By the time Xander had the CaroleeBot out of the Suburban and deposited into the Mustang, he was sweating profusely. He stretched, bent and tried to get the kinks out of his spine, and moaned the entire time.

"Is that display quite necessary, Xander?" Giles was sitting on a curb next to Carolee. He had been explaining to her actual reality, the need for her help, the impending apocalypse, and the fact that Allison was already at Scoby Manor awaiting their arrival. All in all, he explained it much more clearly than Willow did for Allison. Carolee was stoked, and couldn't wait to join the battle. In her wildest fantasies she had hoped the Scooby gang was real, and now after all this time, it was proven to be a fact. She was elated, and couldn't wait to try out some of her new TaeKwonDo skills. Giles had smiled at her when she explained some of her moves. It was a condescending type smile, but Carolee was so excited she didn't even notice. Giles had relented and had promised to spend some training time with her when time would allow it.

Xander finally straightened up, but left a hand on his back. "Easy for you to say, G-Man. You didn't have to lift that thing. What did Willow put in it anyway? It weighs a ton!"

"For the hundredth time, Xander, don't call me that!" Giles stood up, exasperated at the young man, but Carolee covered her mouth and giggled at the two men. It was just like she had always imagined it to be. Then a thought struck her, and she sobered a bit. She stood up and faced Giles. "Are you dating Buffy?"

"What?" Xander and Giles answered in unison. Giles looked shocked, and Xander looked disgusted.

"Whatever would you think that for?" Giles looked none too pleased by her question. She raised up her hands in supplication. "I'm sorry, truly. I just thought, well, everything is turning out to be just like on the show, and everything, so I thought maybe you and Buffy were dating, or in love, or whatever."

Giles rolled his eyes. "That wasn't the show, nor is it reality. That's just bloody awful fan fiction." He stomped off to the Suburban, climbed into the passenger seat, and slammed the door leaving Carolee and Xander standing together under the streetlight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make him mad."

Xander smiled. "He'll get over it. It happens all the time. It just ticks him off because he is so lonely, but he and Buffy is just….Ew." Xander shook himself. "He's never really gotten over her attitude last year either. Things are still a bit touchy between the Watcher and Slayer, and I don't mean in a 'touchy feely' sort of way, if you get my drift."

The two made their way towards the Suburban. Carolee climbed into the back seat, behind the driver's side. Giles did not turn around, but remained focused out the windshield. Xander turned over the engine, and they made their way to Whispering Pines in silence. There were so many questions Carolee longed to ask, but she was afraid she had started this adventure off on the wrong foot with Giles. Instead, she stared out the window, watching the city lights go by, wondering if she would ever see Eugene again.

Carolee finally broke the silence as they pulled into the driveway at Scoby Manor. She placed her hand tentatively on Giles's shoulder, and squeezed it lightly, but with affection. "Thank you for saving my life." Her eyes met his green ones in the reflection of the windshield. His expression softened, and he smiled slightly. "You are most welcome."

As Carolee sat back to prepare to exit the vehicle, she missed Xander's bemused expression. But Giles didn't. He glared slightly at the younger man, but Xander just snickered and gave him a wink with his one good eye.

Suddenly Carolee saw Allison coming towards her on the sidewalk. She burst out of the Suburban and ran into her best friend's open and waiting arms. In between hugs, they screamed, and shouted, and conversed. "Can you believe this?" "Are you okay?" "This is so cool." "I'm so excited." "Are you smoking doobies again?" The latter question by Allison caused them both to burst into giggles.

Buffy stood in the doorway looking down on the pair. She envied their closeness. In all the years she had been friends with Xander and Willow and Giles, they never had the affection that these two seemed to have. It made Buffy a bit jealous. But then, Buffy was used to putting up walls. She needed to maintain distance in order to protect herself, and protect others. It had to be that way since the time she had to send Angel into hell, and the later years did nothing more than confirm the need for her to remain distant and cold. She always lost the ones she loved. So, if she stopped loving, she figured she'd finally stop losing. That's what she was thinking as her eyes gazed down on the two new recruits. "Hey, that's enough. We've got work to do!" She spun on her heels and into the darkness of the house. Carolee and Allison pulled apart, watched Buffy's retreat, and then frowned at each other. Xander shrugged, and he and Giles led the girls into the house.

Carolee pulled on Allison's sleeve to get her attention as they walked down the sidewalk to enter the foreboding house. "How long have you been here? And was Buffy this cranky earlier?"

Allison nodded. "I've hardly spoken with her. She just got here. I've been with Willow and Cordelia. They both are really nice. Everyone seems to be avoiding Buffy, for the most part, and she spends most of her time alone."

"That's sad." Carolee frowned further.

"Yes. We'll have to pretend this is one of your stories, lots of angst here at first, but then with a happy ending, okay?" Allison's eyes sparkled out at her in the night, twinkling like a bright star. "Agreed!" She shut the door behind her as she entered the house. "Hey, wait a minute. Cordelia's here?"

Chapter 4