AN: yes I know it's been like foreva…again. And yes i also know it isnt very long.But this time I can claim writers block AND that I was on holiday for the past 2 weeks.

Dedication: I have to dedicate this chapter to the WONDERFUL bar man who kept pouring the Baccardi. Without which I doubt I would have woken up with this sudden brainwave. Thankyou so much :)

Giles watched as Buffy started to drift off to sleep. He was deeply impressed with what she had accomplished in the hours previous. For Buffy to complete an entire assignment was amazing but to also do it voluntarily was nothing short of a miracle. And he knew that the person to thank for that was also in the room with her.

After Jenny had died he knew that there would never be a time he could forgive the demon, but in the past hours he had watched Buffy and Angel interact he found that the man was a different matter. He had once been a supporter of the relationship but now he was of two minds. Andrew had requested his presence so he could try and accept the inevitable. As he watched the two of them he knew that Andrews view of the inevitable and Angel's views were rapidly becoming more and more warped. Andrew believes the two of them stood a chance; And Angel looked as if he was getting ready to let her go…unless something drastic happened.

Giles had no idea as to what the outcome of this test would be. And he was starting to wonder if maybe he should have pressed harder when trying to find out details.

Buffy was looking so happy at the present that he didn't even want to imagine how she would go on afterward with the memory of what these forty-eight hours had held for her.

Angel had extracted himself from the computer screen and had re-placed Buffy's blanket for her as it was starting to slip off her. Giles watched as he knelt by her side and just watched her sleep. The man before him cared so deeply for Buffy and he knew that the one thing that was really upsetting her was that her friends didn't approve. He had never been able to see what she saw in his but he also knew that it wasn't up to him to understand. All he wanted was what was best for his little girl and if the joy she was experiencing just from having him at such a close proximity was anything to go by then he was beginning to see what was best.

Quentin watched Giles sigh and turn away from the window to go and continue a book he had brought with him. Quentin turned and observed the couple before him. The point of the test was to examine the slayers endurance power and to see her reactions when forced into a complicated situation. Buffy had provided all the information he needed within an hour but Quintin was not about to stop the test. Judging by what he saw when Buffy had first entered the room, the girl was exhausted. She was not the first slayer to have had a life aside from slaying but she was the first to have survived past eighteen with the duel existence…frankly the girl needed a break.

He knew the test he was performing was causing a rather large amount of adversity at headquarters. There were those like Andrew who thought the relationship between the Vampire and the Slayer was the cutest thing since the Care Bear and there were those who believed it to be the first sign of the Apocalypse. There were also a very small amount who had no judgment either way…he was with them.

Quentin had to admit that both side had an excellent point but he was also hoping that the end result of the test would abolish any conflict among the staff concerning this particular topic. He knew it probably wouldn't but one could hope.

He sighed looked at the others in the room.

"Anyone want coffee?"

As his boss left the room, Andrew glanced over the control panel in front of him. This was one of the easiest assignments the Council had ever assigned to him. Every now and then he had to enter some data into the system but all in all there was nothing to do. Having Xander around was helping immensely to relieve the boredom but for the moment his cousin was sleeping. It had taken a lot longer for Xander to make a start on his assignment and he was no where near finished but if what he remembered at all from the conversations he had had with Xander over the years, Willow would look over the assignment before the due date…in other words she would finish it for him.

Andrew let out a small chuckle at a distant memory he had, one of the last before he moved to England. A five year old Xander had come running in the door waving a picture at him. He had taken the drawing and seen it was a picture of a bunch of animals.

"That's my picture." Xander had exclaimed proudly.

"I know. It's really good Alex."

"I almost couldn't bring it home though." Xander had frowned

"Oh, why not?"

"Because my teacher said I had to finish it before I could bring it home."

"Well I'm glad you finished it then. You can give it to your mum and dad when you get home."

"No I did it for you. Mummy and daddy don't like my pictures. And I didn't finish it."

"Who finished it for you?"

"Willow."

"Who's Willow?"

"She's my girlfriend from school."

"Oh, well that's nice.

Xander had then run up-stairs to play. Andrew continued laughing to himself as more of Xander and Willow's antics came to mind.

While Andrew was reminiscing Angel had moved silently from his vigil by Buffy's bedside to the stereo by the TV. Moving any obstructing furniture as well as the couch Buffy was sleeping on; he pressed play and let the ambient sounds wash over him as he began his Tai Chi exercises. Un aware he was being watched by all three occupants in the outer room as well as Buffy who was only just managing to keep up the pretence of sleep he followed through on every movement fluidly. As he turned to give his other side a more thorough work-out, he saw rather than felt the room tip slightly. Putting his hand out to steady himself, he felt a striking pain in his chest. He fell to the ground and only had time to register his name being called far off in the distance before his world turned black.
Reviews: I'll put them up with the next chapter. but thankyou to everyone who was kind enuf to review :)