dragonyphoenix

Title: Testosterone
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 455 - Smirk
Rating: PG
Summary: Part 25 of Shanshu
Word Count: 932
Note: Cell phone tune is “The Gates of Dawn” by Heartless Bastards.

Xander didn't have enough of a warning to stop Willow. Ever since Kennedy had dumped her, or no, it went further back than that. Ever since Willow had realized Kennedy couldn't replace Tara, she'd smirk this 'I am powerful and you cannot harm me' grin just before doing something terribly reckless. He'd had just enough time to shout “Willow. No!” before she'd taken a big gulp of the tea that other girl, that Ash, had brought her. That left him with Morgan who was glancing around the cafe as if he thought the girls would pop out from behind one of the ubiquitous sunflowers.

“Hey, where'd Ash go?”

“Are you stupid or just stoned?” Or are you in on it?

Someone snickered from another table. Apparently the stupid crack had hit home.

“What? Did they run off to the little girls' room together or something?”

The little girls'? No way. There was no way he could be that stupid. They'd up and vanished right before his eyes. Oh, this guy was definitely in on it. Xander slammed a fist into his face. “What'd you do with her?”

Morgan rose to his feet and he kept rising and rising and, okay, the guy was tall but he was wiry with no muscles to speak of. Xander could take him. Probably. “What the hell was that for?” Morgan shouted.

“What'd you do with my friend?”

“Your friend? What about Ash? What'd you do?”

And then that manager guy, who hadn't really backed off when Ash had stepped in, was between them. “Take it outside.”

“Dave, man, he did something to Ash.”

With the sigh of someone who's done this far too many times Dave asked, “Done what?”

“I don't know. She's gone. His friend did something to her.”

The whole cafe was watching by then. “Those two girls did split pretty quick.”

“Didn't they run to the ladies?”

Dave called out two of the waiters. “Check the restrooms. Check the kitchen.” The girls weren't in either. “Okay, I don't know what's up but I want the two of you out.” Morgan looked as if he was about to argue. “Hey, if she'd been dragged out of here, someone would have seen it. Out.”

Morgan bolted for the door and Xander chased after. “Hey, you're not getting away that easy.”

He caught up just outside the cafe. Morgan was standing there, shouting Ash's name. Okay, maybe the dolt didn't know what was up, but Xander wasn't letting him go anyway. The dolt was his only lead. “Just so you know, I'm not letting you out of my sight.”

“Yeah? I'm not letting you go either, not until I know what's up with Ash.”

“Good, 'cause I'm not losing you.” And I've got backup. Xander pulled out his cellphone. There had to be some Slayers patrolling nearby.

Before he could pull up a number, tinny music blared out of his cell. “I am awoken. The spell it has been broken, went through the cold, cold wind of the eastern snow.”

“Dawn? Kinda busy.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Andrew's been kidnapped.”

“Andrew's been what?”

“But here's the thing.” She went on as if she hadn't heard him. “One of Glory's minions found me. We're in Sunnydale. Well not in Sunnydale proper, beside the crater.”

Glory? Shit. Just what they needed, another apocalypse. “Dawn? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I knocked him out, but I don't know how long he'll stay out. Send Willow to teleport me out of here.”

“Sorry, but Willow's missing. You'll have to come home the regular way. I'll send some of the Slayers to pick you up.” Ah, and Morgan backed away a step at the mention of Slayers. Xander knew he was in on this.

“Tell them to hurry. Oh, and I hear you found Spike. Send him too. I need someone to yell at and if he's been hiding from us for the past six years …”

“Ah, no can do. Spike's also missing.” No need to go into the amnesia. “But we've got one of their guys.”

“Don't torture him until I get there.”

“I can't make any promises, Dawnie. We sooner we get the info out of him, the sooner we get everybody back.” All the color bleached out of Morgan's face. He took off running. “Gotta go.”

He was fast but Xander was better at dodging through a crowd. He caught up to Morgan within a half a block and tackled him to the ground. “Oh no you don't.” Xander had put Morgan into an arm-lock and dragged him to his feet when the cops showed up.

“Nobody move. Oh, it's you.”

“You?” Xander asked. “You as in me or you as in him?”

“You as in you. Took you in just the other night. Got out rather fast, didn't you?”

“Hey, it was legit.”

“Sure, sure, but here you are causing trouble again. I've got a report of a missing woman.”

“He did it,” Morgan interjected. “He took my friend.”

“I did not. How could I have taken her and still be here?” He decided not to bring Willow into it. The easier he kept it, the more likely the cops would drop it.

“His friend. The red head. She took Ash!” Or Morgan could just muck it up.

The two cops looked at each other. “Right. We've got a complaint from a local business. We've got a possible missing person. You two are coming with us.”

“Hey, I get a phone call,” Morgan shouted as the cop cuffed him.

“Sure. One call each. Back at the station.”