__Practice__
By Jolene Beasley



Saturday morning 11am light streamed through the high windows. Quarterstaves, throwing knives, hatchets, battle axes, and mauls were in evidence, lying in casual abandon on the main table, nestled next to a just opened crate of dusty, intimidating leather-bound books. The one on the top was embossed, in heavy, almost illegible script, "Watcher's Diary, Jonas Smith, 1750-1767."

The sound of armed conflict echoed around the corner. On the second level, two figures were dueling gracefully with fencing swords...Giles wearing his usual heavy padding, and Buffy wearing next to nothing...shorts, halter top with a loose muscle shirt over, canvas tennis shoes, her hair in pigtails. Their sparring was like ballet, rhythmic, yet intense. She was grinning, enjoying the workout to the hilt, so to speak. He was sweating profusely and looked extremely uncomfortable, and extremely tired.

Giles was holding his own by skill alone, as Buffy's superior strength and stamina began to give her the advantage. Just as he was about to concede defeat, she stopped, catching his intent through the telepathic Bond that joined them.

She stepped back, raised her foil in front of her face, and said, "Hail, fair knight! Do you yield?"

"Good Heavens, yes!" He gasped, ignoring her historically inaccurate statement (medieval English knights did not fight with rapiers!) and collapsed to a sitting position on the steps. He quickly stripped off the cumbersome padding and removed the mask, sending his hair into soggy disarray. His jacket and tie had been abandoned, draped over the railing that separated the two levels of the room. He removed his glasses, and peered through them searchingly as he struggled to catch his breath. "It's a wonder...I could see anything... at all, these...wretched things...are so fogged up. Really, Buffy...you could've taken pity...on an old man, and stopped...a bit sooner."

"I stopped because I knew you were about to die, over there. I could...kinda...feel it, but I didn't really want to quit, 'cause I was really gettin' into it." She smiled fondly at him, enjoying his discomfort, but wanting to give him an out to save his feelings. "Don't go all geriatric on me, Mister Giles. I've fought centuries-old vamps that didn't last as long as you just did." She felt the urge to reach up and ruffle his hair even more than it already was, but wisely resisted, knowing two things: One, Giles would probably get all cranky if she did, and Two, the ever present Bond would kick in instantly with the contact. She hated to admit it, but she couldn't control the connection very well when she was tired, and, blast it, she was tired. "Well, old man, you just about wore me out. I'm done here. I'm hittin' the showers. Ya better call for a pinch hitter."

Giles frowned slightly, running his fingers through his wet hair. "Pinch hitter...oh, yes. Sports metaphor. Quite right...Faith is due here any minute. Perhaps you'd better wait...I may not have the stamina to take on two slayers in one morning."

Buffy stepped past him down to the reading area, toweling her face and neck.

"Just what I need...more exercise. I swear I'm wasting away tonothing...no sleep, no time to slurp chocolate malts at the Bronze, no eating buttered popcorn with cute guys at the movies, no life...nothing but practice, practice, practice! You, Mister, are a slave driver." She scooted the maul a safe distance back, turned toward him, and leaned against the table, pouting.

Giles looked her over slowly, thoughtfully, then dropped his gaze to examine his glasses. "And here I was about to say I thought you'd put on a few pounds..." He ducked suddenly as a soggy towel flew past his head.

"Well, at least the Bond allows me to know when you're in a mood to be teased...you could've thrown that battle ax at me, instead."

"Don't tempt me, Watcher." Buffy said in a dangerous tone. "I need the practice."

Giles began to chuckle as he got up from the steps, then bent over to pick up the wet towel. Buffy caught his merriment and giggled. She stood, and before she could catch herself, she stepped toward him, and, just as he straightened, reached to mess up his hair. The slight contact was enough to jolt her into near euphoria. Their good humor hummed strongly between them, and they stood there, eyes locked, as she slowly lowered her hand.

"Mmmm, nice." She said, still light-headed. "I'm getting used to being struck by lightning when I get around you."

The corners of his mouth quirked, slightly, and he wagged an admonishing finger at her. "Remember, Rule Number One..."

They spoke simultaneously. "Keep your hands to yourself!"

"Whose hands? Where were they? Wha'd I miss? Oh, man, I always miss the good stuff!" Faith yelled cheerfully, banging the door back as she entered the large room. She practically bounced over to the embarrassed pair. "C'mon, spill! I know a good, gushy secret when I almost hear one!" Buffy and Giles groaned in unison.

"Hello, Faith." Giles said, more calmly than he felt. "Right on time, as usual. Good." He looked at Buffy with a patient sigh. "If only you could teach Buffy that particular trick, we'd be in jolly good shape..."

"Oooff!" He exclaimed, as Buffy backhanded him across the chest, winding him more than he was already.

"Don't, 'hello Faith,' me, buster." Faith placed her hands on her hips, her stance confrontational. "Something's going on here, and I'm out of the loop. So, fix it. Tell me." She looked closely from one face to the other, trying to read their expressions. "Aw, gimme a break, guys. You two doin' the nasty, or somethin'?" Her face brightened hopefully. "That would be a hoot! Isn't there some kind of rule against that sort of thing? And the age thing...what's up with that?"

Buffy rolled her eyes at Faith's crass comments. "God, Faith, you have such a way with words. And, to answer your questions in order, Oh Puhleeze, I don't have the slightest idea, not that I care, and Get REAL. It's not like that."

Giles raised his eyebrows at her emphatic statements. "Thank you very much, Ms. Summers. I feel much better now." 'Methinks the lady doth protest too much...' He thought, not caring if she heard. She did.

A glare from Buffy convinced him to move out of arm's reach. He reached over the rail into his coat pocket for a handkerchief and proceeded to polish his glasses back to transparency. He paused, coming to a decision. Faith was a Slayer, and she deserved to know about all the possibilities and pitfalls of her calling. She was also a very...outspoken girl, and could cause considerable damage to their already tattered reputations with a single carefree statement. He had no idea how she would react, but she had to be told.

"Sit down for a bit, Faith...Buffy, you, too." He said in his best lecturer's tone. "This could take a while."

Faith looked expectantly at Giles as he paced back and forth behind the table.

"Hey, it ain't that bad, is it? No End of The World stuff, please. You ain't dying, or going away, are ya?" Her face fell into a frown. "God, please don't bring me that kind of bad vibes, OK?"

Giles smiled reassuringly. "No, no, nothing like that. This isn't a tragedy...it's just...well, awkward. You see, Buffy and I discovered, only recently, and quite by accident, that we share a...empathetic and somewhat telepathic connection." He stopped, glancing at Buffy, who squirmed slightly, but said nothing. He continued, "It was called The Bond in several Watcher Diaries, so I suppose that is the accepted term. It was referred to, in the distant past, as a link between certain Watchers and their respective Slayers that appeared after a long and, um, close association. The exact details were never written down, and it hasn't been mentioned at all in this century. It can be quite intense, but I believe we are learning to cope."

Buffy applauded loudly. "Great job, Giles! And you didn't even stutter once! Much better than when you tried to tell me about it. You had a real Porky Pig thing going that day." She grinned knowingly at Faith, then the two girls giggled at the comparison.

Giles looked uncomfortable. "Well, I've had some time to adjust. It's, well, it's quite...ah...pleasant, actually, when it doesn't interfere with vital activities, such as driving..."

"And walking." Buffy inserted.

"And talking?" Faith added, enjoying herself immensely.

"And breathing..."

Giles cleared his throat impatiently. "Please, ladies. Now where was I? It is intensified by physical contact, and when said points of contact are multiplied..."

Buffy made an explosive gesture. "Ka-BOOOM! We short out the southern half of the West Coast."

Faith looked impressed. "And I thought you were just screwing. Boy, this really blows me. My Watcher never mentioned anything like that." She frowned sorrowfully at the memory. "'Course, she wouldn't have, 'cause she wasn't as cool as you guys." She looked at Giles with frank admiration. "So you got chosen to get zapped, right? Must be hot stuff, you two. Very uptown."

Giles smiled, thinking about what she said. "Perhaps you're right, Faith. Instead of thinking of this as a... burden, perhaps we should think of it as a gift. A Blessing, if you will. Historically, many active slayers and their watchers didn't live long enough to develop the kinship Buffy and I have. We should be grateful, I think."

Buffy smiled back, a real smile, genuine and warm. "I already feel pretty lucky." She waved her hand at Faith. "I've got a solid slayer sis to back me up, and the best Watcher in the world to look out for me." She smiled again, shyly, as she looked at Giles, watching for his reaction to her unexpected compliment.

She wasn't disappointed. He looked back at her, surprised, then beamed his delight back at her. His smile felt like a physical force, and she again felt an empathic rush of emotions. He was truly proud of her, and was thankful beyond words that she felt the same.

"Whoa, guys, that oooie-gooie stuff is gettin' thick in here. I think it's time for me to train, unless you wanna keep makin' with the goo-goo eyes." Faith scooted the chair back, stood, and strode purposefully toward the training area, snagging a quarterstaff on her way. As she went up the stairs, she said over her shoulder, "Are you sure you guys aren't having sex?"


"I was just thinkin', Giles..." Buffy swept into Giles' office unannounced, startling him and causing him to fumble the book he was reading. "That this Bond business doesn't work all the time."

Giles cleared his throat and placed the book gently on his desk. "Like just now, you mean?" He frowned, trying to capture the last few moments in his mind. "I didn't... sense you coming near, or you would never have been able to surprise me." He stood, looking distinctly worried. "I wonder why?"

Buffy plopped down on the corner of his desk. "I didn't feel you, either. I didn't know if you were even here. But I think I know why. Usually, when this Bond thing is really kicking in, we're in a good mood... all sappy, happy, the Hills are Alive, and all that. But, just now, I Am Not A Happy Camper. In fact, I am really pissed."

Giles shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. That word did not mean the quite same thing in the jargon of his day. "And what, exactly, were you, um, 'pissed' about?"

Buffy snorted. "What else? I got a D in Business Math. For the whole stinkin' semester, even. How unfair is that? I really studied that stuff...you know, you helped! For a whole week! I have got to be the dumbest girl in this school." She pouted slightly, folding her arms with a sigh.

"That's a very reasonable explanation, from your end. But why didn't I sense you? I wasn't angry. I was simply reading." He stood, looked at her, knowing what she was waiting for, and commented obligingly, "And you are not dumb."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She put on her best Giles voice. "I'm simply not applying myself properly." She sighed again. "I really am trying...I just haven't had that much practice...oh, there's that word again... anyway, I think it has something to do with being preoccupied. Y'know, something else on our minds? Whenever we clicked before, we were alone, concentrating on each other...y'know what I mean."

"Yes, I think I do." He began to pace excitedly, a difficult task in the small room. "If, if you're right, and I have no reason to believe otherwise at this point, then, well, it should be fairly simple to prove your theory. This could give us the control factor we're looking for! Well done, Buffy!" He swung around to face her suddenly, his face lit up in a radiant smile, and Buffy's stomach twisted with the intensity of his emotions.

He was barely two paces from her, and the joy of discovery emanated from him like rays from the sun. She was hardly aware that she had taken a step toward him, her eyes focused on his. He felt the backwash of his emotions channeled through her reaction, and with the smile still on his lips, he leaned slightly down. The kiss caught them somewhere in the middle, and they tried and failed to rein in their feelings. Their eyes closed as Buffy's hand reached for his chest, and his arms slid around her waist. One hand came in contact with the skin at the small of her back, and the Bond crackled, doubled, and swirled in their brains like a telepathic tornado. They kissed intensely, deeply, like lovers kept apart for a long time. The room was silent for a long moment, except for the sound of their labored breathing and the occasional moan. As her hand stole upwards, touching his face, there was a physical spark that seemed to ignite the air, and they at last broke the kiss, their bodies and minds rebelling, finally, against the overload of sensations.

After what seemed like hours, but must have been minutes, their heartbeats began to slow, and their minds began to clear. They stood, not moving, and tried to close the door linking them. It was a slow process, but finally Buffy felt a distinct cooling in her mind. She sighed in relief, and slumped back against the desk again. She had absolutely no idea what to say. She kept losing control, which was embarrassing enough, but then the object of her abandon was standing right in front of her, still looking right at her. He could at least have the decency to look away!

But he didn't. Look away. He kept gazing at her, right into her, making her uncomfortable and comforted at the same time. 'This is way too weird for words...' she thought, and heard his answering agreement in her mind. At last, she summoned the presence of mind to speak.

"I gotta quit doing this... I just can't think fast enough to stop myself. I am a pervert." She looked down at her hands, folded neatly in her lap again. "I'm sorry, Giles. You must think I'm crazy, or something... well, way in the back of your mind, behind all the nice."

Giles was washed briefly in Buffy's chagrin and self-loathing, and spoke quickly to assuage her fears. "No, you're not crazy, or perverted, not at all. Remember, I, I feel this... well, I feel it, too, whatever 'it' is. And, I'm not sure if, if I should be horrified or thrilled by your reaction... I just know we have to find... a way to c-control this Bond. Perhaps it is time we stopped pretending it doesn't exist and start working actively on a means of channeling it properly."

Buffy looked at him, amazed. "How can we control it, if I can't control me? What we need is a chaperone. Someone we can really trust."

Giles raised his eyebrows. "A chaperone? Who could we possibly talk into chaperoning us?"

******

"Who? ME? NoNoNo, I couldn't... I'm not a Watcher, I'm a... well, I'm going to be a something... maybe someday, but I don't know what, just yet but.... I couldn't... Why ME?" Willow concluded with a wail. Buffy had invited Will to come over and listen to the latest hits on CD, and they had been sprawled on the bed, until Buffy casually explained her request. Willow jumped up and turned, bumping into the corner of Buffy's bed. She edged away from Buffy, fearfully.

"C'mon, Will, it's not like you have to do anything. You just watch. Make sure I don't jump Giles' bones or anything dumb like that...Ewww, as if I would, if I was even in my right mind, but when this thing kicks in, I'm in the Twilight Zone. I wouldn't even be telling you this, it's too embarrassing, if I didn't think you would help. We gotta get a handle on this, and soon, or I'm gonna be a basket case, and Giles is gonna end up making friends with Tattoo Guy in the Sunnydale lock-up. So, whaddaya say? Help us out?"

Willow's face crumpled as she gave in. Buffy stood, taking Willow by the arm.

"Now's as good a time as any. Giles and Faith are waiting for us at the library."

Willow blanched. "Oh, now? Oh, OK. Wait, what am I doing? What do I do if you do decide to attack Giles, or something? I couldn't stop you, could I? What am I gonna do, hose you down? I don't know why I'm doing this. Why can't Faith do this? I'm not doing this... I am doing this... I can do this, can't I?"

"Sure you can, Will. Piece of cake. Just...keep us focused, that's all. Starting right now." Buffy started walking, shepherding Willow toward the stairwell. Willow continued her doubtful diatribe as they went down the stairs and out the door.

******

"Now, Buffy, we have to try and concentrate on something serious, something that will occupy our minds completely for a few moments. Aha, I have it... imagine there are six vampires coming through the library doors any minute, and we are getting ready for them. Can you do that?" Giles stood, hands clenched at his sides, with Buffy a few steps in front of him. She was staring a hole in his chest, not willing to look into his eyes.

She nodded. "I think so. I've never been good at 'let's pretend.'"

"Well, try. Willow, Faith, you may see a physical manifestation of the Bond as a spark, or glow of some sort. If it intensifies, tell us. We may not be able to see it, being at its center. Everybody ready?"

Willow and Faith nodded, fascinated by the thought of their friends glowing like light bulbs.

"Right, then. Buffy, give me your hand." He held his hand out, uncurling his fingers toward her.

She reached out, tentatively, and took it.

Nothing happened. No lights. No sirens. No nothing. Faith stirred, impatient to see the show. "I don't see anything, you guys."

"Neither do I." Willow looked uncertain. "You think it's worn off?"

"Nah, I think we've got a control thing going, here. Right, Giles?" Buffy began to relax, a little.

His look of concentration eased slightly. "Well, it's too soon to tell, but I think concentration may be the key. What are you thinking, Buffy?"

"That I would love a chocolate malt and a bag of buttered popcorn right about now."

Giles gave a half-laugh, and grinned, looking down at Buffy with affection. She looked up at him, smiling.

Crack!

The Bond instantly returned in all its intensity, fueled by their emotions, channeled through their still clasped hands. Faith gasped loudly as she witnessed an incredible golden glow surrounding the pair. "Whoa, Nellie! I ain't never seen anything like that before!" She stared, mesmerized.

Willow only looked confused. "I still don't see anything...except Buffy and Giles kissing...hey, they're kissing...You Guys Quit That!" She jumped to her feet and shouted. "STOP IT!"

Giles broke the kiss and stepped back quickly. Buffy had the presence of mind to untangle her hand from his, and severed the connection.

"Oops, lost track of my train of thought there, and derailed. Sorry." She offered, lamely. 'At least you had the good grace to look embarrassed this time,' she thought to him sharply, and he chuckled again, and turned away, blushing.

Faith was still in total amazement. "Can you guys read each other's minds? Even when you aren't holding hands and locking lips?"

"More importantly, why didn't I see what Faith saw?" Willow said thoughtfully.

Faith shrugged. "I'm a slayer. I see stuff nobody else sees on a regular basis. No Big."

Willow was in full Research Mode now. She hopped up, changing seats to activate the library's PC. "There's more to this than meets Faith's eye, I'm sure of it. Something us 'mere mortals' don't see. Let me dig around a little, and see what I find." She tuned the others out, fixed on the screen.

"So, B, what's it like?" Faith sauntered over to Buffy, who was still trying to clear her head. Giles had retreated into the stacks, partly to hide his embarrassment, and partly to look for something he might have missed that might help them solve the riddle.

"What's what like? The Bond?"

"Naw, not that. What's it like..." She leaned closer, and dropped her voice to a whisper, "kissing Giles?"

She elbowed Buffy suggestively. "From where I sat, you sure looked like you were enjoying yourselves. So...describe! Is he a Hoover, a Maytag, or...what?"

Buffy looked at her, confused. "Hoover? Maytag? What's that? Nevermind, I don't wanna hear it."

The look on Faith's face said that she wasn't giving up.

Buffy sighed. She'd played this game before. "Well... he's not a 'hoover'. Whatever that is, it sounds bad, and he's good. Nice... gentle, but intense, not too intense, and he's definitely had some practice, from somewhere. I don't even wanna think about where. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give him a solid ten. And, I know for dead sure he was enjoying himself, too... 'cause I could feel..." She stopped, mortified by what she almost said, rolled her eyes and threw her hands into the air. "I don't want to think about this. Stop making me think about this! I can't believe I'm having this conversation. Go away."

"Hey, Buffy, look! I think I found something!" Willow hollered gleefully, turning from the monitor and waving Buffy over. Faith was already sitting next to Willow, and had been offering her two cents' worth of advice on keywords... Will had tried them all, even the gross ones. And she had found something.

"Look here... it's a story from the early sixteen hundreds, in Scotland, about a man and a young girl that saved a village from evil vampires... and I'd bet good money that they were Watcher and Slayer! This book is really old, but it's in English, or what passed for English in the seventeen fifty somethings... see, you can only read it on the net now, 'cause they don't know where the original got to... Uh, well, anyway, the man and the girl were just passing through, and they stayed until they killed all the vampires. The priest of the village... let's see here, lemme read it to you... "Bestowed he a blessing, fair and wise, from his ancient wisdom upon the worthy messenger of light, and upon his angel, to remind them and their progeny eternally of their succor a time of great need."

"And here's the blessing, right here." She stopped, falling silent as she read. She began to turn all shades of red as the meaning behind the blessing became clearer, couched as it was in archaic language structure. "My goodness... it sounds more like a fertility rite than a blessing... oh, I don't think I wanna read the rest of it... oh, oh wow, I didn't know they used words like that back then!" She pushed away, red faced, shocked to the core.

Buffy read over Willow's shoulder, her face going from curiosity to disbelief, then through horror on its way to a complete and total wiggins. "Oh, God. Oh, God. That's what's gonna happen to US? Oh, God. Oh........God." She looked at the last stanza, again, hoping she had read it wrong. "Oh, God. I am so not cut out for this..." She stared again at the words before her. "This guy was a priest? Not like any priest I ever met." She flopped into the nearest chair, hiding her face in her hands. "Oh, God. Why ME?"

They all three turned as they heard Giles coming down the steps. Their look of horror, and underlying morbid fascination, brought him up short. He paused at the bottom of the steps, almost afraid to get any closer. Those looks definitely meant trouble. He shoved his hands into his pockets before he spoke.

"Did...did you find something useful?" He said, uncertainly, not sure he wanted to hear what it was. His innocent statement elicited a round of near-hysterical giggles from the other side of the room. "Uhm, am I to know what you've found? Or are you lot just going to laugh?"

Willow, not knowing what else to do, slid out of her chair, biting her lip. With a sweeping motion of her hand, she invited him to see for himself.


Giles was riveted by the passage he was reading...and more than a little too warm for his clothes. The babble of female voices behind him seemed to fade completely. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, loosened his tie, ran his fingers through his hair, adjusted his glasses. The second- (or possibly third-) hand description left him speechless. He was teetering on the edge of hysteria. From what he could gather, (his mind, though racing ninety to nothing, was not the clearest, at the moment) The Bond was described as a (possibly Druid, definitely pagan) blessing, bestowed by a priest upon the heroic pair and their ensuing bloodlines. They were blessed as a team, as mates, and the blessing was passed down to their descendants. Both parties had to be related by blood to the original pair to be effected by it.

He sat back, thinking. Many of Giles' ancestors were watchers, and some of them female... how could that possibly work? True, it was an ancient, male dominated society that spawned the blessing, but some beliefs gave females an equal or even superior role in things of magic. It was a crap shoot at best, taking long odds that random pairings would bring male and female together, since the blessing seemed to have mainly to do with procreation. 'Maybe there's a gender clause lost in the translation...' he thought. Apparently it wasn't an issue in the later accounts, since all the active watchers that wrote of the effect had been male. The slayer's matching blessing seemed to be the catalyst for bringing The Bond to life... Still, it was odd. Not in keeping with similar blessings and cursings he had read.

Since his watcher's bloodline was obviously affected, he reasoned that Buffy's line had to also be touched by the 'blessing.' But from mother or father? Completing the puzzle was still a long way off. What triggered the change? Was it the slayer's age? Could it be circumvented? Could it interfere with their mission, and cost them their lives? He read the passage again, slowly. The blessing was mostly to do with mating, fertility and virility, good, solid Druidish stuff. He shook his head... something was missing... missing... about the empathy, and the thought connection! There was nothing in the writings that suggested the recipients could read each others' minds. There was only an explicit description of joyful, enthusiastic, and fruitful, copulation. Attraction, yes; telepathy, no. And the language, although archaic, was all wrong for seventeenth century Scotland. It was sounded more like... eighteenth century England. Obviously, someone had altered the text of the Blessing... one hundred years after it was written!

"This cannot be right. There's something missing. What is described here is...vastly different than what we seem to be experiencing, though there are a few similarities." He shrugged, suspecting that the three girls were staring at him like a new specimen of slug. "How could something so... basic... as a blessing be transformed into something so base......?"

He looked around again. He was alone. Now where did they go? And how long had they been gone? He stood, taking a few steps and leaning around visual obstacles, trying not to panic further. The room was empty of girls. He hadn't heard them leave. He hadn't heard anything, actually. He tried to recall if they had spoken to him recently, and he remembered nothing. He decided to call Buffy's house in a few minutes to check on her.Giles turned back toward the computer, and his eyes fell on the recently acquired watcher diary on the desk. The century was right, the decade was just about right. "Perhaps you can enlighten us, Jonas, my friend. Let's see, shall we?"

He quickly became engrossed in the rise and fall of the handwritten words. Jonas Smith was something of a romantic, and his writings were colorful and vividly descriptive. Not at all like the usual stodgy, staid prose of your average watcher. 'This fellow must have given the Watcher's Council of the day a fair headache,' he thought, smiling. The first mention of dark magic and spells in the narrative drove the smile from his face and sparked a rush of memory. He rose quickly, took the stairs to the stacks in two jumps, and began to search for a new volume. Finding it, he resumed his seat, reading a moment, and then exclaimed, "Ahah! I thought so!" He read on, losing track of time, and better than 20 minutes passed before he again raised his head.

He shot out of the chair, feeling guilty. He needed to check on the girls, now. He started for the telephone, but just as he reached it, he heard a faint commotion in the hall outside. More from habit than bravado, he dashed through the swinging doors, looking swiftly left and right. The sounds came from the left, just around the corner. He ran toward them, reaching for the crucifix he kept in his pocket. His mind quested ahead of him... 'Buffy! Buffy... are you all right? Answer me! Buffy!'

From beyond his sight, Buffy screamed, 'Get back! Hide! Two in front of you!' It barely registered that the voice was not audible. He skidded to a halt, measuring the distance between the corner and the library doors. He dove for the doors and they closed just as two very large and ugly vampires started down the hall. Not wanting to be completely defenseless, he sprinted for the weapons locker and grabbed his favorite crossbow and two stakes. He heard Buffy say 'Willow and Faith... safe at home.' He turned just in time to see the vamps push into the room, looking over their shoulders as they came. They both saw him, and stopped. There was a moment of evaluation...two vamps, one bolt. Giles heard Buffy's voice again, appraising him of her situation... 'Three down, one to go.' and he grinned viciously.

The vamp on the right eyed him, sizing him up, and moved first. Instantly, he disappeared in a puff of ash as the bolt nailed him squarely in the chest. The second one, aware that the crossbow was empty, began circling, trying to push Giles into a corner...there just weren't that many good corners in the hexagonal lower room.

The vamp hissed, smiling. "Pleased to meet you, Watcher. My friends are taking care of your little girlfriend right about now. So, come here, and take your execution like a man!" He raised his arms in an intimidating gesture...he had four or five inches height on Giles, and it had an effect, but not the one he planned on. He just made a better target.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Giles felt absolutely sure of himself. He flipped the sharp stake, holding it by the point, aimed, and threw, knife-style. Bullseye! The creature's face registered surprise, briefly, before it blew apart. Giles shouted, "Yes!" in his elation, but felt no inner response from Buffy. The silence terrified him.

Without hesitation, Giles started for the door again. His mind cried out into nothing, reaching to contact his slayer. He was almost weeping when her presence again filled him, soothing him. 'Remember... concentration, Giles? I was busy, you were busy...and now six vamps are history.' He gulped a few breaths, calming himself. He pushed himself toward the door, and it opened. Buffy ran straight into his arms and hugged him so tight he couldn't breathe at all. Relief and joy vibed between them.

'Buffy, you're squeezing me too tight.' Giles managed to think, and she instantly loosened her grip on his middle.

"Thank God you're all right." He gasped, catching his breath again. "I was...becoming quite concerned. I couldn't feel you for a moment there, and it was...it was..." He held her back, slightly, looking into her flushed face. "I thought I'd lost you." He finished, his voice tinged with emotion.

Buffy reached up to touch his face, tenderly. The Bond snapped into place, and he relaxed visibly. No words were spoken for several minutes as they communicated on a level that allowed no deception, no pretense, and no secrets. Again, they drew close, her face against his chest, his chin resting on her head, his eyes closed.

He didn't want to break away, but he had to try. As he moved his hands down to her waist, she slid both arms around his neck and started kissing him. "Mmmmmff, um, Buffy... let me go." He murmured against her lips.

"Don't want to." She replied.

'I know that.' He thought and she heard him loud and clear. She just ignored it.

"Please. We have to talk." She sighed and complied, sliding her hands to his chest before breaking contact.

"Don't want to talk." She said, in the same distracted way.

"But I've found something. I fear we're the victims of a misguided eighteenth century wizard. I must consult a few more books, but I think I know what we're dealing with." He smiled gently. "Let's start by evaluating our Bond's effect on us tonight, shall we?" He ignored her raised eyebrow, and guided her toward his office.

An hour later, Buffy was truly impressed. Seems like The Bond gave them instant communication, but serious concentration could block it momentarily. The exchanges were instantaneous and complete, and left no doubt as to motive or meaning. Giles had heard her voice clearly in his head during the confrontation, as clearly as he was hearing it now, and she heard his as well. She sat on the small couch in his office, trying to take it all in.

She was also impressed with her Watcher. He had neatly dispatched two vampires in less that a minute. By himself!

"I would imagine that, being linked together as we were, we were able to share some of our knowledge and skills. I've never thrown a stake successfully before, and I have tried." Giles sat down next to her, giving up all pretense of distance between them. He slid his arm around her, and she leaned against him gratefully.

"And, as I read Jonas Smith's diary, I remembered something... he was later outcast because of his dabbling in the black arts for his own gain. He apparently found a way to alter the original Celtic blessing, which, as far as I have been able to deduce, was originally a psychic bond, not a physical one."

He sighed. "It's quite understandable, really. Smith was a romantic at heart, and he tended to...fixate...on any subject that caught his fancy. He was probably... ah, in love with his slayer. At any rate, he apparently did all he could to turn her affections towards him, which unfortunately included black magic. He altered the original Blessing, and attempted a recast of his own version. I didn't find where they ever... produced children, so I don't think things worked out quite the way he planned. The secondary spell might have worked for a short while, but ultimately it was a failure. The original text was discovered only a few weeks ago. The council sent the diary and all the supporting documents, as a warning. They just arrived a bit too late." Giles shook his head sadly. "He took a heartfelt blessing of wisdom, protection, and companionship and tried to make it into something... else, and muddled the whole thing. The original blessing did not promote or preclude an intimate relationship. It just wasn't mentioned in the text."

He smiled as he stroked her hair. "I imagine we will find the True Bond useful. It certainly kept us alive tonight."

Buffy looked doubtfully at Giles. "Sounds good, sounds right. Only one prob... if the second spell didn't work, why do I keep kissing you?"

Giles raised his eyebrows and took off his glasses, swinging them a little in his hand as he spoke. He tried not to grin. "Perhaps... it's because... you like me."

* * *