6

"Giles is late," Willow said in study hall. "He's never late."

"He's allergic to late," Buffy said. "I know - he's probably busy planning my life some more. Between him and my mom, I'm lucky if I have a free moment. Do you think you could put in a good word for me and my free moments?"

Buffy had lied to her about where she'd been last night, had lied to Giles and her mom too. What was going on with her? But Willow couldn't keep her mind on that. She kept glancing at the door. "I'm starting to worry," she whispered. "He wasn't in the library this morning. What if something's happened to him?"

Miss Barton came in and stood in front of the class. She clapped her hands. "We're all stuck here, okay? So let's just sit quietly and pretend we're reading something, until we're really sure that old Commandant Snyder's gone. Then we're all outta here!"

At the table behind them, Xander said, "Does anyone else wanna marry Miss Barton?"

"Stand in line," Cordelia said.

"I don't like this," Willow told Buffy. "I'm gonna go call him as soon as Miss Barton lets us leave."

"I'm sure he's fine," Buffy said. "Maybe he just wasn't feeling well. Maybe he has a cold." But she looked worried too.

***

Willow hurried to his office and closed the door. She sat in his chair and dialed his number. She loved his office. She loved his chair, where he'd been sitting when they kissed for the first time, and where they'd kissed lots of times after that. She waited and waited for him to pick up the phone.

Then he did, and she could exhale. "Hello?"

"Giles? It's me. How come you aren't at school? I was worried."

"When are you coming over?" His voice, low and urgent, hit her like a jolt in the crotch. But something wasn't right.

"I...I can come over soon. After school. Though you know I wanted to study some more for the SATs. Are you okay? You were supposed to watch study hall."

"Was up late listening to music. I overslept. Tried to phone you, but I guess you'd already gone to school." He sounded...different. And yet he sounded the same.

"You were up late playing music?"

"Yeah, great stuff. Want to play it for you right now. Hang on."

"Giles?"

He'd set the phone down. A minute later she heard a record playing. "D'you hear it? I've played this for you, haven't I?"

He was cute when he was all enthused. "Yes, sweetie: Cream, 'Tales of Brave Ulysses,'" she said dutifully. "I like it."

"There's my girl. My girl has good taste. Listen to this bit - "

She listened to some swirly guitar. That would be Eric Clapton. Giles really had told her a lot about the music he'd loved when he was growing up.

Then she heard something else - a woman's voice. "Ripper, who's that on the phone?"

"Giles, is that...Buffy's mom? And why did she call you - "

"I'll explain when you get here. When are you coming over, love?"

"Buffy's mom doesn't know about us. Won't she be suspicious if I show up? And what's she doing there, anyway?" She had a flicker of - oh that was ridiculous. She couldn't be jealous of Buffy's mom. They were probably just discussing Buffy's schedule.

"Don't worry about that, darling. I'll take care of it." He'd called her darling a zillion times, yet now he pronounced it differently. It came out dolling, all jaunty and in a different accent. Why was he speaking differently? What the heck was going on? Lust and apprehension battled in her. It all amounted to the same thing.

"I'll be there soon, sweetie."

"Brilliant." She could almost hear his smile, fierce and intense.

***

"Who was that on the phone?" Joyce asked.

He lit a cigarette and bounced delightedly on his heels as Cream played. "That was my girl. She's coming over."

Her face crumpled. "I didn't know you were seein' somebody." She made no move to leave.

"We'll want to be alone, right? So piss off." Tears welled up in her eyes. Like she had any bloody claim on him. Just because her daughter was the Slayer.

"Gee, I can take a hint." Her voice trembled, but she still didn't get up off the sofa. "It's just fun hanging out with you, Ripper."

"Look, I told you - my girl's coming over."

"Somebody I know?" She was trying to sound nonchalant.

He wanted to say, Willow, Willow Rosenberg is my girl. But it was supposed to be this big secret. How fucking stupid that the thing he was proudest of in the world had to be a secret. "She's perfect, is what she is. She's perfect."

***

Willow had butterflies in her stomach as she knocked on his door. She heard music. He opened the door and stood there smiling, his eyes intent on her. He was wearing his new suspenders that she thought so sexy.

Hey now baby, went the Cream song on the stereo, get into my big black car.

"Come here, darling," he said, and let her in. Her heart began to pound. He caught her about the waist and bent to kiss her. He tasted like chocolate, but also...

She pulled back slightly. "Giles...are you smoking?" The room smelled of cigarettes, too.

He just smiled and kissed her again. She'd always heard that kissing a smoker was like kissing an ashtray, and that was accurate enough. Except this ashtray was a really good kisser. He was making her moan. He pulled her down on the rug. It was hard to remember anything was wrong. It was hard to remember anything at all when he was turning her to jelly.

"You're such a pretty little thing," he breathed between kisses. "My gorgeous girl. I fucking love you." He caressed her breasts through her sweater. "So soft...you're so soft..." He pulled her on top of him, and they kissed some more. She tugged down one of his suspenders. He was licking her neck, then sucking on it, hard, something he'd never done with her. She felt his teeth, and she cried out. It hurt and felt good. It felt different. "Giles, what's going on?"

"Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No, that was nice. I mean yes, it hurt a little, but...are you drunk or something?"

"No, although that's not a bad idea. Maybe later." He was kissing her again, his tongue in her mouth. Maybe she was just being silly. Living on the Hellmouth made you see weirdness where it wasn't. Maybe Giles acting this way was just a costume, like her slutty Halloween costume that got him so hot. He was undeniably getting her hot. He was hard beneath her, thrusting up against her, his hands on her ass. He reached beneath her skirt, pulled down her stockings and panties. She moved to one side so he could pull down his suspenders, unzip, remove his pants. She admired his erection, wet at the tip. "You like my cock, don't you?"

"I love it," she managed to say. She moved down his body and took him in her mouth. He gasped. He was hard and velvety and salty. She looked up at him - he was kingly, hands laced behind his head, watching her, his eyes heavy-lidded.

"Come here. I want to fuck you right now." She gave him a long lick, and he groaned. Then she slowly moved up his body, and he guided himself in, slid deep inside her. She moved on him, and he grunted and grabbed her ass. He smacked it lightly. He'd never done that before either. She kinda liked it. But why...why all the new all of a sudden? Was he going through a mid-life crisis or something? If so, maybe she ought to enjoy it. He smacked her a bit harder.

"God! Giles, do that again."

He laughed, and a grin slashed across his face. "My wicked girl." As he kept slapping her ass, she moved on him faster, rising and falling on his prick. "So good," he breathed. He put one hand on her hip to hold her in place, and put his thumb on her clit. "Going to make you come so hard."

She almost did, just from him saying it.

He put his hand under her sweater, pinched her nipple through her bra while he touched her between the legs. She ground against him. "Come for me, darling," he said, with something like a smirk, except his eyes were soft and delighted with her.

She moaned loud and long as she came, squeezing his cock hard. Then she collapsed on him, but he lifted her and set her on the rug on her hands and knees. He drove into her, and she gasped. "Love you so much," he muttered with wet breath against her ear. He smacked her ass again. "Love your gorgeous arse. Someday..." He shoved in harder. "Someday I'd like fuck your beautiful arse."

Her eyes flew open. They'd never done anything like that. They'd never even talked about it, though she'd wondered if maybe he'd done that with Ethan. "You would?"

"Only when you're ready, darling. Want you to love it." He moved faster, and she felt him grow bigger inside her. Suddenly she wanted it. Wanted to try everything, do everything with him.

"Yes, yes..." she whispered as he fucked her hard and fast. "Want to do everything with you..." With one deep thrust, he cried out and was still.

He rolled off her, and she moved into his arms. He stroked her hair. Nothing was different after all. He was her Giles, who loved her and wanted her.

He sat up and looked around the room. He got to his feet and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. "Giles...since when you do you smoke?"

He had a cigarette in his mouth, and he was poised with a lighter. "Does it really bother you, love?"

"Well, it's not good for you." Come on, that's hardly the issue, she thought. Something's up with him. You can't ignore it! But she was wet and sticky between the legs, and still feeling pretty relaxed there on the rug.

He smiled and put the cigarette back in the pack. "There, see? Is that better?"

She sat up, braced for what he was going to do next. "It's just that...well, you're not quite acting like yourself. Except, in some ways you completely are. It's hard to explain."

He was still grinning, still naked from the waist down as he knelt by a pile of LPs. The Cream record had long stopped playing. "Ah, I want you to hear this!" He put another LP on the turntable, then reached for his pants.

They cuddled on the sofa while Jimi Hendrix blared. She didn't think he'd ever played this record for her, but she had to admit, it was pretty good. Then he was kissing her again, and they made little moany sounds in counterpoint to Hendrix's guitar. Little Miss Lover, Hendrix sang, where have you been in this world for so long?, and Giles was down on the floor and spreading her legs. The music pounded around her, and his tongue lapped her, and she was panting and exhorting him and mostly forgetting that anything strange was going on.

The phone rang. Willow groaned, but Giles didn't lift his head. That was fine with her.

The answering machine clicked on. "Giles, are you there?" It was Buffy. "What did you do to my mother?"

"Giles!" Willow said. He mumbled something into her crotch. It vibrated against her clit, and she moaned.

Buffy was still ranting on the answering machine. Mustering all her self control, Willow slid off the couch and made for the phone. "Buffy?" It felt like she was rising through layers of sleep or from deep underwater.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Giles said, subsiding against the sofa.

"Willow! Is he there?"

She tried to slow down her breathing. She'd stood up so fast, she felt dizzy, and she sank onto the rug, phone in hand. "Yes, he's here. What's going on?"

"I get home from school, and my mother is crying. She keeps saying Ripper was mean to her, Ripper has a girlfriend."

Buffy's voice was still audible on the answering machine, and Giles rolled his eyes.

"Willow, what did he do to her?"

"Nothing, Buffy." She turned to Giles. "Nothing, right?"

He got up and sat beside her on the rug. "Of course not. Only girl I want to do things to is you." He nuzzled her neck.

"I so do not need to hear this!" Buffy said.

Giles took the phone. "Look, your mother invited herself over, supposedly to talk more about your schedule. Once she got here..." He looked puzzled. "Well, neither of us much felt like discussing your bloody schedule. I played her some music, that's all."

Suddenly the enormity of the weirdness hit her. She grabbed the phone. "Your mom has a crush on my boyfriend? She can't have him!"

"I think you're missing the big picture, Will."

Giles leaned in and kissed her neck. "You needn't worry, darling. You're the only one for me..." More kisses.

"Giles...I need to talk to Buffy for a minute."

He looked vaguely wounded. He got up and reached for the pack of cigarettes.

"Buffy, what's happening?" She turned off the answering machine. Giles was hunting through his albums. She lowered her voice. "He's been acting really strangely."

"I'm beginning to see a pattern here. My mom, Giles...and wasn't Miss Barton acting kinda weird in study hall?"

Willow heard Buffy's mom in the background. "I wanna go to the Bronze tonight. Maybe Ripper'll be there."

"Yikes," Willow said. "Do you think this could be a spell or something?" Giles put another record on the turntable.

"I think you guys should sit tight for the time being. Maybe Giles has some books there that might have some answers?"

"They're mostly at the library. But you're right - we better stay here. What are you gonna do?"

"I think Mom and I are going to the Bronze. I wanna see if this is more widespread. Maybe give me an idea of what we're dealing with."

Willow watched Giles smoking and bobbing his head to the music - Pink Floyd? "Sounds like a plan. Call us later, okay?"

When she hung up, he joined her on the rug, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "I thought you'd never get her off the phone. Spoiling our fun."

"Giles, I want you to listen to me. I think you might be under a spell or something. It's making you act different. Less...mature."

He laughed. "Isn't that a good thing? God, I'm sick of being so fucking responsible. I'm sick of being a Watcher." He stroked her hair. "I just want it to be us, Willow. The two of us, all the time."

"Oh..." She was touched, in spite of herself. "That's so sweet, baby." She'd never called him baby before, but right now it seemed to fit. "But the point is, I'm worried that something's wrong. That something might be hurting you."

"I feel fantastic." He lay down on his back. "You...and the music...everything's right." He took a drag of his cigarette. "Man, I gotta get a band together."

Oh boy. Willow started hunting for research materials, but none of the books she found were useful. Maybe later she'd chance them going to the library.

Several LPs, two chocolate bars, and a bunch of cigarettes later, Giles said, "Let's go out."

"Don't you think we should stay here? I...I should study for the SATs."

"You're a bloody genius, Willow. You'll do great." He took off his striped shirt. Man, he looked damn good in that white undershirt. "Let's go out and have some fun."

In spite of the weirdness, she found she wanted to, very much. "You want to go out? In public, with me? But what if someone sees us..."

"Why should we let your parents or the school or anybody tell us what to do? I don't care what anyone thinks. You're worth the risk."

"Wow..." Maybe she was under a spell, too.

***

They were actually walking together in the middle of town, their arms around each other. Of course they hadn't run into anyone yet. Willow was poised to leap out of his arms the second anyone appeared. Was she crazy? He could get fired, arrested, deported. He was under a spell. She needed to be the responsible one, and instead here she was, sauntering around in public with her arms around him, and it felt so good.

He was wearing jeans and that white T-shirt. She had the hottest boyfriend in town.

"This is nice," she said. "We shouldn't be doing this. But it's so nice."

He smiled fiercely. "I love you, Willow." He pushed her up against a wall next to some clothing store. He kissed her. They were full-on making out in public. They were going to get in so much trouble. She wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you so much," she said. That seemed to inflame him further. He was grinding against her. Then he sank to his knees.

"We were interrupted this afternoon." He kissed her skirt, right over the crotch. She giggled.

"Giles, come on. Someone's gonna see us."

He lifted her skirt and kissed her through her stockings and panties. He blew hot breath on her crotch.

"Oh, that feels good. But we have to stop...we'll get in trouble..." He rubbed her, and she moaned, tangled her fingers in his hair. She closed her eyes.

Then she heard footsteps. A man was standing right there, watching them. Not just a man - a policeman. She let out a squeak, and Giles looked up. He followed her gaze. "Evening, officer," he said with a sneer. "Enjoying the show?"

"Giles!" God, this was all her fault. She was supposed to be the responsible one, and now he was going to get arrested.

He got to his feet and faced the cop.

"You're under arrest for public...for public ind..." The cop couldn't seem to get the words out. "You know, that thing where two people are doing, you know, the kind of thing you two were doing." Great, Willow thought, he's under the same spell, or whatever it is.

Giles barked out a laugh. "I'm not going anywhere with you." He was grinning in a really scary way. It was turning her on. She was as bad as he was.

The cop aimed his gun at them, and Willow cowered. After years of fighting vampires, were they going to perish at the hands of a policeman?

Giles took a step toward the cop. "Ooh...copper's got a gun." He was jumping around, waving his arms. "You'll never use it, though."

"Will so."

"Giles, be careful!" Willow cried. The cop glanced at her, and the next thing she knew, Giles had grabbed the cop's hand that held the gun, head-butted him and knocked him unconscious. She stared slack-jawed.

He took the gun and stuck it in the back of his pants. "Told him he'd never use it."

She was appalled - and aroused. "Giles! Beating up policemen is not cool!" Although, granted, the cop was acting weird too, and she was glad Giles didn't get arrested. But still, violence - violence against a person, not a demon!

"Don't freak out, love. Don't you see, I'm not gonna let anyone get between us. Certainly not a fucking policeman. I'd do anything for you. I love you so much." He kissed her. "So much..."

Her arms went around him. "Oh, Ripper, I love you..." As they kissed, he eased her down onto the hood of the police car.

"Do anything to keep us together," he murmured. He pulled down her stockings and panties. He unzipped and thrust into her.

Okay, she thought, I'm having sex on the hood of a police car, with a policeman slumped on the ground nearby. Now I am officially a juvenile delinquent. She wrapped her legs around him.

After he shuddered into her, he half-rolled off her, and his hand went between her legs. She didn't think she'd be able to relax enough to come, but she'd been left hanging twice already today, and in spite of everything, when he whispered in her ear, "Come, darling," her orgasm finally caught up with her.

To her surprise, he mounted her again. "Want to fuck you all night," he grunted. She was getting pretty sore, but he felt so good inside her, his big body covering her, and she felt as wild as he was.

When they got down from the police car, the cop was gone. "Eeww," Willow said, "do you think he was watching us?" At least he'd been able to walk away, so hopefully Giles hadn't hurt him too badly.

They started walking, and she started remembering. Buffy had told her to stay put. Buffy was supposed to phone. Should she risk them going to the Bronze? They wandered aimlessly, hand in hand. Then there were people, grownups laughing and roughhousing and acting like kids. A couple of men were throwing candy bars at the crowd. Willow squeezed his hand, then regretfully let go. Then she saw Buffy.

"Willow! I thought you were going to stay home!"

"Sorry. He wanted to go out..." Her voice trailed off when she saw Buffy wasn't alone. Here was Buffy's mom and...Principal Snyder?

"The Bronze was really Fun City tonight," he enthused at her. "You shoulda been there!"

"Hi, Ripper," Joyce said, looking glum and come-hither at the same time.

Giles had just caught a candy bar and was tearing open the wrapper. Buffy grabbed it. "Oy!" he said. "Give it back!"

"You do not need more candy."

"I want it!" her mom said, but Buffy threw the chocolate to the ground and mushed it with her shoe. "We think it's the candy that's doing this," she told Willow. "I ran into Oz at the Bronze - I told him to call Xander and Cordelia and go research this thing at the library."

"I'd like a bit of 'research' myself," Giles said, and nudged Willow.

"Giles," Willow stage-whispered, widening her eyes at him.

"I think you better get him home, Will," Buffy said. "I know what Giles at sixteen was like...Bad-Magic-Hates-the-World-Ticking-Time-Bomb Guy."

"Aw, he's not so bad. He's kinda nice this way. Except for beating up policemen."

Buffy gaped. "Like I said, you better go home."

"You can't order me around," Giles said. "I'm your Watcher, so you do what I tell you. Now, sod off!"

"Don't talk to Buffy like that," Buffy's mom said, bridling in a very unmomlike way. "And where's your girlfriend, Ripper?"

He stared at her. "What are you on about? She's right - " Willow kicked him softly, and he turned. "Hey! Oh, right. Sorry."

"I bet you don't even have a girlfriend," Snyder said.

"I do so have a girlfriend! I have the best girlfriend in the world!" His eyes flicked towards her for just an instant. She couldn't help but smile.

Buffy's mom burst into tears.

"Wow," Snyder said. "You're a real heartbreaker. That's kinda cool."

"For crying out loud," Buffy said. "I can't babysit you anymore!" She turned to go, then turned back. "Not you, Will! Sorry! Just get him home, okay?" She marched off towards the loading dock and started beating up the guys who were giving away candy.

Giles grinned and headed towards the melee. Great.

They all wound up inside the building. It was full of those candy bars, and it smelled like chocolate. Then they saw him - a slender man talking on the telephone. "Ethan Rayne," Buffy said.

Giles stared at Ethan. Willow couldn't read his expression, but he stepped protectively in front of her. She felt a flash of jealousy towards the man who'd been so important to Giles - but it was hard to keep that up, what with being wet and swollen from all the sex they'd been having since afternoon.

"Ripper," he said, with an ironic little smile. He didn't even glance at Willow. She kinda wished he knew about them - even though it was best he didn't, because boy, could that guy make trouble. Ethan fled, and Buffy and Giles hotfooted after, with Willow trying to keep up.

Giles looked way too gleeful when Buffy punched Ethan. Willow couldn't help but feel glad too, but Ripper's violent streak was disconcerting. It would be a big relief when she got grownup Giles back.

***

After it was all over, and the babies were saved, and Giles was almost eaten by a big snake demon but wasn't, Willow went home with him. She wanted to make sure he was all right, and besides, her parents had eaten a bunch of the candy. She was too afraid to find out what they might be up to.

Back at his place, Giles stripped and got into bed. "Going to fuck you all night."

But when she joined him, he kissed her gently a few times and fell asleep cupping her breast. She watched over him. She hoped he'd be back to normal in the morning, but she loved him, grownup, teenage, whatever he was.

She considered studying some more for the SATs, but he was right - she was prepared. It would be best if she managed to sleep. She did.

***

When she woke in the morning, he was already awake, watching her with a worried expression, and she knew he was grownup again. Ripper had never looked worried, not for an instant, and she almost wished he could be that kid again, if it could take his cares away.

"How are you?" she asked.

He sighed. "Embarrassed, mostly. That you had to see me like that."

"With me, you were mostly the same. You were still good to me. You loved me."

He put his arms around her. "I do love you, Willow. So much. You're so precious to me. If I did anything to frighten or upset you..."

"Okay, beating up that cop, not your finest hour. But at least you didn't get arrested." He ducked his head, but she took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Giles, you don't need to protect me from that side of you. The things we did...the things we talked about doing...I'd still like to do them with you." She felt suddenly shy, incapable of saying: I liked it when you spanked me, when you bit me...and if you want to fuck my beautiful arse... "I want to do everything with you."

It took a few moments for that to register. His mouth opened slightly. "I don't want to be too rough."

"You weren't. You won't be. I trust you." She grinned. "Although I think you gave me a hickey."

He inspected her neck. "I'm afraid I did, sweetheart. A rather large one."

"I think I like that. I've never had a hickey before." It made her feel rather cheerful. She lay her head on his chest. "But I'm really glad you're your age again. Just think, you were always afraid I'd rather date a teenage boy. Now we know it isn't true."

"Not all teenage boys behave as badly as I did, Willow."

"The point is, I like you best the way you are right now. You're what I want, Mr. Grownup Guy."

He smiled. "You know, I think I believe you."

***

7

"This is intolerable," Giles said, and slammed shut the umpteenth book he'd perused. "There's not a word here about Lagos or the glove. We don't have time for this." He got to his feet and tossed the book on the table amid other useless volumes. "Just find out all you can about the demon - its strengths, its weaknesses, its places of origin, and most importantly, what it plans to do with this blasted glove."

Willow just stood there looking at him. Between her eyebrows was a perplexed crinkle he had the urge to kiss. But there was no time for that, either. Mrs. Post was going to report back to the Council on his ineptitude, his substandard library, his supposed American ways.

"Hey, you're not the Watcher of me," Xander said with a slight curl of his lip.

He had no patience for impudent jibes right now. "Then go home. But if you choose to stay, then work." Giles headed into the stacks.

A couple of minutes later, she joined him. "Hey," she murmured, with a little smile. She reached up and touched his jaw with a small, soothing hand.

"I'm sorry if I snapped at you just now. But I need to continue my research. I..." He let his protests trail off beneath her sweet, steady gaze, the delicious upward curve of her lips.

"Because of that mean Mrs. Post? You don't have to prove anything to her, or anyone."

"No?" He was faintly smiling now. How did she do that?

She shook her head, her smile broadening. He touched her cheek, then pulled her close and let out a breath he felt he'd been holding all day. "Better?" she murmured.

"Much."

"That's good." She let out a mournful little groan against his shoulder. "My eyes are all blurry from research."

"Oh, darling..." He held her at arms' length, then massaged her temples with his fingertips. She closed her eyes and moaned softly. There was nothing for it but to kiss her. Thoughts of Lagos, Mrs. Post, and the blasted glove receded mercifully to a tiny corner of his mind. This was so much better - Willow's mouth warm and wet and open, her hair sleek against his hand.

"Mmm," she said. "Okay, more research."

"Yes," he said, and kissed her again. "More research..."

She grinned up at him. "I mean actual research, Giles. We'll find out about Lagos and the glove yet."

He was grinning too. "You really are the woman of my dreams." The next book they found was the right one.

***

Xander took a well-deserved break and got a soda from the drink machine. It was late, and he was weary. And pissed off at Giles. What that guy really needed was the number of a qualified surgeon to remove the British flag from his butt.

As he walked back to the library, he thought better of it. That snooty Mrs. Post was giving Giles a rough time - no wonder he was short-tempered. They'd been at this for hours, but sometimes that's the way it worked. The answer could be right around the corner. How cool it would be if he were the one to come up with the scoop on this glove. He downed his drink, then climbed the stairs to the stacks and headed for the occult section.

In this case, however, what was right around the corner was not the answer to the glove mystery, but instead Willow and Giles, sitting on the floor, lost in each other. She was straddling him, and for a moment Xander thought they were actually having sex, the way they moved together, but no, she was wearing pants, so that was impossible.

Then they shifted, and he saw they both were fully clothed. And there was a hefty Giles hardon - something he really didn't need to see. At least now he knew why Willow liked the guy so much.

This was like a bad car wreck - he couldn't turn his eyes away. Only it was a really hot car wreck. He'd never seen kissing that looked so much like sex before. He and Cordelia had never kissed like that. These were the kisses of two people who knew each other in the Biblical sense. But that wasn't all. They were devouring each other, but it was somehow reverent. Not that any of this should have surprised him. He'd seen the way they looked at each other.

What surprised Xander was the jealousy that scalded him. Willow was his oldest friend. He'd thought somehow they would always be the ones who shared the secrets - secrets of the first grade, secrets of their screwed up families, secrets of who they'd always been. But he hadn't wanted this with her, hadn't wanted lips and bodies with her, because she was his best friend. How stupid that seemed now.

Now Giles had all the secrets, his tongue deep in her mouth, his hands cupping her breasts, which were small - but the way Giles touched them, Xander could tell they felt really good. He'd only been watching for a minute, but it felt like hours. He was getting more and more disturbed and yes, turned on, and it was so past time for him to get out of here. But as he backed away, he crashed into some shelves, and they turned.

"Hey guys," he said. He'd startled them, but when they saw who it was, they relaxed, looked hazily up at him. He shifted from foot to foot. "Don't you think you oughta save that for someplace more private? Seems kinda risky."

"This usually is private," Willow said, and blushed. She was already blushing, but she blushed more. She looked sexy in that blue see-through shirt with the sleeveless shirt underneath. He remembered how she hadn't let him kiss her.

They clambered to their feet. Giles was looking at him strangely. The look, if he translated correctly, meant: Stupid git, see what you could've had? But all he said was: "Xander, what do you want?" Rather crossly, as if he'd blundered into their bedroom instead of the stacks - which, apparently, was the same thing as far as they were concerned.

"Uh, I was gonna...do some more research about the glove," he said.

"You needn't bother. I've got what I need."

"I can see that," Xander said.

"No," Willow said with a breathless giggle. "He means, we found the glove info."

"What have you got?" Xander tried not to notice that Giles was still hard.

"The probable location of the Glove of Myhnegon," Giles said. "It's housed in the Von Hauptman family crypt." He touched Willow's shoulder, and she shivered. Jeez, they looked like they wanted to get back to it. This was freaky.

"That's the big one over at the Restfield cemetery," Xander said. "I'll go check it out."

"Yes," Giles said, "by all means, go."

Xander couldn't get out of there fast enough, but the image of the two of them writhing together on the floor wasn't easy to forget.

Until, a little later, it was eclipsed by the sight of Angel sticking his tongue down Buffy's throat.

***

"We know Angel is alive," Giles said. "Xander saw you with him. It would appear that you've been hiding him and that you lied to us."

Willow didn't think she'd ever been so angry. She tried to push the anger down. It hurt to be so mad at her best friend. "Nobody's here to blame you, Buffy," she said in a small voice. "But this is serious. You need help."

Everyone was talking - Giles, Buffy, Xander, Cordelia, Oz - and Willow could barely concentrate, what with the roaring in her head.

"You must've known it was wrong seeing Angel, or you wouldn't have hidden it from all of us," Giles said.

She stood before them with a stricken look. "I was going to tell you. It was just that, I didn't know why he came back. I wanted to wait." Her voice was hoarse, with an edge of desperation. "And since when are you and Willow the only ones who are allowed to keep secrets?"

Giles was silent, his jaw clenched. He's trying not to lose it, Willow thought. Then she lost it. "Buffy, it's not the same thing. We weren't hurting anyone. Angel killed people, and he tortured Giles. He tortured Giles, for hours, for fun!"

"Willow," Giles murmured, and put his hand on hers.

"How could you not tell us?" Willow cried. "We had a right to know."

Buffy's eyes widened. "But he's better now, I swear. He's the one that found the Glove of Myhnegon."

It was finally sinking in that Angel was back, and that frightened her. What if he hurt Giles again, or somebody else? She clutched Giles's hand. She was breathing really fast. Xander and Buffy were yelling at each other. Now Cordy was getting into the act.

"Giles..." she squeaked.

"That's enough," he said. "Now, Buffy understands our concerns, and her actions, no matter how ill-advised, can be understood. Our priority right now is to retrieve the Glove of Myhnegon and try to destroy it. Now, get back to your classes."

Willow knew he didn't mean her. The two of them went into his office, and he was about to shut the door - but Buffy had followed them.

"I know this is a lot to absorb," she said. "But Angel did find the glove, and that was a good - "

"Be quiet," Giles said. "You should've told me Angel was alive. You didn't. You have no respect for me, or the job I perform."

She felt bad for Buffy. Giles could be pretty stern when he wanted to be. But when she gave Willow a beseeching look, Willow said nothing. If she spoke, she was going to cry. Buffy looked like she wanted to say something, then seemed to give up. She turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

Willow threw her arms around him. "This is bad, Giles. We can't leave things like this. I can't."

He stroked her hair. "I know."

***

Buffy approached her at the lockers. "So on a scale of one to a million, how much are you hating me right now?" Willow tried to smile.

"Zero. You were scared, you kept a secret." She zipped her backpack closed. "The thing is, Buffy, I hate that I have to keep secrets. I'll be so glad when everything's out in the open. He and I...we've been together a whole year. That's a whole lotta lying. It feels lousy to have to lie - especially to lie to your friends. So I figure you must've felt lousy too." She slammed her locker shut. She felt kinda shaky, but it was a relief to try to work things out with her.

Buffy seemed to relax a bit, too. "You're right. I did feel lousy." She smiled slightly. "You know I care about Giles too, right? I want him to be safe. I want all of us to be safe."

"I know, Buffy." But the thought nagged in the back of her mind (or maybe not so far back) that Buffy could still be deluded where Angel was concerned.

***

"Good old Sunnydale library," Xander said. "Fully equipped with reference books, file cards, and weapons."

"Beauty," Faith said.

Xander had been pissed off all evening, and playing pool hadn't calmed him down. He'd viewed enough illicit smoochies to last him a lifetime, without even taking into account the fact he'd seen Buffy making out with a vicious killer.

So maybe he shouldn't have told Faith that Angel was alive. So maybe they'd egged each other on. "I call crossbow," he said.

"You got it." All the while a little voice in his head kept telling him: slow down, think this through. Maybe he was a little buzzed, being alone with another gorgeous Slayer, all dark lipstick and dark hair, breasts swelling beneath her red top.

Then he heard a faint moan, and for just an instant he thought: great, more illicit smoochies. But it wasn't that kind of moan. They found Giles unconscious on the floor of his office. "Giles, can you hear me?" No response. "What the hell happened?"

"Gee, let me guess," Faith said.

"Stop. Just think a minute. Oh god, Willow's gonna wig."

"Willow? Don't you mean Buffy?"

Panic was short-circuiting the wires in his head. He reached for the phone, dialed. "Right, Buffy. I meant Buffy. Not Willow."

Faith's hands were on her hips. "Right. I get the picture. Secrets all around, right?"

He couldn't stop to think about this, that he'd told Faith something she wasn't supposed to know. Willow was gonna kill him. Hell, Giles was gonna kill him - if he lived. "Yeah, I have a medical emergency. Sunnydale High."

"Screw this waiting crap," Faith said. "Point is, Buffy's ex-meat did this." Just what he needed, another obstinate Slayer in his life.

"It's not Angel's style." But he couldn't convince her, and she split. He waited, holding Giles's head. "Hold on, Giles," he said. "You gotta be okay. Willow loves you so much. Just hold on."

***

Willow and Buffy were jubilant when they walked into the library. Buffy had slain that Lagos demon in fine style, and they were feeling a lot more best friendy again.

"Giles is gonna be psyched that we showed up stuffy Mrs. Post," Buffy said.

Then they saw Giles on a gurney. Paramedics. Xander. "Causasian male, mid-forties," a paramedic said into her radio. "Blunt object head trauma..."

Willow ran to him. "Giles, what happened?"

"No time for this," the paramedic said. They started to wheel him away.

"Wait," Giles whispered. "Willow...dearest...you and Buffy..."

Buffy was at his side too. "What happened, Giles?"

"You must destroy the glove...use living flame..."

Willow knew she could figure out how to do that, but right now she didn't care. "I'm coming with you."

"You want him to live?" the paramedic asked. "Get out of the way."

"I'm coming with him!"

"Let's go."

In the ambulance, tears streamed down her face. "You're gonna be okay," she kept saying. "Sweetie, you're gonna be okay."

He looked up at her. "Darling...don't cry. Takes...more than...a bump on the head..." He lapsed into unconsciousness again. She kept thinking, we've been together a year, just a year. It's not enough.

She was full of pure panic. And something else - rage. Whoever did this (Angel, or whoever it was) was going to pay. She'd never felt such hatred before. But then he opened his eyes again, and gazed up into her face, and all that bad feeling just dissolved.

"I love you," she said, not caring whether the paramedic heard. Heck, the paramedic probably thought she was his daughter or something. She didn't care about that either.

***

"A little bump on the head? Have you any idea how many times I've been knocked unconscious?" He was in a hospital bed, and she held his hand. He had a concussion, a headache, and a bandage on his head, but the doctor said he was out of danger.

"You need a safer line of work, Mister."

"No one ever told me being a librarian was high-risk."

She giggled. "You know what I mean." She leaned over and kissed him softly. He reached up and drew her down for a longer kiss. "You must be feeling a lot better, sweetie."

"I'd feel better still if you'd get in this bed with me."

"That wouldn't exactly be stealthy of us."

"Sod stealth." He pulled her down again and kissed her.

"You're tempting me - but you're still weak. I don't want to kill you with pleasure."

He raised his eyebrows. "You're not making it sound less appealing."

"Well, we don't want the nurses walking in on us. I promise, when you're out of the hospital and not all concussed, I'll make it up to you."

Buffy had called and told her what had happened with Mrs. Post and the glove.

"I'm sorry I didn't do the living flame thing, Giles. I just couldn't think straight with you lying there all hurt. I needed to be with you."

"I understand. I'm glad you were with me."

She couldn't stop smiling at him. He was so beautiful, and he wasn't going away, and they would have a future together. He was pale and battered, but he still looked at her as if her presence made everything all right.

"Anyway, Angel already made some living flame, and Buffy said they destroyed the glove after Mrs. Post got burned up. I guess Angel's a good guy after all. At least right now, he is. It's a weird situation."

He nodded. "We'll have to see how that unfolds."

"Here we thought Angel was the one to worry about, when Mrs. Post was the bad guy. If she hadn't had a flamey death, I would've killed her myself."

His eyes narrowed. "Please don't say that."

"Why? If someone hurt me the way she hurt you, wouldn't you want to - "

"Yes, of course. I simply want better for you than that."

"Is this about the other Willow? I can't live my life trying to avoid whatever it is she did, especially since we don't even know what that was."

He grimaced slightly.

"Oh god - you're all concussed and I'm giving you a hard time. Maybe I'm a terrible person, Giles."

"You're the finest person I know." His green eyes on her were so loving, so unflinching.

"That's a lot to live up to. Sometimes I'm afraid I'll do something wrong, and you won't think I'm so great."

With a pained expression, he sat up a bit straighter in the bed. Then he turned that remarkable gaze on her again, clear and steadfast. "Willow, dearest - you know I've done terrible things, and you still love me. I would love you no matter what you did. I don't want you to have to carry the kind of burdens I have. It's not for me, love, it's for you."

She touched his face. "You're the one who's been hurt, and you're taking care of me."

"It gives me pleasure," he said with a smile.

"Oh, I love you..." She loved him so much, it hurt. Sometimes she was awed by his love for her. She vowed to be worthy of it.

***
8

"This is a nightmare," Willow said, clutching her SAT results. "My world is spinning." She wondered if her wild evening of police car sex with Giles the night before the SATs had resulted in these less than stellar scores.

"It's not that bad, Willow, really," Xander said as they walked across the lawn. Like every morning when she approached the high school building, her heart had a special little lilt, a Giles-lilt. It never went away, that excitement when she was going to see him. But today it was unfortunately dampened.

"740? Verbal?" she sputtered. "I'm...pathetic! Illiterate! I'm Cletus the slack-jawed yokel."

He waved his own SAT results. "And the fact that your 740 verbal closely resembles my combined scores in no way compromises your position as the village idiot."

They sat together on a bench - although Willow was eager to get to the library. But she didn't want to appear rude and ditch Xander. Besides, she wasn't done moping.

"Hey," he said, "here's something that'll make you feel better. I talked to Faith. And you know, swore her to secrecy about the stuff I let slip when Mrs. Post went postal on Giles."

She had to stop and take a deep breath. It still frightened her to remember Giles in that ambulance, barely able to stay conscious. It was definitely time to try that protection spell.

"That's...that's good. Did you call her?" Willow had been pretty cranky when Xander told her what he'd accidentally said to Faith about her and Giles. At first she'd thought maybe Buffy could talk to Faith, ask her to keep quiet - but Faith wasn't too thrilled with Buffy at the moment, what with Buffy beating her up during the whole Mrs. Post fiasco. And Willow didn't know how to talk to Faith, didn't know if she trusted her.

"Went by her place. She lives in this really crappy motel." Suddenly Xander looked nervous too.

"And you explained to her?"

"Yep. It's handled." He looked at his shoes.

"What did she say? She's not going to tell on us, is she?"

Xander gave a strange laugh. "Come on, who would she tell?"

"Xander - did she say she'd keep quiet?"

He gave her a sidelong look. "Put it this way. She gets that some secrets need to be...well, secret." He looked skittish, as if he wanted to jump up and dash across the lawn, knocking over book-carrying students along the way. What was up with him? Maybe the idea of her and Giles still made him uncomfortable. That would make sense, since he'd just caught them making out in the stacks and all. But she wished he'd be okay with them already.

Cordelia was walking towards them, and if anything, Xander looked even more nervous. "You guys get your scores?" she asked, and he leapt to his feet and jogged towards her.

Oh well, Willow thought - at least Faith was "handled." Whatever that meant.

***

"Buffy kicked ass on the SATs," she told Giles later that morning, when they were sitting alone at the library table. "She got 1430!"

"It's quite remarkable," he said.

She started to slump a little, thinking of her own scores. He smiled and touched her hand.

"Dearest, you did wonderfully. You're going to have a first-rate education. Not that that was ever in question."

"Not that it'll be difficult to get into UC Sunnydale."

He peered at her, his smile fading. "What are you talking about?"

"That's where I'm going, right? You'll be in Sunnydale, being Buffy's Watcher, so that's where I'll be too."

He shook his head. "What about Oxford and Cambridge? You'd talked of applying there. What about Harvard and Yale and..."

All of a sudden she felt awful, panicky, at the thought of being apart from him. "I'm not leaving you, Giles."

"You've already given up so much to be with me. I'm not going to allow you to give up your education as well."

"You're not going to allow me? You're my lover, not my Watcher." She suddenly realized she'd practically shouted it to the rooftops. "And yes, I said that a little too loudly, and it's a wonder everyone in this whole town doesn't know about us by now, but my position still stands."

He smiled again, leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "And as your lover, I only want you to have the best of everything."

"I will if I'm with you. And you give up things for me, you know. You're not going to that retreat, for example, and I know you wanted to."

He took off his glasses and set them on the table with a sigh. "I think of Breakers Woods as our place. We'll go again together, sometime soon. And I hardly think missing a retreat is the same thing as passing up the best universities."

"But when I turn eighteen, I want to spend more time with you, not go off to school and - what? Have a long-distance relationship? It's not like you can come with me, what with the Hellmouth and all, right?"

"What with Buffy's excellent SAT scores, she may want to go away to school as well. Possibly Faith could take over here for awhile, and the Council might appoint another Watcher for her."

"Hopefully one who's not all evil this time." She gave a little shiver. She made another mental note: protection spell. But then what he'd said sank in. "You're saying if I went away to school, you might be able to come with me?" The idea thrilled her. She and Giles, really together, and she at some amazing university. She was grinning from ear to ear.

He chuckled. "We don't know all the facts yet. But we'll figure it out."

"Promise? We'll be together?"

"Of course we will, dearest."

She gave a giddy laugh. "In that case, I'm applying to Oxford, and Cambridge, and Harvard, and Yale, and MIT, and..."

***

"I need a curse," Spike told the shopkeeper. "Something nasty. Boils. I wanna give him boils all over his face. You know, dripping pustules. Let's really go for the gusto here."

"I'm hearing a lot of negative energy, and I bet - "

"Leprosy! All right, a spell that makes his parts fall off. That sounds proper." Would serve Angel right for poisoning Dru's mind against him.

"We don't carry leprosy," she said, just as the front door jingled, and she went to help another customer, a red-haired girl. Spike was tempted to storm off and drink some more - a lot more. But maybe he could drain these two first.

"I need some supplies for a spell," the girl said. "It's for my boyfriend." Then he recognized her. One of the Slayer's pals. Looking rather fetching in a fuzzy pink sweater with lilac underneath.

"A love spell," the shopkeeper said. "Something to make him yours forever and ever?"

The girl smiled. "I don't need think I need magic for that."

Don't be so sure, sweetheart, he thought. You can be with someone a hundred years, and you think it'll last, and then she rips your heart out - unfortunately only metaphorically.

"He's in a risky line of work, and he got hurt recently. I wanna do a protection spell for him."

As the woman gathered roots and herbs for the girl, Spike remembered how Angelus had tortured Giles, and how the Watcher had gone on and on about this girl, Willow. Later, when Spike got Dru out of Sunnydale, once she finished being furious at him (he thought), she told him about her little game with the Watcher, what she'd seen in his head. "He loves the powerful little girl."

"Who, the Slayer?" he'd asked. "Thought he loved the other one, that Willow he kept nattering on about."

"That's right, the powerful little girl. She's more powerful than the Slayer."

"Really."

As Spike watched the girl pay for her magical supplies, it all made sense. She was a witch. And if she were that powerful, maybe...

After she left, Spike drained the shopkeeper. He felt better already. Dru might have left him, but she was still helping him with her visions. This powerful little girl would help him get Dru back.

***

Giles was going through some boxes of new acquisitions - musty old mystical texts, mostly. It was one of his favorite tasks, and there were some excellent volumes. Even Mrs. Post wouldn't have looked down her nose at these. Amazing, that even after the woman nearly killed him, he should still think of her insults.

Much as he enjoyed the task at hand, he wondered what was keeping Willow. He'd thought she might like to look through the new books with him, but after school, she'd come into the library and told him she was going to the magic shop, and that afterwards she'd be in the science lab. "I'll come get you when I'm finished," she'd said. They were to spend the evening together, and he found he was impatient for her to come through the library doors again.

Besides which, it occurred to him that she hadn't told him what spell she was working on. He'd been a bit distracted by the books, and perhaps she'd taken advantage of that. He trusted her - but sometimes he worried. He knew how easy it was to be led astray by the dark arts, as witness Mrs. Post, not to mention his own bad example as a youth.

The next thing he knew, he was walking down the hall and opening the door to the science room.

Willow was throwing herbs into a bubbling beaker. "Giles, I told you I was gonna come get you when I was done. I'm kinda in the middle of things." The room smelled pungent.

He scrutinized the bags of herbs and roots on the counter. "What are you conjuring, sweetheart?"

"Oh...it's nothing." She gazed worriedly at her concoction.

"Why don't you want me to know what it is?"

She tossed a few more herbs into the mixture and distractedly said: "It's not because it's dangerous or advanced or anything..."

"Then what?"

She let out an exasperated sigh and turned off the Bunsen burner. She drew herself up indignantly. "I was making you a protection spell, but since you know about it, it's not gonna work."

Now he felt decidedly stupid - yet pleased. "It was for me?"

"Yes...fat lot of good it'll do now."

"Sorry." He looked at the ruined potion, then back at her. "That was very sweet of you."

"Giles, you need to trust me on this stuff, and not be all overprotective."

"You're making me a protection spell, Willow - who's being overprotective?"

"Oh. Good point. I guess we're both overprotective sometimes." She grinned up at him. "Wanna kiss and make up?"

"We weren't really fighting, but I'll take any excuse." He took her in his arms. Thank god she seemed unable to get terribly angry with him, even when he behaved foolishly. She kissed him so sweetly, her arms around his neck. He caressed the small of her back through her soft pink sweater. They were still kissing when a sound - a sob? - startled them apart. An unfortunately familiar figure stood before them.

"Isn't that sweet," Spike said. Remarkably, he had tears in his eyes.

"Oh, this isn't good," Willow said.

"Spike," Giles said, and realized he had neither stakes, crosses, nor holy water on his person. In the library, yes, but not here. Likely, neither did Willow. She grabbed his hand and held on tight.

"I will say this, the two of you are loyal." He gave a shaky laugh and staggered a bit. Spike was...drunk? "You know, he couldn't stop talking about you the whole time Angelus was torturing him. Worrying about your safety and all. And here you are, still together, unlike...some..." His voice shook. "God, I'm so unhappy!" He slumped against one of the tables and started to cry.

Willow sent Giles an incredulous glance. At this rate, they might be able to slip past him, he was so wrapped up in his grief.

"How could she leave me?" Spike wept. "It's all Angelus's fault."

"There, there," Willow said.

Giles shot her a look. "Willow!"

"I can't help it - I feel sorry for him. I know how I'd feel if you ever left me."

"You know that's never going to happen."

Spike looked abjectly at them. "Rub it in, why don't you?" He stalked closer. "I need to borrow the little girl. She's gonna do a love spell for me."

Giles stepped in front of her. "That's never going to happen."

"I'll bring her back safe and sound when the spell works. Don't forget, you owe me. I helped to save your life, you know."

"So I'm supposed to put Willow in harm's way? You think that's a fair exchange?" He was braced for Spike's attack - but instead, Spike drooped visibly.

"I just want Drusilla to love me again. Surely you can understand that. The witch understands."

"I'm not really a witch," Willow ventured. "Not yet."

"But Dru said...never mind. Maybe that's yet to come. She's a wonder that way, my Dru. God, Dru..."

He really was pathetic. Love had laid him low. Giles almost felt sorry for him as well - even though his lost love was that insane Drusilla, who'd tricked Giles with a mirage of Willow after Angel tortured him. Still, he remembered how he'd felt when Willow was under that Xander-loving spell. He'd gotten drunk too. But just as Giles was beginning to feel like he ought to offer the fellow some Scotch, Spike's demon face emerged, reminding Giles that he wasn't a fellow at all.

"You can make her mine again!" Spike roared, and lunged at them. To Giles's surprise, Willow had a flask of holy water in her hand, and she pretty well doused the hapless vampire. Spike let out a piteous yowl and staggered back.

Giles hefted a microscope off the table. He poised to swing it if Spike came closer. "Now get the hell out of here," he muttered, "or we're going to kill you right now." It was something of a bluff, but in Spike's weakened state, it might prove effective.

His face reverted to human form. "You're both so lucky, it chokes me to look at you."

"Go," Giles said.

Spike smiled slightly. "You love her? Try to hold on to her." He turned and was gone.

"Oh wow," Willow said. Now that Spike had gone, she shook like a leaf, and he put his arms around her. "I was so scared."

"Darling, you saved us both. But do you ordinarily carry holy water with you at school?"

She shook her head. "I was tinkering with the protection spell. I thought I'd toss in some holy water to add a little anti-vampire kick to it."

"Very clever."

"And see, you could've really used that protection spell, Giles." She hugged him tightly.

"I think you'll find there's another variety of the spell, in which the subject may know about it without breaking it."

"Ooh, really? I'll look it up!" But she just squeezed him tighter and pressed her face into his shoulder.

"Dearest, we'd better call Buffy to let her know Spike's in town. And then, let's go home."

She raised her face, and he kissed her. Make no mistake, he was a lucky man - luckier than most.

***

"Oh, great," Buffy said when Giles told her Spike was back in town. "Just what I need." But no confrontation ever occurred. Apparently Spike had left town.

"I wonder if he'll get Drusilla back?" Willow asked one night when they lay in each other's arms in his bed.

"I imagine he'll try," he murmured, stroking her hair.

"I do feel bad for him, Giles. Even though he's all 'grrr' and all."

"I know." Oddly enough, Giles hoped Spike would find what he was looking for.

***

9

When Giles opened the door, she stood there wearing a red dress he'd never seen on her. It was rather more low-cut than she usually wore, and made of a thin velvety material. "Hi, sweetie." Her smile made her glow.

"Come in, darling. Willow, you look so lovely." But when he'd closed the door and moved towards her, she said, "Wait, wait!" She rummaged around in her backpack and pulled out a sprig of mistletoe. She stood on tiptoe, tried to hold the sprig high above their heads.

How he loved her. He pulled her to him and kissed her.

Soon they were ensconced on the couch, the mistletoe forgotten on the living room table. They would make love, assuredly they would, but it was luxurious to kiss slowly and at length, unhurried. The time they had alone together - her parents out of town - stretched before them like the best Christmas present imaginable.

It had been a rather trying holiday season, ever since Angel had appeared on his doorstep, asking him of all people for help. He and Willow had spent rather a lot of their vacation in the library with Buffy and Xander, researching Angel's predicament. Buffy insisted she and Angel were only friends, but it was difficult not to dwell on the fact that the safety of all of them hinged on Buffy not giving in to her feelings for her former lover. It disquieted him more than he wanted to admit, and it brought back memories of his torture at Angel's hands.

Still, when he'd looked up from the volume he was perusing at his desk, turned and saw Willow asleep in the other chair, book in her lap, such tenderness filled him, there was no room left for fear. He'd watched her sleep, and wondered anew at such grace, at what they shared.

And now, as they kissed on the couch, she massaged the back of his head with her fingertips, making him shiver. No one could touch him the way she did, her hands gentle and unerring. She made sweet little sighing sounds as they kissed, as he caressed her legs. "I love you," he whispered, drawing her closer.

She smiled softly into his eyes. "I love you, Giles." She kissed him again, her tongue slipping into his mouth.

But just as he slid his hand between her legs, making her gasp, there was a knock at the door. An urgent knock - was there any other kind these days?

Neither of them pulled away immediately. Then they did, regretfully, breathing hard. He got up and opened the door. It was Buffy. "Giles, we have to do something. Soon. Now."

"I'm still not sure what," he said.

She barged right past him. Then she saw Willow, smoothing down her skirt and trying to look calm, cool and collected though her face had a tell-tale blush to it. Buffy stopped short. "Sorry, guys...you're celebrating Christmas Eve together. Or, I mean...Hanukkah Eve?" She gave Willow a rueful smile. "You look nice, by the way. That's a pretty dress."

Willow grinned then. "Thanks." He could tell she was a little irked they'd been interrupted, but she hid it well. "So what's going on with Angel?"

"He slipping, Will. I think we're losing him."

So they resumed their research, until something he read aloud about the First's Harbingers caused Buffy to speculate that they might be found at a local Christmas tree lot, and she made for the door.

"Be careful," he told her.

"Call and let us know you're okay, Buff."

"I will!"

Now Giles was thoroughly tense. He smiled faintly at Willow. "You must be hungry. I'll make us some supper."

"In a minute. Come here." He sat beside her on the couch, and she began to knead his shoulders. "I know how rough this is for you, Giles." Her fingers dug in deeper, and he groaned. "It's scary for me too. It's scary to think that Angel might..."

"Shh. That feels so good, Willow."

He felt her lips against his ear. "Everything's gonna be okay," she whispered. Then her wet mouth was on his neck. He turned around, seized her, kissed her hard.

They made love sitting on the couch, she on his lap. She still wore her pretty red dress, and she kissed him deeply and ground against him. After she cried out and collapsed onto him, he fucked her with quick, hard thrusts and followed her over.

Then he did make supper, and they attempted more research on the First Evil, but there wasn't much to be found. He was still on edge about Buffy, out there somewhere, trying to battle the absolute evil on behalf of Angel.

Neither of them wanted to go to bed before they'd heard from her, though it was quite late. They were drowsing in each other's arms on the sofa, when he gave a start and woke fully. His glasses were precariously perched on the tip of his nose, and he righted them. He got up to get a drink of water - but on his way to the kitchen, he looked out the window and saw white flakes drifting down. "Good Lord."

"Wha...?" He turned to see Willow lifting her head with apparent effort. "What is it, Giles?"

He looked out the window again, as if it had been a dream. "It's snowing."

"Really?" She got up and joined him at the window. "Let's go see!" She was positively gleeful.

They went outside and stood there as the flakes came down. Willow gave a shiver, and he put his arms around her. "Real snow and everything," she said. "I've never seen real snow before. This is the best Hanukkah ever!"

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Just think, Giles...maybe next Christmas we'll live someplace where it snows in the winter. I mean, where it normally does. Maybe I'll be going to school somewhere with regular seasons, and you'll be with me." She held onto him harder then, as if seeking reassurance.

"I'll be with you," he whispered against her hair. "It doesn't much matter to me where we live, so long as we're together."

***

When she woke later that morning in Giles's bed, Willow felt excited and happy - exactly like a kid on Christmas morning, even though she wasn't supposed to get the Christmas spirit. But here she was, with the man she loved asleep beside her, and she couldn't wait to give him his presents, and it had even snowed and everything. She snuggled into his side and breathed in his scent, all sleep-warmed and comforting. Then he stirred, opened his eyes, and smiled. He always did that, whenever they spent the night together. When he opened his eyes and saw her, he smiled so joyfully, as if he couldn't believe his good fortune to find her there.

"Merry Christmas," she said, and leaned over to kiss his mouth.

"Happy Christmas, Willow. And Happy Hanukkah too, of course."

She bounced a little. "Let's open presents!"

"I'd rather stay in bed awhile. We were up so late..." Buffy had phoned sometime after the snow started, to let them know she and Angel were okay and that the snow was because of him somehow.

"Well, I guess we could wait a bit," Willow said. "This is awfully comfy..." So they lazed in bed awhile, until she could wait no longer. Finally they sat cross-legged on the bed, she in her PJs, he in a robe, with the gifts - two small packages from her, and one large heavy one from him.

Giles unwrapped one of the small gifts, and opened the box. "Suspenders?" They were moss green.

"Do you like them? I admit it's a kinda selfish gift on my part - you look so gorgeous and sexy wearing suspenders."

He smiled and kissed her. "In that case, I like them very much, and will wear them often." The other package contained a small, sweet-smelling bundle. "I take it this is my protection spell?" He lifted it to his nose. "But it smells much more pleasant than protection spells usually do."

"I added lavender. Makes it less smelly."

"Thank you, darling." He kissed her again, and then they started to get a little sidetracked. He pulled away. "You haven't opened your present yet."

She fought the urge to make a joke about unwrapping him, and began to open her gift. When she saw the dark blue box containing two thick volumes, her eyes widened. "Giles! The Oxford English Dictionary? You gave me the Shorter OED!" She admired the two books nestled in their case, and opened the little drawer at the top that held a magnifying glass. "Giles, I love it." She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, then kissed him resoundingly.

She pulled one of the books from the case and took out the magnifying glass. "I know what I want to look up first." She flipped through the book, and gave a little jump when she found the word: "Watcher!" She perused the definitions with the aid of the magnifying glass. "'One who watches or keeps watch.' It doesn't mention Slayers anywhere."

"It's rather a good thing one cannot simply open up the dictionary and read about the Council of Watchers," he observed.

"Oh, here's another definition: 'One who keeps awake at night.'" She grinned at him. "Well, that's true enough." She scooted back on the bed, sat up against headboard and pillows, and read aloud: "'Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken.' That's Keats." Delighted with her gift, she recited more quotations that used the word watcher.

Giles stretched out beside her on the bed. He began to kiss her neck. She turned and leaned towards him - but he smiled slightly and shook his head. "Keep reading."

A bit puzzled, she turned back to the book and found her place. Her heart pounding, she read to him: "'She kneel'd, A faded watcher through the weary night...In deep perpetual prayer for him she loved...'" While she read, he kissed her neck, licked it and sucked on it. She gave a sigh and closed her eyes. He stopped.

"No, dearest," he said, softly but precisely. "Keep reading."

She sent him a dubious glance. He was smiling.

"You're being very silly, Giles, but okay..." She started reading again. This time his hand closed over a pajama-covered breast, his fingers playing with her nipple. Her voice grew breathy as she read quotes by Dickens and H.G. Wells. She was no longer sure if the words made any sense, only that she had to keep reading so he wouldn't stop. But when his other hand stole between her legs, she moaned and fell silent.

He took his hands away. She let out an outraged groan and glared at him. All the blood in her body was surging into her crotch - how could she read?

"Keep reading."

So she did. He moved down the bed, pulled off her gray pajama bottoms, and began to kiss and lick her. She finished the watcher quotes, and started in on the definition of watchet: "'A light blue color...cloth or garments of this color...'" Her eyes threatened to unfocus, and her reading was full of gasps and sighs. Her hips were moving now, and she wanted so much to let go of the heavy book and the magnifying glass so she could grab his head and push it into her, fuck his mouth. She squirmed and wriggled beneath his tongue, his fingers. Her voice kept blathering on about the watchet, the light blue color, the cloth or whatever the heck it was, it didn't matter so long as he never stopped, never stopped...

Her voice trailed off into a long, loud moan as she came hard against his mouth, clenching around his fingers, as she let the book and magnifying glass drop.

Then he was tearing off his robe and boxers, and lifting her pajama top over her head, and then he was on her, in her. She ran her hands over his sleek, hot back as he took her hard and fast, his cock deep inside her.

Afterwards they rested together. "You know, someday I'm going to do that to you," she murmured against his chest. "Maybe I'll make you translate Sumerian while I'm kissing and licking you, and I'll stop every time you stop talking. See how you like it."

His chuckle rumbled against her ear. "Is that a promise?"

They stayed in bed a long time, making love and talking and sleeping. Well into the afternoon, Willow woke up and began to feel hungry, but she didn't want to wake Giles - he looked so peaceful, so happy. It filled her up with love to look at him. Slowly, so as not to wake him, she leaned down and found her Christmas present on the floor. She opened the other volume of the OED and silently read the definitions of love.

***

10

"Can you believe this crowd?" Buffy asked. They were at City Hall, amid possibly the entire population of Sunnydale. "This is great. Maybe we could all go patrolling together later." Some of the concerned citizens carried candles, as well as signs with the slogan "NEVER AGAIN!" below a photograph of the murdered children.

"At least your mom's making an effort," Willow said. "My mom's probably..." Her eyes widened. "Standing right in front of me right this second."

A jolt of adrenaline went through Giles as the rather plain woman made for them. Amazingly enough, this was the first time since he and Willow had become lovers that he'd come face to face with Sheila Rosenberg, the woman he regarded as his future mother-in-law, despite the fact he was probably older than her.

"Willow, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Oh, hi Bunny."

Willow sent Giles the most imperceptible of glances. It said: do you see what I have to deal with? Giles wished he could put his arms around her, tell her she deserved so much better.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I read about it in the paper, and what with your dad out of town..." Her eyes fastened on her daughter. "Willow, you cut off your hair! That's a new look."

"Yeah, it's just a sudden whim I had...in August."

September, Giles thought. She cut her hair in September, just before school started, and they'd spent the afternoon in bed. His face flushed. Yes, Mrs. Rosenberg, I'm the school librarian who deflowered your daughter.

Just then, Joyce Summers joined them, and she and Sheila greeted each other cordially. Then Sheila turned to him. "There's a rumor going around, Mr. Giles."

For a few horrified moments, Giles thought the jig was up. "Rumor, about...?" He looked at Willow, who fixed wide eyes on him. No, it couldn't be that, could it? "About what?"

"About witches. People calling themselves witches are responsible for this brutal crime."

Ah - she only wanted to talk about murder and mayhem. That was a relief. "Indeed," he said. "How strange."

Willow gave a laugh. "Yes! Strange! Witches!" She made a blustery little "Pfft!" sound with her lips. He couldn't help but smile.

"Well, actually, not that strange," Sheila said. "I recently co-authored a paper about the rise of mysticism among adolescents, and I was shocked at the statistical..." Clearly Willow did not take after her mother. Where Willow glowed, full of life, her mother was cold and humorless, her mouth a thin line.

Luckily the meeting began, cutting off her pretentious babble. The way she treated Willow made him so angry. If he were Willow's parent - well, that was a most disturbing thought, and he let it drop.

The Mayor began his speech, but Giles was distracted by his beloved's proximity. She stood in front of him and slightly to the side - so close he could smell her hair, with its note of sweetness, as well as the slightly herbal scent that often clung to her now, what with her practice of witchcraft. She wore a very short skirt, and it was torture to be this close and unable to touch her. He was getting an erection, as if his prick were trying to reach out to her.

Her mother stood on the other side of Giles, though not as close as Willow. Yes, Mrs. Rosenberg, he thought, I'm the man who buggered your underage daughter a couple of nights ago. Don't worry - she quite enjoyed it. It had been the first time they'd tried it, and at first she had been tense and nervous - but she insisted she wanted it. When they got down to it, she face down on the bed, he sliding in and out of her beautiful arse, his fingers rubbing her clit, she'd groaned so loudly that he'd become alarmed and stopped moving. "Am I hurting you?"

She'd pushed her arse up. "No...god...please don't stop!" He'd resumed his slow rocking into her, his fingers touching her, and she'd writhed under him and moaned gutturally. "Giles...it's so good," she'd gasped, as if she couldn't believe anything could feel so wonderful.

He'd leaned forward and kissed her silken shoulder. "Love you so," he'd breathed.

After her clearly shattering orgasm, and his, she'd nestled in his arms and gazed at him in amazement, and told him how much she loved him, and he'd marveled at how it was always new between them, how there would always be new ways to love each other.

Oh, wonderful. Now he had a sizeable erection. Luckily everyone was focused on the Mayor, and the people in front of him blocked a view of his bulging trousers. Willow, though, glanced back at him, and her eyes flicked downward. She sent him an enticing smile that was half youthful pride at arousing him, half sultry desire, as if she wanted to unzip him right there - and his prick strained against his pants. He glanced over at Sheila, obliviously watching the Mayor. He began to wonder how long this meeting would go on, and if Sheila would take Willow home afterwards, or if he could still take her back to his place as they'd planned.

Just then Joyce took the podium, and things took a disturbing turn. "This isn't our town anymore," she said. "It belongs to the monsters and the witches and the Slayers." Giles stopped thinking (for a little while) about when he'd be able to get his beautiful lover alone.

***

"I can't believe Buffy's mom said that," Willow said, running her nails lightly over his thigh.

"Yes, it was quite a bombshell." He tried to focus on the road. "And did you wear that short skirt to drive me insane?"

She giggled. "Did it work?"

"You know it did." He stopped at a red light and caressed her legs. "Wanted to lift your skirt and fuck you right there in front of everyone."

Her mouth made an astonished O. "In front of my mother and the Mayor?" She grinned.

"Your mother wouldn't have noticed."

"Good point," she said a bit wistfully. "But sex with an underage girl in front of the Mayor? Probably not the best way to avoid getting arrested."

"True." The light turned green.

"And Buffy would've been scarred for life."

He laughed. "I love you. I want everyone to know that."

"I feel the same way, Giles."

***

When they were spent and sweaty in his bed, they were more able to concentrate on what had happened at City Hall. "That's weird what my mom said about witches. You don't think witches killed those children, do you?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. The symbol Buffy saw on the children's hands...my research keeps bringing me back to European Wiccan covens."

"That doesn't make any sense. The symbol's harmless - the kind of thing you use for a protection spell, not to hurt people. But hey, that reminds me. There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

A worried line appeared between her brows, and he brought his face close to hers, looked into her enormous eyes. "That sounds ominous."

"It's really not." She smiled a little and kissed him. "It's just that Amy asked me if I wanted to hang out with her and Michael - to do some spells. She knows I'm interested in that sort of thing."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I'm doing an independent study where witchcraft is concerned."

"I'm relieved to hear it." He rolled onto his back and hugged her to him.

"I knew you would be. But I think she was insulted, or maybe she thought I didn't want to share my spells with her. I felt kinda bad. Besides, she's way more advanced than me. I could learn from her. But I don't trust her, since she - or that older Amy - teamed up with Ethan Rayne and all."

"Let's not forget the love spell she did that made you fall in love with Xander."

She cupped the side of his face, smiled softly up at him. "Oh, sweetie, you're not still all traumatized about that, are you? The point is, I may not be able to trust her - but I feel like I owe her in some way. And even Ethan Rayne. Even though they didn't have good intentions. Because of what they did, we're together now."

"Be that as it may...hers is not the kind of magic you want to learn, advanced though she may be." He stroked her hair, and silently thanked them, that other Ethan and Amy who had inadvertently changed his life so much for the better.

When he drove her home, he felt especially wretched to leave her at that house, where Sheila Rosenberg didn't appreciate her, didn't see what a miraculous young woman she was. "I love you," he told her again and again in the car when he parked a block away from her home. "You deserve so much, Willow." He kissed her.

She smiled. "I have so much. I have you."

***

It had not been a good day. First the police had confiscated the magic stuff she had in her locker, and she got sent to Snyder's office. When she got out, Giles was beside himself - the cops had taken all his books on the occult.

Now she was home, and her mom gingerly picked up a bag of hellebore and peered at it, as she told Willow what a typical adolescent she was. Maybe parental neglect was better after all.

"I'm not an age group. I'm me. Willow group."

"Oh, honey..." Her mom put down the bag of herbs and sat next to her on the couch. "I understand."

"No, you don't. Mom, this may be hard for you to accept, but I can do stuff. Nothing bad or dangerous, but I can do spells."

Her mother told her she was delusional, and actually grounded her. Damn, and she'd wanted to go visit Giles tonight. She should've gone straight to his place after school. He saw her for who she was. He loved and respected her. And she had friends who loved and respected her. Why should it matter if her mom didn't? But damn, why didn't she?

"You're upset, I hear you..." her mother said.

Willow leapt to her feet. "No, Ma, hear this! I'm a rebel. I'm having a rebellion!"

"Willow, honey, you don't need to act out like this to prove your specialness."

"Mom, I'm not acting out. I'm a witch! I can make pencils float. And I can summon the four elements. Okay, two, but four soon." Her mother kept looking at her with that bland, impassive gaze. Apparently she didn't take anything Willow said seriously. Suddenly what she wanted most was to get a rise out of her. "And I'm dating an older man!"

"Oh, Willow."

Great, that was the one thing she really seemed to hear. She imagined telling Giles: Guess what? You've been fired/deported/arrested, all because I had to prove something to my mother. This was very bad. "Satan!" she squeaked.

"What?"

"I'm dating Satan. That's...the older guy I'm dating. You know, Beelzebub. Well, dating him, worshipping him - pretty much the same thing."

Her mother rolled her eyes. Whew, good save. Eventually she'd find out Satan was a smokescreen - but only after her eighteenth birthday.

***

"I tried to call you at home, baby. What are you still doing at the library without any books?"

He closed his eyes and let her sweet voice caress him, tried to pretend it was her lips against his ear instead of the black phone receiver. "I've been trying to do some online research, but without you, I'm hopeless."

She laughed softly. "Oh, sweetie...I'd come right over if I could. I'm not even supposed to be on the phone."

"I hope you're not grounded for very long, darling." Blasted woman, he thought. How dare she get in our way?

"But hey, I could help you from this end. You can link up to my laptop."

That sounded vaguely dirty - or perhaps it was not being able to be with her that made him long for her so fiercely. They'd made love last night, but he craved her. He was about to tell her what he was going to do to her in the stacks tomorrow, but he reminded himself that her mother might discover she was using the phone, so time was of the essence. "We are talking about computers, Willow. Do you really think you can explain it so I'll understand?"

"You're the smartest person I know, Giles."

When Xander and Cordelia came into the library a bit later, they found him conducting research on the Internet, with Willow's aid. "You and Willow having cybersex?" Xander asked. "Shame on you."

"Very funny," Giles said. "Look at this."

Buffy came in soon after, and they all crowded around the computer screen, as the identity of the supposedly murdered children unfolded. He and Buffy were about to go warn Joyce about Hansel and Gretel, when Amy's magically-inclined and eyelinered friend Michael staggered in, beaten and bloody. "I was attacked!"

"By whom?" Buffy asked.

"My dad. His friends. They're taking people out of their homes. They're talking about a trial down at City Hall. They got Amy."

"Willow..." Giles said. "Buffy, I - "

"Go," she said. "We'll go to my mom's."

When he reached Willow's house, no one was there. Her room showed signs of a struggle, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He tried to phone Buffy's house, but there was no answer. He drove home and picked up ingredients for a spell to make the demons appear in their true form. Then he sped to City Hall. Spell or no, he thought, I'll kill them if they've hurt her.

***

"Thanks for saving me," she said later that night, as they lay facing each other. "Again, I mean. I've lost count of all the times you've saved my life."

He touched her face tenderly. "You've saved my life a number of times as well."

"But this is the first time you've saved me from being burnt at the stake." Her life had flashed before her eyes when the flames rose, while poor Buffy yelled, "I'm sorry, Will!" She'd seen Giles's face in her mind's eye, and prayed that she would live to be with him and learn witchcraft and do all the things she wanted to do.

And then there he was, wielding a fire hose, and doing a spell that turned those two little kids into a big demon. Afterwards her mom had been bewildered, Buffy's mom contrite. Xander and Cordy had wandered in - they'd been knocked out back at the Summers house when Buffy got chloroformed.

Then they'd all hunted for Amy, now a scampering rat. "Tomorrow I guess I need to buy a little cage, until I can figure out how to derat Amy. Good thing you still had that cage for the zombie cat, in the meantime."

"It's good of you to take care of her." He kept touching her face, looking at her as if she might vanish at any moment. "God, when I saw you tied to that stake, the flames nearly...are you sure you're all right? I still think I should have taken you to the hospital."

"I feel fine. Better than fine, after that seeing to." She grinned, but he still looked troubled. "Giles?"

"I know she's your mother, and I shouldn't speak ill of her - but that blasted woman! Trying to burn you at the stake! Not to mention grounding you."

She kissed his jaw, his neck. "Well, the grounding was a drag, but the burning part at least was just a spell." Then she remembered something. Compared to almost dying, it didn't seem like much, but still... "Giles, I nearly spilled the beans about us to my mom. She made me mad, and I wanted her to see me, you know? To get who I am."

He just stroked her hair and gazed into her eyes. "I understand."

"You're not mad?"

"You did say nearly. Besides, I want everyone to know about us. It's hard to keep it a secret, when I'm so proud of what we have together." He kissed her.

"Anyway, I told her I was dating Satan. That got her mind off it." She giggled at his puzzled expression, then hugged him tight.

***

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