A/N: Ok, thanks to those who were kind enough to review. I was happy that people liked this story. Well, here's chapter two of Desert Tales. I'm going to make this my main focus right now, but don't worry all you Murderer Too Young fans, I'm working on chapter four as you read this.
Also, people have been asking me about pairings. This will have only a few pairings, since the goal of the story is about the O'Riley kids. Most likely, X/A, B/S, W/T, and Wes/F.
Disclaimer: I own my own plot. Joss Whedon owns all characters as well as quotes from the shows.
It stood seven stories tall and at least a football field wide. The front gate stood in front of a concrete driveway that led them a hundred yards before reaching the front doors. A large fountain welcomed visitors and really did brighten up the already cheery landscape. Grass and plants were everywhere, landscaping the huge area around the building and causing the observer to forget that they were in the middle of the desert.
"This place is amazing!" Willow said aloud when she stepped out of her car, almost forgetting to give the valet her keys. Tara and Fred were walking together admiring all the scenery.
"I don't think amazing covers it," Xander said. Buffy, who was standing near him, sighed.
"No, amazing falls short," she replied abruptly. The thick haired construction owner raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"So what's your story? You seem to fall into the stereotypical California girl category," he told her. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"No, I'm not. I've been trying to put that part of my life behind me now but sometimes it still slips out. My father raised me like any other spoiled rich girl. But I will be the first to admit it, I can be a humongous bitch sometimes." Xander smirked.
"You don't say?" he asked, a twinge of humor in his voice.
"So what are you going to do with your share?" Gunn asked the two, walking up to them with his hands in his pockets. Xander smiled.
"My down payment on this house I wanna buy. I'm planning on moving in with my girlfriend. In fact, I can tell her the good news in a bit," he replied.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"She's a secretary for this hotel. She got the job last week and when I found out the little gig, it was one of the reasons I hastily agreed. Well that and the cash. Her name's Anya. She works at the front desk," he told them.
"Who here thinks that this is a little too easy?" Wesley asked the group. Faith frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Wesley took off his glasses to clean them on his shirt.
"I mean, don't you think five grand apiece is a little bit too much just for trying out a hotel? Seems odd to me," he told them.
"Yeah, well I don't care how funny it looks. I need the money read bad and if the guy tries to kill us, I think I could hold my own in a fight," Faith said.
"A man with the reputation and resources like Lorne Green doesn't need fists to kill us, and he certainly wouldn't try to kill us himself. He could have our food poisoned, send deadly gases through our air conditioning, have snipers shoot us in our rooms..." Wesley threw back. Faith clenched her jaw.
"Besides, you all need to remember exactly who Lorne Green is. He's a billionaire. $60,000 is nothing to him. Maybe he's feeling charitable?" Cordelia said.
"He's a business man. If the cost for us to tell him exactly what to do to make his hotel perfect is 60 grand, then he'll pay that price. Maybe he's not a giving kind of guy, but most likely he's just doing this because he'll benefit from it in the future," Angel told them. Cordelia was awestruck again.
"You are so smart. Isn't he so smart?" she asked. They were interrupted by a limo pulling up to the entrance. The door opened and Lorne's secretary, Harmony, stepped onto the curb. She waved and walked up to where they were all standing.
"Hi! Ok, Mr. Green wanted me to tell you guys that he's not going to make it. He had, like, a crisis with another client. Anyway, he asked me to come here and make sure things were taken care of," she said. "Ooh, I wish I was one of you guys. You're gonna have so much fun here!" she squealed.
The group, all twelve, followed the cheery secretary into the front of the Hyperion. The lobby was huge and there didn't look like there was even a ceiling. Harmony walked over to the front desk, where a blonde woman was happily typing away at the computer. She looked up from her work and grinned at the other blonde secretary.
"Harmony! It's so good to see you! I've been wondering when you'd come back. I'm tired of being one of the only girls here. Riley is too busy with Sam, who is a total skank anyway. Jonathan and Andrew are always watching old Star Trek movie. It's depressing," she told Harmony. Harmony cleared her throat and motioned Anya's gaze toward the contestants.
"Anya, the group is here. Could you ring up Andrew to give the tour? Mr. Green isn't here to do it," Harmony told her. Anya saw Xander in the group and she dropped the phone she was holding to run over to her boyfriend. Xander hugged her and smiled.
"Xander? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were going to be here. When did this happen?" she asked him.
"Got the gig earlier today. I was going to call you but I figured I'd just surprise you." Anya seemed to think about something because her eyes went wide and she grinned.
"Do you know what this means?" she asked. Xander smiled and gave her another hug.
"Yes, we get to be together," he said. Anya laughed.
"No Silly! It means you're going to win lots and lots of money!" she told him, smiling from ear to ear.
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I will," Xander said. "Why don't you get back to work and I'll see you later." Anya nodded and went back to her desk. Harmony hung up the phone and smiled.
"Ok guys, Andrew will be down in just a smidge. You all can check in with Anya while you wait," she told them. After everyone was checked into a room, a young blond haired man came out of the elevator. He was not happy about something, but when he saw the group, his mood brightened.
"Hi everybody, I'm Andrew. I'll be your tour guide today. Any questions you might have, please save them until the end of the tour. Thank you and I hope you enjoy your stay here at the fabulous Hyperion," he greeted them. Anya walked over to him with a clipboard.
"Nobody cares, you little monkey," she said. Andrew took the clipboard and looked it over. His eyes widened when he read something. He looked over at the gang and nearly fainted.
"Spike Crawford here? Wow, our first celebrity guest. Wow, Mr. Spike. I love your work. All the songs you perform, I know them all by heart. I really do. Oh! Would you do me the honor of signing it for me? Please?!" He was practically clinging to Spike's black duster, then when he realized what he was touching, he let go of it like it was on fire. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to touch your coat."
"Bloody hell! Calm down mate! Yeah, I'll sign your record, just don't have a bleedin' heart attack," Spikes told the excited fan. Andrew calmed down and looked back at the list.
"Okay guys. We'll be touring the grounds, which include the pool area, the tennis courts, and the golf area. Then we'll come back in to see the two bars we have, the small casino, and the spa room," he told them. Cordelia and Buffy smiled.
"Spa? Do we get that in the package?" Cordelia asked. Andrew looked at the clipboard and nodded.
"Well, lets begin this exciting tour yes? Follow me everyone." The group followed Andrew through a door leading outside. Anya went back to work at her desk and Harmony left.
No one noticed the teenage girl sitting at the bottom step, her long brown hair shining in the light.
Chapter two, done! Chapter three, coming soon!