Chapter 8: Eden

Xander paced back and forth as the sun crept over the horizon. David sat in a chair near the small circular table located just left of the door to thier hotel room. Anya sat on the bed, her legs tucked under her, chewing her nails(yet another annoying habit she had picked up since being stripped of demonhood). She watched him pace, wondering what he had seen that made the normally jovial teen so depressed and worried.....and frightened. His eyes shone with a brilliant fear for his life that Anya had rarely seen from anyone(save the numerous men she tortured as the avenger of scorned women). "Xander...." She began, but then closed her mouth as she realised she didn't know where to begin.

"Xander, what the hell happened to you?" David asked, looking up at the teen.

"Nothing happened to me." Xander said "It's what happens to other people."

"Where did you get those bruises?" Anya asked.

"A local gang got hold of me." He shivered "Those guys....." He sat down and looked over at Anya. "I'm so sorry. I've gotten you into so much danger...."

"It's okay,Xander." Anya said "I've seen quite a bit of bad stuff in my time."

"Is there something you guys aren't telling me?" David asked from the side "Beacause I feel like I just walked into the middle of this movie."

"My best friends are a vampire slayer, a werewolf and a witch." Xander said.

"And I'm a former demon who avenged scorned women." Anya said. David was silent for a moment, staring at them. He then shrugged.

"Okay....." He said "I'm willing to bye into that right now." He pulled his chair closer to the bed. "So what's the plan? Do we call in your other friends?"

"I already tried." Xander said, seriously. He got to his feet and moved around the room. "Like or not, we're on out own."

"Do you want to tell us what happened to you,now?" David asked "Maybe we can make sense of all of this." Xander looked over at him but said nothing. "Look, it seems to me that we're in pretty deep doo doo and I think maybe you should participate in show and tell before we all get killed." Xander took a deep breathe, and then nodded.

"okay." Xander said "I was attacked by this group who called themselves the Nightcrawlers. Real tough guys. And after they knocked me out, this prostitute..." He saw Anya suddenly glare at him "rescued me and took me to her room. I then watched from a closet while the leader of the Nightcrawlers beat on her, and then change his tune and become a submissive, and then back to being an agressor. It was the worst thing I've ever seen." He stopped "I escaped while she......kept him busy." He looked around "That's it." David was looking off into a corner, and Anya was glaring at him. He avoided her eyes. It was the last thing they needed at this point was a fight.

"Well, these Nightcrawlers seem dangerous." David said.

"Give the man a prize." Anya muttered.

"So I'm thinking we get into my car and get the hell out of this town before it's too late." David said.

"I'm with him." Anya said, pointing at the yuppie. Xander shook his head.

"I....I can't leave Eve." Xander said "I know how it sounds but I can't just leave her here with those guys....."

"Did that beating give you a brain meltdown?" Anya cried, getting up quickly and stomping toward him "I have a slight avoision to getting fubar!"

"Uh....excuse me, what is Fubar?" David asked. Anya ignored him.

"Look, I don't care how good she was in bed, those guys will kill you....."

"Look, Anya, I didn't sleep with her, but I refuse to let her suffer like this! She saved my life. That has to count for something!" Xander screamed at her. Anya backed away for a moment, as if she were beaten, and then reared her foot back and kicked him in the balls. Xander cried out in pain and fell back, clutching at his groin.

"If you want to risk your life, and my life for some lousy whore, then go ahead." Anya said, tears starting in her eyes "I don't know why I feel like this. I hate being a mortal!" She turned and walked over towards David, who prepared to embrace her. She then stopped, and walked away, sitting down on the bed. She buried her face in her hands and wept quietly. Xander looked at Anya, and then at David, and then back at Anya. He then walked towards the door. Anya looked up at him, hopefully. He looked at her sadly, frowning.

"I'm sorry." He said, walking out and shutting the door behind him.

......................

Xander buried his hands in his pockets. He was so stupid! Anya obviously cared for him and was worried about him and here he was risking everything for some woman he didn't even know who liked to play hide the sausage with some nutcase skinhead who led a gang. The situation was so surreal to him that he hardly even realised what he was doing. He then felt the small piece of paper in his pocket. He opened it. It read:

Club Eden

34 Apostle drive

Come see the amazing Eve

and it had a picture of a naked woman locked in a graphic embrace with another woman. Xander had never been to a nudie bar, but he needed to find Eve. So he took a deep breath, and went to find Eden.

.................

After asking for directions twice, he finally found Apostle drive. Eden wasn't hard to locate. It was a large building, easily the size of the Sunnydale high school, and lined up down the street where a number of Goth dressed people(most of them teens, xander noticed) and several odd looking people. One woman was a thin blonde with an all leather bodysuit. On his hands and knees before her was a man, older than the girl by probably ten years, dressed in a leather suit with a leash tied around his neck. He looked up at his mistress, who never even glanced at him. She was talking amiably with a woman dressed in a white 'leave it to beaver' style dress with her hair done up like Mariyln Monroe who had a man sitting on the sidewalk, sucking his thumb. Xander noticed that the man was wearing a diaper. He raised an eyebrow and got in line. A few people(including a guy with a mowhawk and a girlfriend dressed like she was the lead actress in the latest Class of Nuke 'em high film)looked over at him funny and xander realised just how out of place he was. Xander had never been accused of being normal, but at this point that certainly was the opinion of him from the crowd. He got a few dirty looks by more oddball people, but no one directly threatened him. He just stood in line waiting. Once he got to the door a large bearded man wearing a biker outfit stopped him. "Hey,man, you can't get in here dressed like that." The guy growled "It's against the code."

"I'm just trying to be a non-comformist." Xander sneered "Sorry if my views are too wild for you, conformist." The man snorted and grabbed Xander by the shirt collar. Xander was lifted off the ground slightly. Xander was nearly shitting in his pants, but how convincing would that be. Swallowing hard, Xander decided that he was going to be macho. "Hey,bite a tic tac dickhead." Xander snarled "And let go of my fucking jacket." The man growled again, and then laughed. He let go of him.

"Hey, you're alright,man. You're one crazy fuck. No one talks to me like that." The large man said jovially.

"And who are you?" Xander asked.

"Just call me Cain." The guy said. "If you need me, look me up. You're okay,man."

"Thanks." Xander said, slapping the mans' hand. He walked past, patting Cain on the back. He entered the place only to blown away by it. Everywhere were more goth freaks and several other assorted people. In the center of the room was a large cage with barbed wire wrapped around the top. Inside were two men, both bruised and battered. One was a large man, dressed in a pair of jeans, combat boots and bare chest. The mans' massive fist cracked the other smaller man in the face, sending him back into the cage wall. Around the cage the man and women howled, the smell of marajuana and ciggarettes as well as leather and body oder drifted out of the small grouping. Xander walked past, looking up at the men in the cage. The smaller man lept up and drove a boot to the larger mans' throat. The large man fell back, struggling for breath. And then the smaller man drew a large knife from his pocket, and threw it. It buried itself into the mans' throat. The man fell, bleeding heavily, and the crowd roared once again. Xander paled at the sight, shocked at how no one actually cared that a man had died there in that cage. He looked around and saw more shocking sights. In the corner was a large orgy filled with gorgeous women and ugly males. Xander raised an eyebrow. Two people flew past him, and Xander turned to see that it was a gorgeous blonde having sex with a guy with a goatee and a flannel shirt. She was moaning loudly as the guy grunted obscene comments. He felt someone grab him by the shoulder. He turned to see a red head wearinga full leather suit. In her left hand was a leash that connected to a man on the floor, who was looking up at him.

"hi." She said "Wanna fuck?" She asked it nicely enough.

"Uh.........I'd like to, but collars tend to make my neck itch. I'll take a rain check?" He asked, looking down at the man on the floor. She followed his gaze and kicked the submissive in the head, sending him to the floor.

"Who gave you permission to look up?" She screamed "Lick my shoe and don't stop until I tell you, dog." He began obeying. She looked up at him and smiled. "You don't have to wear the collar." She leaned forward and licked his cheek "I'll suck your cock. Free of charge. You look like you need to get laid."

"I probably do, but unfortunetly if a girl wants to suck my cock I usually insist on buying her a drink first. Or killing some demons with her." he said. She started to say something, the look on her face seeming like she was going to question that last comment. "Listen, do you know a girl named Eve?" Xander asked. She stared at him, open mouthed.

"What do you want with Eve?" She asked suspiciously.

"Uh....well, see, she sort of rescued me and I need to return the favor and,uh...." The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Rescue her?" She asked "You better not even mention her name around here again or Peter might come..."

"Yeah, I know, the skinhead with multiple personality disorder. He's a fucking basket case. I need to find Eve." He said intently. She looked shocked.

"He'll kill you in under three seconds." She said. "I'm giving you a fair warning beacause you're so cute...." She looked past him, "Has he already seen you ?"

"He beat the shit out of me about five hours ago." xander replied.

"Get down on your knees." She commanded quickly.

"Wha....?" He began, but she shoved him roughly to his knees.

"Lick my shoes. Quick!" She hissed. He turned his head and saw Peter coming his way. Shutting his eyes, he obeyed. Peter walked up and put a boot on his back. Xander closed his eyes and continued to lick away at her leather boot. He was slightly aroused, but decided it had to be a fluke. He ignored it. This was the weirdest, and scariest, trip he had ever been on. And he thought Sunnydale was nuts.

"New slave, Mary?" He asked.

"Oh,he's a good one, Peter." The woman, Mary, replied "His name is Ralph, and he's a dynamo. Really knows how to please his mistress. Right, you little fucking dog?" She asked, kicking her boot roughly into his mouth. He had to think quick. She was really getting into this charade.

"Yes, Mistress." He hissed. She placed her boot back on the floor and stepped away from him. She then produced a whip and brought it down on his back. "How dare you not follow my boot when it moves?" She bellowed. "Please forgive me, Mistress." Xander hissed between clenched teeth. That whip to the back had really fucking hurt. Peter kicked him in the ribs and turned away.

"Have fun, Mary." and he walked off. Xander looked up at Mary.

"That was good." Mary said, grinning. She put a boot on the back of his neck. "Can I keep you? I promise I'll be gentle...." Xander got to his feet quickly.

"You fucking bit-"

"Get down and do it again!" Mary said quickly. Xander dropped to his knees and started licking again. Mary started laughing. "Psyche!" She laughed. xander got up angrily.

"I am going to kill-"

"Oh stop it. From the bulge in your pants I would think you enjoy my boots quite a bit." She laughed. Xander looked down and breathed in a shuddering breath.

"Look, thanks for helping me out there, but I don't have times for deviant sex games. I need to find Eve." Xander said.

"Well, here she comes." Mary said, gesturing towards the large platform at the end of the club. Horns began to blare. Xander had heard the tune before, but where......he then realised what it was. Amazing Grace. Xander watched as Eve walked onto the platform, followed by Peter, and the rest of the Nightcrawlers. They all stood in the back, heads bowed in what seemed like prayer. Xander watched as many in the room dropped to thier hands and knees.

"What's going on?" Xander whispered to Mary.

"Jesus is coming." Mary replied simply. Xander watched as a thin pale blonde man with purple robes walked out and stood in the center of the platform, and the music ended abruptly.

"Good evening my children!" The small blonde man said "I am the lord. I am the way. I am the savior, and your salvation."

"Praise be to Jesus!" Came the loud roar from the crowd as they all spoke in unison.

"Holy shit." Xander whispered.

...........................