander, "No."

Xander got out of the car and walked round to the back and popped open the boot. He scanned the contents and then picked up a backpack. He then went to the backseat and proceeded to put a couple of bottles of water and a few pieces of food in it. After he had done this he made his way to Buffy, who was still sitting inside the car.

"Have a nice time." She said.

"What?" He asked.

"Have a nice time." She repeated a lot louder.

"Excuse me missy but aren't you coming?"

"No and don't ever call me missy." She replied.

"What do you mean your not coming?" He asked.

"Basically, I'm not coming. I could answer further but I would need some colourful diagrams and charts." She said sarcastically.

"I get the feeling your mocking me."

"Whatever would make you feel that?" She asked innocently.

"I have no idea." He said with a smile. "So are you coming or not?"

"Not." She answered. "Someone has to look after the car while you're gone."

"And that has to be you?" He asked.

"You are the man, aren't you?"

"It's amazing how quickly women's rights go out of the window in times of crisis." He said.

Buffy smiled, "Well they do call us the smarter sex."

"Only you call yourselves the smarter sex."

"Exactly."

"Anyway you're the Slayer."

"So?" She asked.

"You have Slayer powers."

"Yeah?"

"But you're the Slayer…oh forget it. I'll go."

Xander walked off in the direction of the hill.

"Xander?" Buffy asked.

"Yes?" Xander stopped and returned to the car, "What?"

"You forgot this." She said handing him the mobile phone.

"Oh." He said with bewildered look on his face, "Okay. I better get going." He hesitated then again walked off in the direction of the hill.

"Have fun!" Buffy called after him.