"Mom, we're here," Michaela Giles shouted as she and Gabriella Valenti entered her parent's home. The young women came in and deposited their coats in the hall closet, then went back into the living room to wait for Mike's parents. A few moments later, Mike saw her mother come down the stairs wearing an elegant purple dress and Willow came over to hug her.

"Hello, Mike, Gabby" Willow said as she pulled her daughter into a hug. A short moment later, both redheads disengaged and three grinned at each other.

"Hi, Mom," Mike greeted her mother. Willow smiled as she, Gabby, and her daughter sat down next to each other on the couch. "Where's Dad," Mike asked.

"Your father is still not ready," Willow informed her. She gave Mike a wry look. "Personally, I think he's stalling," she added. Willow and Mike chuckled, but then Willow decided to change the subject. "How are you, Gabby," Willow queried to the dark skinned Slayer.

"I'm doing fine, Mrs. Giles," she answered politely. "I'm beginning that new job at the radio station, so I'm fairly excited. Definitely ready for the pay raise." Willow shook her head.

"My daughter and her friend out in the real world. It's hard to believe."

"Is Dad still worrying about it?" Willow shrugged her shoulder. When their daughter had moved from her college dorm into an apartment of her own a few months before, Giles had been nervous, but he had mellowed as Michaela proved that she would be fine. Even though he had had more than enough time to adjust to it, he was still nervous about their daughter living on her own, but he had accepted it eventually, in small degrees. It also helped that Willow was there to remind them that their daughter had to begin life on her own at some point.

"He'll be okay," Willow assured Mike. "Just give him some time to get used to the fact that he doesn't have his little girl around him as much." Mike nodded her understanding.

"I'll just have to remind him that I miss you guys, too." Mike shifted in her seat and casually began, "So, how does twenty-five years feel, Mom?" Willow gave her daughter a dirty look.

"Don't even bother to ask," Willow groaned. "I'm still not sure. I feel like I'm back at the 'It's reunion time already' thing. Twenty-five years! It's just too unreal," Willow finished. Mike flashed her mother a smile and Gabby grinned.

"But you and Mr. Giles should celebrate," Gabby insisted. "It's not often you get an excuse to go out and dance to old music and show off to your old classmates," she pointed out.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you and Dad are more than ready to celebrate," Mike added. "It's been how long since you actually went out together on your own? You'll party hardy to the strains of "Living La Vida Loca" and "Mambo Number 5"! I can see it now, you and Dad burning up that dance floor and putting all other couples to shame," Mike declared with a teasing flare. Willow glared at her.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. That's very humorous, Mike. Meanwhile, you, Gabby, and Neil are so hard up for something to do, you have to hang out here, of all places," Willow teased back. Mike gave her mother a dirty look in return.

"You never did play fair, mother," Mike grumbled mock-seriously. Willow grinned.

"I'm your mother. I'm not supposed to play fair." The three broke out in laughter until they head footsteps on the stairs and they were forced to stop. Michaela got up and watched as her father came down into the living room, his eyes gleaming.

"I thought I heard the bell," he said as he came in and gave his daughter a hug. "How are you, Michaela," he greeted her. Mike grinned at her father.

"I'm good. You're looking pretty good yourself, Dad. Are you ready to dance the night away?" Rupert gave his daughter a wry smile. "I'm sure you've got plenty of styling dance moves to spare," Mike pointed out.

"Yes, well that's a matter of opinion," Giles muttered. "It's good to see you again, Gabriella. I trust the Hellmouth has been treating you well as of late." The Slayer smiled.

"Sure, Mr. Giles. Unless you count a wannabe yuppie vamp and a Pythdera demon with a nasty cold, I've been doing peachy." The room's occupant's broke out in a rolling laughter for the next few moments. Just then, the doorbell rang, causing everyone to calm down and stop laughing, and Giles went to answer it. Buffy and Riley Finn were standing out on the porch, along with their seventeen-year-old son, Neil. The Finns had planned on showing up at the reunion with the Giles' and had decided to drop off Neil, who had been planning on spending a friendly night with Mike and Gabby watching some movies he had brought with him.

Neil had been spending a great deal of time with Michaela in the previous months, but both sets of parent's had chalked it up to an easy friendship that had been building up since the two were young. Behind the veil of friendship, though, the younger Giles and Finn help a deeper truth. They had fallen in love and their parents had no idea.

"Buffy! Riley! Come in," Giles instructed them as he stepped aside. The Finns came in, followed by Neil. The shy blonde-headed teen looked at Mike and smiled as his parents took their seats in the living room.

"Can I go ahead and go into the den to listen to that new song of yours I heard the other day," Neil asked Mike softly. Mike smiled and nodded.

"You know where it is. You're more than welcome to hear it. Just watch out for my stuff that's in there," Mike added. Neil smiled and headed down the hall to what had once been Mike's room before she had moved out. The room was now a sort of den, but some of Mike's old trophies and plaques from high school still held the places of honor she had given them. The adults of the group chatted away for the next few minutes as Mike and Gabby went into the kitchen to make popcorn for their moviefest.

Neither set of parents knew was that their children had began to date the year before, but Gabby did. Neil and Mike hadn't told the Finns or the Giles'; mainly for fear that their discovery would lead to their parents insisting on a break-up. Neil was only seventeen, and Mike was six years older, a situation no one would like, so they used the reunion as an excuse to spend some time alone. Gabby had promised Mike that she would be over with them for a few moments, but she planned to leave soon after their parent's left, helping to cover for Mike and Neil.

Both sets of parents were admittedly suspicious of how close the two had become, but no one had seen any evidence suggesting that the two were more than just friends, so they had continued to believe that. What harm could they find in three friends spending a Saturday evening watching movies? It seemed a perfect ruse for Mike and Neil to spend and evening alone. Only Xander and Anya Harris, who were expected at the reunion festivities, knew that the evening had been a ruse, and Mike had already sworn them to secrecy.

As the adults chatted away about their plans for the evening, they were oblivious to their children's true intentions. After a few moments before Buffy finally declared, "So it looks like all are present and accounted for. Are we ready to roll?" The others nodded and all eyes turned towards the kitchen, where Mike and Gabby were just coming out with a full bowl of popcorn.

"You how to reach us if you need to," Giles told his daughter. "We won't be too late," he promised. Mike rolled her eyes.

"I've heard that one before. We'll be fine, don't worry. Enjoy the reunion!" The others began to grab their coats and say good-bye. After enough time to get their things together, the adults began to head out the door, leaving Mike and Gabby alone in the living room.

"I can't believe you're actually going to get away with this," Gabby commented as they watched the taillights of the car disappear from the front window.

"Well, it took some work, but I was up to the challenge," Mike quipped. Gabby shook her head at her friend.

"Just don't do anything stupid, okay?" Mike gave the Slayer a look of mock-innocence.

"Me? Do anything stupid? Parish the thought!" Gabby grinned and began to chuckle at her friend.

"So, I'll talk to you later?" Mike nodded.

"Have a safe patrol," she told Gabby.

"I'm sure Liam and I will be able to handle it. You take care." With that, she gave Mike a quick hug and left out the front door, shutting it behind her. After seeing her friend off, she went in search of Neil. They hadn't quite lied when they told their parents they were going to watch movies, they were going to do that, but they figured what's the harm of a few smoochies in between. Mike headed into the den carrying the bowl in her hands, and smiling to herself, to find Neil fiddling with the controls to the player.

"I can't get the volume control to work," he groaned. Mike smiled, placed the popcorn on an end table by the couch and joined Neil. She found the correct dial and gently turned up the volume up to a sensible level.

"There," she declared as the music began to fill the air. Neil smiled and pulled Mike towards him, placing his hands tenderly around her waist.

"Perfect," he told her as he stared into her eyes. She placed her hand along his face and looked into his eyes in return.

"Definitely perfect," she agreed. The two stood there for a few moments until Neil leaned in and caught Mike's lips in a kiss.



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