Industrial strength rock music was thumping through the Bronze. The
dance floor was packed beyond capacity with moving bodies. Strobe lights
flickered quickly, giving the scene a surreal, disorienting look to an
observer. And there were plenty of observes tonight. The dance floor was
packed so much mainly because there was no where else for people to go.
Tables were crowded around, used mainly to leave drinks on while people
yelled at each other over the music. The bouncers had managed to keep the
crush from pressing against the game tables, so there were people playing
games of pool, pinball and the like. The bar was jammed. The washrooms
had lines so long they snaked along the walls around the club. People
loitered on the steps to the balcony, making it a game of leapfrog to
either get up or down from the observation level. All in all, a typical
Friday night at the Bronze, during the dying days of summer.
Sipping from a bottle of water, Xander Harris was an island of calm in a sea of chaos. The loan Scooby member left in Sunnydale at the moment, Xander was comfortable with being the odd man out. With Giles and Anya tending to Willow's recuperation in England, and Buffy and Dawn in Florida with the seldom-mentioned Hank Summers, Xander had been Sunnydale's 'Watchman' for almost 3 months.
Which isn't to say that Xander had been abandoned. He understood everyone's need to get some space from Sunnydale and deal with.well everything, that had happened. He'd been invited by both groups to their destinations, and probably would have taken one of them up, if not for work. Plus, someone needed to stick around Sunnydale to keep an eye on the Hellmouth.
Buffy, Dawn and Xander had paid a visit to LA before the sisters had left, to see if Angel and his crew could help out, but the hotel had been empty, and none of the numbers they had for Angel, Cordy or Wes were answered. There was more then a little worry about the Fang Gang's whereabouts, but without any leads at all, it was a wait and see situation.
So Xander had opted to stay in Sunnydale for the summer. There was plenty of work for him to do, as the summer was usually the busiest building season of the year. And his nightly patrols of the usual hunting grounds had shown that the pattern of vampires disappearing during the summer was still valid. He'd run into a few holdouts and dealt with them, but for the most part, the undead were taking a cue from the good guys and taking a break from Hellmouth for the summer.
All that suited Xander fine. He was surprised to find out that he didn't mind the solitary lifestyle, as much as he feared he would. And he still talked with everyone. Emails and late night chats with Willow and Giles, and daily phone calls from Buffy and Dawn, probably kept him from thinking he'd been forgotten. For the first time in a long time, Xander was feeling pretty secure about his friendships and his role in the group. Both Willow and Buffy knew that he was ready to hop a plane at a moment's notice if they needed him to, and the Slayer and Giles said that they would be in Sunnydale as quickly as inhumanly possible if something came up that Xander needed them for. Everyone missed everyone else terribly. And it was wonderful.
So, it was with that all in mind that Xander had treated himself to a night out on the town. He'd gone out with some of the guys after work for a bite to eat. Gone home, showered, and done his first patrol. He'd decided to kick back at the Bronze for awhile and just chill out. It had been a good plan, except he'd forgotten just how.crowded the Bronze could seem, when you were by yourself.
Making his way through the crush of people, the lone Scooby headed toward the gaming area of the club, in the hopes of a pick up game of pool or some other diversion. Someone bumped into him and he almost lost his grip on his bottle of water. "Sorry!" a female voice yelled in his ear. Looking down, Xander looked into the apologetic and smiling face of a young woman with curly black hair and dark eyes.
"No problem. It's crowded in here," he answered back loudly, giving her a small nod of forgiveness.
"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed, her smile growing even wider. "Loud too!" Xander smiles and nods again, trying to move past her. A hand on his arm stops him. "Do you want to get outta here?" the girl shouts into his ear, her smile quirking slightly.
Looking down at her hand and then her smiling face, Xander grins. While this is hardly the first time a pretty girl has hit on him, it is the first vampire that's tried it. "Sure!" he yells back at her, taking her hand, which is surprisingly cool in the muggy club. Both of them are smiling as they push their way through the club, and out into the much cooler air of the night. "Phew! Hot in there," Xander comments, his eyes travelling up and down her body in what he hopes is a good impression of a guy hoping to get lucky.
"Sure was." The girl, dressed in a black mini-skirt and a dark blue blouse that was unbuttoned up top and tied off well above her belly button. Xander had to admit, as far as vampires went, this was one of the better- looking ones. "My name's Tina, by the way."
"Xander," the Slayerette said, still holding her hand. "Do you maybe, want to go someplace else? A little more.quiet?" The smile he gave her was attempting to be both sly and innocent.
"Aren't you a bold guy?" Tina said with a laugh. "Don't know me more then five minutes, and already trying to get me alone."
Shrugging nonchalantly, Xander started leading her down the ally. "One thing I've learned living in this town, life is way to short to beat around the bush about the things you want. I say take a shot. If even if you fail, you're no worse off then if you didn't try at all."
As they moved further away from the Bronze, Tina squeezed Xander's hand gently. "That's a.very wise outlook on life you have, Xander. I know I'd be a lot happier if more people shared it."
Biting off a 'I'm sure you would', Xander just grinned. "My car is just around the block." The two walked in a comfortable silence for a minute, going deeper into the ally and away from the crowd of people outside of the Bronze. 'And five.four.three.two.one.'
"Did you hear something?" Tina said suddenly, her grip on Xander's hand tightening even more. Xander just shook his head, and made a show of looking around. "Probably just a cat then." Looking down at the girl, the solo Scooby was less then surprised when she leaned up and kissed him. Snaking her arms around his neck, she pushed herself closer to him, making him walk backwards toward a wall. The kissing intensified, both of them opening their mouths and letting their tongues battle for supremacy.
For Xander, this was an entirely new experience. He'd always wondered what it would be like to kiss a vampire. If Buffy's attraction for Angel and Spike was somewhat based on how different vampires felt. Tina's cool mouth and tongue felt so much different then the heat he felt when he had kissed Anya. The cold, dry hands that caressed his back and chest under his shirt sent a not unpleasant chill up his spine.
His hands slid around her body. One trailing down her back and then up under her skirt where it found more cool, surprisingly supple flesh where he expected to find underwear. Another hand went up along her bare stomach and up her blouse, feeling a nipple harden under his hand, but unsurprised to find a lack of heartbeat. It was like kissing, feeling a statue made life. For a moment, a brief moment, Tina wasn't a vampire, but a piece of art. A sculptor's creation in pale marble, magically made flesh.
Only for a moment.
'Never forget what they are,' whispered through Xander's mind as he removed his hands from her ass and breasts, causing a definite growl of protest from Tina. "Wait," he said breathlessly, placing one hand flat against her chest, while the other reached behind him for the sharpened cross he had tucked into his jeans.
"Why?" Tina asked, obviously not out of breath or pleased at his stopping.
Before he could give an answer, Xander spotted a shadow moving toward them. 'She had back up,' he chastised himself, his fingers curling around his weapon of choice. Hoping to stake Tina before her friend arrived, Xander was unprepared when the shadow appeared to throw something at them, making him flinch back automatically.
Tina apparently had not been caught so off guard, and managed to knock whatever it was away with a hand that moved with unnatural speed. She pushed off Xander, making him slam back into the wall hard enough that he smacked his head just enough that he saw stars for a moment.
When his vision cleared a second or two later, he saw Tina facing off against the shadow, her once pretty face now sporting a ridged forehead, yellow eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. So intent on her opponent, Tina didn't notice Xander picking himself up and moving behind her. Bringing the sharpened end of the cross up, he slammed it down into her back, piercing her heart. Tina managed to turn around and give Xander a surprised and hurt look, before her body turned to dust. Raising his eyes he focused on the figure in the shadows and brought the cross up in a warding off gesture. "That's what happens when your sires don't teach you how to share," he said in a low voice,
"I ain't got no sire," the shadow answered back in a throaty voice.
'Now that voice sound familiar.' Xander thought as the figure moved slowly out of the shadows. Stepping fully into the light, the person, who was now clearly a girl, was dressed in dirty jeans a size or so too big, and loose flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, hair tied back in a ponytail. Xander's eyes widened, as she was just about the last person thought he would run into in a dark ally. "Holy shit."
"Xander?" Staring back at him, eyes clearly showing surprise, was Faith.
Sipping from a bottle of water, Xander Harris was an island of calm in a sea of chaos. The loan Scooby member left in Sunnydale at the moment, Xander was comfortable with being the odd man out. With Giles and Anya tending to Willow's recuperation in England, and Buffy and Dawn in Florida with the seldom-mentioned Hank Summers, Xander had been Sunnydale's 'Watchman' for almost 3 months.
Which isn't to say that Xander had been abandoned. He understood everyone's need to get some space from Sunnydale and deal with.well everything, that had happened. He'd been invited by both groups to their destinations, and probably would have taken one of them up, if not for work. Plus, someone needed to stick around Sunnydale to keep an eye on the Hellmouth.
Buffy, Dawn and Xander had paid a visit to LA before the sisters had left, to see if Angel and his crew could help out, but the hotel had been empty, and none of the numbers they had for Angel, Cordy or Wes were answered. There was more then a little worry about the Fang Gang's whereabouts, but without any leads at all, it was a wait and see situation.
So Xander had opted to stay in Sunnydale for the summer. There was plenty of work for him to do, as the summer was usually the busiest building season of the year. And his nightly patrols of the usual hunting grounds had shown that the pattern of vampires disappearing during the summer was still valid. He'd run into a few holdouts and dealt with them, but for the most part, the undead were taking a cue from the good guys and taking a break from Hellmouth for the summer.
All that suited Xander fine. He was surprised to find out that he didn't mind the solitary lifestyle, as much as he feared he would. And he still talked with everyone. Emails and late night chats with Willow and Giles, and daily phone calls from Buffy and Dawn, probably kept him from thinking he'd been forgotten. For the first time in a long time, Xander was feeling pretty secure about his friendships and his role in the group. Both Willow and Buffy knew that he was ready to hop a plane at a moment's notice if they needed him to, and the Slayer and Giles said that they would be in Sunnydale as quickly as inhumanly possible if something came up that Xander needed them for. Everyone missed everyone else terribly. And it was wonderful.
So, it was with that all in mind that Xander had treated himself to a night out on the town. He'd gone out with some of the guys after work for a bite to eat. Gone home, showered, and done his first patrol. He'd decided to kick back at the Bronze for awhile and just chill out. It had been a good plan, except he'd forgotten just how.crowded the Bronze could seem, when you were by yourself.
Making his way through the crush of people, the lone Scooby headed toward the gaming area of the club, in the hopes of a pick up game of pool or some other diversion. Someone bumped into him and he almost lost his grip on his bottle of water. "Sorry!" a female voice yelled in his ear. Looking down, Xander looked into the apologetic and smiling face of a young woman with curly black hair and dark eyes.
"No problem. It's crowded in here," he answered back loudly, giving her a small nod of forgiveness.
"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed, her smile growing even wider. "Loud too!" Xander smiles and nods again, trying to move past her. A hand on his arm stops him. "Do you want to get outta here?" the girl shouts into his ear, her smile quirking slightly.
Looking down at her hand and then her smiling face, Xander grins. While this is hardly the first time a pretty girl has hit on him, it is the first vampire that's tried it. "Sure!" he yells back at her, taking her hand, which is surprisingly cool in the muggy club. Both of them are smiling as they push their way through the club, and out into the much cooler air of the night. "Phew! Hot in there," Xander comments, his eyes travelling up and down her body in what he hopes is a good impression of a guy hoping to get lucky.
"Sure was." The girl, dressed in a black mini-skirt and a dark blue blouse that was unbuttoned up top and tied off well above her belly button. Xander had to admit, as far as vampires went, this was one of the better- looking ones. "My name's Tina, by the way."
"Xander," the Slayerette said, still holding her hand. "Do you maybe, want to go someplace else? A little more.quiet?" The smile he gave her was attempting to be both sly and innocent.
"Aren't you a bold guy?" Tina said with a laugh. "Don't know me more then five minutes, and already trying to get me alone."
Shrugging nonchalantly, Xander started leading her down the ally. "One thing I've learned living in this town, life is way to short to beat around the bush about the things you want. I say take a shot. If even if you fail, you're no worse off then if you didn't try at all."
As they moved further away from the Bronze, Tina squeezed Xander's hand gently. "That's a.very wise outlook on life you have, Xander. I know I'd be a lot happier if more people shared it."
Biting off a 'I'm sure you would', Xander just grinned. "My car is just around the block." The two walked in a comfortable silence for a minute, going deeper into the ally and away from the crowd of people outside of the Bronze. 'And five.four.three.two.one.'
"Did you hear something?" Tina said suddenly, her grip on Xander's hand tightening even more. Xander just shook his head, and made a show of looking around. "Probably just a cat then." Looking down at the girl, the solo Scooby was less then surprised when she leaned up and kissed him. Snaking her arms around his neck, she pushed herself closer to him, making him walk backwards toward a wall. The kissing intensified, both of them opening their mouths and letting their tongues battle for supremacy.
For Xander, this was an entirely new experience. He'd always wondered what it would be like to kiss a vampire. If Buffy's attraction for Angel and Spike was somewhat based on how different vampires felt. Tina's cool mouth and tongue felt so much different then the heat he felt when he had kissed Anya. The cold, dry hands that caressed his back and chest under his shirt sent a not unpleasant chill up his spine.
His hands slid around her body. One trailing down her back and then up under her skirt where it found more cool, surprisingly supple flesh where he expected to find underwear. Another hand went up along her bare stomach and up her blouse, feeling a nipple harden under his hand, but unsurprised to find a lack of heartbeat. It was like kissing, feeling a statue made life. For a moment, a brief moment, Tina wasn't a vampire, but a piece of art. A sculptor's creation in pale marble, magically made flesh.
Only for a moment.
'Never forget what they are,' whispered through Xander's mind as he removed his hands from her ass and breasts, causing a definite growl of protest from Tina. "Wait," he said breathlessly, placing one hand flat against her chest, while the other reached behind him for the sharpened cross he had tucked into his jeans.
"Why?" Tina asked, obviously not out of breath or pleased at his stopping.
Before he could give an answer, Xander spotted a shadow moving toward them. 'She had back up,' he chastised himself, his fingers curling around his weapon of choice. Hoping to stake Tina before her friend arrived, Xander was unprepared when the shadow appeared to throw something at them, making him flinch back automatically.
Tina apparently had not been caught so off guard, and managed to knock whatever it was away with a hand that moved with unnatural speed. She pushed off Xander, making him slam back into the wall hard enough that he smacked his head just enough that he saw stars for a moment.
When his vision cleared a second or two later, he saw Tina facing off against the shadow, her once pretty face now sporting a ridged forehead, yellow eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. So intent on her opponent, Tina didn't notice Xander picking himself up and moving behind her. Bringing the sharpened end of the cross up, he slammed it down into her back, piercing her heart. Tina managed to turn around and give Xander a surprised and hurt look, before her body turned to dust. Raising his eyes he focused on the figure in the shadows and brought the cross up in a warding off gesture. "That's what happens when your sires don't teach you how to share," he said in a low voice,
"I ain't got no sire," the shadow answered back in a throaty voice.
'Now that voice sound familiar.' Xander thought as the figure moved slowly out of the shadows. Stepping fully into the light, the person, who was now clearly a girl, was dressed in dirty jeans a size or so too big, and loose flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, hair tied back in a ponytail. Xander's eyes widened, as she was just about the last person thought he would run into in a dark ally. "Holy shit."
"Xander?" Staring back at him, eyes clearly showing surprise, was Faith.