Shortly after arriving at college, Buffy went to Giles for help with a gang of vampires on campus. When she barged through his front door (a time-honoured Scooby tradition), she was distressed at the sight of a strikingly attractive woman standing in the living room and calling after "Ripper" in nothing but one of his shirts. Giles introduced her as Olivia, a friend from England, but Buffy stammered her way out of the house before learning much more.

Later in the season, Giles asked Xander to take Spike off his hands for a while. Olivia was coming to visit again, and he wanted the two of them to have some time alone. When she arrived late that evening, they greeted each other very fondly, spending as little time as possible on small talk before heading straight to the kissing. That night, The Gentlemen stole the town's voices, stranding Olivia in the midst of a very scary situation. In fact, the next night, while unable to sleep, she wandered through the house. One of The Gentlemen passed by the window, giving her a creepy, vacant smile. She sketched his face in the morning, which helped the gang identify the threat, and Buffy saved the day by screaming her head off. Actually, she screamed *their* heads off, but I digress...

With their voices back again, Giles and Olivia were finally able to talk about the incident. He had apparently told her about vampires and demons years earlier (likely before he became a Watcher, as she did call him "Ripper"), but she confessed that she thought he was just making up stories. He admitted making up the part about being lead guitar for Pink Floyd, but the rest, he said, was unfortunately true. Then he asked if his world was too scary for her. Olivia said she wasn't sure, but she hasn't visited him since.

It wasn't, however, the last we saw of her. She appeared in Giles' dream in Restless, pregnant and wheeling an empty baby stroller. As Spike admonished Rupert to hurry and make up his mind, Olivia wept in the background over the tangled stroller. She seemed to represent the family he would likely never have if he stayed in Sunnydale. In fact, as Season Five opened, Giles was on the verge of going back home to England. Not knowing this, Buffy told him she needed him more than ever, and he remained at his Slayer's side.

He has returned to England on several occasions since, but it's unknown whether he and Olivia have remained close.

Pivotal Episodes:
The Freshman, Hush, Restless

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