Disclaimer: The usual. Joss is a mean, mean man who refused to give me
Spike for my birthday. I'm very upset!
A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming – my fragile ego needs sustenance! Ok, I think I've figured out where this story is going and I expect it to be about 30 chapters long - but don't worry, I wont make you wait till the very end for Spuffyness. I have one thing I need help with though – do we want Spike to keep his chip? I have ideas for either situation, just please let me know what you think and I'll go with the majority – you have until chapter 15 to let me know. Sorry this took a while but I had a migraine. Love you all!
Chapter 13: I see inside you
Spike stood at the bar in the Bronze sulking. Not brooding, sulking! There was a distinct difference. He really wished things could go back to the way they were before Red's disastrous spell. He wanted to go back to a time when he loved the slayer as a friend and nothing more. He wanted to go back to a time before he knew how very sweet she tasted. He wanted to go back to a time when she didn't seem to avoid him like the plague. It was that last one that was the worst. He could cope with the rest; it was just the incredible loss he felt at not being able to talk to her anymore. But whenever he tried she would mumble some excuse and run off as fast as she could. He accepted that she didn't want him the way he wanted her, but couldn't they still be friends?
Spike pondered the strange turns his unlife had taken over the last few months. He'd helped out Giles when he was a Fyarl demon without even demanding any money for it. He'd moved into his own place so he wasn't mooching of others. He'd even been doing his own patrols. Although the most surprising, this last change was the most enjoyable. Spike had actually found he quite enjoyed killing demons – they put up much more of a fight than the humans had used to. Unfortunately, none of these things seemed to so much as crack the walls Buffy had built around herself.
He was in the middle of formulating a plan that involved locking the slayer in a cupboard until she agreed to talk to him when the bottle of beer that was half way to his lips was snatched out of his hand. He turned to put a health dose of fear into the offender but found himself face to face with a very ...sexy looking Buffy just finishing off the bottle. She slammed it back down then turned and leaned her back against the bar so she was smiling up at him.
"Cheers Blondie, I needed that!" She told him in a flirty voice as she blatantly checked him out from head to toe, her gaze lingering around his crotch.
Spike gaped at her. *Blondie?* If it hadn't been for the big glowing neon sign he saw flashing over her head telling him SOMETHING'S VERY WRONG HERE!!!!! He would have been highly turned on by her perusal and obvious appreciation, judging by the lusty look in her eyes and the licking of her lips. As it was he was having trouble keeping Spike Jr in check. "Slayer?" he asked hesitantly and instantly noticed her tense.
"You're a vampire." She said, standing up strait, all humour gone from her face.
"Yeah." He replied, very confused. "I have been for a hundred years or so now pet. You've known that for a while."
"I have." She replied quickly. "I just..." She trailed off trying to think of an excuse but Spike barely noticed. He was too busy looking her over as best as he could to see if an injury of some sort could explain her strange behaviour – bang on the head, demon venom or something of the sort. As he looked at her hands, the right one resting on the bar and that's when he saw it, or didn't see it actually. She wasn't wearing her ring. She never took that ring off, same as he never took his off. Even while she had been distant with him she had still been wearing the ring!
For some strange reason he would never be able to explain he came to a very startling realisation in that instant. This wasn't Buffy. Whoever was in Buffy's body must have read his eyes the moment realisation hit him because before he could stop her she bolted from the Bronze faster than he was able to follow. Muttering every curse he could think of and then adding a few made up ones for good measure he ran as fast as he could to Giles's. The watcher would know what to do...
"Giles you have to believe it's me! Faith switched our bodies." Buffy pleaded while Giles examined her sceptically.
"Well you'll understand if I'm disinclined to believe you." He replied carefully, unsure how she would react. "Is there someway you can prove it?"
Buffy-in-Faith's-body scowled at him. "My mother thinks you're like a stevedore during sex. You never did tell me what a stevedore is. Shall I go on?" She asked angrily.
"I'd beg you not to!" Giles replied, collapsing onto a stool by the kitchen counter. Unfortunately for Giles Spike had walked in unnoticed a minute or so before.
"No luv, do continue!" He grinned evilly at Giles "What else does your mum say?"
Buffy turned to look at him, overwhelming relief written all over her face. "Spike!" She breathed, "You knew it was me?"
Spike treated her to one of his soft smiles. "'Course I know luv."
"How could you possibly have known it was her?" Giles asked, confused.
"She's wearing her ring." Spike replied quietly, nodding towards her left hand. Buffy held it up and looked at it. It was true, she was wearing her ring, but how it had gotten there was beyond her. She was still wearing the rest of the clothes Faith had worn when they switched bodies and none of her other jewellery had followed her into this body.
"How did that get there?" She asked quietly, not realising she had spoken out loud until she heard Spike's reply.
"Some things are too important to let go of pet." He told her quietly.
Buffy looked up at him, meeting his eyes properly for the first time since Willow's spell she could see the slight shimmer of hurt amidst the icy blue. She had hurt him by pushing him away since the spell. So desperate was she to avoid letting lusty feelings ruin their friendship, she had made her excuses to escape whenever he got too close, knowing he would be able to smell the arousal that the very sight of him induced, not wanting to hear the 'let's just be friends speech'. She'd heard it from too many men too many times – Pike, Angel, Scott, Parker... Having only just recovered from the broken heat Angel had left her with, she was in no hurry to have it inadvertently crushed again...because there was no way Spike would return her feelings, he saw her as the little sister he had to protect.
Buffy had lost count of the times she had cursed Willow's name since the spell, wishing that these feelings could have stayed hidden so she wouldn't have had to face them. She'd been determined to keep a safe distance from Spike until she was sure she was over this little crush -*That's all it is. A crush! A crush bought on by a stupid spell and the best sex ever...shut up! Stop thinking about the sex!*- but seeing that hurt in his eyes she knew it couldn't go on this way. It wasn't fair to punish him because she was having trouble keeping her hormones in check.
"Yeah, you're right. "She told him "Some things are too important." Slowly she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek, much to his surprise. Giles however hadn't noticed, his head buried in a book, muttering to himself. Buffy's eyes held Spike's, silently asking him to accept her apology, his eyes telling her just as silently that all was forgiven. Their gaze only broke apart when they heard Giles have a eureka moment.
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Some kind of magical device...maybe Willow can come up with a counter spell..." as he trailed off, both Buffy and spike audibly gulped...
A/N: I know that chapter wasn't great but I have headache people. I could have waited but it wouldn't leave me alone until I had written it down. Hopefully the next one will be better!
A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming – my fragile ego needs sustenance! Ok, I think I've figured out where this story is going and I expect it to be about 30 chapters long - but don't worry, I wont make you wait till the very end for Spuffyness. I have one thing I need help with though – do we want Spike to keep his chip? I have ideas for either situation, just please let me know what you think and I'll go with the majority – you have until chapter 15 to let me know. Sorry this took a while but I had a migraine. Love you all!
Chapter 13: I see inside you
Spike stood at the bar in the Bronze sulking. Not brooding, sulking! There was a distinct difference. He really wished things could go back to the way they were before Red's disastrous spell. He wanted to go back to a time when he loved the slayer as a friend and nothing more. He wanted to go back to a time before he knew how very sweet she tasted. He wanted to go back to a time when she didn't seem to avoid him like the plague. It was that last one that was the worst. He could cope with the rest; it was just the incredible loss he felt at not being able to talk to her anymore. But whenever he tried she would mumble some excuse and run off as fast as she could. He accepted that she didn't want him the way he wanted her, but couldn't they still be friends?
Spike pondered the strange turns his unlife had taken over the last few months. He'd helped out Giles when he was a Fyarl demon without even demanding any money for it. He'd moved into his own place so he wasn't mooching of others. He'd even been doing his own patrols. Although the most surprising, this last change was the most enjoyable. Spike had actually found he quite enjoyed killing demons – they put up much more of a fight than the humans had used to. Unfortunately, none of these things seemed to so much as crack the walls Buffy had built around herself.
He was in the middle of formulating a plan that involved locking the slayer in a cupboard until she agreed to talk to him when the bottle of beer that was half way to his lips was snatched out of his hand. He turned to put a health dose of fear into the offender but found himself face to face with a very ...sexy looking Buffy just finishing off the bottle. She slammed it back down then turned and leaned her back against the bar so she was smiling up at him.
"Cheers Blondie, I needed that!" She told him in a flirty voice as she blatantly checked him out from head to toe, her gaze lingering around his crotch.
Spike gaped at her. *Blondie?* If it hadn't been for the big glowing neon sign he saw flashing over her head telling him SOMETHING'S VERY WRONG HERE!!!!! He would have been highly turned on by her perusal and obvious appreciation, judging by the lusty look in her eyes and the licking of her lips. As it was he was having trouble keeping Spike Jr in check. "Slayer?" he asked hesitantly and instantly noticed her tense.
"You're a vampire." She said, standing up strait, all humour gone from her face.
"Yeah." He replied, very confused. "I have been for a hundred years or so now pet. You've known that for a while."
"I have." She replied quickly. "I just..." She trailed off trying to think of an excuse but Spike barely noticed. He was too busy looking her over as best as he could to see if an injury of some sort could explain her strange behaviour – bang on the head, demon venom or something of the sort. As he looked at her hands, the right one resting on the bar and that's when he saw it, or didn't see it actually. She wasn't wearing her ring. She never took that ring off, same as he never took his off. Even while she had been distant with him she had still been wearing the ring!
For some strange reason he would never be able to explain he came to a very startling realisation in that instant. This wasn't Buffy. Whoever was in Buffy's body must have read his eyes the moment realisation hit him because before he could stop her she bolted from the Bronze faster than he was able to follow. Muttering every curse he could think of and then adding a few made up ones for good measure he ran as fast as he could to Giles's. The watcher would know what to do...
"Giles you have to believe it's me! Faith switched our bodies." Buffy pleaded while Giles examined her sceptically.
"Well you'll understand if I'm disinclined to believe you." He replied carefully, unsure how she would react. "Is there someway you can prove it?"
Buffy-in-Faith's-body scowled at him. "My mother thinks you're like a stevedore during sex. You never did tell me what a stevedore is. Shall I go on?" She asked angrily.
"I'd beg you not to!" Giles replied, collapsing onto a stool by the kitchen counter. Unfortunately for Giles Spike had walked in unnoticed a minute or so before.
"No luv, do continue!" He grinned evilly at Giles "What else does your mum say?"
Buffy turned to look at him, overwhelming relief written all over her face. "Spike!" She breathed, "You knew it was me?"
Spike treated her to one of his soft smiles. "'Course I know luv."
"How could you possibly have known it was her?" Giles asked, confused.
"She's wearing her ring." Spike replied quietly, nodding towards her left hand. Buffy held it up and looked at it. It was true, she was wearing her ring, but how it had gotten there was beyond her. She was still wearing the rest of the clothes Faith had worn when they switched bodies and none of her other jewellery had followed her into this body.
"How did that get there?" She asked quietly, not realising she had spoken out loud until she heard Spike's reply.
"Some things are too important to let go of pet." He told her quietly.
Buffy looked up at him, meeting his eyes properly for the first time since Willow's spell she could see the slight shimmer of hurt amidst the icy blue. She had hurt him by pushing him away since the spell. So desperate was she to avoid letting lusty feelings ruin their friendship, she had made her excuses to escape whenever he got too close, knowing he would be able to smell the arousal that the very sight of him induced, not wanting to hear the 'let's just be friends speech'. She'd heard it from too many men too many times – Pike, Angel, Scott, Parker... Having only just recovered from the broken heat Angel had left her with, she was in no hurry to have it inadvertently crushed again...because there was no way Spike would return her feelings, he saw her as the little sister he had to protect.
Buffy had lost count of the times she had cursed Willow's name since the spell, wishing that these feelings could have stayed hidden so she wouldn't have had to face them. She'd been determined to keep a safe distance from Spike until she was sure she was over this little crush -*That's all it is. A crush! A crush bought on by a stupid spell and the best sex ever...shut up! Stop thinking about the sex!*- but seeing that hurt in his eyes she knew it couldn't go on this way. It wasn't fair to punish him because she was having trouble keeping her hormones in check.
"Yeah, you're right. "She told him "Some things are too important." Slowly she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek, much to his surprise. Giles however hadn't noticed, his head buried in a book, muttering to himself. Buffy's eyes held Spike's, silently asking him to accept her apology, his eyes telling her just as silently that all was forgiven. Their gaze only broke apart when they heard Giles have a eureka moment.
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Some kind of magical device...maybe Willow can come up with a counter spell..." as he trailed off, both Buffy and spike audibly gulped...
A/N: I know that chapter wasn't great but I have headache people. I could have waited but it wouldn't leave me alone until I had written it down. Hopefully the next one will be better!
