Chapter 21 ~ Strategy
As sundown approached, Binnemon and his men awoke. The cellars of the old winery was a perfect lair. It had running water…cold…but vampires aren’t particular about water temperature. Cleanliness? Not a top priority either, but those were Binne’s rules and so far life had been sweet. He taught them that in order to move among the living without raising suspicion they had to make a good appearance. Vampires naturally have a rather off scent about them… He told them, “Dead don’t smell good.” Showers, meticulously clean clothes and cologne were a must.
Binnemon remembered how quickly he tired of Fiona’s endless tales of the old ways. She delighted beating him until he understood that he was one of the lucky ones connected with a master vampire but he learned his lessons well. A careless vampire had an extremely short life span. Nevertheless, Binne had ideas of his own. He began working out details the moment Fiona dusted. Finding the job at the school was a stroke of luck and after a year of scouting local towns and villages for likely victims, he began turning the guards. The headmaster hired them because they were older, lonely men without ties and would make the school their home. They fit perfectly into his scheme. With the minions, he could test his theory without placing himself in harm’s way.
Binne made a schedule for them written in coal on the wall of one of the large vat rooms. He permitted let them to feed every other night, with human blood that was more than adequate. Half of them would patrol the campus where any biting was strictly off limits. The other half would run, literally run. It appeased the instinct for the hunt calming them for the delicate encounter to come. He selected good targets from hundreds of small towns and villages within a fifty-kilometer radius. As long as they followed his instructions and stuck to the plan, they would be able to go back to a town about every three weeks. By training his fledges to hunt in this manner, he proved to himself that his plan worked.
The minions had been hunting under his rule for a little more than six months, he thought as they all readied themselves for the hunt. They knew he set himself to be the one to test the girls at the school, and were waiting for the day when it would be their turn. Sensing unrest, before they left the lair, Binne called a brief meeting. He needed to remind them that biting was strictly off limits on the campus. He was clearly agitated. Low muttering and foul language filled the room. Butler lifted his brow, and looked thoughtfully at Binnemon, as did Miller and Duffy.
The problem was that Binne was upset with himself. He was afraid he was losing control. That girl’s blood set him on fire. He could think of little else. He wanted to get back there and taste another girl. He needed to know if it was just Armstrong. What if they all that powerful blood? He sat down to ease the pressure in his trousers just thinking about it. It had been two days since biting Armstrong and he still felt the effects of her blood. He wanted her again. He wanted another. He wanted them all.
~~~
Still busy with late afternoon work, Giles heard his office door open. Without lifting his eyes he said, “Adele, please, no more interruptions. Mr. Harris’ impromptu visit has set me back considerably.” When there was no comment in return, he looked up, and there stood Spike and Buffy. Glowing. Beaming. Now Giles knew he had made the right decision. He hadn’t trusted it until this very moment.
“Buffy,” he said as he stood and rounded the desk for a hug. He held on to her long enough for Spike to clear his throat, which made him laugh out loud. “God it is so good to see you. Let me look at you.” Never releasing her, he leaned back and studied Buffy’s face. “Rested? No, that’s not it…something…”
“Better leave it at rested, Giles.” Buffy said, chuckling. Spike just stood back and watched with a pleased expression on his face, something akin to a cat with a full bowl of cream.
Taking a chair while Spike stood behind her, hand on her shoulder, fingers caressing her neck, Buffy said, “Thank you so much for these days, Giles. The cottage, the baskets…it’s been a …oh, you know…only better.”
“As I expected, Buffy. You see, I do listen. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned. After spending several days visiting with Spike before you arrived, I realized the matter was entirely out of my hands. It was time for me to do whatever I could to make it perfect. I do have a romantic side, you know.”
Spike spoke up, “So it would seem. Any more of that brandy around, Rupes?”
“A smidgen, but enough to share…brandy for you too, Buffy?”
“No thanks, Giles. Maybe some wine. I’ll bet you have a nice stock of it somewhere.”
“Actually, no, but I have some cream sherry. That will be to your liking, I think. Sweet.”
“You called me Sweet. That’s nice.” Buffy said.
“No, I meant the sherry is quite sweet, but, “ Giles said, clearing his throat, “you are a sweet girl, it’s true.”
“Right, you know me, all about the sweet stuff…sweets for the sweet…!”
With drinks poured, Buffy raised her glass. Following her lead, both gentlemen raised their glasses and waited. Buffy smiled and said, “To the Scoobies.”
The two men nodded and repeated, “The Scoobies.”
The buzz of the intercom interrupted the awkward silence that followed. “Mr. Harris on line three, Mr. Giles.”
Giles was amused as he thought, saved by the bell. He picked up the telephone and acknowledged Xander. After listening for a few moments he said, “No, that’s not necessary. We’ll still meet at seven this evening. In fact, why don’t you dash over to my office now? I have something I want to show you.” He grinned and winked at the couple as he hung up.
Buffy and Spike exchanged glances when the call came. As Giles replaced the phone in it's cradle, Buffy asked, “You think he’ll be OK with this…with us?”
Spike interjected, “He’d bloody well better be,” as he moved both hands firmly to her shoulders. She brought her hand up, caught his, and kissed his palm.
Giles observed the tender moment and felt like a voyeur. Then he realized that his business day was over and started straightening his papers and said, “He may be startled at first. I had hoped that we would deal with this situation this evening over drinks and snacks at my cottage, but since he called, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Giles sighed with relief when Mrs. Reed’s voice announced that Xander had arrived.
Before he could respond, Xander came bounding through the door with his usual gusto. “Something to show me? You never want to show …! His jaw dropped as he spied Buffy.
“Buffy!”
He grabbed her, hugged her and swung her in circles, “Buffy, Buffy, Buffy, Buffy, Buffy….”
He slowed. “Spike. Spike…Spike with Buffy?"
He shrugged, “OK, then, Buffy with Spike!” He grabbed Buffy again and gathered her into a tight hug.
Giles exhaled the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and chuckled. Xander never ceased to surprise.
Buffy broke in on what she hoped was a positive note, “Look at you, all Watchery! So, how are the studies going? You think you’re going to like it?” She furrowed her eyebrows, “You do remember that Giles was the grown-up?” and then she whispered, …”The enemy? Are you ready to be somebody’s grown-up?”
Spike snickered in the background.
“I heard that bleach boy.” Then, in an affected mature voice, he said, “Quite ready.” They all laughed. Xander added, “Yeah, Giles has my back and he says it’s going good.” He looked to Giles for confirmation.
Giles cleared his throat, removed his glasses and said, “Apart from his misuse of the English language, Xander is doing very well indeed. Of course, he has many years training ahead of him.”
“Years?” Xander said sounding like Scooby Doo.
~~~
All was right with the world. Giles leaned back in his chair and savored the moment. It happened so seldom, he was determined to enjoy it while he could. Xander suggested they all go to The Riderless Horse for a beer and something to eat. Buffy jumped at the idea. It did his heart good to see her so happy. He begged off, pleading his work. They agreed they would meet at his cottage at seven.
~~~
“So,” Xander queried, “let me get this straight. Binne is a vampire.”
“Yes, Xander, for the third time, Mr. Binnemon, our cheerful night guard at the main building, is a vampire as are all of the night guards, apparently,” Giles repeated.
“And we know this because MacGregor told you….MacGregor, who is also a vampire….”
“Right again.”
“OK, this may seem like a silly question, but am I the only human on staff? Wait!" I’d know if I was a vampire, right?" Xander's eyes widened, "And hey, come to think of it, Giles, I haven’t seen you in daylight lately, either.”
Giles sense of humor was waning. “Yes, Xander, you’re quite right, YOU are the only human on staff and I too am a vampire! Grrr Arrgh! Now, if you don’t mind can we get this Pseudo Scooby meeting moving along, please?”
Spike and Buffy held their tongues although they were both dying to jump in and continue the fun. They didn’t dare meet eyes lest they burst into laughter.
Giles was no longer in the mood for laughter. Something else was weighing heavily on his mind and he wanted to get to it. “Binne has submitted his resignation. He cited health reasons.”
”…or terminal lack of it,” said Xander.
“He may suspect we’re on to him but I rather think not. I mentioned before that I make certain to interview all the employees.” As he spoke, Giles went to the kitchen and carried out a carefully prepared tray of fruit, cheese and fresh crusty bread and a bottle of wine tucked under his arm.
“Right Rupert, and we all know how well that went,” said Spike.
“Ah, very clever, Spike. Your wit astounds me. Please go to the kitchen and bring in some wine glasses, thank you.” He sat on the edge of the couch and opened the bottle of wine. “I’ve thought about that. MacGregor said that all the night guards are vampires. Even conceding that I may have made a mistake, which I sincerely doubt, I refuse to accept that I hired vampires. I propose that Binne was turned after he was hired. I’ll give him this, he’s a clever fellow, he’s little more than a fledge himself.”
Spike, banging around the kitchen hollered, “Giles, do you want me to bring in the jelly jars with Charlie and Lola on them, or the old set with the WB characters?”
“Look more carefully Spike, there are wine glasses in the cupboard.”
“Well, would you look at that! See? Living with a vampire brought a little class into your pitiful life. Keep this up and you may actually have a shag one of these days.” Spike said as he returned to the living room with the glasses. He put them on the table, curled himself up in Giles’ favorite chair, and pulled Buffy down onto his lap. She wriggled, he growled, and Xander and Giles looked very uncomfortable.
“So what’s the big deal, Giles?” Buffy asked. “We’ve taken out bigger vamp nests than this every day in Sunnydale. What’s so special about this one?”
Giles went on to explain that the fact that they infiltrated the school had huge implications for the entire network of schools. He was not going to let on to them that the problem probably wasn’t quite as big as he was implying, but the possibility was there and it terrified him. He brought out a dry erase board. Xander and Spike broke into whoops and whistles, and then agreed, gravely, that Giles was spending too much time with Andrew.
Giles frowned as he chose between four colors of marker. "Ah, but never forget one picture is worth a thousand words and I'm man enough to admit that he proved to me that illustration works."
He explained that as of yet, there was no evidence of any attacks on campus, however, it was safe to assume that was Binne’s goal. So he wrote School in red on the top of the board. He underlined it twice.
With that as a given, he surmised that they could assume that Binne knew the girls were slayers and their blood had special properties. He wrote Slayers under School, also in red
Spike raised his hand.
“Yes, Spike.”
“I think I see a problem”
“All right,” Giles said, eager for input. He readied his marker.
“You should have started with the black marker. You want to stress a point with the red, right? Shouldn’t ‘have started with red.”
With his jaw muscles twitching, Giles said, “Thank you, Spike. May I go on?”
“Please.” Spike answered and never cracked a smile.
Giles erased the board, put down the markers and sat down. His tone was near pleading as he went on, “People…this is not a joke. The time for joking is over. Don’t you see how far reaching the implications are? Good Lord, how far has this gone?” He stood and began pacing. “This is not an apocalypse…it’s worse. Binnemon isn’t the Master, or the First. He's a common, ordinary vampire…and from what MacGregor says, not even a particularly astute vampire.” He looked each of them in the eye. “The Council, an organization pledged to protect humanity from vampires has allowed a clever vampire to gain a foothold right under our noses.” Giles slumped to the couch, “I...allowed it.”
Considerably subdued, the team listened as he went on with his tale of doom, gloom and disaster.
Perhaps it was because Giles sat behind a desk distanced from any real danger for so long that he was so quick to panic. Time was, his level head had made the team so effective. Now, already in panic mode, he was outlining plans to deal with an attempted annihilation of the slayer line. They hadn’t even started research.
~~~
“Good morning, Boss," Xander said blowing into Giles office with the chill morning air still rolling off of him despite a ride on the lift and navigating several hallways. His hands were full and he used his butt to bump the door open and kicked it with his foot to make it swing wide. "I brought doughnuts." He spied Spike and smiled, "Dead Thing." Putting the box on the desk, he pulled off his cap and stuffed it in his coat pocket and said, "I figured serious research needed fuel. Sweet and chocolatey goodness counts as nutrition." He caught Buffy's eye and his smile widened, "Buffy. Sorry Giles, no jellies!”
Giles, who was already engrossed in trying to find something on vampires who didn’t bite necks looked up, clearly disappointed, “No jellies?….A blueberry scone, then?”
“No! I keep reminding you, scones are not doughnuts. I think you’re slipping old man.”
“Yes, slipping. That reminds me….that evaluation I was working on….the one that relates to the possible increase in wages for student watchers….I have to remember to note that the budget really won’t allow…..”
“OK, OK, I get it….I just wanted to turn the clock back to a time before tweed.”
“Xander!”
“Right… So… I brought coffee since this is a tea only zone and I even brought a steaming hot cup of congealed A neg in a thermal mug for our team member without a heart….”
“Oi!”
“Heart…..beat. Heartbeat…you interrupted me.”
Giles cleared his throat and took off his glasses to polish. He confessed he had no success in discovering more about these vampires. Buffy scolded him for researching when he had promised to wait until morning. He admitted that once a puzzle was set before him it was nigh impossible for him to let it rest. “The good news is that I fashioned a game plan that I think will work and I’d like to fill you all in.
Spike leaned back in his chair and said, “Whoa, looks like the watcher grew a pair overnight!”
“Yes, I did.” Giles said firmly, which brought quiet to the room and permitted him to outline his plan.
The first was what to do about the night guards. He conceded that it was very hard for him to sleep knowing the girls were being guarded by vampires. What kind of a person would allow demons to continue unfettered access to those innocents in his charge?
Buffy was the first to speak. “I understand what you’re saying Giles, and honestly, I was having the same problem.”
Spike interrupted, “Really? Your snoring and sputtering struck me as s a pretty good sign of sleep.”
“Too Much Information for the oupgray,” Buffy sang. “Seriously, I thought about it and realized there were lots of nights we chose not to patrol for one reason or another…and……and lots of nights we decided to quit early and we KNEW there were still lots of bad guys out there with access to the whole population of Sunnydale. See? Not really that much difference!” These girls are slayers…right? Not exactly innocents…. OK, yes, innocents, but trained innocents with special skills. It’s not exactly like they’re without defenses.” She finished standing up with her hands on her hips looking every bit the self-righteous thunderbolt that she was.
Spike watched her in awe. He wiggled in his seat to…adjust himself.
Giles shrugged and raised his brows, “Point taken." He wiped cream filling from his chin.
Spike spoke up and admitted that he’d put a little thought into the matter too. “Bein’ all Big Bad an’ all, I just want to take ‘em out, but I realized if we did that we wouldn’t know any more than we do now…research notwithstanding. Besides, I been around a long time and got my ear to the ground, and while I don’t know everything about my kind, I sure as hell would have known about vamps that are dainty with their kills. So,” he hesitated, “I have to think all the time you’re spending in books is likely to be a bloody waste of time. Capture one and we’ll learn what we need to know….and just to show how much I want to help, I’ll offer up my services to do the torturin.’”
“What a guy!…You’d do that for us? Wow!” Xander leaned back and put his feet up on the desk. Giles glared at the offending size twelves. Xander put his legs down and planted his feet on the floor. His tone became serious. "Honestly? I think Spike has a good idea. OK, not so much the torturing part, but capturing one of the minions to gather intelligence has merit."
Spike said, "I knew it. See that, Giles. Even Xander agrees with me."
"As it happens, I am in complete agreement," said Giles. "Let's put that down as the first phase of our plan. Now, I've already contacted Willow. She's checking the Internet to see if she can find anything on Binnemon.”
Xander said, “I can help with that. Since I’ve been here, I’ve gotten good at navigating the information highway. I told you I wanted to help. Better jump at it, Giles, I may not be so willing when I get busy Watching.”
Giles was stunned. “Really. My haven’t you suddenly become assertive.” He took a deep breath before continuing. He was dealing with an internal struggle. Chastise Xander for his tone or recognize that he was no longer dealing with a child. As he studied Xander, the answer was apparent. “This is hard for me Xander, but I suspect an apology is in order. I have to start thinking of you as more than just help in the field. To be honest, I was thinking you might work with Spike and Buffy in capturing the guard.”
“Bait, huh?”
“Well, yes. You’ve already proven your…numminess. Need I say, Dracula?”
Xander rolled his eyes, “I thought we agreed that we would never say that name again. OK, I’ll be the worm on the hook, the salt lick in the woods, the hooker on the corner…”
“Enough,” said Giles.
Xander pointed at Spike, “and don’t you be getting any ideas.”
Buffy wrapped herself around Spike and said, “No worries. I’m all the nummy he needs.”
Hanging his head, Xander said, “Awww, I walked right into that one.”
Wearing a sly, lusty smile, Spike shifted his hold on Buffy so that her bottom pressed flush against him. His voice was a low growl as he said, “So, we about ready to wrap this up? I have things to do, places to be.”
There was little doubt what Spike had to do and where he was going to be. Grateful for a change of subject and knowing full well it could be explosive, Giles removed his glasses and said, “One thing more. "I've made the decision to hire MacGregor as my assistant."
Xander paled.
"You bloody fool. You're planning to hire someone you hardly know--a vampire--when we're besieged with vampires? He could be behind the entire thing for all we know. Meanwhile, you've got the boy… ." Spike stopped and looked at Xander. "The man over there, whose mettle has been tested more than once. Who's saved the world. Who's got the scars to prove his courage. Have you lost your mind?"
“Perhaps you are forgetting that Xander is training to be a Watcher. That is where his true value lies.” Giles answered. “We need Watchers. I’m hiring a number cruncher. His chief qualification, ironically, is that he is a vampire. I can trust that he understands the sensitive nature of our work and the danger in exposure. Why would I waste Xander as a glorified secretary” After a conciliatory glance at Xander, he went on to explain that they actually did know a considerable amount about MacGregor.
Giles held up a manila envelope with MacGregor’s transcripts and a glowing letter of recommendation from the University at Edinborough. MacGregor was in fact Doctor MacGregor with PhDs in English, Theater, Education and Administration. He said that when he called and inquired about MacGregor he spoke with the Chamberlain who was delighted that MacGregor was going to keep working and was in good health.
The discussion continued a while longer, Giles citing MacGregor's relationship with Enfield, and insisting that Binnemon was quite likely to recognize MacGregor as a vampire, and be moved to act. Giles said, "We'll be waiting for him when he does."
Finally Spike and Xander both agreed that Giles' decision was sound.
Buffy crossed her arms, and began tapping her foot.
"You have a concern that hasn't been addressed?" Giles removed his glasses again.
"Yes, I do. Who's MacGregor?"
~~~
They spent the rest of the morning working out a plan. The first thing was to contact Willow and let her fingers do the walking through the Internet. They decided that what she could do in a few hours it would take them days to find out. Buffy and Spike would take over the guards’ duties until Giles could hire some new people. With at least an outline of a plan, the group was satisfied and prepared to go their separate ways.
As they filed out the door, the last thing Giles heard was Spike muttering to Buffy, ““I had to save the world consumed in Hellfire before he’d hire me. Why the fuck didn’t he ever ask me about my degrees?”
~~~
In the days that followed, the little band kept their operation as covert as possible to avoid spooking Binnemon and his minions.
Willow was doing the Internet research for them as surreptitiously as possible. The Council monitored Internet activity regarding paranormal and metaphysical searches and they certainly did not want them to get wind of the situation.
She was unable to find any documentation on Binnemon at all. From that, they deduced that he either he was a young vampire or had been extraordinarily cautious. Her best source was newspaper articles wherein the reporter speculated that the deaths were mysterious and noted a link due to a loss of blood far greater than the wound would imply. When the victims were found, they appeared to have died from a somewhat natural (well, not demonic) cause. Usually the trauma would be the assumed cause of death. The so-called accidents were random, separated by distance and time. Hence, the bodies would not draw the attention of lawmakers, demon hunters or watchers. There were no articles indicating that an official investigation took place.
Willow started with a worldwide search and now she would narrow it to England and most specifically the Gloucester area. Perhaps she would learn something from the news and obits. Since they were theorizing that Binnemon was not an elder vampire, she would do a reverse search.
~~~
Spike and Buffy remained quartered in the cottage and during the day, they accepted teaching duties at the school. They patrolled each evening after sundown and were eliminating the guards one by one to avoid making Binnemon unnecessarily suspicious. They knew it was risky to leave the vampires patrolling but since there had not been any attacks, it was a calculated risk they felt warranted. They also encountered a number of demons. Giles was ashamed and embarrassed because he was completely unaware of that sort of danger in the area. He knew Gloucester had history dating back to ancient times, but there were no records in the Watcher’s Libraries of specific demon activity.
MacGregor acclimated to his position as an evening guard without any problems. So far, he had not encountered Binnemon, but met several of the other guards. His business with them had been purely professional as guardians of the school. They seemed like innocent, friendly chaps. It disturbed him when he learned of their staking. He realized increasingly each day that he was the innocent. He kept himself quartered in the crypt in the old cemetery. His had been a solitary life and wished it to remain that way. Enfield was still getting his blood. They changed his shift to avoid putting him in danger.
Buffy worried about Spike. They always came home from patrol with cuts and scratches. She noticed his wounds were slow in healing. She was glad that MacGregor was sharing the human blood.
Xander became melancholy as weeks went by. Seeing Buffy and Spike together reminded him of his loneliness. He was hard at work studying and spending more time in the library helping with the research. His Internet connection was too much of a temptation. He found that submerging himself in research was like the old days.
~~~
It was after midnight when Spike and Buffy returned from patrol and heard Buffy’s cell phone ringing as they unlocked the door. She answered without checking the ID and had to pull the phone away from her ear.
Dawn screamed out of the phone, “Spike’s alive?”
“Hi Dawn.” Buffy rolled her eyes as she hit the mute button.
Spike smirked. “She knows? How the hell did she find out?”
“I am so gonna kill Xander. I’ll bet Xander sold us out.” Buffy hit the mute button again.
“You muted me? You….muted me? You bitch! Spike is alive and you didn’t tell me? When did you find out? How is he alive? Where are you? Are you really in England with Giles or on some exotic island with Spike? You’re not dead again are you? No…that’s just silly….besides, you wouldn’t have answered your phone….”
“Dawn. Stop. Just give me one minute.” Buffy was able to get the words in between the questions. When Dawn finally stopped, Buffy spoke, “Spike is with me now.”
“He is? Let me talk to him.”
“In a minute. Let me explain first.” Buffy was exasperated.
“No. Let Spike do the explaining. Like I can believe anything out of your duplicitous mouth.” Dawn was proud of her big words. Duplicitous = lying, sneaky. Yup, that’s Buffy.
“Duplicitous? I’m gonna have to look that up. Oh, right. You go to college and I pay for it!”
“Hey, so now you know what you’re getting for your dollar.” Dawn finally stooped to begging. “Put him on…please.”
Buffy smiled and handed the phone to Spike. She knew there was something very special between them. Dawn was a little in love with Spike. She couldn’t blame her now, could she? But she was secure that their relationship was somewhere between sibling and friend. No…more than that. If she let herself think too much she’d be jealous. She understood that Dawn had a place in Spike’s heart that would never be hers. She took a deep breath and thought… S’OK, I get the rest!
They were on the phone long enough for Buffy to shower and change. God only knows what on earth they talked about but half the time Spike was laughing….not something you expect from William the Bloody Scourge of Europe. He hung up before giving her a chance to say bye but he told her that Dawn (aka Bit) would be coming for Thanksgiving.
“I told her we don’t do Thanksgiving, but she told me that you and Xander did and she was coming to join you….oh, and Giles.”
“Good. It’ll be fun. She’ll stay at the dorm.”
“Why can’t she stay here?” Spike asked.
“Because I’m not sharing!” Buffy said as she pinched his bum.
~~~
Binnemon watched as the guards straggled in from work. One short again tonight. Were they taking off on their own? He considered questioning them but already knew they would give the usual answer. "Don't know. No. Nothing unusual happened. Business as usual." Stupid minions. Did they really think he believed their bullshit?
"Bastard, starving us when all those plump little girls are ripe for the pickin’." One of the vampires lagging behind groused to another.
Binnemon heard and backhanded him to the ground. The other vampires scattered, and gaped, wondering how a fat little old man could move so fast. Binnemon jerked the victim to his feet.
"Son of a Bitch." Binnemon said, smashing the vampire's cheek. Bone cracked. Binnemon carefully planted another blow in the same place. Again. And Again. He dropped the battered vampire, and hissed, "You need me, Matthew. I, on the other hand, don't need you, no way, no how."
He rounded on the other vampires. "I don't need any of you. You're worthless, dead-meat, idiots that would be ash in the wind if I didn't tell you what to do."
"Mark."
Binnemon swung back to the vampire on the ground, incredulous. "What did you say?"
"Name…Mark."
"No." Binnemon ripped a slat of wood from a nearby rack and plunged it into Mark's chest. "It's Ash."
The minions backed against the wall and tried to look small.
"Anybody else got somethin’ to say?" Binnemon grinned savagely, satisfied with the chorus of 'No!'s. "Get to your duties or I’ll forget to be nice.” He grabbed the bottle of wine left exposed when he broke the rack. He leaned against the broken rack. Stupid sods wouldn’t be comin’ near him anytime soon. He pulled the cork and poured the liquid down his throat, grateful it hadn’t turned to vinegar but thinking about the glorious drinking he planned for later.
He watched as they got busy with their chores. When they were absorbed in what they were doing, he’d go and make damn sure none of them followed when he left.
~~~
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Author's Chapter Notes:
It's been a long time. Hectic life. So this is a double chapter.