Spanderverse: Dracula

CH 3: Sunshine and Rain

Xander was enjoying the day on Sanderson's Beach, a few miles from his hometown. The beach abutted the Pacific Ocean and the salty breeze playing through his hair smelled tangy and fresh. The sun on his skin seemed to penetrate through his muscles and down into his bones. It massaged away the tension and chill he'd felt over the last few weeks. Most of those negative feelings were the same old Harris-as-Zeppo scars that seemed to linger in the back of his mind; despite all of the good he'd done working with the Vampire Slayer. Not so coincidentally, that mocking and degrading voice in his head always sounded a lot like his father, sometimes with a smart-ass British accent thrown in.

A lot of it was simply fear. Not of the usual evils of the Hellmouth, or the consistent dangers of living in Sunnydale, a.k.a. Vampire Central. No, his fears lately revolved around watching his friends moving forward in life. With Buffy, Willow and Tara in college they seemed to be heading toward a real future for themselves. He, on the other hand, continued to bounce from lame job to embarrassing job, to unemployment and back to lame job. He knew he was floundering without direction, but it was tough to find the right road when you had no clue where the hell you wanted to go.

He wondered if Giles or Riley were feeling the same way. Giles, after all, wasn't an actual paid Watcher anymore. He liked to call himself a 'man of leisure' these days, but really, he seemed to be as aimless sometimes as Xander felt. Though, Giles sure did seem to be handling it better. Riley was still reeling from quitting the military and leaving his Initiative friends behind. Xander could tell he was keeping up the appearances of being good with everything and happy to just be with Buffy. Xander could tell there were more unsettling things going on in his head, though. Xander, after all, had Anya and even though he'd never tell her what was going on in his head, privately Xander could admit that he was feeling unsatisfied with life lately. Riley had been talking about looking up a security job soon or maybe seeing if the hospital were hiring ambulance people. Riley had a medic's certificate to fall back on. Xander wondered if maybe he should look into that. Of course, that would probably mean being the stand-by to Riley's superior skills. Nah, what Xander knew he really needed was to find something that no one else in the Scooby gang could provide. Something other than delivering pizzas during the group's meetings, he meant.

And here I am, sabotaging the whole 'feeling great in the sunshine' thing I had going. You need to pull yourself together Xan-man. Just relax and enjoy the day for a change!

Tuning back into his surroundings in an attempt to ward of his brooding and internal whining, Xander looked over toward the waves breaking on the shore. Riley and Buffy were playing an impromptu game of football… sort of. As close as could be come, with only one person on each team. Xander also noticed that the waves on shore seemed to be getting a lot bigger than they had been.

Looks like swimming is out, then. Not that I was about to get off my ass anyway. Not with the food and the pretty girls right here, he grinned to himself.

Buffy gave a shriek and Xander, out of habit he supposed, went into 'red-alert' mode. Whipping his head around, he relaxed a moment later with a chuckle. Apparently Riley and Buffy's football sort-of game had turned into a wrestling sort-of match.

"Yecch," Xander said to his companions, "isn't a day at the beach supposed to involve lying around and doing nothing more strenuous than tanning."

"Oh, yes, absolutely!" Tara agreed.

"All that exertion is going to lead to nothing but sweatiness. And I think we can agree that should only happen during sex," Anya added with her usual sense of tact.

Tara smiled at that, and continued, "Plus all that running and jumping is only going to cause the unpleasant embarrassment of odor. I think we're playing it the right way by just staying right where we are," she added with an exaggerated nod of her head.

"Anybody else getting a revelation on why we live in Sidekick-City? No… ok, just me then. The important thing is that I have the grill set. Now all we need is a bit of flame and we'll have burger goodness," Willow said.

"Y'know it's too bad Spike can't be here. I mean, I think he'd look so funny in shorts with those skinny white legs of his." Xander couldn't help but laugh at the image.

"Well, right before he burst into flame, anyway," added Anya, "besides, you see him way too much as it is. I'm glad for the break." Anya and Xander had been having a few disagreements with the amount of time that Spike spent coming over and Xander didn't want another argument. Instead he let it go and bent over the grill. Biting his lip against a comment that would only get Anya riled up, he instead focused on lighting the charcoals before him.

For the next ten minutes Xander tried to get the charcoal to light, but it stubbornly refused. I knew I was forgetting something. Xander would have given a kidney at that moment for some lighter fluid, as he was getting hungry. Plus, there was just something embarrassing about the grill not lighting up while the girls all stared at his efforts.

"Xander, I'm hungry now! I wish to eat beef smashed into patties," Anya unhelpfully supplied.

"I know sweetie," he glanced over at her, "I'm hungry too. I'll have this in just a minute." He noticed Willow roll her eyes, "what," he said a little annoyed. "It's not like making fire is a natural Y-chromosome ability, y'know."

"You'll get it, Xander. Just keep at it. If the wind hadn't picked up, it would have been lit by now. I wish the sand would stay out of my eyes." Tara said. "Will, make sure the food stays covered, honey."

It was then that Buffy and Riley wandered up, done goofing around in the sand. Overhead, the clouds were just beginning to roll in, but no one really noticed.

"Me need food to keep up Slayer strength. Where's my burger?" Buffy said, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm starved. Slap me a patty on a bun, please," Riley added.

"It'll be a few guys. We forgot the lighter fluid and the charcoal isn't cooperating," Xander explained.

"Let me try," Willow said, closing her eyes. "Ignis incende", she chanted under her breath. And with that, a fire roared in the small grill.

"Wow. Check you out with the mastery of flame-thingy," Buffy laughed.

Tara gave Willow a small smile, "It's easy as long as she balanced the elemental forces correctly."

With that, a large peal of thunder could be heard rumbling across overhead. The clouds that had been gathering for several minutes finally blotted out the sunshine. They quickly turned an angry dusky gray color. Over the sea, lightning flashed a few times in quick succession.

"Nice going there, Willow!" Riley said, a teasing grin on his face. As he began gathering up the supplies, the first fat and cold drops of rain began to fall.

"I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Willow protested. There was no time for any more debate on the matter however. The few drops of water were quickly becoming a torrent.

With shrieks and laughter, everyone gathered their belongings and made a mad dash for Tara's car.

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Two miles south of Sanderson's beach, an old-style sailing ship pulled into the docks at 'Morning Mists Yacht Club'. While the vessel docked itself several feet from an empty berth (being far too large to fit into an available space) the owner of the vessel awoke from his stupor. His traveling companions, not being magically gifted themselves, continued to slumber. He would not awaken them until he had secured a source of food for them later this evening. Dracula was hungry himself and his time was limited. He would need to feed and then get back to the ship, before his magically-induced storm lost its strength over the mainland and dissipated.

After a quick chant with the accompanying throwing of herbs, he took on the form of mist and traveled over the short space between the ship and a dock. Remaining a foggy mist, he followed the dock toward a small building where a solitary guard sat. The man looked bored and was hunched over a newspaper. This, Dracula could see through a window that was currently streaming with water. If the man had looked through the window, he may have noticed a strange vapor traveling quickly toward him, seemingly ignoring the winds that accompanied the freak downpour going on outside his guard shack. The guard did not look up from his newspaper however, and so did not know that his death was rapidly approaching.

Behind Dracula, his chanting had taken effect and the 'Demeter' faded from view. Its natural aura would ensure that no one tried to enter the berths surrounding it. With the invisibility spell in place, no one would realize a large 19th century sailing vessel was sitting just a few feet away from the expensive and very modern boats moored at the club.

Dracula reformed before the door of the guard's shack. He did not know if he would require an invitation to enter, but politeness dictated he knock on the door. When the guard appeared from his small office, the vampire asked him for entrance from the rain, explaining he'd gotten caught aboard his small fishing boat in the harbor. The guard turned his back and began walking the few steps it would take to cross the small shack to his desk. He'd have to fill out a report on the man, especially as he didn't appear to be a club member. The guard knew all of the regulars by sight, if not name, and he'd never seen this man before. Plus, the guy had a weird accent, and everyone who was a member here was typically Californian with more money than manners. As the guard began thinking of the headache this could cause, if the uninvited foreigner had docked at the club without express permission (the club members were a stuck up bunch who valued their exclusivity) he threw a casual invitation for the man to get out of the rain over his shoulder.

He had no time to register the strong arms grabbing him about the chest and waist. There was barely enough time for him to be startled by the sudden cold on the back of his neck, before Dracula had sunk his bared fangs deep into the guard's carotid artery. In minutes it was over, the guard lying dead on the floor and the vampire feeling far healthier than when he'd left his ship. After throwing the guard's body into the water, and muttering another incantation to weigh it down, the vampire re-misted.

He traveled back to the 'Demeter' and resumed his rest in his coffin. Tonight, he'd find a place to occupy and movers to take the coffins to their new home. They'd also serve as a quick meal for the girls. Then, he would seek out the Hellmouth's guardian. She had a far more interesting destiny than to safeguard this insignificant town.

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End Ch. 3