Title: Phoenix Risings: Necro-Gate
Rating: PG-13/R
Chapter Number: 5
Author: White Werewolf
Category: Buffy/Xander, Eric/Faith, Sam/Daniel (Maybe), Gabrielle/Joxer
Spoilers/Timeframe: All I know for sure it is after "Becoming Part 2."
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the ideas and my computer.
Summery: After Buffy leaves Sunnydale, Xander decides to go looking for her. On the other side of the universe, Ninedinna wants the book she created...the Necronomicon Ex Mortis: the Book of the Dead.
Author Notes: This part is just a prologue to the Phoenix Risings Trilogy; which is in turn the starting fic to a huge series. This is the third part of the trilogy. It will be mainly focused on the Buffy/Xander relationship and it will be housing many crossovers.
Special Thanks: Danii, Tenhawk, Teri, Silent Bob Foley, and X-Lander
Crossovers Planned:
Buffy: the Vampire Slayer
Hercules: the Legendary Journeys
Evil Dead
Stargate SG-1
Xena: Warrior Princess
Boy Meets World
Cameo Crossovers will suddenly appear. Take a read, and see if you can spot one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***
"What do you think they're talking about out there?"
Ash walked over to the window where his niece was standing. Together they looked out the window and saw Buffy and Xander sitting on the swinging bench the former promised one built so many years ago.
"Could be anything, Faith. They've been out there for a while."
"Everything okay?"
The two Williamses turned around to see Kevin, "We hope so, Kevin." Faith said. "They just been out there for a while."
Hercules smiled, "I'm sure everything will work out. Xander is the type of man that cares a lot about his friends. I'm sure they'll come through the door any time now."
They noticed Buffy and Xander walking to the door. "See," the demigod said, "they'll be here in a few seconds."
The three of them walked back to the others just as Buffy and Xander entered into the cabin.
"Now that everyone is here again, I suggest that we go to see Mr. Pierce."
"You ready for this, Buff?" Xander asked her.
She nodded with a slight smile on her face, "As ready as I'll ever be, Xan."
"Good." Doyle said, "Let's get going then, Man."
***
SG-1 met together at the station.
"How was your first time on a train, Teal'c?"
He addressed Daniel, "It was most informative, Daniel Jackson."
"Yes, it was." Jack said, "So, where do we go now, Kids?"
Sam stated, "We find Lieutenant Banks and Caroline, Sir."
"Thank you for stating the obvious." Jack said rolling his eyes.
"You did ask what we were going to do, Sir." Sam said in her defense.
Sighing, he said, "Good point, Carter. Let's go to the front counter. Maybe they saw Banks and Caroline."
"Indeed." Teal'c commented.
"Come along, Murray."
With that said, SG-1 headed for the front counter.
"Excuse me?"
The person behind the desk said, "May I help you?"
Jack said, "I should hope so. Have you seen two guys about this high." He said raising his hand, "one of them in army clothing. Goes by the name, Lieutenant Ryan Banks. He had a girl with him. Blond. Believe she said her name was Caroline. The US Air force needs to get in contact with them."
"Let me check, Sir." The person said. She looked through the computer. "Right here, um?"
Smiling, he said, "Sorry, Colonel Jack O'Neill. This is Captain Carter, Murray, and Doctor Daniel Jackson."
Nodding, she continued, "Right, Colonel O'Neill. Lieutenant Banks and Caroline came to Los Angeles a few hours ago."
"Do you know where they went?" Daniel asked.
She thought back to her conversation with the aforementioned people, "They were asking about hotel accommodations. Try the Holiday Inn."
"Thank you." Sam said.
***
Sean Pierce placed the last mat on the floor.
His firing range was now fully ready for training matches and gun training. E had no idea why Wesley needed this much training. But giving his time with the Council, he knew that people had to be ready for everything.
Before his time with the Council, Pierce was always in the service to the Queen. He went on a numerous number of missions to stop terrorists and crime lords.
"Mr. Pierce?"
Sean looked up to see the door opening to a group of people. He recognized the person in front of him.
"Ah, Wesley. I'm just setting up the firing range for the training. Now, tell me. What type of villain are going against? Vampire? Demon?"
Faith said, "The bad version of myself."
"Bad version of yourself? What do you mean by that?"
Wesley said, "Allow me to bring you up to speed on our situation, Pierce."
Then for the next while, Wesley and the others told him about the past few days.
"That's an incredible story, Wesley. Well, I'm more than willing to help you. I suggest we break into groups. This firing range has four rooms: my office, the restroom, the training room, and the firing range. I suggest half of the group goes to the training room while the other half goes to the firing range."
"Good plan," Wesley said with a smile.
With that, the group of people split into two groups. Buffy, Xander, Hercules, Gunn, and six of his men went to the range. While the others went to the mat.
Buffy took a breath, "I want to get this over with, Xan."
He nodded, "Let me take a look at the guns." He said with a soft smile. "Mr. Pierce?"
Sean looked at the young man. "How may I help you?"
Xander said, "I want to know if you have a gun that I can teach to a beginner. I want something that would be easy for a slayer to learn with."
"I see," stated Sean. He thought for a second, "then I recommend the Colt 1911. It's fairly simple enough. I suppose you want me to train her then?"
He shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. Last Halloween, I was processed with army information. Thanks to a toy gun I bought at a costume shop. I know a lot of army knowledge because of that."
Sean went over to where his weapons were, and easily pulled out the said model. He gave it to Xander. "If she likes it, and since she's a slayer. I think I may be able to give you that gun for free."
Xander smiled, "Thanks for the offer, but Buffy isn't fond of guns. The only reason she wants to learn is because of the deadites."
Pierce nodded, "Right. Very well then, train her the best way you can."
He took the gun, "I will. Thanks."
Sean smiled as he went over to Hercules while Xander went over to Buffy.
Taking a breath, he held the gun in his hand and showed it to Buffy. "I know this is going to be extremely hard for you, Buffy.
"I'm going to show you how to use this. Alright?"
Nodding slowly, she said, "I need to do this."
"Okay." He opened the base of the handle. "This is how you load the bullets. You load the clip and place it inside. Fairly simple."
Buffy saw what he was doing, and nodded, "So far so good."
"Good." Xander said with a smile. "Then you pull back the slide."
"Right."
Xander said, "Hold the gun."
Cautiously, she took the gun and held it in her right hand. He stepped behind her and placed his hand on hers. Making sure she could fully understand the weapon.
"Hold the gun like this." He wrapped his hands around hers and helped her aim at the target they were standing in front of.
Taking a breath, "This is hard, Xan. Look at my hands, they're trembling."
He nodded, "That's why I'm helping you. Just remember. A gun is like any weapon. If you don't know how to use it properly, it will be dangerous."
Buffy's memory flashed back to when she first used a stake. She didn't know how to use it and was extremely nervous. Now, she handled a stake like a pro.
"Good point."
Xander chuckled, "I know. That's why I staid that."
"No time for jokes. I need you to be serious. I know you can be."
"Right. Serious. I can do that. Now, aim the gun. Use the iron sights."
"Huh?"
Xander clarified, "See this notched thingy back here?" She nodded, "Line up the notch with the fin at the front, then point it at the target."
Buffy nodded as she closed one eye and looked through. "Got it."
"Good. Now, just squeeze the trigger..."
Buffy did.
"...and you just shot your first bullet."
She smiled, "I guess I did." Realizing the position she was in, she said, "You can let go of me now."
Xander chuckled, "Right. Sorry." He then let go of her. Despite the good feeling he had with her in his arms.
Buffy grinned, "Show me again."
He smiled back, "Not a problem, Buff."
***
"That damn book!"
Bad Faith grunted.
"Where the fuck is that book?"
Shaking her head, she paced back and forth. She kept replaying what her uncle told her in her mind. 'Let the darkness within you tell you. Follow your instincts.'
What the hell did he mean?
"Follow your instincts." She snickered to herself. "Let the darkness with you tell you."
Bad Faith stared at herself in the mirror. "What the hell did he mean?"
Her mirror image popped out of the mirror and grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "What do you think he meant?" The image asked. "Think, you asshole!"
The image morphed into the face of her uncle. "What is with you? Are you full of tar or something? Use your instincts! What are you going to do? Pity yourself? Think about what I said!"
Then the image disappeared leaving a confused Bad Faith.
***
"Whatcha find out, Carter?"
"I told them I was his wife, Sir. Here's the room number," Sam replied, handing him a small piece of paper.
Jack took the paper, "Good work, Carter. I can't believe that jackass behind the counter gave us the wrong hotel."
"It appears he did, Sir. Lieutenant Banks and Caroline are upstairs."
"Good. Radio Daniel and Teal'c. Let them know where we are. I'll go ahead."
She nodded taking out her walkie-talkie. "Be careful, Sir."
He grinned, "I will."
***
"So you're the famous Ashley Williams?"
Ash looked at Sean as he met him by the far wall of the matted area. "Call me Ash."
The owner of the firing range nodded, "Fair enough, Ash. Call me Pierce."
He grinned, "Not a problem, Pierce. Thanks for letting us use your place here."
Sean grinned, "Think of it as my way to help, Mr. Williams. I mean, Ash. I just wanted to know how you were?"
He shrugged, "At the moment, okay. But my life has been really fucked up because of that book."
Sean nodded, "I can understand it. Wesley and I studied that book. I just never expected to meet you. With the chances slim to none and all."
Ash flashed a lopsided grin, "Consider yourself lucky then, Pierce. So, what's the Sean Pierce story? Why'd you leave the Council and end up here?"
Pierce answered, "I worked for the Council a number of years, Ash. After doing work for the mother country, I got interested in the unexplained. I always thought that it was bloody insane for people to believe in this stuff. Until however I came against my first vampire."
"Ah, the first vampire experience. That would do a lot to a person."
"Yes, it opened a lot of curiosity for me. During my downtime from the service of the Queen, I took it upon myself to do some research on the matter. One night I met Quentin Travers."
Wesley mentioned that name before to Ash, "You met that Asshole."
He chuckled, "You could say that I dropped in on him."
"What happened?"
He answered honestly, "One night I was on one of my pre-Council missions when I tracked my challenge to a rooftop. I lost my footing and fell through the sunroof ceiling. I landed on Mr. Travers."
Ash smiled, "That's one way to make a first impression."
"Yes, it is. I suppose." He looked at the clock, "would you like a martini?"
He grinned, "I'd like that, thanks."
"Come along then, Ash."
With that said, the two men went into Sean Pierce's office.
Sean opened a cabinet and pulled out some alcoholic ingredients. "Shaken or stirred?"
Ash grinned, "Shaken."
"A man after my own heart."
He did the drinks as the two decided. As Sean passed Ash the drink, the former promised one asked, "You never told me the reason you left the Council. What happened?"
The Britain sat down on the edge of his desk. He took a sip of his drink, and answered, "Well, Ash. I left because a lot of what the Council did was research. They researched a lot of information on demonic histories as well as histories based on the slayers and the powers that be.
"I was able to get sent to their university. I trained some of the watchers in training and some slayers in training. It was nice and all, but it got rather tiresome.
"One thing always interested me was the United States. The country had a lot of demonic history of its own and it did not require the use of the Council.
"It had the history that I found interesting and I didn't have to do the research. However, I needed a place to pay the bills.
"So, I opened this firing range. This way I could still train people, study demonic histories, and not have to be in relation to the Council. I could do my work the way I want to. I wouldn't have to stay within the guidelines of the Council."
Ash grinned, "That's quite the story, Pierce."
Sean chuckled, "It is, isn't it?"
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Go right ahead, Ash."
The former promised one smiled, "What do you think of them?"
He showed a confused look, "Them?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah, y'know, the people I came in with."
Sean smiled, "Right. Some of them are rough around the edges. Training more can easily fix that. You seem to handle yourself well as well as Xander. Buffy and him seem to be rather close."
"Ever since Buffy found Xander dead. She hasn't left his side. They're practically joined at the hip."
"Well, considering the amount of history the two share, I'm surprised they're not more than friends."
Ash smiled, "Good point. But I've got Buffy stealing glances at Xander. I wouldn't be surprised if the two hook up."
Sean chuckled, "When did we become gossiping teenagers?"
The younger man looked at the clock, "Since fifteen minutes ago."
"You certainly are entertaining, Ash."
***
"Nobody move!"
A woman screamed.
Jack O'Neill looked at the woman in the hotel room that he busted in. "Is this room 606?"
The woman shouted, "Yes! What do you want?"
Jack went into his pocket and took out the paper Carter gave him. He looked at it, and then flipped it around. "Oops. Wrong room. Sorry to barge in. The Air force will pay for the broken door. I'll let myself out."
Then he left thinking, (909. Not 606. Damn it Carter.)
***
Insane.
That was what it was.
Insanity.
Plain and simple.
Her mind kept replaying the whole experience she just had with the mirror. She first saw her self, then the bad version of her uncle.
Why the hell would he say that her head was made of tar? Why tar? What was so special about a substance that smelled awful, that held fossils, that held artifacts...
...artifacts like an ancient Sumerian book? Like something bound in human flesh and inked in human blood.
A smile crossed her lips malevolently, realizing that the Necronmicon could be in tar.
But where in Los Angeles, could you find tar?
La Brea Tar Pits!
Now she knew where to go.
***
"Do you smell that?"
Her childe looked at her, "Smell what, Callisto?"
She grinned, "It's that man from the SGC. The one that smacked you on the back?"
He asked confusingly, "Colonel O'Neill?"
The vampiress asked, "Was that his name?" She sniffed the air again, "It's the same person. We have to get out of here! I won't lose my chance at taking down Hercules!"
He nodded slowly, "Y'know, Hercules was the just the character he plays?"
Callisto grinned slightly, "Right. We got to get going."
"But how? It's still day out."
She snarled, "Grab the blankets. I'll take care of O'Neill."
Knowing the ability of his sire, Ryan did what he was told.
Soon the door barged open and in walked a man with a weapon pointed at her. "Hello, Caroline."
She smiled back, "Greetings, Colonel O'Neill."
Pointing his head to the door as he spoke, "We're going back to the SGC."
Shaking her head, "I don't think so, Colonel. Look into my eyes."
"You know what? I don't think so. Already went through that with Hathor."
Walking closer, she said, "But I'm not goa'uld, Colonel."
Allowing her face to morph to the demonic creature that she truly was, her eyes turned feral yellow and her skin crunched forward changing her facial appearance.
Smiling wickedly, she said, "I repeat. Look into my eyes."
Surprised by her appearance, he looked into her eyes and lost all ability to function on his own.
"Give me your jacket."
Nodding, he took off his jacket and gave it to her. "Here you go, Caroline."
Grinning her thanks, she took the jacket and put it on. "You have the blankets, Ryan?"
Nodding, he walked next to her, "I do, Caroline."
"Give me one, and wrap the other one around yourself. We're moving elsewhere."
Doing as told, he gave his sire a blanket. The two of them wrapped them around themselves.
Morphing her face back to normal, she said, "Thanks for the jacket, O'Neill. We'll see ourselves off."
With that said, the two left.
***
"Where you going, Xan?"
He looked at his friend, "I just wanted to see how the others were doing. That's all."
Looking back at her target. She could see the amount of bullets that hit it. "I dunno if I can do this by myself. Sure, I'm hitting the target, but that's only because you're here. I dunno if I can do this by myself."
He wrapped his around her back, his hands meeting his arms causing a circle to form around Buffy. "You're doing fine, Buff. I just wanted to see how Faith was doing. You may be a slayer, but she's one too."
Still remember her story, he said, "But if you want me here, I will. I won't leave you until your ready."
Feeling the comfort from Xander, she couldn't help but smile. She patted his arm gently, "I guess I can do this myself. Just promise me you'll come back."
He grinned. "Nothing on this Earth will tear me away from my Buffy." He meant that with all his heart.
She could trust him, "Well, my Xander better not leave me. Now, go and hang with the others."
"I'll be back, Buffy." He then withdrew his arms from her and walked away.
Sighing from the loss of contact, she pulled back the slide like she learned, and continued shooting.
***
"Jack?"
No answer.
His friend walked into the hotel room and made it to the colonel. Placing his hands on his shoulders, the doctor tried again, "Jack?"
"Huh? What?"
Jack suddenly shook his head as Daniel released his grasp. "Daniel?"
"What happened to Lieutenant Banks and Caroline, Sir?"
He looked at the door as Sam and Teal'c came in.
"Tell me, Teal'c. Do you have any friends that can entrance you by just their eyes?"
"Hathor, O'Neill."
He shook his head, "Besides her. I mean someone that isn't a goa'uld."
"Isn't goa'uld, Sir?"
Jack nodded, "Nope. Not goa'uld. This one had their face change, eyes turn yellow. It was something out of a horror movie."
"You mean like vampires, Jack."
"Right. Those. You think that these vampires are real? And not goa'uld?"
***
Bad Faith drove her motorcycle down the highway. The wind hallowed through her long dark hair. The midday sun was shining on her back as she continued on her ride.
The tar pits weren't that far away. Her insides were burning. She could feel this yearning. A yearning for the book...the Necronomicon Ex Mortis.
Her uncle was right. Just follow her instincts.
The book was within her grasp, and soon she could make her plan a reality. She just hoped that her goody two-shoed twin and the twin's uncle didn't get in the way.
***
"How's it going, Faith?"
Faith dropped her gun to the side as she turned to her best friend, "It's going okay I guess, X."
Nodding, he asked, "Just okay?"
"Well, how would you feel if you were split in two? How would you feel if the book Uncle Ash is always complaining about suddenly shows up? He must be going through hell!"
He sighed, "I guess I can see why. He has said he's lost a lot of people over the years."
"He has, Xander. Too many if you ask me. And like hell am I going to give up on him! He ain't going to lose any more people!"
Xander approached her and asked, "How can you be so sure, Faith? How do you know he isn't going to lose anyone else?"
She glared at him, "Because I'm the slayer! I have the power! I have the strength! I can protect him!"
He said slowly, "Faith..."
Taking a breath, the slayer said, "I know, X. I know. I may have super strength, but it can only help so much. I don't want to lose him, and he doesn't want to lose me."
Xander smiled, "I know what you mean. You want to protect your uncle in every way that you can. You want him to be safe and not want to experience any more pain. It's the same with me and Buffy. I want to protect her in every way possible, but I can't. Protecting someone forever could never happen. You just have to try and deal with what you can do and make the person you want to save the most comfortable they can be."
She responded, "I get you, X."
"Good. Now, show me what you can do, Faith."
Faith grinned, "Get ready to see some real fire power."
***
"Are you telling me that vampires exist, Sir?"
Colonel O'Neill asked, "Well how do you explain what I just saw, Carter? A woman, an attractive woman no less, had her face change! Her eyes turned yellow and her skin was crunched forward, Carter!"
"Are you sure, O'Neill?"
The colonel looked at his eldest friend of the group, "Daniel, you know this stuff. You're into that whole mythological mumbo-jumbo. Tell them that vampires could exist!"
The archeologist said simply, "Anything's possible, Jack. Like I said before, a lot of Egyption mythology was created by the goa'uld. So who knows what else could exist? Do you have any other proof?"
Jack searched his memories as he scanned the room. He saw a mirror on the back wall. "She didn't have a reflection. Vampires don't have a reflection!"
"He's right, Guys. According to myth, vampires were never known to have a reflection."
Sam sighed, "I know, Daniel. Mark used to tell me horror stories when we were kids."
"Just pointing out some truths, Sam. So, it appears that we're dealing with a real vampire."
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said to his team.
"Do you have any idea on how to deal with this vampire problem, Sir? Don't we need some holy water, wooden stake, or something? Will a zat do?"
"It's worth a try, Sam. According to vampire folklore, wooden stakes and holy water work. As for a zat, I don't know. It might still have some effect on them."
Jack smiled, "Well, Kids. It looks like we're going vampire hunting. Who knew I'd ever actually get to say that?"
"Where do we find Caroline and Lieutenant Banks, O'Neill?"
"At this point, it's still in the afternoon. Almost night though. Right now, they probably be away from the sun. I suggest that we split in two teams. Daniel and Sam as one and you're with me, Teal'c. When someone finds them, they'll radio the other team. Then we'll come running."
"Agreed." Teal'c said.
***
Bad Faith parked her motorcycle outside the tar pit fence. She jumped off of it and leaned it against the fence.
Grabbing one of the links of the fence, she started to climb up. Reaching the top, she swung her leg around, followed by her other. Now on the other side, she climbed down and scanned the area in front of her.
It was rather spacious. Covered by the sands of the Earth. It truly had a dessert atmosphere.
Her insides burned as she walked to the tar pit. She could feel the book calling to her. The darkness within her and the evilness of the book were connected. It seemed only natural for her to have the book in her possession.
The area looked deserted.
It was Sunday after all.
Maybe they closed early.
Shrugging that off, Bad Faith walked into the tar pit. She walked deeper and deeper into the tar. Her body was getting covered, the tar was sticking to her body.
Turning to her left, she saw a cavern. She approached it with ease. Her footing wasn't as balanced as it was normally. Tar would do that, easily.
Reaching the end of the tar, she climbed out and headed inside.
It was dark. Pure dark. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face. But there was a light. A light by the far wall. She walked closer to it.
The inside of the cavern was calm. Too calm. She could hear the sound of a pin dropping if a pin were to drop. Bad Faith walked slowly inside, trying to prevent any disaster from happening.
Reaching the end, felt around her. Her hands felt a rough surface. A surface that she knew too well. Her hand moved down the object's side, feeling all around. Realizing they were pages, she flipped opened the book and a bright light flashed throughout the cavern.
There in front of her was what she was looking for.
Bad Faith now had the Necrononicon Ex Mortis: The Book of the Dead.
"I finally found the damn book!" She yelled in triumph.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBC
Rating: PG-13/R
Chapter Number: 5
Author: White Werewolf
Category: Buffy/Xander, Eric/Faith, Sam/Daniel (Maybe), Gabrielle/Joxer
Spoilers/Timeframe: All I know for sure it is after "Becoming Part 2."
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the ideas and my computer.
Summery: After Buffy leaves Sunnydale, Xander decides to go looking for her. On the other side of the universe, Ninedinna wants the book she created...the Necronomicon Ex Mortis: the Book of the Dead.
Author Notes: This part is just a prologue to the Phoenix Risings Trilogy; which is in turn the starting fic to a huge series. This is the third part of the trilogy. It will be mainly focused on the Buffy/Xander relationship and it will be housing many crossovers.
Special Thanks: Danii, Tenhawk, Teri, Silent Bob Foley, and X-Lander
Crossovers Planned:
Buffy: the Vampire Slayer
Hercules: the Legendary Journeys
Evil Dead
Stargate SG-1
Xena: Warrior Princess
Boy Meets World
Cameo Crossovers will suddenly appear. Take a read, and see if you can spot one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***
"What do you think they're talking about out there?"
Ash walked over to the window where his niece was standing. Together they looked out the window and saw Buffy and Xander sitting on the swinging bench the former promised one built so many years ago.
"Could be anything, Faith. They've been out there for a while."
"Everything okay?"
The two Williamses turned around to see Kevin, "We hope so, Kevin." Faith said. "They just been out there for a while."
Hercules smiled, "I'm sure everything will work out. Xander is the type of man that cares a lot about his friends. I'm sure they'll come through the door any time now."
They noticed Buffy and Xander walking to the door. "See," the demigod said, "they'll be here in a few seconds."
The three of them walked back to the others just as Buffy and Xander entered into the cabin.
"Now that everyone is here again, I suggest that we go to see Mr. Pierce."
"You ready for this, Buff?" Xander asked her.
She nodded with a slight smile on her face, "As ready as I'll ever be, Xan."
"Good." Doyle said, "Let's get going then, Man."
***
SG-1 met together at the station.
"How was your first time on a train, Teal'c?"
He addressed Daniel, "It was most informative, Daniel Jackson."
"Yes, it was." Jack said, "So, where do we go now, Kids?"
Sam stated, "We find Lieutenant Banks and Caroline, Sir."
"Thank you for stating the obvious." Jack said rolling his eyes.
"You did ask what we were going to do, Sir." Sam said in her defense.
Sighing, he said, "Good point, Carter. Let's go to the front counter. Maybe they saw Banks and Caroline."
"Indeed." Teal'c commented.
"Come along, Murray."
With that said, SG-1 headed for the front counter.
"Excuse me?"
The person behind the desk said, "May I help you?"
Jack said, "I should hope so. Have you seen two guys about this high." He said raising his hand, "one of them in army clothing. Goes by the name, Lieutenant Ryan Banks. He had a girl with him. Blond. Believe she said her name was Caroline. The US Air force needs to get in contact with them."
"Let me check, Sir." The person said. She looked through the computer. "Right here, um?"
Smiling, he said, "Sorry, Colonel Jack O'Neill. This is Captain Carter, Murray, and Doctor Daniel Jackson."
Nodding, she continued, "Right, Colonel O'Neill. Lieutenant Banks and Caroline came to Los Angeles a few hours ago."
"Do you know where they went?" Daniel asked.
She thought back to her conversation with the aforementioned people, "They were asking about hotel accommodations. Try the Holiday Inn."
"Thank you." Sam said.
***
Sean Pierce placed the last mat on the floor.
His firing range was now fully ready for training matches and gun training. E had no idea why Wesley needed this much training. But giving his time with the Council, he knew that people had to be ready for everything.
Before his time with the Council, Pierce was always in the service to the Queen. He went on a numerous number of missions to stop terrorists and crime lords.
"Mr. Pierce?"
Sean looked up to see the door opening to a group of people. He recognized the person in front of him.
"Ah, Wesley. I'm just setting up the firing range for the training. Now, tell me. What type of villain are going against? Vampire? Demon?"
Faith said, "The bad version of myself."
"Bad version of yourself? What do you mean by that?"
Wesley said, "Allow me to bring you up to speed on our situation, Pierce."
Then for the next while, Wesley and the others told him about the past few days.
"That's an incredible story, Wesley. Well, I'm more than willing to help you. I suggest we break into groups. This firing range has four rooms: my office, the restroom, the training room, and the firing range. I suggest half of the group goes to the training room while the other half goes to the firing range."
"Good plan," Wesley said with a smile.
With that, the group of people split into two groups. Buffy, Xander, Hercules, Gunn, and six of his men went to the range. While the others went to the mat.
Buffy took a breath, "I want to get this over with, Xan."
He nodded, "Let me take a look at the guns." He said with a soft smile. "Mr. Pierce?"
Sean looked at the young man. "How may I help you?"
Xander said, "I want to know if you have a gun that I can teach to a beginner. I want something that would be easy for a slayer to learn with."
"I see," stated Sean. He thought for a second, "then I recommend the Colt 1911. It's fairly simple enough. I suppose you want me to train her then?"
He shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. Last Halloween, I was processed with army information. Thanks to a toy gun I bought at a costume shop. I know a lot of army knowledge because of that."
Sean went over to where his weapons were, and easily pulled out the said model. He gave it to Xander. "If she likes it, and since she's a slayer. I think I may be able to give you that gun for free."
Xander smiled, "Thanks for the offer, but Buffy isn't fond of guns. The only reason she wants to learn is because of the deadites."
Pierce nodded, "Right. Very well then, train her the best way you can."
He took the gun, "I will. Thanks."
Sean smiled as he went over to Hercules while Xander went over to Buffy.
Taking a breath, he held the gun in his hand and showed it to Buffy. "I know this is going to be extremely hard for you, Buffy.
"I'm going to show you how to use this. Alright?"
Nodding slowly, she said, "I need to do this."
"Okay." He opened the base of the handle. "This is how you load the bullets. You load the clip and place it inside. Fairly simple."
Buffy saw what he was doing, and nodded, "So far so good."
"Good." Xander said with a smile. "Then you pull back the slide."
"Right."
Xander said, "Hold the gun."
Cautiously, she took the gun and held it in her right hand. He stepped behind her and placed his hand on hers. Making sure she could fully understand the weapon.
"Hold the gun like this." He wrapped his hands around hers and helped her aim at the target they were standing in front of.
Taking a breath, "This is hard, Xan. Look at my hands, they're trembling."
He nodded, "That's why I'm helping you. Just remember. A gun is like any weapon. If you don't know how to use it properly, it will be dangerous."
Buffy's memory flashed back to when she first used a stake. She didn't know how to use it and was extremely nervous. Now, she handled a stake like a pro.
"Good point."
Xander chuckled, "I know. That's why I staid that."
"No time for jokes. I need you to be serious. I know you can be."
"Right. Serious. I can do that. Now, aim the gun. Use the iron sights."
"Huh?"
Xander clarified, "See this notched thingy back here?" She nodded, "Line up the notch with the fin at the front, then point it at the target."
Buffy nodded as she closed one eye and looked through. "Got it."
"Good. Now, just squeeze the trigger..."
Buffy did.
"...and you just shot your first bullet."
She smiled, "I guess I did." Realizing the position she was in, she said, "You can let go of me now."
Xander chuckled, "Right. Sorry." He then let go of her. Despite the good feeling he had with her in his arms.
Buffy grinned, "Show me again."
He smiled back, "Not a problem, Buff."
***
"That damn book!"
Bad Faith grunted.
"Where the fuck is that book?"
Shaking her head, she paced back and forth. She kept replaying what her uncle told her in her mind. 'Let the darkness within you tell you. Follow your instincts.'
What the hell did he mean?
"Follow your instincts." She snickered to herself. "Let the darkness with you tell you."
Bad Faith stared at herself in the mirror. "What the hell did he mean?"
Her mirror image popped out of the mirror and grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "What do you think he meant?" The image asked. "Think, you asshole!"
The image morphed into the face of her uncle. "What is with you? Are you full of tar or something? Use your instincts! What are you going to do? Pity yourself? Think about what I said!"
Then the image disappeared leaving a confused Bad Faith.
***
"Whatcha find out, Carter?"
"I told them I was his wife, Sir. Here's the room number," Sam replied, handing him a small piece of paper.
Jack took the paper, "Good work, Carter. I can't believe that jackass behind the counter gave us the wrong hotel."
"It appears he did, Sir. Lieutenant Banks and Caroline are upstairs."
"Good. Radio Daniel and Teal'c. Let them know where we are. I'll go ahead."
She nodded taking out her walkie-talkie. "Be careful, Sir."
He grinned, "I will."
***
"So you're the famous Ashley Williams?"
Ash looked at Sean as he met him by the far wall of the matted area. "Call me Ash."
The owner of the firing range nodded, "Fair enough, Ash. Call me Pierce."
He grinned, "Not a problem, Pierce. Thanks for letting us use your place here."
Sean grinned, "Think of it as my way to help, Mr. Williams. I mean, Ash. I just wanted to know how you were?"
He shrugged, "At the moment, okay. But my life has been really fucked up because of that book."
Sean nodded, "I can understand it. Wesley and I studied that book. I just never expected to meet you. With the chances slim to none and all."
Ash flashed a lopsided grin, "Consider yourself lucky then, Pierce. So, what's the Sean Pierce story? Why'd you leave the Council and end up here?"
Pierce answered, "I worked for the Council a number of years, Ash. After doing work for the mother country, I got interested in the unexplained. I always thought that it was bloody insane for people to believe in this stuff. Until however I came against my first vampire."
"Ah, the first vampire experience. That would do a lot to a person."
"Yes, it opened a lot of curiosity for me. During my downtime from the service of the Queen, I took it upon myself to do some research on the matter. One night I met Quentin Travers."
Wesley mentioned that name before to Ash, "You met that Asshole."
He chuckled, "You could say that I dropped in on him."
"What happened?"
He answered honestly, "One night I was on one of my pre-Council missions when I tracked my challenge to a rooftop. I lost my footing and fell through the sunroof ceiling. I landed on Mr. Travers."
Ash smiled, "That's one way to make a first impression."
"Yes, it is. I suppose." He looked at the clock, "would you like a martini?"
He grinned, "I'd like that, thanks."
"Come along then, Ash."
With that said, the two men went into Sean Pierce's office.
Sean opened a cabinet and pulled out some alcoholic ingredients. "Shaken or stirred?"
Ash grinned, "Shaken."
"A man after my own heart."
He did the drinks as the two decided. As Sean passed Ash the drink, the former promised one asked, "You never told me the reason you left the Council. What happened?"
The Britain sat down on the edge of his desk. He took a sip of his drink, and answered, "Well, Ash. I left because a lot of what the Council did was research. They researched a lot of information on demonic histories as well as histories based on the slayers and the powers that be.
"I was able to get sent to their university. I trained some of the watchers in training and some slayers in training. It was nice and all, but it got rather tiresome.
"One thing always interested me was the United States. The country had a lot of demonic history of its own and it did not require the use of the Council.
"It had the history that I found interesting and I didn't have to do the research. However, I needed a place to pay the bills.
"So, I opened this firing range. This way I could still train people, study demonic histories, and not have to be in relation to the Council. I could do my work the way I want to. I wouldn't have to stay within the guidelines of the Council."
Ash grinned, "That's quite the story, Pierce."
Sean chuckled, "It is, isn't it?"
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Go right ahead, Ash."
The former promised one smiled, "What do you think of them?"
He showed a confused look, "Them?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah, y'know, the people I came in with."
Sean smiled, "Right. Some of them are rough around the edges. Training more can easily fix that. You seem to handle yourself well as well as Xander. Buffy and him seem to be rather close."
"Ever since Buffy found Xander dead. She hasn't left his side. They're practically joined at the hip."
"Well, considering the amount of history the two share, I'm surprised they're not more than friends."
Ash smiled, "Good point. But I've got Buffy stealing glances at Xander. I wouldn't be surprised if the two hook up."
Sean chuckled, "When did we become gossiping teenagers?"
The younger man looked at the clock, "Since fifteen minutes ago."
"You certainly are entertaining, Ash."
***
"Nobody move!"
A woman screamed.
Jack O'Neill looked at the woman in the hotel room that he busted in. "Is this room 606?"
The woman shouted, "Yes! What do you want?"
Jack went into his pocket and took out the paper Carter gave him. He looked at it, and then flipped it around. "Oops. Wrong room. Sorry to barge in. The Air force will pay for the broken door. I'll let myself out."
Then he left thinking, (909. Not 606. Damn it Carter.)
***
Insane.
That was what it was.
Insanity.
Plain and simple.
Her mind kept replaying the whole experience she just had with the mirror. She first saw her self, then the bad version of her uncle.
Why the hell would he say that her head was made of tar? Why tar? What was so special about a substance that smelled awful, that held fossils, that held artifacts...
...artifacts like an ancient Sumerian book? Like something bound in human flesh and inked in human blood.
A smile crossed her lips malevolently, realizing that the Necronmicon could be in tar.
But where in Los Angeles, could you find tar?
La Brea Tar Pits!
Now she knew where to go.
***
"Do you smell that?"
Her childe looked at her, "Smell what, Callisto?"
She grinned, "It's that man from the SGC. The one that smacked you on the back?"
He asked confusingly, "Colonel O'Neill?"
The vampiress asked, "Was that his name?" She sniffed the air again, "It's the same person. We have to get out of here! I won't lose my chance at taking down Hercules!"
He nodded slowly, "Y'know, Hercules was the just the character he plays?"
Callisto grinned slightly, "Right. We got to get going."
"But how? It's still day out."
She snarled, "Grab the blankets. I'll take care of O'Neill."
Knowing the ability of his sire, Ryan did what he was told.
Soon the door barged open and in walked a man with a weapon pointed at her. "Hello, Caroline."
She smiled back, "Greetings, Colonel O'Neill."
Pointing his head to the door as he spoke, "We're going back to the SGC."
Shaking her head, "I don't think so, Colonel. Look into my eyes."
"You know what? I don't think so. Already went through that with Hathor."
Walking closer, she said, "But I'm not goa'uld, Colonel."
Allowing her face to morph to the demonic creature that she truly was, her eyes turned feral yellow and her skin crunched forward changing her facial appearance.
Smiling wickedly, she said, "I repeat. Look into my eyes."
Surprised by her appearance, he looked into her eyes and lost all ability to function on his own.
"Give me your jacket."
Nodding, he took off his jacket and gave it to her. "Here you go, Caroline."
Grinning her thanks, she took the jacket and put it on. "You have the blankets, Ryan?"
Nodding, he walked next to her, "I do, Caroline."
"Give me one, and wrap the other one around yourself. We're moving elsewhere."
Doing as told, he gave his sire a blanket. The two of them wrapped them around themselves.
Morphing her face back to normal, she said, "Thanks for the jacket, O'Neill. We'll see ourselves off."
With that said, the two left.
***
"Where you going, Xan?"
He looked at his friend, "I just wanted to see how the others were doing. That's all."
Looking back at her target. She could see the amount of bullets that hit it. "I dunno if I can do this by myself. Sure, I'm hitting the target, but that's only because you're here. I dunno if I can do this by myself."
He wrapped his around her back, his hands meeting his arms causing a circle to form around Buffy. "You're doing fine, Buff. I just wanted to see how Faith was doing. You may be a slayer, but she's one too."
Still remember her story, he said, "But if you want me here, I will. I won't leave you until your ready."
Feeling the comfort from Xander, she couldn't help but smile. She patted his arm gently, "I guess I can do this myself. Just promise me you'll come back."
He grinned. "Nothing on this Earth will tear me away from my Buffy." He meant that with all his heart.
She could trust him, "Well, my Xander better not leave me. Now, go and hang with the others."
"I'll be back, Buffy." He then withdrew his arms from her and walked away.
Sighing from the loss of contact, she pulled back the slide like she learned, and continued shooting.
***
"Jack?"
No answer.
His friend walked into the hotel room and made it to the colonel. Placing his hands on his shoulders, the doctor tried again, "Jack?"
"Huh? What?"
Jack suddenly shook his head as Daniel released his grasp. "Daniel?"
"What happened to Lieutenant Banks and Caroline, Sir?"
He looked at the door as Sam and Teal'c came in.
"Tell me, Teal'c. Do you have any friends that can entrance you by just their eyes?"
"Hathor, O'Neill."
He shook his head, "Besides her. I mean someone that isn't a goa'uld."
"Isn't goa'uld, Sir?"
Jack nodded, "Nope. Not goa'uld. This one had their face change, eyes turn yellow. It was something out of a horror movie."
"You mean like vampires, Jack."
"Right. Those. You think that these vampires are real? And not goa'uld?"
***
Bad Faith drove her motorcycle down the highway. The wind hallowed through her long dark hair. The midday sun was shining on her back as she continued on her ride.
The tar pits weren't that far away. Her insides were burning. She could feel this yearning. A yearning for the book...the Necronomicon Ex Mortis.
Her uncle was right. Just follow her instincts.
The book was within her grasp, and soon she could make her plan a reality. She just hoped that her goody two-shoed twin and the twin's uncle didn't get in the way.
***
"How's it going, Faith?"
Faith dropped her gun to the side as she turned to her best friend, "It's going okay I guess, X."
Nodding, he asked, "Just okay?"
"Well, how would you feel if you were split in two? How would you feel if the book Uncle Ash is always complaining about suddenly shows up? He must be going through hell!"
He sighed, "I guess I can see why. He has said he's lost a lot of people over the years."
"He has, Xander. Too many if you ask me. And like hell am I going to give up on him! He ain't going to lose any more people!"
Xander approached her and asked, "How can you be so sure, Faith? How do you know he isn't going to lose anyone else?"
She glared at him, "Because I'm the slayer! I have the power! I have the strength! I can protect him!"
He said slowly, "Faith..."
Taking a breath, the slayer said, "I know, X. I know. I may have super strength, but it can only help so much. I don't want to lose him, and he doesn't want to lose me."
Xander smiled, "I know what you mean. You want to protect your uncle in every way that you can. You want him to be safe and not want to experience any more pain. It's the same with me and Buffy. I want to protect her in every way possible, but I can't. Protecting someone forever could never happen. You just have to try and deal with what you can do and make the person you want to save the most comfortable they can be."
She responded, "I get you, X."
"Good. Now, show me what you can do, Faith."
Faith grinned, "Get ready to see some real fire power."
***
"Are you telling me that vampires exist, Sir?"
Colonel O'Neill asked, "Well how do you explain what I just saw, Carter? A woman, an attractive woman no less, had her face change! Her eyes turned yellow and her skin was crunched forward, Carter!"
"Are you sure, O'Neill?"
The colonel looked at his eldest friend of the group, "Daniel, you know this stuff. You're into that whole mythological mumbo-jumbo. Tell them that vampires could exist!"
The archeologist said simply, "Anything's possible, Jack. Like I said before, a lot of Egyption mythology was created by the goa'uld. So who knows what else could exist? Do you have any other proof?"
Jack searched his memories as he scanned the room. He saw a mirror on the back wall. "She didn't have a reflection. Vampires don't have a reflection!"
"He's right, Guys. According to myth, vampires were never known to have a reflection."
Sam sighed, "I know, Daniel. Mark used to tell me horror stories when we were kids."
"Just pointing out some truths, Sam. So, it appears that we're dealing with a real vampire."
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said to his team.
"Do you have any idea on how to deal with this vampire problem, Sir? Don't we need some holy water, wooden stake, or something? Will a zat do?"
"It's worth a try, Sam. According to vampire folklore, wooden stakes and holy water work. As for a zat, I don't know. It might still have some effect on them."
Jack smiled, "Well, Kids. It looks like we're going vampire hunting. Who knew I'd ever actually get to say that?"
"Where do we find Caroline and Lieutenant Banks, O'Neill?"
"At this point, it's still in the afternoon. Almost night though. Right now, they probably be away from the sun. I suggest that we split in two teams. Daniel and Sam as one and you're with me, Teal'c. When someone finds them, they'll radio the other team. Then we'll come running."
"Agreed." Teal'c said.
***
Bad Faith parked her motorcycle outside the tar pit fence. She jumped off of it and leaned it against the fence.
Grabbing one of the links of the fence, she started to climb up. Reaching the top, she swung her leg around, followed by her other. Now on the other side, she climbed down and scanned the area in front of her.
It was rather spacious. Covered by the sands of the Earth. It truly had a dessert atmosphere.
Her insides burned as she walked to the tar pit. She could feel the book calling to her. The darkness within her and the evilness of the book were connected. It seemed only natural for her to have the book in her possession.
The area looked deserted.
It was Sunday after all.
Maybe they closed early.
Shrugging that off, Bad Faith walked into the tar pit. She walked deeper and deeper into the tar. Her body was getting covered, the tar was sticking to her body.
Turning to her left, she saw a cavern. She approached it with ease. Her footing wasn't as balanced as it was normally. Tar would do that, easily.
Reaching the end of the tar, she climbed out and headed inside.
It was dark. Pure dark. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face. But there was a light. A light by the far wall. She walked closer to it.
The inside of the cavern was calm. Too calm. She could hear the sound of a pin dropping if a pin were to drop. Bad Faith walked slowly inside, trying to prevent any disaster from happening.
Reaching the end, felt around her. Her hands felt a rough surface. A surface that she knew too well. Her hand moved down the object's side, feeling all around. Realizing they were pages, she flipped opened the book and a bright light flashed throughout the cavern.
There in front of her was what she was looking for.
Bad Faith now had the Necrononicon Ex Mortis: The Book of the Dead.
"I finally found the damn book!" She yelled in triumph.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBC