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“We found Spike!” Buffy said to the assembled researching scoobies. Kennedy rolled her eyes.

Willow rubbed her cheek ruefully. “We think we might have found Spike.” She added.

The Slayer turned on her. “When have I ever been known to speak with a British accent, let alone…?” She let the last words fade away.

Willow smiled.

“Much as I enjoy the suspense of all this, could you possibly share where we think Spike is?” Giles asked.

“Apparently he’s…” Buffy stopped.

“We think, or rather I heard… he seems to have taken up residence in Buffy.” Willow finished for her friend.

“That would be one happy Spike then.” Xander sniped.

Giles got up from behind the table and walked around to where Buffy stood. He looked her squarely in the eyes as if searching for something.

“How do you know? Can you feel him?” He asked eventually.

Buffy bit her lower lip. “No, I don’t feel any different at all, occasional tinglies but that’s all.”

“Spike.” Giles demanded. “If you are in there then I suggest you show yourself.”

All eyes were on Buffy as she stood in the centre of the room looking uncomfortable, there was no sign of Spike.

Giles wiped his glasses, refusing to meet Buffys’ gaze.

“It is possible.” The watcher said carefully, “That in times of grief you may just be experiencing some hope of his surviving the experience, however practically…”

“Willow heard him, it was a British accent. I sounded like the Queen of England?”

Giles raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Quite.” He added, “But even so, it completely unprecedented Buffy, I’m sorry.”

“Can’t Will do her searching about in the mind thing. Then we would know if he was there?” Buffy asked. “I am all prepared to be mind dissected.”

“Even if Spike had managed by some manner to gain access into your mind Buffy, there is no evidence that he has managed to maintain the arrangement, vampire and slayer in the same body? He does not seem willing to join us now.”

Buffy frowned, perhaps it had been all her imagination, it was possible she supposed. It could be the strain of losing him again.

“Of course Willow could try to access your subconscious, but that would mean having access to all of your thoughts and feelings?” Giles said in a kinder tone. “But the chance of finding him if he is there, and more importantly the likelihood of reuniting him with his body is going to be difficult, if not impossible.”

Buffy shook her head.

“I’ll keep looking.” Willow said squeezing her friends’ hand. “There are a few of the more obscure texts I can access.”

“At the moment we have more pressing issues. Need I remind you we have a very dangerous and extremely evil vampire in the basement? A decision has to be made one way or another. I stand by my suggestion.” The watcher tapped his glasses on his lips. “I can ask the coven for support, but it would be ultimately down to Willow to re-ensoul Angelus. That alone will take a lot of her energy but at least we would have mitigated some of the risk.”

“Or we just stake him!” Kennedy burst out.

All eyes turned to her. She stepped forward waving her arms expansively.

“Am I the only one who doesn’t think we should be turning into a vampire sanctuary? We are slayers, they are vampires, we slay vampires, we don’t try and save them!”

“Angel is a force for good.” Giles said once the shock of her outburst had died down.

“And so is Spike.” Buffy added quietly. “Has a soul.”

The watcher placed a fatherly hand on her arm. “Indeed.”.

Giles addressed the group. “There are preparations to make, I suggest we sleep on it tonight.”

Watcher and Slayer waited for the room to empty.

“So Angel will be in Spikes’ body.” She said finally to the older man.

“Buffy, even if Spike had taken up residence in you, of which there is no real evidence, there is no way we know of that could return him to his own body before the slayer part of you rejects him. At least this way we have the opportunity to save one of them.”

“So you are asking me to choose between Spike and Angel.”

“I am working on the problem at hand.” Giles responded.

“Just answer me one question. If this were the other way around, would you be so keen to sacrifice Angel to save Spike?”

The watcher said nothing, he stared for a moment. “My personal feelings…” He began.

“That was all I needed to know.” Buffy turned angrily and made her way back to her room.



Sleep was not easy coming to the blonde slayer. She tossed and turned in her bed. Images of the two vampires she had loved flashed in her mind. She could understand the logic of transforming Angelus once more into Angel, and normally she would have delighted at the return of the brooding vampire. But, this was at the expense of Spike. She tried to imagine that body with the mannerisms of his sire, it did not quite compute.

At some point her mind must have drifted off.

The room was dusty. Buffy sat up in the rubble and coughed. This place looked familiar. Gazing around at the broken beams and cracked plaster she stood up and brushed herself off, it suddenly became clear. This was where it all started, the place where her loathing for Spike ultimately turned into passion. She started at a sudden movement in the corner of her eye.

Stepping from behind the beam, there he was, her blonde vampire.

“You took your time pet.” He said simply. He wasn’t wearing the duster, just a black tee-shirt and jeans. Crouching on his haunches, he idly drew in the dust with his finger.
“Spike!” In an instant she was moving towards him. “Are you… is this…?” She gently placed a hand against his cheek as he leaned into her touch.

“I’m really here.” He said answering her unspoken question.

“Why… I couldn’t feel you?” She said, blinking back a tear.

He removed her hand and placed it over his non beating heart. “I’ve always been with you sweetheart.”
Buffy was unable to speak for a moment. She turned away, taking in her surroundings and composing herself. “Where are we?” She asked.

“You don’t recognise it pet? The house we broke?” She could hear the leer in his voice.

“I do, but why here?” She turned to face him.

There was a mischievous grin on his face. “It’s your subconscious pet. This is one of your go to memories, seems it made quite an impression?”

Buffy felt herself blush. “I… it… was… um memorable.”

“So I am discovering… you have quite the dirty mind.” He held his tongue behind his teeth a twinkle in his eyes.

Buffy placed her hands on her hips. “Have you been poking around in my subconscious?”

“Only a bit… I was bored!” He whined.

“You leave my fantasies alone!”

Spike just grinned at her, his head on one side. She knew instinctively the moment she was gone he would be back to his investigations.

“I mean it, I don’t want you looking through… things, it’s private!”

“It’s filthy is what it is… you should be ashamed!”

Buffy opened her mouth to speak as the blush reached her hair. She knew he was goading her and decided instead to change the subject. “Why didn’t you speak to Giles? They all think I’ve gone nuts.”

Spike was suddenly serious. “Somehow I can’t see Rupert exactly jumping through hoops to help me can you?”

“They want to…”

“Re-ensoul Angelus, yeah, I heard.” He began to pace up and down. “That poof poncing around in my body. It’s a bloody travesty that’s what it is. He’ll have me wearing a soppy expression and sniffin’ the bleedin’ flowers!”

Buffy stifled a smile.

“And how do you feel about it? Your sweety bags mincing around in my body?” He said stopping suddenly to stare at her one eyebrow raised. “Or is that one of your fantasies I haven’t found yet?”

The slayer looked innocent. “We-ll…” She said, a slight look of mischief on her face.

Spike growled. “You have got to be bloody joking!” He began to pace again. “You think you’re going to be using my body to do the nasty with that wanker… Over my dead body…”

He walked towards her. “Well obviously my body is already dead.” He frowned as he thought about it. “Over my dusted body then.”

He noticed her grin. “I told them no.” She said quietly. “But.”

“But? There’s a but?”

“There is always a but. As he is Angelus is dangerous. He needs to be subdued, even if it is only temporary while we work out how to get you back into your own body… how did you even get in here anyway?”

“Followed the blood dint I? Had to get out of there, you were close and it just… happened.” He shrugged.

“So how do we get you back?”

The vampire shrugged. “How should I know? You’re the ones with the books and stuff, I’m just the bloke who hits things until they do what I want. So what are you going to do once you have tall, dark and boring cosily holed up in my body? You find a way to get me back and then what, you chuck him out on his ear?”

“I… I don’t know, there has to be a way.”

Spike ran a hand through his bleached hair. “That’s not you Buffy.” He held her gaze, “You’re right about one thing though luv. He is dangerous, especially with slayer blood in him. Mighty potent stuff, I should know.”

“That was who you used to be Spike, not who you are now.” She said evenly.

“But still, I will never be forgiven will I?”

“I forgave you.”

“Doesn’t mean a thing to that lot though.” His thumb jabbed upwards. “I’m always going to be the bad guy. If I had a hundred souls that will never ever change and they will always be reminding you.” He sighed and turned away.
“When did you ever care what they thought? The slayer went after him, grabbing his arm. “What’s with the oh poor Spike routine?” She said crossly, making him face her.

He looked pained. “Maybe pet I am just tired of the constant battle with your entourage. If they have to have a vampire among them they would rather it was any vampire but me.”

“Oh for goodness sake.” She said almost stamping her foot. “Angel is not just any vampire, and more importantly this is not the time to start with the melancholy. You saved the world, you have a soul, and you’ve changed. We’ll get you back in your body and then we will work out all the other feely stuff.”

“Really?” There was a slight hopefulness in the little boy look.

“Really. Now tell me everything that happened when you switched, don’t leave anything out.”


Angelus smiled. He lay on the bunk, arms behind his head his eyes firmly closed. There had been a constant stream of trainee slayers creeping in to gawk at the captured master vampire. Each ones essence had made him a little stronger, soon it would be time to escape.

He’d heard them whispering. Clearly these girls had no concept of vampire hearing. So they were going to try and bring back Angel? The smile broadened. He had never felt so strong, as powerful as he did at the moment. What he didn’t need is a soul holding him back, he was done with all of that. For the moment he had to bide his time, but he had a plan.





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