No one has been particularly sad or upset since the neighbors put a `For Sale' sign on their house three months ago and moved out before the next owners could move in. Sure the family was nice and all but to say that their three preteen children were rambunctious is a bit of an understatement.

Giles promised them he'd keep an eye on their property and make sure nothing untoward happened in the interim between owners. Unfortunately for him, his promise doesn't mean much to his housemates who find the trampoline the family left behind too big a temptation to pass up.

“Dawn, I don't want to have to remind you again about your homework,” Buffy says as she casually strolls up to the trampoline that Dawn is bouncing away on. Andrew is on the ground and eager for his turn but it looks like Dawn is hogging it.

Again.

Someone really should have bought her one as a child.

“Buffy, it's only 9:00. I have hours to finish it,” Dawn says, her bounces getting lower and lower as she tries to stop.

“You have an exam in Spanish class tomorrow so you can't stay up all night long tonight. Now go before I tell Andrew he can tutor you.”

Dawn glares At Buffy when she sees the hopeful look on Andrew's face. She huffs as she hops down from the black and red trampoline and picks up her shoes before marching back to their house. Luckily for Buffy, the temptation of tutoring was too much for Andrew who chases after Dawn, trying to convince her that his Spanish is “el best-o.”

Somehow Buffy begins to doubt his Spanish-speaking skills.

She watches them go until they disappear inside the house, then checks that the coast is clear before grinning and jumping up onto the trampoline herself. She doesn't waste any time with little jumps and instead gives the springs a run for their money when she jumps hard and high, flipping in the air between every bounce.

If she ever had any doubt in her mind that she'd make a kickass gymnast, those doubts are long gone now!

It isn't long before she can feel a familiar tingle running down her spine and she turns one-hundred eighty degrees mid-jump to see Faith approaching across the yard. The smirk on Faith's face is huge and Buffy knows that she's been caught yet again.

“Aren't ya a little old for this thing?” Faith asks when she finally reaches the trampoline.

Buffy stops jumping and comes to a slow stop, then flops down onto her knees so she's closer to Faith.

“There's no such thing as too old for trampolines. It's fun, it's freeing, and it's a great cardio workout.” She starts bouncing on her knees again and Faith can't help but smile.

Leave it to Buffy to use the cardio benefits as an excuse.

“I guess I'm probably not an expert or whatever seein' as that I ain't ever been on one,” Faith admits.

Before she can even begin to figure out what the hell is going on, Buffy grabs her hands and pulls her up on the trampoline, dragging her to the middle of the big circle on her stomach. Faith quickly tries to scramble off the side but Buffy is there on the ground waiting for her.

“Just try it, you'll love it,” Buffy encourages her.

“I don't wanna, this thing is for kids.” Faith tries to scramble for the other side but Buffy beats her around the circle and stops her.

“You can play video games but you can't jump on a trampoline?”

“B, I ain't gonna fall off a video game and break my head.”

“You won't fall off. Xander has been on it, Faith. His head? Remarkably un-broken.”

Faith eyes her warily but - and she can't believe she's going to admit this even to herself - but the temptation is too big. She'd always wanted to play on a trampoline when she was a kid. Why shouldn't she now while no one was looking but Buffy?

Taking a deep breath, Faith stands up and tries to get used to the feeling of the black elastic beneath her feet and the way it gives with each step. Seeing Buffy's encouraging smile, she shrugs to herself. Ah, what the hell.

She starts up a small bouncing motion that breaks out into full-out slayer-packed jumps within minutes. She can see clear over the roof with every jump and her shirt keeps flying up into her face but she just doesn't seem to care. Buffy was right, this shit is freeing!

The springs creak and groan but she keeps jumping, oblivious to Buffy's suddenly worried face.

“Faith, you might want to take it down a notch,” Buffy says, eying the trampoline cautiously.

“Yeah right!” Faith shouts, then whoops loudly. “I'm the queen of the world!”

Buffy hears the trouble before she sees it. One of the springs give with a loud SPROING! noise and when Faith touches down on the black mat once again, several more springs give. Faith is easily fifteen feet in the air again when she looks down and sees half of the trampoline caved in and resting on the ground below. She flails her arms, grimacing at what she must look like and bracing for the impact of the ground in three…two…one…

“Gotcha!” Buffy yells as she hops over the metal frame and catches Faith in her arms at the very last second.

They fall to the ground in a heap, laughing and - luckily - completely unharmed.

“That was awesome,” Faith laughs, crawling off of Buffy's lap. “Anything else around here I can destroy?”

Buffy's fighting off a case of the giggles too but she looks around the yard and her eyes light up when she spots the in-ground pool.

“I'm not so sure about destroy, but I'm thinking we can make good use of that pool.”

Faith follows her gaze and her grin widens.

“First one in without their clothes wins!”

The remaining attached springs on the trampoline groan and creak as they wrestle to get up, both trying to beat the other to the pool.

Giles watches on from the kitchen window across the adjoining yard with a smile. He's happy to see his slayers so happy.