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Chapter 14

Cassie and Faith strolled along the sidewalk towards the magic shop on the main street of Sunnydale. Giles had informed them that the newest owner of the store was a very nice young woman by the name of Anya Jenkins. The two Slayers gave each other pointed looks when the Watcher blushed profusely at the mention of the woman. This made both of them decide they really needed to meet Anya to find out what her intentions were for Giles. The two girls slipped inside the magic shop.

"Welcome to the Magic Box," Anya chirped. "Please spend lots of your money here." She glanced at the two girls. "Oh, it's you, Giles' friends."

"Yeah, we just came by to make sure you hadn't planned on leading Giles around by his nose," Cassie replied. "The last woman he got involved in was a lyin' bitch."

"Lead him around by his nose?" Anya scrunched her nose. "That doesn't sound very pleasant. Why would I do that?" She tilted her head while she tried to understand what the blond-haired girl meant.

"She means to find out if you got old Ripper by the shorthairs, demon girl," Spike drawled. He smirked at the Slayers when they gasped at his and Beth's quiet entry from the back room. "Ya know, kinda like how Beth and I are. She has me doin' her every little wish and command."

"I do not," Beth cried. She slapped the blond vampire on the shoulder. "Don't listen to them, Anya. I don't know Mr. Giles all that well, but I know from the Specter that he had a hard time after he found out about Jenny being sent to spy on you guys. It was nice to see him so happy the other night."

"Spike and Beth, did you come to spend money?" Anya smiled brightly at the two vampires. She had inadvertently figured out that Beth was a vampire before she was quickly hushed by both Spike and Beth. She learned that no one except a privileged few knew that the female vampire was anything other than a part-time college student. Anya was quite happy to keep the secret as she had been lonely since her fall from demonhood. Both vampires accepted her former status without censure, and it made her feel like she wasn't as alone anymore.

"We are interested in that wonderful incense you were telling us about the other night," Beth replied. She left Spike's side, and she hurried to Anya's before the ex-demon said anything too outrageous. The vampiress wasn't exactly sure how Cassie would react to finding out her Watcher and mentor was seeing Anya despite the fact that others in the Scoobs, including Cassie herself, were either currently dating demons or had in the past.

"Of course, Beth." Anya took the girl's arm, and she led her over to the incense display. "Patchouli is one of my most popular selling scents." She handed Beth a sample of the fragrance.

"Faith, can I talk to Spike alone for a few?" Cassie asked the brunette Slayer.

Faith nodded her consent before she strolled over to join Beth and Anya at the incense. She kept an eye on Cassie and Spike. She wasn't as sure about the bleached blond vampire as the rest of the Scoobies were.

"Spike, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Slayer." Spike waved Cassie to the front of the store next to the big plate glass window. "Ask away."

Cassie nibbled on her lip for a moment before she said, "I'm trying to be friends with Angel, but it's been really hard. Whenever I talk to him all I can think about is being careful not to make him too happy."

"Slayer, I can appreciate where you're comin' from." Spike studied the disheartened teenager. If she was anyone else, he would fillet Cassie's heart and ego for maximum pain, but he had a feeling Beth wouldn't be too happy with him for crumbling their friend's already failing self-confidence. "However, you and the poofter aren't friends. You'll never be friends."

"But…" Cassie trailed off when Spike held up his hand.

"You'll be in love till it kills you both," Spike continued. "You'll fight and you'll shag. You'll hate each other till it makes you quiver."

"I don't hate him," Cassie protested. "I just don't want to deal with Angelus again."

"Love isn't brains, girl." Spike touched one forefinger to his temple. "It's blood." He moved the hand to cover his heart. "Blood screaming inside you to work its will. The question you should be asking is if he is just in your blood or are you in his too?"

Cassie glanced to where the blond vampire's girlfriend was listening intently to the Anya. "What would you do if you had a cursed soul like Angel's?"

Spike looked at Beth, who appeared to realize that he was staring at her. She gave him a smile and a wave. Spike turned back to Cassie, and he said quite sincerely, "I'd get the sucker anchored and spend the rest of my days makin' sure my girl wanted for nothin'."

"You really love her, don't you?"

Spike smirked at the blond Slayer. "Love's a funny thing, pet. When I came here to good old Sunnyhell, I thought I knew what love was. I'm Love's bitch, after all. Then, I met Beth. She's everything I never knew I was missin'."

Cassie nodded, kissed Spike on the cheek, and replied, "Thanks, Spike. You've given me a lot to think about." She grinned at the now embarrassed vampire. "Xander's right. You're a pretty good friend for an evil, soulless vamp."

"Quit flatterin' me, Slayer." Spike chuckled. "Now, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Eh, maybe later." Cassie shrugged. "After I figure out what I'm gonna tell Angel." She was interrupted by the door of the store being flung open.

"Spike, you should have known not to come back to Sunnydale," the leader of the gang of vamps snarled. He moved towards Spike and Cassie, letting the rest of his minions into the Magic Box.

"Well, well," Spike drawled. "If it isn't the pissant minion. Dalton mentioned you thought you were movin' up in the world, Lenny."

"The Mayor isn't happy you're here, Spike," Lenny growled. "He told me to make sure you leave town or be killed."

Faith moved to stand with Spike and Cassie. She pulled a stake from the waistband of her pants, and she tensed up for the fight. Anya went to stand by the vials of holy water. She knew that she could use them as mini bombs against the vampires. She just hoped she didn't hit Spike. Beth scrambled up the ladder to the upper stacks of the store. She wasn't happy about hiding, but something told her it wasn't time to reveal her identities to anyone in the room.

"Hmm." Spike nodded while he scratched his chin. "What if I don't feel like leavin'? I happen to like it here."

"Then I guess you're gonna be dust," Lenny bragged. He waved to his minions, and they moved in on the master vampire and the two Slayers.

Upstairs Beth watched the fight with great interest. Cassie and Spike fought with confidence while Faith relied on sheer bravado. Beth knew the dark-haired Slayer would get plenty of experience living on the Hellmouth. She had a feeling that if she had lived, and was in Cassie's place, that she and Faith would be at odds. Faith had a way of rubbing her Beth's Slayer side the wrong way.

Spike beat on Lenny, his former minion, while the Slayers dusted the others in the gang. He failed to notice one of the other vamps sneaking up behind him until he felt the creature's dust drift past him. Spike realized that no one else was close enough to him to dust the vamp. He wondered briefly how the minion had died, but a punch to the nose brought his attention back to the fight.

"Duck, Spike," Anya yelled. When the vampire complied with her command, she threw vial after vial of holy water at Lenny, who screamed in pain when the delicate glass broke against his skin.

When the ex-vengeance demon stopped her assault on the injured vampire, Spike stood up. He snarled, and he let his demon come forth to the surface. "You go back, and tell your boss that William the Bloody is here to stay."

"I don't think so," Lenny growled. He wanted to get away from the fight to heal his mottled and pocked skin. Lenny launched himself at Spike in a last ditch effort to dust the older, stronger, and more experienced vampire.

Spike took Lenny's stake away, and he dusted the minion. He glanced at Beth to make sure she was still safe before he turned his attention back to the fight. The couple of remaining minions turned tail and ran out of the magic shop as fast as they could.

"Dusting that guy before he could deliver your message doesn't work in your favor," Cassie said between huffs of air.

"What can I say?" Spike shrugged. "I don't always follow the plan. Even one of my own."

"I think their boss will get the idea when the others show up with their story," Faith said. "That guy mentioned the Mayor. Maybe we should tell Giles."

"Good idea," Cassie replied. "Let's go." She turned to the others, and she waited until Spike helped Beth down the ladder. "We'll see you later, Spike. You too, Beth. Nice to meet you, Anya. You're okay in my book." She put her hand on the doorknob.

"Mine, too," Faith agreed. She had found Anya's explanation and knowledge of the Magic Box's products very informative. She gave a jaunty wave before she followed Cassie out the front door.

Beth glanced at her watch, and she grimaced when she realized the time. "Crud, if I don't get a move on, I'm gonna be late for class."

"Backpack's in the Desoto," Spike replied. He leaned down to give Beth a quick kiss.

"Anya'll show you what stuff I want." Beth smiled coyly at her boyfriend. "If you buy it, I'll make you really happy when I get home."

"You got yourself a deal, luv." Spike grinned in return.

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Spike strolled out of the Magic Box with a sack of purchases. He tossed the bag into the front seat of the Desoto before he leaned against the hood to smoke a cigarette. He contemplated finding some nasty human to eat, but he decided against it for that night. Beth's class was only an hour and a half long. So, she'd be home soon anyway. He decided instead that he would go out the next night while she was at work.

"Master Spike?" A timid voice called out. "Please don't hurt me." An undersized chaos demon ducked out of the shadows to confront the vampire.

"Helena," Spike accentuated the name. "What brings you to the Hellmouth?" He knew that his sire had sent her little minion in an attempt to make him return to her side.

"Mistress Drusilla sent me," Helena whispered. She hoped this went well, because she had no desire to be a slime spot on the pavement. "She wants you to come back to Brazil." The small female wrung her hands in front of her body.

"I'm not goin' back, pet." Spike dropped his cigarette, and he ground it out with a toe of one boot. "I'm where I wanna be."

"Mistress says you're not supposed to be here yet," Helena whined. "The moonflower needs time to blossom." She knew Spike had a reputation for being more than a little volatile. "Mistress says you're not ready for the truth."

"Bloody hell," Spike growled. "For the last time, I'm not leaving Sunnyhell."

Helena sighed quietly. Mistress Drusilla thought that Spike's answer would probably be something similar to the one he gave. Helena pulled a small bag out of her back pocket. With her hands still behind her back, she took a handful of powder out of the bag. She quickly blew the dust into the vampire's face.

"What the hell was that?" Spike advanced on the smaller demon.

"Just a little present from Mistress Drusilla," Helena squeaked. She backed away from the enraged vampire. "I'm just going to go tell her your answer now." She turned and ran away as fast as her short legs could carry her.

"You do that," Spike shouted after Helena. "Slimy little creature. I hate chaos demons." He turned back to the Desoto, his mind now on getting home to prepare for Beth's return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beth walked down the shadowy campus walkway. She was still thinking about the poetry class she had just attended. Beth wondered if she could get Spike to recite some of the poems in that yummy voice of his. She shivered just thinking about how his accent made her skin tingle.

"Lookie what we have here, guys." A blond female vampire popped out of the bushes. She was followed by several other vampires. "A poor little girl out here all by her lonesome."

"Easy prey," one of the minions chortled. "Get her, Sunday." He and the others circled the college student.

"We've been watching you, little girl," Sunday said mockingly. "You’re always alone with no friends. Nobody will miss you."

"I think you have me mixed up with someone else," Beth replied. She knew the vamps were no threat to her. She could probably dust them with one hand behind her back and blindfolded.

"Oh no, honey," Sunday said. She moved closer to her intended victim. "I think it's you who have me mixed up with someone else." She shifted into game face, but she was surprised when Beth didn't react.

"Bet she has some good stuff to pawn," the minion chortled again. "Hurry up, Sunday. I'm hungry."

"Benji, you read my mind." Sunday advanced even closer to Beth.

"I don't think so," Beth drawled. She punched Sunday in the face, and the vampiress flew backwards into one of the surprised minions.

Beth shifted into her Specter game face. She felt her dead body surge into life, and with one small word, Sunday and her minions crumbled into dust. Beth blinked in surprise since she hadn't expected to slay all the vamps in one shot. Not that it was a bad thing by any means of the imagination. It meant no one escaped to reveal Beth's identity. She looked up in surprise when she heard voices on the pathway, and she leaped into the bushes.

"That bunch of vamps came this way, Lieutenant Finn." A man dressed totally in black, including a hood, stepped into the wide spot that Beth had just been standing.

"They're not here now, soldier." Another similarly clad man joined the first one. "They couldn't have gotten far. Proceed down the path. Keep alert."

The two men continued down the graveled path in the direction that Beth had come from class. They didn't notice that two very bright eyes watched their every move from the bushes.

Beth stood up, and she carefully stepped out of the bushes. She knew she needed to warn Spike, Dalton, and Clem about the soldiers. They were hunting vampires for some reason. If they were hunting vamps, they might also be hunting other demons. Beth would send Clem with a message about the incident to the Scoobs using her alter ego's name.

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SEVERAL DAYS LATER IN BRAZIL

"My Spike wouldn't return with you." Dru poured tea for her young guest. She already knew this even before her minion had gotten back from Sunnydale. "Miss Edith told me," the vampiress said matter-of-factly.

"No, Mistress Drusilla," Helena confirmed Dru's words. She glanced warily at the doll on the other side of the table. "I was able to use the memory dust on him though."

"Good." Dru poured tea for Miss Edith. "It'll last long enough for the moonflower to have time. Then, he'll be able to ferret out the truth."

"What is the truth?" Helena asked as she picked up her cup for a drink of tea.

"Don't be nosy, Miss Helena," Dru tutted. "Nosy girls get their best feature cut off. Snip, snip." She tapped the young chaos demon on the nose.

"Sorry, Mistress." Helena was scared of Dru for an entirely different reason than she had been scared of Spike.

"That's okay, dear." Dru smiled wickedly. "Now tell me all about the lovely chaos you caused in Mexico City on your way back."





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