Early the next morning, Buffy grabbed a backpack from the closet, and began to gather some things together. She knew now what she wanted to do. What she knew she'd do. She found Giles' weapons in the library-room and selected a few, adding them to her bag.

She looked at Xander, passed out in the sofa bed, totally out of it. She could hear mumbling from the guest room where Willow was asleep.

She crept into Giles' room, opening his closet, she grabbed a button-down shirt and a blanket, showing them into the bag along with her weapons. She couldn't be too prepared.

Giles stirred slightly, "Buffy?" He squinted at her in the darkness and began to reach for his glasses.

"Just heading out Giles. Going to go wish."

"Its only 4 am." Giles yawned.

"I want to find somewhere private to wish."

"Alright."

"I'll be back in a few hours."

And with that Buffy left, to change things, for all of them

BBBBBBBBB

"Buffy should have been back hours ago." Xander was nervous, and the most talkative of the three.

"Well, what time did she go out to wish?"

"About 4 am." Giles chimed in from his seat on the sofa.

Xander was pacing, and Willow was leaning against the wall.

"It's nearly dark now." Willow responded, somewhat sleepily.

"I know. I hope she gets back before the storm. "

"It's not like she's going to melt." Giles added irritably. The long wait had left them all feeling tense.

"What do you think she wished for?" Willow asked, somewhat nervously.

"If you had one life altering wish, what would you wish for Will?"

"Lifetime icecream supply." Willow answered without hesitation.

"Seriously though?"

Willow hesitated, "I don't know, I probably shouldn't. It's not right." She finished quietly, "I've done enough damage- I wouldn't wish... I don't want to screw with nature, it has the annoying habit of screwing back."

"Buffy's been given a license to screw with nature," Xander laughed slightly, "She gets one screw free."

"But Buffy has to wish, that's part of the deal." Giles added quietly, fidgeting with his classes.

"I bet it involves Angel or Spike." Xander said confidently. "Which would explain why she's not here. She's off having wild monkey sex with Angel, or Spike, or b-"

"Stop your half-witted ranting," Giles warned.

"It would explain why she's taking so long. I mean she wished early this morning..."

Giles interrupted Xander promptly, "You better not finish that sentence."

"Hey- you think she'll wish her way out of her slayer duty?" Willow, after having been around Xander for several hours was starting to feel more like herself.

'What and give up her super powers?" Xander said "Never"

"All this talk is making my head hurt." Giles told them, "Can you just be quiet? I can't take anymore of your half-witted speculation." He snapped. "Additionally since we now have an abundance of slayers Buffy is at liberty to step down to preserve life and limb whenever she sees fit."

They sat in silence for a few more moments.

"I wish she would sometimes." Giles took off his glasses to rub his eyes

Willow and Xander looked at Giles in silence, they'd both known this- but they hadn't expect Giles to ever just say it.

"What should we do for dinner?" Giles asked.

"We could go out, see some of London?" Willow suggested hopefully.

"I do know this pub, it's not too far and they have the best-"

The sound of a key slipping into the lock jarred them all.

The door swung open to reveal a smiling Buffy.

"Buffy, you're back! What happened? How come you get a key? Giles, where's my key?" Xander pretended mock offence at his lack of being offered the key. Buffy merely smiled in response. 'Really Buffy, we're all dying of anticipation."

"Really Xander, that's quite enough. Certainly Buffy will tell us what she wished for."

"It isn't your shoes is it?." Willow found herself staring at Buffy's shoes, new expensive-looking shoes. "You...used your wish- on shoes?" Willow asked in disbelief.

"No silly." Buffy's smile grew wider and she stepped aside to reveal someone completely unexpected standing behind her. A very familiar someone.

Tara.

Willow could barely breathe. Buffy beamed at her. Tara shyly lifted her eyes and smiled.

"So I'm good for like the next zillion birthdays, right Will?" Buffy smiled.

"Uh-huh" Willow replied. Words were still alluding her. She couldn't do anything but stare at Tara in total disbelief. Every single freckle, gesture....Hers. Her Tara.

Authors Note:
As of the next chapter the story will have an M-rating; just a heads up.