STORY FIVE: THE BIG APPLE (Part 2)
Xander came up to the address that he remembered the woman telling him. He was breathing a little hard and his heart was beating fast in his chest. What the heck was he doing? Just do it, and Anya will be happy again. He leaned against the tall fence that surrounded the small house in the middle of the buildings and peered around the corner.
The moonlight hit the top of the house, and all seemed very quiet. Not good. He slowly walked up to the fence door and opened it and closed it as carefully as he could with minimal squeaky noise. He moved around the perimeter of the small yard, wandering towards the window to see what he would be up against. He had to step on some left over bricks to see through one of the side windows.
Inside, a small, well-furnished study could be seen. The walls were lined with bookshelves, each of which was full of leather tomes. In the center of the room, on a small oak table, was a silver box.
That's gotta be it, he thought, looking left and right and grabbing the bottom of the window and pushing it upwards. After a few tugs, it finally opened. He pushed it enough for him to crawl through. "This is so wrong," he whispered to himself. He took a deep breath and pulled himself up and through the window. He stumbled a little, but got inside the home with minimal noise.
He all but tip-toed towards the box and picked it up. He opened it and saw the glass ball sitting pretty in it. "Bingo."
"It's pretty. What is it, a snow globe?" Faith asked as she stepped into Xander's field of view.
Xander jumped and almost dropped the box. He turned around, staring at Faith wide-eyed in the darkness. "Good God, Faith," he whispered. "Could you maybe tone down on the whole Slayer Stealth?" He hugged the globe close to him. "What are you doing here?"
"Keeping you out of trouble... kinda late, though." She glared at him.
"I'm not in trouble. But if you sneak up on a guy like that, there could be all kinds."
"Yeah, right. You're going to put that back now or give me a really good explanation, right?"
He glanced down at the globe then back at her. "Are those my only two choices? Look, just let me get out of here with this and we don't need to talk about it ever again."
"I'm sorry. Maybe I wasn't really clear. Should I have added 'or else'?" Faith asked him coldly. "What the hell is this all about?"
"I gotta do this," he whispered almost in a plead. "Just... this once. Someone lost this and I was just helping out by bringing it back to them. No wrong there, right?" He looked around, wondering if the way he came in was the best way out.
"Who lost it? What is it? Who does it belong to?" Faith asked rapidly. Then - "God, I can't believe I'm the one advocating the straight and narrow here."
Xander kept looking around. "Some woman. A piece of jewelry, I guess. And it belongs to her. How did you get in here?"
"Some woman? Who? Does she have a name?" Faith asked patiently.
"Um, actually she never told me her name," he confessed. "But she knew... I could help her."
"Oh. Right." She jerked her thumb at the open window Xander had used to enter. "Wasn't hard."
He looked back at the window, wondering how on earth Slayers do that with the quiet and the stealth since the window was practically behind him. "Okay, so maybe I'll go out that way, too." He moved towards it still clutching the globe.
Faith took a sidestep, blocking his path to the window. "Maybe not. Are you really this stupid, Xander? What is this really about? What's the big deal with the snow globe?"
"Faith, just back off, okay?" he suddenly snapped, turning around. If she wasn't going to let him go out that way, he'd find his own way. Even if it meant going out through the front door. There was no way he was going to let Anya down this time. No. Way. He moved towards the door that led out into the main hallway and stepped out there, slowly moving down the hallway into what seemed like the kitchen.
"Jesus, Xander..." Faith tagged along after him, then suddenly winced. "Run! Now!" she exclaimed, giving him a little shove.
"What?" he asked, stumbling over where the carpet met the hardwood floor. He bumped into a table that housed a lamp and it began to topple over. In reaching for the lamp, he let go of the globe and it fell to the ground - not with a THUD! but with the shattering of glass. He almost cried out. "Shit!" he hissed, saving the lamp. He turned towards Faith, glaring with his eye. "Why the hell did you push me?"
Faith pointed just as two enormous white dogs came racing down the stairs at the far end of the hallway. "GO!" she yelled, not having time to wonder about the broken orb.
Xander's eye widened. "Crap!" He ran towards the front door and fumbled with the locks as the dogs' heavy feet pounded loudly on the floor. When he finally got it opened, he rushed out, seeing the lights inside begin to turn on and ran even faster until he was near the restaurant where it all started. He bent over and breathed loudly, trying to catch his breath.
Faith was right behind him, and she grabbed his shoulder. "Okay, NOW is the time to tell me what the hell that was really all about, Xander."
"The old woman in there," he said, glancing inside briefly. "She... she said that she'd help me out. If I got that globe thing for her."
"What? What old woman?"
"The old woman..." He pointed inside the restaurant. "Don't you see her? Sitting right there at the booth?" He looked at Faith. "Oh, come on. You see her!"
"Either you're going crazy, I am, or you've been set up," Faith said as she stared into what looked like an empty restaurant to her. "Stop pointing, okay?"
Xander lowered his hand and stepped back a little. Was he just going crazy? Seeing Anya? Seeing old women? Or just wishing that there was someone out there that could help Anya. "I saw her. She said... she could bring Anya back. If I stole that thing. She said she saw Anya and that Anya wanted to be set free."
"Oh, Xander... I believe you." Faith squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry." Well, this might explain the weird chill she'd been having since arriving in New York. This old lady was probably some kind of demon. "Okay. So... we need a back-up plan here."
"A back up plan?" he asked, looking at her but grateful that she wasn't pissed at him for being so crazy - or at least sounding like he was. "Faith, I don't think there's anything we can do." He shook his head. "Doing the whole 'failing Anya' thing all over again. Man, when's THAT ever gonna stop."
"Xander. You didn't fail her."
"Yeah! What do you think I've been trying to TELL you all this time, you stupid one-eyed goon!"
Xander swerved around at the figure before him. "A-Anya?" he gulped. "You're doing the talking out of your mouth thing."
Anya glanced past Xander at Faith. "My Xander, still master of the obvious..."
Faith shrugged. "Hey, some things never change..."
"And some things do," Anya pointed out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Miss Slayer Number Two, I have to beat my former fiance's head in for being so STUPID!"
Xander glanced between the two. "You can see her?" he asked Faith. Then he looked back at Anya. "And... what? Confused man standing right here."
"Sometimes I wonder why I ever wanted to marry you," Anya said, bluntly. "You are sometimes very odd and stupid and dumb. And that's sometimes not very becoming of a man. I'm here because I wanted to tell you that."
Xander just blinked. "You... came all the way... to tell me I'm stupid?"
"Yes. That and you are going to be eaten very soon because you just made an agreement with the Baba Yaga and failed, you dope!"
"You WHAT?" Faith exclaimed, giving Xander an incredulous look. "Tell me you didn't."
"What? What'd I do?" Xander was thoroughly caught off guard. "Still not in the 'know' here, girls!"
"The Baba Yaga," Anya answered as if he should've known. "You know, old woman, very short - and ugly and icky and has warts in places that shouldn't have anything. The lady who likes to eat people when they don't fulfill their part of the deal!"
This was all very new to Xander. He looked at Faith. "You know what that Baby Waga is?"
"No, not really, but it's gotta be pretty bad, right?" Faith asked with a crooked grin. "Seriously, Xander, makin' deals with messed-up old ladies?"
"But... she said that you wanted to be free," he told Anya. "And... I keep seeing you all over the place; what else am I supposed to think?"
Anya's face fell a little. "I know," she said, quietly. "I tried to say stuff, but sometimes being dead takes time to communicate with those who aren't. Sucks sometimes." She glanced at Faith. "It's lucky you have her to kill the Baba before she eats you, though."
"Oh. Yeah." Faith grinned. "Time to kick that ass, huh?"
"Yes," Anya said with a nod. "Yes. You're very good at that. The kicking of ass. And you have to stop her. She's old but she's strong so watch out for those veiny hands of hers. And are you and him going out?" she threw in.
"Uh... yeah," Faith admitted with an easy grin. "You're not gonna haunt us, are you?"
Anya paused. "I guess not. Maybe if he ended up with Buffy or something, I might find a way to haunt you. But, I guess you'll do. Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. But for some odd reason, I do think he'll watch his step more with you."
Faith grinned. "Or else I'll kick butt. Like I'm about to right now..." She glared at him. "Seriously, X-Man, not your brightest move... Now I gotta slay on an empty stomach."
Xander shrugged at Faith. "Um, sorry?" He glanced back at Anya. "Are you... gonna go now?" he asked.
Anya nodded. "Yes. I ... I really came to tell you... well, 'bye.' Never really got a chance since I got sucked up with the rest of that awful city of death and destruction. And... I also came to tell you that... you didn't fail me, Xander." She drew nearer to her former love. "You loved me like a human being should. Yes, you hurt me like a bitch, but you did love me and I knew that. I think you loved me enough to know we weren't meant to be married." She glanced between the two. "Who knows? Maybe you and her are meant to do that. She probably has better monkey sex than I could ever give; it's all in the stamina, I think."
"Oh, boy," Xander said, slapping his forehead.
"Monkey sex?" Faith repeated, grinning wickedly.
"It's a thing..." Xander began, but realized how none of it would come out correctly.
Faith laughed long and loud. Then she sobered. "Anya... nice seeing you again. You, uh, gonna be okay? There?"
Anya nodded. "Yes, I think so. It's kind of nice over here. Very airy. Sometimes, I get grapes. The harps are kind of annoying at times." She sighed, meeting with Faith's eyes. "But I'll be okay. And you better be good to Xander or I will haunt your ass off." She smiled briefly and sweetly at Faith then back at Xander. "Remember, Xander, you didn't fail. Now either you run right now or let Faith deal with the Baba Yaga that's right behind you!"
Faith was moving before Anya even finished saying 'behind' - she ducked low and spun, kicking with all her might. It was enough to cripple a regular person. Baba Yaga just shrugged it off, literally.
"Hello, pretty," she said, cackling and raising her hands - fingers more like talons - in Xander's direction.
Xander stepped back a little. "Hey, um, about that agreement. I didn't actually break it. I did have the thingy in my hands. It ... just didn't make it out of the house is all. And anyway, why with the importance of it? I can buy you one of those at the local pawn shop easily."
Baba Yaga reached out and wrapped one hand around Xander's throat. "Little fool... I'm going to eat you, you know," she said, ignoring Faith's second kick.
"Eat me?" Xander croaked. "I'm really bad tasting! Very, in fact! I, um, have that gangly taste that most people hate." He looked pleadingly at Faith a moment. "Um, h-how about we make another agreement?"
"What could I possibly want from you, you pasty failure?" Baba Yaga asked. With her free hand, she shoved Faith back a good five yards. "Tell me."
Xander cringed at the action taken on Faith, and he struggled a little as if he was planning to break out. "Can you stop pushing her down like that?" he asked, annoyed, but he had to think fast or else the only dinner they'd be having tonight was him.
"I could shatter her skull and eat her brains," the hideous old crone said in a conversational tone. "Slayer, stay THERE."
Faith stared angrily, but didn't move any closer. Too risky for Xander.
"Uh, how about we... uh, find another orb thing? Um, there has to be someone who has another one. I'll get it for you! Uh, WE will, I mean. Let me take Faith with me, and whatever you want, we can do."
"There are no other orbs. Not in this miserable steel city," Baba Yaga whined. "But... yes. You can help me. Both of you." Her eyes lit up and she began cackling.
"I take that 'nails-on-chalkboard' giggle of yours to mean, um, this could work?" Xander asked. "What is it?"
"I need you to do what Slayers do best," she replied, still cackling.
"Who?" Faith asked, glaring at the crone.
"Dmitri Senin. He's a vampire... you'll hate him."
"Wait, so, you want us - well, HER - to kill a vamp?" Xander asked.
"So smart!" Baba Yaga pinched Xander's cheek.
He glanced at Faith. "Say 'yes'" he mouthed. How could they fail that?
"Fine. Who's this asshat we gotta dust for you? He doesn't have a soul or anything, does he?"
Baba Yaga rolled her eyes. "Of course not. If he did, I would have eaten him long ago... he's a gangster. A thug. But a clever one... He'd sense me coming and run far far away."
"All right. Where's he hang out, then?"
She gave them the address - narrowing it down to 'a mile away' - and then stepped back. "Do the job and I'll find you."
Xander rubbed his throat. "Um, yay," he murmured, stepping a little behind Faith. He took her by the elbow and tried to lead her away, waving at the Baba. "See you soon, then," he said with a grin.
When they were a block away, he let out a sigh. "You CAN do this, right?" He looked around, a little sad that Anya was no longer with them. Maybe she had done what needed to be done and she could actually BE free. So Baba wasn't too far off.
"Well, it could all be some crazy set-up," Faith said. "But..." She shrugged. "One vamp? Long as he's not all bad-ass like Angelus, I think we'll be five by. You wanna sit this one out?"
"What? And let you go at it alone?" He shook his head. "No way. Besides..." He looked around. "Who knows what'll appear. Let's go." He nodded in the direction of where Baba told them.
Faith smiled. "All right."
Twenty minutes later, they reached a somewhat nicer area of the neighborhood. Faith suddenly stopped. "Whoa. Spider sense tingling... and did I really just say that? You're rubbin' off on me, geek," she whispered, looking around the block.
"I never had any tingling of any kind," Xander whispered back then paused. "Well, not in the spider sense, that is."
Russian gangster... so probably the biggest, swankiest house around. She spotted it. "All right. Let's go around back. Watch out for dogs," she said with a wink.
"Ha. Ha." He followed closely behind her, his eyes scanning the area as they approached a large, stone back porch. The moonlight gleamed down on the area.
"Whats we gots here?" came a voice from behind Xander.
He turned around and came face to gun barrel with two mobster dressed vampires. "Oh, boy..."
Faith pulled him down and, yelling "Sorry!", used Xander's back as a sort of trampoline that propelled her right into the two vampires. The guns went flying, luckily neither one went off, and Faith tackled the vampires to the ground. A short flurry of blows later, she got up.
The vampires didn't.
"You okay?" she asked Xander. "Sorry about that."
Xander got to his feet, rubbing his back. "Yeah, but for someone who hasn't eaten, maybe you should lay off on the stuff you do manage to eat." He couldn't help but grin at her. He could be the only guy on earth to say stuff like that and survive... maybe.
"I eats my spinach, what can I say?"
He looked over at where the two vamps had been, grabbing the gun they had left behind. "This could be useful," he said, raising it up.
"You know how to use that?" Faith asked curiously.
Xander went about testing the magazine and popping it back in with relative ease. "Yeah, sort of. You'd be surprised. The stuff I do know." He smiled and had it ready at his side.
Faith grinned. "You're even sexier than I thought," she said, wondering where he'd picked up the art of gunslinging.
"Then you must not have been thinking that much," he commented. "I don't know how much good it would do on vampires, though. I guess we can do the finding out part."
"Well, at least it'll slow 'em down, right?" Faith said as they crept closer to the back door of the mobster's house. She stopped near the door, studying it, then shrugged and threw a rock through it. "We probably want to hurry now."
Xander cringed. "Uh, yeah, nice tactic," he whispered as the house started to light up. Some other vampires started to appear from some doors. "Oops, where do we go?" he asked, pointing the gun towards them and fired two shots. His aim was slightly off, due to the new perspective from the eye patch.
Faith took advantage of the gunshot distraction and tackled the nearest vampire. "Where's Dmitri?" she asked even as she pressed the tip of a stake up against his chest.
"Upsta - " was all he got out before Faith drove the stake home and, before the vampire was even completely dusted, she charged at the other two.
"Go!" Xander said, shooting at two others. "The idea of wooden bullets would be great right now." But he had to make do with what he had. And that was exactly what he was trying to do.
Faith made quick work of her two, then looked back to see how Xander was doing.
She raced up the stairs two at a time, reaching the top and plowing right through the vampire standing there. Unfortunately, the next one - presumably the big boss, judging by the obscene amount of gold medals he was wearing - didn't look to be so easy. "Hey, Dmitri..."
Dmitri was a little confused at the sole vampire guard that ended up on the other side of the room. "What's goin' on here?" he asked, glaring at Faith. "Who the fuck are youse?"
Faith stared at him for a few seconds. "Whoa. You really talk like that? All the time?"
"Comin' from some who sounds like they come from Boston, I wouldn't be talking, bitch," he sneered.
"Oh, yeah. Insult the hometown, that'll make me happy."
"What's a little dame like youse doin', comin' in here?" He pulled out a crossbow from behind his desk.
Faith jumped up on to the desk and delivered a spinning kick to Dmitri before he could pull the trigger. "Kicking your ass, mainly," she told him as she jumped down off the desk.
The chains around his neck weren't exactly there for better fighting moves. He stumbled onto the ground, losing the crossbow as it flew across the room. "Damn! Youse a Slayer, ain't you?" he murmured, trying to reach the crossbow. Not really to use it on her, but getting it before she could use it on him.
"Brilliant! What gave it away?" Faith asked as she made a grab for the crossbow.
He put his hand into his boot as he reached for the crossbow and pulled out a small gun. He turned, swiftly, and fired a shot at her.
Faith grunted as the bullet tore a nasty little gash along her shoulder. "Fucker!" She dived at Dmitri before he could get another shot off and snatched the gun out of his hand - breaking a few of his fingers in the process. "Didn't your mother ever tell you?"
Dmitri screamed in pain, wondering where his guards were. He held his hand, staring at Faith. He had heard about Slayers, knew a few vampires who had met up and didn't survive with them, but he had never come face to face with one. "Wh-What the hell do youse want? I didn't do nothin' to youse, Slayer!"
"You're a vampire. Slayer. Vampire. Do I need to beat you up some more to make it clearer?" Faith asked, sticking the gun under his chin.
Dmitri raised his chin up from the pressure. "I'm just askin'... what do youse want? I-I'll give you anythin'! I know a lot of people, Slayer. I's can get you anything you want." He cringed, just wanting to get her off his back.
"How about you stop talking like Tony Soprano's retarded cousin?" Faith suggested calmly.
"Oh-okay," he said with a nod. "Youse... you got it, Slayer. Now, can we just talk and tell me what you're lookin' for?" Maybe if he bought time, though the gunshots from below weren't a good sign. He smelled the blood coming out of her graze and he stared at it, his arousal going up for blood - Slayer's blood.
Faith gave him a look of complete contempt. "Thing is, Dmitri, I found what I'm looking for... So you have about zero seconds to make me a deal." To emphasize the point, she pushed the gun deeper into his chins, wondering just how a vampire could get fat and deciding she really didn't need or want to know.
"Uh-um... You want me to help off a demon that's on your pretty, little ass of yours?" he offered. "Or how 'bout I make sure none of my kind are around, leave you alone to kill... I mean, 'bother' others."
"Hmm..." Faith pretended to consider the offer, but there was no way this situation was going to end with Dmitri not dust.
The gunshots had stopped downstairs suddenly.
"Who sent you? I know someone had to have sent you 'cause Slayers had all this time to come waltzin' in here, and I ain't done nothing to make you suspicious to come hunt me down."
"The name's Baba Yaga, not that it matters to you. Know why?" Faith asked, smiling sweetly.
"Baba..." Dmitri cursed under his nonbreath. "Damn her. She's not gonna get it!"
"Get what?" Faith demanded, her smile fading to a confused look.
Dmitri looked at the Slayer. "This round thing I's stole from her back in the 30's. Wanted to sell to to the black market, but didn't want her to get her crinkly damn hands on it. Plus, it's gonna cost more on eBay." He shook his head. "I ain't giving it to her. She can go eat whoever she damn well wants to!"
"Oh, that's what all this is about? Thanks!" Faith smiled as she drove the stake through his heart.
"What? No - " POOF!
Find Xander and get the hell out before the cops show up. She wished he'd gone easier on the gunplay...
Downstairs, vampires were sprawled out everywhere, holding their busted kneecaps. They were moaning and groaning, some of them surviving dusting, others wishing they were dusted.
But their groans were the only sounds.
"Where's the boy?" one growled, furious. He was scrambling to his barely there legs. "I'm going to suck him dry!"
"What about the boss?" a second one called. "We gotta make sure he's okay!"
"Too late for that," Faith said. She strolled through the walking wounded and staked them. It was like shooting fish in a barrel and she couldn't help but laugh as they tried to shuffle away.
That done, she looked around for Xander, worried now.
There was a noise from the large kitchen and the figure of Xander came clumsily stumbling out of one of the bottom cabinets. "Ouch!" he cried, slapping to the tile floor. He stood up, wincing. He waved over to Faith. "I ran out of bullets. And table legs. They need to learn to put more wooden furniture here."
"Yeah, well, the next owner can worry about it."
He paused, seeing the blood on her shoulder. "Did you get shot?" he asked.
"Only a little. We don't have time, we gotta get out of here. And fast. NYPD's gonna show up any second," Faith told Xander. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the back door.
"Uh, okay!" he cried, not really having a choice. "So I take it you dusted whoever was up there?"
"Like there was any doubt?" Faith asked as they quickly crossed over the yard.
"Was he just not a big fan of the old woman?"
"Yeah. Can you believe that bitch? This was all about getting ANOTHER fucking Orb," Faith said. "I vote we just get the hell out of New York, Xander."
Xander glanced back at the house then followed as best he could behind Faith. "Going Orb-free," he remarked. "You don't think Baba's gonna come waltzing around and still wanting to eat me 'cause not part of my itinerary for the Big Apple."
"By the time she figures out we split, we'll be halfway to DC. Or wherever," Faith pointed out. "And don't worry. I won't let her eat you."
As they walked towards the motel, he glanced behind him once again. Thanks, Ahn, he thought with a smile.
"So where do you think we should hit next, anyway?" Faith asked as they reached the old motel. "Maybe Charm City?"
"Charm City?" he asked walking them through the lobby.
"Baltimore, Xander. Bawlmer." Faith grinned. "I got into this thing with this nasty cross-eyed vampire there... cured him right before I staked him. It was kinda cool..."
"You cured him? Uh, how's that?"
Faith laughed. "Kicked the shit out of his face. Good times..."
He thought a moment. "What's near here anyway? Maine? Oh, wait, nothing but lobsters. Hey, how about the City of Brotherly Love?" he suggested as he took them up the stairs. "There's always an appeal of a state when 'love' is in its nick name."
"Why wait?" Faith asked as they reached the second floor of the hotel.
"Hey, not stopping with the wait," he said as they entered their room.
"That's what I love about you..." Faith turned and looked him over. "Well, one of them," she added. "Guess we should... pack." shook her head as she got her bags together. "Remember how I was telling you we'd love New York, Xander?"
Xander nodded coming up to her with a damp towel and placing it gingerly on her shoulder.
"Thanks." The wound was already mostly healed, but it still hurt like hell.
"Yeah. You mentioned alligators and all I saw were ghosts and creepy scary women. I know what I DO love, though..." He smiled.
Faith grinned at Xander. "Hot monkey sex?"
"Well, I was gonna go for the tender, sweet answer of 'you,' but yeah, hot monkey sex can fill that blank, too." He kissed her. "Can't we just stay the night? I promise, one weird thing happens, we can do the posty out of dodge thing. Then we can go where the wind takes us... and boy, that was cheesy."
"Shh... let's go back to the 'staying the night' part and work from there," Faith said, pushing Xander over to the bed.
The next morning, Faith and Xander were ready to go. Exiting their room, Xander was talking about going to Philadelphia. "You think we could see the Liberty Bell? Don't know why, but I've always been interested in seeing..." He trailed when he saw the leggy woman standing in the hallway. "Uh... what was I saying - hi there." He grinned at the woman. "Are you lost? 'Cause I can find."
The dark-haired woman stared at Xander, smiling wickedly as she looked him up and down... and up and down.
"Xander, don't make new friends," Faith muttered.
"It's good to make new friends, Faith," he said, his eyes stuck to the woman.
"Ohhh, no. I'm an old friend," the woman purred.
"Old friend?" Xander looked closely at the woman; as close was legally possible. "Um, how do I know you?"
Faith placed a hand on Xander's shoulder, squeezing with just a hint of Slayer strength. She wasn't in the mood for his roving eye antics.
"Ouch..." Xander said with a wince, backing off. "Shouldn't your injured shoulder weaken you just a bit?" he whispered to her.
"You forgot me already, dearie? Look into my eyes..." the woman whispered.
Xander glanced at Faith as if for permission then looked back at the woman, squinting slightly. Then it hit him where the eyes were seen once before. "Holy... Baba?"
The woman nodded happily. "So you do have some brains behind that little eye patch," she said, patting him on the cheek. "Thank you, dearie. I couldn't have done it without you."
Xander stepped back a little, nudging Faith a little ahead of him. "Done what... exactly?" He really didn't want to end the meeting as dinner.
"Maybe you don't, then," Baba Yaga said. She grabbed Xander and pulled him close, tilted his head down, then pushed him back. "I'm young again."
"I noticed," Faith said, wondering where this was going. "How the hell - "
Baba Yaga reached into her dress and pulled out a small glass orb. "This."
Xander stared at the orb. "You... got it. From that vampire Faith killed?"
The now-young witch laughed. "He's handsome, dear, but not too bright," she told Faith. "Yes. Thank you for killing him... he was such a tiresome thing."
"This orb... it makes you look hot? I mean, 'young.' YOUNG. Wow." He smiled slightly. "Um, that means no eating, right?"
"Not today, at least," Baba Yaga assured him.
"That's good enough for me, since we're leaving," Faith said.
"Right. Me. Leaving. With her." He pointed to Faith. "My friend of girlness. So... before I do something else stupid, we'll see you later."
The witch smiled cheerfully. "I'm sure you will..."
He waved and pulled Faith back towards the stairs to the lobby to check out. "So, we handled that well."
"No violence, even," Faith pointed out. "Now... let's get the hell outta here. Time to check out the City of Brotherly Love."