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.

Teenage Giles is just too fun not to play with... so I decided to bring that back... I think this will be a three part-er. I might even throw you in a kiss if you're lucky ;)

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

"He's the research man and she's, whatever she is. They lend only knowledge to the Slayer. Younglings are stupid and flappable. We take those two, the arc will be easy to get to, they won't figure out in time why we need the keys only that we were trying to get them."

#?#

"This cake is-" Giles made a noise in the back of his throat and Maria grinned at him.

"I know, it's all over your face." She laughed tossing him a cleaning cloth. "I can't take credit for this one, I got it from the bakery up the road. It's run by this lovely little woman. She's never said as much but I feel she might have been a demon at some point. Baking skills like this don't come naturally."

Giles nearly choked on his mouthful and Maria grinned at him.

"You're joking." He shook his head and drank some of his ice-tea, shooting her an unimpressed look.

"Sometimes it's really easy Rupert." They looked at each other for a moment longer than was really comfortable considering they were both fighting feelings and Maria looked away. "I did get it from the bakery though. I'm thinking about maybe asking if they want to sell some bits and pieces in here. Lot of college kids with the munchies."

#?#

"We need Giles for this. We need his books and brains. Whatever those things were they're not just using brawn and it's kind of freaking me out." Buffy scowled dusting herself off. "Sounded like they were speaking in something old."

"They didn't really seem like they wanted to hurt you Buffy. Just wanted whatever was in that crypt" Willow said as though that made the situation any better.

"Not yet, but I don't trust demons who're just trying to steal. They're always up to something bigger. Besides what were they doing at the museum too? I don't trust demons at a museum. Remember it wasn't that long ago when Xander got an STD." Buffy said.

"Nobody needs to remember that." Xander said. "And nobody wants that again, least of all me."

"He should be at the teashop, he said he was having lunch with Maria." Willow grinned. "Doesn't sound like lunch is going to well." Willow's smile turned to a frown as they approached the shop and heard loud music coming from inside.

"Or maybe it's going too well." Xander wriggled his eyebrows at Buffy and Willow. Buffy rolled her eyes and pushed open the shop door.

"Turn it down!" Maria was stood with her arms folded angrily behind Giles who was fiddling with the stereo. "That's far too loud!"

"Good music should be played loud!" Giles turned it up some and Maria tried to get past him to turn it back down.

"Oh no." Buffy said as Giles gave up and moved out of Maria's way.

"You need to chill out, just let the music in." Giles said smoothly.

"Oh no." Buffy closed her eyes and then looked at Xander and Willow to check they were seeing this. They'd only ever seen Giles look like this once. When Ethan Rayne had sold candy to the town that turned all their parents into teenagers again. He'd taken off his jumper and tied it around his waist. Cigarettes tucked into the rolled-up sleeve of his t-shirt.

"You need to turn that down and you need to get out of this shop." Maria said looking incredibly flustered, frustrated and cross.

"You need to chill out love, you don't own it and there's no one even in here, except-" Giles turned to see Buffy, Xander and Willow staring open mouthed at them. "What are you staring at? Hang on a minute, I feel like I know you." He squinted.

"Oh no." Willow said.

"Think Buffy already got that one Wil." Xander replied.

"Buffy, nice name! Cool, cool!" Giles said putting a cigarette into his mouth.

"You most definitely will not be smoking that in here!" Maria said snatching it out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry about this, I've no idea who this, this reprobate is." Maria said picking the cigarette up from under her foot. "How can I help?"

"Reprobate?" Giles barked out a laugh and smoothed over his hair again.

"Giles, Maria, I'm gunna need you to tell me that this is a joke right about now." Buffy groaned.

"What? What's a joke?" Maria asked looking blankly at them.

"Yeah you would ask that." Giles rolled his eyes and Maria scowled at him crossing her arms again.

"Could you leave now please?" Maria said.

"Not when it's pissing you off so much. What's the matter darlin' am I getting under your skin?" Giles grinned at her.

"You ripped my paper." Maria said angrily.

"You need to loosen up." Giles said again.

"Enough!" Buffy said making them all jump.

"Sorry, I'm Maria, but you knew that, so we've met before clearly. Sorry you'll have to forgive me, my brains a little fuzzy at the moment which is kind of disconcerting given how much I usually remember. I mean I can read in ancient- but you don't need to know that- sorry how can I help?" Maria babbled.

"Giles h-how's your head?" Willow asked.

"Now you mention it, fuzzy. Can't think what I'd be doing in here with- actually-" Another grin crossed his face and Maria looked disgusted scowling at him. "Don't pretend you wouldn't."

"Not even if mummies jammed a metal pole up my nose, scrambled my brains and pulled them out." Maria replied.

"That was a visual I didn't need." Buffy said turning her back on them as they continued bickering. She looked at Xander and Willow for some clue as to what was going on.

"Uhm maybe they're current predicament is down to-" Xander pointed to the cake on the side.

"It's funny me working here you know. My last name is Bingley and this is Meryton." She smiled enthusiastically. "Maybe that's why they employed me. Pride and prejudice and all that. I always preferred Jane and Charles to Lizzie and Darcy. They were just so adorable and- sorry I'm babbling again. You look perplexed are you okay?" Maria asked.

"You look perplexed, what century are you from?" Giles teased.

"Maria how old are you?" Buffy asked.

"Seventeen of course." Maria replied.

"Giles?" Willow turned to him as he put his feet up on the table where he sat.

"Eighteen." He grinned.

"Take your feet down!" Maria sounded panicked as she bustled over and pushed his feet off the table. "People read on those!"

"Wow, Maria was a nerd with a capital N when she was a teenager." Willow said causing Buffy and Xander to look at her. "She is, she might be worse than me."

"You are insufferable. Just, just stop touching things." Maria said taking a candle holder from Giles and putting it back in the centre of the table. Xander could see him smirking out of the corner of his eyes, clearly enjoying winding Maria up.

"What are we going to do? We came here for help!" Buffy cried throwing her hands up in the air.

"You did? What did you need help with?" Maria asked her ears perking up.

"Demons, arks, intelligence, research." Buffy said sliding hands into her back pockets. "Do you not remember anything?" She asked.

"Of course, there's a test on Friday, I've two essays to write and I've a stack of books at home I need to get through and-" Maria started.

"And?" Buffy said.

"I'm not sure. Now you've asked I'm really not sure about anything. All this is very discombobulating. I can't remember what I had for breakfast, what am I even doing here? I don't remember talking to the proprietor, I don't even know who it is. Oh my god what's happening to me?" Maria started to breathe heavily and Willow crossed to her putting hands on her arms.

"It's okay, it's okay we'll figure this out." She said gently. "Try not to think about it."

"Try not to think about it? How can I not think about it? I can't remember anything. I'm Maria, Maria Bingley, I can remember everything I read, well almost. This is not normal. What is happening to me?" Maria was hyperventilating.

"Told you she needed to chill." Giles sauntered over, picking a paper bag up off the side and holding it out to Willow. "I can't remember shit either, you don't see me panicking."

"Why does Giles look like that?" Anya asked strolling into the tea shop. "I was looking for you there's some demons hovering around the museum and they're creepy."

"Will you stop calling me that. My name is Ripper."

"No, it's not your name is Giles and you're a 40 something year old man not a teenager so snap out of it!" Buffy snapped at him. "And you are- well you're younger than him but you're still not a teenager and we need your help because we don't know what these creepy not trying to hurt us demons want."

"Buffy!" Willow said, arm still around Maria.

"I'm not seventeen?" Maria said looking down at her hands and then picking up a spoon to have a look. "I'm not seventeen. What's happened to me? Why can't I remember anything? Okay let me think logically about this, except I can't think logically about this because I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning. All I know is that I'm seventeen and I have tests coming up and essays to write and and and and- WILL YOU PUT THAT OUT!" Maria snatched another cigarette from Giles' mouth.

"Just found out I'm a forty-year old man apparently. Think I deserve a smoke." He shrugged.

"Oooh cake!" Anya grinned walking over to the counter she went to smell it and then wrinkled her nose. "Oh, no thank you. This, smells funny."

"Funny how? Funny haha?" Xander asked.

"Funny like magic." Anya replied.

"Oh great. What kind of magic?" Xander asked happy that Anya might have the answers for them.

"The king of magic that turns you from Giles to-"

"My name is bloody Ripper!" Giles suddenly shouted slamming his hand on the table.

"Ripper?" Maria laughed at him.

"Shut it Bingley." Giles shot back.

"What kind of name is Ripper?" Maria asked. "Who do you think you are Sid Vicious?"

"Why don't you keep pushing and find out." He said shoving the table and stalking off to the other end of the store. Maria flinched but kept watching him as he walked near the books.

"Will you two stop!" Buffy snapped again. "Oh my god, there are demons running wild, we need you to snap out of it!"

"Buffy this isn't like when all the adults ate that candy, this is, they really think they're seventeen and eighteen. No dream, no fuzz. No remembering he's your watcher, or what they're supposed to be doing. What are we going to do?" Xander asked.

"Willow do you think you can find something to break the spell?" Buffy asked.

"Sure, if I can go back to Giles' and get at the books." Willow said.

"When you say demons?" Maria asked.

"She means pointy fanged horned things." Giles replied and Maria's eyes went wide, not with fear but with excitement.

"Maybe I can help?" Maria offered.

"You?" Giles snorted looking at her, he had another cigarette hanging out of his mouth and Maria looked ready to blow a gasket.

"I think maybe it's best if you-" Buffy started.

"Look, I know I'm not a fighter, I'm not strong. I can't battle a demon. I'm not asking to do that I'm sure that's your job anyway and no I don't know magic. But there's one thing that I am and maybe that can help." Maria said confidently. "I'm a bibliophile, and, I can read in twelve dead languages, including ancient Egyptian and Greek. Old Norse and Middle English as well Coptic and Sanskrit. Bibliophiles can be very useful."

"Damn straight." Willow said grinning at Maria like she was a new puppy she'd been gifted.

"Okay. New plan. Willow, you and Anya see if you can figure out how to reverse whatever's in that cake." Buffy started.

"Why do I have to do that, I only came to tell you about the museum and then I was going to get a coffee." Anya pointed out with a huff.

"An, honey, please. You can help." Xander pointed out.

"Fine, but this better not last all day. There's a documentary about animals on I want to watch later." Anya grumbled before reluctantly agreeing.

"Xander, you come with me we'll go to the museum and see if we can't head them off and away from whatever it is they're trying to get their hands on. You two-" Buffy turned on Giles and Maria "- you two can stay here and research and when you run out of books here you can go to Giles'"

"You can't leave me behind with the nerd like some lackey. I'll be more use than this fop." Giles said gesturing to Xander.

"No!" Buffy said holding a hand up.

"Can't you take him with you? I don't need anyone helping me." Maria said scowling at Giles.

"No. Besides you need someone with you in case whoever did- this- to you comes back." Buffy said reluctantly.

"I could lock the door." Maria said hopefully.

"What's the matter darlin'? Scared you're not gunna be able to resist me?" Giles teased.

"I hardly think that will be a problem." Maria replied. "So, what are these demons looking for exactly?" Maria asked.

"We're not sure exactly but they've been hanging around the museum a lot, well the past day or so, and they were trying to steal this from a crypt in the mausoleum when we stopped them. It's engraved."

"And worth a fortune." Giles whistled.

"It's a key." Maria said.

"It's a necklace." Giles replied. "Gold, that'd be worth a fortune. I know a bloke if you wanted to sell it."

"It's a key, it's got the word unlock engraved on the chain. I can see it from here. I want to say medieval era, but I can't be sure until I start looking more closely at it. It could be Egyptian." Maria said. There was a glint in her eye of excitement.

"Oh yeah, that's Coptic." Giles said taking a closer look. "So Egyptian then, unless whoever made it was still using Coptic at the time." He finished. "Probably." He added when he realised everyone was staring at him. Especially Maria who had her mouth slightly ajar.

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