The next morning, Ms. Calendar and Giles arrived in the school parking lot at the same time.

"Oh, hey!" Ms. Calendar waved once out of her car.

"Hello."

"Thanks for, you know, having some sort of mischevious past that allowed you to learn how to pick locks."

Giles chuckled. "No, er, no p-problem."

Ms. Calendar's smirk was enough to send shivers down Giles' spine. She walked towards him and ran her hand along his tie as she continued on. "See you inside."

In the school hall, Buffy was at her locker. She slammed it shut and leaned on it.

"So you just went home?" Xander asked.

"What was I supposed to do? Say to Owen, 'Sorry I was late, I was sitting in a cemetery with the librarian and the computer science teacher waiting for a vampire to rise so I could prevent an evil prophecy from coming to pass?'"

Xander weighed options with his hands. "Or flat tire?"

Buffy started walking. "I can't take this anymore. I feel like everyone is staring at me, the big, hideous, dateless monster." She directed her words to a passing student who hadn't provoked anything, "What? Yeah, that's right, I have no life, c'mon, nothin' to see here, pal, move it along!"

A little further down the hall, Xander asked, "You're acting a little overly, aren't you? I mean, you could have any guy in school."

"He's not any guy. He's more... Oweny."

"Sure, he's got a certain Owenosity, but that's not hard to find." They reached his locker. "I mean, a lotta guys read. " He smiled goofily. "I can read."

Buffy is leaned on the lockers, looking down, until she noticed Owen come up to her.

"Hey, Buffy!"

"Owen!"

"Oh, look, it's Owen." Xander received a look from Buffy. "Buffy and Owen. And Xander. That'd be me."

"W-where were you last night?" Owen asked Buffy.

"Oh. Well, um, my watch broke and we don't have any clocks in our house and so I didn't know what time it was or even what day it was..."

"I thought I was the only one that happened to. How 'bout we try it again for tonight? I'll even lend you my watch." He handed her his gold pocket watch and chain.

Xander looked at the watch in wide-eyed amazement.

Buffy accepted it. "Tonight? Y-you and me?"

Xander looked at his Tweety wristwatch, feeling a bit insecure about it.

"Well, we could invite the chess club, but they drink and they start fights..."

"Oh, no, it's just... Well, I... sort of heard that... you and Cordelia were... somewhat... all over each other. A little..."

"I danced with her a couple of times," Owen admitted. With a look of distaste he added, "She's kinda grabby."

"Oh, well, let's see, if I rearrange that, and I push that to n... Sure! Tonight'll work!"

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Um, seven!"

"That's when the little hand's-" Owen pointed to the watch. "There."

"Oh! Between the six and the eight."

"Um, I'll see you then!" Owen walked away.

Buffy watched him go. "Tonight! Isn't that so?"

"What?" Xander asked.

"Me and Owen!" Buffy answered dreamily before walking off.

"Yeah, so it is," Xander said to himself, feeling down. He closed his locker. "It sure is so."

Giles was in his office with a headache from researching. He was sitting down to have some tea.

Buffy barged into the library.

"I wouldn't bug him," Ms. Calendar said. She was sitting on the stairs that lead to the stacks. "He's got a bit of a headache."

"Alright, I'll ask you then. How's it going?"

"Umm...pass?"

"Great! I see we're still working on that Anointed One problem, that'll probably take you guys a few days, right? I mean, that's one obscure prophecy..." Buffy was very bubbly and very animated.

"Well, there are a few different interpretations."

"So tonight's looking slow, right? Probably best to relax and regroup, no big disasters coming, that is so good, I will see you guys tomorrow then! Bye!" She left quickly.

Giles emerged from his office, tea in hand. "She is the strangest girl."

In The Master's lair, The Master spoke. The bretheren gave him their attention. "You have done well. Everything is in place. When this night's work is done, I will have a mighty ally. I'll be one step closer to

freeing myself from this... mystical prison." He felt his confines. "I've been trapped down here so long I've nearly forgotten what it's like on the surface. Well, there'll be time enough to remember... when I rule it! If she tries to stop you, kill her. Give your own lives, but do not fail to bring the Anointed. I know you won't disappoint me." He quickly grabbed a fly from the air. "Bug!"

After school, Buffy was in her room, wearing a bathrobe, while Willow was helping her decide on an outfit.

"Pick!"

"Okay." Buffy spoke to Xander. As Willow held up a minidress, Buffy asked, "Do I wanna appear shy, coy and naive or-" Willow held up the other one. "Unrestrained, insatiable and aggressive?"

Xander was watching from the bed. "Uh, y'know, Owen is a little home spun, he probably doesn't like that overly assertive look." He went to her closet. "Oh, hey, here's something. A nice comfy overcoat and a ski cap!" He held them up to her. "The earflaps will bring out your eyes!"

Buffy and Willow exchanged a look.

"Maybe I should mix and match," Buffy suggested.

Willow nodded in agreement.

"Okay, guy's opinion." Buffy grabbed two lipsticks from her desk. "Which one do you think Owen will like better?" She held them up. "The red or the peach?"

"Oh, you mean for kissing you and then telling all his friends how easy you are so the whole school loses respect for you and then talks behind your back?" Xander asked. "The red's fine."

"Thanks. I'll go with the peach." Buffy put the peach lipstick on.

Willow handed Buffy a third minidress. "Here, put this on."

Both girls looked at Xander.

"You're not bothering me!"

Willow sighed, turned him around, and pushed him away. "So, where's he taking you?" She asked Buffy.

"Oh, I don't know. Where do you suppose young kids go on dates these days?" She untied her bathrobe.

Xander went over to her drawer chest and tried to angle the mirror inside a box so he could see.

"Well, I read somewhere once that sometimes they go to movies."

Buffy finished pulling on the minidress. "Movies! Interesting!"

"And I saw on TV once, a bunch of people our age went to a party."

Buffy pulled on a boot. "Wow! I never knew being a teenager was so full of possibilities!" She pulled on the other boot.

Xander fumbled with the box. Buffy and Willow looked over at him. The door bell rang.

"That's Owen!" Buffy said excitedly.

When Buffy opened the door, though, she saw that it wasn't. "That's Giles."

"We need to talk."

"Buffy's not home." She tried closing the door.

Giles pushed the door open and entered the house.

"Wow! You didn't bring your sidekick? I'm surprised!"

"Buffy, this is important."

"Begging the same question, where's Ms. Calendar?"

"Safe at her home, where she should be."

"You're keeping her out of the action again? Look at my shock."

"I don't want to risk her getting hurt."

Buffy made kissy noises.

Giles sighed. "Knock it off. "Our calculations may not have been as far off as we thought." He held up a newspaper.

Buffy read, "'Five Die in Van Accident'?"

"Out of the ashes of five shall rise the one. That's the prophecy. Five people have died!"

"In a car crash."

"I know it doesn't quite follow, but, but it's worth investigating. Look! Among the dead was Andrew Borba, whom the police sought for questioning in a double murder. Now, he may be the Anointed One. The, the bodies have been taken to, to Sunnydale Funeral Home, w-we can..."

Buffy interrupted, "Giles, why do you wanna hurt me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Owen showed up at the open door. "Hey!" He entered. "Uh, hi!"

"You have a date?" Giles asked.

"Yes, but I will return those overdue books by tomorrow."

"Wait, you're not getting off that easily."

"Man, you really care about your work!" Owen commented.

Willow thought fast. "Uh, Owen?"

"Yeah, a couple of things about tonight," Xander added.

Willow and Xander lead Owen into the living room.

"Another date? Don't you ever do anything else?" Giles asked.

"This is the first date! There's never been a date, okay? This is my maiden voyage! Besides, Willow and I advised you to get into the dating game, but no. You must just be too British for that."

In the next room, the three students were talking.

"What, she doesn't like to dance?" Owen asked.

"Well, it's a little too late to do anything about that. Uh, you should probably know that Buffy doesn't like to be kissed. Actually she doesn't like to be touched."

"Xander..." Willow knew he was taking advantage of his own personal vendetta.

"As a matter of fact, don't even look at her."

In the foyer, Buffy pointed out, "We don't even know if this is anything."

"No, we don't," Giles agreed.

"And I haven't had a day off in a while," Buffy added.

"True..." Giles admitted.

"And a cranky Slayer is a careless Slayer!"

"Buffy, maintaining a normal social life as a Slayer... i-i-is problematic at best." And that was how Giles discovered that even if the mere thought of Ms. Calendar crossed his mind, he stuttered.

"This is the 90's. The 1990's, in point of fact, and I can do both. Clark Kent has a job. I just wanna go on a date."

"Well, I, I suppose it was a fairly slim lead..." Maybe he would grow the nerve to ask Ms. Calendar out, after all.

Buffy was pleased. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! And look, I won't go far, okay? If the apocalypse comes, beep me."

Owen came back into the room. "Is everything cool?"

"All set."

"Yes, and, uh, you'll face a pretty hefty fine in the morning," Giles covered.

"Well, bye. Don't wait up." She quickly left with Owen.

"Is something going on?" Willow asked Giles.

"Oh, uh, probably not, no. I, uh, I suppose I'll just, uh, go to the funeral home in case, just see if anything comes up," Giles answered before leaving. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. It depended.

"This is bad," Willow said to Xander, concerned.

"I wish it was just bad."

"We should... go along."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't trust that Owen guy. It's the eyes. Crazy!"

"Xander, we should go with Giles! He could get in trouble!"

"Oh, he's gone, uh, it's, he's gonna be alright. He's like super librarian, y'know? Everyone forgets, Willow, that knowledge is the ultimate weapon."

At Ms. Calendar's home, she just so happened to be glancing at the newspaper, when she saw the 'Five Die in Van Accident' headline. Her interest perking, she read the article. Her eyes widened. "Damn him!" She knew he was trying to keep her out of it. What the hell was his issue? She had been helping him with the Slayer from the very beginning - helped discuss how he'd bring it up, fought on his side, and he was trying to keep her out of it. It wasn't going to work. Just because she had happened to miss one event didn't mean she was going to miss anymore. She got up from the couch, jammed the newspaper into her purse, and grabbed her keys. She was going to the Sunnydale Funeral Home - she knew that was where Giles would be.

At the Bronze, Velvet Chain was playing. They began with 'Strong'. Owen and Buffy were at a table talking.

"I'll be right along / 'Cause, baby, you're so strong"

"The thing about Emily Dickinson I love is, is she's just so incredibly morbid. A lot of loss, a lot of death... It gets me. With a lot about bees, for some reason," Owen stated.

"Did she have a tragic and romantic life? With a lotta bees?" Buffy asked.

"Quiet. Kind of sequestered and uneventful. Which I can really relate to. I... don't get out much."

"I don't get that."

"It's my fault. I just find most girls pretty frivolous. I mean, there's a lot more important things in life than dating, y'know?"

Buffy looked down at her beeper.

"Oh. Did I say something wrong?" Owen asked.

"Uh, no! Come on." She lead Owen to the dance floor.

"Baby, baby, I know it's always been so / Physical love is, oh, so meaningful for you"

Buffy and Owen danced close.

"It's weird," Owen stated.

"What is?"

"You! One minute you're right there. I've got you figured. The next, it's like you're two people."

"Really? Which one do you like better?"

"I'll let you know."

"So strong / Baby, I'm yours / You know / Because you're so / So strong"

Cordelia entered the Bronze with some of her friends. She saw Buffy with Owen. "Aren't there laws against this sort of thing?" She walked over to Buffy and Owen. "Owen! Look at you, here all alone..."

"You're so, so strong"

"Cordelia, I'm here with Buffy," Owen stated.

"Oh! Okay. Do you wanna dance?" Cordelia asked.

"No, I'm still here with Buffy."

"You are so good to help the needy."

"Cordelia, Owen and I would like to be alone right now, and for that to happen, you would have to go somewhere that's away."

Cordelia gave Buffy a look. "Well, when you're ready for the big leagues, let me know," she told Owen before leaving.

"You would suffer, suffer for me"

Giles drove up to the Sunnydale Funeral Home in his ancient car. It was quiet. He got out, slung his bag over his shoulder and started around his car to the building. The night was creepy, and he had a look

around. He continued toward the building, but stoppeds short when he sensed something. He looked around again to his left.

"You honestly didn't think you'd get away with it, did you?" Ms. Calendar asked. "I read the newspaper, too. I'm not dropping out of this fight just because I missed one. And there's nothing you can say to make me leave, so don't even try."

"Jenny, I-I-I-"

They sensed something. Giles looked right while Ms. Calendar looked left. Nothing in either direction. As they turned back, they saw one of the brethren in front of them. They started to back away, but

another one was behind them.

"Damn!" Giles cursed.