Chapter 13
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Buffy had finally fallen asleep. She had taunted him for what seemed like hours. Not the he wasn't used to being taunted by his demon. It pretty much taunted him 24 and 7 when he was in his own body. It was a little more disconcerting coming from Buffy.
He had always known Buffy had a sharp tongue she could skillfully wield if she wanted to, and a sharp wit to go with it. However, she rarely used it on her friends.
"You'll never be friends" Spikes word kept ringing in his memory.
No, no, no. Can't think like this. Buffy is a friend. And since when did he let Spike get to him? No, the words she had flung at him all morning weren't hers, they belonged to his demon. A demon that was running away with the loosening of it's usually tight reins. Once the effect of the slayer blood wore off Buffy would get control and he would teach her how to keep the demon leashed.
Still, it had been unsettling at best to hear the things she was saying to him last night. The slayer blood had emboldened the demon and things long since buried had surfaced to be thrown at him. He hadn't responded, but the demon didn't seem to mind.
He was going to have some serious problems with the demon once he got his body back. The demon now knew not only his thoughts and feelings, but intimately knew Buffy's as well. He doubted he would be able to get the thing to shut up for months.
That almost seemed to comfort him. He hadn't realized it until now, but he almost (ALMOST!) missed the inner dialog with the demon. It had kept him company, albeit bad company, for years when he had exiled himself. Now things seems almost too quiet in his head. The only one speaking was him, and after a hundred years, it was really odd to have the quiet. Almost lonely.
But now Buffy had his demon. What unknown thoughts was it sharing with her? What damage control was he going to have to do once they switched bodies back? Buffy was a smart girl. She likely wouldn't believe much of anything the demon said. But Angel knew how it could eat away at you. That little niggling that never goes away until you give it credence and then it would cut a wide swath through your mind.
But Buffy knew the things he had done. What he was. Why he had gone to LA. Maybe she had a chance for further understand his reasons now, and truly understand why he had done what he had done.
"Does knowing that she can't give you any of those things change *anything* at all?" Spikes words again rang out.
"No. It doesn't" Angel thought to himself. But didn't she still deserve better? Didn't she deserve everything life could give her? But she isn't alive anymore. She's inside his body. A dead body. A vampire's body. Did that really change things though? Or just change the scenery?
"Nice to see you haven't lost your brooding skills there." Cordy said from the doorway.
"Caught me red handed." Angel gave her a tight smile before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Long morning."
Cordelia regarded Angels body a moment and seem to pull her robe a little tighter around herself.
"So is she safe now?" She asked.
"Should be. Pretty sure it wore off a few hours ago. Just before she fell asleep." Angel responded.
"Oh good. The others are getting up and around, so why don't you go get some sleep. I know I'd be angry if I got my body back looking like that." Cordy pointed to him.
Angel looked down at himself...herself...Buffy's body....whatever, and aside from being a little rumpled and still covered in a little vamp dust he didn't see anything wrong.
"What? I've seen her worse." Angel replied
"Yeah, and funny thing is, it was usually because of you." Cordy said. "But seriously, you have seriously set that body back about 10 years in the beauty department. Didn't anyone show you how to fix your hair?"
"Again with the hair. Why does everyone have to say something about the hair?" Angel replied a little indignantly.
"Not to mention, a little foundation wouldn't kill you Angel, and this is all pretty basic stuff. You would think that Willow, OK maybe not Willow, but Anya could have at least shown you some basic beauty tips." Cordy pointed out as she took Angel by the arm and started to lead him up the stairs.
"Cordy, I think we were a little busy trying to figure out what had happened and how to get me back." Angel responded.
"Lesson number one, you are never to busy to make yourself beautiful." Cordy said, as the walked down the hallway to Buffy's bedroom. "I realize that it's a little more difficult with Buffy's body, but it can be done."
"Tell you what, first thing this evening, we will go over some basic girl stuff." Cordy said pushing him towards the bed.
"I really don't think that's necessary Cordy." Angel replied as he climbed into the bed.
"Of course it's necessary!" Cordy replied indignantly. "Just look at you. Even Buffy would be shocked."
Angel opened his mouth again to protest, but Cordy cut him off.
"No! No arguments. You will learn how to care for your skin." She pointed at him like an unruly child. "And you will learn how to fix your hair and makeup. Not to mention, you're going to have to learn a little fashion sense as well. To bad you didn't bring Angelus sense of fashion with you to Buffy's body. And you'll have the best teacher in this dimension to show you. Me!" Cordelia flashed one of her patent smiles.
"Oh, guess we'll have to go over the whole personal hygiene thing with you being human and all now." Cordy said off handedly as she covered him up with the covers.
"Tara already covered that earlier." Angel replied a little petulantly before catching himself. His eyes popped wide open in his embarrassment as he hoped she didn't understand what he had ment when he said that.
"That time of the month huh? Well no wonder you look like death warmed over. Well, I suppose that if you were going to have someone explain the female body, a lesbian would be the best candidate. Still, we'll go over everything again when you wake up." Cordelia leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Angel's forehead.
"Now, you get some sleep and when you wake up, we'll make you a new woman!" She patted his arm through the blanket and then quickly left the room.
Angel laid in the bed motionless for a moment. If he didn't go to sleep, then he couldn't wake up. Thus avoiding altogether Cordelia's 'day of beauty'. However, he really didn't think a lack of sleep would hold her off forever. Finally he decided that he really should try to get some sleep. After all, there was always the chance he would die in his sleep.
He could always hope.
**********
TBC...
A/N- "That's right, I'm back and I'm a bloody animal!!!"...Spike in Doomed, Season 4
Ok, so maybe not so much a *bloody* animal, as a weak recovering one. Good to be back and writing though! Thanks to everyone for their support.
**********
Buffy had finally fallen asleep. She had taunted him for what seemed like hours. Not the he wasn't used to being taunted by his demon. It pretty much taunted him 24 and 7 when he was in his own body. It was a little more disconcerting coming from Buffy.
He had always known Buffy had a sharp tongue she could skillfully wield if she wanted to, and a sharp wit to go with it. However, she rarely used it on her friends.
"You'll never be friends" Spikes word kept ringing in his memory.
No, no, no. Can't think like this. Buffy is a friend. And since when did he let Spike get to him? No, the words she had flung at him all morning weren't hers, they belonged to his demon. A demon that was running away with the loosening of it's usually tight reins. Once the effect of the slayer blood wore off Buffy would get control and he would teach her how to keep the demon leashed.
Still, it had been unsettling at best to hear the things she was saying to him last night. The slayer blood had emboldened the demon and things long since buried had surfaced to be thrown at him. He hadn't responded, but the demon didn't seem to mind.
He was going to have some serious problems with the demon once he got his body back. The demon now knew not only his thoughts and feelings, but intimately knew Buffy's as well. He doubted he would be able to get the thing to shut up for months.
That almost seemed to comfort him. He hadn't realized it until now, but he almost (ALMOST!) missed the inner dialog with the demon. It had kept him company, albeit bad company, for years when he had exiled himself. Now things seems almost too quiet in his head. The only one speaking was him, and after a hundred years, it was really odd to have the quiet. Almost lonely.
But now Buffy had his demon. What unknown thoughts was it sharing with her? What damage control was he going to have to do once they switched bodies back? Buffy was a smart girl. She likely wouldn't believe much of anything the demon said. But Angel knew how it could eat away at you. That little niggling that never goes away until you give it credence and then it would cut a wide swath through your mind.
But Buffy knew the things he had done. What he was. Why he had gone to LA. Maybe she had a chance for further understand his reasons now, and truly understand why he had done what he had done.
"Does knowing that she can't give you any of those things change *anything* at all?" Spikes words again rang out.
"No. It doesn't" Angel thought to himself. But didn't she still deserve better? Didn't she deserve everything life could give her? But she isn't alive anymore. She's inside his body. A dead body. A vampire's body. Did that really change things though? Or just change the scenery?
"Nice to see you haven't lost your brooding skills there." Cordy said from the doorway.
"Caught me red handed." Angel gave her a tight smile before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Long morning."
Cordelia regarded Angels body a moment and seem to pull her robe a little tighter around herself.
"So is she safe now?" She asked.
"Should be. Pretty sure it wore off a few hours ago. Just before she fell asleep." Angel responded.
"Oh good. The others are getting up and around, so why don't you go get some sleep. I know I'd be angry if I got my body back looking like that." Cordy pointed to him.
Angel looked down at himself...herself...Buffy's body....whatever, and aside from being a little rumpled and still covered in a little vamp dust he didn't see anything wrong.
"What? I've seen her worse." Angel replied
"Yeah, and funny thing is, it was usually because of you." Cordy said. "But seriously, you have seriously set that body back about 10 years in the beauty department. Didn't anyone show you how to fix your hair?"
"Again with the hair. Why does everyone have to say something about the hair?" Angel replied a little indignantly.
"Not to mention, a little foundation wouldn't kill you Angel, and this is all pretty basic stuff. You would think that Willow, OK maybe not Willow, but Anya could have at least shown you some basic beauty tips." Cordy pointed out as she took Angel by the arm and started to lead him up the stairs.
"Cordy, I think we were a little busy trying to figure out what had happened and how to get me back." Angel responded.
"Lesson number one, you are never to busy to make yourself beautiful." Cordy said, as the walked down the hallway to Buffy's bedroom. "I realize that it's a little more difficult with Buffy's body, but it can be done."
"Tell you what, first thing this evening, we will go over some basic girl stuff." Cordy said pushing him towards the bed.
"I really don't think that's necessary Cordy." Angel replied as he climbed into the bed.
"Of course it's necessary!" Cordy replied indignantly. "Just look at you. Even Buffy would be shocked."
Angel opened his mouth again to protest, but Cordy cut him off.
"No! No arguments. You will learn how to care for your skin." She pointed at him like an unruly child. "And you will learn how to fix your hair and makeup. Not to mention, you're going to have to learn a little fashion sense as well. To bad you didn't bring Angelus sense of fashion with you to Buffy's body. And you'll have the best teacher in this dimension to show you. Me!" Cordelia flashed one of her patent smiles.
"Oh, guess we'll have to go over the whole personal hygiene thing with you being human and all now." Cordy said off handedly as she covered him up with the covers.
"Tara already covered that earlier." Angel replied a little petulantly before catching himself. His eyes popped wide open in his embarrassment as he hoped she didn't understand what he had ment when he said that.
"That time of the month huh? Well no wonder you look like death warmed over. Well, I suppose that if you were going to have someone explain the female body, a lesbian would be the best candidate. Still, we'll go over everything again when you wake up." Cordelia leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Angel's forehead.
"Now, you get some sleep and when you wake up, we'll make you a new woman!" She patted his arm through the blanket and then quickly left the room.
Angel laid in the bed motionless for a moment. If he didn't go to sleep, then he couldn't wake up. Thus avoiding altogether Cordelia's 'day of beauty'. However, he really didn't think a lack of sleep would hold her off forever. Finally he decided that he really should try to get some sleep. After all, there was always the chance he would die in his sleep.
He could always hope.
**********
TBC...
A/N- "That's right, I'm back and I'm a bloody animal!!!"...Spike in Doomed, Season 4
Ok, so maybe not so much a *bloody* animal, as a weak recovering one. Good to be back and writing though! Thanks to everyone for their support.