I must warn you folks that I tried to center on Rayford and Chloe, in this chapter, and their thoughts and reactions rather than Nick and Buck. I should also warn you that Nicolae won't make anymore appearances in this fic, but I intend this to be a series of God-knows-how-many four-part stories, so there will be moreNick/Buckslash goodness to come. Enjoy!

L-Syllabub: I always enjoy reviews, especially well-written, coherent ones like yours. I'm a review whore, but an easy to please review whore, because all it takes is one good review to get me to post another chapter, lol.

DISCLAIMER: Knock-knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who? Boo-hoo I don't own it!

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PART TWO

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The Arrival

"CHLOE!"

What a nice way to wake up, Chloe thought sarcastically as she dragged herself downstairs to the kitchen. "Nn?" she asked, unwilling to speak properly yet.

Rayford grinned at his sleepy daughter. Must have stayed up all night on the message boards again. He decided to make her wait a little. Pure torture, to her, with her curiosity. "Well, maybe you should have a cup of coffee and breakfast before I tell you what Buck said."

"Nn!"

Ray wasn't watching her anymore. He had turned to pour milk into his cereal, and to hide his amusement at her reaction. "Go ahead," he said, grabbing another bowl from a cupboard and setting it out for her.

"Nn!" she replied, an incoherent but imperious demand to know any news of Buck. When Ray still wouldn't answer, Chloe sighed and gave in, banishing the last remnants of sleep as she said, "What did he say, Dad?"

The pilot turned, and said nonchalantly, "Oh, he's just coming home today."

Chloe squealed. "Finally! He said he'd be four days late, not seven. It's not fair for Carpathia to hold him up like that."

"You'd better hurry and get ready. We need to be on the road in half an hour to pick him up."

When they found Buck's gate, he was already there. He was sitting, but his foot was doing a rapid, nervous tapping on the thin airport carpet. And in an effort not to play with the handle of his dufflebag, Buck was white-knuckling it. That worried her. Did Carpathia find out he's a Christian? Or... She cut her imagination off right there, before she got carried away.

"Are you okay, honey?" Chloe whispered in her husband's ear as she hugged him. He remained in his seat, and didn't return her hug.

"Can we talk about this over lunch?"

Chloe glanced into Buck's eyes, then pulled away as she nodded. "Let's go grab a bite to eat," she said more loudly, for the benefit of any Global Community spies that might be keeping an eye on her husband.

Buck followed his wife and Ray out to the car, and was perfectly content to stew silently over how to break it to them. But Rayford, apparently, was not. "Carpathia's certainly getting more demanding about you. What'd he keep you so long for?"

There'd been the little three day vacation, yes, but there had been another three days after that. Of doing much the same as Buck was doing now. Trying to figure out the least damaging way to let the Tribulation Force know he was... switching sides. "Ahh, well..." He was stuck. How am I supposed to answer that? "Oh, I told the Antichrist I love him, so I've taken up residence in his home. I even have a bed to myself now." Somehow I doubt they'd accept that. Maybe I should wait until we're at the restaurant. At least then Ray won't accidentally wreck the car when he hears. "It's kind of a long story. I should probably wait until you can devote your attention to it."

So there was smalltalk for fifteen minutes, over what Chloe and Rayford had been up to in the past six days. Never had a quarter hour lasted so long. It felt as if eternity had come and gone, in the short time it took to get from the airport to the nearest burger joint.

The three went through the drive-through. Not really what Buck had intended. Oh well. As long as Ray's not planning on eating while we're driving, he thought.

"So what's the deal, Buck?" the pilot asked, glancing into his rearview mirror as he unwrapped his fish sandwich.

The journalist didn't even touch the box his chicken strips had come in. "I..." The first thing you have to know about journalism is background. It is on that foundation, that the truth is built. The words of Buck's Journalism 101 professor rang in his mind, clear and decisive. "When I met Nicolae the first time, before anyone thought he was the Antichrist, I felt Something I couldn't quite explain. You led me to God, Ray, and that Something just kept growing. I finally figured out what it is."

"I'm guessing you sensed how evil he is. Maybe God has given you the gift of discernment," Chloe butted in.

Buck almost winced. Almost. "Not quite. God says we're to love even our enemies."

He let that statement sink in, let them realize what it meant. Chloe caught on first, having a feminine sensitivity toward matters of the heart. Ray was hot on her heels, choking on his fish burger, having gasped a piece down when it hit him. Buck and Chloe thumped his back as he pounded his fist against his chest. When his windpipe was clear, he rasped, "That's a gross joke."

"It's not a joke," came the wry answer.

"Oh, come on. Not only are you a guy, but you're a Christian. Besides, you just married me. The Buck I know is not that fickle," Chloe said, so determined to have him back that he almost wished he could believe her.

"Believe me, I've tried to convince myself how irrational it is. But just because it's not right and rational doesn't mean I can stop lov--" Ray interrupted, "Carpathia probably has you under his influence, like the people who saw him kill Todd-Cothran and Stonagal, but believed it was suicide."

Chloe nodded. "Being a Christian gave you some protection for short time, but maybe prolonged exposure made you more vulnerable to the Antichrist's influence. We should get the rabbi's input."

And with that, they were off to the underground shelter, Buck reluctantly in tow.

TBC...