"I don't believe I'm doing this," Buffy grumbled as she paced outside the bathroom. "Remind me why I'm doing this again?"

"Because I'm your Watcher, and it's my birthday. I quote, 'You're not gonna sit at home in your fuddy duddy bathrobe drinking all night and eating too much icecream, Giles, you're gonna come out with me.' So you need to simply endure the agony of being seen in my company, Buffy." He said the last as he pushed the door open.

Buffy had to admit he looked good. Well, for an old guy. He wore jeans with a grey t-shirt, under a black button-down shirt. He almost looked contemporary. He complemented her blue dress nicely.

"Where's the tweed, Giles?" she asked. "I can't see any tweed! Not the jocks, I hope?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, Buffy, I always carry a little with me in my wallet. Just so I can feel properly out of touch with you younger folk."

They walked out to the living room together. Xander and Willow hopped up guiltily from the couch and brushed crumbs from their clothes. "You look great!" Willow cried.

"Mmph!" Xander said encouragingly while frantically chewing. He kicked a box of something under the couch.

Giles looked at Xander, then Willow, for a long time before he spoke. "I know you two weren't eating on my freshly cleaned floors," Giles said. "So when we return, I expect to see no crumbs on my freshly cleaned floors."

"Thanks for driving me, guys," Buffy said brightly as she yanked Giles towards the door. "Giles will drop me home, and give me something for the pain, I hope."

Willow's jaw dropped. "Ray Charles is cool, Buff! Ray - 'Hit the Road, Jack', and 'Georgia on My Mind' and all that other stuff he does!"

Xander swallowed loudly. "Any songs about freshly cleaned floors?"

Buffy saw Giles' mouth opened and yanked on his hand. "Bye!"

* * *

"Thank you for this, Buffy, really," Giles said as they walked into the auditorium. "I know it's hardly your favourite night out, but I appreciate it."

Buffy counted the rows until she found row F. The place was already three-quarters full and Ray wasn't due to come on for another thirty minutes yet. They were on the aisle, which was a blessing. She gestured Giles to his seat, thirty-one, and sat next to him in thirty-two. A snarky comment died on her lips as she saw how genuinely pleased he was. "You're welcome, Giles. I'm sure I can endure this." She smiled.

They busied themselves looking at the program and glancing around the auditorium.

Twenty-five minutes to go:

"I've never been here before, Buffy. What's it called again?"

"The Sunnydale Entertainment Centre, Giles," Buffy said patiently.

Eighteen minutes to go:

Two skinny girls climbed past them to get to their seats, chattering loudly. Giles looked at them with disapproval on his face.

"Don't say a word, Giles," Buffy warned. "They'll shut up when it starts." She patted his arm. "Or I'll make 'em."

Twelve minutes to go:

"I wonder if I should get something to drink," Giles said, shifting in his seat. He shook his head. "No, I'll be fine."

Ten minutes to go:

"I am a little thirsty, I suppose."

"And a little anxious? You've folded your ticket into a lovely little swan there, Giles."

Eight minutes to go:

"I should've bought myself a bottle of water. I am very foolish at times. Oh, well."

Three minutes to go:

"Thank you for buying me a drink, Buffy."

She sighed. "No trouble, really, Giles."

* * *

The lights went down. Buffy was surprised by how excited she was. Sure, Ray Charles was an old guy - twice as old as Giles, and he was older than Buffy's MOM - but he was a legend. He'd never been to Sunnydale before. This could be cool.

Halfway into 'Hit the Road, Jack' and she knew she was right. The whole crowd was up on its feet. Giles was waving and grinning next to her, and singing loudly enough that she was going to need some sort of surgery to get her ears working again.

And then the audience participation began.

Ray got up on his feet and bowed. "Great to be here, and hear all you guys. Now it's time for a little fun for me too. I ain't gonna do all the work. I want someone up here to help me with 'Tailfeather'."

Ray laughed as the yelling and screaming began around the auditorium. "I can't take all of you!" The noise died down. Ray pointed. At Giles. "First off, I want the English guy over there. He's in tune, which helps, and he's so damn enthusiastic he obviously don't get out much."

"You're damn straight!" Buffy yelled.

Two men came down off the stage and gestured to Giles. He went pale.

Buffy jabbed him in the ribs. "You HAVE to, Giles. You'll regret it if you don't."

Giles took her hand in a vice-like grip. "If I go down, you're going down with me," he said.

"Giles, I really don't- you're the singer, Giles-" Buffy protested all the way up onto the stage. Then she was staring Ray Charles in the face.

Ray Charles.

"What's your name, son?"

Giles squeaked. "Rupert. This is Buffy."

"All right, Rupert, you sit here with me. Buffy, you go over there with Tom. You know this one?"

Giles nodded. "Um, yeah." He squeezed onto the piano stool. The tall guy with the shaved head, who must've been Tom, beckoned Buffy over to stand with him.

Ray grinned widely. "Then here we go. Follow me & have fun." He sat on the piano stool and played the intro, then everyone else came in.

"Well, I heard about the fellow you been dancin' with / All over the neighbourhood," Ray nodded at Giles.

Giles leaned into the mike and sang softly, "So, why didn't you ask me baby / Or didn't you think I could."

Ray: " Well I know that the boogaloo is out of sight / But the shingaling's the thing tonight."

Giles was really getting into it now. " But if that was you and me now baby / I would have shown you how to do it right."

Tom nudged Buffy. Trying to ignore the crowd, she leaned in obediently with him and sang, "Do it right, uh-huh, do it right, do it right, do it right."

Everyone belted out, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh," then Giles stood up and grabbed the mike. "Twist it! Shake it shake it shake it shake it baby!"

Ray had a huge grin on his face. Tom and the other backup singers stood back and let Giles have his moment. Buffy shook her head with amazement at the sheer delight on Giles' face.

Ten minutes later, they finally stepped back down into their seats. Giles was shaking. "Was I all right?"

"You were fantastic," Buffy said honestly.

* * *

"So, it wasn't as bad as I thought," Buffy said into the phone. "I kinda had a good time."

"That's good, Buff," Willow said. "You need to have more fun. So does Giles."