Willow waited. Everything running through her head. It was so spin-y.

She didn't like this airport, and she didn't like waiting here.

Where was Xander? She'd been waiting for like 30 minutes. Her suitcase wasn't really such a comfortable seat. And it was so small she felt like she was crouched on the ground.

She began to doubt herself. Just as Xander pulled up in a rather nice car.

"Will!" He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"Xander." Willow returned the embrace.

"I didn't expect to see you back from New York so soon." Xander tossed the suitcase in the trunk as Willow climbed into the passenger seat. Which was on the wrong side of the car. She ducked back out of the car and went around to the other side.

"Neither did I."

"What happened?"

"Oh the usual. Saved Buffy from the future, travelled through time. What have you been up to?"

"I heard about that. Dawn's still a centaur. Slayerettes still running wild. Still working the eyepatch. But they let me drive now; what with my addled depth perception."

Willow smiled somewhat sadly. Even as Xander started the drive.

"Where are we going?"

"Giles has an apartment, here in London. I thought we'd stay there a few days before going back to Slayer-core in Scotland. Unless you came here to see the coven."

-"No coven. Not now."

"Okay."

They drove in silence, there was traffic and the drive seemed to take forever.

"Did something go wrong with the flight or in New York Will? You aren't babbling its kinda scary."

"Everything is wrong. And there was this family on the plane and they were so beautiful. They had this beautiful baby boy and this little girl."

"Getting the biological clock ticking away? You won't even be 24 for another month."

"I just, it reminded me of what I can't have."

"You could have that Will, you and Ken."

"I don't want that with Ken."

"Oh."

"Ken is a lot of fun Xander...and we were good together, but it was never going to be forever. We broke up again.."

"Again?"

"We just don't fit Xander. It wasn't right the way that Tara and I were right. And if I stay with Ken...then I'll never know if I could have that again."

"Aren't opposites supposed to attract?"

"Opposites attract, but they don't stay together. I don't see why she keeps coming back. She'll just curl up in my bed waiting for smoochies. But I need more than that, you know?"

"Oh. Well, you did just break up with Ken, maybe you're just a bit sensitive. So seeing a family....."

"With Kennedy, I thought that I should settle. Cause I was never getting the big love story again. I had my chance. And now- its just not enough. I'm better off alone."

"Hey, if that's what you want. Then that's fine by me. And if you need to hide out with me and my slayers than we can work that. Or I could have someone reassign Kennedy as far from you as possible."

"Really?"

"No, I'm not sure I have that kind of power."

"Its a nice gesture."

"What now?"

"We go see Giles? And have dinner?"

"Sounds good. I've really missed you Xander."

"I've missed you too Will."

The two drove in relative silence, Willow staring out the window taking note of the scenery. She'd forgotten how much she liked London.

Xander talked about Renee, and the other slayers a bit. She could tell he missed Renee, and it sucked that all the Scoobies were now single. It was still funny to think of Xander training slayers. Willow answered, but her brain was elsewhere. So far elsewhere she wasn't sure exactly how long it took before Xander pulled up to the curb to let her out. It was a normal looking small apartment building, only three stories, old looking with vines. And Giles was waiting for them upstairs. With an apartment, no doubt full of books. Willow smiled; it would be good to see the Scooby-father-figure again.

Willow hopped out of the car, she was still feeling incredibly 'off'. Part of it was Ken, but part of it was Saga Vasuki. With what Buffy had told her of the future, this ended her magical tutelage, permanently. She could still feel the earth move when her mind was quiet enough. Xander grabbed her suitcase, and the two of them headed upstairs, Xander having a key and unlocking the front door, and both of them wandering inside. Xander headed to the stairwell, and Willow followed. Not really thinking about what she was doing, but her shoes made clicking sounds as they hit the concrete.

They reached the third floor, and Xander made a turn for the door marked 302. He fumbled with the keys slightly before the lock clicked and the door swung open.

The books she expects, shelves upon shelves of old musty books. There were two couches that were an odd green colour. It was larger than she expected; probably because it was so much bigger than Giles' place in Sunnydale. There was a separate dining room, and a kitchen. And it was- nice...

"Oh wow..." Willow managed looking around Giles' apartment.

"Yeah I know, I stayed here last night. It's pretty nice. He even has cable."

"What the frilly heck?" Willow said, picking up a fuzzy white throw pillow and dangling it in front of her.

"Yeah the pillows are kinda weird. But very comfy."

"Giles?" Willow called.

"He won't be home for a couple more hours Will, he trains his slayers in top secret somewhere in the city."

"How many?"

"He told me there were 10 left."

"Right, slayer life-expectancy isn't that great."

"And Buffy's probably already set some kind of record." Xander quipped.

Before both Scoobies fell silent.

"Here, the guest room is down the hall." Xander pointed to the door, "Giles told me you can stay there for as long as you want."

"Aren't there three bedrooms?" Willow had assessed the size of the apartment and made a guess.

"Yeah, but one is filled with books. I'll be on the incredibly comfortable pull-out couch...or as they say here the sofa"

The rest of the afternoon was filled with weird old movies on TV, music and Willow unpacking her things into the wardrobe that was in the rather quaint second bedroom. The apartment looked like it had been decorated by a woman, she wondered absently if it was a Watcher's council owned property.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Hello?...Xander? " Giles called as he opened the door to his apartment. It was late, nearly 10 pm. He had been out late training his slayers. He wanted them to be strong, and at least somewhat well-read. He stopped and sniffed, he smelled food.

Sitting in his living room were Willow and Xander, surrounded by piles of Chinese take-out and his books. And eating with chopsticks on his couch. His new couch.

He smiled immediately, this scene was so familiar. Even though they were now nearly 24, Giles tried not to think of how old the Scoobies were getting. Or tell them that. Not to mention that he himself was quickly approaching fifty.

"Hey Giles, you want some dinner? We just started." Willow looked up extending an unopened box from the Chinese place around the corner. One that Giles was apt to frequent in a rush.

It was familiar, sitting with Giles and Xander, eating Chinese food and surrounded by books. She felt safe. And more like herself.

It was then during a conversation about egg rolls, and whether they were better in Britain than they were in Sunnydale, that Willow needed to blurt out something weighing heavily on her conscience.

"Giles, have you ever read anything about a serpent lady named Saga Vasuki?" Willow needed to know, even though the serpent-woman had served as her magical tutor and greatly enhanced her magic; as soon as Willow had magically broken their bond in New York- she had lost her ability to teleport and fly, among other things. And she needed to know why this had happened. This was a permanent bond breaking- Willow couldn't have that connection with the demon realm. It just didn't feel right anymore. Especially after she'd pulled Buffy out of the future.

"Yes. Snake-demon-woman, lots of magic likes to enchant witches and-" Giles stopped, staring at Willow who rapidly paled in response. "Oh goodness..." Giles paid extra close attention to the noodles he was consuming

Xander paused, a large helping of chicken fried rice in his mouth as he looked from Giles to Willow trying to figure out if what he was thinking was right. A few grains of rice fell from his mouth on to the couch.

"Yeah, I was one of her students. Was. I broke our bond permanently before I came back here. It's the reason I didn't fly. Well I flew, but I myself did not fly. If you have any idea what I'm saying..."

Giles chewed thoughtfully, "There have been other witches.. taken by her, it's not that unusual Her magic is quite seductive...particularly if the witch in question is vulnerable to ..the effects of power."

"I guess I was. Probably why I let her-" Willow cut herself off.

"She tends to couple with her pupils to possess, in part, their power. She feeds off their energy and links them to her own power. Its quite a rush or so I'm told. I do know something about demon-highs, quite addictive really." Giles looked at Willow, half-annoyed, half-sympathetic. "You'll be fine Willow, you may experience some slight withdrawal, but I have confidence you'll make a full recovery."

"So what was it about Kennedy that drove you to stray to such...interesting pastures" Xander's eyes were as wide as dinner plates "Were things not good in the monkey-loving department?"

"No...things were okay there. One of the few places that things were still okay in the end...But somehow I felt that something was missing, you know?"

"Yeah but sex with a slayer has got to be amazing. All that stamina." Xander turned to Willow, even in the dark he thought he could see her blush. "Or you could come play for the other team...I know a very handsome fellow, name of Harris, who might be interested in showing a nice lady what she's missing." Xander was obviously joking, but the thought was still disturbing to both Willow and Giles.

"Well I think it's about my bedtime." Giles wandered off into his master bedroom while cleaning his glasses. They were really like children to him, and the less he had to think about them in that capacity, the better.

"Ken was certainly...energetic. But she wouldn't tire out. It was hard keeping up for one thing. She'd sex me silly, then go running off out of bed to go slay things while I just wanted to cuddle and sleep."

"Not one for the snugglies then?" Xander moved his arm closer around Willow, it was a platonic gesture.

"And she was obnoxiously loud at times. We got comments. From neighbours."

"Willow, you'll find a nice girl. I'm sure of it..."Xander yawned sleepily.

"Xander?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I wish Buffy was here."

"Me too." Xander yawned, "Want to watch a movie?"

The next morning when Giles woke up to get himself some breakfast he was surprised by two things. Xander and Willow had fallen asleep on his couch. They looked like oversized kindergarteners napping together.

And a knock at his door.

"Buffy." He conveyed so much with that one word, looking at his surrogate daughter. He was furious with her, he was disappointed in her, he was worried about her, and he had missed her terribly.

Buffy looked at him uncertainly, before being pulled into a hug. Her eyes widening in surprise then she relaxed and hugged Giles back wordlessly. She pulled back her eyes narrowing.

Giles prepared himself for the worst. But then Buffy simply asked.

"Why are Willow and Xander sleeping together?"