Alternate Universe: | Unexpected |
Chapter Title: | The Gem of Amarra: Drunk and Disorderly |
Time line: |
Currently: Monday, December 29th, 2003 Buffy's about 7 months pregnant; due in February 2004 History: Annie and Lorne were kidnapped on Sunday, December 28th (previous day). Spike stormed out of the Hyperion on December 15th after Buffy stopped his attack on Angel
Annie turned four last February. Buffy and Spike have been married four years. Buffy turned 22 years old in January. All the Potentials were endowed with full Slayer power in February 2003. Buffy and Spike learned of the other dimensions in May, 2003 - about 7 months ago. |
Summary: |
Annie's been kidnapped and Spike, along with the ring of Amarra - the one thing the kidnappers want, is still missing. Can Buffy find him in time to save Annie?
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Notes: |
Thanks as always to my "ET",
PaganBaby, for
her help with this chapter!
|
Rating / Warnings: |
NC17. Content is only suitable for mature adults. Contains explicit language, sex, adult themes and other adult situations that some people may find objectionable. If you are under the age of 17 or find any of these themes objectionable – GO AWAY. Parents, it is up to YOU to control what your children are reading. |
6:00am:
Detective Lockley called very early the next morning and told Angel that they had no luck locating Spike’s cell phone. Either he wasn’t in the city or he had it turned off. She had sent the report of Spike’s Harley being stolen out across the nationwide wire. If she heard anything back on it, she’d call him, but there was little else she could do. Angel thanked her and hung up; he didn’t relish the thought of having to tell Buffy the bad news.
7:00am:
Buffy walked into Angel’s office about an hour later and plopped down in one of the chairs. She’d finally managed to get some sleep, but her dreams were filled with nightmares about what might be happening to Annie and Spike, so she woke feeling even worse than she did before she fell asleep. She prayed that the dreams were just that, dreams, and not Slayer dreams . . . not portents of the future . . . or the present, for her family.
Angel told her about the phone call from Kate and Buffy simply nodded as she felt that last thread unravel and slip from her grasp. She had no more tears to shed, so she simply closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall behind her with a heavy sigh when he’d finished speaking.
“How did they even know about the Gem?” Buffy wondered aloud after a few minutes of silence. “Why did they think you could get it for them?”
Angel had wondered that same thing last night, but it soon dawned on him how someone might know. “Lorne and Gunn might have spun a few yarns at Caritas about a vampire that wouldn’t go down . . .” Angel informed her. “Anybody that heard them could’ve figured it out, if they had any knowledge of vampire lore. Spike's name might have been mentioned once or twice . . .”
Buffy blew out a long breath. Any number of humans, demons, or vampires could’ve overheard them in the club, and if they each told two people and they each told two people and they each told two people . . . the possibilities were limitless . . . it was a math test from hell. "X" to the power of “n” and you have no idea what “n” OR "x" is. Buffy hated math.
7:30am:
As Buffy stood up to leave Angel's office, the tears that she thought couldn't possibly exist began to fall from her eyes again. Angel came around the desk and took her in a hug as she cried on his shoulder.
"It'll be OK, Buffy . . . we'll figure something out to get Annie back," he told her, but she had no idea how anything was going to be OK. She'd lost Annie and Spike and felt utterly powerless . . . something she wasn't used to feeling . . . to get them back.
When Buffy had re-
composed herself she went back up to her room to shower and get ready for her 9:00am meeting with Lilah Morgan. It was her last hope, making a deal with the devil for the life of her child. She didn't know what the cost would be, but it didn't matter - she would give anything to get Annie back.
8:30am:
As Buffy was getting into her car, Gunn came running up and stopped her. Detective Lockley just called with news . . . they found Spike’s Harley.
“Where is it?” Buffy asked Angel when she got back in his office.
“‘No Name’, Arizona,” he told her.
Buffy looked at him with a furrowed brow. “How am I supposed to find a town with no name . . . in Arizona?”
Angel sighed. “It has a name, Buffy. The name is ‘No Name’,” Angel explained.
“That’s a stupid name,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes. “Is Spike there, too?” she asked hopefully.
“She doesn’t know yet. Apparently the honorary police officer went fishing this morning after he responded to the stolen vehicle report,” Angel informed her.
“The honorary police officer,” she repeated slowly. “There’s one . . . and he’s honorary?” Buffy asked, unable to believe that was even possible.
Angel shrugged. “It’s about a six hour drive. We better get going. You can call Lilah on the way and cancel your meeting.”
“I think I’ll just postpone it . . . just in case,” Buffy offered as she turned and they both walked out of the hotel and down to the underground parking to get Angel’s car.
**~**
Buffy had no problems navigating to No Name, Arizona as Angel drove. The Necro-tempered glass in Angel’s car was sooo much better than the black paint that Spike had kept on the windows of the Desoto. Of course, that was before they'd retrieved the Gem of Amarra. At this point, she would’ve given anything to be navigating for Spike, trying to look through painted windows, missing the road signs and having him look at her like she was ‘daft’ when she told him to turn the car around. She wished they’d never heard of the Gem of Amarra. Buffy sighed . . . wishes and horses.
Buffy’s stomach was still in knots as they made their way through the desert. She hoped that the kidnappers had left Lorne and Annie together . . . at least Annie would be with someone she knew that way and not all alone and maybe he could keep her from being too scared. The kidnappers hadn’t called back to say when or where they wanted to do the exchange or even let her or Angel speak with Annie or Lorne. And now, they were in the middle of nowhere and there wasn’t even any cell phone reception, so if the kidnappers did call, they’d get voice mail. Perfect.
3:00pm:
Angel drove slowly down the main road of the ‘town’ . . . well, it appeared to be the only road in the town of No Name, Arizona. There were three bars, one pawn shop and a very small police station in the ‘town’, which was nothing more than a small group of buildings in the middle of nowhere. Where the people came from to frequent the bars was a mystery. Angel pulled up in front of the police station and cut the engine.
“I can’t go in,” he told Buffy, looking at the sun which was still high in the afternoon sky.
“It’s ok,” she assured him. “I can.”
Buffy got out of the car and went into the police station. She knew immediately that Spike was there somewhere – she could feel his presence tingle down her spine. Tears of relief stung her eyes and she blinked them back as she walked up to an old man, sitting behind an even older desk, reading a newspaper. There was a very old, heavy brass name plate on the desk in front of him that said “Chief of Police” on it. Buffy rolled her eyes as she walked up to the desk . . . he was honorary chief of himself, apparently.
“Hi,” Buffy started. “Ummm . . . I think you may have my husband here . . .William Weckerly?”
The man looked up from his paper slowly and looked Buffy up and down before answering her. “Yep,” he said simply and turned his attention back to the paper.
Buffy raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Yep!? ‘Yep’, I can see him or ‘Yep’, I can take him home or ‘Yep’, he’s fucking dead and buried out back?”
“Got a mouth on ya’ doncha, missy? Just like him . . . keeps getting him more days added to his sentence,” the man told her, looking back up from his paper.
“His sentence for what?” Buffy asked.
“Well, let’s see . . . drunk and disorderly, public intoxication, assault and battery, resistin’ arrest with violence . . . oh, and now . . . possession of stolen property,” the man told her holding up the stolen vehicle report on the Harley.
Buffy lowered her head and rubbed her eyes before looking back at the man. “And how much of a sentence does all that add up to?” she asked.
“Well, it woulda just been ten days, but he keeps mouthin’ off ‘bout needin’ to make a phone call and cursin’ me out . . . so now, it’s up to thirty days . . . ‘course, that don’ count the stolen property charge,” the man informed her.
“First of all, don’t you need a judge to change a sentence? And second of all, don’t prisoners have the right to make phone calls? Isn’t that one of those, you know, Miranda thingies – like on Law and Order? Or don’t you have TV out here?” Buffy asked with disdain, her hands going to her hips.
“Offered to let him make all the phone calls he wanted . . . said he couldn’t do it in the daytime. I don’t work nights, missy,” the old man informed her as he reached out and turned the name plate on his desk over. The other side read: “Judge”.
“Handy,” Buffy commented, wondering silently if he turned it over again if it would say “Jury and Executioner” as well. Then, what he’d said about the phone calls sank in. Looking at him with a furrowed brow she asked, “Where is the phone, anyway?”
The man waved his arm towards the window. Buffy looked out . . . outside, in the middle of the sun, was a phone booth. That shouldn’t have been a problem though, with the Gem of Amarra. Oh, God! Don’t tell me he’s pawned the Gem of Amarra!
Buffy took several deep breaths to try and calm down. She gave the man the sweetest smile she could manage and said, “Look, isn’t there something we can work out here? I kinda need to get him home . . . he’s . . . he’s missing work and with the baby on the way, well we really need him working.”
“Wellll,” the man started. “I guess if you could come up with two hundred and fifty dollars to bail him out . . . we could just call it even on the drunk and disorderly . . .”
Buffy closed her eyes and sighed with relief. “Fine, that’s fine. I can do that.”
“You’ll have to have him back here for trial on the stolen property charge, though.”
Buffy nodded as she dug the money out of her purse. “Sure, no problem. Can I see him now?”
“Help yourself,” the man said waving his arm towards the door behind him. “Be a spell to get the paperwork done, anyways.”
Buffy stepped through the door to find two holding cells. Spike was sitting on the floor in one of them, his knees pulled up towards his chest with his arms and head resting on them.
Hearing the door open, he spoke without looking up. “Told you before, you bloody daft git, I can’t make a fucking phone call in the middle of the sodding day!”
“Talk like that will get another day added to your sentence,” Buffy said as she walked up to his cell.
“Buffy!” Spike exclaimed, jumping up. “Thank God! Get me the fuck outta here!”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Spike, why didn’t you just tell me where you were? Why did you shut me out?! I’ve been looking for you for days! Annie’s been kidnapped and they want the Gem of Amarra in exchange . . . God, tell me you still have it!”
“WHAT?!” Spike exclaimed, moving up to the bars that separated them.
“The Gem of Amarra . . . do you still have it?” Buffy asked him.
“Barney Fife’s got it . . .” he said quickly, waving his arm at the door. “They took everythin’ when they tossed me in ‘ere.”
“Thank God.” Buffy sighed in relief.
“Who has Annie!? When? Where? Why didn’t you tell me, Buffy? Why did you shut me out!?” Spike asked her . . . each thought and question coming quickly on the heels of the last as he felt his stomach tighten in fear and anger over Buffy’s news that Annie had been kidnapped.
Buffy looked at him in confusion. “I didn’t shut you out! I’ve been trying to contact you since you left! You shut ME out!”
Spike shook his head. “I didn’t shut you out, luv . . .” he said slowly, reaching one hand through the bars to touch her face.
Buffy closed her eyes as his palm caressed her cheek and tears of relief slipped out the corners of her eyes. Everything would be okay now . . . Spike was back and together they’d get Annie back . . . it would be okay . . . it just had to be.
“Why, then . . . why couldn’t we communicate?” she asked softly after a few moments as she laid her hand atop his where he continued to caress her face.
Spike shook his head. “Don’ know,” Spike said sadly. He reached his other arm out through the bars and pulled Buffy to him, his arms encircling her as she leaned against the bars that had held him prisoner and kept him away from her and Annie.
A thousand thoughts and emotions ran through Spike’s mind at once as he held her.
Anger at himself for taking off and leaving Annie and Buffy alone . . . he was just going to go for a ride to cool off before going home, but he got here in the middle of nowhere and he was still fuming, so he decided to have a drink . . . which led to another drink and, nearly two hundred dollars worth of drinks later, he was completely broke, shit faced and ready to fight with anyone that looked at him sideways . . . which was anybody that looked at him at that point.
He woke up in jail with a pounding head and plenty of cuts and bruises from the bar brawl that, according to Barney Fife, he had started. It had only gotten worse from there when he couldn’t contact Buffy and couldn’t get the pillock to give him the ring back so he could make a phone call or let him make one at night. Spike had tried to escape, but, apparently, whoever built this jail went the extra mile . . . Fort Knox couldn’t have been more secure than this no name jail in the middle of nowhere that held him.
Whoever had Annie wanted the Gem of Amarra. Spike’s anger with himself grew stronger as he considered this . . . he’d been selfish to keep the ring. He knew someone was after it – after all, they’d killed the Magic Shop owner and stolen the ancient tome that held the key to finding it. Spike should’ve just gotten rid of the Gem . . . destroyed it or . . . or something. Now he’d put Annie in danger because of his own selfishness. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
Tears welled in the back of Spike’s eyes as he held Buffy through the bars of his cell, knowing that all the she and Annie were going through now was his fault. How could he have been so stupid?
“We’ll get ‘er back, Buffy,” Spike said softly. “I promise we’ll get her back. If I have to go straight into hell to get ‘er, I will,” and I’ll bloody well take whoever has her with me, Spike added silently as his anger turned outward at whoever it was that had dared touch his little girl.
{More to come, of course . . . it won't be too long!}
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