Title: End of Days
Chapter: Chapter Three - The Arrival
Author: Queen Akasha
Rating: R in some chapters
Summary: B/S. Season Seven. Buffy arrives in Cairo. Meets a hottie.
Disclaimer: Spike is MINE!!! (OK, well only in my head.)
Well, Buffy's so MEAN to him, someone should treat him nice.
Spoilers: Up to the end of Season Six.
Distribution: Want. Have. TAKE! Just drop me a line...
_____________________________________________________________
Chapter Three - The Arrival
DUSTY! * That was Buffy's first impression of Cairo as she disembarked from the plane and onto the tarmac. *Dusty and smells strange, almost exotic, * she thought. The sun beat down aggressively on her head. *I should've brought an umbrella! * She jostled her carry-on ,bottle of water and magazine from hand to hand, digging for her new passport. * Thank goodness the Watcher's Council pulled some strings and got it issued quick.*
Customs was faster than she had hoped. She didn't have much - just her carry-on and one suitcase. It wasn't a pleasure holiday so no adorable clothes - just practical slayer -type stuff that wouldn't wrinkle TOO much - after all a girl has to TRY and look her best no matter what the circumstances.
Lorne had made arrangements for his friend in Cairo to pick Buffy up at the airport. He had told her "Just look for the biggest, blackest, handsomest thing there." Buffy scanned the crowded terminal, and immediately thought she spotted her target. He stood head and shoulders above the crowd and was indeed darkly handsome. He caught her eye and made his way towards her through the press of people, the way seemingly magically parting before him. "Buffy Summers?" he said in a deep and sexy voice. She was reminded of the actor who supplied the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars. She nodded. He offered her his hand, and hers was immediately dwarfed by his huge paw. "John Black," he introduced himself, squeezing her hand firmly yet gently. "My friends call me JB."
"Well, nice to meet you, JB," Buffy smiled up at him. She couldn't help it - he was so large and SO very good looking. "So you know Lorne?"
He chuckled deeply, reaching down and picking up her suitcase as if it weighted nothing. "He's my chat buddy," he replied. "We spend many hours on-line discussing everything under the sun. How is the old boy?"
Buffy and JB chatted companionably as they strolled through the airport towards the exit, the crowd still seeming to avoid jostling them. JB settled Buffy comfortably in his spacious SUV which was conveniently parked right outside the door, in what appeared to be a reserved space. "Preferential treatment?" queried Buffy.
"Well, I do little favours for people sometimes, and then they do them back for me. The airport manager needed a love spell, I put him in contact with the right people, and presto! Preferred parking!" He smiled at her as he turned the air conditioner up full blast.
Buffy laughed. She stared in fascination out the heavily tinted windows of the SUV. They were traveling down what appeared to be a main street in Cairo. The traffic itself was noteworthy. People on bicycles, expensive cars, pull and push carts, tiny little cars that didn't look as if they'd hold one person, never mind the four or five that were somehow packed in, and delivery trucks with men hanging off of every side, all jostled and honked cheerfully for position in the almost at a standstill traffic. People lined the streets everywhere, most of them just seeming to stand around. And in the distance, the pyramids dominated the skyline.
The traffic, as had the people in the airport, seemed to part effortlessly for JB, making their journey quick. They arrived at Buffy's motel, one that JB had chosen for its cleanliness and discretion. After she had checked in, she ushered JB into her room, and sank down into a chair.
"JB, what can you tell me about Spike?" she asked, instantly all serious Slayer-girl. "Lorne said he gave Spike your name when he came here."
JB sat down in the chair opposite her and looked her in the eye. Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. "Buffy, I need to know what your interest is in this vampire."
Buffy thought that she should feel offended, but the concern in his eyes was genuine. "He's a, he's my, well, friend," she conceded.
"Is that all? Just a friend?"
Buffy looked into his handsome and kindly face. "I really don't know anymore," she answered honestly. "I used to think I hated him, then I tolerated him, then he was a friend, but then, I don't know, things changed, and our relationship was so strange. He annoyed me, he told me the truth, he said he loved me, he protected my sister Dawn with his life. He understood me. He wanted me to love him but I thought I couldn't. He said he'd never leave me," her eyes filled with tears and JB had to strain to hear her faint whisper, "but he did. Everyone leaves me."
JB reached out and cupped the side of her face with his large, warm hand, drying her tears with a gentle sweep of his thumb.
"Buffy, this is important. You don't have to be honest with me, but you do need to be honest with yourself. How do you really feel about him? Do you love him?"
"I don't know," she sobbed, crying in earnest now. "I really don't know."
JB sat back with a satisfied look on his face. " That may be enough," he said.
After Buffy cried herself out, she felt much better. Lighter, almost refreshed, as if she'd had a long nap. JB, she was finding, was an easy person to be around. He had let her cry, just getting up and standing behind her massaging her shoulders gently. He then sent her into the bathroom to repair her makeup. She came back into the room and smiled at him, without any trace of embarrassment. * I should be cringing right now, * she thought, *but I feel as if I've known him forever.*
JB spoke. "I HAVE heard some rumours going around about a blond master vampire, somehow connected with a demon named Celex. The whispers are vague at best, but I think our best bet would be to check out some of the abandoned catacombs out of town. There's been mention of Celex using one of them to house what he calls an army of darkness. I must warn you, though, Celex is a very powerful demon, well versed in the black arts. If he has your Spike under his thrall, we may not be able to persuade him to leave."
"I have to take the chance," Buffy replied. "Whatever I may have thought before, I know that Spike isn't evil any more. And Giles needs him." *Maybe other people need him, too * she thought.
Two hours later, as the sun was just sinking in a grand display, Buffy and JB were on the move. They were headed for the catacombs that JB thought were most likely to possibly house Celex and his force. JB gave Buffy some direction on how to handle Celex should she have to personally confront him. According to JB, he was far too powerful for the Slayer to tackle, and she should avoid looking in his eyes or listening to his voice. The best strategy, when dealing with Celex, seemed to be retreat.
They drove down a dusty trail, nearing a looming hill. JB stopped his SUV at a wide area of the road. "Looks like we walk from here," he said, pointing up at a black hole on the side of the hill, about a hundred yards above their heads. "These particular catacombs were carved out of the rock. They're more ancient than anyone knows."
Scratching her way up the rocky hill, Buffy was glad she had worn sensible clothing. The distance wasn't far, but the terrain was steep and rough. JB climbed behind her, giving a helpful push on her derriere when it was needed. They arrived unscathed at the entrance to the catacombs. "We need to stay together," JB whispered to her. "It's like a maze inside there." She nodded and they entered what seemed to be a black hole.
They switched on the flashlights that JB had provided them from the glove box of his vehicle. Buffy gasped as the light revealed the walls. At one time in the distant past, they must have been spectacularly painted, but the millennia had faded the bright colours to distant ghosts of their former glory. There was enough left, though, for Buffy to feel awe for the long dead artists who had created such wonderful works of art.
They silently headed down a bumpy path. JB seemed to at least have an idea of where he was going, so Buffy let him take the lead. The art on the walls continued sporadically. In some places the pathway narrowed so that JB almost had to hold his breath to squeeze by, and in others it became so wide that they could have driven his SUV through. There were many branching tunnels, and Buffy was glad she wasn't alone. She hoped that JB knew the route back.
They turned a corner, and suddenly the constricting walls seemed to fly away from them. They found themselves in a large echoing chamber. It appeared to be a natural cave. Stalactites and stalagmites, * Sticks TIGHT to the ceiling * thought Buffy inanely, were staggered around near the walls, but there seemed to be a large, possibly man-made, clearing in the center. The pair made their way cautiously into the room.
Suddenly, lights blazed out. Demons appeared from everywhere. Buffy pulled out her stake and began the fight. From the corner of her eye, she saw JB free a sword from it's sheath on his back, * Didn't even know he had that on him * she thought, and swing it ferociously around his head, calling out a deep and fearsome war cry. She could have sworn that his eyes were glowing green.
The battle was over before it was really begun. JB and the slayer were out numbered forty to one. Buffy saw JB struggling beneath a knot of writhing demons as she herself was dragged away.
"Hey!" she called out. "Ever hear of the Geneva Convention? You can't treat a prisoner like this. I get a phone call or something!" Buffy banged her head in frustration against the door in her "cell". "Dammit," she swore softly.
The cell was pitch black, and smelled as rancid as a slaughter house.
"Hello! American Tourist here!!! George W Bush isn't gonna like this!"
Suddenly something shifted in the nether regions of the cell. Buffy froze. Her slayer senses were going haywire. The presence was almost.... comforting. That was too weird.
Then her ears heard a familiar voice.
"Slayer," the voice breathed from the darkness.
"Spike?"
TBC
A
)
Chapter: Chapter Three - The Arrival
Author: Queen Akasha
Rating: R in some chapters
Summary: B/S. Season Seven. Buffy arrives in Cairo. Meets a hottie.
Disclaimer: Spike is MINE!!! (OK, well only in my head.)
Well, Buffy's so MEAN to him, someone should treat him nice.
Spoilers: Up to the end of Season Six.
Distribution: Want. Have. TAKE! Just drop me a line...
_____________________________________________________________
Chapter Three - The Arrival
DUSTY! * That was Buffy's first impression of Cairo as she disembarked from the plane and onto the tarmac. *Dusty and smells strange, almost exotic, * she thought. The sun beat down aggressively on her head. *I should've brought an umbrella! * She jostled her carry-on ,bottle of water and magazine from hand to hand, digging for her new passport. * Thank goodness the Watcher's Council pulled some strings and got it issued quick.*
Customs was faster than she had hoped. She didn't have much - just her carry-on and one suitcase. It wasn't a pleasure holiday so no adorable clothes - just practical slayer -type stuff that wouldn't wrinkle TOO much - after all a girl has to TRY and look her best no matter what the circumstances.
Lorne had made arrangements for his friend in Cairo to pick Buffy up at the airport. He had told her "Just look for the biggest, blackest, handsomest thing there." Buffy scanned the crowded terminal, and immediately thought she spotted her target. He stood head and shoulders above the crowd and was indeed darkly handsome. He caught her eye and made his way towards her through the press of people, the way seemingly magically parting before him. "Buffy Summers?" he said in a deep and sexy voice. She was reminded of the actor who supplied the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars. She nodded. He offered her his hand, and hers was immediately dwarfed by his huge paw. "John Black," he introduced himself, squeezing her hand firmly yet gently. "My friends call me JB."
"Well, nice to meet you, JB," Buffy smiled up at him. She couldn't help it - he was so large and SO very good looking. "So you know Lorne?"
He chuckled deeply, reaching down and picking up her suitcase as if it weighted nothing. "He's my chat buddy," he replied. "We spend many hours on-line discussing everything under the sun. How is the old boy?"
Buffy and JB chatted companionably as they strolled through the airport towards the exit, the crowd still seeming to avoid jostling them. JB settled Buffy comfortably in his spacious SUV which was conveniently parked right outside the door, in what appeared to be a reserved space. "Preferential treatment?" queried Buffy.
"Well, I do little favours for people sometimes, and then they do them back for me. The airport manager needed a love spell, I put him in contact with the right people, and presto! Preferred parking!" He smiled at her as he turned the air conditioner up full blast.
Buffy laughed. She stared in fascination out the heavily tinted windows of the SUV. They were traveling down what appeared to be a main street in Cairo. The traffic itself was noteworthy. People on bicycles, expensive cars, pull and push carts, tiny little cars that didn't look as if they'd hold one person, never mind the four or five that were somehow packed in, and delivery trucks with men hanging off of every side, all jostled and honked cheerfully for position in the almost at a standstill traffic. People lined the streets everywhere, most of them just seeming to stand around. And in the distance, the pyramids dominated the skyline.
The traffic, as had the people in the airport, seemed to part effortlessly for JB, making their journey quick. They arrived at Buffy's motel, one that JB had chosen for its cleanliness and discretion. After she had checked in, she ushered JB into her room, and sank down into a chair.
"JB, what can you tell me about Spike?" she asked, instantly all serious Slayer-girl. "Lorne said he gave Spike your name when he came here."
JB sat down in the chair opposite her and looked her in the eye. Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. "Buffy, I need to know what your interest is in this vampire."
Buffy thought that she should feel offended, but the concern in his eyes was genuine. "He's a, he's my, well, friend," she conceded.
"Is that all? Just a friend?"
Buffy looked into his handsome and kindly face. "I really don't know anymore," she answered honestly. "I used to think I hated him, then I tolerated him, then he was a friend, but then, I don't know, things changed, and our relationship was so strange. He annoyed me, he told me the truth, he said he loved me, he protected my sister Dawn with his life. He understood me. He wanted me to love him but I thought I couldn't. He said he'd never leave me," her eyes filled with tears and JB had to strain to hear her faint whisper, "but he did. Everyone leaves me."
JB reached out and cupped the side of her face with his large, warm hand, drying her tears with a gentle sweep of his thumb.
"Buffy, this is important. You don't have to be honest with me, but you do need to be honest with yourself. How do you really feel about him? Do you love him?"
"I don't know," she sobbed, crying in earnest now. "I really don't know."
JB sat back with a satisfied look on his face. " That may be enough," he said.
After Buffy cried herself out, she felt much better. Lighter, almost refreshed, as if she'd had a long nap. JB, she was finding, was an easy person to be around. He had let her cry, just getting up and standing behind her massaging her shoulders gently. He then sent her into the bathroom to repair her makeup. She came back into the room and smiled at him, without any trace of embarrassment. * I should be cringing right now, * she thought, *but I feel as if I've known him forever.*
JB spoke. "I HAVE heard some rumours going around about a blond master vampire, somehow connected with a demon named Celex. The whispers are vague at best, but I think our best bet would be to check out some of the abandoned catacombs out of town. There's been mention of Celex using one of them to house what he calls an army of darkness. I must warn you, though, Celex is a very powerful demon, well versed in the black arts. If he has your Spike under his thrall, we may not be able to persuade him to leave."
"I have to take the chance," Buffy replied. "Whatever I may have thought before, I know that Spike isn't evil any more. And Giles needs him." *Maybe other people need him, too * she thought.
Two hours later, as the sun was just sinking in a grand display, Buffy and JB were on the move. They were headed for the catacombs that JB thought were most likely to possibly house Celex and his force. JB gave Buffy some direction on how to handle Celex should she have to personally confront him. According to JB, he was far too powerful for the Slayer to tackle, and she should avoid looking in his eyes or listening to his voice. The best strategy, when dealing with Celex, seemed to be retreat.
They drove down a dusty trail, nearing a looming hill. JB stopped his SUV at a wide area of the road. "Looks like we walk from here," he said, pointing up at a black hole on the side of the hill, about a hundred yards above their heads. "These particular catacombs were carved out of the rock. They're more ancient than anyone knows."
Scratching her way up the rocky hill, Buffy was glad she had worn sensible clothing. The distance wasn't far, but the terrain was steep and rough. JB climbed behind her, giving a helpful push on her derriere when it was needed. They arrived unscathed at the entrance to the catacombs. "We need to stay together," JB whispered to her. "It's like a maze inside there." She nodded and they entered what seemed to be a black hole.
They switched on the flashlights that JB had provided them from the glove box of his vehicle. Buffy gasped as the light revealed the walls. At one time in the distant past, they must have been spectacularly painted, but the millennia had faded the bright colours to distant ghosts of their former glory. There was enough left, though, for Buffy to feel awe for the long dead artists who had created such wonderful works of art.
They silently headed down a bumpy path. JB seemed to at least have an idea of where he was going, so Buffy let him take the lead. The art on the walls continued sporadically. In some places the pathway narrowed so that JB almost had to hold his breath to squeeze by, and in others it became so wide that they could have driven his SUV through. There were many branching tunnels, and Buffy was glad she wasn't alone. She hoped that JB knew the route back.
They turned a corner, and suddenly the constricting walls seemed to fly away from them. They found themselves in a large echoing chamber. It appeared to be a natural cave. Stalactites and stalagmites, * Sticks TIGHT to the ceiling * thought Buffy inanely, were staggered around near the walls, but there seemed to be a large, possibly man-made, clearing in the center. The pair made their way cautiously into the room.
Suddenly, lights blazed out. Demons appeared from everywhere. Buffy pulled out her stake and began the fight. From the corner of her eye, she saw JB free a sword from it's sheath on his back, * Didn't even know he had that on him * she thought, and swing it ferociously around his head, calling out a deep and fearsome war cry. She could have sworn that his eyes were glowing green.
The battle was over before it was really begun. JB and the slayer were out numbered forty to one. Buffy saw JB struggling beneath a knot of writhing demons as she herself was dragged away.
"Hey!" she called out. "Ever hear of the Geneva Convention? You can't treat a prisoner like this. I get a phone call or something!" Buffy banged her head in frustration against the door in her "cell". "Dammit," she swore softly.
The cell was pitch black, and smelled as rancid as a slaughter house.
"Hello! American Tourist here!!! George W Bush isn't gonna like this!"
Suddenly something shifted in the nether regions of the cell. Buffy froze. Her slayer senses were going haywire. The presence was almost.... comforting. That was too weird.
Then her ears heard a familiar voice.
"Slayer," the voice breathed from the darkness.
"Spike?"
TBC
A
)