Sunnydale had not changed much. That was the conclusion Ranger got to after wondering the streets for a couple of hours. He surveyed the town, familiarising himself all over again with the various districts. He knew things lurked in the shadows of shops and homes alike, hiding from the famous Californian sun.

The Scoobies gathered at their customary table at the far end of the club. The Bronze was no more crowded than normal for a Friday night, be it some Freshers had taken refuge from their Campus haunts in the more �status free� establishment that the club offered.

Xander shot them a glance of annoyance from time to time. They were making more noise than the band and that was really saying something! Buffy and Faith had just finished an early patrol and were free for a couple of hours, while Angel and Spike had probably gotten into another argument and either one or both of them were out sulking. Neither vampire had bothered calling they�d be late. Their Scooby Meeting would have to start without them.

�I don�t think they�re coming!� Xander shouted across to the Slayers. He nearly leapt out of his seat as a hand rested on his shoulder.

�I�m here.� Angel grinned at the boy, satisfied by reaction of the human.

�Gees, no need to give me a heart attack!� Xander glared at the vampire, looking around for any sign of Spike. �Where�s Junior?� He asked, knowing how much the nickname grated the older vampire.

Angel chose to ignore the question, instead acknowledging both Slayers.

�Spike coming�?� Faith started innocently, ��or did he already�Oww!� Buffy�s elbow connected with her midriff, preventing her from finishing the sentence. Xander swallowed his laughter as the dark vampire scowled at the dark Slayer.

�No.� His voice was terse. He might as well be wearing a sign �Another argument, don�t wanna talk about it!�

�I�m here to discuss Willow. If you�re ready.� The vampire saw the Scoobies� expressions go serious in an instant. That was the main reason for the meeting after all; to discuss Willow�s extended absence and not his permanently souled perks.

�Its like she�s disappeared�� Buffy spoke, her voice sad. Involuntarily, she grabbed Faith�s hand for support.

�Giles says she�s OK. That she just needs some time�� Xander repeated the standard explanation the Watcher had been feeding them for the past two weeks.

�But how much time does she need?� Faith asked in response to Buffy�s involuntary sigh.

It seemed they�d been discussing the Witches� absence on a daily basis, ever since Angel got his soul back and Willow failed to return home.

�Do you think Giles is holding back?� Xander voiced the question they�d all been harbouring.

�Why would he?� Angel asked and none could think of an answer. There had been subtle changes in the Watchers� behaviour but none could pin point anything solid.

�He has been paying a lot of attention to the new teacher.� Faith offered. The rest of the Gang looked at her as if she�d grown an extra head in the last 5 seconds. Faith did not attend High School and yet she seemed to know more about what was going on inside its walls than Buffy or Xander.

�What?� She smiled at the stunned expression. �I�ve got eyes!�

�Uhm, yes�� Angel seemed the least embarrassed. Even he�d noticed the new addition to the teaching staff.

Xander hid a smile, as most of the boys in his class had developed a crush within seconds of the first lesson. Buffy gave Faith a quizzical look, pulling the dark Slayers� arm and whispering into her ear. Faith nodded in agreement to whatever Buffy was saying to her, while the rest of the Gang observed both Slayers.

�We need to pay Giles a visit in the morning�� Buffy addressed Angel and Xander. �He must know more than he�s telling. I, for one, am fed up of not knowing.�

Willow looked at the reflection in the mirror. It was her and yet it was a stranger at the same time. How could her friends have failed to recognise her! Her eyes were the same, her hair was as red as always�. So she had a different figure and her voice sounded different but was it such a drastic change after all?

The first time she walked into the classroom, knowing Buffy and Xander were on the other side of the door, her heart had nearly popped. After the second lesson, she knew her identity was safe. The Hellmouth had extended its magic to �protect� her.

�Willow� are you ready?� Giles knocked on the door.

�Come in!� She shouted at the door. They were going out to dinner and to catch a movie. It had taken some persuading from Giles but Willow finally succumbed to his pleas and now she smiled as she remembered the Englishman�s efforts. He was a good friend.