Chapter 16 A Vampire's Anthem
"What do you think you're doing?" Angel asked with a touch of annoyance. He never liked anyone messing with his belongings, especially his beloved car.
"I'm looking for a good station," Katie replied from the passenger seat with her hand on the car's stereo dial. "Driving through L.A. on such a nice night with the top down with no music? That's just plain wrong!"
Angel and Katie agreed to have the much needed heart-to-heart, but the warehouse was not the greatest atmosphere. Instead, Angel suggested they visit the beach. Being a vampire, Angel rarely felt the need to go to the shore, but now it just seemed right.
"Don't you people have any country stations? Back East, there were at least four or five everywhere I was," Katie said in exasperation.
"Country?" Angel shot Katie a doubtful look.
"Yeah, you need to broaden your horizons, and besides, it sure beats Barry Manilow," Katie teased. At Angel's horrified expression, she continued. "Don't think I can't hear you singing in the shower from the living room. I used 'singing' in the loosest way possible, of course. Ah! Here we go!" Katie found her country station and turned the volume up a notch. They listened in silence until Katie heard the first few guitar cords to her favorite song and turned the volume up to near deafening decibels for the two vampires with extra sensitive hearing.
"Oh my god! I love this song! It could be a vampire's anthem or something," Katie shouted and started singing along with the lyrics.
"Uh, what is it?" Angel asked turning the volume down a few notches in order to hear his sister.
Katie rolled her eyes. "When the Sun Goes Down by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker."
"Who? What do you mean by a 'vampire's anthem'? It's talking about being tan and going to the sunny beach," retorted Angel, who still remained in the dark.
"Just shut up and listen to the chorus. You'll see what I mean."
Angel paid close attention to the lyrics and heard Katie's voice singing along with the radio.
When the sun goes down, we'll be groovin'
When the sun goes down, feelin' alright
When the sun sinks down over the water
Everything gets hotter when the sun goes down
"Ok, I guess I kind of see your point," Angel relented.
"Sure you do," was the sarcastic reply from the passenger seat. "…sleepin' off the night before 'cuz when the sun goes down we'll be back for more…"
Katie's voice filled the air and Angel had to admit, his sister had quite a set of pipes. She obviously inherited the musical gene in the family. While still not convinced on the country music thing, Angel enjoyed hearing the girl sing as he continued down the boulevard towards the beach.
"Come on, big brother. Sing the last chorus with me," Katie interrupted his thoughts.
"No, I can't…I shouldn't…" he stammered in protest.
"You know you want to. Now do it!" she insisted.
"When the sun goes down, we'll be groovin'…" Angel sang in his gravelly unsure voice.
"That's it! Now let it all out!"
"When the sun goes down, feelin' alright…"
"When the sun sinks down over the water…" Katie joined him and together they belted out the remainder of the song.
"Everything gets hotter when the sun goes down!"
"You know something?" Katie said when the song ended. "I don't think you sing too badly. I think you were just trying to sing the wrong style."
"Uh," Angel wasn't sure if he sure be insulted or not.
"I think country is your thing," Katie continued enthusiastically.
"Oh really," he said skeptically.
"Really! We could get you a guitar, some Wrangler jeans, some western boots, a black hat, and maybe even big belt buckle…"
Angel paled as Katie rambled on with her big plan to make Angel a country star.
"…although belt buckles are pretty expensive, unless you win one. When's the last time you've seen a bull?"
"A bull?" Angel squeaked.
"Of course! That's the ultimate extreme sport, and you have an advantage over the other competitors. You're stronger than a human, and you can't be killed. If the bull steps on you, you heal fast. If you get gored by a horn, you won't die!"
"Enough! I'm not going to be a country singer, so forget it. I'll just stick with Manilow in the shower," Angel said, hoping to stop his sister's imagination before she actually started acting on those plans. He pulled into a parking space along the pier and got out. "We're here."
"Oh well. So much for your inevitable stardom," Katie sighed as she closed her door, and then smiled. "I guess I'll just have to be content with being related to a superhero."
Within minutes, the two vampires were seated on the soft sand and gazing at the moonbeams as they reflected off the water.
"Well, what do you want to know?" Angel asked after Katie inquired about Angel and Angelus' unlife.
"Everything."
"Two hundred plus years could take a while to explain."
"That's ok. I have eternity, and so do you. Now spill."
A.N. I was driving down the road one day and heard that awesome song on the radio for about the tenth time that day and it sunddenly dawned on me about how it could be a vampire theme song. Dumb or not, I just had to put it in. Oh, and Angel in a cowboy hat and Wranglers...mmmmmm!
