Chapter 8.

"Xander, what are you doing?" Buffy had a confused look on her face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Xander replied.

"Jumping on a trampoline. What are we, five?" Buffy said.

"I think it's cute." Willow said.

Buffy didn't reply to Willow. Since Xander had pointed it out, she was beginning to agree that perhaps a little too much of Willow's identity came via Xander. Perhaps slightly more than was healthy, but she wasn't going to use the word 'obsessed'. Yet. "Where did you even find that huge thing?"

"Freshmen have a two week trampoline unit that you missed. And it's good exercise." Xander defended. "Methos loved it. It's a great way to work on flexibility, balance, and gymnastic skills; all while getting a great endurance workout that's easier on the joints than running. He considered the trampoline one of the top 5 greatest inventions."

"What were the other four?" Willow wondered.

"Modern plumbing including underground sewers, linen-rag paper, the microwave oven, and the bicycle."

"You forgot the wheel." Buffy quipped.

Xander did a back-flip. "Invented before Methos' time. Otherwise the bow and arrow probably would have edged out the microwave oven."

"You forgot the printing press." Willow stated.

"It was invented dozens of times before Gutenberg's caught on. What really changed at the time was the availability of cheap, linen-rag-paper. Once paper was cheap, it became economical to print the same thing hundreds of times. The invention of cheap paper was what really changed the world there." Xander explained.

Willow filed that history tidbit from the world's oldest memories away while Buffy let it go in one ear and out the other. "Whatever Zummi. Giles says it's time for my sword lesson." the Slayer announced.

"Zummi?" Willow and Xander both questioned.

"Yeah. You know. Zummi Gummi from the Gummi Bears." Buffy explained as Xander dismounted. "He was the old, wise one. And with Xander's new memories and his new bounciness, it seemed to fit."

"Ha ha! I love it!" Xander declared and started singing as they left the gym.

"Dashing and daring, Courageous and caring, Faithful and friendly, With stories to share. All through the forest, They sing out in chorus, Marching along, As their song fills the air!"

Note: FFN does not allow songs, so all lyrics but a placeholder have been deleted from this fic.

The girls joined in on the chorus as they walked down the halls.

They reached the library just as they started the second chorus.

Giles turned to see what the ruckus was, but just shook his head at the strange song his children were singing. Still, it made him smile to see them in high spirits.

"What do you think, girls? Gruffi Gummi?" Xander smirked as they finished the song.

Buffy and Willow looked at Giles and both nodded sagely. "Definitely Gruffi." Buffy agreed. Then quickly added at Willow. "And I call Sunni!"

"Who does that leave me with? Grammi Gummi?" Willow moped.

Giles had absolutely no idea what anyone was talking about or what it had to do with the song they'd just been singing. "If we could focus, please?" he begged. He handed Xander his padding and both of them their practice swords.

Buffy and the newly anointed Zummi faced off then Xander attacked. But he sang as he did so. "Dashing and daring..." attacking in time with the song. Giles almost stepped in, but stopped himself and had to hide a smile instead. Without changing the beat of the song he was singing, Xander quickened the pace that he attacked at and caught Buffy off guard.

"Hey!" she called.

"Well done, Xander." Giles complimented. "There will be a pattern or a flow to any fight you are in, Buffy. Finding that pattern and breaking it before your opponent does can save your life. Again." Then he sat back and watched as Buffy tried the same thing on Xander. Xander was ready for it, which would have saved him against a normal opponent, but against a Slayer, it only meant that he didn't take the full force of the blow. "Buffy, you should be able to get inside his defenses without any problems. Do it again." Giles ordered. He had to admit, it was much easier to order her to go again when it wasn't him she was pummeling. And Xander seemed to thrive on the practice as well – seeming to take it as a personal affront/challenge that anyone, even a Slayer, would be able to get inside his defenses.

Xander brought other skills to the table besides being an enthusiastic punching bag. There wasn't much in sword play that Giles didn't know, but Xander seemed to know those few things now. Also, it just helped to have a second teacher. It was much easier to demonstrate a move to Buffy with Xander to use as a partner so she could see what it should look like and imitate it. And at those times when he was personally instructing her, Xander could be an extra set of eyes that caught things he was too busy dodging blows to notice.

"Okay, that's enough." Xander called as he picked himself up from the floor.

"But I'm only getting warmed up!" Buffy complained.

"Then you'll just have to beat up Giles for a while. I've got an appointment to keep." Xander said.

Willow looked up from the dusty tome she'd been reading at that but it was Buffy who spoke with a quizzical look on her face. "An appointment? With who?"

"With whom." Xander corrected. "And if you must know, I'm meeting a woman for coffee."

Buffy looked at Willow, who seemed to have lost the capability for speech and spoke for her. "Who is this woman? Do I know her? What are you meeting about?"

Xander gave a wry smile. "Well, she's a little older than me, physically. And she's single. But we're just meeting for business. It's not a date or anything." He waited for Buffy to look at Willow again before winking at Giles. The British man hid a smile by starting to put away Xander's practice gear.

"What kind of business?" Buffy inquired.

"The kind that's none of yours. I'll see you guys tomorrow." And with that he left.

"Giles!" Buffy whined.

"What do you wish me to say, Buffy?" Giles asked, taking off his glasses and polishing them. He needed something to focus on so he wouldn't burst out laughing. Xander had purposely piqued his Slayer's interest and he intended her to follow him for some reason. "I know nothing of Xander's plans or of his lady-friend."

"But- but- but-" Willow broke out of her reverie.

"Come on, Willow." Buffy grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her from the library.

Only once they were safely away did Giles allow himself a good chuckle. He would have to hear the whole story from Xander later, but for now he began picking up the mess his Slayer had left with a resigned sigh.

A/N: Peter Wingfield was Welsh National Trampoline Champion at age 15. Hence Methos liking the trampoline.

Cheap paper had far more to do with Gutenberg's success than any brilliance or originality of his design.

A/N2: Gummi Bears and their theme song are probably owned by Disney. I do not own. Bonus points to you if you sang along with the Scoobies. Super bonus points if you didn't need the words.