Unknown Factors (Book One)

Ch.102: Mr. Sandman, bring us a dream

  Coming back to the table after washing my face and hands from the messy food I had eaten, I saw a man setting down a glass in front of Spike.

  "Uh, yeah....thanks. But, uh, not really my type, Mary. So, be a good lad and push off." The bleached-blond pushed the glass away, but the man remained where he stood. I plopped down next to Spike and stared at the man with dark brown hair that nearly reached his shoulders. He was staring right back, and Spike shifted in his seat. "What are you gawkin' at?"

  "People like you, whiling away their time in some cheesy downtown bar? Looks like someone's feeling kinda lost."

  "Is that right? Funny. Thought I knew exactly where we are. A place called The Flying Table."

  "You know....we really should talk."

  "You know, really not." Spike sighed, seeming a bit irritated. "I don't know what you're selling, but best you peddle your wares someplace else if you know what's good for you."

  "Spike, get any interesting mail lately?" The man asked, and both the vampire and I paused.

  "Who the bloody Hell are you?"

  "Your new best friend." He sat down across from us, grabbing the drink he had brought over with him.

  "You? You sayin' you're responsible for me bein' back?" Spike leaned on the table, and I studied the man further. He seemed normal enough, dressed and smelled clean, and smelled pretty human. "Sent that package with the de-ghosting mojo."

  "And?"

  "The amulet." And the man put his finger to his nose before pointing at the blond.

  "You mailed that thing to Wolfram & Hart?"

  "Couldn't leave your spirit trapped in a bottle at the bottom of a Hellmouth, could we?"

  "Who's 'we'?" I questioned, being rather suspicious of this stranger.

  "Come on, Aud. You must know there's a lot of folks out there that are interested in the both of you. Powerfully interested, one might-"

  "Enough with the cryptic, Butch." Spike cut the man off, grabbing his wrist before the human took a drink from his glass. "I wanna know who or what you are, what you want, and how fast I can snap your forearm before you answer."

  "You can call me Doyle." He replied, and I noticed a series of tattoos wrapping around his arm. "It's not what I want. It's what you want." Spike let him go, and the man rubbed his arm. "You got your life back now. What are you gonna do about it? Not only that, you got her in tow with you now, too."

  "Yeah, you definitely don't scream stranger danger." I said with sarcasm while getting to my feet.

  "Seems the lady's heard enough." Spike popped off, and the man stood to try and stop me.

  "Don't you want to know why you're in this dimension? You've both got a destiny."

  "Like the destiny that was supposed to be at the bottom of a cup of perpetual nothing?" The blond vampire said over his shoulder while walking next to me now, and I could hear the brunette right behind us over the music and chatter.

  "What? Just stop and listen-" I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I twisted around, grabbing the human by his throat to pin him against the wall.

  "If you know so much about us, you must know Aud could snap your neck like a toothpick without even tryin'. And, uh, neither of us are too fond of being played."