Chapter Five

One week later

"So, nothing's changed, Xander? You still heal that fast if you get hurt?" Dawn asked.

"Nope. No changes with the Xan-man." Xander held the door to the Magic Shop open for her, and gestured for her to enter first.

"Thanks. Hunh. Well, no news is good news, right? Or is it no noose is good noose?"

He chuckled at her quote from Robin Hood Men In Tights.

"Right. So they tell me, anyhow. Anything new with you? Got a boyfriend yet?" he teased.

"No, and even if I had one, I wouldn't tell you. You'd scare him away in less than a minute."

"Aw, come on. You're telling me that I'm going to scare away a boyfriend when you've got Buffy for a sister? Please. Like I could scare someone." he rolled his eyes.

"You'd be surprised. Most guys don't think of Buffy as a scary person. Well, unless they're demons or vampires. But most teenage boys aren't scared my her."

Xander raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok, ok, ok. Most normal teenage boys aren't scared of her. They're too busy drooling to be scared."

He laughed, and nodded. "I'll bet they are." He looked around the empty store.

"Anya? G-man?" he called. "Anyone here?"

"I'm on the phone, Xander. I'll be right out." Giles muffled voice came from the back of the store.

"Take your time."

Dawn set her backpack down on the research table, and pulled out her laptop. She plugged it in, and turned it on. Xander was looking through his wallet. "I'm gonna run down to the store on the corner, you want anything?"

"Sure, a Coke'd be good. Thanks!" she grinned at him.

"No prob. Tell Giles I'll be right back." She nodded, and waved as he went out the door.

Giles came out of the back office, and sat down at the table. "Where'd Xander go?"

"Walked down to the store. Went to get us something to drink. Be right back."

"Ah. That's good."

"So, what's up?"

"Oh, a friend of mine just called. He's got a student coming down to look at SDU, wanted to ask me to give him the keys to Adam's house. Adam's going to let him stay there while he's here, and rent him the place if the guy likes the university."

"That's nice of him. Did Adam tell you the guys name?" Dawn was looking out the window, watching for Xander to come back with the promised soda. She heard the distant roar of a Harley, and thought it was Spike for a minute, but it was still daylight out.

"Yes, his name is Ritchie Ryan. Adam said that you couldn't miss him."

"He wouldn't happen to have red hair and ride a motorcycle, would he?" She watched the man on the Harley pull up in front of the store.

"Why yes, how did you know?" he asked, glancing at her in surprise. She pointed out the window.

"'Cause I think he's here." Giles twisted around to see what she was pointing at.

"I think you may be right. He certainly does match the description."

Ritchie pulled his helmet off, and ran a hand through his hair, grateful to have the hot thing off. He hung it on the handlebars, and looked around. He was parked in front of a store that had a sign that read 'Magic Box' in faded letterings.

Hope this is the right place. It's where Adam said he could pick up the keys to he apartment.

He swung off the bike, making sure that the kickstand was down. He stamped his feet, bringing feeling back into the numb limbs.

He pulled off the new gloves that Duncan had given him before he left. Duncan had, in fact, gotten him a complete set of new leathers. Jacket, chaps, gloves, vest. It was one of the nicest things he'd had done for him before. And one of the most expensive.

He stuffed them into the pocket of his jacket, and walked to the door. Pushing it open, he squinted in the dim light.

"We're over here." came a voice from his right.

"Hey. I'm looking for Rupert Giles?" he glanced at the man seated at a table with a teenager with long light brown hair. Giles stood up, and held out a hand. They shook hands.

"I'm Rupert Giles. I'm guessing you're Ritchie? Adam just called."

Ritchie laughed. "He does like to leave things to the last minute, doesn't he."

"That he does. Here, I have the keys in my desk, let me just go get them. Ritchie, this is Dawn. Dawn, Ritchie." Giles walked back to his office to dig out the keys to the apartment.

Ritchie nodded. "Hey. Nice to meet you. You work here?" he asked.

"Nope. We're just waiting for my sister to get off work so we can go home. Well, I'm waiting. Xander went down to the store."

"Ah. Gotcha. So, you in High school?"

"Yup. The worst part about it is that my sister works there." she confided, but grinned at him, showing she didn't really mind her being there.

"Bummer. That's gotta be hell on the social life."

"Yeah. Big time." she rolled her eyes in exaggeration.

Giles came back into the room, and handed him a set of keys, and a slip of paper. "I wrote down directions to the apartment. It's number 3, here's the number of the store if you can't find it, or need help with anything. Welcome to Sunnydale."

Ritchie slid both into his pocket. "Thanks. I'll probably stop in sometime soon and say hi, once I've gotten things settled in. Thanks, again, for all your help." They shook hands again. "Bye Dawn. Nice meeting you both."

"Bye."

They watched as he put his helmet back on, turned the bike on, and pulled out.

"Certainly seems like a nice fellow. Don't you think? Hope he doesn't end up badly."

"Me too. There's Xander. Wonder what took so long."

Xander pushed open the door. "Hey. Can you believe it, they were out of Coke and Pepsi? I had to go to a different store to find any. Then I got both. Which do you want? Giles? Want one?"

"No, thank you, Xander. I've got some tea going in the back room. Maybe one of the girls will want some when they get here."

"Yeah, probably. Did the guy buy anything?"

"Excuse me?"

"The red-head who just left. I saw him from the corner."

"Oh, he wasn't a customer. He's a student of a friend, he's checking out the university here. Adam's letting him use his apartment while he's down here."

"Gotcha. What'cha doin', Dawnie?"

"Homework." she made a disgusted face. "English. We have to read a play by Shakespear."

"Any particular one, or just one that you picked?"

"Any one. But I don't really understand they're saying. It's so confusing."

Xander nodded. "Yeah, it confused me too, when we had to read that stuff. Why don't you ask Angel? After all, he was alive during that era. Or Spike, he reads that kind of stuff. Probably understands it too."

"Why do you say that, Xander?" Giles asked.

"Do you really think that he's live this long without knowing a few things? Besides, have you seen those piles of books that he keeps in his place? They're everywhere."

Buffy and Willow's entrance distracted Giles enough for him to forget to ask when Xander had been in Spike's place. They were arguing over weather or not Buffy needed a new haircut.

"But it would look so good on you, Buffy!" Willow pointed out.

"But I like my hair the way it is! I don't want it changed!" Buffy covered her hair protectively.

Xander laughed, and hugged Buffy. "I like your hair the way it is ,too."

Buffy hugged him back, and stuck her tongue out at Willow. "So there."