Author's Note: Once again thank you to all of you who have been regularly posting reviews. I never dreamed this story would be so well received and it's fuelled me to keep writing it, so thanks.

Many of you have been asking weather or not the other Buffy characters will be coming into this story, or if I plan on touching on what is going on with the Scooby gang. The answer, unfortunately is no. This story is meant to take place entirely within the summer that Buffy was gone (replacing what happened in L.A. with these events). We saw what happened to the Scooby gang in Buffy's absence. They carried on with the slaying while Giles searched for her. Because Joe flies under the radar where the council is concerned I see no reason why Giles would find her. When it is over (if she survives mwa ha ha!), she will make the decision to return to Sunnydale, where the show will progress the exact same way it did on TV.

I do have a lot of sequel ideas swirling around in my little head…ones that will involve the Scoobies more fully, so if this goes well crosses fingers. Anyway, there you go. On with the show:

"Why are we here again?" Buffy looked around Joe's bar, finding it odd to see it so full of people. She was used to being in there when the bar was closed, either officially or on purpose so that it afforded some privacy. It had started to seem like the Sunnydale library to Buffy in terms of the feel of the place. She had never gotten used to seeing an occasional student wander into the library either. It always felt like they were invading her personal space.

But it wasn't her space any more. It had been a good long while since she had set foot in the Sunnydale High library and her past memories of it weren't exactly pleasant ones. Finding the dead body of a friend, not to mention the rest of your friends severely injured didn't spell sunshine and roses. It hurt to think those memories would never be pleasant for her again. The library was no longer a sanctuary, but a house of death. It seemed, that Joe's bar, Methos' apartment and Duncan's dojo had taken its place.

Except tonight, there were people in the bar. Tonight, the bar was open and thriving and public. Tonight, Buffy felt distinctly uncomfortable.

Methos, Duncan and Richie seemed completely oblivious to that feeling. They were busy greeting various people that obviously frequented the place and genuinely looking forward to a good time. Buffy found that to be a difficult concept given what had recently happened to Joe's friend, Klossen's watcher.

"Joe's performing tonight," Methos told her. "We're here for moral support."

"Yea, and I'm Santa Claus," Buffy said sarcastically. "Methos you're a lot of things, but moral support guy isn't one of them."

"She's got you there," Duncan said mildly. Methos looked slightly offended.

"I will have you know that I can be a very sensitive person. For instance I saw a movie last night and cried."

"A movie made you cry?" Richie scoffed. "Why, did a brewery get blown up?"

"That's not the point," Methos replied airily. "The point is, we're here for a night out because all we've been doing lately is train."

"All I've been doing lately is train," Buffy corrected him stiffly. "And I've been doing it because people are dying remember? Taking a night off could literally kill somebody."

"Do you not have a happy medium at all slayer?" Methos asked her, shaking his head ruefully. "You either don't want anything to do with slaying, or you're gung ho and unable to stop! I'm not suggesting we abandon the training in any way, but you need to take a break. You're not ready to face him yet. Anything that happens tonight, or any night until then is not your fault."

"I'm not sure Joe sees it that way," she murmured, remembering the look she had seen on the Watcher's face when she had come into contact with him the day after Methos had gone to meet him. He had glared, almost right though her when she offered her condolences. She could see it in his eyes. He blamed her. And he should. If she had been half the slayer she should be, she would have been ready to face this guy already and this never would have happened. Now there were too people dead, plus Angel because of her. She wasn't sure how much more of the guilt she could take.

"Joe was just upset." Duncan said gently, obviously sensing her distress. "He doesn't blame you. It's not your fault."

"Seriously it's just one night." Richie added.

"All right, I give up!" She said, throwing her hands up in surrender. "It's just….fun is something a little foreign to me. I'm gonna need someone to teach me how it works."

"Happy to oblige slayer," Methos said with a warm smile. "You two losers want anything to drink? I'm buying."

"You mean you're mooching and Joe's letting you." Duncan clarified with a sigh. "Get me a beer."

"Same." Richie echoed.

Methos left them and approached the bar where Joe acknowledged him with a slight nod. The look on his face made Methos slightly nervous. When he noticed Buffy's presence, Joe's look became quizzical. Methos knew that he was wondering why he had brought her, rather than let her stay at home so that she could get in an early day of training in the morning. Duncan had said as much when he had called him to suggest they all go out to Joe's. Methos knew that Joe wanted to speak to them about the information Craig Miller had had on him. There was a chance they would get their answers tonight, and Methos had felt it only fair that the slayer be there to hear them. It wasn't what he told Duncan though, for he knew the Scot would not agree with him. The idea that her fate become known to her seemed one that neither Duncan or Joe seemed comfortable with, so Methos lied to him. Methos had told him that the slayer needed a night out, and although he suspected that Duncan was suspicious of his motives, he relented and said that Buffy could come in late the following day.

Lately, Methos had been backing off when it came to the training, showing up late, or not trying as hard when they were sparring. Both Buffy and Duncan sensed it, he knew that much. Still, he couldn't help himself. Methos wasn't even sure why he wanted to sabotage her training that way. He of all people knew how dangerous Klossen was, what he was capable of. He knew the last thing Buffy should be doing was losing any time in training for this fight and yet, he hesitated. They still weren't sure what the quickening would do to her, and until they were, Methos was loathe to push her into battle.

His feelings for her were becoming more confusing by the day. He felt a fierce need to protect her from everything and at the same time there was an intense pride, as he knew she didn't need his protection. Her independence had been what drew him to her, and frustrated him at the same time. He liked to flatter himself into believing that it had been his influence that had finally gotten through to her and convinced her to stop running from her responsibility, but he knew the truth of it. His part in her coming around had been small. From what he had seen of her, he knew that pain and loss would only keep her from her calling for a short while. Eventually her own guilt and personal conscience would command her to fight again. And once committed, she could scarce be swayed. He was learning this for certain now.

She was like no other slayer he'd ever known. Not even Celine had shown this sort of promise, this kind of fire. It intrigued him, and it frightened him. In all his years he had learned one, irrefutable truth when it came to those who burned brighter than all others around them, especially mortals. If your gift was stronger than all others, you were more likely to die young. It was the price one paid for brilliance. And it was Methos' curse, for he had no use for the ordinary.

From what she had told him of Angel, neither did she. And it was here Methos knew he must tread lightly, for however his feelings for the young slayer might be morphing, hers would never waver. Not now anyway and not anytime in the near future. She had loved the vampire deeply, and her loyalty to him remained stronger than ever after his death. He marvelled at her ability to do her duty, even when it meant killing the man she loved. It was hard for him to kill Celine and he wasn't exactly young when he'd known her. She possessed strength she didn't even know existed…strength he desperately wanted to show her. But now was not the time. A good friend, and a guide…that was what she needed. Methos could be that for her.

"Didn't think I'd see you here this early" Joe was speaking to him, but the innuendo was clear. He was asking why the older immortal had come so early and brought the slayer with him. Methos' plastered a neutral expression on his face and shrugged.

"You know me Joe, I'm addicted to beer and the blues."

"Well I believe half of that anyway." Joe grumbled. "I didn't mean just you. I thought Duncan was training her fairly early every day."

"We needed a night out." Methos told him firmly. "She was pretty shaken by what happened to that watcher."

"Yea?" Joe looked over at Buffy and his expression softened slightly.

"She thinks you blame her." Methos continued.

"Oh hell, I don't blame her," the old watcher said gruffly. "When I saw her before I was…upset."

"You might want to tell her that." Methos suggested. "This fight has to be hers, not yours or anybody else's. If she goes in there with your vendettas fuelling her, she will lose Joe. She needs to know we back her."

"Don't worry old man, I'll tell her." Joe promised. He looked past Methos to see the others were waiting, somewhat impatiently. "You supposed to be getting something here?"

"Beer for Richie and Mac," Methos answered. "And of course myself. Put it on Mac's tab. He said he's buying."

"I highly doubt that," Joe said, but did it nonetheless.

Methos made his way back to the others, just as the band began to set up for Joe's performance. Duncan, Richie and Buffy had selected a table near to the stage and were laughing and teasing Richie about something. Methos felt himself smile slightly as he sat down, marvelling at how seamlessly she seemed to fit with their tightly knit little group.

"What's with the grin?" Buffy asked him as she accepted the soft drink he handed her. He shrugged, not knowing how to voice it.

"I like the blues," was all he said.

Buffy gave him a weird look and sipped her sprite in response. Methos had been acting rather oddly ever since Joe's friend had been killed. She could sense there was something that none of them were telling her, but feared to voice it, lest the answer be something she couldn't handle. It was easier to put all her concentration into training, and not worry about what might come after she faced Klossen. It was like life was on pause until that happened and she worried about what would become of her after it was over.

The whine of the microphone snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Joe taking a seat at the front of the stage, guitar in hand. She had never seen him perform, but from what Richie and MacLeod had told her she was looking forward to it.

"I'd like to dedicate this first number, to a friend of mine who recently died." Joe was saying to the audience. He looked directly at her and smiled, which made Buffy feel slightly better. Maybe he didn't blame her after all.

The moment his fingers touched the guitar, Buffy found herself in awe. She had never really been a blues fan, and the only music she'd been exposed to in a club setting had been at the bronze, and it tended to be of the loud and obnoxious, or dark and angsty variety, but this was something completely different. This was something from the soul and Joe was just the man to play it. She felt it profoundly, and from the look one everyone else's face, they did too.

"He's amazing." She said to Methos who nodded his head in time to the music. He gave her a look that told her he knew exactly what she was feeling and smiled.

"I've seen a lot of musicians in my time." He told her simply. "And the best ones can usually be found where the rest of the world wouldn't think to look. Slayers function the same way. You do something the rest of the world doesn't acknowledge. You make your own music."

Buffy didn't know what to say to that, so instead she turned her attention back to the song, which held both Richie and Duncan in rapt attention. It suddenly occurred to her that as she listened to Joe's music, and sat next to Methos, across from Duncan and Richie, she was happy. It was a fleeting thing, for as soon as she realized it the old guilt and sadness returned, but it had been welcome if not brief. It gave her hope, for she knew that one day it would come again unaccompanied by anything to hinder it.