morning everyone...
The gangs plan will have to be in the background for this scene as Buffy and Xander have patrol... hope you enjoy
and thank you to everyone for reading... today is the day that regardless of how I feel I'm going to go over feedback and pick out any questions that I missed... oh and general thank you all over and over for reading our little story...
but without further delay...
“Xander, Xander have you been listening to anything I have said?”
The young carpenter blinked and looked at his friend the Slayer obviously not having heard anything she had said more or less since they entered the graveyard.
“What are you thinking about?” Buffy looked at him confused. “You keep muttering.”
“What?” Xander frowned again.
“Sorry, I’m just wigged cause there’s no vamps anywhere.” Buffy looked around. “It’s like slayer drought.”
“Well maybe you’re like super slayer and there are just no vampires left.” Xander shrugged trying to pay attention.
“I think it’s the Brothers of Pain fault.” Buffy growled angry that the one named Michael had got away for her so easily.
“Brothers of Pain?” Xander looked at his friend. “Have you been watching cartoons in the afternoons again?”
“No.” Buffy rolled her eyes. “I ran into some vamps last night who were all looking like the Goodfellas, they said that was their name.”
“Okay just when you think Sunnydale can’t get any stranger.” Xander shook his head.
“Never say that.” Buffy glared at him. “When you say that bad things happen.”
“Bad things like them?” Xander pointed behind Buffy to where a group of vampires approached.
“See you had to say it didn’t you.” Buffy sighed as she appraised the half dozen demons.
“Sorry.” Xander shrugged and gave a wide grin.
“So we meet again.” Michael reached up to check his hair as he stopped his group a few feet away.
“We do.” Buffy shifted her stance slightly. “Are you going to run away screaming like a girl again this time?” She posed the question with her head tipped lightly to the side.
“Buffy!” Xander’s eyes went wide, sure he was used to the Slayer’s quips but this didn’t seem like the wisest time.
“You’re funny.” Michael straightened his tie. “But last night was your freebie so tonight you have to pay.”
“I see you brought some friends.” Buffy glanced at the small group.
“They’re not very happy about Billy.” He informed her as the vampires began to spread out to flank her.
“Well you know I would suggest the one they have to blame for that would be you.” Buffy shrugged slightly.
“Get her.” Michael waved and his cohorts descended.
Two came in from Buffy’s right and another two at Xander from her left. Buffy wasn’t phased by Xander’s familiar shriek as she flicked up the mini crossbow she had with her and took one of the vamps closing down on him down.
As he turned to ash she trusted Xander to at least carry his weight with one while she took care of the others. She dodged under a high swing, dropping down to kick out a hard leg sweep that brought the two of them down. The two well-dressed vampires soon landed in the dirt much to their disgust.
Beside her Xander was grappling and in a flash she did a front roll coming to slam her stake home into one vamp’s hearts.
“Boys stop embarrassing me.” Michael hissed at his vampires as they easily fell to the Slayer’s skills.
“Oh they will especially when you get some of them on that nice suit.” Buffy gave him a charming smile.
“Kill her.” He snarled to the other vamps that had seemed stunned by her for a minute. The one close to her scrambled up and lunged at her, his fangs bared. Buffy tucked and rolled away from him bobbing up onto her feet just in time for another vamp to strike her with a high kick. She staggered back a bit stunned but unhurt as Xander launched onto her attacker’s back.
Regaining her bearings she turned to block another kick before she exchanged a volley of blows. None of the moves were something Buffy couldn’t counter and she soon backed him up against a tall headstone driving Mr. Pointy home. Turning she bided her time until Xander was able to push the last one off himself and as the vampire flailed backwards she staked him as well.
“Well, you might look good but you don’t seem to have improved your techniques.” Buffy dusted down her hands and looked at Michael.
“Mmmmm well...” He looked at the Slayer and Xander before turning again and running.
“Hey he’s getting away.” Xander’s eyes went wide.
“God this is getting repetitive.” Buffy sighed before taking chase. Xander moved as quickly as he could to follow.
******
Buffy pulled up in front of large stone door of the crypt that Michael disappeared into just as it closed.
“Well at least this time you brought me home this time.” Buffy glanced over her shoulder to see if she could see Xander.
“Right here.” Xander pulled up huffing and puffing. “Crypt?” He pointed questioning if that was where Michael had gone.
“Prepare your nose for the stench.” She smiled and slid Mr. Pointy back into the pocket of her jacket so that she could deal with the door.
“Prepared.” He saluted her and pulled out his stake.
“And remember don’t look for last nights lunch, it makes you go kinda queasy.” Buffy reached forward and pushed the stone inwards.
“Eyes on the prize.” Xander moved into the crypt behind her.
The crypt was large, running back in a rectangle. Lit torches near the back burned low to illuminate the accumulation of dust and dirt over two stone sarcophagi.
“There he goes.” Xander pointed to a stone lid as it slid a bit back into place.
“Then that’s where we go.” Buffy darted off after him.
Xander moved with her and grabbed a torch as she moved the lid back. They both peered over the edge to see a deep whole down into the ground, accessed by a set of steep iron steps.
“Steel steps, better than stone.” Buffy noted as she flipped over onto the top one.
“Much.” Xander eased up and over to follow her down. “Who ordered the underground Taj Mahal?” He asked a little slack jawed as he looked around.
What should have been dirt floors were covered in thick obviously expensive oriental carpets, and the walls were draped in tapestries. On out shoots of caskets or stone framed pieces of obviously expensive art had been hung, as well as marble statues that sat on tall pedestals. Behind them a grand piano sat with a lit candelabra, while further down a tunnel lined with velvet couches more light could be seen.
“Ok did we just walk into a film set?” Buffy looked around slightly bemused.
“I think so. If someone comes out with a deep voice saying Buffy Anne Summers this is your life, I had nothing to do with it.” Xander walked over to a long mahogany desk and snapped open a briefcase sitting on it. The case was filled with neatly stacked bills. “Oh my God we’re rich!” He grinned and squealed for the Slayer to look.
“Ok so this just got super weird.” Buffy moved over to where Xander was and glanced at the case noting it was snakeskin.
“I see you’ve found my little offering.” A deep voice called from the shadows and a flash of a matchstick pre-empted a cigarette being lit. Buffy’s head flickered around.
“Offering?” She peered into the darkness.
“A little down payment so to speak.” The voice clarified. “For your co-operation.”
With a few short steps a squat podgy man in an expensive suit came out of the shadows. He wore dark red tinted glasses but the luminous glow of his skin gave away his undead state immediately.
“I’m sure you could use a few things around the house, maybe a new car.” The vampire explained as Buffy glanced back at the case of cash and took out a bound wad of money. “Miss. Slayer, we are both well aware that here at the Hellmouth you are the law.” He stepped closer and took a long drag on his cigarette. “And well there is a way to deal with the law that makes both of our existences easier.”
“Are you offering me money to leave you alone?” Buffy looked at the money again and then up at the unnamed figure.
“I am offering you money to let my little business here continue, you turn a blind eye so to speak.” He nodded. “And I continue to make a profit off the horrible existence that exists in Sunnydale.”
“How much?” Buffy asked putting the wad down in the case.
“BUFFY!” Xander hissed from beside her.
“I believe the lady and I are talking.” He glared at Xander and snapped his fingers as from the darkness Michael emerged with a tray, an expensive bottle of champagne sat on it waiting to be opened.
“How much?” Buffy asked again putting up a hand to silence Xander as the older vamp picked up the bottle.
“Twenty five to start.” The large vampire pulled the foil back. “A ten percent cut of our weekly business as well as our guarantee to stay out of any directly necessary affairs you have keeping the Hellmouth closed.”
“T-t-twenty five hundred?” She whispered with a slight cough.
“Thousand.” He corrected letting the cork pop out of the bottle.
“Holy Moly.” Xander hissed as the cork popped.
“I have many legitimate businesses Miss. Slayer. I am merely asking for your assistant in my continued successfulness now that I am faced with this unfortunate condition.” He morphed slowly to his vampiric self.
“Ah, isn’t there always small print in this kind of deal?” Buffy sighed letting her fingers run over the cash in the case.
“Small print.” He laughed lightly. “Mmmm I would appreciate if you don’t kill anymore of my boys.”
“I meant more small print, you’re a vampire so what you’re actually asking me to do is turn a blind eye while you murder the residents of my home town.” Buffy gave a thoroughly fed up sigh.
“Well the boys do have to feed but you’ll be getting a cut of every other vampire who bares a fang in this town.” He eyed her seeing the change. “Okay I’m feeling generous and I realize this puts you in a tight spot. Twenty five now, twenty five in a week and your ten percent on top of that.”
“You really are real aren’t you? I am really stood in a crypt decked out like what I can only imagine Buckingham Palace is like, you’re offering me fifty thousand dollars to let you bring organisation and discipline to the vampiric hordes of Sunnydale aren’t you?” Buffy rubbed her forehead.
“Exactly.” He nodded and poured out the champagne, placing the bottle back before he took a fine crystal flute and held it out to her. “Do we have a deal?”
“You know…” She sighed looking up at him. “I wish I believed that I could just say yes and it work out or I could say no and you’ll just let me walk out of here.”
“I’m afraid darling that a no would lead to problems, I’m not going to lie to you.” He smiled politely.
“Okay now you see before the darling line we were doing fine but then you crossed from big vamp ring leader, to sleazy creepy who needs to die guy.” Buffy changed her stance instantly doing a high kick that knocked the champagne flute clear out of his hand.
“You prefer Miss. Slayer.” He stepped back away from her.
“I prefer pft wishhhh.” Buffy made two odd noises.
“What’s that?” Michael asked a bit confused.
“That was my stake and you turning to dust.” She informed him with a confident smile.
“Boys.” The large vamp moved backwards and from the dark behind him a group of his minions appeared. Buffy eyed them up before she got a plan of attack ready.
“Let’s do it.” Buffy shuffled forward and with a quick snap kick knocked one vamp back into two of his friends taking them all off their feet.
Landing down she twirled her body downwards in a pivot and caught another with the heel of her boot as she turned. Xander, remembering the usefulness of the torch in his hand baited with another two that he’d managed to pin behind the piano.
“So who was that big guy?” She dashed across to cut off Michael’s retreat and punched him back to land sprawled across one of the couches.
Reaching up she pulled down a large heavy tapestry over one of the sprawled figures and she stuck her foot down into the lump she assumed was his head.
“Burn chicken boys burn.” Xander watched one flaming vampire try to crawl up the stairs as he was consumed. He turned on the second one and began backing him up into the corner.
“That is Uncle. You should have taken his offer.” Michael got up his fangs bared and struck a martial arts pose.
“Oh now you want to fight.” Buffy rolled her eyes and motioned for him to bring it on.
Michael stepped forward tentatively and attempted to hit her only to find that the Slayer had already sidestepped around him.
“You know I liked you better when you ran like a girl.” Buffy arched her arm up and brought her elbow down across his back causing him to go face down into the ground. Turning in a low sweep she brought her hand up to catch another vamp in the heart with her stake.
“Xander you okay?” She called back to her friend as she heard another vamp going up in flames.
“Doing good you got....” He tried to warn her but in an instant Buffy was turned again and she threw her stake into the body of a sword-carrying vampire. “Okay you saw him.”
“It’s my job.” She grinned as she twirled over to pick up the sword and in a sure swing took off Michael’s head. “You ready to go after Mr. Big?” Buffy held the sword up.
“Where did he go?” Xander asked looked around still waving his torch.
“I think down there.” She pointed to a break in the wall that was now visible with the tapestry she pulled down.
“Are there like going to be lots of minions down there?” Xander sounded a little unsure.
“How do I know?” Buffy looked at him. “I need you to carry the torch while I do the sword.”
“Ok.” He shuffled closer.
“I bet there’s not more than what two… three.” Buffy tried to be reassuring as they began down the small tunnel. “I mean it can’t be this... big... down...” She stopped as they emerged into a fully lit room.
“Again with the Holy Moly.” Xander whispered.
“Again I must be in a palace.” Buffy observed the art and decadence. “I think we know for sure now whose been robbing all the stores in town.”
“Well with all the leather and the things.” Xander walked into the room fully glancing down at the expensive rugs beneath their feet. “Its like the Batcave at Wayne Manor but not cause it’s the other way around.” He rambled.
“And the gold.” Buffy looked at the desk in the corner laden with jewellery. Her moment of appreciation was short lived when she heard Xander’s torch hit the ground behind her.
“You know this would have been much easier if you just accepted my offer.” Mr. Big forcibly dug his hand into Xander’s hair and bared the young man’s neck as Buffy turned around.
“You knew I wasn’t gong to.” Buffy stood her ground and shook her head.
“I had high hopes for you darling, we could have been the greatest duo in history.” He licked his lips. “Now I’ll just have to settle for eating your boyfriend.”
Buffy barked out a short laugh that she realised was actually rather inappropriate.
“Buffy.” Xander whimpered when he heard her laugh.
“Sorry.” She apologised quickly.
“I bet you won’t laugh when he dies.” Mr. Big moved down ready to make the bite.
“That would have been a great plan accept my boyfriend is behind you.” Buffy looked to the doorway with a confident smirk.
“What?” The vamp turned and in that instant Buffy reached forward pulling Xander out of his grasp.
“God I can’t believe you fell for that one.” She laughed as she spin kicked him into the wall and as his body fell forward her stake turned him to dust.
******
"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."
To The Land of The RainbowWriters
by Loco2 » Wed Jul 24, 2002 11:35 pm 
at: 7/25/02 4:19:50 pm
great update and i can't wait to see what the others have in store.