milliways_bar | (no subject)

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(no subject)

There's a Watcher in the bar.

Specifically, there's an Andrew Wells in the bar, seated in a booth not far from the fireplace. He's ostensibly making a list in his notepad, but right now he's staring into the fire without really seeing the flames or the serenely circling fish, pen resting forgotten on the page.

He's got stuff on his mind.

Any moment now he's going to notice that the tip of the pen's making a large blot and the list will have to be redone.

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Sam nods.

A breath.

"Jonathan found someone who thinks he can get him his afterlife back."

Instant tension spikes through him.

"How."

"I haven't got the details yet. I'm getting them before they do anything."

A pause.

"But he says he needs the murder weapon. The -- the knife. Which right now is somewhere in the crater that's all that's left of Sunnydale."

"That... doesn't sound good."

Understatement of the year, he thinks.

"Yeah."

He's not sure whether Sam means the murder weapon or the going back to Sunnycrater. Neither of them sounds all that good, if you think about it.

"So, uh... is there a substitute?"

Andrew blinks up at him. "A substitute?"

"For the knife?"

Surely Andrew can't be thinking to--

"... I don't know. I don't think so."

A beat.

"We're going there to find it. Me and Jonathan."

"Oh."

Sam broods over that for a few moments.

"Andrew. I don't -- are you sure you can -- "

"I have to try."

He meets Sam's gaze.

"You know I have to try."

It stops him.

"... yeah. I guess I do."

He draws a slow breath.

"Just do me a favor, okay? Watch your back."

"I will," he says. "That's why we're both going. In case there's still anything dangerous there."

Sam takes a second, but only that. He meets Andrew's eyes.

"You trust him?"

A pause.

Rather a long pause, for what should be a simple question.

"To guard my back if anything attacks us? Yeah."

Sam studies him for a few more seconds, then nods.

"If you're sure."

He bites his lip, studying Sam in turn.

Slowly: "You're thinking what if it turns out there's more to it than just getting the knife."

He nods again.

Andrew breathes out.

"Yeah." Quiet. "I thought of that too."

Indicating the notepad: "That's why I'm writing this."

"... maybe you should take someone else with you."

"What for?"

Sam stares at him.

"Andrew. Are you kidding me?"

"No," he says, "seriously, what for? To stop him?"

"Yeah, to stop him, if you think there's a chance -- "

He breaks off there in disbelief.

"You've already thought of that, haven't you."