5: Incognito

Sam was getting quite used to secretly meeting members of the Scooby Gang in the Oasis. A cute little coffee shop, it had been discovered by Josh and Donna. Sam wasn't exactly sure what those two were doing checking out coffee shops together, and had learned not to speculate on that in CJ's hearing; it tended to cause much grinding of teeth.

It was the same waitress who had been there the last few times, and she smiled when she saw him. "Choco-mint-fudge-banana-whip-sundae?" she asked.

Sam grinned guiltily. "Yeah. And four coffees." Nuts for dental hygiene was one thing, but there was something to be said for an enormous ice-cold sundae...

As he returned to the others, he reflected aloud "Um... exactly how are these still secret meetings when the waitresses all recognise us?"

"We're here incognito," said Josh. The effect of Sam's raised eyebrow was somewhat spoiled as the waitress dropped the huge sundae down in front of him. "For instance, who would believe that any fully grown man eating one of those was a respected government official?"

Sam gestured with his spoon. "I would have a great many good points to make in my defence, but my sundae is melting."

The whole 'Hellmouth Committee' had turned out. Donna, naturally, was involved as the ex-Slayer, and Josh wouldn't leave her side. Sam was mixed up in all this supernatural stuff twice as much now he was a werewolf, and Toby was the one who knew most about Tribby's plans for the ambassadorial reception. CJ had invited herself along for reasons she wouldn't disclose, but which Sam strongly suspected had something to do with a certain distinguished English Watcher.

However, he didn't tease her about it. He had become wary of taunting anyone but Josh since the whole 'secret gay affair' scandal had made them both extremely easy targets.

And besides, his sundae was melting.

He had almost finished demolishing his icecream, and Josh and Donna were making some cute fuss over ordering more coffee that was driving CJ crazy, when the Sunnydale contingent arrived.

"And I still say, if you'd let me drive-" The new voice was as English as Giles's, but slightly higher pitched and if anything, even more refined. It belonged to a man of perhaps Sam's own age, immaculately dressed in a neatly-pressed dark suit and round glasses. But for the accent, he could have fit in easily amongst the over-eager junior politicos Sam dealt with every day.

"If we'd let you drive, we'd still be stuck in LA traffic." Against his younger companion, Giles seemed far more laid-back. He managed to pull off wearing a grey comfy sweater without it making him look old, and he broke off from glaring over his glasses at the other man to give CJ a shy smile.

"Hey, boys. Can we take a break from the bickering for half a second? We have company." They all twisted curiously in their seats to get another look at Buffy Summers.

The last time Sam had seen Buffy, she had been pale and disoriented - not entirely surprising, since she'd just been raised from the dead. Now she was quite obviously very much in the prime of health.

Sam made an effort to un-drop his jaw before CJ could glare at him. The corridors of the White House were not exactly deficient in beautiful young women, but they were all dressed in neatly professional business suits and - usually - mocking him unmercifully. Buffy wore combat trousers and a short top, with her blonde hair loose around her bare shoulders, and as she breezed in she lit the room up with a brilliant smile. Even Toby seemed unable to prevent his lips from quirking upwards slightly in response.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them. "Um, I guess you know me, I'm Buffy, and you've met Giles. This is Wesley Wyndham-Price, he used to be a Watcher, and now he's a kind of... private investigator or something." She shrugged, and Wesley smiled wryly.

"Well, thank you for that ringing endorsement, Buffy." He stepped forwards and politely shook hands around the circle. Donna at the end flashed him a lovely smile, and Sam smirked into his sundae at Josh's pained expression.

Irrational jealousy there, Joshua? Despite all the obvious troubles any 'thing' between Josh and Donna would bring, Sam was all in favour of it - and not just because it stopped people speculating whether he was really sleeping with Josh. He felt more than a little jealous himself, sometimes, seeing the intimate little flashes of... something that passed between his two friends.

"Right." Despite the fact that she was the youngest in the room by some margin, Buffy seemed to automatically take charge. "Mayor Wilkins in the White House; I'm thinking bad news with a capital bad. So what are we gonna do about it?"