Buffy, Willow, and Xander were in the library going over Buffy's latest patrol; letting Giles know that all was well.
They all looked up when they heard someone come in. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Kennedy apologized.
"It's ok, we were just finishing up here." Giles looked over to the three.
They all began to mumble as they rushed from the library. "So I came by because the principal wants me to put on a production. And in his words more or less said it had to be good. Then he hinted on how none of the other schools this year have put on a production of this one play about two teens falling in love and then killing themselves. And I don't know if I could sit through it and live."
"Maybe I can help you," Giles suggested.
Moving a little closer, "If you wouldn't mind." Placing her hands behind her back.
"Not at all." He quickly answered.
"If you're not busy after school I'm having cast tryouts if you'd like to come and help. Give you another chance to try and convince me Romeo and Juliet is a good play."
Nodding, "I can try."
Tucking some hair behind her ear, "Looking forward to it." Confessing to him before exiting the library.
Giles never made it to the Romeo and Juliet cast tryouts. His watcher duties got in the way. So when he made it to school the next day he went in search of Kennedy. He found her walking down one of the halls.
"Kennedy, Kennedy." He called after her.
Spinning around, "Hey G." She smiled at him.
"I want to apologize about last night and not showing up." Stopping in front of her.
Shrugging, "It's ok. In life, things happen and come up all the time."
"Still I said I would help you and I didn't."
Giving him a soft smile, "Well you have a chance to make it up then if you feel guilty. I have the lead try-outs after school today. Why don't you swing by then?"
"Good." He smiled back.
Before leaving Kennedy added, "Oh and one more thing, I'm a big fan of Crunch bars. If you wanted to go the extra mile in making up for yesterday."
"Crunch bars," Giles mumbled to himself as he went in the opposite direction.
The last bell of the day rang, letting everyone out. Giles made sure nothing else had to be done before grabbing the bag with the Crunch bars and left. Reaching the theatre, he quickly found Kennedy sitting dead center watching as someone read lines on stage.
She smiled when he sat next to her. "Hi." She whispered.
"Hi." He whispered back.
The guy on stage finished. "Thomas that was great. Will you send Trevor in please?" Turning to Giles, "So you were able to make it." Her smile was big.
"With sustenance." Holding the bag up.
Giggling as she snagged the bag, "Awe you got me so many. One would have been good."
"I wasn't sure how much to get you."
Leaning over Kennedy gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love excessive amounts of Crunch bars. Now help me pick a Romeo and Juliet." Handing him a crunch bar.
Giles blushed some as they both turned their attention to the stage. Hours later the two still sat in the theatre discussing who should play whom.
"Liam is a perfect Romeo and Sadie is a remarkable Juliet," Giles said firmly.
Shaking her head vigorously, "No way, Joshua as Romeo and Ashley as Juliet."
"Liam and Sadie are your best choice." He pushed.
Crossing her arms, "I beg to differ. On what grounds does it say that those two are my best choices?"
"On the grounds, you don't really like this story."
Taking a deep breath through her nose, "Well I stand by my choice."
"Really?" Glaring at her over his glasses.
Sighing, "All right Liam is Romeo; Joshua's the understudy. But I get Ashley as Juliet and make Sadie the understudy."
"I can see the difficulty in your decision."
Standing, "Oh wow the librarian has jokes."
"Why shouldn't I?" Standing with her.
"Now you're getting it. See how loosening up is fun?"
Giles walked Kennedy to her car and said good night before going to his. It had been a while since he'd had such a relaxing time like this. He liked the fact that Kennedy didn't get mad when he couldn't make it and rescheduled without a second thought. And he thought her fascination with Crunch bars odd yet cute.
As soon as he started his car he nearly jumped out of his skin, Kennedy was up at his window. "Wanted to see if we were still on for Saturday?" She asked once the window was down.
"You couldn't ask me this tomorrow?" Still a little jumpy from the scare.
"Yes." Looking up at her.
Tossing half a Crunch bar in his lap, "See you tomorrow then." She smiled walking away from the car.
Kennedy was sitting in the courtyard at lunch when Giles found her. She didn't look up from her book till he sat next to her.
"What are you reading?" He asked.
Holding it up, "My favorite story ever, Tristan and Isolde."
"If you like that story then why not Romeo and Juliet?"
Bookmarking her page, "Romeo and Juliet killed themselves because they didn't stop to think about other options. With Tristan and Isolde I get to be reminded that no matter what take the chance if you even have an ounce of belief that it might be love; don't stop and think about friends and family because if they really cared for you, they would be thrilled and understanding over the fact you found love."
"I see why you are a drama teacher." Seeing the passion in her eyes as she explained why she loved the story so much.
Setting her book aside, "What brings you here?"
"It's lunchtime and you were sitting here alone," Giles answered.
Looking around, "Where's your lunch though?"
"It's....it's in the library." Realizing he forgot to grab it off his desk.
Getting up, "Let's have lunch there then. I'm getting kind of hot sitting out here anyways."
Saturday rolled around, Kennedy and Giles decided to meet each other at the movies. At the appropriate time, Kennedy was there and waiting.
Saturday afternoon Giles stood in front of his closet debating between two shirts. Granted the movie didn't start for another three hours, he still wanted to look nice. He was going back and forth holding each shirt in front of him and looking at the mirror when he heard a knock on the door.
Going to answer it he found Buffy, Willow, and Xander on the other side. "We got a problem," Buffy said.
They all walked in. "And not the cute and cuddly kind either," Xander added.
"What kind of problem?" He asked.
"We were patrolling and I was fighting this creature who looked like a vampire and when I stabbed it in the heart he laughed and took off. No exploding into dust or nothing." Buffy told him.
"And he had this stomach-turning laugh." Willow shuddered as she spoke.
Thinking, "And he didn't die after you stabbed him in the heart? Did any of you happen to notice anything unusual about the creature? Markings of any kind?" Willow and Xander shook their head no.
"His eyes did quickly flash a glowing blood red before changing back to brown now that I think about it," Buffy remembered.
Nodding at the thought quickly, "Ok Buffy and Xander go back and see if you can find him or anything. Willow and I will go to the library and see what we can find." Giles ordered.
Giles looked at the clock. He was late and they were still trying to find more information on the creature Buffy fought. They found out he was a shapeshifter and able to heal himself, but finding out how to kill him was the difficult part. Buffy and Xander hadn't come back yet; Giles figured they were still searching or found him and trying to capture him.
"Do you think Buffy and Xander found the thing?" Willow asked.
Turning to her, "They would be back if they had something or the creature."
"What if something happened to them and we don't even know?" Willow went into a little panic mode.
Turning the page in his book, "I am sure they're fine. They are perfectly capable of handling themselves."
"I hope." Going back to her book.
A few minutes of silence had passed before something was found. "Got something," Giles said moving next to Willow. "To kill such a creature, a child's true laugh will send it where it needs to go."
"A child's true laugh?" Willow looked up at Giles with a questioning look.
Rubbing his face, "Where are we going to get a child?"
"I know. Cordelia got in trouble a few days ago and as a punishment her parents made her babysit tonight. We can borrow that kid." Willow suggested.
The two rushed out of the place and towards Cordelia's. "Does your car go any faster?" Willow groaned from impatience.
"I'm going as fast as I can." Giles bit back.
Buffy fell to the floor with a thud. Arching, she pushed herself up to a standing position. The creature was a lot stronger than she had thought. Xander moved, jumping on the things back. It flipped Xander over his shoulder and into a headstone. Buffy went in with kicks and punches.
Giles and Willow pulled up to Cordelia's house. Willow pounded on the door till someone answered while Giles was waiting with the car running.
"Mrs. Cordelia's mom, Hi! Is Cordelia home?" Willow babbled.
Shaking her head, "Sorry she's babysitting at a friend's house."
"Could you possibly tell me where? It's a matter of great importance." Willow told her.
"Down the street, last house on the right." She answered.
Running back to the car, Willow climbed back in and they gunned it to the other house. This time Giles went with her.
Opening the door, Cordelia's hair was a mess as the kid ran around the house screaming and jumping on the couch. "What are you doing here? Never mind. Maybe you can get him to stop." She pulled Willow inside.
"We actually need the child." Giles followed the two in.
"Why?" Cordelia asked.
Willow went to get the kid off the couch. "It's a long story; we will tell you on the way." Answered Giles.
After what seemed like forever Giles, Willow and Cordelia got the child in the car. Buffy was running out of steam when the cavalry arrived. Cordelia went to check on Xander as Willow and Giles had the kid. When the monster knocked Buffy on her back Giles went to her aid.
"What are you doing here?" Rising from the ground in pain.
Holding her arm, "The only way to kill him is a child's true laugh."
"Huh?" Buffy said.
Letting her go, "We need to make the child laugh to kill him." Giles pointed to Willow and the kid.
"I'll grab the thing; you get the kid to laugh." Buffy went back after the creature.
It took them a better part of an hour to get the child to laugh. The creature Buffy caught struggled continuously as the others worked hard. Finally when the kid laughed the thing burst into a million little pieces.
Sighing, "Well that wasn't that hard." Buffy huffed.
"Loads," Xander added.
Giles had gone to the movie theatre to look for Kennedy, but his search turned up empty. When he reached his front door, he found Kennedy waiting for him.
Smiling, "Something came up." She said.
"I can explain...well, sort of." Giles held up his hands.
Pushing off the wall, "We open in three weeks. I don't want to be the lonely drama teacher who can't have someone with her on opening night."
"Sounds....sounds like a plan."
Biting her bottom lip, "And maybe we can go eat afterward? Be a nice first date."
"A date?" He asked in a high voice.
Making a sad face, "Do you not want to go out with me?"
"Ye...yes, I would like that." He told her.
Giving him a smile of joy, "Then it's a date. Night."
A/N: I don't own the show or it's character Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just my character.