(A/N: Am very flattered from the reviews I received! Anyway, here we go.
And I promise to show more of what happened to Tara and William in the next
chapter.)
Anya wiped down the counter in the Magic Box; her mind focused solely on getting the bench cleaned. It was around eight that night, and even though the shop wouldn't open 'til the next morning, Anya wanted her shop to look good. At that back of her mind, she knew the other Scoobies would be coming soon. First Xander, who was out getting them coffee, then Buffy and Spike from their patrol, and lastly Dawn, Willow and Tara from the Summers house.
Yet another Scooby meeting, the group seemed to never rest. 'Some sort of demon,' Anya thought vaguely, rolling her eyes. She never really seemed to care about such things. It was all the same: demon come, demon bad, demon do bad things, Slayer kill demon, the end. Anya was much more interested in things such as gaining profit for herself and the Magic Box, Xander and the upcoming wedding. She still hadn't deiced what demon traditions to scratch and what to keep.
Putting the wiping rag to one side, Anya walked around the counter to sit down at the table, getting increasingly bored. The same old Scooby meetings, over and over and over-
"Is Spike here?" Anya twisting her head to the side to see Buffy walk through the door, looking confused. Anya was also confused: 'where was Xander?' Her alarm subsided when she saw her fiancee walk through the door after Buffy. He carried a brown paper bag that could only contain the coffee he went out to get.
"No, why?" asked Anya, standing up. She walked over, and kissed Xander on the cheek, curling her arm around his.
"Deadboy Jr. didn't show up for patrol," said Xander, "which is unusual."
"Why?"
"He honors the ground Buffy walks on," he answered Anya, "you'd think he wouldn't be late for seeing Buff get all sweaty from-" At that point, Buffy pushed him lightly on the arm.
"Hey, right here," she snapped, not totally amused.
"Noted," said Xander quickly, rubbing his arm. "Will stop speaking… now." Anya shrugged this all off. 'I really don't care,' she told herself, but she ignored her thought, and smiled politely.
"Maybe he's getting drunk," was all Anya could think to say. It seemed suitable to her, and she smiled some more. Buffy and Xander didn't seem to hear her as they all sat down. Xander put the bag of foam coffee cups on the table, and Anya pulled out the cardboard cup holder, taking a cup for herself.
"Hey guys," said a voice before anyone of the three could strike up conversation. Dawn walked in, followed by a worried looking Willow. "What's up?" Dawn smiled and sat down; reaching for a coffee before Buffy gave her a stern look.
"Nothing but the ceiling, and that demon thing," said Xander. "What was it again Buff?" Before the Slayer could answer, Willow interrupted as she sat down.
"Tara hasn't come yet?"
"No, why?" asked Buffy.
"Well, she left early for some reason, she didn't say, and she said she'd meet me later," said Willow, looking extremely concerned.
"Define later?" asked Xander, taking a sip of the hot coffee.
"I don't know," said the witch, pouting a bit. "Maybe she just wanted to be alone." Her eyebrows furrowed with disappointment that her partner wouldn't want to spend time with her.
"She'll come about," assured Anya, not really sure where Tara will 'come about' from.
"Spike's missing as well," said Buffy, and shrugged. "Probably totally unrelated." Willow looked up sharply, as if one of those cartoon light bulbs had flickered on above her head.
"Maybe that demon that's been stalking Buffy took them!" she said, her voice getting shriller and shriller. "What if he took them somewhere we don't know about?"
"Well, we should go look for Tara, just in case," said Buffy. "Spike can take care of himself, but there are some nasty looking vampires out there."
"Let's go," said Willow, jumping up.
"Wills," said Xander, trying to be rational, "I don't' think-"
"I said let's go!" she snapped, and Xander put up his hands defensively, standing up.
"Yes miss," he mocked, and Anya stood up as well, and she had to admit to herself, she liked the idea of something – anything – happening that night.
"I'm stake-less," said Willow, holding out her empty hands for emphasis.
"The training room will have everything we need," said Buffy, and she and Willow walked over. Xander, Anya and Dawn all shared a glance.
"I think someone's overreacting," Xander said quietly, so the Slayer and the witch couldn't hear.
"Two someones," agreed Dawn. Before Anya could put in her two cents worth, Willow spoke up.
"The doors locked," she said, and now Anya was worried. She walked over and jiggled the handle. It was indeed locked.
"Strange," she said, and looked at the others. "I didn't lock this. I didn't know it could lock, I don't have the keys." She looked through the small windows, but all she could see were candle flames. "Something or someone's in there."
"Allow me," said Buffy, and grabbed the handle. She twisted it sharply, and they heard the lock break. The Slayer pushed the door open, and everyone's eyes widened. They saw a circle of white candles, their flames a few metres high, and in the centre, a bound Spike lay unconscious in a chair, and an equally unconscious Tara at his feet.
And Anya thought, 'the night suddenly got interesting.'
Anya wiped down the counter in the Magic Box; her mind focused solely on getting the bench cleaned. It was around eight that night, and even though the shop wouldn't open 'til the next morning, Anya wanted her shop to look good. At that back of her mind, she knew the other Scoobies would be coming soon. First Xander, who was out getting them coffee, then Buffy and Spike from their patrol, and lastly Dawn, Willow and Tara from the Summers house.
Yet another Scooby meeting, the group seemed to never rest. 'Some sort of demon,' Anya thought vaguely, rolling her eyes. She never really seemed to care about such things. It was all the same: demon come, demon bad, demon do bad things, Slayer kill demon, the end. Anya was much more interested in things such as gaining profit for herself and the Magic Box, Xander and the upcoming wedding. She still hadn't deiced what demon traditions to scratch and what to keep.
Putting the wiping rag to one side, Anya walked around the counter to sit down at the table, getting increasingly bored. The same old Scooby meetings, over and over and over-
"Is Spike here?" Anya twisting her head to the side to see Buffy walk through the door, looking confused. Anya was also confused: 'where was Xander?' Her alarm subsided when she saw her fiancee walk through the door after Buffy. He carried a brown paper bag that could only contain the coffee he went out to get.
"No, why?" asked Anya, standing up. She walked over, and kissed Xander on the cheek, curling her arm around his.
"Deadboy Jr. didn't show up for patrol," said Xander, "which is unusual."
"Why?"
"He honors the ground Buffy walks on," he answered Anya, "you'd think he wouldn't be late for seeing Buff get all sweaty from-" At that point, Buffy pushed him lightly on the arm.
"Hey, right here," she snapped, not totally amused.
"Noted," said Xander quickly, rubbing his arm. "Will stop speaking… now." Anya shrugged this all off. 'I really don't care,' she told herself, but she ignored her thought, and smiled politely.
"Maybe he's getting drunk," was all Anya could think to say. It seemed suitable to her, and she smiled some more. Buffy and Xander didn't seem to hear her as they all sat down. Xander put the bag of foam coffee cups on the table, and Anya pulled out the cardboard cup holder, taking a cup for herself.
"Hey guys," said a voice before anyone of the three could strike up conversation. Dawn walked in, followed by a worried looking Willow. "What's up?" Dawn smiled and sat down; reaching for a coffee before Buffy gave her a stern look.
"Nothing but the ceiling, and that demon thing," said Xander. "What was it again Buff?" Before the Slayer could answer, Willow interrupted as she sat down.
"Tara hasn't come yet?"
"No, why?" asked Buffy.
"Well, she left early for some reason, she didn't say, and she said she'd meet me later," said Willow, looking extremely concerned.
"Define later?" asked Xander, taking a sip of the hot coffee.
"I don't know," said the witch, pouting a bit. "Maybe she just wanted to be alone." Her eyebrows furrowed with disappointment that her partner wouldn't want to spend time with her.
"She'll come about," assured Anya, not really sure where Tara will 'come about' from.
"Spike's missing as well," said Buffy, and shrugged. "Probably totally unrelated." Willow looked up sharply, as if one of those cartoon light bulbs had flickered on above her head.
"Maybe that demon that's been stalking Buffy took them!" she said, her voice getting shriller and shriller. "What if he took them somewhere we don't know about?"
"Well, we should go look for Tara, just in case," said Buffy. "Spike can take care of himself, but there are some nasty looking vampires out there."
"Let's go," said Willow, jumping up.
"Wills," said Xander, trying to be rational, "I don't' think-"
"I said let's go!" she snapped, and Xander put up his hands defensively, standing up.
"Yes miss," he mocked, and Anya stood up as well, and she had to admit to herself, she liked the idea of something – anything – happening that night.
"I'm stake-less," said Willow, holding out her empty hands for emphasis.
"The training room will have everything we need," said Buffy, and she and Willow walked over. Xander, Anya and Dawn all shared a glance.
"I think someone's overreacting," Xander said quietly, so the Slayer and the witch couldn't hear.
"Two someones," agreed Dawn. Before Anya could put in her two cents worth, Willow spoke up.
"The doors locked," she said, and now Anya was worried. She walked over and jiggled the handle. It was indeed locked.
"Strange," she said, and looked at the others. "I didn't lock this. I didn't know it could lock, I don't have the keys." She looked through the small windows, but all she could see were candle flames. "Something or someone's in there."
"Allow me," said Buffy, and grabbed the handle. She twisted it sharply, and they heard the lock break. The Slayer pushed the door open, and everyone's eyes widened. They saw a circle of white candles, their flames a few metres high, and in the centre, a bound Spike lay unconscious in a chair, and an equally unconscious Tara at his feet.
And Anya thought, 'the night suddenly got interesting.'