The Swap, Chapter 7
May. 14th, 2013 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maryperk73703Anya and Halfrek hit the bars. So do Dawn and Carlos.
Chapter 7
“We need to be careful in there,” Anya said to Halfrek. “This place isn’t as tame as Willy’s or Zoof’s.”
“It’s just a demon bar. We’ve been in places far worse than this, Anyanka.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t a fragile human back then,” Anya replied.
Hallie nodded her head. “Fair enough. How do you want to play this?”
“Go in, get the info we need, and get out. Easy as pie.” Anya tilted her head. “I made a pie. It wasn’t easy. Why do people say ‘easy as pie’?”
“Yes, easy as pie.” Halfrek grabbed Anya’s shoulders, and she pushed her friend towards the demon bar’s entrance. “Let’s go.”
Bulk let a grin slide across his face when he was the two human-like females enter the Rift. He had no idea if they remembered him, but he certainly held the memory of them in high regard. The night he had spent with both of the women had been one of the best of his life. “Anyanka! Halfrek! What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
Halfrek stared at the man behind the bar for a moment. She could tell by his smell that he wasn’t entirely as human as he appeared. Then, Halfrek wiggled a finger at the man. “Bulk Decker, right?”
“Good memory.” Bulk gestured towards the bar stools. “Have a seat, ladies. Let me buy you a drink.”
“Thanks,” Anya said. She and Halfrek perched on the stools where they waited for Bulk to mix them both a fruity drink with an umbrella. Anya glanced around the bar while she sized up the patrons. “So, is there anyone suspicious hanging around? Like maybe a stray Chaos demon?”
Bulk placed a drink in front of Anya. “So, the Slayer has noticed the odd stuff happening in town.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure she won’t admit it.” Anya had no plans for spilling any secrets to anyone.
Bulk stroked his goatee with a faraway look on his face. “I haven’t seen any Chaos demons in here. Can’t miss those horny beasts, can ya?”
“Well, shoot,” Anya muttered. She took a sip of her drink. “If you hear or see anything could you let me know? It’s pretty important.”
“Sounds good,” Bulk replied. “I’ve been meaning to drop in on the Magic Box and check out the merchandise.”
“The hours are eleven to nine Monday through Friday and eight to five on Saturday,” Anya commented.
Bulk gave Halfrek the once over before he asked, “Will Hallie be there too?”
“That can be arranged.” Halfrek licked her lips and winked at Bulk.
“Well, I’m done here. I’m off to The Rusty Beaver.” Anya eyed her friend. “I assume you’re staying here for potential future orgasms.”
Halfrek licked her lips again. “Uh-huh.”
“Good luck.” Anya put her drink down, and she gave Halfrek a wave good-bye.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dawn and Carlos stepped into The Rusty Beaver. There hadn’t been a bouncer at the front door, and they thought nobody would notice their entrance.
“Hey, Spike.” A man waved at Carlos. “Come on over. I have those kittens I owe you.”
Kittens? Spike didn’t say anything about kittens, Carlos thought to himself while he raised his hand to wave back at the man.
“Oh, boy, this could be bad,” Dawn whispered. She had no idea who the man was or how he knew Spike. She hoped that she could fake being Buffy long enough to find out if Clem was in the strip club. Dawn grinned brightly. “Hey, man. We’re just here looking for Clem.”
“Well, Spike knows that Clem is always at the Bronze on Tuesdays.” The man eyed Carlos. “Are you doing okay there, buddy?”
“Uh, yeah?” Carlos said. He rubbed the back of his head.
“A statue fell on him at Anya’s,” Dawn replied. “Spike’s a little confused right now.”
“Oh well, that’s understandable. A knock on the head, and having to hang out with the Slayer, is bound to do that to any vampire.” The man turned to Carlos. “I’m Zoof, in case you’re confused about that. We play kitten poker together. Remember, the Slayer here isn’t welcome to any of our games after the last one she attended.”
Carlos nodded while he tried to hide how confused he was. He wanted to ask what had happened at the poker game in question, but before he could speak a voice interrupted the conversation.
“Spike and Buffy, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought you guys were headed back to Spike’s crypt.”
Dawn turned to the sound of Anya’s voice. “Oh hey, Anya. Well…” she glanced at Carlos. “I thought maybe someone needed to stay with Spike. So, we’re looking for Clem.”
“Oh excellent idea. Why don’t you go find him while I talk to Zoof?” Anya waved towards the crowd.
“Oh, here to get a second job?” Dawn asked with just a tad too snarky.
Anya rolled her eyes. “Not hardly, Buff. You’re closer to having the main requirement than me these days. Zoof requires all his strippers to be demonic.””
“I am so not a demon,” Dawn blurted out. She grabbed Carlos’ arm. “Let’s go, Spike!”
“What about my kittens?” Carlos asked. “I like kittens.”
Dawn stared at Carlos. “Spike, you’re making less sense than usual.” She started to speak in a slow, patronizing voice while she pulled him away from Anya and Zoof. “Let’s go see your bestest friend Clem now. He’ll help you figure out how to feel better.”
“There’s something weird going on with those two,” Zoof said softly after the Slayer and the vampire disappeared out the front door of the club.
“You don’t even know the half of it,” Anya commented in return. “I dropped by to ask if you’d seen any Chaos demons in the neighborhood.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean much though. We’re not the only club for demons in town, you know.”
“Yeah, I’ve already talked to Willie and Bulk. They haven’t seen anything too weird either.”
“Boy, I’s wish that bitsh had six boobs instead of jush two,” a drunk patron muttered under his breath while he stared at the stripper on the stage.
Anya and Zoof blinked in surprise when the woman on stage suddenly had four more breasts magically appear randomly on her body.
“Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?” Zoof tapped his chin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dawn was tired of being responsible for Spike. She knew he was her friend, but she felt that maybe she should have just dropped him off at his crypt and found Clem on her own. She was sure that was what Buffy would have done in the first place. It wasn’t like her sister really liked the vampire in any way.
Besides, Dawn needed to get home to ask Buffy about why there wasn’t any money in their bank account. Anya’s attitude at the Rusty Beaver had just killed any good mood on Dawn’s part. She was ready for something better to happen. Maybe after she’d found out where Buffy was hiding all the cash, she’d go out for some fun. She was an ‘adult’ now after all. Everyone knew that adults had all the fun while suppressing the kids.
“Once we find Clem, I have things to go do,” Dawn announced. “Slay some vampires or something like that.” She wasn’t worried about saving any kind of friendship between Spike and Buffy.
“Uh, okay,” Carlos replied. His companion’s sudden mood change confused him.
“There’s the Bronze up ahead.” Dawn pushed Carlos towards the alley way.
A few minutes later, Carlos found himself in the company of a floppy skinned demon and a tall, statuesque woman named Jack. The three of them watched as the Slayer hurried away from them after the barest of explanations.
Clem turned to Carlos. “So, you got smacked on the head and can’t remember who you are, huh?”
“Yeah.” Carlos rubbed his head where Anya had hit him with the statue.
“The Slayer thinks you need a babysitter?”
Carlos just stared at the demon. “Things aren’t the way they look, mate,” he finally said.
“They rarely are in this town,” Clem declared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“I had fun. Did you have fun, Carlos?” Buffy smiled shyly at the young man beside her.
“I did,” Spike replied. He licked his bottom lip before he reached over to grab Buffy’s hand. He didn’t want to snog her while she occupied her sister’s body, but he didn’t mind holding her hand.
“This poetry club is going to be a good thing,” Buffy replied. “I’m going to do all the things I never had time for before.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Spike said. He had to be careful not to call Buffy by one of the pet names he usually used. “What do you want to do first?
“Well, I’ve never had a cute boy walk me to school before.” Buffy squeezed the hand she was holding.
“I’ve never walked a girl to school before.”
“It will be a new experience for both of us to share then.” Buffy stopped at the end of the walkway leading up to her house. “I had a fun time, Carlos. Thank you.”
Spike let a small smirk slip through. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Spike waited until Buffy was inside the house before he let the rest of the smirk cross his face. “Oh pet, this is going to be so much bloody fun.”
Chapter 7
“We need to be careful in there,” Anya said to Halfrek. “This place isn’t as tame as Willy’s or Zoof’s.”
“It’s just a demon bar. We’ve been in places far worse than this, Anyanka.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t a fragile human back then,” Anya replied.
Hallie nodded her head. “Fair enough. How do you want to play this?”
“Go in, get the info we need, and get out. Easy as pie.” Anya tilted her head. “I made a pie. It wasn’t easy. Why do people say ‘easy as pie’?”
“Yes, easy as pie.” Halfrek grabbed Anya’s shoulders, and she pushed her friend towards the demon bar’s entrance. “Let’s go.”
Bulk let a grin slide across his face when he was the two human-like females enter the Rift. He had no idea if they remembered him, but he certainly held the memory of them in high regard. The night he had spent with both of the women had been one of the best of his life. “Anyanka! Halfrek! What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
Halfrek stared at the man behind the bar for a moment. She could tell by his smell that he wasn’t entirely as human as he appeared. Then, Halfrek wiggled a finger at the man. “Bulk Decker, right?”
“Good memory.” Bulk gestured towards the bar stools. “Have a seat, ladies. Let me buy you a drink.”
“Thanks,” Anya said. She and Halfrek perched on the stools where they waited for Bulk to mix them both a fruity drink with an umbrella. Anya glanced around the bar while she sized up the patrons. “So, is there anyone suspicious hanging around? Like maybe a stray Chaos demon?”
Bulk placed a drink in front of Anya. “So, the Slayer has noticed the odd stuff happening in town.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure she won’t admit it.” Anya had no plans for spilling any secrets to anyone.
Bulk stroked his goatee with a faraway look on his face. “I haven’t seen any Chaos demons in here. Can’t miss those horny beasts, can ya?”
“Well, shoot,” Anya muttered. She took a sip of her drink. “If you hear or see anything could you let me know? It’s pretty important.”
“Sounds good,” Bulk replied. “I’ve been meaning to drop in on the Magic Box and check out the merchandise.”
“The hours are eleven to nine Monday through Friday and eight to five on Saturday,” Anya commented.
Bulk gave Halfrek the once over before he asked, “Will Hallie be there too?”
“That can be arranged.” Halfrek licked her lips and winked at Bulk.
“Well, I’m done here. I’m off to The Rusty Beaver.” Anya eyed her friend. “I assume you’re staying here for potential future orgasms.”
Halfrek licked her lips again. “Uh-huh.”
“Good luck.” Anya put her drink down, and she gave Halfrek a wave good-bye.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dawn and Carlos stepped into The Rusty Beaver. There hadn’t been a bouncer at the front door, and they thought nobody would notice their entrance.
“Hey, Spike.” A man waved at Carlos. “Come on over. I have those kittens I owe you.”
Kittens? Spike didn’t say anything about kittens, Carlos thought to himself while he raised his hand to wave back at the man.
“Oh, boy, this could be bad,” Dawn whispered. She had no idea who the man was or how he knew Spike. She hoped that she could fake being Buffy long enough to find out if Clem was in the strip club. Dawn grinned brightly. “Hey, man. We’re just here looking for Clem.”
“Well, Spike knows that Clem is always at the Bronze on Tuesdays.” The man eyed Carlos. “Are you doing okay there, buddy?”
“Uh, yeah?” Carlos said. He rubbed the back of his head.
“A statue fell on him at Anya’s,” Dawn replied. “Spike’s a little confused right now.”
“Oh well, that’s understandable. A knock on the head, and having to hang out with the Slayer, is bound to do that to any vampire.” The man turned to Carlos. “I’m Zoof, in case you’re confused about that. We play kitten poker together. Remember, the Slayer here isn’t welcome to any of our games after the last one she attended.”
Carlos nodded while he tried to hide how confused he was. He wanted to ask what had happened at the poker game in question, but before he could speak a voice interrupted the conversation.
“Spike and Buffy, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought you guys were headed back to Spike’s crypt.”
Dawn turned to the sound of Anya’s voice. “Oh hey, Anya. Well…” she glanced at Carlos. “I thought maybe someone needed to stay with Spike. So, we’re looking for Clem.”
“Oh excellent idea. Why don’t you go find him while I talk to Zoof?” Anya waved towards the crowd.
“Oh, here to get a second job?” Dawn asked with just a tad too snarky.
Anya rolled her eyes. “Not hardly, Buff. You’re closer to having the main requirement than me these days. Zoof requires all his strippers to be demonic.””
“I am so not a demon,” Dawn blurted out. She grabbed Carlos’ arm. “Let’s go, Spike!”
“What about my kittens?” Carlos asked. “I like kittens.”
Dawn stared at Carlos. “Spike, you’re making less sense than usual.” She started to speak in a slow, patronizing voice while she pulled him away from Anya and Zoof. “Let’s go see your bestest friend Clem now. He’ll help you figure out how to feel better.”
“There’s something weird going on with those two,” Zoof said softly after the Slayer and the vampire disappeared out the front door of the club.
“You don’t even know the half of it,” Anya commented in return. “I dropped by to ask if you’d seen any Chaos demons in the neighborhood.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean much though. We’re not the only club for demons in town, you know.”
“Yeah, I’ve already talked to Willie and Bulk. They haven’t seen anything too weird either.”
“Boy, I’s wish that bitsh had six boobs instead of jush two,” a drunk patron muttered under his breath while he stared at the stripper on the stage.
Anya and Zoof blinked in surprise when the woman on stage suddenly had four more breasts magically appear randomly on her body.
“Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?” Zoof tapped his chin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dawn was tired of being responsible for Spike. She knew he was her friend, but she felt that maybe she should have just dropped him off at his crypt and found Clem on her own. She was sure that was what Buffy would have done in the first place. It wasn’t like her sister really liked the vampire in any way.
Besides, Dawn needed to get home to ask Buffy about why there wasn’t any money in their bank account. Anya’s attitude at the Rusty Beaver had just killed any good mood on Dawn’s part. She was ready for something better to happen. Maybe after she’d found out where Buffy was hiding all the cash, she’d go out for some fun. She was an ‘adult’ now after all. Everyone knew that adults had all the fun while suppressing the kids.
“Once we find Clem, I have things to go do,” Dawn announced. “Slay some vampires or something like that.” She wasn’t worried about saving any kind of friendship between Spike and Buffy.
“Uh, okay,” Carlos replied. His companion’s sudden mood change confused him.
“There’s the Bronze up ahead.” Dawn pushed Carlos towards the alley way.
A few minutes later, Carlos found himself in the company of a floppy skinned demon and a tall, statuesque woman named Jack. The three of them watched as the Slayer hurried away from them after the barest of explanations.
Clem turned to Carlos. “So, you got smacked on the head and can’t remember who you are, huh?”
“Yeah.” Carlos rubbed his head where Anya had hit him with the statue.
“The Slayer thinks you need a babysitter?”
Carlos just stared at the demon. “Things aren’t the way they look, mate,” he finally said.
“They rarely are in this town,” Clem declared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“I had fun. Did you have fun, Carlos?” Buffy smiled shyly at the young man beside her.
“I did,” Spike replied. He licked his bottom lip before he reached over to grab Buffy’s hand. He didn’t want to snog her while she occupied her sister’s body, but he didn’t mind holding her hand.
“This poetry club is going to be a good thing,” Buffy replied. “I’m going to do all the things I never had time for before.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Spike said. He had to be careful not to call Buffy by one of the pet names he usually used. “What do you want to do first?
“Well, I’ve never had a cute boy walk me to school before.” Buffy squeezed the hand she was holding.
“I’ve never walked a girl to school before.”
“It will be a new experience for both of us to share then.” Buffy stopped at the end of the walkway leading up to her house. “I had a fun time, Carlos. Thank you.”
Spike let a small smirk slip through. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Spike waited until Buffy was inside the house before he let the rest of the smirk cross his face. “Oh pet, this is going to be so much bloody fun.”
