just_muse_me | 36.4. Groucho Marx quote
36.4. "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
- Groucho Marx
[Follows THIS]
The first hint Rory had that anything was wrong was when he drove up to the security gates of Juliette's home and was promptly swooped on by two security guards demanding to know what his purpose of being there was. Or rather, one security guard demanded it in French, and the other translated the French into broken English. At first, Rory had just blinked at them, really not following what the hell was going on. From the gates, he couldn't see the mansion at all and he tried to think back of any conversation where Juliette had told him some sort of security password, but nothing came to mind. In fact, their last conversation had been Rory telling her he would catch her later, and that was pretty much it. In the wake of their deep-n-meaningful conversation where the issue of his lost baby girl came up right along with him his confession that he wanted to be a father again, he needed a distraction. He needed to get drunk. He always needed to get drunk when he was forced to face the whole upsetting issue, and he really thought Juliette would realise that when he said he would catch her later. In fact, he distinctly remembered telling her he needed a drink. He didn't want to impose on her and bug her for days on end when she was busy, so he had just intended on sticking around the hotel for a wee while before he dropped back to see her.
Only now, he dropped back and it was like the guards didn't even recognise him. Or didn't want to recognise him. He knew they were the same guards who had been there the night he and Buffy arrived, though. Sure, they had waited to get confirmation that they were allowed to enter the grounds that night, but they eventually got there and Juliette had greeted them at the door. The hospitality had been astounding, save for when Juliette threatened Buffy... which was just more hot to Rory than anything else. But this was just weird, and after a verbal sparring match where he insisted Juliette was expecting him, he ended up reflexively getting out of his car to try and reason with them, or even call Juliette to get her to explain. He just never planned to have a faceful of gun barrels as a result. As soon as he was out of the car, six other guards appeared and they all drew their handguns on him. Rory almost crapped himself. "Oh, you've got to be fecking kidding me!" he cried in exasperation and just gaped at them all. "She fecking invited me here!" He was confused as all hell, but with that many weapons pointed at him on the property of one of the most powerful vampires in Europe, he wasn't going to waste too much time protesting. He soon just held up his hands in surrender, frowning in deep confusion as he got back into his truck. "Aye, okay... I'm going. What-fecking-ever..."
It was even more unnerving when they just kept aim at him as he started his truck and backed down the driveway again. They seemed to only back down when Rory was safely heading off the premises, and as he did, all he could think in his mind over and over again was 'What the fuck?' Of course, he was wondering if this had anything to do with Blaise's visit to Riley that afternoon. It seemed awfully coincidental, and if the Kindred Prince had sensed that Buffy had slept with both with Rory and her ex, chances were he was well pissed. But it wasn't like Rory really knew much about the situation. He had kept himself scarce, and preferred it that way. For all he knew, Blaise had taken Buffy's soldier out in a jealous rage, and now anyone remotely linked to Buffy was forbidden. Still, it seemed extreme and he didn't peg Blaise to be that reckless. It was highly unlikely he would let jealousy lower him to something like that. But no matter how Rory tried to look at it, he couldn't find any sound solution as to why he wouldn't be allowed to see Juliette. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. In fact, he got far enough away from the estate to not let them all think he was being a continued threat, and pulled over to the side of the road. He plucked his mobile phone up from the compartment under the stereo and brought Juliette's number up.
He hesitated before he hit the call button. There was no avoiding a sensation now that he had found himself at gunpoint upon Juliette's request. Perhaps not specifically a request to shoot him, but to keep him away from her... and from Blaise, most likely. Rory just didn't know why and the whole thing seemed screwed up. He growled in frustration when he got her voicemail and sighed when it beeped. "Aye, look... it's me. I dinnae know what the feck is going on, but I just dropped by to see you and nearly ended up with a mouthful of gun barrel and an arseful of lead. Do I get to buy a vowel here? Phone a fecking friend? I thought things were cool with us, but obviously nay. All you had to do was fecking tell me if you didnae want me anywhere near you. I would've respected your wishes. I just... I dinnae know. Whatever. I'm over it." He ended the call in annoyance and chucked the phone on the passenger's seat. He was pissed off about the whole thing. He had come all the way to Paris to see her, and now this? He wasn't sure why he even bothered. Was it a crime to come with baggage? And if it was, why the hell did she even ask him to come? She had been more than aware he didn't exactly come with a squeaky clean history. But right now, he had more pressing issues at hand. He was actually busting for a piss, and had hoped he could utilise one of Juliette's crappers when he arrived, only those plans didn't exactly come to fruition, did they?
Rory was never going to regret stopping on the side of the road for a slash more in his whole life than he would come to that night. It was dark, obviously. That would be a positive due to the fact he was actually going to drop in on a vampire for a booty call. Only, he knew that it hadn't really been a booty call. He was going to just drop in on her and hang out for awhile because he hadn’t seen her in a few days and he was actually missing her. Despite his confusion over the whole situation, and confusion over life, he still thought she was a pretty cool chick and he enjoyed her company. The whole getting drunk with Buffy had been fun, and afforded him a bit of a distraction that he needed, but that’s all it was and the hangover made him regret it like hell anyway. He had literally spent the whole following day spewing before Buffy turned back up at the hotel and told him they weren’t staying there anymore. The friend they could stay with that would save them some money. That’s all Rory needed to know. He was a Scotsman, after all, he could be a tight arse with the best of them when it came to his hard earned cash. If only she fucking let him in on the little fact that the ‘friend’ was actually an ex with a colourful past. Awkward as all freaking hell that had been.
Nevertheless, Rory inevitably found himself needing to steer clear of Sergeant Finn’s digs for awhile when he just didn’t want to get caught up in other peoples’ life complications. He had enough of his own and he was happy to not stick is nose in Buffy’s. Not directly, anyway. It wouldn’t stop him pumping her for information eventually. Sergeant Finn was all with the knowing Kindred and phosphorus bullets. There was more to this little tale than anyone was letting on, and Rory couldn’t help if he was just a naturally curious lad by nature.
He just didn’t like to be curious when he was minding his own business, which is exactly what he was doing when he pulled over on the side of the road to call Juliette and take a wiz. It was only supposed to be a quick. Out of this truck, then back in again. It was too fucking cold to stand there with his willy exposed for too long anyway. There was a noise in the bushes, and he really should have just ignored it, finished peeing, and got back in his truck to keep heading back into the city... maybe even keep heading back home to Scotland. That fact was extremely tempting considering this latest turn of events. But no. His Hunter senses piqued, and he quickly tucked himself back into it jocks and to go and investigate what it was.
It was probably lucky there were only three of them, but they had him down on the ground kicking into him to try and incapacitate him. When he tried to pull the knife from his boot on them, and it had absolutely no affect, so he knew he was dealing with vampires. In fact, they just laughed at him, the effort enflaming their urge to destroy him even more. His next attempt was a stake, thanks to Buffy and her insistence it was a vital weapon to keep on him, but he barely managed to get it into one of them and when that only served to knock the guy over briefly, he knew he had Kindred in his midst. Brujah, most like, considering how vicious they were from the get-go. Unless it was a faction deciding Juliette Rory to be taken care of more succinctly than just ordering him off her premises. Three against one, though. He fought the best he could, but there was no stopping it. He got himself beaten up, knocked out and drained; his throat, chest and arm bitten into simultaneously by the three monsters.
The terrifying part was, he was only moments away from being Embraced. He could hear them sneering about it and there was this terrifying internal pull as he slipped closer and closer to unconsciousness. The last thing he was aware of through the crushing pain was gunshots. At least, they sounded like gunshots. Maybe they were just his head exploding, right before a heavy weight engulfed him and the lack of blood claimed his consciousness completely.
Word Count | 1,798
- Groucho Marx
[Follows THIS]
The first hint Rory had that anything was wrong was when he drove up to the security gates of Juliette's home and was promptly swooped on by two security guards demanding to know what his purpose of being there was. Or rather, one security guard demanded it in French, and the other translated the French into broken English. At first, Rory had just blinked at them, really not following what the hell was going on. From the gates, he couldn't see the mansion at all and he tried to think back of any conversation where Juliette had told him some sort of security password, but nothing came to mind. In fact, their last conversation had been Rory telling her he would catch her later, and that was pretty much it. In the wake of their deep-n-meaningful conversation where the issue of his lost baby girl came up right along with him his confession that he wanted to be a father again, he needed a distraction. He needed to get drunk. He always needed to get drunk when he was forced to face the whole upsetting issue, and he really thought Juliette would realise that when he said he would catch her later. In fact, he distinctly remembered telling her he needed a drink. He didn't want to impose on her and bug her for days on end when she was busy, so he had just intended on sticking around the hotel for a wee while before he dropped back to see her.
Only now, he dropped back and it was like the guards didn't even recognise him. Or didn't want to recognise him. He knew they were the same guards who had been there the night he and Buffy arrived, though. Sure, they had waited to get confirmation that they were allowed to enter the grounds that night, but they eventually got there and Juliette had greeted them at the door. The hospitality had been astounding, save for when Juliette threatened Buffy... which was just more hot to Rory than anything else. But this was just weird, and after a verbal sparring match where he insisted Juliette was expecting him, he ended up reflexively getting out of his car to try and reason with them, or even call Juliette to get her to explain. He just never planned to have a faceful of gun barrels as a result. As soon as he was out of the car, six other guards appeared and they all drew their handguns on him. Rory almost crapped himself. "Oh, you've got to be fecking kidding me!" he cried in exasperation and just gaped at them all. "She fecking invited me here!" He was confused as all hell, but with that many weapons pointed at him on the property of one of the most powerful vampires in Europe, he wasn't going to waste too much time protesting. He soon just held up his hands in surrender, frowning in deep confusion as he got back into his truck. "Aye, okay... I'm going. What-fecking-ever..."
It was even more unnerving when they just kept aim at him as he started his truck and backed down the driveway again. They seemed to only back down when Rory was safely heading off the premises, and as he did, all he could think in his mind over and over again was 'What the fuck?' Of course, he was wondering if this had anything to do with Blaise's visit to Riley that afternoon. It seemed awfully coincidental, and if the Kindred Prince had sensed that Buffy had slept with both with Rory and her ex, chances were he was well pissed. But it wasn't like Rory really knew much about the situation. He had kept himself scarce, and preferred it that way. For all he knew, Blaise had taken Buffy's soldier out in a jealous rage, and now anyone remotely linked to Buffy was forbidden. Still, it seemed extreme and he didn't peg Blaise to be that reckless. It was highly unlikely he would let jealousy lower him to something like that. But no matter how Rory tried to look at it, he couldn't find any sound solution as to why he wouldn't be allowed to see Juliette. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. In fact, he got far enough away from the estate to not let them all think he was being a continued threat, and pulled over to the side of the road. He plucked his mobile phone up from the compartment under the stereo and brought Juliette's number up.
He hesitated before he hit the call button. There was no avoiding a sensation now that he had found himself at gunpoint upon Juliette's request. Perhaps not specifically a request to shoot him, but to keep him away from her... and from Blaise, most likely. Rory just didn't know why and the whole thing seemed screwed up. He growled in frustration when he got her voicemail and sighed when it beeped. "Aye, look... it's me. I dinnae know what the feck is going on, but I just dropped by to see you and nearly ended up with a mouthful of gun barrel and an arseful of lead. Do I get to buy a vowel here? Phone a fecking friend? I thought things were cool with us, but obviously nay. All you had to do was fecking tell me if you didnae want me anywhere near you. I would've respected your wishes. I just... I dinnae know. Whatever. I'm over it." He ended the call in annoyance and chucked the phone on the passenger's seat. He was pissed off about the whole thing. He had come all the way to Paris to see her, and now this? He wasn't sure why he even bothered. Was it a crime to come with baggage? And if it was, why the hell did she even ask him to come? She had been more than aware he didn't exactly come with a squeaky clean history. But right now, he had more pressing issues at hand. He was actually busting for a piss, and had hoped he could utilise one of Juliette's crappers when he arrived, only those plans didn't exactly come to fruition, did they?
Rory was never going to regret stopping on the side of the road for a slash more in his whole life than he would come to that night. It was dark, obviously. That would be a positive due to the fact he was actually going to drop in on a vampire for a booty call. Only, he knew that it hadn't really been a booty call. He was going to just drop in on her and hang out for awhile because he hadn’t seen her in a few days and he was actually missing her. Despite his confusion over the whole situation, and confusion over life, he still thought she was a pretty cool chick and he enjoyed her company. The whole getting drunk with Buffy had been fun, and afforded him a bit of a distraction that he needed, but that’s all it was and the hangover made him regret it like hell anyway. He had literally spent the whole following day spewing before Buffy turned back up at the hotel and told him they weren’t staying there anymore. The friend they could stay with that would save them some money. That’s all Rory needed to know. He was a Scotsman, after all, he could be a tight arse with the best of them when it came to his hard earned cash. If only she fucking let him in on the little fact that the ‘friend’ was actually an ex with a colourful past. Awkward as all freaking hell that had been.
Nevertheless, Rory inevitably found himself needing to steer clear of Sergeant Finn’s digs for awhile when he just didn’t want to get caught up in other peoples’ life complications. He had enough of his own and he was happy to not stick is nose in Buffy’s. Not directly, anyway. It wouldn’t stop him pumping her for information eventually. Sergeant Finn was all with the knowing Kindred and phosphorus bullets. There was more to this little tale than anyone was letting on, and Rory couldn’t help if he was just a naturally curious lad by nature.
He just didn’t like to be curious when he was minding his own business, which is exactly what he was doing when he pulled over on the side of the road to call Juliette and take a wiz. It was only supposed to be a quick. Out of this truck, then back in again. It was too fucking cold to stand there with his willy exposed for too long anyway. There was a noise in the bushes, and he really should have just ignored it, finished peeing, and got back in his truck to keep heading back into the city... maybe even keep heading back home to Scotland. That fact was extremely tempting considering this latest turn of events. But no. His Hunter senses piqued, and he quickly tucked himself back into it jocks and to go and investigate what it was.
It was probably lucky there were only three of them, but they had him down on the ground kicking into him to try and incapacitate him. When he tried to pull the knife from his boot on them, and it had absolutely no affect, so he knew he was dealing with vampires. In fact, they just laughed at him, the effort enflaming their urge to destroy him even more. His next attempt was a stake, thanks to Buffy and her insistence it was a vital weapon to keep on him, but he barely managed to get it into one of them and when that only served to knock the guy over briefly, he knew he had Kindred in his midst. Brujah, most like, considering how vicious they were from the get-go. Unless it was a faction deciding Juliette Rory to be taken care of more succinctly than just ordering him off her premises. Three against one, though. He fought the best he could, but there was no stopping it. He got himself beaten up, knocked out and drained; his throat, chest and arm bitten into simultaneously by the three monsters.
The terrifying part was, he was only moments away from being Embraced. He could hear them sneering about it and there was this terrifying internal pull as he slipped closer and closer to unconsciousness. The last thing he was aware of through the crushing pain was gunshots. At least, they sounded like gunshots. Maybe they were just his head exploding, right before a heavy weight engulfed him and the lack of blood claimed his consciousness completely.
Word Count | 1,798