Title: Camping Days II
Author: Bonster
Email: angelxanderforever@hotmail.com
Feedback: DEFINITELY
Archive: Let me know, because I like knowing where these boys play.
Pairings: S/X, A/w, W/T
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to Joss "God" Whedon. Oh and ME, Kuzui, Fox, etc.
Spoilers: None
Summary of the Series: AU. One year later and everyone has returned to spend a part of their summer at Camp Somnium Fjord. This year there are murders in the night, uno tournaments, a moonlit swim, smores, a softball game, and more!
Summary of this part: The Day Counselors and then the Day Attenders arrive and settle in.
Warnings: in later parts, there shall be character deaths, yes plural
Notes: 1) It is indeed Attenders, not Attendees. I do indeed use spell check. But, The Mayor was insistent and so Attenders not Attendees.
2) HUGE get-down-on-your-knees-and-worship to Cimmer. Such ideas she gave me! Basically, there would never have been a sequel but for her.  You rock the walk lovely!




The sun was at last hovering over the horizon, and the early morning air was crisp from the dew. A slight breeze went wafting by as Richard ‘The Mayor’ Wilkins III surveyed the empty campground.

Breathing in the sweet, summer air, Richard smiled. He loved this peaceful and calm hour before his Day Counselors were expected to arrive. Its serenity was unequaled. Bundles of tight energy seethed all around him, floating with no apparent course, from current to current. These moments were what made life worth living.

Until an infinitely pesky flying squirrel chose to fling itself from the treetops to land with a thud against a nearby cabin window.

Watching as the squirrel dazedly picked itself up, Richard heard the far off rumble of bus engines approaching. Another summer session was about to begin at Camp Somnium Fjord.

#####

It was a glorious morning. Xander Harris bounded out of the bus, taking his first whiff of the wonder-filled Camp Somnium Fjord air. He took in the billowing trees and the glinting sunlight off the lake.

Wandering over to where a giant Mork’tha demon was corralling Day Counselors for the first official meeting, Xander spotted just the group he was looking for. They were sitting on the grass excitedly talking about something.

“Hey guys!”

Willow Rosenberg jumped up with a squeal and hugged her best friend close. “Xan! About time you got here! We’ve been here for about an hour.”

Xander waved to the smiling faces of Tara Maclay and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.

Plopping down, Xander said, “Mr. Wurtz.”

A collective nod. Mr. Wurtz was the bus driver from Hell. Literally. He was a Nurnoi demon, from Hell Central. Any Attenders and Counselors forced to ride his bus to the camping grounds were in for such snail paces that even the snails gave them the finger. In some cases, the snails were from the United Kingdom, and so, in a grand feat, they would offer the two-fingered salute.

As the Mork’tha demon, who was named Leo, gathered more wayward counselors, the group talked about their year.

Wesley had the most filling in to do, as he and Angel had been too busy to write more than two emails. They had started hiring themselves out to the populace as ‘Demon Dicks’, as Spike had so eloquently put it, after the initial email. Basically Angel and Wes went around kicking evil ass, bribing said evil ass to leave town, and then not killing evil ass, but informing other evil asses of their whereabouts. Best of all, they got paid to do it.

Willow and Tara had put in a lot of volunteer time helping young witches learn their ways. They got a weekly coupon for free ice cream, so they were happy.

“Attention Day Counselors! If you’ll please look ahead to the portable chalkboard, we’ll get this meeting started, so we can prepare for the arrival of the first wave of Attenders in less than three hours!”

#####

After the meeting, they went with Wesley to see the new-and-improved Puzzle-thon.

“Yes. I decided to get rid of crosswords this year, as I and approximately two Attenders were the only ones who would actually fill them out. Also, I’ve arranged for a few tournaments to be held. Scrabble, Uno, and maybe Monopoly will be played in rounds. There will be a final winner for the counselors and for the children, respectively. I’m not sure what the prizes will be as of yet, but Mayor Wilkins assures me they will be quite worthwhile.”

Willow, Tara, and Xander wandered around, taking in the brighter colors, the neatly organized bookshelf, the clearly marked tables with games, puzzles, and legos.

All in all, Xander loved the improvements. He and Spike had played Uno a few times and he was sure they would both enter the tournament. If anything, it would give them more excuses to be together.

Another Day Counselor had checked on Xander’s cabin and said that everything was in order, so Xander grabbed up some legos and started playing. It was two hours until the campers would arrive, and about thirteen hours until sundown. He would just have to daydream about Spike until then.

#####

“Group Seven! You’re with me!” Xander shouted, holding up three fingers on one hand and four on the other.

“Why don’t you use five and two fingers? Is there something wrong with your head? Oh man! I knew they would make me put up with some moronic moron,” said a disdainful boy, wearing a name tag that read, “Bite me.”

Xander fought down the snicker at seeing such a blatant invitation, even though the vampires would not arrive until nightfall.

“Actually, I held my fingers up this way just to annoy you. Now that my mission is accomplished, you can rejoice in the fact that you played an integral part.”

The camper rolled his eyes and sat on his bags, watching as the other Group Seven members arrived.

Xander grinned widely at one of the newly arrived Day Attenders. “Oscar! Give me five! Good to see you again this year.”

Oscar merely nodded and gave a half-hearted slap to Xander’s open palm. The boy sniffed.

Counting to ten mentally, Xander warily asked what was wrong, knowing he should know better.

Oscar exaggeratedly sniffed again. “I forgot my special Spider-Man water bottle. It makes the water taste better, and I forgot it.” Two identical trails of tears flowed down the boy’s cheeks.

Xander put his arm around the trembling shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “It’s okay. You know, I think they might have a Spider-Man water bottle in that little booth next to the Canteen.”

Oscar raised his tear-filled, bloodshot eyes to Xander’s. “Yeah?”

Xander smiled. “Yeah.”

Saying a silent ‘Thank you O Lord of Lords’ when Oscar went running to procure said water bottle, Xander’s attention went again to the boy with the ‘Bite Me’ name tag.

“Why don’t you use the magnifying glass to start a fire in a fire pit? And not on someone’s bag?”

“Because this is funner. This lens was coated with some magic herbs, and can burn a hole through anything.”

Looking at the rising column of smoke from the bag, Xander sighed. Just what he with the vampire boyfriend needed - a pyromaniac for a cabin mate.

Working on getting the boy to put the magnifying glass away, and then marching the bouncy youths to their cabin to settle in, Xander passed the time until sundown, when the Night Attenders and Counselors would arrive.


Tbc…