Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Chp.29

Confusion

Info: Chp.1

Willow's little screaming rant at Angel had been heard by everyone through the vast echoing halls of the huge hotel. Doors were slamming, feet were running down stairways, and people were rushing in from the late afternoon sun. Anyone that heard her high-pitched scream had come to her aid.


After he had finished his laughing at the expense of the vampire, Lorne looks over at the witch. “Whoa, little lady that’s one powerful, set of lungs you have there.” He retorts, rubbing a hand over his fore head, and looking around the room at all of the little girls standing in defensive poses around the room. “Boy, Gunn wasn’t kidding about the army of little girls, was he?” Some of them seemed to be holding crude weaponry.

Xander having heard his best friend screaming bloody murder sticks his head out of the kitchen door. “Will, what’s going on?” He asks, as he steps fully into the lobby. “Brood Boy, didn’t turn all Angelus on us did he? Please tell me that isn’t the case.” He blurts the last statement out, full out panic evident in his voice. He grapples for any weapon he can find, settling on a lamp sitting beside him in a box. He raises it looking around for the evil version of the soulful vampire.

Watching the young man with the lamp, Willow and Lorne burst out in laughter once again, wiping tears of mirth from their eyes, as they take in the sight of Xander standing in a doorway, a table lamp raised in his hands like a battle axe.

Lorne gives a Boy Scout salute to the brunette, still chuckling at the ridiculous sight. “No, Angel cakes, just got his come uppance from this little slip of a girl, here.” He points to Willow, as he talks through his laughter. “Angelus isn’t back, unless hearing the truth gives him a happy that is.”

Lowering the lamp, and looking from the demon to his best friend, “uh, Will?” The girl looks at him. “Who’s the big, green guy, and why is he dressed like the Great Pumpkin?” He raises the lamp back up in defense, in case the demon decides he looks like a nummy treat. He then looks back at Lorne, thinking about what he’d just said, lamp still raised, “Oh, no offense.”

“None taken. My little sta-puft.” Lorne retorts back. What goes around comes around, and the boy had just insulted his silk, Armani. That’s something to take offense of. He winks at the boy for effect. Also, he'd seen part of his aura as he'd talked, and what he'd gotten was a vision of the boy in a brown puffy suit, being hit like a punching bag by a little slip of a blonde girl. He thought it was strange that the boy should be emitting that humiliating picture, but that's what he'd gotten so he'd used it.

Off of the perplexed look of Xander, Lorne smiles, almost laughing again, but is interrupted.
**********

“Willow!” They hear someone shout, and a clattering on the stairs.

“Oh excuse me, I’m, uh, I. . . Oh bugger! Get out of the way.”

Giles finally gets down the stairs, trying not to knock into anyone else standing on them. “Willow?” He pants, putting his hands on his knees. “What on earth, is going on?” He looks over to her, his glasses crooked on his nose, from all of the jostling of coming down the stairs. His shirt half tucked into his pants, hair disheveled, sticking up at strange angles. Standing back up he makes his way to Xanders side, noticing the lamp raised over the boys shoulder, and not particularly caring why, he runs his hand through his hair in a Ripper-esque way. “Dear lord.” He exclaims, his eyes falling on the demon sitting on the couch beside his witchy charge. “What is that thing?”

“G-man, please don’t make the big, green, and orange guy mad.” Xander whispers, loudly into the watchers ear.
**********

Walking into the room, as if there hadn’t been any blood curdling screaming. Faith looks around the room, taking in the scene. Glancing to her right she notices Xander with a lamp over his shoulder. Her eyebrow quirks up at that then her gaze shifts to the disheveled appearance of Giles, and she smirks. She pans her gaze over to the Slayers on the steps, and landing, and scrunches her brows together. Finally looking to her left, noticing the demon and Willow sitting on the couch, she smiles, getting the situation. “Hey, Lorne.” She casually says. “Long time. Well not really, but you know.” She finishes, brushing by Kennedy, who had appeared from somewhere, taking in the stunned expressions of everyone, she pushes lamp boy out of the way, and heads into the kitchen. “YO! Angel, you got any grub in this place?” They all hear her shout, from the room.
**********

Giles chuckles, shaking his head, “ah, yes, I should have known you’re the demon that Angel was talking about.” Looking over to Xander. “You look ridiculous. Put the lamp down.” His gaze comes back to Lorne, as Xander complies. “He said you might be able to help with the slight catatonic state that Buffy has seemed to have fallen into.” Literally fallen, he thinks. Seeing the horrid ordeal that had befallen his slayer in his mind for the thousandth time that day.
**********

As he sits the lamp on the floor, Xander seems to get what’s going on. “Oh, this is the singing demon.” He stands there for a moment pondering. “The singing demon not to be confused with Sweet. The ‘Sing ‘til you combust’ demon.” He laughs at his quip, and smiles.

“Xander!” Willow and Giles yell, shaking their heads at the one- eyed man.

“Come on!” He sighs. “You can’t tell me that wasn’t just a little bit funny.” Xander holds up his forefinger and thumb about an inch apart from each other, in a gesture of just how funny it might have been.
**********

“Xan, you’re losing your touch.” Dawn says, from the third step, in which she’d finally found a hole along the railing. “They’re starting fall a little flat.” She shakes her head at him, too, trying not to laugh, and hides her face against her arm.

The joke was a little funny, and deserved a chuckle, but she couldn't be the one to laugh when no one else was going to. How embarrassing would that be?

Dawn had taken the attention from the goof ball of the group, and as everyone turns from her their eyes fall back onto the anagogic demon on the couch.
**********

As he notices that the attention is back on him, Lorne’s amused expression fades. “Yes, I’m a singing demon, and no I’m not evil, and Sweet not even gonna ask.” He waves his hand across his chest, meaning that the subject isn’t going to be breeched.

He knew of Sweet, had read some idiot that had summoned him and his intended had been burnt to cinders because the guy didn't know how to make the spell end. At least the immolation hadn't killed a harmless demon, god he hoped he never had to hear a Fyarl sing again.

He didn't like how Sweet went about things, he was an evil little demon, and he could do without knowing anymore about him.

(Okay, yeah I know not a whole lot of anything really going on here, but the next chapter is what everyone has been begging for. I just wanted a little fun, and who’s more fun than Xander, and Lorne?)