NOTE: Thank you to JimmyHall24 and Serendipity .now for leaving a review and faving and to Nameless Angel 00, Lovingh3art , and Alies16 for following and faving this story! I really appreciate the support. I hope this chapter will be exciting to read.

-: CHAPTER THREE: FIRST ENCOUNTER :-
Part One

Giles had left later that day after carrying out a brief phone call. To which Jackie had decided not to ease drop on since that would have been rather rude of her. Though, she couldn't help but notice how he had behaved to a particular book when dusting the shelves earlier. Something had triggered him, that was obvious enough, but just what exactly Jackie didn't know. Even if she wanted to ask, Giles had taken off in a hurry, dashing out the door with a bag in hand, leaving Jackie on her own in the small cozy two-story flat. It was strange being in a house she had only seen on the show, knowing full well the place was meant to be a stage prop and not a functioning residence. Yet this place was real. It had bookshelves lining the walls, a small kitchenette, and wooden furniture that only an older person could find attractive. Everything seemed out of date too as if Giles was still holding on to a different time. He even had a corded phone, for example, but overall it was pleasant. Homey.

All day Jackie sat there, fidgeting, thinking, knowing she would eventually meet Buffy and her friends. There was no putting that off. Of course, It made her anxious in a way but how could it not? It was Buffy, not Sarah Michelle Gellar, the actress but instead a strong woman with inhuman capabilities. Who wouldn't be a little nervous about that?

By now Jackie understood that she must have crash landed somewhere in the midst of the series. For example, Angel didn't have Angel Investigations at the hotel yet, but still at the first location. Not to mention that Sunnydale was not some massive crater in the earth. Now, where was Jackie exactly when it came to the timeline she wasn't sure. And honestly, that was only one pressing matter on her growing list of problems.

At some point, Jackie's recurring reflections that were not getting her anywhere but dead ends became the better of her, so she opened up a book. It was old. She could tell from the yellowing pages and worn out spine, but it was still in English. Well, mostly. Some contexts were in a different language. Some Jackie could recognize as dead tongues, like Latin. Others completely other-worldly, but it didn't stop this 'Book Nerd' from reading. Jackie couldn't help but finger the pages with curiosity and only stopped when she reached a particular illustration that showed a hideous demon. Despite its unattractive features, what with rough skin, massive claws, and a mouth full of sharp teeth, Jackie still ran a hand along the sketched portrait, memorizing it.

It was such an extraordinary experience to read and see these studies about supernatural creatures. Jackie knew these beings were real here in this reality unlike her's. And for hours she had sat down to study materials like this one knowing they were just folklore, but not now. Now every little tidbit was meant to be taken seriously; it was genuine, and Jackie swallowed up the info page after page.

Hours must have passed before she heard the door open and glanced over to see Giles stumbling through the door, unstable on his feet. The button-up shirt that he had worn out was carelessly thrown to the floor while he made his way to the stairs, and gradually he made it to his room without saying a word. From what Jackie could tell, the older man hadn't even noticed her on the couch.

The sight had made her eyebrows furrow in concern. She couldn't recall Giles ever getting drunk, but it wasn't like she could quiz him on his traditional morals. So instead she checked the clock to see that it was late, way into the morning hours, and decided that it was time for bed herself. Still in her tank top and torn up dark jeans, Jackie pulled the burrowed quilt over her body and clicked the lamp off near the couch. The living room fell into darkness as Jackie curled up into the well-worn cushions, books forgotten on the coffee table.

A loud thumping noise drew Jackie out of her dreamless slumber and with a foggy mind she rose to stretch. It wasn't until she picked up an abrupt crash that it drove her to twist around on the couch, catching a half-dressed demon standing on the stairs. It had grabbed the railing to help itself down the last few steps for it to only break a post clear off the structure, flinging it to the floor. Jackie could see the creature was as startled too when the giant horned demon raised its gaze to meet hers.

Jackie's initial impulse was to bolt up and rush for the door. The fight-or-flight switch activating, but she made no sudden moves, hesitant about what that may provoke. Instead, she inched backward off the sofa so she could be on her feet, ready just in case. This was technically the first time she had come face to face with a demon, and fear was kicking in.

However, as the sleep began to vanish from the adrenaline surging through her veins, Jackie started to apprehend the picture. The demon was a tall, bumpy, muscled, horned, and had a mouth full of fangs type of creature. Which caused her to question how it could speak and it was definitely trying to talk to her. Although it was a garbled mess of sounds. Nothing she could comprehend anyway. It was the way it floundered, arms wavering around to exaggerate whatever it was saying, and how it struggled to pick up the discarded shirt to cover its exposed torso, that made Jackie realized who this was.

"Giles?" Jackie stepped forward slowly with her voice low, still uncertain. She didn't recall this happening in the show, but then again how could she expect this to be an episode. Was it an episode? There were seven seasons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even more if you include the comic series. How was she expected to call up every event?

The shirt ripped as he shifted to face her again, producing noise while nodding and pointing to himself before tossing the torn fabric to the floor, noticeably upset.

"Oh-okay, so you uh, look... different this morning." Jackie nervously commented while easing around the couch but still staying at a distance. Demon-Giles grunted and turned to the phone, picking it up for it to quickly snap under his grip, and with an understanding annoyance, he let it drop. So much for giving help a ring, Jackie thought. He turned to her and kept talking in that strange language to which Jackie shook her head fast, hands up in a calming manner. It was useless for him to try and explain what was going on if she couldn't understand him.

"Look, I don't know what you are saying. You're not speaking English. But uh," Jackie turned in place looking for another line, but that seemed to be his only phone. Great. "Uh, we need to find someone who does. Who can help, right?" Giles nodded before looking at the crumbled phone with regret, but what was done was done.

Jackie grabbed the blanket from the couch and tossed it to Giles. She noticed he was uncomfortable earlier by being half dressed and he seemed thankful to cover up now, pulling the quilt over his shoulders. But what was the plan? Jackie didn't know where any of the others were and it wasn't like she could ask Giles since she is not supposed to know anyone.

After another moment of contemplation, Jackie grabbed a pen and paper from the kitchen's countertop but stopped when she turned to Giles. He had snapped the phone in half, torn a piece of the stairs right off, and punched a hole in the wall. Even though it was by accident no less, Jackie doubted he could write.

"Well, I feel stupid," she mumbled while putting the supplies back before running a hand through her hair, a sense of frustration coming over her now. "Well, I don't think you should go outside, and I know no one that could help other than Angel and the phone is... broken. I don't know what to do, but you roaming around outside where everyone can see you, is not the answer."

Giles grunted out an incoherent reply as he paced the room, his weight causing his feet to thump loudly on the floor.

"Let's wait till dark- or maybe someone will come by? Yeah." she offered, and Giles growled but conceded before plopping down on the sofa. His weight made the furniture groan, and Jackie could have sworn she heard a few springs break, but at least the legs didn't give out.

That's one sturdy couch, Jackie thought before heading into the kitchen to find something to eat. There was no use pulling her hair out since neither of them could do anything for now.

"Would you like some eggs and bacon?"

Nightfall eventually arrived after some award-winning awkward silence. Not to mention the impressive sight of Giles scooping food into his mouth with little damage to the bowl since Jackie used that rather than a plate and fork. However, no one had come by to visit.

So by the time the sun went down, Demon-Giles was restless to get out to find the person who did this to him. And before Jackie had her boots laced all the way he was making it to the door. The poor door held no chance against his newfound strength either, and it came right off the hinges, denting the wall. Before he could get far, Jackie bounced up and raced after his retreating form.

"Wait!" Demon-Giles paused and gave Jackie a frustrated expression. "I need to come along, right? No one will understand or recognize you. I'm the only one that knows it is you, Giles, so let me help." They stayed there outside his home while he considered it, but shortly he nodded before thrusting out his hand. Car keys were being cradled in the massive palm, and Jackie understood the notion even if she couldn't see the big demon driving in the first place. Picking up the keys, she headed over to the out of date white car. "I guess just point and grunt and I'll drive."

Demon-Giles grunted with a nod.

They had arrived at the large Sunnydale Cemetary. Why the cemetery Jackie didn't know. Yet she didn't question it as Demon-Giles lead the way, blanket still draped over his shoulders and held tight to his chest by a claw-fingered hand. They trekked through the grounds, weaving around graves until coming to a vast mausoleum. Jackie watched on as the demon broke the heavy door with little effort and pursued him inside only to see a spider infested and dust covered empty room. That didn't help Demon-Giles as he growled in disappointment causing her to scamper out of the way as he stalked out into the moonlight.

"All right, so that didn't work," she remarked out loud while striding up to walk alongside him. "Were you expecting someone to be there?" she asked even though she knew it was pointless in understanding him completely. Although, it earned Jackie a nod before they fell back into a mutual silence, only the crunch of grass and crickets filling in the void.

Maybe he was looking for Spike, thought Jackie. Why Giles would, she didn't know, but she recalled that Spike had lived in a crypt in the show at some point. At the thought of the vampire, Jackie worked on remembering more of the tv series. A mental image popped into her head that showed off Spike's features, yet it was only a fuzzy memory. It had been too long since she thought about that particular vampire even though the character played a significant role.

Demon-Giles came to an abrupt stop which pulled Jackie from her musings and pointed in a direction while speaking in that strange tongue. After a second of staring Jackie knew what he was doing.

"You want me to look over there?" Jackie didn't even know what to search for, but Giles nodded in confirmation before making a circular gesture with the same hand. "Then meet up here?" that question caused another nod.

"And if I turn up something?" she pressed, stopping Giles in mid-step of turning away. He cupped his free hand near his mouth to imitate a yell. Jackie felt lucky that he didn't follow through with screaming because she expected it would have been a hideously loud noise. "Okay then, I guess." Jackie then watched him wander off in the opposite direction, shoulders hunched.

It was a plan. Maybe not the brightest one, Jackie couldn't help but think, but at least an idea. Besides this was a common hunting grounds for the Slayer, so maybe Buffy would be here. That thought encouraged her some, and with that in mind, Jackie walked off in the direction Demon-Giles hand gestured to. It didn't take long to cover the area, and for being a cemetery that Jackie could have sworn Buffy often frequented, due to newborn vampires, it seemed dead. Well, the usual deadness of a necropolis, anyway. It didn't take long before Jackie was heading back to the meeting place. That was when she saw Giles glaring in her direction at a distance, but she shortly realized it was not directed at her as a motion behind the demon caught her attention. Then a British voice reached her ears.

"A demon. That would be- Oh right, the things I can kill." There's Spike. What perfect timing, Jackie thought, and from what she could tell by Spike's voice he meant it too. Demon-Giles seemed to sigh at this encounter though, his shoulders lowering as he spoke. The tone of exhaustion showing in that foreign language. Spike's head tilted, eyes squinting some, as he listened.

Did he understand him?

"Giles?" it took Demon-Giles a second to realize Spike had recognized him and he put his fists down, speaking. Spike seemed to smirk while speaking as if Giles situation was amusing to him. "Of course I understand you." Another response from Giles and Spike's eyebrows appeared to lift. "No, you're speaking Fyral. I happen to speak Fyral." That didn't seem to help Giles, though, as the demon's head tilted away, most likely rolling his eyes but Jackie couldn't tell from this angle. Well, that answered Jackie's silent question anyhow.

"And by the way," Spike spoke up again, "Why the hell are you suddenly a Fyral demon?"

It was great that someone understood the poor guy, but that left Jackie out of the loop, still not getting what was exchanged between the two entirely other than the version Spike was giving.

"Um, excuse me." Jackie broke into their chat while closing the gap to step up beside Demon-Giles. "As much as the one-sided conversation is helping me some. We still need help to figure out how to undo this."

"Another one? Are you guy's multiplying or somethin'?" Spike's retort made Jackie's eyebrow arch.

"Exactly what do you mean?" in return that made the vampire scoff, and as if talking to a child he explained it in more detail.

"Another member of the Scooby's, right?" Oh, he meant apart of Buffy's growing group of friends. "The Slayer's friend."

She gave a smile at their title before answering, "I've yet to meet the Slayer, actually."

"And yet you're not freaking out about Giles here being a Fyral demon?" Jackie shook her head while crossing her arms. "Hm, all right. Interesting." Spike made his way to a tomb nearby while giving the woman one last glance. All the while fishing out a cigarette to smoke. The calculating gaze finally settled back on Giles as he sought for his liter. "So let me guess. you just come over all demony this morning?"

At that question Giles seemed more animated, scooting closer to Spike whilst talking. It made Spike stop his motion to light the cancer stick, intent on listening.

"And I'm just supposed to help you out of the evilness of my heart?" Spike answered with another question after what seemed to be the longest speech Giles had provided since his change, topping the inquiry off with another head tilt and a hard stare. That only brought a sputtering reply from the demon, and whatever he said hardly intimidated the peroxide vampire. "Oh, tremendously convincing." his tone was flat. "Try again without the stutter."

However, whatever Giles said next seemed to grab Spike's attention, the hand that held the now lit cigarette dropping once again. "Oh, I like money. " Pushing off the wall he had previously been leaning on Spike stood with more interest while adjusting his trench coat. "How much?"

Of course, Giles was willing to bribe. How could Jackie blame him though? If she were in his position, she too would do what she could to fix the situation.

Spike looked offended by whatever Demon-Giles had said, "One-hundred dollars. You'll have to do a lot better than that." Then after a brief pause, Spike added, "Two-Hundred." In which Giles promptly answered to, not taken aback by the demand. It caught Spike by surprise, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Right, then." He tossed the hardly used smoke to the ground at that point. "What's first? I run and tell the Slayer what you've gotten yourself into?"

Giles didn't seem to like that proposition as his head shook, hands gesturing while talking, and then he briskly stepped past Spike toward the parked car. The vampire had watched Demon-Giles for a second before angling back to Jackie, arms crisscrossed over his chest. And she stared back a little stiffly, not sure on how to handle his attention on her. The vague image she had thought about recently didn't live up to the real thing. Spike's eyes were a piercing blue and tore into her without meaning to. There was even a scar over his left eyebrow that she had forgotten about and that hair. Bleached to the point of being misinterpreted for white. Not to mention those cheeks. Were they always that defined?

"What?" he asked when their staring contest wasn't getting anywhere. Jackie couldn't help but mimic his body language, feeling more insecure.

"Nothing." came her quick reply and it made Spike's eyebrow lift in question. "It's not like I understood but half of what was said, you know. I'm just along for the journey now, apparently, since Giles has you."

Spike's arms dropped at that before turning to head after Demon-Giles, a hand gesturing for her to follow half-heartedly, "Come'on then. I don't have all night. I have better things I could be doing." and she hurriedly followed without another comment.

And that was how Jackie found herself in the back seat, enduring a car ride with a grumbling demon and a vampire. Said demon kept going on about something that Jackie would never understand, though she could assume it had something to do with Spike. The car didn't seem fond of the vampire man-handling it either.

"I'm doing my best." He grumbled out while still trying to shift, finally reaching third, and Jackie found relief in that since the car had stopped jerking around as much.

"I could've driven." She pitched in at the moment which only earned her a glare from Spike.

"A little too late for that. I don't know if I am driving this thing, or wearing it." Whatever Giles had said made Spike chuckle. "Funny hearing a Fyral demon say 'serviceable.'"

"I had a couple of them working for me once. They're more like 'Like to crush, crush now?'." he admitted while keeping his eyes on the road. The destination in mind being the bar Giles had gone to last night. "Strong, though. You won't meet a jar you can't open for the rest of your life," he added while briefly looking over. For some reason, it made Demon-Giles growl. The off action made both Spike and Jackie look at him.

"Did he just growl?" - "What was that?" they said in unison before Spike finished with, "Did you growl?"

Then Giles was off again in that foreign language, looking at Spike then pointing at his eyes. Not being able to understand Giles was becoming tiring to Jackie, so she leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. It wasn't until Spike mentioned snot she faced forward again.

"What about mucus?"

"Giles here can use his mucus to defend himself. It shoots out the nose and sets up fast, hard as a rock." Spike tuned Jackie in then added the last bit like a second thought, "It's pretty good in a fight." Demon-Giles tone was questioning when he grunted at Spike. "Maybe. But hey, if you feel one comin' on, you warn me." that earned Spike a growling-like-snort from Giles.

Jackie would admit that listening to them bicker like this was amusing, and unlike experiencing it from the comfort of a couch, Jackie got the backseat view. Literally.

Spike suddenly begin turning the car after Giles had pointed in a direction only to earn a yell from the demon, the vehicle groaning from not being placed into downshift right away.

"Calm down, will you." the vampire grumbled, and Giles went off on a spill again. "Fine with me, as long as you pay me." Jackie hardly paid attention to the conversation anymore until Spike scoffed, "It's-it's fun. I can't do it. Do it for me. Ya'know, let yourself go."

"How 'bout-" but Jackie was cut off when Spike suddenly stopped the car due to Demon-Giles orders. He fought with the door for a moment before rushing out after a woman who just crossed the road. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Oh, sure. He's just tapping into his new demony self." came Spike's nonchalant reply.

"And that's good?" Jackie asked while watching Demon-Giles torment the woman making her scream and run off without actually putting her in any real danger. He looked silly while lifting his arms up like a bear and roaring. Before Jackie could speak her mind again Giles had slid back in, slamming the door shut. After a quick grumble, they were off again.

N/A: Part two coming soon! I felt like leaving it here cause it just, well, felt right. Hopefully, you guys don't mind me quoting this episode some. I thought it would be an interesting way for Jackie to meet up with the group. By the way, I'm going to try and update once a week now that I have a few chapters out. Anyway, if you like this story so far please leave a review, follow, or even a fave. It'll help me know that people are actually interested in reading this. Constructive criticism is welcomed too for I am well aware that my writing skills lack something akin to professionalism.