Title: Joker in the Pack - Chapter 1/8
Author: Shona
Rating: 15 - purely for language though
Timeline: Set after Graduation Day 2 (seems to be my favourite setting right now - wonder why!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination (and my new PC! yay!) JW and ME own all the rest - I'm just playing in a pretty big sand box
Author's notes: Challenge fic in response to Margot on the BBBFic list - challenge had to have the return of a long-lost character, a demon not seen on either BtVS or AtS and a quote from a film. A mate suggested that I try to go one step further and build it all from film quotes - hope it works! (okay so it didn't quite work out but 7 quotes aint bad!)
Summary: Xander meets an old friend and wackiness ensues when they feel the call of the wild - can't say any more than that!
The foam dripped slowly down the side of the annoyingly empty glass. He watched it with regret, trying to think about the best way to convince the already suspicious barmaid that he was in fact of legal age to acquire the foamy nectar of the working classes. He glanced up at her, trying to gauge what kind of mood she was in. She met his gaze and he could see a slight roll of her eyes, glancing around almost furtively she took his empty glass and refilled it out of sight of her boss. He smiled at her gratefully and made sure to leave an overly large tip. His smile was returned in a disinterested way and he could tell that she was almost as bored as he was. She was stuck in a dead end job where she got to watch everyone else having a good time while she was running around cleaning out slops; he was stuck with no job watching all his friends having a good time getting ready for college while he was running around cleaning demon-blood off of various weapons. It was a toss up who between the two of them had the rough end of the deal.
He'd decided it was time to take off, to do the whole clichéd American Road Trip thing and see something other than the hell hole that was Sunnydale, he just hadn't quite gotten round to doing anything about it. Story of his life really, he always had big plans but then something always got in the way. And so here he was, sitting in the Bronze, relying on the kindness of the unknown barmaid and the drunkenness of his mother who hadn't noticed the money missing from her purse.
He lifted the refilled glass, marvelling at the way the light filtered through the amber liquid, surely this was the nectar of the gods...or was it ambrosia? Which was the food and which was the drink? He never could remember, maybe he should ask Giles - it was bound to be something the ex-Watcher knew, he tried to file the question away to ask the older man later on but he knew that somehow it would slip his mind - the same as always. Looking around he could see the peculiar mix of patrons in the Bronze. There were the ubiquitous school students who liked to think of the club as theirs. They were clustered around the various tables around the stairwell, trying to hide or ignore the stamps on the backs of their hands giving away their underage status. On the dance floor were the music aficionados, the people who were actually there to listen to whatever band was playing. And then there were the people propping up the bar. Mostly alone, they were almost exclusively in their early twenties and already heavy drinkers. Each of them had the look in their eyes of people with a grudge against life and who were determined to forget that with the aid of hard liquor. He almost smiled at the way they were acting until he realised that he himself fell within that category.
Surveying the room over the rim of the glass, he focused on the door as it swung open. The opener walked into the room as though he owned it. Wearing familiar looking dark clothing, the young man stopped, framed in the doorway, and surveyed the room. The newcomer looked to be around the same age as him, and something about him made the hackles on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew him, or had known him a while ago.
As if feeling Xander's stare, the young man looked directly at him and an electric charge seemed to work its way up Xander's spine. A puzzled look worked its way onto the stranger's face and he began to swagger across he room towards the end of the glass-topped bar where Xander had claimed a seat. The way he carried himself, the self-assured arrogance, tugged at the spark of recognition already formed in his brain. He reached the bar and leaned against it looking straight at him. Xander felt his nostrils flare as the scent of the other man filled the air. That was what proved to be the final trigger and the next thing he knew, Kyle was pawing at his arm and sniffing at his hair. A feral smile worked its way onto Xander's face and he allowed a quiet growl to escape. Kyle instantly pulled away and dropped his head to the side, exposing his neck, subservient. The grin widened and turned into an unnatural laugh. Gradually Kyle joined in the laugh and the other patrons of the bar looked at the two of them curiously. There was something about that laugh - it was animalistic, almost hyena-like.
Author: Shona
Rating: 15 - purely for language though
Timeline: Set after Graduation Day 2 (seems to be my favourite setting right now - wonder why!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination (and my new PC! yay!) JW and ME own all the rest - I'm just playing in a pretty big sand box
Author's notes: Challenge fic in response to Margot on the BBBFic list - challenge had to have the return of a long-lost character, a demon not seen on either BtVS or AtS and a quote from a film. A mate suggested that I try to go one step further and build it all from film quotes - hope it works! (okay so it didn't quite work out but 7 quotes aint bad!)
Summary: Xander meets an old friend and wackiness ensues when they feel the call of the wild - can't say any more than that!
The foam dripped slowly down the side of the annoyingly empty glass. He watched it with regret, trying to think about the best way to convince the already suspicious barmaid that he was in fact of legal age to acquire the foamy nectar of the working classes. He glanced up at her, trying to gauge what kind of mood she was in. She met his gaze and he could see a slight roll of her eyes, glancing around almost furtively she took his empty glass and refilled it out of sight of her boss. He smiled at her gratefully and made sure to leave an overly large tip. His smile was returned in a disinterested way and he could tell that she was almost as bored as he was. She was stuck in a dead end job where she got to watch everyone else having a good time while she was running around cleaning out slops; he was stuck with no job watching all his friends having a good time getting ready for college while he was running around cleaning demon-blood off of various weapons. It was a toss up who between the two of them had the rough end of the deal.
He'd decided it was time to take off, to do the whole clichéd American Road Trip thing and see something other than the hell hole that was Sunnydale, he just hadn't quite gotten round to doing anything about it. Story of his life really, he always had big plans but then something always got in the way. And so here he was, sitting in the Bronze, relying on the kindness of the unknown barmaid and the drunkenness of his mother who hadn't noticed the money missing from her purse.
He lifted the refilled glass, marvelling at the way the light filtered through the amber liquid, surely this was the nectar of the gods...or was it ambrosia? Which was the food and which was the drink? He never could remember, maybe he should ask Giles - it was bound to be something the ex-Watcher knew, he tried to file the question away to ask the older man later on but he knew that somehow it would slip his mind - the same as always. Looking around he could see the peculiar mix of patrons in the Bronze. There were the ubiquitous school students who liked to think of the club as theirs. They were clustered around the various tables around the stairwell, trying to hide or ignore the stamps on the backs of their hands giving away their underage status. On the dance floor were the music aficionados, the people who were actually there to listen to whatever band was playing. And then there were the people propping up the bar. Mostly alone, they were almost exclusively in their early twenties and already heavy drinkers. Each of them had the look in their eyes of people with a grudge against life and who were determined to forget that with the aid of hard liquor. He almost smiled at the way they were acting until he realised that he himself fell within that category.
Surveying the room over the rim of the glass, he focused on the door as it swung open. The opener walked into the room as though he owned it. Wearing familiar looking dark clothing, the young man stopped, framed in the doorway, and surveyed the room. The newcomer looked to be around the same age as him, and something about him made the hackles on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew him, or had known him a while ago.
As if feeling Xander's stare, the young man looked directly at him and an electric charge seemed to work its way up Xander's spine. A puzzled look worked its way onto the stranger's face and he began to swagger across he room towards the end of the glass-topped bar where Xander had claimed a seat. The way he carried himself, the self-assured arrogance, tugged at the spark of recognition already formed in his brain. He reached the bar and leaned against it looking straight at him. Xander felt his nostrils flare as the scent of the other man filled the air. That was what proved to be the final trigger and the next thing he knew, Kyle was pawing at his arm and sniffing at his hair. A feral smile worked its way onto Xander's face and he allowed a quiet growl to escape. Kyle instantly pulled away and dropped his head to the side, exposing his neck, subservient. The grin widened and turned into an unnatural laugh. Gradually Kyle joined in the laugh and the other patrons of the bar looked at the two of them curiously. There was something about that laugh - it was animalistic, almost hyena-like.
