Chapter 2: Dazed and Confused.
"Well, at least it wasn't a stretch limo."
The others looked at Oz.
"Just sayin'," he shrugged.
The object, though not a stretch limousine, was a car. A 1973 Oldsmobile Delta Royale, to be exact.
"Ooh, Principal Snyder's not gonna be happy about this," Willow stated.
"Ya think?" Xander replied.
Ignoring her friends' banter, Buffy turned to her Watcher. "Um, Giles, why did a car fall from the ceiling?"
"I have no idea. This is most unusual, even for the Hellmouth."
"Well, maybe it's a demon car from some wacky demon car dimension."
"Buffy, really…"
"What? You weren't coming up with anything, and normal cars don't fall from portals which just happen to appear right over the Hellmouth!" She pointed out, studying the pale yellow car. "You guys stay back, I'm gonna check it out."
Moving in closer, Buffy peered in through the passenger side…and stopped short.
"Well, maybe we can ask him where it came from," she said, gesturing at the inside of the car.
Ash opened his eyes…and quickly closed them again. Bright light. His head was pounding and his body ached. He let out a groan.
Did I get drunk last night? Shit, don't remember…oh, God, please let me be home in bed, at least.
"Hey, you! You awake?"
Who the…female voice. Oh great, must've picked up some broad at whatever bar I was at. Damnit, I really don't wanna deal with some skirt right now.
He brought his hand up and rubbed his face, then tried to sit up.
"About time. I thought Sleeping Beauty was gonna be out all night."
Wait a minute…that was a different voice. Another girl? Did I have a threeway?
"Are you alright?"
OK, that one was a guy. And British, from the sound of it. Fuck, tell me I wasn't that drunk!
"Hey, rise and shine! Got a few questions."
"Alright already! Give a guy a break, will ya! My heads about to explode and I don't need you screeching in my ear!" Ash exclaimed, his hand over his eyes.
"Oh goody, he's awake and verbal. Now for the interrogation."
"Buffy, do be patient. The man could have suffered some rather nasty side-effects going through that portal."
Buffy? I gotta put up with crap from some bimbo named Buffy? …Did the limey say portal?
Suddenly everything came flooding back to him: the cabin in the woods, finding the Necronomicon, his sister, his girlfriend and his friends all being killed, and then the portal. The portal that dropped him in the year 1300 A.D. After questing for that era's Necronomicon and battling the Deadites, he'd done as the wiseman said, drunk the potion, said the damn words to get him back home…
His eyes flew open, no longer caring about the light. He frantically looked around, taking in his surroundings. He saw that there was actually six people in the room, instead of just the three who'd spoken. And judging by their clothes and the various electronic devices he could see, he was at least in the right century.
"Quick, what year is it?" he demanded.