Buffy watched Willow and Tara cast a magical safety net around the apartment. It sparkled with purple energy and then disappeared. Willow assured her it was still there in full force, just invisible.

"Okay, if you say so. This is me trusting you with my life, Will."

"I got this," Willow replied confidently, giving Buffy double thumbs-up.

Buffy waved goodbye and headed up to the apartment with Giles. Everyone else stayed outside.

Giles shuffled back and forth in the elevator and polished his glasses.

"This is pretty awkward I guess," Buffy said.

"To put it lightly." He didn't seem able to look at her.

"I haven't thought about the awkwardness much. I just can't get out of her head. She's so sad."

"A-about that, the ghosts..." He hesitated before getting to the question. "What do you think she wants?"

"Love," Buffy said simply. "She just wants to be loved. What about yours?"

"Uh..." Giles looked lost, trying to find what to say. The elevator doors opened. "He's sorry," Giles said. "He must be sorry."

They found the apartment and Buffy took out the keys Xander had given her. She turned them in the latch...

"Buffy —" Giles said suddenly.

She turned to him, concerned. "What?"

"I-I... I need to t-tell you... th-th-the..." He stopped, frustrated with himself. He took a breath and started again. "Wh-what I-I-I mean..."

Buffy sighed. "Giles. Chill," she said. "Please, you're making this weird."

He blinked, taken aback.

"This isn't about us. Just... compartmentalize. Okay?"

He nodded in agreement, though he didn't look any less conflicted.

Buffy opened the door and stepped inside. It was oddly still.

"Ugh, I wonder where the bugs went."

"Maybe they've disappeared? Along with the ghost?" Giles said hopefully.

The apartment was lit only with moonlight. They didn't turn on the lights, it didn't seem right to. The radio switched on by itself. The sound quality was tinny as a wavering voice crooned over a full orchestra; the song the couple had danced to in 1930.

"I guess we should dance."

Buffy took Giles' hand, and he held her close, as you would with someone you wanted to dance with. He led her in a slow dance.

"You're not as bad at this as you think, you know," Buffy said softly.

He swallowed nervously. "Do you feel anything yet?"

She smiled at him, an extra shine in her eyes. "Right now I feel just grand."

Giles' eyes widened like he was afraid.

The song ended and she took his hand. "Come with me." She led him to the balcony.

Out in the night air she threw her head back and gazed up at the stars. "Don't you just love it?"

"It's a lovely view." Giles said automatically, his voice constrained.

"I'm on top of the world. Here. With you."

She pulled him close, stood on her toes, and kissed him. At first he just let her, then, like he came to a decision, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back, and she held him all the closer.

When at last she pulled back there were tears in her eyes. "You are in love with me?" she asked, disbelieving.

"I am," he whispered. "I love you more than anything."

It was as if light was coalescing inside Buffy, she began to glow. Giles stepped back, alarmed. She shone with the light until it couldn't be contained anymore and it floated above her, above them both, encompassing them in light, and it ascended into the sky.

Buffy felt faint.

Giles watched her, anxiety evident on his face.

She stared at him. "You weren't possessed, were you?"

"No."

Silence hung between them, broken only by the sound of Top 40 that was now playing from the radio inside.

"I thought... I don't know what I thought..." Giles tried to explain. "That it would be easier not to correct anyone... that it would be less embarrassing..."

Suddenly there was the sound of voices from the apartment.

"Buffy?" Riley called out.

Buffy turned away from Giles and went inside. All her friends were there.

"So it worked?" Anya asked with anticipation.

"It was beautiful," Tara said. "We could see the light from the ground, I've never seen anything like it."

"Are you okay?" Riley asked.

Buffy watched Giles quietly walk past the Scoobies and slip out of the apartment.

"Yeah," Buffy nodded and plastered a smile on her face. "She — they moved on. End of story."