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"Oh no! Look at the time Willow! I told Giles I would meet him at his house for some tutoring. I am, once again,going to be late. I'm sorry but I had better run."
"OK, I'll be here at the room waiting for you. Just don't forget we are supposed to go to the rally together later. You forgot the last time Giles tutored you.You know, I could tutor you myself Buff."
Smiling at her redheaded friend Buffy laughed,"I know Will, but Giles and I barely get any time alone and he likes to help so......Well I shouldn't be but a couple hours.I promise,I wont forget our date this time."
"OK Buffy but, well have you notice how Giles looks at you? I mean it's not any different than when we were in highschool, just more..intense.I think. I mean, after that vampire Sunday thing, he's been..... well, more Gilesy than usual. Know what I mean?"
Shaking her head in amusement,Buffy told her gently,"No, but then here lately I've had trouble understanding Xander so it could be just me. Look, I gotta go,you know how he gets when I'm late. We can worry about Giles and his attitude later,'K? But then, this one is a lot nicer than his 'You have to be self reliant Buffy' one. So no knocking it too hard you here?"
Nodding, Willow watched Buffy run out the door."But then again, you have been acting strange every since that night you saw that woman at Giles in his shirt."
Picking up the phone, Willow called Oz. He would help her figure out what, if anything, was going on.
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"Giles? Giles are you here?" Not getting an answer,Buffy shrugged her shoulders and went to the kitchen to start a pot of tea for when he got back.That done she went back to the living room and flopped down on the ex-watchers couch.
Already bored,she idly picked up the book on the coffee table, she opened it to the middle and started reading it.
Three paragraphs later,she sat up quickly and re-read the sentence she just *knew* she didn't read correctly the first time.
"What the hell?" Looking at the cover of the book,all Buffy saw was a plain,black leather front. No writing,no title, no nothing.Closing the book,she shook her head. Then, tentively,she reached over and opened only the book cover this time. What she read then made her breath catch in her throat.
Shoving the book away, she got up and started pacing,back and forth across the living room. Her thoughts were so scattered, she failed to notice the opening door.Stopping her pace, she spun around and stomped into the kitchen.
Giles, having just walked through the door, was confused by Buffys obvious agitation. Glancing around the room as if it held the secret to life,he noticed the book,front cover still open. Looking towards the kitchen Giles suddenly had a better understanding to what was upsetting Buffy.
"I wonder how much of that she bloody read damn it!" Giles snatched the glasses off his face, running his hand over it. Replacing his glasses and squaring his shoulders,he went to face Buffy.
Unfortunatly, she came barreling through the door just as Giles was entering. The two crashed into each other. Grunting,Giles grabbed Buffy's arms to stop her forward momentum.
Buffy looked up into Giles eyes and smiled before she remembered that she was upset.Very upset. Frowning,she jerked out of his reach and stomped over to the front door. Stopping, hand on the knob,she asked," how long Giles? How long? And where you ever going to tell me?"
Hearing the betrayal in her voice,Giles winced. "I-I assume that you have r-read the book? May I ask w-what you read?"
Turning around to face Giles again, Buffy shook her head. Slowly walking around him she picked up her bag and as an after thought,grabbed the book off the coffee table.Placing it in her bag, she looked at Giles,daring him to object.
Raising his head,chin thrusting out,he stood tall. Buffy nodded and walked out the door. After it had been shut for five minutes and he knew that he was indeed alone, Giles deflated and sank into a nearby chair.
"You bloody ignorant pillock! Well old man, now what?" Shaking his head again, he let out a short,pained laugh. "Well, now that she has your dream book you truly will have no secrets from her.Hell, maybe I should stop her and explain or-at least be there when she reads it to-to... To what? See the disgust on her face? It's better this way fool."
Dropping his face into his hands,Giles could only hope that their relationship could survive what she was about to learn.