Chapter 2:
Walking slowly back down the street toward the Magic Box, the same thought ran over and over through Buffy's head. "Oh, no. What have I done?"
Pausing just before entering the store, Buffy suddenly shook her head and walked rapidly away. She'd deal with telling Giles later. She just wasn't in the mood for a lecture right now. God, what had she been thinking! When she was listing off all of the things she would change about Spike, she hadn't *actually* been thinking that they would become real changes. Groaning, Buffy realized that she had just been thinking out loud, and that stupid demon-what was her name? Oh, yeah, Lamarassa-had just been in around to hear her.
"Stupid demons," Buffy grumbled as she walked to the nearest cemetery.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a start, Spike jerked awake in his crypt. He breathed in a sudden gasp of air and immediately started coughing. What the-? Since when did he cough? For that matter, since when COULD he cough?
After he stopped coughing, Spike glared around the crypt, trying to find the reason for his sleep's disturbance. His eyes widened as he saw his surroundings. The ratty armchair he had fallen asleep in was now an overstuffed recliner sitting next to its twin in front of an entertainment center. He was still in his crypt, but now the place looked like it could have been used as a model for one of those magazines on interior design! Spike frowned slightly. He recognized that his surroundings were different, but they didn't seem strange. This wasn't what had awakened him.
Straining his senses, he felt to see if there was someone else in the crypt besides him. No, he was alone. He could only hear one heartbeat-
Wait-heartbeat? He didn't have a heartbeat!
Placing a hand on his chest, Spike realized that, yes, he did indeed have a heartbeat now. Looking down at his hand, Spike saw that the clothes he was wearing were not the clothes that he had fallen asleep in. Instead, he was wearing blue jeans and light blue button down shirt. However, as Spike looked at his clothing, he realized that nothing-not even his heartbeat- really felt out of place, just different.
After thinking for a moment, Spike stood up and strode out of the door toward the Magic Box. If anyone knew about the recent changes in his unlife-wait, make that in his life-it would be one of the Scoobies.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Giles looked up as the bell on the Magic Box's door rang. The others had gone home for the evening, and he was straightening up some of the books in the back until Buffy checked back in. Instead of Buffy, however, there was now a young man with blondish-brown hair standing in the middle of the store, looking for someone to speak to. Straightening, Giles moved to go down the ladder, speaking as he walked.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but the Magic Box has closed for the day. If you would like to come back tomorrow, I'm sure we can help you with whatever you're looking for."
Frowning, Spike looked at Giles, wondering why the man didn't recognize him. "Rupert? You ok, mate? 'S me, Spike."
With that proclamation, Giles almost fell off the bottom rung of the ladder. Whirling around, Giles looked intently at the man in front of him. He was wearing all blue, had different hair, and he wasn't even wearing the duster. But he was unquestionably Spike. As he looked at the drastically changed vampire, Giles said the only thing he could think of.
"Dear lord."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Walking slowly back down the street toward the Magic Box, the same thought ran over and over through Buffy's head. "Oh, no. What have I done?"
Pausing just before entering the store, Buffy suddenly shook her head and walked rapidly away. She'd deal with telling Giles later. She just wasn't in the mood for a lecture right now. God, what had she been thinking! When she was listing off all of the things she would change about Spike, she hadn't *actually* been thinking that they would become real changes. Groaning, Buffy realized that she had just been thinking out loud, and that stupid demon-what was her name? Oh, yeah, Lamarassa-had just been in around to hear her.
"Stupid demons," Buffy grumbled as she walked to the nearest cemetery.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a start, Spike jerked awake in his crypt. He breathed in a sudden gasp of air and immediately started coughing. What the-? Since when did he cough? For that matter, since when COULD he cough?
After he stopped coughing, Spike glared around the crypt, trying to find the reason for his sleep's disturbance. His eyes widened as he saw his surroundings. The ratty armchair he had fallen asleep in was now an overstuffed recliner sitting next to its twin in front of an entertainment center. He was still in his crypt, but now the place looked like it could have been used as a model for one of those magazines on interior design! Spike frowned slightly. He recognized that his surroundings were different, but they didn't seem strange. This wasn't what had awakened him.
Straining his senses, he felt to see if there was someone else in the crypt besides him. No, he was alone. He could only hear one heartbeat-
Wait-heartbeat? He didn't have a heartbeat!
Placing a hand on his chest, Spike realized that, yes, he did indeed have a heartbeat now. Looking down at his hand, Spike saw that the clothes he was wearing were not the clothes that he had fallen asleep in. Instead, he was wearing blue jeans and light blue button down shirt. However, as Spike looked at his clothing, he realized that nothing-not even his heartbeat- really felt out of place, just different.
After thinking for a moment, Spike stood up and strode out of the door toward the Magic Box. If anyone knew about the recent changes in his unlife-wait, make that in his life-it would be one of the Scoobies.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Giles looked up as the bell on the Magic Box's door rang. The others had gone home for the evening, and he was straightening up some of the books in the back until Buffy checked back in. Instead of Buffy, however, there was now a young man with blondish-brown hair standing in the middle of the store, looking for someone to speak to. Straightening, Giles moved to go down the ladder, speaking as he walked.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but the Magic Box has closed for the day. If you would like to come back tomorrow, I'm sure we can help you with whatever you're looking for."
Frowning, Spike looked at Giles, wondering why the man didn't recognize him. "Rupert? You ok, mate? 'S me, Spike."
With that proclamation, Giles almost fell off the bottom rung of the ladder. Whirling around, Giles looked intently at the man in front of him. He was wearing all blue, had different hair, and he wasn't even wearing the duster. But he was unquestionably Spike. As he looked at the drastically changed vampire, Giles said the only thing he could think of.
"Dear lord."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
