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      Giles took off his specs and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on. Things were
quiet these days, almost too quiet. Damned Initiative! He'd been
dealing with the Dark Forces in one way or another for most of his
life and now the "authorities" get involved for what, one year? And
suddenly they've got commando units patrolling and general mayhem has
decreased. It was all rather boring lately if you asked him.

He sighed deeply and glanced at his watch. It was nearly sunset and
he wondered how many of the gang would come over tonight. Of course
Spike would be there. He was so shunned by the demon world that he
was forced to befriend his own sworn enemies. Giles had actually
grown used to the vampire; at least it was some company if no one
else showed up. It was nice to have someone around with whom he could
carry on a more adult-like conversation. Of course when the others
were around Spike usually instigated trouble, sometimes, Giles
thought, simply because he was bored.

Giles stood to put on some tea when a blinding pain seared through
his skull. His last thought before he blacked out was this is how
Spike must feel.

Sam brought his newly acquired hands to his head and slowly got up
off of the floor. His vision was blurred as he looked around the
small house. He spied a pair of glasses on the desk next to him and
put them on, clearing his vision. "That's better." He said, thankful
to hear a man's voice, English as a matter of fact. Nothing was worse
than leaping into a woman's body, especially one that was 9 months
pregnant. Sam shuddered as he thought of that horrifying ordeal. He
could sense that he was alone in the house so he began to explore his
new surroundings, waiting for Al to show up somewhere. The kitchen
was small but the livingroom was rather spacious. There was a
generous supply of books. "Well, at least I won't get bored." Sam
said as he removed an old, leather bound book from its place on the
shelf. "Demons and Folklore?" He grabbed another book, "The Dark Half
of Witchcraft? What did I do, leap into a Satanist's body for crying
out loud?" Sam put the books back in their places and continued to
look around the place. He decided to find the bathroom and take a
look in the mirror to see what he looked like.

Sam looked into the mirror and saw a rather handsome man looking back
at him. He was probably early 40's or so. Just then, Sam heard a
familiar buzzing noise and turned around to see Al holding his
computer Ziggy-Gadget. "Hey Al." He said.

"Hiya Sam! Hey looks like you actually leaped into a normal looking
body this time. Hey, at least you're not pregnant, right?" Al laughed
but Sam just smiled back.

"So what am I doing here Al?" Sam asked.

"Well," the hologram said as he punched in a few buttons on the
gadget, "according to Ziggy, you are to help save the life of a young
girl named Willow Rosenburg. She's supposed to get together with
someone tonight who will be with her when she gets attacked on her
way home. If this guy isn't there she'll die."

"So am I the guy?"

"No, no Sam. Your job is to make sure that she leaves here tonight
with this guy and not by herself."

"Leave here?" Sam asked. "Are people coming over here? Tonight? When?"

Sam and Al looked toward the livingroom as they both heard the door
open and shut. "Giles?" A girl's voice called, "Are you home?"

"Giles?" Sam whispered to Al.

"Oh yeah! You're name is Rupert Giles but you usually go by…" Al
punched in a few more buttons, "either Ripper or Giles. I'm gonna
check out some stuff with Ziggy. I'll be right back." Al was gone in
an instant.

Sam sighed, he hated when Al did that. Now for the awkward part. He
started down the hallway.

"Oh, there you are," a slight red headed girl of about 19 said, "I
thought you had gone out or something. But then again where would you
go anyway? Not that you don't have places to go! I just…well;
I'll
stop now. Hi Giles." She smiled.

"Hello." He said, "How are you tonight?" Sam wondered why a young
girl would visit an older man in the first place. Maybe they were
related.

The girl plopped herself down on the couch, "Fine I guess. I heard
from Oz today." She said sadly.

Sam sat in the armchair across from the girl, trying desperately to
figure out a way to learn her name. "What did…Oz have to say?"
Was Oz
a guy? Sam wondered.

"Oh nothing much," she began studying her hands as she spoke. Sam
figured it must be an old boyfriend by the looks of her body
language. "Just called to say how he has really moved on, and he
hooked up with another band, and he met a girl, a singer and she's
all supportive of his wolfiness, and isn't it great that we can still
talk to each other like pals. What a jerk!" She sighed heavily when
she finished her rambling.

Did she say wolfiness? What the hell did that mean? Quick, say
something supportive! "Well…" he began.

The door opened and in walked a boy and a girl arguing. Didn't
anybody knock around here? Sam and the redhead looked up at them. Sam
noticed the redhead roll her eyes and mumble; "Here come Romeo and
Juliet."

The dark-haired boy turned to the girl and put up his hands. "Anya,
stop! I am sick and tired of having this conversation. Can't we just
have a nice calm argument-free evening with our friends?"

"Xander, I just want an answer once and for all. Do you just want me
for sex?" Anya crossed her arms.

"What?" Xander yelled, "No! For the last time, no! N-O spells no! Now
can we finish this another time? Please?"

Sam was grateful to have learned at least 2 names so far. He wondered
if the girl sitting on the couch was Willow. He cleared his throat
when he thought the spat was over. "Um, hello."

They 2 quarrelers looked at Sam, "Hey Giles. Wills." Xander said as
he took a seat next to the redhead."

Hey." She replied sadly.

Sam thought that she had to be Willow. Anya plopped herself down next
to her boyfriend and crossed her arms on her chest.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight G-man?" Xander asked looking at
Sam expectantly.

"Hmm? Oh, er, nothing much really. Anything new with you?"

"Hey Sam!" Al returned behind the couch, "I got some more information
for you. This little redhead is the one who needs saving tonight and
the guy who's gonna do the saving is about to walk through the door."

As if on cue there was a loud banging on the door and a lot of
cursing. "You bloody witch! You're a real pain in the ass you know
that!" Yelled a man behind the door.

Sam rose to his feet but Willow beat him to the door and swinging it
open she yelled at a blonde man, "Well, it serves you right! You need
to learn how to knock, buster!"

The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties and stayed behind the
threshold of the doorway. Sam wondered why he hadn't just walked in
like the others. He realized that this man must be Oz. They certainly
acted like former lovers, that's for sure.

The blonde shook his finger at Willow, "You had no right to do that,"
he practically growled. "Do you know how hard it is to get people to
simply invite me in without having to go through this humiliating
process. It's a real pain in the ass!"

Sam walked over to the door and stood behind Willow. "What's going on
here?" he asked.

The blonde spoke up first, "The bloody witch put a revoking spell on
me and now I can't go anywhere without being invited."

"Well, like I said, it serves you right! I'm sick of you just
sauntering inside my dorm room uninvited. I could be busy with
something!"

He rolled his eyes, "Oh please, what could you possibly be busy
doing? Dog-boy is gone remember? Besides, I can't go anywhere, you
revoked all of my invites you silly twit!"

Sam thought, there's that reference to a canine again, what is up
with that? And what's this about a revoking spell? Then he remembered
the books on the shelves. Was this Willow girl into witchcraft?

"Well?" The blonde man was staring expectantly at Sam. "Don't just
stand there Watcher, invite me in dammit!" he drawled.

"Oh, come on in."

Willow huffed back to her seat on the couch.

The blonde stared at Sam with a look that sent sudden chills up Sam's
spine. "Watcher? You look different." His nostrils flared,
"Something's not quite right with you."

Sam hesitated briefly. No one had ever been able to tell he was in
another's body so quickly before. "I'm feeling a bit under the
weather is all."

"Right." The blonde nodded, unconvinced.

Sam glanced into the kitchen and saw a teakettle. "Would anyone else
like some tea?" he asked.

"No." they all said in unison before they each became engrossed in
Willow's recant of her telephone conversation with Oz. Well, at least
he knew that the blonde guy wasn't Oz. He went into the kitchen and
put water on for tea. Al followed him in.

"That was quick thinking Sam," he said looking at the group in the
livingroom. "That blonde guy's name is Spike. He's the one that has
to accompany Willow when she leaves tonight or else she'll die. Ziggy
says that right now there is a 100% chance that she will die in an
hour."

"An hour?" Sam whispered, "those two apparently hate each other, how
am I going to do that? And I'm not so sure about that guy. He's seems
awful mean to me. And is she a witch or something? What was all that
about a spell?"

"I don't know Sam. If it were important Ziggy would have told me so
don't worry about it. All you need to worry about is getting Blondie
over there to escort Willow home, then you can leap outta here."

Sam sighed, "fine." Al disappeared. He turned around and came face to
face with Spike. Damn this guy was pale.

"Who ya talking to mate?" Spike asked, blocking the entryway to the
livingroom.

"Spike, you startled me. I was just talking to myself." He smiled
nervously. This Spike guy was just a bit creepy for Sam's taste.

"I startled you, huh? All that Watcher instinct couldn't hear me walk
in here? Something's up with you Ripper, tell me." It wasn't a
request; it was a flat out command.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sam stuttered, trying to
keep an eye on the teenagers in the next room. Thankfully no one had
noticed that Spike had cornered him.

Spike rolled his eyes, "I am 126 years old for crying out loud, I can
smell a rat when I see one." At the sight of Sam's reaction to his
statement, Spike leaned in closer and said in a low tone, "I know you
are not the watcher so spill it, before I break your neck, headache
or not."

Sam believed him when he said he would break his neck. "Not here," he
motioned to the others sitting around the couch, "let's take a walk
outside."

"Fine." Spike straightened up and walked into the livingroom. He
announced, "the watcher and I need to talk, we trust you kiddies can
stay alive while we're gone."

Once outside Spike lit a cigarette and took a long drag, waiting for
Sam to start.

Sam stood across from Spike, "What did you mean when you said you
were 126 years old? That's impossible."

Spike laughed, "You really aren't the watcher are you?" he blew smoke
in Sam's face, "I'm a vampire mate."

Now it was Sam's turn to laugh, "What? Are you crazy? Is there some
kind of medication you should be taking that you forgot to take this
morning? A vampire! There's no such thing!"

Spike let his demon come to the front and put Sam up against the
wall, ignoring the slight twinge of pain starting in his head. "How's
this for funny?" he growled.

Sam nearly pissed his pants as he hung there in the grasp of a
monster, feet hovering above the ground. "Jesus Christ! What the hell
are you?"

"I told you, I'm a vampire. Now who the hell are you?" Spike demanded.

"My name is Sam, I leaped into this body from another time period. I
was sent here to help Willow. I swear to God Almighty that's the
truth."

Spike's human form emerged and he let Sam down. His eyes narrowed,
"What about Willow?"

Sam backed away from Spike. Where the hell was Al? Witches! Vampires!
Al was gonna get it when he finally got back home! "All I know is
that if you don't escort her home tonight she's going to die."

"Sam?" Al appeared behind Spike, "there's something I kinda forgot to
tell you about this town."

Sam looked at Al, "Something you forgot to tell me? Al, I'm going to
kill you when I get back home!"

Spike looked around, "Who's there? I don't see him but I can sense
him. Spike's eyes turned a golden hue and he began to make out a form
next to Sam. "Who are you?" he asked Al.

Al stared dumbfounded at Spike; "You can see me?" He exchanged
glances with Sam.

"Sort of. I can bloody well hear you though. What's all this about
Willow getting killed?"

Al punched in buttons on the Ziggy-gadget, "Well, our computer says
that there is a 100% chance that she will be killed by some kind of
thing on her way home tonight unless you are with her to save her."

"I'm gonna save the witch? Bloody hell!"

"Sam," Al said, "Ziggy said that Willow is about to leave now. Spike
must walk with her or she will die."

"Of course I'll walk with her you bloody fool! She's my witch; no one
hurts her but me. You'll do well to remember that, mate." He pointed
a finger at Sam.

Willow emerged from the house, "I'm tired, if there's no impending
doom Giles, I think I'll just go home." She started to walk away.

"Willow!" Sam called, "Why don't you let Spike here walk you home?
You know, just to be safe?"

"What? I don't think so Giles. I can make it to the dorms okay by
myself. I don't need peroxide-boy to protect me." She turned to walk
away.

Spike grabbed her wrist, "Just wait a minute, Red. I think I will
walk you home. With the Slayer in LA there's no telling what kinds of
demons out there might try to get you."

"Sam," Al said, "It's not working, it's still 100% she'll die!"

Spike turned and looked at Al and Sam, then back to Willow, "I'm not
taking no for an answer, witch. I am walking you home!" he growled.

"No you're not!" Willow growled back. "I don't need to hear you make
fun of me all the way back to the dorms. I'll take my chances with
the demons thank you very much!" With that willow spun on her heels
and walked away.

Spike looked at Al and Sam again. They shrugged and motioned for him
to go after her. "Oh, bloody hell." He grumbled.

Willow was at the stairs when Spike spun her around and planted a
passionate kiss right on her lips. At first Willow struggled but
within seconds she wrapped her arms around Spike's neck. Spike pushed
her up against the wall and deepened the kiss. Finally they parted,
"I am walking you home." He commanded.

Willow's eyes were glazed with desire, and she nodded her consent.

Sam and Al watched as they walked away. "See ya next round Sam." Al
smiled and disappeared. Sam felt the all too familiar dizziness and
then the flashing lights before he left the body.
 

read the sequal 'Leaping Angels'

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