Chapter 3
As Spike turned to add yet another insult, a movement to his left caught his eye. He turned his head just in time to see a J'tere demon coming full speed at them. Before he could move the demon had closed the distance and began throwing punches at what it thought was the slayer.
Spike jumped into the fray, fearing the J'tere's speed would be more than a drunken slayer could battle, and his fear didn't seem too far off base. Finally, Angel managed to push a well placed stake into the demons eye, but in it's death throw it managed a well placed swipe of it's paw to the right side of Angel's head, sending his world spiraling toward blackness.
As the slayers body wavered and stumbled away, Spike made a last check to ensure the demon was dead. He quickly made his way to Angel as he sank to his knees. Spike instinctually made a lunge to catch him before he hit the ground completely.
Spike was now hit with a dilema. An unconscious slayer, in the middle of nowhere. But this wasn't Buffy, this was Angel. But in Buffy's body. OK, so should he carry her..him? Or sling him around his shoulder? And where exactly was he going to take her, him, anyway? Buffy's house? Should he take Angel to the hospital, or maybe the watchers flat?
Deciding that it may be Angel, but it was still Buffy's body, Spike picked up the small girl and quickly set off for Buffy's house. Angel was really going to owe him one for this. Spike had just made it down the walk when he saw the light go off in the livingroom. With the toe of his boot he knocked on the door, still holding an unconscious Angel.
"Spike," Giles said as he opened the door "Dear lord, Buffy. Bring her in. How badly is she hurt? What happened?" Giles fired off questions in rapid succession.
"Caught a wicked left but I think she'll..uh, he'll, be ok." Spike said stepping into the apartment.
Angel slowly began to stir, as he felt himself being carried somewhere. He looked up into the face of... "Spike?"
Feeling Angel stir and hearing his name Spike panicked and completely dropped Angel into a heap on the floor as if his arms were burning.
"I..I..I wasn't carrying you, you ponce, so don't get any ideas!" Spike sputtered.
"Spike!" Giles gave the blond vampire a seething glare before kneeling down next to Angel. "Buffy, are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm fine Rupert, but I'm not Buffy." Angel said as he gingerly stood, dusting himself off and wincing at the new bruise he was sure was forming on his backside.
Taking in the large bruise across the cheek and Angels winces at movement, Giles feared that Buffy may be more injured than she let on. "Perhaps you should sit down, you may have a serious head injury."
"Why does everyone think I have a head injury? I'm not brained here, I just need to get back to my body." Angel huffed.
"Uh, Giles" Spike said, "Seems our girl lost rights over her body again. That's Angel in there. Someone really should buy that girl a leash for her body, or essence, or what not."
Giles glanced several times between Angel and Spike before moving to sit down. He looked again between the two, and made several motions of opening and closing his mouth as if to speak and then thinking better of it, before finally asking, "how?"
"I'm not sure. I was seeing a friend of mine at a bar in LA and then all of a sudden I'm on my...well, I was in the floor at the Bronze." Angel said hesitantly, then glared at Spike as he heard a snicker from his direction. "I think we need to try and find me, er, my body that is, and see if Buffy's.....in it."Angel said hearing yet another little laugh escape Spike, "and so help me Spike I will stake you if I hear another sound!"
After trying several times to reach the hotel in LA as well as Wesley and Cordelia, everyone had given up at the prospect of finding Angel's body tonight. Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya had made their way back to Buffy's house. After being apprised of the situation Willow had commented that now Buffy's earlier behavior at the club made sense.
"Well, except for the groping thing." Willow said, drawing out a flustered comment about being confused from Angel.
After several hours of searching the books for spells which could switch bodies and Angel going on an eating binge that would shame a Sumo wrestler, Giles finally called an end to the searches for the night.
"Well, given your apparent injury and the late hour, I suggest you try to rest. You can stay here I suppose. But, you need rest. Buffy's body isn't quite as resilient as yours, nor immortal. It needs time and nourishment to heal. We will begin research first thing in the morning and try to locate you body as well as Buffy and put things right."
"Um, what 'bout the little bit?" Spike questioned. "Dawn's bound to pick up that our boy here isn't exactly her big sis."
"Well, we'll just have to tell her the truth I suppose. In the morning when everyone's rested, we'll all meet back here and continue to research. We still don't know why this happened or who did it."
Angel made to stand up, but as he did he felt those dull pains again in his stomach, but stronger this time. Strong enough to halt his movements.
"Angel?" Giles asked worriedly.
Angel just continued to make faces as the pain seemed to subside a bit. "I think maybe she ate something bad before the switch. I'll be ok." Angel said
"Or could be the fact you practically cleaned out Buffy's kitchen." Spike pointed out.
"Yes, well, if it continues we may need to have it checked." Giles said.
"I don't plan on being in this body that long." Angel said as he started up the stairs.
"Hey!" Spike shouted. "Just where do you think you're going?"
"To bed Spike. That's usually where I sleep." Angel answered impatiently.
"No, you usually sleep in YOUR bed. That up there is Buffy's bed. Don't seem quite right you getting to sleep in it." Spike huffed
"Spike, what the hell are you talking about?" Angel stared at Spike a moment trying to see what the bleached vampire was really complaining about.
Spike's brain finally kicked back in and he thought to cover his tracks before Angel could figure out his jealousy. "Nothing, it's nothing. You uh, you run right on up and get some sleep. You've got the body looking completely knackered. I'll uh, be back in the morning." Spike said and quickly made his way out the door.
"Ok, what was THAT all about?" Angel turned and asked the group who had all grown suddenly silent.
"Oh, Spike's in love with Buffy, no big." Anya said with a flip of her hand.
Angel started laughing as he turned to head back up the stairs. "And they thought *I* had a head injury!" He laughed.
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As Spike turned to add yet another insult, a movement to his left caught his eye. He turned his head just in time to see a J'tere demon coming full speed at them. Before he could move the demon had closed the distance and began throwing punches at what it thought was the slayer.
Spike jumped into the fray, fearing the J'tere's speed would be more than a drunken slayer could battle, and his fear didn't seem too far off base. Finally, Angel managed to push a well placed stake into the demons eye, but in it's death throw it managed a well placed swipe of it's paw to the right side of Angel's head, sending his world spiraling toward blackness.
As the slayers body wavered and stumbled away, Spike made a last check to ensure the demon was dead. He quickly made his way to Angel as he sank to his knees. Spike instinctually made a lunge to catch him before he hit the ground completely.
Spike was now hit with a dilema. An unconscious slayer, in the middle of nowhere. But this wasn't Buffy, this was Angel. But in Buffy's body. OK, so should he carry her..him? Or sling him around his shoulder? And where exactly was he going to take her, him, anyway? Buffy's house? Should he take Angel to the hospital, or maybe the watchers flat?
Deciding that it may be Angel, but it was still Buffy's body, Spike picked up the small girl and quickly set off for Buffy's house. Angel was really going to owe him one for this. Spike had just made it down the walk when he saw the light go off in the livingroom. With the toe of his boot he knocked on the door, still holding an unconscious Angel.
"Spike," Giles said as he opened the door "Dear lord, Buffy. Bring her in. How badly is she hurt? What happened?" Giles fired off questions in rapid succession.
"Caught a wicked left but I think she'll..uh, he'll, be ok." Spike said stepping into the apartment.
Angel slowly began to stir, as he felt himself being carried somewhere. He looked up into the face of... "Spike?"
Feeling Angel stir and hearing his name Spike panicked and completely dropped Angel into a heap on the floor as if his arms were burning.
"I..I..I wasn't carrying you, you ponce, so don't get any ideas!" Spike sputtered.
"Spike!" Giles gave the blond vampire a seething glare before kneeling down next to Angel. "Buffy, are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm fine Rupert, but I'm not Buffy." Angel said as he gingerly stood, dusting himself off and wincing at the new bruise he was sure was forming on his backside.
Taking in the large bruise across the cheek and Angels winces at movement, Giles feared that Buffy may be more injured than she let on. "Perhaps you should sit down, you may have a serious head injury."
"Why does everyone think I have a head injury? I'm not brained here, I just need to get back to my body." Angel huffed.
"Uh, Giles" Spike said, "Seems our girl lost rights over her body again. That's Angel in there. Someone really should buy that girl a leash for her body, or essence, or what not."
Giles glanced several times between Angel and Spike before moving to sit down. He looked again between the two, and made several motions of opening and closing his mouth as if to speak and then thinking better of it, before finally asking, "how?"
"I'm not sure. I was seeing a friend of mine at a bar in LA and then all of a sudden I'm on my...well, I was in the floor at the Bronze." Angel said hesitantly, then glared at Spike as he heard a snicker from his direction. "I think we need to try and find me, er, my body that is, and see if Buffy's.....in it."Angel said hearing yet another little laugh escape Spike, "and so help me Spike I will stake you if I hear another sound!"
After trying several times to reach the hotel in LA as well as Wesley and Cordelia, everyone had given up at the prospect of finding Angel's body tonight. Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya had made their way back to Buffy's house. After being apprised of the situation Willow had commented that now Buffy's earlier behavior at the club made sense.
"Well, except for the groping thing." Willow said, drawing out a flustered comment about being confused from Angel.
After several hours of searching the books for spells which could switch bodies and Angel going on an eating binge that would shame a Sumo wrestler, Giles finally called an end to the searches for the night.
"Well, given your apparent injury and the late hour, I suggest you try to rest. You can stay here I suppose. But, you need rest. Buffy's body isn't quite as resilient as yours, nor immortal. It needs time and nourishment to heal. We will begin research first thing in the morning and try to locate you body as well as Buffy and put things right."
"Um, what 'bout the little bit?" Spike questioned. "Dawn's bound to pick up that our boy here isn't exactly her big sis."
"Well, we'll just have to tell her the truth I suppose. In the morning when everyone's rested, we'll all meet back here and continue to research. We still don't know why this happened or who did it."
Angel made to stand up, but as he did he felt those dull pains again in his stomach, but stronger this time. Strong enough to halt his movements.
"Angel?" Giles asked worriedly.
Angel just continued to make faces as the pain seemed to subside a bit. "I think maybe she ate something bad before the switch. I'll be ok." Angel said
"Or could be the fact you practically cleaned out Buffy's kitchen." Spike pointed out.
"Yes, well, if it continues we may need to have it checked." Giles said.
"I don't plan on being in this body that long." Angel said as he started up the stairs.
"Hey!" Spike shouted. "Just where do you think you're going?"
"To bed Spike. That's usually where I sleep." Angel answered impatiently.
"No, you usually sleep in YOUR bed. That up there is Buffy's bed. Don't seem quite right you getting to sleep in it." Spike huffed
"Spike, what the hell are you talking about?" Angel stared at Spike a moment trying to see what the bleached vampire was really complaining about.
Spike's brain finally kicked back in and he thought to cover his tracks before Angel could figure out his jealousy. "Nothing, it's nothing. You uh, you run right on up and get some sleep. You've got the body looking completely knackered. I'll uh, be back in the morning." Spike said and quickly made his way out the door.
"Ok, what was THAT all about?" Angel turned and asked the group who had all grown suddenly silent.
"Oh, Spike's in love with Buffy, no big." Anya said with a flip of her hand.
Angel started laughing as he turned to head back up the stairs. "And they thought *I* had a head injury!" He laughed.
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