Angel's head came up at the knock on his door and he went to answer it with annoyance.

"May we come in?" Wesley asked.

He looked them over for a long moment before stepping back to let them in.

"We've been discussing contracts," Giles stated as Angel closed the door and turned to look at them.

"And what conclusions have you made?" the brunette asked dryly before moving back to the bar and pouring another glass of whiskey.

"The Wolfram and Hart employee contracts state, "by the agreement of magic enforcement, employment can only be terminated by written or oral notification," Wes spoke up with a faint smile. "Did Lindsey notify you of his intentions to quit?"

"No." Angel thoughtfully picked up his drink.

"And that means you can call him in anytime you want," Willow stated with a dark smile. "Or at least after the effects of the slime wear off."

"I want him here tomorrow then." Angel set the drained glass back on the counter. "We'll see how much our girl likes that."

They all looked up when the door opened and Cordy walked in, lust radiating off of her as she moved toward Angel. "Need you," she murmured huskily. "Lucronis... has to have babies... six of them... to give a blessing to the Senior Partners. I know who the first two are." She pulled his head down and kissed him deeply before Angel broke it.

"I want Linds here tomorrow," he stated, "and..." he smirked, "Eve as well."

They all watched with dark eyes as Cordy pulled his head down again before they quietly turned to leave the apartment.

All conversation died when Eve stepped into the Wolfram and Hart lounge a few hours later, and she tried to ignore that she was the center of attention as she walked over to take a seat across from Angel. "You wanted to see me?" she asked coolly.

"I did." He leaned back in his chair. "We're going to need a few bottles of baby formula, cribs, and some diapers... maybe a nanny for a week or so to take care of six babies." He looked at her with a glint in his dark eyes. "Do you think you can take care of that?"

"Of course."

"Good. The nursery will be set up in the empty office on the third floor. And I'll expect," he looked at her meaningfully, "the nanny to be carefully screened so she doesn't kill them, become too attached, or cause us problems when she finds out babies are disappearing on the news."

"That would be regrettable," Eve agreed.

"Yes," Angel murmured before shifting his attention away from her and giving a faint smile. "We'll leave that to you then while we get Linds settled in."

Everyone turned and quiet laughs ran through the room when they saw Lindsey standing in the doorway with a blank look on his face, his hair still lank and heavy with slime residue.

Angel took a moment to glance at the startled look on Eve's face with satisfaction before getting up. He didn't think it would be too long before Buffy found out what was going on.

It was around 7:00 the next morning when a knock came at the door, and Buffy pulled it open hopefully before frowning when she saw who it was. "Eve... Marcus," she greeted flatly as she stepped back to let them in. "Lindsey's gone."

"We know," Eve answered as she stepped in with Marcus on her heels. "I was in the Wolfram and Hart lounge when he walked in."

The slayer turned to her with disbelief. "Lindsey walked into Wolfram and Hart?"

"I'm pretty sure he was under a spell."

"I don't believe this," she breathed with distress.

"We can get him back," Marcus answered as he reached into his coat pocket before pulling something out. "All you have to do is give him this." He held up a cheap looking clover charm before offering it to her. "Once he touches it he'll be right back here in his apartment."

Buffy eyed him warily before taking it. "Where is he?"

"Angel's basement of course," he answered with a dark smile.

She shot him a hard look. "And you think I'm just going to be able to walk in and hand it to him?"

"If you switch bodies with Cordelia, I don't see the problem."

"There's no way that's happening Marc."

"Buffy," Eve broke in as she shot a frown at the mage. "Angel's been kidnapping babies. They got two yesterday, and they want six."

"Why?" she asked incredulously.

"Why don't you find out?" Marcus challenged. Silence fell before he soothingly broke it. "All you have to do is exchange bodies with the seer for a couple of days. Tomorrow at midnight, the spell will break and you'll be back here safe and sound."

"I don't want her in my body," Buffy stated with annoyance.

"I'll keep her knocked out. She'll never know there was a switch."

"No."

"They're kidnapping *babies*," Eve stressed grimly as she looked at the blonde, "and trust me, Lindsey's not going to like whatever Angel has planned for him."

Buffy ran a hand through lank hair before closing her eyes for a long moment as a silence fell. "I'll need to know where she lives, what her car looks like... if she has a job..." she broke off uneasily as she realized what she was thinking about doing.

"Done," Marcus waved a hand and Buffy *knew* where Angel's basement was located, the layout of Wolfram and Hart, that Cordelia didn't work, owned a red car, and lived in an apartment above the law firm's offices. A moment later, she was free of slime residue. "You'll have until midnight 3 days from now to free Lindsey, and," he smiled, "gather all the information you can."

"Keep her knocked out Marc," Buffy ordered caustically as she studied the dark humor in the mage's eyes. A moment later, everything blacked out.

She was sliding forward in slow motion, her body limp before the slayer pulled herself out of it, and was beyond grateful she didn't have to pick herself up off the floor. She glanced over the room and instantly felt a knot grow in...her? stomach.

"You okay Cord?" Xander asked as he looked at her with interest.

"Yeah," she answered uneasily as she reached a hand up to hair that wasn't hers. She quickly pulled it away. "I'm fine."

Willow smirked at Xander. "Looks like you're going to have to wait a little longer."

Buffy glanced up sharply, but Willow and Xander were exchanging smiles, and she was grateful they hadn't noticed her nervous look. Unsure what to do, she dropped her gaze to the cup of coffee in front of her and forced herself to take a sip before settling back on the sofa. Her heart was beating too fast, and she tried to take slow calming breaths.

Giles entered with a couple of old books, and she couldn't stop from watching him. It looked so familiar her heart ached.

"Is that the Hexing Compendium?" Willow asked with interest.

"Yes. I wanted to see if I could find a spell that would affect Buffy without us knowing for sure what she is, or even where she's at."

"Something like with Lindsey?" Xander asked.

Giles nodded, and Willow looked up thoughtfully. "I doubt it can be done, but we can always do a spell to bind her to Wolfram and Hart if she ever comes inside."

Xander smirked before shaking his head. "Did you say bind or blind Will?"

Giles set the books on a table and took a seat. "Yes... Well... Perhaps a combination would be interesting."

Willow and Xander exchanged smiles, and Buffy tried to concentrate on her breathing again. She forced another sip of coffee before glancing down at the shoes Cordy was wearing. They had spiked heels... She could walk in them, but it'd been a while. Her gaze slid to the polished floors and she was grateful there wasn't a carpet to deal with.

"Cordelia."

Her head jerked up. "Huh?"

"Any new visions yet?" Giles asked again.

She frowned as she thought about the little girl she'd saved. If she had a vision, she certainly wouldn't tell them about it, and she'd do her best to make sure it *didn't* happen. "No... " she almost snapped.

"Touchy about that?" Welsey asked with a smile as he entered and walked over to sit beside Giles, look at the books in front of him. "I'm sure it's just a matter of time."

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "And when you need us, we'll be there," he grinned widely as he slouched down on the leather sofa.

Buffy studied him with a frown before getting to her feet and moving to the sink. She wasn't comfortable with the innuendo, but she was *very* comfortable with the anger she was feeling. "Yeah, because you guys are all pretty much dreams come true," she answered dryly before turning to shoot him a hard look.

He sat up with a puzzled frown. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with what?" Angel asked as he entered the lounge and walked toward the small kitchen area.

"Cordy said we were dreams come true," Xander answered.

Angel's hand froze halfway to the refrigerator handle, and he turned to look at his childer curiously before snorting and pulling the door open, reaching for a bag of blood, dumping it into a cup, setting it in the microwave. "Must've been a good dream," he murmured before setting the timer on the machine and punching it on. A moment later, he turned to look at the scowling seer. "Is something wrong?"

She forced herself to meet his eyes. He was looking at her with a hint of curiosity, and she hesitated before giving a shake of her head. "No. I'm fine."

The microwave chimed off, and he turned to pull out his blood. "Any new visions?"

She met his eyes and bristled at the amusement she saw in them before stepping closer. "If I have a vision, I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, feel free to *stop* asking." She glanced over the room and met their eyes pointedly. Her gaze stopped on Willow's, and the witch raised an eyebrow. Buffy's eyes narrowed, but she was careful not to challenge her. Turning away, she flecked an imaginary lint speck off her skirt in what she hoped was queen C fashion before walking out of the lounge, her heels clicking on the hard polished floor.

Angel raised an eyebrow and looked at his childer curiously. They shook their heads or shrugged, and he thoughtfully turned to follow her. "So..." he started a few seconds later as he fell in at her side, "what do you want to do today?"

She stopped. "I sort of thought you were going to work."

"I don't have any appointments scheduled until two o'clock, and you're supposed to have 2 more visions... We can do something if you want."

Two visions... that she'd be able to stop? "I've got it covered," she told him with an easy smile. "You can do... whatever you want."

His eyes narrowed. "Are you mad at me Cor?"

'Yes', Buffy silently answered as she glanced up at him. "What would I have to be mad about?"

"I'm not sure... but Cor, if you don't get over it, we could have problems."

She shot him a look before starting to walk away. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all, she decided as she walked toward the door that led to the basement. It was locked, and irritation ran through her before she shrugged it off. She had 2 days to figure out how to get to Lindsey. It shouldn't be too hard.

The knock on the door of Cordy's apartment had her head snapping up, and the slayer debated ignoring it before deciding she'd better answer. She frowned at the 3 men on the other side. "What do you want?"

"Can we come in?" Angel asked.

"We thought you might like to watch some dvds," Wesley added with a smile.

Buffy looked them over for a moment and wondered what she was missing before she pulled the door open wide enough to let them in. "Sure. You guys can get started, and I'll grab something to eat and be back in a while." She stepped out of Cordelia's apartment and firmly closed the door behind her.

She'd been close to taking off Cordy's spikes, and now she was glad she hadn't. Somehow she didn't think Queen C would pad barefoot through the halls, and as creepy as Angel, Wes, and Xander were acting she was glad she didn't have to take time to put on shoes to get away from them. She frowned. Lindsey was right, everything here was seriously screwed up.

She walked into the lounge and saw Giles was sipping a drink as he read through some papers, the old books still sitting on the table in front of him, and she frowned thoughtfully before moving to the fridge. Nothing appealed, and she hesitated before closing the door and nearly bumped into Angel when she turned around.

"I thought you were watching dvds," she stated with annoyance as she moved around him and then around Xander and Wes who were standing at his side.

"Well as appealing as that is, I thought maybe we could wait for you."

Giles looked up with amusement, and Buffy scowled at him as she got an apple out of the fruit bowl and sat down on the sofa. Her stomach plummeted as Wes and Xander sat on either side of her, and she stood up and walked over to sit at the table Giles was at. "Can I help you with something Cordelia?" he asked as he glanced at her before looking at the other 3 men in the room with a smile.

No longer interested in eating, she set the untouched apple on the table carefully before looking at her former watcher. She doubted he and Cordelia spoke a lot, but stranger things were happening. "I thought I could help research spells."

He frowned, and Buffy made a show of glancing at Cordy's nail polish. Every fingernail was perfect, and she glanced back up at him expectantly when he didn't answer right away. "That is an unusual offer," he finally answered.

She gave a faint smile before shrugging. "What can I say? I'm just," she glanced back at Angel, Wes, and Xander before turning back to Giles, "bored out of my mind."

"No need to be," Angel answered smoothly as he took a seat across from her. "I mean, we can always discuss Lurconis Cor." She glanced at him cautiously. The name rang a bell, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Yeah," Xander spoke up as he moved so he was facing her. "We've got 4 more babies to get for him after all."

"And we're going to have to have them by Thursday," Wes murmured as his eyes dug into her.

Buffy watched them, and they watched her back. Was that the 'series of visions' she was supposed to have? She was supposed to send them after babies to give to Lurconis... and where had she heard that name before? She glanced thoughtfully at Giles who was watching with a puzzled frown before picking up the apple and forcing herself to take a bite as she left the room. Relief ran through her when they didn't follow.

It was 3 hours later when the vision tore through her. She saw 2 babies, their names and addresses, and then so many dark feelings flooded her that she collapsed to the floor. She could feel the strength in her coiling body, could feel her mouth opening impossibly wide. Her head jerked to the side as something inside of her tried to reject what was happening. It did nothing to slow the vision though. Her head lowered on an impossibly long neck. She drew back and then whipped forward to swallow the first baby whole before turning to follow it with the second...

She rolled over and dry heaved when it was done, her body shaking in horror even as a surge of satisfaction and sexual heat made her catch her breath. "No," she panted... "Oh god... no." Her breath came heavily as she dropped her forehead to the floor in shock. She needed to go, had to get her body back... and she lifted her head before uncaringly running fingers through carefully styled hair. The door caught her attention and she stumbled to her feet... only taking a moment to grab the keys to Cordelia's car before bolting barefoot out of the room.

Angel, Xander, and Eve were in the hall outside of Angel's office, and she didn't slow down as she tried to barrel past them. "Cordy," Angel murmured with surprise as he caught her, held on as she tried to break free, pulled her closer when she stilled.

Xander spoke, but Buffy didn't pay attention to what he was saying as she concentrated on Angel's hold. It loosened, and she struck. Her palm came up and she felt his nose break before trying for the door again. Xander caught her and released her when she kneed him in the crotch. He collapsed to the floor, and she ran. The only thing that mattered was getting into the sun, and she made it with a loud shaky sob.

She didn't make it off the property before running into the bars of a cage as it rapidly grew out of the ground, and she looked up at the top of the bars and tried to jump before realizing she wasn't strong enough to reach them. The next time she looked, the top and floor were sealed with solid metal.

It didn't take long once darkness fell before they were standing in front of her cage, and Buffy centered herself in it and waited. The silence was deafening as they studied her. "Feeling better?" Angel finally asked.

She gave a faint slightly off smile and shrugged even as she noted his nose was healed and Xander didn't act like he was in pain. "What can I say? I guess it's just my time of the month."

When Angel lifted an eyebrow she realized her mistake. "No," he stated with a hint of amusement. "It's not, or at least it isn't Cordy's."

"Cordy..." Buffy forced a frown before giving a shake of her head. "Can't place the name."

"Then why don't you tell us yours?"

"Tala," she answered... instinctively wanting to give any name but her own.

Angel narrowed glittering gold eyes before giving a shake of his head. "I don't know her. Now, who are you?"

She suddenly laughed, and there was a shake to it she didn't like. "Don't believe me? That's not my problem."

"I think it is," he murmured as his gaze slid over her before going back to her eyes. "Or maybe you're just having a bad day Cor? Is that it?"

He was playing with her. She'd screwed up badly and all because she hadn't been able to... deal... With what? She swallowed. With... what she'd... She broke the thought when she felt like she could start dry heaving again. "Bad day," she murmured tiredly. "Yeah, you could say that."

He smiled. "Ready to go home Cor?"

Eve had seen what had happened. Surely they wouldn't leave her in this body for the full 3 days. Not after... "You have no idea," she answered with a slight shake of her head.

Angel glanced at Willow. "Let her out."

The witch murmured quietly and the cage was gone. Her friends started to inch forward, and Buffy didn't move. Strong hands gripped her arms and pulled her toward Wolfram and Hart. She didn't fight. She couldn't win.

She was pulled into a cell, the door closed with a clang before she was released, and she stood still, only lifting her head to look over to where Angel was standing a few feet away. "You look... tense," he murmured as he cocked his head before smiling at his childer. "Maybe you guys should give her some room," he ordered. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

They shifted away, and she adjusted her stance. "Better?" he asked. She didn't reply. "You know Cor... I had some of your dvds brought down from your apartment a couple of hours ago." He took a moment to study her and smiled faintly when he only saw confusion. "Funny thing about your collection. It seems your last vision happened at 1 today."

She took an audible shaky breath as a fine tremor ran through her. "Is that right?"

"Yeah," he answered as he watched. "And you ran out of the building at about 1:15. Why would that be?" She didn't say anything, and he looked back at his childer. "Doesn't seem to want to talk to me." There was some laughter, and he glanced back at her. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me why I wasn't notified about it?"

She glanced up. "Guess I had better things to do."

He nodded before turning to pull a dvd out of a case and giving her a wicked smile. "Want to refresh your memory?"

"No." She could remember it all too well. She looked at the dvd with confusion before glancing up at him. "I really don't," she answered slowly.

"Oh well... I guess it's me that wants to then." He turned on the tv and popped the dvd into the player. It was set to go... and her eyes widened in horror as the vision on the screen triggered one that ran through her body. She tried to stop it by protectively wrapping arms around her head before collapsing to the floor with a cry of denial that sounded more like a wounded animal. Sexual heat blazed through her and she clenched her thighs even as she cried out in revulsion. He shut off the dvd player the instant the vision was done and silence filled the cell, only broken by her sobs and panting breaths.

"That's not Cordy," Xander stated.

"Will," Angel murmured as he turned to look at the redhead, "can you feel anything?

She glanced at him before moving to place a hand on Buffy's forehead, and silence fell for several long moments. "No," she answered before standing up. "There's no magic on her."

Angel frowned thoughtfully. "Would there be if bodies were exchanged?"

She nodded. "There should be... I mean, if Cordy's not in there, whoever performed the spell's stronger than I am."

Silence fell, and Angel cursed quietly before walking over to where Buffy was curled into a ball. He crouched down and brushed damp brown hair off her face before glancing up at his childer. "Leave," he ordered. They quietly left, and he turned his attention back to the woman at his feet. She'd rolled onto her knees, her forehead pressed firmly against the cell floor as she sobbed. A moment later, she was dry heaving. He watched for a few long moments before giving her plenty of room as he walked over to sit along the side of the wall.

Buffy didn't move for several minutes, and when she did it was with trembling disjointed movements.

"You can't save them you know," he told her quietly. "Lurconis is going to get all 6. We've already got the 2 from your vision today."

"Why is that Angel?" she asked shakily even as she curled into another tight ball.

His head came up and he stared at her intently as a faint smile grew before shrugging even though she didn't look up to see it. "The six babies that will be sacrificed were chosen by the Powers. Their deaths will be an acceptable trade to keep Lucronis and the Senior Partners satisfied... don't you agree?"

Silence fell, the only sound in the room, her breaths, her quiet sobs. "No," she told him. "You... you can't. Don't have the right to kill."

"I think I do," he answered.

She took several labored breaths before turning to dry heave into the floor again. It went on for what seemed to her a long painful time before she collapsed in exhaustion. A couple of seconds later, his fingers were brushing sweat dampened hair off her face. She shifted away, and he looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment before abruptly getting up and leaving the cell.

He walked into the lounge a few minutes later and wasn't surprised to see all of his childer there. "Could you break a spell that's cast by someone stronger than you?" he asked as he dropped into a chair.

"Yes," Giles answered. "As long as the spell isn't protected."

"And if the spell were broken?"

"It would return them to their rightful bodies," Willow answered.

Angel looked at her with sharp brown eyes. "So we'd get Cordy, and lose..." he settled back in his chair before giving a faint smile, "whoever we've got now?"

Willow nodded. "Pretty much."

"What if I want both of them?"

Xander was watching him closely, and thought he knew where he was heading. "She knows how to fight," he muttered as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Angel glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"She uh... also doesn't seem interested in informing us of the visions," Wesley stated, and Angel gave a wicked grin.

"Not to mention she can walk in Cordelia's spikes," Willow murmured. "I know Buffy could do that."

"So can it be done?" Angel asked.

Willow glanced at Giles. "We'd have to do some checking."

"Yes, we would," Giles agreed thoughtfully. "But we already have half the pieces. We just need the other halves."

Silence fell before Xander gave a soft laugh. "I don't think Buff likes the visions as much as Cordy does." There was laughter around the room, a few comments, and when it died down Angel looked at Willow.

"Can you do a spell to stop someone else from returning them to their rightful bodies?"

"I can try," she answered after a couple of seconds, "but like I said, I'm pretty sure their magic is more powerful than mine."

"Give it a shot Will," he murmured before glancing over the group. "Who's up for a research session?" All hands went up, and Angel smiled.

Buffy glanced over the cell without interest before leaning her head back against the wall she was sitting against. She felt unbalanced... like she'd lost control... of her body, her emotions, her mind... and the sickness in her stomach was never far away. Trying to do something, anything that would help push the constant aching pain away, she lifted a shaky hand to brush back *Cordelia's* hair, and felt a fresh wave of nausea at the reminder she wasn't even in her own body. And unable to stop herself, she was dry heaving again. A sob tore out of her when she stopped, and *needing* to do something she pushed to her feet and began to pace.

Her gaze fell on the dvds near the player and she moved over to reach for one fully intending to break it to pieces. Her hand hit a barrier, and she flattened her palm against it before taking deep shaky breaths to try to calm herself.

The door behind her opened, and she hesitated tiredly before turning to the vampires entering her cell. They were all there, and she turned away with a hint of bitter gratitude that at least they weren't seeing *her* body... they were looking at Cordelia's. She snorted at that before rubbing a hand against her forehead.

"What Angel," she asked shakily, "do you want to watch more dvds?"

"The thought crossed my mind," he told her, "but there's something I'm a little more interested in right now."

She shot him a hard look and watched as he started walking toward her. She shifted away from the area the dvds were in and frowned when he changed directions to follow. It wasn't her body, but she was in it. Her stomach rolled as more nausea ran through it, and she glanced uneasily at the 4 vampires behind him as she backed away. "Uh... Can... can I help you with something?"

He stopped and held out a hand. "You can give me your arm."

Her eyes narrowed. "And if I don't want to?"

"You can come to me, or I can go to you," he said as his eyes locked onto hers. "It's all the same to me." He cocked his head and looked at her searchingly. "Is it the same to you?"

She took a deep breath before walking over to slowly hold out a shaking arm. "Fine," she hissed.

His hand closed around it, and she looked at him curiously before starting to panic when Wesley walked over with a syringe. "Shhh," Angel soothed as he watched her. "We're just going to try a spell."

She froze before looking at him. "What kind of spell?" The needle bit in, and she felt a sickening wave of dizziness before Angel caught her as she blacked out.

Angel's hands clenched as the spell started. If this didn't work... His gaze shifted to Cordy's body and he scowled.

"It's just a transport spell," Wesley stated quietly. "It's not going to break the spell already in place."

"Yes," Angel breathed. "But if we can't get her body, we'll have to let her go to get Cordelia back."

"Unless you're willing to leave things as they are now," Wes offered.

Angel shook his head. "I want the whole package. Besides Cordy's visions are hard on her."

Wesley nodded before his eyes narrowed at a spot on the floor directly across from where they'd laid Cordelia's body. A faint white mist seemed to be forming. "Sire," he breathed.

"I see it," Angel answered as he watched the mist that seemed to be solidifying. He crept closer. "If this turns out to be anyone but Buff," he stated conversationally, "human or not, I'm going to give them to the marrows... and tell them to keep them alive for days."

Wes glanced at him uneasily, but Angel never looked away from the mist. There was a bright flash of light and the elder vampire gave a wide smile as he studied Buffy's body with gold flecked eyes.

It was almost instantaneous. A second spell was performed, another one broke, and Buffy's eyes flashed open. She was on her feet a moment later... feet that were encased in *shoes*. The slayer's gaze shot almost without interest over the vampires watching before glancing down at her body. Her head jerked up in surprise when she realized what body she was in and where she was at.

"Buff," Angel watched from where he was leaning against the wall. "Needless to say I'm very happy to see you again."

"Yeah," she answered absently. "It's good to be back." But was she? She still felt off, and even as she answered, she could feel a tremor in her hand, a hint of nausea in her stomach. She clenched the trembling hand at her side into a fist and looked over the vampires that were watching intently. They were all following Angel's lead and staying well away from her. She glanced down at Cordy and swallowed. She was barefoot, her hair was a mess, her makeup smeared with tears. She glanced away uneasily before turning back to Angel. "It's been fun, and we'll have to do it again sometime, but I really should be going now."

"Surely you can stay a little longer," he murmured. "And I'm sure Cordy would like to say hi." He glanced pointedly at Willow, and she waved a hand.

The seer opened her eyes with a frown before turning to look at the vampires. "Would anyone mind telling me why I'm in the *basement*?" she snapped as she got to her feet. Cool floors had her looking down at her bare feet with a scowl. "And where're my shoes?"

"Sorry about that," Buffy answered, "but honestly do you wear spikes every day?"

The seer turned to stare at her, and Buffy looked back with a troubled frown. Did Cordy feel the nausea and tremors too? Even as she wondered it, she felt a faint bout of sickness roll through her... She took a couple of deep breaths before noticing Cordelia was giving her a vicious look of triumph. A moment later, the seer slapped her hard. "Did you really think you could interfere with my visions?" Cordelia asked before giving a shake of her head and an unpleasant smile.

"Thought I'd try," Buffy answered as they locked eyes. "Didn't... really... work out too well though."

Angel's eyes flashed with amusement as he walked over to wrap an arm around Cordy's waist before pulling her a couple of steps back, and Buffy watched as the seer relaxed into him. "Cor," Angel murmured. "Buff decided to pay us a visit. Wasn't that nice of her?"

"Mhmm," she answered.

"Course she switched bodies with you to do it."

Cordelia tensed before looking up at him. He met her eyes and shrugged. "Worked out well don't you think? You get what you want," he murmured pointedly. "I get what..." he broke off and looked back at Buffy. "Well maybe not what I want, but as close as I'm going to get." A calculated moment of silence fell before he glanced back at the seer. "I think she might as well kick back and visit for a while. I mean, since she's so interested in your visions and all."

"About that," Buffy started. "Can I talk to you in private Cord?"

Silence fell. Angel smirked as his eyes glinted with gold. "You know Cor... Your last vision was at one yesterday. Buff... took the call."

Cordelia stared at her intently before sliding a hand over the arm Angel had wrapped around her waist. "Did it feel good?" Buffy didn't answer, and Cordy's eyes blazed with satisfaction. "It did didn't it?" She laughed. "Little miss goody two shoes got off on one of my visions."

Buffy swallowed. "Babies were..." she broke off as a wave of nausea stronger than she'd felt since regaining her body ran through her. "Why would you think... " she broke off again and studied the seer uneasily.

"They're nothing but food," Cordelia told her with a vicious smile. "Nothing more than mice locked into a cage with a rattler."

Buffy paled and took a few labored breaths trying to keep the nausea back... It didn't work. It washed over her like a tidal wave, and she collapsed onto her hands and knees before violently starting to dry heave again.

When she was done, she kept her head down for several long moments before gaining the strength to face them. She was relieved to see that the only one there was Cordy... not that the others were probably far away... in fact, she hadn't heard the door close behind them, and she wondered if Willow had just made them invisible. She swallowed bitterly. Why hadn't she thought of a cloaking spell? She looked up at the woman facing her and gave a slight shake of her head. "Your visions make me sick Cord." Not trusting her legs to hold her, she shifted so she was sitting. "How do you handle them?"

"I take Angel to bed a lot."

Buffy swallowed before nodding. "Yeah, I figured that out. Looks like Xander and Wes are interested too."

Cordy watched with dark amusement. "Well Buffy, there are perks to belonging to a vampire family. But you know all about vampires, don't you? They're into tight family groups. I'm just enjoying the ride."

Buffy took an audible breath before shakily getting to her feet and looking at Cordelia. "I think we're done. Feel free to leave..." she looked over the empty room, "*all* of you," she stressed before sliding a hand around to grip the stake tucked into the back of her waistband. Her hand tremored, and she ignored it as she moved to the back of the cell and leaned against the wall. She kept her gaze on the floor as she listened to them leave before abruptly lifting her head. "Cordy." She watched as the brunette turned back to look at her. "There's a charm in your pocket that goes to a necklace I broke. If you put it back on a chain, it'll drastically improve your taste in fashion."

Cordy stared at her before checking her pockets and pulling out the small gold colored charm. She threw it at Buffy with a sneer before leaving the cell.

Buffy tensed before quickly rolling out of bed when she heard her cell door open. It wasn't fast enough, she didn't feel well, and had taken a moment to grab her stake, but she was still on her feet seconds after Willow and Angel entered.

"You know I've been trying to work," Angel told her, "but I just keep thinking about you Buff. I mean, I know you threw us out, but," he shrugged, "I'm having a hard time staying away."

"Maybe you should try harder," she suggested.

He smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I was thinking I'd like to find out a little more about what you are."

She snorted. "I'm a slayer Angel. What about that are you having trouble with?"

"You see, I thought you'd say that," he murmured. "That's why I thought we could do a couple of quick workout sessions." He shifted into a defensive position and looked at her expectantly.

She hesitated. She really didn't feel up to a sparring match, especially if it was just to entertain Willow and Angel. "I don't think so, not unless I get to see Linds when we're done."

Silence fell as Angel looked her over with a scowl before giving a sharp nod. "Alright." He turned to Willow. "Why don't you bring him over? I think he'll have a stake in how this turns out."

"Meaning?" Buffy asked.

"Meaning," Angel turned to where Lindsey was now standing, "if I don't think you're a slayer... I'm going to break his hand." He looked at Lindsey with dark eyes. "Fair enough Linds?"

"Angel..." Lindsey started before Buffy interrupted him.

"Fair enough." She let the stake fall out of her shaking hand and lunged at him. He dodged one punch before blocking another. They went back and forth until Angel signaled for Willow to stop it, and Buffy found herself unable to move.

"So far so good," he murmured as he looked again at Lindsey, "but that was only the first part of the test." He looked pointedly at Willow who waved her hand, and Buffy felt the spell that was holding her in place suddenly disappear. The roundhouse kick she'd been trying to land caused her to lose her balance and she hit the floor with a scowl before instantly getting to her feet.

A small cup of ice cream appeared on the floor in front of her, and Buffy looked at it with narrowed eyes.

"Go on," Willow encouraged. "It's your favorite."

"Not really hungry Will."

"You don't have to eat it," Angel informed, "but if you want to talk to Linds, you'd better."

She frowned before slowly picking up the cup and hesitantly trying the ice cream. It was good and seemed to soothe her stomach, and she finished it off with more ease than she thought she could.

"Good girl," Angel murmured when she was done. Buffy shot him a reproachful look, and his eyes glinted with amusement. "Now let's spar again."

She attacked before drawing back in surprise when he blocked her and it sent a jarring pain through her arm. She studied his neutral expression for a long moment before her eyes narrowed and she attacked again with the same results. She drew back and rubbed at her arms and the bruises that were forming on them. "Let me guess. This is the cruciamentum test isn't it?"

"Close enough," Willow agreed as she looked at her with a troubled frown.

"What's the cruciamentum test?" Lindsey asked worriedly as he walked over to her.

Buffy smiled humorlessly. "They take away a slayer's strength to see if she can still slay. We go through it when we turn 18."

"That sounds barbaric," he murmured as he looked at her with concern. "Buffy, you're shaking. What happened?"

"I'm sick Linds." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the clover charm. "Tell Marc now would be good." She met his eyes before pushing the charm into his hand. There was a flash of light and Lindsey was gone, Willow gave a startled cry, and Buffy slowly lifted her head to look into Angel's dark glittering eyes.

"You know Buff... next time you ask me for something, don't be surprised if I turn you down." A moment later, he turned to Willow. "What happened?"

"There must have been a transport spell tied to the charm, and when Lindsey touched it, it was triggered."

Silence fell, and Buffy wrapped trembling arms around her waist before noticing Willow was looking at her with dark angry eyes, and she forced a humorless smile. "I'm tired, and the test is over. Get out."

Angel turned to look at her for a long moment. "Just a couple more tests Buff," he murmured before hesitating and looking at Willow. "Let's try a truth spell."

Willow waved a hand. "Anytime sire."

He turned back to her, and Buffy's hand tightened on her stake. "I said get out."

"Could you really dust me?" he asked.

"It took you opening the hellmouth," she answered quietly before her eyes widened and she turned her back to him.

Silence filled the room as he looked at her with dark glinting eyes. "Who are you?"

She snorted. "Buffy Summers. Nice to meet you... or maybe not," she answered dryly.

"Why don't you have a heartbeat?"

"I do."

His eyes narrowed and he looked at Willow. She shrugged, and he turned back to Buffy. "Why would a slayer make friends with vampires?"

She slowly turned back to him with confusion. "You were souled... and Spike was chipped."

He lifted an eyebrow. "I meant why are you spending time with Tala and James?"

"They're not vampires."

"Willow," Angel snarled as he turned to look at her.

She was frowning at Buffy but turned to look at him. "She believes what she's saying, sire."

He turned back to study Buffy before nodding. "Okay. So you think you've got a heartbeat, and that James and Tala are human," he murmured thoughtfully before turning back to Willow. "Can you break the spells on her?"

"There's no spells on her or at least none that I can feel," Willow answered before giving a slow shake of her head. "I mean, maybe if I knew what kind of spell we were dealing with, but..." she broke off uncertainly.

Silence fell as he turned back to look Buffy over with dark eyes a moment before he started toward her. She backed away, and he moved faster than she could until he'd backed her into the wall. "Shhh..." he soothed. "There's just one more test and we'll go."

"I'm not in the mood for this," she answered as she felt nausea roll through her when he lifted her so they were on eye level.

"It won't take long," he answered as he slowly dropped his head down to nuzzle her neck. "I think I'll know a little more after I'm done."

She tensed as she felt his face shift before giving a quiet cry when his fangs sank in. He stopped drinking after a couple of seconds and began to lap at the small streams of blood seeping from her wounds.

"How is she?" Willow asked with interest.

Angel lifted his head and studied Buffy with a troubled frown before setting her on her feet and taking a step back. "Good enough," he answered grimly before turning to the redhead and motioning toward the door. "I think it's time we went back to work."

Willow looked at him curiously for a long moment before turning to leave the cell.

"She's a slayer then?" Xander asked quietly.

"She's got a slayer's strengths and weaknesses," Angel answered as he sat down with a mug of blood.

"And she's under a spell that takes away her ability to tell the difference between humans and vampires," Giles murmured thoughtfully. "Who would benefit from that?"

"Who would benefit from bringing," Angel hesitated before scowling, "Buffy back at all?"

"You think she's the real thing then?" Wesley asked quietly.

"I'm not..." Angel broke off uncertainly before giving a shake of his head and looking away. "It's possible."

Xander ran a hand through his hair. "If that's Buffy... She really doesn't like us very much."

Silence fell, and Giles settled back in his chair. "Buffy knows things are not always black and white. She might become more understanding if we talk to her."

"I'm not sure I want her to become more understanding," Angel answered. "I'm not sure I want her to be Buffy at all."

"Sire?" Xander asked.

Angel got up and walked to the window as a silence fell before scowling and shaking his head regretfully. "So far we've tried a truth spell, cruciamentum test, and I've tasted her blood. She's passed all of it. If that's Buffy..." he broke off and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"You could turn her," Wesley spoke up quietly. "It might make it easier, and I don't think any of us would mind having a new little sister."

Angel shot him an unreadable look before taking his mug over to the sink and beginning to wash it. "Maybe," he answered grimly," but for now I think it's best to leave things as they are. At least until we get reacquainted a little better."

"But you think it's her?" Willow asked.

"She doesn't have a heartbeat," he answered quietly.

"An orb of thesulah would tell us," Giles stated.

"You mean we could call her soul?" Willow asked as she looked at him with interest, and Giles nodded.

"So let's get an orb," Xander broke in.

"Buffy."

The slayer glanced up before rolling to sit on the edge of the bed. "Harmony? What are you doing here?"

"I hate over time," she grumbled before looking at the blonde. "I *work* here." She rolled her eyes. "Here." She tilted a Styrofoam cup at an angle so that she could force it through the slot in the door before pushing a plastic wrapped straw and spoon through with it. Buffy looked at her curiously before walking over to take it.

"If they all walked as slow as you, I wouldn't get home until midnight," Harmony snarled as she gave Buffy a pointed look before leaving.

Buffy stared after her before walking back to the bed and looking down at the cup. It was a chocolate malt... the ice cream so thick it hadn't even spilled when Harmony had tipped it sideways. Since being returned to her own body, she'd only had the little bit of ice cream they'd given her yesterday... She wasn't sure she could keep much down, but this was beyond tempting. Sliding the spoon out of the plastic, she took a small spoon full. The cold ice cream soothed her stomach and she slowly finished it off.

Angel watched the kildron demons leave his office thoughtfully before glancing up as Willow walked in.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

He shrugged. "They want to hunt Will, it's in their natures, and they're willing to let us call the shots on who dies if we let them."

"Did you agree?"

"No. Not yet. But I think I'll mention it to the Powers and see if they're interested. I mean, they can kill without leaving a trace of the bodies. It could simplify some of our messier cases."

She nodded before getting to the real reason she'd come to see him. "Harmony gave Buffy the wrong malt. She got the one with kondra venom in it."

He cursed before turning to her with gold flecked eyes. "Why wasn't I notified?"

She dropped her head submissively. "You've always told us not to interrupt your meetings... And it's just been half an hour since she ate."

"And I assume she's been *alone* for the last half hour," he asked with narrowed gold eyes.

"She's been alone," she told him quietly. "We all know the rules sire."

Angel watched her closely. "In the future, if *anything's* going on with her that I should be made aware of, I don't care if I'm in a meeting with the Senior Partners, I want to be notified immediately."

Willow nodded submissively before glancing up with gold eyes as he left the office.

Buffy agitatedly paced her cell as the venom coursed through her. She'd alternated between dropping onto the bed and climbing off of it for the last 10 minutes, and the burning need for physical contact was only getting worse. When her cell door opened she spun to face the intruder.

Angel looked her over for several long moments before starting to unbutton his shirt. "It was a mistake," he told her quietly as he met her accusing stare. "Harm gave you the malt with kondra venom in it." He dropped his shirt to the floor and kicked off his shoes before pulling off his socks.

She didn't know what it was, but she was pretty sure she knew what it did. When he dropped down to the floor on his knees a hot lust ran through her that had her catching her breath. She moved closer, and he didn't move a muscle as she circled to stand in front of him. "You know I should stake you," she threatened angrily as the truth of everything she'd learned since being resurrected threatened to overwhelm her.

He glanced up with a hint of amusement. "From the look of you, I think I'm safe... at least for a while."

"Don't count on it," she told him grimly, her hand noticeably shaking as she reached down to cup his cheek. He nuzzled into it and stopped when she gripped his ear with biting pressure. "Don't count on it," she repeated. Without moving his head, he looked up at her with faint gold sparks in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed and she released him before taking a step back to look him over. He was on his knees in front of her with slightly messy spiked hair... barefoot and shirtless... and he looked so hot that she wanted to die. Whatever he was doing, whoever he was doing... it was still Angel... and she was practically on fire. "What time is it?"

He frowned before glancing at his watch. "It's almost 10:00." He looked back up. "Have an appointment?"

She ignored him. Two hours. She had two hours... It wasn't enough time... and it was just enough... For two hours she could pretend he was still hers. She dropped to her knees and impatiently knotted a trembling hand into his hair to pull him toward her. He kissed her easily, and she wanted to sob at the feel of it... of him. She slowly allowed herself to go to the ground in stages, and Angel readily followed her.

At midnight her eyes flashed open when she felt reality shift. Angel's solid weight was gone, and she quickly pulled the comforter she was laying on over her nude body when she heard Lindsey's, "Sorry," as he quickly turned his back. Her gaze slid up to meet Marcus's dark eyes, and her eyes narrowed as he gave a faint smile. Buffy did her best to ignore him as she quickly wrapped the quilt around herself and sat up. "You couldn't have gotten me out sooner?" she snapped as her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I uh... couldn't find the mage," he told her. "You're feeling better I hope?"

She was silent for a long moment. Her gaze dropped to her hand as she held it in front of her and watched the shake it had acquired before dropping it back onto the bed. "I had one of Cordy's visions and it did something..." she broke off before adding, "I get sick a lot, and can't stop shaking."

Marcus nodded. "Her visions are dark. It's entirely possible your energy and hers are incompatible. Given enough time, you will heal."

"And your vision?" Lindsey asked as he cautiously glanced back at her.

She ran a hand through her hair. "They need babies to feed to Lurconis," she answered quietly.

"Lurconis? Isn't that a large snake?"

She swallowed uneasily. "Yeah. I need to find him... before 6:15 pm on Thursday..." she trailed off and looked at the mage. "Can you stop him from making it to Wolfram and Hart?"

"No. I don't make a habit of interfering in their plans," Marcus answered.

"Good to know you're on our side." Buffy gave him a hard look. He simply smiled in return, and she scowled as a silence fell. "Alright... then do you think you can poison my blood so it'll kill him?"

Marcus's eyes narrowed. "It can be done," he finally answered slowly.

"No," Lindsey snapped. "We're not poisoning her blood. We can surely come up with a better plan than that."

"It's only a precaution," she answered before turning to the ex-lawyer and changing the subject. "I'd really like to use the bathroom Linds... and maybe even get dressed," she murmured pointedly. "So if this interrogation can wait, I'd appreciate it."

He quickly nodded. "Sorry," he told her again. "We'll be in the living room when you're ready."

Buffy watched as they left before gratefully getting off the bed and grabbing an outfit out of the dresser. She did her best to ignore the twinge between her legs as she moved. Angel had been just as surprised as she had when he'd broke through her hymen, and the look he'd given her... She took a slow breath as she closed the bathroom door. At least there wouldn't be any 'awkward morning after' to deal with.

Angel stalked into the lounge the next morning and the quiet stilted conversations abruptly came to an end as they all turned to watch him.

"Sire," Giles broke the silence, and Angel stopped but didn't bother to look at him. "She will try to stop Lurconis."

Angel walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of blood before angrily ripping it open with fangs and dumping it into a mug. The quiet hum of the microwave filled the silence that followed.

"I can't believe you let her go," Cordy snapped.

"No one let her go," Xander admonished before shooting a cautious look at the elder vampire. He was watching with dark eyes, and Xander respectfully lowered his.

"Her escape..." Wesley started before hesitating uncertainly and dropping his head, "might help her heal."

Cordelia snorted. "She'll live. As a matter of fact that bitch will probably..." she broke off and moaned as a vision ran through her.

Angel turned away and finished his blood before rinsing the mug and turning to face her. She'd straddled Xander's lap and pulled him into a kiss. "Who is it?" he asked roughly, an edge of anger in his voice.

She pulled away and gave them the names and addresses of the babies before turning her attention back to the brunette she was mauling, and Angel glanced at Willow. "Did you get that?"

"Yeah," she answered a couple of seconds before he walked out of the room.

Lindsey jumped at Buffy's cry of pain before running to throw her bedroom door open. She was crying, her arms wrapped tightly around her head, and he cautiously moved farther into the room. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

She didn't answer right away. "Vision," she finally got out before beginning to fill him in on the details. "We need to c... contact Marcus." She swallowed. "Have to stop Lurconis..." she broke off with a sob as Lindsey sat on the edge of the bed.

"That's difficult," he told her quietly. "It would take at least a few hours." He reached down to rub her back as she cried.

"Why..." she started... "Why do I sti... still have her visions?"

Lindsey frowned as he studied her. "I don't know," he finally answered. "But what you're feeling isn't you... They're not your emotions... You have to hold on to that."

She looked up with sick pain filled eyes, and he slowly laid on the bed before pulling her into his arms.