"You just let her go?" Willow glared at Giles. She was pacing through the small study. Her quick movements around the chairs didn't disturb him as he stood safely behind the desk. The bookcases at his back were familiar and comforting.

"I didn't see any other options." Giles let his fingers trail along the leather binding of an older grimoire.

"We need her. You know we need her. How could you let her waltz off without a by your leave?" Willow's power was a palpable presence in the room.

"She wasn't prepared to stay, and I had no way of stopping her, Willow." Giles shook his head. "Be reasonable. Short of all out magical force, how was I supposed to stop her?"

"She loves you. Why didn't you play on that?" Willow planted her hands on her hips. "She's building a new team. We don't have time to be wishy washy about this."

"I am aware of the situation." Giles took a deep breath and stepped back from Willow. This was neither the time nor the place for this conversation. He frowned. Perhaps there was no place or time for this conversation. "There were complications."

"Her new team isn't made up of slayers. Faith and the girls could have delayed her long enough for me to get here." Willow shook her head sending her red hair flying about her face.

"Faith wouldn't have done it." Robin frowned as he entered the small study. "Whatever it is. You'll never get Faith to act against Buffy again."

"I'm not asking anyone to act against Buffy, but we have to face reality. She isn't okay out there alone." Willow frowned up at Robin. "She needs to be monitored."

"Really? I didn't see someone that needed a nanny." Robin smirked and the shrugged. "Buffy seemed better than usual. She looked healthy for the first time in a long while, and she wasn't alone."

"Yes." Willow rolled her eyes. "I'm sure hanging out with Drusilla is a good sign. Buffy must be sane and functioning at a high level. Are you kidding me? That vampire is insane. Not dotty. Full on crazy. Dru isn't toting around a shiny soul either. How sane is Buffy's behavior really? You didn't live through the Angelus fiasco."

"No, I didn't. I was a major player in the Spike situation though. I don't always agree with Buffy. I got the memo that vamps are bad. I'm not fond of all the company she keeps, but Buffy is a better judge of vampires than I am." Robin stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Spike saved the world. She knew he had that in him. Maybe she sees something in Drusilla as well."

"You're willing to put a lot in one basket." Willow tossed her hands in the air. "What if she's just being sentimental? Drusilla is the only other being alive with ties to Angel and Spike."

"I've seen the family tree. Maybe there's a reason Buffy is drawn to that line, maybe not. It doesn't matter." Robin frowned. "She the best slayer we've got. She's unconventional. It's what keeps her alive. Besides, most of her new crowd were human. They seemed like a good bunch. A little hostile, but we are all fighters."

Giles watched them argue. The vitriol didn't matter. Buffy had been so damn close and he hadn't hugged her. He hadn't begged her to forgive him. What in hell had he been thinking?

He felt something snapping inside him. Some odd bit of binding shifted, and he closed his eyes. Someone had told him he would regret his behavior. He could hear the words, but the memory was vague.

He felt the urge to let his own powers flare and burn away the fog, but this was not a safe place. He pushed his instincts and frowned. The place was fine, but one of his companions was not.

He suddenly pictured Oz standing in his private study. The man looked angry. When had he seen Oz as an adult?

He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the world around him. Willow and Robin were still arguing about protecting Buffy from herself. He shook his head. This needed to stop. He needed to get away from both of them.

"I don't see the purpose of continuing this discussion." Giles rolled his shoulders and frowned. "Buffy is not here. We do not know where she is or when she will resurface. We need to consider what we have learned."

"There are some new players." Robin nodded.

"I didn't pick up a mystical signature." Willow furrowed her brow. "A few of the sights managed to get out messages. They said the things were somewhat impervious to magic."

"They went down well enough for Buffy and Drusilla." Robin shook his head.

"Not helpful." Willow tapped her chin with one finger. "Did they leave anything behind?"

"No." Robin shook his head. "Her new team was quite efficient. They managed to redirect emergency services to safer positions. It was really impressive."

"The man Buffy is with seemed quite sure of himself." Giles offered as he studied Willow and Robin. There was a threat here. His instincts made that very clear.

"I think we might want to have Dawn contact Buffy. She knew how to fight these things." Robin leaned back against the wall. "I think she would help."

"She'll help from a distance?" Willow sat down on one of the chairs. "How? We need her now."

"We can figure things out." Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose in a familiar way. Giles fought down the urge to smile at his fellow watcher's frustration. He looked between the two and felt a rush of sadness. One of these two was a danger to him and to Buffy.