Happy Anniversary (Part 1)

Me

The sound of laughter echoed through the normally somber room. Giles
smiled at the antics of the four teens as they unwound from another hellish
day of High School. Even the sight of Xander and Cordelia exchanging jibes
seemed right. He, like the others, had missed her. No matter how much
they'd all tried to hide their feelings.

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce stood to one side, a look of complete confusion and
misery on his face. It was obvious the younger man was out of his element.
Giles wondered if he, himself, had been that stiff and clueless. He had a
horrible feeling the answer was yes. Just then, a besotted smile crossed the
other Englishman's lips. With a sigh, Giles moved forward. He really was
going to have to do something with this foolish infatuation towards
Cordelia. It
would never do.

"Are you all finished for the day?"

Willow smiled at the librarian. "Yep. Just waiting for Buffy, then we're
off."

"What will you do?"

Xander gathered his books. "Well, we have this really exiting evening
planned. We thought we'd do something really different tonight and go to the
Bronze."

Giles smiled, as he was meant to. The Bronze was the only place in
Sunnydale for the town's youth to go. "I meant what were your plans before
you went to the Bronze?"

"Plans?"

Willow caught on first "You mean like homework and stuff? Or did you want
us to do some more research on the Mayor's Ascension?"

A look of confusion, then almost sorrow crossed Giles' face. "No. I
just...." He
paused, then seemed to shake himself. "Never mind. Go. Have fun." They
started gathering their things and moving off. "If - When you see Buffy,
tell
her to be careful tonight."

Xander looked back at the hunched back of the erstwhile Watcher, then
turned to his friends in confusion. Seeing no answer there, he shrugged.
"Sure." Giles had been acting strange all day. Kinda sad. Withdrawn. Maybe
it was that time of the month for old guys, or something.

Cordelia paused, then turned to look at the two Englishmen. "Coming
Wesley?"

The younger man jolted from his perusal of his predecessor. "Hmm? Oh yes.
Of course. Must be where Buffy will be. T-to report and such. I'll, um..."
Realizing Giles wasn't listening to his sputtered explanation, he moved to
follow the others.

Giles remained in his position, squeezing his eyes against the pain. None of
them had remembered. Not even Willow. How fickle youth was. If only he
could forget.

Sighing, he straightened and headed for his office. He knew he wouldn't see
Buffy today. She, of all people, would want to forget what this day was. No,
perhaps there was one other. Grabbing the dark jacket from his chair, Giles
stopped to look at a photo on his desk. Shrugging into the jacket, he
gathered
his keys, and a bunch of flowers he'd bought at lunch time.

He didn't have much time. It would be sunset in an hour or so. And he had a
date. Smiling at Jenny's sweet face, he left the library, turning the
lights off
behind him.

............................................................................
...........................................

"Buffy! Wait up." At the sound of her name being called, Buffy stopped and
turned, letting the flow of exiting students ebb around her. She smiled to
see
her friends coming toward her. That smile dipped only slightly at the sight
of
her new Watcher trailing behind them. Xander was first to reach her. "Hey."

"Hey. I thought we were meeting at the library."

Willow fell into step beside her friend. Oz moved to her other side, as
Xander
took the final flank beside Buffy. Cordelia and Wesley took up the rear, the
brunette ensuring that everyone knew who the tall, older man was with. "We
were there. But Giles was...well..."

"Depressing." Willow frowned across at Xander.

"Not depressing," Oz the ever peacemaker. "Introspective."

"That's what I said. Depressing."

Buffy frowned. "He's been kinda not here all day. Maybe I better go see
him."

"No need." Willow stopped the Slayer from turning. "He's not expecting you.
He just said to be careful." She rolled her eyes. "Right after he almost
asked
us to do some research."

Buffy smiled. "Almost?"

"Yeah. He was asking us what our plans were and everything, but when I
asked if he wanted us to research, he said no." Lines of concern crossed
her
forehead. "Funny. He seemed almost sad. Like he was expecting us to
remember something."

"Never mind Giles' not-research party. Let's talk about how wild we're gonna
get tonight." Neither Xander nor the others noticed the softening of Buffy's
features, nor the tightening of her hands on her school books.

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