Parts 23,24
Part 23
Xander trailed behind Oz as they walked into the shop. Oz was
obviously a frequent and well-liked customer here. All the
employees -- and not a few customers -- greeted him by name when they
caught sight of him. Occasionally, Oz paused to exchange a few words
with someone. When this happened, Xander shrank behind Oz, using the
smaller man's body to deflect any glances or comments that might be
directed his way.
Finally, though, they were left alone to browse, and Xander let out a
relieved sigh. He'd had to fight the urge to flinch away every time
someone had walked by too closely. It was wearing down his nerves.
Oz laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's ok, man.
They'll chill out soon, they just get a little friendly sometimes."
Xander nodded shakily. "Yeah, um, it's cool." Still, he peered
around as if expecting to be jumped. "Look, can we just get this
over with?"
"Sure, no prob." Oz led the other man to a deserted corner of the
shop, pointing out some shelves that held a collection of
oddities. "Why don't we start here?"
Xander scooted in front of Oz, placing the man between him and the
rest of the store. With half his attention devoted to keeping
himself firmly ensconced in this position, he began to pick through
the assorted items.
Oz watched him, unconsciously giving off an air of protectiveness.
With a level stare, he warned off the few people who drifted over to
that side of the shop. After a while, he noticed that Xander seemed
a bit more at ease, humming softly as he pondered over the items on
the shelves, unable to decide what Spike would like the most.
Xander froze, as if the slightest movement would cause the treasure
he'd just uncovered to vanish. Holding his breath, he reached out
cautiously, picking up the jumble of leather and metal with reverent
fingers. He smoothed his hands over it, laying it out flat on his
lap as he crouched beside the lower shelves.
"Find something?" Oz squatted next to him.
"Maybe. I think so." He rubbed a bit of dust off the leather. "If
it all cleans up good." He looked up at Oz, worried. "Do
you...think he'll like it?"
Oz quirked an eyebrow at the set of ebony-colored throwing knives and
spikes that were visible inside their leather casing. "Looks like
his kinda thing."
Xander ran a finger over the stylized 'S' etched into the leather.
With a look of intense concentration, he removed one of the knives,
scraping a bit of grime off to reveal a similar engraving on the thin
handle. "They're perfect," he breathed. "Like they were made for
him."
Oz smiled gently as he watched Xander caress the metal. "I can help
you get them cleaned up, sharpened. If that's what you want to get."
Xander just nodded, still awestruck by his find.
"Cool. I know a guy. We can drop by his shop if you like?"
"Yeah. Ok." Xander stood, holding onto the weapons as if they were
the most fragile items in the world. He bit his lip. "What if
they're...too expensive? I don't have a lot of money." In all
actuality, he had barely any. Just what Spike had managed to
appropriate on their flight from his old home. He'd insisted on
splitting that with Xander, but the human had refused any further
offers of money from Spike's most recent...earnings.
Oz shrugged. "I can get it." Seeing Xander about to protest, he
added, "You can pay me back. It's cool."
Xander hesitated, but another look at his find, and he gave in. "All
right. But it's just a loan."
"Got it." He held out his hand to shake on it, and Xander took it
with a grin. "Guess we're done here then." He prodded Xander toward
the front of the store where the checkout was.
Xander paid, pleasantly surprised by the low price; he was easily
able to afford it. Out of the store, he kept grinning at the bag he
now held, unable to wipe the satisfied expression off his face.
"So, you wanna get 'em fixed up now? Mel's place is close by, just a
few shops down."
Xander thought about it. He would have liked to hurry back home, but
he *had* to get Spike's present all fixed up, and he really didn't
want to have to come out again. At least not any time soon. With a
sigh, he agreed, then followed Oz down the sidewalk and into a dimly
lit, unmarked shop.
"Yo, Mel. You here?"
A huge, burly man with a cross expression and a seemingly permanent
scowl plastered on his face popped out of a back room. "Oz," came
the growled acknowledgement.
Xander gasped, cringing into Oz, ducking his head to hide his face.
Oz gave his trembling arm a reassuring pat, then took the bag from
his hand and transferred it to Mel's. "Need these fixed up. Can you
do it?"
Mel emptied the contents of the bag onto a counter, poking at them
with a thick finger. He grunted. "Yeah. Take about an hour,
hour 'n a half." He looked up again. "Nice work, these. Shame to
see good blades treated this way." He frowned, hearing Xander's
quick panting as the boy started to hyperventilate. "Your friend all
right?" He watched as Oz immediately turned toward his companion,
murmuring to him in a low voice. "Molly!" he bellowed, making Xander
flinch as if hit.
A petite woman, as tiny as Mel was large, bustled out, glaring at Mel
disapprovingly. "Land sakes, plumcake. I ain't deaf, you know."
Mel grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Molly-m'love. You know me."
"Well, after being married to your cantankerous self for the last 34
years, I should hope so!" came the retort. Still, her green eyes
twinkled merrily as she shook her head, sending soft waves of red
hair that show just the smallest hint of gray bouncing about her
shoulders. "Now, what's all the fuss about?"
Mel pointed out the two young men. "Think that young fellow might be
sick or something."
Molly looked over, giving a delighted squeal when she saw
Oz. "Sugar!" She hurried over and gave him a hug, clucking her
tongue in disapproval. "You're too skinny. You're a growing boy,
you need to eat more," she admonished.
"Sorry, Molly." Oz tried to appear contrite, but knew he didn't fool
the intuitive woman. He stepped to the side, revealing a still-
shaking Xander.
"Oh dear, you do look a right sight, don't you?" Hands on hips, she
studied him, then stepped forward to link arms with Xander, coaxing
him into the room she'd just appeared from. "Nothing a bit of milk
and some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies won't put to rights, I'm
sure. Come, come!" She soon had Xander planted in a chair, a glass
of ice-cold milk and a plate of steaming cookies in front of him.
Breathing easier now that he was away from the hulking man that
seemed to put him in mind of his father, Xander let out a shuddering
sigh. "Sorry," he whispered, embarrassed about having made a scene.
"Nonsense. Now you just dig in like a good boy, and I'll go have a
word with that big lummox about scaring customers." She beamed,
patting his cheek fondly. "Now, those cookies better be at least
half-gone by the time I come back in here, you hear me young man?"
She gave him a stern look, and Xander nodded, hand already creeping
across the table to snatch one of the cookies.
"Good." She eyed him until he took the first bite, moaning happily
at the sugar rush. With a chuckle, she left him to carry on. When
she got back to the main area of the store, she glared at Mel. "For
heaven's sake, what did you do to scare the poor child so? He's in a
state, that one is."
"I didn't do anything!" Mel protested, hands held up in protestation
of his innocence.
"Uh-huh." Molly's foot began tapping as she narrowed her eyes in
disbelief.
"No really, he didn't," Oz came to the man's defense. "Xander just
has some...issues. I think Mel's...size may have startled him, I
didn't think to warn him."
"Issues? With...large men?" Molly frowned, then gasped, eyes
brimming with sympathetic tears. "Oh, the poor dear. Who could hurt
such a lovely child?" Tsking softly, she went back in the room,
determined to mother the boy while he was here.
Mel eyed Oz. "Issues, huh?" He nodded in understanding. Then,
clearing his throat, he got back to business. "So, a regular
customer like yourself, I can give you a good price on this."
"Right. And that would have nothing to do with Molly...ahem, taking
you to task if you tried to overcharge us like you do those other
naive customers of yours?"
Mel grinned, laughing heartily. "Nothing whatsoever."
"I liked Molly," Xander admitted as they left the store a while
later. In one hand, he held the bag with the newly restored weapons
for Spike. In the other, he protectively gripped a tin of leftover
cookies that Molly had insisted he take.
"She has that effect on people," Oz agreed.
"She makes really good cookies." Xander blushed slightly as he said
this.
"Mm-hmm. Try one of her pies sometime."
Xander's eyes glazed over as he tried to imagine. "That good?"
"Oh yeah." Oz was smiling, glad to see the return of at least some
of the old Xander. Taking a chance, he casually said, "You know,
there's a pretty good clothing place across the street. Wanna pick
anything up while we're out?"
"Um, I dunno." Xander stopped walking, looking across the street at
the shop Oz was pointing at.
"We can just grab some of those pre-packaged t-shirts, maybe some
underwear. Won't take more than a few minutes." He shrugged. "They
gift wrap, too. Maybe we can talk 'em into wrapping Spike's present."
"Oh. I didn't think about that." Xander took a deep breath, then
nodded. "Ok. Just for a few minutes." He followed Oz over to the
store, letting the other man lead him over to a rack of shirts. With
a little coaxing, he was soon browsing the selection of clothes, not
even noticing the passing minutes as he happily picked out new
shirts, pants, socks and boxers. He even managed to find a couple
pairs of shoes, another thing he desperately needed.
Oz watched this bundle of energy, wondering when Xander had changed
into some sort of shopping maniac. He snorted, just glad that the
brunette was sticking to plain, subdued colors rather than the
riotous outfits he usually wore. Gamely, he made a stack of Xander's
chosen purchases, making sure to keep a watchful eye on the bag and
tin that had been left in his care. He was straightening the pile
when a scent tingled at him. Brow furrowed, he turned.
"Oh!" Tara dropped the dress she was holding, gaping at Oz. "O-O-
Oz!" she squeaked. Blushing, she hastily bent and scooped up the
dress. "I-I... W-Willow didn't say you w-were in town again."
Oz blinked. "That would be because she doesn't know."
"Oh." Nodding, the witch looked around frantically. Her eyes
settled on something behind Oz, and she gasped. The dress landed on
the floor again. "Xander!"
Part 24
Xander froze, eyes going wide. He took a step back. "Um...Tara." He licked
his lips, glancing nervously at Oz.
Oz closed his eyes momentarily, groaning softly. This was just turning out
to be a fantastic day! Calmly, he hefted the pile, dumping everything into
Xander's arms. "Why don't you take these up to the register? I'll be with
you in a sec."
Xander's glance darted between Tara and Oz, then he backed away and moved
quickly to the front of the store.
Oz watched him go, then turned back to Tara, who was following Xander's
departure with wide eyes. Once he was out of sight, those eyes were directed
to Oz again. He lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That was...Xander." Tara looked very confused, with just the barest hint of
being upset.
"It was."
"I don't...I don't understand. We've all...Willow and everyone, we've been
looking for him."
"Have you?"
"We all thought something...bad...had happened to him."
"Did you now?"
Her forehead crinkled. "Willow's been so worried about him."
"That's Willow for you."
Tara took a deep breath. "Is he...is he ok?"
"You could say that." Oz just continued to stare at her, not even attempting
to be helpful.
Shaking her head, Tara once more picked up the discarded dress. She made as
if to step around Oz. "I have to go. I have to tell Willow--"
"No!" Oz grabbed her arm, eyes narrowing. He jerked her back, hissing, "You
can't say *anything*! Not to anyone."
Tara tried to pull away, but was unable to break his grip. Wincing as
fingers dug into her arm, she quit struggling. "But she's his friend," she
protested. "She needs to know!"
"She needs to know what *Xander* chooses to tell her! And if he wanted to
talk with her, he would have. *You* are going to forget you ever saw him."
"I...I..." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she slumped. "I *can't*," she
said weakly. "You don't understand. I *can't* lie to her. You don't know
how she's been; I *have* to tell her."
Oz finally released her, and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed heavily.
He knew that sooner or later, Willow and the rest were bound to find out
where Xander was. It would probably be best if he could figure out a way to
get them to meet on Xander's terms. "Look," he told her firmly, "I'll talk
to Xander, see if I can convince him to call or something. But..." and his
eyes took on a hard glint. "We do this *my* way. You say *nothing*, not
until you get the go ahead from him. Am I clear?"
Tara gulped at the menace being directed toward her. "Ok," she whispered,
nodding her head shakily.
Oz took a moment to determine the sincerity of her agreement, then nodded
back. "Fine." Turning his back, he dismissed her and went looking for
Xander.
Xander looked up warily at his approach.
Oz grinned at him reassuringly. "No prob, Xan. Let's check out, ok?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Willow glanced up from her books as the door opened. "Oh, hey Tara. How'd
your shopping go?"
'Um, good I guess." Head down, she walked past her girlfriend, heading for
the closet where she began to put away the clothes she'd bought.
Willow frowned. "Are you alright? Did something happen?"
"N-no. Wh-why would you think that?" She tried to hide the shaking of her
hands as she pulled out some clothes hangers.
"No reason. You just seem, I dunno, upset."
Tara forced a smile. "I'm fine, Willow."
"Oh. Ok then. Because, you know, you could tell me if anything happened.
Because if someone was mean to you or something, I could put a whammy on
them. Of course, so could you, because you're just as good a witch as I am,
and you know I love you, right?"
Her smile genuine now, Tara walked over to Willow and gave her a quick kiss.
"I know," she said quietly. "I love you too...babble and all."
"Well, good then." Willow watched her girlfriend for a moment more before
returning to her reading.
~~~~~~~~~~
Spike looked from the television. Smiling when he saw Xander coming through
the door, he stood. "Pet! You're back! Have fun on your little trip?"
Xander nodded, giving the vampire a tiny grin. "Got lots of new clothes," he
told him.
"Good. Your other things were wearing a mite thin." He looked at the tin
that Xander was holding. "What's that?"
Xander opened it, offering its contents to Spike. "Cookies. Oz took
me...um, to this shop, and the lady there had made them and let me have some."
"Oooh, chocolate. Nummy." He took one, groaning in bliss as the taste
exploded across his tongue. "Bloody hell!" he gasped around the mouthful.
"These things are fantastic!"
Xander nodded in agreement. "I know. I ate about a dozen myself."
Spike polished off the rest of his cookie, eyeing the tin lustfully. With a
chuckle, Xander handed it to him. As he devoured the cookies, Spike watched
Xander carry an armful of bags into their bedroom. Oz also had a package,
which he quickly stashed in his room before reappearing.
"We need to talk," he informed the vampire.
"'Bout wha'?" Spike mumbled, mouth still crammed full.
"Xander and I ran into someone today. You might know her."
Spike swallowed, a heavy feeling growing in his stomach. "Who?" he asked
shortly.
"Oh, blonde, witch, dates Willow. Tara?"
Spike set the remaining cookies down on the coffee table, flopping onto the
sofa. "Bloody hell," he muttered darkly.
Part 25,26
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