needsaparrot | Motel De Cheap, Angel Grove CA, Illegally Early Friday Morning

Xander woke up earlier than he normally would on the morning after Operation Please Don't Arrest Us. It could be something about motel rooms that set his traveling-with-a-slayer clock going, but it was mostly the empty bed. Empty room: no packing sounds, no shower noises, no lights turned on, and what little light there was outside was barely sneaking through the curtains.

He scrubbed his hair out of his face, clicked the bedside lamp on, and spotted the note on the table.

"Son of a..."

He reached for his phone, glad that speed dial #1 meant he didn't have to fumble with buttons, though the time-delay might have prevented his first words on pickup from being, "Where the hell are you?" Followed immediately by, "You okay?"

Bridge	"Hey," Bridge says, trying his best to sound casual. He'd pretty much been expecting Xander to call, note or no note. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."
Xander	"Right, because that ever works." Xander shakes his head. "Did you find Z? Where are you?"
Bridge	Well, it was worth a try. "Not yet," he says, the frustration evident in his tone. "I'm on a bus leaving Stone Canyon. That's just outside Angel Grove."
Xander	"You're on a bus." Which would make catching up to him a problem even if they had a car. Which, thanks to portal-travel, they didn't.
Bridge	"It's a lot harder to track people when you're in a moving vehicle that you're not actually driving," Bridge informs Xander. "But I wasn't about to steal a car and you can't exactly rent one when you're legally not even four years old."
Xander	"Or at five in the morning." He could rent one, possibly, if there's even a Xander Harris in this dimension, but Xander can see why Bridge wouldn't want to wait for that if there's a trail that could go cold. "I still don't like the idea of leaving you two here. What if something happens?"
Bridge	"There's a reason you're number one on my speed dial, you know. If something happens, I'll call," Bridge promises. "It's just- Z's in trouble and I need to do this for her. But I also need you and the others to be safe, okay? Please?"
Xander	"What d'you mean safe? You're not exactly talking me down from worrying about you* here."*
Bridge	"We spent yesterday breaking into a top secret facility," Bridge points out. "There's probably security footage. What if they track you guys down and lock you up and I never see you again?"
Xander	"Luke would make them forget they saw us." What he doesn't say, what he's glad Bridge can't read over a phone connection, is What if I take another damn portal away from you and never see you again? It's true but not fair, and he kind of hates being old enough to recognize that. Xander sighs. "You really think this is better? You got a better chance of finding her or talking her into coming back or whatever, without us there?"
Bridge	"I really do." Bridge says. "I understand why she left, and I'm hoping I can make her understand why she can come back. I'll call every day till we're back if you want me to."
Xander	"I really do." Xander has only a vague inkling of what's going on, and he's not thrilled about that either, but he gets it. "Be careful. Please."
Bridge	"I will," Bridge replies. "To both the calling and the being careful."
Xander	"If you want to talk about it--" Xander's not going to push him, not now. "I'll be here."
Bridge	"I know," Bridge says. "And- I love you for that." He still needs a little time, and besides, this is the sort of thing he needs to talk about in person, not over the phone.
Xander	"And here I thought it was just for my Twinkie-laying skills. Not dirty." Xander glances at the clock-radio and notes that there's still a couple hours until their scheduled portal, assuming it shows up on time. Still. "I'll go let the others know."
Bridge	"Well, those too," Bridge replies. "Thanks. I know they're probably not gonna be too happy- I know you're not happy with it, but I need to do this on my own."
Xander	"I hope you're right."

Once they'd said their goodbyes, Xander took a moment to splash some water on his face and take care of various eye things you really don't need to read about, before walking over to knock on Luke and Anders's door.

Anders	Anders still had one eye closed and the other one mostly kind of out to lunch (or, well, breakfast) when he shuffled over to the door to open it. "'s too early for this, Harris."
Xander	"Z took off," Xander said brusquely. "Bridge went after her. He wants us to head back without them." His tone and expression didn't leave a lot of mystery about how much he liked that idea.
Anders	Funny how Anders's expression matched his as soon as he took that in. "The hell we are!"
Xander	"I'm on that page, trust me. But he's really set on this. "
Anders	"Why?" asked Anders, tangling a hand up in his sleep-tousled hair. "I'm really not thrilled about this idea . . . what if they need help?"
Xander	"He says he'll call if it comes to that." Xander leaned against the doorframe. "I don't know what they found out, but it was enough to mess Z up pretty bad." He didn't voice his worry that maybe it wasn't just her; he figured he didn't need to.
Anders	He didn't, at that; Anders's shoulders sagged and he exhaled slowly. "Not a good sign. I don't know if I want to leave without them, knowing that."
Xander	"I don't want to either." Xander shook his head and mirrored the slow breath. "But I trust Bridge."
Luke	Luke's tousled head poked out from under Anders' arm. "And Z's not going to be found if she doesn't want to be," he said quietly.
Xander	Xander nodded. "I think he's afraid if the whole gang comes chasing after her, she'll just disappear. Whatever they found out, it's about both of them, so he might have the best chance of getting her to listen."
Luke	"And if not, we'll give him, what, twenty-four hours? and bring the whole gang anyway," Luke decided.
Anders	"I'm on board with that plan," Anders agreed, "but we should give Bridge the chance at least."
Luke	Luke had worked with many a sketchier plan, so he smiled and nodded. "And if he can't talk her around in a day, he might appreciate the help."
Xander	"He said he'd check in every day 'til he finds her, so I guess we'll know when we know." Xander clearly still wasn't thrilled about said plan, but he was at least resigned to it. "And we catch our portal back out of here on schedule, which means you guys still have a little time to crash again; just wanted to let you know what was going on."
Luke	Luke gave him an "oh, please," look. "We're not going back to sleep."
Xander	Xander ducked his head. "Yeah, I was planning to pack in a good hour or so of worrying," he admitted. "Just offering the denial option if you wanted it."
Anders	"Not an option," Anders said decisively. Personally, he planned to spend that hour out in the motel parking lot smoking. He figured it was justified.
Xander	"There could be the breakfast option with bacon and worry on the side. I think I saw a juice bar on the way here."
Anders	Anders rubbed at his face. "The one with the gym attached to it? What a weird combination."
Xander	Oh, California. "...Okay, possibly a side-order of organic worry."