It was early in the morning.  Still, the small table in the Sunnydale library was filled.  Both Willow and Xander were busy researching William the Bloody, while Giles was making tea.

"The tea's ready."  Giles said, his voice resonating throughout the library.  Willow and Xander looked up from the heavy volumes they were reading an smiled at one another.  Both thinking how only Sunnydale's library would have a stove in the back office.  "Do you want any?"  Giles asked, coming into the main library from his office, already holding a cup of warm tea in his hand.

"No thanks G-man."  Giles said, waving Giles away.  Giles rolled his eyes, however, did not dignify Xander with a response.

"Willow?"  Giles asked.

"No thanks."  Willow replied.  "This reading is actually pretty exciting-"  Willow was cut off by Xander.

"To school obsessed people."  Giles smiled at this remark, thinking of Buffy and her distaste for research as well as her distaste for school.  However, Giles tried to clear all thoughts of Buffy.  Because thoughts of Buffy invariably led to thoughts, not only of the master vampire who was headed to kill her, but also of her weekend with Spike.

            Though Giles had not known Buffy for long, he already felt protective of her.  Giles almost considered Buffy his daughter.  Therefore, the thought of his "daughter" spending the weekend with a boy was not too appealing.  However, Joyce had seemed fine with it, and Giles knew that Buffy was a capable and intelligent young women, despite what the various principal's at school seemed to think.

"Giles?"  Willow asked tentatively, bringing the watcher back to reality.

"Yes."  Giles answered.

"We've looked through the books and made a pile of the ones that mention William the Bloody, but we still haven't read through them."  Xander said.

"Well I think that's enough for today.  Enjoy what's left of your Sunday, and I'll see you all after school tomorrow."  Giles said.

"Are you sure?"  Willow asked shyly.

"Yes Willow, but thank you for asking."  There was a short pause.

"See ya!"  Xander called back to Giles, already at the doors.  Willow followed, looking back only for a second before racing after Xander.  Giles turned his back, muttering about 'the teenagers of today' before picking up a book from the large pile Willow and Xander had made.  Setting his tea on the table Giles began to read.

            The minutes ticked by until Giles was disturbed by an insistent tap on the shoulder.  "Where's everyone?"  Cordelia asked impatiently, one hand on her hip, the other clutching an expensive purse.

"They left a few minutes ago."  Giles said.  He took of his glasses and pulled a hankerchief from his tweed coat.  "What's wrong?"

"Does something have to be wrong."  Cordelia asked, outraged.  "Maybe I just wanted to help Buffy, and the scoobies.  Maybe I just wanted to save the world.  Huh?  Think about that tweed man."  Cordelia nearly screamed.  Giles remained calm.

"So you want Willow to help you on your homework?"  Giles asked.

"Just history."  Cordelia explained.  Giles nodded, placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose once more.

"She and Xander are probably headed to the Bronze."  Giles guessed.  He turned back to his books, took a sip of his tea and then turned back once more.  Cordelia was still standing there.
"May I help you?"  Giles asked, beginning to get impatient.

"Where's Buffy and her new beau?"  Cordelia asked.

"At the beach…still."  Giles replied.

"Oh.  I guess they're still having wild sex."  Cordelia replied nonchalantly.  Giles mind began racing.  He took another calming sip of tea and when he turned back to reprimand Cordelia on her desecration of the English language.  Only the swinging of the library doors left any trace that the cheerleader had ever been there.

ATTHEBEACHATTHEBEACHATTHEBEACHATTHEBEACH

            Spike and Buffy were in fact, not having wild monkey sex.  They had moved to the beach house an hour before, to avoid getting caught in compromising positions by early morning joggers.

"Buffy."  Spike whispered.  His voice soft and his breath cool against Buffy's exposed neck.  The slayer's acknowledgment of his words was to bat him away with one hand.  Spike caught her hand in mid-air, smiling at her back.  "None of that love."  Spike admonished.

"I'm sleeping."  Buffy replied, getting slightly grouchy.  Spike noticed her slight mood change and began to take a different approach to wake her.

            Spike ran his cool hands under Buffy's tank top.  He palmed one of Buffy's breasts and smiled arrogantly as he heard the slayer attempt to stifle a moan.  "But there are so many things we could do if you were awake."  Spike whispered sensually, leaning close to her hear and nipping lightly at her shoulder.  Buffy rolled over, smiling at Spike.

"Why whatever are you talking about?"  Buffy asked, feigning innocence.

"A lovely walk on the beach….miniature golf……..or we could…stay in."  Spike suggested.  Buffy leaned up to kiss Spike.  However, the loud honking of a car horn broke the moon.  Spike murmured a long stream of obscenities under his breath, many of which Buffy had never heard before, when the car alarm began beeping loudly.

"Way to kill the mood."  Buffy grumbled, nodding in the direction where the car alarm seemed to be coming from.

"Don't you hate people like that."  Spike added.

"No."  Buffy replied, surprising Spike greatly.

"Huh?"

"I mean.  I've faced demons, and vampire's, and school bully's."  Buffy said.  Getting a smile from Spike at the last example.  But all of them come and go, and I know that something worse will come.  And until that thing comes along that's worse than all the other's.  I won't let myself hate.  No one I've met, nothing I've fought has been worth hating."

"Christ your amazing."  Spike said, looking down at Buffy in awe.  "Compared to me…compared to anyone, your like a saint."  Buffy's laughed.  The sound of her feminine giggle resonating through the beach house.

"I'm not that good a girl."  Buffy whispered after a moment, smiling as she raced an eyebrow mysteriously.

"Oh I know pet."  Spike replied, rolling onto Buffy and kissing her deeply.  Buffy smiled into the kiss, suddenly forgetting all problems in the world.

"Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time."
Source Unknown

*Please review!  I have almost no reviews!  Good, bad, whatever.  Just tell me what you think.  I know this chapter wasn't the most exciting and action packed one in the world.  I just want to set the stage for some clues coming up in the next chapter.*