The morning air was clean and crisp, with a lingering chill that didn't often occur on the west coast. The birds were chirping and everything seemed to be right out of a travel brochure crafted by Norman Rockwell, until you took a closer look and saw how empty everything was and spotted the scattered bones lying about like discarded candy wrappers.

It reminded him of Sunnydale, providing a strange sort of comfort. As he thought about it, he realized he'd have felt even more out of place if there hadn't been bones scattered about and death lurking in the shadows.

"My life is seriously fucked up," he noted, unable to stop himself from laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Finding humor in the oddest places had always kept his spirits up. Plus, he could almost smell the pheromones wafting off Cordelia, a legacy of the primal empowerment, that raised his spirits a little too much in his opinion.

He tried to ignore the part of him that was whispering about what Cordelia wanted because he remembered what had happened with Buffy, where her pheromones practically screamed sex while she denied it. It was probably connected to how danger and battle turned slayers on. All he knew was that it was best to wait for a clear sign with no ambiguity what-so-ever, rather than risk making that mistake with anyone.

Out of habit, he glanced both ways while crossing the street. The drug store's sign read 'open' as it had for the past... however many years, and a cautious sniff when he opened the door revealed nothing more than the faded scent of pine scented cleaner and air fresheners that haunted such places.

The store was warm compared to outside and the lights were still on, reminding him to take apart the lamp and copy down the runes powering it.

He couldn't stop himself from peeking behind the front counter and seeing the body of the cashier... It looked mummified. He hadn't thought about it before, but now that he was taking a closer look he couldn't help but notice that - except for the bodies exposed to the elements - they all looked mummified.

The Halloween decorations still hanging in the store seemed remarkably appropriate.

He collected a copy of each magazine off the magazine rack and a couple of paperback books before checking out the rest of the store. Not trusting expired drugs beyond aspirin, he snagged a good-sized bottle of Jack Daniels and seriously raided the candy section. He was pretty sure candy didn't go bad for at least a decade and it would keep them from going hungry while he searched for something more filling. Grabbing a hand basket for everything, he also raided the toiletries for the full-sized versions of their normal bathroom supplies and grabbed a couple of boxes of condoms out of habit.

Stepping outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized it at the time, but he'd been expecting something to happen; there seemed to be a tension to the air inside... or maybe it was just him.

Returning to their motel room, he saw Cordelia sprawled out on the bed: naked and bored. She didn't try to cover herself and smiled as she saw him, making him admit to himself that he probably wasn't wrong about what she wanted.

"Bare chested werewolf?" she asked on spotting the title of one of the books.

"Supernatural romance novels seem to be the preferred genre of our local drug store," he replied.

"I see Jack, but no Coke," she commented.

"I'll hit the soda machine and see if the ice machine is still working," he promised. "But promise me you'll go easy on the stuff."

She rolled her eyes. "You've seen me drink before. I didn't have a problem with it and I plan on being solidly buzzed for at least forty eight hours unless you need me for something."

"I'll just be looking around for clues and canned goods," he replied. "But when you drink..."

"I know how I get when I drink," she assured him. "I don't have a problem with it. Do you?"

"Nope," he replied instantly, knowing any other answer would probably get him hurt.

"Good," she said, relaxing a little. "I'm making sober decisions here. Now bring me my drink that I may drown some pain."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, amused.

Xander spent the next couple of hours checking the various motel rooms for keys and matching them to cars in the parking lot. To his surprise, he found several older vehicles that started right up, even if they ran a little rough at first. The newer vehicles were a wash, as they either had dead batteries or made strange noises and died.

Satisfied they had several ways out if need be, he started searching for something more than candy to eat. Not knowing the actual date made it difficult to know what food to trust, so in the end he gathered a box filled with canned goods and chips. Sure, the chips would be stale, but stale chips never made anyone sick. He also grabbed a jar of honey as he dimly recalled that honey never spoiled.

It was still pretty early when he called it a day, but all their immediate needs were taken care of and he didn't want to leave Cordelia alone for too long.

OK, he might also have been a little distracted by what Cordelia had all but stated she wanted and expected when he returned. Maybe it was shallow of him, but he was thinking that if he was being invited back into her bed, he might be being invited back into her heart as well.

"Xander," Cordelia said when he entered their room, "would you mind dropping your pants and getting over here?"

Typing by: Ordieth