Authors Notes: Yay more reviews! This is so cool! Man I sound really incredibly too excited, but my language arts teacher doesn't give reviews at all as well as you guys. I need more. Reviews are a drug, I am hooked, now give me my fix!

)()()()(

Anya smiled brightly at the two young teenagers that entered her store. Well, Giles's store if you wanted to become all technical about it, but Anya frankly didn't. The teens giggled and poked one another, looking at the variously, strangely shaped and sometimes slimy items that filled the store in jars. Anya's face took on a determined quality, as she slipped out from behind the counter, and walked up behind the teens.

"If you aren't going to buy those kobold's testicles, then please do not touch them." Anya stated bluntly, and the girl who had been touching the merchandise quickly pulled her hand back as if she had been burned. Which she might have, who knows with kobolds testicles. "And please, if you aren't going to buy anything, please leave my store." Shooting Anya dirty looks, the girls quickly left while Xander sat exasperated at the table and Anya looked at the girls, satisfied with the effect of her scolding.

"Ahn, you need to let people browse! They will not give you their money right away, and especially not for kobolds testicles!" Xander tried to say calmly, because he did love Anya, but there were times...

"Oh I know that! And why not for kobolds testicles? They are quite useful in spells to incapacitate an ex lover," Xander flinched at this. I'm so screwed, he thought miserably. "Or," Anya continued, "they can be used to bind a lover to you. So you see, kobold's testicles hold quite some weight in the market!" Anya concluded.

"I dearly hope you do not mean that literally, and I don't need to know the answer." Giles said as he walked in, quickly cutting Anya off before she told him just whether or not kobolds testicles held weight. "Nor do I need to know just how you got on this topic. I just need to know if you have made any leeway on the Glory research." Giles took off his glasses and polished them, as was his way.

"'Fraid we've had no luck G-Man." Giles winced visibly at the nickname, and Xander grinned. Looking back to the old, dusty text he continued. "Anyway, just same old same old. Hell goddess, yada yada yada, invincible, yada yada yada, wants Key, yada yada yada, right behind you..." Xander trailed off.

"Right we've heard all that. This is damnably frustrating, it seems like the same thing is in each text. Wait, what did you say?" Giles paled as Xander's words registered. Xander pointed mutely behind Giles, and the ex-librarian slowly turned, his face unreadable. A blonde, seemingly human woman looked back at him, a smirk to rival Spike's on her face.

"Hey sweetie. Aren't you cute with the whole bumbling tweed librarian look going on! Well, I could go without the tweet, but I bet you were a looker in your day!" Glory said, sugar sweet but her voice had a clearly detectable edge to it. No matter how tall she was, Giles noticed, she still seemed to look down at you. Probably the heels.

"Now," Glory continued, looked interestedly at her well-manicured nails. "I need to know who is the Key. And I'm tired of going through all of you one by one. I need to know now. I'm more known for my beauty and not my patience. And I'm really getting tired of this world." While Glory rambled on, Xander slowly stood. He started edging towards an inscribed katana, a red tassel hanging from its hilt. Wasn't his weapon of choice, but it would have to do. He slowly reached his hand out towards it.

"Now boy, I don't think your paying attention." Quicker than the eye could follow, Glory snatched a dagger from the Magic Box's counter, and flung it towards Xander's outstretched hand. He screamed in agony as was pierced through and pinned to a bookshelf. "Now maybe you'll listen." Glory said smugly, perching herself onto the glass counter, her legs swinging like a little girl's, crossed primly.

"Xander!!!" Anya screamed, worry and adrenaline flowing through her bloodstream in a rush. She ran and slid to her knees at Xander's side, his face contorted with pain. Gently, but firmly, she grasped the bloody handle of the dagger, and quickly with a sharp tug, pulled it out. Xander screamed again, and tears fell down Anya's face. He crouched there, cradling his wounded hand in his lap, breathing in large, choking breaths. She cooed in sympathy, and looked at Glory, her dark eyes full of rage. Glory simply sat there giggling.

"Can we continue now? I love drama, but this is a little lame." Glory teased, her bright red lips curved into a wicked smile. Anya saw red.

"You bitch!" She screeched, and ran at Glory with the dagger that was dripping Xander's blood in her hand, raised to strike. Glory simply rolled her eyes, and smashed Anya to the side and through a glass display case. She lay there, red trickling through her blonde curls and mingling with Xander's own.

"Maybe you, tweed-boy will listen to reason." Giles shivered as the hell god's attention turned itself to him. He glanced worriedly between Xander and Anya, knowing full well they needed medical attention, and fast. Glory slid off counter, and prowled her way through the glass towards Giles.

)()()()(

Buffy shivered in the dank and dark sewers, barely able to see more than ten feet in front of her. She could hear her sisters light footsteps behind her, muffled in her baby blue sneakers, and the comforting clunk of motorcycle boots in front of her.

"Cold love?" Spikes voice emerged from the darkness, startling Buffy a little, either by its sudden appearance or the concern it held. Buffy mutely shook her head no, still in mild shock from the morning's earlier events. After careful, almost microscopic inspection of Buffy and Spike's dreams, they were found to be almost identical. They started out to the Magic Box, through the sewers because of the fact that it was nearly noon now, and Spike needed to relay his dream to Giles also.

"You niblet?" Spike asked Dawn, and in contrast to her sister she nodded vigorously. To Buffy's surprise, and Dawn's, Spike quickly shrugged out of his beloved jacket and wrapped it about Dawn's thin shoulders. She smiled in appreciation, and there was silence again as they trodden onward.

He just keeps on surprising us... Buffy thought as she watched her sister's shivers slowly cease.

)()()()(

Dawn snuggled deeper into to heavy leather coat that now lay about her shoulders. It smelled of whisky and smoke, but something deeper as well. A heady, earthy scent that went on forever and surrounded Dawn in a protective shroud. No wonder Spike wears this as armor Dawn thought as she looked at the black leather coat in a new light.

Finally, they reached the Magic Box's sewer access. Spike quickly pushed away the heavy cover that led to the basement of the Magic Box, and slid through. Buffy helped Dawn through next, and she giggled as Spike lifted her under her arms, and twirled her before setting her down. Still giggling, she suddenly realized this didn't help her sullen teenage image, and she settled into a pout. Spike simply grinned, and soon Dawn did too.

Spike nearly shouted for joy inside. That was the first time one of his girls had smiled since the eerie comparing of dreams, and he had been the one to do it. He turned to offer Buffy a hand through as well, but only to find her already recovering the hole, he simply shrugged and started up the stairs. He stopped just before opening the door.

"What is it..." Dawn started, before trailing off as Spike gestured her to hush. Quietly, he walked quickly down the stairs to his girls.

"You'll all want to be quiet now. I hear a certain hell god's voice, and I smell blood."