Day Five, Saturday, Joanna's nightclub, Harbour Road, St Treharne
Darcy stood on the edge of the dance floor. In front of her, the Scooby Gang danced. I can't believe I brought them here. She thought. They look like they're having fits. I'm never gonna be able to show my face in here again. And what's with their outfits? She felt something brush against her leg and looked down, expecting to see Basil. Okay, some jerk is rubbing his foot up my leg. She pulled her leg away and back-kicked the man in the soft area at the back of the knee. He howled in pain and went down like a sack of potatoes. Darcy turned and looked down at him.
"Get a life." She said and moved to the opposite side of the room before the bouncers could arrive on the scene. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she suddenly got goosebumps. She sighed and moved away from the blast of the air-conditioning. Alexander bounced up, hot and sweaty. He bobbed around.
"Hey…Darcy, come and dance." He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
"No, I'm not really in the mood." Darcy tried to escape.
"Come on, it'll be fun."
Darcy allowed herself to be persuaded and joined them.
"Hey, that's not dancing, that's swaying." Buffy said as she hit a few other dancers with her flailing arms. "Dancing is supposed to be fun, you make it look, well, dull."
Darcy stiffened and looked around.
"Hey, no offence meant."
"None taken." Darcy said absently, scanning the perimeter.
"What's wrong?" Willow asked.
"Noth…" Darcy hesitated. "…Thing. Gotta go." She strode purposely off of the dance floor.
"Wow, you really hurt her feelings." Anya said to Buffy as they dipped and oscillated on the dance floor.
"I didn't mean to." Buffy thought for a moment. "Maybe I should go talk to her, apologise."
"Sure, whatever." Xander said, happily deafened by the volume of the music.
Buffy smiled and walked off the dance floor, in the direction Darcy had taken.
"Where's she going?" Xander asked. Willow and Anya smiled affectionately at him. "Where'd she go?"
Buffy walked down a flight of stairs and looked around. She strode over to a door and wrenched it open.
"Oops, sorry!" She apologised to the couple groping in a cloakroom. "Know where the restroom is?"
The girl pointed along the corridor.
"Thanks. Sorry." Buffy headed down the wide corridor. About halfway along she heard raised voices. She walked into the ladies toilet and saw Darcy facing a woman who had her back to Buffy.
"Hey, Darcy, I was looking for you. Look I want to apologise for what I said. I was way outta line." Darcy looked at Buffy and smiled widely. "Are you okay?" Buffy asked, "'Cause you, you know, look different."
"Buffy, I'd like you to meet my sister, Maria." Darcy said as the woman with her back to Buffy turned around, dread on her face.
Buffy whipped a stake out of her jacket and assumed a fighting position.
"Buffy no!" cried Maria, and Buffy looked at her properly. Her jaw dropped and she stared from one identical twin to the other. They were dressed exactly the same, knee length black skirt, long sleeved purple top embossed with roses. They even had the same jewellery on.
"What's going on Darcy?"
"There were a few things I neglected to tell you," The girl furthest from Buffy answered.
"I hoped I wouldn't have to tell you." The girl closest to Buffy spoke. "It's not exactly something I'm proud of you know."
"Who are you?" Buffy asked the closest twin.
"I'm Darcy."
"Liar!" The other twin cried. "I'm Darcy. Maria, why are you lying?"
"I'm not! You are." A solitary tear slipped down the cheek of the closest twin to Buffy. Buffy stared at the tear closely. It had blood mixed with the salty water. That was proof enough for Buffy and she sprang into action, driving Mr. Pointy into the chest of the vampire.
Darcy ran past Buffy, "Sucker!" She cried as she ran out of the door.
Buffy stared at the limp form on the floor. She sighed and dragged the real Darcy's body into a toilet cubicle and locked her in, vaulting over the top of the door. She grabbed some paper towels from above the sink and mopped up the blood as best she could before going to tell the others what had happened.
"Darcy! You're back." Xander grabbed her and danced. Darcy smiled up at him. "So, I guess you forgave Buffy huh? Willow and Anya are getting some drinks right now but if you want I can go get you one too."
Darcy tipped her head back and smiled up at him.
"You're really short." Xander smiled back at her.
Darcy leant in closer and whispered in his ear. "Want to get some air?" She leant back and smoothed her hands down her body.
Xander gulped. "Er, um, won't the others miss us?" He asked.
"They'll never notice we're gone. They were busy with two guys when I saw them."
Xander's face hardened. "Okay then."
They walked off, toward the exit.
Buffy pushed her way through the crush and stood staring at the spot where her friends should be.
"Buffy!" Willow and Anya came up behind her. "Where's Xander? What did you do with him?" Anya looked around, trying to spot him.
"Hi Buffy" Willow smiled and offered her one of the drinks she carried. "Did you make it up with Darcy?"
Buffy shook her head. "What do you mean, where's Xander, he should be with you."
"No. We left him right here and went to get drinks. Why didn't he wait?!" Anya was still looking around for Xander. "Where's Darcy?" Anya began to get jealous. "If she's gone off with him I'll make her brain leak out of her eyeballs."
Willow went green.
"She's in a toilet cubicle, recovering from a stake through the heart. I don't think she's going to forgive me." Buffy's eyes widened. "OhMyGod! You guy's haven't seen her have you?"
" How could we? You just said she was recovering." Willow was regaining her colour.
Buffy stood on a convenient man's lap. The stranger went purple.
"I see them!" She shouted. "They're going to the exit. Come on, we have to stop them."
Buffy, Anya and Willow started to fight their way towards the exit.
"Cordelia! Doyle! What are you doing here?" gasped Darcy.
"We're here because we needed to find you and Basil said you were here. We need to talk to you. That outfit is dire and didn't you just leave?" asked Cordelia.
Darcy stared at her, a big rip in her top, blood drying where it dripped. "Like the dress. Very… joyous. Where did I go?" She asked.
Cordy pointed at the big exit sign. "That way." Darcy pushed past her and started to make her way through the crowd. "Hey, why're you asking me? Why don't you know?" She looked at Doyle. "Some people are so rude. Oh thanks." She grabbed the glass out of his hand and took a sip. "Ugh! What is that? Lager?" She gave the glass to a passing man.
Doyle whimpered as he watched his Guinness disappear into the seething masses.
Day Five, Saturday, Alley off Harbour Road, St Treharne"So, we're outside… Now what?" Xander rubbed his cold hands together.
"Now… You die!" Darcy turned around, vamp face firmly in place.
Xander's eyes widened and he took a few steps back. Darcy followed.
"Whoa, Darcy, nothing with a pulse remember?" Xander held his hands in front of him in a defensive position.
Darcy sniffed the air. "Aaah, fear. Makes the blood taste richer…fuller…better." She looked directly at him.
Xander pulled a cross out from the back of his trousers, where it had previously been hidden by his shirt. Darcy hissed in fear.
"Back off vamp girl." Xander pushed the cross a little closer. Darcy knocked it out of his hand and while her attention was diverted Xander tried to escape. She pushed him back and he landed awkwardly on the cobbled alleyway sidewalk.
"What did you do to Buffy?" He asked, panting for breath.
"She's…distracted. She killed someone." Darcy smiled cruelly. "And now I'm about to do the same."
"Xander!?" Buffy shouted.
Xander smiled. "That's what you think."
Darcy pulled him up with one hand and his feet left the ground. She looked up at him. "That's what I know." She grabbed one of his flailing hands and brought it to her fangs. "So long…sucker." She bit down and began to drink.
"Technically you would be the sucker and I would be the suckee…..Buffy!" Xander panicked, shrieking out Buffy's name and the last two vowels of the word that proceeded it in an disturbingly accurate impersonation of a castrato soprano. "Help!" He felt himself become weaker became limp. "Buffy." He whispered, blacking out.
Buffy sprinted to him and ripped Maria's head up. "Fangs off my friends." She chided.
Maria dropped Xander. "I'd rather be drinking you anyway." She punched Buffy. Buffy didn't budge.
"Surely you can do better than that?" Buffy taunted, delivering swift kick. Maria toppled to the ground. Growling, she rushed Buffy. Buffy sidestepped and pushed her further back. Maria sprawled on the ground. She stood and looked at the mysterious blonde who knew of her kind, looked at the cute guy, now groaning and surrounded by two other girls, saw her sister pause and look down the dead-end alley. She ran, vaulting over the fence that separated alley from garden and made off into the dark night, intent on finding another meal.