A Day At the Beach

by Samantha Melissa Gold

Disclaimer: I don't own them! They belong to Joss and co. and I promise I'll give them right back as soon as I'm done! .Though I may keep Angel and Spike around for a bit afterwards. I don't own the plot either; Bern does because it was her challenge. Oh and the songs aren't mine either. Not sure who owns them all, but it's not me. I'm assuming that Oscar Meyer owns the "Oscar Meyer Wiener" song and that Slinky owns the Slinky song. I think Gillette owns "Short Short Man," but I could be wrong. (I know it's on their CD "Forty Fingers"! .or its something like that.) But I don't have a clue as to who owns the other songs. All that matters it that I do not and I don't even claim to!
Distribution: Isa, Tarina, Christine, Cavlise, Rae, and my site, if they want it. All others must ask first.
Couples: Buffy/Angel, Faith/Spike (I'm not putting myself in this, sorry), Anya/Doyle, Willow/Tara, Cordelia/Xander, and Harmony/Riley
Spoilers: None, maybe really light season four
Setting: Alternate Reality, late Season Four
Classification: Pretty much pure, unabashed, comedic fluff
Summary: The whole Scooby Gang gets together for an interesting day at the beach (big surprise there, huh?) and they all have fun. How exciting! *Rolls eyes*
Rating: TV-14.I think
Author's Note: Harmony isn't a vamp in this and pretty much none of the actual season four happened.well, some of it did, but I'm just not going to mention it. And I don't know how to write the new Wesley yet. Sorry.
Second Author's Note: I'm not including the requirements because there's three pages worth, but if you really want them, you can e-mail me for them. (If you do this, though, you MUST send feedback! *G*) Oh, and no Pina Colada song. I don't know the words. *Shrug*
Feedback: Please? Come on, I'm sick and I just broke up with my boyfriend. AND I have an exam tomorrow. It's the least you can do!
Dedication: This is for Bern, who issued the challenge. Sorry it took me forever! Also to my mom because today's her birthday!


Buffy lay in Angel's arms. The two were cuddling on her bed together. The dorm was empty and the quiet was perfect. Buffy sat up and Angel observed her quietly.

Finally, he softly asked, "What is it?"

"I just thought of something," she murmured. "We need to go to the beach, all of us."

"The beach?" He echoed.

Buffy nodded. "We've never been to the beach, the whole gang together, and we really should. It'd be so much fun!"

"Slight problem with that," Angel told her. "Spike and I really aren't into becoming crisps."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "We'd go at night, silly!"

"Oh."

Buffy smiled. "I'm going to call everyone!" She exclaimed. "We're going tonight."

And with that, she picked up the phone and made her calls. After the last phone call, she said goodbye, hung up and turned to Angel.

"Okay, everyone's coming," she declared happily.

**********

"Come on, Spike! Get that butt of yours moving!"

"Calm the 'ell down, Slayer!" Spike retorted.

"We're going to be late," Faith insisted. "And seeing as I finally get a night off patrolling, I don't want to waste it waiting around for you to find your trunks."

Spike rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault," he shot back. "That someone can't remember where they bloody threw them, the last time I wore them."

"Well next time we're going to have sex you should know better than to wear your favourite pair," she retorted. "You're lucky I didn't rip them."

"You'd rip my red silk swimming trunks?" Spike asked in a small voice.

"Yes," Faith told him flatly. She sighed. "I found them, they were under the bed." She held them up as proof.

Spike grinned and Faith passed them to him.

He changed quickly into them, slipped on a white tee-shirt with the wording, "I went to Woodstock '63, did you?" across the back, then left the house with Faith, who was wearing a sheer black cover-up over a tiny black bikini.

They had just climbed into their car when Spike jumped up in a panic.

"What is it now?" Faith asked, beginning to get annoyed.

"Me marshmallows!" He cried. "Can't forget me marshmallows. Wouldn't be a damned bash without them!"

Faith rolled her eyes, but waited patiently - well, as patiently as possible - while Spike went into the house to retrieve them. He emerged from the house a few minutes later, holding them high above his head, a triumphant grin on his face.

***********

Anya pouted. "I don't see just why we have to go."

"Cause 'twill be fun, princess," Doyle sighed.

"But what about coition?" Anya tried.

Doyle grinned. "After," he promised. "I swear it!"

"Okay," Anya agreed with a smile. "Now which bathing suit should I wear?" She held up a red one-piece, a patterned tankini, a yellow bikini, and a blue one-piece with a giant hole that would bear her stomach.

Doyle thought for a few minutes. "Blue," he decided finally. "Now I'm a goin' ta go change, while ya get inta that."

"All right," she said, throwing the other three swimsuits onto the bed. Doyle went off to change into his trunks. "It's not going to be that Irish one again, though, right?" She called after him.

Doyle swore.

***********

Cordelia looked Xander up and down. "'I dated Smurfette', huh? .I always knew that cartoons were your first and only love," she teased.

Xander looked down at his white trunks that were adorned with tiny pictures of the only female Smurf and shrugged. "Merry Christmas to you too, Cor."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "It's not Christmas," she reminded him.

"You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I am," she affirmed, smiling.

Xander coughed. "Of course you are."

"Shut up!"

"What?"

Cordelia cried out in frustration. "Never mind!"

"Well, fine then," Xander said. "Did I mention that I hate you?"

"Who cares? I hate you too," she declared.

"Oh yeah?" Xander challenged, taking a step towards her.

"Yeah," she reaffirmed for him, stepping towards him, challengingly.

Suddenly they started kissing passionately. Groping, pulling at hair and clothing, the whole bit. Then they jumped apart.

"We've really got to stop doing that," Xander murmured.

Cordelia inquired, "Are you complaining?!"

"No, it's just that we're going to be late."

She looked at the clock. "Point taken," she murmured. "Let's go."

"Okay," he agreed. "Oh and Cor?"

"Yeah?"

"I like your suit," he told her, grabbing the bag of beach toys and what not.

She smiled. "More like you like the parts that aren't there," she muttered, glancing down at her teal and blue flashy, tiny bikini.

"Probably."

She swatted him and they left.

***********

"Are you ready?" Willow asked.

Tara nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, so can we go? I'm ready too," Willow replied.

"Um.okay. Do you think your friends like me?" Tara questioned, suddenly feeling insecure.

"They love you," Willow assured her. "I love you. It'll be great, don't worry."

"I love you too," Tara smiled shyly. "I like that green bikini on you."

Willow looked down at herself and beamed. "Thanks! I like yours too."

Tara studied herself in the mirror self-consciously. She was wearing a navy one-piece. "Do you?"

Willow nodded. "Yeah!"

Tara offered a small smile. "Thanks. Okay, we can go now."

"Great!"

************

"Mr. Giles, I'm not sure I understand exactly why we must join those children," Wesley sniffed.

Giles resisted the urge to roll his eyes heavenwards. "Because they are our friends?" He tried.

Wesley sighed. "All right then. I'll go get my Speedo."

Giles was on him with lightning speed. He grabbed Wesley by the arm. "You are not wearing a bloody Speedo." He informed him flatly.

Wesley looked shaken. "All - all right," he murmured. "I do have a pair of swimming trunks."

Giles nodded. "That's better."

They both went into different bathrooms to change. About fifteen minutes later, they both emerged - wearing identical black and red trunks and identical white and yellow t-shirts.

"Christ," Giles cursed.

"We can't go to the beach wearing exactly the same thing!" Wesley complained.

"We don't have a choice," he informed him. "We're already late."

"But - " Wesley began. Giles silenced him with a look. "All right," he finally conceded. "I like it better on me, though!"

This time, Giles did not resist the urge.

*********

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiley!!!" A familiar voice whined.

"Yes, my lilac beauty queen?" Riley replied.

"I can't find my swimsuit!" Harmony complained.

"Never fear," he cried. "Your army man is here! I'll find it for you!"

Harmony crossed her arms. "You'd better."

Riley got down on his hands and knees and began scourging around the floor, looking for Harmony's elusive bikinis. (Come on, does a girl like her even own another type of swimsuit?!)

"I can't find it," Riley confessed, after twenty minutes of searching.

"Then I hate you!" Harmony yelled as she threw herself on the bed, in a fit. "Ow!" She had landed on Riley's beach bag and his commando gun had jabbed into her side. The entire bag had also gone flying across the room from the force with which she had hit it.

The towels and other things within it were littered across the room.including all of Harmony's swimwear. Riley peeked out from underneath a pink one.

"Oops," was all he said.

Harmony flew into a rage. "Try to steal all my bathing suits, why don't you?!?!" She screamed. "I'm going to tell your mommy!"

Riley's eyes widened in horror. "What?!" He screeched. "No! No, you can't tell mommy! I won't let you!"

"Stop me!" She taunted.

"I will," he declared.

"How?"

He faltered. She smirked. He made puppy eyes. She stuck her tongue out. He looked like he was about to cry. She softened.

"Fine," she conceded. "I won't tell."

Riley brightened. "Thank you!"

Harmony rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered, picking up a yellow polka dot bikini off the lamp and changing into it. Then she rummaged through Riley's drawers and grabbed a pair of bright yellow swimming trunks. She threw them at him. "Wear these. We have to match."

Riley nodded and slipped into them. "Is that good?"

"Yeah." Harmony began laughing uncontrollably when she looked him over again. The trunks were covered with pictures of little lemons and they said, Pucker up, Baby in white lettering. Finally she got a hold of herself. "They'll do."

Riley shrugged. "Okay, let's go to the beach then."

"Fine, I'm driving," Harmony insisted.

Riley didn't argue.

**********

Buffy and Angel arrived at the beach to find an.interesting sight. They approached their friends cautiously and Angel began to wonder what he'd let Buffy talk him into.

"Damn it all! Why are ye all fightin' like this?" Doyle cried, from his position behind the camera.

"I deserve to be the star!" Harmony said. "I am the most beautiful!"

"No me!" Riley yelled, pushing his girlfriend out of the way. "Look, the camera loves me so much it's cracking!"

"Riley, that's generally not a good thing," Willow murmured, but no one was paying any attention to her.

"Look at me!" Xander yelled, jumping in front of the lens. He began swinging his bright orange Duncan yo-yo around. "I can do around the world! .oops!"

"Bloody Hell!" Spike yelled out as the yo-yo accidentally collided with the back of his head. "Watch where you're swinging that thing!"

Xander shrugged. "You should watch where you put your head, Dead Boy Jr."

"Ya bleeding wanker! I oughta - "

"You ought to what?" Xander taunted. "You've still got that chip in your head! You can't hurt me!"

"No, but I can!" Faith stated. "Be nice to my boyfriend or I'll go slayer on your ass!"

Spike grinned broadly when Xander sulked.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "God, Xander! Could you be any more of a loser?!"

Doyle decided to steer the camera away from that scene. He turned the camera to focus on Willow and Tara for the time being.

"Slinky, slinky, everyone loves a slinky!" Willow sang, slightly off-tune.

"Are those even the words?" Tara asked quietly.

Willow shrugged. "It's been forever, I don't know."

"Did someone say slinky?!" Xander's excited voice broke in, off-screen.

Doyle turned the camera to face Xander as Willow looked at him.

She raised her eyebrows. "I did, why?"

Xander beamed, "I brought one!" He began scourging through the beach bag he'd brought and his smile widened as he pulled out a pink and yellow slinky, that was a bit of an orange colour in the middle.

Faith snatched it from him and he pouted. "Let me see that," she said. She placed it in her hands and began lifting them at different times, marveling at how it went up and down, up and down. ".Weird," she murmured.

"Never seen a slinky before, Faith?" Buffy broke in finally, with a smile.

Everyone turned to look at the new arrivals. Buffy was wearing a short white beach robe over her bathing suit and Angel wore a white T-shirt and Batman trunks.

At everyone's questioning looks, he nonchalantly told them, "Buffy's idea of some kind of joke."

No one asked anything else.

"Sorry, if we're not all as clued into childhood toys," Faith responded to Buffy's earlier question. "Wasn't exactly part of the richest, happiest family back in Boston, if you know what I mean."

Buffy's smile fell. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "Look, Faith, I didn't mean it like that - "

"Forget it, B," Faith shrugged it off easily, and dropped the slinky into the sand. "It's no big."

"Doyle, um, nice clovers," Angel tried to change the subject.

"Thanks, man," he responded, switching off the video camera and turning to his friend.

Buffy burst into good-natured giggles. "Kiss it. It's Irish," she read, then laughed some more, pointing at the downward pointing arrow. "Oh, Doyle, you're too much!"

Anya placed a protective hand over Doyle's bare chest. "He's my 'too much'." She informed the Slayer.

Buffy just nodded and dropped her bag on the sand, before slipping out of her robe. She caught a glance at herself in Harmony's compact mirror, which was laying on the ground.

"Oh no! I look like a ho! I look like a ho!" She cried, referring to the tiny bright red bikini she was wearing.

"Hey, B! Nice suit! I never knew you had it in you to do slutty like that! Congratulations!" Faith hollered.

"Whoa!" Xander shouted. "Buffster! Uhhh.what Faith said, You look, uh, great! Can I have you know?"

Almost immediately, Cordy was beside Xander, smacking him upside his head. Angel growled at him from where he was and pulled Buffy close to him in a possessive manner.

Everyone else couldn't help but laugh.

**********

"What are you doing?" Faith asked, curiously, coming up behind Xander who was busy at work, sculpting a sculpture in the sand that looked sort of like a. "A penis?" Faith cried in disbelief. "Oh right, Xander! You only wish you were that big!"

"Hey! Stop making fun of my manly manliness!" Xander yelled defensively.

Buffy smirked. "Short, short man," she began singing innocently. "Don't want no short, short man." She grew louder. "Eenie, weenie, teeny, weenie, shriveled little short, short man."

"Don't want, don't want, don't want, don't want, don't want," Anya joined in.

"Eenie, weenie, teeny weenie - " Faith started in too.

"Ahh! Stop!" Xander shouted.

"What?" Buffy asked innocently, as all three girls put on their best 'angel'faces.

Xander glared at them all, then whirled around when he heard laughter behind him. Angel, Doyle, and Spike had collapsed on the sand, in fits of laughter.

"Too.Bloody.much," Spike choked out between chuckles.

Angel smirked. "Made the whole trip worth it."

Doyle was beyond gone.

"Err, perhaps we should, ah, have the 'wiener' roast now?" Giles suggested mildly.

"An excellent suggestion, Mr. Giles," Wesley agreed.

"Sure! I'm hungry!" Willow piped in perkily. "Who brought the food?"

"Angel and I did," Buffy answered. "Pass me the cooler, Hon?" Angel passed her the blue cooler and she opened it up and recounted the hot dogs and assorted foods on hand. "We have more than enough for everyone!"

"Me and Spike will get rocks and stuff to make the fire," Faith decided, grabbing Spike's hand.

She dragged him off to find everything they'd need to set up a beach bonfire.

"Um, did you guys remember to bring, you know, sticks for roasting?" Tara questioned.

Buffy winced. "I knew we forgot something!"

"It's okay though." She smiled. "Willow and I could try to find some?"

"That's a good idea, Tara!" Willow said encouragingly.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "Okay, you guys go do that."

The rest of the tasks were assigned and everyone went off in couples to do what needed to be done.

**********

Everyone was sitting around the fire, lazily roasting their speared wieners over the open flames.

Angel pulled his back from the flames and brought it towards his nose gingerly. He inhaled deeply. "Perfect." With a smile, he passed it to Buffy, an offering of his affections, and took her stick to finish off the roasting of hers.

Buffy flashed a grateful smile at her boyfriend, then took a bun and slid it off the stick before adding various amounts of ketchup and mustard until the hot dog was to her liking.

"Hmmm," she murmured happily as she blew on it a few times to cool it down, then bit in, savouring the taste.

Xander's eyes flashed with the sparks of a sudden idea. He pulled the wiener back from the fire and, holding it up, exclaimed, "Hey! It's me!"

Anya rolled her eyes. "You wish," she drawled.

"Well, if I wish, then how come you're not granting it for me? Oh, that's right. You lost your powers!" Xander said snidely.

Anya glared at him. "Even if I hadn't I wouldn't have granted you a wish!"

"Better watch out, Doyle," Xander warned. "She's doing the rabid feminist thing again. Are you sure you can handle her?"

Doyle smiled, "I'll manage."

Anya grinned triumphantly. Xander opened his mouth to make some kind of smart (or in his case, "un-smart") retort, when they were interrupted by a high-pitched, definitely female-sounding scream.

They all whirled in the direction to an interesting (to say the least) sight. Riley's hands were on his head, clutching at his hair frantically. Buffy was trying, unsuccessfully, to tiptoe away unnoticed from the scene.

Giles rolled his eyes in exasperation. "What now?" He asked in his best 'no-nonsense' voice.

"Um, Riley's having a panic attack?" She tried.

"Am not!" Riley shrieked. "You dumped ice down my swim trunks!"

"And to think that I had thought that he'd simply soiled himself once more," Wesley murmured to no one in particular, referring to the interesting wet spot on the front of the boy's trunks.

Spike cracked up and only a few chuckled "wanker's" and "fish boy's" could be deciphered.

"Buffy?" Xander said, using a phony psychiatrist voice. "Is this true?"

"Uh.yes?"

Xander grinned, "Good job!"

Spike recovered. "Let's do the marshmallows now!" He cried, excitedly.

Faith and Buffy exchanged looks, though they were used to the vampire's enthusiasm for the pure-sugar treats by now.

"All right, let's do the marshmallow thing," Faith muttered.

Spike grinned and was already spearing six marshmallows on his stick.

**********

"What?" Xander asked, squirming.

"Nothing," Buffy replied, grinning devilishly.

"What is it?!" Spike cried.

Buffy replied, "I said 'nothing'!"

"Then why are you looking at us like that?" Angel retorted.

Buffy merely smiled mischievously.

"You're mean!" Riley sulked.

Buffy started to laugh, when Harmony began shrieking, "My hair! My hair! Look what you did to my beautiful hair!" She ran around, gesturing frantically to the marshmallow in her tresses.

"Can I stake her now? Please?" Faith and Buffy asked simultaneously, exchanging glances.

Giles shook his head. "Girls," he said warningly.

"We have marshmallows in our hair, is that it?" Angel questioned tiredly.

Buffy smiled. "You guys look hilarious!"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "You're never going to get that stuff out, you know."

Xander shrugged. "We'll go for a swim. It'll get washed out."

"A swim?!" Spike shrieked.

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, you know, one of the points of going to the beach?" Xander filled in, in a distinctly sarcastic manner.

"'Tis one of the beauties of our oceans!" Doyle told the vamp.

Spike rolled his eyes. "I bloody know that," he said hotly. "But I am not going for a bloody swim in my trunks! They're silk! The water will be the end of 'em. Ya bunch of wankers."

Faith grinned. "We never said that you had to wear the trunks."

Spike looked up at her and caught her eyes. They exchanged matching smiles and ran towards the water together, throwing clothing as they went.

They swam out a few meters, then looked at the beach, where everyone was studying them.

"Come on, join us!" Faith called.

Everyone just stared at them, disbelieving. But Willow seemed to be watching with a not-quite-hidden longing.

"Red!" Spike yelled. "C'mon! Ya know that you want to!"

Willow surprised everyone by suddenly flinging off her bikini and running to the water's edge, then diving in. When she surfaced, she was grinning wildly.

Buffy and Angel looked at one another, then shed their clothing and ran in too. Cordelia and Xander, laughing wildly, followed them. Tara joined in too, not wanting to be separated from Willow. And Doyle quickly stripped Anya and himself down, then carried her into the water with him.

Harmony put her hands on her hips from her place up on the bitch. "I am so not going to go skinny-dipping around them," she muttered with a small shudder.

Riley sat on a towel quietly. Maybe he'd get to go later.

Wesley and Giles exchanged meaningful glances. They came to a mutual agreement that they would not go. They were getting just a tad old for that, after all.

Those in the water, however, were having a great time. They swam in small circles for a bit, before standing around in the water in a small huddle. Silence descended upon the group.

Xander, known for his big mouth, was the first to speak. "Ahhh! Dead Boy! For the love of God, put some clothes on, why don't you?!" He screamed.

Angel growled. "Why don't you put some clothes on, Xander? And could you not call me Dead Boy?"

"Uhh.Hello? If you haven't noticed, we're all a little naked here, so could the both of you please shut the hell up?!" Buffy yelled at them both.

"How can you be a little naked?" Willow piped in quietly. "I mean, either you are or you're not, right?"

"Right, luv," Spike agreed.

"Dun-dun, dun-dun," Xander began humming the 'Jaws' theme in a low voice.

"Xand, quit it!" Buffy hissed.

Xander smiled and shrugged.

"Xander Harris, stop that right now!" Cordelia yelled, a hint of panic in her voice.

"SHARK!" Xander yelled out suddenly.

Everyone jumped and shrieked, then whirled and Xander, upset at being unsettled so. He simply smiled innocently at them.

"It's getting cold," Faith muttered with a frown. "I'm going back onto the beach."

The others ended up following.

**********

All the skinny-dippers were wrapped in towels and standing around the fire silently.

"Let's tell scary stories!" Xander yelled suddenly.

Everyone regarded him, but shrugged and agreed.

"This ought to be good," Faith muttered under her breath.

"Okay." Xander thought for a few seconds, then he began in a deep, quiet voice. "It was the night of the full moon and a howl - "

"This had better not be a werewolf story," Willow interrupted with a meaningful look.

"Um.of course it's not!" Xander covered quickly. "Okay.um, on the top of a very high hill lies a very spooky house. And the thing that makes this house so scary is.it's haunted by a ghost!" Cordelia smacked him suddenly. "Ow! What was that for?" He cried.

"In case you've forgotten," she huffed. "One of my best friends right now is a ghost! I don't want to hear you make fun of Dennis!"

"I'll try another one," Xander said timidly.

"It better not have anything with demons though," Anya put in.

Doyle nodded his agreement.

"Or vampires," Spike and Angel exclaimed together.

"And, I swear, Xander, if you say one word about witches." Willow started.

Xander threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay! We just won't have a scary story, okay?!"

"Cheer up, Xand," Buffy murmured comfortingly. "We've seen in all. We probably wouldn't have been afraid anyway."

Xander sighed, then shrugged. "So what now?"

"Tug of war!" Buffy cried out at the same time as Faith yelled, "Naked Twister!"

"Vote time!" Willow chimed. "Who wants tug of war first?" Buffy raised her hand and, after being elbowed, Angel did too. Wesley and Giles raised their hands as well. "Naked Twister?" Everyone else's hands went up.

"Looks like you're outnumbered," Faith informed Buffy smugly.

Buffy shrugged. "I don't mind."

Faith dug through one of the bags until she found the Twister mat and spinner, then pulled them out and set them up. "Who wants to be the spinner, uh, person?"

"I'll do it!" Cried Wesley and Harmony at the same time. They glared at one another, then began bickering.

Anya rolled her eyes. "Both of you do it," she said flatly.

"So who's playing?" Buffy asked.

After a few moments, it was decided that Angel, Buffy, Cordelia, Doyle, Faith, Riley, Spike, Willow, and Xander would play.

**********

"Okay, so it's right hand." Xander murmured to himself. "Owww! Fish Boy! Watch where you're grabbing! I think you damaged my precious manhood!"

Cordelia and Faith looked up from the mat to comment, "What precious manhood?" along with Anya, who was watching from the side.

"These birds've got better taste than we thought," Spike grinned.

Xander frowned. "Hey! I'm more of a man than you Dead Guy!"

Spike snickered. "That'll be the bloody day!"

"At least I can go in the day," Xander shot back.

"If I was you, I wouldn't want to!"

"Hey, guys, game here?" Buffy interrupted.

A few calls later, Xander and Riley were in an, well, interesting position. Riley's left leg, was between Xander's, which were spread quite widely. He was hunched over Xander's left arm, his face quite close to Xander's neck. And his arms pretty much encircled the slightly younger boy.

Xander and Riley weren't the only ones twisted interestingly. Cordelia's body was arched in a bridge style and Spike was folded over her, so that they appeared to make an "x" from above.

"Aww, Cordelia. I didn't know you cared!" Spike teased when she moved her right leg so that it rested against his to match the spinners' instructions.

"As if! I so don't care about you! Now get off me!" Cordelia shouted.

"Hey! Dead Guy! Stop touching my girlfriend before I stake your undead ass!" Xander yelled irritably upon noticing Cordy's close proximity to the vamp.

"Yeah, like you could!" Spike shot back. "I don't think you're in a position to, so sod off!"

"That's it!" Xander screamed, when he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, bringing Riley with him. Sulking, they both crawled off of the mat.

Spike laughed, then, twisting his body, he brought his left arm around to the other side of him to find the red circle. However, as he moved his hand, he brushed Cordelia's stomach, which turned out to be quite ticklish and she fell to the ground, laughing.

Doyle and Willow had already been knocked out and, as time passed, it became apparent that the remaining few were not going to fall anytime soon. Thus a four-way tie was declared between Angel, Buffy, Faith, and Spike.

"No fair! Supernatural advantages!" Xander cried.

Spike sneered. "Jealous, Wonder twin number one?"

"I am so not jealous of you, Dead Guy!" Xander yelled. He smirked. "But you should be jealous of me, seeing as I got to your girlfriend first!"

Spike growled. "Shut your bleeding hole!" He yelled.

"Okay, Xander, that was below the belt," Buffy chided. "Let's do tug of war now."

"Girls versus guys?" Anya questioned.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah.where's Will?"

Doyle shrugged. "I 'aven't seen the lass since she lost the Twister. Nor her lil friend."

"Let's find them," Angel suggested.

Spike and Faith ended up being the ones to find them. They had been hiding behind a sand dune and had been making with the smoochies and were blushing madly when they were found.

"So what do you know! I was right," Faith declared proudly. "Willow really isn't driving stick anymore!"

This just caused Willow and Tara to turn a deeper shade of crimson.

**********

"Come on guys, pull!" Buffy shouted, at the front of the girls' team. She was pulling the rope with all of her strength, but it wasn't doing very good.

"You guys are all wusses! Are you going to let yourselves be beat by a bunch of girls?" Angel yelled to his team, trying to encourage them.

"They've got two bleedin' slayers, Peaches," Spike gritted, as he doubled his efforts.

"And we've got two vampires," Angel stated matter-of-factly, as he strained his muscles while pulling at the rope. "And a Bracken demon."

"Half," Doyle wheezed. "And it don't help me much."

"Ow, I broke a nail!" Harmony whined.

"Deal with it," Faith told her. "We have to beat them!"

"But it hurts!" Harmony insisted.

"What? My baby's hurt?" Riley cried, dropping the rope and running to Harmony as quickly as he could.

The sudden release on the guy's side caught them off guard and they stumbled, falling forwards and down onto the sand. The girls had been pulling so hard that when the guys fell forwards, they capsized onto their backs.

Faith grinned. "At least we won."

"Go us!" Buffy agreed.

The guys grumbled, not at all happy.

**********

Riley sat on his towel, drawing lines in the sand absentmindedly with a small stick. Angel, Spike, and Xander, approached him, smiling mischievously, and he looked up, then greeted them.

"Want to join our game?" Angel asked.

Riley smiled. "Sure! What are you playing?"

"We're burying each other in the sand," Xander answered, trying unsuccessfully to hide a grin.

"Yeah!" Spike agreed. He pointed off in the distance, "Over there, away from the girls. We 'ave a need for.privacy, right, boys?"

"Right," Xander agreed with a snicker.

"You coming?" Angel inquired.

"Okay!" Riley jumped up and walked with them.

**********

"Okay, you guys can unbury me now!" Riley called, to their retreating backs. "Guys? Really, I'm ready to be unburied now!"

The three of them snickered and laughed, but didn't turn around.

"You hear anything?" Angel joked.

"Must just be the wind," Xander laughed.

Spike piped in, "Bloody noisy today."

Riley sighed and looked down at himself. He was packed in too tightly and too deeply to break free and he looked like he had the body of a mermaid. As in, female. It was quite embarrassing, but they would come back, right? They were only kidding. He hoped.

**********

"Have you guys seen Riley?" Harmony grumbled. "I can't find him anywhere!"

Spike, Xander, and Angel plastered identical innocent smiles on their faces. "Us? Of course not!" They replied together.

Buffy looked up at them. She placed her hands on her hips. "What'd you guys do?"

"Nothing, Slayer," Spike insisted.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "We both know that's bull. Come on, Harmony's going to keep on whining if you don't tell us."

"I'll tell you if you drink one of my cocktails," Xander offered.

"I've seen you make those, Xander," Buffy replied. "Riley's not worth it."

"Not worth what?" Anya asked, coming up behind them with Doyle.

"A 'Xander Cocktail'," Buffy supplied.

"That doesn't say much," Doyle chortled.

"Want to try one?" Xander questioned his ex, without missing a beat.

Anya shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"One Xander Cocktail coming up!" Xander yelled as he ran off to make his special cocktail: a mixture of Mountain Dew, Jolt, and Chocolate Syrup. He returned a few minutes later, a large plastic cup in hand, which he barely kept from spilling.

Anya took it and considered the beverage in her hand, before shrugging and taking a large gulp. "Sweet," she murmured, making a face.

Faith grimaced. "How can you drink that crap?"

"It's not crap! It's a Xander Cocktail!" Xander said defensively.

"My point exactly," she muttered.

A high-pitched scream interrupted the bickering. They looked amongst themselves, then stated the inevitable conclusion together.

"Riley."

**********

When they finally reached Riley, they found him almost exactly as the guys had left him. He was still buried with a sand body resembling a mermaid's. However, he also had the addition of a fairly large crab pinching his nose.

"Get it off! Get it off!" He screamed.

With a sigh, Buffy grabbed a stick, and smacked the crab off lightly. The others watched the crab creep away while Tara and Willow helped to unbury him

When he'd finally gotten unburied, Riley whirled on Spike, Angel, and Xander. "You guys did this to me!" He screamed.

"You've got no one but your mother to blame for that," Angel smirked.

He cried out furiously. "That's not what I meant! You guys buried me and - and left me!"

"'ey, ya wanted to play," Spike told him nonchalantly.

"Yeah, what they said," Xander agreed.

Riley looked like he was about to throw a temper tantrum, so the girls decided to intervene, taking their guy's by the hand and leading them all back to the towels.

"I've got the tunes!" Faith called as she flipped on her boom box. A heavy metal song blasted immediately and she was quickly forced to change the station by Angel, Giles, and Wesley.

Buffy decided to help her out with the music and found her a nice, slow song that would be easier to dance the way she wanted to.

Soon everyone was dancing around the area with their significant others. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Giles and Wesley watched from a picnic table, smiling at the young - at least for the most part - adults' joy.

Buffy and Angel slipped away from the others towards the end of the song and took a quiet walk hand-in-hand along the water's edge. The waves crashed at their feet in a constant, comforting pattern that created a beautiful music.

"I love the water," Buffy confided, as she stopped Angel to stand in place and just stare out at the large body. They stepped out farther into the water, until it was knee-deep, then stood together, Angel's hands around her waist.

"I love you," Angel replied, kissing her neck softly. Buffy smiled, then winced as Angel let out a wild yell. She whirled around in his arms.

"What is it?" She asked, concerned.

"My foot!" Angel screamed.

Buffy looked down just in time to see a jellyfish swim off. "Crap," she muttered.

She helped him back to the shoreline, then supported him as he limped back to the others. However, when they reached them, they discovered that Angel hadn't been the only one to encounter bad luck.

Faith and Spike had had the same idea as their friends and poor Spike had been a victim of a jellyfish also.

Even after being treated, both Angel and Spike had remained miserable and everyone decided that there was really no point in staying any longer. They all packed up their things and left.

As Buffy helped Angel into the passenger seat, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Cheer up. At least now you get me to play nurse."

Angel grinned. Okay, so maybe the trip hadn't been a total bust.

The End

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