Anya set her paper sack on the ground and pulled down the shutters, even though there were several hours to go before their normal closing time. Giles would probably never know. The last of his things from England had been due to arrive today and he had stayed at home so that he could get as many of them unpacked as possible, but she was fairly certain she could make it up to him for the lost revenue if he did find out. She had other more important things to do this afternoon.

Next week he would begin his new job as curator of the Sunnydale museum. After the stolen diamond it had only been a matter of time before the post was up for grabs and Giles' experience made him far better qualified than the other applicants.

Part of her was looking forward to having The Magic Box to herself, and she knew that Giles had been planning potential exhibits before his appointment had been confimed. His enthusiasm was breathtaking. Okay, he was breathtaking, even when he was bored to tears... but watching him talk about something he obviously loved was sexy as all hell, and it made him very amenable. She knew the change was a good one, especially for him, but at the same time she knew she would miss the stolen kisses, his hands steadying the ladder as she dusted the highest shelves, him frowning at the accounts and pinching the bridge of his nose... just him.

The museum was only a couple of blocks over, though, so she intended to make sure that they met for lunch... with or without food, most days, even if it meant hiring a student to work part time so that she could go to him. It was one month to the day since Giles had come back to Sunnydale and, as far as she was concerned, it was the best month of her human existence. A month that she intended to celebrate in style.

It was almost four when she left the hairdressers', her hair a casually styled riot of corn gold streaked with platinum highlights as light as he made her feel. The nails on all her fingers and toes were painted with pearly polish and her skin glowed after her facial. On impulse, she stopped by Victoria's Secrets and bought a lacy balconette bra and matching panties in a bright turquoise. She had thought of buying a new dress, but she remembered how much he had liked the one that she wore on their first day out in Paris and she had decided to wear it.

Dinner was steaks, prepackaged salad and baked potatoes, all from the speciality grocer, along with a four-pack of English bitter. She normally preferred wine but tonight she wanted to see the surprise on his face. All of which left her with one more call to make.

The jeweller bustled into the back room when she produced her ticket, bringing her the watch she had chosen several days earlier, not exactly a TAG Heuer but waterproof and shock-resistant - always useful when you might find yourself fighting demons on zero notice - and it even showed the phases of the moon in a small window at the top of the face, but the reason she had chosen it was that the face was almost the exact shade of blue as one of his favourite suits, while the strap was a dark grey that would go with several others. She had a feeling that she could have bought a digital from the discount store and Giles wouldn't have cared. It was the message she had had engraved on the back that would be important.

As soon as she got out of the taxi, the dogs' welcoming barks put paid to any hope she had had of sneaking in and getting changed without Giles knowing, but she couldn't say she was disappointed. Giles was just inside, probably all sweaty and smudged from where he would have been unpacking dusty books and even if it spoiled the surprise she couldn't wait to see him.

The two dogs waited behind the door and milled around her legs, making her hold high the bag with the steaks in it when they got a little too curious. "No chance, Randy. Nutritionally balanced puppy kibble for you."

"Damn," Giles protested. "So if I'm not allowed to get randy, what do we do for the hour before dinner is ready?"

Anya looked around the room. Giles' dragonfly Tiffany lamp was on a corner table and there were pillar candles at several other locations around the room ready to be lit when darkness fell, including a small water-filled bowl with pebbles of tinted glass in the bottom and flower-shaped candles on the top. There were bits and pieces scattered in the kitchen area as if he were part way through cooking and the dishes on the drainer looked as if they were still damp.

She dropped most of her shopping around her feet, but placed the bag of groceries on the counter and threw the redundant steaks into the fridge before she fell into his arms. He wasn't sweaty and dusty but freshly showered with damp, tousled hair, and she liked that every bit as much.

"Happy anniversary, darling," he whispered into her ear when they finally broke their welcoming kiss. He picked up the remote for her dinky little mini-hifi that fitted on the mantlepiece and pressed a button. Kirsty McColl's voice began a message of thanks for the days spent with her lover. Days to remember all her life.

Anya gave a sigh of contentment. She had thought the inscription was the easy way to tell him. All my love, Anya. After Xander she had never been sure if she could force the words from her mouth again. She meant them, but she'd been so hurt the last time she used them that she had felt she would choke if she tried to say them again. Instead, they just poured right out as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I love you, Giles." Her arms were already around his neck and when his hands pressed her hips close, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He didn't rush straight into it and she knew why. If he replied too quickly it would sound insincere, as if he were only saying it because she had... the way Xander had toward the end. There was a pause as he settled her weight comfortably and it was only as he carried her upstairs that he whispered in her ear. "I love you, too. I didn't want to pressure you by saying anything before you were ready... but I've known for exactly a month today."

She nipped gently at the lobe of his ear before she replied. "I knew you loved me the first time you sang for me... Working out how I felt took a little longer."