See chapter 1 for author's notes and disclaimers.

Their routine of going on outings after her class continued after that, but neither brought up what had happened that night after the fight. Both thought about it plenty, but each had their reservations about discussing it.

For Adam, it was the same concern he'd had for millennia. Willow would eventually die, and he would be forced to cope with the loss. He would mourn her passing whether they had an intimate relationship or not, but he hoped the pain would be less this way.

For Willow, it was that she wasn't sure she could trust herself. There had been no one since Tara that she'd really connected to until Adam. Kennedy had been nice, but it turned out that Buffy was not the only slayer with relationship issues. And if she were being totally honest with herself, Willow knew that Kennedy was not on an intellectual or an emotional par with her. But the fear still lingered as to what she would do if she and Adam were to become more than friends and then she lost him. It troubled her even more after her display the night in the alley. It terrified her that she could still be capable of that kind of rage after how horrible things had been in Sunnydale the first time.

It was thoughts like these that made Willow decide that some entertainment was in order. It was late Friday afternoon, not one of her and Adam's usual times to go out, but she really needed the distraction. And from how quiet he'd been the past week, she knew he needed it, too. So she headed to his office.

Quietly cracking his door open, she found him with his back to her and his nose buried in a book. A grin spread across her face, and she silently crept forward, meaning to sneak up on him. Without turning around, he spoke. "Afternoon, Willow."

Her brow furrowed in frustration; she never could surprise him. "How do you do that?" she asked indignantly.

As he turned his chair to face her, one corner of his mouth crept upward. "Vanilla," he stated simply.

"What?"

"Your shampoo." His tone was matter-of-fact.

"Oh," was all she could manage when she realized he was correct. Shaking her head slightly, she decided to get back to the reason she'd come. "We need to go out tonight."

His eyebrows rose. "We went out last night."

"I mean to somewhere new. You and I both need a change from our educational trips....and a break from this," she gestured with her hands indicating the office and everything it stood for.

Adam finally put down the book he'd been holding and leaned his lanky form back in his chair as he answered. "What did you have in mind, then?"

"I've heard from a couple of people about a bar not too far from your apartment, Le Sans Sanz." She smiled at him.

"You want to go drinking?" he asked skeptically. She rarely drank and often poked fun at his love affair with beer.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "No, I want to go dancing."

Now this revelation piqued his interest. He'd never suspected her to be the dancing type. "When?" He inquired.

"Pick me up at nine?" She offered.

He nodded his head slightly in assent. "Nine," he confirmed.

Willow's smile lit up the room. She turned, leaving to go get ready, but paused halfway out the door. "This means dressing appropriately. No baggy sweaters or jeans, mister," the redhead ordered.

Adam held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Okay, whatever you say."

She smiled again and left. A grin that could only be described as mischievous spread across his face. 'So she wants to see me in something different, huh?' His smile grew wider. 'This could be fun...'

#####

It was eight-thirty, and Adam was just putting the finishing touches on his outfit; namely fixing his hair. He quickly surveyed himself in the full- length mirror on the back of his bedroom door and smiled. He looked a good five years younger if he did say so himself. Grabbing the black leather jacket he hadn't worn since he'd toured with the Rolling Stones, he left the apartment and made his way down the stairs, slipping it on as he went.

As he climbed into his SUV, he placed his sword within easy reach and began the drive to Willow's. Unbidden, his thoughts again drifted back to ancient Greece...