Today’s my posting day at spring_with_xan, exactly the same day I posted to the community last year which randomly makes me happy! Over the course of the day, I’m very pleased to be sharing with you the first half of my very first human AU fic. I will be posting the second half on my next posting day, May 17th. So stay tuned today, more chapters will be posted! *g*

Title: Outside Pride
Author: cordelianne
Chapter: 1/10
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,280
Feedback: Comments will be very encouraging. Concrit is very welcome by email.
Disclaimer: Sadly not mine, Joss own them.
Summary: AU set at a summer camp.
Towels? Check. Xander makes the check in his head because it’s more fun than using the list so helpfully provided in the “You’re a Counselor! A leader! A role model!” Welcome Pack.
A/N: I want to take this opportunity to note how important it is to me in all my fic to have the characterizations be true to the characters we love from the shows, and to assure you that I am especially attentive to this when writing human AU (and concrit is always welcome by email). I also had some fun by including the occasional line from BtVS and AtS.
A/N #2: Thanks to the completely awesome and wonderful savoytruffle and spookymonkey for their invaluable pre-reading, betaing and support. Any mistakes are mine.

All chapters are in memories here.


Outside Pride
by Cordelianne

CHAPTER ONE


Towels? Check. Xander makes the check in his head because it’s more fun than using the list so helpfully provided in the “You’re a Counselor! A leader! A role model!” Welcome Pack.

He crams more t-shirts in, ticking that off in his head too. The duffel looks like those sausages his mom gets from the deli, but he squeezes the two zipper ends together and actually gets it closed. Triumphant, he swings the bag to his shoulder and only stumbles for a moment before he heads downstairs.

One minute later he’s back to grab the chocolate bar on his dresser. Five minutes later he’s back for the sunscreen his mom is forcing him to bring. Five minutes after that they finally pull out of the driveway.

Chaos surrounds the yellow school bus. Chaos in the form of harried parents, strewn luggage and excited teenagers. Teenagers who’d probably be more excited if their parents let them drive their cars up to camp instead of taking the camp bus. Xander’s not disappointed though. The bus means a time-honored tradition of sitting next to Willow and eating way too much sugar. Always a good time.

He beelines towards the familiar red hair. “… and I thought that would be a great way to keep the cabin clean! Look it’s even color-coded! How did you prepare?” Willow turns all her attention onto some blonde girl. He guesses it’s that new girl whose virtues his mom’s been extolling for at least the last week.

He grins at Willow’s enthusiasm and notes that the new girl’s not quite sharing it. “Uh, prepare?” She pulls the lollipop out of her mouth. “Don’t we have, like, a week before the campers arrive?”

“One whole week to party like it’s 1999.” Xander slings an arm around a giggling Willow, and smiles at the new girl. “I don't know you, do I?”

“I'm Buffy. I'm new.”

“Xander. Is me. Hi.” His mom would not be impressed with his complete lack of suave. He gives a mental shrug. “Don’t worry, no one else is as organized as Willow.”

“Good. Cause I’m not so much with the preparation. I like to live dangerously.”

“Don’t we all.” Xander sighs loudly.

“You and danger? Maybe in your dreams.”

There’s no need to turn around, Xander knows who it is. Cordelia Chase. The Cordelia Chase. The one and only. The queen of, well, anything she wants. It’s never a question of maybe, only a matter of when.

“I don’t mean to interrupt the most boring conversation ever, but Mr. Wyndham-Pryce – you know, the new camp director – insists we all get on the bus.” She sighs and rolls her eyes upward, like they’re the sun and she can’t look directly at them. Except, Xander realizes, Cordelia must be the sun because everything revolves around her.

“Does this mean you’ll be deigning to join us?” Xander asks as Willow grabs her bags and prepares to sprint for the bus, in case it tries to leave without her.

Cordelia tosses her hair. “Don’t you have an elsewhere to be?”

“Hey Cordelia.” It’s Jesse. Late as usual. And with eyes only for Cordelia. Another usual.

Cordelia sniffs. “Oh, please.” And with that she’s off.

“Well, she’s … nice.” Buffy glances at Cordelia, who is literally pushing two girls toward the bus.

“That’s a word you could use.” Xander hefts his bag up. “It wouldn’t be a selection I’d make. But, hey, everyone has their preferences.”

“Guys? We should really get on the bus.” Willow rocks back and forth on her heels, inching herself closer to their ride. Xander considers dragging it out, making her wait, but he can’t do that to Willow. One look at those big eyes and he folds like… well, something that folds easily.

He folds himself into a narrow school bus seat, which isn’t as easy as he remembers it being.

“Oh! Look what I have.” Willow reaches into her bag and pulls out a large bottle filled with Reese’s Pieces.

A reverential hush descends as a distant choir sings an awed “ah”.

But only in Xander’s head.

Two seats away Cordelia is instructing Harmony: “I'm like, please! No one’s into John anymore. It’s all about Paul now.” And across the aisle Jesse is less interested in the candy and more in the new girl. On the upside, more sweet, sweet chocolate for Xander.

Unfolding turns out to be harder than the folding, and Xander wonders if a high rate of sugar consumption can eat away your bones except then it would be easier for him to get up because he’d be all floppy which is kinda icky when you try to picture it and it’s possible that he’s a little bit hyper.

He doesn’t share his thoughts with Willow. She’d probably give him a detailed scientific explanation about the impossibility of his notion, or maybe just say ew. You never know with girls. They remain an elusive mystery for Xander, a mystery he’s not sure he wants to Sherlock Holmes out.

“I can’t believe there’s still so many left!” Willow’s voice is just a bit higher than usual, giving away her equally impressive candy consumption.

The jar’s actually still half-full. Or maybe it’s half-empty. Xander’s not sure he feels up to taking a stance right now.

Besides, the great outdoors beckons. One hundred nineteen acres of outdoors where he’ll be spending the next four weeks.

Time to heed the call of the not-so-wild.

Xander shifts on his wooden campfire bench and watches Wesley Wyndham-Pryce gesture in front of the fireless fire pit. Not-so-wild is the counselors’ mantra.

“… a brief reminder since you already know this.”

Xander rolls his eyes. If the ten minute preamble is any indication, Wesley needs to learn the definition of brief. A lawnmower starts running off in the adjoining field, Xander strains to see if it’s coming this way. Maybe it’ll drown out the lecture.

“Non-seductive clothing is to be worn at all times.”

The lawnmower comes into view. It’s one of those big red ride-on ones Xander always wished he could drive. One glance at the driver has him wishing something else entirely. He wipes his hands on his shorts.

“Clothing that is skin tight is not to be worn.”

Okay, someone should really share that with lawnmower guy. In his skin-tight black tee shirt, he’s like the poster child for what not to do. Xander suddenly sees why the rules are a good thing because even from this distance he can tell the guy is ripped, and the knowledge is really distracting him from – Okay, those black jeans? Definitely not Wesley-approved.

“Clothing with a low neckline is not to be worn.”

Xander wipes his hands on his shorts again and looks down at the ground, away from the only guy he’s ever seen who can wear head to toe black in the summer and actually look good doing it.

Really good. The kind of good that goes straight to areas that are not camp appropriate.

“… taken seriously. Staff are not to be alone with staff members of the opposite gender unless in full view of others,” Wesley continues.

The opposite gender is the farthest thing from Xander’s mind, not that his brain’s doing much thinking. The most it can muster is gah and hot.

Wesley adjusts his meticulously tucked in shirt. “As counselors, you are expected to reflect the moral standards of the Word of God and conduct yourselves with integrity and wisdom, as well as spending time with God in daily prayer and study.”

Xander watches his right foot draw spirals in the dirt. If ever there was a time to bail, this is it.



Continues here.

A/N: This story is set at a Christian camp, and I shall be endeavouring to treat religion, spirituality and sexuality with respect. I invite anyone with concerns or questions to email me at cordelia_anne {at} hotmail {dot} com