Parts: 21 - 24
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~Part: 21~
"This is a good table," Willow decided as she sat down, choosing a table that looked out onto Jackson Square. She figured that Faith would grow bored within five minutes and would be entertained by the variety of strange people that were still out despite the late hour.
"Man, there are some crazy people in this town," Faith said, shaking her head as she looked at Willow and laughed.
"We definitely have our unique characters," Lio said, taking a sip of coffee. Turning his full attention to Willow, he said, "I will explain everything that is required of you for the position. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I want to be clear about what it involved before you officially accept. It will not hurt my feelings at all if you choose to decline the offer, though I somehow doubt you are the type to resist a challenge."
"Now, before you start, I won't be able to start working until we find a house for certain and get moved in," Willow said, not wanting to start a job when she was still living out of a suitcase at the hotel.
"You shall have the keys to your home by nine Monday morning," Lio smiled. "Henry has put in the necessary paperwork, has received a confirmation from Europe that the offer is acceptable, and was merely waiting for my approval, which I plan to give him tomorrow afternoon."
"Wait, you mean, this dinner and all, it was to see if you wanted us to move here or not?" Faith looked at him in surprise, having assumed the dinner was his way of checking out the new people in town rather than it being a test to see if they could stay. Damn, he did run a tight town.
"Of course," Lio replied, "did you not think that I would want to approve any new residents to my town? A vacationer is one thing, rarely requiring my involvement in approving their visit, but a new resident? I have to make sure that the rules will be followed, that there will be no problems, and that they will compliment my town."
"So, we passed?" Willow said, having to smile at just how organized everything was in this town.
"With flying colors, Bella," Lio returned her smile. "Now, the job. You will be required to be on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You have no official schedule. Mike tended to work from mid-afternoon until midnight most weekdays while taking his weekends off. I'm not particular about the generic details. As long as you are there when I really need you, I don't care when you choose to work. You will be my second in command. You will oversee the registration process for visitors as well as take any requests for permanent residence. At that time, I will become involved and you will accompany on a dinner much like we had this evening. If there are problems, you will have the authority to make decisions and take action. Most of the time, Mike complained that he was bored because things ran smoothly without his constant attention. You will have a room at my home for instances that require you to stay over, but those don't happen very often. Usually if I am planning an event or a family gathering, but otherwise you will reside in your own home. You will have the use of my driver and car anytime that you wish. There will be times that a problem may occur outside of the Quarter so it is more convenient to just call Sam to drive you."
"Wow, um," Willow tried to take in everything he had said. It sounded like a lot of responsibility in one way, but it sounded kind of easy in another. The on call thing would be strange, but she was used to always being available to Buffy for research or patrol or anything else that came up. It wouldn't be much of a chance, she guessed. "So, I could still help Lorne with the club as long as I was first available to you."
"Of course," Lio said, "you could have your office at the club, if you choose. I have a floor in a building on Canal Street that has been the home for the registering service phones for the last few months, but it could easily be moved if you chose for it be at the club for convenience sake. There are five demons that work each shift at the service, each taking a twelve-hour shift with three days off per week. There are always three people working at the office, one taking calls, one handling requests, and the other helping out wherever needed. It works out well, and we have a stack of applicants interested in a position if you ever needed extra people on a temporary basis or if someone moves. I have a group of four that handle any problems that may occur. They are called in when someone fails to register or other instances like that. You will also be in charge of handling small family matters, making decisions on matter that do not require my involvement. I become involved on requests for a turning, mating, or bonding. And, as I've said, I'm involved on any cases involving requests to move to New Orleans. I also become involved in any situations that require the choice of death or leaving town. Again, those cases are very rare this last decade or so. During the holidays, I have a Halloween gathering, a Christmas gathering, a Mardi Gras party, as well as a few other smaller parties throughout the year. At that time, you will be called on to organize the details with my assistance, of course. I'm trying to think of anything else you might need to know."
"You mean, there's more?" Willow had to laugh, not believing everything the job would consist of. But, it sounded wonderful. She would be responsible for so many different areas, plus she'd still be able to help Lorne at the club. Lio had even given her permission to move the office to the club, which is something she was already considering. It would be much easier to have it, perhaps in the basement, more convenient to her house. If she had to be available at all times of the day, she would much prefer going downstairs to take care of something than going half way across the Quarter. That could wait, though, until everything was set up at the club.
"I nearly forgot salary!" Lio smiled sheepishly. He named a figure that caused Faith to whirl her head around from gawking at a living statue of an angel to staring at Lio with her mouth open.
"You're joking, right?" Willow asked, astonished that he had named such a large amount. That was more than Giles had made when he'd been a librarian. Goodness, she'd never expected to bring in that much money, never in her wildest dreams.
"I do not joke about matters of money, Bella," Lio smiled. "There are also benefits. Because Mike was human, I have a program set up for insurance. There is vacation time of two weeks a year, my only request being that you do not take it during an event. Because there is no definite hour structure, you can take sick days whenever needed. I believe that is everything that I can think of at the time. Does it sound like something you are interested in?"
"Very interested," Willow said with a smile. She'd wanted the position before hearing the salary and benefits. Now, she knew that it was perfect for her.
"You said she sometimes has to go outside the Quarter," Faith spoke up, asking, "if she has to do that, is it okay if I went with her? I mean, she's probably more powerful than I am with all that magic stuff, but it would make me more comfortable just in case."
"Of course you could accompany her," Lio said, understanding Faith's concern. "Sam is a very large, very tall demon that tends to be a threat even when silent, but I have no problems with your being involved."
"Cool," Faith nodded and turned her attention back to the street, licking the powder sugar off of her fingers as she waited for Willow to finalize everything.
"When do you need me to start?" Willow asked, smiling at the look of relief that flashed in Lio's gray eyes.
"Would Tuesday be too soon?" he asked, knowing that she would be moving on Monday. "Perhaps short days next week to let you become accustomed to everything while still allowing you time to move and get settled in."
"I can start Monday night," Willow said with a smile, seeing him about to object, she said, "Lio, I hardly have anything to move. It wouldn't take me an hour or two to get everything unpacked. Thankfully, the house is furnished!"
"I will have Sam pick you up Monday evening at seven," Lio agreed, "I will meet you at the office to introduce you to everyone."
"I'll be ready," Willow said as she began to eat her beignets and chat with Faith about some of the people they saw walking by, laughing as Lio added his own opinions. She couldn't wait until Monday.
~Part: 22~
Basilio had lied.
It wasn't Monday morning by nine that they received the keys to their new home and business. It was Saturday afternoon at 1:46 exactly. Willow had looked at her watch as Henry had handed the key ring to Lorne, wanting to know the exact moment they become home owners. It appeared that Lio had indeed gotten in touch with Henry that morning, approving them as new residents for his town. Upon his urging, Henry had contacted them and asked for an afternoon meeting for the handing over of the keys and to sign some final papers. There would be still be a weight as everything was sent in and they wouldn't actually possess the deed for another few weeks, but they were going to be able to move in immediately. According to Henry, Lio had wanted his new assistant to have time to get settled in before starting her new job. Willow was thrilled at having an entire weekend to get her stuff unpacked and everything.
She felt rather bad that no one else really had anything to unpack. All of Lorne and Gunn's stuff was still in LA, both men only having the clothes they had brought for the trip to Sunnydale all those weeks ago. Lorne had mentioned contacting Angel soon to have his stuff shipped, but had also said that he planned to go on a bit of a shopping spree so he wasn't in too big of a hurry to receive his stuff. Gunn had finally admitted that he was staying indefinitely, had no plans to return to LA at anytime in the near future, if ever. Willow figured that he'd have Angel ship his personal stuff when the vampire sent Lorne's. Although, according to Gunn, he didn't really have all that much to worry about. As for Faith, everything she owned was in her bag. The slayer was especially excited about the idea of going shopping so that she could have more than just a few outfits to call her own.
Willow was glad that the house had come completely furnished. It was much easier to move into a house fully furnished with wonderful furniture, sheets, blankets and even what appeared to be new towels and everything. She was already making mental lists of things they would need to buy, knowing that tomorrow would definitely be a shopping day. They needed food, cleaning supplies, and essentials such as televisions and radios. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any electronics furnished with the house. According to Henry, the previous owned hadn't been a fan of TV, so that was why there were a million books but no television. Willow liked the books, finding several that she had seen in Giles' library along with some that she had used repeatedly while researching with Buffy. Those were mixed in next to classics and current best sellers. She was definitely one day going to tackle the organization of the library. She liked to have things grouped together, hated having to search for specific titles. It was probably one of her more annoying traits.
"We so need a TV," Faith said as she came into the living room and flopped onto the sofa, a smile crossing her face as she realized that this was her sofa. "Damn, Red, can you believe we own this place?"
"I'm pinching myself every few minutes just to remind myself that it isn't all a dream," Willow smiled at her friend before turning back to her list.
"Whatcha writing?" Faith asked the redhead. She was bored. She'd unpacked her few clothes, hanging them in her closet. She had then helped Lorne get ready for his date with Lio, picking out a blue suit that had went well with his green complexion. She didn't find it odd at all to be helping a demon dress for a date with a vampire. She was a slayer, she was used to having a weird life. Besides, at least she was finally happy. Okay, so not as happy as she would be if she had some gorgeous hunk of male waiting naked in her bed for her, but it was still all good. Anyway, she didn't have time for a man at the moment. Her eyes moved over Willow, maybe a girl? Nah, that wasn't gonna happen so it was best to move on. She liked having a best friend, especially one that she found attractive and could tease so easily. She enjoyed making Willow blush, though it wasn't as easy now as it used to be.
"A list of everything we need to buy," Willow said, her mind moving to the bathroom and what would be needed there.
"Add chocolate chip cookies to the list," Faith said, leaning up on her elbows as she hollered, "Chuck!!!!!!!! Where are you?????"
"I'm enjoying my new bed!" he screamed back, snuggling against the comfortable king size mattress.
"Is there anything you want to add to Willow's list of things to buy?" Faith screamed to him, not wanting to get up from her spot on the sofa to walk the few feet to get to the door to his room.
"I dunno," he answered back, "I'll let you know if I think of anything, Red!"
"He'll let you know," Faith said as she gave Willow a sweet smile.
"I heard," Willow rolled her eyes, turning the page of the notebook to begin a second page. She was glad that she had quite a bit of money in her savings account. It looked like they were going to need it. Luckily, she'd be able to repay the money within a month because Lio was going to pay her so well. She still couldn't believe the large amount he had named as her salary. She guessed it was so high because she would always be on call and available to him, but it was beyond anything she'd ever imagined making with her first job.
"So, what do you think Lio and Lorne are doing right now?" Faith asked, wiggling her eyebrows in a leering way.
"I figure they're getting to know each other, flirting up a storm and just having fun," Willow decided with a laugh. She was happy that Lio was interested in Lorne, knowing that her friend deserved all the happiness he could get. She suddenly spoke up, remembering what she had wanted to tell Faith that she had discovered just recently, "Guess what?"
~Part: 23~
"What?" Faith asked, turning her head to look at her best friend, wondering what had caused the enthusiastic tone in the redhead's voice. Knowing Willow, it could be anything.
"I checked the phone book earlier and found out that there's a Walmart out by the airport," Willow smiled, rather proud of her achievement. They'd not seen any normal stores since arriving in New Orleans, the Quarter occupied by neat little stores and small grocery stores. There was a mall by the river, but she'd always hated malls. She'd been thrilled to see that there was a Walmart not too far away. She liked shopping in the Sunnydale Walmart, wandering around for hours and buying things she didn't need just because they were on sale. She'd be able to get the cleaning supplies they needed for a good price and would probably be able to pick up the majority of items on their list in one place.
"We shop for less," Faith said seriously before she had to laugh, deciding that only Willow would get excited at the idea of a Walmart. Okay, she liked roaming the many aisles of low priced merchandise herself, but it was just too cute to see Willow all excited.
"Yep, we do!" Willow laughed, "I figured we could by almost everything there, including the electronics. They have good brands and cheaper prices than a lot of places. I also found a Best Buy listed in the phone book, but they're more expensive. It's an alternative, though, if we can't find the best TV at Walmart."
"I want a huge fucking television for upstairs in our little nook," Faith said, her dark eyes flashing with enthusiasm, "full system with DVD, VCR, stereo and surround sound. Man, we'll hook it all up."
Willow smiled. They had already moved around the furniture in the upstairs area, having decided to make it their viewing center. It was far enough away from the downstairs bedrooms that they wouldn't disturb Lorne or Gunn if they were up late, and it would give them sort of an upstairs living room. Gunn had already requested his own personal TV for his room, telling them that he liked to lay in bed and watch. She and Faith would prefer not taking up space in their rooms with large TVs, so the living area was perfect for them. Now, Willow would definitely be buying a CD player and radio for her room, but she could live without a TV. She answered Faith, "We can check the internet and pick up some cheap movies for our collection. I know that I'm planning on having Buffy send me my collection from home. I didn't want to bring it until I had somewhere to stay. I've got dozens of movies, so it's a good start. Oh, I also need her to send me my music. Let me make a note here."
"You and your notes," Faith laughed as she rolled her eyes at the redhead.
"I like to be organized," Willow said before she stuck her tongue out at the slayer. "You'll be glad tomorrow when we find ourselves at the store and we actually have a list instead of just trying to remember everything."
"We how you're going, we're gonna need a U-Haul just to get all that stuff home," Faith laughed, knowing the redhead had filled one full page of the notebook with items to buy and was halfway through the second.
"A lot of it won't take up too much space," Willow defended, "but the electronics might be a problem. Gunn's car isn't that big. Hmm….Damn, I guess we do end up at Best Buy for the bigger stuff cause they usually have delivery."
"You still want a desk, don't you?" Faith asked, watching as the redhead nodded, "I think the office stores have delivery too so we might want to look there."
"Great," Willow smiled, the desk being the only furniture she planned to add to her room. She already knew where it could go, the room large enough that it wouldn't really change too much. She just had to have a desk, somewhere for her laptop and stuff. She also planned to buy a computer for the library downstairs, something big and powerful so that the others could use it for net access and so she'd have one convenient to the library if she needed to do research without having to unhook her laptop. Also, she figured she might end up putting some of her work files on it to avoid using up her laptop memory. Yeah, she was real glad that she had her savings. Of course, Lorne would also be helping with the price, Faith and Gunn promising to start contributing once they found a job. Willow didn't really care. All of her savings was from her parents. They hadn't bought her a gift since she was six, instead putting money into her savings account. She'd had a lot of birthdays and holidays since she was six, so the balance was rather large. Easily enough to buy everything on her list without Lorne's help, but she knew that he had a lot more money and wanted to help so she was going to let him pay for some of it. It was really stupid, though, since he'd bought the house, but he insisted on helping. It wasn't worth an argument. She'd just make sure she bought the more expensive things so that it was sort of fair.
"Red, are you finished with the list yet?" Faith whined, watching Willow's face as the redhead studied the list, obviously lost in thought.
"Why?" Willow asked, looking up as she looked at her friend.
"It's nearly ten and I'm hungry," Faith whined, her eyes amused. "I thought, since we are having a stay at home night even thought it's a Saturday and we're in a party town, that we could go pick up some food at that place we saw yesterday. It said it was twenty-four hours."
"The Clover Grill?" Willow recalled the place they had seen during the walking tour of Lio's the previous evening. "Sure, the rest of this can wait. Go get Gunn and we'll go grab some dinner. The kitchen is empty. I definitely think the supermarket will be our first stop tomorrow!"
"Yeah, cause I really hate not having any food around when there's a kitchen right there," Faith said before she yelled, "Chuck, do you want some food? We're going to that grill."
"Give me five minutes," Gunn yelled back, getting to his feet as he looked around his new room. A smile crossed his face before he went into the bathroom.
Faith stood up and took the tablet from Willow and tossing it on the table as she said, "Let's go eat!"
~Part: 24~
"Is there anything left in the stores?" Lio asked with a smile as he looked around the living room at the many boxes and bags that covered nearly every free surface. He'd just arrived a few minutes before and had already carried a large stereo into Lorne's room. He now had a moment to observe the room, shaking his head at all the purchases.
"Ha ha, Vampy," Faith said, giving him a look before saying, "If you're not going to help us, go away!"
"Be nice, Faith," Willow scolded with a smile, "that's my boss you're being rude to!"
"Well, he needs to quit flirting with Lorne and help us move some of these heavy boxes," Faith grumbled though her dark eyes were lit with amusement. "He is a vampire after all. That means, super strength so lifting this TV shouldn't bother him at all."
"I am *so* glad that the delivery guys took that huge one upstairs for us," Willow said, her mind thinking about televisions after Faith's comment, still finding it hard to believe that Lorne had allowed Faith to choose such a large screen TV for their upstairs nook. Of course, it appeared that Lorne couldn't tell the slayer no when she got her puppy dog eyes going, something Faith used to her advantage.
"It's cause they were trying to impress us with their muscles," Faith said, flexing her arms as she imitated the delivery men. "That blond one was hot for you, Red. He kept asking if there was anything else you needed, and I don't think he meant delivery!"
"Whatever," Willow rolled her eyes, laughing as Faith leered suggestively. "It's nearly eight and we've just gotten home. All this stuff has to be put away tonight, so quit talking and get working!"
"Yes, Mistress," Faith said as she grabbed a couple of the bags that went to the kitchen.
"Gunn, those bags need to go into each of the bathrooms," Willow pointed out the separated bags. "I've already divided everything so you just need to take one to each bathroom. It's pretty basic stuff like soap, toothpaste and that sort of thing. The larger one has the cleaning supplies which I figured we'd keep with the other cleaning supplies in the closet by the stairs where I had Lorne put the vacuum."
"I'll take care of it," Gunn said as he picked up the bags and started for the first bathroom.
"Lorne, you and Lio are in charge of the entertainment system for the living room," Willow said, "everything you need is over beside the sofa. Once you guys have that hooked up, check in with me and I'll let you know what else needs done."
"Have I mentioned how fortunate I am that she is going to be my new assistant?" Lio asked as he obeyed Willow's instructions and moved to help Lorne with the box that held the new television.
"Yes, you have," Lorne smiled at the vampire, winking as he cut the tape that was covering the box. He'd had an excellent time the previous evening, staying out until just before dawn. They'd had drinks and listened to a new local band, talking until the club had closed. Lio had dropped him off at the hotel, leaving him with a soft kiss. Lorne had to confess that it had taken him hours to go to sleep, his mind still caught up on Lio and that kiss that had promised so many things. He hadn't been very surprised when there had been a knock on the door shortly after dusk. He'd let Basilio come in only after giving him fair warning that Willow would most likely put him to work, which the redhead had immediately done after greeting the vampire.
"She's amazing," Lio said with sincerity. Willow had everything organized and completely under control. He was thrilled that he had chosen so wisely, knowing that he was going to have the best assistant in the entire city. He glanced at Lorne and smiled. He looked around to make sure everyone was busy before he leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss across Lorne's lips and whispered, "*You're* amazing."
"Hey now, no necking until the entertainment center is hooked up," Willow said with a laugh as she caught them kissing. She grabbed another bag and started putting things away, giggling when Lorne stuck his tongue out at her.
It was five hours later before everything was put away, hooked up, and cleaned up. Five tired people lay on the sofa, chairs, and one lay on the floor. Faith moved the large floor pillow she had bought under her chest as she covered a yawn, "Man, who knew that shopping could be so tiring."
"I feel like I've run a marathon or fought a dozen demons that were winning," Gunn said as he stretched.
"Hey, look at it this way, it's all done," Willow said with a smile, listening as they groaned in response to her perky reply.
"Always the optimist, Cupcake," Lorne muttered, glaring at her before having to smile. "But, you're right. It is all done."
"I think it all came together perfectly," Lio said from his position beside Lorne, his gray eyes smiling at Willow.
"I love the living area upstairs," Faith beamed, having picked out the biggest TV she could find that would fit in the space. She'd already turned it on, sat on the sofa and felt like she was in a movie theater. It was completely cool. Once they got cable hooked up, she'd rarely leave that area except for important stuff like…"Guys, I'm hungry."
"Starving is a more appropriate word," Gunn said, looking at Willow and reminding, "Someone wouldn't let us take a dinner break!"
"Whine whine whine," Willow said with a laugh. "Don't worry. It is all taken care of."
"What do you mean it is taken care of?" Lorne asked.
"I called in take out about twenty minutes ago when it was obvious that we were nearly finished," Willow said with a smile. "Lio was kind enough to have someone pick it up for us and it should be here soon."
"Hot damn," Faith beamed, "I love you, Red! I'll get drinks. The soda should be cold by now. Lio, you want anything?"
"Soda is great," Lio said, having fed before coming for his visit.
"I hear the door," Willow said, "I'll go down and let him in."
As Faith got drinks, Gunn went to the kitchen and got plates. He wasn't sure if they needed silverware, but he grabbed some just in case. He wanted to fall back on the sofa and not move until he had some strength back. By the time he arrived back in the living room, Willow had the food and was handing it out.
"Thank God we found a twenty-four hour place that was delicious," Willow said as she took her cheeseburger and sat down. When everyone had their food and drinks, she said, "I propose a toast. To home sweet home."
"Home sweet home," voices echoed as cans of soda were knocked together. They continued talking about the new house, New Orleans, and Willow's upcoming first day of work as they ate, the hours filled with laughter and groans before Lio left after giving Lorne a small kiss, and the others retired to their new bedrooms. Soon, the house was silent as they all went to sleep, pleasant dreams awaiting them.
***********THE END***********