Author's Note: Another post-midnight chapter. I apologize for the typos. This was a very difficult chapter to write but I hope I didn't screw things up too bad. Needless to say, I'm glad to get it out of the way.
CHAPTER TEN
Philip was starting to panic when he was unable to move from his spot in front of Sami's door. But almost as soon as it hit him, it was over and he felt himself stumbling a few steps backward as if he had bounced off of an invisible forcefield. He waited to hear the sound of Sami slamming her bedroom door but it never came. He casually glanced in her direction and saw Sami just standing there looking a little ill. His concern momentarily overrode his earlier sense of self-preservation and he walked over to make sure that she was alright.
"Are you okay? Not that I care or anything but you look sick and I thought I'd make sure you were alright. After all, I need to get back to my apartment and out of your sight so I can ponder how crazy you are." He wasn't so concerned about her that he was going to let her off the hook for yelling at him for no reason at all.
Belle heard his voice but was feeling a little dizzy and weird after her little game of cat and mouse with Philip. She hoped he was worth all this trouble. She felt the silkiness of fabric against her skin and wondered when she had put her robe back on.
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Clearly annoyed, Philip stared at her as she just stood there looking dazed and confused. "Well, whatever. I'm outta here anyway." He turned around to go but stopped when she heard her softly call out his name--well his body's name. Apparently he was just the babysitter at the moment.
"Lucas? Where did you come from? Shouldn't you be with Sami right now having your own private celebration. Wait—this is Sami's place. How did I get here? Did Philip bring me over here?"
Philip, who had been retreating back towards the front door, stopped abruptly and turned to look at the woman who a moment ago, he thought was Sami. 'This can't be. Well, I guess it can since it happened to me. If that's Belle in Sami's body right now, we are in worse trouble than I thought.'
Philip watched as Sami—or more likely Belle—inspected herself by touching the material of her nightgown and running her hands through her now very long hair. She even briefly grabbed her breasts and he heard her say softly, "Those exercises are really paying off. Wow."
Belle then realized that she was somehow at Sami's house wearing a negligee and that Philip's brother Lucas was looking at her suspiciously. He still hadn't answered her question though. "Lucas, where's Sami? I don't know how I got here but I don't feel so good and I want to go home now." She had that weepy look in her eyes that Philip had gotten so used to seeing over the past several months and he knew she was seconds from breaking down on him.
Philip rushed over to her side and pulled her into an embrace. "Belle, why don't we sit down and I'll try to explain all of this to you. I'm afraid it's going to be quite a shock." Belle was a little freaked out that Lucas was holding her so close but he was a nice guy and probably just trying to console her. Most people had the urge to comfort and protect her at all times. It made her feel so special.
When Philip had gotten Belle to sit down on the couch—only briefly remembering what had been going on there five minutes before—he turned to her and searched for the right way to explain their situation.
"Belle—it is you in there right?" Philip asked hesitantly. He was no expert but he figured that you couldn't be too careful when dealing with body switching etiquette.
"Of course it's me Lucas? You're acting kind of weird. What's going on?" A stray tear had slid down her cheek and Philip fought the urge to wipe it away like he would have if the actual Belle were sitting in front of him. But if such an action came from Lucas, Belle might think that it was kind of creepy.
"I know this is going to sound crazy but something impossible has happened to us. Well, it can't be that impossible since it's happened..." Philip tried not to babble on while looking for the appropriate words of explanation. "I'm just going to come out and say it." He took a deep breath and let her have it. "Belle, it seems that we've switched bodies with our siblings. I'm not Lucas, I'm Philip and right now I'm not looking at the Belle Black I know but at the face and body of Sami Brady."
Belle didn't immediately react like she was sitting next to a crazy person but it was clear from her body language that she thought he was completely bonkers. She had stiffened slightly and nonchalantly tried to move away from his position beside her on the couch.
"Uh, Luc-Philip—whatever! This is crazy. I need to go home right now." She was now not making any attempt to hide her unease and had moved all the way to the other end of the couch. "Oh Lucas, you haven't started drinking again have you? You just got engaged tonight—I thought you were happy." Philip quickly concluded that the idea of spending the rest of his life with Sami would surely drive him to drink but kept that thought to himself.
"Sami and Will are going to be so disappointed in you, Lucas. What on Earth possessed you to get drunk and start talking crazy? And how did I get here? I was in my apartment with Philip and all of a sudden, I felt sick and dizzy and I was standing here. I need to find Philip so he can take me home right now." Tears were streaming down her face and he could tell that she didn't believe a word he said. Maybe he had used the wrong strategy.
"Listen Belle. I am not Lucas and I have not been drinking. I'm Phil—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know...you're Philip and I'm Sami and I'm going to go call somebody to come get me and to check up on you. Maybe I should call your mother—I don't know where Sami is but you need to talk to someone right now Lucas." She got up and headed towards the phone.
Philip panicked at the thought of his mother coming over and joining this madness. "NO BELLE," Philip shouted running to cut her off. "You don't need to call my mother. I am not drunk I promise you."
Belle-slash-Sami didn't look convinced but she stopped going for the phone. She paused and scrutined him closely. For a second, Philip thought she was coming around. "Okay, you're not drunk." Philip let out a deep breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding. By letting down his guard, he had left himself vulnerable to surprise once again.
"Are you high then?" she asked quietly. "It's fine if you are, that's none of my business but maybe you shouldn't keep this kind of thing from Sami. I know she wouldn't like it." She glanced around at what looked like an otherwise empty apartment. "You still haven't told me where she is by the way." Philip just stared at her with shock and irritation on his face. Belle, for her part, was showing a little irritation of her own. "Well, this IS still her apartment even if you two are engaged now."
Philip was starting to get more than a little frustrated. "Listen Belle, I am not drunk or high and I'm not lying about this." He turned her to face the mirror that hung next to the door. "Look Belle! You are not 'you' right now and we've got to figure out what's happened to us and how we can fix it."
Belle looked into the mirror and just stared at the reflection for several long moments. Then it all finally made sense--as absurd as it seemed. She couldn't believe that she was staring at the reflection of her sister, Sami Brady instead of her own sweet, wholesome likeness. As reality set it, she covered her mouth and started to cry in earnest.
"Oh my God, this can't be happening. I cannot be Sami! There is no way I can live like this." She looked back at Lucas in a panic. She was really letting out the waterworks now. "Everybody hates her, I can't have people hating me. I'm the good one!" She continued to weep in horror and despair as she tried to come to grips with her new identity. "And how can you be Philip? You look and sound just like Lucas. Is this some kind of joke or trick?" She was almost hysterical at this point.
Philip tried desperately to think of something to calm her down. "Belle, it IS me, Philip." He racked his brain to think of something only she would know. "Do you remember what we were about to do tonight." He glanced down at his watch. "It was just a little over thirty minutes ago Belle. I told you that you were my mystery girl and that I loved you." She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. She looked like she was listening to him but he didn't know if it was sinking in. "You told me that you wanted to make love to me. You didn't want to think about Shawn or the consequences...you just wanted to be with me tonight." Actually, anyone in Salem could have told her that Philip was in love with her. But the timing of the revelation was rather convincing.
Belle shook her head in disbelief. "How can you know that? You can't know."
"I do know Belle because I was there." He looked into her eyes and tried to show her the love that he had for her. "I wanted you just as much as you wanted me. I wanted to make love to you Belle and I would have if I hadn't gotten trapped in my brother's body right before things starting going right for us."
Belle had stopped crying and looked at him quizzically. "Right before we started? Is that when you say you...knew something was wrong?" She wasn't ready yet to admit out loud that they had actually switched bodies with Lucas and Sami. She walked back over to the couch and plopped down. "Well, that would certainly explain a lot."
It was Philip's turn to look confused. He thought back to when he was trying to talk himself into being with Sami. He briefly considered that Lucas would be the one making out with Belle since that was what he had been doing right before the switch. Of course, he never fully considered that Lucas and Belle would have taken things so far.
He had to fight back the burning rage that was building up inside of him. He couldn't believe his own brother would take advantage of someone like Belle—especially when he had committed his life to Sami not three hours before. Once a ladies' man always a ladies' man right? What a sick bastard. Then again, he had been willing to take things all the way with Sami but that was different. Sami was, well...she was Sami. She wasn't the innocent virgin that Belle was—and hopefully still is.
"What the Hell are you talking about Belle? What happened when we started to make love?"
It was still really weird to look into Lucas' face and think of Philip being in there but she was starting to believe it. She could tell what Philip was thinking about Lucas—or more importantly, what he suspected Lucas had done when they switched bodies. She could see the anger in his eyes and figured she better straighten things out fast.
She knew the situation was serious but when she thought back on it now with this new information, it was all falling into place—Philip abruptly pulling away and insisting they wait and the ensuing chase that followed. She started to laugh thinking about poor Lucas trying to escape her advances, now finding his various, awkward excuses cute. She also thought it was a testament to his love for her sister and his brother—and his respect for her—that he didn't want to touch her or take advantage of her in any way.
Although she wouldn't admit it to Philip for fear of hurting his feelings, it also explained how incredibly good Lucas was at making love to her before he must of realized what was going on. Sami was one lucky woman—she better hold on to him for that reason alone. Enough of those thoughts. She had a fire to put out.
Philip had no idea why Belle was laughing but he surely didn't see anything funny about the idea of Lucas putting his hands on her. Finally, she calmed down enough to explain. "It's okay, nothing happened. I was just thinking that this whole situation explains your reaction to me when I tried to seduce you—or how Lucas reacted to me anyway." Philip paused hoping this explanation was going somewhere safe.
"Lucas must have realized who I was and what was going on because for the last half hour he's been treating me like I have the latest strain of leprosy to hit Salem." She began giggling again thinking of all his attempts to get out of the apartment and the comical sight of him covering his eyes and leaping behind the couch when she stripped down for him. She then explained to Philip all that had happened after he had left his body and Philip couldn't help but laugh too picturing Lucas hiding from Belle--the virgin seductress who won't take no for an answer.
As Philip and Belle's laughter died down, they were left thinking about what would have happened between them if this unfathomable turn of events had not taken place. They would probably be lying in bed right now in the afterglow of their lovemaking reflecting on what a special evening it was—especially for Belle.
Belle was the first one to break the silence. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was pondering what could have been. Even though she was technically looking at Lucas, she could read his expression as if Philip himself was sitting in front of her. His features were so full of longing and regret that she ached to take the sadness away and to only make him feel joy. On impulse, she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips. It didn't matter that she wasn't actually kissing Philip. It felt the same to her because her feelings for him were so strong and she knew she was connecting with him at that moment.
Philip was shocked but happy that she had initiated the contact. He felt weird about wanting to be near her considering that she was in Sami's body. But he couldn't deny that he still felt their connection. He took a chance and deepened the kiss until they were both breathless and overwhelmed with passion.
Philip pulled back and watched as Belle opened her eyes. He smiled nervously and ran his hand through his hair. "Did that feel weird to you too?" he asked. He did feel a little awkward considering his thoughts and actions towards Sami not even a few minutes before. That had been all wrong though. He knew Belle was the only girl for him.
Belle tilted her head as if in thought. "Actually, no. Surprisingly, it didn't feel weird at all. It felt right. Very right." Philip took that as permission to go with what he was feeling and kissed her again with even more desire than before. Before they knew it they were in the thick of a heavy make out session—except they were not in their own bodies but those of their older siblings. This small technicality seemed lost on them in their intense feelings of yearning for each other. It was enough to spark the passion that they had so recently ignited back at their apartment.
With great difficulty, Philip pulled back again and looked at the lust filled eyes before him. He knew that he had to take control of the situation. "Belle, we need to stop this before it goes any further. I want you so much—and not just your body. I simply want you. But this is too much right now and I want our first time to be special." He stroked her cheeks with his thumb and knew that he was reflecting back the love he could feel coming from her very soul.
Belle covered Philip's hands as they cradled her face. "Philip Kiriakis—always trying to protect me." She looked at him shyly. "I was thinking something. Since these aren't actually our bodies, maybe it's not like it really counts." Philip stared at her in surprise both scared and excited by what he assumed she was proposing. "I mean, it's not like Lucas and Sami aren't intimate. They have a son for crying out loud," she said with a giggle. She quickly turned the conversation back to a serious tone. "It wouldn't really be our official first time if we were to give in to what we're feeling and experience only pleasure with these bodies. I'm sure your brother and my sister wouldn't mind." She gave him another grin. "They were probably going at it before you switched anyway."
Now that he thought about it, when he had realized he was in Lucas' body, he and Sami had been in the middle of some pretty heavy making out themselves. Plus, it was clear by Sami's reactions throughout the night that they were quite a passionate couple with a healthy sex life. It still felt a little weird though, especially since Belle was the one suggesting it. Maybe he was just feeling guilty about what he had almost done with Sami.
As if reading his thoughts or maybe she was reading the doubt in his face, Belle tried to explain her unspoken request to him. "Listen Philip. The first time I make love to a man should be a wonderful thing but there are a lot of factors that are bound to make it uncomfortable for us." She ran her hand affectionately through his hair. It was so different from Philip's hair—very thick and dark. "Just think of this as a test run for the real thing without all of the awkwardness that is bound to happen when you sleep with a virgin for the first time. There won't be any pain or discomfort. There will only be us, together and loving each other. Our bodies aren't the important thing. I know my first time will be special as long as I'm with you in mind, heart and spirit." She then leaned in to kiss him again, showing him how it should be only about them tonight.
Belle gave Philip a few more searing kisses and smiled up at him with love. Shrugging her shoulders and lightly caressing his neck and back, she said, "Besides, Lucas is kind of hot for an old guy. Looking at him wouldn't be the harshest punishment ever."
"Hey!" Philip was about to protest and defend his male ego until he saw the playfulness in her expression. "Well, he is my brother. We share the same DNA you know." He pulled her into a tighter embrace and kissed her nose lightly. "You'll just have to settle for me then, won't you."
"My pleasure," Belle said and continued caressing his more than willing body.
Truth be told, Philip didn't need any convincing and would have eventually bowed to Belle's advances and their mutual attraction. But he now realized that it was important for her to say to him how she felt and that she was comfortable with the situation. Still, Philip couldn't help but worry.
"What about Lucas and Sami? Aren't they going to wonder what's going on with us. They might be on their way over here right now."
Belle just smiled thinking about what a handful Sami would be for Lucas as he tried to explain the crazy events that had befallen them. "Look how long it took you to convince me of what's going on. Imagine what it's going to be like for Lucas trying to explain this to Sami." They both chuckled at the thought, feeling not a little bit of sympathy for Lucas. They had no doubt that he knew how to handle Sami though. "We have time Philip. I want to be with you. Please make love to me."
Philip needed no further encouragement as he resumed kissing her. He picked her up from the couch and carried her toward the bedroom where he was going to make both of their fantasies come true--and a few fantasies they hadn't even bargained for. To anyone else it looked like business as usual between Sami and Lucas. Only the two young lovers knew the truth behind their amorous encounter as they finally gave into their desires.