FIC: Feather Roads-City

[Mad-Hamlet@xxxxxxx]

Disclaimer: All this belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy
Inc.(Grrr..Argh)

Drain Brameged Inc. Proudly Presents
A Mad-Hamlet Production


We walk the roads that fate lays before us. More often than
we'd like that path is strewn with blades and teeth. Shadows with
claws that try to gut us from within, most of us struggle foward,
over, under, through all these obsticles hoping, even in the face of
all evidence, that we'll be stronger for it.

On occasion, through mercy, or mayhaps the whim of Gods
needing entertainment, allow Fate's way to be softened. Cool breezes
flow over our skin, all the living things around seem to speak to us
and our existance is not only possible but worthwhile. The road is
soft and comfortable and we can rest as we journy onward, wounds heal,
blood stops and strength returns..just so we can face the next shadowy
terror with a far too wide, sharp, grin just around the corner.

On occasion we're gifted with Feather Roads. This is theirs.


Feather Roads
City


Watching yet another idiot crash through the double doors
reminds me of a poem by Joel Silvermen..or was it Silverstien? Either
way I think it ended with..

'Rumble, rumble, whistler roar, Tom ain't tickilish any more.'

Or something like that.

I think this is the third time I've heaved that sad sack out
of here this week. Maybe he enjoys it?

"Crash, crack, smack, boom, slam!" I mutter. "Jack is sucking
on a garbage can."

"What ya say Hope?" My boss asks.

"Nothing." I reply. "You owe me ten bucks by the way. He was
airborn for over five seconds."

She doesn't say anything right to my face but I can hear her
grumbling as she reaches into the cash register and hands over my
cash.

"Closing soon." She says. "Last call in half an hour."

"Didn't you have last call twice already?" I ask though I
don't really care. I just want to go home.

"I mean it this time. You'll back it up if needed."

I walk out from behind the bar and take my customary seat in
the corner. It's closest to the door in case I need to intercept
anyone, keeps the whole place in sight and above all, keeps my back to
the wall. Course if any beastie decided to come in here a wall won't
exactly slow them down. But I'm aware of this so that too is no
biggie.

One of the 'waitresses' comes to my table and puts a coke in
front of me. At least she didn't give the customary 'jiggle' but I'm
staff, not a customer so I'm spared a lot of the bullshit.

"Weren't you kinda rough on that last guy Hope?" She asks.

"He tried to paw at your sister like a dog in heat Sherry." I
snap back. "I thought I was being leniant."

She sits down. Great..company.

"Aw, he just had too much to drink." She smiles. "He didn't
mean any harm."

Sure, keep on thinking that. I actually say nothing just take
a sip of the coke.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch movement. Damn, another
moron trying to climb on the stage. I move to stand up but Sherry
grabs my arm.

"It's no trouble." She says. "That's just Rally."

Who?

I pull my arm free of Sherry's grasp and move toward the
stage.

"Hope!" I hear my boss call to me over the music. "Stand
down."

I turn on her.

"Say what?" I yell back.

She quickly steps from behind the bar and makes her way over
to me.

"That's Rally." She says in an odd echo of Sherry's words.

"This is an explination how?" I say. "Rules say anyone gets on
the stage I bounce em'. Now someone is.." I eye the situation. "Quite
on the stage and you don't want me to bouce em'."

"Shut up and watch." Is all my boss says.

Normally I wouldn't but I need the money, rents due.

The so named 'Rally' is an old man, I'd guess around late
fifties. He's dressed like your average factory worker, maybe
construction. Not bald though, good shock of grey hair. Kinda pudgy
gut behind a t-shirt and faded overalls. Nice arms though, looks
strong. Just the thing to hold a woman dow.. what the hell?

The dancer on the stage is Susan. She's one of the rare ones.
She has a chance to get out of here, actually have a life. She doesn't
just get on stage and take off her clothes, she can actually dance.
Black hair, white skin, lean build, really flexible. As I said, she
can actually dance. I've never really talked to her, I don't really
talk to nobody but the scuttlebut says she went to some presitigious
school of dance somewhere, how she got here I dunno but that's not
important.

She makes the motions of a curtsy to Rally, okay, not a real
curtsy as she's wearing exactly a thong with all the coverage of.. not
a whole hell of a lot really. Rally returns the motion with a bow and
she gives him her hand!

Rally steps foward with arms outstreched and I move to jump up
on the stage. It's my job after all. My boss's hand on my shoulder
stops me. Okay, not really, I could break her grip..hell..break her
without a seconds hesitation but the grip says 'wait' so I'll wait. I
don't care about getting in trouble or starting a fight, I'd just
rather not get thrown out of my place.

Susan takes Rally's hands in her own and he pulls her
close..what the hell is going on here?
She disengages one of her hands and reaches into her hair, she has a
rose tucked behind one ear, this she removes, Rally opens his mouth
and she pops the stem of the rose between his clenched teeth.

You've got to be kidding!

They're going to..no way..they are! I don't belive it, it
takes quite a something to surprise me. Who would dance a tango in a
strip club? With Snoop Crappy Crap thundering in the backround?
But that's what they're doing.

Damn! They're..actcually...mm..jeeze, they're tearing the
stage apart. Nobodies talking anymore, except for the the music, the
click of Susan's shoes as they blaze over the stage and the heavy thud
of Rally's work boots, there is no other sound. Everybody is acting
like me, except for the other dancers who are all smiling like they
know something and Rally's friends who are also just grinning like
idiots.

My fists itch.

Stamp, spin, catch, bend, dance..jeeze..okay..okay..I'm
impressed. You can stop now! Oh for crying out loud..right..just..end
it already..no, I'll never tell you you're good..you can stop trying
to impress me. Not gonna work. God..okay here we go..big finish..no?
Damnit. What? Hey..that..was..I was right he is strong..just lifting
her off the ground like she weighed nothing at all and.. Don't you
dare drop her you big dumb.. nice catch.. Another spin
and..ah..they're done.

Finally.

"Okay," My boss pats me on the shoulder. "Get them outta
here."
My fists really are itching now.

"We're closing!" I hollar. "Everybody out!"

There are a few grubled complaints but everyone heads for the
door peaceably enough, darn.

Rally steps off the stage, turns and offers his hand to Susan.
She smiles and takes it before stepping off the stage herself.

"You sir," She says. "Are a true gentleman."

"Oh I dinno lass." A brouge? He has a scottish brouge? Oh this
is priceless. "I been starin' at yer hooters the entire evenin'. Now
how gentlemanly is tha?"

Capn' the engines cana take it anymore!

Susan just chuckles, reaches us and tousles his grey hair for
a second. "See you soon?" She says.

He cocks a finger like a pistol and says, "Count on it."

Then with a final bow he heads for the exit.



A few minutes later I'm back in my seat finishing off the
coke. Sherry returns to my table, ah she discovered 'shirts' a wacky
new invention but some of us like them. She's got a rag and starts to
wipe off the tabletop.

"Sherry." I say.

"Yeah?" She says.

"What was that all about?" I ask.

"Rally and Susan?" She says.

"No the other construction worker who was doing a tango with a
topless woman." I reply.

She shoots me a cross look but I don't care. "Rally's a
foreman actually." She says.

"And?" I coach her.

"No biggie really. Rally's wife was a dancer and..." She says.

"My God," I interupt rolling my eyes. "A sob story?
Please..let me guess she was the victim of some tragic accident,
disease, violent crime ..whatever..and he remembers her by dancing
with topless women on the aniviserry of her death, their marriage,
birthday or something like that."

Sherry is really looking pissed now. She is no longer 'wiping'
the table top but seems to be trying to scrub it.

"Actually she ran off with some other guy, but not before
takeing all the money they had." She says through gritted teeth. "No,
Rally just likes to dance and so does Susan so sometimes we're lucky
enough to see them that's all."

I say nothing.

Sherry finishes with the table and turns to leave, pauses.
"You do know you can be a real bitch Hope don't you?" Then walks off.

"Ain't that the truth." I mumble to the only company I have
left, the lemon at the bottom of my glass.


Aaahh..freedom. I'm standing outside the side entrance of the
WBG Klub, no moon. Even if there is one seeing through this level of
pollution..fat chance.

I stretch. I'm exhausted, it's not the work. That's easy,
compared to my old 'job' it's a damn vacation. It's being someone
else. That's what wipes me out faster than anything. Who would have
thought remembering to answer to a name that ain't yours would be
so..tiring? Been doing it for a couple months now, think I'd be used
to it. Ah well. As I said..freedom.

Freedom to go back to that shit pit I call my 'home', free to
sleep. Which means I'm free to not be anybody, not Hope, not Faith,
not nobody. Which.. is freedom I guess.

"Hope!"

Aaahhh..fuck.

I turn around slowly.

There they are. Almost the entire staff. Susan is there,
Sherry and her sister Gracie, and 'Raquel' though if that's her real
name than my real name actually _is_ Hope. At least they're all
dressed.

Sorta.

If I was a conservative politicion I'd be trying to pass a law
about skirts that short. If I was a democrat... I'd be in a scandel
after about a week.

"I'm Hope." I say with a completly straight face. "How can I
help you today?"

They stop short and Sherry and Gracie exchange a quick glance.
Sherry whispers something to Gracie it sounds like 'I told you she was
a bitch.' but I can't be sure. Bullshit, of course I can, it's what
I'd say if our roles were reveresed..or..maybe I'd just break her
nose.

Maybe I will break her nose.

No, these are my 'co-workers', gotta watch for 'morale' and
all that.

"We're.." Gracie starts to say. "Uh..we're going out for a few
drinks. Since you won most of our tips with all those 'Jerk Tossing'
bets we were wondering if ya might wanna come along?"

Oh, yes..right..let's go do that. We'll bond, become like
sisters, exchange fasion tips and do each others nails. You'll take me
to meet your family for Christmas dinner and I'll inexplicably fall in
love with your brother whom I'll marry on a fine spring day. Fifty
years from now we'll be sitting on porch somewhere, the setting sun in
front of us as we watch our children's children playing in the yard.

Peachy.

"Sure. Sounds like fun." I say.

Obviously my mouth is not paying any attention to the rules.
Namely, don't connect, don't be friendly, if no one is inside than no
can hurt you.

Ohhh..I get it now. My brain is turning against me. I got all
close and fuzzy with Willy and..no way, not a chance. Nothing gets in,
nothing hurts me. Fine, I'll go have a drink but the first thing I do
when I get back to my place is tear Willy's number to pieces.




To quote someone ..else..'What a revoltin' development this
is.'

It's gotta be ..almost three in the morning and we're still at
this lousy dive. All the other girls are completly blasted, I used ran
out of money an hour ago and than Raquel had to get that brilliant
idea of challenging men to arm wrestle me in exchange for free drinks.

"But Hope.." She had cooed. "Yer so big and strong! You could
handle em' no sweat."

"Yeah?" I had said. I was not at my best, had few too many
drinks I think. "An..an..what if I lose?"

"You won't." And she just smiled.

So..here I am about to arm wrestle yet another jerk for a free
round.

*WHAM* "I win." I smile sweetly.

"You..you..go..uh.." Gracie slurs.

"Hope." I provide.

"Yeah!" She exclaims. "You go Hope, show those ...those..."

"Men."

"Men!" She breaks off into a fit of giggles. "Men that we
don't need! We just gotta have Hope!"

Sherry pokes her sister in the forhead.
"Punning..is..punishible by death." She intones with mock severity.

"I throw myself upon the mercy of the court." Gracie giggles.

"What does the court say?" Sherry asks and all of a sudden I'm
the center of attention.

I like being the center of attention but on my own terms.
These are most defiently not my own terms. All the girls are grinning
at me, well..most of them are. Susan looks passed out.

"Yeah." Raquel lays her hand on my shoulder. I _must_ be
drunk, I'd have laid her out for that if I was sober..or wanted to at
the very least. Now I just..let her hand sit there. Wierd.

"Yeah." Raquel says again. Wobbling only a little she stands
up on the table. "Hear ye, hear ye!" She bellows.

"Gracie of the great big knockers," Oh my God. "Has been
accused of 'Punning' and shall be punished forwit..forwi..right now!"
She holds up one arm overhead trying to be melodramtic.

"How shall she be punished oh great and mighty Judge?" She
finishes and her arm comes sweeping down and she points a finger at
me.

Grrreeeaaaattt....now the entire BAR is staring at me. This
keeps getting better and better.

What to do..what to do...aha..

"Three shots, hard tequila straight up." I say.

Gracie is really, really, drunk. This should knock her down
for the count. She'll be hating herself come the morning. I'm bad.

Go Hope...

Faith..I meant Go Faith.

The bartender comes over with the shots and I place em' in
front of Gracie who is looking none to happy right now.

"There ya go babe." I purr. "Drink up!"

Gracie looks at her sister who just shakes her head grinning a
very evil grin. Oh..look. Susan has rejoined us.

"Wha..was going on?" She mumbles.

"Capital punishiment." Raquel says getting off the table.

"That's nice." Susan gurgles and she's out again.

Gracie is still staring at the shots in front of her. She
swallows nervousley.

"Drink!" Raquel commands.

"Yeah!" Susan echoes, whoops, she's back. "Drink!"

"Drink!" Sherry takes up the chant.

I can't help myself, I'm probably wearing this big, stupid
grin, drunk out of my mind, getting all friendly with people I
shouldn't and..I'm going to pay for it, I just know it..but I
..I..still can't help myself.

"Drink!" I say.

"Drink!" I say louder.

"DRINK!!" I'm shouting now.

The whole place picks up on the chant.

"Drink!"

"Drink!"

"Drink!"

Someone starts pounding on their table and that catches on
too.

"Drink!"

Pound.

"Drink!"

Pound.

I find myself pounding along with everybody else, slapping the
table top in time along with them. Heh..this is so fucking stupid.

"Drink!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

She drinks.

Damn! She's a ballsy one. All of them one after the other!
Bam, bam, bam!

The bar erupts into a shouting and applause.

Gracie just sits ramrod straight with this tiny smile or her
face, she appears to be blushing.

"Way ta go sis!" Sherry crows.

"Thanks." Gracie says very, very quietly.

"Way ta go sis!" Sherry shouts again, oh yeah, she's
snockered. Repeating oneself is a sure sign of massive imbideness. Or
gross stupidity. Either works.

"Way ta go sis!" Sherry says a third time..and then pounds her
sister on the back.

Mistake.

Gracie stands bolt upright, claps one hand over her mouth and
sprints in a random direction, she doesn't know where the bathroom is
so she's just zinging around the room, bouncing off tables, once she
richochets off a wall, looking frantically for some door that will
lead to a toilet.

"Outside..OUTSIDE!!" The bartender shouts. Eyes really wide
Gracie nods and darts for the entrance. The jukeboy is playing really
loudly, everyone is still laughing and shouting but even through all
the noise you can hear someone being very, very, sick.

"Huuummmm.." Raquel leans foward. "Due to these extenuating
circumstances do you think we should make her drink some more? Justice
must be served after all."

"Oh I dunno." Sherry replies. "I'm thinking it's being served
right now."

More sounds of retching follow.

I think my face is going to split wide open. It's..it's
bubbling around in my gut and it won't stop. It wants out but I musn't
let it free. If I do I'll be open, I'll be vulnerable and these
..these...strippers will get inside and they'll hurt me, I'll get hurt
again but it's just so strong and it's won't stop pushing!!

I start to laugh.

I start to laugh at everything. It was so funny, Sherry I
mean. The chanting, the screaming, everyone laughing with us..funny,
funny, funny and I'm laughing. Sherry's laughing too, Raquel is
laughing so hard she's about to fall over. Her arms wrap around my
shoulders to hold herself up. Hours ago I would have ripped her apart
for touching me, now..now I'm just laughing harder. Susan is laughing
even though she's still a little muddled.

Gracie wobbles back into the entrance, has to use the
doorframe to remain upright. We just keep laughing, laughing,
laughing, laughing.

"Hmph." Gracie snorts. "I'm..I'm..I'm jusht so..happy.. that
some...people were entertained by my misfor..mis..barfing."

Which just makes us laugh all the harder.

I am so doomed.



It's four in the morning. Three more guys now are nursing
severly bruised hands and egos. We have a tray full of drinks in front
of us. Yippee. I'm going to peeing all day tommorow. Oh well, that's
tommorow.

I slam back my vodka. Reach for another.

It's quiet now. The jukebox is crooning some...crooning
song..shit..whatever. Most everyone has gone home. Just us and a few
stragglers at the bar. The three guys who I recently bested are
playing pool.
No one has said anything for a long time.

"What..." Susan suddenly asks. "Whatever happened to Grey?"

"Who?" I say.

"Grey." Sherry supplies. "Bouncer before you. He was a really
nice guy."

"Yeah." Gracie echoes. She can still talk? "Tall, black hair,
big muscles. Really, really nice. Never tried to peek at us in the
changing rooms."

"Cept on Fridays." Raquel adds. "He _always_ peeked on
Fridays."

"THONG NIGHT!" Sherry and Gracie shout together then start
giggling again.

"He had a really nice ass too." Raquel throws in.

"You should know dear." Susan says. "You were fucking him
after all."

"I was not 'fucking' him." Raquel says holding up her fingers
in the air to make the quotes motion. "I was engaged in a meaningful
relationship."

"With lots of sex." Gracie says with a grin.

"Of course." Raquel says taking a drink. "As I said, he had a
really nice ass."

"So..whatever happened to im'?" Susan asks again.

"Dunno." Raquel shrugs. "He just vanished one night, never
heard from him again."

Uh-Oh.

"Then Hope comes in," Raquel continues. "And we get aaaallll
the free drinks we can handle. She doesn't peek at us on Fridays
either which is a plus. Miss the sex though."

"Heh." I say weakly. What else is there? "Did.." I wet my
lips. "Did Grey have any distinguishing features? Y'know..scars..or a
tatoo?"

"Well.." Susan sits up. "He had grey eyes. Grey wasn't his
real name. We just called him that."

Oh. Doesn't ring any bells. Don't think I dusted a vamp with
grey eyes recently. Maybe he did just up and leave. Yeah..maybe...

Hey. Ya just gotta have faith.

Whoops! A pun! I hereby sentence myself to shree..I mean
three..shots of vodka. Yippee!



Ah..dark alleyway..middle of LA..can't see a thing..
surrounded by ..frie..asso..co-workers.. and we're all drunk! Could a
vamps night get any better? He'd get drunk, fed and the prestiege of
slayer-slaying in one easy package!

No vamps though..nope, nada, zip...

We're all lurching in the darkness..I've got my arms around
Susan and Raquel who, subsequently are practically carrying Sherry and
Gracie.

Basically I'm a mule. Hee haw!

I snicker.

"What's so funny?" Raquel asks.

"Nuthin'." I say. "Just a wierd thought."

"Don't those rule?" She asks.

"Dunno..try not to think so much." I say.

"I hear ya..ya...ya.." She stutters. "Ya..ya know what would
rule right now?"

"No what?" I reply.

"Some..dude coming out and trying to ..mug us y'know and you
get all 'Bouncery' and beat the shit out of him."

I give her a look.

"You're wie.." I start to say.

"Ladies!" This guy just is THERE! How the hell he do that?
Wow, I am seriously out of it. No vibe though..he's human.

"A pleasent evening to you." He says. "I find strapped for
cash and would be wondering if you'd care to make a donation."

He flicks out a knife..a KNIFE! I'm about to pee my pants
laughing. Adrenilin dumps a shitload of sobriety on top of me. Play
time!

"Bye bye." I whisper.

"What did you say lady?" The guy demands. He's walking toward
us. Standard punk swagger, ah..what memories that brings back.
Young..spikey hair. Leather jacket and black jeans. Fuck me, he looks
like a damn extra from some action flick with Van Dummy.

I snicker. I really need a bathroom.

"What're you blind? What the fuck are you laughing for bitch?
What the hell did you just say."

I release Raquel and Susan who each are still supporting the
sisters. Raquel has this big grin on her face and Susan is activly
muffling herself but I can hear her giggles.

"I said," And I take a step toward him. "BYE BYE!!"



"Awww..you're no fun Hope." Raquel whines. "I didn't even see
you move. Can we go back and beat him up again?"

"No, we can't beat him up again." I sigh. "Just go home Raq. I
gotta sleep this off. So do you all."

We're at a well lit corner of the city streets and I'm herding
the girls into a taxi. I refused to let them get in the three before
this one, but this driver is female. They should be okay.

"You got the address?" I ask her.

"Yep." She says. Takes a drag off her cigarette that's hanging
from her lip. "No worries, I'll get em' home safe. Here's my
dispatcher's number if ya get worred about yer friends." And hands me
a card.

"They're not.." I start to say. Fuck it. "Thanks."

"Night." The cabbie says.

"Night." I reply.

"Bye bye Hope." Susan calls out the window.

"Yeah.." Raquel pokes her head out the opposite window..how
can she do that with Graci and Shelly in their laps? "Bye..BYE!" and
she closes the window laughing her ass off.

I just shake my head and wave a bit as the taxi zooms off.

Ah..freedom.

I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out a old piece of
paper. It's crumpled, and dirty and I know what is says by heart. Keep
it though, sentimental ain't I?

I can see the 'scrapers of LA being backlit by the rising sun.
Tommorow's Saturday. Technically today is Saturdays but I say fuck
technical.

I read the words and numbers on the piece of paper.

Yep, tommorow is Saturday.

Gonna ring up Willy, lots to tell her.

Also be nice to have someone call me by my real name for a
change. Heh.