Spike and Buffy finally arrived home from an exhausting patrol. Spike helped Buffy get her coat off since the vamp did a number on her arms and she winced a little. “You okay?” He had a feeling that she was sore. He saw the way her arm twisted when she got flung across the cemetery
“It’ll heal by tomorrow,” she assured him. “I do need to sit though.” She went toward the couch, ready to fall on her face.
“Right behind you,” Spike said, sitting next to her on the couch.
Things had changed so much between them. Granted he wanted more, but this was enough. They had gotten so much closer since her little trip through the portal when she had demanded that he get his rocks back. Well he did, and it seemed to make her happy. She relied on him, and he was there. He always had her back, and she was right. Getting his stones back had made him stronger, more focused, able to keep things under control. They went out every night together to patrol, spend time together, sometimes with the girls, sometimes without, either was fine with him.
She spent a lot of time in the basement with him, supposedly doing laundry, but she was actually spending time with him, talking to him, telling him things he’d never thought he’d hear. Her fears about the battle, her guilt for the girls that had already died in her house. He’d done his best to comfort her, reassure her that he was here, and he wasn’t going anywhere. That seemed to work. She always opened up to him, more so then she ever had before.
Now, she even told him her concerns about Faith being around. She knew that they needed Faith for the battle. They needed all the help they could get, but she had a bad feeling about the brunette slayer. Spike had learned everything Faith had done in the past, the body swap, Riley, Angel, trying to kill Joyce; and Buffy wasn’t quite convinced that Faith had changed, and she had already seen the way Faith eyed Spike.
Buffy had tried to cover up her concerns by telling Spike that she knew she didn’t have claim to him and he was free to be with whoever he wanted, she was just warning him about her. But Spike could see through that. She was jealous, and had no reason to be. He told her as such. He wasn’t interested in Faith, she wasn’t his style.
He was brought out of his thoughts as Buffy settled down and used his lap as a pillow before falling asleep. Spike smiled and stroked her hair. He’d be out soon himself. It was a rough patrol. A lot of vampires around that needed staking.
*
Upstairs, Faith was chanting a spell in the bathroom. She was tired of perfect Buffy getting the perfect life. The perfect friends, the perfect boyfriend, even though they both said they weren’t together, and she was the perfect slayer. Well now it was her turn. She was just a good a slayer, if not a better one then Buffy. She could lead these girls, and not get them killed. She could give Spike what he always wanted, show him what a real slayer is like.
As she finished chanting there was a bright flash, which the whole house could have seen, causing her to cover her eyes. When her eyes opened, she was in the living room. She sat up slowly, to get her surroundings and found Spike asleep next to her. ‘It worked’ she thought to herself. ‘I switched bodies with Buffy. Again. Blondie will love this.’ Might as well wake him up happy.
*
Spike jolted awake when he felt warm lips. Was he still dreaming? This couldn’t be happening. Buffy wouldn’t be kissing him. He used every ounce of will power to pull away from her. “Buffy?” His brain was so fuzzy, he couldn’t think straight. The last thing he remembered was coming home from patrol. As much as he didn’t want it to, this had to be a spell.
“Shhh. No talk,’’ she whispered huskily. Her fingers tangled in his hair roughly and she yanked his head back to hers. She kissed him hungrily for a few moments before pulling away. Sliding off his lap, she pulled him to his feet and headed toward the stairs.
Spike noticed the difference in her walk, firm, confident, sexy. There was more of a sway to her hips then usual. But still, if she was offering, he wasn’t going to turn her away. Every time he tried to think and talk to her, his brain crapped out and skipped it felt like. Like he was drunk on Buffy almost. Which to him wasn’t unnatural for him.
*
A few hours later, Buffy’s eyes fluttered open. She didn’t remember falling asleep in the bathroom. She sat up on the floor and stretched her sore muscles before pushing off the floor. On her way to the door she caught her reflection in the mirror and froze. She turned her body slowly, and her eyes widened. “Not again,” she growled. “This is so not happening to me.” She flew out of the bathroom and headed downstairs, but Spike wasn’t on the couch. Her next stop was the basement, which was empty as well. Only one place left. Her bedroom. And they had better not be there. Her feet still carried up the stairs and she paused outside her room. Could she really handle this? She swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the door open slowly. And there they were. Spike curled around Faith in Buffy’s body. Tears flooded down her cheeks, knowing they just had hot monkey sex, and she backed out of her room before running downstairs.
She didn’t get far, only to the back door, where she crashed into Willow. “Not now, Will” she whimpered, trying to push past her friend and flee the house. This was too much. Now Spike? After everything she had told him, he couldn’t tell the difference? How could he do that to her?
“Buffy? Willow asked. “Again? How did this happen?”
“I don’t know Willow,” she said, wiping her tears. “We came home from patrol and fell asleep on the couch. Then I woke up in the bathroom. She slept with him.” She didn’t even care that she was telling Willow about this. However, Willow wasn’t stupid. She could read Buffy like a book, and could probably tell that Buffy had feelings for the vampire, so it wasn’t a big secret.
Willow frowned and embraced her friend. “Shhh. He probably can’t tell. The spell probably messed up his mind.” That was the best friends job. To reassure her that everything would be okay, that Spike still loved her, that it wasn’t worth being upset over right now, and everything was going to be okay.
“Fix it,” Buffy whimpered, seeking comfort in her friends arms. “Please undo it Willow. Don’t let her take him from me.” Not Spike. He was different from everyone else. He wouldn’t fall for Faith’s charms, not under his own influence. Buffy knew him better then that, she was just too upset right now. She couldn’t think straight.
“SPIKE!” Willow yelled, her voice booming through the house. Buffy could see her friends eyes turn black, and almost felt sorry for Spike. Receiving the wrath of the best friend wasn’t exactly fun, witch or not. And after a few minutes, Spike and Faith had come running downstairs, dishevled and concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Spike asked, looking back and forth between Buffy and Willow.
Buffy lunged at Faith and began beating her. “How dare you?” She growled, strangling her. She tried to hold herself back, but she couldn’t. Just seeing them together set her off. How dare her go after what was hers? Spike of all people. She should die.
“Buffy,” Willow said, pulling her friend away. “That isn’t going to solve anything. And even so, we still need her. Which is to bad.” She pinned Spike to the ceiling magically and glued Faith’s feet to the floor, her eyes on Spike. “You slept with Faith and Buffy saw you. They switched bodies.” Straight to the point. “You probably didn’t realize it because of the spell,” Willow said.
“You are not the woman he loves!” Buffy flared, glaring at Faith. “Don’t you dare try to take him away from me, because I will kill you.” Her emotions were running on high, and her adrenaline was going through the roof and she needed to hurt someone.
Spike frowned. “Red, lemme down, gently, please,” he said.
Willow carefully set Buffy on the floor but Faith still couldn’t move.
Spike approached Buffy carefully, and peered into her eyes. The emerald green shining at him confirmed that it was Buffy. “Bloody Hell, Buffy,” he stated. “I didn’t…” He reached a hand out to try and grab her own, but she flinched away from him. “Buffy, please.”
“Don’t touch me,” she growled, clenching her fists. “I don’t want to talk to you.” Her eyes fell on Willow as her friend started chanting, and about fifteen seconds later, she was back in own body, and able to move. “Thanks, Willow,” she said, softly. “I’m going to lay down.” The spell made her a little woozy, but her heart was hurting. Too much. She knew Spike would follow her, but she didn’t want to talk to him.
Spike paused in her doorway. “Buffy?” He asked, going into her room.
Buffy stared at her bed. “You slept with her,” she whispered. She forget they had slept her bed. She definitely did not want to lay down now. Not after a million loads of was to try and get rid of the smell. She couldn’t really smell it, but she couldn’t forget. She could never forget. Just like she could never forget when she caught Riley with vampire whores. Burned into her brain forever.
“I didn’t know it wasn’t you,” Spike whispered, making his way toward her. “She fucked with my mind. I couldn’t… I couldn’t remember anything that happened after we got home from patrol. I couldn’t control myself. It was just… everything was fuzzy. I couldn’t focus my senses to realize it wasn’t you.”
“I just… it was my bed,” she whispered, turning to face him. “I just… you know how I feel about her. All my fears, my concerns with her and she did this to me. I wish we didn’t need her for this stupid battle. I don’t want her here. She’ll try it again.”
“Buffy, you’re the only one I love,” he said, reaching for her again, this time she let him. “You’re the only one I ever love, whether you love me back or not. She’s not my type and she’s lucky I didn’t kill her just now. I would never intentionally hurt you. Never again. You have to believe me.”
Buffy sighed. “I know,” she said, lifting her head. “I think I just need some time to think.” God it killed her to say that. People said that when they were over, she just really needed to not be near him, so she could concentrate. “Please.”
Spike nodded and backed away from her. “That’s fine,” he said. “You know where to find me, Pet.”
With that, he left her alone, and she slid to her knees as tears flooded out of her eyes. It was better this way. She just needed a little time. That’s all. It would be fie when she got herself under control. Yup. Things would go back to normal. As normal as they could get on the hellmouth.
