No matter how convoluted his words had been to her, Whistler had told Buffy one thing that had always proven true.

No matter how prepared you were, you were never ready for the big moments.

Buffy stared at the computer screen, the other counselors and principals in the office talking, laughing, bustling purposely from one place to another. Buffy noticed none of it, because she was still reeling from the events of the night before.

Quite honestly, it had been a normal night on the Hellmouth. Principal Wood, her boss, admitted he was the child of a Slayer. Spike had interrupted their cozy, romantic dinner because Xander had gotten himself involved with the wrong type of woman. Again. [Man, what was it with him and demon women?] Buffy wondered idly. They'd returned home, where Xander had declared he was going to become gay to avoid any future demon dates. Of course, the gang had rolled with the punches and razzed him.

Then Giles had lost it. To be honest, Buffy had to admit that she should've seen it coming. As if it hadn't been bad enough that everyone had believed he was the First, there was his disappointment with her that she'd decided to have Spike's chip removed. Buffy supposed that she should have realized that Giles was near the end of his rope.

"Have you learned nothing from tonight's assorted chaos? There isn't time for fun and games and quips about orientation." he'd fumed. Giles had held up the flashcards he'd been using with Chao-Ahn. "These aren't a joke. This happens. Girls are going to die. We may die. It's time to get serious."

And with those comforting words, Giles had stormed from the room, leaving them all speechless in his wake. Buffy hadn't remained speechless for long. Incensed, she'd stormed after him, growing increasingly furious when she'd realized that he'd left the safety of the house in his anger.

Giles had only gotten a block away when Buffy had caught up with him. Grabbing him by the elbow, she'd spun him around to face her.

"What the hell is your problem?" she'd demanded angrily. Giles' face had been a mask of cold fury.

"Right now," he'd hissed. "my problem is you." Wrenching his arm from her grip, Giles had turned and stalked away from Buffy. Enraged, Buffy had followed.

"Don't you dare lay this at my feet." she'd told him. "Do you think I don't realize how serious this shit is?" Giles had whirled to face her.

"You have no idea." he'd accused heatedly. "I think you're too busy mooning over Spike. And if he weren't bad enough, now you're batting your eyes at someone you barely even know." Buffy had been taken aback by his words, hurt that that he could think so poorly of her.

"I can't believe you think I still have any feelings other than pity for Spike." she'd shouted at him. "As for Principal Wood, I was just trying to figure out what his part in all this is." Buffy shook her head. "What the hell do you care, anyway?" she'd demanded. "What do you care who I sleep with?" Instantly, Buffy had known she'd gone to far with this last jibe. Giles' face had gone completely expressionless at her words. Part of Buffy had wanted to take it back, tell him that she didn't mean it. Of course, she hadn't. She'd been too mad, and her mouth had kept moving. "It's not like you're my father."

"No I'm not." Giles had snarled, and before she could react, he'd grabbed her and pulled her to him. Giles' mouth had covered hers in a hard, punishing kiss. Stunned, Buffy hadn't reacted at first. She simply hadn't been able to believe that her Watcher was kissing her in a most unfatherly sort of way.

When the shock had worn off, Buffy had begun to respond to his kiss. Her lips had parted and allowed his tongue to plunge into her mouth. Buffy had kissed him back, her mouth as demanding as his.

As if he'd suddenly realized what he'd done, Giles had pushed her away. Buffy and Giles had stared at each other in stunned amazement, chests heaving as they'd gulped for air.

As she'd stood there, staring at him, watching him watch her, Buffy had known the truth. Known why she'd been so unhappy for the past year.

Because she'd fallen in love with Giles.

Nope, she'd never seen it coming.

All the anger had seemed to suddenly drain out of Giles and his shoulders had slumped in defeat. A look of horror had come over him.

"Buffy, I'm sor-" Giles had stammered. He'd stopped, taken a deep breath. "I apologize. That was uncalled for." he'd said. Then he'd turned and walked away again. Buffy had watched him in amazement, her mind whirling a mile a minute. Giles had been about to turn the corner before she'd been able to galvanize herself into action.

"Giles!" His name had been torn from her throat, desperation and hope all mixed in one word. Giles had stopped, and he'd looked at her so mournfully that Buffy had felt her heart clench. She'd run after him.

"I'm sorry for what I said." she'd whispered. "I didn't mean it." Giles had nodded sadly.

"Perhaps I should find a hotel for the evening." he'd suggested, his eyes never quite meeting hers. Buffy shook her head.

"You'll be safer at the house." she'd insisted softly. She'd taken a deep breath, and her words had tumbled out in a rush. "Maybe tomorrow night, you and I, we could, you know, go out. Like on a date or something?" Giles' gaze had shot to her then. He'd looked at her so incredulously, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"A date?" he'd asked in disbelief. Buffy had nodded.

"Yeah, um, just you and me." Buffy had shrugged. "I mean, I kinda got the impression back there that your feelings for me have moved beyond the Watcher-Slayer thing."

"A pity date?" Giles had snorted, shaking his head. "Thank you, but I'll pass." He'd turned to go again, but Buffy had stopped him. She'd stood on her tiptoes and brought her mouth to his again. Giles had returned the kiss instantly, hungry for the taste of her. Buffy had moved away after a few minutes.

"Does that feel like a pity date to you?" she'd whispered. In shock, Giles had only been able to shake his head.

Which was why now, Buffy was sitting at her desk in a Giles-induced haze, wondering what the hell she was going to wear that night. Buffy shook her head as the memory of kissing Giles began to replay itself. It had been on an endless loop all day, leading to daydreams chockfull of Gilesy goodness.

It had been Giles' idea to keep their date a secret from the rest of the gang. He'd told Buffy that this first time, he wanted to have her all to himself, without any snide remarks from the others. Buffy had agreed readily. Despite the fact she was bursting to tell Willow all about this amazing turn of events, she wanted to keep Giles to herself for a bit.

Buffy's phone rang, jolting her back into the present. Looking around to see if anyone had noticed her daydreaming again, she picked up the receiver.

"Buffy Summers." she said, her voice business-like. She heard a soft chuckle on the other end of the line and her heart immediately melted into her toes.

"Don't you sound all official." Giles teased quietly. Buffy smiled.

"Hey." she sighed. "Everyone gone?" Giles' voice was low as he replied.

"They're out training. It's the first time I've been alone all day."

"All that girl power's getting on your nerves, huh?" Giles laughed.

"Just a bit." he admitted. "I've missed you."

"I miss you too." Buffy agreed, her voice dropping. "I just thought we shouldn't run into each other this morning. I think the others would've guessed what was going on the minute I looked at you."

"Quite right. After tonight…" he started.

"After tonight, I don't care who knows." Buffy interrupted. "But tonight's just for me and you." Closing her eyes, Buffy could imagine Giles standing in the kitchen, leaning against the wall as he spoke to her.

"Just us." he agreed softly. "Seven pm at Marco's." he told her, naming the Italian restaurant he'd made reservations at. They had agreed that they would meet at the restaurant separately so that the others wouldn't suspect anything.

"Seven at Marco's." Buffy confirmed. "I'll see you then."

From the doorway, Principal Robin Wood watched Buffy hang up the phone with narrowed eyes. She'd kept her voice low, but he'd been able to overhear the conversation. He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know who she'd been talking to. It had been all too obvious the night before. Wood felt his stomach roll with disgust. Buffy had a date with the damned vampire that had killed his mother. [Well, we'll just see about that.] he thought, slipping back into his office.

Giles smiled as he hung up the phone, his hand lingering on the receiver as he thought of Buffy. He was loathe to admit it, but he had been worried when he'd woken to find Buffy already gone for the day. He'd been afraid that she'd changed her mind about the two of them. Until he'd found the note she'd hidden in his shoe of all places. Smiling, Giles pulled the missive out of his pants pocket.

Dear Giles,

Hopefully you don't walk around with this in your shoe all day. It was the only place I could think of to hide this that the others wouldn't see it.

I can't wait until tonight, when I can kiss you and hold you in my arms again. I can't wait to show you how much I've missed you over the past year.

Love,

Buffy

Giles folded the note and shoved it back in his pocket. Never had he imagined that Buffy felt like this about him. He'd been so sure that he would spend the rest of his life loving her from afar, doomed to spend eternity watching her involve herself with one wrong man after another.

Instead, with one flash of temper, he'd discovered otherwise. If he'd known that, he would've kissed her sooner. Giles smiled. [Ah, well, we'll be sure to make up for lost time.] he thought as he moved into the living room.

Giles was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't notice that basement door was open a crack or that eyes watched him as he passed by.

[So, Watcher's got a date, does he?] Spike thought with glee. He knew there was only one person who was a real danger to his reconciliation with Buffy. And that person was currently humming happily in the living room. [No doubt imagining shagging his latest bird.]

Spike's vampire sense of smell had easily picked up the pheromones that were bandied about by the Watcher and the Slayer, whenever they were around each other. Spike grinned. Buffy would go through the roof when she found out, especially after that rant Giles had gone on the night before. She'd be none to pleased that Rupert Giles had decided to get himself laid before the end of the world. It was sure to cause a permanent rift between the Watcher and Slayer. Soul or not, Spike knew that once Giles was out of Buffy's life, she would be his. Spike closed the basement door quietly, rubbing his hands together as he began to plan.