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A Mile in My Shoes	By : NeenaVarscona Category: -Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Slash - Male/Male > Spike(William)/Xander > Spike(William)/Xander Views: 4136 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
~~~~~
Giles awoke the next morning to find that Buffy had tucked him neatly under the covers. He turned his head, hoping to watch her sleeping soundly beside him, but sadly his bed was Buffy-free. There was a note on her pillow, and he pulled on his glasses to read it.

�Hey, Sleepyhead,� it read. �Xander called (I swear you could sleep through an apocalypse!). He wanted to meet me for breakfast to go over the school/work thing. I didn�t have the heart to wake you up, �cause you were doing that cute little mumbly-sleepy thing. I shouldn�t be too long, though, so I�ll meet you at the store for a proper good-morning smooch.

�Hugs and kisses, Buffy.�

Giles read it again and smiled�he could hear her voice in the words, and he could almost picture her tiptoeing across the bedroom to place the note on her pillow. With a feeling of optimism he rarely enjoyed, Giles set about getting ready for the day.

~~~~~
Buffy met Xander at the Dunkin Donuts at an ungodly hour of the morning. The other customers in the shop looked like frazzled, workaholic zombies�a genuine possibility in this town, Buffy thought. Xander was looking more than a little zoned himself. There were dark smudges under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn�t slept in years. And yet, he was emanating an air of contentment and confidence�two things Buffy never really connected with Xander before.

�What happened to you?� asked Buffy once she�d settled down with her jelly-filled and java. �You look like you�ve bonded with your inner Buddha.�

�I nearly died last night,� said Xander, grinning madly.

�Glad to see you�re coping,� Buffy said warily.

�It�s more than that,� he said enthusiastically. �I feel liberated�like my whole life�s been nothing but a dream, and I only just woke up. And in a weird way, I have you to thank for it. If we hadn�t switched places, I�d have slept my whole life away.�

�I know what you mean,� she said, his excitement rubbing off on her. �It took a Freaky Friday to make me realize I was totally not meant to be with Riley. I can�t remember the last time I�ve felt this free�this happy. God, my life would have been a complete lie if I�d stayed with him.�

�That�s exactly it!� said Xander. �I think, maybe, this all happened for a reason. It was just meant to be.�

They continued to talk, happily chowing down on doughnuts and slurping coffee. In the booth behind them a scrawny-legged, sun-burned man wearing Hawaiian print shorts and a golf shirt that in no way matched, leaned over to whisper to his female companion.

�Have you heard enough?� the man asked.

Anya nodded, wiping her nose on a tissue-thin napkin. It wasn�t up to the task, though, so she plucked a thick wad of them out of the dispenser and used most of them to sop up the various forms of wetness on her face.

The little man tipped his head to one side sympathetically, then took her hand and disapparated with her. They re-apparated inside her apartment where Anya immediately sank down into a chair and buried her face in her hands.

�My poor, young Anyanka,� said Bobrachnilothtot, brushing her hair out of her eyes. �I did it for your own good, my little pumpkin�I could see he wasn�t right for you.�

Anya sniffed loudly and lifted her chin defiantly.

�Would you like me to smite him for you, sweet-pea?� he asked kindly.

Anya considered it for a moment before shaking her head. �No,� she said wetly. �Somehow I don�t think that�ll make me feel any better.�

�I could smite him a little bit�?� he suggested, trying to perk her up.

�Thanks, Bob, but no. I know I feel pretty crappy right now, and I also look like a sick raccoon with the runny mascara and the puffiness and the drippy nose�but it�s not really his fault, is it?�

�Let me at least leave him in that girl�s body until I get back from Florida,� he pleaded.

Anya smiled at him. �I appreciate the offer, but things are just too weird like this. Besides, Buffy saved my life a few times, and her watcher pays my salary.�

�Very well, kitten, but remember that Marcy and I always have the spare bedroom made up if you ever need a place to stay. You know how Marcy loves having company�she�d be offended if you didn�t come to visit�even in your human form.�

Anya nodded and gave him a brave smile. With a little puff of smoke and a few greenish sparks, he disapparated, leaving her alone in her quiet apartment. Anya blew her nose, then made her way to the fridge to see if there was any consolation chocolate ice cream to soothe her.

~~~~~
Xander was heading to his first class of the day when he began to feel a teeny bit sleepy. He didn�t think anything of it, considering he hadn�t slept in days�he figured even a Slayer had to start feeling a bit punchy after going that long without catching some zees.

But by the time he reached the classroom and took his seat next to Willow, he had to struggle to keep his eyes open. With his pen poised over his scribbler ready to take down every word the Professor had to say, Xander promptly drifted blissfully off to sleep�

�and awoke to find himself lying on the couch in the training room of The Magic Box. He sat up and looked around, confused; wondering how he�d managed to get there in his sleep. It took him a minute to realize that he was back in his own body.

Xander let out a whoop of joy and bounced to his feet. He prodded his body, making sure everything was where he left it. It all checked out�everything was just like he remembered, right down to the old familiar aches and pains. And even those didn�t bother him�he had his body back! With a quick check to make sure he was alone, Xander did a little celebratory Snoopy dance.

He looked around again, this time hoping to find someone to tell, but he was still alone. He looked at his watch (his own watch, on his own wrist) and realized that the store wouldn�t even be open for another half an hour. Disappointed, Xander wandered out of the training room into the store to wait for Giles and Anya to show up. This kind of news needed an audience.

~~~~~
Buffy had decided to take advantage of the early morning quiet to get in some solitary training. She let herself into The Magic Box with the key Giles had cut for her, and she headed straight for the training room. Looking at the silent equipment in the dark room made her think of large, sleeping animals. Sleeping sooo peacefully�it seemed a shame to turn on the lights.

Suddenly the couch began to look very inviting. It couldn�t hurt if she lay down for a few minutes, she reasoned, and she closed her eyes. Not even a nap, really�just a short break to rest her eyes. It wasn�t as if the equipment was going anywhere, she rationalized. Besides, it would be much more fun to train with Giles.

Having handily talked herself out of exercising, Buffy climbed onto the couch, fluffing the cushions under her head. She was asleep before her head made a dent in them.

She woke up to find herself in the middle of one of her worst nightmares. She was in her Romantic Lit. class, halfway through a lecture, with no idea what was going on. Willow nudged her, gesturing with her eyebrows towards the Professor, who was looking right at her.

�Ms. Summers?� he asked.

�Yes. I�m awake�I mean�what was the question?�

�We were discussing the works of Shelley and Coleridge, but the question seems to be whether or not you intended to join us,� he said humourlessly.

Buffy felt the eyes of everyone in the classroom turn to stare at her, and she wanted to get up and run out of the room. �My bad�haven�t had a whole lotta sleep lately. Sorry,� she apologised.

�Ms. Summers, this is a second year English course. Please humour me and use the language properly.�

Buffy felt the heat rise to her cheeks and thought she might die of shame. Thankfully the Prof. let it drop at that and turned the conversation back to Coleridge. She looked to Willow for support, but she was frowning at her.

�I thought you were taking this seriously, Xander,� she whispered when the Prof. had turned the other way. �I can�t believe you fell asleep!�

�Willow, it�s me�Buffy!� she whispered back, eliciting dirty looks from the two guys in the row in front of them. �I just switched back!�

Willow peered deep into her eyes and seemed to find what she was looking for, because she grabbed her arm and grinned. Buffy grinned back, barely suppressing a happy squeal. When they looked up, the Prof was glaring at them and continued to glare at them until they solemnly faced forward and wiped the grins off their faces.

~~~~~
Back in The Magic Box, Xander was pacing excitedly in the darkness waiting for someone to show up. He kept looking at his watch (still his own watch, on his own wrist) thinking time must somehow be running backwards. When ten o�clock rolled around and Anya hadn�t shown up to open the store, Xander started to worry.

At five after, the jangling sound of keys alerted him to Giles� arrival, and Xander hurried over, yanking the door open before Giles had a chance to fit his key in the lock. With a show of impatience, Xander ushered Giles into the dark store, practically bubbling over with his good news.

�Hey, Giles! What took you so long?� Xander asked with a hyper little bounce. �I�ve been waiting here forever!�

Giles smiled in what Xander thought was an unusual way, and reached behind the counter to switch on the lights. �Sorry to keep you waiting,� he said, �but I think I know how to make it up to you. Come here.�

Without a second thought, Xander bounced over to him, his mind focused on spilling the news. He didn�t notice the hungry look in the older man�s eyes. He didn�t stop to wonder why Giles was holding his hand out to him that way. And by the time Giles� arms circled his waist, pulling him in close enough to see the speck of brown in his green eyes, Xander was too shocked to react.

Giles leaned in close to his ear, and Xander suddenly felt very foolish�Giles wasn�t coming on to him; he just wanted to whisper something in his ear. Xander strained to hear Giles� softly uttered words:

�I can still feel you inside me.�

Xander�s breath caught in his throat, trapped there by his rapidly pounding heart, which seemed to have grown too large for his chest. Before he could form a coherent thought, Giles caught his earlobe between his lips and nibbled gently at the soft skin. Xander couldn�t help responding to the stimulus, feeling tiny sparks of excitement all through his body, and somehow a low groan managed to bypass the roadblock in his throat.

Warm, pliant lips captured his own, and Xander didn�t struggle. Instead, he trailed his tongue along Giles� lips and proceeded to satisfy his curiosity. This kiss was so different from the ones he�d shared with Spike. For one thing, Giles had body heat�and a whole lot of it. Also, now that Xander was back in his own body, the whole �kissing-a-guy-because-I�m-a-hormonal-woman� thing no longer applied. And that made it all the more thrilling.

They were well into the deep end of the kiss when Giles felt timid hands wading in like a child afraid of the water. It was then he knew something wasn�t right. Abruptly ending the kiss, Giles pried himself out of the embrace and studied the lust-drunk face of his partner.

�Buffy�?�

Xander�s eyes snapped open, locking onto Giles� long enough to betray his guilt. Shamefacedly, Xander hung his head.

�Xander?� asked Giles.

Xander nodded his head without looking up, shuffling his feet nervously.

�Xander! Why didn�t you tell me it was you before I�before we�?� Giles sputtered to a stop, too flustered to finish what he was saying.

�You caught me by surprise,� said Xander. �How was I supposed to know you were gonna french me?�

�I think you had fair warning. Or were you planning on filling me in on your switch-back post-coitally?� Giles snapped, masking his embarrassment with anger.

�It seemed rude to interrupt,� Xander said flippantly, using humour as a shield. He got a glare from Giles in return, and he decided to trust him with the truth. �I�m sorry, Giles. It�s been a rough few days. You know what happened with me and Spike? Well, it got me doing some serious soul searching, and I think Willow was right�I�ve thought about what it would be like to kiss you�and other guys�for a long time�I just didn�t know why. And then you kissed me, and it felt kind of right, you know?� he asked, shyly. �It wasn�t exactly how I was planning on coming out of the closet, but there you go.�

Giles� anger wilted in the face of Xander�s confession. He knew it must have taken a great deal of courage to say those words, especially in light of his father�s homophobia. There was an awkward silence as Giles tried to think of something to say that wouldn�t make things worse. In the end, it was Xander who broke the tension.

�So� You and Buffy?� Xander asked, making Giles flinch slightly.

�Yes. Sorry about that, Xander. It just sort of�happened.�

�And about time, too,� said Xander.

�What do you mean, �about time�?� asked Giles, crossing his arms.

�Nothing�I�m just glad the Buffster finally found someone worthy. That�s all.�

Giles got the distinct impression that Xander meant no such thing, but he decided to let it drop.

�Where�s Anya?� asked Xander, quickly changing the subject.

�Anya? She called me at home. Said she wasn�t feeling well and asked for the day off,� said Giles.

�Tell me the truth, Giles�should I be worried about possible vengeance?�

Giles hesitated, thinking that if he were in Xander�s shoes he�d be running for the hills right now. �Worried? No, I wouldn�t be worried. Anya�s a perfectly�sensible ex-demon. Besides, technically she�d already broken up with you.�

�That�s what I said,� Xander said, emphatically. �Then she pulled that old �well-it-didn�t-take-you-long-to-find-someone-else� thing on me and dragged me deep into the guilt zone.�

�On second thought,� Giles said, �now might be a good time to visit relatives. Distant relatives.�

~~~~~
Buffy and Willow arrived a short while later, breathless and buzzing with energy. Buffy ran straight over to Giles and hugged him fiercely.

�Ow! Buffy�ow!� Giles groaned under her powerful grip. She shut him up with an equally fierce kiss.

Willow stared, her jaw practically unhinged at the unexpected sight. She turned her eyes to Xander who simply shrugged.

�Don�t look at me�I had no idea,� he said, thinking it might be best if no one ever found out about his kiss with Giles.

Giles finally managed to free himself from Buffy�s embrace. �So I assume we�re no longer keeping it a secret?� he asked with a little smirk.

�Oops,� said Buffy. �Guess I kind of blew it, huh Giles.�

�It�s okay,� Willow answered for him, clearly happy with the match now that she was over the shock. �I mean�I won�t tell anyone, if you don�t want anyone else to know.�

�To know what?� said Riley as he entered the store, accompanied by the tingling of the bell over the door.

�Nothing�there�s no secrets here,� Willow back-pedalled gracelessly.

�Riley, what are you doing here?� asked Buffy.

Riley didn�t answer. He didn�t even look in her direction. He had his attention firmly focused on Xander, and he headed straight over to him.

�I can do this,� he said, steeling himself, as he brusquely grabbed Xander by the shoulders. With obvious distaste, he gave Xander a stiff, hasty kiss on the lips, and then pulled back, looking immensely proud of himself.

Across the room Buffy crossed her arms and scowled at him. �Riley, what do you think you�re doing?� she asked hotly.

�Having a private moment with my girlfriend, if that�s alright with you,� Riley said dismissively, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as if trying to erase all traces of the kiss.

�Well it�s not alright with me,� said Giles in a menacing tone that took them all by surprise. With a menacing glower to match, Giles advanced on Riley until he was face to face with the younger man.

�Giles�� warned Buffy, knowing Riley was likely to lose his temper if he was pushed.

Ignoring her, Giles addressed Riley, colouring his words with a hint of threat. �You have no right to come marching back into Buffy�s life like this. Where were you when she needed you the most? You can�t expect her to come back to you�to trust you again�when you let something as petty as outward appearances stand between you.�

�That�s right,� Xander added. �And anyways, I�m in love with Giles now. At least I know his skin doesn�t crawl when he kisses me.�

Buffy didn�t know whether she wanted to go over and smack him or to break into laughter. It was just about the funniest thing she�d ever seen�Riley fighting with Giles over Xander. She decided to sit back and enjoy the show.

�I can�t believe this!� Riley said, his face turning volcanic red, ready to blow. He shot evil looks at Giles and Xander. �I�m out of the picture for a few days and you hook up with Giles?!�

Giles managed to keep a straight face, made even more difficult by the sound of suppressed giggles coming from Buffy and Willow behind him. �I love Buffy with my very soul; no matter what, I�ll always be there for her. You say you love her, but you can barely look at her without squirming. Go home. Cut your losses and move on�I think we both know that�s what you really want to do.�

Riley kept up his tough guy act a little longer, but Giles had pretty much nailed it. Here was a chance to get out and still play the injured party. He took another long look at Xander and honestly couldn�t see himself kissing those lips again. Ever.

�If you�d rather be with a worn-out shop keeper than me, you�re welcome to him. But when you get tired of your rebound guy, I won�t be waiting to take you back,� said Riley.

�Giles was never a rebound guy,� said Xander, sliding up next to Giles and wrapping his arms around his waist. �He was there long before you showed up, and he�ll be here long after you�re gone. Right Giles?� he asked, gazing up into Giles� eyes with enough sweetness to cause tooth decay.

�Until the day I die,� he replied earnestly. Behind him Willow sighed dramatically and Buffy rolled her eyes (although, secretly, she was melting with his words).

Riley shrugged as if to say �it�s your funeral�. He turned and left the store, happy bells jingling as the door closed behind him.

Buffy came up to Giles and Xander retreated, giving them some space.

�Did you mean what you said?� she asked.

�Every word,� he answered, bending down to give her a kiss to prove it.

Xander headed to the back door, hoping to make a clean escape, but Willow caught up with him.

�Where you going?� she asked.

�I�ve got some unfinished business to take care of,� he said.

�With Spike?� asked Willow with a sly grin.

Xander simply smiled and snuck quietly out the back door.
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A Mile in My Shoes