This was amazing. I am not a big Giles/Oz shipper, but it's not one of those pairings that I find implausible, for many reasons that you mention, particularly the gentle, mature respect they have for one another that is obvious throughout the Sunnydale years. Oz *is*, I find, the most believeable pairing for Giles out of all the Scoobies; Xander, Willow, Buffy are too immature, too unwordly, and have (I think) too little respect for the older generation. Oz, on the other hand, *gets* Giles, he respects and understands Giles' past, and doesn't take things on face value. Also, I think Oz's quiet intelligence would be something Giles would go for - Oz only speaks when necessary, and can imbue a short sentence with a whole world of meaning.

A great essay - thank you so much ;)