Chapter 3

The Magic Box shop had just closed for the night. Anya the proprietress appeared to be in her early 20s. She stood behind the counter checking the day's receipts.

Willow and Tara were seated in the rear of the shop, with the usual books of spells and magic they'd piled atop the large round table, that had been featured in the unintended porno televising, of Spike's and Anya's "indiscretion".

Willow said, "I don't know if 'indiscretion', is the right word."

Tara smirked, "How about 'forbidden love'?"

Like Tara and Buffy, the red haired Willow, was 22 years old. She asked, "Just what do you call what you were doing with Spike, Anya?"

"Fucking!" The woman behind the counter spoke sharply. "It's called 'fucking'! Love had nothing to do with it! Spike and I were caught fucking each other, by our 'significant others', who watched it all on a closed circuit TV screening, that the Nerdy Three had hidden!"

"Oh." Tara said, "I see. What you were doing was getting caught."

Anya shouted, "I know what I was doing! What I don't know is what you two are up to; other than making snide remarks!"

Willow shrugged and sighed. Then she shook her head. "Neither do we Anya. It's that phone call from Dawn."

Tara added, "Buffy's a vampire now. We have no idea how to handle this."

"Of course you do." Anya told them, "We know what it is. It's nothing that all of us haven't done before."

Willow pantomimed. "You mean drive a sharp wooden stake through her heart?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah!" Willow told her, "I have a problem. Buffy's my best friend in all the world. You don't expect me to kill her just like that, do you?"

"I would."

"Well you're still a vengeance demon at heart Anya. The rest of us are real human beings. None of us are just pretending to be one, like you're doing."

"Besides," Tara added, "I'm sure that Buffy hasn't lost any of her powers. If we did try to kill her, we're the one's who would end up dead; all three of us in less than a minute."

Willow added, "And then she'd make us into vampires."

"So what's the problem?" Anya said, "I was a demon for 1100 years. I wouldn't mind getting some demonic power back; and both of you are witches. Wouldn't you both like to add the extra power boost that being a vampire could give you?"

Willow and Tara looked at each other uneasily.

Tara said, "But. We've always used our powers for good. Not evil."

"Face it girls!" Anya told them, "Buffy was killed! Now she's a vampire! The Bad Guys have won!"

"For now." Willow said, "That doesn't mean we have to surrender, does it?"

"Frankly ladies," Anya said, "I'd rather be on the winning side; so beginning tonight, this neck is made for biting."

"Wait a minute!" Tara said, "Let's not all go off the deep end. Let's call Giles. He'll tell the Council, and they'll send in the next Slayer."

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"We can't send for the next Slayer!" Willow insisted. "We'd be betraying Buffy!"

"Then what do we do?" Tara asked, "Wait around for Buffy to kill us all off one by one; then come back as the next vampire gang?"

"If we do," Anya said, "we'll be running this town. Sunnydale'll be ours."

Now Willow hesitated. "Hmmm." She smiled, with a dreamy look on her face. "Might not be all that bad."

"Willow!" Tara said, "I hope you're just joking!"

Willow shook herself. "Yeah. Right. Before we make any kind of decisions, let's talk things over with everybody we know, who's involved with the Slayer. First of all, I think we should discuss things with Buffy herself."

"Discuss things?"

"Relax Tara. I meant over the phone. She can't bite us over the phone."

At that moment the phone on the counter rang. Tara yelped. Then she laughed at her reaction.

Anya picked up the phone and put it to her ear.

"Magic Box. Good-evening, we're closed for the..." Anya hesitated. Then she spoke in a peeved tone, "What the hell do you want Xander?"

She announced to Willow and Tara, "It's Xander! He's at Buffy's house!"

The other two jumped up from the table, and hurried over beside Anya.

The former vengeance demon asked, "How's Dawn?" She told Willow and Tara, "Dawn's still alive, but unfortunately so is Xander."

Anya asked, again sounding peeved, "So why the hell hasn't she killed you who deserve it, oh ex-fiancée of mine?

"Right. We'll be there right away."

Anya hung up.

She told the other two, "Xander's holding a cross. Dawn went back into her room, and brought out a cross of her own. He wants us to hurry over there now."

"A cross?" Tara said, "Right. That'll be all we'll need to keep ourselves safe from Buffy. We won't have to try to kill her. I can't believe we forgot about crosses."

Willow told her, "You're also forgetting that our powers as witches, can't work in the presence of the cross, either."

Tara asked, "But they'll still keep us safe from Buffy, won't they?"

"They will, as long as we don't try to perform any magic, cast spells or do anything wiccan in her presence. Then the crosses can't protect us."

Anya shouted, "Will you two forget about being witches! Just grab a couple of crosses and let's get going! I don't want Buffy killing Xander, before I get there on time to watch!"

Within 15 minutes, Anya had turned off the lights, shut down the Magic Box, driven with Willow and Tara away from downtown Sunnydale, and arrived at the Summers' house on Rubello Drive. They got out of the car and rushed to the front porch.

Dawn opened the door for them. The three went inside, and found Xander in the living room, seated in an easy chair, looking very uneasy.

Dawn shut the door and said, "Buffy's been washing up."

Now Buffy descended the stairway, dressed in a white bathrobe, and slippers, with a towel wrapped around her wet hair.

Willow, Tara and Anya all raised crosses. Buffy made a face and looked away from them.

She spoke with annoyance. "Will you put those things away already? I'm not gonna hurt any of you, no matter how hungry I get."

Anya sounded disappointed, "You mean not even Xander?"

"Sorry Anya. Not even Xander."

Xander's ex-fiancée sighed with frustration. She lowered the cross she was holding; so did Willow and Tara.

Now Buffy was able to look at them. She stood on the third step above the floor, where she could also see Dawn, who was now in the living room standing beside Xander.

"Good. You're all here." She told them, "Now I can use your help. I'll need all of you to assist me."

"Sure Buff." Willow sounded relieved. "Whatever it is, just name it."

"Good." Buffy the Vampire Slayer said, "I'll need all of you, to help Spike move his stuff in here."