Buffy stormed into Giles's flat and tossed a small box onto the book he was reading. Willow and Tara looked up from their own research curiously. Giles picked up the box and opened it cautiously. Inside sat a pair of earrings. The small silver hoops were embedded with tiny diamonds.

Willow gasped and took the box from Giles. "Wow! Riley has good taste."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "Giles, find me Ethan Rayne. And a loophole in that 'Slayers don't kill humans' rule."

Two pairs of eyes bugged out, but Tara simply watched, a look of concern on her face. Willow dropped the box as if it might be cursed. Giles stared at it for a moment before turning back to his Slayer.

"What makes you think these are from Ethan?" he asked worriedly.

Buffy pulled a small card from her pocket. "Dear Pet, Happy Valentine's Day. Love, E." She tossed the card down and reached into her duffle bag. She pulled out a fluffy brown bunny with a jaunty bow around it's neck. A card was attached to the bow. "Happy Easter, Pet. Love, E." Lastly Buffy pulled another small box from her bag. She tossed it down next to the earrings. She held up one last card. "He sent this one today. 'Dear Pet, you deserve only the best. Love, E'."

Giles reached out slowly and opened the box. Inside lay a silver cross necklace, a small gold Fleur de lis set in it's center. Giles sucked in a harsh breath and lifted the necklace out of the box. "Oh my," he whispered.

Buffy looked at the necklace worriedly. "What? Is it cursed? Can it hurt me?"

Giles stood and walked over to a bookshelf. He pulled out an old photo album and flipped through it quickly. He brought it back over to the desk and set it down, pointing to a photo on the page. Buffy leaned in closer. It was a young Giles and Ethan with an older woman, who was leaning against Ethan's arm, smiling fondly. Buffy reached out and touched the woman.

"His mother," Giles said softly. "Amelia Rayne. She was a wonderful, kind woman who never stopped believing in Ethan." He held out his hand, the necklace nestled in his palm. "This was hers."

Buffy traced the image of the cross around the woman's neck. She looked up at Giles, confused and a bit wigged. "Why would he send it to me?"

Tara looked at the necklace. She didn't know Ethan Rayne, but she had heard stories. Willow had told her, with obvious confusion, how Ethan sent Buffy flowers every birthday. "M-maybe he l-likes you," she mumbled.

Buffy groaned and moved further into the flat to plop down on the couch. "I don't need this!" she whined. "It's Ethan!"

Giles's eyes widened and he stood to join Buffy on the couch. He hesitated a moment before holding out the necklace. "Buffy, how often are you getting gifts from Ethan?"

She sighed and took the necklace and held it up in front of her eyes. "It started three years ago. Flowers for my birthday." She blushed a bright red. "And once he gave me a negligee."

"What?!" Giles demanded. "When?"

Buffy groaned and let her head drop back on the couch. "Band candy," she whispered.

Immediately Giles blushed, too. "Umm, oh. The, uh, red… thing."

Buffy nodded. "But now, I get something every couple of weeks. Riley thinks I'm cheating on him." She looked over at Giles. "He broke up with me today."

Willow moved to hug Buffy, but the Slayer held up a hand. "I can't worry about that now, Will. I need to focus. Rayne is a threat at the best of times. An obsessed Rayne is a much bigger problem."

"I thought the Initiative had him," Willow mused. "He must have escaped like Spike did."

Buffy and Giles looked at each other briefly. Giles hadn't exactly approved of Buffy setting Ethan free, but he had agreed with her reasons for doing so. Now, he was beginning to regret that. If Ethan was after Buffy, it wasn't for innocent reasons.

"I'll make some calls," Giles said, distracting the Wiccan. "Buffy, if you get anything else, let me know immediately. I suspect Ethan is trying to distract you from something major."

Buffy nodded her agreement. She hesitated for a second before placing the necklace back in the box and slipping the box into her pocket. "I have a calculus test to study for. I'll see you later, Will?"

Willow nodded and Tara waved bye shyly. Giles watched Buffy leave, feeling an impending sense of doom. Ethan was a troublemaker extraordinaire. Whatever he was up to, it didn't bode well for any of them.

A/N: I can't help it. I adore a bit of bad in a guy. I've never really viewed Ethan as a villain. He's more of a nuisance and a prankster. Plus he's British and has those wonderfully sexy eyes. A few have wondered how I can pair Buffy up with him when the general consensus is that Buffy would be with a more established character. Easy. He's got enough bad to appeal to Buffy's rebellious nature, and he's confident enough to handle her strong nature. Oh, and did I mention his eyes?