Angelus made his way through the abandoned factory carefully, his vision less then at it's usual quota. *That damn spell, it did something to my eyes.* I just hope dear Buffy won't be too disoriented by her new looks. He smirked and obliviously hit one of the mountains of old crates, sending them crashing all around.
Spike wheeled his chair out of the adjoining room at the other end of the factory but pressed the break halfway over. All he saw was the fumbling, idiot friend of the Slayer trying to get out of a pile of boxes he'd thrown over.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" the platinum vampire questioned angrily.
"What's wrong, Roller Boy? Get your fingers jammed in your wheels?" Angelus shot, sidestepping the fallen crates.
"You have a lot of nerve challenging me like that, wanker."
"Spike," Angelus paced his way in the dim light and put both hands on the arms of Spike's chair, shoving his face into the vampire's like he always did. "I thought you knew not to insult me. I gave you immortal life…I can take it away just as easily."
Spike pulled back and set his jaw. "I don't know what kind of idiotic joke the Slayer and her half minded little gang are playing, mate, but it's nearly as moronic as the one Soul Boy came up with, switching your girl's body with the bitch's. Now either get out of here, or Dru can have a bedtime snack and Mr. Anima can have another body to leave out as a present." He changed visages and glared through his yellow eyes.
Angelus stood up straight, feeling sluggish and queer. His reduced vision was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, he recalled how cold the younger demon had felt just now. And he heard the dull drumming in his ears. Almost like beating. He pressed his thumb to his neck unconsciously. There it was. The dull throb. The beating increased as he started to panic. And began to sweat. He looked down for the first time at what he was dressed in; a multicolored plaid shirt and a pair of baggy black jeans. Not his duster, silk shirt and binding leather pants.
Angelus breezed by the wheelchair bound vampire and down to Drusilla's basement room where the vampiress was asleep in the canopied bed, flinching slightly in her dreams, with her numerous dolls piled around. He felt around for the hand mirror she always tried to see her reflection in. He pulled it up by the handle, looking straight into his image copied in the glass. It wasn't the one he'd last seen two centuries before, he knew he didn't look like that. He looked exactly like…Xander. *Oh f-* Angelus screamed louder than he ever had, in life or in death.
Spike spun his wheelchair around and smirked again. "I guess he remembered who he was."
* * *
Xander hadn't remembered when he had run so fast before. He just knew something really freaky was up. And this was beyond the typical Hellmouth stuff. Dead Boy had found something bad in that book and if this was intended to be another leg of his harassment, to throw them off, he was doing a damn good job at driving Xander nuts. Before he realized it, he was dashing down the corridor leading to the library.
"Oh, good. G-man didn't go to bed yet. Well, it's only ten, and he's never in bed before two! Giles!" he severely hoped his voice didn't throw them off. He knew just by looking mainly at his attire he wasn't the same Xander Harris who'd stepped out of the Bronze. Xander threw open the doors and found the ladies with the librarian, and Ms. Calendar, inside. They looked up and instantly pulled up stakes, crosses and crossbow that were on the table.
"Guys, you're here. Listen, that…thing-" Buffy threw him right up against the wall in a crushing grip and pulled the stake back. He struggled to respond but he couldn't breathe with her hand around his throat. She felt him try to bring air in against her palm, but she still pushed harder with the stake poised above behind her head.
"Buffy, just push it down!" Cordelia urged. Xander managed a single shake of his head, but couldn't bring it back to face them. Instead, he was stuck looking at a horrified Ms. Calendar.
"Buff…please…" the Slayer brought the wooden stick further back, ready to push it into his heart. Xander managed a small grin. "You're bruising my breathing pipe thingy-"
"Good. And I'll be bruising a lot more. What do you think you're doing here?"
"I'm not Angel, you've got to listen. That thing that he did at the Bronze? Well, dunno what it did, but somehow I got stuck in his body."
"Right. One of the oldest tricks. Care to think up a better one, or should I just dust you right now?" Buffy brought the stake down, on course for his undead heart. Xander growled and ran his fist into her face. She dropped the stake before it reached him and reeled back far enough for him to make his getaway, back out the door. Giles ran to Buffy's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gingerly touched the spot where his knuckles had connected, a slight imprint from the claddah ring he hadn't taken off indenting her cheek. A mark of the forgone love between vampire and vampire Slayer.
"Okay, who wants to try to explain that?" Cordelia asked. Willow continued to type away at the computer, completely ignoring her.
"Is that disk all right Willow? Please, dear God…" Jenny crossed her fingers.
"Uh…There! I got it back!" The redheaded hacker beamed. Parts were jumbled and missing, but the Romani parts were otherwise intact. The curse of restoration was back in their possession and the assembled slayerettes let out a sigh.
Spike wheeled his chair out of the adjoining room at the other end of the factory but pressed the break halfway over. All he saw was the fumbling, idiot friend of the Slayer trying to get out of a pile of boxes he'd thrown over.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" the platinum vampire questioned angrily.
"What's wrong, Roller Boy? Get your fingers jammed in your wheels?" Angelus shot, sidestepping the fallen crates.
"You have a lot of nerve challenging me like that, wanker."
"Spike," Angelus paced his way in the dim light and put both hands on the arms of Spike's chair, shoving his face into the vampire's like he always did. "I thought you knew not to insult me. I gave you immortal life…I can take it away just as easily."
Spike pulled back and set his jaw. "I don't know what kind of idiotic joke the Slayer and her half minded little gang are playing, mate, but it's nearly as moronic as the one Soul Boy came up with, switching your girl's body with the bitch's. Now either get out of here, or Dru can have a bedtime snack and Mr. Anima can have another body to leave out as a present." He changed visages and glared through his yellow eyes.
Angelus stood up straight, feeling sluggish and queer. His reduced vision was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, he recalled how cold the younger demon had felt just now. And he heard the dull drumming in his ears. Almost like beating. He pressed his thumb to his neck unconsciously. There it was. The dull throb. The beating increased as he started to panic. And began to sweat. He looked down for the first time at what he was dressed in; a multicolored plaid shirt and a pair of baggy black jeans. Not his duster, silk shirt and binding leather pants.
Angelus breezed by the wheelchair bound vampire and down to Drusilla's basement room where the vampiress was asleep in the canopied bed, flinching slightly in her dreams, with her numerous dolls piled around. He felt around for the hand mirror she always tried to see her reflection in. He pulled it up by the handle, looking straight into his image copied in the glass. It wasn't the one he'd last seen two centuries before, he knew he didn't look like that. He looked exactly like…Xander. *Oh f-* Angelus screamed louder than he ever had, in life or in death.
Spike spun his wheelchair around and smirked again. "I guess he remembered who he was."
* * *
Xander hadn't remembered when he had run so fast before. He just knew something really freaky was up. And this was beyond the typical Hellmouth stuff. Dead Boy had found something bad in that book and if this was intended to be another leg of his harassment, to throw them off, he was doing a damn good job at driving Xander nuts. Before he realized it, he was dashing down the corridor leading to the library.
"Oh, good. G-man didn't go to bed yet. Well, it's only ten, and he's never in bed before two! Giles!" he severely hoped his voice didn't throw them off. He knew just by looking mainly at his attire he wasn't the same Xander Harris who'd stepped out of the Bronze. Xander threw open the doors and found the ladies with the librarian, and Ms. Calendar, inside. They looked up and instantly pulled up stakes, crosses and crossbow that were on the table.
"Guys, you're here. Listen, that…thing-" Buffy threw him right up against the wall in a crushing grip and pulled the stake back. He struggled to respond but he couldn't breathe with her hand around his throat. She felt him try to bring air in against her palm, but she still pushed harder with the stake poised above behind her head.
"Buffy, just push it down!" Cordelia urged. Xander managed a single shake of his head, but couldn't bring it back to face them. Instead, he was stuck looking at a horrified Ms. Calendar.
"Buff…please…" the Slayer brought the wooden stick further back, ready to push it into his heart. Xander managed a small grin. "You're bruising my breathing pipe thingy-"
"Good. And I'll be bruising a lot more. What do you think you're doing here?"
"I'm not Angel, you've got to listen. That thing that he did at the Bronze? Well, dunno what it did, but somehow I got stuck in his body."
"Right. One of the oldest tricks. Care to think up a better one, or should I just dust you right now?" Buffy brought the stake down, on course for his undead heart. Xander growled and ran his fist into her face. She dropped the stake before it reached him and reeled back far enough for him to make his getaway, back out the door. Giles ran to Buffy's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gingerly touched the spot where his knuckles had connected, a slight imprint from the claddah ring he hadn't taken off indenting her cheek. A mark of the forgone love between vampire and vampire Slayer.
"Okay, who wants to try to explain that?" Cordelia asked. Willow continued to type away at the computer, completely ignoring her.
"Is that disk all right Willow? Please, dear God…" Jenny crossed her fingers.
"Uh…There! I got it back!" The redheaded hacker beamed. Parts were jumbled and missing, but the Romani parts were otherwise intact. The curse of restoration was back in their possession and the assembled slayerettes let out a sigh.