Devil You Know

Part 5/? ... Feel Me, Kiss Me, or Kill Me?


The table was crowded with people when he and Blair arrived at the library. They arrived at the time Spike had indicated, and just as the vampire had said, the group was gathered for their evening meeting before the slayer would patrol. All conversation came to a grinding halt as they breezed through the doors.

"May I help you gentlemen?" a stuffy looking man asked with an upper-class British accent. Jim looked at each person in turn before answering.

"No, Mr. Giles. We are here to help you. Actually we are here to help him." Jim nodded at Xander. The sentinel in him was calling to him, whispering of the younger sentinel's presence. It distracted him. However, he would follow Spike's plan as they had agreed. "It is good to see you again, Xander. I, however, do not sense your guide. Still seeking him out?" Jim said.

"How do you know about Xander? Who are you?" a blond girl asked. Locking eyes with her,

Jim stated, "A friend, Slayer. We have come to help the young one and train him in our ways. Fear not. We mean you no harm. The tribe is sacred and you are part of Xander's tribe. We sentinels protect the tribe until death." The stunned silence that fell on the room was almost deafening. Jim smiled to himself as the others, Spike had called them the *Scooby Gang*, gawked at him and Blair as if they were from another world.

"Jim?" Xander's confusion ringing clear in his voice. Smiling, Jim stepped forward and embraced the other sentinel as if a long lost friend. Xander stiffened for a moment but relaxed against him and hugged Jim closer.

"You're real." Xander's exclamation was muffled against Jim's shoulder. "I thought I was going out of my mind."

Stepping back, Jim looked down at the teen in his arms. "No, Xander, you are not losing your mind. I am very real."

"Well, yes, all right then. Xander, if you'd be so kind as to introduce us to your friends, then," Giles stammered as he hid his confusion by cleaning his glasses.


Laughing, Blair looked at Jim and shook his head. "Man, I keep trying to get him to introduce us first."

Smiling a bit, Jim let go of Xander and moved back to his guide's side. "Sorry. My name is Jim Ellison and I'm a sentinel like Xander here. This hairball beside me is my guide, Blair Sandburg." Jim ducked the playful punch Blair threw. Laughing a bit at his guide's pout, Jim continued, "We had no idea you wouldn't know we were coming to aid Xander. I just assumed he had told everyone about his dreams by now. I forget he doesn't know about the visions yet."

"Visions?" the red-haired girl asked.

"Yes, visions." Blair explained. "All sentinels and their guides have them. Rule number one is that any dream that is dreamt in purple or blue within a jungle setting is a dream about yourself or a future that has yet to be lived. Though the future is not set, take each dream to heart. They may save the lives of you, your guide and your friends. Make sure you tell your guide about every one of them so that he or she can help you find the hidden meanings. Also, the animals within your dream are spirit guides and you will know which is yours the moment you see it."

"Cool, but can I use them to find my guide?" Xander asked as he sat back down.

"Have you not already seen the wolf?" Jim asked

"Yeah."

"That is your guide's animal spirit. Follow the wolf and he will lead you to your guide." Shaking his head, Jim muttered. "It's the only reason I sought Blair out." *Oops* Jim thought as he saw Blair shoot him that 'We are so having a talk after this.' look. *Sigh. Yippee! Yet another thing they were going to talk about when they got back to the hotel tonight.*

Jim had managed to sidestep the earlier discussion Blair had wanted to have by reminding him they had work to do first. Everyone started to talk at once, but Xander and he remained silent and watchful. The smell of ozone infused the air around Jim, his skin felt like it was about to itch and burn off. He remembered the feeling from the hotel this morning and he knew that Jera was close by. The girl named Cordelia slammed a book closed. The sound sent Jim's hearing off the charts but he tried not to rip someone's head off for it.

"Quiet!" Jim growled loudly. Feeling a hand on his arm, Jim snapped his head around to see who was touching him, even though he already knew. Blair. The moment his eyes made contact, the sentinel began to settle down. But it was Blair's voice that soothed the primal man within, completely.

"Easy. I've got you. Calm down. Deep breaths." Blair's hand cupped his face, eyes locked on his. "What's wrong?"

"Too loud. I was trying to let my senses hone in on something and suddenly it was too loud." Jim shivered.

"What is it? What do you sense?" Blair stroked his thumb rhythmically against Jim's jaw to keep him from zoning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander watched in awe as Jim gave himself completely over to his guide, Blair. Something inside of him stirred and knowledge bubbled to the surface. This is what he needed, wanted. He longed for what he sensed with these two.

"I sense some humans, one vampire, a werewolf, a witch, the slayer and those of our kind." Breathing deep, he leaned into the touch. "But there are two who are coming this way. They're not... identifiable. I can feel them, taste them, but I can't..." Jim shivered.

"Easy. Focus. What can't you do, Jim?" The guide asked as he soothed his sentinel.

"I can't remember." Frustrated, Jim growled softly, " I've felt this before; I just don't remember when or where."

"I want you to think back," Blair's voice was low and hypnotic. "Concentrate. Follow the scent. Let it take you back."

"I felt it once before in the temple. He was a human, but not mortal. His name was... Methos." Jim shook off the memory and leaned into Blair's touch unconsciously. "That's what I'm sensing now, except this one is a woman. The other is... special. Male. British accent but different from the librarian's, less refined. Sounds more like he's Billy Idol." The sentinel sounded amused by this little tidbit.

*Spike. He was talking about his Spike,* Xander thought. *Wait a minute. HIS SPIKE! Argh. He had one lousy dream and already he was thinking the blond was his. Damn. Not good.*

"He is not what he appears. He was a vampire but now he is changing into something else. What, I do not know," Jim cautioned.

"I want you to let it go now, man. Come on, Big Guy, come back to me," The guide's voice coaxed. As Xander watched, Jim seemed to draw something from his guide for a moment then withdrew into himself and become aware of everything surrounding him. Xander had never seen anything like it before in his life. There was an awkward silence for a few beats before the two in question breezed into the room. Xander felt Spike's presence all the way down to his bones and he realized that Jim was right. Spike was changing. Xander tried desperately to reign in the feelings that were suddenly unleashed at the sight of the other man. The sentinel inside couldn't seem to make up its mind whether or not it wanted to feel, kiss, or kill Spike. If Xander had his way he'd do something to Spike all right, but it would require privacy and lots of baby oil. *Argh. NOT AGAIN! Brain, stop that!* His erection throbbed in time with a strange beat that Xander could sense within Spike. Oddly enough, however, the sentinel seemed to have made up its mind and was agreeing with Mr. Happy who was now making his jeans entirely too tight.

*Great. It is bad enough my hormones are on overdrive like all teenage boys. But now I have this sentinel thing fueling my sex drive as well. Perfect. What next? Spike as his guide?* The shiver that this thought caused ran down his spine and made him, if it was possible, harder. *Eeep.* It was part excitement and part something deeper that Xander was desperate to deny.

Looking at Spike again, he noticed a snow white wolf by his side. He realized that this animal was Spike's spirit guide and everything locked into place. Xander couldn't resist his sentinel's lust that slammed into him demanding that he claim his guide. He sniffed the air while looking over at the other sentinel; Xander was aware that Blair and Jim were as attracted to each other as he was to Spike. *Oh Shit! It can't be. Please not him. ANYONE BUT HIM.* But it was, and he knew it. There was no way around it. Spike was his guide. Looking back at Spike, their eyes locked and Xander knew without a doubt he was officially screwed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~TBC~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know. I know. I can hear you all growling at me for ending it here and not explaining where my mind is going with this yet. *Shrugs* What can I say? Believe it or not I do have a reason to my madness. *Hee. Hee.* Feedback, as usual will be most appreciated.