Chapter the Fourth: In which the travelers reach Alaska at last.
Giles, Buffy, Willow, and Dawn had on the Columbia for two days. The weather had been choppy for a time but had settled down. Dawn sat, the patient pupil at the masters feet, as Giles told her the Greek myth of Halcyon, king of the winds, and why calm weather was named for him. Giles had loved playing the part of the wise imparter of wisdom, and Dawn for her part soaked it up. Buffy was glad to see her sister smiling again, after their mother's death things had been rough, but now that they were away from things inundated with memories of Joyce. Well sorta better, better in the emotional sense, but in the 'I'm-bored-bored-bored' sense? Not so much. In a slow week in Sunneydale she would have dusted thirty to forty vamps, not to mention what ever tragic ugly the Hellmouth decided to send her way. This week she'd slayed a pancake. It was an evil pancake, to be sure, but the fight had been over far too soon, and the looks she'd gotten from her friends, not to mention the rest of the IHOP, had been a little off- putting. Buffy needed a good fight before she got back in the car, or things were not going to be pretty.
***
It was the night before the Columbia docked in Haines and Buffy was restlessly pacing the decks. She'd had an odd feeling ever since they'd stopped for passengers in Ketchikan, and she hoped it meant vampires. Ketchikan had been pretty enough, or what she could see of it through the torrential rain. It had rained or fogged nearly the whole trip up the inside passage, Giles had said something about the weather reminding him of the fine days of his youth back in Mother England. Dawn had asked for his definition of fine, because the weather sure looked like crap to her.
Ooh! Tingles! Buffy thought as her slayer sense went off. What had that been about vampires on board? Buffy rounded the corner and ran smack into three vampires crouched around a dead woman. In her head she named them, the small ugly one was Lackey, the medium Discothèque reject was Boy George, and large and in charge was. well she'd think of a name in a minute. "Hey guys!" She said drawing up even with them, "she okay?"
The vampires turned to her, they looked a little surprised by her intrusion.
"She's fine," Boy George said, "just narcoleptic, she'll wake up soon. We were just headed down to the game room, wanna come along?"
Buffy rolled her eyes, yes Mr. Wolf, she thought, I'll follow you into the woods. "Why don't we just stay here and wait for tour friend to wake up."
"Hey, Stan," (Ah, so nameless' got a name!) Boy George said, "I sure am hungry."
Buffy hoped all vampires she met on this trip weren't this dumb. "Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too," Buffy said, playing along.
Lackey laughed, "yeah, see Stan, the lady could use a bite."
Buffy finally looked at Stan. He looked ready to pop. "Yeah Stan," Buffy said, stretching her neck, "I could use a bite."
Buffy heard the familiar crunching of bones behind her before the Boy George spoke again, "and bite you'll get!"
Buffy smiled turning around to face the now full vamped moron behind her. "Awww. And here I thought we'd be best friends."
The vampire snarled at her, "quake in fear, little girl, this is the end for you."
Buffy just smiled wider, "the vampires back home are never this over dramatic," she said, staking Lackey as he tried to sneak up behind her. "They just say 'Slayer' and then they're dust."
Boy George lunged at her, "Prepare to die!"
Buffy rolled her eyes and dodged a sloppy blow. "You got it wrong," she said in her best teacher voice, "It's 'Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.'" And then he was gone. "Poof!" Buffy said, turning to face Stan.
Growling, Stan lunged, Buffy dodged him easily, but after a few minutes of fighting it was obvious that Stan was a better fighter then his two friends. But, she was the slayer, she'd fought some of the strongest demons on the face of the earth and lived to tell the tale.
"Well Stan-man," Buffy said driving the large vampire back toward the deck rail, "I'd say it's been fun, but." She went in for the kill, but Stan stepped back, tripped, and fell over the rail and into the inky water. Buffy stood at the edge and watched him bob along in the wake of the big ship. "Vampire over board."
***
The last leg of the trip was calmer. Giles told Buffy off for picking a fight onboard the boat, worried about what could have happened if Buffy had been the one to fall instead of Stan. Buffy just rolled her eyes and pointed out that she hadn't fallen. Dawn and Willow were both rather glad Buffy had gotten a chance to slay, it made her more personable. Actually it made her act like a person, period. Which was good for all concerned.
The drive from Haines to Anchorage amazed the girls. Having been raised in one of the more densely populated states, none of them were prepared for the swaths of nothing between the ferry terminus and the big city. Even Giles, who had grown up in one of the quieter parts of Britain had to admit that the lack of human habitation was disquieting. Small towns dotted the route, but the travelers spent most of the last bit of their journey surrounded only by the grandeur of the Alaskan Wilderness.
Giles, Buffy, Willow, and Dawn had on the Columbia for two days. The weather had been choppy for a time but had settled down. Dawn sat, the patient pupil at the masters feet, as Giles told her the Greek myth of Halcyon, king of the winds, and why calm weather was named for him. Giles had loved playing the part of the wise imparter of wisdom, and Dawn for her part soaked it up. Buffy was glad to see her sister smiling again, after their mother's death things had been rough, but now that they were away from things inundated with memories of Joyce. Well sorta better, better in the emotional sense, but in the 'I'm-bored-bored-bored' sense? Not so much. In a slow week in Sunneydale she would have dusted thirty to forty vamps, not to mention what ever tragic ugly the Hellmouth decided to send her way. This week she'd slayed a pancake. It was an evil pancake, to be sure, but the fight had been over far too soon, and the looks she'd gotten from her friends, not to mention the rest of the IHOP, had been a little off- putting. Buffy needed a good fight before she got back in the car, or things were not going to be pretty.
***
It was the night before the Columbia docked in Haines and Buffy was restlessly pacing the decks. She'd had an odd feeling ever since they'd stopped for passengers in Ketchikan, and she hoped it meant vampires. Ketchikan had been pretty enough, or what she could see of it through the torrential rain. It had rained or fogged nearly the whole trip up the inside passage, Giles had said something about the weather reminding him of the fine days of his youth back in Mother England. Dawn had asked for his definition of fine, because the weather sure looked like crap to her.
Ooh! Tingles! Buffy thought as her slayer sense went off. What had that been about vampires on board? Buffy rounded the corner and ran smack into three vampires crouched around a dead woman. In her head she named them, the small ugly one was Lackey, the medium Discothèque reject was Boy George, and large and in charge was. well she'd think of a name in a minute. "Hey guys!" She said drawing up even with them, "she okay?"
The vampires turned to her, they looked a little surprised by her intrusion.
"She's fine," Boy George said, "just narcoleptic, she'll wake up soon. We were just headed down to the game room, wanna come along?"
Buffy rolled her eyes, yes Mr. Wolf, she thought, I'll follow you into the woods. "Why don't we just stay here and wait for tour friend to wake up."
"Hey, Stan," (Ah, so nameless' got a name!) Boy George said, "I sure am hungry."
Buffy hoped all vampires she met on this trip weren't this dumb. "Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too," Buffy said, playing along.
Lackey laughed, "yeah, see Stan, the lady could use a bite."
Buffy finally looked at Stan. He looked ready to pop. "Yeah Stan," Buffy said, stretching her neck, "I could use a bite."
Buffy heard the familiar crunching of bones behind her before the Boy George spoke again, "and bite you'll get!"
Buffy smiled turning around to face the now full vamped moron behind her. "Awww. And here I thought we'd be best friends."
The vampire snarled at her, "quake in fear, little girl, this is the end for you."
Buffy just smiled wider, "the vampires back home are never this over dramatic," she said, staking Lackey as he tried to sneak up behind her. "They just say 'Slayer' and then they're dust."
Boy George lunged at her, "Prepare to die!"
Buffy rolled her eyes and dodged a sloppy blow. "You got it wrong," she said in her best teacher voice, "It's 'Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.'" And then he was gone. "Poof!" Buffy said, turning to face Stan.
Growling, Stan lunged, Buffy dodged him easily, but after a few minutes of fighting it was obvious that Stan was a better fighter then his two friends. But, she was the slayer, she'd fought some of the strongest demons on the face of the earth and lived to tell the tale.
"Well Stan-man," Buffy said driving the large vampire back toward the deck rail, "I'd say it's been fun, but." She went in for the kill, but Stan stepped back, tripped, and fell over the rail and into the inky water. Buffy stood at the edge and watched him bob along in the wake of the big ship. "Vampire over board."
***
The last leg of the trip was calmer. Giles told Buffy off for picking a fight onboard the boat, worried about what could have happened if Buffy had been the one to fall instead of Stan. Buffy just rolled her eyes and pointed out that she hadn't fallen. Dawn and Willow were both rather glad Buffy had gotten a chance to slay, it made her more personable. Actually it made her act like a person, period. Which was good for all concerned.
The drive from Haines to Anchorage amazed the girls. Having been raised in one of the more densely populated states, none of them were prepared for the swaths of nothing between the ferry terminus and the big city. Even Giles, who had grown up in one of the quieter parts of Britain had to admit that the lack of human habitation was disquieting. Small towns dotted the route, but the travelers spent most of the last bit of their journey surrounded only by the grandeur of the Alaskan Wilderness.