"Ok, Xander, you can lock the door now," Anya said as the last customer walked out. The ‘New Owner’ sale had gone over spectacularly, if the contents of the cash register were any indication. And, to Anya, they were.

Xander happily complied, slamming the door shut with a bang. As the lock clicked into place and the ‘open’ sign was flipped over, Xander sighed tiredly. He’d spent the entire day cooped up in the shop, watching customers and hauling merchandise from the basement. Tired was not a strong enough word for how he felt.

Anya took pity on her fiancé. After all, he wasn’t getting paid for his help, other than the numerous orgasms he had while giving her orgasms. "You know it’s very...mature and husband-like of you to help me at the store, Xander. It is a good indication that we’ll be compatible for orgasms for many years!"

"That’s great, Anya. Just remind me to keep going to work. Otherwise I’ll be your tired, free-labor at the shop husband. That or you could start paying me," Xander replied, taking a seat on the stairs. He was the only one left, besides Anya. Tara’s shift had ended and all of their friends gone off, either to accompany their girlfriend home or do some patrolling. Spike had made good on his promise to disappear as soon as the sun went down, so the blonde menace was nowhere to be found.

Anya decided that the minor clean-up work could wait until morning. She was also tired, and didn’t want to be here so long Xander was too pooped for some fun before bed. She gathered her purse and exited from behind the counter, swinging by a display on her way to collect him. The table was full of pretty glass paperweights, not very expensive (she’d gotten a bulk discount on them; they weren’t good for much, but they had that ‘new age’ look to them that college students liked). Randomly choosing one from the back, she called out to Xander, "Ok, honey, let’s go. I’ll finish here in the morning."

"Great!" Xander replied, levering himself off the stairs.

As they relocked the door behind them, Anya presented Xander with the paperweight. "Here. You were very helpful today, without the incentive of money. This is a token gift of my appreciation, worth very little financially but very much emotionally."

Xander took the glass object with a lopsided grin. "Thanks, Anya. You sure know how to make someone feel loved."

Anya smiled. "Yes, I certainly do, don’t I?"

•••

"How could you?" Anya screamed. Xander winced and edged himself behind the bar. "You left me standing at the altar!"

"An..." Xander began. His voice faded as he ducked to avoid a picture frame Anya threw at him.

"You bastard! I planned for months! All that money!" Anya continued, looking for appropriate but inexpensive projectiles.

"I didn’t want to ruin your life, An! My family’s warped!" Xander replied, trying to find better cover.

"I don’t care! I wanted to get married!" A cheap table lamp sailed over the bar to crash just behind his head. Xander figured that meant that Anya had run out of ammunition, so he ducked under the bar and made for the bedroom.

That was a mistake. Xander winced as he felt something heavy and sharp hit him on the back of the neck. He whirled around, catching the object before it fell to the ground. It was the glass paperweight she had given him several months before for helping out at the shop.

"Anya, we can talk about this like rational people," Xander said slowly, once again inching toward the bedroom.

Anya shook her head. "I love you, Xander, but that was wrong! All my friends were there! You hateful little man!"

Xander made it to the doorway when he began to feel a little dizzy. Arguments with Anya were apparently not good for his health. He slumped down again, trying to catch his breath.

Anya had given up on screaming at him and tried pacing up and down the living room. She picked up a candy dish, hefting it in one hand. She turned back toward him, raising her arm menacingly.

"Anya, put that down--"