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summer_of_giles2012-06-15 11:26 pm
Fic: YellowBrickRoad
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: General, hints at Buffy/Giles
Rating: R for strong language and violence
Setting: Season 5 AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: On a camping trip, the Scoobies stumble upon a hidden hiking trail, named YellowBrickRoad, with a weird backstory to it. Once they trek down the trail, nothing is as it seems.
Note: So this based (the concept) on a movie with the same title as this fic. Anyways, I have no idea how long this will be and this chapter is basically the establishing chapter. I would've expanded on it, but seeing as how I'm running outta time to post this will have to do.
Giles smiled as he listened to the playful bickering in the SUV he had rented for their trip. A few months ago, he had overheard the Scoobies talking about a weekend camping trip at some point and suggested a weekend of camping and hiking away from the Hellmouth. After looking at places and working around everyone's schedules, the four had packed up in the Expedition Giles had rented and made their way to the are they would spending the weened.
“Do we really have to listen to this crap?” Xander asked from the back, leaning up into the front and staring at Giles. “I’m all for rock music but…no one listens to classic rock anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter what’s on the radio, Xand. We’re here,” Buffy said as she playfully shoved him out of the front.
Giles pulled to a stop in front of the trail the group was going to hike. He looked out the window at the vast expanse of trees while the others got out of the vehicle and began unpacking, their laughter drowning out the faint bird chirps coming from the woods. When he had been looking for places for their weekend getaway, this was the only one he could find that was the most suitable for their needs- hiking trails, clearings for a campsite, little to no animal attacks…the only thing about the area that bothered the Watcher was the low number of campers and hikers. But, then again, this place was completely out of the way. So much so that they had nearly gotten lost several times and almost missed the turnoff to the grassy area they were parked at now.
The older man jumped slightly in his seat when Willow appeared in front of him, a sheepish smile coming to her face when she realized she had scared him. “Sorry, Giles.” She said on the other side of the window.
“It’s alright, Willow.” He smiled as he got out of the Expedition finally. “Is everything unpacked?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you.” Buffy mumbled as she tossed him his gear. “What took you so long getting out of the car?”
“I was just surveying the area.”
“From the car?”
“Don’t question the G-Man, Buff.” Xander grinned as he wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders. “I got your back, big guy.”
The Watcher just glared at the young man before shouldering his pack and heading towards the start of the trail. He pocketed the SUV’s keys once he made sure it was locked and turned to watch as his three young friends walked over to him, Willow bringing up the rear as she scribbled something in a notebook.
“What’s that, Will?” Buffy asked as the red head put away the notebook.
“Oh. Nothing really. I just thought it might be a good idea to track how many miles we walk and the times we stop to make camp.” She explained. “That way we know how long it takes us to walk from point to point because, hey, you never know when that kind of information might be important.”
Xander chuckled and wrapped his arm around Willow’s shoulder, saying something that Giles couldn’t hear as Buffy began talking next to him. He shook his head and turned to face his slayer, trying to focus on what Buffy was saying. He was finally able to realize what she was talking about when the other two Scoobies walked up to them, Xander slowly beginning to walk into the woods.
“So how long are we walking for?” Willow asked as they followed Xander, Buffy running up to keep him company.
“Until the sun starts going down. It won’t be safe for us to try to walk the trail in the dark.” Giles answered, looking over at Willow. “And since we have four days, we’ll start heading back towards the car on Sunday.”
She just nodded and fell into easy conversation with the watcher as they walked along the trail. They walked for thirty minutes, joking and laughing, before pausing in a small clearing to catch their breath and have a water break. Giles grabbed his water from his pack, dropping the pack to the ground and leaning against a tree. Willow sat on her pack and took a drink of her water, continuing her conversation with Xander as Buffy walked over to Giles. She nudged his shoulder as she looked around the area.
“This is actually really nice,” she said. “I didn’t think hiking was a good idea for the camping trip but…”
Giles laughed as she shrugged. His eyes followed Xander as the young man walked around the area, disappearing into the trees for a moment. A few moments later, he came back out and grinned at his friends.
“Who’s up for walking down a hidden trail?” he asked, gesturing behind him with his head.
“What do you mean?” Buffy asked, grabbing her pack and walking towards her friend.
“I found this trail back there, and…I think it’d be interesting to walk that.”
Willow and Giles grabbed their packs and walked over as well, following Xander as he led them to the trail he had found. The Watcher walked to the beginning of the trail and noticed how unused it looked. Either the trail had been forgotten by hikers and campers, or it was unused due to safety reasons. Something to the right of their group caught his eye. Without saying a word, he walked over to the small slab of concrete and knelt down, brushing leaves and dirt off the top.
“That’s…interesting.” He looked over his shoulder to see his Slayer standing behind him.
“What does YellowBrickRoad mean?” Willow asked from Giles’ other side.
“No way…” Xander said in awe, kneeling on the other side of the slab and smiling softly. “You guys know about this, right?”
When the three of them just looked blankly at him, a goofy grin came across the young man’s face.
“You mean, for once I’m the knowledge guy here? Is the end of the world coming soon or something because I’m never knowledge guy. Let’s just take this minute to bask in the moment…”
“Xander, just tell us what the hell this is.” Buffy cut him off.
“Oh, right. Well about seventy years ago a town nearby this trail just up and abandoned their homes, walking along a trail that they called YellowBrickRoad. I don’t know how, but the military found out about this disappearing town and sent a search party for the citizens.” He explained as he stood up, looking over his shoulder and down the beginning of the trail.
“Did they find them?”
“Kind of. They found some of them frozen to death, and others were mysterious slaughtered and ripped limb from limb.” He continued. “And the rest of the town, they never found.”
“You’re making that up,” Willow said, following Xander as he slowly began walking down the trail.
“I am not! Look it up,” he defended. “It actually happened.”
“How did you hear about it?” Buffy asked, following her friends.
“I get bored over the years and look up random things. I stumbled upon that story a few years back and…it fascinated me.” He shrugged. “So it’s been a little side research project for me.”
Giles shook his head as he listened to the three of them talk, Willow and Buffy giving Xander a hard time. He chuckled as Xander grumbled about the teasing, following the Scoobies down the new trail.
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This chapter was a nice establishing shot to set the scene for us, but we need more! My curiosity is piqued, and this story seems like it could be both creepy and amusing... and don't think I didn't notice the hint of B/G that you snuck into the summary! *waggles eyebrows*
Nice start, I'll be looking forward to reading more!
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Thanks for reviewing.
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