The Long Summer 20
The day went from bad to worse. Not counting the interruption created by a well meaning Buffy and Giles. The worksite suffered several more 'accidents.' Xander found that he wasn't the only one starting to believe in jinxes. He lost two men who simply quit. It took nearly two hours worth of paperwork to file the day's report. He also needed to request replacements for the men who left him hanging.
It could be said that day officially sucked.
It couldn't get worse, Xander told himself. That, of course, was his first mistake. By the time he arrived at the Magic Box, it was nearly eight. The lights were on and Xander gripped a nice hammer as he made his way inside.
Boxes stacked to the ceiling filled the backroom. His brow furrowed as he ventured further into the area. Someone removed the stacked boards from their space and more boxes filled the area.
Xander started to open the door into the main shop just as it burst inwards. He yelped and leapt backwards, hammer at ready. Anya yelped in unison, then glared.
"What are you doing lurking back here?" She demanded.
"I'm not lurking."
"You're in the backroom, sneaking in from the back door. With a hammer?" She eyed the instrument with a pair of arched brows.
"I always come in the backdoor. Draws less attention. Where are my boards?"
"What boards?"
"The ones that were stacked right there!" Xander pointed to an area occupied by a dozen boxes.
"Oh. I threw those out."
"You what??"
"They were taking up inventory space!" Anya glared at him. "Why were you storing boards here?"
"I wasn't storing them - I -" Sounds from the front tickled his senses. Xander's sentence hung in the air as he moved around Anya and walked out to the front of the shop. Half a dozen workmen were slapping up shelves while another appeared to be setting up glass in the front window.
Anya came up behind him and glanced first at him, then at the workmen. "I was able to collect some money on the undamaged stock on Ebay." She said by way of explanation. "Giles gave me the rest when I spoke to him a few days ago. That's our stock in the backroom. Should be able to open the doors in a few days. Isn't it wonderful?"
Xander said nothing. He watched the workman busily filling in all the areas that he'd framed up. The counter was shaped differently. A section was removed from his original design.
Someone else brushed past with a murmured excuse me. He turned his head to see the bricks he'd painstakingly set into place were being brushed with a light lacquer. The stairs to the loft were also completed.
"Xander?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you need something?" Anya stared at him expectantly.
He looked down into her eyes and then shook his head slowly. "No. Just going to go home."
"All right. Good bye." She walked away, returning to supervising the rebuilding of her shop. Xander stared after her, one part of his mind screaming at him to go tell her what he'd done.
The rest of him ignored that part, however, turning on his heel and exiting as quietly as he'd arrived.
What else was there for him to do?
The day went from bad to worse. Not counting the interruption created by a well meaning Buffy and Giles. The worksite suffered several more 'accidents.' Xander found that he wasn't the only one starting to believe in jinxes. He lost two men who simply quit. It took nearly two hours worth of paperwork to file the day's report. He also needed to request replacements for the men who left him hanging.
It could be said that day officially sucked.
It couldn't get worse, Xander told himself. That, of course, was his first mistake. By the time he arrived at the Magic Box, it was nearly eight. The lights were on and Xander gripped a nice hammer as he made his way inside.
Boxes stacked to the ceiling filled the backroom. His brow furrowed as he ventured further into the area. Someone removed the stacked boards from their space and more boxes filled the area.
Xander started to open the door into the main shop just as it burst inwards. He yelped and leapt backwards, hammer at ready. Anya yelped in unison, then glared.
"What are you doing lurking back here?" She demanded.
"I'm not lurking."
"You're in the backroom, sneaking in from the back door. With a hammer?" She eyed the instrument with a pair of arched brows.
"I always come in the backdoor. Draws less attention. Where are my boards?"
"What boards?"
"The ones that were stacked right there!" Xander pointed to an area occupied by a dozen boxes.
"Oh. I threw those out."
"You what??"
"They were taking up inventory space!" Anya glared at him. "Why were you storing boards here?"
"I wasn't storing them - I -" Sounds from the front tickled his senses. Xander's sentence hung in the air as he moved around Anya and walked out to the front of the shop. Half a dozen workmen were slapping up shelves while another appeared to be setting up glass in the front window.
Anya came up behind him and glanced first at him, then at the workmen. "I was able to collect some money on the undamaged stock on Ebay." She said by way of explanation. "Giles gave me the rest when I spoke to him a few days ago. That's our stock in the backroom. Should be able to open the doors in a few days. Isn't it wonderful?"
Xander said nothing. He watched the workman busily filling in all the areas that he'd framed up. The counter was shaped differently. A section was removed from his original design.
Someone else brushed past with a murmured excuse me. He turned his head to see the bricks he'd painstakingly set into place were being brushed with a light lacquer. The stairs to the loft were also completed.
"Xander?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you need something?" Anya stared at him expectantly.
He looked down into her eyes and then shook his head slowly. "No. Just going to go home."
"All right. Good bye." She walked away, returning to supervising the rebuilding of her shop. Xander stared after her, one part of his mind screaming at him to go tell her what he'd done.
The rest of him ignored that part, however, turning on his heel and exiting as quietly as he'd arrived.
What else was there for him to do?