Author's Note: The next 2 chapters were originally 1 single chapter but they were just too long together and I had to split them up. I still think they read better together. I've got at least 1 more chapter after the next one and then that's it. I'll hop right to working on the sequal.
Thanks again, Kayla and Katy for reviewing. I'm sure y'all will get a kick out of the sequel. Hopefully anybody else lurking out there wouldn't mind dropping me a review to let me know how this all went. This is my first posted story and it would really help to see how I did.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AT BELLE AND PHILIP'S LOFT
No one could accuse Philip of being a morning person. Even after the discipline of the military, he still hated to get up in the morning. He was more content to lie in bed all day until nature or hunger called. Thoughts of Belle and making love to her brought a smile to his face. However, he slowly recalled in his mind the bizarre events of the past several hours including the horrible run-in with his mother and the impromptu visit to Celeste. He also remembered his less than gentlemanly attention to Sami while in Lucas' body. His eyes were still shut and he was extremely afraid to open them—afraid that he wouldn't like what he woke up to. All of a sudden, his reluctance to get up in the morning seemed entirely justified.
Even behind his closed eyelids, he could see the light coming in from the window although the room hadn't quite warmed up yet. As he became aware of his surroundings, he realized that he was lying on a couch and he was filled with dread. 'It didn't work. What are we going to do now?' His suspicions were confirmed when he moved his hand and felt it collide with a warm, soft body in his arms. He could feel Belle's—or rather Sami's—naked flesh against his fingers and let out a heavy sigh. 'I guess it's on to Plan B,' he thought.
But what in the world could Plan B possibly involve? Maybe they hadn't worked hard enough on Celeste's instructions and it all backfired. But, honestly, he just couldn't get into what they were supposed to be doing—he didn't even really know exactly what it was that he was supposed to be doing. If Celeste couldn't help them then they were completely screwed. Not that he would necessarily mind all that much if Belle were stuck in Sami's body but, he imagined it would incredibly confusing.
'Might as well get up and face the music,' Philip thought and slowly opened his eyes. He tried not to stretch his limbs out so as not to disturb Belle but he did give his neck a little turn to avoid a cramp. He had forgotten how uncomfortable it was to sleep on a couch, even in Lucas' body. When he turned his head away from the couch he noticed that Belle had moved the table that had previously held the candles from the night before. A few seconds later, he realized that she couldn't have moved the table because it wasn't even in the room.
He sat up a little on the couch in order to get a better look at his current surroundings. Through the fog of his groggy mind, he realized that he wasn't actually laying on the couch in Sami's apartment but that he had been sleeping on his couch in the loft cuddled up with Belle—the real Belle. He looked down at his body in disbelief and was beyond excited to see his own firm muscles and thick limbs. He was even wearing the same clothes from before the switch. He rubbed his head and felt the short, bristling hair from his most recent haircut. He couldn't believe it. He was back in his own body!
Belle was still sleeping soundly on top of him looking every bit the angel that he thought she was. As reality sank in, he began to wonder if the previous few hours had been a crazy dream. 'That must be it. None of that body-switching crap really happened. He was just having a really odd dream.' He looked around for any sign that his dream had, in fact, happened. Everything looked pretty much the same. He looked back down at Belle and saw that she was still fully clothed. Even though he would love it if Belle came around and gave him a chance, this kind of cuddling seemed more normal.
'Whoa, I must really have it bad for Belle if I'm dreaming about some crazy scenario for us to actually make love.' He didn't really understand what Lucas and Sami had to do with anything but maybe seeing them get engaged and hearing Lucas' comment about two brothers dating two sisters kind of stuck with him. 'I guess I can't complain that I lack an active imagination and including Sami in the whole thing was just icing on the cake.' He even gave himself some credit for incorporating his mother and Celeste in the whole hallucination.
'Wait until Belle hears about this one," he laughed to himself. Of course, he would have to edit some of the more 'racy' moments out of the story but she should get a kick out of it nonetheless. Philip held onto Belle more securely, a little reluctant to wake her up. Sometimes he wished that Belle weren't so clingy because nights like this—being so close to her—were killing him. When he held her like this, he didn't want to let her go. Hopefully, it would pay off someday.
Philip didn't have to worry about waking Belle up because all of a sudden he felt a little movement beneath their blanket. Belle briefly held onto Philip more tightly and then slowly moved her head up to face him. Although her eyes were still closed, she smiled up at him. Philip grinned at the sleepy expression on her face and waited for those beautiful baby blues to focus in on him. He didn't have to wait long as her eyes opened and her smile widened when she saw that he was already awake.
"Good morning," she said leaning her head on his chest. They stared at each other for a few moments and then to Philip's utter surprise, Belle leaned up and kissed his squarely on the lips. He was initially shocked by her actions since he knew their recent closeness had all been in his mind. 'She must not realize what she's doing. Or maybe she's still asleep and she thinks she's kissing Shawn.'
"Maybe, I could get used to this," she murmured as she continued with their liplock. Philip's mind was reeling trying to piece together what was happening with them. But he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth; he was going to kiss his gift horse instead. Philip relished tasting Belle while he had the chance and continued to kiss her back with abandon.
Philip broke their kiss and smiled back down at her. "I think maybe I could too." He stroked her face gently with his fingers and brought his face down for another searing kiss.
AT SAMI'S APARTMENT
Lucas woke up the way that he was always meant to—with Sami in his arms. Well, technically it was Belle in his arms but he wasn't going to quibble about the details at the moment. He could feel her warm body against his and chuckled lightly as he felt her soft breath on his bare chest. It seemed that even in Philip's body, he couldn't stand to sleep with a shirt on.
He opened his eyes and squinted at the blinding light spilling into the room. He quickly turned away from the window that was the main source of the offending light. Sami shifted a little against him but didn't wake. He could tell from her movement that she wasn't wearing anything on the upper part of her body either which was bizarre. They had both clearly been uncomfortable being intimate in their siblings' bodies so why she would take off her clothes was a mystery to him. Besides, she was more used to sleeping in her day clothes since she had a bad habit of falling asleep on her couch. He felt her soft breasts brush against his bare chest and even given their strange situation, he couldn't help but react to it. He wasn't in the least bit attracted to Belle sexually but, he was a guy after all and he was sure that Philip's body didn't mind the closeness one bit.
'Wait, it's morning. If everything went like it was supposed to, I shouldn't be in Philip's body anymore. Please tell me I'm not still sporting a buzz cut and sleeping in a military uniform. The universe or whatever wouldn't be that cruel would it?' Who was he kidding, of course it would. Given the things that had happened with his mom and Victor, Nicole and Eric, Will and Sami—especially with Will and Sami—the past 10 years of his life had proven that the universe could be that cruel and then some. Of course, it had its high points, he thought thinking of all the pleasant memories he had of Sami. He smiled automatically thinking about the highest point of them all, their wonderful son Will.
He instinctively ran his fingers through his hair and was surprised to feel the thickness that he was so used to. He raised his other hand to frantically pull and pat at his full head of hair as he tried to comprehend what was going on.
When his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that his surroundings were more familiar than he first thought. He saw several candles sitting on the table in front of them and he spotted a pile of clothes that had been strewn carelessly at the foot of the couch. He began to feel sparks of elation build up in him as he hesitantly looked at who it was snuggled against him under the blanket. He looked down and let out a huge sigh of relief as Sami's obviously naked form came into view. He could see her bare back where the blanket had fallen to her waist and only the circle of his arms kept her from being completely exposed.
Lucas smirked feeling comforted by the familiarity of the gesture. 'Well, there's no doubt about what those two kids were up to last night. I guess they were looking for their centers in each others' pants. But if that was their way of trying to right the universe, it seems to have worked,' he thought flexing his arms and legs a little. It definitely felt good to be back in his own body.
He couldn't wait to wake Sami up and share the news with her. Given the suggestive way that Philip and Belle had left them to wake up, he had just the way to get her attention. He couldn't resist the urge to run his hands up her back as he gazed longingly at the wealth of flesh exposed to him. He ran one of his hands through the hair spilling onto her back and he felt her stir and unconsciously grind against his naked body. He returned the gesture and marveled at how, even in her sleep, she managed to bring his body to life—well at least certain parts.
As Sami sleepily turned her head towards him, he greeted her with a soft kiss and felt her smile against his lips. "Good morning, sleepyhead," he drawled kissing her again and caressing her back. As she returned his kiss, he reached a hand underneath the blanket to cup her pert bottom. Sami briefly opened her eyes to him before surrendering to the feel of his hands and his mouth on her.
"Mmmm, this isn't a bad way to wake up at all," she replied and slid her body against his in an attempt to deepen their kiss. She could feel the beginnings of his arousal against her body and it was having the most pleasant effect on her. She was still trying to shake off the remnants of her slumber but she could tell that he was primed and ready to go. "I see you're looking for a repeat of last night."
"Oh yeah," Lucas said without thinking. He continued to kiss Sami along her cheeks and neck while he enthusiastically caressed one of her breasts. He trailed kisses down to her chest and then not so gently grabbed the back of her head to bring her lips back to his mouth. Before she could protest, he maneuvered them so that she now lay underneath him. He continued to devour her mouth as he tried to feel as much of her body with his.
"Whoa," Sami said. "I didn't know you could be so rough." She pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. "I think I kind of like it."
'You aint seen nothing yet, baby,' Lucas thought. Sami usuaally had a mind-numbingly intoxicating effect on him but even with the risk of losing himself in her body, he knew that something was wrong. 'A repeat of last night? What the hell is she talking about? All we did last night was smooch a little and fall asleep. They left the illicit body-switched sex to their siblings. That is unless . . ."
Belle was totally enjoying herself and the feeling of what Philip was doing to her. She was still a little sleepy so she wasn't thinking about being in Sami's body or whether Celeste's advice had worked. She could only focus on what Philip was doing to her body and at the moment, that felt fabulous. He had gotten a bit aggressive; it was quite a change from his previous gentle treatment towards her. However, when he flipped her over and started ravishing her, she couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement and arousal. Maybe it was just her, but Philip seemed to be getting better and better at this. She thought he had been wonderful before but, right now, he was more along the lines of amazing. She couldn't wait to feel him inside of her and from what she could tell, the feeling was mutual.
"Oh, God! This can't be happening!"
Belle jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. She grabbed the edge of the couch which was a good thing since Lucas, for the second time in so many hours, leaped across the room and scurried to get decent. "What's the matter Philip?" She looked down at herself seeing that she was still in Sami's body. "I mean, besides the usual." Lucas appeared not to hear her as he slid his jeans up over his underwear. "Philip, talk to me! What's gotten into you?" Belle was starting to panic at his bizarre behavior.
"Philip . . .Philip? Guess again, Belle." Now at least partially clothed he began to pace back and forth beside the couch. "Why is this happening. Why am I back but Sami's not?" he said more to himself.
The realization that she was not currently talking to Philip hit Belle like a ton of bricks. Lucas could tell that she finally understood what had happened because she turned five shades of red and immediately wrapped the blanket tightly around herself. She looked down and took a small, tentative breath. "Lucas," she responded almost in a whisper. "Not again! I'm so embarrassed."
Lucas stopped his pacing and looked at the body of his fiancée. It was clear from her body language that Belle was mortified. He quickly approached her attempting to do some damage control. After all, he had no desire to hurt her feelings but, he kept his distance from her nonetheless. "Belle, don't be embarrassed. I was there too and truth be told, I think I was a little more . . . enthusiastic. Don't you worry about a thing."
Belle risked a quick glance in his direction but was still too humiliated to look him in the face. "Why are you back in your body but I'm still here?" she said with a little sniffle.
"I have no idea. But then again this whole thing has been one big confusing mess to begin with." He tentatively handed Belle a tissue and she thanked him quietly. "Let's just forget about what happened before. I thought you were Sami and that everything was okay. I'm sure you thought I was Philip."
"Yeah, I did," Belle said a little quickly so there was no mistaking what had happened. She dabbed her eyes and finally had the courage to look at him. "What do we do now? Should we call over there and let them know what's happened?"
Lucas looked at his watch and noted that it was barely 7:00 in the morning. He let out an exasperated breath. "No. Let them sleep a little longer. I don't want to be the one responsible for the rude awakening, especially where Sami's concerned. She'll call when she figures it out." At this point, the two of them were sitting at opposite ends of the couch as far away from each other as possible. "Uh, I guess I'll go take a shower while we wait. I'm sure Philip's an early riser and they'll probably call soon." Lucas knew that they were both extremely uncomfortable and he just wanted to get away from her at the moment. He was happy that Philip and Belle were finally together but waking up like this, after what he knew Philip had been doing in his body, made him yearn for a long, cleansing shower. He had no idea that Belle was still in Sami's body when he had initiated things a few minutes ago but he didn't think the body-switching theory would go over so well in his attempts to avoid burning in Hell.
Belle could tell that Lucas was itching to get away from her and even though it was probably irrational, she was a little put out about the rejection. She knew she wasn't as experienced as Sami but she didn't think she had been that bad. He certainly had reacted to her a few minutes before. Her slight frown didn't escape Lucas' notice as he stood up to walk over to the bathroom. "I'm gonna just use this bathroom, you know, so we don't split up." He headed towards the bathroom and he turned to see that Belle was still sitting quietly, hands in her lap and head bowed. "Look Belle, it's nothing personal or anything, I mean, about what happened before . . . and earlier," he said thinking back to their scene earlier in the night. "It's just that I remember when you were born—both you and Philip. Even though you've grown up into a beautiful woman, I just can't get rid of the image of little Belle with her pigtails and bubblegum."
Belle smiled at him weakly. "I understand Lucas. Despite what you might think, I'm not harboring any lustful thoughts about your body." Although looking at him standing there only in a pair of jeans she thought maybe that might change. It didn't help that she knew for a fact he was quite talented in the bedroom. "Besides, you're an old guy," she said. The shocked expression on his face immediately made her laugh.
"I'm not that old!" he said.
His look of indignation only made Belle laugh even harder. "Come on Lucas, you've got a son who's practically a teenager. You're about to settle down with your family." She walked closer to where he was standing and looked up at him strangely. "Is that a gray hair I see?" she questioned making sure her blanket was securely covering her body.
Lucas ran his hand through his hair in response. "No way! Don't fault me just because I started early with the kids. I'm still young and spry. Just ask Sami," he said with a sly grin. His smile turned a little evil as he apprehensively added, "Actually, you probably don't even need to. Something tells me that you get the idea." He chuckled lightly as Belle's cheeks filled with another stellar blush.
However, Belle surprised him by adding, "Yeah, I kind of got the picture, Lucas." She was still blushing profusely but at least Lucas had joined her. He even had the good sense to look a little embarrassed. 'Serves him right, after the humiliation I've been subjected to in the past five minutes.'
Lucas cleared his throat and snickered nervously. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower really quick. If they call, just knock on the door, okay."
"Okay," Belle said as he retreated to the bathroom and closed the door. Belle returned to the couch and stared at the candles sitting on the table. She absently picked one up and sniffed at it before rolling it between her two hands. She leaned back wondering what she was supposed to do while Philip and Sami slept in.
"This sucks." Belle concluded and threw herself across the couch.