Hi, all. As this is a Thanksgiving-based episode I was really hoping to have it finished by now... yeah, that didn't happen :) Act three is almost done though. Thanks for the reviews for the last segment and, as always, feedback/concrit is always welcome.

"I can't believe you nearly did that!" Willow snapped as they winked back into existence.

She wrenched her arm from Buffy's grip so there would be no doubt who she was mad at.

"I can't believe I nearly did that," Buffy agreed, she was shaking more than a little with unspent adrenaline.

She sounded shell-shocked, which gave Willow a moments pause, but only a moment.

"You could have altered the course of history!"

"That's what I was planning to do."

"Not just Angel's! Everyone's!"

"I know that, and again, that was the plan. Our lives would have been completely different if I'd never met Angel."

"Not just ours! Everyone's!" Willow stressed again. "Every life he touched…"

"Every life he took away, you mean," Xander said, straightening up again.

He'd been resting with hands on his knees for a couple of seconds, breathing funny. So had Giles, she realised now. The teleporting was taking its toll on them. It was rough on her and she was used to it, or she used to be used to it when she was evil. Buffy was faring better because of her slayer stamina but Xander and Giles had no such barrier against the yucky feelings that came from zipping through time and space as quickly as walking through a door.

"Either way," she snapped. "Every life he changed, changed someone else's, who changed someone else's and so on. To stop Angel from becoming Angelus could have meant radical, unthinkable changes by the time it got us our lifetimes."

"Willow," Giles said quietly. "Buffy was only acting as she should have done, as the Slayer."

Buffy groaned, "That makes it sound worse!"

"No it doesn't," Xander promised her and Giles nodded solemnly.

Willow huffed, realising she was outnumbered three to one and stormed off ahead into… into some place she had no clue about. Where she was, when she was or even, with the magick coursing through her, entirely sure what she was anymore.

With this in mind she slowed down a little as she looked around.

There was a quaint little hamlet just down the road from them. Just a handful of thatched wooden cottages, that were all more thatch than actual cottage. Thick wood smoke rose from every roof, making the air fragrant. It looked kind of like Pleasant Creek except for the scenery was all wrong. High mountains surrounded the green valley and even though the sun was just rising brightly over the top of them, the air felt fresher somehow than it did in Cleveland.

"Where do you think we are?" she heard Buffy ask the other two.

"I'm not sure yet," Giles said.

"Mountains. Forests. Elks… Oregon?" Xander guessed.

"I don't think so," Giles said as Willow turned her head to get a look at the Elk.

It was standing a way off. Tall, proud and antler-y. It was magnificent and brought a smile to her face despite the irritation she was feeling. It disappeared into the trees at a panicked run as they entered the hamlet.

She only walked a few more steps before Willow realised why. Everyone in the hamlet was in a state of panic. There was screaming, crying, yelling. People were running all over the place in that way that suggested they were more concerned with running away than where they were running to. Other people were running in a more organised fashion, carrying pitchforks.

Willow stopped, trying to get a clue as to what was happening, and a viciously thrown sourdough bun ricocheted off the side of her head.

"Ow!" she squealed, cringing and rubbing her stinging ear, giving the others time to catch up and surround her protectively.

"What happened?" Xander asked.

"Someone threw something at me!"

"What the hell is happening?" Buffy asked, staring around in surprise, her own inner-turmoil forgotten for the time being. "It all looked so peaceful from back there."

"I think something's attacking the village," Giles said.

"But what?" Xander demanded.

Willow's eyes went wide as she spotted the big, red-bearded creature rampaging through the villagers, paying no mind to even the sharpest of projectiles lobbed at it.

"That!" she yelled, pointing.

They all turned.

"Troll!" Buffy yelled.

"Olaf!" Xander yelled.

The troll stopped his apparently mindless running about and stared directly at them.

"Oh crap! I wasn't trying to get his attention!"

"Shoulda thought about that before yelling his name!" Buffy shouted, smacking his shoulder.

"Who's Olaf?" Giles asked.

"Him!" Willow pointed again.

"But how do you know…?"

Olaf the Troll was now running lumberingly towards them, grinning, as if they were his best friends and he wanted to give them a big ol' cinematic troll-hug.

"Run now, explain later?" Willow squeaked.

"Yeah, that way, over there." Buffy grabbed her arm and Xander's and just ran. "Come on!"

Faith was playing flick the pecan nut into the empty foil dish with a spoon. She had started out with it at the other end of the table but had scored every time. Since then she had moved to the other end of the table and the dish was now on the breakfast counter. She had missed the first shot by a hairs breadth and was just lining up her second.

It hit the inside of the foil with a ping followed by a crackle as it rolled around the dish.

She said a quiet "Ha!" under her breath. "Sure you don't wanna go?" she asked as another nut hit dead centre. "We could bet on it."

"No." Kennedy was playing solitaire with the cards again.

"Wanna play Blackjack then?" Faith asked, indicating the cards. "For money?"

"No," Kennedy said again. "Why are you suddenly acting like we're friends?"

"I'm not," Faith got up to move the foil dish further away. "I'm just booored!"

"Me too," Kennedy admitted, throwing the cards on the table and stretching. "What's taking them so long?!"

"Maybe they can't cure her."

"Don't say that!"

"Yet, I mean. Maybe it's just taking a real long time."

Faith sat back down at the table and aimed her spoon towards the draining board. A hand grabbed her ankle, making her jump and throwing her aim off. The pecan rattled in the sink.

She stuck her head under the table. "Hey! Gimme a little warning next time! Now, shoo!" The hand didn't go away. "Do I look like your mommy? Get out of here."

"She's missing Andrew," Kennedy said.

Faith changed tack. "Do I look like your daddy? Let me go."

Goorzar hiccupped at her and cuddled up to her leg. Faith accepted defeat and straightened back up.

"Fine, but you drool on me and I'm making myself a demon fur coat."

"You'll have to go through me first," Kennedy told her.

"Wouldn't be hard."

"Do you think we should try calling the numbers on the list? Find out where they are?"

"Is there numbers on the list?" Faith grinned as her nut hit the target again.

"No, but I know the wizard's number is in Willow's phone book."

"Then try it." Faith shrugged. "Even if they're not there, he might know where they are."

Kennedy got up and went to Willow's magick room. She tried the door but it wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So, you're a Slayer. Give it a good push."

"I can't break in!"

"A little breaking and entering don't hurt if it's for the greater good."

"Then you do it. You're the criminal."

"Ex-criminal," Faith said without bothering to look at her. "And I have your demon attached to my leg."

Kennedy came around the other side of the table and called Goorzar out.

Faith sighed, "Fine."

She tried the handle first, then keeping it twisted she bumped her hip against the wood. The door sprang open without the lock even snapping.

"There ya go."

It was embarrassing to be a pro at this kinda thing around here sometimes, but right now it was just funny. She sat back down at the table, smirked at the disgruntled younger slayer and gave her thighs a couple of encouraging slaps. Goorzar leapt from Kennedy's arms straight onto Faith's lap with some deep, satisfied hiccups. Faith grinned. That had been a pure gamble – it wasn't like she'd had much to do with the demon kid – but it had paid off and the look on Kennedy's face was priceless.

Kennedy stood up, brushed off her knees and then held her arms out. "Goorzie."

Goorzar gibbered excitedly and held one of her own stringy, hairy arms out but didn't attempt to move from Faith's lap. Kennedy sniffed unaffectedly, took Goorzar's hand in her own and squeezed it lightly.

Dropping a kiss onto her hairy head, she said, "Okay, stay here with Auntie Faith. I'll be back in a minute."

"Atie Fathe," Goorzar repeated, making Faith grin, before the baby demon threw herself backwards in sheer glee and head butted her in the face.

"Ow!"

It was Kennedy's turn to grin. "I won't be long. If her address book is anywhere I can find it, I'll find it quick."

Faith was rubbing her nose. "Yeah, whatever."

"Are you sure you can handle her for five minutes?"

"Of course I freakin' can!" Faith shooed her away as she wrapped her other arm around Goorzar's tummy. "You love me, right girl?"

Goorzar hiccupped. "Atie Fathe, gurl."

Satisfied with that, Kennedy headed for the Magick room.

When Goorzar almost immediately started to squirm in her arms, Faith picked up a handful of pecan nuts and showed them to her as a distraction. Goorzar stopped struggling and stared at them like a dog at a bone.

"You want one?" Faith asked.

The demon just kept staring so she figured that was a yes. She held one up between finger and thumb and Goorzar swooped her head down and took it between her teeth, nearly taking Faith's fingertips with it.

"Hey! Where's your manners?" Faith rubbed her fingers and thumb together to rid them of the almost snapped up feeling.

Goorzar crunched the nut once before swallowing it and then looked bashful, giving her the cute, old demon eyes. Cute and demon, not two things she'd ever thought of in the same sentence before. Questioning her sanity, Faith held another nut up.

Goorzar leaned down slowly this time and in an effort to take the nut more gently her lips covered Faith's fingers down to the first knuckle before her teeth got a grip on it. Faith looked at her hand afterwards. It was dripping with demon saliva.

She pulled a face. "Okay, better, but ya still covered me in drool!"

Goorzar gave her that look again and Faith rolled her eyes, wiping her hand on her jeans.

"Okay, one more go, but if this one pans too you're not getting any more of my nuts."

She held up a pecan. Goorzar stared at it solemnly and Faith waited with a grimace for the gross feel of demon lips against her skin again. Then the baby demon reached up a hairy hand and plucked the nut from Faith's fingers and popped it into her mouth. The masticated nut was very visible as the demon chewed and grinned at the same time.

"You were playing me!" Faith said, not sure whether to be pissed off or impressed. Goorzar hiccupped. "You little… demon!"

"Everything okay out there?" Kennedy called.

"Yeah. She's allowed nuts right?"

"We haven't found anything that upsets her stomach yet," Kennedy called. "Except marshmallows. Don't give her marshmallows."

"I don't have any marshmallows," Faith called back. "Find anything?"

"No, still looking."

"That's not quick!"

"Bite me."

Faith chuckled and called back mockingly, "No need to be rude. How long ya gonna be?"

"Don't know. Why? Is Goorzie making you her bitch?"

"Nah, me and Goorzie are cool," she taunted. "She just told me she wishes I was her mommy."

"Bite me," Kennedy said again, slightly muffled this time as if her head was deep in a cupboard or up her own ass.

Faith smirked and held another nut up for Goorzar who took it gently between her fingertips again and put it in her mouth.

There was a rap at the back door. Faith called out "Yeah." more interested in the way Goorzar had stiffened from head to haunches on her lap.

The door opened and Oz came in. "Hey."

The nut blew out of Goorzar's mouth like an express train leaving a tunnel, hit the cupboards on the other side of the kitchen and then landed with a ping in the foil pie tray on the draining board.

Faith started to smile until the second part of the performance kicked in. Agitated bouncing at first, followed quickly by jumping up and down on her lap, over-excited squeals – and not happy ones – nearly deafening her.

"What the hell?" She tried to contain the demon on her lap but it was getting harder by the second.

"Is something wrong?" Oz asked, coming further into the kitchen.

"I dunno."

As she tried to grab Goorzar around the middle to physically restrain her, the baby demon twisted in her arms, paws flailing as she screeched, nearly knocking Faith out. She kept hold of her even as her head was slammed backwards by an accidental punch but she was sure as hell feeling less like she wanted to. What the hell was wrong with the fricken demon? Surely she couldn't hate Oz that much?

As Goorzar clawed at her shoulder, trying to climb over it and away, she became aware of a whining, grunting, yelping noise over the top of the demon's freak-out. She looked at Oz in surprise, half-expecting him to be wolfed, but no, he was still Oz-shaped.

Hearing the commotion, Kennedy came running out of the Magick room. She stopped just inside the kitchen and assessed the situation immediately.

"Get it out!"

"Willow invited me," Oz said calmly.

"Not you, asshole! Get it out!" She shouted again as she ran the few steps to Faith's chair. "In the garden, anywhere, just get it out of here!"

"What the hell?" Faith asked, not understanding anything until Goorzar finally, painfully, leapt from her to Kennedy's waiting arms and she was able to look around.

She only caught a glimpse of the big, shaggy dog hiding behind Oz's legs but as the dude half dragged, half pushed him out the back door it was pretty obvious the mutt had caused all of this.

"Jeez," Faith breathed, sitting back in her chair.

"I thought you said you could handle her!" Kennedy snapped.

"I was handling her! I didn't even see the damn dog until you came in!"

"That's just great then!" Kennedy held the demon tighter and rubbed her face against the side of her head, crooning to her. "You're okay, baby. It's just a dog. Dogs are harmless. You could kill a dog with your bare hands anyway."

Faith's eyebrows rose but she didn't comment. She waited until Kennedy had whispered to the demon for a few more minutes before asking,

"What are we gonna do about Oz?"

"He's fine out there. He can come in when Willow gets back."

Faith raised just one eyebrow this time as she realised Kennedy was completely seriously.

Buffy was first, followed by Giles, then Willow and Xander was bringing up the rear as they ran around and in between some more of the wooden hovels. Was hovels the right word? Or was that like really un-PC. He gave a high giggle to himself. People were chucking food at a troll! Sensible sure, but pelting the outsider wasn't going to win any politically correct awards back in two-thousand and three.

Then again Olaf was chasing them, so the more stuff the other people threw at him to slow him down the better in Xander's book. And while he was on the subject, why was he at the back anyway? What was Buffy doing all the way up the front when the danger was right behind him?

He'd already fainted twice tonight though and was only hanging on to his manliness by the skin of his teeth, so he would just suck it up, keep his position and wait for the moment that troll hammer hit his head so hard he ended up to his neck in the ground.

"So we are in the Land of the Trolls?" Giles was trying to get an explanation from Buffy as they scurried from building to building.

"I guess so."

"Interesting."

"That's one word for it," Xander muttered under his breath.

"But if we're in the Land of the Trolls," Willow began. "What are all these humans doing here?"

"You got me," Buffy called back. "Maybe if we don't get hammered first we can ask them."

Xander was suddenly wondering about something way more concerning. If this was the Land of the Trolls, where were all the other Trolls? Close by? Maybe descending on the village right this minute. Olaf they could probably duck and dodge for as long as it took for Willow to sneeze, but if two or three of his buddies came around the corner, they were gonna end up four dead Billy goats in no time.

They ran through the centre of the village again, passing by stone fire pits and racks of skinned rabbits and other less identifiable small creatures hanging like clothes on a washing line.

Xander took a look over his shoulder and saw Olaf had stopped chasing them, halted by a heavy barrage of potatoes.

"They've got him on the ropes," he called so the others could hear him. "I say we head for the hills while he's distracted."

"Okay, this way." Buffy cut right, across the clearing to the houses on the other side, heading for the mountains.

The rest of them ran full pelt after her. Hoping to get out of Olaf's sight before he was free to chase them again. From one of the buildings wafted a smell that called, these days at least, to Xander's hindbrain in the way most people responded to the smell of freshly baked bread.

"Ooh, a bar." He stopped running. "Hey, guys, maybe we should hide in here?" Close behind him Olaf roaring in Trollish spoke to his hindbrain way louder than the scent of mead and roast meat ever could. "Or we could just keep running!"

They cleared the buildings for the open land beyond and Buffy pulled each of them behind one of the wooden houses while she took a second to take stock of the situation.

"We can't just keep running," she explained. "We'll end up lost for one thing. We need to do something."

"We're already lost," Xander panted, leaning back against the side of the house. "And I think the thing we need to do is keep running."

"But there are people here."

"People and trolls! I'll take somewhere that has no people over somewhere that has people and trollsany day."

"Could you just man-up for five seconds," she snapped.

"Would you man-down!" he snapped back. "You've been acting crazy all night. Wanting to beat up cavemen and slay vampires and save Angel from becoming a vampire…"

"You thought that was a good idea too!"

"I know but I don't like him! You do. So why were you prepared to risk destroying the fabric of reality when it would mean you never seeing him again, or ever meeting him in the first place?"

"You said yourself," she said coldly. "It's what I do. It used to be what you did as well. Or have you forgotten that?"

"Things change. Some of us grew up."

"Grew up?!" Buffy gave a shocked little laugh and then pushed him backwards. "I'm the Slayer! I don't get to grow up! And from what I can see, you didn't grow up, you just grew scared!"

"Can you blame me?" he yelled. He hadn't meant to say that. He had meant to deny the accusation. "And just because I don't want to hang around pointlessly and wait for a troll to kill us, doesn't make me scared, it makes me the only sensible one here!"

His attempt at covering his slip felt flat even to his ears. The truth was out there now. He set his jaw, waiting angrily for the reassurances to come. They didn't. Giles offered him a tight smile but that was all. Willow didn't even appear to be paying attention.

Buffy stepped into his personal space, still as angry as he was. "You need to get over it. You're no good to anyone like this."

"Don't you dare tell me…"

"Uh, guys, I know this isn't the best time," Willow piped up excitedly. "But I think that's D'Hoffryn over there." As they all turned to look up the slope ahead of them, she continued. "Maybe he can help us get home. He might even be able to cure me!"

"I'd say this was the perfect time, Willow," Giles said, casting reprimanding glances at Buffy and Xander as he motioned for them to follow.

They walked up the slope in a line. He was on the far left of Buffy, giving her a wide berth with childish hostility. The horned demon lord was talking with a girl and they were both oblivious to their approach.

Xander found himself staring at the girl. Her hair was long and dark, braided untidily around the top of her head. Her peasant dress was unremarkable and hung to her ankles. It was her eyes and mouth that held his attention though. She was so pretty. This was the first time since leaving Sunnydale that he had found a woman even remotely attractive on more than just an observational level. It felt weird.

'Trust me to only be attracted to a girl from a demon dimension,' he thought idly and then something rushed at him from very far away and hit him directly in the heart so hard that his legs stopped working and he fell to his knees.

"What's wrong now?" The speed with which Buffy was by his side and the hand on his shoulder belied her irritated words.

The other two stopped just ahead of them, turning back in confusion.

"Xander?" Willow asked, concerned.

"Anya," he whispered, his throat felt too tight to speak any louder.

"Look. You need to talk and we want to listen," Buffy said. "But it has to wait until we get home, okay?"

"No." He shook his head slightly and pointed with a shaky hand. "Anya!"

The other three turned to stare up the slope.

Giles was the first to speak, "Bloody hell!"

"This isn't the Land of the Trolls," Willow realised. "We just went back in time again."

"You mean this is where she…" Buffy lowered her voice as if Xander wouldn't be able to hear her. "…gets VD'd?" Giles gave her an odd look. "I mean, Vengeance Demon'd!"

"Of course." Giles began to clean his glasses with his handkerchief. "Well, as D'Hoffryn is here, I think that is quite likely."

"Crap." Xander was aware of Buffy glancing down at him. "Okay, Will, I know it's not good, but you're gonna have to risk a spell to get us out of here."

"Okay. Um. Let me just think for a sec."

"No, Willow," Giles said firmly. "It isn't safe."

"But…"

Hardly hearing them, Xander clambered back to his feet. "I have to go and talk to her."

"You can't!" Buffy grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking forward.

"I need to. I have to save her." He couldn't save her from dying on the Hellmouth before. Now he could.

"That's crazy troll logic!" Buffy got in his way.

"Well, we're in the right place for it."

"What did you just say to me about Angel?" she snapped.

"That was different." He walked around her.

Giles got in his way. "D'Hoffryn could very well kill you right here, Xander."

"I don't care." And he didn't. He felt more grounded, steadier, than he had in months.

Willow stepped in front of him, pressing hands to his chest. "Even if you could stop this, why would you want to? The happiest years of Anya's life were the ones she spent with you. She told me that. Depriving her of those just because you feel guilty isn't noble!"

Did that weird gurgling, sobbing sound come from him? It must have done, no one else looked on the verge of tears.

"Plus, you know, she kinda liked the first thousand years of exacting vengeance on men too," Buffy said brightly, "She might not appreciate having that taken away from her."

Xander made that noise again but it was at least a quarter chuckle that time.

"It would appear to be too late now anyway," Giles said as D'Hoffryn shimmered and then disappeared.

Xander hadn't taken his eye off of Anya yet and could now see the self-satisfied smile she was wearing. Oh, yeah, she was happy about something. That was her 'Someone-just-paid-the-ridiculous-mark-up-on-a-novelty-item-without-any-annoying-haggling' look.

She was a demon again. Or for the first time.

"Okay," he said quietly.

"Okay?" Willow smiled and took her hands off his chest.

"Yeah." He smiled back.

"Right." Buffy took charge again. "We're going this way."

She started to walk across the slope away from Anya. As the others followed her, Xander didn't.

"You guys go. I think I'm gonna stay here."

"What?" Willow exploded, running the few steps back to him. "You can't!"

"Sure I can. It's nice here." He waved his hand at the scenery as if that would sell his point. "And probably pretty peaceful when they're not in the middle of a troll attack."

They were all around him again now.

"No!" Buffy insisted. "You have to come with us."

"Why do I?"

"Because you don't belong here," Willow said. "You belong at home… with us!"

"Who says we're ever gonna get home anyway? And even if we do… I don't belong there. I'm miserable there! You guys all know it. Jeez, you're on my case about it enough. Maybe what I need to 'get over it' is a change of scenery. Or…" staring up the slope he smiled wistfully. "… Anya."

"But we're your best friends," Willow all but wailed. "You can't just desert us."

"I've not exactly been feeling the love just recently," he said calmly. "And I know you all feel the same."

"That's because you're suffering from depression, Xander," Giles said slowly, firmly. "Which means you should not be making any serious decisions like, for example, moving permanently to a foreign country twelve hundred years in the past!"

Xander smiled again. "Not feeling all that depressed right now."

"Xander, stop being a moron!" Was all Buffy could think to say.

"And on that note…" He grinned at them. "Tell Dawnie goodbye from me, okay?" When nobody responded, her nodded. "Okay, see you guys."

He was really doing this he realised as he was walking around them and up the slope. He felt light-headed but he was in no doubt he was doing the right thing. He couldn't go on living at the camp for much longer feeling the way he was feeling. Not when he was alienating his friends a little more each day. He would have given in and moved away eventually anyway, he was sure, and at least this way he wouldn't be alone. He would be with Anya. He could turn a blind eye to her demon duties if he had too, after all, he had a blind eye going spare that wasn't any use for anything else. Or maybe she would even give it up to be with him. He would propose sooner rather than later and this time they would get married because that old client of hers wouldn't be around to fill his head with bad thoughts and mess everything up. They'd have a few children. He could teach them to build a fire pit and skin rabbits – once he'd learned himself anyway.

"Hi." He held out his hand.

"Hej. Vem hä du?" She looked at his hand suspiciously.

He retracted it self-consciously. Okay, language barrier, he should have anticipated that. It wasn't a big problem.

He pointed at himself. "Xander."

She nodded. "Aud."

"What?" he chuckled nervously, scratching the eye patch elastic over his ear. "So, I, uh, like your dress. Did you make it yourself?"

"Ursäkta?"

"Your dress," he repeated slowly and touched the material by her shoulder.

She stepped back, her eyes narrowing.

"No, I didn't mean…!" He pulled his hand back again. "Oh boy. So, do you, uh, live around here?"

Behind him a hurried, whispered conversation was taking place.

"But I won't be doing the magick," Willow said as Buffy pulled two thick handfuls of grass out of the ground and put them in Giles waiting hands. "You will be."

"Is that enough?" Buffy asked.

"Should be."

"I disagree with his decision as much as the both of you," Giles said. "But to take him without his consent…"

"He's obviously not thinking straight," Buffy said, grabbing another handful of grass just to be on the safe side. "And we can't help him get better if we're five thousand miles and a millennium away."

Giles nodded. "So I say the word and then throw the pollen directly into your face?"

"Yes. Don't forget to hold onto me before you throw the seed. And, Buffy, I'm gonna hook my arm around you like this." Willow demonstrated by wrapping her arm under Buffy's and curling it up to hold her shoulder. "All you have to do is grab Xander the second Giles throws the seed. Any earlier and he'll get suspicious and he might not give us a chance at another go."

"Alright." Buffy nodded. "Try not to dislocate my shoulder when we land."

Willow nodded. "I will. If you try not to break my arm."

"I will. Wait. Since when do you have hay fever?"

"I used to suffer every summer when I was little. I grew out of it but I'm hoping having the pollen go directly up my nose will trigger a retroactive reaction."

"Okay, are we ready?" Willow and Giles both nodded. "Then let's do it before Anya turns him into a frog, or worse."

"Uh, what could be worse?" Willow asked rhetorically as they prepared to charge up the slope.

"So, I think the troll has been caught now," Xander was saying, his voice taking on an anxious tinge as he tried desperately to find some way to connect with this Anya, who was really obviously his Anya in many ways, but in a whole lot of other ways, she wasn't. "I think I saw a bar down there. Can I buy you a drink?" He mimed raising a glass to his lips while smiling encouragingly.

She touched her own lips as if he was trying to tell her there was something on them, eyeing him suspiciously.

This was getting hopeless, so he went for broke. "You won't believe this, but we actually already know each other. We meet like a thousand years from now and fall in love. I was just really hoping we could skip those thousand years and fall in love now instead. What do you say?"

"Varför pratar ni rotvälska? Är du sjuk?"

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled and gently tried to take her hand.

She struck him in the side of his head with her other hand and started rapidly telling him off in a language he still couldn't understand.

As he backed away with his hands up, trying to think of a way to placate her non-verbally, he heard Giles shout right behind him:

"Trocken!"

And then Buffy jumped on his back.

Willow said "Owie!" and then "Asblooshie!" Which he realised later was a sneeze.

(More coming soon...)