The general disclaimer is in the first chapter. Any references and or dialogue used from the show was pulled from the Buffyworld transcript site.

Christmas morning in the Summers' home is a whirlwind of excitement with mother and daughter in the kitchen making sure that the turkey is in the oven and all the evening prep work is put into action. Once Buffy mentally goes over her list and knows that everything was essentially ready to go, she tidies up the kitchen enough to make a new mess— breakfast. She easily mixes the batter for Christmas pancakes, finds the bacon— places the cast iron pan on the stove to heat. Turning towards the cupboards, she quickly retrieves two glasses and fills them with orange juice, starts the coffee maker, and makes sure the batter is full of air for fluffy pancakes. When her mother re-emerges from a shower and getting dressed, she smiles at Buffy.
"You did all this?" Buffy merely nods and carefully ladles pancake batter into another awaiting frying pan.
"Well, you'll be doing the bulk of dinner tonight while I entertain our guests and slip out for a quick patrol. It's the least I can do for the best mom in the world." Buffy adds with a grin while her mother makes the coffee and Buffy places pancakes on a plate and pops it into the oven to keep them warm while she ladles another helping into the frying pan.

Meanwhile, in Seacouver, Christmas morning in the Lamont home has begun as well.
"Kenzie!" Jason shouts from the bottom of the stairs. Mackenzie stirs and takes a deep breath, stretching her limbs. Do I have to? She wonders as the dream she had been having slowly disappears from her mind. I'm sure that I have time to dress, she muses and pads across her bedroom to the closet to ready herself for the morning. Without much thought, she quickly pulls a pair of black Lululemon yoga pants and a soft heather grey pullover. Foregoing socks, she slips her feet into her awaiting slippers before glancing at her reflection and heads downstairs.
"Good morning all- Merry Christmas!" She says brightly, meeting the family in the kitchen. Her mother has set out the usual Christmas breakfast on the island counter— orange and apple juice, tea, coffee, Danishes, fresh fruit, toast, scrambled eggs, jams, pancakes, waffles, and French toast.
"Morning sweetie, Merry Christmas." Her mother says and gives her a quick hug. They have a wonderful breakfast and everyone helps tidy the kitchen before making their way to the living room to open their gifts.

Having opened their gifts, Buffy and her mother ready themselves for the rush of festivities as her friends will begin to arrive. While dinner would be at six, Xander usually arrives just before lunch and Willow sometime in the afternoon to help with the finishing touches. Mr. Giles, as Joyce always refers to him, usually makes his appearance closer to dinner— with the freshest dinner rolls from the bakery, a bottle of wine for the 'grownups', and what Buffy would always tease him as a very English dessert.
"Mom! Xander is here!" Buffy calls upstairs to let her mother know not to venture down to the kitchen in her bathrobe, not that it would be a big deal. "So what did you bring this year?" she flashes a bright smile as he holds up a bag.
"I brought lunch and I thought I should bring some snacks for tonight as well as a little something for before dinner." He continues to list his booty as he removes his jacket and hangs it on the hook beside the door. "You look really great." He adds and hugs her tightly. "Merry Christmas."
"Awe, thanks, Xand and Merry Christmas." She kisses his cheek and they pick up his bags and take them to the kitchen to unpack.

The kitchen has quickly become the hub of their Christmas gathering, Joyce and Xander prepare lunch while Buffy adds a few finishing touches to the deserts and when her mother asks, she helps with the turkey. It isn't long before Willow arrives.
"Happy Holiday!" Buffy says as her friend sets the bags on the floor beside the door and removes her jacket.
"Merry Christmas Buffy." Her smile lighting up her eyes and she retrieves the bags filled with her contribution to the evening's festivities.
"Hey Will!" Xander calls from the kitchen. "Happy Holiday!" he adds as she and Buffy enter the kitchen, Buffy placing the bags on the counter while Xander quickly makes his way towards Willow and captures her in a tight embrace.
"Merry Christmas Xander." She says into his neck. "Can't breathe."
"Oh right. Sorry about that." He loosens his grip on her and they return to their tasks. "Something for lunch?" his smile wide and crinkles his dark eyes slightly. She nods and joins the fun.

Gathering around the festively decorated dining room table, Mackenzie and her family stand behind their chairs. With heads bowed, her father recites the evening meals grace.
"Amen." They say in a solemn chorus and proceed to their next tradition— the pulling of the Christmas crackers. Mackenzie couldn't help it, she always feels terrible for the destruction of the beautiful crackers but picks hers up nonetheless. Everyone around the table crosses their arms and takes the end of the cracker of the person beside them.
"One… Two… Three…" her mother says happily as they all pull the crackers to a chorus of loud bangs and pops. Prior to sitting, they remove the paper crowns, prizes, and jokes that will be read during the meal, and tidy up the ripped paper. Her father returns the turkey to the kitchen and begins to carefully carve the meat from the bones while her mother removes the homemade stuffing— placing it in bowls to be passed around the table. Once everyone is settled, Duncan clears his throat.

"I would like to propose a toast." He begins and everyone's attention is glued to him. "Thank you for inviting me to be part of your family for the holiday season. This has truly been a wonderful Christmas; defiantly one I shall never forget. Merry Christmas and all the health and happiness that the season brings to you— my family." He finishes and they clink glasses around the table. Mackenzie turns her head and smiles warmly and he winks before they join the rest of the conversation. With the meal complete, Mackenzie and Jason begin to collect the dishes from the table and take them into the kitchen. Quickly falling into a comfortable pace, Jason scrapes the plates and hands them to her to rinse and stack beside the sink as the dishwasher is completely packed and still going through a cycle.
"So school is going well?" he inquires as he sets another plate at her elbow. She merely nods. "What is it? Or rather should I say who is he?" She lets a loud exasperated sigh escape her lips while tilting her head to the side.

"Why does everyone assume that there's someone? Can I not just be happy?" she scrunches her nose in protest.
"I've been talking with Uncle Joe and he seems to think there might be someone who has caught your attention. Which, I might add, I never thought possible."
"Oh really?" she cocks her eyebrows and turns to face him.
"Well, I've always known you to be driven to the point no one could ever distract you."
"My grades are perfectly fine." She avoids the subject as best she can, but cannot stop the blush that slowly rises up her neck to rest on her cheeks.
"So is it true? That you have been spending time with the guy across the courtyard?"
"Jay! I have merely been helping with research." She states defensively. "There isn't anything going on between us." She adds, keeping the fact that she hopes that her feelings aren't one-sided.
"Well, Uncle Joe just mentioned that you appear to be spending a great deal of time at his flat, rather than at home or at UC Sunnydale for that matter."
"I— well that is. Nothing is going on between us. Like Duncan and I, we're just friends." She says justifying her whereabouts. "Okay, here's the deal. I'm not sure exactly sure. There have been a few moments here and there, but I don't want to push— I think he's been through a lot and if there is something, I don't want to jinx it."
"Okay, if you say so." He nods towards the dining room. "I'm just going to see what's left and then we can get desert organised in the living room." He leaves her to her thoughts.

Giles arrives at the Summers' home at quarter to six with the promised items.
"Merry Christmas Giles!" Buffy graciously plays the hostess and assists him as needed. Then quickly wraps her arms around him in a tight embrace. He smiles and they pick up his bags as they make their way to the kitchen and all the usual holiday excitement.
"Merry Christmas Mr. Giles." Joyce looks up from the pot of potatoes she had been mashing with a hand mixer.
"Merry Christmas Joyce." He returns and they share a quick hug.
"Giles!" Willow greets him with a hug, "Merry Christmas." She looks up at him and his amused expression grows.
"Happy Holiday, my dear." He releases her and Xander stands.
"Merry Christmas Giles." They forego the hug and shake hands.
"Dinner will be ready soon. Why don't we move this party into the living room?"
"Yeah, we've put together hors-d'oeuvres," Buffy says proudly and they grab drinks and head to the other room.

Giles sits in the armchair and the gang plant themselves around the coffee table, Joyce slips in and sits in the middle of the sofa.
"Wow, you guys." Joyce shakes her head in disbelief. "Shrimp, sausage rolls, and spring rolls."
"With all the sauces," Xander says happily as he picks up a shrimp and coats it in seafood sauce. "This is awesome!" he exclaims and they happily chatter while snacking.
"I'll check on the turkey." Joyce stands and Buffy follows her into the kitchen.
"Looks amazing mom, as usual." She helps by finding the dishes for the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, and cranberry sauce. While her mother places the bird on a serving platter, Buffy returns to the living room.
"Hey guys, time for dinner." The words no sooner leave her lips that the gang collect most of what's left of the hors-d'oeuvres and quickly tidy them up then make their way to the dining room.

They find their seats and sit, Joyce at one head of the table and Giles at the other. She indicates that she will say a Christmas/Holiday blessing and then nods towards Giles.
"Will you do the honour of carving the turkey?"
"Yes, of course." He follows her into the kitchen and while he carves the bird, Joyce and Buffy take the various dishes out to the dining room. Once everyone is settled, Buffy picks up her Christmas cracker and everyone happily follows suit. They cross their arms and pull them apart with a chorus of crackles and loud bangs and pops. Giles cringes as they place the brightly coloured paper crowns on their heads and Willow pulls out her camera.
"Oh come on Giles! When in Rome." Willow pouts slightly and reluctantly Giles agrees. She sets her camera on a timer and they gather for a fun group shot. The conversation remains fixed on the evening's plans— movies, popcorn, and more junk food. Giles' stomach suddenly lurches at the thought and he's suddenly glad that he will not be partaking in this evening's festivities— he has his evening planned out for quiet research and perhaps some time for reflection.

Once the dinner party winds down and everything is cleaned up, the group make their way to their bags and retrieve their overnight supplies— sleeping bags and pyjamas. Giles quickly conducts the good evening rounds, wishing his family a Merry Christmas— and in Willow's case a happy holiday. Hugs and kisses are then exchanged and he follows Buffy to the entryway.
"I'm going to do a quick sweep before starting the movie," Buffy says with a smile as she grabs her leather jacket from the hook beside the door.
"Be careful." Her mother calls from the kitchen.
"Always, I'll see you guys soon." She opens the door and walks Giles to his car.
"Merry Christmas Giles." She says with a one-of-a-kind Buffy smile.
"Merry Christmas Buffy." He replies happily as he unlocks the door and moves to get into the driver's seat. "Did you need a ride anywhere?" he inquires.
"Nah, but thank you anyways," she watches as he closes his door and starts the car. As he drives away, she makes her way through tonight's planned route, making sure to double check a few hot spots.

For the second year in a row, Mackenzie misses her family New Year's gathering.
"Are you sure that you want to miss this?" Jason asks over his mug of morning coffee. She sighs loudly, lowering her eyes and returns to her breakfast.
"I just."
"When you're like this, there is no reasoning with you, you know that right?" he puts his mug on the island counter and she reaches out towards it. He doesn't get upset with her like he normally would— instead he pushes it towards her.
"Thank you." She lifts the ceramic mug to her lips and enjoys. "This is good. She comments with a smile and half-closed eyes, savouring the rich aroma and flavour, while Jason turns away and begins to prepare another mug.
"It's just that with everything you have told me about the lives Buffy and Giles lead— always just on the brink of death. And here you are heading right towards that which you have fought so hard to maintain— your mortality."
"I see what you're saying Jay. I really do; however, all I've been involved in has been the research aspect of things. Giles would never put any of us in dangers grasp." She replies as she places the mug down and slowly picks up her fork.

"You're probably the only woman who would be a match for him anyways," Jason states, matter-of-factly and she tilts her head staring at him for a long moment.
"Wait a minute; is that you not minding my choice?"
"Again— hello! Me telling you that you cannot do something only drives you towards it. If, as you say, your relationship isn't interfering with your studies and position within the Watcher's Council, then I don't see a problem with pursuing it. You never know what you may have missed out on. I don't want to hear you kicking yourself for possibly letting him be the one that got away."
"Got away?" their mother says as she enters the kitchen.
"Yeah, Kenzie here as a potential love interest."
"You're getting serious with Matt?" she asks while making her way to the fridge and retrieving the orange juice.
"No, as a matter of fact, Kenzie's interested in another Watcher." Jason slips in. The glass orange juice container nearly slips from her hand as she just manages to save it with her other hand.
"Mr. Giles?" her mother's inquiry is calm and that frightens Mackenzie.

"Mom, Giles and I have been friends for quite some time and seriously have gone through some very bonding experiences. However, I'm merely contemplating the direction of our relationship and whether or not we even have something that can be defined as such."
"But his Watchers Council isn't quite the same as ours." She places the orange juice on the island counter and finds herself leaning against the counter for support.
"I understand that mother, really I do, which is why I've been unsure."
"So you're talking to your brother about this?" she put on her best motherly wounded expression and Mackenzie and Jason both laugh lightly.
"I presume that whatever I choose to do will be fine with you and father? It isn't as though its Duncan or Adam." She adds with a grin and her mother smiles, makes her way towards her and wraps an arm around her shoulders in a tight embrace.

"So you'll be leaving us early again this year?" her mother inquires lightly. She nods and then looks down.
"I think it's the right thing for me right now. I have a research paper that I want to get started on as well as a few other assignments. I should get back into a regular training schedule with Duncan; my training has kind of been slipping of late— with all the research I've been doing and work has kept me rather busy as well." She takes a bite of her toast.
"I was hoping to have a girl's day out." Her mother says with a sigh and Mackenzie smiles.
"Today?" she says finishing her eggs.
"That sounds like a plan. We'll shop for a New Years eve dEves for you." Her mother collects the dishes and begins to rinse them to put them in the dishwasher. Jason quickly stands and takes over.
"Go— have fun— do girly things, but don't stay out too late." He shoos them out of the kitchen.
"Dad won't mind?" her mother shakes her head as they head upstairs to get ready to go out.

Their shopping excursion produces several outfits for the new school semester, along with some dressier pieces that she will be able to use to jazz up her existing wardrobe. Her mother also managed to put a good dent in her credit card, buying some new shoes, boots, accessories, and an evening gown for a New Years Eve party. They enjoy lunch at a new Japanese restaurant and spend the afternoon getting pedicures and facials.
"Thanks for this mom. It's so amazing to spend quality time with you." She hugs her mother before taking her bags up to her bedroom.
"Janelle, dear did you have a good time?" Tony calls from the door of his study. He heard his favourite girls enter and curiosity brought him to see what they had been up to. She places her bags aside and makes her way towards him.
"Wonderful quality time with my now not so little girl." She sighs and quickly presses her lips gently against his.

"When did she say she was leaving?"
"Oh, what's today? Wednesday. Friday."
"Then I had better book my time with her before she hasn't any left for me." He smiles and hugs her before making his way upstairs. Mackenzie, meanwhile, has carefully placed her purchases back in their bags and set them aside so she won't have to pack them. The tap on her bedroom door brings her from her thoughts of home.
"Come in." she calls as she turns from the closet and greets her father with a wide smile, "what's up?" she watches as he makes his way towards the chair that stands proudly in front of a writing table. He hitches his trousers and sits in the chair as she moves to sit on the corner of her bed.
"I hear that you're going home early again this year." She nods, without giving him the reason. "I was wondering if you have some time to spend with me tomorrow." He leans forward; resting his elbows on his knees and clasps his strong hands.
"Of course dad, why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?" She gets up, closing the distance between them; she wraps her arms around him. He returns the embrace and they discuss their plans for the day.

"Kenzie! Dad!" Jason's voice is heard hollering from the bottom of the stairs, "dinner!" they look at each other and laugh.
"See what I don't really miss," she states cocking a brow as they make their way downstairs to the dining room. Dinner conversation surrounds New Year's Eve and the various activities that they have planned. Jason mentions that he will be attending an off-campus party, while her parents are attending a charity gala or something to that effect. Her Uncle Joe and Duncan had also decided to return to Sunnydale early to attend various events. Mackenzie was grateful to the stillness of the evening and she situates herself on the sofa hidden under a plush throw with the television on— an old black and white film playing. No one home, her parents had gone to a party with Joe and Duncan and thankfully, Jason had managed to snag a date.

Oddly enough, during the film, her mind begins to wonder— as the story reminds her of a certain someone. Turning her gaze towards the cordless phone, she stares at it for the longest time before finally reaching out and picking it up. She dials his number from heart but pauses on the last digit. What the heck? She mentally laughs at herself as she presses it and waits for him or the answering machine to pickup.
"Hello?" his voice immediately calms her and she's glad that she made the call.
"Hey, Giles. How goes it?" she inquires lightly. She can almost hear the smile that caresses his lips before answering.
"It goes. Nothing catastrophic on the horizon." He replies.
"You're researching." She says in a mock accusatory tone.
"Well yes, I am working on something." She can hear him close a book that he has no doubt set aside. "Is everything okay?" he inquires and she can hear a hint of concern.
"Yes, everything is good here. I just." She pauses.
"Are you enjoying your time with your family?"
"Very much. I had a mom and daughter day today and tomorrow I'm going to spend the day with my dad."
"That sounds wonderful." He smiles and sits back in his armchair. Their conversation is comfortable and lasts late into the evening— until Mackenzie realises the time.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you for so long." She says wishing that their conversation wouldn't end.
"That's all right. I'm here if you ever need or want to talk." He says with the hope they will speak again before she returns.
"Thanks. Have a wonderful evening." She pauses, "good night Giles." She adds quietly.
"Good night Mackenzie." He replies and he shakes his head while cradling the receiver. Mackenzie presses the end button and allows the phone to rest on the sofa beside her feet. What's the matter with me? She wonders as she tries to fix her attention back on the television and the film that draws near to its conclusion. Her mind absently wanders through bits and pieces of their conversation and she feels a sense of ease wash over her as her eyes begin to droop slightly and sleep finally claims her.

Duncan is the first to quietly enter the house— Mackenzie's mother, father, and Joe are still outside. He notices that the television is still on and he walks stealth-like to the living room, only to find Mackenzie fast asleep on the sofa, the fluffy blanket embracing her shoulders, he watches her even breathing. Instead of waking her, he makes his way towards her and carefully scoops her into his arms and carries her upstairs to her room. Quietly pulling the blankets and sheets back, he gently places her into bed and covers her.
"Good night Kenzie." He whispers as he turns to go back downstairs. She doesn't even realise that she's been moved and snuggles further into a dream-filled sleep.

The next morning, when Mackenzie awakens remembering her father-daughter day, she quickly gets ready. Arriving in the kitchen, she finds Duncan and Jason already sitting at the kitchen island and eating breakfast.
"Good morning." She says happily as she stops at the fridge and retrieves the oranges juice. She places it on the counter and grabs a glass from one of the cupboards and carefully pours the juice. "Juice?" they nod their response.
"Sleep well Kenzie?" Duncan inquires as she places the glasses on the island in front of them.
"Yes, thanks." She puts the glass container back in the fridge and sits beside Jason. "How was the party?"
"Pretty good. Amanda happened on it as well." He adds and she turns to look into his deep expressive chocolate eyes.
"Is she still platinum blond?"
"No, actually she has gone back to her root colouring. And, get this; she has chin-length hair." He shakes his head. "Women." He sighs and rolls his eyes to emphasise the point.
"Yeah right! Men find a style or whatever and never bother thinking about changing it. A woman wants to change the colour or style of her hair and it's 'women'" she laughs and emphasises her point with air quotes.

"So what are your plans today?" Jason inquires as he finishes the pieces of toast.

"I'm spending the day with dad," she replies. "I have no idea what we're up to, but I'm sure it'll be great." She adds with a bright smile. She has managed to spend a day with her mother, another with her friends and her brother and now one with her father.
"Sounds like fun." He says happily as he takes his plate to the sink.
"What sounds like fun?" their father says from the doorway on his way into the kitchen. Stopping at the coffee maker, he fills his mug and moves towards the island to nab some milk.
"Kenzie mentioned that the two of you have a day planned."
"That we do." He replies. "I'm thinking we'll hit the mall, check out the bookstore, grab some lunch and catch a movie."
"That sounds like fun." She smiles and looks down at her jeans, crisp Oxford shirt over a black tank top.
"You look fine." He states with a thumbs up.
"Thanks." She stands and takes her dishes to the sink.

The rest of the week flies by and Mackenzie finds herself packing to go home.

"Are you sure that you can't stay longer?" her mother has the 'tears are on the way face' and she has to look away momentarily to recover.
"Mom, I would love to stay, but I really need to get back."
"Classes aren't starting up till after the New Year."
"I know, but I just like to get back to normal." She replies hiding the true reason for her leaving early. This time it really is because of a handsome man in Sunnydale.
"Don't forget to call when you get home." Her father says from behind her and she turns to launch herself into a tight hug.
"I won't." she kisses his cheek. "I love you guys." She adds and her mother and brother wrap their arms around her too. "Can't breathe!" she suddenly says with a laugh and after much hugging and kissing goodbye, Mackenzie, Duncan, and Joe are on their way back to Sunnydale.

Arriving home, Mackenzie happily opens the door. Placing her dirty clothes bag beside the basement door, she turns back to retrieve the rest of her bags and opened Christmas gifts.
"Giles!" she shrikes slightly in surprise, "I didn't think I would see you until later." She adds and her smile widens happily and she steps towards him, closing the distance between them and wraps him in a warm hug. He returns the embrace.
"Welcome home." He whispers in her ear, "how was your vacation?" he inquires as they part yet keep each other at arm's length.
"It was wonderful. Although I missed someone very special." She says innocently wondering if he'd figure out whom she meant.
"I missed you too." He nudges her playfully.

"Would you care for something?" she inquires politely, he takes a moment to consider her offer.
"I would like that. Then you can tell me how your holiday was." He pauses. "Did you say you had more to bring in?" she nods. "Allow me to help." He offers and she nods her appreciation and together they head to her SUV and she hands him a few lighter things to carry. She places some of the bags at the foot of the stairs and then returns to the kitchen to find Giles already preparing tea.
"Awe thanks, Giles. Although it is I who offered you something, which generally means that I am the one who ought to prepare it."
"I just thought I'd lend a hand." He winks at her and together they prepare the tea. After they settle themselves in the living room, the tray on the coffee table, he places his hand in his pocket. "I know that itss after, but I wanted to give you this." he holds the small wrapped package out towards her.

"Giles," she pauses. "You didn't have to do that." She hesitates.
"Please open it." He appears a bit nervous and she can't imagine him being nervous. She carefully undoes the little silver ribbon, which had been artfully perfectly tied. Just as with the ribbon, she finds a bit of tape and carefully pulls and parts the shimmery red paper to reveal a hunter green velvet box. She almost feels like saying 'drum roll please', but reframes from doing so and instead just as carefully as she had revealed the velvet box, she opens it. Nestled within is a white gold pendant in a Celtic style with emerald and diamond accents.
"Oh Giles, it's beautiful!" she exclaims and pushes herself up from the sofa to hug him. "Thank you." She adds and kisses his cheek.
"When I saw it, I thought only of you." He says bashfully with a slight blush climbing up his neck, which she ignores so as not to embarrass him further.
"Every time I wear it, I shall think of you." She whispers.

"Would you do the honour?" she removes the pendant from its place and holds it out towards him. He nods and receives the fine chain. While he figures out the clasp and then the correct way it will be placed around her neck, she turns her back to him and with one hand sweeps her loose hair up with slender fingers to get it out of his way. He manoeuvres around her arm and then makes sure that the clasp is secure before boldly placing a chaste kiss on the back of her neck. The sensation sends a serious of shivers down her spine and she allows her hair to fall back into place.
"Thank you." She faces him and looks into his eyes, which have shifted from a lighter almost emerald green to a darker jade. So taken by her, he is suddenly unable to form words and merely bows his head with a smile that says more than any words ever could.
They sit in comfortable silence drinking their tea before discussing their activities during the holiday.
"So no big bad, or ugly on the horizon for a bit?" she wonders out loud and he chuckles.
"None that I have encountered nor read about." He replies as he sets his teacup back on the saucer on the tray.
"That's fantastic." She sighs contently and sits back into the sofa. "I guess things will be getting back to normal then?" she smiles and turns her head to steal a glance. His expression remains soft, his mind clearly working overtime. "What's on your mind?" she inquires breaking his train of thought.
"Oh, I was just thinking, my dear." He says and turns so that his elbow rests on the soft sofa cushions and the rest of his posture matches hers.

"What were you thinking about?" she pushes gently.
"I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me Friday night?" the invitation felt far more natural than he had initially thought.
"May I ask for a bit of clarification?"
"Yes, of course."
"Is this a dinner shared by two friends, or is it a date?" she pauses and suddenly looks down at her suddenly folded hands in her lap. "I mean, dinner between friends doesn't usually happen on a Friday night." She adds quickly. He didn't wish to scare her off— after all, he had considered their difference in age. However, he also noticed the ease of their conversations, the level of compatibility in the time they had spent together. So he decides to put the suggestion out.
"I suppose one would consider it a date." He tilts his head and gives her a crooked smile.
"I would love to have dinner with you." She smiles happily. "What exactly did you have in mind? I would like to be sure that I dress appropriately." Her sudden uncertainty causes him to reach out and place a comforting hand on her forearm.
"Whatever you wear will be perfect." He says and pauses, "if it helps at all, I'll wear a suit." She laughs.

"And if you wouldn't mind keeping this between the two of us." Her voice hardly above a whisper and she can hear his soft exhale and, looking into her eyes, nods his understanding. She breathes a sigh of relief, "Returning to Watcher duty?" she asks as she notices him reluctantly glancing at his watch. He sighs and nods. Standing, he picks up the tray and carries it to the kitchen.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." She moves towards him and steals a quick hug. He enjoys how well she fits within his embrace. "I will think of you every time I wear it." Reminding him and kisses his cheek before walking him to the foyer. "Goodnight." He says as he turns to leave.
"Goodnight." She happily returns and again watches him safely make his way home. Closing the door, she pauses to look at her reflection in the mirror and admires how well it suits her. He's quite the man, she thinks as she returns to the kitchen to clean up. Glancing at the coffee table, she remembers her forgotten book and decides to quickly change into her pyjamas and read for a little while. Setting herself in the overstuffed sofa with a blanket around her shoulders, she tries to concentrate on the words on the pages but finds her mind unable to stop thinking about her upcoming date and the butterflies fluttering around her stomach in search of an escape. Bed is probably the best option; she places the book beside her and shrugs the blanket off her shoulders, folds it and sets it aside before doing a quick check and turning out the lights on her way up to her bedroom.

Entering the dojo, Mackenzie's mood radiates from her and both Methos and Duncan notice her vibe.
"Hey, guys." She says as she quickly pulls her water bottle and towel from her gym bag and sets her bag aside. "Our regular training regime?" she adds and Duncan nods his ascent.
"What's gotten into her?" Methos nudges Duncan gently with his elbow.
"Don't know." The tall Scot replies and removes his sweatshirt, revealing a deep navy blue tank top. They begin with their regular warm up and run through a serious of stretches.
"Hand-to-hand, staff, or swords today?" she asks once they're stretching session is complete.
"What do you feel you need to work on?"
"Oh, that's not fair. You know that I'll reply EVERYTHING!" she rolls her eyes to emphasise her point.
"Well, let's work with the staff today then." He suggests and she nods as she makes her way to a far wall to select a staff for him and one for herself.

"So how are things going between you and that Watcher?" Methos can't help but throw in a verbal jab.
"His name is Rupert Giles." She replies not allowing him to get to her. She and Duncan assume their respective fighting stances. As her instructor, he starts setting the pace which she easily matches. Their sparring attracts the attention of others at the gym and they pause in their own training to watch. Between Duncan and Mackenzie and Giles and Buffy, anyone fortunate enough to observe their training sessions would gain a great deal of insight that many miss.
"Square and relax your shoulders," Duncan instructs as they move into another round. "You're left shoulder is slumping." He adds and watches as she quickly corrects her posture. "That's better." And just as quickly as she has corrected her form, she sweeps his feet out from underneath him.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Methos states with his sly grin and a twinkle in his eyes. He claps as Mackenzie helps Duncan to his feet.
"You're right, just a slight correction." She smiles and they bow, signalling the end of their sparring match. The onlookers resume their own training as Mackenzie and Duncan leave the mats to towel off some sweat and re-hydrate. Sitting on a bench Mackenzie turns her attention to Methos.
"So, have you a hot date for the New Year?" she tilts her head.
"Nope, flying solo to Duncan's shindig. You coming?" he cocks a brow and leans back against the wall, his jean-clad legs stretching out before him, he stares at his chocolate brown boots.
"Not sure yet, I hope the rest of the gang can attend. I think it will be a fun night out. Get to dress all fancy, have your hair and nails done, you know?"
"Well, not so much with the hair and nail thing, but I'm with you on the dressing up part." He crosses his arms and his expression changes slightly.

"Amanda!" Mackenzie nearly shrieks as she springs from the bench to greet her friend.
"Kenzie, darling." The now brunette says, her raspberry painted lips, a stark contrast to her alabaster skin tone, curl into a graceful smile, mirroring her natural movement. "It's been way too long." She adds as they embrace.
"What have you been up too? Where have you travelled? Are you staying for a while?" Mackenzie cannot help her bombardment of questions.
"Oh my dear, I've been here and there. I met with a few old friends. Actually, I just got in from London before Christmas— I was visiting an old friend of ours." She sends a quick glance towards Duncan, whose expression says, we'll talk about that later.
"London, that sounds amazing. I've always wanted to go to England." She says wistfully.
"You will, once you're immortal you'll have all the time in the world." She whispers so that no one else can hear. Mackenzie's expression clouds over slightly.
"Not in the plan Amanda. I'm looking towards as 'normal' or mundane, if you will, as I can get." She looks at the clock hanging over the entrance. "Oh! I better grab a shower. I'm meeting Uncle Joe for lunch." She quickly hugs Amanda once more. "We'll have to have some time to truly catch up."
"Yes, of course, we will. I'll be in town for a bit."
"Great!" Mackenzie smiles brightly as she heads towards the showers.

Emerging in her street clothes, a pair of jeans and a tank top with matching cardigan, she scoops her jacket and drapes it over one arm, while hooking her gym bag over the other.
"See you guys later!" she calls over her shoulder as she heads out. She stops to put her bag and jacket in her SUV, then walks to the restaurant. Thank goodness, I'm on time, she muses as she enters the restaurant and sees her uncle waiting.
"Uncle Joe." She smiles and hugs him in greeting.
"Kenzie." He leads her towards the maitre d' to be seated. They are greeted by a tall young man with strawberry blond hair. He leads them to a table by the large window.
"Thank you," Joe says as their menus are set in front of them.
"Your waiter will be with you shortly." Strawberry blond turns on his heel and makes his way back to his post.

"So how are things?" he inquires while they look over the menu and Mackenzie tries to hide her massive grin as she knows that if he sees it, he will ask and she still doesn't want to share her news with anyone yet.

"Things are good. Training with Mac is going great and I've been busy getting a few assignments done, and a couple of research papers out of the way so that I will have more time to actually study. Oh! And Watcher wise, everything is going very well. Research is a really fun job." She adds with a smile.
"I'm glad that you're enjoying your research position. Regarding school, have you considered your path?" he places the menu on the table, having decided on his entrée.
"If all goes well, I would like to pursue a Masters." She places her menu on the table, also having decided on her entrée. Their waiter politely interrupts their conversation, introduces himself and, seeing that they have decided takes their drink and entrée orders.

"Your Masters? That's pretty heavy duty." He sits back in his seat.
"I'm hoping to go abroad though. I think that the experience will be very rewarding, along with a change in academic philosophy will broaden my horizon. At the end of the day, I want to be a better Watcher." She leans forward, resting her forearms on the table.
"Have you discussed this with your parents?"
"Not as yet. I really just want to get through these four years first." She sighs as their waiter returns with their drinks, carefully setting them in front of them. As quickly as places them on the table, he informs them that their entrées will arrive momentarily.
"Very efficient restaurant." She watches him as he makes his way to another table.
"That's why I like it here." He replies and takes a sip of his drink.

Their meal arrives and they continue to discuss Watcher business, her studies, her training, and her extra research with Buffy and her friends. The conversation is effortless, as per the norm, and finally rests on the New Years party.
"So are you attending Duncan's patty?" he inquires as he cuts into his stake.
"Yes, I'm hoping that the gang will come along as well. I think it will be fun to hang out on non-end-of-the-world business." She grins and he chuckles.
"I never imagined how many times that girl has saved the world." He says quietly so no one hears their conversation.
"It's mind-blowing. Just this past thing with Adam and the Initiative was scary enough." She cuts the green beans and spears a couple.
"That would have been something to see." He dabs at the corner of his mouth with the crisp serviette.

"I know, but all I am is research girl from afar."
"He's that protective of you?" a brow raises slightly.
"Who?" she asks innocently.
"Giles, of course." He counters, clearly not trying to get any info out of her, just making his own observation.
"Oh?" she glances down at her meal as if it's more interesting than the conversation. "It's field work that the rest have earned. Perhaps one day I shall be considered such an asset. I mean with the training I now have under my belt."
"I think that because he knows your wishes, he doesn't want you running head first into something that can get you killed." She nods her agreement and the subject slips away into a new topic.

Following lunch, they walk to his bookstore.
"I'll probably be around sometime tomorrow to study." His smile is warm, as he always enjoys having her in the shop, even if they don't speak two words to each other, and quickly wraps her in a tight hug.
"See you then." He replies and heads inside. Mackenzie makes her way to her SUV and wonders whether or not she needs to hit the Sunnydale mall for a new dress for her date Friday night, or if she should go home first and see what's in her closet. Deciding to first raid her closet, she drives home. Checking the mail, she opens the door and with one swift movement, closes it behind her. Placing her purse on the hall table, hanging her jacket in the hall closet, she drops her gym bag on the floor beside the basement door. The mail that she holds in her hand is put on the kitchen counter for later and she rushes upstairs to decide what to wear. At least I won't be struggling tomorrow night; she muses as she opens the closet and starts to pull out her dressier dresses.

After the fifth dress, her eyes fall on a little black lace dress. She wonders if it's too much, don't want to give him a heart attack, she sets it aside. Then it nearly jumps out of the closet at her. A black simple shift dress that she can dress up with accessories. Smiling happily, she decides that the rest of the day will be dedicated to schoolwork and after setting her outfit out for the following evening, she makes her way to her office and settles herself to work on her assignments— she even manages to complete two essay drafts and what feels like a ton of research for a larger research paper. Having lost track of time, Mackenzie is pulled out of her final sentence by the ring of her cell phone. She glances at the caller ID.
"Hey, Buffy, what's up?"
"I'm going out on patrol and wondered if you wanted to join me?"
"Sounds like a great idea. I need to get out of here." Mackenzie replies.
"Catch you in a few?
"Sure." She replies, hangs up and begins to clear her desk of any unneeded schoolwork.

Not too long after, Buffy arrives and knocks. Mackenzie quickly finishes rinsing the dishes and sprints to the door.
"Hey Buffy" she steps aside and Buffy stands in the foyer.
"You'll need a jacket it's a bit on the chilly side tonight."
"Thanks for the heads up." She grabs her keys from the hook and Buffy hands her a stake. "Just in case?"
"Yup, can't ever be too careful." The blond leads the way as Mackenzie closes and locks her door.

They walk along a route familiar to Buffy, but it's very rare that Mackenzie joins her for patrol and she carefully takes in her surroundings. It is a quiet night, no vampire activity which isn't completely unusual.
"Want to grab a coffee or something before we do a final sweep?" Buffy inquires and Mackenzie nods her agreement and they head to the Espresso Pump. Ordering their beverages, they find a vacant table in the small establishment.
"Are you attending Duncan's New Year's Eve party this weekend?" Buffy asks as she gently blows her hot chocolate to cool it enough to sip.
"I think it would be a great way to spend the evening. Unless there's an end-of-the-world kind of thing going on." Mackenzie whispers.
"Not that I know of. Giles doesn't want to jinx it, but he thinks we're good to go on partying." She smiles widely and Mackenzie grins as well.
"Cool. So does that mean the whole gang?" she asks.
"I'm trying to convince Giles, but he seems a bit reluctant. That's why I was asking if you were going."

Mackenzie nearly burns her lips on her hot chocolate, but thankfully Buffy doesn't seem to notice her sudden discomfort.

"Yeah, I confirmed with Duncan at training today." She blows gently on her beverage in hopes of cooling it.
"Excellent," Buffy says no more on the topic of Giles or the New Years Eve party. Their conversation moves towards lighter topics and once they have finished their hot chocolates, they make their way out into the chilly night and head towards the second route to do a quick sweep before going home. Entering one of the older cemeteries, Buffy has a sudden sense that something isn't quite right. Funnily enough, Mackenzie also picks up on some odd vibes. They glance at each other and walk carefully. Like a moth drawn to a flame, vampires are drawn to the Slayer and a small group of vamps appear to sense Buffy and make their way towards the two girls.
"Slayer, how kind of you to bring us a treat." One of the vampires taunts her. Mackenzie carefully assesses their situation and she quickly deduces that tonight she will fight alongside her friend.
"A snack?" Buffy rolls her eyes and assumes her fighting stance. Mackenzie fakes ignorance of vampires. As Buffy deals with the group, a vamp tries to sneak around towards Mackenzie, who has her hand on the stake she has concealed in her jacket.

"Isn't this just perfect? The Slayer too busy to save you." The vampire taunts her, thinking that he has the upper hand. Mackenzie uses her training to await the vampire's move. Having anticipated it already, she manages to duck away and stake him. The others don't notice that they are one short, being too busy with the Slayer, Mackenzie manages to dust two more vamps and Buffy finishes with the group's leader.
"Nice teamwork," Buffy states as she replaces her stake in an inner pocket in her leather jacket.
"That was… Whoa!" Mackenzie's eyes are a bit wide and she suddenly feels the after effect and her body suddenly feels cold.
"Not something you want to think about, but you do get used to it," Buffy explains and together they finish the patrol route, chatting all the way back to Mackenzie's.

"I wouldn't suggest that you go telling Giles about this," Buffy says slightly as they make their way into the courtyard.
"I don't suppose it would be wise." She agrees and heads towards her flat. "I'll see you at the party?"
"You bet! I can't wait to get all dressed up." Buffy smiles and they hug. Buffy watches as Mackenzie slips inside before going over to Giles' flat— she doesn't want Giles suspecting anything that would require an explanation
"Buffy." He admits her and Buffy closes the door and proceeds past into the flat.
"Hey, Giles." She sits herself on the comfortable sofa and waits for him to either disappear into the kitchen to prepare post patrol tea or sit in the worn leather armchair. Tonight, he chooses to sit and chat.

"How was patrol?"
"Well, you know, not much on the action side. I got into a bit of a six-on-one situation. That's about it."
"I don't have an explanation for that. Unless, of course. Something that we are unaware of is brewing."
"Hey! Let's not screw around with the New Year." Buffy pouts. "You're coming to Duncan's party, by the way." She states simply.
"I haven't decided." He replies as he sits back in the armchair.
"Yes. You. Are. Kenzie will be there." She adds with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. He knows for sure that something is up— what, he is still unsure.
"You do realise that I'll have to wear a tux."
"And you look amazing in a tux." She smiles at the memory of prom. He blushes slightly. "I should know." She winks for emphasis.
"I'll consider it." He replies.
"It's this Saturday night." She pushes. "Come on Giles! There's squat on the evil front, at the moment at least, we all need a break! And that includes you." She adds. He hadn't quite considered that she would be so persuasive. Giving in, he simply nods and she springs from her seat.
"I better be getting home. This will be awesome! The whole gang together having an amazing time, just like old times." She stops in front of him and pats his arm. "Thank you!" she adds and makes her way out. Giles sits back in his seat and shakes his head. That girl sometimes, he muses as he settles on a cup of tea before bed.

Mackenzie spends the majority of her day at Joe's bookstore, taking up the table in the corner beside the large plate glass window doing research for another paper. Joe sits at his desk behind the counter going over the books, invoicing, and enjoying the odd interruption from customers here and there. She lifts her head once more, checking the time. Finishing the cup of tea from the paper cup in front of her, she stands to put it in the garbage.
"How's the research?" he asks from a book he had been reading.
"It's going very well. I think I'll have this paper done a week ahead of time." She smiles triumphantly, "I'm going to head out." She adds as she makes her way back to the table and starts to organise her notes into a binder before slipping it into her knapsack.
"Yeah I guess a lovely girl like yourself would have a hot date tonight?" he says innocently, expecting the same answer.
"Right Uncle Joe! Me, my couch, and a pint of ice cream with whatever the movie of the week happens to be on." She closes her bag and plucks her jacket from the back of one of the chairs.

"You need balance in your life, my dear." Joe teases as he watches her push her arms through the sleeves of her jacket and button it up.
"Thanks for caring." She slings her knapsack over her shoulder and makes her way towards him. Kissing his cheek and giving him a quick hug, Mackenzie makes her way out of the shop to her SUV. On the way home, she considers her evening plans. I'm nervous as hell; she joshes herself as she pulls the SUV into her parking space and gathers herself. Walking through the courtyard, she pauses briefly and allows her eyes to settle on Giles' flat. Maybe it isn't too late to cancel— she forces herself to shake the thought from her mind and makes her way to her flat. Going through the ritual of settling herself, she sits comfortably on the sofa with a cup of tea and a book— a warm blanket rests across her lap and she enjoys the gentle music in the background.

Ensuring that she has plenty of time to get ready, Mackenzie sets her book aside on the coffee table, folds the blanket setting in on the arm of the sofa, and picks up the teacup to take to the kitchen. She makes her way upstairs and the butterflies threaten to start fluttering in her stomach. Great, she muses as she sets about drawing the bath water. She steps into the tub and settles herself back to allow the water to relax her nerves. Picking up the vanilla scented body wash, she pours a bit on a soft washcloth and runs it over her body— even though it will rinse with the water, a hint will be left evenly on her body. Pulling the plug, she carefully steps out of the tub and wraps the fluffy towel around her chest and proceeds to ready herself for her date.

Date, she still finds it difficult to wrap her head around the concept— especially with Giles. Shaking any negative thoughts from her head, she tries to calm the butterflies and dress Wanting to be sure that she looks right, Mackenzie stands in front of the full-length mirror and gives herself the once over. I really wish I had told Buffy— at least she would have been able to give me advice and fashion tips. Wanting to leave a lasting impression, Mackenzie decides on the pendant Giles had given her for Christmas. With all finishing touches in place, she makes her way downstairs with a few minutes to spare. Good thing too, I wouldn't want to keep him waiting. She literally reaches the bottom step when she hears the gentle rap on the door. Checking her hair once more in the hall mirror, Mackenzie opens the door.

"Giles, you look very dapper." Her face lights up at the sight of him and all the nerves she felt throughout the day disappear. A small bouquet in hand, he holds the flower almost shyly towards her.
"Kenzie." He pauses, "W-wow." He makes a move to embrace her gently so not to crush the flowers. He steps over the threshold and she closes the door. She quickly retreats to the kitchen to put the flowers in water while Giles retrieves her coat from the hanger, and upon her return holds it for her to easily slide her arms through the awaiting sleeves. Ever the gentleman, she thinks and allows herself to enjoy the moment.
"Thank you." She turns in his hands and he rests them on her shoulders.
"We had better get going if we are to make our reservation." She plucks her keys from the bowl and slips them into her purse. He opens the door for her and she steps through. Offering her his arm, she threads hers through his and they walk to his car.
"So you still haven't given me any clue as to where we are going." She teases as he opens the passenger door for her.
"I'd like to keep it a surprise." His grin mischievous as he closes the door and makes his way to the driver's side and sits before starting the car.
"Okay." She smiles softly as she watches the scenery passes them by.

He parks the car and quickly exits to open her door for her.
"Thank you." She accepts his gesture and rests her hand gently on his forearm and allows him to weave her arm through his, then closes the door. "Oh, I haven't been here yet." She laughs softly thinking of how he must have overheard her talking with Buffy and Willow about wanting to try it. He merely smiles smugly, not wanting to reveal how he had come across that little bit of information— he is, after all, a Watcher.
"I heard that their dessert menu is deliciously sinful." He manages stating without a nervous stutter, which doesn't go unnoticed by her. Hopefully, he's, more comfortable with me now, she wonders as they enter the restaurant.

Her eyes are drawn to the style— quite modern, yet tasteful and warm at the same time. Not like other modern restaurants that feel cold and hang ink blots on the walls in various colours calling it art. The maitre d', after confirming something in their reservation book, greets them with a warm smile.
"Monsieur Giles?" Giles nods and they are led to a quiet table tucked away from all the bustle, lending itself to allow a couple to get to know one and other, yet not too far away from the dance floor.
"Dancing?" Mackenzie raises an eyebrow as her stomach sinks into her shoes. Giles notices the sudden stiffness in her posture.
"Don't worry my dear; a strong partner is all one needs." He whispers in her ear, the heat of his breath sending a pleasant shiver down her spine."Oh sure, if you want feet to walk on tomorrow." She says slightly joking.

They are seated and their menus placed in front of them to peruse at their leisure. Mackenzie continues to take in the décor— rich blue walls with dark wood trim, exposed beams, and terracotta accents. The tablecloths are crisp white with their matching serviettes and navy blue table accents. Stain glass window panes help to divide the space without darkening the space any more than it already is. Candles light the tables, helping to create a romantic atmosphere. The music is soft as it serenades the patrons. Their waiter arrives, politely interrupting their conversation.
"Good evening. My name is Evan and I will be your waiter for this evening." He pulls his notebook from the strings of his apron. "May I bring you something to drink perhaps?"
"Water please, with lemon for the young lady. And for myself, the house white please." The waiter jots something down quickly.
"Appetizers?" she shakes her head no.
"Not this evening, thank you." Giles politely dismisses the waiter and they return to their conversation.

With their meals ordered, Mackenzie enjoys stories of Giles' youth, the trials of a Watcher shirking his destiny, only to accept his fate and with it, Buffy.
"You are very lucky to have her in your life," Mackenzie comments with an effortless smile. Every gesture, touch, or time their eyes connect— she manages, despite the fact that they are in a packed restaurant, to make him feel as though they are the only ones in the room. Even when Evan returns with their entrees, Giles hardly notices the slight interruption.
"Thank you." He manages, remembering his manners.
"How could you possibly manage to deal with Wesley?" she inquires as she carefully cuts into her chicken.
"I actually am not sure how I didn't kill him myself. You see, there we were no weapons with two medieval-looking vampires— swords, chainmail and all ready to take our heads. I'm not sure exactly what happened, I managed a sword and bested both. Wesley only managed to shriek like a girl." They laugh at his description.
"I'm surprised that he made it through the Ascension in one piece." She shakes her head.

"I was quite honestly surprised to see your arrival." Giles rests his fork on his plate for a moment and carefully raises the serviette up to his lips. She looks down for a long moment.
"Well, I wanted to be sure that everyone was okay." She manages without confessing her actual reason for her concern. He somehow manages to read the truth in her eyes and finds that he too, must look elsewhere. "I understand that you do the whole risk your neck for the sake of humanity— you're lucky if you even receive a 'thanks' for the great work." She reaches across the table for his hand and gently takes it in her own, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I think you forget that you're human." He nods his understanding and gently circles the soft flesh of her slight hand in his.

"Would you care to dance before, or after dessert?" he asks with a glint of mischief in his green eyes, which are darker in the lack of light, they are a hazel shade, which is slowly deepening to hunter green. Mackenzie mock chews her bottom lip in thought.
"Well, there isn't much choice. Embarrass myself prior or following a delectable, sinful, pleasurable dessert?" she pauses, "that's truly a tough one." She continues to stall. "Are you sure you want to be able to walk tomorrow?" she teases.
"You're not getting out of this." His smile infectious, "besides, we both know how quickly you pick up the routines for your training." She nods, seeing exactly where he is going with his reasoning.
"You want me to apply the same discipline that I use to learn a new fighting style to dance?" he nods and she tilts her head understanding his logic, but still unconvinced that it is actually applicable to something such as dance.

"If you step on my toes, you step on my toes. I promise I won't hold that against you." she gulps as he stands and holds out a hand towards her. She doesn't take but a moment to quietly sigh and placing her serviette on the chair, she accepts his hand and he sweeps her towards the dance floor. In no way did she feel awkward in his arms— in fact, she has a sense of comfort in his embrace, as if he were protecting her somehow. They enjoy a few dances and she lifts her eyes to meet his and she enjoys the expression that caresses his features, a softness that she wonders if anyone has been privy to before. Once the last notes resonate, he guides her off the floor to return to their table and peruse the desert menu.
"I have to say Giles that I don't think that I can indulge in anymore." She picks up the menu and reads through some of the names and description of the desserts to choose from.

Evan returns to their table to see if he may be of further assistance.
"I think coffees and a crème burley with two spoons?" he glances towards her and she gives in with a nod.
"That's an excellent choice sir, and our specialty." Evan accepts their menus and makes his way through the crowded restaurant.
"Are you sure more food is necessary?" Mackenzie grins wickedly and he chuckles.
"Perhaps more dancing once we've tried our desert?" he suggests and she slowly nods her agreement. Evan sets the desert between them and places the coffees on the table with the needed additions— cream, milk, sugar and sweeteners.

Together, they greatly enjoy their coffees and dessert. Once most of the delicious treat is consumed, Giles gestures for another turn on the dance floor and this time Mackenzie happily takes his hand and allows him to lead her once more. Their time together is comfortable. The dancing to Mackenzie's surprise feels effortless, as though they were meant to be partners. She feels his hand as it gently rests on her lower back, and she allows her head to gently rest upon his chest over his heart, she listens to the steadiness of the rhythm to the music playing. Lifting her head, she looks up at the gentle, happy expression on his face.
"What is it?" he interrupts her silent musing.
"This is just so wonderfully, dare I say, perfect." Her eyes meet his and in that moment no words are necessary to communicate.

Both felt the pull of the end of their date and once the last song finished, they make their way from the dance floor to the table, where Evan happens to arrive.
"Is there anything else that I may bring you this evening?" Giles glances towards Mackenzie and she gently shakes her head no.
"I think we shall call it an evening." Giles gestures for the cheque and Evan disappears once more.
"Giles, this has been so amazing." She reaches across the table for his hands and intertwines her slender fingers within his— they both can feel the sparks they share and enjoy the sensations. Once Evan returns and the cheque paid, Giles and Mackenzie exit the restaurant into the chilly night.

Arriving at her doorstep, Giles remains the gentleman.
"Mackenzie, I have had a wonderful evening."
"I absolutely agree." Her smile widens. "Thank you so very much for reminding me that someone like you does exist." She decides to toss away conventions and hopes that her boldness doesn't cost her. Taking a step forward, invading his space, she reaches up a hand to his face and caresses his cheek, coaxing his face down towards her own. She then ever so gently presses her lips to his in a chaste goodnight kiss. While Giles finds himself slightly surprised, he allows himself the luxury of responding to the kiss and when they part, rests his forehead tenderly against hers.
"Goodnight Mackenzie." Giles almost whispers her name.
"Goodnight." She replies as they slowly part. He caresses her face gently with callused fingers before slowly turning to return to his flat.

Still feeling her lips upon his, he closes his door and allows the evening to replay in his mind. Their date had actually exceeded any of his expectations— thankfully there had been no interruptions. And the perfect kiss to end a perfect night. As he makes his way up to his bedroom, he loosens his tie and removes his suit jacket, along with his trousers to hang in the armour. Standing in his dress shirt and socks, he pads over to a chair in the corner of the room where his pyjamas sit folded neatly. With a content sigh, he picks them up and heads to the bathroom to prepare for what he feels will be a blissful sleep. Mackenzie; however, finds herself hopelessly giddy to the point of sleep refusing her.

Walking into her office, Mackenzie sets about researching Methos once more. She hasn't reported anything of significance to the Council, yet they feel that she is Adam's best chance at 'breaking the case', she almost laughs out loud while opening another journal. The entries in this volume are written in his own short-hand, which Mackenzie, on more than one occasion, had talked to him about. She had realised that it was a mixture of Sumerian with the language of whatever region he happened in at the time. So long as she never revealed his true identity, Methos had no trouble letting her help him hide himself from the Watchers Council. In fact, the more she learned of the mysterious Methos, the more curious his behaviour, and point of view of the world become.

I cannot stand another moment of this place. Constant dust swirls around us as we ride across the desert. My brothers—Kronos, Silas, and Caspian ride beside me, killing, pillaging, and raping our journey through Mongolia west towards Turkey. We sweep into yet another desolate camp, women to be had, made our personal slaves while their men and children are murdered. We shall feast and move on until we reach or destination— where that is exactly, feels as unknown as our next camp or village.

Tonight I seek the refuge in the arms of a young woman, who has yet to learn her true significance within the world. What her death shall reveal. She will as we are, immortal and powerful beyond all reason— we take what we need from these weak, useless mortals. We feast tonight on blood and women, yet my appetite for the next battle still courses through my veins. This woman shall travel with us. I shan't let my brothers touch a hair upon her head.

Our introduction is brief; she is brought to the tent I procure and deem mine with her handmaiden by my brothers, Kronos and Caspian. They argue about who may take her first and I silence them with my power and sword to both leave my tent and her with me. They take her handmaiden, not that I care and she and I are better acquainted. Her name, not that it truly matters to me, is Cassandra— a name as wild and as untamed as her very being. I shall enjoy this night.

Mackenzie's head swims in the violence that has been Methos' life and truly realises how far he has evolved in his world view. As of later journals, she has managed to record at the very least, sixty nearly seventy marriages. She also notes the change in tone from his earlier journals to the later years. Writing in a journal of her own, she scribbles a few notes, reoccurring themes, places, and adding to a vast cast of people he has encountered. Ask Methos about Cassandra, and the four horseman— which was he? As she writes, her eyes begin to feel heavy, and she finally gives in. She carefully sets the journal aside and as she stands turns out the lamp beside the armchair she had been sitting in. Once her teeth are brushed, she makes her way back into her bedroom to climb into bed.
Saturday morning sunshine lightly filters in through the sheers onto Mackenzie's face and she stirs. Duncan's New Years Eve party, she smiles to herself and recalls the day the gang has planned—to a tee, from hanging out, to getting all dolled up to go. What a wonderful day, she sits up and stretches her arms over her head, the covers pooling around her waist, she swings her long legs over the edge of the bed and slips her feet into her slippers. Heading out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of casual slacks, a lacy tank top under a crisp Oxford white shirt— she just catches the phone.

"Hello?" she answers slightly out of breath.
"Good morning my dear, did you sleep well?" Giles' voice has an interesting change in tone and she almost giggles.
"Hey Giles, I finally got some sleep. I got into the journals last night." She replies honestly. "That and just before going to sleep I had thought perhaps I had already been dreaming." She adds, she can hear his gently laugh on the other end and can picture his expression.
"Have you spoken to Buffy this morning?" he inquires innocently.
"Actually I haven't. The gang should be on their way over. We're having brunch this morning. Did she not invite you? I remember that you said you were unable to attend the party, but I thought she would have at least mentioned brunch."
"I think it slipped her mind when I agreed to join in the festivities."

She could feel her heartbeat increase.
"Really?" she asks, and he can hear a bit of shock in her tone.
"And here I thought it would be Buffy to let the cat out of the bag."
"That's wonderful!" she exclaims happily. "Why don't you join us for brunch than, spend the day with us, and you and Xander can change over at your flat."
"That sounds like a plan. Is Xander driving as well?"
"I think so. I was going to drive Buffy and he was going to pickup Anya, Willow, and Tara."
"Well then. I'll be over shortly." She can hear the smile in his voice and once she cradles the receiver, she heads to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea for Giles and herself while they wait for the gang to arrive.

Sitting comfortably on the sofa, Giles and Mackenzie quietly chat about their date and discuss their status.
"You will eventually want to share the news with your friends I'm sure." Giles says as he sets the teacup on its matching saucer. As she nods, she bites her lower lips nervously. He reaches out and caresses her cheek gently— she leans into his touch and steals a quick kiss.
"Why not wait a little bit?" she reasons. "I want to enjoy 'us' for a little while longer."
"That might prove a bit difficult this evening." He tilts his head to the side before removing his glasses and retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket to polish them.
"Mr. Giles! Are you going to tell me that you're actually more affectionate in public than I first thought?" he replaces his glasses and grins. She cocks a brow as the doorbell rings loudly.

Mackenzie opens the door and the gang files in.
"I tried to reach Giles." Buffy stops dead in her tracks, Willow nearly walking right into her. "You're here!" her expression priceless and the Watcher enjoys her sudden shock and confusion.
"I happened to call Kenzie this morning and she invited me along for New Years brunch."
"And here I thought I'd have to twist your arm." Buffy's expression remains confused. The rest of the gang appear to miss the glances between Watcher and Slayer. "Whoa." Is all she can manage.
"So are we on our way or what?" Xander says as his stomach growls loudly. "I haven't eaten since last night." He adds and they all laugh.
"Yes, of course. Just let me tidy this up and I'll get my coat." Mackenzie collects their teacups and heads into the kitchen to rinse them and place them in the dishwasher. Giles finds it difficult not to retrieve and hold out her coat for her and she sees a twinge of worry on his handsome features. Soon, she mouths as she picks up her keys and purse, they all head out. Deciding to walk to the main street, they arrive at the restaurant. A mom and pop diner where they serve all-day breakfast and pretty much anything else you could want.

A waitress notices them enter.
"Anywhere you'd like. I'll be by with menus in a moment." She says loudly with a smile and they find a booth large enough to accommodate their group. Xander and Anya sit together on one side with Willow and Tara— leaving Giles, Buffy and Mackenzie to sit across from them. The waitress arrives with their menus.
"Can I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?" she asks while grabbing her pen from behind her ear and her notepad from the front pocket of her apron.
"Could you bring us water to start please?" Buffy smiles and the waitress walks towards the kitchen.

"This looks good." Xander points something out to Anya, who nods in agreement. "We can share it." He adds and she nudges him in the ribs.
"As if Xander! The way your stomach is growling, you'll need that just for your left leg." They all laugh. Willow and Tara have their heads bowed over their menu discussing their choices quietly. Buffy watches her friends closely and then sneaks a sideway glance of Mackenzie and Giles, who appear to be looking over their own menus without sharing a word. Odd, she thinks to herself while deciding on her own meal. What she's missing is Mackenzie's thigh pressed against Giles'. The waitress returns with their waters and then takes their orders.

While they wait for their orders, they discuss the upcoming party.
"This is going to be such a wonderful night!" Willow states excitedly. Tara nods and they hold each others hands, their fingers intertwined. Xander and Anya happily agree as well.
"I cannot believe there is not a big bad in sight." Buffy says quietly enough so that no one else hears them. "We get a 'normal' night to have fun." She pauses, "this will be even better than prom!" they all nod in agreement, recalling Buffy having to deal with the hellhounds.
"You'll all enjoy this party." Mackenzie says happily. "When my brother and I were old enough, our parents would take us to Duncan's parties. His parties are reminiscent from times past." She smiles. "Wish my parents were her too, they would definitely enjoy it." She rests her forearms on the table and folds her hands in front of her.

"Are our dresses fancy enough?" Tara inquires nervously.
"Yes, of course." Mackenzie smiles to reassure them that everything will be just fine. "I can't wait to see Xander in a tux."
"He's very handsome. And mine!" Anya says kissing his check. Mackenzie sighs at the ease of her friend's public display of affections and wishes that she could share her news with them. But she doesn't want to change the group dynamics and is still unsure if they will accept Giles' choice in her as a potential significant other. Shoving the thoughts from her mind, the waitress returns with their meals.
"I'll be right back with your orange juices, teas and coffees. Is there anything else you need? Ketchup? Jam?" she adds smiling as Xander, with his mouth full nods for both. "Okay." She turns on her heels and is gone once more.

"So we'll hang at your place this afternoon?" Willow confirms their plans. Mackenzie nods.
"The boys will dress over at Giles' and we'll get all dolled up at my place." Mackenzie scrapes a bit of butter onto her pancakes before adding some sugar-free syrup.
"Make sure you have corsages." Anya says glaring at Xander. "You did remember, right?" he nods his 'yes dear' and continues to cut into a piece of bacon.
"You did get enough for all of us girls right?" he can only nod again, his mouth full once more.

With their plans for the day finalised, they finish their meals and pay before making their way back to Mackenzie's.
"I can't believe it's going to be a new year." Tara says as they setup themselves around the coffee table to play games.
"It's pretty amazing that we've made it through as well as we have." Buffy states from the kitchen, as she mulls about for a glass to fill with water. "Does anyone need anything?" she asks happily.
"Nope!" the chorus answers and she finds a seat on the floor. They enjoy the afternoon of card games and board games with a movie on in the background. Even Giles is having an enjoyable afternoon sitting beside Mackenzie, every once in a while, their hands accidently touch, or her knee brushes his thigh. The others, he realises are oblivious to their flirtations.

As the time draws closer to the party, Xander and Giles pull themselves from the fun and head over to Giles' flat to shower, shave, and dress. The girls smile as they leave and make their way upstairs to get ready as well. Four girls and two bathrooms wasn't as difficult as they had initially thought. Quick showers would be the key. That way there would be enough hot water, and then they would all be able to help each other with styling their hair and applying makeup. Buffy stands and stares at herself in the full-length mirror, her ruby red strappy, deep V-back dress hugging her body in the right places. She smiles to herself, hoping that this year will indeed be different from the last— to a better year, she silently muses.

Emerging from the guest bedroom, Tara enters the master and twirls around in a pink chiffon dress, butterfly wing sleeves and a burgundy front lace-up bodice and trim and Willow wears a burgundy velvet dress with a lace-up bodice in an array of pinkish and red hues. Anya smiles brightly as she enters the room wearing an emerald halter dress with a delicate gold trim throughout, extenuating her trim figure. Mackenzie is just as radiant as her friends in a sapphire strapless form-fitting draped gown with silver trim and a white faux-fur bolero to keep her shoulders warm.
"Giles is going to have a heart attack." Buffy whispers quietly to her, once the others have left the room to wait for the men downstairs. Mackenzie freezes in her tracks. "Come on Kenzie! Haven't you seen the way he looks at you? You'd have to be blind not to know that he's smitten with you." She adds with a smile, her light pink lips shimmering in the soft light. "You'll knock his socks off tonight." She orders her friend.

Buffy leads her downstairs, hoping to reveal her to Giles herself— lucky for her, the men are indeed downstairs complimenting her friends. Giles' eyes turn towards Buffy and he nods his approval of her choice with a soft smile. She mouths 'thank you'. But she is quite right— when his eyes rest upon Mackenzie, he doesn't even realise that he's holding his breath. She can feel the blush work its way up her body right from her toes. The rest of the group finally notices their silent conversation. Xander moves towards Giles with a corsage and hands it to him to present to Mackenzie. The moment is like a spell's been cast and he accepts the corsage. Mackenzie stands in front of him and he gestures for her to hold her hand out towards him and he carefully places the dainty flower upon her wrist and with nimble fingers ties the satin ribbon around her slender wrist.
"Thank you Giles." She says in a hushed tone.

Xander helps Anya and Buffy with theirs as Willow and Tara exchange their own corsages.
"Ladies, shall we?" Xander announces as he gallantly opens the front door and the group, having gotten their coats and purses, file out. Once the door is closed and locked, Xander threads Anya's arm through his while Tara and Willow do the same and Giles, between Buffy and Mackenzie bring up the rear. Getting into their respective cars, they agree to meet at the hotel.
"This is going to be so much fun! Buffy exclaims from the backseat of Mackenzie's SUV. "Have you ever heard that the person you spend New Year's with, is the person you're meant to be with?" she adds with a smile. Mackenzie sighs, trying to ignore Buffy's teasing, but Giles isn't as successful.
"Where on earth would you hear such a thing?"
"Oh, it was in one of the magazines." She replies simply.

When they arrive, the party is in full swing. Duncan has rented one of the ballrooms and if Mackenzie were a betting girl, Amanda organised and hired the staff to decorate the space and more than likely had a hand in the food as well—as there was a three course meal and massive dessert buffet to close the evening. As Mackenzie and Buffy proudly link arms with Giles and follow Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara her expression brightens. The colour scheme for the evening is deep royal blue and shimmering silver. The space has beautiful planters with ornaments and lights adorning them strategically placed throughout the space and the large windows are draped in luscious material.
"Anya is speechless?" Buffy whispers, "That has to be a first." Giles chuckles lightly and Mackenzie even laughs a bit. She suddenly freezes in place.
"What is it dear?" Giles inquires as Buffy unlinks her arm and heads towards the grand windows with her friends.

"My parents are here." She replies.
"Is that a bad thing?" he inquires as he strokes her arm in a reassuring manner.
"No, it's just a surprise. I cannot believe that my mom didn't tell me. I would have had them stay overnight at my place. Oh, there's Jason!" she adds as they make their way towards a server and Giles gracefully plucks two crystal goblets from the silver tray. "I am going to have to introduce you to them, but." She pauses.
"We're friends." He supplies warmly, not wanting her to tip her hand so soon in a relationship that has hardly had the opportunity to truly blossom, despite the obvious amount of time they have spent together— even while in relationships with others. Her mother spots them first and she smiles as she notices her drag her father and brother towards her.

"Kenzie!" her mother gives her an approving smile after obviously giving her the once over.
"Mom!" Giles quickly takes the goblet from her and carefully deposits them on a silver tray of a passing server, and she embraces her mother, her father, and then her brother. "This is Rupert Giles. Giles, my mother Janelle, and father Anthony Lamont." She introduces him to her family. Her father shakes his hand, then her brother, and her mother steps forward— he politely takes her hand and brushes a soft kiss on her knuckles. "And this is my brother. Jason." They also shake hands with the introduction.
"So this is the gentleman from across the way, is it?" her father's tone is one of protection and Giles immediately picks up on it.
"Yes, he's Buffy's Watcher." She says quietly. Her parents are quiet about their observations. Jason; however, misses their knowing exchange.
"You're the guy she keeps talking about then?" he leans towards Giles. "Hurt her, and I'll hurt you." He whispers quietly, as he has to any male to come in contact with is sister; and Giles nods his understanding.

Mackenzie strains her neck to see if she can pick out Duncan from the crowd, but there is such a thick sea of people.
"Duncan is here right?" she asks, hoping to change the subject.
"We saw him a little while ago sweetie. I think Amanda has us sitting with you and your friends." Her father says with a smile. Oh great! She muses as she takes Giles' arm and excuses herself, pulling him with her. Unable to find Duncan, he actually finds them.
"Kenzie, you look amazing!" he says as they exchange a quick embrace and he kisses her cheek. "You're a lucky man there Giles to land such a companion for the evening." He adds with a grin. She hadn't discussed her relationship status with anyone, yet they all appear to know exactly what is going on in her love life.
"Duncan?" she looks at him with a questioning gaze, just as Methos makes his entrance.

"My, my, is that my Kenzie?" Methos sweeps towards her and pulls her into an embrace. "And Giles so good to finally meet you, chap— Kenzie here has done a splendid job at hiding you from us." He adds extending his hand to shake hands. Giles accepts his gesture and they engage in comfortable conversation, which Joe also politely weaves himself into. Easily introducing himself to Giles and enjoys their conversation. Amanda on the other hand has made her way to their group and introduces herself to Giles in her usual sultry manner— even as a brunette, Mackenzie notices the ease in which Amanda oozes sex appeal. Giles; however, thankfully isn't drawn in the same way other men have been in the past. As the party continues the host gestures that they move into the dining section so that the stage can be setup of the evenings' entertainment.

"You are going to love it!" Amanda says happily as they all head towards the other room to be seated at their tables. The colour scheme for the décor is the same as the ballroom— crisp white table cloths and serviettes, candles standing proudly in shining silver candelabras; and the luscious navy blue in the slip covers over the chairs, some of the candles and again between the numerous windows. Taking their seats, Giles sits happily between Buffy and Mackenzie, Xander sets himself beside Buffy with Anya next to him, Willow then Tara, her parents and brother. At the table beside theirs sits Duncan, Amanda, Methos, and a few Watchers from the Council, which Mackenzie surmises this evening isn't an entirely a social call— perhaps they were checking up on the North American branch of the business. James Horton sits smugly beside her uncle and her skin nearly crawls when her eyes meet his.
"Is everything okay, my dear?" Giles whispers quietly into her ear. She rolls her eyes as she tilts her head towards his ear to whisper.
"Just the Watchers Council and that's never a good thing." She replies just as quietly, "and the guy sitting beside my uncle is not my favourite person." She adds as a waiter brings them the first course.

They enjoy their meal and the conversation around the table is animated and comfortable. Mackenzie enjoys having the opportunity to spend more time with her family as well as her friends— quite surprised by their easy acceptance of Giles, despite her wish to keep it private for a while. Once the final course is served, she watches as people begin to make their way to the ballroom as the sound of instruments being tuned for the evening's live performance floats through the air. Wow, live music she smiles at the memory of her date the previous evening with Giles and dancing— entwined safely within his embrace. She hopes that she has the opportunity to dance with him once more. Watching her parents make their way towards the ballroom with Jason not far behind, she gracefully pushes her chair back and stands.
"I need a bit of air." She says quietly to Giles with a hand on his shoulder before venturing out onto the flag stone terrace. The night air is nippy as it caresses her face and she takes a deep breath of the amazingly fragrant air.

She glances beyond the thick stone railing towards the gardens. They will no doubt be beautiful by daylight. Forgetting for a moment that she is in a public place and out alone at night, she lets herself enjoy the solitude of the moment, before sensing someone behind her. Ready to deal with a vampire should the need arise, she suddenly catches his familiar scent floating in the air and allows herself to relax. She sees his hands rest on the railing either side of her, his onyx pinkie ring confirming his identity. She sighs quietly and allows herself to lean back into the warmth of his body. One of his hands leaves the railing and rests upon her hip.
"My parents." She can barely utter as his lips gently caress the nape of her neck and his breath warm against her skin. "What about the gang?" she adds as she turns to look at him.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that they already know about us. Most likely long before we did" He reaches up to cup her face in his hand.
"That thought has crossed my mind as well." She confesses and he holds his hand for her to take and pulls her into him to sway to the music that has escapes the grand ballroom through open French doors. She rests her head on his chest over his heart and is comforted by the steadiness of his heart rate.
"If they disapproved I think they would have let their objections be known by now." He reluctantly parts from her and pulls her back inside to join the party.
"This really is going to be the best New Years I've ever had." She whispers into his ear as Xander approaches them.
"There you are! This really is quite the party Kenzie. I didn't realise that you knew so many cool people. Other than us of course." He winks at her with a wide grin.
"Oh, thanks Xander." She replies, rolling her eyes for emphasis.

Her expression changes as the rest of the gang make their way towards them.
"It's almost midnight. I thought it would be cool for all of us to be together when the countdown is complete." Willow says happily, and they all realise she probably has partaken in a bit of bubbly, which clearly has gone to her head.
"That's an excellent idea." Mackenzie says in agreement as they find a place to wait for the countdown. Her parents also joins the group along with her brother; and then they are joined by Amanda, Duncan, Joe and Methos.
"What better way to ring in the New Year!" Amanda's excited tone causes smiles as the wait staff, bring party hats and sound makers to the group. Thank you's are exchanged while they receive their noise favours. Then everyone's attention is drawn to the stage as the screens blink the countdown.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1.. HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone in the ballroom shout at the top of their lungs while making as much noise as possible with their noise maker. The group grab each other in a large group embrace and then the couples take a moment to bring in the New Year with hugs and kisses. Mackenzie steps aside and gives Buffy and Giles a moment, while quickly embracing her family and extended family. Returning to Giles' side she tosses any and all thoughts of doubt aside and lifts her chin up towards him and they share their first kiss of the year. They are completely unaware of the eyes on them as their kiss is, not only a public display of their relationship, but also of an unspoken promise being shared between the two of them.

"I knew it!" Jason exclaims with a wide grin on his face. "How come you didn't just go for it last year?" he demands that his sister fess up.
"Because we were in different places." she replies simply. "Matt, if you recall?"
"Oh right that moron!" he rolls his eyes and mock punches her arm, "I nearly forgot about him. But all those nights researching with Giles and you didn't once think that maybe he felt for you what you were feeling for him?"
"That long ago?" Giles places a hand on Mackenzie's shoulder and she tilts her head.
"Oh Mr. Giles, you have no idea." Jason teases.
"Now you see why I wanted just a moment before telling them?" she turns her face to look at him. He nods with his customary chuckle and holds out his hand in a request for a dance. She accepts his hand and he leads her to the dance floor, sweeping her into his embrace. She enjoys the feeling of safety in his strong arms gently holding her. The gang watch for a moment before joining them on the dance floor to dance the rest of the night away.

"Xander are you sure you don't mind?" Buffy says when he suggests that she go home with them.
"I wouldn't dare suggest it, if I didn't mean it." He replies, with a wink towards Giles. Mackenzie turns away from their debate to speak with her mother and father.
"Mom, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"It was a last minute thing dear. And well, I knew how busy you were with school, research, and translating the Methos Chronicles." Her father stated quickly.
"It's just that you could have stayed at my place." She pouts slightly. "We could have had some extra time together." She pouts slightly.
"The hotel is just fine." Her mother assures her. "Besides, we have a business brunch tomorrow and we would miss you for goodbyes I'm sure." She adds and Mackenzie groans at the thought of her parents having to endure a meeting with Horton.
"What could he want anyways?" she inquires turning her attention to an animated conversation Horton and her uncle are engaged in.

Her mother sighs.
"Just progress reports and whatnot dear, stuff that he likes to keep in order through meeting quarterly." Her mother rolls her eyes. "When you achieve your full potential, you will be the one meeting with him." Mackenzie cocks a brow.
"Seriously? I can hardly stand him on a good day." She turns to go, but stops suddenly. "Are you okay with..."
"Rupert?" Mackenzie nods.
"While I don't suppose he would be our first choice for you. I see an interesting fit dear. Your father and I are happy for you. Your brother; however, follows through on his promises." She warns and Mackenzie laughs at the thought of her brother's earlier threat.
"Mother, you needn't worry. I know that Giles would never hurt me intentionally, Adam on the other hand is the one I would have worried about." She winks and her mother laughs at the thought.
"I think you would be right dear." She says as Mackenzie walks her back to where her father and Giles are deep in conversation.

Mackenzie only hopes that the conversation isn't her father threatening to do horrible things to Giles— its' bad enough her brother feels the need to keep her well-beyond safe when it comes to the male population.
"Kenzie, we were just." Her father fumbles for the words.
"Don't worry dad, I'm not worried." She smiles brightly, the light dances in her hazel eyes.
"Xander has taken all the girls home." Giles says as her mother whisks her father away for another dance round the bustling dance floor.
"Oh, I know they said their goodbyes, but I didn't realise they had left." She replies and takes his hand in hers— she loves how easily her hand fits with his. He moves her so that they can watch her parents dance. He stands behind her, wrapping his arms around her protectively, she leans back into his embrace with a content sigh.

"Are you ready to go home?" Giles whispers in her ear, the gentle heat of his breath on her ear sends a pleasant shiver down her spine. She nods as she turns around in his arms.
"Would you mind driving?" she gracefully stifles a yawn, he can tell she's done that many times before.
"Yes of course." He replies and they find her family. Finding them, they speak briefly.
"Goodnight." Mackenzie says hugging her parents and brother. Giles shakes their hands once more.
"It was a pleasure meeting you."
"We look forward to seeing you again." Janelle says. Mackenzie smiles and pulls Giles away to find Duncan and thank him for inviting them to the party.
"I just wanted to thank you." Mackenzie says hugging her mentor, "goodnight." She adds. Duncan and Giles shake hands and bid each other a pleasant evening, with a promise to meet for other social events.
"Kenzie!" Amanda nearly ploughs into her. "We have to have a girl's day out." She says as she embraces her friend. Methos has also manages to inject himself into the goodbyes.

On their way out, they find Joe and also wish him a goodnight. Once outside, Mackenzie takes a deep breath.
"Are you all right my dear?" Giles asks as he cups her elbow and then threads her arm through his, she nods, and he leads her to the SUV. Opening the door for her, he assists her to be sure that she doesn't rip her dress attempting to climb in.
"Thank you." She holds onto his arm for a moment and looks into his eyes. "You've always been so good to me— even before our first date." She adds and cups his cheek gently to bring his lips to hers in a tender kiss. He blushes slightly as he closes the door and jaunts round to the driver's side and climbs in before starting the ignition.
"Thanks for driving us home Giles." She says quietly as she turns on the radio and flips through for something soft to listen to on their way home.

He parks the SUV and she doesn't give him the chance to assist her getting out, she's already on her feet by the time he makes it round to her side. He gives her a look and she grins, but accepts his arm and together they walk into the courtyard. Walking her to her door, Giles hands her back her keys, she unlocks the bolt and opens the door.
"Goodnight my dear." He says gently as she turns to lean into him and steals another kiss.
"Goodnight." She replies as he lowers his heard towards hers and they kiss once more. Not wanting the evening to end, he presses his forehead against hers. She senses the energy between them and finally steps back to break the spell.
"We'll talk soon." He says and without thought grabs one last kiss before making his way across the courtyard to his flat. Breathless, Mackenzie stands frozen, leaning against the doorframe for support, she watches as he quickly opens his door and waves before closing it tightly behind.

She can still feel his lips pressed against hers and grins like a silly school girl before finally finding her legs, she closes and bolts her door and sighs loudly to the empty space. Removing her shoes and coat, Mackenzie makes her way through her home turning out the lights on her way upstairs to bed. She manages to slip out of her dress and works the material down her body— it pools for a nanosecond on the floor while she steps out of it, sweeps it up and places it on a hanger to take to the dry cleaners. To forgo pyjamas and evening ritual, she wonders for a moment- the bed calling her name, but decides to head to the bathroom to wash the makeup off her face, brush her teeth and put on her pyjamas. Turning out the light, she pads over to her bed and climbs under the blankets, she closes her eyes as she falls asleep replaying the evening in her mind.

The first week back to school is a blur to Mackenzie as she makes several academic advising appointments with respect to graduate studies. Entering the office, Mackenzie makes her way towards the reception desk. The student behind the desk, turns from his computer and looks up at her.
"May I help you?"
"Yes, my name is Mackenzie Lamont, I have a three o'clock appointment with an advisor." She clarifies and he checks the appointment sheet and places a checkmark in pencil beside her name.
"If you could have a seat, the advisor will be with you shortly." He says with a smile and she nods before making her way to a vacant seat where she sits and pulls a book from her knapsack to read while she waits. She actually is surprised that she doesn't have to wait very long as an advisor emerges from the offices.
"Mackenzie Lamont?" her voice is quiet and Mackenzie closes her book and makes her way towards the advisor. "Please come in." she follows her beyond the front desk to an office where the advisor closes the door and sits behind her desk.

"I've reviewed your file and I must say that I am impressed with your grades and the course load that you have undertaken." She sits back in her seat. Mackenzie takes a moment before speaking.
"Well, I have been considering graduate studies and would like to know if I am able to apply early. I believe that I have fulfilled my courses through taking classes throughout the summer." She sits straight in her seat and waits for the advisor to check something on the computer. Pausing in her examination of Mackenzie's file, her expression is one that Mackenzie is unsure of. She waits patiently for some sign that she can get out of her undergrad a year early.
"Usually we do not recommend that a student fast track, as this is your request?" Mackenzie merely nods and mentally crosses her fingers, hoping for a positive response.

"I honestly don't see why not. Deadlines are creeping up though. Have you considered where you may be applying?"
"Yes, of course. SC Sunnydale, Oxford and Cambridge. I have a few more to consider, which will ultimately be affected by my future career path. But those are the three I am in favour of.
"Your career situation?" her eyebrows raise nearly into her hairline.
"Yes, I already have a research position with an organisation that has specific academic requirements." She explains as vaguely as possible. The advisor nods as if she understands what Mackenzie has said and smiles.
"Thank you for your help. I will move forward with the application process then.
"Good luck Mackenzie." The advisor smiles again and she stands to lead Mackenzie out of the maze to the reception area. "There are, should you need them, resources to assist you with the process. What to expect, time frames, and answers to any questions that you may have during the process."
"Thanks again." She smiles brightly and makes her way out of the office towards the campus coffee shop to meet Willow and Tara.

"Are you serious? You and Giles just get all snugly and here you want to get as far away from him as possible?" Willow says, her eyes wide.
"No, I don't. I can't ask him to follow me in my choices. He's Buffy's Watcher." She whispers. "I could never interfere with their relationship." She adds before taking a bite of the chocolate biscotti.
"But still. A whole year away?" Willow pouts. "Never mind Giles, we'll miss you." She adds and reaches across the table to take hold of her arm.
"I'll miss you guys too, but, at the end of the day I have to consider what's best."
"You'll break Mr. Giles' heart." Tara's eyes show her emotion just as much as Willow's.
"I can stay here at SC Sunnydale." She tilts her head, "it's just that I have to find out if the Watchers Council will allow me to. I may have to go away to study out of principal. I may even have to go to Paris." She sighs at the thought.

"Hey guys, why so glum looking Willow?" Buffy asks as she takes the vacant seat and sets her mocha latté in front of her, playing with the ceramic handle with slender fingers.
"Mackenzie's going away." Willow states.
"Huh?" Buffy's quizzical expression causes Mackenzie to laugh.
"I'm only going to be away for a year while I attend graduate school." She fills Buffy in on her plan. "I'm applying for early admission to the Masters program." She says happily.
"What about Giles?! What about us?!" she demands.
"Giles belongs to you Buffy. I can't force him to leave you. What with all the big bad evil around?" she rests her forearms on the table and caresses her ceramic mug gently with her hands.
"Oh no! You can't!" she pauses, "you don't realise how perfect for each other you are. He's never been as happy as he has been when he's with you." Buffy easily joins Willow's cause to keep her in Sunnydale.

"You're going to have to tell him." She states coldly. Mackenzie hadn't anticipated the reaction from her friends.
"Buffy, Willow, Tara— I love Giles."
"Have you told him as much?" Buffy sits back and crosses her arms protectively around her torso.
"I haven't said the words as yet. Our relationship, granted that we've known each other for quite some time, is still new and I don't want to jinx it." She explains to the best of her ability without breaking down— tears threaten to fall and she turns away for a moment to collect herself. "Okay, I'll talk to him this afternoon." She manages.
"Good, because he's on his way over now." Buffy states as she waves him over to their table. Mackenzie wishes she had class, that she could disappear.
"Buffy, please. Let me tell him." She pleads and the others nod as he pauses. "In my own time. In my own way."

"I have to get to class." Buffy announces, "Giles, take my seat." She offers it to him.
"We should get going too." Willow pipes in. "We have seminar." She adds and they stand, collecting their bags.
"Giles, we're training later right?" Buffy inquires and he nods his response. "Bye." She adds over her shoulder and nearly runs to catch up with Tara and Willow. Mackenzie sits silently for a long moment lost in thought.
"Kenzie, what is it?" he reaches across the table for her hand.
"You may not want to ever speak to me again." She states and looks down at their entangled fingers.
"Whatever it is, we'll find a solution." He reaches his other hand across the table and caresses her cheek.
"I'm going to apply for early admission to graduate studies." She blurts out easily enough.
"That's wonderful my dear. Why wouldn't I be proud of your decision?"
"Because it's a year program that might take me away from you." She tries to maintain her composure. Giles absorbs the information.

"Where were you considering?" his question is valid.
"I will apply here, of course. However, I have my heart set, providing the council approves, on Oxford or Cambridge." She looks up into his green eyes and cannot quite tell the shade they are turning.
"Oh, I see." He tries to compose himself, "is this a new development? Or something you have been planning?" she looks down momentarily to collect herself.
"Something I considered from day one. What I never added to the equation was meeting and falling for you." She cannot stop herself from reaching across the table and pushing an errant curl behind his ear. He smiles in thought.
"I know I should act the jealous boyfriend. That would be the norm, which is why it would appear the girls high-tailed it out of here upon my arrival." She nods with a bit of a laugh. "I want you to be happy no matter what you choose." He takes her hands in his and squeezes them gently.

They share a moment of silence before Giles speaks.
"I actually had a reason for coming here." He says with a shy smile. Mackenzie tilts her head.
"I ruined the moment, didn't I?"
"Actually, no. I wanted to ask you something." He notices that she's finished her hot chocolate and gestures for them to walk. She stands and puts her coat on and picks up her knapsack. He takes her arm and threads it into the crook of his elbow. "Do you have any other classes?"
"No, I don't. I was actually going to make my way over to your flat and tell you the news."
"Good. Let's walk home then." He leads her towards a paved walkway and together they make their way off campus.

"So what was it that you wanted to ask me?" she inquires as they walk down Sunnydale's main street.
"Spring break will be approaching next month."
"Oh right." She had nearly forgotten the interlude between tests and paper writing. "Did you have something in mind?"
"I wanted to see if you had any plans for that week." She tilts her head up to see his face and can see a slight grin.
"As of yet, I haven't confirmed any." She answers honestly.
"Well then, I have a proposal." Odd use of the word, she muses yet plays along.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Come away with me."
"Isn't it a little early in the relationship for a weekend away?"
"Actually, I was thinking the whole week and as for our relationship, we've technically known each other for a little over two years. I assure you that you would be totally safe."
"Okay, so where would be going?"

"England." Her eyes nearly fall out of their sockets.
"England?!"
"More specifically Bath, but England nonetheless." He smiles at her reaction.
"You're kidding!" she exclaims.
"I would never kid you, my dear." His smile grows into a great grin.
"My parents would never."
"I've already discussed it with them. You will travel with me to my home to meet my family."
"Meet your family?" now she's sure that she's dreaming.
"I realise that you have met my family, but that sure wasn't planned. You've planned this! What if they…" she stops dead in her tracks.
"Don't like you? I assure you that they will love you almost as much as I do." He pauses and reaches to gently cup her cheek.

OMG! The L-word! She nearly faints.
"Giles, I can't believe what you're asking."
"All you need to do is say yes." He wraps an arm around her slender shoulders and draws her body towards his own.
"Yes. Yes, I would love to join you on a trip to see your home." She smiles happily and forgetting that they are in the middle of a busy street— yanks his head down towards hers and devours his luscious lips in front of several shocked onlookers.
"My dear, I can't imagine what your reaction would be to more serious inquiries." He gently presses his forehead against hers for a moment before they start walking again.
"Thank you for being so understanding about my academic endeavours." She says as they wait for the light to change and the 'walk' signal to light up.
"I'm not going to pretend that it isn't going to be hard for me to be without you for a year, but I will learn the modern ways of keeping in touch with you." She is touched by his willingness to actually use modern technology.
"Although, I think there is still something to be said about the art of letter writing. And the telephone will allow me to hear your sexy voice." She adds happily.

"You really are something else," Giles states as they enter the condo complex and walk into the courtyard. "I shall book the tickets then." He smiles as they head to his flat.
"Let me know what my portion is." She adds as he opens the door.
"I've invited you as my guest." He pauses, "besides, I can always claim it as Watcher business." He winks and she breaks into a giggle.
"So what exactly were you having difficulty with?" she inquires as they remove their coats and shoes. He turns towards the mountain of old books on his desk, the smell of aged leather fills her nostrils as she stands beside him. He lifts one of the volumes and hands it to her. She moves towards the green sofa and twists her body to turn on the lamp on the side table. He watches as she runs her finger under a line of text.

"This reminds me of Methos' journals." She sighs. "It actually looks like some form of code." He makes his way towards her and sits on the coffee table in front of her.
"How do you mean?" he asks as she continues to try and read through the text.
"Well, you see this is definitely Sumerian." she says pointing to one word. "But this, this is something else that will take more than an afternoon to figure out. Seeing you don't have a computer, do you have a linguistics reference book? This isn't traditional code." He stares at her for a moment before rising and making his way to a bookshelf that stands under a window and starts to read the book spines before pulling out a thick volume. "I can't quite make out the timeframe, as the second language doesn't appear to be from a distinguishable period that I can tell."

"When I read Methos' journals, I quickly realised that he combines Sumerian, what I presume to be his first written language, with whatever region he happened to be in, for example Hieroglyphics when he was in Egypt, or Latin when he was in Rome. Therefore the code established is only identifiable through the common link of Sumerian. This has no distinguishable pattern that I can tell— at least not at this point." She accepts the volume from Giles and opens it to the index. Skimming the index, she carefully turns the paper thin pages to a chart and starts to review the order in which written language was 'established'.
"Oh great!"
"What is it?"
"You're so not going to love this." she exhales and quickly rubs her eyes.
"Did you find something?" he sits closely beside her and she moves the volume so that it's supported by their thighs.
"In a way. I think I should speak to Methos about this though. But it looks as if whoever wrote this used their own style of phonetics rather than actual language to keep some sort of record. Obviously they couldn't read or write, but understood this."

"Giles, how long have you been working on this?" she inquires as his expression falls.
"The Council sent this to me before Christmas." He replies, removing his glasses, he retrieves his handkerchief and begins polishing them.
"Whatever's in here must be really important if they want you to figure it out." She states and closes the reference volume. Moving the text over to sit on Giles' thighs, she leans forward and places the volume on the coffee table.
"So what you're saying is once a distinguishable pattern can be established, we should be able to translate the text."
"That's usually how I operate. I'm not banking on much, but I think Methos will be better at cracking this code than I." She states weaving her brows in thought. "I mean, I can see the common linkage, but at this point there is no rhyme or reason for the combination of the languages to have a fluent established code. Whoever wrote this probably didn't want anyone else to understand it." He tilts his head as he closes the text and places it on the coffee table. "Between the three of us, I'm sure we can get through enough of it to help whoever is in need of the translation." She smiles reassuringly.

"Have you any plans this evening?" Giles inquires standing and returning the reference book to its place on the shelf.
"I am training tonight with Duncan. Did you have something in mind?"
"No, I just thought if you weren't doing anything, we might take in a film." He straightens and she watches as he returns to his seat beside her.
"I wish I could, but with everything on my plate right now I really need the training." She tilts her head and quickly tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Wishing she didn't have to check the time, she realises that it's nearly dinner. "As much as I wish I didn't."
"You have to get going." He stands and holds out his hands towards her to help her to her feet.
"Thanks." She moves her hands up towards his forearms and stands on tip-toe to kiss him sweetly. "I'll talk to you soon." She says happily and quasi-bounces towards the door and slips on her shoes as he retrieves her coat for her. "Awe Giles, you're too good to me." He holds her coat out, she slips her arms in and he rests his strong hands on her shoulders for a moment.
"I'll keep you informed on the plans. Oh, I'll take another look at that translation and worst case scenario, I'll hand-print a copy to see what Methos can come up with. He may have already come across something similar in his time." She nods as he opens the door for her.

During her training session with Duncan, Mackenzie finds herself slightly distracted by some of the text she thought she could translate.
"Kenzie, your leaving yourself open." Duncan instructs and she quickly makes the adjustments to her form. "That's better." He adds as she sweeps her foot underneath him, toppling him to the mat. Sensing that someone is watching them, she stands and glances towards the door where Methos stands, hands shoved in his light jean pockets, his baggy white turtleneck sweater slouchy over his jeans. She reaches a hand out towards Duncan, who instead of using it to stand; pulls her down to the mat with him. "You've let your guard down, leaving me the window of opportunity to possibly best you."
"I know you're right Mac. I just have a lot on my mind." She stands and they bow to signal the end of their sparing match.

"Methos, you got a minute?" she inquires as she picks up her water bottle and takes a swig before closing the plastic lid. He takes a few steps towards her, not removing his hands form his pockets.
"Sure, what's on your mind?" he asks, watching her as she towels some of the sweat from her brow and replace the towel in her gym bag. Pulling out a UC Sunnydale sweatshirt, she pulls the golden yellow garment over her head.
"I have another translation favour to ask you." She picks up her water bottle once more.
"Sure, shoot." He replies casually. She thinks for a moment.
"Well, I've figured your code out since chronicling the mysterious mythological life of Methos. The Watchers Council sent Giles another journal to decode and while I was looking at it today, it's kicking my ass."
"How do you mean?"
"Well it's based on phonetics rather than the written language. Right now the only common denominator is a loose Sumerian."

She pauses and he sits on a bench in front of her.
"Loose Sumerian?"
"Well yeah, there are linguistical roots, but whoever this person was didn't use traditional language rules."
"I'll have a look at it if that's what you need." He replies with his mischievous grin. Like Mackenzie, he loved a good challenge and this sounded like something that would interest him immensely.
"If only his little Watchers Council knew who was actually doing all the work for them?" he laughs and she shakes her head.
"Thanks. After I looked at it, he said he'd take another look and worst case hand-print it for you to take a look."
"Sure, whatever you need. I'm sure that you'll have it figured out before I get my hands on it. I mean, you were already able to determine that it's written in code; and that it's a combination of sound rather than language."

She smiles and grabs her coat.
"I'll drop it by once I see what he's figured out." She says and makes her way towards the door. "See you guys."
"Next week? Same time?" Duncan says with a smile and she nods sharply before turning on her heel and walking towards the door.
"Later!" Methos calls after her and, missing her eyes rolling, she turns and waves. Walking across the street, Mackenzie decides to pop into her uncle's bookstore. Joe is sitting at his desk behind the counter, she smiles as Rose, a heavy-set mousy blond helps a customer with their purchase. Joe, having heard the bell over the door ring, lifts his head and allows his eyes to wander towards the sound.
"Kenzie! Good to see you. How's it going?" he inquires as he grabs the cane resting in its post beside him against the desk and makes his way towards her.
"It's fantastic!" she replies happily. "How about yourself?" she inquires as she gives him a tight hug.
"Things are good." He holds her out at arm's length. "I think someone's been good for you." He adds with a wink and she smiles as she feels a twinge of a blush creep up to rest on her already pinkish cheeks.

"Have you ever encountered an immortal or Watcher journal written in code before?" she inquires as they make their way to his desk to speak in private. Joe thinks for a moment and sighs. He shuffles around the desk, opens a cupboard and reads the spines of some very old and worn looking volumes. Seeming to be satisfied with a thick volume, he gently pulls it from the shelf. Setting it on the desk, they look at the pages together and she mulls over the similarities with the text Giles wanted her to translate.
"Does it look anything like this?" he asks and she easily recognises the Sumerian, but the mixture doesn't quite ring a bell.
"Why haven't I run into anything like this before in my Watcher research? The Methos Chronicles have a distinguishable pattern of language. The text Giles wants to translate has to be later, say dark ages? But I can't really tell as yet. There is Sumerian for sure, then what looks to be a phonetic Greek maybe, but I'm still unsure. When I attempt to make sense of the combination, that's where I get lost."
"I know you'll get it. Take this and see if it helps to untangle the mess." He smiles and she accepts the volume.
"You'll have it back as soon as we've worked out what we can." She gives him a quick half hug. "Thanks again." She adds as she walks through the shop.

Excited about the possibility of translating the text faster, Mackenzie heads home to shower and change before heading to Giles' flat and the inevitable Scooby meeting. She smiles happily as she makes her way across the courtyard and stops briefly at his door before gently tapping her knuckles on the intricately carved wooden door. She hears voices from within and isn't surprised to see Buffy answering the door.
"Hey Kenzie!" she says stepping aside and granting Mackenzie in.
"Hey Buffy." She replies placing the book on Giles' desk before shrugging out of her coat and adding it to the pile of coats flung over the wooden chair. Giles emerges from the gully kitchen with the regular provisions. Should anyone wish anything different, they would have to bring said snacks, which Xander periodically does and stashes the leftovers in one of the cupboards.
"Hey Giles." She says making her way towards him, a bounce in her step and she gives him a quick chaste peck in front of the gang without thought. "I asked Joe about the translation and he's lent this to help us." She adds and he does something that shocks them— he ignores them and deepens the kiss.
"So where is this book?" he says straitening his glasses with a grin. She retrieves the book and sets it in his hands.
"I hope that this helps." She smiles and watches him skim through the pages as he walks to the sofa and quickly hitching his trousers sits.

"Is it at all possible that it's some sort of religious text? And not some horrible demon or demons coming to Sunnydale to use the Hellmouth as an entrance for their evil bidding." Willow says, her tone optimistic, but they all know that would hardly be the case.
"What have you got so far?" Mackenzie lowers herself into the seat beside Giles and scoots herself closer— and almost resting her chin on his shoulder starts to read the book resting on his lap.
"I haven't really had the chance to go over it per se. The gang arrived and, prior to your arrival, we've been settling ourselves down to research." He replies and she knows exactly what is meant by settling. Usually, in a bid to do as little research as possible, the gang arrive and immediately start discussing various possibilities. This time; however, while there was no apparent 'threat', they were attempting to head whatever evil might be lurking about, which left them at loss—assuming that this particular translation would lead them towards an answer.

Watching as the Scoobies attack their individual tasks, only stopping here and there to see if what they have found gels with anything, Giles purses his lips together into a thin line as he wonders if whatever it is they need to find actually exists.

"I had better get going. I have to pick Dawn up from school today. We're going to the mall to spend some 'quality time' together." Buffy says as she makes air quotes and rolls her eyes to emphasise her displeasure with her situation. After a difficult period, her mother has insisted that the two spend some extra time together to strengthen their sisterly bond. Standing, Buffy stretches her arms above her head before stepping over Willow and her pile of books. "Giles, don't worry, I'll get to patrol tonight. See you guys later." She calls over her shoulder, threading her arms through the sleeves of her leather jacket and heads out.

"What's this?" Mackenzie runs a slender finger underneath a passage. Giles snaps out of his thoughts and scoots closer to her and fumbles with the passage.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it appears to infer that a key was sent to be protected." He sighs as she shakes her head and tries to continue reading through the passage.
"Methos would be far better suited for this!" She says with a loud sigh. Giles can only watch as Mackenzie moves the book to rest on his thighs in frustration and stands.
"What is it, my love?" he inquires setting the book aside and follows her into the kitchen.
"Just when things start to feel normal, something like this seems to happen." She allows herself a moment raw emotion and, standing beside her, Giles runs a comforting hand down her back allowing it to rest at the base of her spine.

Turning into him, Mackenzie presses her cheek against his chest and lets the feeling of comfort and warmth through his embrace wash over her.
"At least we have an idea of what is going on." Giles begins, his soothing accent caressing her senses, she gently draws from his embrace and lifts her gaze up to take in his calming features.
"But a key infers that it opens something." She states in thought. "Giles, this is the Hellmouth, after all."
"Are you thinking that the key opens a gate to another dimension?"
"I haven't been here as long as you, but from what I do know is that anything is possible." Her heart sinks at the thought of their pending predicament. "We just have to figure out what this key is and what it does and we're half way to the resolution." Her face lights up slightly at the thought of the possibility of squashing whatever evil has sought to mess with them.

"I'm glad that you've calmed down." His smile is slightly crooked and she cannot help the smile that tugs at her own lips. Closing the distance between them, Mackenzie raises herself on her tiptoes and, using his shoulders to maintain her balance, leans towards him and captures his waiting lips with hers. Putting as much emotion into the kiss, she savours the velvety softness of his lips pressed against hers.
"Don't worry, my love. We'll get to the bottom of this." He promises her and seals his promise with another kiss. A light cough breaks their moment and they both blush slightly when Willow enters the small kitchen with an empty tray of dishes.
"Sorry guys, I just wanted to take care of these before Xander and I leave. I think we stuck you with them the last time." She grins shyly and carefully manoeuvres around the pair, stopping at the sink to wash the dishes.

Mackenzie nods her response and turns to make her way back to the living room where Xander sits on the hunter green sofa reading through another book. Sighing loudly, he lets his head fall back onto the awaiting cushion and closes his eyes.
"Did you find anything interesting?" she inquires, settling herself into the leather arm chair.
"Nadda." He replies with another sigh, emphasising his frustration. "I never imagined how much this would suck." He adds and runs a hand through his shaggy chestnut hair.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She shakes her head and they sit in comfortable silence, listening to the running water and clinking and clanging of the dishes in a sink of hot water.
"I'll dry." She hears Giles' voice break through the noise.

"Thanks Giles." Willow replies as she picks up another teacup, runs the wet cloth over the china and sets it onto the wire rack. Giles picks up another cup, allowing the newly washed one to sit for a moment, runs a soft towel over it and places it in the cupboard along with the rest of the dishes. "Do you think we'll figure this out before it becomes a far larger problem?" Willow inquires softly as she picks up a plate and repeats the cleaning process. Giles follows suit with the previous teacup.
"I do think that we're closer than before," he takes a breath and stops himself from reaching for his glasses to polish, "figuring out what the key actually is will definably be an asset to our cause."
"What if we are looking at it the wrong way?" she looks down at her hands in the soapy water.
"How do you mean?" he cannot help his eyebrows from knitting together slightly.
"Oh, I don't know. What if it isn't the Hellmouth itself per se? Or not an actual object at all?"
"Well my dear, we'll get to the bottom of it. We always have." He smiles warmly and places a comforting hand upon her tense shoulder— she turns her head up towards him and tries to smile her thanks.