Wednesday, April 25th, 2001 ~ Restfield Cemetery ~ Sunnydale, California
Sam shifted and rubbed his face with one hand, clearly uneasy and still staring at the remains of the vampire. "I don't suppose that's what I was here to do and now I'm going to Leap?" he said, with very little hope evident in his voice.
Al pulled his hand-link out of his pocket and punched a few buttons, then looked back up. "No, I guess not. No sign of you being ready to Leap."
Sam sighed and poked the toe of his shoe into the near side of the pile of dust. "Do you see my stake?" he asked Al.
Al scrutinized the lighter area of grass. "Nope. Maybe you're supposed to keep hold of it and pull it out after you stab them. I think that's what Buffy did. Besides, would you still want it after, you know?" he concluded waving at the pattern of dampness visible in the otherwise dry circle of debris.
"I guess not," Sam agreed, "but since I'm unarmed now I should probably go find Buffy."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want you roaming around out here in the bad, old dark without protection, would we?" Al responded with a wide grin.
"Uh huh," Sam replied sarcastically. "You were scared to even come into the cemetery. And that was before we knew about the vampires. And you're not really here, either."
Both men sobered, reminded of the fact that Sam was in very real danger as long as he was here. Their faces lightened at the sound that carried to them on the night breeze.
"Hey, Giles; are you okay?"
"Over here, Buffy," Sam called.
"Are you decent?" Buffy asked, her voice coming from just beyond the stand of trees.
"Yes," Sam replied, double checking quickly to make sure he had completely closed his fly mere seconds before Buffy sauntered into view.
"What's going on, Giles? I was getting worried..." she let her question trail off as her eyes, having roamed Giles' figure looking for damage, settled on the patch of dust in the grass. Her gaze flicked from there, back to Sam and on to the tree, where a trickle of liquid was still visible in a vertical line down the rough bark. She choked off what sounded suspiciously like a chuckle and turned back to Sam. "A vampire? While you were..." her eyes danced and she pressed one hand firmly over her mouth. It was no use. A huge guffaw escaped her and she bent over, arms wrapped around her mid-section.
Sam waited impatiently for her to regain her composure, but Buffy continued to howl with laughter. Every time she tried to straighten and become serious, she caught sight of the glower on Sam's face and off she went into a fresh paroxysm of hilarity. For such a pale, delicate beauty she had an incongruous propensity for snorting and choking when she was amused. Finally, despairing of an impending end to what Sam considered an inappropriate reaction to the situation, he spoke up. "It's not funny. I could have been killed," he complained.
"Sorry. I'm sorry, Giles," Buffy apologized, gasping for breath. "Oh my God; I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard." She brushed a few tears from her flushed cheeks and smiled at him contritely.
Sam considered the fact that the horror and danger he had witnessed since his arrival seemed unremarkable to her and the thought of what such a life would be like made him suddenly glad he had given her an opportunity to laugh, even if it was at his expense. "Okay, I guess it was a little funny," he relented.
"Are you out of your mind?" Al barked.
"Those wacky creatures of the night," Buffy said, linking her arm through Sam's. "Some of 'em have no manners at all. What say we go dust a few more?"
"I lost my stake," Sam admitted.
"I've got a spare one," Buffy replied, handing the weapon over, "but carelessness with one's weapons? Tsk, tsk, Mr. Giles," she continued in a mock-serious tone and a horrendous, affected English accent. "I suspect an extra training session is in order."
"Really, Sam," Al interjected, unheard, of course, by Buffy. "Don't you think we should go inside now? Huh? You know, no sense tempting fate. Sam?"
Sam and Buffy continued along through the cemetery, unmindful of Al's suggestions and warnings.
"Fine," the Observer huffed, following along behind the couple. "One of these days you'll wish you'd listened to me. Just wait and see."
Buffy and Sam, with Al still fuming and following along reluctantly, finished their circuit of Restfield without seeing further action. They moved on to another cemetery but, after an hour of slow circling, they had added only one staking to their tally, a newly-risen vampire that Buffy dispatched with very little fuss.
"It's awfully quiet tonight," Buffy observed as she rejoined Sam and they resumed their stroll through the ranks of headstones.
"Quiet!" Al snorted. "She calls this quiet; horrible monsters leaping at you out of the dark. I'd like to see what she calls active... on second thought, I take that back," Al finished, shaking his head.
Sam was sufficiently distracted by Al's grumbling that when Buffy stopped short he nearly ran into her. Buffy held up a hand and tilted her head, as though straining to hear something.
"Now what?" Al groused.
Sam turned slightly and laid an index finger over his lips, sending a stern glare at his friend. He turned back in time to see Buffy gesturing for him to stay where he was and indicating that she was going to circle their position. Sam nodded and Buffy gave him a fleeting smile before moving quietly out of sight.
Al moved up next to Sam. "I didn't hear anything, did you?" Al asked.
"No," Sam hissed, keeping his voice down so that Buffy, if she were close enough, wouldn't hear him talking, apparently to himself. "But she didn't have the disadvantage of having to listen to you stomping along behind us and babbling non-stop."
"Sor-ry!" Al shot back. "This whole situation is just so... creepy." He pulled his hand-link, which had been unusually silent, from his pocket. He smacked it, then shook it, then thrust it back in his pocket with a scowl and a grunt. "I wish Ziggy had enough information to provide us with some useful advice."
"So do I..." Sam whispered and then stopped when he caught sight of Buffy reemerging from the darkness. "What was it?" he asked her.
"More like who," Buffy replied sourly as she moved closer to him. She looked up into Sam's face, her brow creased in thought. "I need to talk to you about something," she said after a moment's consideration. "Let's go over to the park across the street. The playground has a lot of open space around it so we can be sure no one's lurking around close enough to hear us talking."
"We could go inside," Sam suggested.
"Amen to that," Al concurred, nodding enthusiastically.
Buffy shook her head. "That's kinda what I want to talk to you about."
Sam wasn't sure what to make of that statement, so he simply agreed with her request. When they reached a bench near the playground, Buffy stopped and turned in a complete circle. Sam copied her behavior, noting that the meager light provided by scattered lampposts allowed them to see that there was no one nearby in the wide, open area surrounding them.
"Have a seat," Buffy offered. As Sam complied, Buffy turned to face him, still standing. "I'll watch that way and you let me know if you see anything moving back there," she said, hooking a thumb over her shoulder.
"Jeez, she's not at all paranoid," Al said, pacing around the bench and peering into the darkness. "But I guess it won't hurt for me to keep an eye peeled, too."
"There was someone following us? In the cemetery?" Sam asked Buffy, bringing her back to the topic she had alluded to before their change in scenery.
"Yeah, one of those Knights of Byzantium. He took off when he realized I'd spotted him. I can't believe how stealthy those guys are - considering the amount of metal they wear," she added ruefully, blowing out a frustrated breath.
The beeping sound of Al punching hand-link buttons startled Sam slightly before he forced himself to relax, concluding that Al was probably querying Ziggy for any information she might have about the Knights of Byzantium.
"If we're being watched, shouldn't we go inside?" Sam repeated.
"Soon," Buffy agreed. "But I've been thinking. If Xander hadn't been at Spike's place when he was nabbed we might never have known Glory took him. Maybe it would be a good idea if none of us is alone. You know, within reason and especially at night when it's easier for demon minions and guys in armor to sneak around without attracting attention."
"That sounds reasonable," Sam responded, mentally putting aside the comments about demons and armor-clad stalkers.
"Really?" Buffy inquired, her face brightening in apparent relief. "I thought I was gonna have a serious argument on my hands when I suggested you move in with me... us. At... at least until we settle this Glory business," she continued, a little more hesitantly.
"Move in with..." Sam began.
"Now this is getting interesting," Al chimed in, moving closer to them.
"You're the only one who lives alone. Besides Spike, that is; and I'm so not asking him to move in - even if he did keep our secret when Glory tortured him," Buffy explained.
"Tortured?" Al squeaked.
"Buffy..." Sam said, worried that if he ended up sharing quarters with Buffy he wouldn't be able to search Giles' apartment for clues and that his 'alone time' with Al would be severely curtailed.
"Giles, just listen for a minute, okay?" Buffy cajoled him. "It's not just that I'm worried about Glory's minions hauling you off in the middle of the night and us not knowing until she's been beating on you for hours - although I am worried about that."
"So am I, now," Al moaned. "Thanks, girlie."
Buffy took a close look around them and then sat down next to Sam. She shifted sideways to keep the area behind the bench in her peripheral vision and placed a hand over one of Sam's.
"I haven't exactly been effective in stopping Glory and the knight guy said they'd come back in force. I'm worried about what would happen if Glory comes after Dawn. Or what the Knights might do if they find out she's the Key," Buffy confided, in a whisper. "Even if I can't stop them cold, I should be able to slow them down long enough for you to help Dawn get away and hide her."
"If Glory or the Knights attack your home you want me to escape and run away with Dawn, leaving you to fight the intruders off," Sam repeated, attempting to comprehend the increasingly surreal conversation.
Buffy nodded. "Please, Giles," she pleaded with him, vehemently. "You're the only one I can trust to do this. Next to me, you're the best fighter and you're the smartest one of us. If anyone can figure out what Glory's up to, how we can defeat her or a way to keep Dawn safe it's gonna be you."
Sam glanced over to Al, who merely waggled the hand-link at him and shrugged; indicating he had no information to offer that would tilt the decision either way. Sam met Buffy's eyes again and the hope and trust he saw there made it impossible for him to disappoint her.
"All right, then. I suppose you have a house guest for the, uh, duration," Sam agreed.
Buffy jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around Sam's neck. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully into his ear, before releasing him and stepping back.
Sam watched with amusement as she dug the toe of one shoe into the sandy path. Due to the low level of light he couldn't be sure but he thought she might be blushing.
"Thanks, Giles," she repeated softly, before lifting her eyes to meet his once more. "Ready to go home now?"
"As I'll ever be, I suppose," Sam replied, rising to his feet.
Buffy linked her arm through his again and led him toward the park entrance.
Monday March 19th, 2007 ~ Waiting Room ~ Project Quantum Leap Compound ~ Stallion's Gate, New Mexico
At the sound of the door sliding open, Giles looked up to see Al marching toward him. He rose from his seat on the low table only to receive a hard shove in the center of his chest which dropped him back into a seated position. Al planted his fists on his hips and shouted down into Giles' face.
"Vampires! Vampires are real and you guys run around poking them with little wooden stakes?" he fumed, leaning over the bigger man.
"If you say so," Giles replied, unwilling to confirm or deny anything.
"I do," Al growled back.
Giles silently met Al's angry glare. He couldn't be sure that Al was who and what he said he was and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that these people were allied with Glory or under her control. Finally, the furious man lifted his gaze and stepped back. Giles watched him pace away then turn toward him.
"I really want to plant one square in the middle of your mug, ya know?" Al snarled.
"You could try," Giles countered.
Al shook his head and pulled his hand-link out of his pocket. He began punching buttons. "Magic, Glory, vengeance demons, vampires, minions and the Knights of Byzantium," he listed off, looking back up at Giles. "Just how many ways to die is Sam gonna have to face on this Leap?"
"I would recommend he not tarry long enough to find out," Giles advised, masking his concern at the amount of information they had amassed in such a short period of time. "Let me go. I'm the one who belongs there."
"Yeah, and he belongs here," Al responded. "And nothing would make me happier than to make you switch places; but I wasn't kidding when I said we can't do that."
"Then I don't believe we have anything more to discuss," Giles concluded. "Unless you want to tell me how... how my friends are doing."
Al smiled and Giles knew his hesitation had been noticed.
"Buffy is fine," Al informed him. "She and Sam are on their way to her house so I thought I'd come back and see if you had decided to be reasonable," he snorted. "Fat chance of that, apparently." He returned his attention to the hand-link and punched a few more buttons. "What is the Key and why does Buffy say Dawn is it?" he asked, in a resigned tone of voice that suggested he expected this question to go unanswered as well.
Giles was sure he felt his heart stop beating and he made a valiant attempt to maintain a pretense of indifference. From the look on Al's face, he was fairly certain he hadn't been successful.
"Jesus, fella; take a breath before you pass out," Al said, worriedly. "I know you English have fair complexions but I've seen better color on dead guys."
End Part 7