Chapter  9

Xander parked his car outside Tenny's Meat Market.  He and Anya decided that since it was after dark that driving was the safer option.

Anya patted Xander's arm.  "Now, don't get jealous in the store, honey.  My friend Tenny only employs the finest meat she can find."

"What on earth do you mean?" Xander asked in a confused voice.

"You'll see."  Anya slipped out her side, and she bounced into Tenny's Meat Market a little too gleefully for Xander's state of mind.

Xander followed Anya with reluctance.  He had a bad feeling about the 'finest meat' quip that Anya had talked about, especially since she'd had the same look of delight on her face that usually accompanied a huge order from the Magic Box.  Once inside the store, Xander let out a put upon sigh.  His bad feeling had panned out after all.

"I need all of your pig's blood," Anya said to the good looking, muscular man behind the counter.  She glanced at the man's nametag.  "Donovan."

Xander grimaced .  He hated meeting suave, sexy men who were taller and more buff than he was himself.  He always worried that Anya would decide she liked one of those better than him.

"No problem.  Do you want this to be delivered?" Donovan asked.

Anya tapped her chin.  "This time we'll take it with us, but we could use a daily deliver to the Magic Box.  Feeding three vampires can be quite expensive for just one person.   Best if we spread it around."

"Business expense," Xander said in an absentminded voice.

"Yes!  You are so smart, honey."  Anya turned towards Xander with a smile.  "Another tax write off for Giles and myself."

Donovan started to fill out some paperwork.  "When do you want the deliveries to start?" he asked.

"Tomorrow should be fine."  Anya opened her purse, and she pulled out the Magic Box checkbook.  "How much for the blood tonight?  I will need a receipt, of course."

Donovan rang up Anya's purchase, and he quoted her the price.  While she wrote out the check, he helped his fellow employee pack up the blood.

"Will there be anything else?" Donovan asked after he handed the order to Xander.  Then, he took the check from Anya, and he handed her the receipt.

"We're good," Anya replied.  "See your man tomorrow."

After Xander stowed the blood in the trunk of his car, he opened Anya's door for her.  "More butcher shops or to the mansion?"

"We better go to the mansion."

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Giles smiled at Tara when she placed a cup of hot tea beside his research notebook.  "Thank you, my dear."

"It's no problem," Tara said with a shy smile.  She glanced over at Dawn who was sleeping on Giles' couch.  "You should get some sleep and be ready for Mr. Wyndam-Pryce's visit."

"I need to have all of my research ready," Giles replied.  "You take my bed.  I'll take a nap in the morning."

"Are you sure?"

"Go to bed, Tara.  I'll keep watch."  Giles shooed Tara towards the stairs with a wave of his hand.

Tara smiled.  "Good night, Giles."

Giles waited until Tara was upstairs before he pulled out his private notebook.  There were some things the Council didn't need to know about his Slayer and her friends.

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Wesley slipped behind the wheel of his car.  Leaving town was turning out easier than he'd anticipated.  No one had even looked twice when he came down the stairs with his travel bag in hand.

The passenger door opened.  Lorne stuck his head into the car.  "Give a demon a ride home?"

"Sure, Lorne.  No problem."  Wesley gestured towards the seat.  He started the car, and he pulled away from the curb.

"I noticed you have a suitcase," Lorne commented.  "Going someplace?"

Wesley eyed Lorne for a moment.  "Out of town for a few days.  I'm gonna visit some old friends."

"Going to Sunnydale, huh?" Lorne asked with a nod.

"Bloody Hell, I've been singing under my breath again," Wesley muttered.

"No," Lorne chuckled.  "Just figured you needed to get away from the soap opera known as Angel Investigations.  I feel the same way."

"You want to go with me?" Wesley surprised himself with the question.  "I could use the backup."

"I'm a lover, not a fighter.  Remember that."  Lorne shook a finger at Wesley.

"I remember."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Xander pulled up at the mansion where Buffy was currently hanging out with a trio of vampires.  He'd dropped Anya off at the appliance store where she planned to buy a fridge for the Magic Box.  He stepped out of his car.

"Oi, Harris."  Spike plunged out of the darkness with a cigarette dangling from his lips.  "Where's Anyanka?"

Xander let out a yelp.  "Don't sneak up on me like that!  Not that it's any of your business but Anya's at Leon's getting a fridge for the store for the blood deliveries."

Spike grunted.  "You got that blood?  Darla's gettin' a might peckish."

"And you left her in there alone with Buffy?"  Xander glared at Spike.

"No."  Spike dropped his cigarette, and he ground it out with his heal.  "Lawson's in there.  Where's the blood."

"Like that's much better."  Xander rounded the car to the trunk which he opened.  He grabbed the blood.

"He's not gonna hurt Buffy."  Spike took the blood away from Xander.  "Now go rescue whatever sad sack sales clerk got stuck with the demon girl as a customer.  If he's lucky, he'll keep his shorts, but that's about all."

"You heard, didn't you?"  Xander grimaced at the thought. 

"Sure did.  Don't worry, Harris, I'm sure you'll be able to show your face at Walmart again."  Spike laughed.  "Someday.  When you're old and gray."

"Laugh all you like, Spike.  You don't have to avoid people because your girlfriend pisses them off."

Spike glanced at the mansion.  "I wouldn't say that.  The Slayer brasses plenty of people off.  She almost got herself banned from Willy's."

Xander stuffed his fingers in his ears.  "Lalalalala, I'm not listening."

"Just go rescue that sales clerk.  I'll take the blood inside.

"Fine by me."  Xander pulled his fingers out of his ears.  "I don't want to see Darla again so soon.  She's very scary."

Spike rolled his eyes at Xander.  He waved at the young human before he sauntered off towards the front door of the mansion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Amy twitched when somewhere in the distance a police siren wailed.

"It's just a siren.  It's okay."

Amy jerked away from the voice.  "Yeah, I know.  It's just I feel like I've been in that cage for weeks."

Willow put the cup of warm tea she was carrying down on the desk.  "Uh, yeah."

"I can still get into the swing of things, I'm sure," Amy rushed to continue.  "Prom's coming up.  I'm hoping Larry will ask me."

"Yeah, three things."  Willow ticked off her fingers as she spoke.  "One, Larry's gay.  Two, Larry's dead.  Three, high school is kinda way over."

"Gay?  Dead?  Kinda way?"  Amy frowned.  "How long was I in the cage?

Willow fidgeted with nervous energy while she started to explain all that had happened since Amy had turned herself into a rat.  This included Willow's current woes with her friends.

"Sounds like you're ready to move somewhere fun," Amy said when Willow finished.  She paused before asking in an astonished tone.  "The whole school blew up?  Because the Mayor turned into a snake?"

"Yes!  And yes!."  Willow nodded.  "Problem is I'm limited on where I can go though.  There's my parent's house, and let me tell you, that is not somewhere fun."

Amy leaned forward.  "What about my old house?"

"I don't know.  It shouldn't be all that hard to find out?"  Willow went to her desk.  She handed Amy the hot tea she'd made for the other woman earlier.  Then, she pulled out her laptop.

Amy eyed the sleek, shiny computer.  "Nice," she said before taking a sip of the tea.

"It is."  Willow opened the machine's lid.  When it turned on completely, she placed both hands on the screen.  "Just a little magic, and I will be all knowing."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"Safe as houses," Willow answered.  Her voice was soft, and her face was blank.  "Looks like your house was placed in trust for you by your dad.  He was convinced you only ran away and that you'd be back someday."

"Awesome," Amy commented.  To tell the truth, she was a little jealous of the ease that Willow did magic.  Amy smirked to herself while she started to scheme.  All she needed to do was get Willow way from the influence of her friends to make the other witch more dependent on magic.  Then, Amy could easily siphon some magic off for her own use.  "Gather up what you can't live without.  We're gonna blow this popsicle stand now."

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"Crap!  Crap!  Crap!" Warren muttered.  Two perfectly good minions were gone just because they couldn't follow directions.  "I really hate when I have to find a new lair."

Warren knew if the cops somehow managed to thaw his idiot cohorts out that they'd squeal like stuck little piggies.  He needed to be away, and someplace safe, before that happened.

"At least I have the diamond," Warren grunted.  He slipped the precious gem into the inside pocket of his jacket.  Then, he disposed of his breaking and entering gear.  "Buffy Summers better be careful now."