Rating: PG-13
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 6~
Day Five, Saturday, 15 High Street, St Treharne
Xander slammed the book shut. "Nothing!" He said, disgusted, turning to Giles. "The books you bought with us revealed wonderful realms of nothing."
"Well, keep, keep trying." Giles said as he paced the library, open book in one hand, mug of tea in the other.
Willow wandered sleepily into the room. "Hi guys." She yawned, stretching.
"Uh, Will? It’s almost three o’clock."
Willow looked surprised. "Really? ‘Cos it feels like it’s about eight."
"It is." Six pairs of eyes stared at Giles in astonishment. He shrugged a little, vaguely embarrassed. "In Sunnydale at least."
* * *
Day Five, Saturday, Premises Withheld Their Address, St Treharne
Basil padded quietly through the seemingly abandoned house, Snow-fluff beside him. He flinched back and hissed an order as he sensed a vampire approaching. Snow-fluff ran for the open door as a brunette sashayed into the room.
"Oh, a kitty!" She cooed and bent her head to the doll she cradled in her arms. "What’s that you say Miss Edith? Not a kitty?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she grabbed the small cat by his neck even as it prepared to flee. Basil fought instead, scratching and clawing desperately.
Ramiculus strode into the room. "Drusilla! You dally with a cat when I send you to retrieve my daughter?" He was obviously displeased.
Drusilla smiled sweetly. "I got you something else instead. It belongs to your daughter." She held Basil out to him, Miss Edith tucked under her arm.
"A cat?" Ramiculus sighed. "Oh well, I’ll try a bite."
Basil fought even harder, trying to escape, he scratched Ramiculus’ face as he brought Basil to his lips and Ramiculus growled in rage.
"It fights me!"
"Eat, you’ll like it." Dru smiled mysteriously. "Promise." She whispered
Ramiculus sank his fangs deep into the cat’s neck and began to drink. He regretted it immediately, flinging the small cat as far away as possible. "Its taste is repulsive." He spat the blood back out.
Dru looked at the cat convulsing where Ramiculus had thrown it.
"Look." She breathed.
Ramiculus spared the cat a glance. "Loss of blood." He said dismissively, turning away.
"No… Something else…he's being born again."
Ramiculus looked again. The cat got up and walked over to him. It sat down and began to wash itself.
"Hello father." Basil said.
* * *
Day Five, Saturday, 15 High Street, St Treharne
Darcy pushed the book as far away from herself as possible.
"That’s it!" She said. "I’ve reached my quota of research today. Get your glad rags on peeps. I am going to take you all out for the night. Clubbing. Somewhere that has absolutely no baroque whatsoever."
Giles looked startled. "Well, uh, thank you for the, um, generous offer but I feel that perhaps we should continue to research…" Giles looked across at Darcy, realising she was the only one remaining in the room.
"They went to get changed." She said helpfully.
"Oh."
"You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I just figured they needed a break."
A look of tremendous relief flooded Giles’ face. "If you’re sure. I would like a chance to read some of your books more fully."
"No problem." Darcy shrugged. "I guess we’ll see you when we see you. Oh, and tell Basil we’re at the club when he gets back will you."
Giles nodded and watched the small girl walk out of the room.
* * *
Day Five, Saturday, 15 High Street, St Treharne
Basil padded into the hall,
"Darcy?" He called, licking his lips to make sure he hadn’t missed any of Snow-fluff’s blood. It had been such a pleasing surprise to discover as he had drained her of her life’s blood that she carried his children. It had given her blood such a piquant flavour.
Giles appeared in the doorway to the library, book in hand. "They went to the club." He said absently, disappearing again.
Basil left the house.
* * *
Day Five, Saturday, Joanna’s nightclub, Harbour Road, St Treharne
Darcy stood on the edge of the dance floor. In front of her, the Scooby Gang danced. I can’t believe I brought them here. She thought. They look like they’re having fits. I’m never gonna be able to show my face in here again. And what’s with their outfits? She felt something brush against her leg and looked down, expecting to see Basil. Okay, some jerk is rubbing his foot up my leg. She pulled her leg away and back-kicked the man in the soft area at the back of the knee. He howled in pain and went down like a sack of potatoes. Darcy turned and looked down at him.
"Get a life." She said and moved to the opposite side of the room before the bouncers could arrive on the scene. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she suddenly got goosebumps. She sighed and moved away from the blast of the air-conditioning. Alexander bounced up, hot and sweaty. He bobbed around.
"Hey…Darcy, come and dance." He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
"No, I’m not really in the mood." Darcy tried to escape.
"Come on, it’ll be fun."
Darcy allowed herself to be persuaded and joined them.
"Hey, that’s not dancing, that’s swaying." Buffy said as she hit a few other dancers with her flailing arms. "Dancing is supposed to be fun, you make it look, well, dull."
Darcy stiffened and looked around.
"Hey, no offence meant."
"None taken." Darcy said absently, scanning the perimeter.
"What’s wrong?" Willow asked.
"Noth…" Darcy hesitated. "…Thing. Gotta go." She strode purposely off of the dance floor.
"Wow, you really hurt her feelings." Anya said to Buffy as they dipped and oscillated on the dance floor.
"I didn’t mean to." Buffy thought for a moment. "Maybe I should go talk to her, apologise."
"Sure, whatever." Xander said, happily deafened by the volume of the music.
Buffy smiled and walked off the dancefloor, in the direction Darcy had taken.
"Where’s she going?" Xander asked. Willow and Anya smiled affectionately at him. "Where’d she go?"
Buffy walked down a flight of stairs and looked around. She strode over to a door and wrenched it open.
"Oops, sorry!" She apologised to the couple groping in a cloakroom. "Know where the restroom is?"
The girl pointed along the corridor.
"Thanks. Sorry." Buffy headed down the wide corridor. About halfway along she heard raised voices. She walked into the ladies toilet and saw Darcy facing a woman who had her back to Buffy.
"Hey, Darcy, I was looking for you. Look I want to apologise for what I said. I was way outta line." Darcy looked at Buffy and smiled widely. "Are you okay?" Buffy asked, "’Cos you, you know, look different."
"I’d like you to meet my sister, Maria." Darcy said as the woman with her back to Buffy turned around, dread on her face.
Buffy whipped a stake out of her jacket and assumed a fighting position.
"Buffy no!" cried Maria, and Buffy looked at her properly. Her jaw dropped and she stared from one identical twin to the other. They were dressed exactly the same, knee length black skirt, long sleeved purple top embossed with roses. They even had the same jewellery on.
"What’s going on Darcy?"
"There were a few things I neglected to tell you" The girl furthest from Buffy answered.
"I hoped I wouldn’t have to tell you." The girl closest to Buffy spoke. "It’s not exactly something I’m proud of you know."
"Who are you?" Buffy asked the closest twin.
"I’m Darcy."
"Liar!" The other twin cried. "I’m Darcy. Maria, why are you lying?"
"I’m not! You are." A solitary tear slipped down the cheek of the closest twin to Buffy. Buffy stared at the tear closely. It had blood mixed with the salty water. That was proof enough for Buffy and she sprang into action, driving Mr. Pointy into the chest of the vampire.
Darcy ran past Buffy, "Sucker!" She cried as she ran out of the door.
Buffy stared at the limp form on the floor. She sighed and dragged the real Darcy’s body into a toilet cubicle and locked her in, vaulting over the top of the door. She grabbed some paper towels from above the sink and mopped up the blood as best she could before going to tell the others what had happened.
"Darcy! You’re back." Xander grabbed her and danced. Darcy smiled up at him. "So, I guess you forgave Buffy huh? Willow and Anya are getting some drinks right now but if you want I can go get you one too."
Darcy tipped her head back and smiled up at him.
"You’re really short." Xander smiled back at her.
Darcy leant in closer and whispered in his ear. "Want to get some air?" She leant back and smoothed her hands down her body.
Xander gulped. "Er, um, won’t the others miss us?" He asked.
"They’ll never notice we’re gone. They were busy with two guys when I saw them."
Xander’s face hardened. "Okay then."
They walked off, toward the exit.
Buffy pushed her way through the crush and stood staring at the spot where her friends should be.
"Buffy!" Willow and Anya came up behind her. "Where’s Xander? What did you do with him?" Anya looked around, trying to spot him.
"Hi Buffy" Willow smiled and offered her one of the drinks she carried. "Did you make it up with Darcy?"
Buffy shook her head. "What do you mean, where’s Xander, he should be with you."
"No. We left him right here and went to get drinks. Why didn’t he wait?!" Anya was still looking around for Xander. "Where’s Darcy?" Anya began to get jealous. "If she’s gone off with him I’ll make her brain leak out of her eyeballs."
Willow went green.
"She’s in a toilet cubicle, recovering from a stake through the heart. I don’t think she’s going to forgive me." Buffy’s eyes widened. "OhmyGod! You guy’s haven’t seen her have you?"
" How could we? You just said she was recovering." Willow was regaining her colour.
Buffy stood on a convenient man’s lap. The stranger went purple.
"I see them!" She shouted. "They’re going to the exit. Come on, we have to stop them."
Buffy, Anya and Willow started to fight their way towards the exit.
"Cordelia! Doyle! What are you doing here?" gasped Darcy.
"We’re here because we needed to find you and Basil said you were here. We need to talk to you. That outfit is dire and didn’t you just leave?" asked Cordelia.
Darcy stared at her, a big rip in her top, blood drying where it dripped. "Like the dress. Very… joyous. Where did I go?" She asked.
Cordy pointed at the big exit sign. "That way." Darcy pushed past her and started to make her way through the crowd. "Hey, why’re you asking me? Why don’t you know?" She looked at Doyle. "Some people are so rude. Oh thanks." She grabbed the glass out of his hand and took a sip. "Ugh! What is that? Lager?" She gave the glass to a passing man.
Doyle whimpered as he watched his Guinness disappear into the seething masses.
* * *
Day Five, Saturday, Alley off Harbour Road, St Treharne
"So, we’re outside… Now what?" Xander rubbed his cold hands together.
"Now… You die!" Darcy turned around, vamp face firmly in place.
Xander’s eyes widened and he took a few steps back. Darcy followed.
"Whoa, Darcy, nothing with a pulse remember?" Xander held his hands in front of him in a defensive position.
Darcy sniffed the air. "Aaah, fear. Makes the blood taste richer…fuller…better." She looked directly at him.
Xander pulled a cross out from the back of his pants, where it had been hidden by his shirt. Darcy hissed in fear.
"Back off vamp girl." Xander pushed the cross a little closer. Darcy knocked it out of his hand and while her attention was diverted Xander tried to escape. She pushed him back and he landed awkwardly on the cobbled alleyway sidewalk.
"What did you do to Buffy?" He asked, panting for breath.
"She’s…distracted. She killed someone." Darcy smiled cruelly. "And now I’m about to do the same."
"Xander?" Buffy shouted.
Xander smiled. "That’s what you think."
Darcy pulled him up with one hand and his feet left the ground. She looked up at him. "That’s what I know." She grabbed one of his flailing hands and brought it to her fangs. "So long…sucker." She bit down and began to drink.
"Technically you would be the sucker and I would be the suckee…..Buffy!" Xander panicked, shrieking out Buffy’s name and the last two vowels of the word that proceeded it in an disturbingly accurate impersonation of a castrato soprano. "Help!" He felt himself become weaker became limp. "Buffy." He whispered, blacking out.
Buffy sprinted to him and ripped Maria’s head up. "Fangs off my friends." She chided.
Maria dropped Xander. "I’d rather be drinking you anyway." She punched Buffy. Buffy didn’t budge.
"Surely you can do better than that?" Buffy taunted, delivering swift kick. Maria toppled to the ground. Growling, she rushed Buffy. Buffy side-stepped and pushed her further back. Maria sprawled on the ground. She stood and looked at the mysterious blonde who knew of her kind, looked at the cute guy, now groaning and surrounded by two other girls, saw her sister pause and look down the dead-end alley. She ran, vaulting over the fence that separated alley from garden and made off into the dark night, intent on finding another meal.
"Buffy?" Xander opened his eyes and focused on the three females looking worriedly at him. A fourth head bobbed over Willow’s shoulder.
"Is he going to be okay?" The fourth head asked.
Xander tried really hard to focus on the fourth head and it rushed into clear view.
His eyes widened and he flattened himself against the wall.
"Vampire…bite me." He gibbered, pointing at Darcy.
Buffy looked at Darcy, noted the rip in the top. Willow looked at Darcy, equal parts hatred and fear in her eyes. Anya looked at Darcy…
"Bitch!" She shouted, slapping her with all her might.
Darcy wobbled a little on her heels then straightened herself.
"I didn’t. I swear." Darcy looked at Buffy for support. "It wasn’t me."
"Liar!" shrieked Xander. "Liar!"
"It was her identical twin, who, just happens to be a vampire." Buffy explained. "I know because I accidentally staked the wrong twin. Sorry," she looked at Darcy and shrugged.
"Not your fault." Darcy looked at Xander. "Can you walk?"
"Don’t know." Xander tried to get up and found, that with a little help from Buffy, he was able to be slung over her shoulder with hardly any effort whatsoever.
"Back to the house?" Willow suggested.
"Back to the house." Buffy agreed.
* * *
Day Six, Sunday, 15 High Street, St Treharne
The teenagers crashed through the front door of the house.
"Giles?" Buffy shouted.
"Giles." Xander whimpered.
"I’ll go get the first aid kit." Willow ran up the stairs.
"Giles!" Anya shouted, hovering around Xander, unsure of what to do.
Darcy remained quiet, staring at the tiled floor of the hall.
Giles appeared in the doorway to the library, blinking a little as he adjusted to the sudden change from ancient book to modern people.
"Good heavens!" He exclaimed as he saw Xander slung over Buffy’s shoulder. "What happened?"
"It’s a long story." Buffy excused.
"My twin sister bit him." Said Darcy.
"Evidently not that long." Buffy said with a shrug.
* * *
Day Six, Sunday, 14 High Street, St Treharne
Basil jumped down from the open hotel window and stalked across the room. He scratched the heavy door open and padded gently into the room, leaving a single ray of sunshine to fall unguarded in the vampire’s bedroom.
Angel instinctively threw himself to the other side of the room when he felt his back begin to smoulder. Gasping for unneeded air, he surveyed the room.
"Sorry," said Basil as he perched on a small table licking his paws. "Didn’t realise your bed was there."
"Anyone can make a mistake." Angel absolved as he sat in the armchair next to Basil’s table.
"I’m surprised you see it that way," Basil commented as he moved to sit across from Angel, in the sunlight.
"What do you mean?" Angel sniffed the air slightly.
"Well, you made a mistake but you’re not willing to let it go just like that." Basil paused for a moment to let his words sink in and then moved on. "But that’s not what I’m here to talk about,"
Angel sniffed the air again.
"Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?" Basil asked.
"I don’t know." Angel said, leaning lightly forward and sniffing again. "It smells a bit like charred meat."
Basil moved out of the sunlight.
"No, no. I don’t smell a thing," he said hastily.
"Oh," Angel settled back into his seat.
"Anyway," Basil said, trying to get back on track. "The reason I’m here."
"Yes, why is that?" Angel asked.
"Well, I’m trying to tell you!"
"Sorry."
"It’s okay…It’s…well…it’s just…it’s Darcy."
"What about her?" asked Angel, snapping to attention.
"She bit someone last night. A boy."
"No way man." Said Doyle, pushing the door open further and coming into the room.
"I’m afraid so." Basil confirmed. "It’s worse than that."
"How much worse can it get?" Cordelia yawned, "I can’t believe you woke me up," she hissed to Doyle, hitting his arm.
"Hey! I thought it was important okay."
"The reason Darcy bit someone last night is that she was turned yesterday. Somehow, Ramiculus found her and made her into a vampire. He has all of the basic components for the ritual now…all he needs is me."
"What are you going to do?" Angel asked.
"I know a few houses I can lie low in until this is all over but I’m not really essential. I’ve been permanently displaced so, technically, Ramiculus doesn’t need me."
"Huh?" Cordelia asked.
"Ramiculus can do the ritual without him because Basil’s a cat. It’s just whimsy that makes Ramiculus want to include all of the members of his family." Doyle whispered to her.
"Oh." Cordelia said. "That’s bad."
"We need to stop Darcy from getting to the ritual." Basil said. "I can take you to her but then I’ve got to hide. Ramiculus will be looking for a replacement."
"So we’ll be babysitting the trained-to-kill vampire with in-depth knowledge of the occult whilst you do the manly thing and go hide?"
"Hey!" Doyle protested.
"Basically," confirmed Basil.
"Just checking," Cordelia said and turned to Angel. "She is so gonna be bound and gagged."
Doyle raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ew!" Cordelia said, hitting him.
"Guys?" Angel said patiently, waiting for them to give their attention back to the task at hand. "When do we take her?" He asked Basil.
"It would have to be the night of the ritual otherwise they’ll become suspicious." Basil justified.
"Sounds fair enough. Where do we nab her?" enquired Cordelia.
"I don’t know." Fabricated Basil. "She keeps moving around, as though she doesn’t want to leave tracks. I probably won’t know until the actual night so I’ll just take you to her. She seems uncomfortable in large groups so it’ll probably be somewhere quite isolated."
"And you know all this after just one night?" queried Doyle.
"She is my sister." Basil said, obviously expecting them to accept it as an explanation. "I have to go. I need to talk to my sources, see if they’ve discovered something new. I’ll see you tomorrow night."
"Basil," Doyle said as the small cat stalked past him.
"Bye Basil!" called Cordelia.
Angel smiled and nodded slightly to the cat as it passed through the door.
Doyle followed the cat out and shut the window and curtains behind it.
"Did any part of that ring false to you?" He asked Angel as he walked back into the room.
"Only most of it," Angel said and rested his thumb and forefinger on his chin as he thought about the conversation they’d just had.
"Great!" Cordelia exclaimed, "Angel has brooding face and thinks Basil just lied to us! The cat’s twin sister just became a vampire for Christ’s sake! He was probably choking back the tears!"
"Cordy’s probably got a point." Doyle said to Angel.
"Maybe…I’m not sure," said Angel.
"He still has broody face!" Cordelia pointed to Angel. "And I, am going back to bed!" She walked out of the door.
Doyle followed her. "Sounds like a terrific idea princess, I’ll join you."
"In a pig’s ear," Cordy scoffed.
Angel’s door closed and a small smile appeared on the vampire’s face.
* * *
Day Six, Sunday, 14 High Street, St Treharne.
The door slammed behind Cordelia with a crash resounding enough to rattle the double glazing. Doyle looked up in alarm and saw Cordelia, her back flat against the door into their suite, panting.
"Jesus, what’s wrong?" He asked, leaping up and guiding her to a chair as Angel entered the room from his bedroom.
Cordelia took deep breaths, trying to calm down enough to speak whilst Doyle struggled manfully to avert his eyes from her heaving bosom.
"What’s up?" Angel asked.
"Harbour Road!" Cordelia panted. "Darcy!" She paused to take in more oxygen.
"You saw Darcy in Harbour Road? Where?" Angel asked, heading for his bedroom and coat.
Cordelia nodded. "The Florist pub." She told the vampire. "Near where we met her that time."
"Angel man, where’re you going?" Doyle asked as Angel headed for the door.
"The Florist." Angel told him succinctly
Cordelia’s eyes opened wide and she shook her head at Doyle. "Buffy!" She mouth urgently to him.
Doyle got the message just as Angel was about to step over the threshold.
"Angel!" He called, stopping him in his tracks. "Basil told us to not to go near her until tomorrow night, remember?"
Angel turned back to Cordelia and Doyle. "Since when did we start taking orders from a cat?" He asked simply, closing the door behind him.
* * *
Day Six, Sunday, High Street, St Treharne
A bag lady lay in the Post Office doorstep, surveying the road. A little further up the road, a tall man dressed completely in black walked towards her, his coat billowing behind him.
The bag lady huddled into her sleeping bag, trying to look as lifeless as possible as he approached her. When you lived on the streets, you knew a little more than the average house resident about where you were living. And the bag lady knew that the streets of St Treharne had undergone a dangerous transformation since the years when she had grown up in a small house just outside the then sleepy village.
Her street partner – it was safer if you had a partner to help you out when you lived on the streets – had gone missing several days ago. Tony wouldn’t have moved on without taking her, so she had to assume that he was dead, even though no body had been found and the police weren’t taking her seriously – thinking that she was crazy. Touched in the head.
But she wasn’t. She knew that there were predators on the street, just like there were predators in the jungle. The only difference was that these predators looked just like everyone else. That was what made them so dangerous. And this place was rife with them. She’d be moving on tomorrow.
The Stranger was level with her now. She blinked and missed his lightening-fast check for weapons.
Despite her caution, she found something inside of her was fascinated by the mysterious Stranger. She couldn’t pin down exactly what it was. It might have been the fluid way that he walked; purposeful, alert and ready for danger, yet confident that he could face it with his coat swirling behind him like a cape from the days gone by. Or it could have been the way he looked; the pale skin and dark hair combined with the look in his eyes. The look that said that this Stranger had known the greatest joy and the depths of hell. That he had loved and lost and didn’t want to trust himself to love again. Maybe it was the way that she automatically knew that this was a Stranger who found it hard to make friends; but once he did, would move mountains to ensure their safety.
He had turned the corner now. Breaking all of her own rules, she climbed out of her sleeping bag and followed him around the corner into Harbour Road.
She watched as he walked along the road and then came to a stop outside the Florist Pub, looking into one of the windows.
Distantly, strains of music floated to her ears as she squinted, trying to get a clearer look at the Stranger’s face.
He looked… surprised mainly. With a hint of betrayal, a pinch of anguish and, dare she think it… delight?
Perhaps he was meeting a lover and had just discovered that she wasn’t there? No, that wouldn’t explain it. What if he had just seen his lover in the arms of another man? No, that wasn’t right either. No matter, she had time to come up with a satisfying reason why he was there and why he looked as he did.
She thought she heard him mutter something like, "The man can sing."
That didn’t fit into any of the explanations she was turning over in her mind. But it was no matter. Give her time and she would be able to explain it all to her satisfaction.
As she watched, the Stranger ducked away from the window and then strode quickly away in the direction of the western cliff that served to protect St Treharne from the worst of the elements. The one known as Lover’s Leap.
But perhaps he wasn’t aware of that fact. After all, he was a Stranger.
She’d make it all fit in time.
Slowly, the bag lady shuffled back to her doorway, to wait out another night in terrified silence. But maybe she wouldn’t be moving on tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, she’d wait another couple of days. See if she saw the Stranger again.
* * *
Day Six, Sunday, The Florist Pub, Harbour Road, St Treharne
Buffy, Xander, Anya and Willow were sat at a large table beside one of the windows in the pub, striving hard to look as though they were enjoying themselves.
Willow glanced quickly out of the window beside her before looking back at the duet performing ‘Wild Thing’ onstage. She froze and turned back to the window. No-one was there.
Xander noticed her double-take and followed her gaze. Outside, the full moon shone brightly down on the fishing boats bobbing in the harbour. He shrugged and turned back to the stage. Willow continued to stare out of the window, frowning. It had almost looked like… but it couldn’t be. Angel was in LA. What would he be doing in England? In St Treharne of all places. It couldn’t have been him. There was no-one there. It must have been her imagination.
Onstage, the duet finished their performance and moved over to the group sat at the table. The female noticed Willow looking out of the window.
"What’s the matter?" She asked the redhead. "Didn’t you like it?"
Willow jumped and turned around. "Oh, no Darcy. I thought it was great. Didn’t you guys?" She asked the others.
Buffy and Xander complimented Darcy and Giles on their singing.
"I didn’t like it." Anya said. "Your voices were perfectly harmonious but I didn’t like the song."
"Why not?" Darcy asked with a frown as she and Giles sat down.
Anya shrugged. "I just don’t like that decade." She explained as the group settled down to do some serious research.
Willow started staring out of the window again, lost in thought.
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