Chapter 5

Xander smiled to see Faith walk into the weekly "staff meeting". She was slowly doing better, at least he hoped. She blamed herself for not saving Robin. For not being in Cleveland at all. There had been a situation in Quebec that Vi had wanted some back up for. She was coping, but handling much beyond taking care of her kids and getting through the day was still a big order for her.

The meeting was one of the more interesting. Goddamn what were with these freaking Wizards anyway? Did they think they were stupid? That they would blithely put up with this complete bullshit?

Running an Internal Investigations sting of their version of the FBI around his slayers. Around RJ and Nikki? They could go take out their own criminals around their kids!

Giles was as hot under the collar as Giles got when Xander informed him of the latest crap the ACW had pulled. Ripper bubbled up to the surface even. At least the Acting Deputy Director of North America got confirmed with little to do. After all Giles had said he could hire someone, and since the ACW decided that it didn't have to take the North American Council seriously it certainly didn't hurt to have someone who understood Wizarding Society intimately. It was a very sound idea after all. And it might make the British Ministry think twice about sending their cast offs to the Council to keep dibs on rather than doing their own work.

Xander had to smirk just a little at that. He'd had a good idea and hadn't even known it. He just didn't have any clue what to do with the cute little wizard. UGH! Bad brain. Need to be scrubbed. Scrubbing brain needed to be added to the DO YESTERDAY list. A certain blonde wizard could be added to the do yesterday list. BAD BRAIN! BAD BAD BAD BRAIN!

He forced himself to focus on the argument by floo with the American Congress of Wizards liaison to the council. The man reminded him of Principal Snyder with worse teeth and bigger ears, that fact alone could kill any improper thoughts about the new Deputy Director of North America.

"Excuse me a minute I need to consult with the Deputy Director and the Council Head first."

Giles had already given him the go ahead to deal with the matter as he saw fit. G-man was up to his eyeballs in dealing with the Slayer being detained in France. A group of purely human thugs had picked the wrong woman to attack outside a night club. The thugs were wanted for several similar attacks, but were all currently in the hospital and the slayer being held by the French authorities on multiple assault charges.

~*~

Xander stepped out into the main reception area. Not only was the damage repaired it was stunning. The scuffed old marble floor gleaming and pristine. The woodwork absolutely gorgeous polished to a perfect shine. Even some additions to the decor...

"Oh very nice." he smiled looking around, and the blonde British wizard was looking adorably rumpled from mojoing the reception room. BAD BRAIN DON"T GO THERE. Galleons Knuts Snyder wannabe with horrible teeth. Focus. "I'll appreciate later. I've got the American Congress of Wizards Liaison to the Watcher on the floo. They're paying damages to avoid some of the ramifications in the treaty we have with them. I need an amount. He's talking Galleons and knuts and I don't know."

"You have the Treaty?"

Xander held it out. "This is the section." He watched as gray eyes moved rapidly over the legalese and gobbledy gook.

"Nine hundred thousand Galleons. They've broken absolutely every condition with this." Draco said decisively. "Payable immediately. It's right here in the clause. Demand it transferred to a Gringotts account in the Council's name. And if a representative from Gringotts isn't in your office in fifteen minutes with the key and account paperwork action will be taken as per the Treaty Agreement."

Xander cocked his head to the side and nodded. If Draco said so that was good enough for him. Sounded good at any rate. Nine hundred thousand was a lot of anything, even if he wasn't sure what a Galleon was. He glanced at the two aurors who seemed to be helping Draco "You two want to be stationed here permanently? I'm not dealing with another round of this." at least these two had been helpful, and relatively easy on destroying small appliances. It had been the other two clowns that had really been the trouble. And surprise surprise, guess who was responsible for nearly ending the treaty between the council and the ACW.

Both aurors agreed readily.

"Oh, Xander, a goblin steps out of the floo in there--it's the Gringotts representative so don't attack it." Draco added as an after thought.

"Goblin...ooohkay. You come in when I get done with this turkey and can help me with the Goblin. Goblin." Xander muttered shaking his head and headed back to his office.

The liaison had been nearly in tears when Xander got done with his demands of reparations. He had the feeling he'd be breaking in a new liaison next time he had to floo the ACW.

~*~

Draco wasn't kidding about a Goblin. All little and green and pointy in a suit a hundred years out of date and ear hair that could possibly be braided. And yes! operating funds! Considering the current exchange was something to the effect of twelve dollars and eighteen cents to the galleon, or something. That was explained with a lot of make-your-ears-bleed jargon about stock markets, rates and the moon in Jupiter. Okay, the Goblin with the major ear hair problem hadn't said anything about the moon in Jupiter but that would have made more sense to Xander than what he did say.

Draco seemed to understand the exchange rates and preferred customer babble. Any which way it was a lot of freaking money, enough to keep them going until Robin's system got cracked.

Xander eyed what Draco was wearing carefully.

"What?"

"Lose the robe, the pants and shirt should pass easily enough. We can get a late lunch and get the shopping done."

Xander grinned at the fleeting panicked look on the younger man's face.

"Shopping in a muggle store?"

"Yep. Ye Olde Super Walmart." Xander grinned. "They've even got a McDonalds in the store."

"A what?"

"Oh, office, did you pick one yet?"

"Er, no."

"What about the connecting one to this? It's just as large just not cleaned up."

"I--yes, that would be fine."

"Oh, where'd you put the aurors?"

"On the second floor. The smaller conferrence room..."

"That'll work." Xander grinned. "And if they're playing with that freaky little chess game that has moving talking violent peices no one that comes in that shouldn't know about magic will freak out and need memory charmed."

~*~

Xander struggled not to laugh. Goddess he wished he had a camera for the expression on Draco's face when he unwrapped his Big Mac.

"You actually are to eat that?"

"Yep," Xander grinned at the younger man's disbelief. "How about a salad and some McNuggets."

"What's in a McNugget?"

"Supposedly chicken."

"Er, does it look this bad?"

"No. I'll be right back." Xander grinned. Draco was cute when he made that sneering scrunched up face. GAH! BAD BAD BRAIN! And cute? Brain needed shot of testoserone badly. Cute? He actually thought the word cute. He needed a vacation. He'd been around teenage girls far far too long.

He mentally berated himself for being an idiot, and he was quite sure wherever Anya was she was laughing her ass off at him. The thought of Ahn brought a bittersweet pang. He hadn't pushed at Faith much because he understood all to well how she felt. So did Giles, Willow and Buffy. The punch she gave the Auror seemed to bring some life back in her. Hitting assholes was theraputic even if it was something that couldn't be done often. Well, not unless they were demons.

Anya and her endless sexual curiosity--and fondness for toys--had forced a few self-admittances. Back then they really hadn't made any difference, he loved Anya. Then everything went to hell. Sunnydale literally, and almost the world with it by the time it was all said and done. Since then he'd been around the world several times, something he would have never dreamed of as a kid. Even up until the point Sunnydale got sucked into the Hellmouth when it closed for good he wouldn't have dreamed of it. The list of funerals he'd attended had grown along with the places he'd seen. He'd had a few, well lovers was the wrong word. Encounters? Yeah. That was more like it. Nothing that had lasted more than a week or two at the outside if it even went past a single night. Those had been very few and far between, and if he was honest more male than female especially as time went on.

"Here, this better?" He sat the McNuggets and salad in front of Draco.

"Thank you,"

"No problem. Just means I get two Big Macs and don't have to feel guilty about it cause we'd have to throw it away otherwise." Xander grinned. "We'll hit the men's department first. You need more--Mug-uh-American clothes." And that would give him a chance to have an excuse to check out Draco's butt in a pair of tight jeans. Down Brain! Bad Brain!

He seriously needed to get laid sometime soon before he did something really stupid.