"Me and the pirate," she confirmed -- but opted not to gush about the relationship. Even had the moment been a sweeter one, Buffy was no longer the sort to sit and sigh schoolgirlishly over her romance. "I've learned a few things. About boats and sailing and not getting smacked on the head by the boom in the smaller sail boat. A harder feat to accomplish than you might expect."

She licked her lips. To reiterate the invitation would sound desperate, and Buffy didn't feel desperate. All she did feel was a heavy desire to do right by Anya. Make amends. Prove to at least one of her critics that she'd grown up -- and that she wanted to be far from the same cold-blooded general who'd been kicked out of her own house so many years ago. Anya, she recalled, had been particularly vocal on that night.