Written for the 2018 Marvelously Magical Fanfiction Bingo challenge
Square: B2 / Prompt: Soulmates

FYI: I am not really very familiar with the comic canon for Robbie's version of the Ghost Rider, so I focused on TV canon instead...as well as a whole bunch of personal headcanon. After all, that's one of the joys of fanfiction, isn't it? LOL! :)

Fire and Magic

Prologue - (Chapter 1 of 5)

The Rider was restless, which meant that Robbie was not able to relax, either. He made sure that Gabe was asleep, though, before he slipped into his leather jacket, and quietly exited out of the house and onto the street. The Rider did not seem to have an intended target yet, so Robbie had no particular destination in mind. Therefore, he did not even bother to pull the car out of the garage. Instead, some instinct told him to set out on foot…and so he did. Then, just as he neared an alleyway, he heard a loud-sounding crack which was followed by female voices.

One woman's voice, in what he thought was an English accent, particularly caught his attention. However, even with the Rider's enhanced hearing, he could only make out bits of what she was saying: "Luna," "obviously not the Redwood Forest," "strange city in the middle of the night," "side-apparation," and the most confusing of all, "no hooked winged Doxie Limpets here."

He did not know what in the hell the woman was talking about, but the gentle voice – even couched in a considerable amount of irritation - continued and something about it made Robbie pay attention. Maybe it was because the Rider seemed intent upon listening to the conversation, as well. At any rate, the very sound of the woman's voice gave him goosebumps for some reason. It was…nice…and so he stood just out of sight and listened for a while. It soon became clear to him that the two women were lost – especially when the other one said something about "checking the directions."

He realized then that he should probably offer his assistance…after all, this was LA and it just was not safe for two women to be out on the street alone at night. However, before he could approach them, he was alerted to the fact that he was not the only one who knew the women were there. Via the Rider, he could also tell that the other men who were closing in had something very different than helping on their minds. Robbie then quickly closed the distance to the women and saw them for the first time. The delicate blonde and lively-haired brunette had moved out of the alleyway and seemed to be studying a sheet of unusual-looking paper under the light of the overhead streetlamp – even though they both stopped and looked up in concern at his arrival.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the blond smile mysteriously at him. However, for some reason, both his and the Rider's attention zoomed in on the brunette and at the stick that was now in her hand, instead. Had she been holding that before? Robbie wondered even as he guessed that she was planning to use it as a weapon. He knew, though, that it would not be of any use against the brutal…the Rider reached out to count the minds…foursome that rapidly approached.

"Run!" He urgently told the young women without preamble. "You're in danger. Get out of here - quickly!" The brunette's eyes bore into his, then – just for an instant. At the contact, all of the nerves in his body seemed to twang simultaneously and a thrill shot through him as some kind of connection was forged between them at that moment. He also somehow realized that she was thinking about staying and fighting by his side against whatever danger approached. He could not let that happen, though, because he did not want her or her companion to see what was going to transpire next. They could not see the Rider in action. Therefore, he spoke to them again. "Go! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. They are not after me," he told them honestly.

With those words, the pretty brunette seemed to realize what he meant and she looked at the other girl, the ethereal blonde one who looked like a strong breeze would blow her away. In that moment, Robbie could tell that the darker-haired woman, who was causing such a strange reaction in him, was far more worried for her friend than for herself. She seemed to make a decision, then, and he could see her mouth the words, "Thank you!" before she turned around and pulled her friend back down the bend in the alley.

As they left, he could just make out the blonde woman's voice say, "Oh, don't worry. You will definitely see him again…" What he did not hear, however, was the end of her sentence after they had apparated away and landed, which was, "After all, he is your soulmate!" Nor did he get to hear the brunette's startled and dumbfounded response to such an unexpected piece of information - which was basically a strangled-sounding, "W...what?"

All he heard instead was another strange loud crack that echoed in the alley just a second or two after the women had disappeared. After his own sigh of relief at their escape, the only sound to be heard then was the pounding of boots behind him. Robbie turned around to face the approaching men. With the Rider's help, he could feel the desire for sex and violence in their minds and he also saw the plans that they had for the women they had heard in the alleyway. Fury washed over him at the thought of that lovely woman and her friend at their hands, and at that moment, he knew the men had to be dealt with. He slowly gathered up a dog chain that had been discarded nearby. It was not as large and sturdy as he would have liked, but it would serve his purpose anyway. Then he opened his mind and let the Rider take over. The flames engulfed both him and the chain...and the sounds of gunshots and screams soon filled the still night air. The next day, four more painted tally marks were added to the Ghost Rider mural.

After that night, Robbie often thought about the mysterious dark-haired woman and his (and the Rider's) unusual reaction to her. He wondered where she had come from…and where she had gone, but was eventually resigned to the fact that he would never find out.

He did not realize just how wrong he was about that.