Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Chp.24

Xander Takes a Dump

Info: Where it always is and always will be

Everyone hastily disembarks the loaded down school bus, the new slayers gabbing incessantly among themselves, as they make their way into the hotel. The Scoobies exit cautiously, after the onslaught that had happened.

Most of the survivors were more interested in the restroom, showers, and/or sleeping on a real mattress. Having been holed up in Buffy's little house for almost a year, the girls hadn't had the luxury of a bed. Unless Dawn, Willow or Buffy had been nice enough to let one sleep in their bed. No one would've even thought about asking to bunk with Spike. Although some of the girls wouldn't have minded at all. So the only ones that had really gotten to lay on a soft, comfortable mattress were Kennedy, and Faith.
**********

Having stopped by the local magic shop, Willow had found all the ingredients to do the mind spell with. It would've been hell trying to find the tiny little shop if Angel hadn't turned her on to it. The place was merely a hole in the wall, set back between two huge skyscrapers.

She just hoped they'd have all the candles and herbs, how she missed the Magic Box in times like this. But the little shop had all the supplies in stock, and a few other things that she'd needed to replenish in her little bag of magic that she'd hastily pulled together the night before. Thank god for that, 'cause if this didn't work she'd probably need the supplies trying to figure out what to do next.
**********


Faith can't help but laugh as she walks in the door. The lock still hung precariously by a nail, and looked as if it might fall completely away from it any second.

She looks around, everyone is milling about, talking, or in Xander's case, sleeping. The log sawing she could do without, she decides as she looks a the prone man laying half dead on the dusty, obviously unused for quiet awhile, ugly as hell couch.
**********

Everyone else had scattered and broken into groups of up to five people. Some had flopped down on several couches that had been slid back into the corners of the room. Others had opted for leaning on the front desk, sitting on the lower steps of the staircase, or quietly whispering while standing.

The few that hasn’t already passed out from exhaustion, watched curiously as Giles and Gunn carry the prone form of the blonde slayer into the lobby. The sight of the fallen warrior has brought on a deathly quiet, as the two stand in the entrance looking for a place to put her.

Angel rushes in behind them, his coat pulled up over his head, and charbroiling from the length of time he’d spent out in the early morning sun.

As he drops the still smoking coat, and stands in front of the menagerie of people now standing in his foyer, and staring back at him, his eyes fall on the limp form of Buffy between her watcher, and his right hand man. Taking in a deep and un-needed breath, he looks over the scene in front of him again, noticing that all of the couches are taken up with teenagers, and Scooby’s. His eyes land on Xander, laying peacefully in sleep on the couch directly in front of him.

He confidently walks over to the man, looking him over, he smiles devilishly, and unceremoniously makes his way around to the back of the seat. Still smiling he places his hands on the back of it, and lifts until it’s basically perpendicular to the floor. Not being able to see what’s going on, on the other side, he listens for the thud as Xander hits the floor. There it is.

Everyone who wasn’t watching the scene unfold, hastily turns at the big thud, and sees Xander climbing to his feet.
**********

The one eyed man slowly climbs to his feet, after being so rudely awakened. “Hey!” He exclaims looking over the back of his makeshift bed, and rubs his head. “I was sleeping there. And I think you may have given me a concussion.” He tries to sit back down on the couch, and Angel lifts it again.

The vampire looks the brunette over, his smile never waning. “Well, now you’re not sleeping there, and I think that it would take a lot more to give you a concussion, considering that you’ve been knocked on the head so much, your head is probably just one big callous by now.” Angel, retorts, his face turning back into his usual scowl as he stares down on the boy.

Xander being reminded of Angelus quickly backs down from a confrontation with the soulful vamp. “Whoa, okay man. You can stop with the whole Angelus act. Please don’t go all Angelus on me.” He lifts his hands up in defense, acting as if he’s going to try and fend him off.

Deciding that it’s finally time she got to sit down, one of the new slayers plops down on the couch, not even paying attention to the two brunettes. “Finally.” She explicates, as she props her feet up on a box, that was sitting in front of the couch.

Completely wigged, the girl jumps as if she’d been shocked, as Angel starts to growl lowly in his chest at her. “Jeez, even Spike wasn’t as moody as this guy.” She complains, and makes her way back over to the desk and jumps up to sit on its top.

The vampires’ name being mentioned makes the group from Sunnydale hang their heads in supplication to the fallen, surprisingly to them all, hero.

With questioning glances to each other Angel and Gunn shrug their shoulders at each other. Neither understanding the total silence they are witnessing.

Taking it upon him, Angel looks around at the group. He takes another look around just to make sure, before he notices that the annoying bleached blonde isn’t among them. “Where is Captain Peroxide, anyway?” He finally asks, after he’d made sure Spike definitely wasn’t among the group.

Lifting his head, and sighing, because he thought he’d never be the one to side with Spike on anything. Xander steps around the arm of the couch, coming face to face with the other ensouled vampire. “He actually saved the world.” Taking a deep breath, he smiles. “And it wasn’t with a yellow crayon.”

Angel looks at him like he’s freakin’ insane. Questioning his statement.

“It’s a whole thing. But right now, you want to know about Spike.” Xander smiles a little more. “Now I’m that last person who’d defend Spike, but he done good. Made us all proud. He gave his life, for us, the world. He saved the world at the cost of his own life.” Not believing that he’s going to admit this. “Using his words. He’s a bloody hero, Mate.” He says the last sentence in a terrible mock of the blonde vamps accent.

Visibly deflating as Xander explains, Angel turns to Giles and Gunn still holding Buffy between them. “Giles, Gunn, you can put Buffy here until we get everyone else settled, and then we’ll put her up in my room.” He takes in the site of the two men walking to the couch, and watches intently as they gently place the strongest woman he's ever known down on it.

After making sure that she’s comfortable, he looks Giles directly in the eye. “That way when Willow does her spell, she’ll be able to do so in solitude.”

He looks over to Xander, nods his head in thanks for explaining somewhat on the whereabouts of his wayward Grand-childe.

Xander nods back in understanding, and watches the vampire turn and make his way to a door behind the desk.

He snorts derisively, as he grabs the set of room keys from the desk in the office. “Spike saved the world? Who’d ever thought, he’d be good enough to do something like that?” He asks himself, talking under his breath, as he makes his way back into the lobby, the keys tinkling at his side.

He couldn't believe that Spike had done it. But finally the other vampire deserved his respect. Not that he'd ever say a thing about it to anyone else. He'd miss the blonde pain in his ass.