crack_van | Spring Break, Sidekick Style by Perri Smith (G)

FANDOM: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
PAIRING: Gen, with background Buffy/Angel
Length: 33K words
Author on LJ: (?)
Author Website: Via SunS Fanfic

Why this must be read: Xander and Angel fight very tiny but loud demon-types while the Slayer (and Willow and Giles) are out of town. Takes place sometime in Season 1 after the episode Angel. These two will never really *like* each other, but Perri Smith shows why they did both make good sidekicks for Buffy, in their own respective ways, and how they might have found some respect for each other, however reluctant. She also accounts for Angel’s growth from rat-eating sewer-dweller to active warrior in the good fight and for Xander’s everlasting Xander-ness, in all its many manifests. The characters are spot-on, the plot will keep you reading, and all in all it’s a lovely flashback to simpler times in Sunnydale.

"Ow!" Xander rubbed the back of his head and twisted around to glare balefully at the pedestal, which had just rocked forward and smacked him. "What the hell was that?"

Mrs. Summers gave him a severe look for the curse, but before she could say anything, the walls shook again, then again, settling into a rhythmic pounding that started low, then rose in volume until Xander thought his ears were going to explode. He found himself effortlessly on his feet in the middle of the room, staring with startled panic at the back wall as the demonic thuds and bangs continued.

"Oh, not again!" She was standing only a few feet away, but Mrs. Summers still had to raise her voice for it to carry over the racket. "If that plumber isn't here by tomorrow morning, I'm going to go in after those pipes myself!"

"Pipes?" Xander shouted incredulously. "All that is just pipes?" It sounded more like hoardes of crazed monkeys gleefully banging away on giant xylophones.

The noise stopped as abruptly as it had begun, leaving them in eerie, ringing silence. Xander rubbed his ears and discovered that the ringing was coming from his eardrums, not the air. "Whoa."

Mrs. Summers nodded, looking resigned. "This is why I stayed home from Toronto."

Xander shook his head and worked his jaw, which did absolutely nothing for his ears. He'd come out of the Bronze with less of a hearing loss. "Maybe you're right; you do need an exorcist."

Mrs. Summers laughed. "It's a thought, but I'll try the plumber first. It's so hard to find a good exorcist."

Xander automatically opened his mouth to volunteer Giles's services -- he'd been pretty good against witches and stuff, according to Buffy -- then shut up again, fast. Time to get out of here before he slipped. "Well, I hope you have good luck with the plumber. I'd better head for home. Um, do you need any more help tomorrow?" he asked, half-hopeful, half-fearful.

Spring Break, Sidekick Style