First, I'd like to apoglogize for the shameful amount of time it's been since my last update. Next, I'd like to suggest locating me on Livejournal. 's formatting issues bug me so most likely, I'll be posting exclusively to my fic journal. (Anonaficcer, look me up. :P) Anonymous commenting is allowed and the posts are open, so you don't have to have one to read/review. Or just read if that's how you do things. Plus, it'll be easier to give me a kick in the rear to update. :P
Title: Lipgloss and Letdown
Author: Charisma Brendon
Disclaimer: My wallet is amazingly empty, therefore I couldn't possibly own these characters.
AN: Wow, it's been a very long time. The beginning has been written since the last chapter was posted. The ending I just finished today. Yay! As a reminder, reviews are greatly appreciated.
AN two: It occurred to me that we already had a few Scooby reactions in previous chapters that were rather lackluster. This is for all you drama-types.
- Chapter Fifteen -
Buffy and Angel quietly watched the next ten minutes of the movie.
"You're making that up," Angel decided.
She laughed. "I really do wish I was. The names, I mean. As people, Ben and Joel are awesome."
"And...Joel really had a sex change?"
She nodded and shifted in her seat. With an impish grin and a sideways glance, she continued with a pretentious French accent. "goes by Jolie now. Believe me when I say the name does not suit. "
The amused silence—on her part, anyway—that had re-descended upon the room was interrupted by the door opening. "I hope you're hungry," Xander called from the entrance.
Willow made a sound of agreement. "Chinese. The Japanese place was closed, so no sushi for us."
"And I so love raw fish." Buffy snapped her fingers in disappointment.
"Not to worry! While we can't have bait, we can have snow peas. I have no idea what snow peas are," Xander offered. The thud of packed bags dropping onto the floor accompanied his words and his appearance in the entryway.
"Then why did you get them?" Buffy rolled her eyes at Angel and shook her head.
Xander blinked rapidly and scoffed before answering. "The name sounded funny at the time."
"Comedy over taste—that's my Xander."
Xander smiled tightly and reached down to pick up the bags he had dropped in shock. "Help me with the plates?"
Buffy rolled her eyes as she stood. "If I have to. We shall return," she said with a concerned glance at her frozen best friend. "Maybe you should sit down, Will. You look paler than usual." Without another word, she rushed to the kitchen, painfully aware of the death-glare Xander was sending her way from around the corner.
A high-pitched "eep" followed by a muffled thump was the response she received. Oh, no. She peeked around the corner to see Willow sitting on the arm chair, as far away from Angel as possible. Judging by the look of frozen awe on her friend's face, she should have charged for tickets. Step right up and see the freak show!
There would be time to worry about Willow later. At least she wasn't alone in the kitchen with an angry Xander. Now was the time to be concerned with her own well-being. "I know you're upset," she began.
Xander's eyes widened. "Upset? Oh, I'm not upset. Incredibly confused, yes. Betrayed? Yes. Suspicious? Yes! But upset? No…Well, maybe."
"You were fine with the idea of us being friends before," Buffy pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was before he intruded on our friend-time."
"If that's what's bothering you, I can ask him to leave. I'll feel really bad about it, but you've been my best friend for years. You're more important."
Xander looked at her, then the doorway. "I don't appreciate the guilt trip, but fine. I won't be a pain."
She smiled brightly. "Oh, you can be a pain. Teasing him is fun! Just don't be a jerk."
"I think we've left Willow alone too long. I'll take the plates, you bring the liquid refreshments so it looks like you did something."
She scoffed. "I don't have to do anything in my own house. You're right, though. I hope she's still conscious."
He walked ahead of her, stopping short. "Yeah, don't need to worry about that."
"Why not?" Buffy frowned and kicked him. "Move."
"Yeah, I think the lovebirds want a little privacy. Man, I never expected Willow to do that!"
She gasped loudly and forced him out of the way. "What?"
"You started the movie without us!" Xander mock-scolded, unable to hide his grin.
"That was evil, Harris," Buffy informed him, throwing herself on the couch.
He shrugged casually and took his usual seat on the floor. "Who wants an egg roll?"
"Ooh, I do!" Willow chirped.
"She can speak," Angel remarked.
"Now that I know this isn't one of those nightmares that involves being naked in front of the school, I'm comfortable."
Xander opened the his cartoon of rice. "Pass the salt, Beth?"
That definitely deserved the punch in the shoulder she gave him. "What have I told you about that?"
"Not to do it. I know, but it's fun."
Angel was sure "confused" was his perpetual expression around these people, but that didn't stop his forehead from scrunching. "Is 'Buffy' short for something?"
Despite the danger he was presently in, Xander snorted. "Heh, 'short.' Joking aside, there was this kid in fifth grade—"
With a noise of discontent, Buffy sat up. "We don't need to talk about this!"
"—Who had a big crush on Buffy, but couldn't remember her name. Somehow, he came up with Beth."
"And now you just won't forget it."
"Basically!" Xander agreed, happily.
"Can we watch the movie now?" Buffy glared at the two males.
"It's hard to enjoy mindless entertainment and shiny Orlando Bloom when you two won't stop babbling," Willow threw in.
Four hours and three liters of soda later, Xander abruptly paused Varsity Blues. "Who else is hungry?"
"Me!" Buffy and Willow chimed in unison.
Xander stretched and carefully stood on half-asleep legs. "I'm going on a pizza run before they close, then. How do you feel about pepperoni and ham?" he asked Angel.
"Pretty good. It doesn't beat rat and thumbnails, but what does?"
"Very little, my friend. Unfortunately, Pizza Hut doesn't keep that stuff around. Something about healthy code violations; I asked."
"Go get the pizza while I find my yearbook so we can openly mock Angel's friends to his face," Buffy instructed, pushing Xander to the door. Then she turned back to her other guests. "I'm going to go do what I said I was going to do. Don't burn my house down."
"I'm thirsty. Do you want anything?" Willow offered.
"Water would be good."
"Coming right up!"
Once she was around the corner, he reached for his cell phone. It was rude to use the phone in front of other people.
After dialing the familiar number, he waited patiently for his father to pick up, only to get the machine. Once the "leave a message" spiel was over, he laughed into the phone. "Still screening calls or just not home? If you won't get your own cell phone, maybe you could at least get caller ID. Anyway, this is your son, obviously. Remember the girl I was telling you about? Um, I'm hanging out with her friends today. Just thought I'd let you know in case I'm not home when you get back. Call me back if you want. Bye."
With that out of the way and the living room clear, his attention turned to the DVDs spread across the coffee table. Apocalypse Now had to be a mistaken rental. His companions were girls and amateur comedians, if the eighties teen movies were anything to go by. Although he wasn't sure he would admit it out loud, he actually liked her friends. Despite the mutual animosity, Xander made an impressive effort to not antagonize him.
While his own friends weren't quite as bad as they were made out to be, it was still refreshing to experience this kind of friendship. Everything wasn't about social status or image.
He idly pushed the cases around until he found a little black notebook under The Breakfast Club the previously-viewed stack. To look or not to look. Not his house, not his notebook, not his business. The cons outweighed the pros. His curiosity would just have to go unsated, he decided.
Or it would have if Willow hadn't chosen that moment to return. "Oh, Buffy will be glad you found that."
He placed it back on the table and tried to look innocent. "It was an accident! I mean, really? What is it?"
"Novel ideas."
"She writes?"
Willow gave him an odd look. "You didn't know that?"
He shrugged. "It didn't come up."
"What didn't come up?" Buffy asked, submitting further proof that anything that can go wrong, will.
"Angel found your book," Willow informed her.
"Oh. You didn't look in it, did you?"
"Of course not, and I'm insulted you would suggest that."
"Hmm."
Angel took his opportunity to change the subject. "So, what took so long?"
She gasped. "Would you believe I was attacked by termites? Actually, my mother texted and won't be home until way late."
Willow turned the puppy eyes on. "Ooh, can I stay over then?"
"Only if you promise not to scream at every noise and shadow."
"I did that once and it was after we watched scary movies on AMC!"
"It counts."
"Does not," Willow grumbled under her breath. She continued before Buffy could retort. "I hope Xander comes back soon. It's almost Midnight."
"I just hope he comes back with the food intact."
By the time Xander returned, Buffy and Willow were lying on an air mattress in the middle of the living room floor and Angel was gone. "Where's our new friend?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He was tired, so he left." Buffy told him, sitting up. "Pizza?"
He handed it over. "Tired? It's twelve-ten."
"Well, we had a big day of getting kicked out of places. Now sit down and watch TV with us."
"So bossy! One day, I won't take this." Xander stuck his tongue out at her. "Why is this in black-and-white? I thought we were watching the Bollywood movies tonight."
Willow took a sip of juice. "While you were gone, we decided on a Cary Grant marathon."
The phone ringing pulled her attention from swooning over Cary Grant. A glance at the time told her it was far too late for it to be one of her friends, and suddenly the chipper ring sounded rather ominous. She shook off the sudden feeling of uneasiness and hit the talk button. "Hello," the word almost hurt coming out of her suddenly dry throat.
The person on the other end cleared his throat. "Is this Buffy?"
She frowned, analyzing the voice and comparing it to every male she knew. Her grandfather, maybe? But, he was dead. Maybe it was a from-the-great-beyond call to warn her of impending doom.
"Hello?"
With a start, she snapped out of her daydream. "Yeah, sorry, this is Buffy."
The man took a deep, audible breath before speaking again. "This is harder than I thought it would be. My name is Hank. Hank Summers. I'm your father."
Well, the "impending doom" part was right, at least.
angelsno1slayer - Thank you so much. I appreciate someone appreciating the slower pace. :p
never look back - Heh! It makes sense to me, but I don't make sense. So, maybe there's a big whirlpool of non-sense-making. I'm glad I remembered my floaties. :)
no1buffyangelfan - Aw, thank you. Heh, there was a temptation to imply that it actually was the twins. But, GC fangirls are rabid. And usually scary. And I'm too short to fight them off. :p
Jess - :O! There was a search party? I feel so loved. :p This is...totally more time than last time. I really wasn't planning on taking this much time.
Weasy - A frog ring tone? Is it a lot of loud ribbiting? Because, that'd be about the time to change options. Loud noises scare me. :p But, I'm glad that you liked that part. That's sort of going to play a part in that whole "shit hitting the fan" thing I keep mentioning. If only I could just get to it and write it. *headdesk*
BloodThirstyGoddess - Double thank you. :) And, yeah, if I could go back my name probably would've been JumboShrimp or Microsoft Works... or something. :p
b/a always - I'm glad! :) It does take a lot of work to try and be funny. Actually, it takes a lot of work to write something around something I really wanted to say. :p
Bera-Moon - I've hinted at it, and maybe I've been too subtle. The whole "different" thing actually gets completely spelled out between them later. It could be...but, that'd be such an unfunny/moronic cop-out. I think we're both happy it's not that. :p I'm trying to remember – Are you the one I message about it? I think I got a little snarky over it, when it wasn't my intention.
Cronkalini - Thanks, but shhhhh. If I tell you, it'll take all the drama and intrigue out. :p
ChampionOfLight - Good, because unhappy readers aren't as fun. Plus, they have a tendency to threaten and be generally scary. :p
REALbluelightsaber - Wow, then that's extra awesome. I have to admit that I don't read much B/A anymore, but when I did a lot of the AUs bothered me. Heh, Owen will be back so there are more opportunities for that. -Nods- I have limited knowledge as well, but so far I've basically been going by the type of thing I'd want. Egads, I really wanted to avoid that. In all honesty, that basic plot line has always been what turned me off of high school AUs. Heh! On a scale of one to ten, how disappointed are you that the Scoobs didn't really explode? :p Y'know...I don't think that they do. We'll have to fix that!
pinkyblue-ice - Thank you and I am so sorry! I really thought I got everyone when I was responding. :(
BloomingViolets – Thank you so much and I know! I've sucked at updating!
Also thanks to: Mysticallove, SlayaDevyn (Same as SlayaNoelle?), Buffy4592, Robin, RedHeadReader, Bangel, Amo_angel1232, Musical Chaos, Robin, and Kayleigh
I hope I got everyone this time!