Switcheroony
by alicorn
Chapter 13
[reviews]
"Buffy, Willow, are you okay?" Anya asked and seeing they were she added, "Dracula?"
"Euro-trashed," Buffy explained. She stood watching a somewhat agitated Xander glare back and forth. Willow still had a protective arm on her and somehow that one small thing made her smile, made the fear of what could have happened less.
Xander had come careening into the hall, his eyes wide. "Where is he? Where is the creep who turned me into a spider-eating man-bitch?" Xander demanded.
"Apparently Xander was also under Dracula's thrall," Anya said attempting to explain his behavior. "Did I tell you that he's always had excellent taste?" she added because she had seen both Buffy and Willow hold back smirks at the idea of Dracula placing Xander under his thrall.
"No thrall," Xander clarified, in a voice a little louder than needed. "Emissary, Okay. No thrall. Just a bug-eating Emissary."
"He's gone," Willow stated.
"Damn it. You know what? I'm sick of this crap. I'm sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets funny syphilis. From this moment, it's over. I'm finished being everybody's butt-monkey," Xander said, his voice rising.
"Thrall. Told you," Anya stage whispered.
"There was NO thrall!" Xander yelled, glaring at Anya.
"Check. No thrall and no butt-monkey," Buffy interjected, trying very hard to ignore Anya and hoping he would too.
"Well, I was just saying I could have understood you choosing to give in to his thrall. At least you weren't all weak-minded and making time with the Dracula babes, like Giles here," Anya stated.
"I was just about to kill those loathsome creatures when — Anya interrupted me," Giles protested, somehow wishing Anya would go back to embarrassing Xander.
"Right, you were going to nuzzle them to death," Anya commented.
"Of course not. I was in complete — control." Giles blushed, something rarely seen. Quickly changing the subject Giles asked. "Willow, did the 'slowing time' spell work?"
"For a while." She replied, unsure if she wanted to let everyone know that she had found Buffy dancing with Dracula.
"Good, good. I was a little worried after the 'location' spell failed and considering your previous inability to resist his thrall. I mean, we never really had time to finish your mental training," Giles said, rambling on in his attempt to change the subject until he realized he was doing little or nothing to increase Willow's self-confidence.
"His thrall wasn't that hard to overcome once I realized something pretty basic," Willow explained, smiling slightly.
"Really?" Giles questioned. Curious at just how the young woman had managed to defend herself. "What?"
Buffy looked at her friend and a small smile played upon her lips.
"I'm 'Kinda Gay'," She said smiling.
Giles looked at her oddly and then he laughed. "Of course," he shook his head and dropped his jaw. "How simple," he stated somewhat annoyed that he had missed such a simple mental trigger. Then he smiled, wishing he had been there to see Dracula's face when he realized that he was facing a Sapphic Slayer. Realizing that Buffy was looking at him oddly, he opened his mouth to explain further but Anya interrupted.
"So he's dead," Anya asked somewhat disappointed. "You staked him."
Buffy and Willow fell into an awkward silence that was finally broken by Buffy. "We don't really know who staked him."
"Someone shot a stake through the window," Willow explained. "We thought it was Giles but it can't have been," she added.
"It was Faith," Buffy stated.
"How can you know that? And why would she be helping you?" Giles asked.
"The second stake had this wrapped around it," Buffy explained and passed the rolled up piece of paper to Giles.
Opening it, Giles read it aloud.
"'Babes in distress, in castle caught.
Standing sweetly, side by side.
New power, but no one fought?
Scared to deal, easier to hide.'"
"She's starting to enjoy this," Xander commented. Slightly disconcerted that Faith was still around, let alone watching them. There was the whole 'is she crazy possibility'? But then there was the cheesy poetry. 'Yep she's enjoying this too much.'
"Faith's still getting her jollies at my expense," Buffy commented, real concern in her eyes. She felt Willow reassuringly squeeze her shoulder and suddenly whatever Faith had in store for them, she knew that they would handle - together.
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Faith had followed the rag tag rescue party across the park; at first wondering where the hell they were going. But one look at the big old castle and she figured that it surely didn't involve going on a fun filled picnic in the park. Then she really became concerned when she realized that B wasn't with the Scoobies. 'Damn! It's a rescue gig.' Guilt ran through her and she didn't like that much. This was meant to be her good deed, but it wasn't going five by five and if Buffy ended up hurt...
Kicking into Slayer speed, she raced around and ahead of the Scoobies. Reaching the castle she climbed up to an upper floor window. When she gazed in she saw something that sent a cold chill to her very core. Lying on the floor was Buffy and she wasn't moving. Faith jimmied the window and entered, moving swiftly to Buffy's side she gazed at the woman she had so often resented and envied.
Suddenly feeling very small and inadequate she reached for her neck to check for a pulse. It was there. She watched her nostril flair — 'She's breathing.' Relief washed over her and she beamed at the unconscious source of her happiness. She reached forward and brushed a stray hair from Buffy's face. Then she heard a slight murmur — she was — 'No?' Buffy was asleep?
'What the hell is going on?' she asked as she looked around the room. Then she heard a noise. Unsure where it was coming from and knowing that the Scoobies could burst in at any moment she retreated back to her entry point. Being found by the side of an unconscious Buffy wouldn't play very well with the Scoobies. She didn't like leaving Buffy but she wasn't going far. She lowered herself onto the balcony below the window and looking over her left shoulder she spotted just what she needed.
The tree gave her a clear view of the room. She retrieved her crossbow and bolts from her bag. She watched Dracula re-enter the room and keeping her bow trained on him, she watched as he danced with Buffy. 'Where the hell are the Scoobies?' She was beginning to think she had made a mistake when before her eyes the pair seemed to freeze and Willow entered the room. 'Magics', Faith determined. The witch was in the game.
She relaxed, watching Dracula perform before the pair, who seemed unmoved and unconcerned by his movements and then a small smile crossed her face she reached into her bag and pencilled a little message for the dumb duo. She was going to enjoy this. When she looked back up, she was dumbstruck. They both appeared to be drinking from him. This had gone far enough. She took aim and, once she had a clear shot, she fired.
'Dusted! Some talents never fade.' A smug smile washed over Faiths face. She had just saved the love-dumb duo. As she watched them drop to the floor and she wrapped her hastily scribbled message around the next bolt and fired it into the room. "Guys, you are the dimmest 'love muppets'. EVER!" she quietly exclaimed.
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Willow had insisted that she take Buffy home, leaving Giles, Xander and Anya to return their weapons to the Magic shop. The Slayer/Witch had informed Giles in no uncertain terms that there would be no further attempt at the 'vision quest' tonight, because of what Buffy had just been through.
As they walked back to the dorm across the campus grounds neither one of them spoke. Willow kept a protective arm around the ex-slayer as they walked. Crossing the car park Willow thought that she heard something and turned just in time to see the large stone that struck her forehead, knocking her out. When Buffy felt the arm that had been around her fall, she turned and her heart sank as she saw Willow crumple to the floor. Coming towards her were three female vampires, attired as if from the Hammer extra's lot. 'The Sirens.' She focused all of her protective instincts and anger at the trio approaching her.
Instinct took over and Buffy took her familiar stance preparing for their attack. Then reality struck home. She had no slayer strength. She was no match for one vampire, let alone three. Glancing at her unconscious friend, fear washed over her, fear for Willow. 'How can I protect her?' Feeling the fear beginning to rise within in her, she shook it off with what remained of her will power. 'Willow needs my protection'.
The approaching vampires hissed as they moved towards her. Recognizing her stance they seemed to laugh before they commenced their attack. In a blur of movement too fast to observe, Buffy was suddenly surrounded by the three female vampires who treated her like a kitten would a ball of string, cuffing away her attempted blows with smiles and laughter, tripping her, punching her, slapping her and finally throwing her to the floor where she lay gasping for breath, her body and ego, bruised and humiliated.
The three left her to regain her breath, and although eager to play further with the ex-slayer, they instead to moved to surround Willow. But the sight of Willow, unconscious and vulnerable, surrounded by deaths minions simply helped to fire a fierce determination of will within Buffy. She felt a new unfamiliar power rising within her. It seemed to be building from her very core, aflame and yet it held an ice-like quality that centered and bound it to her will. She stilled herself and stared at Willow. Her very core seemed to re-align as if a magnet was focusing her will and drawing it out of her.
As the trio lowered themselves to Willow, Buffy knew they would not hurt her, they would not drink from her, they would not kill her. She would stop them. Buffy tried to move, to get to Willow, to protect her, all the while knowing that she would never reach her in time. She screamed within her very soul and involuntarily stretched out her hand as if to pass her help, her will, her strength, and her prayer to her secret love. A prayer that she, herself, should fall; that she should die - for that was her destiny, NOT WILLOW'S!
She felt her will leave her with such force, such ferocity that it seemed to burn her insides as it left her. She ignored the pain, forcing her anger, her rage, her will and the very soul of her need towards them. Towards those who threatened her Willow.
Somehow unsurprised, she saw a wall of fire rise to surround Willow, burning the trio of sirens where they stood. Their screams filled the air as they combusted, falling as dust to the ground. Then it died, its flames wilting, extinguishing itself, until all that lay before her was Willow. Her Willow. Safe.
Buffy felt something wet against her face, 'I'm crying?' She reached to her face to wipe the tears away but as she looked at her hand she saw not tears but blood, her blood. Her nose was bleeding? She became extremely light-headed as she tried to move towards Willow and thinking she had heard a noise, she lifted her eyes to look towards her dear, dear friend. Pleased, she smiled to see Willow's questioning eyes open. 'She's safe. Willow's safe. My Willow.' She thought with relief as she gave into the exhaustion that engulfed her. 'So tired. Just need to rest for a moment.' Closing her eyes, she decided to just rest her head for a while on her outstretched arm.
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As Buffy regained consciousness she thought she was floating. But no. She was being carried. She was in Willow's arms, being carried with her own slayer powers. 'How weird is that.' And they were moving down a dorm corridor. She tried to raise her head to see exactly how much further Willow would have to carry her but she found herself unable to find the energy to do so. She murmured in frustration.
"We're nearly there, Buffy. It's okay, we'll be there soon ... it's okay. Did I say that? As if getting pelted with stones could be okay." She huffed in disgust. Then seeing that Buffy was trying to move she advised her friend. "Give it a while. Don't try moving your head; its probably pounding. I know mine was. How many rocks did you get hit with anyway? You're covered in bruises," Willow stated, the concern obvious in her voice. She was certain that Buffy could have only been hit so many times if she had been trying to shield her. "If I ever get hold of those kids, those SOBs, those ignorant ... I'll turn them sixteen shades of black and blue. Stoning! Hello; not in the dark ages. For heaven's sake we've landed on the moon, we have internet banking, female senators, cell phones, test tube babies, microwave pizza, bubble bath .... Stoning a witch????? I'm so reporting this to the university board."
Buffy, smiled at the absurdity of the conversation Willow was having with herself; well to be honest it was more of a tirade, a babbling tirade. But smiling just made her face ache; so she stopped, deciding it was enough to smile inside only.
Willow obviously had no idea what had happened, what Buffy had done — 'Hey. I did magic!' she recalled. 'I did - oh my god, the switch — ohhh no.' Shock took over and the world faded away again.
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In Los Angeles, two weeks earlier Cordelia was talking to Wesley, Angel and Faith -describing her conversation with a D-list starlet who had been silly enough to cross her path in last season's matador jacket.
"Any how, I told her... purple, so last season. If the cut didn't ... Ow ... hell!" Cordy cursed as her balance went, her sight faded and the scene before her blurred. With little warning she was thrown into a sequence of short scenes, snap shots, moving so fast in real time yet so slowly in her head.
**
Spike is sitting in the shade on a loading bay, as Buffy leaves the back door of the magic shop. He announces his presence. "I was gonna go inside, but I overheard you and the Super-friends exchanging a special moment and I came over a bit queasy."
Buffy wiped her hair out of her face but doesn't appear to be listening to him.
Deciding to bait her, he adds "Say, aren't you leaving a hole in the middle of some soggy group hug? Joining the Wiccan love fest and all that."
"I just wanted a little time alone," Buffy explained, finally acknowledging him. She walks over and sits on a near-by packing crate.
"Oh right then," Spike says standing. He starts to walk away but when he reaches the border of the shadow that had once given him access to the loading bay, he realizes it has moved and that he can no longer leave the alley without waling into the sunlight. He stops and squints at the sky.
Watching him, Buffy removes his problem. "That's okay. I can be alone with you here."
"Thanks ever so," Spike replies to the backhanded insult, passing her a rueful smile.
"Right."
"Buff? ...Slayer? Are you okay?" Spike asks, resuming his seated position.
She looked up, realizing Spike was still there. Uncomfortably she gets up and walks to the same shadow and sunlight divide. Pausing she answers him, never turning to meet his gaze. "Everything I feel, everything I want to have ... this is Hell. Just getting through the next moment ... and the one after that ... Watching her ... being with her... knowing what I've lost... What I can never have." Buffy fell into silence.
Spike gave her a very knowing look. Sadness, resignation and understanding seemed to fill his eyes. As she turned she must have recognized his thought because she spoke with such conviction, such determination... "She can never know. Never."
**
Spike grinned and leered at Buffy. "We have to talk," he told her as she moved away from him.
"About what?"Buffy spat.
"Oh god, don't get all prim and proper on me. I know what kind of girl you really are," Spike responded smirking at the Slayer. " Don't I?"
"I'll just have to get my jollies fightin' demons," Buffy informed him in a very off hand manner.
Spike suggestively replied,"There are other ways ...", presenting himself.
"And to that -- an extreme see you later," Buffy responded, walking away.
"You're a tease, you know that Slayer?" Spike yelled.
She rolled her eyes but continued.
"Get a fellow's motor running with secret sexy knowledge, put kinky pictures in his head, let the sexual tension marinate a couple of days, all big with the sharing, then bam. Crown yourself the ice queen," Spike added as she moved out of sight. "It's only a matter of time before you realize I'm the only one here for you pet. We both got tensions that need releasing. You got no one else!"
**
Buffy entered a bedroom where Willow was relaxing on the double bed. "Hey," She smiled. "How you doing?"
Willow sat up. "Oh. Uh ... Okay."
"Yeah?" Buffy questioned planting herself on the bed opposite Willow.
"Yeah," Willow affirmed. "No parades and cotton candy but ... okay."
"Will, um ... Can I talk to you about something?" Buffy asked somewhat nervously.
"Of course," Willow replied.
"Right. Okay. Um ... you know how we all make choices? And sometimes they're easy, and ... sometimes they're ...less easy," Buffy said, uncharacteristically stumbling over her words.
"Uh-huh."
"Well, lately, I, uh...that is, I'm finding one choice...less easy," Buffy said, looking at Willow as if she should understand what she was talking about.
"Right... Slayer stuff?" Willow guessed. "Though not really a choice is it?"
"No well ... "
**
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Buffy said sincerely to Spike.
"But..." Spike began to object.
"But ... when I ... you know I was thinking about Willow... Right?" Buffy said, trying to be as clear as she was able to be.
"You know, I always wondered about you two before you let on, " Spike said smirking.
"What?" Buffy questioned, suspicion in her eyes. Realizing he was teasing her - her look quickly turned to hatred. "You're a thing. An evil, disgusting thing."
**
Buffy kicks Spike and he flies into the living room. Spike stands as she enters the room. "Poor little lost girl." He taunts, jumping up to grab the chandelier. Swinging towards Buffy to plant both of his feet in her face. She goes down. "She doesn't fit anywhere. She's got no one to love her."
Buffy gets up and grabs him, throwing him against the staircase leading upstairs, smashing it to bits. "Me, I'm lost? Look at you, you idiot! Poor Spikey. Can't be human, can't be a vampire. Where the hell do you fit in?" She laughs. "Your job is to kill the slayer. But all you can do is follow me around making moon eyes."
"I wasn't planning on hurting you." Spike informed Buffy, as he lifted her up to look in her face. "Much."
"You haven't even come close to hurting me," Buffy retorted.
"Afraid to give me a chance?" Spike jibbed.
Buffy broke his hold on her throat, throwing him against a wall with such force that plaster leaves it in chunks. She grabs him as he tries to gather himself, pushing him against the wall.
"You afraid I'm gonna...tell?"Spike says laughing ,"Just what's that worth?"
"You're evil..." Buffy began.
"Hello. Vampire!" Spike reminded her.
***
Buffy is in her bathroom wearing only a bathrobe. Spike stands smiling in the doorway. She yells at him to "Get out."
"We need to talk," he tells her.
"No. We really don't," she responds.
"This isn't just about you - - as much as you'd like it to be," he reminds her. "You should never have told me ... but I think you wanted me to know... wanted me to have this over you."
"I wouldn't. Why would I want this?"
"Why?" he asked hopefully. "This way you can let me do stuff and it's not your fault. You like being treated like this."
"No I don't."
"Why do you keep lying to her? To yourself?" He looked at her, willing her to agree to his next statement. "You won't admit it but you need me ... because you can't have her."
"I could never like or trust you enough."
"Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy" Spike replied, laughing at her denial. "Your great secret love has done nothing but hurt you. I think you like the pain. We could have passion, danger, something that burns and consumes."
"Until there's nothing left. That kind of thing doesn't last."
Spike moved forward to try and kiss her. She gently pushed him away. "Let yourself feel it..." he urges her, becoming more forceful in his approach, touching, stroking her. "Just what would she think, if she knew..." he threatens.
At his words, fear fills Buffy's face. He takes this opportunity to invade her robe with searching hands. "Stop it," Buffy orders him, batting away his insistent hands.
"You need me to hurt you ... so you should fight just a little," he states, reaching between her legs. "I know you better than you know yourself."
"Don't," Buffy pleads, stumbling backwards. She reaches out and grabs the shower curtain to steady herself and stop herself from falling. But the curtain rings pop and its flimsy support is gone. She falls, hitting her back on the side of the bathtub. Gasping in pain she slides to the floor, hits her head on the edge of the bath and is dazed.
In that moment Spike is upon her, pinning her to the cold tile floor, oblivious to her pain. Forcing his kisses upon her. "Let it go.... admit you like it. When I'm inside, you feel it too," he states.
"Stop it ... please ... stop." Buffy begs. She seems unable to stop him. And Spike doesn't appear to be listening to her pleas.
**
As she came back, Cordy couldn't believe what she had just seen. 'No! Oh my god.' Opening her eyes she saw two concerned faces, Wesley and Angel. 'Okay who caught me?' she wondered.
From behind her Faith asked, "C, you okay?" The dark-haired slayer was more than a little unnerved by the vision-fainting Cordelia. Okay so Angel had brought her up to date on the whole vision thing, but somehow the reality of the situation was not at all the walk in the park she had pictured for the Queen C.
"Water?"
"There was water? Sea? Lake? River?" Wesley asked eager to help.
Looking at him as if he was a fool she clarified her question. "No. A drink of water. Geez," Cordelia said irritably. Her head was still spinning and she was relieved that Faith was still holding onto her. She had no doubt that the moment Faith released her, her remaining upright body parts would simply join the rest of her on the floor.
"Ahh, yes. Sorry," Wesley said as he rushed off to rectify his mistake.
"Who was it?" Angel asked, recognizing the look on her face as concern for someone she knew.
"Buffy," Cordelia replied, pain and fear in her voice. She saw the immediate need to go to the Slayer in his eyes. "Some time in the future, not any time soon. I'm pretty sure about that. I think it was a warning of what could happen. We'll need to send someone to warn her. It's not the kind of thing you can talk about over the phone." Angel looked at her questioningly. "Girl stuff," She supplied, really hoping he'd let it go at that for now. She needed time to think about what she had seen. Angel's face relaxed somewhat but he didn't back down.
'Oh boy. Thanks. This is just what I need right now,' Cordelia thought, willing her thoughts to the powers that be. 'Tell broody his "ex" now bats for the other side. You couldn't just give this one to me, when he was ... oh I don't know ...somewhere else?'
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Thanks to Lilly, a beta treasure