Wesley was teasing him, and Giles knew it. And to have the gall to do it in front of the children!

"You know, if you're that hungry we can buy you your very own banana," said Willow, popping up behind the librarian.

"I have my own lunch, thank you."

"Then there's some other reason why you're staring at Wesley so..." A look of understanding dawned on her face. "Ooooohhh."

"It's very complicated, Willow."

"Oh My God."

"You'll understand when you're older."

"Oh My God." More quietly. "You guys are gay? But what about Miss Calender, and-and-and Buffy's mom, and Cordelia?"

"Bisexual. Wesley and I are bisexual. " He might as well tell her, Willow was fairly mature for a teenager, and even if she wasn't, they would all have to some growing up in a few more days. "Sometimes, sometimes people get lonely, or they've been hurt, and the person who's around to take care of them is not- a conventional choice. These things happen. And sometimes it's cultural. The schools that we attended, this sort of thing was normal. I prefer women, and I believe that Wesley does as well, but as I said, things happen."

Willow shrugged.

"We could all die in a couple of days, couldn't we? Is he your-um-boyfriend?"

"We're more like friends with priviledges."

"He needs you," said Willow, looking at Wesley as if she were really seeing him for the first time.

"You-You think so?"

Willow grinned impishly.

"Do I get a gold star for that one?"

"You get to go back out there and keep Xander on task. Why is he licking the table?"

"Got me."

"Wesley? May I speak with you?" Giles called.

*****

"What do you think they're talking about, in there?" Xander asked as Willow sat down across from him at the table.

"Grown up stuff, probably."

"Notice how, well, Wesley's been practically Giles' bitch the last couple of days? What's up with that?"

"It's not really any of our business. He wants to help, and he knows now that Giles has more experience in this stuff than he does."

"I'd like it if Wussley turned out to be gay or something. Then he couldn't have Cordelia. "said Xander with just a glimmer of smugness. "I bet he's queer and has a big honkin' crush on the G-Man."

"Xander!" Willow chided. "Number one, that's really mean-I can't believe I'm sticking up for Wesley-and number two, even if he was interested in Giles, it's none of our business and we should just leave them alone."

"This is the second time you've mentioned it not bieng our business. Do you know something I don't?"

"Know what?" Oz asked as he sat down at the table.

"Giles and Wesley are having an affair!" Willow blurted out.

"Oh," said Oz. "I always thought they'd make a cute couple." Off the strange looks he got from his friends. "What?"

*****

"Do you know what I'm thinking about?" Giles asked Wesley.

"Tell me."

"I'm thinking how I'd like to trade places with that banana."

"I'm sorry. Was I getting you all hot and bothered?" Wesley inquired innocently.

Giles circled around behind him.

"You were teasing me, Dearest, don't deny it."

"What if I say I was just eating my lunch?" Wesley said flirtaciously. "What will you do to me then?"

"Well then, I'll know you're lying to me and I'll have to punish you when we get home."

"Hmm. What shall I do? What *shall* I do? Sounds like an easy answer to me. Do you want to sneak away somwhere now?"

"Stickey Knickers could catch us again."

"The Mayor of Munchkin City does have an unerving way of popping up just where you least expect him."

"The fury of Principal Snyder is not what we need at this present moment. Besides I dislike having to follow through on my threat to beat him up."

"My Champion." Wesley joked, but Giles saw that his eyes were misty.

"It's alright to be scared."said Giles softly. "We all are. This Ascension Day could be our last day on this earth."

"Nobody told me that this sort of thing might happen. There were many, many things nobody told me, and I wish there was someone I could go to and say 'This isn't fair, people are going to get hurt, fix it now.'" Wesley almost shook with pent up anger. Giles resisted the urge to take him in his arms.

"We haven't tried reasoning with the Mayor yet, have we?"

"I believe he might be beyond negotiation. At this point, I think he'd ascend just to spite us. He thinks he can massacre an entire town to make himself more powerful, and he expects to get away with it. We're less than one hundred people, mostly teenagers. They aren't trained, in fact, they've only just been informed that their Graduation Day will be a battle for their lives." The two men stood watching Willow and Xander and Oz laughing and talking over their books. "And this man believes that he has the right to take away their futures."

"No one has the right to make that decision for anyone," said Giles.