THE BLUE BOY
by Lynn K. Hollander
Chapter 2 - Name That Baby
SUNNYDALE
"Dawn, what will we call him?" Ann asked, buttoning her shirt.
"Don't we ask him now?"
"We aren't going to know his real name, not for a while. We're going to grow accustomed to referring to him by a use name, and you get to pick it."
"Me?"
"Right of discovery, if nothing else."
"Darcy," Dawn said. "Is that all right?"
The toddler shifted back to the blond, blue-eyed kindergartner.
"Fine. Your public name, your use name, is Darcy," Ann told the boy, handing him a pair of boys' briefs.
Darcy looked at them, then up at her. Ann smiled at him, then dressed him quickly: briefs, undershirt, black jeans, royal blue long-sleeved T-shirt, white socks and black running shoes, with Velcro straps. "Now, before we settle down to relating our full histories, I need to know immediately: Are people chasing you?"
Darcy spoke in Alvish again.
"No," Ann said. "English now."
"I just wanted to go home," the boy said.
"So what did you do?" Ann asked.
"I went back the way I came, but I got lost."
"You cut school?" Dawn guessed.
"I wanted my mommy. I wanted real brambleberry jam."
"Will they want you back?" Ann asked.
"I don't want to go," the boy said, which Ann took as an affirmative answer.
"What do they look like? The people you don't want to stay with?"
"Like both of you, but with darker skin."
"Come and meet the others," Ann said. "Are your guardians humans?"
"What's a human?"
"Like Giles," Dawn said. "The tall man."
"You're not a human."
"No, neither of us is a human," Ann said. "Just Giles."
"Truant officers?" Giles asked
"Or the equivalent," Ann said. "And depending how open the temporary caretakers are, possibly his parents or their direct agents."
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.
"The people from whom Darcy has run away may not wish to admit they have lost track of him. They may look for him themselves, and not tell anyone, or they may tell the equivalent of truant officers, they may even tell Darcy's parents. Darcy's parents may hire searchers. We may have three or more groups of people looking for you, Darcy." Ann smiled at the boy.
"So I can go home?" Darcy asked.
"What are you going to do?" Spike asked.
"Help them," Ann said.
"How?"
"Posters," Dawn offered.
"Lost and found won't work for a human boy, Dawn, even if he only seems human," Giles said. "He's not a kitten, where if we feed it and no one claims it, it's ours. He's a person, he has a family."
Dawn looked stubborn.
"Dawn, if we say we've lost him, we will have to state who he is and why we had him; and we do not have a believable or a reasonable story. If we say we found him, again, we don't have a reasonable story, and he will be removed to an institution of some kind immediately," Giles was patient.
Darcy shrank a little and held Dawn's hand.
"Darcy, do your guardians know roughly where you are? Are you just lost? Or have they a somewhat better idea of your location, such as southern California?" Ann asked.
"Worst case scenario," Giles muttered.
"And you work from there down to the best," Ann said. "How about it, Darcy? Do they know your whereabouts generally?"
"I don't think I got lost here," Darcy said.
"Oh?"
"I think I got lost there, when I was trying to find the way back home."
Ann frowned. "What sort of way were you looking for? A road? A ship, to take you home? What were you looking for?"
"A circle. A silvery circle."
"A gate," Spike said softly, remembering how Filis and Berengar had left the world from Ann's north terrace. Ann nodded again, meeting his eyes.
"A gate?" Giles asked. "Is that what I think?"
"A portal," Ann confirmed. "Either between worlds or dimensions, or sometimes between locations on the same world. There are more of them around than most humans imagine, Rupert. I've never heard of vampires or Watchers using one until Angel, Wesley and Gunn went through one last spring, when they were searching for Cordy. Berengar and the rest used a different one a couple of weeks ago."
"What color was the sky?" Spike asked Darcy.
"Clouds, all the time clouds. It rained a lot. I don't like it there."
"Where is there, Darcy?" Ann asked. "What is the place called?"
"I don't know. It wasn't home."
"Did you go through a gate, a circle, to get where the clouds are from where you lived before, from home?" Ann asked.
"Yes."
"Did you go on purpose that time?"
"Yes."
"Were people waiting for you when you got where you were going?"
"Yes."
"All right. We have two gate traveling cultures," Ann said briskly. "I think we can safely assume the guardians can monitor their gates, including when they are used and where the gate is focused during that use. Depending on how long you were lost there, Darcy, how busy the gate you used to get here is, and how many other gates were available within your possible random path area, it may take a long time before someone from there finds you, but you will be found. We will first assume that there was only one gate and that you were the only person to use it."
"And do what with that assumption?" Spike asked.
"Some immediate action, since the searchers may be here already. Now, Dawn's idea is not without merit," Ann said. "With a few subtle changes. Darcy, do you know about paintings? Images? Have you any objections to us making a picture of you?"
"No."
"Good. Dawn, call Willow: the two of you will go buy a T-shirt printing program for my computer. You will also buy anything else you need to make it work and get the right kind of T-shirt in a couple of sizes, so we get one that fits Darcy."
"What are we going to do?"
"We're going to take a picture of the blue toddler, stylize it, put it on the T-shirt, put the T-shirt on Darcy, put a picture of Darcy on a flyer advertising a juggler for birthday parties or school fairs or whatever."
"Clever girl," Spike said.
"Who's going to juggle?" Dawn asked.
"We'll pick somebody out of a magazine and change the picture around a little. Who isn't important," Spike said "Actually, no one is going to juggle. We could advertise pony rides or balloon art. The picture and the contact number are what's important." He grinned over at Ann, who smiled back at him.
"I don't get it," Dawn said.
"Say we give the shop number--"
"No!" said Giles
"--we just tell whoever calls about juggling or pony rides they have the wrong number. We only talk to whoever calls about the cute kid in the ad."
"Or whoever asks where the cute kid in the ad got the wonderful T-shirt," Ann said.
"Oh," Dawn said. "That is clever." She went to the office to call Willow. Darcy followed Dawn.
"Both of him, at once," Giles said. "Yes, very clever."
"And no one will take a T-shirt seriously," Spike said, "unless they recognize Darcy in one shape or the other."
"Well, that was simple," Giles said.
"Oh, Rupert," Ann said quietly. "There are many assumptions in this course of action, any one of which may be totally wrong and invalidate our attempt at a plan: the people pursuing Darcy may be killers, prison guards, or slavers; his pursuers may not understand telephone numbers; he may not be pursued at all, in which case, he'll need to grow up and be taught and trained before he goes searching for his home and family. Several other problems may come to mind if I pause to think for even a moment."
"Take him up to the house?" Spike said.
Giles nodded. "Away from Dawn until we know why he picked her to follow home and if the people you feel may be following him are any danger to her." Spike glanced at him, and nodded.
"Yes," Ann agreed, "my home is safer, for all involved, and also, it is more isolated from human observers. If he stays with you, all your neighbors on Ravello will want to know where the cute kid came from and how long he's staying with you. Besides, Carlotta has her hands full looking after you and Dawn and you only signed on to be Dawn's guardian, Rupert, not anyone else's."
"I was thinking of the lions," Spike said.
"Yes, they'll be useful," Ann said. "I have an announcement: The eldest cub has chosen a name. She wants to be known as Gina."
"Nice name," Spike said.
"Don't get attached to it, it's sure to change. She's still very young."
Dawn and Darcy reentered the main shop. Dawn said, "Willow says she'll be glad to help with the computer, but that she and Tara are over on campus, at the housing office, and the car is way over at her parents' house. What do you want her to do?"
"Spike, you have the Mercedes, would you drive them, please?" Ann asked. "And charge the equipment and supplies, so Willow won't have to front the money."
"That works. Find out when and where we can pick them up, short stuff, would you?"
"OK."
"And Darcy and I will go to my house," Ann said. "I drove down in the Viper."
"He's awfully little for a sports car," Dawn said. "Maybe he should wait and go up with us."
"He's riding, not driving, Dawn. We'll be fine."
"Ann," Spike said, "he is awfully young. Is he old enough to be continent?"
"Why didn't you think of that before you sat him on the Brechenmacher?" Giles asked.
"I didn't know how young he was," Spike said. "What if he's carsick? I mean those seats are real leather, not some cheap plastic."
"I'm well aware of that, Spike," Ann said dryly.
"Oh. Right. That's fine, then."
***
"What are we advertising?" Tara asked.
Spike had driven the Mercedes, containing the Witches and their purchases, but not, to her extreme annoyance, Dawn, who had been left at the Magic Box with Giles, to Ann's house on Los Robles Road, arriving in time for the early supper Ann was serving. Ann had had to separate the lion cubs from Darcy, who was happily playing with them in the library, and send them off to their mother for their dinner before seating him at a chair somewhat higher than the rest. The meal, containing of a wide variety of finger foods, in deference to Darcy's age and probable unfamiliarity with Californian utensils, had been excellent.
Darcy didn't like tomatoes or potatoes. He had eaten all the horseradish sauce, but not on the grilled shrimp, which he dipped into the applesauce. Spike, eyeing this act with his own hot smoked pork, already dipped in Chinese mustard, resting motionless and suspended over his dish of sesame seeds, was startled, but said nothing. Spike finished what he had in his hand and watched Darcy take up another shrimp.
Ann was also watching Darcy. She shrugged, took a shrimp, dipped it in the applesauce and tasted. After a moment's thought, she produced another dish of applesauce, into which she dipped a second shrimp. This time, after she tasted, she nodded.
Curious, Spike tried a shrimp in each sauce. The second dish had a tang of lime juice, a grating of ginger and a hint of red pepper. It was delicious with the shrimp. Darcy didn't like it as much as the original.
After dinner, they went to the library, where the French doors were open. The three dark green cubs of the guardian lions had come in after their dinner and were waiting to play with Darcy again. As Willow installed the program, Tara asked her question.
"Juggling, for birthday parties," Spike said.
"While I was waiting for you to get home, Nancy arranged for an 800 number for this," Ann said. "With a few cut-outs. She pointed out that this was a much safer way of handling this stunt."
"And it will relieve Giles's mind, about tying up the shop phone," Willow said, looking up from the computer.
"Hey, Darcy," Spike said. "What did your guardians call you?"
Darcy was already rolling on the floor with the three lion cubs. He looked up at Spike: "Bargomiliskan."
"I couldn't hear that," Willow asked.
After an initial wariness, Darcy had relaxed with the Witches enough to look at them, at least sideways, and even to talk at them. A direct request was still something he did not deal with comfortably, however: "Bargomiliskan," he mumbled.
"Say again?" Spike asked.
"Bargomiliskan," the boy said, raising his head and his voice to answer Spike.
"Bargomiliskan the Magnificent," Spike tried. Darcy grinned up at him.
"How do you spell that?" Tara asked.
"I don't know."
"That's not Alvish, I have no idea what it is. I guess you get to spell it first. I suggest you sound it out and don't use `C'," Ann advised Tara. "Use `S' and `K'."
"Bargomiliskan," Tara said, writing it down. "There's a certain beat to it. `Have Bargomiliskan make your next party a success.' Unless that sounds too much like an ethnic caterer."
"Immaterial," Ann said. "We need some sort of name and that may do very well. Does it mean anything, Darcy?"
"The other kids said it meant `Blondie,' because of my hair; but they didn't like me."
"Can we use that, Darcy, to put on the ad?" Willow asked.
"I don't care. I like Darcy better."
"You know about ads?" Spike asked.
"Ann showed me in the paper, pictures and words." Darcy began to tickle Gina, who carefully kept her claws sheathed as she wrestled with the boy.
"Mug shots," Willow announced, producing the digital camera. "Change and face me, Darcy. Look up. Now look at Spike. Turn and look at Tara. OK." Willow turned back to the computer. Tara and Spike followed her, standing in back of her and looking over her shoulders.
"Don't make him look like something out of Ripley's," Spike cautioned.
"I need to keep him blue," Willow said.
"He reminds me of something drawn by J. P. Toomey," Tara said.
"More like early Walt Kelly," Spike said.
"Who?"
"Or a spear carrier in one of the space operas, when they want to demonstrate the inclusive nature of the future society," Willow said.
"The one who dies first?" Spike grinned.
"Always. How about this?"
"That's good, Willow."
"Bargomiliskan," Willow mused. "In a big arch over Darcy's head, I think."
Eventually, Willow produced a flyer. The name was prominent, as was the 800 number, but what caught a viewer's eye at once, was the blue baby logo and the blond party guest.
"Notice how I put the logo on table holding the juggling equipment?" Willow asked.
"Very nice," Ann agreed.
"I put it on all the balls, but that looked too spooky, little blue heads flying around, so I took them off again."
"Thank you, Willow."
"So, shall I print out a ream or two or do you want to have an overnight repro service help out?"
"Now that I know what it looks like, I'm just going to conjure it, Willow," Ann said. She gestured, and the library sported flyers on the free space on the walls and the doors, a poster version was propped against the crystal phone, and a huge A-frame double poster stood below that. "And once they get ripped or rained on or covered up, they'll vanish." She waved, and the library was neat again.
"Where are you going to put them up?" Tara asked.
"Darcy, where did you first find yourself, once you came through the gate?"
"I saw some swings."
"Right around you? What was closest to you?"
"A wall. A little wall, and a table." Ann and Spike looked blank.
"Windbreaks, Ann," Willow explained. "As if a huge playing card was upright on the windy side. Otherwise, your paper plates go flying all over. It's the park on top of Cerro Reynaldo. The playground is downhill from the picnic area and Dawn's school is just north of that."
"I went down to the swings," Darcy said.
"I'll start there, work a spiral pattern downhill, then concentrate on store windows."
"I've been wondering," Tara asked. "Why are your two forms both human? I mean Gang Long is a dragon and a boy, but Spike is still Spike when he's a vampire. One has two really different forms and the other has really similar forms and you're sort of in between. I was just wondering."
"Sometimes I look like my mommy and sometimes I look like my daddy."
"If you grow at different rates in each form, your adolescence may prove to be really interesting," Willow said.
"An excellent point," Ann agreed.
"So which is real?" Tara asked.
"I'm real all the time," Darcy said, unarguably.
Tara opened her mouth, shut it, and looked over to Ann, who grinned.
"Right now, it's bedtime, I think." Ann looked at Darcy. "Cocoa may not be a good idea. How about some warm milk?"
"OK."
"Then bed."
"By myself?"
"No, I thought the cubs could sleep with you. Spike will sit with you all as you quiet down--"
"I will?"
"Please?"
Spike shrugged.
"Spike will sit with you while I talk to Willow and Tara, then I'll bring you some milk and sit with the four of you until you fall asleep."
"I guess."
"Cubs?"
"Jingwu? Does our mom say it's OK?" the littlest cub asked.
"Yes."
"OK," Gina said.
"Go up with Spike, then," Ann said.
"Where?" Spike asked.
"West suite. Thank you, Spike."
Ann watched Spike take a book from the fiction section. He held out his hand to Darcy and they walked slowly up the stairs. The three cubs, about the size of fully grown Neapolitan mastiffs, but with slightly shorter legs and longer tails, followed behind, to the side and in front of the vampire and the little boy.
"What else is worrying you?" Willow asked Ann.
"The gate on Cerro Reynaldo," Ann said. "Have you been up there since you became a witch?"
"No. It doesn't have a reputation, though. No one tells stories about it. No strange beings walk up and steal your fried chicken or lemonade or anything like that."
"So it's probably not a permanent gate, at least on this side. It may access a sophisticated society, where visitors make some preparations before coming."
"How about lost kitties?" Tara asked. "Sometimes they fall through."
"I went to different grade and middle schools. Who do I know who lives over there I can ask?" Willow said. "Susan Gonzales! If she's in town. I haven't seen her since we blew up the old high school; she was going to Berkeley; or was it Reed?"
"In the morning," Ann suggested. "It's past ten."
"Oh, so it is. In the morning; I can call the Sunnydale SPCA then, too."
"What did you decide about housing for the school year?" Ann asked Tara.
"Well, we have options, maybe too many options," the girl said. "But we know we have to decide soon."
Ann nodded. "Would you like a sherry before I port you back to Willow's?"
"I'd like a cider," Tara said.
"Cider sounds good," Willow agreed.
"I'll join you," Ann said, handing Tara and Willow tankards and producing one for herself.
***