"What is it?" he asked anxiously as Buffy shut the door behind her. "Are you OK, where's Xander?" he was getting more worried with every passing second and wished she would answer at least one of his questions.

He had arranged to meet Fraser at 1.30pm and arrived a little late. The Doctor was sitting in Giles' car reading a magazine when Giles pulled up next to him in the car park of the restaurant.

He made a great show of slowly walking round the car to inspect it for dents or scratches and eventually arrived back at the driver's door with a satisfied grin on his face. "Never mind the car" Giles grunted. "Give me a hand would you" he asked and reached up to lean on the Doctor as he tried to get out of his seat.

"What on earth have you done to yourself now?" Fraser asked incredulously as he steadied his friend and closed the car door for him.

"Aggravated an old back injury at the weekend and trained with Buffy this morning" he grumbled as he slowly walked towards the restaurant entrance.

Fraser laughed and shook his head as he moved ahead to hold the door open for him. He waited until they had been seated and were checking menus before his curiosity got the better of him. "So what did you do to upset Buffy and what did she do to you?" he asked quietly.

"It's a long story but it wasn't all Buffy's fault. It had been feeling much better this morning before I started training with her. I should have known better" he shrugged slightly and returned to the menu. He was starving and needed a decent meal before he could take any more painkillers.

"After lunch we'll go back to my consulting rooms and I'll give you a once over" Fraser said and waved the waiter over to take their order.

"Does it hurt if I press here?" asked Fraser when he finally persuaded Giles to lie up on his examining table.

"Of course it bloody hurts!" Giles gasped and took several deep breaths. "Sorry" he finally said and relaxed again.

"No, I'm used to it" the Doctor sighed. "I think rest and some ice packs should take care of it over the next couple of days but you should definitely stop doing whatever aggravated it in the first place" he suggested and moved back to his desk, not seeing the slight smile that crept over Giles' face. "I'll give you some slightly stronger painkillers but only use them for a few days at a time"

When Giles had finally pulled his t-shirt and sweater back on he moved to the desk and pulled out his wallet. Fraser was watching him with an air of professional detachment, trying to see if he was fit enough to drive home. He stared at Giles a little surprised when he was handed a ten-dollar bill from his wallet. "You of all people should know that your insurance will cover this treatment" he protested.

Giles shook his head and gingerly lowered himself into a hard backed chair. "It's not for that" he smiled. "I'm led to believe you made a bet with Willow and I was instructed to tell you that you had won but I was to pay up?"

Fraser looked a little confused then enlightenment settled on his face and he reached out for the money. "So that's how you hurt your back" he laughed. "Perhaps you should leave swinging from the chandelier to the younger generation?"

"Perhaps" Giles admitted ruefully. "I also need to apologise properly for Saturday night and thank you for keeping her safe, even if your methods were a little unorthodox" he said quietly.

Fraser stood up and poured him some water. "I think it was the other way round, she kept me safe" he said. "And I don't think you have anything to apologise for, after all, this has all happened incredibly quickly for you and it must be a huge temptation to protect her from all of the bad things in this world"

"That's part of the problem" Giles agreed. "I've been trying to protect them all for the past six years but they have grown up in a world of demons, vampires and monsters" he shook his head. "Once you are involved in trying to defeat the chaos it is impossible to walk away from it without losing some vital part of yourself in the process"

Fraser looked at him through narrowed eyes and decided that his involvement in their work meant he had to better understand their motives. "What do you mean?" he prompted.

"When I was at Oxford I got involved with some seriously unstable people" he began. "At the time we all thought we were the archetypal 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' group but in our case we went on to prove much worse" his voice had dropped a little, this was obviously painful for him to remember. "A group of us took to studying the dark side of magic and were enticed by the power and sense of danger we encountered. Bearing in mind that I was raised to take on my duties as Watcher, I knew better than anyone the danger of what we were dabbling with but I encouraged others to become involved" He stopped to take a drink of water. "I turned out to be quite adept at summoning dark forces and this unfortunate talent led several of my friends to believe that we could control these forces."

"That was your first mistake?" Fraser asked quietly when it looked as if Giles wouldn't continue.

Giles looked up quickly and shook his head. "For several of them it was their last mistake" he waited for Fraser to understand what he was saying. "After that I knew that I couldn't turn my back on my true calling. I returned to Oxford to finish my studies and take up my post with the Watchers Council" he finished in a bit of a rush but Fraser was looking at him in stunned fascination.

"Have you ever told Buffy or the others?" Fraser asked.

"Not everything" Giles looked off into the distance. "When I was first assigned to be Buffy's watcher I was glad to finally be given the chance to take a 'front line' job for a change" he smiled a little at the recollection. "I expected to have a slayer who would patrol with me and we could wipe out the bad guys together" he sighed. "When I arrived Buffy came with 'baggage' and I couldn't stop them finding out about her calling. As soon as they knew what was happening they wanted to help and I couldn't stop that happening either." He looked Fraser in the eye. "Here I was, a comprehensively trained adult with specially honed skills and I could only watch as the three of them bumbled their way through the first few months. It's a miracle any of them survived."

"They faced horrors and nightmares that most of us literally never dream of and came out of it as, all things considered, incredibly well adjusted adults. I have to admit to being a little disgruntled that a small temptation had been enough to lead me astray when I was their age and they managed to overcome everything fate threw at them!" he laughed a little ruefully. "I think they are immune to temptation, they don't even smoke tobacco for god's sake, never mind anything else"

Fraser raised his eyebrows at him. "It seems slightly sacrilegious to go through college and not smoke something" he agreed.

"Exactly" Giles nodded in agreement. "Anyway" he sighed. "None of them would ever consider giving up this life for a moment. They continue to fight to ensure that the friends they've all lost over the years were on the winning side at the end."

"And why do you continue?" Fraser asked. "After all you must have repaid your debt to society by now."

Giles considered for a moment. "I think they mean more to me than any group of people I've ever known" he acknowledged. "The fight against chaos, and the dark forces it unleashes in this world, is a huge undertaking. You can't wake up in the morning and say 'oh well another day of saving the world from apocalypse and home in time for tea'" he sat forward in the chair to stress his point. "You need to wake up in the morning and say 'today I'm going to try and save one innocent from the scary monsters'. That way you can get out of bed and face the challenges"

"And when one of those innocents happens to wake up next to you, how do you cope with leaving her side and letting her face scary monsters on someone else's behalf?" Fraser asked gently.

"I don't really know" Giles answered honestly. "It's never been this close to home before, although Jenny could have been that person if she had survived long enough"

They both sat in silence for several minutes. Fraser knew that this discussion was as much about letting Rupert work through his problems as enlightening himself to what lay ahead.

Giles finally roused himself and looked at the Doctor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be maudlin. I think I'm just feeling my age and wanted to sort through some painful memories and consign them to the past where they belong"

"It's OK" Fraser nodded and came round his desk to help Giles stand. "Are you sure you are able to drive, I could always take you home?"

"I need to get some grocery shopping before I head home but I should be OK" he reassured the Doctor. "Willow's cooking a special dinner for us tonight and I'm supposed to be getting the ingredients together for her" he smiled a little sloppily and shook the Doctor's hand. "Thank you for listening to me, I promise I'll be better company next time"

When Willow arrived at his apartment after classes finished for the day she found him sitting at the table reading through the book they had checked out that morning. He smiled up at her and gingerly got out of the chair to give her a hug.

"Back getting worse?" she asked with concern and leaned up to kiss him.

"A little but Fraser had a look at it this afternoon and said a couple of days rest should see it OK" he murmured as he continued to hold onto her.

"How is Fraser?" she asked and extricated herself from his arms.

"He's fine and I gave him the ten dollars!" he grinned.

"Rupert!" she squeaked. "You told him?"

"Not in so many words" he admitted. "I left your shopping in the kitchen, do you want a hand?"

"I guess you're hungry?" she laughed. "It's OK, I want to do this myself. Did you find anything else in the book?" she asked over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen.

"It's still a little unclear but I think I've almost nailed down the transference procedure" he replied and returned to sit at the table. "I put a bottle of white in the fridge earlier if you want something to drink" he added.

"Mmmm please" he dimly heard from the depths of several bags of shopping on the counter. "Do you want something?" she asked.

"Better not. Fraser gave me some new painkillers and said they were quite strong" he mumbled as he picked the book up and returned to reading.

Half an hour later Willow asked him to lift the book from the tabletop. When he complied without looking up she shook her head and proceeded to set the table around him. Ten minutes later she stood behind him and gently kissed his neck. She knew he was really engrossed when he didn't respond immediately but, after a minute or so, he lowered the book and leaned back in the chair. "Dinner's nearly ready" she whispered in his ear and took the opportunity to nibble his earlobe while she was there.

He stretched back with one arm and pulled her round to his side. The kiss started gently and deepened slowly until he pushed his chair back from the table in preparation for her sitting in his lap. She pulled away from his lips and stared dreamily into his eyes. "I thought Fraser told you to rest for a couple of days?" she asked as her finger traced the line of his lips.

"He did mention bed rest quite specifically" Giles replied rather huskily and licked her finger as it passed.

"Perhaps later" she whispered and moved away from him. "Let's eat first and you can tell me about what Buffy said this morning".

He groaned but moved his chair back to the table. He placed the book on the chair next to him and finally noticed the table setting, complete with candles. "I didn’t even know I had a table cover this colour" he laughed. "Can I give you a hand?"

"It's done" she said as she carried two large plates through and placed them on the table. "I know I should have checked before but you do like steak?" she looked into his eyes willing him to admit that it was his favourite dish.

"Wow" he said looking at the food on his plate. "This looks fabulous!" he said as he looked wonderingly at her.

"Don't look so surprised" she laughed and sat opposite him. "Just because I'm a genius doesn't mean I completely missed the Home Ec classes"

He smiled and put his hand over hers. "Will there ever be a time when you don’t surprise me?" he asked.

"If it's this easy I guess not" she shrugged and picked up her cutlery. "Don't let it get cold!" she pronounced sternly then laughed at herself. "Sorry I tend to channel my grandmother when I cook!"

After they had finished the meal he leaned back and stretched luxuriously. "I think I need to meet your grandmother and thank her" he sighed.

She smiled and lifted the plates, moving into the kitchen. "Tea or coffee?" she asked.

Half an hour later they had finished their coffees and were stretched out on the sofa. Willow snuggled a little closer to him and he gently moved his hand up and down her side. "So what did Buffy say after I left?" she asked quietly.

"We had a long talk and, while I don't think she agrees with my decision I think she understands why I made it" he said and started stroking her hair. "I suppose I'll have to make some explanation to Xander soon before he threatens to hit me again and that will just leave you"

She sighed and put her arm round his waist. "I don't think I'll ever understand you making that decision without talking to us first" she looked up at him. "I know you were trained to make life or death decisions but you passed some of that onto all of us and you should have trusted us to help you make the decision"

He sighed and moved his hand to her face, gently tracing her jaw line. "I trust all of you more than I've ever trusted anyone in my life" he stated in a quiet but firm voice. "It was an attempt to try and spare the three people dearer to me than life itself from having to make that decision"

She met his gaze and sat up a little straighter. "I just need you to know that your death will never be the only viable option in any other situation. You will never know how close you came to fulfilling the prophecy and none of us will ever allow that to happen again. Like Buffy said, the bad guys can throw anything at us but they better lay off my boyfriend!"

He shook his head. "I wish I could be so sure…" she put her fingers against his lips to silence the rest of his sentence.

"We've both experienced what it feels like to think the other is dead, and I never want to experience anything like that again" she put her hand on his chest. "Every time we win a battle we become stronger, more experienced and a little harder to kill and, although we get pretty close sometimes, we will always win out over the bad guys."

He looked down at her and saw the grim determination in her eyes. "I wish it were that simple but a lot of it has been luck and we will eventually run out of it just when we need it most"

He saw that a small part of her agreed with him but she hadn't given up fighting just yet. "Buffy is uber-slayer personified, you're almost fully recovered, Xander believes in himself more with every passing day and I'm a witch not to be meddled with" she saw him smile slightly. "In conjunction with the reserves we can call on we will survive and you will have to rewrite the watcher's handbook to allow for a slayer who can retire when she's sixty!"

"I don't think I'll survive till my mid-eighties to rewrite anything if you keep up your insatiable demands!" he announced and saw the agreement in her eyes that the subject had been laid to rest, for now.

She moved closer to him and kissed him, gently at first but increasing in intensity as he moved his hand to stroke her upper thigh. "Exactly how good are the painkillers Fraser gave you?" she panted slightly when she finally pulled away.

"I think now would be a good time to find out, after all, we are the top research team in Sunnydale" he laughed. She watched as he gingerly rose from the sofa then turned to give her his hand. "Unless you'd rather do the dishes first?" he raised his eyebrow and gave her the quirky smile she found irresistible. She jumped off the sofa and headed for the stairs.

When he finally got up the stairs she was already sitting on the bed, sans clothing, impatiently drumming her fingers on the bedside table. "I've waited years for that smile to lead to this and I'm not waiting any longer" she said as she rose to start undressing him.

"My smile?" he asked in surprise.

"Uuuuhhuu" she mumbled as she struggled with the belt buckle. Eventually she got the catch open and quickly removed his trousers and t-shirt then looked up into his eyes. "Whenever you used to combine that smile with the raised eyebrow thing I would melt. Of course when you combined both of them with cleaning your glasses it was all I could do not to jump you there and then"

"I thought the rapt expression was wonder at my brilliance in the face of a particularly knotty problem?" he asked as he pushed her back towards the bed.

"Your brain was usually the last thing on my mind when the erotic daydreams kicked in" she whispered as she pulled him down next to her.

He winced slightly and moved to a more comfortable position. "Do you mean to tell me that you were having improper thoughts about me in my library?" he asked incredulously.

"The library, the hallway, the cafeteria, your car, the Bronze a couple of times, here of course and…" she stopped and blushed. "There was one time in Buffy's house when her Mum looked at you kind of funny but that was more kinky than erotic"

He pushed her back slightly and looked incredulously at her. "Buffy told you about her mother and I!" she ducked her head and continued to blush furiously as he continued. "And you had a fantasy about it?"

"NO!" she looked back up at him. "Not that!" she insisted with a hint of distaste on her face and he seemed to relax a little. "It was more about you and I with the handcuffs and the police car and stuff" she ended miserably as she saw him staring at her open mouthed.

"Joyce told Buffy about the handcuffs?" he whispered.

"It just kind of slipped out when Buffy was able to read people's thoughts but Buffy never admitted anything to either of you about how much she picked up" she ducked her head again. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have mentioned it"

He was silent for a moment longer then he started to laugh. "I'm not surprised she found out, after all Joyce and I must have been frantically trying not to think of that night while we were around her and that was the surest way to bring it into our minds" he smiled at her. "What is more intriguing is what you were dreaming about, young lady?" he smiled at her again and raised his eyebrow for good measure.

She buried her head in her hands and wouldn’t meet his eyes. "I can’t believe I'm lying here, naked, next to you, naked, and I'm embarrassed about a fantasy I had years ago"

He started to laugh and pulled her into his arms. "You don't have to tell me if you don’t want to" he said in a reassuring voice. "Although I'm sure I have a pair of handcuffs around here somewhere" he whispered into her hair and felt her start to laugh as well.

"How am I supposed to ravish you when you don’t take me seriously?" she finally managed to say after her laughter died down a little.

"I'm terribly sorry" he said and immediately adopted a stern countenance. "Ravish away" and he lay back on the bed and spread his arms.

"Are you thinking of England?" she asked as she straddled his thighs. He looked a little confused. "You know, lie back and think of England" she supplied and ran her hands down his chest to rest on his abdomen.

"I've always thought it was vaguely treasonous to think of the Queen at a time like this" he mumbled as he reached out to touch her breasts. He winced slightly and put his hands on her thighs. "Perhaps you could lie back down next to me?" he asked.

"If your back is really sore we shouldn't be doing anything" she said and lay down next to him.

"It's just when I reach or stretch" he mumbled as he turned to face her and gently stroked her breast and nipple. "See, absolutely no pain when everything is within reach" he happily reported and grinned at her.

They lay on their sides facing each other, stroking every part of each other's bodies. As they explored every inch of flesh they kissed occasionally but didn’t speak, preferring to let other senses take over and experience the sensations coursing through their systems.

Willow finally reached his erection on her travels across his body. As she held it and began to gently rub her hand along the length of it she heard him take a sharp breath. "OK?" she asked a little breathlessly. He nodded and let his own hand wander to her groin. She gasped as he slid his fingers between her thighs and moved up towards the concentration of almost every nerve ending she had.

She increased the pace of her hand movements a little and he moved closer to her. He continued his exploration of her clitoris and vagina with his fingers, his eyes never leaving her face. He looked in wonder as she closed her eyes and let her head roll back slightly. Her mouth opened and she licked suddenly dry lips in an unconsciously erotic way. The pace of his fingers increased and he began tracing small circles across her clitoris, her sharp intake of breath indicating that she was responding to his ministrations, and he smiled lazily as he realised she had increased the speed of her hand on his throbbing erection.

He knew she was close to the edge but was equally certain that the pain he was experiencing in his lower back meant he wouldn’t be able to have intercourse with her. He cleared his throat slightly and leaned across to kiss her neck. "Willow?" he whispered and gazed into her slightly unfocussed eyes when she smiled at him. "I love you" he said and kissed her. She responded by increasing the pace of her hand further and he pulled back to take a deep breath. "I want to hear you come" he whispered in her ear as he kissed her neck. He felt her thighs tighten around his hand and focussed his attention on the rapidly hardening clitoris at her centre. "I want to see you come" he sighed against her shoulder as he moved his kisses down her body. She was whimpering gently and had moved her hips closer to him. She was breathing heavily now and he could feel her breath on his back as he bent his head to kiss her nipples. "I want to feel you come" he murmured as he heard her breathing change rhythm. She gasped and let go of his erection as her orgasm started deep within her. Her thighs clenched down on his hand, confining movement to the ever decreasing circles he was running around her clitoris. She grabbed his head and held him to her breast, gasping incoherently. Her entire body was rigid in his arms as the orgasm spread out to reach every cell. He stopped kissing her nipple and held her in his arms as she shuddered and eventually relaxed.

She smiled down at him as he moved away from her and she squidged down the bed to his eye level. "That was some first time" she whispered and shuddered as an after shock ran through her system.

"First time?" he asked and ran his hands over the muscles in her stomach, causing further shudders.

When she had finally got her breath back she smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair. "First time I've ever done that with someone watching" she admitted shyly. "Your turn?" she asked as she looked at him again.

He shook his head a little sadly. "I would like nothing better but I'm sorry, the painkillers aren't as good as we thought" he pulled her into his arms. "Perhaps you should get someone nearer your own age instead of being stuck with a decrepit old thing like me?" he suggested.

"You're not old and your back will get better soon" she said and looked up at him again. "We don't need to have sex all of the time, cuddling and kissing and groping and touching and…" she gazed into his eyes and lost her train of thought. "I mean" she shook her head. "They can all be fun as well?" she ended on a questioning note.

He nodded. "I want you so much but it would be better to wait until I'm a little fitter and can satisfy you properly" The orgasm induced blush was dissipating and he watched it leave her breasts with interest.

"Ready?" she asked as she noted his gaze.

"Ready?" he said absently and moved his eyes to her face. "For what?"

She simply smiled and slid further down the bed. "Willow!" he said in surprise when he felt her hands around his erection again. "Willow!!" he said as he felt her tongue lick at the tip and start a slow, languorous descent to the base. "Oh dear lord" he said under his breath as he felt his balls cupped in her hand and, very gently, squeezed. "Willow… you don’t…" he took a deep breath and tried to get his brain to organise the words he knew he should be saying. "I don't expect…" he gave up as her lips closed around him and he felt the heat of her mouth move down his shaft. The same movement, in reverse, caused him to start conjugating Latin verbs in an attempt to prolong the divine agony for a moment longer. She put her hand on his hip to keep him steady and on his side. She smiled as she felt him start to push his hips towards her then stop abruptly. She looked up towards his face and saw his eyes closed in what seemed to be acute pain and his lips moving rapidly.

She stopped what she was doing and let her hand take over for a moment. "Is this hurting your back, cause I can stop if you want me to?" she suggested innocently and giggled when he glared down at her.

"It won't be for much longer" he managed to grate through clenched teeth. "I'm running out of Latin verbs"

She shook her head and returned her lips to his balls. She sucked at them for a few seconds until she heard him gasp.

"Yesss, yesss" he kept saying, over and over under his breath and she took the full length of him back into her mouth. As she moved up and down on him, steadily increasing the pace to match his thrusts she knew that he was close. She took him with her hand again as she licked the drops that were starting to appear at the tip.

"I want to feel you come" she said before she took him into her mouth for the last time and felt his hips thrust hard towards her. "Now!" she heard him shout as she swallowed the hot fluid, keeping her mouth moving up and down his shaft until she felt his hands on her head, staying her movements.

He gently pulled her back up and kissed her, tasting himself as his tongue battled with hers. When he released her she smirked at him. "Back OK?" she asked sweetly.

He pushed the sweat-dampened hair away from her eyes and stared at her slightly pink face in wonder. "You dreamt all that in the library after one smile?" he asked a little breathlessly.

She giggled and looked a little embarrassed. "Not quite but reality is often better than fantasy".

He smiled at her and lifted her chin to force her to meet his gaze. "If this is any indication, perhaps we should try some more of your fantasies?" he suggested.

She had a concentrated look on her face for a moment then it cleared and she smiled. "Do you still have a tweed suit?" she asked and twirled her fingers around one of his nipples.

He stared at her in amazement and then started to laugh. "I have never in my life, ever met anyone quite like you" he finally announced and pulled her towards him for another kiss.

CHAPTER 16

They woke early the next morning still wrapped in each other's arms. He kissed the top of her head and she scrunched round to meet his lips with her own.

"I don't think I ever want to wake up without you" he sighed as he held her tightly.

"Mmm it is nice to see you last thing at night and first thing in the morning" she mumbled and kissed the arm that was draped over her shoulder.

"I'm serious" he said and turned her to face him. "I know this may be precipitate but I need to have you here, will you move in with me?" As soon as he heard the words leave his mouth he was startled but knew that he wanted her to agree.

She looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?" she asked as she pulled back to get a good look at his face. "Maybe it is a little quick?" she suggested then saw the sadness hit his eyes. "I mean I would love to but perhaps we should leave it another week or two?" she pleaded.

"Of course" he nodded and tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. What on earth had he been thinking? He chastised himself as he headed for the bathroom and turned the shower on. "Why don't you just ask her to have your name tattooed on her forehead you idiot!" he mumbled to himself and stood under the cool water to try and relieve the hard on he had woken with.

She lay in the bed and stared at the bathroom door. She wondered where the hell had that come from and turned her gaze to the ceiling. She started running through her feelings and realised that the emotional reaction she had experienced yesterday morning was intensified today. She couldn’t remember what it was like to wake up without him and didn’t know that she wanted to experience it first hand any time soon. She shook her head and got out of bed, striding to the bathroom door and pulling back the shower curtain without breaking her step. "If you can spare some time this morning I'll need to pick up some stuff from the dorm" she announced and climbed into the tub with him.

He had backed against the tiled wall and was holding a small face cloth over his groin. She leaned against him and he yelped as the cold tiles hit his buttocks. He finally got his priorities sorted out and dropped the cloth to put his arms around her. "I'm sorry" he said in a slightly choked voice. "I didn't mean to surprise you, it just sort of slipped out before I was completely awake"

She stood back a little and watched as the water spray hit his chest and ran down his abdomen. "Are you having second thoughts now you're wide awake?" she asked as her fingers traced several drops to their destination. "Because I could just visit a couple of times a week and stay for the occasional weekend as a trial run?" her fingers continued their exploration of his stomach muscles.

"I, well, perhaps we could…." He ground to a halt as she picked up the face cloth and began lathering his chest and stomach. He reached out and stopped the motion of her hands. "Before we lose the ability for coherent thought, are you sure about this?"

"Yes" she said impatiently. "You just caught me off guard" she smiled. "Anyway, I'll have you know I never stop having coherent thoughts!" Her hands started their circular movements again.

"We'll see" he sighed enigmatically and pulled her against his chest, bringing her under the water spray.

Half an hour later the bathroom floor was soaking wet and little puddles of water stretched from the doorway to the bed. The duvet and pillows had been thrown to the floor and two damp bodies were slowly disentangling themselves. "Now I'll need to have another shower" Giles grumbled and looked across to gaze at her. "I'm sorry I sprang that on you earlier" he sighed.

She giggled uncontrollably and turned to face him. "It's on a spring?" she asked incredulously and started giggling again.

He shook his head and turned towards the bathroom again. "This time I want to finish a shower on my own" he grinned.

She reached over the side of the bed and pulled a couple of pillows under her head. Gently she traced a finger down her stomach until it reached her pubic hair. She could still feel the deep muscle tingle of her recent orgasm and pressed gently on her pelvis. A deep groan escaped her lips and she closed her eyes for several minutes, remembering the frantic gasps that had escaped her as he had lifted her legs to rest over his shoulders, deepening his penetration and allowing him easier access with his incredibly precise fingers. She could still feel him gently tugging on her clitoris and the incredible feeling of her entire blood supply rushing to engorge the tissue around his hand.

He came back into the room ready to ask if she wanted to go out for breakfast and found her still lying on the bed, gently rubbing the muscles of her abdomen with one hand while the other traced a spiral pattern around her breast. Her eyes were closed and she had a look of such utter contentment and arousal on her face that he blushed while he stood watching her. He knew that she wasn't aware of him and quietly went back into the bathroom. He finished drying himself and shouted her name before entering the bedroom again. She was just getting off the bed, slightly flushed and her breathing still returning to normal.

"You shouted?" she asked and moved past him to the shower.

He smiled and started dressing. "It was nothing really, I just wondered if you wanted to get some breakfast at the diner in town before I dropped you off for classes?"

"Sounds great but I don't have any classes this morning" she shouted as she stood under the water. "I was serious when I said that we should trial living together, maybe for a couple of weeks to see how we get on. We could pick up some of my stuff and bring it back here before I have to go in this afternoon"

He sat in the chair and tied his shoelaces, watching her through the bathroom door as she finished drying herself and fixed her hair. He leaned back and sighed, he hadn't felt this content and happy in years. A small voice at the back of his head reminded him of Jenny and Olivia but he knew that neither of them had caused such deep emotional currents, the former because it had ended before it had really begun and the latter because Olivia couldn’t accept his life choice. Now he had found someone who had already dedicated her life to the same causes and intrinsically seemed to understand his deepest needs.

She smiled as she came into the room and rummaged through her overnight bag to find underwear and a sweater. "Things will be easier when I don’t have to live out of a suitcase" she murmured and quickly got dressed. Willow watched his eyes follow her every movement and felt her temperature rise as she reveled in his scrutiny. "I guess your back is feeling a lot better this morning?" she asked as she finally pulled her sweater on and his eyes returned to her face.

"What, oh yes" he admitted shyly as he realised that she had been aware of his admiring gaze. "It usually clears up after a few days and I noticed a big improvement when I woke up earlier"

"Me too!" she announced. "I'm starving let's get some breakfast" she grinned at him as she saw him begin to blush. "I love it when you blush like that" she teased him as they headed for the front door.

They decided to walk to the diner and were holding hands. Willow was laughing at his description of the training exercise of the previous day when Mrs Leech met them. She smiled indulgently and put down her shopping bag when Willow stopped and wished her a good morning.

"Good morning dear" she nodded to Willow. "Good morning Mr Giles" she added as he put his arm round Willow's shoulder.

"Good morning Mrs Leech" Giles said. "Any more trouble with the trash cans?" he asked pleasantly.

"No, I haven't heard anything else. I expect you were right about them moving on after a few days dear" she suggested to Willow.

"I'm glad to hear it Mrs Leech" Willow smiled in reply. "Can I help you with your shopping bag?" she asked as she noticed the heavy bag. "Rupert would have offered but he's hurt his back you see" she continued with a mischievous grin.

Giles sighed a little and pulled his arm from her shoulder. "Mrs Leech doesn't want to hear about my aches and pains" he said quickly and bent to pick up the grocery bag. "I'm sure I can manage this for you"

The groan as he lifted the bag from the sidewalk could have been heard several blocks away but he manfully tried to pretend nothing was wrong. "Don't you dare" Willow ordered and took the bag from his hand. "Wait here with Mrs Leech and get your breath back" she nodded to Mrs Leech and headed for the apartment block. "I'll be back in a minute"

Mrs Leech smiled gently at him. "Are you OK?"

He grinned ruefully. "Just my pride and several vertebrae hurting right now" he said and gently rubbed his lower back.

"She's a lovely girl" Mrs Leech said, looking towards Willow's rapidly departing back. "She seems to make you very happy?"

He also turned to watch her and only answered when she had disappeared round the corner. "Happier than I ever thought I could be and certainly more than I deserve" he smiled and then remembered that he was opening his heart to an elderly neighbour and blushed slightly.

She sighed nostalgically and put her hand on his shoulder. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You will remember these moments for the rest of your life and there will be times when they will be the only things to keep your heart beating and your feet moving on some of the journeys you have ahead of you"

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Mr Leech?" he said quietly and she shook her head and smiled at him.

"No" she whispered and suddenly looked very old indeed. The moment passed and she returned to her mid sixties persona. "Cherish every moment" she looked him straight in the eye and then turned. "Thank you dear" she smiled at Willow who had just arrived at his side. "I hope your back gets better" she said to Giles and moved off up the road.

He stood rooted to the spot and only heard Willow when she said his name for the third time. "Rupert what on earth is the matter with you?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Nothing" he murmured quietly and pulled her into his arms.

The hug lasted for half a minute and Willow eventually emerged from his grasp a little red in the face. "Thank God you've given up wearing tweed or I would have suffocated in there" she said and stared up at him. "What were you and Mrs Leech talking about?" she asked.

He shook his head and put his arm back round her shoulder, starting towards the diner again. "Nothing important" he shrugged and she knew she wouldn't get any more out of him.

By the time Buffy and Xander had helped Willow to his car with several cases and boxes Giles' patience and sense of humour were deserting him. Buffy knew that another joke about his back injury and its causes would probably bring them to the end of his tether and she hugged Willow in preparation to letting her get in the car.

"Buffy" Willow finally managed to say over the slayer's shoulder. "I'm only going to Giles' place and I'll see you in class in an hour"

Xander joined the hug. "It's just difficult for the parents to cut the apron strings and let the youngest leave the nest" he sighed and stood back to shake Gile's hand.

"If there is a metaphor to be mixed you are the man to do it" Giles pronounced gravely and shook Xander's hand.

"You still haven't told me what your intentions towards Willow are" Xander ignored his comment and looked seriously at him. "I mean what exactly are your prospects?"

Giles sighed and rolled his eyes while Willow giggled and got in the passenger side of the car. "Cut it out you two, I'll see you tonight at the Bronze Xander?"

"Sure" he smiled at the red head. "You bringing hip and groovy G-Man?" he asked and Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the car as Giles started to get back out.

Willow carried the heaviest boxes to the apartment but he managed a few of the suitcases and insisted on unpacking for her. "Great" she giggled as she kissed him in the doorway. "I've always wanted my socks filed alphabetically and cross referenced with my shoes"

It took him the rest of the afternoon as he had to half-empty the boxes before he could lift them. By the end of the task he was sweating profusely and decided that a cool shower would be better before he settled down to study the manuscript again.

Willow arrived home at six o'clock and found him in jogging pants and a t-shirt, his hair still damp and scrunched up from being rubbed with a towel. He was sitting in the armchair, a cup of tea by his side and his glasses halfway down his nose as he concentrated on the text in his hands.

She closed the door behind her and sighed. He looked up and smiled at her. "Hard day at work honey?" he asked as he put the book down and moved towards her.

"It's a rat race out there" she pronounced sternly and wrinkled her forehead. He spent several minutes kissing his way along the wrinkles and rubbing his hands up and down her back before standing back and taking her bag from her. She stood, swaying slightly and with an incredibly sloppy grin on her face. When he moved towards the kitchen she took a deep breath and let it out. "Every time I think I love you more than is possible you find another way to make me love you more"

He put a mug of tea in front of her. "I've given up trying to quantify how much I love you, big numbers always confused me" he smiled. "How did your classes go this afternoon?" he asked and moved back to his chair.

"Pretty well" she answered and stretched out on the sofa. "But I was a little distracted by the entire 'living in sin' thing I'm doing at the moment with this incredibly sexy English guy"

"You shouldn't let a fabulous sex life and perfectly filed socks get in the way of your education!" he said in his best 'father knows best' voice.

She giggled and jumped up from the sofa. "I totally forgot, how did you get on with the unpacking?" she asked as she ran up the stairs to the bedroom. "Oh … my …. God" he heard, quickly followed by howls of laughter. When she finally descended she was wiping tears of laughter from her face and still chuckling. "You actually put clothes away in colour order?" she asked incredulously.

He frowned slightly and headed for the kitchen. "How else would you know which top half to wear with which bottom half?" he stated reasonably and started preparations for dinner. "I thought I would make shepherds pie, is that OK?" he asked.

As he turned to hear her response she kissed him and pushed him gently against the counter. "I don’t have to go out tonight you know?" she suggested as her hands wandered under his t-shirt.

"Yes you do" he laughed and slapped her hands away. "I need to finish the translation on those texts and I've got several other books to catch up on. For some reason I can’t concentrate when you’re around at the moment" He kissed her quickly and pushed her from the kitchen. "Now go and disarrange your carefully organised wardrobe and get changed to go out while I make dinner"

They were doing the dishes when Buffy arrived to meet Willow. After a whispered conversation they disappeared upstairs and he sighed as he finished putting the dishes away and took his mug of coffee to the table. He was studiously pretending to read a book when Buffy came back downstairs and he tried to ignore the sniggers and coughs as she waited for Willow to collect her jacket.

Buffy sidled round behind him and pretended to read the book over his shoulder. "I've never seen her this happy" she quietly whispered in his ear as she leaned over.

"If I'd known I would have organised her wardrobe years ago" he observed dryly and took a sip of his coffee.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "You know what I mean" she laughed. "Although you will be ragged about the sweaters for several decades to come, especially when Xander finds out". Her hand was still resting on his shoulder and she squeezed it gently. "This is going to sound really weird but I think I'm glad you got that last shot to the head, it seems to have made the difference for both of you"

He put his hand on hers and she moved round to lean on the table next to him. "I know what you mean" he acknowledged. "But I like to think we would have finally sorted things out between us without my having to spend three weeks unconscious". She shook her head and was going to say something when he put his hand on hers again. "However, I think you played a large part in getting us to finally admit our feelings for each other and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you"

She smiled fondly at him and they both turned when Willow coughed from the foot of the stairs. "Hey" she said as she smiled at them both. "Get your own English librarian guy, this one's taken"

Buffy laughed and headed out the door with Willow. She turned back and grinned at Giles. "I'll think of something suitable with which you can repay me"

"Enjoy yourselves" he shouted after them as they shut the door and he settled down to finish his work on the manuscript. After two hours he had a worried look on his face. His latest findings were leading him in a very different direction as to the best way to hunt down and destroy the demon which still hung over all of them. He paced for several minutes as he pondered his next move and finally settled down on the sofa with a glass of whisky as he dialled the LA number from memory.

He was lying on the sofa listening to music and reading a magazine when Willow and Buffy returned. He sat up and kissed Willow briefly before going to look outside the door. "What are you looking for?" Buffy asked as she accepted a glass of orange juice from Willow.

"I thought you were going to bring Xander for the wardrobe exhibition?" he asked and smiled at them as they giggled.

"He wanted to come but Anya whispered something in his ear and he went a bit red and said he would see it another time" Buffy rolled her eyes and finished her drink. "I'm going to patrol for a couple of hours before heading home, I'll see you in class tomorrow Will?"

Willow nodded and Giles moved to open the door for her, following her outside. "Anything wrong?" he asked.

"Nope, just need to work off some extra energy from the club tonight. I don't want to take it out on you at training tomorrow morning!" she laughed and headed up the stairs.

"Be careful" he said and took a final look around before heading back inside and locking the door. He turned to find Willow in the armchair nursing a large glass of orange juice and flicking through his magazine. "Did you have a good time tonight?" he asked as he moved back to the sofa.

"Uhuh" she murmured then looked up at him. "I had no idea you read Cosmo" she said incredulously and held the magazine up for him to see.

"Oh that" he said. "Fraser left it last time he was here, it seems he leaves them in his office waiting room to make women think he's sensitive, or something like that" he shrugged and smiled when she started to look righteously indignant. "I suppose this means I've got my revenge over the bet he made with you?"

She shook her head and moved over to sit next to him. "I think I'd rather try to win the money back double or nothing" she pouted and lifted his glass from his hand before leaning in to kiss him. They kissed for several minutes until he pushed her back and retrieved his glass. "I'm waiting for a long distance call and I don’t want to start anything that's not interruptible" he sighed and took a long pull on his whisky.

She sighed and moved back to the armchair. "I don’t think that's a word" she suggested and smiled at him. "So what's the identity of the mystery caller who's wrecking my love life?" she asked and raised her eyebrows over her glass as she took a drink.

He looked a little vague and she put her glass down and turned away from him. "Olivia?" she asked, trying not to sound miffed.

"What?" he looked surprised. "Of course not darling" he moved to her side and bent down to kiss her head. "Angel is checking some things for me in LA and said he'd call back as quickly as he could". He tilted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "Why on earth did you think it was Olivia?" he asked gently.

"You just looked kind of shifty, as if you didn't want to tell me who it was and I thought the worst. Not that Olivia's that bad, I mean she dumped you but that doesn't make her a bad person. Well actually it does but not really bad in the normal sense, just incredibly bad taste really. Not that I think she had bad taste when she first started going out with you….." She finally ground to a halt when she lost track of the point she was trying to make and just looked up into his eyes with a miserable look on her face. "Not really the way I planned our first 'living in sin' night going" she sighed.

He looked a little bemused. "OK, now that you've got that out of your system we need to get some things straight" he took her hand and led her back to the sofa to sit next to him. She turned to put one leg under her and faced him from one end, looking embarrassed. "First of all, I may have to speak to Olivia at some point in the future but it will be as an old friend and nothing else" he looked at her until she nodded. "Secondly, that's the second time you've used the phrase 'living in sin' and I'm beginning to think you're concerned about it and, if you are, then you can move back to the dorm whenever you wish and it won't mean I think any less of you, OK". She was looking thoroughly miserable by now and he took pity on her. "I thought you understood that I wanted to be with you more than I've ever wanted to be with anyone else in my life and I plan to remain by your side for the rest of our lives" he leaned forward to take her hand in his. "I could always come by and rearrange your clothes in the closet at the dorm for you" he suggested and was relieved to see her smile.

"I'm sorry for being stupid about the phone call" she began and squeezed his hand. "I know I don't have anything to worry about with Olivia or anyone else. I think I've just been kind of worried since we finally got together that you would change your mind and end up with someone nearer your own age" she met his gaze and was a little surprised when he grinned.

"I've been expecting you to do the same thing" he shook his head. "At least we have our insecurities in common" he laughed as he pulled her into his arms and held onto her until he felt the tension leaving her body and she relaxed against him.

"The 'living in sin' thing is just a novelty" she finally admitted. "I used to read books which made it sound terribly grown up and risque and I've always had a secret hankering to try it" she turned her head to look at his face. "I'm sorry it bothers you, but it doesn’t mean I want to move out again"

He hugged her tightly and smiled. "I'm glad because I'm too knackered to move all of those bloody books again"

They were still kissing when the phone rang, shattering the quiet and making Willow jump in his arms. "Tell Angel to get the exposition done quickly" she murmured huskily in his ear and headed for the bedroom.

He watched her walk quickly up the stairs and cleared his throat before answering the phone. "Angel" he said in a distracted way. "What, no I wasn't asleep, just reading a magazine" he smiled.

The call took thirty minutes and Willow was sitting up in bed reading a large textbook when he finally appeared.

He lifted the book from her hands and placed it on the bedside table, raising his eyebrows at the title. "I expected to find you immersed in a Jackie Collins bodice ripper" he smiled. "You know the one about the handsome, dashing Englishman who lures young American women to his bed to ravish them"

She snuggled down and pulled him on top of her. "Is that the one where he spends half an hour chatting to a vampire while the young damsel in distress awaits his pleasure in her boudoir?" she pouted.

"Damsel in distress?" he asked and sat up to remove his t-shirt. She watched as he removed his jogging pants and socks before sliding under the covers with her. "Is there anything I can help you with?' he asked as he ducked his head under the covers and kissed her breasts.

"Distress levels dropping already" she smiled and pulled the covers over her head as she moved to kiss him.

CHAPTER 17

The next couple of days fell into an easy routine, with Giles getting used to having someone living in his house and Willow getting used to being that someone.

Buffy and Xander continued to patrol and both reported that minimal vampire activity was still the order of business. Whatever had caused this slump after their last battle was still having its affect.

Angel arrived three nights after the phone call. Giles had suggested that Willow patrol with Xander and Buffy to ensure she was out of the house when Angel arrived.

A knock on the door signalled his arrival. "Good to see you Giles" he said quietly.

Giles shook his hand. "And you Angel, come in" he offered, aware of the vampires reluctance to enter without his specific permission despite his standing invitation. "Thank you for coming, how are Wesley and Cordelia doing?" he asked as he moved to the kitchen.

"They're fine and Wesley said he was glad he wouldn't be required for replacement Watcher duties again" Angel smiled, putting down the books he was carrying and accepting the beer that Giles had handed him. "I understand congratulations are in order?" Angel said shyly and moved to sit on the sofa.

Giles grinned soppily. "Yes, Willow agreed to move in with me. I think she was getting embarrassed by the whimpering and begging" he smiled.

"I'm really glad for you both" Angel toasted him with his drink then put the bottle down on the table. "We should probably get rid of this Bolak demon once and for all and let you get back to the important stuff?" he suggested.

Giles nodded and handed him the small book. "This seems to be the best description we have of the host/demon transference procedure and, as I explained on the phone, I think there are a couple of obvious weak points during which we could strike". He drank his beer as Angel quickly read through the appropriate pages. He had only ever envied the vampire on his mastery of languages that had been built over the centuries.

Angel nodded and looked up at him. "I agree, but I think you may have overlooked something." Giles looked up quickly to meet his gaze and Angel continued. "I found a text which relates a previous Bolak/Slayer encounter and it seems to suggest that the demon wasn't in human form at all but took a wolf as his host"

"Animal transference" Giles said and took his glasses off as he paced quickly. "I've never heard of anything like that before unless you allow for the early historical references to wizards in ancient mythology who were purported to transmogrify into animals as part of their rituals"

Angel put a large leather bound book on the table and turned to a specific page. "Here it mentions the slayer having to defend against the teeth and claws of the demon in his animal state"

Giles leaned over his shoulder. "They always did go in for gruesome pictorial representations in the 12^th century didn't they?" he asked as he noticed the picture on the opposite page. He quickly read through the passage Angel had marked and sighed. "I never even considered this as a possibility but it gives the entire problem a new dimension and explains why things have been so quiet since the battle"

Angel stood up and took the book back from him. "You couldn't be expected to think of everything after all you were recovering from amnesia and this is very unusual even in the demon world"

Giles smiled up at him. "You don’t need to humour me, this is my job after all, I should have gone through all of the possible options and I missed this" He stood and paced. "If Bolak took an animal host after the last battle we don't have much time. If he hasn't yet found a human host he will soon and we want to try to remove him before he gets that far"

Angel agreed. "But how do you go about finding an unspecified, warm blooded animal with no outward signs of demonic possession. I mean I don’t even want to think about how many rats there are in the sewers". He thought for a minute or two. "Buffy made sure that there weren't any humans or vampires around after the fight?" Angel finally asked.

"That's what she told me and they are all quite familiar with the process of sweeping up any loose ends, although I doubt they checked for animals per se" Giles replied, his head on one side as he considered the question.

Angel considered the situation and finally said. "The only part of your original plan which will change is that we can now utilise another non-human animal as the recipient when we initiate another transfer of the demon"

Giles stared at him for several seconds. "An animal wouldn't have any control over the process, we would need to strike in the middle of the transference but ensure both the existing and potential hosts were dead and no others presented themselves"

"The only other option is for one of us to present ourselves as the host and disrupt the transfer from within" Angel suggested.

Giles nodded. "But surely that is also the most dangerous time for the prospective host?" he asked. "After all, there is no guarantee that we would be able to completely eradicate the demon once the transfer has begun"

"I'm no expert on the magic side of things but isn't there some kind of spell we could use to help the host disrupt the process at the crucial point. If your book is correct, and the transfer relies on an awake, fully aware host during transference, then that may be enough to put Bolak off and allow us to finish him"

Giles stood up and began to pace. "I had thought of that but the host would have to initiate the final stages of the spell themselves and time it perfectly"

Giles sighed. "I don't have any memories from the few days before the fight until I woke in the hospital several weeks later" he looked miserable. "We'll quiz Buffy to find out the exact details"

They stared at each other for several minutes before Angel finally spoke again. "Are you going to tell Willow and Buffy the whole plan this time or try to keep them in the dark again?"

"I think they'll need to know as I'm going to need both of them to ensure the success of any plan" Giles said and sat down again. "The only problem is I may not survive their anger to face the demon"

Angel idly flicked over some pages in the book he still held and soon became immersed in a particular passage. Giles left him in peace, well aware of the studious look and sure that he would be given the information once Angel had sorted through his thoughts.

They were still sitting in silence, pondering the situation, when Buffy and Willow arrived back. "Angel" Buffy shouted and stood in the doorway looking at him in astonishment.

Willow hugged him then moved to sit on the arm of Giles' chair reaching down to kiss him. "Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?" she asked as Buffy loudly complained to Angel at the lack of notice for his visit.

Both men smiled at each other and Angel took Buffy's hand to lead her to the sofa. Willow slipped from the arm of the chair onto Giles lap. "We had some business to discuss and I knew that you would monopolise Angel's time as soon as you arrived" he suggested dryly looking at Buffy.

She pouted. "Not true, I can behave myself until the business is out of the way"

Angel smirked and looked at her. "And after the business?" he asked quietly and laughed as she blushed and punched his arm.

Giles smiled at them and pulled Willow a little closer. "Angel's right, we'd finished what we were discussing anyway so let's relax and enjoy his visit" he suggested. "Tell us about the cases you've been handling in LA"

Angel understood that Giles wanted to have some time to think through the problem before he tried to explain the unlikely circumstances to anyone else. He nodded and began telling them outrageous tales of life in the big city.

"You expect us to believe" Willow asked as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "That Cordelia actually scared the ghost haunting her house into leaving it?"

Buffy looked at her and said, in mock seriousness. "Yep, no problem with believing that at all" and they all started laughing again.

Giles eventually suggested that they get some rest after Willow had stifled her third yawn. "You've both got classes tomorrow and I've got a dinner to prepare for tomorrow evening"

"Pizza?" Buffy said hopefully.

"No" Giles laughed and stood to hand Buffy her coat. "I'm going to make you all sit down and eat a proper meal for once and Fraser can finally meet the famous Angel he's heard so much about"

Willow smiled. "That sounds great, you'll like the dishy doc" she nodded to Angel.

He raised his eyebrow and looked at Giles as both girls started laughing again. "I like him already, I think" he smiled and headed out to walk Buffy back to the dorm.

As Willow grabbed the vampire for a final hug, Giles followed Buffy outside. "I'm sorry Riley can't be included in tomorrow night's get together, unless you think…?"

"No" Buffy agreed. "Somehow they don't seem to get on" she shrugged. "Some day you can explain to me the mystery that is man" she suggested and hugged Giles. "Thanks for a nice night, I'll let Xander know about tomorrow"

He locked and bolted the door as he returned to find Willow tidying glasses in the kitchen. "Come on" he said, taking her hand. "One more yawn and you'll break your jaw and I have better uses for it"

Some time later, as they lay in bed in each other's arms, Willow asked the question that had been annoying her since she had seen Angel. "What did you guys work out about the demon" she whispered.

He bent down to kiss the top of her head and squeezed her a little tighter. "We think we've come up with an interesting hypothesis which explains the demon's apparent disappearance after the fight and the lack of activity recently, but it is quite unusual and we need to do some further research before we can be sure. After dinner tomorrow night we'll let you all know how far we've got"

She nuzzled his arm as it lay across her shoulder "No more life or death secrets though?" she mumbled and heard him sigh against her back.

"No, I promise" he whispered in her ear. She giggled and he nibbled her earlobe. "What's so funny?" he whispered again, causing even more giggles.

"Your chest hair is tickling my neck" she said as she wriggled against him.

He sighed heavily. "I know watchers get used to managing on very little sleep but you are the biggest challenge I have ever faced." By the end of the sentence he had rolled her onto her back and was lying on top of her, his erection now rubbing against her thigh.

"I'm really sorry" she gasped insincerely as she ran her nails over his lower back. Her legs parted and he slipped between them. "Now I'm not sorry at all" she grinned at him.

"Where do you get the energy from?" he asked wonderingly as he reached to the bedside table for a condom and stared into her eyes. "You had classes all day and patrolling for most of the night"

She tutted impatiently and crunched her pelvic muscles to place his erection at the correct point. "Always with the talking, we'll really need to work on that." He slid into her and the next few minutes were taken up with slow movements and deep breathing.

He gazed into her eyes in wonder as he tried to remember what it was like to have a full nights sleep without her in his arms. Just as he was about to kiss her he felt her muscles clench against him and her breath quickened. He noticed a grin spreading across her face and her eyes were suddenly screwed tight shut. She panted and writhed underneath him as he increased his pace to try and catch up with her obvious head start. When her orgasm hit, her entire body closed in on itself before relaxing and shuddering beneath him. He continued his ever-increasing pace and felt himself get ever closer to his own release but he had reached a plateau and couldn’t seem to get above it.

Willow noticed the sweat beads starting to form on his forehead and trickling down the side of his face. She continued to grin and held his gaze as she clenched and released her pelvic muscles to encourage him. He shook his head as he slowed down. "I'm sorry love, I think I'm just too bloody knackered to get there. Maybe in the morning?" he suggested then noticed her mischievous look

Willow shook her head. "You're giving up way too early. What would all those stiff upper lip types back home say?" she giggled as she reached down and gently squeezed his balls. His gasp reassured her that she wasn't coercing him into anything and she continued to caress with her hand as she wriggled out from underneath him.

Giles felt himself being rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes to protest. "I cannot go back to Fraser with another bedroom injury" he tried to sound determined about this but she had removed the condom and her lips had reached the head of his penis and he only managed occasional groans and grunts thereafter.

She knew that he was close and used her hands to stroke his erection and testicles as she moved back up to kiss his lips and eyes. She heard him sigh and sped up her hand movements as she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "After everyone's gone tomorrow you are going to put on one of those old tweed suits and we are going to have a private party of our own" she murmured breathily against his neck as she nibbled his ear. "First I'm going to put the suit on you then I'm going to slowly take it off, just like I imagined all those times in the library. All those times you used to smile at me and look over my shoulder, when I could feel the tweed through my shirt and wanted to turn round and kiss every bit of you right there."

Her thigh was rubbing against his thigh as she increased the pace of her hand still further, however, she gasped in surprise when he pushed her hand out of the way and began doing it himself. She stared at him for a few seconds until he opened his eyes. "Talking was good, keep going" he grinned at her and used his free hand to rub her still erect nipples.

She groaned and pushed her groin against his thigh. "Now I've got you pushed against the book cage and I'm using handcuffs to keep your hands above your head. Once you're secure I start unbuttoning your shirt and kissing your nipples." She matched her actions to the words for several seconds. "Now I'm kneeling in front of you and pulling your belt out of the way to get your trousers opened." She placed kisses down his stomach to his navel and rested her head there to watch in fascination as he continued to masturbate.

"Jesus, don’t stop" he groaned and she chuckled as she continued her journey down his body.

"Now I've got you completely naked and I gently lick the inside of your thighs" she suggested, a little unsure of how to participate without getting in his way. She needn't have worried as he came with her last words and shouted her name as his sperm coated his hand and thighs.

He pulled her back up into his arms, as he turned onto his side to face her. "Well that was an interesting first" he murmured as he kissed her and nuzzled her neck.

"First?" she asked a little incredulously. "You mean to tell me you've never done that before?"

He sighed dramatically. "Nooooo, I went to an all male boarding school when I was ten and I've never wanked before" He pulled her lips back to his as she tried to bury her head in his chest while she laughed. "I mean it's never been a team sport before" he laughed gently and hugged her.

"Not even with matron?" she whispered, managing to look a little sheepish as he looked at her in shock.

"She scarred me for life, I never could understand men finding nurses uniforms sexy" he muttered. "At least I'll be the only one having to dress up?" he smiled as she blushed.

Fraser arrived at the same time as Xander. Giles welcomed them both and asked them what they wanted to drink, sighing as Xander asked for a double bourbon and handing him a low alcohol beer instead. Fraser, who had asked for a whisky, smiled when he received his. "I've had a long day, tell me this isn’t apple juice?" he asked plaintively.

Giles smiled. "I've seen how much you can drink and I think I can risk you on the real thing for now"

"Dr Alexander" Buffy said, a little nervously. "I'd like you to meet Angel"

"Please call me Fraser" he smiled as he shook hands with the young man. He looked at his own hand when he released Angel's and stared back at him. "I've heard a lot about you but I don’t think it did you justice" he said with a slight smile on his face.

Angel met his gaze steadily and a slight smile turned his mouth up at the edges. "I understand that you helped Giles get his memory back?" he asked, giving the doctor a chance to get back onto familiar ground. "You did a good job, he's very important to Buffy and the others"

"And you?" asked Fraser quietly. He looked round to find that Giles and Buffy had moved over to discuss something with Xander and Willow and they could speak in relative privacy. "It would have been better for you if he had never regained some memories?"

Angel winced slightly. "That's true but he wouldn't be their Giles without all of his memories, good and bad, and they needed their Giles back more than I needed him to forget what I had done"

Fraser nodded. "If it's any consolation I think he would rather remember everything about Jenny than nothing" he said quietly and put his hand on Angel's arm as he took a drink.

Angel nodded and moved to the kitchen to mix some more drinks for everyone. Fraser watched him go and then turned his attention to the gathering. "Willow" he said, raising his voice above the discussion the group was having. "What does an ex-fiancé have to do to get a welcome hug around here?"

Willow smiled and moved over to hug him as Buffy reminded Xander about the ruse at the Bronze. "You owe me twenty dollars on the double or nothing bet" she whispered in his ear as she hugged him.

He laughed and took his wallet out, handing her two ten-dollar bills. "Rupert this young woman is trying to tell me that you can teach an old dog new tricks" he suggested with a raised eyebrow.

Giles groaned and covered his eyes with his hand as Xander and Buffy looked between Willow and him before looking at each other. "We don't want to know" they both said in unison.

Angel came back into the room looking a little bemused. "I'm fairly sure I don't want to know either" he agreed. "Giles, something is starting to burn in the kitchen" he said and stood aside as the Watcher practically ran into the other room. "Fraser, can I top that drink up for you?" he asked as they all heard mutterings and swearing coming from the kitchen.

Everyone looked at Willow. "What" she whispered back at them fiercely. "Oh right!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I keep forgetting I live here now and I'm not just a Scooby guest" she smiled a little sheepishly and headed for the kitchen. Seconds later she backed out of the kitchen quite rapidly and announced "There will be a slight delay in dinner, nothing to worry about"

Buffy laughed, "If the dinner's fighting back perhaps I should offer my assistance?"

"Noooo" Willow shook her head. "Even with slayer strength you don't want to get between an Englishman and an uncooperative turkey" she pronounced as if this was a well-worn adage.

"I'm glad to see the English is finally starting to surface in the patient again" Fraser smiled as they all moved to sit on the sofa and armchairs. "I guess he's pretty much back to normal?" he asked as they all settled down. He had expected everyone to agree that this was the case and was a little surprised to be faced with several seconds of silence. "He's not?" he asked, directing his question to Buffy.

She shook her head. "I shouldn't complain because the stuff he hasn’t got back yet is the stuff we could manage pretty well without. None of us are anxious to remind him of the worrying he used to do on our behalf, or the barriers he built around his feelings and emotions just to get through the days with us."

Xander nodded and glanced anxiously to make sure Giles was still in the kitchen. "He's like Giles' twin brother, and they were separated at birth and one was brought up in England, all tweed and stiff upper lips, and the other was raised in the good old U S of A" he nodded and looked around a room full of mystified faces. "Don't any of you ever watch Jean Claude Van Damme movies?" he sighed.

"What Xander and Buffy are trying to say is that he's changed but for the better" Willow suggested and the other two smiled in agreement. "Since I'm the one who's benefited most from his transformation I guess I'm biased when I say I like the new guy"

Angel smiled. "I have noticed a change in him on a personal level but, during our discussions last night, he was the same old Giles when it came to work so I don't think the differences you've all noticed will affect him in that sense". He stopped talking and glanced up at the kitchen. "So I said to Wesley that he would never get the stain out and he should stop wearing pure wool sweaters to work if he was going to keep moaning about it" and he laughed.

Fraser looked a little bemused then realised that Giles must have re-entered the room behind him. "So this guy Wesley dresses well?" he asked and was relieved when the awkward moment was covered by guffaws of laughter from everyone in the room. Angel was smiling at him and he turned to face him. "So tell me about Wesley and Cordelia" The next half-hour was passed with tales about their friends in LA.

"Dinner was lovely" Fraser said to Giles as he helped him with the coffee later. "I can understand now why you are all so close"

"We make a good team and it's pleasant to come together as friends and forget about work for a while" Giles nodded then sighed. "Having said that, later tonight we need to discuss work again. Angel and I are going to outline a plan to overcome the demon that put me in hospital and it might not go quite as smoothly as dinner" he suggested. "I know this is throwing you in at the deep end but this needs to be resolved quite quickly and I'd understand if you wanted to leave before the fireworks start"

Fraser looked at him for a while. "Rupert, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" he asked and noted Giles surprised glance at him then his nod in agreement. "What prompted you to tell me about everything?" he asked and leaned back against the counter with his coffee as Giles considered the question.

"I'm not really sure" Giles started uncertainly then seemed to stall in his attempt to find an answer.

"Perhaps I can guess that the after effects of your injury have left you a little less concerned about how things are done and a little more concerned about why?" Fraser suggested quietly. "I mean" he continued. "I don't want to get heavy and I'm not on duty, but everyone here tonight has noticed a change in you since the accident and most of them agree it's for the better" He took a drink of his coffee. "This is something we can talk about with the psychologist but I think it would be wise to put any major, life or death decisions on hold for a couple of weeks until we sort out what's missing from the new you"

Giles looked up sharply. "They don’t trust me?" he asked quietly.

Fraser shook his head. "As I've said before, these people would trust you if you told them the world would end tomorrow but the strange thing is that they aren’t questioning the extent of your recovery despite the fact that they all know you are a different person" Fraser paused. "Rupert, I'm not trying to hurt you but I'm concerned that they are all too close to you to understand the implications if you're not a fully functioning Watcher right now"

"He's fully functioning, you can trust me on that" Willow said emphatically from the doorway. Giles and Fraser jumped as they hadn’t heard her approach.

"Willow I didn't mean.." Fraser began but she interrupted him.

"That's OK, I know you're only concerned for him but you have to trust us that we know what we're doing" She moved to hug Giles who was still quietly considering what Fraser had said. "We know that we're only 95% of the way towards our Rupert but we will do everything we can to get the remaining 5% back, even if that is the uber-adult, cautious, English, librarian bit" she smiled up at Giles and he put his arms round her in reassurance.

When the coffee was done, and they were all relaxing and laughing at memories from high school, Fraser noticed that Giles had withdrawn from the group. He was still sitting in their company but his mind was obviously somewhere else. Buffy had just finished an outrageous description of Xander in swimming trunks, much to his embarrassment, when Willow also noticed his introspective mood. "Rupert?" she asked quietly as Xander retaliated with tales of Buffy's cheerleader tryouts. She shook her head at the lack of response and decided drastic action was required, after all he was the host. "Rupert!" she said a little more forcefully and pinched his thigh.

"Ouch!" he reacted and nearly spilled the remains of his coffee. "What on earth did you do that for?" he asked in a surprised tone then realised everyone was staring at him.

"She probably did it to make sure you were still alive" Buffy sighed. "Whatever is on your mind hurry up and tell us so we can get back to the making merry"

Giles glanced furtively at Angel then Fraser, causing Willow to also sigh dramatically. "Oh for goodness sake Rupert, just tell us. We know it has something to do with the demon but we can't sort it out till you let us know what's going on"

He coughed apologetically and stood, moving to the bookcase to retrieve a large notebook. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, recognising the delaying tactic even as he used it. Replacing his glasses he stared at them all then started to pace.

"It's worse than we thought" Xander groaned and ducked his head as Buffy and Willow glared at him.

"Angel found an interesting passage in a text he had in LA and it seems to indicate that Bolak was at the last battle, probably coordinating things until he was mortally injured himself"

Buffy interrupted him "So the big bad is dead after all?" she asked a little confused.

He shook his head. "Not quite" he paused again and took his glasses off. "It seems that the demon can transfer itself into any warm blooded, sentient animal" He looked round at a sea of bewildered faces.

Giles smiled at him and nodded. "Exactly, yes that's it" He stopped pacing and put the notebook down on the arm of a chair. "What's always confused me about the last battle was that Bolak didn't seem to be anywhere near the battle, yet it was obviously organised by someone as evidenced by the concerted attack on Willow" he looked at Xander and Fraser, both of whom looked totally confused. "Five large vampires converged on Willow towards the end of the battle and were obviously acting under orders to single one of us out for the final phase of the attack"

Angel joined the conversation. "That agrees with the battle scenarios of previous meetings with the slayers. Also, he likes to pinpoint his victims quite specifically and make it a bit more personal than just a free for all fight"

Buffy sighed. "What you mean is that Bolak was there as a human but he was injured in the fight and had to choose an animal as his next host?" Giles and Angel nodded. Buffy shook her head "I would have remembered fighting another human and I didn't"

Xander furrowed his brow. "Me neither, everyone I tackled did the dance of the newly dusted"

There was a silence for a minute until Fraser coughed slightly apologetically. "You are all forgetting something, or rather someone" he suggested.

His statement was met with blank stares from all those present until Giles stood up and quietly muttered "Oh bugger" under his breath.

Buffy blew out her cheeks. "Of course, it must have been you Giles, don’t you remember any of the battle?"

Giles' mind tried to recall the events they were discussing so dispassionately but he simply had no memory of them. He was brought back to the present by Angel's hand on his arm. "Giles are you OK?" he asked quietly.

Buffy also stood and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you wouldn't have harmed a human unless you believed they were playing host to a demon" she turned to the others. "Let's run through the events and see if we can come up with any ideas"

Everyone sat quietly for a few moments, recollecting what they could of the battle. Xander went first. "As we got to the wood stockpile in the yard we were jumped by a few vampires. They split us up pretty effectively but only slowed us down a bit"

Buffy took over the narrative. "We came out the other side of the logs and headed for the building, I was running ahead of you guys but I could see each of you. When I kicked the door in there were a few more vamps behind a barricade but they crumbled fairly quickly as well and, by the time you all got to the door we had a clear path to the centre of the main storage area"

Xander nodded. "We regrouped in the middle of the main work area and had formed a loose circle of cowboys to wait for the indians" he smirked then saw Giles looking impatient and carried on. "We didn't have to wait very long before about two dozen vampires suddenly ran from a side door and headed straight for us. At the last moment we broke formation and all picked a dance partner for the stake polka"

Fraser looked completely bemused. "So four of you were attacked by two dozen vampires and you took this in your stride?" he asked a little incredulously.

Buffy smiled slightly. "Most of them were inexperienced, recent vampires and they kind of got stage fright"

When Fraser shook his head Giles decided to translate for him. "I think what Buffy means is that, for a vampire, coming up against the slayer is their equivalent of a royal command performance. Every vampire wants a chance to come up against a slayer and prove himself the champion which means they get over confident and well…"

"Stage fright-y" Buffy said impatiently as she glared at Giles. "After all for most vampires their first meeting with the Scooby Gang is usually their last and there aren’t many old timers around to provide advice for the young pups" she smiled at Giles as she finished the last sentence.

Willow sighed. "If you two are finished?" both Giles and Buffy nodded a little sheepishly. "After the first wave we had reinforcements popping up from various areas around the workshop and, before any of us knew what was happening, we were split up into the four corners of the room". Her voice lowered a little. "I don’t remember seeing what the others were up to and didn’t realise that Giles was closest to me until he jumped the vampires that had surrounded me"

Xander tried to move them on from the painful memories this caused for all of them. "I was nearest to Giles on the other side and he seemed to be holding his own, although I was pretty busy myself" he finished apologetically.

Angel stood and crossed to stand next to Giles. "So far" he recapped. "We have the four of you fighting in different areas, Willow I know you were next to the conveyor belt and Buffy, you told me about chipping machines you were backed against."

Willow nodded. "I noticed, when we were checking the room later, that there was a pile of logs near where Giles must have been"

Xander agreed. "Yeah, we were both against the long wall with logs piled up to about seven or eight feet high"

Willow scowled. "No, I mean the logs were lying on the floor all higglety pigglety"

Xander stood and paced. "Nope, the logs behind me were still stacked when we finished. They were held in place by a couple of wedge shapes in the bottom row and I remember thinking that it didn’t look very safe."

Willow and Buffy stared at each other, trying desperately to remember further details. Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I'm with Willow here, I remember the logs lying about and thinking it looked like a giant's game of pick up sticks"

Angel smiled. "That means that, at some point, the Watcher was attacked and the pile of logs cascaded down. Did anyone check under them when the fight was over?" he asked quietly.

Buffy looked crestfallen. "That's my fault, I honestly didn’t think for a minute that anything would be under them and I doubt that anything could have survived under them for very long, if at all"

There was silence in the room for several minutes until Fraser stood to get himself another drink. "I know I'm a bit slow but you are suggesting that a demon infested human attacked Rupert and was left for dead under the fallen pile of logs?"

Buffy nodded. "That is the only way a human could have been injured in the fight as we all fought vampires and there weren't any bodies around at the end, except for Giles" she grimaced slightly and turned guiltily to Willow. "Sorry Will, I didn't mean…"

Willow stood up and patted Giles' shoulder as she went past his chair. "I know, it's just another in the long line of horrible memories for my old age". Giles smiled up at her but was obviously distracted by his thoughts. She filled her glass with orange juice and moved towards the fireplace. "What Angel is suggesting is that there was an animal of some kind in the vicinity that was close enough to become the host for Bolak?"

Angel nodded. "It could have been anything, although I'm guessing you would have noticed something big. We're probably talking about a dog or a cat"

Xander stood and poured himself another drink of orange juice. "That would certainly explain the vampire work to rule we've had for the last couple of months. I can't see them taking orders from a talking cat"

"Oh bloody hell!" Giles spat out as he stood and started to pace. "It was right under our noses all that time". Everyone stared at him then at Fraser, as if he would be able to translate. Giles looked round them all then stopped his pacing in front of Willow. "Heard about any wild dogs hanging around recently?" he asked and stared into her eyes.

"Mrs Leech?" Willow asked incredulously. "But that could just be a coincidence, couldn't it?"

Giles shook his head and turned to look at the rest of the gathering. "Our neighbour Mrs Leech told us that she had heard and seen a wild dog hanging around recently. At first I worried it was a full moon but it seemed to just be a normal dog and I forgot all about it"

Buffy nodded. "When was the last sighting?"

Willow considered. "She told us about it the morning after the first night I… well we….. that is" she ground to an embarrassed halt.

Xander held up his hand to stop her. "Please don’t finish that sentence. Shaggy DA demons are bad enough but you two sha…"

"Xander!" Giles shouted him down before he could finish his sentence.

Buffy stood in front of Giles to block his purposeful strides towards the young man. "Giles" she said and waited, her hand upon his chest, until he looked down at her. "We're talking about approximately a week ago, right?" she waited until the anger left his eyes before she removed her restraining hand.

"Yes, about that" Giles admitted and turned back towards the fireplace to stand next to Willow. She was blushing furiously and staring at the floor.

Angel took pity on her and coughed slightly to get everyone's attention. "If this is the demon then he may have found a human host already. We'll need to question this neighbour tomorrow to establish the last sighting then check the papers for any missing persons since then"

This return to standard operating procedure seemed to break the tension in the room and Willow looked up gratefully at him. "Last time we did this I found a few new web sites that should help narrow the search down" she smiled.

Angel answered. "Although, it seems likely that he's still stuck in his present form until he can find a human host again because there hasn't been another assault yet"

Giles took a deep breath and returned to his notebook. "However, we need to consider all of the possible scenarios and, in a way it will be easier to overcome him if he has found a human host, after all he'll be easier to identify" he smiled a little. "If he has found a human host then Angel and I have finalised the procedure to disrupt the transfer from one host to another " he continued. "We've come up with a plan which should rid us of the demon for good but it is quite risky and it will require all of us to play our parts to ensure it's success" He stopped pacing and met each of their gazes. He was instantly transported back to the library and numerous previous occasions when they had all sat waiting for him to come up with the important information. He glanced at Fraser and wondered if the Doctor was correct. If he wasn't functioning at his best, he could be missing something vital and jeopardising their lives as well as his own.

Buffy looked towards Angel. "Won't the old Eghyon switcheroo work again?" she asked.

Fraser looked confused but knew that someone would explain to him later.

Angel shook his head. "This demon requires an awake, fully conscious, live body to transfer into and two out of three won’t do"

Giles coughed slightly. "Exactly, but the previous plan is still a good working theory to start with"

Willow winced as she knew how much he hated to be reminded of his mistakes and their consequences. "What do you suggest?" she asked quietly.

Giles took a deep breath. He could predict their reactions but it didn't make it any easier to say what he had to say. "Angel and I think that, if we could all engage the demon in battle and ensure that his current host is mortally wounded, we should be able to persuade him to transfer into a host of our choosing." There was deadly silence in the room, with only Fraser lagging behind in understanding what Giles was proposing. "The host would be able to disrupt the transfer at a vital stage and allow Angel to defeat the incorporeal demon spirit before it could find another host" he finished in a rush and held his breath for the expected riot.

Instead they all looked a little confused. "How would we get him to choose a specific host?" Buffy asked.

Angel stood beside Giles and decided to take some of the flak for him. "Because everyone else would be out of the locked room or unconscious and he would only have one live person left to choose from" he said quietly.

Buffy still looked a little confused but Angel and Giles both noticed a look of realisation dawn on Willow's face. "Still trying to work through the prophecy Giles?" she asked quietly and stared at him. Fraser noticed the change when she called him Giles and felt the tension in the room mount again but he had no idea what they were talking about.

"What are you all talking about?" he asked plaintively and everyone looked at him as if they had forgotten he was there.

Willow stood up to pace as she answered him, causing Giles and Angel to get out of her way. "Plan A is to track down every dog in Sunnydale, identify the possessed one and then kill it and Plan B means that Giles allows an eight hundred year old demon to inhabit his body in order to kill it before it can make the residence permanent." She was working up a head of steam as she continued "He is proposing that we all fight this demon and his henchmen to the death and then leave him while he and Angel fight it out with the bad guy"

Xander and Buffy were staring at her, Xander in horror, Buffy with a calculating look that meant she was trying to figure the odds in this particular battle scenario.

Willow stopped pacing and stood in front of Giles. "He is then proposing that he disrupts the transfer in some way to allow Angel to mop up the messy ectoplasmic leftovers of the demon." She shook her head and turned to Fraser. He sat back a little, shocked at the anger in her eyes despite the enforced calm of her speech. "I was wrong Fraser, he is far from fully functioning" she announced and left the others staring at the front door as it slammed behind her.

The brief silence was broken by Giles. "Well that went better than I expected" he suggested.

Angel nodded. "Yeah, much better" he agreed and followed Willow out of the front door to ensure her safety.

Xander stared at Angel's back. "Was she right?" he asked, changing his incredulous look to focus on Giles. "Because if she was I think the Doc had better call for backup, your brains are still on the fritz" he looked to Buffy for her agreement.

She was staring off into space. "Why does it have to be you, why can’t I do it?" she asked quietly. "After all, this Bolak is after me, not you"

Giles wearily shook his head. "The only way to ensure the host can disrupt the transfer at the precise moment of weakness for Bolak is by magic and that is one of the few things you have never mastered. The rest of you will remove yourselves from the demon's choice of hosts. The host has to control the moment of interruption precisely and a magic spell is the only thing I have been able to come up with that would work"

"It won’t work" Willow said quietly from the doorway. Xander stood and moved to her side, giving her a hug and moving her to a chair at the table.

"Willow, please, I know what I'm talking about, it will work" Giles said quietly, not meeting her gaze.

"Oh the spell would work" she agreed. "Just not if you're the one to do it"

His head whipped up and he met her gaze steadily. "What do you mean, nobody else has the ability to …" his words trailed off as he read her meaning in her face.

"Giles" she stood and moved towards him. "We both know that you aren’t 100% fit yet and, although we've been practicing magic again you are still way too shaky to take on anything large, let alone a spell this tricky" she was kneeling in front of him. "Whereas," she put her hands on his knee, "We both know that I am more than capable of doing this."

Buffy was on her feet a split second before Xander. "Wait a minute Willow, you can't be serious" she started before Willow interrupted her.

"Giles simply doesn't have the big guns that this will need but his star pupil does" she stated with absolute certainty, holding his gaze while the others continued to argue.

Angel looked at the couple and gestured to Fraser. "We should leave them alone to sort this out" he suggested and moved to collect Buffy. Fraser nodded and ushered Xander into the courtyard before quietly shutting the door behind them.

"Hey what's the big idea" Xander asked indignantly when he realised that Buffy and him were now arguing outdoors.

"Ssshhhh" Fraser pointed at his watch. "We don’t want to wake up the neighbours" he suggested and moved towards the stairs. "Come on, let's all grab a coffee and you can explain what just happened in there"

Buffy stared at Angel then nodded. "Come on Xand, let's give them some time alone" she said quietly and linked her arm through his.

Giles was standing at the fireplace gazing into the flames. Willow tapped his shoulder lightly and handed him his drink when he turned to face her. "Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?" she asked. "I could have helped" she looked away and returned to the sofa.

"Angel and I only finalised the plan this afternoon and I wanted to tell you but I was selfish and afraid that we would fight and ruin the time we had together" he said quietly and sipped his drink. "As the Watcher I knew what had to be done but I couldn't separate that from the person who wanted to wake up next to you"

Willow sniffed a little. "You can trust me not to move out at the first sign of trouble Rupert, I thought you understood that my feelings for you were a little longer lasting than that"

Rupert sighed and moved to sit beside her, handing her his handkerchief as he put his arm round her. "I'm not saying we couldn't survive an argument about toothpaste tubes but I was suggesting putting all of us in danger and I knew you wouldn’t agree with the role I chose for myself"

Willow gulped down a sob. "You definitely are not fit enough to do it and I won’t let you" she finished on an angry note.

He sighed and hugged her against his chest. "I can imagine what you're feeling right now because I've felt that every time you went on patrol with Buffy but it doesn't change the facts"

She pulled away from his arms and started to pace again. "This isn't a girlfriend thing" she shouted at him. "In the best interests of Buffy and the others I should be the one to do the spell" she turned to stare at him.

Part of her brain noticed dispassionately the anger that flared in his eyes. "I think I know more about the magic involved than you do, after all I have been practicing serious magic a little longer than you" He said angrily and swallowed the rest of his whiskey as she continued to pace.

She turned to stare at him and he felt his glass being lifted from his hand and found it floating in front of his face. "Take the glass away from me" Willow said quietly.

He stood up abruptly and moved towards the kitchen. "This isn't a bloody circus Willow, and I'm not going to perform stupid magic tricks to win this argument"

The glass followed him into the kitchen. "Take the glass away from me" she reiterated through clenched teeth. "You know that you don't have the strength to beat me at parlour game magic yet you think you're strong enough to go up against a demon of Bolak's abilities?" she asked incredulously.

He whirled to face her and she hovered the glass in his face. With an angry gesture he swung his arm and swept the glass into the sink where it shattered. "Willow I will not let you do this" he shouted at her and strode towards her. "You have never faced anything like this before and I have. I have the experience of defeating demons like this and it's my job and I will do it, with or without your agreement" he was standing in front of her now, his anger making his breath come in short, sharp gasps.

She didn't even realise what she had done until she saw the reddening finger marks on his cheek. Her tears were generated by anger but soon turned to sobs as the adrenalin left her system. She ran from the room and he heard her run upstairs before he moved from his position. Eventually he raised his hand and touched his cheek where she had slapped him.

CHAPTER 19

Angel quietly unlocked Giles' apartment door. He had assured Giles that he wouldn't use the spare key he had been given, but he needed to check some of the texts they had been using and he was pretty sure he could get in and out without disturbing them.

Moving swiftly over to the table he was surprised when a light came on and he found himself staring into the business end of a crossbow. "Giles!" he whispered and took a step back.

"Sorry" Giles mumbled and put the weapon down. "Wasn't sure it was you" he sighed and returned to the pile of books he was reading.

"Giles are you OK, you look terrible" Angel asked then realised that he already knew the answer to the question. "Did you manage to sort everything out with Willow?"

Giles looked up at him. "Yes, we managed to sort it out, that's why she's sobbing her heart out in the bedroom and I'm down here bleeding to death with a pile of books" He raised his right hand and Angel saw a bloody dish towel wrapped around his fist.

"What happened?" Angel asked as he moved to the kitchen to get more towels.

"I smashed a glass then cut myself trying to clear it up … and Willow was crying upstairs …. and I couldn’t open the medical kit …. and I didn't know what to do …and" he ran out of steam.

Angel sat down next to him with the medical kit and a bottle of whiskey. "Drink some of this and let me sort that for you" he gently removed the sodden towel and winced at the deep gash across Giles palm. "This is pretty deep, should I call Fraser to give you some stitches?" he asked.

Giles shook his head. "It's not that bad, can't you do it yourself?" he asked plaintively.

Angel nodded and pushed the bottle towards him again. "Start on the anaesthetic or we'll wake up the entire block" he suggested and hunted for the needle in the kit.

Half an hour later Angel had finished dressing the deep gash and was helping Giles finish off the bottle of whiskey. "Don't you think you should check if she is OK?" he asked and nodded his head towards the stairs.

"She just doesn't believe me when I say that I can do this" Giles sighed and settled further into the sofa. "I mean I wouldn't risk my life if it wasn't completely necessary, especially now that we are together " he frowned and took another pull at the glass in his left hand.

Angel sighed as well. "I'm not taking sides on this but perhaps she is right?" he started quietly and was relieved to see the alcohol dulling the righteous indignation Giles was trying to express, turning it into spluttering instead. "Hear me out Giles" he said quietly and moved to take the glass from him.

"While you were in the kitchen tonight we were discussing your recovery and everyone agreed that you aren't back to your old self" Angel began and returned to his seat. "I argued that the personal side may have changed but the business part of you still seemed pretty much as I remembered it" he smiled as Giles stopped trying to interrupt and settled with a happy grin on his face. "But I'm not so sure now" the grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Before the accident you tried to protect all of them to the best of your ability but you still sent them out on patrol and you still gave them the information to try and beat whatever the 'Hellmouth Poster Boy of the Week' threw at them." Giles nodded and his eyelids drooped a little. "I guess I've just realised that you don’t do that anymore, now you want to go out there and fight the bad guys for them and that's not what you're good at"

Giles opened his eyes again and sighed. "There have been other occasions when I've had to be on the front line because of my particular skills and everyone has understood that before, why can't they understand it now?"

Angel shook his head. "I think they are just worried that you haven't fully recovered and don’t want to risk you, after all Bolak may be defeated but it won't do anyone any good if his last act is taking you with him"

"Or Willow?" Giles asked quietly. "It's not just because we're together now that I don’t want her doing this"

Angel interrupted him. "I know that Giles, it's because she's never faced anything like this before and you have" He sighed "If only there was some way for both of you to do this together, her strength and your experience would be an unbeatable combination". Giles continued to stare at him for some time in deep thought before his eyes started to droop again. Angel smiled at him and glanced out of the window where the early signs of dawn were already showing. "Damn" he swore under his breath and moved to put a blanket over Giles' gently dozing form.

He glanced around then seemed to come to a decision. With his usual stealth and speed he mounted the stairs and headed for the bedroom. He paused half way up the stairs, memories of his previous visit inundating him for several minutes. Finally he sighed deeply and reached the bedroom.

Willow was lying on top of the bed, still fully dressed. He smiled in relief and moved to kneel by the side of the bed. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered her name. "Willow wake up, its me Angel …… come on Willow wake up". She started to stir then opened her eyes and nearly jumped out of her skin. He moved back and raised his hands while frantically shusshing her. "It's OK, stop shouting or you'll wake up Giles"

At the mention of his name she stopped and took a deep breath. "What on earth are you doing here and what time is it anyway" she asked as she reached for the bedside clock. "Five thirty am, are you insane?" she whispered fiercely at him. "Oh my God what's wrong, is Buffy OK" she jumped from the bed and headed for the stairs.

He sighed and reached her before she had made it half way. Gently he guided her back to the bed and sat down beside her. "Everyone's OK except you and Giles and I'm sorry it's so early but I needed to borrow some texts and ended up talking to Giles downstairs until after sunrise"

She was fully awake now and had gathered herself together. "Is he OK" she asked sadly and nodded her head towards the stairs.

"He'll be fine, although he'll have a hangover and the stitches will probably hurt like hell for a couple of days" he smiled to reassure her. It didn't work.

"Stitches" she said in a loud voice and was on her feet again. "What happened to him, how did he get hurt?" she was heading for the stairs again when he started to laugh. Willow stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at him. "I've never heard you laugh before" she said in amazement and moved to sit next to him again. "OK" she smiled at him. "Now you've got my attention but make it quick before I tickle you!" she grinned at his look of amazement.

Angel recovered fairly quickly and put his hand on her arm. "He cut himself while he was cleaning up some broken glass and was feeling a bit sorry for himself when I arrived. I tidied up the wound and we ended up talking about the best solution to the problem". He realised that she was fighting to hold back tears. "He is OK, I promise" he said urgently.

"It's my fault, I made him break the glass" she mumbled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She took a deep breath that turned into a sob but she managed to regain control and looked at him again. "Anyway, we did resolve the problem earlier, I'll do the host spell and he can be my backup" she nodded and met his steady gaze.

Angel shook his head. "I know why you would suggest that and I agree with you but there must be another way" he stood and moved to the armchair that faced the bed. "Ideally we would find some way to get Giles' experience and your strength together but we can't have that so we need to work out a compromise which will mean a minimum amount of danger for whichever one of you is the host." He bowed his head and pretended to stare at his clasped hands in his lap, instead he sneaked a look at her and found her staring at the wall with a concentrated look on her face. He smiled to himself and waited for five minutes before standing up and sighing. "I'm sorry I can’t come up with anything useful but I will study the texts all day and see if I can find something"

She shook herself out of the reflective mood and stood to face him. "Could you help me get him up to bed" she asked quietly and he smiled at her and nodded.

Giles woke later that morning and groaned as the sunlight shone through the open curtains. He turned over and tried to pull his pillow over his head but his hand wouldn’t work and he grumpily woke up to see Willow sitting in the armchair reading a newspaper. "What time is it?" he asked and started to cough as he found his throat dry and discovered a taste in his mouth as if some unknown animal had chosen to die there.

Willow glanced up from her newspaper and sipped her coffee. "Ten thirty" she said brightly. "Sleep well?" she asked as he struggled to disentangle himself from the bed covers. Eventually she stood and helped him up. "If you keep on like that you'll tear the stitches" she suggested in a tone reminiscent of her mother’s voice.

He stopped in the middle of his shuffle to the bathroom and looked back at her. "Stitches" he mumbled and brought his hand up to his face to peer at the dressing. "How the bloody hell did that happen?" he squinted at her and she shook her head and gave him his glasses.

"You were clearing up some broken glass and cut yourself" she explained and led him to the bathroom. "Get a shower and I'll sort out some tea and aspirins" she said quietly as she closed the door behind him. She waited until she heard the shower start before heading downstairs.

Angel looked up as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "How is he?" he asked.

"I'm just glad Fraser didn't ask for triple or nothing on our bet" she sighed and filled the kettle. "Would you like some tea or coffee?" she asked him. "I'm sorry we don’t have anything else…" the sentence trailed off.

"Tea would be fine" he smiled and put down the book he had been reading. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me all day, you two should be sorting this out between you"

She smiled as she sat next to him at the table. "We'll sort out our problems once Bolak is out of the way" she nodded definitively and pulled a large, leather bound book towards her. "I've been thinking about what you said last night" she looked up at him. "About putting our strengths together to take care of demon guy"

He nodded. "It was just an idea but I'm not sure it would work, after all it took Xander, you and Giles to strengthen Buffy the last time around" he looked speculatively at her. "Have you worked out a plan?'

"Sort of" she nodded eagerly. "The only problem is that we need the grumpy papa bear to check it out and he's not going to be much use until he has his porridge" she grinned at Angel then jumped at a voice just behind her.

"You'd better get out of my favourite chair then Goldilocks" he growled and put his arms round her as she jumped out of the chair.

"Rupert" she squealed and wriggled in his arms. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that on a hellmouth" she huffed when she couldn’t loosen his grip.

He leaned down and kissed her neck before sliding onto the chair and grinning at Angel. "So where's the porridge?" he asked and laughed as she rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen.

"You seem a little brighter" Angel said quietly. "How's the hand?"

"Bloody sore and impossible to shower with but I remembered, while I was washing, the subject of our discussion last night and I think I've got a plan" Giles suggested eagerly and was about to expand when Willow put his tea in front of him.

"This is turning into cunning plan day" Willow sighed and set a mug in front of Angel before settling herself into a chair. "While you were sleeping" she started pointedly and noticed him looking guiltily at Angel. "I called on Mrs Leech this morning and got a description of the dog. Buffy is checking out the pound to make sure it hasn’t ended up there" she smiled at him. "OK, now tell us your plan" she sat back and took a drink of her tea. "Oh, before you start" she jumped up just as he was about to speak. "Good morning darling" she said quietly and kissed him before returning to her seat. "Ready when you are" she nodded and drank her tea.

Angel smiled and looked away as his friend tried to gather his thoughts. Eventually Giles coughed a little to clear his throat. "I'm assuming a worst case scenario, that Bolak has taken human form again. Angel and I were talking last night and he said, off hand, that it was a pity that we couldn’t have your strength and my experience in one body" he nodded at Angel who glanced quickly at Willow to see her reaction. She was looking at him intently and a small smile crept over her face before she composed herself and turned back to Giles. Angel knew she would play her part.

"SO" Willow asked in an exasperated tone as Giles took his time to get to the good bit.

"SO" he glared at her. "Perhaps we can effect some sort of transition to get the best of both worlds, after all we've done something similar before"

"But it took both of us and Xander to get there before and we were only backing up the slayer, how can we manage something like this without them?" she asked and noticed Angel take a drink of his tea to hide his smile. She knew she was playing his 'devils advocate' role but she was determined that he wasn't going to have all the fun.

Giles didn’t notice their interplay as he stood and started to pace. "I admit the timing is going to be the most difficult part but I think we can do it" he turned to look at her. "It would mean that, although I was the host you would be there with me to back me up" he looked towards Angel.

"I've been checking some of the texts you referenced when you joined at the Initiative and I think I may have found something that will help" Angel said quietly and pulled a large book from the top of the pile.

Willow came to stand and read over his shoulder, after a few seconds she gave up and returned to her chair. She smiled at Giles "I still can’t sight read Sumerian that quickly" she sighed.

Angel and Giles spent ten minutes reading through various parts of the text, occasionally disagreeing over the translation of one word or another. Willow sighed as she saw Giles get more and more agitated, and she knew that they had found what they were looking for. After all, if anyone could recognise the look on his face when he found the important clue to solve that week's mystery it was his research assistant.

Buffy arrived after lunch, tentatively knocking on the door and waiting for it to be answered. Willow pulled open the door and looked at her in astonishment. "Buffy, what's the matter?" she asked as she looked around behind the Slayer.

"Is it OK to come in?" Buffy asked in a stage whisper and tried to see behind Willow into the room.

Willow looked suspiciously at Buffy then opened the door wide and said in a loud voice. "NO, I do not invite you in"

Buffy stared at her for a second then brushed her aside as she walked through the door. "If I was a vampire I wouldn't be up and about during the day would I" she said sarcastically then stopped in her tracks as she saw Angel standing at the fireplace. "Or then again maybe I would"

Willow laughed and shut the door behind her. "It's just I've never heard you knock on Rupert's door before" she smiled at Buffy. "A girl can't be too careful in this town you know" she nodded as if to emphasise her pronouncement.

"What happened to your hand?" Buffy asked Giles as she nodded to Angel and sat on the sofa.

"Minor accident in the kitchen" Giles murmured and moved to stand next to Angel. "How did you get on at the pound?" he asked.

"Lots of fluffy puppies but nothing close to the description I'm afraid. I gave the attendant the usual 'my room mate’s dog's been missing for weeks now" story but he hasn't had a dog like that in months"

Giles nodded. "Willow and Xander should concentrate on tracking down any missing persons or missing pets over the next few days, in the meantime I think Angel has come up with a plan that may work if we need to tackle a human host" he stated.

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Are we OK with the plan now?" she asked, looking between Giles and Willow.

"Essentially" Giles said and looked a little uncertain. "Willow and I have agreed that we both need to be involved at the final stage, however, we haven't quite worked out the details yet"

Willow nodded. "Angel has found a variation on the joining we did to defeat Adam and it should be strong enough to allow us to combine Giles' knowledge and experience with my strength"

Buffy shifted her gaze to Angel and raised her eyebrows. He nodded slightly and she held his gaze for a few moments. Eventually she stirred herself. "So long as the slayer spirit and cheese guy aren't part of the deal it sounds OK. I think I need some fresh air, how about joining me for a run, if you're feeling up to it Giles?"

He looked at her a little surprised. "Well actually I'm quite tired, I didn't sleep much last night and I did have quite a lot to drink and we still have a lot of work to do and …"

She cut him off. "No more excuses" she announced and took her sweater off to reveal a t-shirt underneath. "You need some aerobic exercise and fresh air" she glanced at Willow. "You're heading back towards the flabby librarian we used to know and I don’t think I'm the only one to notice"

"He is not flabby" Willow started and then realised Buffy was joking and sank down on to the sofa. "OK, maybe you're right" she nodded and stood up to kiss Giles. "I'll be ready with the massage oil when you come back" she whispered in his ear and watched him blush and start to cough.

"Willow!" Buffy shouted in outrage. "Please don’t do that to my Watcher" she moved to Giles side and helped him to a chair. "Go and hunt up his running gear while I revive him" she ordered and watched as Willow smiled and headed upstairs. As soon as she was out of earshot Buffy gestured to Angel to join them and knelt in front of Giles. "OK, what's the plan" she whispered and all three huddled together as the two men explained the basics to her.

By the time Willow returned they were all sitting on chairs around the table and discussing battle tactics and venues for the upcoming encounter. "I'll wait down here while you change" Willow smiled at Giles. "I've left your things on the bed"

Angel smiled and sighed. "Perhaps we could have a break as well?" he suggested to Willow and headed for the kitchen. "Lunch?"

Willow agreed and helped him choose sandwich fillings while Buffy started stretching. Giles emerged a couple of minutes later in his running gear and carrying a pair of dark glasses.

They ran for five minutes before he finally stopped and put his hands on his knees to gulp air into his tortured lungs. "Getting too old for this" he rasped and sat down on the grass beside the track.

Buffy jogged on the spot for a few minutes then sat down next to him, looking across at his face before asking "Are you happy?"

"If my lungs don’t burst in the next two minutes I'll be delirious" he managed and looked across at her serious face.

Buffy smiled and leaned her head back to feel the sun on her face. "I meant a little more long term than the next two minutes"

He laughed and lay back, putting his hands behind his head. "I am truly happy but I still wonder if Fraser is right and I'll wake up one morning as grumpy Giles and spoil everything"

"What makes you think that Willow won’t love you anyway?" she asked quietly.

"It's not Willow I'm worried about, after all I do believe her when she says that she loves me and has done for some time" he paused, sorting his thoughts before expressing himself. "I'm worried that I'll return to being petrified of being in love with her and put up all of the barriers again, pretending that we're just friends and not allowing anything else to happen"

They both lay quietly for several moments before he climbed slowly to his feet. "Come on, I think I'll last a few more laps without medical intervention" and he slowly jogged away from her.

Buffy caught up with him and turned to face him, jogging backwards and keeping pace easily. "I think you will get all of your memories back but I don’t think you have to worry about running away from the relationship, after all you were able to deny your feelings before you knew what you were missing, it isn’t as easy to give it all up, believe me"

He stopped running and stared at her. "My memory still bothers me, were you always this smart and understanding?"

"Oh yes" she nodded and pulled away from him as she lengthened her stride. "You often used to come to me for relationship or careers advice"

He knew he had no chance of catching up with her but gently jogged for another couple of minutes before giving up. Buffy completed her fast laps and returned to sit next to him. "Are you sure you're up to dealing with Bolak?" she asked, taking a drink from her water bottle.

He lay on his back, seriously considering his answer before sitting up and taking his sunglasses off to stare at her. "I wouldn't endanger you, Xander and Willow by attempting this if I didn’t think I would succeed" he stated with certainty.

She stared back at him, noticing his bloodshot eyes and the touch of gray at his temples. "I know the old Giles would never have considered that for a moment but I just needed to hear it from you, today" she nodded and handed him a bottle of water.

"Do you really think I've changed that much" he asked as he finished his drink and replaced his glasses. "I remember what I was like and it doesn't feel any different to how I'm reacting to things now" he reflected.

"You said it yourself" she sighed and leaned back to enjoy the sun. "You used to be much more reserved about things. We only ever knew you to completely relax once and that was when you sang at the Espresso Pump, I only wish I had been there to see it. Since the accident you seem to be 'Mr Acoustic Rock God' all of the time. Not that it's a bad thing, I kind of like the new you and I know that Willow really likes the new you!"

He laughed. "After this is all over perhaps we could have a night out at the Espresso?" he suggested. "I'm fairly sure I can remember most of the old classics, although it may take a while for this hand to heal" he winced as he flexed it.

Willow and Xander were sitting at the dining table when Giles and Buffy returned from their lunchtime training session. Willow had been hunting through various web sites containing information on missing people while Xander had been trawling through local newspapers for incidents concerning missing dogs.

"Any luck?" Buffy asked as Giles placed a kiss on Willow's head on his way to the fridge.

"None at all" Xander grumbled and stood up to stretch. "We've been at this for two days, if there was anything to find we would have found it by now"

Willow sighed and flexed her neck muscles. "We'll pull a late shift tonight and give it one final push"

Giles returned from the kitchen and threw a bottle of water at Buffy. "Oh no you won’t" he said and took a drink from his own bottle. "Xander needs a night off and I have some other areas of research I want you to concentrate on"

Willow looked at him in surprise. "OK, what's the new idea?" she asked.

Buffy finished her water and tossed the empty bottle back at Giles. "Please don't explain just yet, Xander and I were just leaving" she laughed and grabbed Xander's jacket.

"We were?" Xander asked then realised that he was being given an early pass and quickly followed Buffy out of the door. "We were!" they heard him say as he pulled the door shut behind him.

"What on earth was that all about?" Willow asked as she turned in her chair to look at Giles. He was leaning against the counter and smiling at her, a lascivious look on his face. "What are you and Buffy up to now?" she laughed and stood to kiss him.

He sighed as he released her lips. "I suppose I should be devastated that you've forgotten our anniversary"

"Anniversary?" she giggled. Her brow furrowed as she frantically tried to work out what he was talking about.

He pushed away from the counter and took her hand, guiding her towards the stairs. "I'm supposed to be the one predisposed to amnesia, not you" he growled.

Once in the bedroom he hugged her and she wriggled in his arms. "I guess I'll just have to find some way to force you to tell me?"

He stood back from her embrace and began removing his clothes. She sat back on the bed to enjoy the display as he removed his shirt first then his slacks. Before he put the trousers on the chair he removed a small package from the back pocket. Willow lay on the bed, watching him remove the rest of his clothes. "You really should be getting undressed, you're already in enough trouble you know!" he mumbled as he headed for the bathroom.

She stood up and quickly undressed. "God I love it when we play guidance teacher and naughty pupil" she laughed and followed him into the bathroom. "You're taking a bubble bath?" she asked incredulously

"No, I'm not but you are" he smiled at her and pulled her into a long, lingering kiss. When he released her he placed the small package into her hand. "Happy anniversary darling" he whispered and kissed her again.

She pulled back from him and smiled a little uncertainly. Opening the small envelope she let a fine gold necklace fall into the palm of her hand. She held it up and saw a small golden key hanging from it. Completely bewildered, but entranced, she looked back into his eyes.

He sighed and turned her round to fasten the necklace for her, fumbling a little with the sticking plaster on his right hand. He kissed her neck and rubbed his left hand over her stomach. "One week ago you moved in with me and made me the happiest person in the world. I gave you a key to the apartment and you already had the key to my heart so now you have the complete set" he whispered in her ear. He felt her sink into his arms as she leaned against him. "And now I'm going to treat you to a few anniversary surprises, starting with a bubble bath"

She turned in his arms and he could see tears running down her face. "You've done it again" she sighed and wiped some of the tears from her cheeks. "I now, officially, have the most incredible, handsome, sexy, adorable, caring, loving, sexy man in my life" she kissed him for several minutes and only pulled away when he had to stop the water running into the bath.

He turned back to her and grinned. "You said sexy twice" he laughed as he lifted her up and placed her, gently, into the bath.

She pulled him to her mouth again and continued the interrupted kiss. "I'm going to have to invent another word then because you are the equivalent of a dozen sexy-s in the same sentence"

The next few minutes were taken up with finding the soap as it disappeared beneath the bubbles several times.

Eventually, with more bubbles on the floor than in the bath, she grinned at him. "I'm really sorry I forgot our one week anniversary but it just feels like we've been together for so much longer"

"I know what you mean" he sighed as he stood up to dry himself off. "I can't tell you what a relief it was when you agreed to live here, I couldn't have faced a night without you by my side" He gave her his hand to help her from the bath and proceeded to dry her off.

She wriggled under his ministrations with the towel. "Carpe that diem, that's what I always say. Particularly when you live on a hellmouth and a man you've lusted after finally gets around to asking you to live with him"

"Finally?" he said as he stood in front of her and finished drying himself off. "I asked you to move in three days after we finally realised how we felt about each other" he spluttered. "I don't know how the haste could have been any more indecent" he finished and turned her round to look at her in the mirror. "Besides you're only here on probation you know, I may decide I don’t like living with you after all" his eyebrows raised in a question as he finished.

She stared at his reflection in mock seriousness. "Are you suggesting that you would take advantage of a young maiden and then throw her out into the streets after you've had your wicked way with her?"

"I'm fairly sure I'll get tired of you after fifty or sixty years" he nodded over her shoulder. "I might have to trade you in for a younger model at that stage"

She sighed and leaned back against his chest. "I'll just have to spend the next fifty or sixty years persuading you that I'm worth all of the stresses and strains"

He pulled her more tightly against him. "I'll hold you to that and much more" he said and smiled at her reflection.

She stood looking into the mirror at the necklace hanging round her neck and sighed. "Thank you Rupert, it is the most beautiful present I've ever received from anyone"

He kissed her shoulder and neck before pulling her against his now obvious erection. "So where have you hidden my present?" he smiled at her.

She looked crestfallen then a smile crept over her face.

Two hours later Willow woke up and stretched. She took a moment to remember why she was in bed when it was still light outside then glanced over at the chair. His trousers and shirt were missing and she quickly got up and threw on some clothes. A yawn overtook her as she headed downstairs, where a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen.

He smiled at her from the kitchen. "Give me a second" he muttered as he finished returning a large dish to the oven. By the time he had changed the temperature and turned round she was standing behind him. "Did you have a nice nap?" he asked and bent down to kiss her.

"Mmmm" she murmured. "Very refreshing, what is that fabulous smell?" she asked.

"Special anniversary dinner" he smiled. "Can you light the candles for me?"

"I really don’t deserve all this, you know" she suggested from the dining table. "I should be doing something for you, after all, you let me move in with you" She was concentrating on the candles and didn't hear him coming up behind her.

"Let's not argue over who deserves what and don’t ever think you don’t do anything for me" he kissed her and led her to the sofa. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes so we have plenty of time to discuss a system of reward and recognition"

After a leisurely dinner and two glasses of wine Willow was lying out on the sofa with a dreamy look on her face.

Giles put a mug of coffee on the table for her and sat in the armchair, smiling at her. "Don't you dare fall asleep again" he murmured quietly.

"Not going to, just resting my eyes" she answered and grinned at him. She opened one eye and looked at the mug then sat up and took a sip. "Are you trying to sober me up before you take advantage of me again?" she asked with a mock serious look on her face. "Because that is not the action of the dastardly English bounder in any of the books I've read"

He laughed as he put his own mug down. "I was your librarian for five years and I never knew you read such libidinous texts, where on earth did you get them from?"

"It's amazing what you can download from the web these days" she smiled at him.

He shook his head. "And I thought you were illegally hacking into private files for the good guys"

She took another sip of her coffee. "I was doing that as well but even cyber trespassing needs to be livened up occasionally"

"Talking of which" he suggested as he stood up and placed her laptop in front of her. "I was partly serious when I told Buffy that I needed some other research done tonight" he looked a little embarrassed. "It should only take you a couple of hours and then we can finish the anniversary celebrations"

She stared at him for a moment then shook her head. "Buffy will never believe that I spent tonight researching"

He sat beside her and put his hand on her thigh. "Buffy doesn’t need to know what you spent tonight doing" he suggested as he put his glasses on and watched her log onto the system.

"She obviously had a good idea of what you were planning, if the speed she left here at is any indication" she looked at him as she waited for the internet to connect.

He looked a little sheepishly at her and returned his attention to the screen. "Well she was with me when I picked up the necklace and I had to explain some things to her" he risked a look back at her face and saw the shake of her head that indicated her disbelief. "She is very persuasive you know" he added and sighed.

"What are we looking for?" Willow asked as her fingers were poised over the keyboard.

After one hour and fifteen minutes she had found the title deeds and followed the trail to the death notice in an obscure newspaper from another state. They both sat back and considered the information. "It never occurred to me how strange it was that a demon who habitually worked with vampires would choose a sawmill to stage his big attack" she finally admitted.

He nodded. "Mmmm, it only occurred to me a couple of days before the battle but I didn't have time to chase it up and I was more concerned with the prophecy itself by then"

She roused herself to save all of the information to disk before shutting down the laptop. "So" she finally said as she turned to face him, one leg beneath her. "We have the owner of the sawmill suddenly behaving strangely about six months before the battle, then disappearing altogether, only to turn up dead in some out of the way town two weeks later"

He nodded and took his glasses off to rub his eyes. "It would appear that the demon inhabited his body and spent some time building his forces before staging the attack on home ground" He stood to organise his thoughts, walking to the kitchen to refresh his drink. "It must have been this host who attacked me and was mortally injured under the logs. We can only surmise that some vampires returned later that night and removed the dead body to inter it as far away from here as they could get during the hours of darkness."

Willow shook her head as he offered her more coffee. "I don’t want to be awake all night" she suggested and grinned at him. "So we now know how he organised the first attack, how does this help us to sort out his next move?"

He yawned and stretched his back gently. "It doesn’t but it is one more piece in the puzzle" he suggested. "Enough for tonight I think, we still have some celebrating to complete". His suggestion was slightly ruined by a huge yawn that shook his frame as he put his coffee mug down.

"That's what you get for all this sneaking around organising afternoons and evenings of passion" she scolded him. "When was the last time you had an uninterrupted nights sleep?"

"I think I was unconscious in hospital" he admitted sheepishly. "Even before you were actually in my bed I used to lose sleep thinking about you being in my bed"

"Me too" she grinned and kissed him quickly before putting out the lights around the room. "Come on, major league cuddling taking place in the bedroom in two minutes"

He held her hand as they walked upstairs. "You have no idea how many times I wished your research on that bloody laptop would end like this" he murmured as he lifted her hand to his lips.

"You're not the only one" she sighed and quickly removed her clothes before snuggling under the duvet.

He smiled as he slowly climbed in next to her and pulled her close to him. "Do you think that the novelty has worn off?" he asked in a serious tone.

She sighed. "Not a bit, the best part of being in love with someone is just being able to hold them and be with them". He kissed her neck and behind her ear. "Although of course hot and steamy sex is pretty high on the list as well" she suggested as she arched her back against him.

He sighed and pulled away from her. "I really am tired, darling"

She wriggled round to lie on her back and look into his eyes. "Sorry, sometimes my body goes onto autopilot. Let's get some sleep" she smiled at him and reached up to give him a quick kiss.

Just as she drifted off to sleep she heard him murmur against her hair "I really do love you Willow Rosenberg" and she smiled.

Giles woke early the next morning and was a little disconcerted to discover himself alone in bed. He quickly got up and pulled on some jogging pants and a t-shirt before heading downstairs. He found Willow sitting at the table staring at her laptop screen in deep concentration. He noticed a mug sitting next to her and lifted it, the contents were stone cold. "What time did you get up?" he asked and was surprised when she jumped in her seat and squeaked.

"Don't do that" she said as she tried to catch her breath. "Do Watchers get special sneaky guy training?"

He put his arms round her and looked over her shoulder at the screen. "Sorry, but I got concerned when you weren't in bed when I woke up"

Her breathing finally returned to normal, she kissed his cheek in an absent minded way and pointed to the screen. "I woke up in the middle of the night with a thought about the last host and I didn’t want to wake you until I had something concrete to go on"

He lifted her chair and pulled her back from the table before reaching down and kissing her properly. "Good morning darling" he finally said as his kiss left her staring dreamily into his eyes. "Can I get you some breakfast?"

"Mmmmm" she said as she licked her lips and stood up to hug him. "Perhaps I could start with an English muffin?"

"I would like nothing better but don’t you have early classes this morning?" he suggested and, disentangling himself, headed for the kitchen to make her some tea.

"Blast" she muttered and saved her work before shutting her laptop down.

Her breakfast was ready on the table when she came back downstairs half an hour later, looking slightly pink from her recent shower. He was reading a newspaper and put it down to pour her some tea. "My classes finish at three thirty and I can be home by four" she started as she buttered some toast. "Do you have any plans for this evening?"

"Actually I was going to meet Fraser for a drink after my appointment with the psychologist this afternoon but I was thinking of putting him off anyway. I'd like to spend as much time as possible on this new lead and try to get a bit more information collated before Angel returns from Los Angeles tomorrow" he sat back in his chair and crossed his legs, sipping his tea. "Did you get any further last night?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I was trying to track down known associates of the sawmill owner and to find out as much about him as I could. I thought that there may be a reason why he was chosen as Bolak's host"

He smiled at her. "I was thinking along those lines myself. I'll do some checking at the Town Hall after I've been to the hospital"

A knock at the door startled them both and Giles sighed when he opened it to find Buffy standing on the doorstep. "Would you like some breakfast?" he asked as he held the door open for her to enter.

"Nope" she smiled and stepped past him. "I was out running and thought I would walk back to campus with Willow"

Willow finished her toast and took a last gulp of her tea. "I'm ready" she smiled at her friend and picked up her backpack. "Perhaps we can meet for a coffee after you're finished at the records office?" she suggested as she stood on tiptoe to kiss him quickly.

"Sounds fine, I'll meet you at the Espresso Pump about four" he waved after them and returned to his breakfast.

Angel returned two days later and apologised for the delay in bringing back the information he had gathered. "A little local difficulty" he explained. "I left Wesley to tidy up the remnants and got back here as quickly as I could"

"I guess you found something important about our local difficulty then?" asked Xander.

"You could say that" Angel agreed. "Bolak chooses his hosts from members of several demon worshipping organisations". He let the import of this sink in with them all and put several books down on the counter top before removing his jacket. "These secret organisations may worship specific vengeance demons or warrior demons but their adepts are inducted into an inner circle of worship for Bolak himself"

Giles had his glasses in his hand and rubbed his eyes. "I've heard of similar groups, indeed we've shut down a few in our time, but I've never heard of one which supported Bolak"

Angel handed him a tattered cloth backed book. "I've never come across one myself either but I think that's part of their plan" he explained. "They try to avoid all contact with the slayer and her associates until they are ready to support Bolak in his battle plans"

Willow was reading the marked pages over Giles shoulder. "So what you're saying is that they've been planning this for months or years and only decided to strike once they had themselves organised?"

Xander shook his head. "That doesn’t make any sense. They could have attacked the slayer at any time during the last few years and they wait till we're all getting the hang of this?"

Buffy nodded her agreement. "Xander's right, they could have joined forces with the Mayor or the Master and probably achieved their goal years ago. Why wait till now?"

Angel sat down on the edge of the table. "I explained before that Bolak likes the personal touch in his revenge on slayers. He prefers to carefully plan the attack and gather his forces for one, all out battle during which he selects his victim and challenges them personally"

Giles looked up from the book and handed it to Willow. "Angel's right. He wouldn't have wanted to share the credit with anyone else, even if it meant achieving his ultimate goal a couple of years early"

Everyone sat quietly for several minutes, contemplating the information they now had, before Willow abruptly shut the book she had been reading and stood up. "I'm getting a bit fed up with this demon" she announced. "Can't we just find him and get rid of him once and for all?"

Angel smiled a little. "Easier said than done" he suggested. "I doubt we can hurry him along in his plans"

Buffy also stood and moved next to Willow. "Will's right. I'm fed up playing this game to his rules. Let's start scoring some points ourselves and take the game to him"

Xander raised his hand. "Are we still looking for a dog or are we assuming he's a human being again?" he asked.

Giles nodded. "Good question Xander. I think we have to assume that he has found a human host of some kind after this length of time, however, this information that Angel has provided has considerably reduced the numbers of possible hosts"

Xander looked a little confused. "Run that by me again?" he asked.

Giles started to pace. "If, as Angel suggests, the hosts are taken from a select group of adepts from within specific organisations, then we can track down these organisations and their members until we find the right one"

Xander shook his head. "Gee, do you think that's why their secret organisations?" he asked. "I doubt they'll release their membership list to the first written enquiry with nice penmanship!"

Giles ignored the sarcasm. "That is exactly why we have an expert computer hacker, a top researcher and slayer/vampire combination who can break and enter with the best of them on our team"

Buffy smiled at them all. "I love it when a plan comes together" she suggested and offered Xander a high five.

He returned her gesture without any enthusiasm. "I guess I'll be on the book team and not the breaking and entering team?" he asked plaintively.

CHAPTER 21

Willow shivered in the cold night air as they tried to pretend they were an amorous couple in the doorway. "I don't know why I always get picked for the outdoor decoy stuff" she complained. "The only danger I'm in here is from pneumonia". The last phrase was slightly muffled as he put his arms round her and pulled her into a clinch.

"Talk about danger" he murmured into her neck as he pretended to kiss her passionately. "If my decoy act is too convincing Giles will kill me" sighed Xander.

Willow giggled and put her hand on his butt. "But if we're not convincing then the bad guys might get suspicious" she dissolved into even more giggles as he nearly jumped out of his skin at her touch.

"If your neck wasn't so warm I might think you were evil, vampy Willow" he laughed.

"I don’t think you were her type Xan" Willow whispered as two large men strode past purposefully.

"I did have my suspicions at the time" Xander nodded and turned her round so he could watch the two men entering a warehouse across the street from them. His mind was completely concentrated on watching the other doorway, whilst continuing the decoy act, and he didn’t notice the approach of Giles and Buffy from the other direction.

Giles tapped him on the shoulder. "Hands warm enough?" he asked sardonically and was rewarded by Xander jumping away from Willow as if she had become electrified. "Willow?" he asked looking down at her smiling face.

"We saw them going in" she ignored his unasked question and nodded to Buffy. "They didn’t seem to use a secret knock or anything, just opened the door and in they went"

Buffy checked the sidewalk in either direction and then indicated a row of small windows high up on the side of the warehouse. "I guess that's the best place to get a look at what they're up to in there" she suggested and looked to Giles for confirmation.

"Yesss" he agreed. "Although it will leave the viewer rather exposed to any perimeter guards they may set up. After all, the fire escape doesn't provide much cover"

"I guess that's where you and Xander come in?" she suggested and set off to climb the fire escape.

"That's a plan then?" sighed Xander as he trotted after her to cover the rear of the building.

Giles shook his head and turned to Willow. "Can you stay in this doorway and alert us if any reinforcements turn up?"

Willow nodded. "Please be careful, I don’t think these guys are looking to take prisoners"

The nervous tension of the situation kept them all on their guard but was, eventually, rewarded with anticlimax. Buffy came down the fire escape and found Giles behind a large trash can. "I think they are getting ready to leave, we should probably do the same" she whispered and went to find Xander.

The four rendezvoused two blocks away and went into a late night café for hot chocolates to heat themselves. Sitting in a booth and speaking in hushed tones Buffy related the scene within the warehouse. "Thirteen of them gathered around a central figure in a red robe who didn't appear to move for the entire time I watched" she began. "The others were wearing blue robes and they circled round this central guy for about ten minutes before breaking up into groups and reading from several large books they had resting on tables around the edge of the gathering"

Giles eyes opened a little. "Did you notice anything specific about the books?" he asked hopefully.

"Made of paper with inky markings on them" Buffy shrugged. "They were too far away and the blue robes were gathered round them too closely"

Willow sighed a little. "Did you hear anything of what they were saying?" she asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Sorry, but I was too far away"

Xander seemed to rouse himself from his thoughts. "We only counted thirteen guys going in there and we were at the warehouse for four hours before the meeting began" he said and everyone nodded their agreement. "So where did the fourteenth guy come from?" he asked and looked round their faces.

"He must have arrived much earlier and brought the books with him" Giles suggested and they all considered this for several minutes. Eventually he took his glasses off to rub his eyes. "This isn’t getting us anywhere, let's find the car and get back home to a warm fire and comfortable seats"

"I'm getting too old to creep around behind warehouses in the dead of night" Giles groaned as he stretched his legs out in front of the fire.

Xander was sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa. "I think I'm getting too old for it so you must be way past it G-Man" he sighed as he took another drink of coffee.

Buffy laughed and sat down behind him on the sofa, pulling her legs underneath her. "How can you complain about being stuck in a doorway pretending to kiss Willow for forty minutes?" she asked incredulously.

Willow brought through a large dish of popcorn and sat it down next to Xander before sitting at the opposite end of the sofa. "He's more used to utility closets" Willow suggested and smiled sweetly at Xander.

Xander glared at her and looked up towards Giles. "Do you think any man will ever win an argument with these two?" he asked plaintively.

Giles opened one eye and smiled at Xander over his mug. "Well you do have a proclivity for cleaning fluids and janitors buckets" he suggested and closed his eye again.

"Hey, I resent that remark" Xander said indignantly then looked towards Willow. "He was making fun of me, right?"

Giles sighed deeply. "If I hadn't seen the certificate myself I would never believe you graduated from high school"

Buffy sighed. "Whatever happened to the good old days when you could kill the big snake by blowing up the school and consider it a job well done"

Xander sighed deeply and nodded. "Demons these days, they don't have any style or imagination" he turned to lean on Buffy's legs. "I mean, whoever heard of a group of demon worshippers getting together to read books then go home" he warmed to his subject. "Not a single virgin sacrifice to be seen" he shook his head.

The three friends nodded to each other and silently thought about their frustrations in not being able to resolve this particular problem.

Giles finally roused himself and stood up slowly. "Do you two want to stay?" he asked Buffy and Xander. "Buffy and Willow could have the bed and Xander and I could manage on the floor and sofa.

Buffy also stood up and stretched. "No thanks Giles, I'll walk Xander home then head home myself"

Willow slowly uncurled herself from her position on the sofa and took Buffy's mug from her. The three of them stood looking down at Xander, who appeared to be in a world of his own. "Xander" Buffy said and gently kicked his leg.

"Mmmm" he mumbled as a smile crept across his face. "With you in a minute"

Willow sighed deeply and leaned closer to him. "If you don’t get up now I'll tell Rupert what you're thinking about" she whispered in his ear and stood back as he abruptly jumped up and took his jacket from Giles' hand.

"Are you OK?" Giles asked and was met with a very embarrassed mumble and Xander pushing past him to follow Buffy to the door.

Willow hugged Buffy and laughed as she closed the door behind them. Giles was looking at her quizzically but she shook her head before heading for the stairs. "I'm not going to tell you until he has a head start"

Ten minutes later they were lying in each other's arms and Giles was tickling her to torture the truth out of her. "OK, OK, I give up" she gasped. "He was imagining Buffy and I in the same bed" she laughed. It took a further ten minutes for her to kiss the look of shock from his face.

Giles was on the phone when Buffy and Xander arrived the next morning. Xander was hanging back a little and signalled to Willow to come outside. "Is Giles OK?" he asked furtively.

"He's fine" Willow leaned in close to him. "Why are we whispering?" she asked and started to laugh at the worried look on his face. "He's probably forgotten already"

"I hope so" Xander mumbled and followed her back inside. "Somehow I think I'd rather fight Oz at the wrong time of the month than face Giles any time"

"I'm glad to hear it" Giles said from behind the door as he closed it behind Xander. "Perhaps we can focus our minds on the demons?" he asked and looked at Xander who nodded vigorously and sat down at the table behind a large pile of books.

Buffy moved from the kitchen with a glass of juice. "Did you get anything useful from Angel?" she asked.

"He wasn't there" Giles shook his head and took his glasses off. "But Wesley had some very interesting information on the particular band of worshippers we saw last night"

Willow was sitting next to Xander and cleared some of the books from the table. "Did he get any names?" she asked hopefully.

"Not quite" Giles leaned against the back of the sofa. "However he has been investigating a similar group recently and had some interesting insights into their rituals and the texts they use in their meetings"

"Go Wesley" Willow cheered then looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry" she whispered as Giles glared at her.

"He is sending you an electronic mail message containing the information he has to date" he continued and looked a little uncomfortable. "You can deal with that I trust?"

Buffy handed Willow her laptop from the counter and smiled. "Giles, if Wesley can learn how to do this stuff why can't you?"

"Well Wesley is a little younger than me.." began Giles before the laptop beeped at him and he abruptly stood back.

Xander laughed a little and Willow kicked his ankle under the table. "It might take a little time to download the attachments" she smiled at Giles. "What else did Wesley say?"

It was four in the morning before they had worked through the leads suggested by Welsey's information. Giles had spent an hour and a half on the phone with Wesley and Angel while Willow and Xander had ploughed through most of the books on the table. Buffy had returned form patrol an hour before and was listening to Giles finish up his call.

"OK, where are we now?" she asked Giles.

Giles sighed then rolled his neck and shoulder muscles. He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Both Angel and Wesley are convinced that the group were performing a final ritual of allegiance. What you witnessed last night seems to have been the final stage in the adept's training to see which one will become the host for Bolak during his battle with the slayer"

Willow and Xander leaned on the table, trying to assimilate what Giles was saying. "I know I’ve asked this before but does that mean that Bolak is still a dog?" asked Xander.

"No" Giles shook his head and walked to the kitchen. "Wesley has a theory, and I tend to agree with him, that the demon would have found an intermediate, human host to enable him to complete the rituals and choose the adept most suitable for the coming battle"

"How long do we have?" Buffy asked quietly and accepted the glass of juice from Giles.

Giles sighed and gave glasses to Willow and Xander. "We're not sure, but I think he will move quite quickly after choosing his preferred host". He had returned to lean against the back of the sofa. "I would think the vengeance which is his reason for existing will be at it's peak, particularly after his humiliating defeat at our last meeting"

Buffy nodded and glanced at Willow and Xander. "And Angel still thinks he'll go for the big set piece and 'High Noon' approach and not just sneak up behind one of us?"

Giles folded his arms. "Both Angel and Wesley agree that he will stick to his preferred modus operandi" Giles let the sentence trail off.

"And you?" asked Willow.

"I don’t have any evidence to base this on" he shrugged his shoulders. "But I think he'll try to get the job done as quickly as he can, after all he's waited more than long enough and his enforced lack of action recently must have driven him to the edge" Giles suggested.

"A hunch?" asked Xander.

"I'm afraid so, yes" Giles replied and smiled at him.

Willow and Buffy looked at each other and Willow nodded slightly. Buffy moved to stand in front of Giles. "I would rather trust your hunches than anything that Angel or Wesley could come up with" she declared and put her hand on his arm. "After all you've been working and living on a hellmouth for long enough to have developed a sixth sense about things by now"

"Maybe you're developing spider sense as well" Xander suggested and covered his mouth with his hand as he finally gave in to a huge yawn.

Giles seemed to appreciate the sentiments but looked troubled. "But Fraser and the psychologist will both tell you that I'm not fully recovered and you all know that there is still some way to go" he suggested and Willow moved to stand beside him. "I'm not sure I can trust myself in this situation and I don’t think you should base any decisions on my opinions"

Willow sighed. "OK, we know that you're not 100% the Giles we had before the accident but you are talking to three people who know you better than just about anyone else and if we're prepared to trust you then that must mean something"

"I think you should take Welsey and Angel's advice very seriously. I would understand if you decided to accept their assessment of the situation instead of mine" Giles stood looking at each of them in turn.

"Perhaps Giles is right" Buffy suggested and he felt his heart sink.

"Buffy" Willow shouted and turned to face Buffy with her arms folded. "How can you say that?"

Buffy held up her arms and silenced her friend. "I'm serious Will" she said quietly and waited till Willow relented. "There was a time I thought I could trust Giles completely and then he mentioned that he'd forgotten to tell us about the demon he'd summoned years before". Giles took a step back as if he had been struck but he didn’t say anything. Xander and Willow were both staring at Buffy in amazement. "Even when he was being sneaky and Watchery he couldn't go through with it because he realised where his loyalties lay, although we shouldn't forget the whole prophecy secret he kept from us the first time around" she continued then her face softened a little. "The only thing is I can’t quite get over the fact that we are all still here because we've listened to him and trusted him since day one" she paused and saw a look of surprise cross Giles' face.

Willow looked at Giles quickly but he wouldn't meet her eyes. He was staring intently at his slayer and Willow could almost feel the communication passing between them. She knew that she would never have that level of understanding with him but she also knew that she wasn't jealous of their relationship.

"Anyway" Buffy finally said and looked towards Xander. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've only ever had one Watcher and protector whom I trusted completely and I'm standing in front of him right now" she smiled at Giles.

Xander stood up and moved towards the three of them. "I think a group hug is called for" and, before anyone could protest, he herded them all against Giles.

"Thank you Xander" Giles suggested dryly and disentangled himself from the huddle. "And thank you Buffy" he said quietly and moved to the table to pick up one of his books.

Willow and Xander were still hugging Buffy. "Guys" Buffy finally managed to croak. "Pep rally's over, let's get back to work"

Xander and Giles walked among the used cars, commenting occasionally on the merits of a particular model.

A salesman noticed their attention settling on an old blue Volkswagen and walked over to test the waters. "Can I help you sirs?" he asked, looking between the two men.

"Dad says that this is a really reliable model but I was looking for something a little less geek-y for my first set of wheels" Xander looked pleadingly at the salesman who gave him a knowing grin then turned his attention to Giles.

"This is quite a reliable model but perhaps I could show you something a little less European?" he suggested in a derisory tone and indicated a car further down the row.

"What exactly is wrong with a European car?" Giles asked in his best stuffy British tones. Xander hid his grin behind his sleeve and decided to let Giles deal with this in his own, inimitable fashion. He moved off to gaze longingly at the shiny red sports car in the row behind them. Giles decided to enjoy himself at the salesman’s expense. "I happen to think European cars are very well made and much more reliable than most American models"

The salesman was frantically trying to back peddle and cursing his luck under his breath. "Of course sir" he spluttered. "What I meant to say to the young man was that the German cars are usually a little lacking in design for our taste today"

Giles secretly admired the quick save and the spur of the moment slur on German models but he wasn’t going to let him off that easily. "Perhaps you could show me something that actually runs well and I’ll decide whether the design is suitable" he drawled and looked down his nose in a particularly offensive manner, remembering how he used to hate it when his Ancient History tutor had done the same to him at Oxford.

"Of course sir" the salesman smiled nervously and led Giles to several reasonably priced models.

"Alexander!" Giles called out over his shoulder. "Don’t dawdle, come over here." The look of absolute amazement on Xander’s face was priceless and Giles nearly spoiled the charade by laughing out loud. He bickered with the salesman for half an hour and finally agreed to come back later that day to undertake some test drives.

Xander sat sulkily in the front seat of Giles’ car until they were several blocks away from the car lot. Giles pulled up outside the café they had agreed on as their rendezvous with Buffy and Willow and turned to look at the young man as he switched the engine off. "Method acting is all very well but you have to know when to stop" he suggested lightly but Xander just sighed and exited the car without saying anything.

"Xander" Giles said anxiously as he shut his own door and caught up with him. "What’s the matter with you, are you unwell?"

"No, I’m fine" Xander shook his head and made his way to the booth where Buffy and Willow were already nursing mugs of coffee.

Giles signalled to the waitress for two more mugs and slid into the booth beside Willow. The girls were both looking at Xander as he sunk down in his seat then Buffy turned to Giles. "What happened, did something go wrong?" she asked anxiously.

"Not that I know of" Giles began and shrugged his shoulders. "Our target will accompany me on a test drive later this afternoon as we planned"

Willow reached across and touched Xander’s hand. "Xan are you feeling OK?" she asked quietly.

"I’m fine" he murmured and looked up at her. "I just need to use the rest room, I’ll be back in a minute" he said sadly and moved to the back of the room.

"What did you do to him?" Willow asked as she glared at Giles.

"I swear, everything went as planned" he protested.

"Tell me everything that happened" Buffy suggested and looked over her shoulder to check the young man was out of earshot. Giles ran over the events of the afternoon and smiled as he remembered the look of shock on the boy’s face when he had called him over to him.

Willow and Buffy both groaned at the same time and Buffy covered her eyes with her hands. "What on earth is the matter?" he demanded and looked towards Willow who was looking sadly at him.

"It’s not really your fault" she began and put her hand over his. "The only person to use his full name is Xander’s father when he is really drunk and wants someone to take it out on" she ended sadly and looked towards Buffy.

Buffy nodded. "You weren’t to know" she suggested and shook her head. "He doesn’t talk about it any more and we never mention it either"

Giles shook his head and looked angrily at both of them. "You mean I was pretending to be his father and ended up getting too close for comfort" he grimaced. "I’ll be back in a minute" he said and stood abruptly to head for the rest rooms.

"Giles, don’t" Willow began but he ignored her and she looked helplessly at Buffy. "I hope he doesn’t make it worse" she said in a concerned tone of voice.

Buffy shook her head and looked sadly into her coffee. "I don’t think anything could make Xander’s home life worse than it already is Will"

Giles was opening the door of the rest room when he heard a muffled sniff from the corridor to his right. Gently he closed the door and headed around the corner to find Xander sitting on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Xander glared up at him. "I’ll be out in a minute OK" he said angrily and the colour rose in his cheeks.

Giles shook his head and hunkered down next to him. "I’m very sorry I upset you Xander, I didn’t realise that I was opening some old wounds" he said quietly and laid his hand on the young man’s arm. "I got a little carried away and I would give anything to take back my remarks"

Xander shook his head and sniffed again. "It wasn’t your fault Giles you just kind of took me by surprise that was all" He smiled a little shakily at the man sitting beside him and took a deep breath. "Why are we sitting in the corridor when there are two beautiful women out there waiting for us?" he asked, trying to regain his usual bantering tone but his heart wasn’t really in it.

Giles shook his head and rested his head against the wall. "You need to take some time to work through this and I’m staying with you until you feel well enough to go back out there" he looked across at the young man. "Besides you know that Buffy and Willow will wait for us"

Xander rested his head against his knees and took several deep, calming breaths. A couple of minutes later he lifted his head and wiped his sleeve across his cheeks. "I think I’m ready to go back out" he said quietly and Giles opened his eyes and looked across at him.

"Perhaps you should wash your face first?" he asked gently and smiled as Xander gave him a hand up from the floor. "Xander" he said quietly as he moved past the rest room door. "You know that if you ever need to get away for a few days, my sofa is always available"

Xander looked at him for a few seconds and smiled gently "Thank you" he said quietly. Giles noticed a familiar look return to the young man’s eyes as he held the restroom door open. "Willow would be upstairs in bed right?" he suggested and waggled his eyebrows.

Willow and Buffy looked up to see Giles returning, shaking his head ruefully but with a grin on his face. He saw their worried looks and slid into the seat next to Willow. "He’s going to be OK, just freshening up" they both looked relieved. "However" he continued, putting his arm around Willow and pulling her closer to him. "If he asks you what you wear in bed remind him of the ancient tradition of chastity belts" he suggested and kissed the top of her head.

"Giles!" Buffy and Willow both exclaimed at the same time.

"Still upsetting the ladies G-Man?" Xander asked jovially as he slid into his seat next to Buffy.

Giles returned to the car lot an hour later and settled on the first car for the test drive. He made a great show of checking under the bonnet, although he made sure that he looked as if he didn’t have much of a clue what he was looking at. The salesman noticed his uncertainty and decided that he wasn’t having such a bad day after all. Giles drove the car out of the parking lot and slowly around various streets. "Would you mind if I took it for a bit of a spin?" he finally asked and the salesman, thinking he had the situation under control, readily agreed. Giles headed to the pre arranged country road and settled down at a speed just under the limit. After all, he reasoned to himself, he was supposed to be an uptight Englishman and he had to play the part to the full.

As he crested the rise he could see his car up ahead with Buffy sitting morosely on the bonnet. He slowed down and looked at the salesman nervously. "Should we offer our assistance?" he asked and waited until the salesman, hungrily noticing Buffy’s extremely short skirt and crop top, grinned at him before bringing the car to a stop beside his own.

"Need any help there m’am" the salesman asked in his best smarmy tone as he slid from the car.

Buffy tried to pretend that she was a lost, lonely, useless woman with a broken down car just waiting for this particular prince charming to come to her rescue. Giles grinned at the act as he exited the car and lifted his eyebrows at her over the salesman’s head. She studiously ignored Giles and sashayed towards the man in the shiny suit. "Thank heavens you showed up" she said in quite the worst Southern Belle accent Giles had ever heard. "I didn’t know what I was going to do stuck out here all on my own" she added and stopped in front of the salesman as his jaw dropped and scraped in the dirt.

"You’re safe now and I’ll have your car working in a jiffy" he smiled at her and moved quickly to pop the hood.

"Scarlett O’Hara?" Giles whispered in her ear as he made to follow the salesman.

"Professor Higgins?" Buffy smiled sweetly at him in reply and moved to the other side of the car.

Buffy hit the salesman once with a right hook and he collapsed into Giles’ arms. "Could you have found a shorter skirt?" Giles asked as he hefted the man onto his shoulder and headed for the small group of trees on the other side of the road.

"He needed to be distracted didn’t he?" Buffy asked as she put the hood of the car back down and followed Giles.

"He was certainly distracted but perhaps you could try a little more clothing next time?" Giles replied and looked sternly at her legs and midriff.

"Now you’re sounding like my father" Buffy said huffily and walked ahead of him.

"Oh for heaven’s sake" Giles muttered as he hefted the dead weight on his shoulder.

"What did you do this time?" Willow laughed as he laid the unconscious form on a fallen tree in front of her.

"Apparently I’m channelling everyone’s father today" he said helplessly and walked back towards the two cars.

Xander and Giles moved both cars out of view behind a rock formation further down the road then walked back to where Buffy and Willow were finishing tying up the awakening captive. "What the hell?" he started to splutter as Willow rolled up his sleeve and injected a syringe full of clear fluid into a vein on his arm.

He continued to yell and Buffy hit him again. "Buffy" Giles said quietly as he moved the unconscious form back onto the tree. "You didn’t need to hit him quite so hard" he suggested.

"He is one of the blue robes we watched that night and I’m getting a little fed up with all of this tip toeing around that we’re doing" she glared at Giles as she flexed her hand.

He sighed and moved to check her knuckles. "We want him conscious for the pentathol to work" he said quietly as he massaged the muscles in her hand. "I know you’re frustrated but we need to keep him awake so he can tell us what he knows of the ritual"

She looked up into his worried eyes and then sheepishly at her hand. "I’m sorry" she mumbled. "I’ll try to be good".

He smiled at her and dropped her hand. "Next time try it with your left hand and give this one a rest" he suggested.

"Guys" Willow said and everyone’s attention returned to her. "I think he’s waking up again"

Xander and Giles moved out of his line of sight and Buffy stood behind him, ready to intervene if necessary. Willow leaned over him and slapped his face gently to rouse him. "What is your name" she asked quietly.

He shook his head a little to try and clear some of the fuzziness from his brain and then looked curiously into her eyes. "Brian Hamilton" he answered then looked completely confused.

Willow smiled down at him. "You will find that you have to answer all of my questions truthfully and, if you do, I will let you go without any further harm". He looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language but she knew he understood everything she was saying.

After half an hour had passed they had the names of all of the participants at the ceremony they had witnessed and a date and location for the next meeting. Willow looked up at Buffy and nodded as his last sentence seemed to drift off and she hit him with her left hand, knocking him unconscious again.

Giles and Xander quickly moved back to his side and began untying him while Willow and Buffy gathered the syringe and medication and returned it to Fraser’s backup medical bag. Giles slung the body over his shoulder again and carried him back to the area where they had originally stopped. Xander drove his car up to park it next to the body as Giles went back for the test drive car.

By the time the salesman came round his head was resting on Buffy’s lap and she was gently rubbing his forehead. Giles was leaning over him looking worried and taking his pulse. "What happened" he asked groggily and tried to sit up.

"Stay right where you are" Buffy commanded and pulled him back down onto her lap. "You have had a nasty bump to the head and shouldn’t do anything too strenuous for a while" she grinned down at him and he seemed to relax and smiled back at her.

"How did I bump my head" he finally asked as he stared dreamily into her eyes.

Giles coughed and dropped the man’s wrist. "The hood came down on you while you were examining the young lady’s car" he held out a hand to help him up from his prone position. "We were worried about you and I was just about to head back into town for a doctor when you started to come round" Giles played out his part.

The man gingerly touched his jaw where the bruises were already showing. "It feels like somebody hit me" he suggested, looking between Buffy and Giles.

Buffy took his hand in hers and led him back to his own car. "You hit your chin on the engine when the hood came crashing down on you" she said and contrived to sound even more like a distressed lady of the South. "I was so worried, you must give me your address so I can check up on you when I return to town" she smiled at him and he fumbled in his pocket for a business card, hastily writing his home address on the back.

Giles moved back to the driver’s side and started the engine. "I should get you back to the hospital for a check up" he suggested and manoeuvred the car to face back towards town.

"What about her car" the salesman asked anxiously as he looked over his shoulder at her diminishing form. "We can’t leave her out here all night"

Giles turned to him and smiled gently. "You had fixed her automotive problem before your accident" he said. "It was a loose wire and you were giving everything a final check over when it happened"

The salesman seemed mollified by this explanation and glanced at his watch, surprised to find that almost forty minutes had passed since he had last checked. He was about to ask Giles about this when he suddenly felt very sleepy and decided to rest before tackling any more questions.

Giles handed the still sleeping form over to Fraser at the hospital and returned the car to the car lot, explaining the circumstances to a worried owner. He promised to think about his purchase and return the following day with his son to finalise the deal.

Xander and the girls picked Giles up ten minutes later as he walked towards the café they had previously used. He slid out of the driver’s seat and let Giles guide them back across town towards his apartment.

Buffy laid out some sandwiches and coffee for everyone as Willow finalised the entry of the information they had collated into an e-mail for Wesley and Angel. "I think we’re finally getting somewhere" she suggested as she leaned over Willow’s shoulder to read the message.

"Mmm" Willow agreed as she sent the message. "It’s a nice feeling to be one step ahead for a change"

Giles stretched and stood up. "If I’m correct then the next ritual should be the one we want to interrupt" he stated as he offered the sandwiches to Xander. "Once Wesley has confirmed our thinking on this we can begin to plan the final assault."

Xander nodded and finished chewing his sandwich. "At least we know that there are only two doors in and out of that warehouse and we’ve scouted the layout before"

Giles looked at each one of them, sensing the rising confidence as they could finally see an end in sight to their current demon problem. "We don’t want to get our hopes up" he cautioned. "Even if we have got the correct information it still leaves us with an awful lot to do"

Buffy grinned at him. "Now you’re sounding like the old Giles" she laughed. "I think the Rex Harrison outing earlier has caused you to regress to your stuffy old British ways"

Giles grinned back at her. "This from the mint julip girl" he laughed and ducked under the cushion aimed at his head.

"Hey" Willow interrupted as Giles picked up another cushion. "Don’t you dare mess this place up, it took me an hour to get it tidy this morning"

Xander and Buffy laughed in the same instant, breaking the sudden silence, as Giles looked at her in amazement. "What" she asked as he continued to stare at her.

"You sounded just like my mother" he suggested and grinned at her.

Willow suddenly realised what she had said and grinned back at him. "Any more cheek from you and it will be straight to bed with no supper" she kept eye contact as she moved closer to him.

"Oh good grief" Buffy laughed. "Mom and Dad are at it again" she sighed and rolled her eyebrows at Xander.

He shook his head and tapped Giles on the shoulder. "Giles call us at Buffy’s if Angel comes up with anything" he suggested and headed for the door. Giles acknowledged the contact and the suggestion by waving his hand at the departing figures without breaking eye contact with Willow.

She had reached the sofa and was slowly crawling onto his lap when Buffy finally closed the door. "I didn’t realise how much I had missed you wearing a suit" she murmured as she settled on his lap. "Although you might at least have considered the tweed one I suggested this morning" she pouted as she slowly loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar.

"If I had tried to get dressed in a tweed suit this morning we wouldn’t have made it downstairs, never mind to the car lot" he smiled and removed his glasses as he kissed her. They were still kissing on the sofa ten minutes later when the laptop beeped to signal an incoming message. Willow pulled away and tried to stand up but he kept hold of her hips and pulled her back onto his lap. "Wesley can wait for five minutes" he murmured as he captured her lips and turned them so that he was lying partially on top of her.

"Rupert" Willow giggled through his kisses and tried to push him off the sofa. "It might be important, we can do this any time" she sighed as he finally relented and stood up. "Don’t pout" she smiled at him as she sat down at the table. "It’s not very dignified". He headed upstairs mumbling under his breath and she heard the shower start a couple of minutes later. Shaking her head she settled down to reread the message from Wesley.

After ten minutes Giles returned, still drying his hair, and read the message over her shoulder. Willow stood up to make him some tea as he moved to the phone to call Buffy and Xander. "No" he said and shook his head at Willow as she handed him a mug. "We are going to spend the next couple of hours researching the information from Wesley but you and Xander can come over about nine" he shook his head and handed the phone to Willow in exasperation. "Will you please convince them that we are working this evening and not up to anything else"

Willow took the phone from him and moved to the kitchen. He could hear her mumbling down the phone and occasional giggles but tried to block them from his mind as he looked out the books Angel had left them during his last visit. "OK" Willow finally emerged from the kitchen. "We’ll see you guys about ten o’clock" She moved to sit across from him at the table and pulled one of the books nearer to her. She glanced up from the book and caught him staring pointedly at her. "It’s not my fault" she murmured and returned to the book.

"This is exactly what I was worried about before the accident" he sighed. "Our relationship is interfering with the work that we need to do"

Willow closed the book and crossed her arms over the top of it. "What do you suggest we do" she sighed and rested her chin on her arms. "Stop being a couple, go back to just being research buddies with me going home every night?"

He stood and walked to the fireplace "You know that most definitely isn’t what I want" he said as he turned to face her. "I want everything to be like it was before, but with you as my girlfriend" he cocked his head slightly to the side as he gazed at her, a smile just lifting the corners of his mouth.

Willow sat back in her chair. "Good answer" she smiled at him. "But you know that we can’t go back to before the accident, too much has happened since then" he was about to interrupt her but she shook her head. "Buffy and Xander are just finding it a little difficult to adjust fully to us being together but they will get there eventually"

He nodded. "I know they will darling, I just feel that I’m the one causing all of the upset and I can’t think what to do to make the situation any better"

Willow stood and walked towards him. "Oh it is all your fault" she nodded and grinned at him. "But we’re all just making do with the new, improved you and will soon entirely forget the old, non lemon-scented Giles"

They hugged for a few seconds and he kissed the top of her head. "Why did they change the time to ten?" he asked as he walked back towards the table.

"Xander wanted to swing by the Bronze to see if there had been any further sightings of Harmony recently" Willow replied, settling down to the book she had chosen earlier. "There was also some mention of giving us plenty of time but I explained that an extra hour wasn’t enough time for anything good and Buffy said she had to go and throw up" she grinned at him.

A myriad of emotions chased each other across his face and he started a couple of sentences before spluttering to a halt. Eventually he sat down and opened a book in front of him. "I guess I should be flattered?" he smiled and raised his eyebrow.

She smiled at him and sighed. "What have I told you about the sexy eyebrow, quirky smile thing?" she asked. "Hit those books mister and no more talking unless it’s about demons or the end of the world"

Xander stood next to Buffy as she knocked on the door and waited for Giles to answer it. "What" she asked with a smile as he shook his head and returned to his chair. "There is no harm in being careful, I’m still dealing with the emotional scarring from the last time I interrupted a Giles love-a-thon" she huffed past him and sat on the sofa next to Willow. "Sorry" she whispered to her friend. "Didn’t mean to mention that in front of you"

Willow shrugged her shoulders and leaned in to whisper in Buffy’s ear. "I’m OK with it now but don’t let Rupert know, I can still use the leverage for a while" she smiled as Buffy nodded her head and looked impressed.

"Way to manipulate that man Will" she whispered back and punched Willow’s arm gently.

"If you two are quite finished?" Giles sighed and removed his glasses before beginning to pace in front of the sofa. "We had a message from Wesley to confirm our suspicions that the next meeting of the blue robes will be the one where the host is finally chosen and the transference takes place" he paused to ensure he had everyone’s attention. "It seems that the adept wearing the red robe is the only one who actually knows the identity of the current host for Bolak, however, as we still don’t know his identity we will need to wait for the meeting before carrying out our plan. As we’ve discussed previously we will enter the premises before the final incantations are cast and remove all of the potential hosts from the immediate area of Bolak" he noticed Xander’s hand in the air and turned to him with a long suffering sigh. "Yes" he wearily asked.

Xander smiled and lowered his hand. "Will he pack the place with vampires like the last time or are we looking at a room full of robe wearing, breathing live types"

Giles nodded and ran his hand through his hair. "Good question Xander" he murmured and smiled at the young man. "I think we will mostly be dealing with non-vampiric humans this time around as he won’t be expecting us to make an appearance" he checked with Buffy and Willow and noticed Buffy looking at him a little strangely. "Buffy is everything OK?" he asked and stopped pacing in front of her.

She pulled herself out of the reverie she had sunk into and smiled a little guiltily at the group. "Yeah" she murmured. "Everything’s OK so far, on with the Watcher-y pacing" she smiled at him and he shook his head and continued.

"Where was I?" he murmured as he took his glasses off and cleaned them. "Ah, yes" he replaced his glasses and started pacing again. "Once we have removed all of the potential hosts from the area Buffy, Xander and Wesley will also remove themselves from the immediate vicinity" he took a deep breath before continuing. "I’ve talked this over with Wesley and Angel and they have agreed that the best plan for disrupting the transference is for me to present myself as host with Angel remaining nearby to offer assistance at the appropriate time." He held his hand up as he caught Willow’s movement in his peripheral vision. "Willow will remain outside the premises for the entire operation but will proceed with the joining to aid me in the final stages of the spell" he finally turned to look at her. "The biggest outlay of ‘magic muscle’ will be from the person setting up the joining and initiating the conjunction at the appropriate time and I won’t be able to do that"

Willow was sitting staring at him with a calculating look in her eyes. "Why do I have to be outside for the whole fight?" she asked.

He let out the breath he had been holding until her agreement with the plan. "Because you are the integral part of the plan without which the entire scheme will undoubtedly fail" he stopped pacing and leaned against the fireplace. "Buffy, Xander, Wesley and Angel can easily deal with the cult members and Angel and I need to be in place at the final stand off with Bolak, however, without your strength I won’t be able to defeat him and, well.." he faltered a little.

"Bolak would be pretty ticked off at having an ancient, English host type with a history of memory loss?" Xander supplied.

"Quite" Giles said dryly and focussed his attention on Buffy. "Do you have any reservations with the plan?" he asked her softly.

"It should work" she nodded and raised her eyebrow. "Are you feeling OK?" she asked him.

"I’m fine, why do you ask" Giles seemed a little perplexed at Buffy’s question.

"No reason" she smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders. "So how do we plan to remove the robe wearers without hurting them and keep them out of the way while you magic types do your stuff?" she asked.

"If they are all as wimpy as the car lot guy it should be fairly easy" Xander suggested. "After all we do know some serious moves"

"Normally of the ‘dusting with a stake’ variety" Buffy suggested. "We can’t kill these guys but we need to keep fourteen of them out of the way while we finish the job" she looked at Willow and Xander.

"Perhaps Fraser could help out?" Willow suggested. "If you, Xander, Wesley and Angel can get the robes out to the sidewalk, Fraser and I could dope them up with something to keep them quiet for the rest of the week if we needed to"

"Good idea, although I’m not sure how Fraser would feel ethically about drugging people under those conditions" Giles suggested.

"It’s got to be better for their long term health than letting Angel or I deal with them ourselves?" Buffy suggested and smiled at Willow in reassurance. "Can you call Fraser tomorrow and scope him out on the plan?"

Willow nodded and looked back towards Giles. "If the basics are agreed we should get some practice done for the joining" she suggested.

Giles started to reply when Xander groaned and put his hand over his eyes. "Jeez, surely you guys have had enough practice at that in the last few weeks?"

Giles grimaced slightly and took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She meant the joining of our minds for the final assault on Bolak" he said through grated teeth.

"Oh, right" Xander agreed. Buffy sighed and nodded her head towards the door. Xander nodded but moved towards Giles first. "Giles" he said quietly as Buffy and Willow headed towards the front door. "I’m sorry, I was just kidding around" he laid his hand on Giles shoulder and felt the tension in the muscles. "I didn’t mean to embarrass you or Willow".

Buffy had signalled Willow to follow her out to the courtyard. "Is Giles OK?" she whispered urgently.

Willow looked strangely at Buffy and put her hand on her arm. "What’s the matter, what do you think is wrong with him?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Didn’t tonight seem familiar to you?" Buffy asked and stared at Willow, willing her to understand her.

"How do you mean?" Willow asked and shrugged.

"I mean that Giles was suddenly Giles again" Buffy said in an exasperated tone. "He was laying out a battle plan and using big words and pacing and cleaning his glasses and doing Watcher-y stuff again"

Willow replayed the scene in her mind and finally turned to Buffy with an excited look on her face. "You’re right" she whispered. "Come to think of it he has been sliding towards his old self over the last few days but I didn’t notice the gradual change"

Buffy looked a little worried. "He isn’t behaving differently towards you?" Buffy asked.

Willow shook her head and smiled. "No, he’s still seems to be OK with us as, well, us…" she stopped and bit her lower lip. "Although he is getting a bit freaked out about how you and Xander are reacting to us"

Buffy glanced back inside to see Xander patting Giles’ shoulder and walking towards the front door. Giles remained standing at the fireplace and didn’t acknowledge Xander. "I think he may be a little more than freaked out tonight, I could stay if you wanted me to" Buffy offered as Xander joined them both outside.

"Giles seems a little tense, is he just worried about the fight?" Xander asked, looking between Buffy and Willow.

Willow shook her head. "No more than normally" she sighed and hugged Buffy and Xander before moving back to the door. "You guys go on patrol and be careful, I’ll talk to him and get this sorted out" Willow shooed them away and closed the door behind her.

She put the kettle on and laid out the mugs and teapot before moving towards him. She laid her hand on his back, between his shoulder blades and gently rubbed her hand across the tensed muscles. "We need to talk about this" she said gently and left him to continue making the tea. When she returned with two mugs he was still standing in the same position. She sighed as she put the mugs down on the coffee table and put her arms round his waist, leaning against him. "I didn’t do anything wrong, how come I’m getting the silent treatment" she murmured against his sweater as she hugged him.

He sighed as her hands wondered over his chest and stomach muscles. "I expected the effect of the teasing to wear off eventually but it just seems to be getting to me more and more". He was still facing the wall and she slid one hand under his sweater and rubbed his tensed abdominal muscles until he put a hand down to stop her. "I don’t think sex is the answer to this problem" he suggested and removed her hand, taking the sting out of his words by kissing her palm and turning to smile gently at her.

"Never underestimate the problem solving properties of incredible sex" she suggested and moved to the sofa.

He shook his head as he moved to the armchair and settled into it. He settled his head against the back of the chair and took his glasses off again. "We are about to undertake a very serious battle with a determined and clever demon whose sole purpose for existing is to wipe us all off the face of the earth" he began in a quiet voice. "Our solution to this threat is, in itself, fraught with danger and may not work. The slightest deviation from our plan of attack will result in either one or both of us becoming hosts to said demon" he held up his hand as she leaned forward to interrupt. "However" he continued in the same level tone. "Our brave gang of demon quellers choose to spend their precious time joking about my sex life instead of preparing for the coming ordeal"

Willow was sitting staring at him, slowly sipping her tea. When he had apparently finished she stood up and handed him his mug of tea. She then gathered some texts together and headed for the bedroom. "I’ve got some studying to do before we begin practicing tomorrow, you can sleep with me or on the sofa, whichever option best allows you to prepare for killing the bad guys" she shrugged and headed upstairs, leaving him sitting in the chair staring into space.

She was angry with herself for not sensing the changes in him. He had reacted more and more strongly to Xander’s teasing and tried to avoid all mention of their relationship whenever they were all together. She thought hard and realised that his hug and kiss for her in the café earlier in the day had been one of the few overtly boyfriend-y things he had done in the last few days. She dropped the pile of books onto the bed and crawled onto it, leaning back against the headboard as she reached for the top of the pile. Despite her worries about him she soon immersed herself in the translation, trying to understand the fundamentals of the joining process from his point of view as well as her own.

He sat for twenty minutes, staring at a point in space a few feet in front of his nose. Eventually he roused himself and moved to the kitchen to rinse the mugs. Moving slowly round the room he switched off all of the lights and checked the front door was locked. Sighing slightly he moved up the stairs slowly, almost as though he was carrying a heavy weight. As he reached the bedroom he saw her sitting on the bed. Her position had changed, she was now lying on her stomach with the book resting on the pillows. Her ankles were crossed and she was gently bumping the bed cover with her toes. He stood watching her for a few seconds before sighing again.

She jumped slightly at the noise behind her and turned to see him leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs. "Do you want a pillow and some covers?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head and moved towards her, his hands in his trouser pockets. "I think I would very much like to sleep beside you, if you don’t mind" he asked, standing next to the bed as if awaiting her permission.

She closed her eyes for a moment, relief flooding through her and put her hands out to welcome him next to her. "Rupert" she whispered as he gathered her in his arms. "Everything is going to be fine" she mumbled against his shoulder.

He held onto her as if his life depended on it. "I’ve spent the last few months, since the accident, worrying over what we had faced in the past" he started quietly. "Over the last few days I suddenly realised that I was genuinely frightened about the coming battle, but I couldn’t let any of you see my weakness just when we all needed to be strong for each other"

She pulled back from him slightly and kissed his lips, stopping his next sentence. "You don’t need to hide anything Rupert, we’re all frightened but we have each other and that’s always been enough in the past"

He shook his head. "In the past you were all frightened but I seem to remember keeping a stiff upper lip and an unshakeable calm in the face of adversity"

He smiled a little and Willow laughed. "Don’t you dare lie Rupert Giles" she placed her hand on his chest. "You were just as scared as the rest of us and that made it OK for the rest of us to show the fear a bit". Her hand moved across his chest and she leaned in to kiss him gently. "I think you’re nearly back to the perennial worrier we all used to know and love" she smiled at him. "Some more than others, with the love thing I mean"

He took a deep breath. "Was this the way it always felt before we faced a demon?"

"Pretty much" she nodded. "Although, I have no first hand evidence of how you used to feel" she suggested as her hand continued rubbing his chest and abdomen and she raised her eyebrow. "I am prepared to admit that you feel pretty damned yummy right now, in a ‘Watcher before the battle’ kind of way"

He shifted slightly and removed some of the books from immediately behind her before stretching them both out across the bed. "You said something earlier about incredible sex as an aid to problem solving" he suggested as his own hands began an exploration under her blouse.

"Uhuh" she mumbled as she tried to get him to remove his hands to allow her to slip his sweater off. "It is also an exceptionally good way to remain calm before an impending demon bashing session"

He suddenly stopped moving and pulled back to look at her seriously. He gently pushed her hands away from his waist as she tried, once again, to get his sweater off of him. "Exactly how did you come upon this interesting side effect?" he asked.

She realised he had stopped the touching and groping and looked up at him with a pout. "What?" she asked and then understood what he was asking. "Oh" was all she managed before she blushed and tried to bury her face in his chest.

"Oh no you don’t" he grinned and pulled back, lifting her chin so that she had to meet his gaze. "We haven’t fought any demons since we got together and, as far as I remember, you weren’t seeing anyone when Adam was finally dispatched so…" he left the sentence unfinished and looked at her with his eyebrow raised.

"How do you know that I’ve got prima facae evidence, it could be hearsay" she countered and defiantly met his gaze.

He looked into her eyes and suddenly smiled. "You had sex with Oz before the Ascension?" he laughed.

His smile completely melted her insides and left her weak at the knees, despite the fact she was lying down. "We weren’t really that late, we made it for the snake thing" she mumbled and then realised her mistake.

"You had sex with Oz on the afternoon of the Ascension?" he asked incredulously. "I was busy setting explosives to raze the school to the ground, Buffy had gone to retrieve Faith’s knife, Xander was ensuring everyone had a weapon and you were busy having sex"

She knew she should just accept his mocking in good grace but somehow her mouth didn’t get the message and she just kept talking. "It had been a pretty stressful couple of days, I had been kidnapped and then we were talking about blowing up the library and I really liked the library and we could all have died and.." her righteous indignation finally lost steam as he collapsed in laughter next to her.

"Thank God Xander and myself didn’t have any significant others at the time and some of us managed to keep our minds on the job" he managed before kissing her through his laughter.

She kissed him back then pushed him away. "I think I liked the worried old Watcher type better than the mean new guy who keeps teasing me" she tried to pout again but couldn’t quite pull it off as he ran his hand up her thigh and stopped at her hip.

"You don’t like being teased?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I was planning on kissing and licking and nibbling and teasing for the next hour or so" he began to match his actions to his words.

"Perhaps we could get started on that plan and modify it as we go" she suggested and nibbled his earlobe as he kissed her neck.

The sweat was gathering on her top lip again and she tried to ignore it as she willed herself to focus and concentrate on the spell. "Blast" she muttered as she felt the power drift away from her like sand running through her fingers. She hung her head for a moment before reaching for the towel that was draped over the arm of the sofa.

Giles returned to the apartment an hour later and found her sitting in the courtyard, her eyes closed and her face turned towards the sun. "What took you so long?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"I stopped off after the magic shop to pick up a present for you" he smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "How did your practise session go?" he asked as he moved past her into the shade of the apartment.

He heard her sigh and groan slightly as she stood up to follow him. "I can’t believe that sitting still and concentrating can make so many different muscles ache at the same time" she grumbled and sat at the breakfast counter, watching him unpack the grocery bags he had carried in. "Did you get everything we need from the magic shop?"

"And a bit extra" he grinned. "They were having a sale" he showed her several bags of herbs and she smiled at him.

"That had better not be my present" she suggested and tried to peek into the last bag that he hadn’t opened yet.

"Ah, ah, ahh" he muttered and put the bag behind his back before heading out of the kitchen. "We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon practising then you can get your present"

She pouted a little but didn’t have the strength to argue with him. "I’m pooped, I don’t think I could practise any more today"

He looked up at her and frowned. "You really do look quite tired" he nodded. "Why don’t you go back out and enjoy the sun while I make you something to eat, perhaps you’ll feel better after that?"

She took a deep breath and sighed. "OK" she murmured and headed outside again.

He watched her leave and shook his head with a worried look on his face. She had been working flat out to perfect the spell and the concentration needed to control it for a long period of time. None of them knew how long it would take him to disrupt the transference and they had to be ready and prepared for the spell to last for several hours if necessary. He had marvelled at the ease with which they had taken to performing the spell together. He remembered that they had worked magic together before but he had been teaching her then and they hadn’t undertaken any serious spells together during that time. Over the previous two days they had managed to perform the joining ritual and hold it for nearly an hour on two separate occasions. Willow had agreed to work on her side of the incantations to try and prolong the joining but he was worried that she was draining herself too much before the spell had to be used in anger.

Ten minutes later he emerged with a large plate of sandwiches and two glasses of ice-cold lemonade. She smiled at him as she reached for a sandwich. "Did you make the lemonade yourself?" she asked as she lifted her glass.

"I opened the bottle myself, does that count?" he asked and settled onto a chair next to her.

"Good enough for me" she mumbled around another sandwich and smiled at him. "I didn’t realise it until just now but I’m starving" she giggled as she picked up a sandwich in each hand and quickly demolished them both.

"Would you like something else?" he asked as he poured her some more juice. "I could make you a proper meal" he suggested.

She shook her head and sighed as she finished the last piece of bread. "That feels much better already but I think I might have a nap before I try any more practise sessions" she yawned before she could get to the end of the sentence.

"I think we’ll give up practise for today and just relax, we’re ahead of the schedule we set ourselves anyway and there is no sense in tiring you out" he stood up and gave her his hand. "Perhaps madam would like to adjourn to the lounge to receive her present"

"Madam would" Willow smiled and let him lead her back indoors.

He settled her on the sofa and returned a moment later with a paper grocery bag that he presented to her as if it were the crown jewels. She giggled and pulled open the scrunched up top of the bag to peer inside. "If you got me salami from the deli as a present you are in big trouble" she mumbled as she gave up all pretence and ripped the bag open. A small picture frame fell out onto her lap and a large envelope landed at her side. She picked up the picture frame and stared at it for several minutes before turning to him. "Where on earth did you get this?" she asked and pointed to the picture. "I don’t even remember it being taken"

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Oz took it and gave it to me before he left" he gasped a little as she hugged him tightly. "I’ve been carrying it around in my wallet ever since because it is the only picture I had of all of us together"

Willow looked crestfallen. "I can’t take it from you if it meant that much" she began but he pulled his wallet out and showed her a copy of the picture in pride of place.

"I got it copied but I wanted you to have the original because it was the picture of you that I always turned to whenever things seemed to be getting overwhelming" he smiled and traced her face in the small frame.

"And Jenny?" she asked. "You don’t mind me putting up a picture of her here?" she indicated the room they were sitting in.

He shook his head. "I wouldn’t have carried it with me if I wasn’t able to look at her and remember the good times" She sighed and leaned against him as he put his arm around her. "Don’t forget the card" he murmured as he kissed the top of her head.

She gently opened the envelope and pulled out a card with a red rose pressed onto the front of it. Before opening it she sighed and then turned to face him. "I haven’t forgotten another anniversary have I?" she asked plaintively.

"No" he smiled. "I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me" he said quietly and leaned down to kiss her gently.

She sagged against his arm as he deepened the kiss and it was several moments before she could pull herself away to open the card and read the message inside. She shook her head in puzzlement and looked to him for a clue. He took the card from her hands and read out the inscription in flawless Italian.

"Ohhh" she sighed and gazed at him. "Don’t tell me what it means just keep saying it while we walk up the stairs" she suggested and stood up.

He laughed and kissed her hand as she led him to the bedroom. He was whispering in Italian how much he loved her and what they were going to do to each other for the rest of the day when she turned round and kissed him fiercely.

He lifted her off of her feet and quickly walked them both to the bed before putting her down again. Her hands held his lips against hers as he quickly removed his clothes, thanking heaven that he had worn a shirt. When he was naked he pushed her onto the bed and quickly removed her clothes as well.

"You’ve stopped talking" she mumbled as her hands ran over his shoulders and chest. "The foreign talking was definitely helping"

He stopped kissing her abdomen and looked up at her, one hand idly playing across her hip. "I can either tell you what I’m going to do to you or do it" he suggested. "Which would you prefer?" he asked as he stopped touching her altogether.

"Don’t you dare start multiple choice pop quizzes in the middle of seducing me" she glowered and wriggled out from underneath him. "Now you will have to be punished" she grinned and straddled him. She waited for him to protest and stared down at him until she realised that he most definitely wasn’t complaining.

He grinned up at her. "What are you waiting for?" he asked slyly as he put his hands on her hips and manoeuvred her closer to his groin. "I can cope with a few minutes of this kind of punishment before my back gives out"

She giggled and lifted herself up to rest just above his erection. "Are you sure" she asked slightly breathlessly. She met his eyes and lost herself for a moment before she noticed his raised eyebrow. "Sorry" she mumbled. "Got a bit distracted there" she sighed as she lowered herself down and took a couple of seconds to steady herself before beginning. When she opened her eyes she watched him watching her. His hands were steadying her hips and his hips were gently rocking in time with her movements but he looked incredibly relaxed and at peace. "Why am I the only one doing any work here?" she asked and increased the pace a little. "This was supposed to be your punishment" she tried to scowl but couldn’t quite bring it off.

"Oh I am suffering" he grinned lazily at her. "This is definitely a torment worthy of Torquemada himself" She stopped her movement and closed her eyes. After a moment she gently moved off of him before lying down next to him. "Is something wrong" he looked worried as he turned on his side to hug her. "Did I do something.."

She put her fingers on his lips to stop him. "I only just realised how weird it is to finally have you back and how much I missed you" She cuddled against him and he looked down on her completely bemused.

"I think I understand the sentiment but I have to argue with the timing a little, darling" he frowned as she lifted her head to look at him.

She smiled and used her hand to smooth out his frown. "Well you will mention ancient Spanish Inquisitor Generals in the middle of sex. How am I supposed to concentrate on the sexy new you when you remind me of the old Librarian?"

"But I thought you wanted this with the old me as well?" he seemed confused and backed off a little to concentrate on the conversation instead of her warm body lying against his.

"I did, I mean I do" she was getting frustrated at not being able to explain to him. "If you had said yes before you were injured I would have jumped you there and then, you know that" she began and he waited for her to make her point. "But you didn’t say yes until afterwards and you’ve always been…" she ground to a halt. "Dammit" she grunted as she stood up to pace at the side of the bed.

He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as he watched her stride purposefully back and forth. A smile slowly crept across his face as he realised the ridiculousness of the situation. "If I promise not to mention any famous historical figures will you come back and have raunchy sex with me please?" he asked in his politest voice. "We can work out your psychological problems with this later on"

She stopped pacing and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. "This is important" she said seriously. "I need you to know that I want you and….why are you grinning at me like that?" she asked slightly peeved that he was laughing at her while she was trying to be serious.

"You are standing naked in my bedroom with a very attractive blush of indignation, giving me a lecture about our relationship, when you brought me up here to ravish me!" he smirked. "Am I not entitled to be a little amused?"

"You are incorrigible" she smiled at him and slowly crawled back onto the bed. "Shut up and kiss me, then make me forget all of this nonsense with wild, sweaty sex" she nodded and settled into his arms. They kissed for several minutes before she pulled back and looked seriously at him. "I’m sorry but it’s just a bit disconcerting when you channel old Giles while I’m doing rude things to new Rupert"

He sighed and pulled her into his arms again. "When we have dealt with Bolak once and for all we should go away for a few days to try and sort this out" he suggested. "We really need to decide how to deal with my apparent change in personality before it completely ruins my sex life"

She pulled him closer and let her hands roam over his lower back. "Perhaps we should enjoy what remains of your sex life before it disappears?"

They both woke at dawn next morning and ate a quick breakfast before setting out the ingredients for practicing the joining spell again. Giles settled himself into the lotus position and tried to hide the discomfort emanating from his lower back. He was glad this ordeal was to be over soon and he could finally rest his back, although he knew it would be difficult with Willow around. The object of his affections sat cross-legged in front of him, closed her eyes and held out her hands. When she felt his hands in hers she began chanting slightly under her breath and he closed his own eyes to enable him to focus on the energy building within him. He felt her presence inside his mind as she completed the initial stages of the joining and opened himself to her energy. After a couple of minutes he felt strong enough to take on Frasier and Ali together and opened his eyes to focus on the pile of cards lying between them. The exercise seemed deceptively simple, he spent the next few hours building and demolishing card houses, one card at a time, using his mind instead of his hands. He could have managed this without Willow’s assistance for perhaps five minutes, however, with her strength augmenting his he lifted and placed the cards with increasing speed and accuracy until they were a blur of colours and numbers.

Willow was staring straight at him and the small part of her mind that wasn’t engaged in keeping the spell going was wondering how she had managed to think of him as only a friend for so long. Her mind was starting to wander a little and she closed her eyes and pulled her energy back together to keep the joining in place. After ten more minutes she began to pull back from the spell slightly and felt his recognition that it was about to end. When she opened her eyes again he was sitting with his head in his hands and his t-shirt was sticking to his chest with sweat. She groaned as she tried to stand and glanced across at the clock on the table. "Three hours" she murmured. "Way to go Rupert" she sighed as she finally managed to steady herself and put her hand out to help him up.

"Are you OK?" he asked as he stretched his shoulders and rotated his neck.

"I think so, just a little stiff" she suggested as she started to stretch as well.

"You guys ready for some breakfast?" asked a voice from the kitchen, causing Giles to jump and Willow to gasp. "What?" Buffy asked as they stared at her. "You’ve never seen me make eggs before?"

"These are very good eggs" Giles murmured around his third plateful. "Any chance of another cup of tea?"

Buffy shook her head. "You and I should definitely go for a run later today to work off these calories" she laughed as she ladelled more toast and eggs onto his plate and passed Willow the jug of juice. "I’ll put the kettle on for Giles then you and I should really get going, we have classes this morning"

Willow nodded and finished her juice in a gulp. "I’ll be ten minutes in the shower" she announced and grabbed a slice of toast from Giles’ plate before running upstairs.

"So what’s with the cards?" asked Buffy, motioning towards the cards lying on the floor. "Are you planning on playing the big bad for the hellmouth, because I would have guessed you’d choose Scrabble"

Giles shook his head. "It is an exercise to prove the joining is working and increase my stamina" he smiled at her as he carelessly flicked his fingers at the cards and they neatly stacked themselves on the table. "A little residual Willow power left over" he explained as Buffy stared at him in astonishment.

"Enough with the Mary Poppins clearing up" she begged. "Are you guys going to be ready by tomorrow night or should we be working on plan B?"

Giles ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "We’re not perfect yet but I think we’re as good as we are going to get. This morning was the last work out before Willow and I rest and prepare for the final battle"

Buffy nodded and stood up to gather the dishes. "We only have two classes today so we should be back mid afternoon. I’ve asked Xander and Fraser to join us and we can sort out the fine details as soon as Angel and Wesley arrive later tonight"

Buffy marvelled at her friend’s concentration during the tutorial. When the bell sounded and they all began packing up their notes Buffy leaned across and put her hand on top of Willow’s, stilling her movements. "How do you do that?" she whispered and nodded her head towards the tutor. "How can you block out tonight?"

Willow looked around to see if anyone was near and then drew her notepad from her backpack. The first half of the page was filled with her neat handwriting and Buffy recognised a few key phrases from early on in the lecture. The bottom half of the page, however, was a montage of mystical symbols and a floor plan of the warehouse they had previously staked out. Willow finished packing her stuff away and fell into step beside Buffy as they headed across campus. "In the old days" she began quietly. "I used to be able to switch off the vampires and deal with the real life school stuff" Buffy smiled in remembrance of her and Xander cramming from Willow’s notes for exams. "I think the last few months have just taken it out of me and I can’t really concentrate on anything for more than half an hour or so without inevitably getting back to the nasty that is Bolak"

Buffy nodded. "I guess all of your worry over Giles hasn’t helped any, has it?"

Willow smiled a little "I don’t always worry about him, in fact" she murmured and turned a little red. "Sometimes the reason I find it difficult to concentrate is the exact opposite."

Buffy shook her head. "Sometimes I think I’m the one who had amnesia and was unconscious for a month" she smiled. "Then I wake up to find my stuffy Watcher finally getting some action and my shy best friend transformed into Miss Slutty Paloosa of this county"

The two girls laughed and turned towards Gile’s apartment. Half way there they met up with Xander and the three of them arrived just as Giles was making a pot of tea for Fraser and himself. "I told you" he sighed. "As soon as I make any foodstuffs in this kitchen they all appear, as if they have been standing outside listening for the hum of white goods in action"

Fraser laughed and hugged Willow before moving towards the fireplace. Willow moved on to Giles and gave him a quick hug before opening the refrigerator. By the time everyone had been supplied with sandwiches Fraser was up to date with the proposed plan. "I’m not sure how the hospital board would view one of its doctors drugging unsuspecting members of the public but I’m guessing the blue cloaks won’t be making formal complaints once this is all over?"

Buffy smiled. "We can usually persuade obscure cult members to move on and not dwell on the past"

Xander huffed. "I still don’t see why we can’t just knock these guys out the old fashioned way"

Giles smiled at him. "Much as I admire your Olympian standards in wishing to keep drugs out of this particular sport, I think it would be for the best all round"

Willow patted his arm. "Perhaps if one of them struggles you can restrain him with unnecessary force while Fraser works on him?"

Giles moved over to close the curtains and put some lights on. "Angel and Wesley will be with us soon, perhaps we should get ready"

Buffy nodded and lifted a flipchart stand from the front door. Xander helped Willow and Fraser to move the sofa and chairs while Giles checked through a file of papers. By the time they had finished setting up the presentation, Angel and Wesley had arrived and introductions were being made all round.

Wesley looked a little nervous and nodded to Xander and Buffy while Angel was talking to the doctor. Willow moved across and put her hand on his arm. "It’s really good to see you again Wesley"

He relaxed a little and held his hand out to Giles. "Rupert, I’m glad to see you fully recovered"

Giles smiled and shook his hand warmly. "Thank you, Angel has high praise for you whenever he visits. I understand things are going well for you in LA?"

Wesley nodded and was about to reply when Buffy moved between them with a mischievous look on her face. "Did Giles tell you that you were one of the first memories he got back?"

Giles looked extremely embarrassed and coughed slightly while Wesley looked between them and blushed a little. "I trust that the memories recovered since have been of more pleasant events?"

Buffy snorted and elbowed Wesley in the ribs "Don’t get me started"

Giles decided to end this particular line of small talk. "He was trying not to" he said curtly to Buffy. "Perhaps everyone could take a seat and we could begin?"

Giles began by summing up the information they had so far for the benefit of Wesley and Fraser. "And that brings us up to date" he suggested. "Assuming that Wesley and Angel agree with our findings we will disrupt the ceremony tomorrow night and mortally injure Bolak’s current host, thereby forcing him into choosing me as the only remaining host, whereupon we will use magical means to disrupt the takeover bid for as long as it takes until Bolak can no longer sustain his incorporeal state"

Wesley nodded and cleared his throat. "Angel and I have checked all of the texts we had access to and they seem to agree with Mr Giles’s summing up of the situation."

Giles nodded and moved to the flipchart. "This shows a floorplan of the warehouse and we have marked the possible exits and entrances." The next hour was spent in battle tactics and discussions of strategy. By the end of this time everyone was familiar with the plan of action. Giles had a look around all of the faces, most of them eager to get on with it, except for Fraser and Willow. "Are there any more questions?" he asked.

Willow sighed "What happens if the joining lasts for so long that we run out of night?" she asked. "Will there be enough cover for you in the building?" she looked towards Angel.

He nodded "I think I should be OK, but if it takes that long I’d be more worried about you than me"

Willow smiled a little "I’ll be fine and I’m fairly sure I can keep the link between us for as long as Giles needs it"

Everyone sat silently for a few minutes, deep in their own thoughts and worries, until Fraser finally stood up. "I’m going to need some help in removing the necessary supplies from the hospital stores. Anyone up for a spot of larceny?"

Wesley smiled at him and stood up. "It’s been a while since I was in active service in Sunnydale and I seem to remember the last event ending rather unsatisfactorily" he smiled at Giles. "I’d welcome the opportunity to make up for a pretty dismal show last time around". He lifted his jacked from the back of the chair and turned towards Angel. "Feel like being lookout for us?"

Angel looked as if he was going to disagree but then nodded, "Sure, I’ll back you up". He turned as he reached the door "We’ll all meet up at the warehouse at six thirty tomorrow night" he said then headed out after Wesley and Fraser.

Buffy and Xander seemed to be unaware of their departure and Willow eventually leaned over the back of the sofa between them. "You guys should get home and get some rest, we’ll all need to be fresh and ready to go tomorrow night"

"Sure" Buffy mumbled and noticed the lack of large, moody vampires. "Where did Angel and the others go?" she asked.

Giles stretched a little and began clearing away some of the books and papers he had used earlier. "Angel and Wesley have gone to help Fraser gather the supplies he needs. Speaking of which did anyone notice that Fraser seemed a little distracted before he left, do you think he’ll be OK tomorrow night?"

Xander finished taking the flipchart down "This is his first big event, lets remember how we all dealt with our first time and give the guy some time to take it all in"

Willow nodded. "He’s probably just a little wigged about being part of this, I mean offering to help is one thing but actually doing it is something else"

Buffy finished moving the sofa back into position. "It’s not as if he’s flying solo, he’ll have Willow to help him in the beginning and then the rest of us will be with him as soon as the last blue coat is out of there"

Giles stacked the last of his books in the bookcase and turned to them. "You’re probably right. I sometimes forget how overwhelming this can be"

"I’ll call by his office tomorrow and make sure he’s coping OK" Buffy added and stifled a yawn.

Xander put his arm round her shoulders. "Come on, let’s get you to bed young woman". Buffy rolled her eyes and followed him out the door.

Willow locked the door behind them and started putting lights out. Giles came up behind her as she bent over to put out the final table light. "I know I said everyone should get their rest, but I’m prepared to make an exception in your case" she murmured as she turned in his arms and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"I’m not sure I could sleep even without your presence in my bed" he smiled down at her. "I’m wide awake and can’t stop thinking about tomorrow night"

Willow stood back from his arms a little and frowned. "I don’t mind you not wanting to ‘sleep’ with me but I do mind you worrying about tomorrow night when this one isn’t anywhere near over yet"

He lifted one of her hands to his lips and gently kissed her palm. "You are quite right of course, I apologise for my shocking breach of etiquette. How will you ever forgive me" His lips continued from her hand to her arm, then her shoulder. By the time he had reached her neck she was grinning at him and sighing.

"Welllll" she finally said. "I’m not sure what the correct recourse is in such a situation" she raised her eyebrows and licked her lips as he continued to nuzzle her neck. "Why don’t you start by having your wicked way with me then we’ll take it from there?"

Willow had started to edge towards the stairs and was surprised when he put his arm round her waist and gently turned her round. "You want to dance?" she asked in a husky voice, making it fairly clear that this wasn’t what she had in mind.

He shook his head and sat down on the sofa, gently pulling her down with him. "I watched you tonight, sitting on this sofa, joining in a discussion about some fairly appalling things which might happen to all of us and I suddenly realised that I desperately wanted a happier memory of you on this sofa for our old age"

She grinned and ran her hand up his thigh to rest on the prominent bulge in his slacks. "So I shouldn’t feel guilty that I fantasised about you during tonight’s lecture either?"

He laughed and traced the shape of her breast with his finger. "Let’s just hope someone was paying attention" He gently unbuttoned her shirt until he could push it off her shoulders, before removing her bra. He pushed her back slightly as he leaned down to place kisses over her breasts, taking care to avoid touching her nipples.

Eventually Willow realised he was teasing her and decided to move things along a little. Her hand stopped the gentle massage she had been performing on his inner thigh and moved up to unzip his trousers. She struggled with his belt until he stopped stroking her side and undid the belt and button himself before standing to take them off. She took the opportunity to strip off the rest of her clothes before pulling him on top of her. She grinned up at him and ran her fingernails down his back. "Let’s get on with the memory making stuff, shall we?"

He was an intelligent man who understood prophecies and portents, therefore, he was fairly sure he knew exactly what she wanted and was absolutely positive as to exactly what he wanted. But something was holding him back.

Willow sensed his uncertainty and looked deep into his eyes. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head and leaned down to kiss her tenderly. "It’s not you, it’s me" he sighed. He began to pull back from her, prepared to discuss his uncertainties.

But Willow had other ideas. "No way" she pushed herself up and stood facing him, her hands on her hips. "No way you are doing this to me again, not going to happen" she insisted and straddled his lap as he sat staring at her in bemusement.

"Do what to you, again?" he asked and settled her more comfortably in his lap.

"OK this time I’m actually naked but last time I was just emotionally naked and I nearly lost you before we managed to finally get together and I’m not going to let you talk your way out of it this time" she nodded her head and crossed her arms to indicate her determination.

"I’m not denying my feelings for you this time darling, it’s just that I can’t help worrying about tomorrow" he tried to hold her in his arms but she was still leaning back from him slightly.

"You can’t sweet talk your way out of this Rupert" she said dryly. "We are both facing considerable danger tomorrow, but we are choosing to go ahead anyway" he started to protest but she put her fingers over his lips to silence him. "The last time we faced Bolak we hadn’t admitted our feelings for each other and we both barely survived. This time I am much stronger because I’ve finally found you and I don’t plan on letting anything happen to you"

He ran his hand through her hair and rested it on her shoulder. "You must understand that I can’t imagine life without you and I simply won’t stand for anyone trying to make that happen"

"That’s more like it" she smiled and wriggled in his lap a little, raising her eyebrows at his body’s reaction. "Righteous indignation from a British guy is way more scary than a slayer with a pointy stick"

"One day we will make love like normal people, without discussing the fate of the world beforehand" he sighed as he ran his hand from her shoulder across her breasts. "Unless deep metaphysical discussion turns you on?" he queried.

"No more talking" she murmured and her hands ran down his chest to his abdomen. "Unless its Italian" she added as her hands continued south. She heard his gasp as she grasped his erection and gently began stroking it.

He moved his hips nearer to the edge of the sofa and leaned back, teasing her nipples as she continued stroking his erection. When the attention became too much for him he moved his hands to her buttocks and gently pulled her above his erection. Her new position moved her breasts within range of his tongue and he took advantage of the opportunity.

Willow rolled her head back and pushed her breasts closer to his mouth. At that moment she could imagine nowhere else on earth that she would rather be than in his arms, making love to him on his sofa. As he continued to lick and suck her nipples she lowered herself onto his erection and began slow, languorous movements, lifting herself almost completely off of him before sliding back down and earning a sigh of contentment from him at the end of every stroke.

His right hand roamed across her back as his left met her clitoris at the bottom of each stroke. After a few moments of this attention her breathing became shallower and the pace of the strokes increased. He smiled as he moved his lips away from her breasts and pulled her head down into a deep kiss.

She pulled back quickly to gulp air into her lungs, opening her eyes to gaze down on his lazy smile. She marvelled at the power he had over her. "I love you" she gasped before drawing him back into a kiss. Her tongue swept across his upper lip and she could feel his smile grow as he reciprocated. She felt herself move closer to climax and drew back from the kiss. Both of her hands moved behind him, one to steady herself on the back of the sofa the other to hold his head and mouth against her breasts, making her intentions fairly clear.

He held onto her as she cried out and buried her head on his shoulder. His left hand was trapped between them and he felt the contractions that caused shudders to run through her body. "I love you too Willow" he whispered in her ear and kissed her neck.

The feel of his breath on her neck made her squirm and she giggled as she pulled away. "Wow" she sighed and he noticed her breasts rise and fall with her heavy breathing. "We really are getting the hang of this aren’t we?"

"I couldn’t possibly comment at this early stage" he murmured and helped her off of his lap. "Perhaps we could move to the bedroom for round two and you could ask me the same question in a couple of hours?"

They both slept late the next day, wakening slowly and holding each other for some time before Giles finally sighed. "I don’t want to let you go" he whispered in her ear.

"But" she murmured and reached round to kiss him again.

It took several minutes for him to remember the direction his thoughts had taken. "But" he sighed again. "I am starving and we should really get up and get dressed"

"Why?" she asked innocently. "I mean I could go along with getting some breakfast but why do we need to get dressed?"

He leaned on his side and rested his head on his arm as he looked down at her with a smile. "Are you suggesting we spend the day in bed?"

Willow expected him to protest but was sure she detected a hint of willingness in his tone. "Nope" she announced and pushed the covers back before putting on a robe. "I think there are plenty of other parts of the apartment which hold unhappy memories and I’m proposing we spend the day making some happier memories for each of them"

His face had fallen at her initial response but he wore a huge grin by the time she had finished and he followed her example and pushed the covers to the floor. "I’ve always felt vaguely depressed in the kitchen" he suggested and took her hand to lead her downstairs.

Buffy wandered down the corridor in the hospital, trying to remember the last time she had been here. When she reached the nurse’s station and found Fraser in deep conversation with a colleague she remembered the day that they had taken Giles home. "Dr Alexander" she said quietly as his colleague moved away. "I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you?" she asked.

Fraser looked at her worriedly. "Of course, Buffy, come this way" he said, leading her to a small room which had barely enough space for the desk and chairs. He motioned her to sit in one of the chairs and closed the door behind her. "Is everything OK?" he asked quickly and moved to sit on the other side of the desk.

She smiled at him. "Everything’s fine, I was just a bit worried about how you were holding up and thought I would see if you needed any help with anything before tonight"

He seemed a little relieved and smiled slightly at her. "I’m OK, but just a little apprehensive about tonight"

She nodded. "I would be concerned if you weren’t, after all we’re all worried and we’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you" She leaned back in her chair and stared at him thoughtfully. "Is there anything you don’t understand or that I can help you with?"

He settled more comfortably in the chair and looked closely at her. "What happens if it doesn’t work?" he asked and licked his lips nervously. "What happens if Rupert isn’t able to overcome the demon, even with Willow’s help?"

Buffy kept eye contact with him and tried to hide her surprise that he had worked out the one flaw in their plan. "If something happens and Willow and Giles aren’t strong enough to overcome Bolak.." she began and paused to take a deep breath. "Well, one or both of them will become host to him and we would deal with that if it happens." She finished rather uncertainly and left him to decide how much information he wanted.

"You mean you would kill them" he tried to keep his tone as even as possible and ignored the voice in his head which was telling him how ridiculous this conversation was.

Buffy shook her head. "We wouldn’t kill them" she began then stopped to gather her thoughts. "It’s like someone knocking down a house you once lived in" she explained. "They would be destroying a house, not your house, do you understand"

"We’re not talking mid town property clearances here Buffy, we’re discussing the deliberate murder of two of your closest friends"

She shook her head again. "My friends would already be dead if it gets that far and I would be finishing off the demon who killed them" She leaned forward and took his hand "You need to know that we will take every precaution to stop that ever happening and that Giles and Willow are more than capable of doing this"

Her obvious belief in the sentiment stopped the reply that sprang to mind, instead he leaned forward and patted her hand. "I don’t suppose that I have any right to be more worried about this than you are" he began. "After all, I doubt you would allow them to undertake this task unless you believed they would succeed"

She nodded and smiled slightly. "Damn right I wouldn’t" She decided that she would wait a few years before explaining to the doctor that she couldn’t stop Giles or Willow even if she didn’t believe in them. She knew that he needed to share her apparent faith in their abilities and he didn’t need to know that, if the process failed, Angel would kill Giles before they had a chance to discuss their feelings in the matter. Sadness swept over her as she ran over the potential scenarios for that night, most of which would end with one or more of them dead. She realised the doctor was staring at her and pulled her attention back to the present, after all tomorrow, and the resolution it would bring, would come soon enough.

"So" she pulled herself together. "How are your preparations coming along?"

He knew he wouldn’t be able to get anything more from her in regard to their failure so he tacitly agreed to concentrate on the success of their venture. "I had a long discussion with Wesley last night while we appropriated supplies and he came up with a good idea"

Buffy seemed a little nervous. "His plans haven’t always been his strong suit, what did he suggest"

"It seemed to be a clever way to avoid having to drug the captives for too long. He suggested that we detain them in a mini bus while we drug them and then drive them out of town and leave them somewhere deserted when they come round" he seemed quite pleased when Buffy smiled and stood up to depart.

"Seems like you guys have this all sorted out without me, keep up the good work and I’ll see you and Wesley later this afternoon at Giles’ apartment?" Buffy left the hospital in a slightly more cheerful frame of mind and headed to the mansion to discuss final arrangements with Angel.

Wesley scouted the area around the warehouse surreptitiously, making sure that nobody was aware of his interest. When he had the layout clearly in his mind he returned to the mini-bus and headed towards Angel’s mansion to go over the evening’s plans one last time.

"Angel" he shouted as he pushed open the front door. "I think I’ve got everything we’ll need for tonight" he rounded the corner and saw Buffy sitting in an armchair while Angel came through from the bedroom, still fastening his shirt. "I haven’t interrupted anything have I?" he asked pointedly and looked seriously at Angel.

Angel shook his head slightly and put his hands on his hips. "Buffy and I were doing some training and I was putting on a clean shirt" He motioned to the bag in Wesley’s hand. "Did you get the extra stuff we need?"

"Yes" Wesley replied with a nod to Buffy. "And I’m glad nobody round here knows me any more because the man at the hardware shop now thinks I am a complete pervert"

Buffy looked a little incredulously at Wesley and moved to open the bag he had left on the table. She pulled out a long length of sturdy chain and found several sets of handcuffs caught up in it. "Mr Wyndham Price!" she raised her eyebrows. "What is it with Watchers and handcuffs?" she sighed and pushed the chain back into the bag.

Wesley had turned a very bright red and looked at Angel with his best long suffering expression. "I beg of you, don’t ever tell me about Mr Giles"

Willow stepped out of the shower and grinned at Rupert as he finished drying his hair and pulled on a t-shirt. "Did I ever mention that I was extremely unhappy in Fraser’s car?"

He groaned and threw the wet towel at her. "Perhaps I’ll ask Fraser to borrow it again this weekend but only if you promise to be gentle with me!"

Willow picked the towel up and twirled it in the air. "Aren’t I always?" she asked sweetly.

"I nearly dislocated my shoulder in the kitchen and you nearly drowned me in the shower and that’s you being gentle?" he asked incredulously as he moved to hug her.

She wriggled out of his grasp. "I’m still all wet and you promised me lunch" she put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. "You had better be back with a triple decker club sandwich by the time I’m dressed or I’ll start being not gentle with you for real"

He held his hands up in surrender and picked up his car keys from the bedside table. She smiled dreamily as she heard the front door slam shut downstairs. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy. Even when she allowed her mind to wander to the danger they were placing themselves in that night, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling of extreme well being which washed over her with every breath. "Probably a bad sign" she sighed. "If this were a movie he’d have crashed the car by now and I’d be a lonely and bitter old woman for the rest of my life". She looked at herself in the mirror before getting dressed. "Nope" she murmured. "No bitterness and definitely not old yet"

Willow was in the kitchen straightening up the furniture and clearing away the debris from their recent happies when he returned. Giles dumped the bag of sandwiches on the counter and gently placed two large take out cups of coffee next to them. "Come and get it" he announced as he took his jacket off and sat at the counter.

"Just a second" Willow mumbled as she finished levelling off the fridge. "That’s better" she announced as she took a step back and cocked her head to the side to gauge the results.

"Your coffee will get cold" he admonished and handed her the plastic cup.

Willow sighed as she finished her sandwich and tidied the paper bags into the trash. "So, what delights have you planned for the rest of the day?" she asked him.

"Ah" he said in a slightly worried tone. "I’m not sure how to tell you this but Buffy, Wesley, Xander and Fraser will be here in about three hours."

"What" she turned towards him with an annoyed look on her face. "Why on earth are they coming here again I thought we were all meeting up at the warehouse later"

He moved to hug her. "I know darling but they just want to go over a couple of points" He took a step back and looked at her unhappy face. "Perhaps I could call Buffy and get her to put it off for another hour or so?"

"No, it’s OK, I guess" Willow sighed dramatically. "But tomorrow we had better be left well and truly alone" she ended with a definitive nod of her head.

"If tonight goes as planned I’m sure we’ll be too exhausted to get up to anything tomorrow" he smiled and pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the sofa. "Willow" he started then sighed. "I’m not really sure how to say this but I need you to know that you are the best thing to happen to me in a very long time indeed and I plan on having many happy years with you" he stopped a little uncertainly.

Willow had moved off of his lap to sit on the armchair across from him. "I know what you’re trying to say Rupert and I love you too, but nothing is going to go wrong tonight" He started to shake his head and was about to speak when she stood up and began to pace in front of him. "I mean it Rupert, after all, this demon has only ever dealt with a Watcher or a Slayer, never with an entire team of people and never with two people so adept in the use of magic and we will overcome this threat"

"I know that" he agreed. "I’m just worried that he may have a trick or two up his sleeve and that I won’t be able to deal with him. I also worry, with some justification, that he may be able to last for a considerable amount of time outside of a host body and that we will not be able to maintain the joining for long enough to defeat him and …."

Willow interrupted. "Before you get into your "dance of worry" you should know that you sound just like the old Giles" she smiled sweetly at him.

Buffy and Wesley arrived a couple of hours later and found Willow and Giles relaxing in the waning evening sun. "Glad to see you’re relaxing before the big game" Buffy smiled at both of them and signalled to Willow to join her inside.

Wesley sighed "May I" he asked before sitting on the chair Willow had vacated. "How are your preparations going for this evening?" he asked and turned to look at Giles.

"Apparently I have returned to my pre-amnesia status of being a Big Watcher Worrier" Giles quoted and sighed. He took his sunglasses off to look at the younger man. "We have achieved a high level of joining on three separate occasions, with the last effort lasting for some three hours, and I think we are as ready as we can be under the circumstances"

"I don’t wish to dwell on the gloomy side of things but I have agreed with Angel that Fraser, Xander and I will remove the captives from the vicinity and I’ll make sure we are away for as long as possible" Wesley explained hurriedly to Giles, looking anxiously to ensure Willow hadn’t returned. "Should anything go wrong Angel will be with you and Buffy will be with Willow, can you think of any other precautions we should take?"

"Just make it quick" Giles looked straight into Wesley’s eyes. "And make damn sure that there is no way back for either of us"

"Understood" Wesley nodded. "I’m sorry Willow, please have your chair back" he smiled at her as if the previous conversation hadn’t taken place. Willow blushed slightly and couldn’t make eye contact with the young Watcher. "You told her didn’t you" he wearily asked Buffy.

Buffy’s face was a picture of innocence "I merely explained that the proper precautions for securing the bad guys were in place" She turned to stare straight at Giles. "I also may have suggested that you would have some second hand handcuffs for sale by tomorrow night"

Giles kept eye contact and smiled lazily "Usual staff discount?" he asked sweetly and smirked as Buffy stared open mouthed at him in surprise.

"Willow said you were back to full on Giles" she finally laughed. "But I’m definitely still getting new Rupert"

Fraser arrived about twenty minutes later to find everyone lounging in the apartment, listening to music and talking about nothing in particular. It was obvious to all of them that he was very keyed up and seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Wesley and Giles made eye contact and both stood up at the same time. "Would you mind going over the properties of the sedative you are using one more time for Rupert’s sake" Wesley asked and led the other two into the kitchen.

Buffy smiled at Willow "I think the Watcher Boys are glad to have a new guy to amaze with their mastery of all things weird"

Willow shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the three men in the kitchen, poring over a small black bag. "I don’t know about you but I’ll be glad when this is finally over and we can all get back to normal"

Buffy stood up to refill her glass. "This is normal for us Willow, you’re the one who’s been acting weird recently" she smiled to take the sting out of her words. "By the way what happened to Giles’ shoulder?"

"Did he tell you?" Willow asked and was aware of the blush rising to roots of hair.

Buffy laughed at the reaction she had provoked. "He didn’t have to, he’s been moving his arm kind of funny since we got here and I know I didn’t damage the goods at our last training session"

Willow groaned as she realised she had as good as admitted her guilt by the extremely guilty look on her face. "He tried to stop something falling off the kitchen counter and he kind of twisted and jolted his shoulder" she finished on a note of certainty and almost believed the story herself.

"Next time he should just let you fall" Buffy whispered in her ear and then turned to see Xander coming through the door. "Don’t worry I won’t traumatise Xander by telling him"

Xander tried to ignore the blush and giggles from Willow as he was fairly sure they related to Watcher sex and he had just eaten. "Dead guy should be here soon, the sun has just set"

Angel tapped him on the shoulder "Can’t you get some new lines?" he asked wearily and shook his head as Xander nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Don’t do that" he exclaimed wildly and clutching his heart, staggered to the nearest seat.

Angel nodded to Buffy and Willow and joined the three men in the kitchen. "Everything OK?" he asked and Wesley nodded. "We should probably get started in that case, we don’t have much time"

Suddenly the tension mounted in the room as everyone stood up and prepared to leave. When everyone was installed in the mini-bus Wesley pulled away and turned to speak to Fraser. "I understand you are the proud owner of a Spitfire?" he asked and smiled at Fraser’s nod of agreement. "They are beautiful cars, my father used to own one and he would occasionally let me drive it"

Buffy sniggered and leaned across to whisper in Giles ear. "I told you he was mini Giles". He pretended to ignore her but smiled a little to himself.

Fraser nodded again. "I would be happy for you to take it for a spin tomorrow" he suggested to Welsey and then coughed a little as he realised that talk of tomorrow may be a bad omen.

"That reminds me" Rupert tapped him on the shoulder. "Would it be possible to arrange a weekend hire of the car for the end of the month"

Fraser realised that Rupert was reassuring him that forward planning was allowed and he smiled in appreciation. "You mean you have another young woman you want to impress?"

"Same old woman as before I’m afraid" Rupert smiled and then grunted as Willow elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hey be careful with him" Buffy suggested. "I need him relatively fit for training on Saturday"

Willow was about to protest when Angel cleared his throat. "We’re nearly there, perhaps Buffy and I should slip out and do a little recon?" he suggested.

Wesley pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and watched both of them leave from the rear door. When they had disappeared into the rapidly darkening night he pulled out again and eventually parked a block away from the warehouse.

Xander had moved to sit just behind Wesley and peered out of the windscreen at the corner of the warehouse. "I’ll skulk manfully in that doorway over there and count them all in. Once we’re sure they have a full compliment you can move to the alley behind the warehouse"

"Xander be careful" Giles said quietly. "Remember they may have perimeter guards this time around" Xander nodded and quietly shut the door behind him.

Wesley scrunched down in his seat and adjusted the mirrors so that he had a view of the immediate area around the mini bus. "So, Dr Alexander, how are you enjoying your first stake out?" he asked and turned a little to look at Rupert with a smile.

"If they are all as quiet as this I think I’ll get used to them" Fraser murmured and moved to sit directly behind Welsey. They conversed quietly and ignored Giles and Willow, who had moved to the rear seats.

"I hate this waiting around" Willow whispered fiercely and tried to stretch her legs out as she scrunched down in her seat as well.

"I know darling" Rupert whispered and took her hands in his own. "It would be more bearable if those two hadn’t remained with us" he suggested and nodded his head towards Wesley and Fraser.

"Rupert" Willow laughed quietly. "You are worse than Xander"

He leaned across and kissed her gently. "I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart" he breathed in her ear. "I also love you with most of the rest of my body and I need you to promise me one thing"

Willow shivered as she felt his breath across her neck. "Anything darling"

"I need you to promise that, if I ever get amnesia again, you will kiss me until I remember this moment of perfect happiness with you" he put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

Willow leaned into his neck and nibbled his earlobe. "And if I ever get amnesia you are hereby allowed to do much more than kiss me, and I don’t care what Fraser says"

Buffy appeared at the window beside Wesley and murmured quickly to him before disappearing in Xander’s direction. Fraser seemed to tense a little and turned to face the couple behind him. "Sorry to interrupt" he began apologetically. "Buffy’s just checking with Xander but she thinks they are all inside the warehouse"

Rupert sat up and squeezed Willow’s hand before moving forward. "Let’s move to the alley behind the warehouse and you can sort out your equipment Fraser"

Moments later Willow stood outside the warehouse with Giles and held both of his hands in hers. "I’ll start a low level joining once we have the last blue cloak out and you know you only need to think about the deeper connection to bring me fully online"

He leaned down and kissed her for several moments. "If I tell you to cut the connection you must promise me that you will" he whispered quietly in her ear so that the others wouldn’t hear. "If I can’t defeat him I won’t have you sacrificing yourself in an attempt to save me"

Willow took a deep breath and stared him straight in the eye. "You know I can’t promise you anything like that but I can promise you that I won’t let Bolak defeat either of us"

He shook his head and hugged her to him. "Buffy needs at least one of us to survive this encounter and we have to try and think logically about this"

Willow sighed. "One day you will learn not to discuss logical matters while hugging your girlfriend" she stood away from him and stepped back towards the mini bus. "Now go in there and kick some demon butt and try not to get that sweater messy, I’ve always liked it"

Giles shook his head as he walked away to find Buffy. "Ready?" Buffy asked when he walked up to the small gathering. When he nodded his assent she turned to Xander and Wesley. "Let’s go".

Angel was standing by the rear door of the warehouse and motioned towards the fire escape. Buffy nodded and he started up the stairs silently. Giles and Xander stood on either side of the door and Wesley stood a little behind Buffy. She checked with all of them before taking a couple of steps back and kicking the door. It swung on its one remaining hinge as the four of them moved quickly into the loading bay. Two cult followers were rushing to investigate the noise and they were quickly dealt with as Buffy and Xander hit them both once before heading further into the warehouse. Giles and Wesley dragged the unconscious forms out to the back door and left them for Willow and Fraser to begin the sedative injections. Both men headed back inside and joined in with the general melee that was occurring around a pentagram marked out on the floor. With the arrival of the two ex Watchers and Angel the bulk of the resistance crumpled and Xander and Wesley began dragging bodies back to the rear of the building. Angel and Buffy were checking some of the small rooms set off from the main warehouse area and reported back quite quickly that they had checked them all and found one locked. Giles nodded and headed in that direction with Angel while Buffy went to help the others with the unconscious cult followers.

When she arrived at the back door she found Xander and Wesley busy dragging two more bodies into the mini bus while Willow helped Fraser inject the remaining six unconscious forms. "Is that the last one?" Willow asked as she saw Buffy exit the building.

Buffy shook her head. "Angel and Giles are heading for the locked room where the cult leader and Bolak must be". She took over from Willow as the witch moved to a small pile of boxes and got herself comfortable in the lotus position before closing her eyes and taking deep, calming breaths.

Ten minutes later, amid much muttering and cursing from Wesley, Xander and Buffy the inert bodies were all safely buckled and manacled into the mini bus and Fraser was gathering his supplies together. Wesley nodded to Buffy and they walked a little way off. "Once Angel brings out the last one I’ll try to take them as far out as I can before Xander gets suspicious. I think I should be able to keep them away for the next couple of hours" He met her eyes and took a deep breath. "Rupert asked if you could make it quick" he kept eye contact until he saw her nod slightly.

"Wesley" Buffy said quietly as he walked away. "I won’t need to do this, they will defeat him". He nodded and headed back towards the others. Buffy settled down next to Willow and silently prayed that she would never have to test her resolve by dealing with a demon-infected Willow.

Giles was aware of the hairs on the back of his next rising and a soft tickle behind his right ear. He smiled slightly to himself at the knowledge of Willow’s presence in his mind and took a deep breath, nodding to Angel who promptly kicked down the locked door.

Angel strode into the room and faced the two occupants "Knock, knock" he said and headed towards the cult leader in the red robes.

The other occupant of the room surprised Giles as he appeared to be a young boy, perhaps fourteen years old. However, he didn’t have much time to register his surprise before the boy jumped onto Angel’s back and began raining blows on the vampire. Giles quickly strode forward and pulled him away from the two men. The boy turned, yelling "Let go of me" and kicked out at Giles. Giles grimaced slightly before punching the boy in the jaw and gently lowering his unconscious body to the floor.

Angel picked up the leader and slung him over his shoulders. "Are you OK while I take this guy out to the others?" he asked and disappeared when Giles nodded.

Angel put the last body straight into the mini bus and stood out of the way as Fraser injected him and Xander secured his handcuffs. "You should get started" he said to Wesley and nodded to Buffy. "We have the present host, Giles will be starting the ritual soon"

Buffy nodded and moved quickly to his side. "Be careful" she said quietly and Angel nodded in understanding that it wasn’t him she was worried about.

When Angel returned to the room he found Giles sitting at a chair with his feet resting on the desk in front of him. "He’s so young but we should have expected that" he said quietly and rubbed his hands over his face.

Angel seemed a little confused until he noticed the young man lying on the floor next to the desk. "I suppose a stray dog is more likely to make a connection with a young boy than anyone else" Angel murmured and took his jacket off. "Wesley and the guys have headed out with the others and Willow and Buffy are ready outside"

Giles sighed and stood up to remove his own jacket. "I know, I can sense Willow already" he moved round the desk and looked down on the boy’s face, a dark bruise already showing where he had hit him. "Let’s get this over and done with" he suggested and turned away.

Angel leaned over the unconscious form and Giles heard the loud snap as the vampire twisted the boy’s head quickly. Angel stood up and moved to the other side of the small room. "He’s all yours" he said quietly and leaned against the wall.

"The young ones are always the worst" Giles sighed and settled into the lotus position on the floor beside the body. "Right you bastard, come and play with someone your own size" he said quietly before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

The first thing he felt was Willow’s presence, sitting quietly at the furthest reaches of his mind and the feeling settled his nerves a little. After a few minutes he was aware of a different energy gently probing his mind and prepared himself to set out the welcome mat. A warm feeling of well being began to spread all over his body and he started taking deep, steady breaths while he faked the normal emotions of a new host meeting a demon for the first time. He felt rather proud of his ability to portray fear, uncertainty and a little bit of curiosity all at the same time.

As Bolak sensed the new host’s willingness to go further he began spreading powerful feelings of euphoria throughout Giles’ mind. This seemed to be the way that hosts were attracted to the joining but Giles could sense, underneath the happy feelings that were being generated, the demon’s anger at having his joining ceremony disturbed and the necessity to find another part time host. He hoped that this would distract the demon, after all, he reasoned to himself, Bolak couldn’t be that choosy right now as there wasn’t another prospective host within reach.

Angel pulled a chair over as quietly as he could and settled down to watch the silent battle going on within his friend’s mind. A small smile was playing over Giles’ face and Angel wondered what he could possibly be finding to smile about right now.

Giles felt fabulous and allowed a large part of his mind to be overtaken by the sensations currently coursing through his body. It had been a long time since he had received this much pleasure from magical sources and he smiled lazily as he allowed the demon to think he was being engulfed by it. After several minutes he sensed a darker force running as an undercurrent and realised that the demon had taken the bait and was preparing to transfer his essence. This was nearly the prime moment of weakness for the demon and Giles opened himself a little more to ensure a false feeling of superiority persuaded the demon to hurry the transfer along.

Buffy strode to the end of the alleyway and back again, making sure they wouldn’t have any unexpected visitors. She peered anxiously at Willow who seemed extremely relaxed and even had a dreamy smile playing across her lips. Buffy sighed and decided to check the end of the alley again.

Willow was getting an overflow of euphoria from Giles and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. She kept reminding herself that she needed to keep on the edge of the action until after the transfer had begun and resigned herself to waiting a little longer. She trusted Giles to let her know when he needed help and she wouldn’t ruin the carefully constructed plan by rushing into things. After all, she reminded herself, she wanted this demon gone more than anyone else.

Bolak could sense the new host’s mind opening a little further for him and was surprised at the ease with which he was overcoming the minor resistance. Had the circumstances been slightly different he might have checked the transfer and taken some time to consider the situation, however, he didn’t have the luxury of time. The young boy who had been his temporary host had been given a mild sedative to calm him down in the run up to the transfer ceremony and Bolak had felt the residual effects as he relaxed his hold and began preparations for the transfer of his essence into the carefully chosen host body. He was distracted by thoughts of his vengeance over this particular slayer and promised himself that the coming battle would end her tenure as the chosen one for good. When the attack came he had been unable to regain a sufficient hold over the boy’s actions to stop his injury and eventual death. The portion of his mind that was overseeing the transfer was now fully immersed in the final part of the initial stage and Bolak felt his essence begin to leave the boy’s corpse and channel towards the new host.

Giles held his breath as he felt the presence of Bolak drip into his mind like icy drops of water. He carefully monitored the progress until he knew the point of no return had been reached. A tiny part of his mind, kept carefully hidden until this time, signalled to Willow that the full joining should now begin and he concentrated on shutting the open door which Bolak was using to enter his psyche.

They had discussed what this would feel like and Willow was aware of Giles’ mental picture of the door closing while Bolak frantically tried to find where the resistance was coming from. Willow gently pushed behind Giles’ and felt him acknowledge her presence and use the strength she was now offering to mount a much stronger defence.

Bolak was caught unawares and realised almost too late what was happening. However, he was an eight hundred year old demon who did this for a living so he knew how to fight dirty. Regaining some control over the process he ensured that the transfer could continue slowly behind his defences while he mounted his retaliation. The feelings of euphoria he had been using to mask his takeover bid were abruptly cut off and replaced by sharp jolts of pain directed at the same areas. He felt the new host weaken slightly at this sudden change and pushed further into his mind to ensure the pain he was now offering up was felt in as many different areas as possible.

Angel stood up from the chair quickly as he saw Giles slump forwards and suddenly turn sheet white but he knew he wouldn’t interfere for a while yet to give Giles and Willow a chance to end this as planned.

Willow was aware of the pain being meted out to Giles and was also aware of the barrier he had erected to protect her from the worst effects. She pushed a little harder with her mind and felt Giles steady himself before the continuing onslaught. She was surprised that the next attack from Giles concentrated on the transfer still taking place instead of cutting off the attacks of pain but she knew that Giles was the expert in this situation and tried to find a way to back him up.

Giles knew he was experiencing agony in every part of his body but had managed to tune out the worst of it and was instead working to break down the defences around Bolak’s transfer. Gently probing the wall of protection he suddenly found a small flaw in one of the spells and set about removing the defensive wall one brick at a time. He was proceeding slowly but surely when the pain suddenly decreased and he was left a little off balance for a moment. He felt Willow’s presence within him increase a little and knew that she had broken through his barrier and was taking the brunt of the pain away from him. He checked to make sure that she had done so without alerting Bolak and was reassured that the demon thought he was still dealing with only one host mind. Taking a deep breath he returned to the laborious task of breaking down the protection spells one by one.

Buffy had just returned from another mini patrol of the alley when Willow suddenly tensed and grimaced. Buffy put out her hand to stop her falling forwards and was relived when the young witch shook her head and sat upright again. However, the look of pain on her face remained and Willow clenched her hands tightly in her lap.

Buffy returned from checking the alleyway one more time and checked on Willow again. The witch still wore an expression of considerable pain and Buffy noticed sweat starting to form on her brow. Buffy reached out and wiped the sweat away from Willow’s eyes. She was surprised when Willow opened here eyes and focussed on Buffy. "Help me" Willow said quietly and held her hands out. Buffy nodded and grasped her hands in both of her own, taking a deep breath when Willow tightened her grip.

Giles felt the pain he was experiencing drop a little further and knew that Willow was channelling most of the punishing energy away from him. He didn’t have time, however, to worry about how she was coping with this as he was almost finished breaking down one of the protection spells surrounding the transfer procedure. He paused, knowing that he would have to move quickly and precisely once he had broken through as Bolak would only take a few seconds to realise what was happening and secure his defences again.

Angel checked his watch, surprised that an hour and a half had passed since Giles had started the process. He stood up and walked around Giles, going into the corridor and checking that they didn’t have any unexpected company. Satisfied that they were still alone in the warehouse he moved back to his chair and continued his silent vigil in the hope that Giles and Willow would be able to complete their task before they ran out of time.

Xander sighed and looked at Wesley again. "Why did we have to bring them out this far?"

Wesley kept his eyes on the road. "Because we want them to have a long, painful walk back to Sunnydale during which they can ponder their life choices"

Fraser turned round after checking on the captive nearest to him. "I think we should try to find somewhere soon, they are about to wake up"

Wesley nodded and pointed to a cluster of old farm buildings about a mile off of the road. "We should be able to use those buildings to unload them"

Xander mumbled again "About time" and flexed his fists. "We need to get back in case Willow or Giles needs our help"

Fraser looked up quickly and then turned his gaze onto Wesley. A sudden understanding lit up his eyes and he drew his breath in sharply. Wesley met his gaze in the rear view mirror and knew that the Doctor had seen through his motivation for the long drive. "Everything OK back there Doctor?" he asked quietly, praying that Fraser would think their position through before answering him. If the doctor gave him away now he knew Xander would leave him out here handcuffed to the cult members.

Fraser took his time answering him. He looked at Xander quickly and then back to Wesley. "Yes, everything’s fine, I’m just worried about the others"

Wesley silently blessed the fact that Giles had found someone so quick on the uptake to divulge their secret to. He pulled the van up next to the largest building and quickly jumped out to help the others unload the captives. During the process he found the opportunity to put his hand on Fraser’s shoulder and squeeze it gently, letting the doctor know that he appreciated his silence.

Giles took a deep breath and braced himself before removing the last thread in the flawed protection spell. As the spell broke down he quickly entered into the inner mind of the demon and began attacking with a ferocity that caused Bolak to recoil as if a flame-thrower had suddenly been introduced into the equation. However, the demon quickly tried to regroup, surprised by the resistance but still confident in his abilities.

Willow sensed the slight weakening in the demon’s attack and immediately threw all of her resources behind Giles’. The pain she had been channelling from Giles stopped and she let go of Buffy’s hands so quickly that the slayer stumbled backwards. Although she was getting tired she sensed that the end was near and drew inner strength that she immediately fed to Giles.

Angel sensed a change in the silent battle taking place in front of him and immediately became alert. Giles, who had been sitting with his head bowed, suddenly sat up and stared straight ahead. His fists clenched in his lap and an evil grin took over the pensive look on his face. Angel raised an eyebrow and knew that the Watcher was winning the battle, for now anyway.

Giles felt the tendrils of power from the demon slowly wither and slide from his brain. The power that he was receiving from Willow was more than he had ever felt before and he knew the demon had lost the foothold he had. He sensed an anger building within Bolak and had his defences ready even before the final onslaught began.

Buffy took a deep breath and gently massaged her fingers. Whatever strength Willow had needed before she had been happy to help, but she guessed that the witch and watcher were now in command of the situation. She watched as Willow took several deep breaths and a look of deep concentration fell over her face. Remembering their exposed situation Buffy decided that a quick check of the alley was called for and she set out, confident that Willow had the situation well in hand.

Bolak felt a rising panic as he felt his strength begin to fade. He had been without the resources of a host for too long and he couldn’t understand where the completely unexpected resistance was coming from. A part of his being quickly detached itself from the battle and reached out, trying to find any warm blooded host to allow him to escape and recoup.

Angel sensed the demon’s presence spreading throughout the room and readied himself for the final battle.

Giles knew that the demon was weakening and pressed his advantage, reclaiming all of the parts of his mind previously taken over. When the demon no longer had a presence within his mind he acknowledged Willow and checked that she was also free of any connection to Bolak. "I’m fine" he heard her say in his mind and smiled at her exultant spirit. He sent her a psychic kiss and broke the contact between them. After a deep breath at the loss of her power he opened his eyes and saw Angel, standing in front of him looking worried. "It’s over, he’s all yours" he managed before leaning back against the wall and fainting.

Willow smiled a little then slumped in Buffy’s arms, exhausted. Buffy shook her gently, "Will, are you OK, did we do it?" she asked, getting more exasperated at the lack of information.

Willow eventually shook her head to clear it and smiled up at the slayer. "Giles did it, Angel’s just clearing up the ectoplasmic goo"

"Way to go Will" Buffy shouted and put her hand up for a high five, quickly replacing it on the witch’s shoulder as she slumped forward again.

Bolak’s essence was floating in the middle of the room. It had been almost five hundred years since he had been without a host for any length of time and he knew that the situation was desperate. The last time he had resorted to the only other living thing within reach and had spent five years trapped within a mountain goat. Now even that ridiculous situation seemed a happy memory. Just when he had resigned himself to lying dormant and waiting for another cult to resurrect him he felt the tug of another demon nearby. Reaching out with his failing strength he made contact with the demon and asked for help.

Angel smiled slightly as his demon found the invisible essence of Bolak and persuaded it to show itself. As soon as the luminescence appeared Angel reached into his pocket and removed the small bag gingerly. Trying not to spill any of the contents he opened the top of the bag and concentrated on the glowing presence in front of him. When he was sure of its position he emptied the contents of the bag over the pulsing light. He dropped to his knees as the psychic scream from Bolak transmitted through his demon connection before stopping as abruptly as it had begun. The whitish light in front of him broke up into a thousand tiny points of light, each one of which winked out of existence in a blinding flash. After several seconds of silence he stood up and wiped his hands of the remainder of the powder. Gathering his jacket from the back of the chair he turned and picked Giles up.

Buffy was helping Willow to drink from a bottle of water when Angel appeared with Giles in his arms. For a heart stopping moment she thought the worst then grinned as Giles started to stir and Angel deposited him on the packing cases beside Willow. "Bad guy dusted?" Buffy asked and looked relieved when Angel smiled and nodded.

Willow raised herself up on one elbow and grimaced slightly. "Hey you" she murmured, using her free hand to push Giles’ hair off of his forehead. "We did it" she said quietly and leaned across to kiss him gently.

"Indeed" he smiled and traced her jaw with his left hand. "Are you alright?"

She grinned and stretched her back slightly. "A bit stiff but nothing that a lazy couple of days in bed won’t cure" she waggled her eyebrows.

He groaned and Buffy moved to his side. "Are you OK Giles?" she asked worriedly and helped him sit up.

"I’ll be fine, but I need you to promise me one thing" he asked and held her hand.

Buffy glanced anxiously at Willow and Angel. "Anything, you know that Giles" she whispered.

"I want you to promise me that nothing will disturb Willow and I for the next three days, even if you have to stand guard outside the apartment" he sighed and finally let himself smile.

Buffy looked incredulously between them and then dropped his hand in digust.

"You’re just paying me back for the Indian warrior fiasco" Buffy moaned as she lifted another bag of shopping from the boot of his car.