"I can't believe I promised not to bite people." Red sighed as she stalked towards the Bronze. Her thoughts were interrupted by a mans voice off to one side.
"You can bite me any day, darlin'." A dark-haired vampire stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of her. Red looked him up and down, then snorted condescendingly.
"If you think you can take me, then I'd love to play with you." She gave him her trademark smirk and put her hands on her hips, flicking her hair over her shoulder. The vampire smiled, and whistled.
Four other vampires came out of nowhere, and surrounded her. She looked about, then pouted. "All this trouble for me? I'm honored, really." Then without blinking she launched her self at the ring-leader, and embedded a carefully concealed stake into his heart. As he turned to dust she pulled it out and whipped round, but was met by a second vampires forearm.
Red flew through the air, and hit the ally wall. She slid to the floor, dazed. The remaining vampires began to laugh when there came a roar. One of the vampires was propelled into his comrade, and a third was staked.
Red couldn't see much past the blood trickling into her eyes, but she could hear the screams, and the thuds. After less than a minute the pained sounds stopped, and a pair of black shoes were in front of her.
She groaned, and tried to sit up. Her rescuer helped her to lean back against the wall.
"Puppy?" Red spoke warily, realising that this would be the perfect time for him to stake her. Then she realised that if he wanted her dead he'd have let the vampires do it for him.
"Are....are you alright?" He asked her hesitantly. Red nodded, but remained silent. Puppy pulled his sleeve down and started to wipe at the blood covering her face. When he was convinced she was clean he looked into her eyes, and she smiled at him. Not a Red smile, a Willow smile.
He smiled shyly back at her, and she rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Do I have to do everything?" She muttered, just before grabbing his shirt and pulling him down for a huge kiss. After a minute they paused, to think, not because they needed to catch their breath. Puppy hugged Red, and buried his face in her shoulder.
"I love you." He whispered. Reds eyes went wide, and she smiled slightly.
Meanwhile......
"I have to do this.
I have to do this." Amy muttered to herself as she walked slowly
down the stairs. Suddenly she stopped and started back up the stairs.
"I can't do this. I can't do this." Then she gave a small scream
and headed back down the stairs.
"I'm going to do
this. I'm going to do this."
She took a deep breath, then headed out into the garden. Angelus was sitting on the bench, deep in thought. Amy cleared her throat. Nothing. She coughed. Still nothing. She started to pretend choke.
"I heard you the first....." Angelus trailed off when he saw her. His mouth was still moving, but no sounds were coming out.
"I'll take that as a I-like-the-new-look nonverbal, rather than a oh-my-god-you-look -awful nonverbal." Amy smiled at him shyly, and slowly headed over to him.Angelus stood up, and moved towards her.
"What are, you're wearing.......that is, leather, and......" Amy grinned at him, her confidence growing. She spun around in a circle, her arms wide.
"You like?" When she turned to face him again he rushed forward and grabbed her.
"You have no idea how much." He growled softly. Amy smiled evilly at him.
"Oh, I think I do." Her eyes moved downwards, then back up to his face.
"Oh...OH." Amy smiled at him. Then a minute later she frowned at him.
"Well?" Angelus frowned. "Are you gonna kiss me or not?" Amy asked him frustratedly, and at her tone he gave her his patented smirk.
"No." Amy squealed and grabbed his coat and pulled him down to kiss her. She didn't have to pull very hard.
End Part 26
"Hey, wait up." Faith called out. Oz turned to face her, and waited until she caught up with her. "Ya ok?" Faith asked him, as they began to walk again.
He nodded slightly, but said nothing. Faith frowned, but remained silent. "It's no good!" She burst out a minute later. Oz turned and looked at her, his eyebrows raised slightly. "It isn't ok. You're not ok. So why don't you tell me about it?"
"Share my pain, how Oprah." Faith pulled a face and made a mock laughing sound."Plus it's not very masculine, and would mean I'd have to leave behind my normal state of taciturnity." Faith smirked at him.
"Wow, two sentences, highly un-taci......whatever." Oz laughed slightly.
"Thanks."
"No problem, long as ya'll are five by five that's cool. Well, shall we go stake us some undead ass?" Faith made a stabbing motion in the air, and Oz nodded.
Meanwhile.......
Willow stared at the floor. Angel stared at the floor. Somewhere there was a clock ticking. (Uck, tick, tock, tick, tock, driving, me, slowly, insane, arghhhhhhh. Oh goddess, I have to do something.....I should say something. What can I say? Nice weather we're havin' doesn't really work in these situations.....ohgoddess, if someone doesn't say something then nothings gonna get said and then we'll stand here for eternity, or until the world ends, which is gonna be soon so maybe it won't be that bad `cos I really won't have to wait for ages.)
Willow glanced up at Angel, who was occasionally shifting from one foot to another. (Oh goddess, he looks.....no, bad Willow, naughty thoughts.) "Hang on, they're not naughty thoughts `cos I'm officially free and goddess I just said that outloud."
Willow went bright red, and started coughing. Angel was staring at her like she'd just taken all of her clothes off and was preparing to sacrifice a chicken. "So." Angel said, his voice rough.
"So." Willow said in a small voice. They both looked into each others eyes for a minute, then Willow smiled shyly, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Angel froze, then they both moved forward at the same time. Angels arms went around her, and she buried her face in his chest. After about a minute Angel spoke.
"Umm, can you breathe alright?" Willow flushed, then looked up and nodded. He stared down at her. (Nice face, nice hair, nice eyes, nice mouth...whoah, we're kissing, how did that happen, when did that happen?)
After half a minute
they broke apart. "Nice weather we're having." Willow squeaked
out, her voice about an octave higher than a normal human beings should
be able to reach. Angel dropped his arms, and backed off a step.
They both looked at each
other.
"We can't do this." Angel said, and for a second Willow just stood there. Then her eye's began to fill up with tears, and Angel groaned and mentally smacked his forehead. "What I mean is, that this isn't....what I mean to say is, we should wait. Until after whatever is going to happened has happened. So we can focus." He ran out of reasons, and lapsed back into his typical broody silence.
Willow gave him a watery smile. "I...I understand. You're right, so we should go away and be alone....but not together alone, seperate alone."
Angel nodded quickly, and they both practically ran in opposite directions. Willow ran to her room, and Angel ran out of the mansion.
"What's up with him?" Amy asked Angelus after Angel had sped past them. Angelus frowned in thought, then smiled slightly.
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that he's gonna be taking a lot of cold showers from now on." Amy laughed then hit him.
"I thoughts I was supposed to be the witch. You keep your mind on other matters." Angelus leered at her.
"Which would be....?" He left the question hanging ominously in the air.
"Making me something to eat, I'm starving." Angelus sighed, it was a typical male do-I-have-to-do-everything-around-here-sigh. Amy's response to this was to elbow him in the ribs, and then before he could recover push him off the bench. She pointed to th mansion imperiously, and pouted.
"Fine, fine, I'm going." Angelus dragged himself off the floor, and headed towards the kitchen, muttering about apron-strings and fishwives.
Amy glared at his retreating back, then smiled evilly. She thoughts for a moment, then muttered a few words under her breath. A white sign appeared on the Angelus' back, it read "House-Broken Nancy-Boy".
End Part 27
"Shut up!" Faith shouted from the bed, and then turned her walkman louder trying todrown out Amy's obvious jubilation.
"Lighten up." Amy said when she was sure Faith couldn't hear her. Suddenly Redburst into the room. "Hey there......smeared lipstick, mussed hair, someone's beengetting smoochies." She finished in a childish sing-song voice. Red grinned at herthen stalked over to her wardrobe and kicked her boots off.
"Where's Willow?" She asked whilst hopping on one foot.
Amy paused. "Dunno, when I came back from the kitchen, and Angelus kissage
might I add, she wasn't here."
Faith opened her eyes and took off her headphones. "Oz knows. About our residentRomeo and Juliet I mean."
"Oh." Amy said, eyes wide.
"Finally." Red stated, finally getting her boot off, then falling back onto the bed inexhaustion.
"Exactly. Now her and Angel can be shagadelically happy...." Willow ran into theroom and dove onto her bed sobbing "or not." Faith finished. She grimaced thenlooked at Amy, who was frowning. Red buffed her nails on her top, not saying aword.
Meanwhile.........
"You're in my way." Angelus said to Puppy, who was standing at the foot of thestairs. "Hello?" Angelus frowned at his double, who was staring into space, a slightsmile on his face. He sighed then upsmacked Puppy's head, startling the vampire inaction.
Thwack!
His arm came round and hit Angelus in the face, sending him sprawling backwardsinto Angel who had just come through the front door. Angelus just managed to keepon his feet by using Angel's body as a springboard. Unfortunately as Angel wentdown he retained enough co-ordination to kick out at Angelus' knees in retaliation,knocking him straight into Puppy and dragging him to the ground as well.
"Bugga' that for a laugh. Ain't you the three stooges. You gonna do an encore
peaches?" Spike managed to get out whilst holding his side from laughter.
"Shut up Spike!" They all growled out together, while attempting to return to a morevertical position.
"Well, if you three are quite finished with the clownish antics we'd like to hold ameeting." Spike drawled, leaning against the wall.
"What about?" Angelus asked him as he dusted off his pants.
"Death, destruction.......dinner. My three favourite things." Spike straightened upand headed towards the kitchen.
"This was your fault." Angel said as he pushed past Angelus.
"My fault. How was it my fault?" Angelus asked incredulously. "You kicked me."
"Well you knocked me over." Angel replied.
"I didn't push you, I fell into you, there's a big difference." Angelus explained asthey followed Spike.
"Well......you wouldn't have fallen into me if you hadn't hit Puppy." Angelus thoughtthat one over, but refused to acknowledge the fact that Angel was right.
"Birds in their little nest agree." Puppy commented. Angelus turned him.
"You're a vampire. Vampires don't read Louisa May Alcott. It's not about evilthings, and no-one dies whilst being tortured painfully." Angel coughed into hishand, smirking slightly at the fact that Angelus had to have read the book with him(and not just ignored what he was doing as the demon occasionally did), in order torecognise the quote.
Puppy smiled slightly at Angelus' look of consternation as he realised what he'dunwittedly confessed to. Angelus' response was to growl slightly and stalk off on his own.
Angel frowned and looked questioningly at Puppy. "What's that on his back?"
Fifteen Minutes Later........
"That's the plan?" Xander asked Giles incredulously.
"Well......yes it er, it is. The basic plan I mean. The whole operation will in factinvolve slightly more than I just indicated." Giles excused himself nervously.
"Oh good, I mean we wouldn't want anything to be simple for a change now would we?" Amy quipped then rolled her eyes in Willows direction, who smiled weakly ather in response.
"I like the plan. `Specially the killin' bits. I always say a plan ain't a plan unlessthere's killin' at some point." Faith interjected whilst twirling her formerly secondfavourite stake in her hand.
"I agree pet, although for different reasons." Spike grinned at her from where he wasstanding, which caused Faith to brandish a certain pointy bit of wood in his generaldirection. "Whoa girl, fellow do-gooder remember?" Faith sighed dejectedly, thenturned back to Giles who was making an attempt to continue with the details.
Three Hours and 37 Minutes Later.......
"Enough already, we get it!" Cordelia said exasperatedly, tearing Giles away from hisflipchart. He had the grace to look slightly sheepish, the sighed.
"I guess that is enough for today." Everyone sighed mentally. "We can pick upwhere we left off tomorrow." This time the sighs were audiable, which caused Gilesto blush slightly and begin to putter around tidying away all of his props. Christinestood up to help him, and for some strange reason Giles went even redder.
"Somebody stake me now." Red said as they all traipsed out of the room.
"My pleasure." Faith replied.
"Nope, me first." Amy broke in.
"Hey! That's my evil vamp twin your talking about. If anyone's gonna get to stakeher it should be me." Red glared at Willow, then moved towards her menacingly.
"Time out guys." Cordelia interrupted them before things got out of hand. "We havesome serious planning to do." They all turned and looked at her in shock. "I believea Bronzing session is required to initiate the new members into our gang." They allgrinned.
"Great idea Cordy." Xander said, draping his arm around the brunettes shoulders. She shrugged him off, and flipped her hair in his face.
"As if. Girls night. No boys, no old dead guys, and no creatures of indiscriminateorigin." She looked pointedly at her boyfriend, then stalked upstairs, the girlsfollowed behind giggling at Xanders crestfallen look.
"So, there gonna be any cuties there?" Faith asked as they all traipsed into Willowand Amys room.
"There better be, otherwise where's the point?" Cordelia replied whilst headingtowards the closet. "Time to break out the new outfits. Everyone go grab all yourclothes, and I do mean all Willow. Include shoes, make-up, and anything else youconsider essential. We meet in my room in ten." Cordelia cracked her verbal whip,and everyone, including Red jumped.
"You guys wait for me `k, I'm gonna go get Dru." Cordelia said after she lookedaround the room and realised that her friend hadn't followed them upstairs.
"Ya think she'll come. I thought her and brit-boy were joined at the pelvis." Faithasked as she headed through the door.
"Believe me, when I'm through with her she'll be begging to go." Cordelia said asshe headed out the room.
Amy turned to Red. "You think I should warn Dru that Cyclone-Cordy is on a mission?" Red thought for a moment.
"No, it's more fun this way." She drawled, grinning evilly.
"You're bad." Amy grinned as she headed towards the closet.
"You know it." Red smiled angelically as she sashayed out the room.
After a few minutes of throwing stuff on the bed Amy decided she'd had enough. "So, what's up with you?" She asked Willow, who was sorting slowly through theaccumulating mountain of clothing, attempting to veto them before they got toCordelias room.
Willow looked up at her friend, mentally debating how much, if any of the truth sheshould divulge. She sighed. (Might as well spill.)
"We, well, I mean that Angel and I kinda', well......we decided that we should wait todate." (Arghh, now I'm rhyming? I need a life, stat.) Amy looked at her
incredulously.
"What?" She shouted. Then tried to calm herself as she saw the look on Willowsface. She decided to take pity on her friend, for now. "Come on, lets get this lotthrough to Cordelias room, we can come back for the rest of it later." She nodded atthe pile Willow had surreptitiously made with all the cough-i-can't-wear-that items.
"Ughhhhhhhh." Was the only reply she recieved, but then again it was the only replyshe'd expected.
End Part 28
"Awwww, come on. Live a little, lust a lot" Faith pleaded. "Where's the harm?" "You're all underage, except for Druscilla that is." Christine replied.
"Oh come on. It's not like I'm askin' ya to call forth some death demon from the dark dimensions. One measly round." Faith whined ingratiatingly, and assumed an innocent expression.
"Alcohol is evil, bad, and evil. Christine's right." Willow said when the her new English friend failed to reply.
"We're staring down the face of some serious shit here people." Faith replied, getting angry.
"Bored now. Want
drinkies. Kill people soon." Red interjected in her most insane
sounding voice.
"Look, we're facin'
total annihilation. One drink isn't gonna send
us all to hell.
Do y'all wanna die without getting drunk even once? Well, do ya'?" Faith
looked around the group.
"Count me in." Cordelia said, then glanced around the room. "Oooooooo, college-crunchies three o'clock." Faith jumped up.
"You get the drinks in, and I'll grab us some entertainment." Faith said to Christine, who sighed in response then slowly stood up and headed over to the bar.
"7 shots of tequila, please." The bartender raised an eyebrow at her request, but knew better than to say anything, after all he'd lived in Sunnydale for quite some time now, and had learnt that asking questions was a sure fire way to end up six feet under with a strong case of the sun-shy. Christine looked over at the gaggle of guys following Faith. "Just give me the bottle and as many glasses as you have." She said tiredly. It was gonna be a long night.
Meanwhile.........
"My, it's quiet in here tonight." Giles said as he entered the room.
"Girls night out Bronzing. Guys night in worrying." Xander replied after grabbing a handful of popcorn.
"Shut up." Spike
said, then turned back to the television. "Lob `is head off, you big
poof."
Angel glanced over at his childe, and smiled slightly. Giles frowned at the television. "What is that?" He asked the room in general.
"Highlander." Puppy replied. Giles nodded as if to say oh-yes- Highlander-I've- heard-of-that-honest-I-have.
"So." He said as he sat next to Angelus.
"Yup." Angelus replied.
"You think they'll be okay?" Angel asked after a minute or so.
"Sure, I mean they've got Faith, Red, Cordy........maybe we should check on them. Just to make sure they're okay I mean." Xander replied.
Everyone got up en-masse, including Spike, although he grumbled a bit as he turned the television off. "You know, if they find out they'll think that we don't trust them." Giles said as they headed out the mansion.
"We don't." Angelus
replied, then strode ahead, determined to get in
any car car but
Giles'. After a few seconds everyone rushed past the bemused Watcher as
they realised exactly what was at stake.
"Outta the way dead-boy." Xander shouted at Angel.
"I'm not going in that.....car." Angel replied as he kicked into vamp speed mode, leaving Xander in his dust.
"Cheater!" Was the teens shouted response at Angels quickly retreating back.
20 Minutes Later..........
"Well, if you lot
didn't way as much we could bloody well go quicker. Now shut up, before
I kick you all out." Spike shouted at the complaining masses
that were
infesting his car.
Everyone frowned then looked in different directions. "Was that Giles?" Angel said after a moment as a car overtook them.
"We're in real trouble if we've just been passed by the G-Man, his car is severly snail like." Xander commented, and three pairs of identical eyes bored into him.
"Okay. Someone tell the human sitting in a car with four vampires to shut the bloody hell up." Spike fumed silently as he watched Giles' car get smaller and smaller.
15 Minutes Later............
"What took you so long?" Giles asked them as they finally got to the Bronze. His question was met by three glares, a snort, and a "pillock".
"They in there?" Xander asked as they hovered in the back alley. Giles shrugged.
"I didn't dare go in. Not without backup anyway." Xander nodded.
"Good decision G-Man. Okay, what's the plan?"
"We wait out here till they leave, then we follow them. Simple. Effective." Angelus stated, peering round the corner.
Meanwhile.........
"Spike's outside." Druscilla said to Cordelia.
"How do you know?" Cordelia replied, fishing through her purse for her lipstick.
"I'm a vampire with psychic abilities." Druscilla said, then at Cordelia's disbelieving look she continued with, "I heard his car, it backfires when he goes into reverse."
Cordelia smiled.
"I see. They don't trust us. They think we're gonna have some sort of drunken party with a group of frat boys we just met. Hang on, that's what we are doing." Cordelia laughed, and Druscilla smiled slightly.
"I have a cunning plan." Druscilla said as they headed back to the table.
"Spill." Cordelia giggled.
Twenty Minutes Later...............
"As I will so mote it be." Amy finished, arms outstretched. She looked around, her friends were all forming a large circle. "Operation Men-Are-So- Predictable is good to go people."
Meanwhile..........
"That is so cool. You play lead guitar. I love guys who play lead guitar." Willow giggled drunkenly as she hung on lead-guitar guys arm
"So, we're we going?" Faith asked to the brunette on her left arm.
"Private party." He leered at her, and she winked in response.
The rest of the group followed them, piling into two seperate cars. They sped off, and the men waiting in the shadows stepped out.
"What the hell?" Angel said quietly to himself.
"They've made off with our women." Xander exclaimed in shock, turning to the rest in hope of some explanation.
"Bloody hell. They were drunk. We have to save them." Spike said, taking off for his car at top vampiric speed, Angelus and Puppy close behind.
Giles, Xander and
Angel headed for the other car, the only sound that could be heard
was Angel muttering
"lead guitar....lead guitar".
End Part 29