"That does sound convenient, then," he says, ignoring Bell's showoffery.

"Yup," says Juliet. "I have excellent alts."

"That's true," he allows, smiling a little.

"At what time are you going to inform the Council? Will they want me on the phone too or do they only talk through you as far as I'm concerned?"

"Tomorrow morning, I think," he says. "And you're right, they won't care to hear from you."

"That would probably bother me, if I felt like talking to them," she muses.

"I don't think anyone involved in that conversation would enjoy it," Giles predicts.

"Agreed. What're you going to tell them, exactly? If I were them I'd have questions if all you said was 'found her'."

"I'm going to tell them that I found the Slayer, she's safe, healthy, and beginning official training immediately. I don't think they'll have many questions about exactly how we met; it's not completely unheard-of for a teenage girl to enter a high school library of her own free will."

"Can you get me on the brainphone to let me know if the conversation deviates from expected parameters?"

"Yes, I suppose so," he says.

"Thanks! Hey, if Sherlock doesn't object, do you want to come and watch us beat each other up tonight? See how I'm coming along?"

"Yes," he says. "If he kills me, I will be very disappointed in your judgment."

"He's not going to kill you. I mean, even if he decided he wanted to kill you, which he is not going to do unless you do something awful to me, I don't think he'd do it in front of Tony, or when Shell Bell's right there and could stop him."

Sleepily: [Yes?]

"I don't plan on doing anything awful to anyone," says Giles.

[Were. This Tony and I have been a little too busy to have any sex,] he says dryly.

[Okay, but that's still something you want to consider fessing up to. As opposed to, say, waiting for your Bell to unexpectedly fall down a flight of stairs and fetch up staring directly at you in any Tony's lap, liplocked. I realize yours is less likely to fall down stairs, but. She did mention an absence of a monogamy conversation having occurred.]

[I will tell her at the next convenient opportunity, and before indulging myself similarly again,] he says. [Thank you for the no doubt directly-from-personal-experience warning. Feel free to mention it to her in the meantime.]

[Will do if there's a suitable lull in the conversation. Mr. Giles is taking everything very well, by the way, wants to come watch you spar tonight.]

[Must be the drugs,] he says. [Sure, why not.]

"Sherlock says it's fine if Mr. Giles wants to supervise," Shell Bell reports.

"Oh good," says Juliet, grinning. "I look forward to showing off for a larger audience. Not that Sherlock's not appreciative."