Xander turned at the sound of her shout and bopped in her direction. "What?" He cocked an eyebrow and waited for more.

"Give me that five bucks my Mom gave you!" she said over the noise of the music.

He shook his head vehemently in the negative and folded his arms protectively over his chest. "Nuh-huh. She gave it to me!"

"Only because she thought you were me!" Willow protested. He shook his head again. Willow pursed her lips together in thought for a moment. Then she did what Xander would have done. She pulled out all the stops and made the most pitiful puppy-dog face she could as she begged, "Pleeeeease?"

Suddenly Xander immediately understood why Willow had never been able to refuse him anything. The pathetic look she manipulated from his face would have melted the hardest heart. She shook her head slightly so the dark hair fell into her eyes and stuck her lower lip out a bit further. He sighed and dug into his jeans pocket for the money. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Don't spend it all in one place."

Willow bounced and clapped her hands in a very Willow-like manner before heading back to the bar for another muffin. She was waiting for her order to be filled when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Oz standing there.

"Hey," he offered, examining her closely, looking to see who he was really greeting. Willow nodded towards the dance floor where Xander was still happily thrashing about. Oz followed her gaze until his eyes lighted on his girlfriend dangerously throwing her limbs every which way with careless abandon. "Oh," Oz murmured in understanding. "So Giles hasn't figured it out yet, huh?"

"Nope," Willow answered, accepting her fifth muffin and carrying it back to the table. Oz followed and they sat together in silence for a moment.

"So," he began, "I guess you're sleeping at Xander's tonight then, huh?"

"That's the current plan," she agreed, popping a piece of poppy-seed muffin in her mouth. "I wonder why food tastes so much better in Xander's mouth…" she mused aloud.

Oz chuckled. "If you make him gain twenty pounds, I'll give you twenty bucks."

Willow's eyes sparkled with mischief. "A dollar a pound? Is that your best offer?"

The music died out and the soft strains of a slow love song filled the speakers. Willow turned to the dance floor, watching as Xander began heading their way. She giggled out loud as she saw Ross Anderson step in his path. < Camera. Where's that camera? > She dug through Xander's book bag in search of the camera she'd stashed there while at her house. If assistant-captain-of-the-football-team-Ross was going to dance with her, she wanted a picture to prove it. It was a picture for posterity, to show her grandchildren. That's all. Really. Of course, if the yearbook committee happened to get ahold of it by accident….

Although Xander had changed into jeans and a green turtleneck at Willow's house earlier, he was still drop-dead gorgeous with the softly curled red hair and the slight makeup. Ross said something and Xander shook his head. Xander moved to step around him, but Ross easily manipulated the movement so that Xander stepped into his waiting arms. Ross immediately tightened his hold and began swaying to the music. Xander looked like a deer trapped in the headlights. Willow held the camera to her face and watched through the lens as Xander swayed in a circle. When they were sideways and she had a good angle to get both of them in the frame, she snapped the picture.

Oz had watched with keen interest as the football jock approached Xander and then cornered him into a dance. He felt a slight jealousy beginning to build up in his chest and he found himself standing before his legs even knew what was going on. He knew it was Xander Ross was dancing with, and not Willow. He knew Xander would want to be rescued. And he knew that if he didn't stake some sort of claim right now that the rest of the male population at Sunnydale would think that he and Willow weren't an item anymore. < So, if I cut in, I'm saving Xander, AND preventing Willow from getting hit on by every testosterone-induced male in the school when she gets back to her body. It's a good plan .>

Willow lowered the lens to say something to Oz when she noticed he wasn't there. "Oz?" she asked in confusion for a moment. She swung her head around, searching for him, when she spotted him near the dance floor. "Oh, no!" she whispered.

She hopped off her stool and was about to give pursuit when Cordelia stepped in front of her. "I think we should dance," Cordy stated, matter-of-factly. "Harmony and Aura are under the mistaken impression that Xander and I have broken up because we haven't danced yet tonight."

"Not now!" Willow hissed, trying to get past her.

"Geez, it'll be just like all those lame sixth grade dances where girls danced together. It's no big-" Cordelia stopped protesting as Willow shoved past her. She glared at the hacker in her boyfriend's body for a moment before she realized what Willow was trying to prevent. Oz was slowly advancing on Xander and Ross, clenching and unclenching his hands as he considered what to do. < Uh-oh. Wolfy temper tantrum about to erupt. > Cordelia thought for a moment. Even if Oz attempted something so innocent as cutting in, it could cause a - misunderstanding. Misunderstandings at the Bronze usually ended in a fight in the parking lot. And although she knew that Oz and Xander and even Willow could hold their own in a fight against vampires, demons, and other assorted baddies, she knew they'd get slaughtered by the football team.

She decided what to do quickly and scrambled past Willow without thinking of the consequences of her next action on her already-precarious social life. She rushed over to Oz and pulled him into an embrace. Oz stared at her in total confusion as she ordered, "Dance. Now." He looked like he was about to object so she stepped down on his foot - hard. He winced as she repeated, "NOW." She waited for him to obey her command before she continued speaking. "Okay, listen up because I'm only going to say this once. That's Xander in there, not Willow. You don't need to get all jealous and primal over a guy who didn't notice her until today. And who, by the way, would happily kick your wolfy butt from here to next week if you tried to get all possessive. She loves you, not him, and she's not even IN that dance, so knock it off you nitwit," she finished.

"But Xander-"

"Xander will survive Ross' attention. I guarantee it."

"But what if everyone thinks Willow and I broke up?"

"Let them. It'll make you seem all the more cooler when you 'win her back'," Cordelia replied. "When this whole thing is over, Willow's still gonna be dancing with you. Just … try not to let the big green monster take over your brain, okay?"

Willow laughed as Oz's mouth opened slightly in surprise and she hurried back to the table to retrieve her camera. Cordelia and Oz looked almost comical as they danced. With her heels on, Cordy easily cleared his head.. Her hands rested lightly on his shoulders and he kept his hands on her waist. They had a good foot-and-a-half between them. Willow giggled as she looked at them through the camera lens. < For all the grandkids. Honest. > She snapped another photo as they circled at a good angle.

"Hi!" Buffy offered, sauntering up to Willow. She took in the dancing couples and looked at Willow with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment. "I missed the good stuff again, didn't I?"

Willow nodded. "I'll tell you everything later."

"I expect no less," Buffy said, nodding once in agreement.

"Has Giles beeped you?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Not yet. Sorry, Will," she added, slightly quieter so no one would hear her calling someone who appeared to be Xander by the name of 'Willow'.

Willow sighed. The music died out and she turned her attention to the dance floor. Cordy and Oz stood apart awkwardly for a moment before they headed back to the table. Xander had extricated himself from Ross' arms and was making a new land speed record in his beeline to the table. Ross was still standing on the dance floor with a puzzled look on his face. < No doubt wondering if he's lost his charm > Willow thought with satisfaction.

Xander reached the group at the table and stepped behind Buffy, hiding from Ross' gaze. "Um, Buff?"

"Yeah?"

"If he gets within ten feet of me, will you do me a favor and stake him?"

Nowhere. Giles had been reading for the better part of the day and evening, and he still couldn't find anything. He resigned himself to the idea that Willow and Xander would have to spend the night in bodies that weren't their own. < Just one more cup of tea and then I'm going home. > he thought tiredly, rubbing his eyes for the hundredth time.

He was in his office pouring himself another cup of tea when the computer beeped. He started slightly at the noise and cursed under his breath as the hot liquid splashed on his hand. He took the time to carefully lower the pot and the teacup before shaking his injured hand and wiping it with a towel. Then the computer beeped again. He glared at the source of the beep as he made his way over to the main table. He sat in the chair and looked all around the computer screen for a switch to turn it on. He ran his hands over the front and the sides before standing and leaning over to examine the back of the thing. There was more than one switch. Which was the right one? It beeped again, making him jump back in surprise. < I give up .> Irritated, he grabbed the phone on the circulation desk and hit the third speed dial number.

"Closer," Cordy hissed through her smiling lips as she pulled Willow closer to her.

Willow quickly stepped inches forward to obey. "How's this?" she asked tightly.

"Good. Now I'm gonna put my head on your shoulder, so don't freak out, okay?"

Willow nodded once and closed her eyes. She gulped audibly as Cordelia's head came to rest in the small of her neck. < Maybe if I just pretend I'm ANYWHERE but here… >

Buffy was happily snapping pictures with Willow's camera of Cordy and Willow dancing when she felt her pocket vibrate. "Ohhh!" she peeped in surprise before she retrieved her beeper. She didn't even bother to see who was paging her - only Giles had the number. "Now maybe this crazy ride is coming to a stop," she mumbled as she hopped off her stool.

"What?" Oz asked.

"Giles beeped me. Answer time," she replied.

"Really?" Xander asked, sitting up straighter. "Good, because I CANNOT dance with a guy ever again. I'm traumatized. Do you know where he had his hands? Right on my…"

Buffy headed for the payphones, leaving him lamenting his experience. She dialed the number for the library and waited for the one ring it took for Giles to pick up.

"Er, hello?"

"Hi Giles! What's the good word?"

"Buffy. Is Willow with you?"

"Willow-Xander is at the table and Willow-Willow is dancing with Cordelia.. Which one do you want? "

"What?" he asked for a moment before deciding it didn't matter. "This hideous machine is making an incessant beeping noise!" he exclaimed in frustration. "It must have that mail Willow's always so excited to get. How do I get it so I can read the mail?"

Buffy grinned at Giles' total lack of comprehension where the computer was concerned. "Just leave it. We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Oh. Yes, yes, good," Giles replied.

Buffy could hear the relief in his voice. She was about to hang up when she heard him calling her name through the receiver. "What?"

"How do I make it stop beeping until you get here?"

"Earplugs," Buffy answered, hanging up the phone before he could protest.

Five anxious students poured into the library chattering excitedly. Giles emerged from his office with relief. They were making enough noise to finally drown out the computer.

Willow immediately made her way over to the monitor and flipped it on. She typed for a few seconds and grinned happily. "It's from Serendipity!" She read in silence and the group clustered around the table watched as her face fell.

"Not good news?" Buffy asked.

"Well, she says that her friend is looking it up tonight and that she'll have a definite answer for us in the morning."

"Okay," Xander said. "So I have to sleep at your house. No biggie."

Willow mournfully looked up from the screen. "But Xander, your Mom NEVER has any food in the house." She pouted angrily as the other occupants of the library burst into laughter.