A/N : Okay, so this fic is currently mutating! The origianl plan was a little simpoler than this is actually turning out to be, but I must be doing something right because I've never had so many reviews on so few chapters! Thanx muchly to you all; kori hime, helaine, Spuffyfan4eva, Freezyboncoolipants, Rachel (twice!), AraelMoonchild, Kimber, adpi24, Samolly, Starlight, Gilly Bean, tink36, theoneandonlygurl, Bunny, rubi-elektra, hells child, wicked-angel3, JadedxVampire21, unforgiven mistress, Moluvsnumber17, SSWBA. Seems most of you spotted the body-swap, even though the characters themselves haven't caught on yet! Hope this chapter lives up to everyones expectation of the story...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 7

"Okay, Faith's in the hospital, we assume Sunnydale General" Buffy recapped the nights conversation, as the sun rose "The police probably can't hold her and if I fight her, well, that could be dangerous" she paused for a moment and Giles cut in.

"There is of course the Watcher's Council" he realised in a sudden moment of inspiration, "There are operatives that may possibly be able to remove her from the hospital, and take care of her"

"When you say 'take care of her'?" Willow wondered precisely what that meant.

"Er, they'd take her back to England, attempt to re-habilitate her as it were. Of course, she would probably face some punishment first, for the crimes she's committed"

"Punishment" Buffy echoed with an almost evil smile, "And in England" she caught Spike staring at her strangely and quickly wiped the look from her face, "I mean, it's probably the best thing for her" she nodded seriously.

"I'll give the Council a call" Giles said, getting up from his seat to go and do just that. Spike continued to stare at Buffy in a discomforting way and she shifted in her seat beside Willow. The red-head spoke up next.

"We really should head back to the dorm soon" she realised, "Sun's already up and we have classes this morning"

Buffy was so busy returning Spike's stare she barely heard her friend speak.

"Oh yeah, well, I was actually thinking I'd go back to my Mom's and give her an update" she babbled, "Maybe Giles should walk you back to the dorm, and I'll see you later"

"What about..." Willow tipped her head slightly towards the silent vampire across the room and Buffy smiled to herself.

"Well, as much fun as it would be to throw him outside and watch him burn to a crisp, I guess he'll just have to stay here" she shrugged.

"So long as you tie him up like before, I doubt Giles will mind" Willow agreed, suddenly snapping Spike out of his staring.

"Oi, I am not being tied to soddin' furniture again" he complained, "I thought we were passed the chaining-me-to-things phase?"

Giles interrupted the 'conversation' as he re-joined the group, explaining that the Watchers Council already had three operatives in California to deal with Faith. It appeared she'd been awake from her coma for a couple of days and the Watcher's had a contact at the hospital who had tipped them off as soon as the Slayer's eyes had opened.

"That's good, right?" Willow smiled uncertainly, "I mean, they'll take Faith far, far away and we'll all be safe again?"

"Well, yes, as safe as the Hellmouth permits" Giles assured her.

Buffy then asked him to walk Willow back to the dorm, just in case, and explained that she just needed to use the bathroom and then she was going to her Mom's house. She assured Giles she'd tie Spike up before she left, since he couldn't leave with the sun up. She grinned when he agreed and promptly left with the red-headed witch.

"So, I guess that just leaves you and me, huh Spikey?" Buffy smirked in an unnatural fashion. Spike knew something was wrong he just couldn't quite figure what it was. She smelt the same, in the quiet room he could now hear her heartbeat and the child's, it was all the same and yet so different, she was different he just couldn't for the un-life of him figure out how.

"Buffy" he drew out her name as she disappeared for a moment and then returned with a length of rope in her hands, "Maybe this is a hormone thing and don't drive a stake through me for asking but are you feeling alright Slayer?"

"What could be wrong?" she shrugged, twisting the rope around in her hands, pulling it tight between them "I'm Buffy, the perfect little Slayer. Sure, I could have anything I want and instead I choose to pout and whine about the burden of being the Slayer...but be honest that just adds to the cute-ness of me, right?" she giggled like Harmony used to, Spike realised with a shudder, as Buffy advanced on him.

"Oh come on Spike" the Slayer rolled her eyes as she stood in front of the chair where he sat, "Don't try to tell me you don't want me, that you're not constantly wondering..." she smiled in sultry fashion as she moved her legs and sat straddling his lap, "what it'd be like to kiss me..." she all but whispered, inches from his lips, as she hooked the rope around his wrists and began to bind them "to touch me..." she continued to tease him, wriggling on top of him, keeping his mind off the fact she was tying him up "to take me..." as the words left her mouth she regretted them. Up until that point it was like she had him under thrall but now the spell seemed to be broken as the vampire's brow creased and he looked at her strangely. She leaned away from him, still on his lap, but not half so close now.

"What is it with you, Slayer?" he asked after a moment, "Lying to your mother and now this...did your witch-mate do that forgetting spell after all?"

Buffy remained silent, like she wasn't understanding what he was saying at all. Spike continued to stare, the frown still on his features as Buffy stared back at him, hoping he didn't notice...she needed to distract him again.

"Come on Spikey" she smiled sexily, running a hand up his thigh, "You don't wanna play?"

"Maybe I do" he admitted as he grabbed the hand that was advancing on areas they should not be going to right now, "but first you tell me why you admitted everything else to your mother, but you lied about sleeping with me"

Buffy's eyes went so wide Spike thought they might roll right out of her head. In one movement she was off the vamps lap and across the room.

"Buffy nailed another vamp" she said to herself, but with his advanced hearing Spike heard it easily.

"Yes, Buffy did" he agreed, "but tell me pet, why exactly are we talking about you in the third person? Y'know you can tell me if there's stuff bothering you..." he hated to admit he cared about her, it was absurd that he ever could, but she was acting so weird, it was giving him the wiggins...and hey, when had she tied his wrists together?

"Aww, ain't it sweet" Buffy mocked him, as she wrapped a second piece of rope around his ankles, fastening them together also "Vamp loves Slayer, Round 2" she laughed, not behaving like herself at all, "You're not as good as the last one though" she shook her head, "Angel would have figured it out in a second...guess you just don't love her like he did" she smirked somewhat evilly and Spike's mind spun in red alert style panic.

"You're not Buffy" he said unnecessarily.

"Damn, took you long enough to figure it out Blondie, and even then I kinda had to spell it to ya" she laughed in true Faith-style. The body swap had been too easy, acting the part to fool Giles and the Scooby Gang was a piece of pie, and then tricking this wannabe-Angel type, that was a sweet bonus, "I would be Faith" she announced, "look a little different to what you expected, huh?"

"What did you do?" Spike asked dangerously low, Faith in Buffy's body shook her head.

"Nothing that'll kill the Wonder-Slayer" she assured him, "She's just getting shipped off to England and apparently punished...unless of course I just decide to go to the hospital and hold a pillow over her face until..."

"I'll kill you if you try" Spike warned, "Don't care if my head explodes in the meantime"

"Nice imagery" Faith frowned slightly, not really understanding the head exploding part, unless... "Spike" she had a sudden realisation, "William the Bloody with a chip in his head, oh this is just too good" she laughed wickedly.

"Glad I amuse you pet, wasn't my intention" Spike sneered, completely uncomfortable with this nasty bitch parading around in Buffy's body. At least she didn't know about the baby, and he wouldn't tell her. Let the sickness and such be a nasty surprise for the bleedin' bint, and just hope she didn't get Buffy's body or the baby harmed in the meantime.

"Yeah, well, I'm capable of making my own fun" she grinned, moving behind him and pushing the chair towards the window. Spike looked horrified as he was steered toward the sunlight but the chair stopped moving right next to the fatal beams.

"Now, I never paid much attention in physics class" Faith explained behind him, "but I do know the sun is moving that way" she gestured in front of his face, "and with you sitting there, well, could be a few minutes, could be a couple of hours but before the days out, you're gonna be ash-tray sized Spikey" she said cheerily, patting him on the head like a dog.

The vampire didn't move, didn't say a word as the girl walked behind him and headed for the door.

"It was fun while it lasted, Spike" she called as she opened the door and let herself out, "enjoy the sun"

The vampire glanced out of the window and saw the sun was fast approaching, he had maybe half an hour before the beams would be directly on him. Though he wasn't bound to the chair he dare not stand. With his ankles tied together he was likely to fall over and if he fell to the right he was toast - literally.

"Oh bloody hell"

- - - - - -

Buffy was aware of nothing but darkness to start off with, then a light pierced the distance and she ventured toward it, desperate to prise her lids open and see beyond the black. Eventually she managed it and her weary eyes adjusted to her surroundings. It looked like a hospital room, all white and sterile and the light above her was far too bright. She tried to move her hand to shield her eyes from the glare but found she couldn't. Restraining straps held her wrists to the sides of the bed and no amount of pulling and wriggling was going to get them free, especially now when he was feeling less than great.

Desperately the Slayer tried to remember what had happened, not daring to call out for help in case this wasn't just a hospital. Truth was she could be anywhere and she didn't fancy calling her captors attention to her awake-ness til she knew what was going on.

She'd been walking with Spike towards Giles' house, they'd been to see her Mom to tell her about the baby and...oh God! Buffy suddenly realised she wasn't pregnant. Where was the slight bump at her stomach, and why in Gods name was she dressed like such a ho?!

"Faith" she exhaled as she realised that's who's clothes she was wearing. Her memory was staring to come back to her. A figure in the park that she'd mistaken for a fledging vamp. She'd crossed over the street only to be dived on by her manic sister-Slayer. She put up a good fight, but a couple of knocks to the back of her head and Faith was going down, then she'd grabbed onto Buffy's hand.

There was a flash, the blonde Slayer remembered now, between her hand and Faith's and then everything was black...no, wait, just before the blackness she'd run away, she'd seen herself disappear into the darkness.

"She, oh my God..." Buffy began to ramble incoherently as she realised what had happened. Faith had switched their bodies, some spell or something when she'd grabbed her hand! If she had her body, then she had her baby!

"She's awake" a voice said and Buffy suddenly realised she wasn't alone. A nurse was across the room, talking into a phone. After she'd hung up she walked towards the door, the Slayer's eyes followed her and then the man, who she assumed to be a doctor, who came into the room as the nurse left.

"Well, look who's awake" an English voice came out of the 'doctors' mouth and Buffy frowned, "Don't get too used to it. Seems you've been quite the naughty girl, Faith" he leered at her, pulling out a syringe, and grabbing her arm that she was unable to move. She kicked out her legs but to no avail, she couldn't reach him that way.

"By order of the Watchers Council" he said with a certain amount of evil glee as he pushed the needle into her, "you are to be taken into custody..." she didn't hear anymore as the world went blurry and disappeared altogether. Her final thoughts before unconsciousness were of her unborn child and, strangely, of Spike.

To Be Continued...

A/N : Good God, writing characters in other people's bodies is not simple! And I'm not entirely sure I wrote Faith too well, I don't have a huge amount of writing-Faith experience...oh well, let me know what you think! :-)