Chapter 4 - Invincible
Angel's breathing was heavy. He bent over and tried to help Faith, who luckily was only shot in the arm. He pulled out the arrow and was trying to stop the bleeding. He snapped his head up to look at Buffy. "Faith!"
Buffy just laughed. "Now this is just great. So she comes here, all pouty and depressed... and you two end up kissing. But, we're broken up. And there's your whole soul issue." She walks down the stairs and smirks at Angel. "But then again, she's not really perfect happiness, is she?"
Angel stood up and backhanded Buffy as hard as he could.
Buffy touched her cheek and laughed again. "Oh, come on, Angel. I didn't think you were this stupid." She was about to punch him back when a hand grabbed her fist.
Faith stood up with her hand grabbing onto Buffy's. "Don't touch him."
Buffy looked from Faith to Angel, and then back to Faith. "Oh, this is just priceless!" She looks Faith right in the eyes. "You love him." She laughs at Faith. "So again, you go for the boyfriend. Or ex-boyfriend in this case. Geez, you really are pathetic."
Faith lets go of Buffy's hand and swung back to punch Buffy in the face.
Buffy barely flinches. "Now tell me, did you honestly think that he'd truly love you? The real you, that is. Maybe if you told him the truth, you'd see how he really feels." She gets closer to Faith's face. "You can't win this."
"You think I'm afraid of you? You're nothing." She knocks Buffy backwards on the ground. Faith bends over and starts punching her. "Stupid, worthless, murderous bitch!"
Buffy pushes Faith off and flips up onto her feet. "At least you admit that's what you are. Go on, tell the truth. Tell him who you are."
Faith was shaking with fear. "Shut up! You can't take him from me."
"Ha! Like you ever had him. He doesn't love you."
Faith looks away from Buffy and back at Angel.
Angel was seriously confused after that conversation. Why was she saying that stuff? He did love Buffy. "Faith, stop it. What do you want?"
Buffy wasn't even sure, she just knew that she wanted to get back at Faith. "I want you to see who she really is."
Angel was getting sick of this. "And I want you to get out." Angel started to move toward Buffy, but Faith stopped him.
"No, Angel. She's right. I'm... not who I say I am." Faith didn't want to do this. But she knew it would come to this sooner or later.
Angel looked at Faith in shock. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm... Faith. I switched bodies with Buffy." She looked into his eyes and tried her best not to cry.
Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're kidding me. After all that happened between us... you're... Faith?"
"I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know I was going to fall in love with you." Faith's eyes started to brim with tears.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Let's finish this." She held up the small box that contained the magic required to switch them back.
Faith looked over at Angel. "Angel, please, I'm sor--"
Angel cut her off. "Just switch back."
Faith turned away and walked up to Buffy.
Buffy smiled and took the katra out into her hand. "Don't look so sad, Faith. You knew it wasn't you that he loved."
Faith just blinked back more tears and looked down at the ground.
Buffy shook her head. She reached out and grabbed Faith's hand. A jolt went through both of them, and suddenly they were both back in their own bodies.
Faith looked around at everything, and just turned and left.
Angel watched as Faith left. He couldn't believe that it had been her. She seemed so loving and sweet. He closed his eyes, remembering the warmth of her touch. His daze was broken when he heard Buffy sigh.
"Finally, she's gone. I can't stand her."
Angel whipped around and faced Buffy. He softened a little, realizing that at least Buffy really was here now.
Buffy looked at Angel who was still deep in thought. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "Wait, I know you thought she was me, but why were you kissing her? You and I... well, you know. You'd lose your soul."
"I... I don't have that problem anymore." Angel wasn't sure why he was feeling sad inside, it hadn't been real. But still, he couldn't help feeling like this.
Buffy backed up a couple of steps, a little worried. Faith had tried to bring back Angelus before, she hoped that this wasn't a trap. "You... don't have a soul?"
Angel saw that she was backing away. "I'm not evil. I still have a soul but... I'm human now."
Buffy's eyes widened at this news. "Oh my god, Angel how did this happen?"
"There was a demon, it attacked me and... Faith." Her name stung him when he said it, like someone lit a match on his tongue. He tried not to think about her and continued explaining. "Some of its blood mixed with mine... and it made me human."
"So, no more curse? You can have perfect happiness?"
Angel walked closer to her. This is what he had wanted, wasn't it? "Yeah, I can."
Buffy smiled and leaned closer to him. Their lips met in a tender kiss.
Angel's mind was somewhere else. He was kissing Buffy, but it didn't feel right. He closed his eyes and continued the kiss, trying to shake the feeling. When he opened his eyes again, the girl he was kissing wasn't Buffy. She had long, dark hair and deep chestnut eyes. He broke off the kiss and staggered backwards. "Faith."
Buffy looked at Angel's shocked face. "What?" She turned around, expecting to see Faith behind her. Seeing nothing, she looked back at Angel. "Wait, did you just call me Faith?" This could not be true.
Angel's vision focused back on the real Buffy. "I'm-- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... say that." Why did I see her? I love... Buffy. Don't I?
"But you did. You said her name. I mean, you don't... you can't possibly..." He thought it was me! It was my body! He couldn't really have feelings for Faith. "Do you love her?"
"No." He looked down at his feet, not believing the word he forced himself to say. "I-- I don't know. I don't think so... I-- I just..." He looked back up and saw that Buffy's face was filled with horror and confusion.
"I can't believe this." Buffy turned to try and walk away, but Angel grabbed her wrist.
"Buffy, wait." He was torn at the moment, he knew he loved Buffy, but something inside on some level kept telling him that he loved Faith too. "It's not like I don't want to be with you." He looked deep into her green eyes and could tell it was killing her to hear this.
Buffy pulled her arm away from him. "No, it just means that you'd rather be with her."
"I didn't say that."
"You don't have to." She was trying her hardest to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. "Angel, I know you. I can tell what you're feeling. You want to be with Faith. I can see it in your eyes. That love? It's not for me. It's for her." It was tearing her up inside to even strain out these words. "You became human... and you chose to be with her over me."
"Buffy..." Angel couldn't believe he was doing this. He reached out to try and touch her face.
Buffy pulled back and pushed his hand away. "Don't." Tears were streaming down her face and her voice was cracked. "Go find her."
"I-- I don't..." Angel stopped. He felt horrible for hurting Buffy, but he desperately wanted to see Faith. "Thank you."
Buffy regained her composure, keeping her emotions reeled in the best she could. She choked out one last word. "Go."
Angel turned around and walked away, steadily increasing his pace as he went out to find Faith.
Buffy slumped to the floor, crying, watching her true love walk out the door.
Faith wandering aimlessly through the streets of L.A. hoping to find something, anything to take her mind off of Angel. She heard rustling coming from behind her. "Looks like I got my wish."
A gang of vampires emerged from the darkness and advanced on Faith. One of them spoke up. "Slayer."
Faith cocked her head and pulled out a stake. "Let's get it on."
The vampires started to attack and quickly cornered Faith.
Faith just smiled and started punching and kicking in all directions, not caring whether her blows landed or not. The vampires were all blurred, none of them seemed to even have form. Faith just kept acting out on blind fear and pain.
The vampires noticed Faith's sloppiness, and one of them took advantage of this fact. He swung his foot out low, knocking Faith to the ground. He leaned forward and hovered over her body. "Come on, is that the best you got?" He talked in a condescending voice, hoping it would piss Faith off enough so that they could continue the fight.
Faith's eyes were still blurred, and the voice that drifted to her ears wasn't the vampires. It sounded vaguely familiar, like it was from a dream. She pushed the vampire with minimal force, but it was enough to get him off. She stood up and attempted to fight all of the vampires again, but at this point the vampires were so disappointed, they just laughed. Two vamps came and grabbed both of Faith's arms, holding her still. The big vampire that had pinned her earlier moved towards her. Faith's breathing quickened, her heart rate increasing as well.
The vampire smiled at her, flashing his razor sharp teeth. "I've always wanted to kill a slayer." He pushed her hair away from her neck, exposing the bare skin. He bent forward slowly, smelling the blood pumping through her veins.
Faith's mind was racing. She couldn't focus, all she knew was that in a few moments, the life would be drained from her body. And a part of her didn't care.
The vampire bit down, sinking his fangs into Faith's throat, drinking down her blood.
Faith moaned slightly as she felt teeth penetrating her flesh. As her life drained away, a face floated into her mind.
The vampire let go of her neck and stepped back, satisfied. The other two vampires dropped Faith's arms.
As Faith slowly sunk to the ground, she gasped out a name. "Angel."
Angel ran through the streets, trying to find Faith. He kept on to no avail, and was about to give up when he saw of group of people ahead of him. Angel cautiously approached the group, and saw that they were vampires. Angel wasn't very well armed, and as a human, he couldn't take on this many of them at once. He started to leave, when he recognized a face. He watched as the girl was dropped to the ground. Panic flashed through his mind. "Faith!"
