rnease@bellatlantic.net

Author: Mediancat
Title: The Long Night
Rating: PG
Summary: Assigment, do a noir fic with Spike and Oz.
Disclaimer: SPike and Oz belong to Joss; the plot, Marlowe, Lonna and all the
other characters are mine.


The night came down dark as a vampire's heart.

It was a gloomy, wet day in Baltimore, the kind of day that makes you want to
curl up in a nice warm grave and forget there's an outside world. But I couldn't
do that.

Call me Marlowe. That's not my real name, but it's the one I go by. Too many
people want to find me through my real name. I walk Baltimore's mean streets
looking for an edge, an angle, something to relieve the tedium. But there's
nothing yet.

I pass by a couple of Fat Tony's boys. Fat Tony's a local vampire lord, thinks
he's still stuck in the forties. I don't have the heart to tell him that he's
taken the name of some goof off the Simpsons. I nod to the boys, who growl back.
Me and Fat Tony, we don't get along so well. Maybe it's because he's a vampire
and I'm a demon, I don't know. Or maybe it's because he's dedicated his life to
getting rid of the stereotype that all fat people are jolly. Or maybe it's
because I killed his last girlfriend.

I didn't have a choice. It had been her or me. Broad jumped me in an alley,
thinking I was human. I can pass, and I guess that night I passed too well.

Anyway, none of that matters right now. I'm just heading over to a club I know,
does all the old swing tunes. Call me old fashioned but I just can't get into
this modern music. I guess in some ways I'm as stuck in the'40s as Tony is.

I check my wallet to make sure I got the dough to get in, I know the owner but I
don't like to owe anyone any favors. Favors only get you in trouble – with the
law, with the crooks, with god up above, if there is was, which I doubt. Not like
he's done me any favors lately. But just as I'm about to round the corner, I hear
a commotion in the alley nearby. And stupidly I run to see what's going on.

Four more of Fat Tony's people are there, looking like they're about to rough up
one of the club's musicians. He was standing in front of Lonna Devraux. Lonna had
long red hair, eyes so green you wanted to mow them, and a body that could have
made zombies take notice. And tiny pointed ears. She was a demon, just like me.
Only much better-looking.  I'm not exactly something that dogs bark at, but
there's a reason I go outside only at night and it's got nothing to do with the
sun.

She's also Tony's current love interest.

That is, Tony's the one that's interested. Lonna had told him several times she
didn't want to see him but Tony didn't like hearing no. There were rumors he
COULDN'T hear the word, but I left them up to Tony and his ear nose and throat
man.

The guy in front was Garfield, one of Tony's lead goons. As I edge closer I hear
him say, "Come on, Lonna. The boss wants to see you.,

"I told Tony I ain't interested, Garfield. Go away.,

"Wrong answer., Sydney steps closer.

The musician's got guts. "The lady said no. Now leave.,

"This ain't none of your business, little man,, Garfield says. "This is between
my boss and this dame.,

"And me.,

"I think you might want to change your mind., Garfield and his cronies let their
inner demons show.

Then the man shows there's more to him than meets the eye, too. Quick as a flash,
a knuckle turns hairy, then it's flesh again. "Don't get me angry, guys.,

"Still four on one,, Garfield says. "Take him., They move in. As Lonna screams I
grab the closest vampire, man named Sydney, as sharp as a bowling ball -- and
toss him into a wall.

Garfield stops in his tracks and turns around. "Shouldn't a done that, Marlowe,,
he says. "Now you'll get Fat Tony really mad. When –" and he vanishes in a puff
of smoke as the musician stakes him. The other three roar and leap to the attack.

I'm a good fighter but I'm not up to a vampire in strength, and the musician, who
seems to have guts but about as many brains as a ham sandwich, has just upped the
ante on these bloodsuckers. Now that they know this is a killing fight I don't
think they'll be in the mood to stop and just slap us around a little.


Nuts.

Between the two of us, Lonna's smart and pretty but in a fight she makes a
wonderful punching bag, we manage to off one of the vampires, but the other two
have us down and are about to have their way with is, and then Fat Tony with
Lonna, who's no angel but certainly deserves better than Tony. Anyway, we're just
about to have our heads ripped from our necks when a guy steps into the alley
under the single light, smoking a cigarette. He's got hair blonder than Marilyn
Monroe's and he's wearing more leather than a dominatrix. "Let'em go,, he says.

"This is our kill,, Sydney says, and it's only then I tumble to the fact that the
guy with the cigarette is also a vampire. "Go find your own meat.,

"That's as may be,, the vampire says, making a production out of taking a puff,
then crushing it out into one of the puddles. "But I got business with the short
one there, and I can't do my business if he's dead., I notice the newcomer also
has a Cockney accent. I also get to thinking, what kind of business would an
experienced vampire, I can tell these things, have with an innocent musician?
Maybe this guy isn't as innocent as he seems.

You'd've thought I would have learned, no one's THAT innocent.

Sydney snarls. "This is Fat Tony's turf,, he says. "You don't want to cause any
trouble.,

The interloper laughs. "What the bleeding hell is a Fat Tony?,

"Fat Tony's the local vampire lord.,

The British vampire laughs again. "I'm not impressed.,

Sydney walks towards the other vampire and tries to look as menacing as possible.
Some guys can pull off menacing; Sydney looks like a chihuahua who needs to take
a leak. I eye the musician and make a staking motion while the vamp watching us –
young punk called Dean -- eyes the standoff. The musician nods and snakes out an
arm towards his stake, lying a few feet away on the alley pavement.

"Take a hike, tough guy,, Sydney says.

The Brit suddenly decks Sydney, knocking him across the alley. As Dean roars, I
trip him and the musician plunges the stake deep into his demonic heart. Then we
both stand up,

The Brit doesn't need our help. He's pounding Sydney like pounding's going out of
style and he wants to make sure he gets his money's worth. Sydney's no Joe Louis
but he's one of Fat Tony's better enforcers, and this guy's not even breaking a
sweat. His vampire face on, the Brit says, "I am in NO MOOD to deal with a
penny-ante pissant like you. Now,, he says, letting Sydney plop facedown into a
puddle. "Go away.,  Sydney crawls away through the mud and, at the edge of the
alley, takes the time for one final glare. The Brit takes a step towards him and
he skedaddles.

"Spike,, the musician says. "Thanks for the save.,

"No problem,, Spike says.

The musician turns to me. "Thanks for trying. I'm Oz, this is Spike., He extends
his hand and I shake it.

"Marlowe,, I say.  "No problem, I don't much like Fat Tony trying to throw his
weight around., I turn. "Lonna?, I call.

"Yeah?, she says from the doorway.

"Just wanted to be sure you're okay.,

"I'm fine,, she says throatily. "Thanks., She comes over and gives me a kiss on
the cheek, then plants one on the lips of a very surprised Oz. "Thanks for coming
to my rescue.,

"Chivalry isn't dead, Miss Devraux.,

"No, but it IS on life support., This from the vampire. "Look, mate, I didn't pop
by just for a social call,"

"I would guess not,, Oz said. "Does whatever business you have with me involve
trying to kill me?,

The vampire blinked. "No.,

"Then it's going to have to wait a bit. It's time for my next set and I still
have to change., He gestured to the door. "Both of you have a drink on me., Then
he walked inside.

Lonna followed him. "I gotta go warm up my singing voice,, she said. "See you on
stage.,

Spike gives the joint the eyepopping routine. The Maison Blanc is by and large a
ripoff of Rick's Café Americain, complete with Bogart imitator doing the
grumbling host routine. I could do a better Bogart riff in my sleep, but then the
real Bogey didn't have horns or a tail. Then, as Oz peels off and heads
backstage, the vampire tells me, "You blokes really are stuck in the ‘40s, aren't
you?,

I shrug. "What can I say? I like the atmosphere.,

"Yeah. Right., He points around the room. "One major difference. If this were a
real'40s nightclub the only black people would be the performers. And they
wouldn't be invited to stick around afterwards for cocktails., Then he pulls out
a cigarette and a waiter comes by and tells him he can't light it. Spike glares
but puts it away. "On the other hand, at least I could have smoked.,

Then it's my turn to do the pointing. "Half these mokes were around when the REAL
‘40s were, just like you, Spike. I'm on the high side of ninety myself. So it's
not like we don't remember the bad stuff. It's just that when we come here, we
don't want to.,

Spike grunts, conceding the point, and ambles over to the bar. He comes back with
a beer and says, "The prices aren't like the'40s either.,

And then "Bogart, walks out on stage and introduces Lonna and the band, and Spike
and I spend the next hour or so listening to the songs. The musicians pretty good
with his guitar, though he doesn't look like jazz is his bag most of the time.
And Lonna, well,

Not a male eye in the room could turn away. And some of the women were giving her
the eye, too, if you catch my drift. Funny thing about Lonna is she never seemed
to be interested in any of the guys. Or the girls, for that matter. She knew how
to play the game, but she played it like she didn't care about the score.

Plus she sang like an angel, if angels had that kind of range, which I doubt.

Even Spike's impressed. "The bird's got pipes,, he says casually, taking a slug
from his bottle.

All the guys in the band were looking at her, too,

No, they WEREN'T. Oz was strumming his guitar casually, but he was concentrating
solely on the music. Not heavy enough that it made me think he was TRYING to
avoid looking at Lonna, I would've figured him for sweet on her then, just like
that's what he was there to do and he was going to do it.

Anyway, after an hour Lonna says in a deep, sexy voice, "Alright, folks. My voice
is shot., It isn't, and there follows a mild chorus of playful booing. "I have to
go keep myself fresh for tomorrow night. You boys do want me to come back
tomorrow, don't you?, She's playing the coquette, but on Lonna it works. "Then
it's time for me to say goodnight., A round of applause; even Spike joins in, and
Lonna bows and walks off.

Then "Bogey, jumps back onto the stage and says, "Now, don't go nowhere; the
band's just gonna take five and then they'll be right back to get the place
hopping., Then he also walks off. See what I mean, though? Does that sound like
ANYTHING the real Bogart would have said?

Oz comes up and says, "Well, Spike, what did you need?,

"Not here, mate,, the Brit says. "It's kind of personal.,

Oz nods. "Right., He turns to me and says, "Thanks for the help.,

"Don't mention it., And the two of them walk off towards the back of the Maison
Blanc.

I head back there too a minute later, had to hit the head, and on my way back
to the table I hear a scream from outside. I rush out into the alley and see
Lonna standing there and Oz and Spike out cold on the ground in front of me.

And then a knock to the back of my head and I join them in dreamland.


end1