Just in case I forget later... (Mercy seat part 4)
This is the last of the pre-written stuff, but I'm getting a better and better idea of where this is going. Thanks to xairhil, who helped work out a bit of where I'm ultimately going to end up.
Previous parts may be found here
"He's waking up." Jude leaned halfway across the table, glancing over her shoulder at Amelia, who was returning from the back office. "Get him some water, ‘Melia, and some of those potato skins."
"We're all out of skins, darlin', you know that."
"Then a grilled cheese. He's gonna be hungry."
Amelia nodded, then shuffled off to the empty kitchen to grill the sandwich. Jude leaned further across the table, trying to catch sight of her find.
"Dude, you awake?"
Xander blinked open his eye, but was greeted with only petrified gum. He shut his eye, shook his head slightly, then pushed himself up.
The diner was small, taking up half of the double-wide trailor of a building, and most of that was the kitchen. The other half was filled with dust covered souvenirs: bags of cheerios labeled "donut seeds", the obligatory paper weights with religious sayings engraved on them, and ashtrays decorated with a scenic overhead view of the sinkhole. He looked over at Jude, who smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"Welcome to the Hole, dude, Sunnydale's only remaining business. We're a small, close-knit community, that keeps to ourselves. We kicked Starbucks out last year."
Xander let his eye drift towards the window. He could only barely make out Sunnydale beyond the fence. He rubbed at his arm.
"Yeah, not too many people go into the Hole these days." Jude leaned back. "Just me and Amelia, mostly. You're the first other person we've seen all day."
Xander nodded slightly. Amelia approached with his water and sandwich, which Xander accepted with a faint smile. Amelia hooked a chair with her ankle and settled in for a chat.
"I'm Amelia." She held out her hand to shake. Xander, still rubbing his arm, looked at it for a bit too long before taking it. When he did, he winced at the sight of his scraped appendage against her smooth, pale one. "That's Jude. This is the Hole. That's about all you need to know."
Xander nodded again, and took a long drink of his water.
Jude shot a glance over at Amelia, who was studying Xander intently. She forced her voice to sound casual. "So, what brings you to Sunnydale, dude?"
Xander blinked at Jude, not quite comprehending the question. When he finally worked it out, he didn't know the answer, so he shrugged, stuffing half the grilled cheese into his maw as he did so. Amelia batted at his hand.
"Not so fast, there, tiger. You'll make yourself sick."
"It's all good," Jude folded her hands behind her head. "Most people around here don't know what they've come for, either. Me, I come for the quiet. This place is like no place else on earth."
"It does have its dark charm to it." Amelia nodded. There was a certain forced tone to her speech, like she was trying to lead him to a response. Both of them were tense. "I don't know what it is about this town, but it seems like something's there, even after it sank. It was like the ‘Dale was the secret center of the universe. Like every week there was a new fight for the fate of the world, but no one ever knew. Know what I mean, Tiger?"
Xander nodded slightly. When he spoke, his voice sounded like Jude's tires on the parking lot. "It's the mouth of hell."
"Hey, Silent Bob speaks." Jude grinned at him. "Mouth of hell, huh? Take it you're not much of a Hole fan, then." She glanced over his bare chest. "‘Course, just about looks like you'd be the one to know."
Xander blinked at her. She wasn't talking exceptionally quickly, but he found it hard to follow her when she spoke. Like a bunch of other noises were all battling for his attention. "I lived here."
Jude's eyes shot sideways to where Amelia was sitting. Xander tensed sharply. "A native. We haven't had a native come through in years."
Amelia tilted her head at him. "What's your name, tiger?"
"Xander."
They shared another glance, and Xander tensed again, shifting his weight. He could feel his staff move across his back, and was somehow reassured. He glanced out over the parking lot. Secret center of the universe, huh?
Amelia was leaning forward, now, peering at him. He caught her glance and shrank away slightly. "Easy, Tiger. It's gonna be alright. I called Mr. Giles for ya. Just wanted to make sure of who you were."
Xander choked slightly on his grilled cheese, and spent several long moments coughing. Memory- whispers rattled through his ears, sounds of screams and gunshots and things catching fire. He closed his eye and struggled to take a breath.
"Told you to slow down on that thing."
Xander shook his head again. He'd been thinking he needed to contact Giles, himself, but the moment the woman had said his name, he'd felt a blast of panic run through him. "What's going on?"
This time Jude leaned toward him. He flinched. She smiled, slowing her movements. Her voice was low. "We come in peace, dude. ‘Melia and I are slayers, we'll take care of you. I know you're spooked, now, but it's going to be alright."
Xander shook his head, his eye darting from one to the other of them. "How do you know me?"
"We've met, actually. About three years ago." Amelia smiled, sadly. "It's June 11, by the way. Um, 2007. You've been gone a little more than a year."
Xander gaped at her, then belatedly swallowed a mouthful of grilled cheese. He felt sick. His hand rubbed at his arm again. The air conditioning rattled through his head and battered at his skin like a wall of sound. He bit down on a giggle that tried to escape as the two slayers stared at him. Jude frowned. He swallowed convulsively, his hand now squeezing hard against his biceps as it rubbed. Amelia sat back, slightly. Jude reached out a hand.
"Hey, dude, it's okay. You're okay now."
Amelia shook her head at Jude. "We should give you a minute. Giles said they're sending someone right on over for you, so just try to relax. I put a shirt in the bathroom for you, if you want to go clean up a little, okay?"
Xander squeezed his eye shut. His upper body had started to rock. He nodded, having only barely listened to what Amelia was saying.
The last thing he remembered was being in Johannesburg. It had been the very beginnings of summer, then, in the southern hemisphere. November. 2003.
He'd been missing a hell of a lot longer than a year.
<--{4}-->
And, oh, I'm never sleeping again, I'm sure.
Previous parts may be found here
"He's waking up." Jude leaned halfway across the table, glancing over her shoulder at Amelia, who was returning from the back office. "Get him some water, ‘Melia, and some of those potato skins."
"We're all out of skins, darlin', you know that."
"Then a grilled cheese. He's gonna be hungry."
Amelia nodded, then shuffled off to the empty kitchen to grill the sandwich. Jude leaned further across the table, trying to catch sight of her find.
"Dude, you awake?"
Xander blinked open his eye, but was greeted with only petrified gum. He shut his eye, shook his head slightly, then pushed himself up.
The diner was small, taking up half of the double-wide trailor of a building, and most of that was the kitchen. The other half was filled with dust covered souvenirs: bags of cheerios labeled "donut seeds", the obligatory paper weights with religious sayings engraved on them, and ashtrays decorated with a scenic overhead view of the sinkhole. He looked over at Jude, who smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"Welcome to the Hole, dude, Sunnydale's only remaining business. We're a small, close-knit community, that keeps to ourselves. We kicked Starbucks out last year."
Xander let his eye drift towards the window. He could only barely make out Sunnydale beyond the fence. He rubbed at his arm.
"Yeah, not too many people go into the Hole these days." Jude leaned back. "Just me and Amelia, mostly. You're the first other person we've seen all day."
Xander nodded slightly. Amelia approached with his water and sandwich, which Xander accepted with a faint smile. Amelia hooked a chair with her ankle and settled in for a chat.
"I'm Amelia." She held out her hand to shake. Xander, still rubbing his arm, looked at it for a bit too long before taking it. When he did, he winced at the sight of his scraped appendage against her smooth, pale one. "That's Jude. This is the Hole. That's about all you need to know."
Xander nodded again, and took a long drink of his water.
Jude shot a glance over at Amelia, who was studying Xander intently. She forced her voice to sound casual. "So, what brings you to Sunnydale, dude?"
Xander blinked at Jude, not quite comprehending the question. When he finally worked it out, he didn't know the answer, so he shrugged, stuffing half the grilled cheese into his maw as he did so. Amelia batted at his hand.
"Not so fast, there, tiger. You'll make yourself sick."
"It's all good," Jude folded her hands behind her head. "Most people around here don't know what they've come for, either. Me, I come for the quiet. This place is like no place else on earth."
"It does have its dark charm to it." Amelia nodded. There was a certain forced tone to her speech, like she was trying to lead him to a response. Both of them were tense. "I don't know what it is about this town, but it seems like something's there, even after it sank. It was like the ‘Dale was the secret center of the universe. Like every week there was a new fight for the fate of the world, but no one ever knew. Know what I mean, Tiger?"
Xander nodded slightly. When he spoke, his voice sounded like Jude's tires on the parking lot. "It's the mouth of hell."
"Hey, Silent Bob speaks." Jude grinned at him. "Mouth of hell, huh? Take it you're not much of a Hole fan, then." She glanced over his bare chest. "‘Course, just about looks like you'd be the one to know."
Xander blinked at her. She wasn't talking exceptionally quickly, but he found it hard to follow her when she spoke. Like a bunch of other noises were all battling for his attention. "I lived here."
Jude's eyes shot sideways to where Amelia was sitting. Xander tensed sharply. "A native. We haven't had a native come through in years."
Amelia tilted her head at him. "What's your name, tiger?"
"Xander."
They shared another glance, and Xander tensed again, shifting his weight. He could feel his staff move across his back, and was somehow reassured. He glanced out over the parking lot. Secret center of the universe, huh?
Amelia was leaning forward, now, peering at him. He caught her glance and shrank away slightly. "Easy, Tiger. It's gonna be alright. I called Mr. Giles for ya. Just wanted to make sure of who you were."
Xander choked slightly on his grilled cheese, and spent several long moments coughing. Memory- whispers rattled through his ears, sounds of screams and gunshots and things catching fire. He closed his eye and struggled to take a breath.
"Told you to slow down on that thing."
Xander shook his head again. He'd been thinking he needed to contact Giles, himself, but the moment the woman had said his name, he'd felt a blast of panic run through him. "What's going on?"
This time Jude leaned toward him. He flinched. She smiled, slowing her movements. Her voice was low. "We come in peace, dude. ‘Melia and I are slayers, we'll take care of you. I know you're spooked, now, but it's going to be alright."
Xander shook his head, his eye darting from one to the other of them. "How do you know me?"
"We've met, actually. About three years ago." Amelia smiled, sadly. "It's June 11, by the way. Um, 2007. You've been gone a little more than a year."
Xander gaped at her, then belatedly swallowed a mouthful of grilled cheese. He felt sick. His hand rubbed at his arm again. The air conditioning rattled through his head and battered at his skin like a wall of sound. He bit down on a giggle that tried to escape as the two slayers stared at him. Jude frowned. He swallowed convulsively, his hand now squeezing hard against his biceps as it rubbed. Amelia sat back, slightly. Jude reached out a hand.
"Hey, dude, it's okay. You're okay now."
Amelia shook her head at Jude. "We should give you a minute. Giles said they're sending someone right on over for you, so just try to relax. I put a shirt in the bathroom for you, if you want to go clean up a little, okay?"
Xander squeezed his eye shut. His upper body had started to rock. He nodded, having only barely listened to what Amelia was saying.
The last thing he remembered was being in Johannesburg. It had been the very beginnings of summer, then, in the southern hemisphere. November. 2003.
He'd been missing a hell of a lot longer than a year.
<--{4}-->
And, oh, I'm never sleeping again, I'm sure.