"I'm always surprised how much mess one you can make."

And she did talk to him -- of silly things and unimportant things. She told him all about the different answers she'd gotten for her game. Even the ones about a certain Johnny Depp. And she talked long after he'd fallen asleep, telling him about the time Willow picked John Cusack and a plate of ziti and...

She kissed his forehead and she left him wrapped up in their bed. A better place for him than the clinic, at least.

...Coming home early, though, proved to be a tougher sell than she'd expected. A few people had stopped by the bar and Buffy had to pay her social dues. Play a few more rounds. But -- finally -- she managed to slip back home through the frosty night, flask and glossy in hand. And a song on her lips, borrowed from Jack and his dreams. Big ship sails on the alley, alley, oh.

"On the last day of Sept--" She closed the bedroom door as silently as possible, unwilling to wake him should he still be asleep.