The 12th Holder- Non Compos Mentis (Not of Sound Mind)

When we last left our Scoobies, Anya and Spike were all lovey dovey (as lovey dovey and Spike gets), Juliet and Xander's lil secret is revealed, we find Giles's has a very American jealous side, and Buffy wants to be a student again. Oh. Yippee.

Spike knocked on the door of Xander's apartment. Anya had no way to cast the spell she wanted, so it was up to the power of persuasion to get things done. "Yes?" Xander barked. "Feeling a bit tetchy I see. Listen, I think you and I need to talk. So, invite me in and get this over with." "I have no protection. Say it from outside." "Juliet does not equal protection. She's you sexual fantasy, your dream woman." "How'd you know?"

"I was in the car when you confessed to Buffy about your miniature liaison. Now, you want her, don't you?" "Well.hey! What are you trying to do! I love Anya!" "But right now she doesn't love you. She's too busy shagging me. Now, do you want Jules or not?" "Yes, I do." "Then spy on her. Learn her routine. There has to be a moment when the old fart is out of the way." "Stalk her?" "Everyone does it. I stalked Buffy. We even had sex a few times. See how well it works?" "Uh." "Just try it. See how well it works." "Okay." "Have a nice day!" Spike grinned cheerfully and pranced off. Xander just stood there, confused. For a second, he remembered Spike had a history of destroying relationships.or lack there of. But then it dawned on him. Giles would never know if he spied on her for a little while.

The halls of UC: Sunnydale were clean and smelled hospitally. Briefcases in hand, Juliet and Rupert went down the halls towards the admissions office. Both had spruced up their resumes, and were desperately trying to get jobs, especially since they had decided to stay. Neither Xander nor Giles' had mentioned the "conversation" shared that dark night. Juliet had no idea what had been sad, but with Xander being less creepy friendly and more friend friendly, she assumed the rift had been solved. And since the rift was gone, at least on the outside, the two decided to get jobs. Conveniently, UC: Sunnydale had two spots open; a librarian and an English professor. They sat down on the couch in the waiting area. Suddenly the door opened and a round man with a bad come-over called out: "Ms. Lawson!" "That's me," she winked. "Good luck," he responded, and kissed her on the cheek. Minutes later, she came out, smiling, "I think it went well!" "Mr. Giles!" Rupert stood up and grinned nervously. "You'll do fine, love," Juliet assured him. "I hope so." He entered the office and sat in an uncomfortable, orange leather chair. Placing his briefcase in his lap, he smiled at the man behind the desk. "So, Mr. Giles, your resume says you were the librarian at Sunnydale High School before it was destroyed and before that, a curator at the British Museum. Why did you leave such a prestigious role for a High School Librarian?"

" Well, uh, my brother in law, he uh, left my sister. I decided to help raise my niece and so I moved here." "Aren't they a handful? My niece is always asking me for money." "Yes, she's quite the handful." "Now, why do you want this job?" "I haven't worked in a while, I miss being a room filled with books, and I heard you have an extensive collection," he breathed. "Sounds great. We'll give you a call." "Thank you." Taking deep breaths, Giles managed to get himself out of the room without a) hyperventilating or b) falling over. He had forgotten how draining job interviews were. Juliet stood up and grinned, "How'd you do?" He put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "Buffy is now my niece and her mother is my sister." "Congratulations. Don't you love getting new family members?" "I adore it."

Later that night..

"One of these days, I want to go patrolling with you." "Come tonight then. I'm sure you know half of the demons we kill." "Rupert!" Laughing, Giles rolled over onto Juliet, who had been laying next to him on their bed. "Not tonight, darling. I'm still too wound up from the job interview. You go, and tell my friends I said hi." "I will." He got up and left. Rolling over, so that her back was towards the window, Juliet opened a book and began to read. Unbeknownst to her, Xander was busy out front trying to climb a ladder. And this ladder was right below her window. The night air smelled sweet to him, and a cool breeze blew his hair back. He took a deep breath and peered into the window. "Alexander Harris!"

The voice startled him, especially since the voice was male and even more especially since he knew his full name. Gripping the cold metal ladder tightly, he turned around. Looking very, very angry and standing on the ground below was Rupert Giles. "Uh, hi Giles. This isn't what it looks like." "I'll remember that." He turned around walked away, leaving Xander up by the window. "I guess I should get down now."