The Tribute

Chapter 10: Up, Up and away

Many people had packed the bronze on a Stellar Friday night. The bad stood quiet on stage with out their lead guitarist.. who stood in on the dance floor a few heavys laid out on the floor his hands being cradled by a redheaded woman..

“Oh Xander.” The redhead cooed” You hurt your hand saving me… will you be able to…”

“Finish my solo?” Xander retorted “and Then …”

“XANDER!” Giles hissed. Xander’s sleeping head had lulled on to the stoic Englishman’s shoulder.

“Kizzyoulikejounevabin…” Murmured Xander waking up and looking around.. sitting straight up.

“You were drooling” Giles Said mopping at his shoulder with a tissue.

“Seems Like you and Tara were the only ones not sleeping..” Xander said smling to Tara who was sat with the slumbering Willow.

“Well yes but we were the ones that weren’t out combating the forces of darkness until the early hours of the morning..”

“No we were done with the forces of darkness by midnight. It was the coffee and cookies that …”

“Willow tells me you escorted Karen home last night.” Giles spoke as he lowered the withering gaze that had forced Xander to peter into silence.

“Yeah.. Nice girl we have a lot in common.. Except that whole Chris Tucker thing..”

“Chris who?”

“His an actor.. was in dead president.. Rush Hou…”Xander could see the utter lack of comprehension in the eyes of the older man. “Never mind suffice to say that is a point of contention between Karen and I.”

“Anya was most upset after you left.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she kept mumbling something about “Snugglecakes?”

“Pfft…” Xander spat the orange juice he was drinking all over the back of the seat in front of him. And started to Cough.

“are you okay?” Giles asked.

“Oh yes..yes… Snugglecakes, you say?” Xander managed after composing himself..

“Does it mean anything to you?” Giles asked

“Not a thing” Xander lied and sipped more orange juice. Giles defiantly got the feeling that that was the end of the conversation so he didn’t; push it any further.

Across the aisle, Tara sat raking her fingers through the sea of ginger locks upon her lover’s head as Willow slept. Next to Willow was Buffy, who also slept. In fact Buffy had been out cold before take off, it was like she hadn’t slept in days. Tara looked at Buffy, and Willow, then over at Giles and Xander. And smiled to her self. It was like she was at home, or rather with family. A family of friends and loved ones that truly cared about her. It felt weird and comforting all at once, she’d never really felt that way before always feeling alienated or set aside from her own family. Sliding down a little in her seat she closed her eyes, her hand in Willows and started to relax.

Buffy however was not asleep, as the others thought she was. She was curled up on he seat with her eyes closed. Thinking. A horrid thing. First she’d thought about Faith then about Angel and now… him. Agent Riley Finn, Lieutenant of The Initiative, and ultimate scumbag.

“They're not gonna make me disappear, and they're not pinning anything on me. I got Graham and a lot of the guys testifying I'm the reason they're alive. I might actually get out of this with an honorable discharge." He’d said to her. And he’d lied. There was no court marshal, no debriefing.

Ever since the dealing with the initiative, Willow had been using her skills on computers to keep abreast of the Initiative’s movements. Riley had been missing for something like a month when Willow came to her. sullen and all but in tears. Buffy thought she’d found Riley Finn’s obituary… and Buffy’s mind had boggled when Willow told her it was worse. A relocation form from the Initiative files she’d just decrypted. Riley had been shipped off to New Orleans, the head of some task force. HE was still in the Initative. Not a word. No phone call, not even a good bye letter. Buffy hated Riley. Even the thought. Of him turned her stomach. She never thought that she could hate anyone more than she’d hated Parker. She was wrong. She thought back to the night she heard about Angel and Riley fought. If only it had gone..well.. Completely different something involving sharp metallic objects and rather vital portions of Rileys anatomy. Then Angel could have come to her dorm and swept her off her feet and into the throws of blissful passion. Rather than slightly awkward talk that had occurred.

~*~

Back in Sunnydale, Spike may in his crypt looking at the ceiling. Hearing the water drip, drip, dripping from the leak in the ceiling. He yawned a little and he closed his eyes and he tried to sleep, but he couldn’t. He’d been trying for hours, but no dice. He shifted a little and rolled over he just held his eyes closed. He shook his head and gave up he stood grabbing his leather coat he dropped into the lower level of his crypt then again into the tunnels beneath Sunnydale.

15 minutes later Spike emerged in the basement of the Magic Box he looked around and he walked up the stairs and into the main shop. Anya was stood behind the counter.

“Hello Spike.” She chimed merrily.

“Anya….” The vampire watched her crouch and appear to be doing something beneath the counter “what on earth are you doing down there?”

“Cataloging.” She spoke from behind the counter.

“Cataloging?”

“Yes a list of items the store sells and how much it is for ease of browsing, also useful in aiding in inventory taking.”

“Yes I know what one is.. why are you doing it..”

“Well, so far I’ve covered all the A’s through F’s and I’m working on G, but I cant; seem to find the Gecko’s Bladders….”

“But Giles Has a catalogue” Spike cut her off rounding the counter and pulling out a laptop computer.

“Where” Anya quizzed him

“in here” Spike patted the machine and opened it turning it on. “Red and The slayer worked on it for him over summer.” He called up the file and turned the plastic rectangle to her. “See.”

“Well I…I…” spluttered Anya slamming her clipboard onto the counter.

“Any way, what are you doing here?”

“I was bored, couldn’t sleep. Kinda peckish.”

“You’re lucky Giles didn’t put a threshold on this building to stop you entering after the stunt you pulled last night.”

“What I just went there to get my mo..” Spike started

“Not telling that poor girl that you were a vampire, you scared her half to death, Spike” Anya plowed over the top of him not hearing a word he’d said.

“Oh that. Yeah. A little tactless I shall admit. Though very therapeutic for the funny bone.”

Spike nodded and sat down at the table. Anya spent some time looking at the inventory on the laptop’s screen scowling. Spike picked up a skull and started to turn it over in his hands. Opening and closing it’s jaw and having a half assed conversation with it. He set it down, moved over the fridge with drew a blood bag and as he had the evening before began warming it in the microwave for a few seconds. Anya jumped and he span round when the door suddenly crashed open inwards and young black haired lady staggered through the door, the door closing behind her. Her face cut, her clothes in shreds and looking considerably worse for wear. He staggered a few feet into the Magic Box and collapsed face first on the floor,

~*~

Back aboard the Plane the Movie had just finished airing. Xander peeled off his headset. along with Buffy and Willow

“Interesting” he nodded his voice less than impressed “it’s sad, that having faced demons in person…”

“And sleeping with one..” Willow added setting her headset down

“…Ex demon…” Xander corrected without even breaking stride as if it were an everyday thing, “… how having faced them in person, When you see them in movies they just aren’t as impressive anymore.”

“And you were expecting “Pitch Black” to be a marvel of supernatural artistry?” Buffy chuckled.

“yeah plus that guy looked really stupid in those goggl..OW” Willow started. The exclamation came as Tara, who was sleeping, kicked her in the shin.. one look a the young witch could tell you she was mid-nightmare. A few seconds later, her eyes flew open, she ripped her seatbelt open and bolted for the back of the plane