FKFIC-L War 10

Time: Saturday, 28 August

Place: The Fiendish Glow

Follows: "'Dunbar' Wallace" Strikes Again

MacHeather, Chris, Lucius, Pen, Brenda, Lora, and Megan are real and are used by permission.

The Atlanteans are a fictional contemporary-Celtic band. Any similarity to any real band or band members is purely coincidental.

The rest of the Fiendish Glow staff, as well as FG "regulars" Kerrigan and Father Andrew, are fictional and belong to the Fiendish Glow (Celtic Glow Worms and Tequila Fiends)

[The Fiendish Glow, Saturday 28 August, about 2000 or perhaps a wee bit later]

"There." Pen finished pulling the last banner from the printer just as Brenda finished the last call to the other factions. As is typical for War, some were in, some were not, and it was hard to tell with the others. While the celebration was last-minute, she hoped that at least Heather's sister NA members (and those Glow Worms Warring with other factions) would attend. In the background, the Atlanteans played some traditional fiddle tunes while table and chairs were re-righted and the wait staff brought the next round out to the amused patrons.

As the two women stepped back out of the office, they met a familiar pair of faces.

"Lora! Megan!" they chimed, rushing to greet the UFfish Glow Worm and her UFfish friend. "Glad you could make it!"

"What happened? Lora asked. "Weren't they supposed to tie the knot in Texas, what was it, next week or the following?"

"We don't know," Pen told them. "What'll you be having?"

"Atholl Brose(2)," Megan said, anxious to try another honey-inspired alcoholic creation. "Preferably something that won't kill rats," she added, remembering MacHeather's attempt at making the brew.

"Killian's Red," Lora told her. "I intend to party 'til the ravens fly home... preferably somewhere out of town!"

The women chuckled, having read of the exploits of Janette's male adorer.

"There've been tons of them in New Jersey," Brenda told them. "Not counting the logo'd stuff we got the last time we were down to Virginia Beach.(3)"

"Hmm... that's an interesting business idea. Fiendish Glow logowear," Pen said -- as if she'd never had the idea before. She'd been thinking about expanding the line beyond a handful of T-shirt designs -- several of which were restricted to staff use. She got an evil twinkle in her eye. "What do you think about a 'Fiendish Glow'-logoed hip flask?" she asked as Siobhan came around with the drinks.

"Only if 't's bullet-proof," a familiar Irish voice whispered in Lora's ear. She turned around and glared at the bouncer... for over a year, she'd been trying to ward him off... and for over a year, he still pursued her. She growled as her only response.

"Ronnie -- quit bothering Lora," Pen scolded.

"Uy'm no' botherin' the lass, just tellin' her how lovely she looked o' the evenin," the redhead smiled.

Lora rose from the table. "Liar!" she growled.

"Ye know you're lovely when you're mad," he leered.

"That's it!" she growled, moving her chair back into the bouncer's torso. Eyes wide, he crumpled over in pain.

"Scots' attire is ae mair useful i' tha' respect," a voice came from the back.

"Lora? Megan?" the accompanying voice cried. Spying two more of her friends, she ran to them, hugging them and exclaiming, "I'm sae happy tae see ye!"

"What happened?" Lora asked. "Why'd the date get moved up?"

Heather looked back at Chris, who hung his head sheepishly. "It's a long story," she said.

"We have all night," Megan added hopefully.

"Before you two sit down," Pen said, "now that you're properly cleaned and dressed..." She crossed to the stage and said a few words to the leader of the band. At the end of the number, the band members put down their instruments, and the kilted bodran player addressed the audience.

"Laidies, Gentlemen, lads an' lassies," he said. "The Management o' the Fiendish Glow wud luyke ye all to hailp celebrate the mairrage o' their manager, MacCousin Haither, tae 'er sweetie, Chris Doonburr... Fer the rest o' this e'enin', everythin's on the 'oose. Ait, drink, an' be mairry! An' drink tae th' hailth o' Chris an' MacHaither!"

At a signal from the leader, the band picked up their instruments and began to play "Hielan Lassie". At the nudging of the Glow Worms, the newlyweds took to the dance floor in the slow, deliberate shuffling of non-dancers unaware of the most basic box-step. As is typical of most weddings, anybody who noticed this deliberately failed to bring it to anybody else's attention, choosing instead to cheer, leer, toast, and bang spoons against glasses until the newlyweds were forced to kiss just to quiet the crowd.

At the table by the door, two men remarked the celebration under weigh.

"You dinna," Kerrigan said. It was more a question than a statement.

"Aye, Uy did," the former cleric admitted. "I's no' as if Uy ever renoanced muy vows," he said.

"But the provincial authorities?"

"Doan wairry," Father Andrew told him. "I have it on very guid authority that it will all woard oat in the aind."

"There's maire o' the Glow Worms here ye need tae meet," MacHeather -- now sporting a MacDuff plaide that clashed horribly with her MacIntyre glow -- told the impeccably kilted man squiring her around. "Not tae mention the rest o' the Addicts."

"The *addicts*," Chris muttered under his breath, vague memories of the past week floating unanchored somewhere in his brain cage, while his new wife dragged him over to a table where three women were sitting, still agape at the turn of events.

"Glennis!" the CiP squeaked. "Christy! Dee! Sairy I am t've missed ye this waik. This is my husband, Chris."

The reluctant peacock bowed graciously and kissed each woman on the back of her hand.

"Felicitations," they wished her.

An hour or so later, Pen decided she'd waited enough -- and if the scuttlebutt on the Internet was right, they'd have enough of a crowd control problem at midnight -- so she walked up to the lead singer, whispered a few words, exchanged a few nods, and grabbed a spare mike. The band started up the familiar strains of Enya's "Athair ar Neamh"(4). "This is for MacHaither an' Chris," the singer said as Pen's ethereal voice began to fill the room. After the first stanza, the rest of the Atlanteans came in one by one, until by the end of the song, the room had the hush of a cathedral upon it, and MacHeather had tears in her eyes.

When everyone had recovered enough to speak again, toasts to the couple rang through the pub, and the band picked up into a series of lively Scottish reels. Everyone who could, joined each other on the dance floor, while those who couldn't clapped their hands, stomped their feet, or banged their flatware to the rollicking music.

The ceilidh was well under weigh.

(1) This is the opening phrase to the traditional song, "Mairi's Wedding". It's a lively piece in which the whole town gathers for the wedding of "our darlin' Mairi" and wishes her all sorts of good fortunes.

(2) You can buy bottled Atholl Brose. Dunkeld, and Gordon & MacPhail, both bottle Atholl Brose for worldwide distribution. These -- unlike MacHeather's concoction -- are safe to drink in usual moderation.

(3) There is a real restaurant in Virginia Beach called "The Raven"; it has been around long before FK, and possibly even before Janette created or took over the fictional Raven. They sell lots of logowear -- some of it even online. If you're interested, check out http://www.theraven.com

(4) As a licensed establishment providing live, recorded, and Karaoke^TM music, the fictional pub/cantina The Fiendish Glow has the appropriate SOCAN blanket licenses along with its Department of Health and provincial alcohol commission certificates. The blanket license means we can play any recording or perform any song for which SOCAN manages royalty distributions. I can't find any info that specifically says that SOCAN agents copyright/IP management for other umbrella organizations (such as ASCAP and BMI -- the two largest such organizations in the US -- or their counterparts abroard), so we may have other blanket licenses as well. In addition, the musicians hired to perform at The Fiendish Glow may have specific licenses to perform the work of other artists as required. This doesn't mean that we have licenses to reprint music or lyrics, or that the writers of this fanfic have licenses in real life.