TITLE: Deluge
AUTHOR: clarrie
DISCLAIMER:
Obviously don't own Giles, Wesley, Buffy and the Scooby gang. Alice Boston and others are mine, most of the info about watchers and the watchers council was made up by me and is based on my interpretation of it as an institution.
All witchy stuff made up by me and bares little resemblance to say, Wicca or any of the other old faiths.
Lines taken from 'Vicious' By Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.
SPOILERS: mild up to mid season 3, but as if faith and the mayor had not existed and Anya and Xander had got together earlier. Does include Wesley character though.
At the time of story Oz had ginger hair.
'It will not be pleasant.' The Monsignor stood before the babbling crowd of vampires. The fiery light of a dozen burning torches reflected back into his face. 'Tomorrow we must stand as one. We must stand as one against the TREACHERY! We must stand as one against the APOSTATE!' He paused. 'We have suffered this base defilement of our people for too long. But we must not allow ourselves to think that he has grown soft among the company of man. Remember, he was Angelus…'
A murmur ran through the crowd, The Monsignor smiled coldly. 'There were those among you who were unaware I see. It is understandable, the change wrought upon him has been… profound.' The Monsignor paused, and clasping his mangled crucifix to his chest, he lowered his voice. 'Tomorrow we will face great peril. The slayer will attempt to protect him. I will not lie, many of our number will not return. But those who do will return to a reign of glory, and the sirelings of those who do not will forever wear their name as a badge of honour. The mark of those who died to restore the pride to the vampires of Sunnydale.
'I, I, well I won't.' Gillian folded his arms across his chest and glared at Alice. 'It's a stupid idea.'
'Ooh, will this fit me Cord?' Xandy held up a light blue slip dress to the light.
'It might, I mean it is like way to big for me, and you really have the face for last year's colour.'
Xandy gazed blankly at the dress.
'That's a yes Xan.' Buffy threw over a blue cardigan of her mother's. 'Try this with it.' Xandy smiled his thanks and stepped into the bathroom.
'Oh come on Squirrel, it'll be fun.' Alice grinned and rifled through her suitcase. 'You need to get out more.'
'If you don't mind I'd rather just sit in a darkened room until this whole thing is over.'
'Oh don't be such a baby.' Alice pulled out brown cardigan and flung it at Gillian. 'And let Oz do your hair.'
Oz and Willow stepped forward. 'Have you thought about using colour?'
Gillian glared darkly and they advanced no further.
'Will, um actually Oz too, would you come here for a minute?'
Willow grinned and pulled Oz into the bathroom with her. She emerged giggling several minutes later.
Oz poked his head around the door. 'We need razors, wax and bleaching cream. Stat.'
He withdrew back into the bathroom, before returning rapidly. 'Cancel the wax...'
'Shaugnessy's?'
Alice, Xandy and Gillian stood in the glow of the green neon shamrock attached to the bar door.
'And why not?' Alice grinned and gestured at the still scowling Gillian. 'Would you rather take him to the bronze?'
They filed dismally into the darkened bar. A pair of speakers on the wall were spewing out mild disco from the early eighties in an effort to inject a little life into the clientele.
'Woah,' Xandy raised an eyebrow, 'it's where disco came to die.'
Alice grinned. ' Oh it's early yet, the fun crowd doesn't get here until, oh, - what time is it now?'
'9.30'
'9.30 it is then.' Alice pulled them towards the bar and attracted the attention of the barman. 'Nile, Pernod and black over here dear.' She turned to the others. 'What are you having?'
'G and T, easy on the T.'
'Sex on the beach please.' Xandy smiled happily.
'Um, are you absolutely sure?' Alice stared at him in surprise.
'No, but I've never been girly enough to order one before.'
Alice shrugged. 'Sex on the beach please then Nile.'
They took their orders and turned to find a seat at one of the many empty tables.
'I think it's stupid and I don't know why we're here.' Gillian stared deeply into his drink.
'Oh, for God's sake Squizz. Think of it as a holiday. This is a celebration of your brief sojourn in the world of tight pants and unusual draughts. Anyway it's Friday night. No self respecting transsexual stays in on a Friday night. S' a well known fact ' She downed her drink. 'So cheer up before I make yeh dance.'
'Hey, you know if he dances he might…' Whatever the smart remark Xandy was about to make it remained frozen in the air as a familiar figure emerged from the gloom.
'Bob!' Alice rose from the table and shook Snyder vigorously by the hand.
'Alice.' Snyder split his face into a rictus grin. 'And how is your lovely sister?'
'Francis sends her regards.' Alice attempted to put herself between Snyder and the two others, but was too slow.
'And who are your friends, They look…'Snyder stared at Gillian. 'Familiar.'
Alice grinned nervously. 'This is um, this is Gillian, she's um.'
'My brother works at your school,' Gillian took a large mouthful of his drink, 'the librarian.'
'Ah, Nice to meet you Miss Giles.'
'Mrs, Mrs DeNiro.' Gillian held out his hand. 'Divorced.' He stared down his nose at Snyder as he shook him by the hand.
'And this is Alexandra.'
'Alexandra DeNiro.' Xander grinned and saluted with his glass.
'I know that face,' Snyder turned to Alice. 'Why do I know that face?'
'Well Bob,' Xandy addressed Snyder confidently, 'I made my debut in a commercial for 'Soothitt' haemorrhoid cream. But I've recently diversified into Fashion photography and late night cable films. I was in 'Night eyes 12''.
Snyder blinked.
'I don't go to your school, that's for sure.'
Snyder cleared his throat. ' Well, it's been nice to meet you … Miss DeNiro, Mrs DeNiro, Alice, another time yes?'
Snyder slunk back into the darkness of the bar and Xandy began to giggle.
'Mrs DeNiro?'
'Well, why should he assume I'm a miss?' Gillian threw his shoulders back and thrust forward his chin. 'I could get a man.'
Alice giggled helplessly. 'Mrs, Mrs DeNiro… Divorced'
'Well…' Gillian pursed his lips sullenly. ' He deserved it. At least I didn't say I was in 'Night eyes 12'. What is a 'night eyes' anyway?'
Alice guffawed loudly and got to her feet. 'Well, I'm going to get us something from the bar.'
'Alice! We haven't finished our … Alice.'
Alice returned grinning. 'Gillian, Alexandra. Meet Lyle, Richie and Phil.' She gestured towards the three men of varying ages that she had plucked from the bar. ' Lyle, Richie and Phil, meet Gillian and Alexandra.'
'So you're Alice's friend.' The older of the three sat beside Gillian. 'Gillian, that's an unusual name.'
Gillian glowered blackly. 'I strongly recommend that you return to the bar, and try your tawdry little lines with someone who may be interested.'
'Woah. Angry British Spinster. I bet you're a wow at the parties.'
'Why, Why,
'Deeeeliiiiiiiiiiillllllaaaaaaaah!'
'Badda badda badda boom.'
Gillian rested uneasily on Alice's shoulders. 'Wassa nex' line?'
'Dunno…Sing summninging else.'
Xandy giggled helplessly and attempted an improvised variation on the happy dance.
'Vicious! You hit me with a, with a…. ' Gillian turned to Alice. 'Line?'
'Hammer?' Suggested Alice without breaking stride
'You hit me with a hammer,' Gillian turned paused with a puzzled expression on his face. 'S'not right?'
'Restraining order?'
Gillian screwed up his face in concentration. 'S'flower. You hit me with a flower! Yah Do it everything, no, no, no. You do it every … Line?'
'Month?'
Alice signalled that they had reached the door. 'Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh' She caught her breath. 'Shhhhhhhhhh. Don' want to wake Mishish Shu…Missush Shumumumum….Mishish Shumumumumum… Buffy.'
She thrust her hands deep into her pockets and struggled find her door key. 'Here, key… here keysy, keysy, keysy.'
'Problem?'
'Bloody keys.'
'Can't find them?'
'Haven't got one.' Alice paused as a look of low cunning spread across her face. 'Got a plan.' She put her finger to her lips conspiratorially. 'Shhh!'
'Plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan.' Xandy dissolved once more into giggles.
'Shhh…Plan.' Alice hushed Xandy and Gillian. 'Plan, MISHUSH SUMUMUMUMUM….. MISHUSH SUMUMUMUM… BUFFY!'
A bleary eyed Buffy welcomed them as they stumbled giggling through the door. 'That's it, you kids are grounded.'
'To tomorrow, to self- respect, To the death of treachery…'
Xandy stirred in his sleep and pulled the blanket higher about him. Xander murmured gently and his dreams turned from Cheerleader try outs and the football team to… Well, Cheerleader try outs and the football team but in a different way…
The pale dawn light spiked through the curtains of the Summers living room. Xander blinked painfully. He ran his hands over his face and felt the early morning stubble rough against his hand. 'Need a shave.' He yawned. 'Need a shave?' His eyes snapped open. 'Yes! Need a shave!' He jumped from his resting place and began to perform the happy dance.
'I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man…' He jumped and executed a mid air pirouette, sliding barefoot along the polished floor of the hallway.
'I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm…. Standing naked in front of Buffy's mom.'
Mrs Summers waved nervously.
'Giles said that there had been reports of, like, major vampage near the river.' Buffy sunk deep inside her overcoat. 'The rain flushed them out from the sewers apparently.'
'Yes?' Angel stood at her side.
'Well that's what Giles thinks anyway.' Buffy placed a stick of chewing gum in her mouth. ' I can't see any though can you?'
'Buffy?' Angel pointed over her shoulder. 'Would that be the vampage?'
From the darkness around the riverbank a mass of vampires emerged.