Giles heard bodies hitting the mats as he walked down the stairs. It was a fair bet these days that Buffy would be sparring with Spike. She had started to practice with such dedication since they had been forced into this hidden existence. He felt the pull of sadness as he thought of what they had all been through.

He turned to see a flash of red hair moving low toward Spike as he whirled and evaded Oz's attack. Giles found himself glued to the final step, watching as Oz circled the vampire again. The two bodies moved with great speed.

"The boy's got skills, Rupert. In a week or two he'll be a real asset on the hunt." Spike called up as he flipped out of the werewolf's path. Oz growled and spun, but his leg sweep was a second too late and Spike was behind him in a blur of motion resting hand on Oz's shoulder.

"Good job, wolf man. You might get me someday." Spike said to Oz. "What do you think, Watcher?"

"Very good. I was hoping to find Buffy. Is she still sleeping?"

"No, silly bint is doing the French homework you assigned her. She's right over there." Spike nodded toward the entertainment portion of his basement.

Giles turned and caught sight of his slayer with a notebook in front of her. She was writing quickly. He groaned wondering how long it would take him to decipher her assignment this time. There were demon languages that bore greater resemblance to French than anything Buffy would write.

Buffy looked up at him and grinned. She sprang up and strode toward him confidently. She was wearing black jeans and a high-necked halter-top in an emerald shade that set off her eyes. He felt some of the constant pressure in his chest dissipate. Since the attack, her clothes had been boxy and concealing. He smiled to see a bit of her flare returning.

"I think I did a good job. The stuff finally made sense to me." She shrugged and handed the notebook to Giles. "Is it time to go get Mom?"

"Her flight lands in an hour. I wanted to leave plenty of time for us to make our way there securely."

"That's my watcher, always thinking." Buffy smiled and patted him affectionately on the shoulder.

He glanced down at the notebook in embarrassment and read the first line of her paragraph easily. He read through the whole thing while holding up a finger to silence the group. He felt disappointment flood through him. She must have copied over someone else's work.

"Buffy, you won't learn the language by cheating." He looked at her sternly.

"I didn't. I didn't even need the dictionary. It was just easy. I swear." She looked up at him with wide eyes. She didn't seem to be lying, but the French was flawless.

"No one learns a language in that manner, Buffy."

"Well, I did. I don't know why, but it was easy today. I finished all my work for the week. It was all easy."

Spike ran his hand along his neck and noticed when Buffy did the same. He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She whirled and glared at him.

"What's so damn funny? I can tell you want to laugh." Buffy closed the distance between them in one stride. She poked him in the chest with one perfectly manicured nail.

He smiled and ran one finger along the mark he had left on her skin, even hidden by her collar, the touch made her shiver. "I've been tutoring you, pet. He just assumed you were too daft to be taught."

"I did not, but this kind of progress is unusual." Giles said in an even and placating tone as Buffy turned her angry eyes back to him.

"She's a dab hand at demon languages, already grasping Fyarl. That's hard to do with a human mouth." Spike stroked one finger down her arm and looked at Giles steadily.

"You've been tutoring her in demon languages? Why?"

"Makes sense," Oz said thoughtfully. "She might need them someday. More likely than French, anyway."

Giles looked at the notebook and then looked up at Buffy in wonder. "Perhaps picking up the demon languages somehow made learning French easier for you. I shall have to research this."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, spend your time researching why my poor little brain is working overtime. Don't we have to go get my mother and break the slayer news?"

"Yes, we do." Giles swallowed and looked at Buffy. "I imagine you're a bit on edge."

"Last time I told her, my parents dropped me off in the loony bin. Forgive me if telling her seems like a bad idea."

"No choice, pet." Spike rubbed her shoulders. "Angelus won't let anyone you care for alone."

"She's gonna lose it. You'd better stay handy to make with the demonstration." Buffy tapped the tip of Spike's nose.

"Wasn't planning to leg it, but if you don't go get the lady in question, we will be up against it again."

Buffy groaned and followed Giles up the stairs.

Spike called out to her in a series of snarls and growls, she laughed turning around to catch his eye. She answered him in a different series of growls before disappearing through the door.

"Didn't think anything said in Fyarl could be beautiful, but she managed it." Spike smiled and shook his head.

"I won't tell him, but the two of you should." Oz said.

Spike turned and looked down at him. "Should have realized you could smell it."

"He's not going to take it well, but hiding it will make it worse." Oz sat on the mats and leaned back. "He'll be researching the phenomenon for me anyway."

"Buffy wanted to get through telling her mum about the slaying before introducing the topic."

"So, she thinks her mom isn't going to wig about the sleeping arrangements?"

Spike dropped to the ground and rolled onto his back. "I'm doomed. She's already tried to brain me with an axe."

"Yep, and you're the undead sleeping with her seventeen year old daughter." Oz shook his head. "Think Buffy's newfound language ability will be enough to impress her mother?"