While Jess and Dawn were having a fascinating conversation about the merits of Ayn Rand versus those of orcs (in which they came firmly down on the side of the orcs) Rory and Xander were having an entirely different conversation.

"So, does your town have a lot of events like this?" Xander asked.

"Hmm? Oh, quite a few." Rory replied, not really paying much attention.

"Can I ask how a tradition of buying someone else's basket came about?"

"I... don't know."

Xander looked at Rory closely. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"You just seem a little preoccupied."

"Can't a girl be preoccupied now and then?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose, but you've never been before."

"Maybe now's a good time to start then."

"Seriously, Ro-Gil, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

"I am not. Nothing's wrong."

"I can only think of two reasons that would make you lie. Either you're regretting the kiss earlier, or the fact that we're on a date now."

"Xander-"

"Well, I'm not going to apologise for the kiss, because I, at least, thought it was well worth nearly drowning for. But we can keep this as a lunch between friends, if it makes you feel any better. I promise I'll be the perfect gentleman. I'm sure I can rustle up some testimonies to my lack of wandering hands."

"I-"

"For all that, I did buy you." Xander gave her a crooked smile. "For today, you're mine."

"I wasn't sorry about the kiss."

"So it is the date, then. Don't worry. I might be Batman, but I can be Bruce Wayne too. Never let it be said that I'm not a gentleman."

"I thought Wayne was exactly the kind of guy that would have wandering hands."

"Well-"

"Anyway, never mind that." Rory continued, not wanting to talk about comic book characters. "It wasn't the date, either. I'm glad about that, actually. It helped me to realise a couple of things."

"So what's the problem, then? 'cause something is definitely bothering you."

"It's just that... I realised that all that stuff is still part of your life."

"Okay, whatever you're talking about just zoomed way over my head."

"All that supernatural stuff. You know, that stuff? That's supernatural?"

"I am aware of the stuff to which you are referring, yes. But you know what I do. You know what I came here for. Here is about as far from the front lines as I can get, Rory. Nothing's going to happen here. It's a demon free zone. Besides, once the convalescence house is up and running - I really need to come up with a better name for that - there'll be a dozen Slayers around. There won't be anywhere on Earth that's safer from the supernatural than Stars Hollow."

"Then why's Giles reading a grimoire?"

"'cause that's what he does. That's what he always does. That's his thing."

"Yeah, well, his thing kind of creeps me out." Rory muttered.

"Well, um, it shouldn't. I mean, he's Giles! Sure, he might have a bit of a problem telling people things when they actually need to be told them, but he isn't some crazed wizard who uses magic just for the hell of it!"

"I know that! But, Xander, you know that this stuff freaks me out. So much so that I willingly volunteered to forget all of it. Ever since I remembered, I've kind of been way more concerned about the fact that you were probably dead than the fact that there are demons everywhere. Then you came back, and I was all wrapped up in that. Except, now, I've just been told there's some guy reading a book of spells in a town that I've lived in all my life. You can't deny that that's more than a little weird."

"Rory, I grew up in Sunnydale. Weirder stuff that that happened on a daily basis. If the worst thing you've got to worry about is some guy reading some dusty old book, then you've got it easy."

"Yeah, maybe. I mean, I know that Giles isn't going to summon a dragon or anything. But it's scary knowing that that kind of thing happens."

"Rory, I can't help you here. Giles isn't going to do anything. No one coming here is going to do anything. There are no demons here. You've got nothing to worry about." Xander paused. "But you're going to anyway, because you're just that kind of girl."

Rory looked down. "Sorry."

"Hey." Xander lifted her chin. "I spent the last few years surrounding myself with demon hunters. It's refreshing to spend time with someone who finds that scary. It's nothing to be sorry about. Just about anyone who found out about all that stuff would probably freak a hell of a lot harder than you have."

Rory put her hand over Xander's. "Well, they didn't have Valley Jesus by their side."

Sadly, Xander wasn't entirely correct. While it was true that Giles wasn't the type of person to summon a dragon just for fun, he once had been that type of person. Had he known how to do it, a dragon would've laid waste to London years ago. But he wasn't that type of man any more.

But then, there was Ethan Rayne, Giles' friend from those days and the man who had provided most of the magical power for their wilder, more dangerous escapades. Most of which had been his idea in the first place.

However, a few years ago, after spreading chaos wherever he went for decades, Ethan had been captured by the Initiative. And, after much effort, they'd managed to recondition him so that he no longer used his magic to wreak havoc, but instead used it to stop various people from doing exactly what Ethan used to do.

And now, after dealing with some drug baron and his army of zombies in Haiti, Ethan was on leave. He needed time to recuperate. He'd been on several difficult assignments in the last few months, and he needed some time to regain his full strength. Using too much magic was exceptionally draining.

Xander wasn't the only one who found that Stars Hollow was a particularly restful place.

The first thing that Ethan knew about the Scoobies being in town was when he suddenly found himself thrust up against the wall, with hands twisted in the collar of his shirt.

However, while Ethan still preferred to defend himself with magic, he'd gotten better at defending himself in hand to hand combat. Years working with the military will do that to a man. So with a twist of his arms, he broke his attackers hold and pushed him back a few steps.

It was only then that Ethan realise who his attacker was. "Ru? What the hell are you doing here?"

Giles glared at him. "I might ask you the same question."

"I'm on holiday." Ethan said with a shrug. "It's a nice town for that. You?"

"You - what - iholiday?/i"

"I see that Oxford education was really wasted on you. Come on, Ru, string a few words together. It's not hard."

"You're on holiday? From what?"

Ethan tapped his nose and smiled mysteriously "That's classified."

"What? You're still with the Initiative, then?"

"Oh, yes. I'm just too valuable for them to leave me to rot in some dungeon. They trained me to fight the bad guys. It's a little White Knight for my taste, but at least I get to use my magic."

"You-you're helping people?" Giles said incredulously.

"Well, yes. I'm one of you lot, now."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you."

"You can check, if you like. I'm sure you can still contact the Initiative if you try."

"iWhy?/i"

"Why would you check? So you can find out that I'm telling you the truth, of course. Really, Rupert, your mind doesn't seem to be all that sharp these days."

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "I meant why are you a helping people, Ethan. I thought you'd have escaped long ago."

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, Ru, I really am. But the military dredged up a null magician. A null magician! God knows where they found her, I thought they'd been extinct for centuries. Anyway, I'm bound most of the time. They only let me out in emergencies."

"A null magician? Really?" Giles said with interest. Then he remembered who he was talking to. "But what are you doing here, Ethan? There's no crisis here."

"Same thing you are, I imagine."

"Helping two youngsters settle in so that they can open a place for traumatized and overworked Slayers to convalesce?"

"Ah. No. I'm just here for a little rest so I can regain the old magical juice, as it were."

"But why ihere?/i"

Ethan gave him a long look. "You don't know what this place is, do you? Isn't that something?"

Giles frowned. "I'm guessing, from the way you just said that, that saying "A small town in Connecticut" isn't the answer you're looking for."

"You are entirely correct in that surmise. And, before you ask, no, I'm not going to tell you. You were always the bookish one, Ripper. It'll do you good to know that there's something you don't know."

"I don't know about synchronized swimming either, and that hasn't been any help."

"Yes, well, you're not living in a town full of synchronized swimmers."

"This conversation has suddenly taken a rather strange turn."

"You started it."

"Well. Anyway. What's wrong with this town?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Everything is just as it should be."

"But there's no demons here. No vampires. And that's odd."

"Not if you know what this place really is, no."

"You really like being cryptic, don't you?"

"Not usually. That's always been your gig. But it is kind of fun. I can see the attraction."

Giles sighed. "Get out of town, Ethan. Go have your holiday somewhere else. But you're not staying here."

Ethan shrugged, the very picture of nonchalance. "Well, if the Most Honourable and Reformed Mister Goody-Two Shoes doesn't want to share his town with me, that's fine. See if I care."

Ethan strode off without a backwards glance.

Rory was just returning from a quick dash to Luke's to get some coffee for her and Xander when an older man barrelled into her. The lid on one coffee stayed on, but the other went flying off. Fortunately, most of the scalding hot liquid missed her, only some hitting her on her left shoulder. She hissed in pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry." the man said in a British accent. "Are you alright?"

Rory dropped the now-empty coffee cup and lifted the material of her shirt from her shoulder so that it wouldn't burn quite as much. "Yeah, I'm okay."

The man produced a handkerchief (who even carried one of those around, these days?) and ineffectually dabbed at Rory's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I really am."

"Um, can you stop?"

"Sorry."

"It's fine, don't worry. It's fine. I've got to go."

"Okay, I-I'll leave you to it."

Ethan carried on walking. He was angry.

He'd reformed. He had. He hadn't done a single chaos spell for years. But Giles wouldn't believe that, he'd run Ethan out of town without a care for what Ethan had been through.

That hurt.

Especially given that, years ago, Giles had been in exactly the same position Ethan was in now. Thanks to their reckless summoning of Eyghon, someone had died. Giles had re-joined the Council, reformed - but no one had believed that someone who had done all the things Giles had done could actually reform.

And now Giles was acting towards Ethan in the exact same way the Watchers had towards Giles. The hypocrite.

Well, Giles didn't believe that he'd reformed? Ethan would show him unreformed.

He looked at the coffee-stained handkerchief in his hand. Oh yes. He'd show him.