Thanks to everyone that reviewed. I've decided whom I'm going to
bring, I'm just not telling yet. Enjoy part 3. All reviews and
suggestions are appreciated.
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Tyler walked into the store to see Jody behind the counter and Burt and Nancy sitting there sipping coffee. The tourists from the tour filed in behind him and started browsing. "Hey, Tyler. How did it go?"
"Great. El Blanco threw up some dust and scared them to death. One couple is going take the tour again tomorrow in hopes of seeing him."
"They'll change their minds if they do see him." Jody said grinning widely.
The bell above the door tinkled and everyone turned to see the new arrival.
"Hey, Anne." Jody said.
"Hey, guys. What's new?"
"That gorgeous hunk of man that's at your hotel right now." Jody quipped. "So, did you find out anything about him? Married? Children? Outstanding debts?"
Buffy looked over to see Tyler giving her a weird look. She decided to spill the beans before he did.
"Actually, I know him. He's an old boyfriend."
Tyler looked like he was going to be sick and Jody got this really dreamy look on her face. Leave it to Angel to get the queen of business to look at something other than gross profit.
"Boyfriend." Tyler choked out.
"Once upon a long time ago, yes. Angel and I dated when I was a teenager."
"So, why is he here and why did he call you Buffy?" Tyler asked.
"Guys, there are a lot of things about me you don't know and I really don't want to try to explain them. Anne is my middle name. My first name is Buffy. And before you ask, no my last name is not really Winters. I wanted to disappear and in order to do that I changed my name. I'm not in trouble with the law or anything like that. There was just some stuff that went on back home that I needed to get away from."
"So, this EX-boyfriend of yours spends six months trying to track you down? Why?" Tyler asked.
"My friends were worried about me."
"So, why send him?" Tyler demanded, sounding very jealous.
"Because he's a detective." Buffy replied.
"Wait a minute." Burt finally adds to the conversation. "A detective? What kind of detective?"
"Calm down, Burt." Buffy said, soothingly. "He doesn't work for the government or anything. He's a private detective. He works only for the pursuit of truth, justice, and the American way."
"How do you know that? How do you know his being here isn't some conspiracy to gain information on us and our life?" Burt argued.
"Burt, calm down. I've known Angel since I was sixteen years old. Believe me, he doesn't work for the government."
"So, what happens now?" Tyler asked. "What does he want with you?"
"I told him what he wanted to know and he knows I'm all right. I hope he'll just go back home. He knows I'm not going with him."
Nancy hadn't commented on the exchange but now she did. "Anne uh..I mean Buffy, where's home?
"California." Was Buffy's vague reply.
"Well, this is all very interesting but I have a graboid to track." Burt said getting up from his seat. "I'm taking your word about this Angel guy, but I'll still be watching him." Burt warned on his way out the door.
"Yeah, and I've to go get ready for the next tour." Tyler said.
Buffy followed him out and walked beside him. He looked over at her and said, "I guess you're going to cancel our date."
"No, I just wanted to see what time you were picking me up." She replied.
"What about your ex?"
"Angel and I haven't been together for a long time. He doesn't tell me who I can see and who I can't." Buffy replied.
"Great. I'll pick you up at eight. Dress for comfort. I have a surprise for you."
It was 6 o'clock when Angel appeared downstairs. Buffy was in the kitchen getting a snack when she felt Angel's presence behind her.
"Hey, sleep well?" Buffy asked without turning around.
"Fine. This is a nice place."
"Thanks. So are you checking out tonight?"
"No. I thought I might hang around for a while."
At those words Buffy whirled around. "Why?" She asked. "Do you think you're going to change my mind? I'm not going back. I'm not ready for that. I'm happy here. Now that you know where I am, you can call and check on me."
"I've been looking for you for six months. Which means I've been on the road for six months. I want to rest up for a few days." Angel lied easily. He had every intention of trying to convince her to at least go back and visit. His phone call to Spike had brought relief to everyone that she was alive, but they wanted to see her and tell her how sorry they were that things went the way they did.
"Did you bring food with you? We don't have a butcher close by."
"Yeah, I try to keep a good supply with me. I've got about a five day supply."
Buffy finished her snack and sat down at the table. "So, tell me what's been going on since I left."
Angel sat down at the table and started to fill her in on the daily lives of those she left behind. There wasn't a lot to tell. Things had been very quiet since the last battle. He told her about Faith taking regular patrols and Spike showing up. Cordelia had recovered from her possession and still had the visions. Connor was warming up to Angel. A lot of the old hatred was gone. Their relationship was steadily improving. He even understood why Angel had to leave to find Buffy. Gunn and Fred's relationship had never recovered although they still worked with him. Gunn was currently single and Fred was dating Wesley. Giles and Olivia were dating in England. Willow and Kennedy had moved in together. They both attend UC Sunnydale and are doing well. Willow would be graduating soon and Kennedy was a freshman.
"What about you? Where have you been for the last year?"
"I've been here for about six months. Before that I traveled and met a lot of interesting people."
"What about the people here? Are they for real? I mean that Burt guy looks like he came out of some sci fi movie. I saw the artillery he carries with him. Is he expecting a war?"
Buffy laughed. That was how most people saw Burt at first. "No," She said. "He's just prepared. He's lived through two graboid attacks, a screecher attack, and an assblaster attack. That's just here. He's fought graboids and screechers all over the world. He doesn't want to be caught unaware."
At his blank look, Buffy explained how graboids change to screechers then assblasters.
Angel shook his head. He had come to terms with graboids, but this was just about too much.
"Why in the hell did you pick a crazy town to settle down in?" Angel asked. "Why couldn't you choose some nice, normal mid west town?"
Buffy laughed again. "I came here for the tour. I thought it was some sort of demon, but it wasn't. I met the people and they made me feel right at home."
"What about this Tyler guy?" Angel asked.
"What about him? He runs the graboid tour. Bought it from a guy they call 'Desert Jack' in Vegas. He's making it work. Business is picking up. And before you ask, Jody inherited the store from her uncle who was killed in the first graboid attack. Nancy was here during the first attack. She's a flower child. Makes pottery. Have you met Rosalita?" Buffy asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"No. Who's she?"
"She inherited a cattle ranch from Miguel, who died in the last graboid attack. She used to be a showgirl in Vegas."
Angel grinned. "I think I need to meet her." He said, mischievously. He hadn't missed the jealousy in Buffy's voice. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.
"Don't worry, you will. She should be in town tomorrow." Buffy looked down at her watch. "Sorry, Angel. I've got to go get ready for my date."
"So, who's the lucky guy?" Angel asked, not even trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.
Buffy was almost out the door and turned around to give Angel a warning look. "Not that it's any of your business, but I have a date with Tyler."
"You're going out with a guy who chases this El Blanco for a living? He must have a death wish. What do you see in him?"
"I see a very nice body, a dark tan, a cute uncertainty when it comes to women, hypnotizing eyes, and a sweet personality." Buffy didn't give Angel a chance to respond before giving him a warning. "Leave him alone, Angel. None of this is his fault. We've had this date planned for a week. He's a nice, normal guy. Isn't that what you left me for?" Buffy finished with more than a little hostility in her voice. Without waiting for comment she took off to her private quarters.
Angel thought about her words. Yes, that's why he left her, but some things had changed. He could be in the sun now. He could love her now. When Willow returned his soul in LA, she took out the happiness clause. His soul was bound. He wanted her with him, forever. Sadly, it may be too little too late. He had hurt her a lot. She may not want him at all.
Buffy thought about Angel the entire time she was getting dressed. Damn him, coming here and taking over her thoughts. She still loved him as much as ever. She just wasn't ready to let him back into her life. She had been hurt so much. Hearing about Cordelia and Angel's almost relationship had been a blow to Buffy. He left her so she could have someone normal and then almost gets together with Cordelia. It made her doubt his feelings for her. If he couldn't make it work with them, why did he think he could with Cordelia? Did he love her more than he had Buffy?
Buffy shook off her thoughts and tried to think about Tyler. He was nice and cute, but she didn't feel anything more for him than friendship. She told him that but he convinced her to give him a chance to change her mind. It had taken him two months to convince her to go out with him.
Tyler walked into the hotel a few minutes before eight and the first person he saw was Angel, sitting in the small lobby.
The two men nodded in greeting but didn't speak. Tyler started toward the back of the building when Angel spoke.
"If you hurt her, you'll answer to me." Angel said in a quiet but menacing voice. Tyler felt a shiver run down his spine. Tyler turned around just to be looking into the most intense chocolate eyes he had ever seen. He didn't doubt what Angel said and was fairly certain it would mean lots of pain.
"I have no intention of hurting her." Was the best Tyler could manage.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Angel responded.
Buffy chose that moment to walk into the room. She could feel the tension in the air. She gave Angel an angry look to which he just shrugged. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. He was just telling this guy the way things were.
"Let's go, Tyler. Good night, Angel." Buffy said and breezed out the door.
Angel didn't stay in the lobby after Buffy left. He had to get out of there. He ran up to his room and grabbed his bag and headed to his car. He didn't know where he was going but he wasn't going to sit around and wait for Buffy to get back from her 'date'.
Angel drove until he couldn't see the lights of the town anymore. He pulled off onto an unpaved side road. He stopped at a large cluster of rocks. It seemed to be the only thing around. The area surrounding him was a desert bathed in moonlight. Not forgetting about El Blanco, Angel shut off his car and climbed on the rocks with his bag. Once seated, he took in the beauty of his surroundings. No doubt it was beautiful. It only made him think of Buffy and the way she looked in the moonlight. Angel groaned to himself. It was going to be a long night. He opened up his bag and took out a packet of blood. He hadn't eaten today and was hungry. His pack was perfect for his purposes. It was insulated and with frozen ice packs he kept his blood fresh. It was also small and portable.
Angel felt his fangs elongate when he smelled the blood. He bit into the bag and felt the blood enter his body. He finished off the packet quickly and was tempted to have another, but didn't. He didn't know how long he would be here and didn't want to have to leave to get more blood.
Angel sat there after his meal, not really thinking just relaxing when he suddenly got nervous. He looked all around but didn't see anything. He shrugged it off. It was getting late. He should get back to the hotel.
Angel only took about two steps away from the rock when something grabbed his leg. He looked down to see an ugly worm creature wrapped around his leg. This is what they're so worried about? Granted this is ugly, but not worth all the commotion it's caused. Angel jerked his leg back but this thing was incredibly strong. Using all his strength he jerked his foot free and jumped back onto the rock. He turned around just as El Blanco's head came through the ground.
"What the hell?" Angel yelled and jumped higher on the rock. He studied the creature for a moment. He saw the tentacles that came from its mouth trying to climb the rock and get to him. He had forgotten about those. That was what had his leg, not the main creature. He cursed himself for forgetting about that little detail.
Angel turned as his hearing picked up a vehicle approaching. It was Burt. What the hell was he doing? Was he trying to get eaten?
Angel's question was answered when Burt stopped about 50 feet away and fired what look like a grenade launcher. The charge landed a few feet away from the rock and went off. It exploded and Angel heard the creature scream and take off. Unfortunately for Angel and his super hearing, the explosion hurt him almost as much as El Blanco. He was still trying to get the ringing in his ears to stop to when Burt pulled up to the rock.
"What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Burt yelled. "You almost became graboid chow!"
"I was just enjoying the moon light." Angel responded calmly. "How did you find me?"
"I didn't." Burt replied, shortly. "I was tracking El Blanco when I picked up a slight heat source. Must have been the motor on your car. My equipment didn't pick you up at all. Must be malfunctioning. I'll take it home and check it out."
"Maybe it's just because I'm really cold." Angel said hoping Burt would believe him and knowing he wouldn't. Burt wasn't stupid after all.
"No, it should still pick up your body heat. Just a glitz. I'll fix it."
Burt looked at Angel's wrist and yelled again. "You came out here without a wrist seismo!"
"Didn't think I needed one."
Burt took a slow breath to try and reign in his temper. He didn't need anymore paper work. El Blanco made his life possible but he didn't want any more people to die because of him.
"That grenade won't keep him away for long. He'll be back. I suggest you get in your car and head back to town."
Angel didn't argue. He just grabbed his pack and headed for his car.
Angel was driving back to the hotel and casually looked at clock on his radio. Well, it's almost midnight. Buffy should be back by now. Angel thought.
After Angel left Burt saw something Angel left behind but didn't have time to investigate it. His wrist seismo started to vibrate and Burt took off before El Blanco reached him. He'd come back later and check it out.
On the other side of the valley, Tyler and Buffy were having a moonlight picnic. Tyler had found a large flat rock, well off the ground and had set up a feast.
Buffy was enjoying herself. The company was good, the scenery was better, and the food was excellent.
"Tyler, I didn't know you could cook?" Buffy teased.
Tyler blushed and admitted, "Well, actually Nancy made this stuff. She didn't want me to scare you off with my bad cooking." Buffy laughed.
"So, where are we, exactly? I've never been up here."
"We're close to Rosalita's ranch. We're pretty safe up here. El Blanco doesn't like the thin soil up here. He doesn't come up here very often. I didn't want to have to worry about him tonight."
The conversation turned to business and things in town. They talked for a long time.
"Well, Tyler. It's been fun, but I have to get back to the hotel. I still have to get up and fix breakfast for everybody."
They started to pack up when their seismos started going off. Buffy and Tyler looked at each other then at their seismos and ran for his jeep. They jumped in and were off.
"Well, I guess we'll have to come back for our things." Tyler quipped. Inwardly, he was cursing. He was hoping to get a kiss in the moonlight before they left.
Buffy grinned. "Yeah, you'll just have the bring the tour up here tomorrow and show them what happens when you go for moonlit picnics."
Buffy looked down at her watch. It was almost midnight. At least she would get a few hours of sleep.
Burt looked over the seismograph readings. He had seismos set up all over the valley. He figured if he could figure out El Blanco's pattern, it would keep them all a little safer. Suddenly, Burt paled. He double- checked his readings.
"Oh, shit." Burt said out loud, even thought he was alone. "This isn't good." Burt grabbed his radio and started to warn the others. Then he noticed the time and decided to wait until morning. Nobody should be out until then.
Burt put his radio back on the charger and began to prepare. He was afraid things were about to get ugly.
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Tyler walked into the store to see Jody behind the counter and Burt and Nancy sitting there sipping coffee. The tourists from the tour filed in behind him and started browsing. "Hey, Tyler. How did it go?"
"Great. El Blanco threw up some dust and scared them to death. One couple is going take the tour again tomorrow in hopes of seeing him."
"They'll change their minds if they do see him." Jody said grinning widely.
The bell above the door tinkled and everyone turned to see the new arrival.
"Hey, Anne." Jody said.
"Hey, guys. What's new?"
"That gorgeous hunk of man that's at your hotel right now." Jody quipped. "So, did you find out anything about him? Married? Children? Outstanding debts?"
Buffy looked over to see Tyler giving her a weird look. She decided to spill the beans before he did.
"Actually, I know him. He's an old boyfriend."
Tyler looked like he was going to be sick and Jody got this really dreamy look on her face. Leave it to Angel to get the queen of business to look at something other than gross profit.
"Boyfriend." Tyler choked out.
"Once upon a long time ago, yes. Angel and I dated when I was a teenager."
"So, why is he here and why did he call you Buffy?" Tyler asked.
"Guys, there are a lot of things about me you don't know and I really don't want to try to explain them. Anne is my middle name. My first name is Buffy. And before you ask, no my last name is not really Winters. I wanted to disappear and in order to do that I changed my name. I'm not in trouble with the law or anything like that. There was just some stuff that went on back home that I needed to get away from."
"So, this EX-boyfriend of yours spends six months trying to track you down? Why?" Tyler asked.
"My friends were worried about me."
"So, why send him?" Tyler demanded, sounding very jealous.
"Because he's a detective." Buffy replied.
"Wait a minute." Burt finally adds to the conversation. "A detective? What kind of detective?"
"Calm down, Burt." Buffy said, soothingly. "He doesn't work for the government or anything. He's a private detective. He works only for the pursuit of truth, justice, and the American way."
"How do you know that? How do you know his being here isn't some conspiracy to gain information on us and our life?" Burt argued.
"Burt, calm down. I've known Angel since I was sixteen years old. Believe me, he doesn't work for the government."
"So, what happens now?" Tyler asked. "What does he want with you?"
"I told him what he wanted to know and he knows I'm all right. I hope he'll just go back home. He knows I'm not going with him."
Nancy hadn't commented on the exchange but now she did. "Anne uh..I mean Buffy, where's home?
"California." Was Buffy's vague reply.
"Well, this is all very interesting but I have a graboid to track." Burt said getting up from his seat. "I'm taking your word about this Angel guy, but I'll still be watching him." Burt warned on his way out the door.
"Yeah, and I've to go get ready for the next tour." Tyler said.
Buffy followed him out and walked beside him. He looked over at her and said, "I guess you're going to cancel our date."
"No, I just wanted to see what time you were picking me up." She replied.
"What about your ex?"
"Angel and I haven't been together for a long time. He doesn't tell me who I can see and who I can't." Buffy replied.
"Great. I'll pick you up at eight. Dress for comfort. I have a surprise for you."
It was 6 o'clock when Angel appeared downstairs. Buffy was in the kitchen getting a snack when she felt Angel's presence behind her.
"Hey, sleep well?" Buffy asked without turning around.
"Fine. This is a nice place."
"Thanks. So are you checking out tonight?"
"No. I thought I might hang around for a while."
At those words Buffy whirled around. "Why?" She asked. "Do you think you're going to change my mind? I'm not going back. I'm not ready for that. I'm happy here. Now that you know where I am, you can call and check on me."
"I've been looking for you for six months. Which means I've been on the road for six months. I want to rest up for a few days." Angel lied easily. He had every intention of trying to convince her to at least go back and visit. His phone call to Spike had brought relief to everyone that she was alive, but they wanted to see her and tell her how sorry they were that things went the way they did.
"Did you bring food with you? We don't have a butcher close by."
"Yeah, I try to keep a good supply with me. I've got about a five day supply."
Buffy finished her snack and sat down at the table. "So, tell me what's been going on since I left."
Angel sat down at the table and started to fill her in on the daily lives of those she left behind. There wasn't a lot to tell. Things had been very quiet since the last battle. He told her about Faith taking regular patrols and Spike showing up. Cordelia had recovered from her possession and still had the visions. Connor was warming up to Angel. A lot of the old hatred was gone. Their relationship was steadily improving. He even understood why Angel had to leave to find Buffy. Gunn and Fred's relationship had never recovered although they still worked with him. Gunn was currently single and Fred was dating Wesley. Giles and Olivia were dating in England. Willow and Kennedy had moved in together. They both attend UC Sunnydale and are doing well. Willow would be graduating soon and Kennedy was a freshman.
"What about you? Where have you been for the last year?"
"I've been here for about six months. Before that I traveled and met a lot of interesting people."
"What about the people here? Are they for real? I mean that Burt guy looks like he came out of some sci fi movie. I saw the artillery he carries with him. Is he expecting a war?"
Buffy laughed. That was how most people saw Burt at first. "No," She said. "He's just prepared. He's lived through two graboid attacks, a screecher attack, and an assblaster attack. That's just here. He's fought graboids and screechers all over the world. He doesn't want to be caught unaware."
At his blank look, Buffy explained how graboids change to screechers then assblasters.
Angel shook his head. He had come to terms with graboids, but this was just about too much.
"Why in the hell did you pick a crazy town to settle down in?" Angel asked. "Why couldn't you choose some nice, normal mid west town?"
Buffy laughed again. "I came here for the tour. I thought it was some sort of demon, but it wasn't. I met the people and they made me feel right at home."
"What about this Tyler guy?" Angel asked.
"What about him? He runs the graboid tour. Bought it from a guy they call 'Desert Jack' in Vegas. He's making it work. Business is picking up. And before you ask, Jody inherited the store from her uncle who was killed in the first graboid attack. Nancy was here during the first attack. She's a flower child. Makes pottery. Have you met Rosalita?" Buffy asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"No. Who's she?"
"She inherited a cattle ranch from Miguel, who died in the last graboid attack. She used to be a showgirl in Vegas."
Angel grinned. "I think I need to meet her." He said, mischievously. He hadn't missed the jealousy in Buffy's voice. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.
"Don't worry, you will. She should be in town tomorrow." Buffy looked down at her watch. "Sorry, Angel. I've got to go get ready for my date."
"So, who's the lucky guy?" Angel asked, not even trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.
Buffy was almost out the door and turned around to give Angel a warning look. "Not that it's any of your business, but I have a date with Tyler."
"You're going out with a guy who chases this El Blanco for a living? He must have a death wish. What do you see in him?"
"I see a very nice body, a dark tan, a cute uncertainty when it comes to women, hypnotizing eyes, and a sweet personality." Buffy didn't give Angel a chance to respond before giving him a warning. "Leave him alone, Angel. None of this is his fault. We've had this date planned for a week. He's a nice, normal guy. Isn't that what you left me for?" Buffy finished with more than a little hostility in her voice. Without waiting for comment she took off to her private quarters.
Angel thought about her words. Yes, that's why he left her, but some things had changed. He could be in the sun now. He could love her now. When Willow returned his soul in LA, she took out the happiness clause. His soul was bound. He wanted her with him, forever. Sadly, it may be too little too late. He had hurt her a lot. She may not want him at all.
Buffy thought about Angel the entire time she was getting dressed. Damn him, coming here and taking over her thoughts. She still loved him as much as ever. She just wasn't ready to let him back into her life. She had been hurt so much. Hearing about Cordelia and Angel's almost relationship had been a blow to Buffy. He left her so she could have someone normal and then almost gets together with Cordelia. It made her doubt his feelings for her. If he couldn't make it work with them, why did he think he could with Cordelia? Did he love her more than he had Buffy?
Buffy shook off her thoughts and tried to think about Tyler. He was nice and cute, but she didn't feel anything more for him than friendship. She told him that but he convinced her to give him a chance to change her mind. It had taken him two months to convince her to go out with him.
Tyler walked into the hotel a few minutes before eight and the first person he saw was Angel, sitting in the small lobby.
The two men nodded in greeting but didn't speak. Tyler started toward the back of the building when Angel spoke.
"If you hurt her, you'll answer to me." Angel said in a quiet but menacing voice. Tyler felt a shiver run down his spine. Tyler turned around just to be looking into the most intense chocolate eyes he had ever seen. He didn't doubt what Angel said and was fairly certain it would mean lots of pain.
"I have no intention of hurting her." Was the best Tyler could manage.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Angel responded.
Buffy chose that moment to walk into the room. She could feel the tension in the air. She gave Angel an angry look to which he just shrugged. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. He was just telling this guy the way things were.
"Let's go, Tyler. Good night, Angel." Buffy said and breezed out the door.
Angel didn't stay in the lobby after Buffy left. He had to get out of there. He ran up to his room and grabbed his bag and headed to his car. He didn't know where he was going but he wasn't going to sit around and wait for Buffy to get back from her 'date'.
Angel drove until he couldn't see the lights of the town anymore. He pulled off onto an unpaved side road. He stopped at a large cluster of rocks. It seemed to be the only thing around. The area surrounding him was a desert bathed in moonlight. Not forgetting about El Blanco, Angel shut off his car and climbed on the rocks with his bag. Once seated, he took in the beauty of his surroundings. No doubt it was beautiful. It only made him think of Buffy and the way she looked in the moonlight. Angel groaned to himself. It was going to be a long night. He opened up his bag and took out a packet of blood. He hadn't eaten today and was hungry. His pack was perfect for his purposes. It was insulated and with frozen ice packs he kept his blood fresh. It was also small and portable.
Angel felt his fangs elongate when he smelled the blood. He bit into the bag and felt the blood enter his body. He finished off the packet quickly and was tempted to have another, but didn't. He didn't know how long he would be here and didn't want to have to leave to get more blood.
Angel sat there after his meal, not really thinking just relaxing when he suddenly got nervous. He looked all around but didn't see anything. He shrugged it off. It was getting late. He should get back to the hotel.
Angel only took about two steps away from the rock when something grabbed his leg. He looked down to see an ugly worm creature wrapped around his leg. This is what they're so worried about? Granted this is ugly, but not worth all the commotion it's caused. Angel jerked his leg back but this thing was incredibly strong. Using all his strength he jerked his foot free and jumped back onto the rock. He turned around just as El Blanco's head came through the ground.
"What the hell?" Angel yelled and jumped higher on the rock. He studied the creature for a moment. He saw the tentacles that came from its mouth trying to climb the rock and get to him. He had forgotten about those. That was what had his leg, not the main creature. He cursed himself for forgetting about that little detail.
Angel turned as his hearing picked up a vehicle approaching. It was Burt. What the hell was he doing? Was he trying to get eaten?
Angel's question was answered when Burt stopped about 50 feet away and fired what look like a grenade launcher. The charge landed a few feet away from the rock and went off. It exploded and Angel heard the creature scream and take off. Unfortunately for Angel and his super hearing, the explosion hurt him almost as much as El Blanco. He was still trying to get the ringing in his ears to stop to when Burt pulled up to the rock.
"What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Burt yelled. "You almost became graboid chow!"
"I was just enjoying the moon light." Angel responded calmly. "How did you find me?"
"I didn't." Burt replied, shortly. "I was tracking El Blanco when I picked up a slight heat source. Must have been the motor on your car. My equipment didn't pick you up at all. Must be malfunctioning. I'll take it home and check it out."
"Maybe it's just because I'm really cold." Angel said hoping Burt would believe him and knowing he wouldn't. Burt wasn't stupid after all.
"No, it should still pick up your body heat. Just a glitz. I'll fix it."
Burt looked at Angel's wrist and yelled again. "You came out here without a wrist seismo!"
"Didn't think I needed one."
Burt took a slow breath to try and reign in his temper. He didn't need anymore paper work. El Blanco made his life possible but he didn't want any more people to die because of him.
"That grenade won't keep him away for long. He'll be back. I suggest you get in your car and head back to town."
Angel didn't argue. He just grabbed his pack and headed for his car.
Angel was driving back to the hotel and casually looked at clock on his radio. Well, it's almost midnight. Buffy should be back by now. Angel thought.
After Angel left Burt saw something Angel left behind but didn't have time to investigate it. His wrist seismo started to vibrate and Burt took off before El Blanco reached him. He'd come back later and check it out.
On the other side of the valley, Tyler and Buffy were having a moonlight picnic. Tyler had found a large flat rock, well off the ground and had set up a feast.
Buffy was enjoying herself. The company was good, the scenery was better, and the food was excellent.
"Tyler, I didn't know you could cook?" Buffy teased.
Tyler blushed and admitted, "Well, actually Nancy made this stuff. She didn't want me to scare you off with my bad cooking." Buffy laughed.
"So, where are we, exactly? I've never been up here."
"We're close to Rosalita's ranch. We're pretty safe up here. El Blanco doesn't like the thin soil up here. He doesn't come up here very often. I didn't want to have to worry about him tonight."
The conversation turned to business and things in town. They talked for a long time.
"Well, Tyler. It's been fun, but I have to get back to the hotel. I still have to get up and fix breakfast for everybody."
They started to pack up when their seismos started going off. Buffy and Tyler looked at each other then at their seismos and ran for his jeep. They jumped in and were off.
"Well, I guess we'll have to come back for our things." Tyler quipped. Inwardly, he was cursing. He was hoping to get a kiss in the moonlight before they left.
Buffy grinned. "Yeah, you'll just have the bring the tour up here tomorrow and show them what happens when you go for moonlit picnics."
Buffy looked down at her watch. It was almost midnight. At least she would get a few hours of sleep.
Burt looked over the seismograph readings. He had seismos set up all over the valley. He figured if he could figure out El Blanco's pattern, it would keep them all a little safer. Suddenly, Burt paled. He double- checked his readings.
"Oh, shit." Burt said out loud, even thought he was alone. "This isn't good." Burt grabbed his radio and started to warn the others. Then he noticed the time and decided to wait until morning. Nobody should be out until then.
Burt put his radio back on the charger and began to prepare. He was afraid things were about to get ugly.