A/N: Not going to disclaimer, of course I don't own Buffy. The only thing I own is the original stuff I've come up with for this fic.
I have an awful lot of this fic planned out and dialogue worked out up to what is season five on the show it's just all the filling in bits (that's just a tidbit for you there!).

Thank you for the favourites and follows and reviews so far! I hope you continue to enjoy!

"The whole thing is just terrible and now I hear they're saying it's witchcraft. I know it's children and it's sensitive and it riles people up, but there seem to be some fundamental questions being overlooked." Maria was stood with her hands wrapped around a mug leaning back against the counter as Giles, who'd just finished pacing finally took a sip from his tea. She hadn't told him what was in it, he'd been so worked up when he'd come in that she'd just put together her best mind clearing, de-stressing concoction. Which in this case consisted of; Mint, Sage, Lavender, Passionflower, Chamomile, Alfalfa and Dandelion, amongst other things.

He'd been stalking past the shop, brow furrowed and talking to himself when she'd knocked on the window and startled him. He'd come in and in hushed tones ranted about MOO for a full five minutes in which time she'd put the tea in his hand.

Maria had noticed that over the past few days she'd become a refuge for some of the more alternative looking and thinking members of Sunnydale. She'd heard a lot of talk about Mothers Opposed to the Occult and she had to say she didn't agree, much in the way she didn't agree with blaming books, movies or games for the one percent of the population that went crazy after reading or watching something. When someone wearing a big MOO badge had come in and all but cleared out her customers she'd played dumb and eventually they'd given up and not even asked to put a poster up in the window.

"I know there's a lot of grief but all they're doing is taking focus away from the real crime." Maria said dipping a biscuit into her tea.

"It's definitely more likely to be some sort of ritual killing given the symbols but to jump into a literal witch hunt." Giles grimaced again. His hair seemed to get fuzzier the more frustrated he got, probably because he kept running his hands through it. Maria knew she should be focused on the more important things happening right now, but she couldn't help thinking about how adorable he looked. Actually, when he'd first come in all riled up in blue and tweed, she'd had to refocus on what he was saying a few times because it was very attractive. There was this fight in him that she'd wondered if he had. Still waters run deep and all that.

She liked him. She knew she should be thinking more about local events, the things with her father but, Maria's mind kept wandering to Giles in moments of quiet. When she should be reading, when she was making tea, when she was trying not to think about him at all. Maybe it was because she'd been reading too much romance but maybe it wasn't, maybe there was something here that she wanted to pursue.

"Symbols?" Maria asked when she'd swallowed the biscuit.

"Yes, the children, the one's on their hands."

"And there's nothing on the internet that could help? About the symbol I mean. I'm not incredibly computer literate but I know there are all sorts of pooled resources on there for things like this." Maria dipped her biscuit again and took another bite.

"I hadn't really looked, better to leave the mystery solving to the police I think." Giles said wrapping his hands around the teacup. Jenny would be disappointed he hadn't thought to consult the internet.

"Well yes I know that, but they're not the most forward-thinking police department." Maria replied

"Have you been reading mysteries?" Giles asked, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maria replied trying and failing to hide a smile.

"You've already said your current reading material influences your attitude. You sound like you're going to launch an investigation." Giles reflected her smile back at her and Maria felt a shift in her chest. It was such a small piece of information and yet it meant something, to her anyway. A fundamental part of her and he already recognised it, not with scorn or mocking but with a gentle tease. It made her heart leap in a funny way.

"Maybe I will if it'll help." Maria replied.

"Maria this is dangerous, people have been killed." Giles said seriously.

"And the police are looking in the wrong places, I mean honestly confiscating your books." Maria's brow furrowed in such an adorable way that had they been dating Giles would have kissed her. The flash across his mind caused him to play with his glasses. Taking them off as though not being able to see her would help chase away these feelings.

"Yes, well I think that has more to do with that Napoleonic homunculus." Giles said angrily.

"Homunculus?" Maria smirked at him brow raised.

"You were right he is a creepy little man." Giles replied taking a biscuit off the plate on the counter. "So, you don't think it was witches?" Giles asked her. It was refreshing to get some sense out of someone considering he was surrounded, in adult terms, at the school by people intent on burning every copy of Macbeth to ensure their offspring weren't influenced by its witches.

"I think we don't have all the facts and mounting a literal witch hunt is a bad idea. Besides if it helps you get your books back, I think I could help. I can be quite the Miss Marple when I put my mind to it." She said confidently.

"Sticking your nose into other people's business?" Giles teased over the edge of his cup.

"Solving crimes." Maria replied narrowing her eyes at him, if he'd been close enough she'd have made a playful swipe at him.

"It's very kind of you but I think I'll just take the tea and maybe another of those biscuits. Those are helping more than enough. Besides you're probably already on MOO's bad side by not having posters up. I'd rather not have you burned down for being on the wrong end of a witch hunt." The anger in her voice could just be because she didn't agree with what was happening but the fact there was a protective edge when she talked about getting his books back made his stomach flutter. Giles checked his watch absently before rubbing his neck and then checking it again. God it had gotten late.

"I hadn't realised how late it was, shouldn't you be shutting up for the evening?" Giles asked an edge of worry slipping into his voice.

"I already have." Maria pointed out, gesturing to the open sign which was facing inwards.

"And you just let me keep you?" Giles said sounding apologetic.

"I don't mind, you seemed like you needed to talk and I've only a crossword waiting for me at home." Maria replied running fingers through the front of her hair and then tucking it behind her ear.

"You know you really should have said, I wouldn't have gone on so long." Giles repeated his apology as guilt settled in his stomach that he might have kept her from something.

"Really Rupert it's fine. Like I said, crossword." Maria replied taking another biscuit out of the jar at the counter and biting into it. They lapsed into quiet for a moment as she ate and he drank, Giles was tapping his fingers against his teacup to the music that was playing through the shop's sound system. Something old, something 70's. He knew the tune. He knew the words, but he just couldn't quite remember the name of the song and it was beginning to itch at him.

"What is this?" Giles asked muttering chorus lyrics as he tried to figure it out.

"No idea." Maria replied pausing to listen to the song for a moment.

"How can you have no idea? It's playing in your shop and I thought you, I thought you loved music." Giles said.

"Because I can play piano?" Maria asked raising her eyebrows.

"And you knew about the sex pistols going on tour." Giles replied.

"Because I read it somewhere, not because I'm an expert. I have a good memory when it comes to things I read." Giles straightened up a little, making a face. "This song, it might be on the back of the tape case. My mum used to record Radio Caroline. There's hundreds of hours of it. I just keep changing the tape every day." Maria admitted, Giles looked slightly impressed by her mother's dedication to recording the radio show. She walked to the back of the shop, where there was a stereo set up with what appeared to be hundreds of cassette tapes on one side and about fifty on the other. She started looking through them before finding the empty one.

"You look disappointed." Maria said as she turned back to Giles with the empty cassette case in her hand.

"No, no why would I be disappointed?" Giles replied, how could he be disappointed about anything to do with Maria, unless of course she turned out to be a demon of some sort. Mind control through tea maybe. Giles looked down at his teacup, brow furrowing a little.

"Because you thought you'd found a music fanatic and what you've actually found is a bibliophile." Maria said chewing the inside of lip.

"Now why on earth would that be disappointing?" Giles replied and he wasn't lying. Yes, he'd been disappointed to realise in that moment that perhaps her musical knowledge or even taste might not match his. That the picture he'd been building of her since their first meeting had been cracked slightly, but the fact she referred to herself as a bibliophile quickly pasted over that crack. If anything, it made more sense, made the parts of her he was forming a picture from fit better.

"If it's any consolation I'll listen to pretty much anything. Although I'm not amazing with artists and band names, unless I really like the song. Here- maybe you can work out which song it is?" She said passing him the case.

Giles looked down the list, but nothing was sticking out to him. There were hours of music on the cassette, it would take an age to look through it and now he thought about it he should really be getting back to the library. Maria had brought up an interesting point about the internet, maybe he could get in contact with someone on there. Jenny would be disappointed that he hadn't considered the internet earlier and he sent up a silent apology.

"I'm drawing a blank." Giles said, his mind had been pulled back to current events and he wouldn't be able to focus on finding the music now anyway. "I should also be going. I hadn't realised how late it had gotten and I need to nip back to the library."

"Here." Maria stopped the tape and ejected it, sliding it back into the case and handing it back to Giles. "Take it with you and figure it out. It'll drive you mad otherwise. You can bring it back next time you're here for tea and biscuits. Now you do need to go because I have a crossword to get to."

"Would you like me to wait whilst you lock up?" Giles asked her, running his fingers along the edges of the cassette case. He was torn, he needed to help figure out what was going on in the town, but he also wanted to stay here a little longer with her.

"No, no course not. I've got to cash up yet and a stock check. All very boring business things." Maria shook her head and started to walk towards the door so she could unlock it and let him out. She didn't really want him to go or, rather, she didn't want to be without his company. She'd have followed him to the library if he'd asked. Helped with whatever he was going to look at, because he was going to investigate this she could tell.

He didn't ask though.

"Maria-" Giles was on the verge of asking her if she wanted to tag along, it was on the tip of his tongue but then a cold chill washed over him. Like someone throwing ice water over his head. Maria didn't know anything about the Occult, about his true nature. She didn't know about demons and vampires and Buffy. Didn't know he was a Watcher and not just a librarian. He couldn't ask her to come along. In fact, really, he couldn't ask her to do anything. Even a date in reality was out of the question.

He could hardly open a meal with 'so vampires, demons and most things from your nightmares are real, I'm a Watcher and the sixteen-year-old Buffy is a slayer and my charge'. So, what did that leave? A double life? Lie to her about his position and the world. It wasn't feasible given his lifestyle and then there was the danger involved.

"Nothing." Giles finished looking back up at her with a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Be safe and I'll, I'll bring this back next time I'm passing."

"Next time you're in for tea and biscuits." Maria smiled lingering at the door a little as he left, a feeling bubbling inside her that was making her grin like an idiot as she moved back into the shop.

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