Notes: Thanks to CriesofCapricorn and Riyana for your reviews. I'll update as quickly as possible, but no guarantees.

OK, a little background…The Necronomicon and the character Ash are from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movie series, and this story takes place directly after the last one(Army of Darkness), but instead of Ash waking up back in his own time and going back to work at S-Mart, he ends up getting sucked up in another portal and dumped on the Hellmouth. As for the Buffy side of things, this takes place shortly after "Passion." And so our story continues.

Chapter 3: The Necronomicon

Spike, Drusilla and Angelus stared at the book lying on the table. Angelus was barely able to control his glee, Dru seemed to be in ecstasy, and Spike was little more than bored.

"So, it's a book," Spike drawled. "Sure it'll make a nice topic for discussion when we have guests over, what with the lovely face-skin cover."

Angelus sighed. "Spike, this just so happens to be the Necronomicon Ex Mortis."

"The Book of the Dead," Drusilla nearly sang.

"Right. With it, we can raise an army of Deadites and lay waste to this town."

"OK, so you use the evil boogity-book to get a bunch of Grateful Dead fans to attack Sunnydale. You vile fiend, you." Spike turned his wheel chair away from the table.

"Joke all you want to, Scooter, but this is going to be one hell of a party, and the Slayer is the guest of honor."

"We'll have entrails for streamers and bloody scalps for…" Drusilla trailed off as a look of fear replaced her joy. "Uuuhh! No! No, no, no! He's come to crash our party!"

Angelus looked at her, frowning.

"What is it, Dru? What do you see?"

"A man. One hand is shiny and cold. He follows the book…is connected to it. He can stop it, ruin it all."

"Where is he, Pet?" Spike asked, though he was afraid he already knew the answer.

"With the Slayer," was the answer, and just what he'd guessed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Quick, what year is it?"

"1998," Giles said softly, getting an uneasy feeling.

They were in his office in the library, gathered around the small sofa where they had placed the man from the car. The man who was now awake and asking them questions.

1998. Seventeen years, Ash thought to himself, dazed. It was seventeen years ago that he had gone to that cabin in the Tennessee woods with his friends. Something else suddenly occurred to him.

"Where am I?"

"Sunnydale. California."

"California? What the hell am I doing in California? In 1998?"

"How should we know?" Buffy asked. "We were just sitting around talking when your car came falling out of the ceiling! We were hoping you could tell us what's going on!"

"My car? It's here, inside?"

"Yeah, it's sitting on the kindling that used to be our table. I don't know how we're how we're gonna explain that one to Principal Snyder. And what's wrong with it being 1998?"

"What?" Ash was confused by the sudden change in topic.

"You asked why you were here in California in 1998. What year is it supposed to be?"

Ash looked around at the group gathered in the small office. He was still a little disoriented, but he was coherent enough to realize that they were taking his falling out of a portal a lot better than normal people would. So, maybe they wouldn't think he was crazy when he told them what he was about to tell them.