"I think we’re a bit conspicuous, Willow, do you want to go back to our seats?" She nodded and Giles slipped his arm round her waist as they walked back to the booth.

Angel looked amused at the effect all the stray hormones were having on Buffy. She was seething. Willow and Xander now had something in common with Buffy. They had danced with someone older and more experienced than themselves. Giles cleared his throat, at last feeling the daggers that Buffy was hurling in his direction.

"Buffy, I think I’d better take Chloe home." He didn’t get to finish because Xander jumped up and volunteered to take her.

"I think Willow might like another dance. I’ll see that Chloe goes straight to bed…to sleep without interruptions…with cocoa…" Xander was struggling within the deepest pit ever dug in Sunnydale.

"Xander," Giles said patiently "Go…" He smiled after them. He looked at Willow and she purred, or seemed to purr. Well, to him at least. "Another turn, Willow?" He didn’t have to ask twice. As they left the booth Buffy’s face fell.

"You don’t own him, Buffy." She shot a look of betrayal at Angel then looked at them dancing. Giles looked young and care free. Willow laughed and smiled, enjoying herself. Buffy couldn’t be mad for long, grabbing Angel she dragged him out to dance as well.

Sharp, at nine-thirty, Giles came home to get ready to patrol with Buffy. He looked in on Chloe. She was already sleeping. He closed the door quietly.

In Sunnydale cemetery, business was brisk. Buffy was enjoying tonight. It wasn’t often now that Giles could spare the time to come with her. In between dustings he chatted about his childhood with Chloe and how sad he was when she went away.

"She’s a year older than me and because she couldn’t walk too well my father decided she should be educated entirely by Watchers. Basically she wasn’t allowed to have a life at all. That’s the reason I went haywire. I was rebelling for both of us." He stopped talking. A dark shape slithered round the tree just ahead of them.

"Buffy, can you see that?" He took a step forward and was startled by someone suddenly appearing in front of him. It had no face, just a dark void. He pushed at the darkness and it was solid. “Real then, that’s a relief”! Buffy had a stake ready. The shape was faster. It spun round and knocked the stake away. Its hand repelled Buffy’s attack. It didn’t strike her, just pushed her away. She was stunned.

"What does it want, Giles?"

"To introduce itself?" Giles shrugged. The creature crooked its head to the left, regarding him quizzically. Just as he thought he could place the stance the figure dissolved into the night.

"I think we’d better call it a night, don’t you?" Giles was smiling. A very successful night, two dances with Willow, loads of dusting done and a mystery to solve!

The figure watched as Buffy and Giles departed. It wasn’t expecting to see anyone, let alone a Slayer and her Watcher. The patrol was necessary tonight, the Soul Catcher would rise soon and it would be the only opportunity to retrieve the lost souls before death. Glancing up at the moon and seeing the lateness of the hour, it hurried back to its resting place.

Giles made himself a bedtime drink. He stirred the tea as he walked upstairs to his room. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He did not have sweet dreams.

He found himself strung up in an Oriental temple with eight vampires taunting him. He should have been able to understand what they said. He realised too late that each one held a branding iron to sear his flesh. They lunged together… He scrambled from his bed, taking the covers from the mattress and huddled in the corner for the rest of the night.

Sunlight spiked between his bedroom curtains banishing all possibility of a lie–in. He got up slowly and stretched all the kinks from his neck. It had been a long time since he had spent a night on a floor. He smelt tea brewing so putting on his robe he padded downstairs. The pot was warm but there was no one in sight.

Perhaps Chloe had taken her tea into the spare room. He knocked at the door and stood rooted to the spot.

Xander and Chloe were in bed together.

End of Pt.2

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