CHAPTER 16

“I’ve never had much success with guys, but this one – I thought he was different. I’ve seen him every day for the past two weeks,” the young woman said with a sniff. “He was always so nice, so … attentive. It was like I was the only girl in the world. I just knew he cared. I kept making up things I needed, excuses to drop by. Then I waited around one night – I thought I’d follow him home after work, maybe see if he wanted to get a drink. But he was with someone else.” She took a sip of her drink, glanced vaguely around the bar, then continued.

“This girl came to see him, and they went off somewhere together. The way he looked at her – I knew it was hopeless. I thought maybe they’d just met, maybe that explained why he’d treated me that way, so I went in the next day and he acted just the same. I know he’s been seeing her after work – that he never felt anything for me.” She wiped her eyes. “It’s like he never really saw me.”

“So let me get this right,” said Anya. “This guy led you on, made you think he cared, but all the time he was carrying on with someone behind your back? Doesn’t that make you wish his eyes would fall out, or his penis -”

Her companion sniffed again. Anya resisted the urge to summon a giant-sized box of Kleenex, instead schooling her features into something resembling sympathy.

“I just wish he knew how I felt. That’s all. I just want him to know how much this hurts.”

She recoiled in horror as her companion’s face changed into something unrecognisable.

“Wish granted,” said Anyanka.

***

Spike opened the parcel that had arrived at the Magic Box. As he’d hoped -- a copy of Peterson’s Demonic Ceremonies, Rites and Rituals: An encyclopaedic dictionary! He leafed through to the entry he wanted.

GRSHNIT

An interesting species of which little is known to date, the Grshnit are believed to date back over 3,000 years. The species is notable primarily for its HIVE mind and renewal cycle.

Being a hive group, the Grshnit share knowledge, strength and understanding. The notable exception to this occurs every 75 years, in the month following the death of the old Queen and preceding the emergence of the new Queen. Perhaps due to the lack of a dominant mind, the Grshnits’ individuality can be seen at this time as they partake in a series of intricate TOURNAMENTS and CHALLENGES to determine the Grshnit CHAMPION; the strongest and most cunning demon, who will be ceremonially ingested by the emerging Queen. The Grshnit believe that this will ensure their leadership for the coming cycle, as the Queen is believed to assume the qualities of her first meal.

This author feels compelled to note that centuries of INBREEDING amongst the relatively small Grshnit population have rendered this practice somewhat ineffective.

Frequency: Rare
Threat posed: Minimal
Vulnerabilities: Queen, decapitation (of individuals)
Attacks: Claws, Bite
Speed: Slow

Spike smirked, He’d seen one of Xander’s Dungeons & Dragons books once, which used a format clearly stolen from Peterson. He’d have to encourage Buffy to get a copy; it wasn’t quite Demons for Dummies, but it wasn’t the Ars Demonica either.

***

“Giles?”

Giles rubbed his eyes wearily, wondering when any of the denizens of Sunnydale would learn about timezones. Probably never, he said to himself with a wry grin.

“Xander? What’s wrong? Is Buffy all right?” He felt a sense of constraint (and a healthy dose of guilt) in his dealings with the younger man. Rationalise the situation as he might, absence of truth was still a form of deceit. The sooner he and Anya came clean about their relationship, the better.

“Buffy’s fine,” replied Xander. “It’s Willow I’m worried about. I stopped by her place last night and there were books, and that herb she used to make us all forget what she’d done. I called her on it – I probably overreacted a bit – I was so shocked to see it with her stuff.”

Giles frowned. The coven had helped Willow pack – and he’d helped her unpack – so he knew that there hadn’t been any stray sprigs of Lethes’ Bramble lying around the apartment when he’d taken her back to Sunnydale. That meant it was new, acquired from Who-Knows-Where. And that meant that he might have a problem.

“I’m not doing anything in the next few days that I can’t cancel,” he told Xander. “I’ll see whether I can bring my flight forward.”

“Thanks.” The relief was clear in the younger man’s voice. “I don’t think I handled it very well, but I don’t know how to change it.”

***

“Quail, mortal, for vengeance will be –” Anyanka stopped, staring.

“Spike? What are you doing here?”

“’Bout to ask you the same, love. Not that you can’t come here whenever you please, but what’s with the dramatics?”

She frowned. “Where’s the guy?”

“I’m the only one here, love. It’s after closing.”

She stared at him, a look of dawning horror on her face. “Oh. My. God. It’s you.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you, pet,” he replied. “No-one here but us demons. Giles rang, by the way. Says he’s coming back early. He’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”

She smiled, momentarily distracted, before recalling herself to the situation at hand. “But –” she broke off. “You don’t understand, Spike. This isn’t a social call. I’m here on business.”

He smiled, only half paying attention as he totalled the day’s sales with a flourish. “That’s fine, love. You need to go over the sales figures, or –” his voice trailed away at the look on her face as it changed from its human form.

“Not that kind of business, Spike. I did a spell to take me to a guy.” He looked even more confused. “To fulfil a wish.”

Realisation dawned, followed by a puzzled frown. “I don’t get it, love. Buffy and I – everything’s been so good lately. Why would she –”

“It wasn’t Buffy, Spike,” Anyanka interrupted. “It was just some girl – I guess she comes into the shop a lot. Apparently your excellent manner behind the counter not only induced her to purchase ludicrous quantities of overpriced non-magical items, it also led her to believe that you were sexually available and could potentially develop deep romantic feelings for her.” She paused, thinking this over. “While the Vengeance Demon part of me says that’s very bad indeed, the part of me that knows the challenges of retail thinks you should be praised and rewarded – in a purely verbal and not at all financial way, of course.”

Spike ran a hand through his hair. “So what’s it to be, love? Evisceration? Flame and crosses? Some kind of transformation? I’d like to get it over with if we can.”

Anyanka shook her head. “Nothing so drastic. She just wants you to know her pain, to know what it is to experience rejection.”

Tears started to Spike’s eyes, and he doubled over.  It took a moment for Anyanka to realise that the choked noises he made were not sobs but bitter laughter. When he had recovered, Spike replied, “Cos that would be a change, wouldn’t it. Me, unrequited love, pain. Now that’s gotta be a first.”

***

Spike knocked hesitantly at Willow’s door. Her eyes were red from crying.

“Did Xander send you?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “That’s right. Because him and me are such good mates, I’m moonlighting as his errand boy. You know better than that, pet.”

She smiled wanly, standing aside. “Come in, then. I could use a friend tonight.”

Seating himself on her sofa, he cocked his head to one side. “What’s up?”

She sniffed. “Xander – I -,” she drew a deep breath. “When I was unpacking, I found some spell books and other magical stuff. I’m in training, Spike, not Rehab. I’m supposed to be learning how to use my magic, how to control it, not abandoning it altogether.”

He nodded encouragingly, suddenly wary of where this conversation was heading.

“Xander dropped in last night. He must have looked through some of the books on my table. There was – there was an old journal I’d been looking through. There was a herb tucked inside – he found it and leapt to the worst sort of conclusions.”

She wiped a tear from one eye. “I’ve seen – and done – some terrible things, Spike, but I never thought I’d see Xander afraid of me.”

***

“Anyanka. Do come in. I’ve been expecting you.”

D’Hoffryn smiled – and Anya swallowed a few times. She had never been able to decide whether being smiled at by her boss was better or worse than not being smiled at by her boss.

“Interesting use of a technicality this afternoon.”

She twitched. That kind of interesting was never a compliment. “You saw that? I mean – well, of course you did. But in fact it wasn’t a technicality at all. The girl wished that Spike could know the pain of unrequited love. Not only had he already experienced those pesky emotions, my merely appearing to curse him brought them all rushing back.”

D’Hoffryn made some notes on a legal pad on the desk in front of him.

“That’s all very well, Anyanka, but we both know that the woman’s intention was that he experience that in his present relationship.” He held up one hand to silence her, then continued.

“We both know your heart isn’t in vengeance anymore. What you need to work out is what you’re going to do about it.”

Anja looked steadily at him. “I want out, D’Hoffryn.”

He started, as though this hadn’t been the answer they’d both known was coming. “Out.” He paused, gazing at her across steepled fingers. “Out is … tricky. You know that. Out has a price.”

Anya nodded. “I know. Just tell me what I have to do.”

He frowned, reflecting, then smiled. This one was definitely the kind you didn’t want to see. “You came to me a spurned woman – and as a spurned woman you will leave me.

She blanched, her eyes pleading for there to be another way, but stood her ground. “Just – don’t hurt Giles. If you do, I will find a way to destroy you and your remaining demons. And your puppies too. Remember that.”

He smiled again, more pleasantly this time. “You’re strong. I always liked that about you, Anyanka. Come with me. I want to show you something.”

He stood, reaching out his hand to her. She took it, and they were transported to a bar, a shadowy presence among the many people who sat sipping their drinks in the late afternoon light.

He spoke quietly. “Wait here. Don’t interfere.”

The air around him shimmered slightly, as he took the form of a young man in his early twenties. Collecting a beer from the barkeep, he moved to a small table.

“Mind if I sit down?”

The young man at the table looked up, and Anya suppressed a gasp. It was Xander!

Xander shrugged. “Go ahead.”

After some brief conversation about the sporting results, D’Hoffryn looked searchingly at Xander.

“What’s up? Something bugging you, man?”

Xander shrugged. “I’m meant to be getting married next week. But I’m just not ready, you know. I’m going to tell her tonight that I can’t go through with it.”

“Man, that’s rough,” said D’Hoffryn sympathetically. “How’s she gonna take it?”

Xander blanched. “I don’t know. Not well, I guess. It’s not that I want to break up, I just don’t want to get married yet. I don’t feel ready.”

A gold band appeared on D’Hoffryn’s left hand, and he twisted it around his finger.

“I felt the same, you know. Matter of fact, I was gonna do the same. Went to a bar to have a few, get myself ready to tell her, y’know. But then I got talking to this guy, and he told me it wasn’t so bad. He said I’d even come to like it – and you know what? He was right. Been married a year now myself, and it’s pretty good.”

He clapped Xander on the shoulder. “Everyone feels the same, buddy. Don’t go tossing it away.”

Xander smiled. “I guess you’re right.”

Anya frowned as D’Hoffryn returned. “I don’t get it. We’re in last year, right? But you just convinced Xander to go ahead and marry me, instead of cancelling the wedding. How is that scorning me? And what does it have to do with my leaving? Or do you want me to marry Xander and spend the rest of my life in a loveless marriage pining for Giles?” She frowned. “Forget I said that. That wouldn’t be good vengeance at all. Not that I’m criticising your methods -”

D’Hoffryn took her hand and they returned to the familiar surrounds of his office.

“Think, Anyanka. If your Xander Harris had told you then that he didn’t want to marry you, your wedding would never have gone ahead. You would never have been left at the altar, never returned to vengeance. The two of you might even have worked things out.”

She frowned as she thought this through. “But –”

D’Hoffryn smiled gently as he patted her shoulder. “I’ve always liked you, Anya. Don’t fight this. If you can use a technicality, so can I. After all, I’m the boss.”

Her face cleared as she realised what he had done for her, and she hugged him tightly. “Thankyou, D’Hoffryn.” Unclasping her pendant, she handed it to him.

He pulled back, embarrassed, and straightened his robes. “We’re even now. And you’re out of the game. Good luck – and do send me an invitation to the wedding!”

***

Buffy was at the airport the next day to meet Giles’ flight. He looked at her, clearly worried. “Willow – is she-?”

Buffy smiled reassuringly. “She’s fine, Giles. Spike thinks Xander may have overreacted. Apparently she’s really upset. He – we think having you rush back like this to take charge might not have been the best thing for her.”

Giles frowned. “Well I’m not getting back on that plane- .”

“You don’t need to,” Buffy replied with a smile. “Just – give us another day, okay? I spoke to Spike earlier and he said she’s calming down a bit now. He thinks she should be fine by tomorrow. She’s not big with the serenity right now.”

Giles nodded. “That makes sense. But I can’t leave it any longer than that, Buffy. After what Willow did last time she was in Sunnydale ...”

Buffy nodded. “I get that. So can I give you a lift anywhere special?”

***

Anya was sitting in the Magic Box when Giles entered, a strange – but calm – expression on her face.

She looked up and smiled at him. “I’m going to die,” she announced.

Giles hurried across the room to her. “Darling, I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

She relaxed into his embrace for a moment, then straightened, looking him full in the face.

“I’m mortal again,” she explained. “I have maybe sixty years left. I went to D’Hoffryn and surrendered my pendant. I’m out of the vengeance game for good.” She frowned. “No pun intended. Although I expect that I am more good than evil these days.”

Guilty relief and concern struggled for precedence, compromising on guilty concern.

“Is this because of what I said last week? Have you done this for me?”

She frowned slightly. “No. Not for you. For us, maybe, but mostly for me. The first time I became mortal, you – well, a less sexy but equally handsome and well-muscled alternate-reality-you – broke my power centre and trapped me here. I hated it – the mortal realm is much more complicated than the demon dimensions.

“Since I became a demon again, though, my heart hasn’t been in it. Men still do terrible, unspeakable and stupid things, but so do women. I comprehend that now, so I can’t simply eviscerate them like I used to. I was spending all my time thinking of suitable ways to grant wishes so that they would have as little effect on others as possible, and still not making my vengeance quota. Yesterday, I found myself called to do vengeance on Spike – for no valid reason beyond his shopkeeping skills, I have to add. Fortunately, I could avoid that wish on a technicality. When D’Hoffryn called me in for a chat, I realised that I’m just not interested in vengeance any more. It doesn’t really solve anything.”

She blushed, then added, almost shyly, “Besides, it’s hard to focus on vengeance when you’re in love.”

Giles swept her into a kiss that left no doubt of the reciprocity of those feelings.

A long time later, Anya stood and led Giles out the Magic Box door, locking it behind them. He frowned, puzzled, and opened his mouth to speak, but she laid a finger over his lips.

“New tradition,” she explained. “Early closing day.”