Buffy and Angel were silent as they stepped out of the elevator into the apartment. She paused and looked around slowly, her eyes taking everything in. They stood like that, Buffy slightly in front of Angel, until he shifted his weight to the other foot and glanced down at his hands nervously.
"Do you want something to drink?" he asked uncertainly. She turned around to face him and met his eyes for the first time since she had said that Riley was her boyfriend. It was strange, looking at him from this angle. She was taller in Faith's body, and it felt as though she wasn't filling it completely. It was like her soul had molded itself to her body, and now that she was in a new one she felt oddly out of place.
"Do you have anything that doesn't have red blood cells in it?" she replied lightly, trying hard not to get lost in his eyes. That was over, that part of her life had been left behind with Faith and high school and his leaving.
But with everything happening and the past coming back to haunt her, she needed the reassurance she always found in his presence, in his love. What was one little kiss, anyway? Just the feel of his mouth on hers, his body pressed tightly against this different one...she'd do anything for that one moment of heaven she knew being in his arms would be.
Where in the world had that thought come from in the first place?
But staring into his eyes, she knew that the price they would have to pay was too much. No matter how badly they wanted to, and no matter how hard it was to stay away, it was easier. They would never have that peace again.
Angel seemed to snap out of the trance he had been in. He took a hesitant step away from her and then turned and walked into the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?" he called.
"Sure," she replied, swallowing the tears back, pushing down her sorrow and pain. There would be time for it later, when she was back in her own body, in her own bed in the dorm. Only then would she let herself break down. "Tea would be great."
She heard him rummaging around, the faint sounds of cabinet doors opening and closing reaching her ears. Buffy took the opportunity to explore the spacious apartment, her fingertips trailing over the bookshelves and the weapons that adorned the wall; her palm touching the wall itself, borrowing strength and support from the cool brick.
She ambled through the apartment, wanting to see every nook and cranny, somehow thinking that it would give her a glimpse into the life he now led. The small stylish couch, the lamps that were placed strategically around the room to allow enough light to fill the place while maintaining the brooding atmosphere that she found somewhat comforting. There was a small training area with a punching bag and weights, and the bedroom had a big brass-iron bed that looked incredibly enticing to her tired body. Buffy found a picture of herself on the night table next to the bed, and she lightly grazed it with her fingertips, marveling at how young she looked in the photo.
She was so engrossed with her exploration that she didn't hear Angel come into the bedroom until he was directly behind her. She whipped around, momentarily startled, knocking the teacup out of Angel's hand. It flew into the wall and shattered, leaving a dark stain as the pieces fell into a heap on the floor.
"Oh God, Angel, I'm sorry," Buffy said with a gasp, rushing over to pick up the pieces. He knelt down to help her, smiling despite himself.
"I guess that'll teach me not to sneak up on you again," he joked. Buffy glanced over at him for a moment, surprised at his joke, before picking up the remaining pieces. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and looked at Angel again, finding him staring at her, his dark eyes catching hers with his hypnotic gaze. She swallowed nervously and shifted, her knee brushing against his.
"Angel," she whispered, her voice betraying her despair. It was strange hearing herself speak with a different voice, it sounded unnatural to her own ears. Only they weren't hers, they were Faith's...as was the body, and the voice... And Faith had hers. She had taken it from her, stolen it. That was what she had to concentrate on, not how close Angel was and how lonely she suddenly felt and *certainly* not how she had a wonderful boyfriend back home.
Buffy looked away first, her gaze roaming over the room as she blinked back tears. She chanced a glance at him again briefly, immediately wishing she hadn't. Angel was still looking at her, his eyes an open door to his soul. She licked dry lips and shifted away from him, her head turning away in shame.
"Buffy...?" Angel asked uncertainly, his voice filled with concern for her. She concentrated on the wood of the floor, fighting hard to keep from looking at him again, something that would risk the fragile control she now held over herself. She heard shuffling as Angel pulled his small garbage pail over to them and dumped the broken remains of the cup into it, gently taking what was left in her hands from her as well. She inhaled sharply when his hands brushed hers. "Look at me, Buffy."
Buffy shook her head, brown hair flying. "I...I don't want you to see me in this body," she said softly, staring at her hands. "Kinda funny that I think of it now..."
"Buffy," Angel said, his voice a bit firmer. He reached over and gently turned her chin, angling her head so she was looking directly into his eyes. "It doesn't matter what you look like or who's body you're in. You're still you."
"But I'm not!" she cried, her tears running again. "I look like Faith, and I sound like Faith, and I *am* Faith! I'm her, and she's me, and all I want is my body back!" With that she allowed herself to collapse against his chest, her face buried in his shirt as she cried. Again Angel wrapped his arms around her and rocked her gently, pulling her onto his lap and whispering soothing nonsense into her ear. She cried until she had no tears left, and only then did she pull back and look at him, ashamed. He saw her look and immediately pulled her against him again.
"Shh, you know that's not true. You're not her and she's not you. Anyone can see that," he told her, smoothing his hand over her mussed hair and laying his cheek on the top of her dark head.
"How could you tell?" she asked suddenly, sniffling and wiping the last of her tears away with the back of her hand.
He smiled bittersweetly at her. "All I had to do was look." Her lips curved upwards in a tiny smile.
"I'm glad you took the time to," she told him, feeling herself become lost once more in his dark eyes. It was suddenly too much, being so close to him, intoxicated by his scent, becoming dizzy by his presence. She scrambled off his lap and quickly stood up, running a hand through her hair. He looked puzzled for a moment, then remembered their situation and quickly stood up with her.
"Why don't we go get you some more tea and then start looking for a way to switch you back," Angel suggested. She nodded and drew in a steadying breath. "Let me just grab a dry shirt and..." he trailed off, not sure what else to say. She averted her gaze from his and nodded again, uncomfortable all of a sudden.
She turned away from him to give him privacy, a pang going through her heart when she remembered him doing the same for her when she had asked him to, all those lifetimes ago on the night they had made love. Buffy heard him open a drawer and then close it again, and assumed he was done changing. She turned around to see his bare chest exposed to her hungry gaze and felt a wave of desire hit her like a ton of bricks. Buffy tried to say she was sorry and turn back around, but her body was frozen and her mouth was dry.
There was a thick tension in the air as Buffy's eyes lazily drifted up to meet Angel's. He was staring at her with a mix of longing and concern in his eyes. The electricity in the air cackled around them as they stood staring at each other, Buffy's eyes drifting down over his body again hungrily. At the sight of his sculpted, pale chest, she felt herself snap. Within moments she was in his arms, kissing him with pent-up passion. Her hands tangled in his dark hair, pulling his head down to hers as his arms slipped around her waist. She nearly cried out in ecstasy at feeling his body pressed up against her, his cool lips on her burning ones. Their tongues dueled viciously as they kissed, releasing months of yearning and longing.
She had been right. This WAS heaven.
And then they suddenly broke apart, their eyes huge as they realized what they had just done. Buffy and Angel released each other and took a step back, their gazes never wavering. A lone tear trickled down her cheek, the pain of his wonderful embrace nearly causing her to break down again. Instead she looked away, somewhat ashamed at her lack of control, and hastily brushed the tear away.
"I don't think Faith's body is used to crying so much," Buffy said lamely, trying desperately to break the tension in the air. Angel pulled on his shirt quickly and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
"Buffy...about that kiss..." he started. She held up a hand.
"That was all my fault," she interrupted. "I'm...sorry, God, I'm so sorry, Angel. Maybe I should just go..."
"No!" Angel cried, a note of pleading desperation in his voice. He repeated it again, his voice firmer this time. "No. It won't happen again, Buffy. It can't happen again."
"It can't," she agreed, taking a small step towards him.
"We just...have to concentrate on getting your body back," he continued.
"Concentrate," she echoed. Neither noticed that they were inching towards one another as they spoke. "This can't ever-"
"Be anything again. We just-"
"Have to control ourselves."
"Control," Angel whispered, his lips inches from hers again.
"It's better this way," she said, her eyes helplessly lost in his.
"Better...easier," he supplied, licking dry lips.
"Harder," she countered, the ache in her voice apparent.
The elevator lift whirled as it was activated. The one-time lovers jumped and broke out of their trance, looking guiltily at the gate and waiting for Cordelia and Wesley to come down. Angel walked out of the bedroom as they appeared, Buffy hot on his heels.
"Did you get ahold of Giles?" Buffy asked anxiously. Cordelia nodded.
"I talked to him."
Buffy waited for more, but no further explanation came. "And?!"
"He didn't really believe me at first," Cordelia said with a shrug, "not that I blame him. *I* wouldn't believe myself, it's a crazy-sounding story. Anyway, he said he'd gather up the little Scooby Gang and they'd figure out a way to get Faith here."
Buffy began pacing anxiously. "When does he think they can get here?" she asked. Cordelia flopped onto the couch, while Wesley stood next to her. Angel had disappeared into the kitchen, and from the noises he was making, he was getting her more tea.
"He's gonna call back when they know more. He said we should just look for a spell to change you two back while we wait," she replied. Angel returned and handed Buffy a teacup full of steaming liquid. She smiled gratefully and took a long sip, the hot tea calming her frayed nerves.
"So, shall we get started?" Wesley asked. Angel rubbed a hand over his eyes.
"Buffy and I can handle it tonight. Wesley, I want you to check some of the volumes you have, specifically the Book of T'Pluck and that book about souls that we got a few weeks ago," Angel said. Wesley nodded firmly. Buffy was half-expecting him to salute the vampire too...
"What do I do?" Cordelia asked, a somewhat hurt expression on her pretty face.
"You get home and get rest, you have that audition tomorrow," he said, his tone sounding like that of a big brother affectionately looking after his younger sister. She perked up immediately, obviously thrilled that he had remembered.
"An audition?" Buffy repeated. "For what?"
Cordelia stood proudly. "A Tampax commercial," she said. Buffy quirked an eyebrow but remained silent.
"Good luck," she said. Cordelia and Wesley turned to leave. "Oh, and guys?" They turned back around to face her. "Thanks for helping, I don't know what I'd do without it."
To her surprise, Cordelia smiled warmly. "Well, I think the only other option you had was going out and selling that body for some cash so you could get out of the country," she said. Buffy's brow furrowed.
"She's trying to say 'you're welcome'," Angel translated, his lips curled upwards in a slight smile. Buffy still looked unsure, but nodded anyway.
"Thanks, Cordy. I think." Cordelia smiled in return.
"I shall ring you later if I discover anything of importance," Wesley said as they stepped into the elevator. Cordelia rolled her eyes.
"You couldn't have just said 'I'll call if I find something'?" she asked. Wesley's chin jutted out in defense.
"No, unlike you Americans I don't butcher my language," he retorted, reaching out to close the gate.
"Butcher the language? Please! This is America, speak American for God's sake!" she cried. Wesley's response was muffled as they disappeared from view.
"Are you sure they didn't secretly run off to Vegas and get married while you weren't looking?" Buffy asked, amusement in her dark eyes. Angel chuckled and walked over to his bookshelf, carefully reading the titles before picking one.
"They sure act like it, don't they," he commented.
"They're worse than Xander and Anya," she said with a shake of her head, taking another long sip of her tea. She moved to join Angel at the bookshelf and he handed her a leather-bound book, choosing one for himself as well.
"Xander and Anya?" he echoed. "Who's Anya?"
"Do you remember the girl who used to be a revenge demon for scorned women?" she asked. At his blank look, she continued. "Xander took her to the prom..."
Angel's eyebrow shot up. "He sure knows how to pick 'em, eh?" he asked, a hint of laughter in his eyes. Buffy giggled.
"It's an improvement over bugs and ancient Incan princesses," she said, a wave of nostalgia hitting her sharply. She missed all her friends. Angel, sensing this, gently guided her to a leather recliner and switched on the lamp beside it.
"Look for anything about body-switching, there could be an incantation that'll reverse it," Angel said, taking a seat on the couch. Buffy nodded and fought to concentrate on the book in her lap and not on Angel and her overwhelming feelings. This was harder than she had imagined it would be...
"Angel?" He looked up from his book at her voice. "Thanks for everything."
He smiled at her, something he had rarely done before. "You know I'm always here for you, Buffy. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "You don't know how much that means to me."
Angel's eyes locked on hers. "I think I have a pretty good idea."
Her heart fluttered at his words and she swallowed all the pain and longing and hurt that welled in her soul. Angel sat staring at her, not even seeing that she was in another body, a different body. All he saw was the woman he loved more than anything in the world.
Buffy smiled softly at him and then turned her attention back to her book, suddenly wondering what Faith was doing to her body at that moment.
She shuddered, realizing she didn't want to know.
*~*
Faith was bored. She had been hoping that while she had been in her coma Sunnydale would have spiced up a little, but as she looked around the Bronze she realized that that had been too much to hope for.
She'd already burned up the dance floor, choosing nearly every guy in the place to dance with at least once. And now she stood leaning against one of the pillars near the stairs, looking for someone to play with.
Being Buffy was fun.
Faith wrinkled her nose at the thought. No, actually it wasn't. She had to be Miss Mary Sunshine for everyone and it was getting to be more than a little annoying. She had to put up with Willow's whining, Xander's stupid comments, Giles' incessant babble...she wondered how Buffy managed it.
"Give me a pair of leather pants, a stake and a gorgeous hunk any day and I'd be a happy woman," she muttered.
"You seem to have two of those items already," a voice said from behind her. She turned around to see Riley standing in front of her, gesturing at her pants and the stake that protruded from her waistband with a slight smile on his lips. Faith curled hers up in a seductive smile.
"And now that you're here I'm good to go," she said, sidling up to him and pulling his head down for a harsh kiss. "Miss me that much?" They had seen each other a few hours before, at Giles' place, but Faith had gotten bored and said she was going patrolling.
As if he could read her thoughts, Riley said, "Aren't you supposed to be patrolling?" She shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's quiet tonight. Besides, I can't exactly patrol in this," she said, gesturing at her tight leather pants and the black corset top she wore. Faith had been surprised to find them buried in the back of Buffy's closet, she hadn't thought the other girl would have them. Buffy was so uptight about being the goody two-shoes that she was and having leather was an automatic sign of being a 'bad girl'.
"I can imagine, it must have been hard enough in that halter," he replied, giving her an appreciative look and smiling. Faith resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead plastering a smile on her borrowed face. By being with him, she was ultimately hurting Buffy, and that was the intent.
Faith's grin broadened, becoming almost feral.
She slipped her arm around his waist. "Let's go back to your place and have a real party," she said, leading him to the door. He grinned down at her and slid his arm around her thin shoulders.
That was another problem with this body, it was so...small. Small legs, small torso, small breasts...it had taken the better part of an hour to make them fill the corset correctly. Seeing Riley's eyes on her, she realized it had been worth it.
"And how many people are we thinking of inviting?" he asked, leading her to his car.
"Just two," she replied huskily, leaning up to kiss him soundly, slipping her tongue into his mouth.
"That's what I was hoping you'd say," he said, running a hand up her leather-clad thigh. Faith nearly laughed out loud at the turn of events.
She was gonna kick Buffy while she was down by sleeping with her boyfriend...and maybe letting him in on a few secrets from the blonde's past.
TBC…
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