"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 we