"You couldn't have tried very hard if he said no," said Ethan Rayne to the beautiful blond.

"Listen, Rayne, I did everything short of offering to go down on him in the parking lot. The man's *not* interested. Are you *sure* he likes women?"

"Quite sure," he replied shortly. He looked the woman over, thoroughly. Blond, petite, and willing. Ripper should have been on her without any coaxing. "I don't understand." He finally said. "I know it's been a while for him. And that he and Olivia have had a parting of ways."

"Well, at his age it's not surprising. *You* know what I mean."

"You, pet, should not underestimate Ripper. Or me, for that matter. What you should be doing, is thinking of another way to get close to him. Because if you don't get close, you can't affect him. Then, my dear, all deals are null and void."

"I'll find a way."

"I have no doubt that you will. I know how resourceful you can be."

**Sunnydale Museum**

Buffy and her Slayerettes were walking towards Giles' office chatting and laughing. They stopped in the doorway, stunned. Inside Giles' office, he stood staring down at a small blond. She had her hand resting on his forearm and was staring up at him as if fascinated. His expression was one of equal parts bemusement and discomfort.

Xander looked at the woman, then at Buffy. He started to say something, then thought better of it.

Buffy cleared her throat, loudly. They both looked, Giles looking guilty, and the woman looking irritated. But she quickly schooled her face into something polite. Giles stuttered through the introductions.

"Chloe Farris, these are, er, um, m-my, students. They help out. Buffy, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander." He indicated each in turn. He got himself under control. And continued. "Ms. Farris had a couple of artifacts that the Museum is considering acquiring." As he explained the situation, he found himself looking at Buffy. Her eyes were narrow, as was the line of her lips. But she greeted Ms. Farris cordially enough.

After a few minutes, when it became clear to Ms. Farris that the kids were not going to leave, she herself, took her leave.

After she left, the casual banter stopped and everyone looked at Giles expectantly.

"W-what?" He finally asked.

"Who was she?" Buffy demanded.

Giles looked puzzled. "I told you, she has a couple of.."

"No." Buffy cut him off. "I mean, really. Who or what is she *really*?"

"As far as I know, she's *really* Chloe Farris, owner of a couple of moderately interesting artifacts. Why? Is your, er 'spidey-sense' alerting you?"

The others grinned at Giles' use of a pop culture reference, but Buffy was frowning. She was hesitant to say yes, because she wasn't sure that was true, so she hedged. "I think so, I mean what else could it be?" At her words, Willow and Xander exchanged a look. Buffy frowned at them. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing," they chorused.

Buffy's frown turned into a scowl, but she let it drop. "So, Giles, you don't think that there was anything weird about her?"

"You mean besides the fact that an attractive young woman was interested in your old Watcher?" He asked her bitterly.

Her eyes widened in shock. "I never said that!"

"But isn't that what you meant? She must be up to something if she's flirting with me?" His eyes flashed.

"She *was* flirting. I knew it!" Buffy said triumphantly. Everyone looked at her strangely. "What?" She asked again. But they just shook their heads at her. Buffy made an effort to gentle her voice. Giles seemed testy, and she didn't want to aggravate him further. "Giles, I didn't mean that a pretty woman wouldn't flirt with you. I'm sure that they have and do. But that one in particular set off my Slayer alarms. Sort of."

He searched her face, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I-I just.." He stopped with a sigh. "I rather think that she was trying to influence me to take the artifacts." It was obviously difficult for him to admit, so it gave Buffy a warm glow that he had.

She bit her lip. "Would that set off my 'alarm'?" She asked tentatively.

"Probably not. It's possible that you just didn't like her," Giles said calmly.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied dubiously, but trying to show him the same respect that he had shown her. "Are you going to take the artifacts?"

"I *was*. But if she's setting you off, perhaps there's more to it." Buffy felt another happy glow, this time because Giles wasn't dismissing her concerns as he had before. She smiled brightly at him. He blinked under the force of it.

Over the next several days, Giles reported to Buffy that Ms. Farris had contacted him, and he had told her that he wasn't interested in the artifacts. He also reported that the near-desperation in her voice as she had asked him to meet her to discuss it had forced him to agree, out of curiosity more than anything else. Buffy's response to this was typical. "Giles, you do remember the old saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat', right?" He weighed the warning against his need to solve the small mystery, and to no one's surprise, met with her. He came away with his curiosity unsatisfied.

Perhaps that was why he seemed so irritated after that day, and his temper seemed very easily engaged. It was better for a few days, when Olivia made a surprise visit, to give it one more go on the Hellmouth.

On the second day after Olivia's visit, Spike showed up at Buffy's dorm room. He said that Giles had gotten angry, *growled* (so Spike insisted) and thrown Spike out the door. It was midday, and he only barely made it to cover. There he had waited until sunset, and come in search of the Slayer to tell her what had happened.

"What the hell did you say to piss him off, Spike?" Buffy demanded.

"Me?" He said indignantly.

"You," she repeated.

"Well," Spike began in his most innocent voice. "We may have been talking about the row he had with that bird of his." At Buffy's blank look, "Olivia, I think. Anyway big fight."

"What did they fight about?" Buffy asked, distracted by this.

"Lot's of stuff. You mostly."

"M-me?"

"Yeah. And the others. But, mostly you. About how he drops everything when you so much as break a nail. And nasty things about how he isn't your Da', not that he thinks he is, but, well.." At Buffy's angry look, he continued. "'S'not the first time, Slayer. First time he answered her back in kind, though. She left. Don't think she'll be back this time."

"Poor Giles."

"'Poor Giles'?! You shoulda' heard 'im, Slayer."

"He's been very. irritable lately."

"I noticed."

"I-I guess I should go see if he's okay." She seemed unusually timid.

"You scared of him?" Spike asked, incredulous. "I know he's stronger than he looks, not to mention meaner, but.."

"Not *scared* scared." She interrupted. "It's just that, I've never seen him on such a short fuse. I'm kind of scared of what he might say, and hopefully regret. 'Cause, he'd never intentionally hurt me. Not even with words." She said, thinking back on the times that she had expected harsh words and received only care and understanding. She /would/ be understanding for him. Even if it killed her.

A little while later, Buffy let herself into Giles', hoping like hell that Spike was right, and Olivia was gone. <I *so* don't want to see her in *my* Watcher's shirt again. Euww, or less> Buffy stopped that train of thought in it's tracks. <Don't go there, Buff. Badness.>

"Giles?" She called hesitantly.

"Just a minute." He responded from upstairs. After a few minutes, he came down the stairs, dressed in jeans and a sweater. "Hello, Buffy. To what demon do I owe the pleasure of your company." His expression was startled. "I'm sorry, Buffy, I-I, that was unpardonably rude." Buffy's eyes were huge. "Buffy, I am sorry." His voice was gentle.

"Do you really think that I only come over here for.?" She trailed off, answered by the look on his face. "You *do*. You think I only.." Her indignation deflated as she realized that it was true. Her eyes grew sad.

"Buffy, it's all right. It's my own bloody fault, *I* told you to be more self-sufficient. And so you've done. Now I must accept the consequences." He frowned a bit. "I just hadn't realized that *that* was all there was."

Buffy felt like she had been blind. "Giles?" She laid her hand on his knee. "We *are* friends. I just thought that I was a bother."

"A bother? Buffy, you're my Slayer. The reason that I am here."

Buffy frowned. "Do you mean in Sunnydale, or at all?"

He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it abruptly. "I'm quite certain that you didn't come here to listen to me whine about poor lonely me. Do you need something? Or .." He trailed off, not having any idea why else she would be there.

"Actually, I came to check on you. Spike said that you and Olivia had an argument, and that she had left. For good probably. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Buffy. Thank you for your concern."

"Hey, that's me. Concern for my Watcher girl." She studied his face. "It's kind of funny when you think about it, isn't it?" His expression was puzzled. "Well, you sort of pushed me away so that you have, um, a 'relationship', and now she's gone."

His expression darkened. "Is that what you think? That I'd leave you to your own devices so that I could shag?" She scooted a little away from the anger on his face. "Bloody fine opinion that you have of me. I try to give you a bit of freedom, step back a bit so that you can fulfill your much stated claim to be in control of your own life, be an adult and what happens?" He got in her face. She shrank away from him, her eyes wide. She tried to hold on to her plan of not firing back at him, but it was getting more difficult. If he said what she thought he was going to, she wasn't sure she stop herself from hitting him. Giles saw her expression and backed down. He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I gave up the right to complain about this situation. You should go now. I'm a bit out of sorts."

"Giles, *I'm* sorry. I didn't know *what* to think. And you didn't give up rights. You came after me. You said that you were wrong and sorry about what had happened. And I still, well, I made you suffer because you hurt my feelings."

He reached out a hand as if he were going to touch her. "That was never my intention, Buffy. You're the last person I would ever want to hurt, in any way. I am so very sorry."

She met his indecisively hovering hand with her own, entwining their fingers. "I should have realized that, Giles. As far as *I'm* concerned we're okay. I forgive, if you forgive, and we both forget. Deal?"

"Deal." He said with a soft smile. He absently rubbed his thumb along her index finger. "I'm rather glad we had this talk."

"Me, too."

"H-How much freedom do you want?" He asked hesitantly.

"Maybe a little less than the way it is now?"

"Such as, perhaps reporting for training twice a week?" At her nod, he continued tentatively. "And, if it's not too much trouble, do stop by, or call after patrol. I really do sleep better for knowing that you're quite safe."

"Done, and done." And she moved her hand in his until it was a handshake.

He smiled and brought her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. "Excellent." Buffy felt an inexplicable shiver work it's way up her spine. But she smiled, glad that things were working back towards normal.

She looked at Giles' watch. "Sorry to run out on you, but I promised.."

His smile didn't fade a bit. "It's all right. Do go and enjoy being young. It's what I want for you."

Her smiled was soft. "I know." She kissed his cheek and headed for the door. "See ya' tomorrow for training."

"I'll be here."

"Night."

"Good-night, Buffy."