Canterbury's, Becky and Elijah
The Mer were going to the beach. Roz and Ophelia were missing the ocean like crazy, and Orlando wanted to introduce Dem to his parents. Becky and Elijah were invited, because Ophelia was going to take him under, to see if he could be healed. BUt they also didn't want Dem to feel out of place, so Ophelia went out of her way to invite Vort and Spike, Dawn, Mary and Siobhan. Ophelia thought Siobhan would enjoy meeting water sprites and sea faeries. Orlando packed the towels and a cooler of food in the back of one of the jeeps, and a cooler with drinks and blood and the surfboards in the other Jeep. He looked around
"Everybody ready to go?"
Llewyns and Demetria
Demetria settled her sunglasses on her nose and smiled. "I'm ready." A towel was looped around her neck and she had a bag of clothes to get changed into. Vortigern caught Siobhan as she ran around giggling with excitement and lifted her over his shoulder.
"Going t' th' sea! Yay!" She hung upside down and pulled faces at Mary. "Gonna see more fairies!"
"We're ready." Vortigern grinned as he swatted Siobhan's bottom gently. She squealed. "Behave, you."
"Me be good! Put me down, please?" Mordred took Siobhan from Vortigern and whirled her around, her head still pointed to the ground. "Ahhhh, I'm gonna be sick! Heeeeeeelp!" He flipped her back onto her feet and she sat down heavily.
"You got all your stuff, Mary?" Mary nodded in response to Vortigern's question.
"Yep."
"Saw the kitties." Mordred grinned lazily. "And I got some stuff from the kitchen...drinks and some sandwiches."
"Can we get fish and chips?" Siobhan bounced excitedly.
"Don't see why not."
"Yay!"
Canterbury's, Jesse, Dawn and Alverez's
At the last minute, Ophelia invited the Alvarezes and Jesse. "We're gonna need another car," Jesse said, laughing. "I can drive, my first car was a model-T, but I can handle these new ones just fine," he said, laughing. They got a third car and everybody hopped in.
"Everybody follow me," Orlando said, and the first jeep peeled out, everyone going in succession.
They went to a secluded beach and parked the cars. Estrella looked around nervously before she got out of the car. "Are you sure nobody's going to see us?" she asked.
"Don't worry," Roz said, "Nobody comes to this beach, that's why the Mer come so close." They got out of the car, settled some towels down. Jesse started a fire at the grill, and Miguel lit up a smoke.
"Those things will kill you," Dawn said, looking disapprovingly.
"I can't die," he said, smirking. "I'm invulnerable to illness, disease and pain." Jesse snagged one out of Miguel's pack.
"And it's not like I'm going to die anytime soon, either." He said. "Hey, I wonder if I'd die if I was decapitated," he mused. "Miles keeps trying to find out, but nobody'll cut his head off."
Llewyns
Siobhan had run down to the water eagerly and was splashing around on the edge. "Don't go in too far, Siobhan!" Mordred called out.
"I'll watch her," Mary said. Mordred ruffled her hair.
"Thanks, love."
"I will kill you for doing that one of these days," Mary said with a smile. "You didn't wait for me Siobhan!" She ran to her sister. Vortigern had settled down on a towel and was sketching almost lazily.
"we can never get that away from you, can we?" Mordred smiled fondly at his twin and Vortigern shook his head.
"Should think you'd be used to by now."
Canterbury's
Orlando hung up the cell phone he waws talking on. "Dad should be here soon. See that boat? That's him," he pointed. The others were surprised. Ophelia had called it a house-boat, but it was actually a small yacht. Ophelia stood at the edge of the water and sang a pattern of notes.
"THat's the song of our clan," Orlando explained. "Any of our family that's nearby should appear." No sooner that he said that, that a blonde head popped out of the water.
"Mom!" Ophelia called out, pulling off her sarong and jumping in, shifting into her mermaid form. She quickly swam out to her mother, and the two swam near the edge. "Everybody, this is our mom." Rosalind ran and greeted her stepmother, who was basically her mother, as far as she was concerned. Soon, the boat appeared atthe end of the pier, and Phil Canterbury stepped out.
"Hey all," he said, cheerfully. Roz ran up and hugged her dad.
"Hey, Daddy, come meet everybody," she said.
"Okay, introductions. Everybody, this is Sherrie," she guestured to the mermaid, "And Phil, our parents. Daddy, meet Claudia and Estrella, Miguel, and Enrique," she pointed to everybody as she introduced them. "This is Becky," she waved shyly, "Jesse, Dawn, Demetria, Vortigern, Mordred, Spike, Siobhan and Mary. Did I miss anybody?" she asked, looking about.
Canterburys and Amish
Ophelia grew legs, and was glad she had a bathing suit bottoms on before she grew her tail. She stepped out and took Elijah's hands. Jesse, who best understood the modesty of his culture, because he was born in the era when it was commonplace, took him behind a curtain and helped him change into some swimming trunks. Ophelia led him into the water, not too deep at first, just hip deep, and then they sat down, so that the water came up to their chests. Ophelia played with the water, cupping her hands and drizzling it over Elijah's head, all the while singing and chanting in Mer. Sherrie came up to rest next to them, and followed Ophelia's lead. Becky watched what they were doing to her brother in wonder.
"What, what are they doing?" she asked, when Ophelia kissed him square on the mouth and then whispered something, while staring in his eyes. SHerrie then did the same thing
"No!" she said, that's shameful!" Orlando put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her from running to her brother.
"Shh, Rebecca, don't worry. They are blessing him. Giving him the protection of the sea gods and the blessing of the Mer. That will help him when they take him under. But don't you worry, he will be fine. Elijah didn't seem to be complaining, so Becky relaxed. Rosalind saw Siobhan watching it all with interest, and went over to the little girl.
"Siobhan, here, come with me for a moment," the selkie said, taking the little girl's hand and leading her out into the water, about 50 meters away from where Elijah and the mermaids were. She took Siobhan out so that the water came up to the little girl's knees.
"Now kneel down," she instructed, "And I'll introduce you too some friends."
Llewyns and Demetria
Siobhan nodded, eyes wide and watchful as she did as Rosalind asked. Vortigern was busily engaged in sketching picutres of the Mers, and Spike was watching his lover's hands fly over the paper. Mordred and Mary were in the water, her on his shoulders as they watched the ceremony. Demetria stood next to Orlando.
"So, what happens next?"
Rosalind and Orlando
Roz hummed a few notes and shook her hand in the water. A couple water sprites and sea faeries came right up to Siobhan.
Orlando looked at Dem. "Well, in a little while, everybody who wants to is going to get on our boat and we'll go out to the middle of the ocean." he smiled.
Siobhan and Demetria
"Oooh, pretty!" Siobhan giggled as the faeries played around her.
"Sounds cool," Demetria smiled.
Rosalind and Orlando
Rosalind watched Siobhan, and suddenly realized something. "She has the Gift," she breathed.
"Siobhan, you must promise me you will never go near the water alone, okay?" She knew that if Siobhan had the gift to talk to the Gentle Folk, that she was a risk of the Manatee King taking her beneath the waves as his queen.
"All right," Orlando said, "Everybody in the boat."
Llewyns
"Pretty, pretty, pretty," Siobhan half sang, ignoring Rosalind as she cooed to the sea faeries and sprites. "You're *so* pretty."
Vortigern closed his sketchbook and slipped it inside a plastic sleeve to protect it from the water. Spike ruffled his hair as the two made their way to the boat. Mordred walked back to shore, and put Mary down. She ran over to Siobhan, smiling.
"Come on, Siobhan. We're going on the boat!"
"Yay!" Siobhan jumped up in a cloud of spray and jumped up and down, squealing. "On the boat! Going out to *sea*!"
"Yeah, so c'mon."
Canterbury's
Everybody piled onto the boat, and Phil made for open waters, out in the middle of the ocean. About an hour into the trip, Rosalind shifted into seal form, and trolled behind the boat, racing and enjoying the water. Ophelia settled into the swing her father had put for her on the deck and rocked back and forth. She gestured for Siobhan to join her and the little girl climbed up next to her and Ophelia played with her hair, weaving seaweed into her braids, and adding pearls and its of shell.
"You really look like a Mer now," she smiled at the little girl. "MAry, would you like me to do your hair as well?" she asked.
--
Orlando took Dem to the back of the boat, there was a bench there and they could watch the dolphins dancing behind the ship. He played with her hair between his fingers as her sang to her.
"You thought that it could never happen
to all the people that you became,
your body lost in legend, the beast so very tame.
But here, right here,
between the birthmark and the stain,
between the ocean and your open vein,
between the snowman and the rain,
once again, once again,
love calls you by your name.
The women in your scrapbook
whom you still praise and blame,
you say they chained you to your fingernails
and you climb the halls of fame.
Oh but here, right here,
between the peanuts and the cage,
between the darkness and the stage,
between the hour and the age,
once again, once again,
love calls you by your name.
Shouldering your loneliness
like a gun that you will not learn to aim,
you stumble into this movie house,
then you climb, you climb into the frame.
Yes, and here, right here
between the moonlight and the lane,
between the tunnel and the train,
between the victim and his stain,
once again, once again,
love calls you by your name.
I leave the lady meditating
on the very love which I, I do not wish to claim,
I journey down the hundred steps,
but the street is still the very same.
And here, right here,
between the dancer and his cane,
between the sailboat and the drain,
between the newsreel and your tiny pain,
once again, once again,
love calls you by your name.
Where are you, Judy, where are you, Anne?
Where are the paths your heroes came?
Wondering out loud as the bandage pulls away,
was I, was I only limping, was I really lame?
Oh here, come over here,
between the windmill and the grain,
between the sundial and the chain,
between the traitor and her pain,
once again, once again,
love calls you by your name."
ooc: That's by Leonard Cohen 'Love Calls You By Your Name' heehee.
Llweyns and Demetria
"Yes, please." Mary smiled coming to sit with her sister. Mordred watched the two of them with half an eye, leaning back to enjoy the sun. Vortigern lay with his head in Spike's lap, the vampire running his fingers through the golden strands of Vortigern's long hair.
~*~*~*~
"You are a really sweet boy, you know," Demetria said, smiling. "You're an exceptional singer."
Orlando and Ophelia
Orlando blushed. "My great-grandmother was a siren. She used her voice to hypnotize sailors. Ophelia and I get our ability to sing from her." He leaned in to kiss her.
--
Ophelia sang quietly as she braided cornrows into Mary's hair, weaving in seaweed, pearls, and pieces of shell.
"You have beautiful hair," she said, and kissed the top of Mary's head, saying a blessing on her.
Demetria, Siobhan and Mary
Demetria kissed Orlando sweetly. "This has been a veru nice day. Thank you for inviting me."
~*~*~*~
"Thanks," Mary said, smiling. "You know, this is all really cool."
"Fun!" Siobhan chirped. "I like the Sea Folk...you're all so pretty."
The Canterburys and Dawn
Ophelia blushed. "Thank thee, pretty one." She rocked back and forth on her swing, her arms around Mary and Siobhan, and she sang.
"The thundering waves are calling me home, home to you
The pounding sea is calling me home, home to you.
On a dark new year's night
On the west coast of Clare
I hear your voice singing
Your eyes danced the song
Your hands played the tune
T'was a vision before me.
We left the music behind and the dance carried on
As we stole away to the seashore
We smelt the brine, felt the wind in our hair
With sadness you paused.
Suddenly I knew that you'd have to go
Your world was not mine, your eyes told me so
Yet it was there I felt the crossroads of time
And I wondered why.
As we cast our gaze on the tumbling sea
A vision came o'er me
Of thundering hooves and beating wings
In clouds above.
As you turned to go I heard you call my name.
You were like a bird in a cage, spreading its
Wings to fly
"The old ways are lost" you sang as you flew
And I wondered why.
The thundering waves are calling me home, home to you
The pounding sea is calling me home, home to you.
The thundering waves are calling me home, home to you
The pounding sea is calling me home, home to you.
The thundering waves are calling me home, home to you
The pounding sea is calling me home, home to you."
---
Orlando cupped Demetria's chin in his hand and kissed her gently.
"I am glad you were willing to meet my parents. They like you, you know, I can tell," he said, smiling.
--- Dawn looked a little upset, and Rosalind came up to her.
"What's wrong, Dawnie?" she asked. Dawn looked toward the others fleetingly, and then whispered to Roz.
"I can't swim." Roz sat next to her.
"Don't you worry, Dawnie, by the end of the day, you'll be the best swimmer ever, we're great teachers," she reassured her. Dawn looked a litte appeased, so she went to rejoin Spike and Vortigern, and situated herself on Spike's lap.
Llewyns and Demetria
Vortigern lifted an eyebrow at the usurpation of his place, then shrugged it off. Spike tousled Dawn's hair. "So, what do ya think of the boat ride, bit?"
~*~*~*~
"I'm glad," Demetria said smiling. "I thought they were nice as well. Your father is very gentlemanly, and your mother is a beautifully gracious lady."
~*~*~*~
Siobhan clapped her hands. "Under the sea, under the sea!" She sang the refrain from the Little Mermaid movie by Disney. Mary smiled.
Dawn
"I like boats. It's the swimming part I'm afraid of. Don't know how," Dawn admitted.
Orlando
Orlando smiled. "I'm looking forward to indroducing you to the rest of my people, Demi," he said, smiling at how beautiful she was.
Ophelia
Ophelia laughed. "I saw that movie. Very inacurate," she said. "But still good."
Vortigern
"Me neither, bit," Spike said cheerfully. "And I'm not planning on, either. Dead bodies don't float so well."
Vortigern made an 'ew' face. "You're not a dead body. You're undead..."
Demetria
"I'm looking forward to meeting them." Demetria smiled back.
Dawn
Dawn giggled. "Vort, you do realize that Spike is a living corpse, right? He is technically dead. You are technically a necrophiliac," she said, laughing at his face.
Vortigern and Mordred
"Oi, platelet, that weren't very nice," Spike said in protest. Vortigern shrugged.
"She has knicker twist, almost permanently. I happen to like the fact that you're cool and silent. Like marble, but moving." He kissed Spike deeply. "A quiet pale beauty..."
"If I could blush, I'd blush. You say the nicest things, luv."
"It doesn't bother me at all that he's a vampire." Vortigern looked at Dawn. "Technically, you're not human. Technically...well, let's not go any further into that then we have to." Mordred cracked an eye open from across the deck.
You alright?
I'm fine. Dawn's being bratty.
Spike needs to take her over his knee and spank the fear of God into her.
Only one getting spanked by Spike is me, thankyou very much. Vortigern laughed as Mordred looked at him with an expression of sickened horror.
That is more then I needed to know, ta so bloody muchly.
Dawn
Dawn giggled. "Do I even want to know what you guys just said to each other?" She stretched and laid her head on Spike's shoulder.
"My vampire," she said in a very childish voice.
Vortigern and Mordred
Vortigern raised an eyebrow. "Well, probably not. Little girls should not be corrupted more then nesscary. I'll just share the thought with Spike, later." Spike frowned slightly as he looked at Vortigern.
"I'm not sure if *I* want to know..."
"You will." Vortigern licked Spike's ear and then nipped his lobe sharply, loving the growl that Spike emitted. "Promise," he breathed. Spike's eyes were flecked with gold as he stared into Vortigern's eyes.
Mordred sighed and closed his eyes again. You are far too free with PTAs.
Love to love, wolf. Vortigern relaxed into Spike's side. "And, *my* vampire."
Dawn
Dawn pouted. "Hey, me just want him in a father-way, I got over my crushing on Spike a LONG time ago," Dawn giggled. "He's all yours."
Vortigern
"Ah, yes. The ineffable Clark." Vortigern smiled.
"You had a crush on me, niblet? I don't know whether to be flattered or disturbed," Spike teased gently.
Dawn
Dawn grinned. "Didn't you know? All the Summers women were into you at some point." She picked a piece of seaweed off the floor and floated it, the way Willow taught her. She made it spin slowly, dancing in the air. Elijah watched with amazement, a look of happiness on his face.
Vortigern and Mordred
"I'm voting for disturbed," Vortigern said. Mordred nodded his agreement.
"I *liked* Joyce. She made me hot cocoa with little marshmallows."
"Good for her. That painting's done, by the by, Dawn." Vortigern stretched back to enjoy the sun.
Dawn
"Oh, good. Sometimes I worry that I'll forget what she looks like," Dawn said. "There are days that I miss her so much I can barely think. I'm always losing mothers. Mom, and then Buffy, who had to become my mom, and then Tara, then Buffy again." Dawn looked sad for a moment, and then remembered something.
"Spike, why do you and Xander hate each other so much?"
Vortigern
Spike looked uncomfortable. "Do we have to talk about the git?"
"Oh, I want to hear this." Vortigern leaned into Spike's side. "Please?"
"I don't know. The idiot just annoys the bloody hell outta me."
Dawn
Dawn grinned. "You're gonna hafta get used to him, he's my big brother," Dawn reminded him. Then she decided to name her odd family again. "Okay, I have vampires for parents, cats for aunts and uncles, a former Vengeance Demon for a big sister of sorts, a Goddess for a guardian/parent/sister. My mutant cousin has become my surrogate big brother slash adoptive father, and his mutant wife is my other mom, next to Dru." She paused. "Man am I messed up," she giggled.
The Mavericks
"Yeah, well, you wear it just fine, Heulwen." Vortigern smiled. "Anyway, when are we getting to wherever it is that we're going? Not that I think Demetria wants to get there any time soon."
Mordred bit his lip to keep from laughing. Demetria had been quite...preoccupied with Orlando.
Rosalind
Rozzie spoke up. "We're just about there. Then we go under, just us first, then we'll call upon the folk, and you'll all be welcom to come under, and visit our world," she explained.
Vortigern and Siobhan
"Yay!" Siobhan squealed in excitement. "Oh, fun! Under the sea, lalalala!" Her siblings laughed fondly.
"Yeah, well, you lot can go under and I'll stay up here in the sun." Spike looked uncomfortable. Vortigern sighed wistfully. Spike looked at him for a second, then very determindly looked away. "I am not going under the water." Vortigern sighed again, slightly louder this time. "Don't give me that sodding look!" Mordred chuckled.
Dawn
Dawn grinned. "But don't dead bodies float? Besides, I can't swim, like, at all. Come with me, we can drown together."