"W-willow, don't you think we should be getting back to campus?"

"Soon. But I was really hoping we could find her before we gave up. Well, not hoping to find her in the wanting-to-see-her sense, but it would be good if we could, you know, tell Buffy and Giles where she is, so they can deal with her."

"I understand. It's just--it's starting to get dark, and you always wan-wanted to be closer to home by then."

Willow stopped scanning the faces of everyone on the street, and looked around her. "Oh. You're right. I hadn't realized it was so late.... I guess we'll have to give up for now. We'll come back out in the morning, if she hasn't been found by then." The girls turned and began retracing their steps.

Much too soon for Willow's liking, the sun set, leaving them a good half hour's walk from campus. She had her stake, cross, and holy water, of course, but she still wasn't sure how well Tara would react when actually faced with a vampire; sometimes the real thing could be scarier than you'd expected, as she remembered quite well from her own early experiences. And her vampire supplies would do little good if they ran into some other form of demon.... Glancing warily into the shadows surrounding them, she grabbed the other witch's arm and started walking faster.

A small yelp escaped her when a figure stepped out of an alley directly in front of them, followed by a relieved sigh as she recognized who it was.

"Gods, Spike, you scared me! Don't you know better than to sneak up on a girl after dark, on the Hellmouth?"

He just smirked. "Glad to know I've still got it. Though I'm surprised to see you out here after dark by yourself."

"I hadn't intended to be, believe me. And I'm not alone--Tara, this is Spike. Ordinarily this would be the point at which we should run for our lives, but at the moment he's harmless."

"Hey! Watch what you say about me there."

"You know you can't hurt us, no matter how much you want to. Besides, we've got scarier things to worry about just now...."

"And what's scarier than me, I'd like to know?"

"Right now? Faith. She's the Slayer who replaced Kendra--she went kinda crazy last year, started killing people, teamed up with the Mayor while he was planning his Ascension...lots of badness. She poisoned Angel, so Buffy put her in a coma. She woke up recently, and now she's out there somewhere.... That's why we're out so late; we were looking for her, hoping to find her and stop her before she could do much harm, and kinda lost track of time."

"Sounds like my kind of girl."

"Yeah, I imagine she would. You've both got that sadistic, psychopathic killer thing going for you. But for the rest of us, she's bad news. And she's human, so it's hard for Buffy to even bring herself to fight her."

"Well, tell you what. I'll walk you back to your dorm, keep an eye out for this Faith chick. Don't want you dying before I have a chance to get rid of this chip in my head, after all. And if I hear anything about where she might be, I'll give you a call."

"Are you sure?" He nodded curtly, lifting one eyebrow as if to say "why not?" "Thanks, Spike, we need all the help we can get."

The three made it back to the campus without running into either Faith or any vamps--aside from the one who was serving as bodyguard to the two girls, that is--and went their separate ways. Willow and Tara both had tests to study for, so they returned to their own rooms, whereas Spike felt like having a drink or five, and decided to go to the Bronze rather than return to Willy's and risk another beating by his own kind.

He wasn't terribly surprised to see Buffy there, dancing and flirting and generally enjoying herself, rather than out patrolling for that Faith girl Willow was so worried about. He'd never liked the Slayer, but it had seemed that lately she'd been growing even more self-absorbed than she had been during his first disastrous stay in Sunnydale.

She did, however, seem to be acting strangely when she noticed him standing there. He figured she was just a bit drunk when she seemed not to recognize him, or remember the chip in his head, but when she started coming on to him...well, it made him wonder what spells Willow might have been doing lately. One part of his mind wished she would just leave him the hell alone, at least until he was able to fight her again, while the rest was concentrating on trying to figure out just what seemed wrong about her...aside from the obvious.

Then she did something completely unexpected: she kissed him. And he was too surprised to do anything about it except stand there, staring after her as she calmly walked away. After a few minutes he managed to snap out of it, shaking his head in hopes it would miraculously help the world start making sense again. That didn't work, so he concentrated on draining his beer instead; a couple more drinks and he at least stopped caring, and returned to his crypt.

Something about that encounter bothered him, though, and the next evening he decided it might be worth a quick trip to the Watcher's to see if something strange was going on in general, or if it was just him. And if it was another botched spell, maybe they could get it reversed before he found himself affected as well.

When he arrived, he found the gang, minus the Slayer, sitting around in some confusion.

"Spike, what are you doing here? We've got enough problems at the moment without you, so please, go back to your crypt, and leave us alone."

"Believe me, Rupert, I'd much rather be as far from you lot as possible. Willow told me about that Faith you're looking for; no sign of her in the cemetaries. But that's not why I'm here. Red, you been casting my-will-be-done spells again?"

"What? No, nothing. Why?"

"Because obviously something strange is going on--I got accosted by your bloody Slayer last night!"

"Aw, did poor defenseless Fangboy get beaten up by Buffy again?"

He shot Xander a glare that made it clear just how much he'd love to kill the boy. "No, worse. She bloody well kissed me!"

"Yes, well, that's all very--disturbing, actually, but we have more important things to worry about. Since you already know about Faith, I might as well get you caught up with what's happened today. I was called down to the police station, where Faith was spouting some nonsense about being Buffy, or Buffy being her, or something along those lines. They've got her under arrest, being wanted for murder and so on, but that's not going to hold her very long."

"Maybe she's telling the truth. Bet you didn't stop to think about that, did you, Watcher?"

"What? I think we know what the Buffster looks like. And trust me, there's no way you could mistake Faith for her."

"No, you moron, not that you mistook them. That what looks like Faith is really Buffy, and vice versa. It would certainly explain last night. And why something felt stranger than usual about--"

"About...?" Anya prompted.

If it hadn't been impossible, the Scoobies would have sworn Spike blushed. "About the bloody kiss. Aside from the fact that it was happening, I mean. Unfortunately, I remember every nightmarish moment of that sodding engagement, and last night...she was...kissing differently."

"Can I just say eww?"

"You're one to talk. After all, Buffy just kissed Spike--whereas you and Faith actually--"

"Okay! Okay! Not eww! Not eww at all! Can we change the subject, please, Will? Trying so hard to suppress that memory."

Willow giggled before turning back to Spike. "So you think that somehow Buffy and Faith pulled a Freaky Friday?"

"A what?"

"You know, switched bodies. So Faith's in Buffy's body and Buffy's in Faith's."

"Oh. Right. Yeah, that's certainly a possibility, wouldn't you say? And it would explain what the girl said to you lot this afternoon."

"All right, I'll grant you the fact that, this being the Hellmouth, two people switching bodies would be practically a commonplace occurrence," Giles conceded. "However, how can we tell if that's what actually transpired, or if Faith is just trying to trick us into trusting her again?"

"I have an idea." Everyone looked at Anya, amazed. "What? You people aren't the only ones who can come up with a plan, you know. I don't think you'll like it, but I do think it would work."

"Yes, honey?"

"Well, Spike said he knew something weird was going on because of the way Buffy was kissing him, so he should just go to the jail and kiss Faith and see if she's really Buffy."

"There is no bloody way I'm doing any such thing!"

"Told you you weren't going to like it," she shrugged.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's really not a bad idea. After all, just asking questions won't work in this case--Faith was around for nearly a year, there's no telling what we told her or she discovered on her own about things that Buffy knew or did, or what she's learned since whenever they switched bodies about what happened during her coma. She could be faking, and we might never realize it. But if she doesn't know who Spike is, much less why he's kissing her...and besides, I'm pretty certain she wouldn't know enough to fake that convincingly in any case. And if I'm wrong about that, I'd really rather not know, thank you."

"There's another flaw with this plan, aside from my complete and utter distaste for it, you know. I could kiss her all day--which I have no intention of doing, for any reason, before anyone gets any more bright ideas--but it won't do any good unless she kisses me back."

"Well," Willow suggested, "if it's really just Faith, that won't be a problem, and you'll be able to tell. Faith would kiss anybody. So if she doesn't, then we can be pretty sure it's Buffy."

Spike grumbled some more. "I can't believe you want me to kiss another Slayer. And voluntarily this time! You lot are secretly as sadistic as, well, me."

"Then you should have no problems, er, performing, should you?" Giles couldn't resist commenting.

"I said I'm sadistic, not masochistic, you bloody pillock." They just looked at him in disbelief. "All right, so I'm a bit masochistic, too, but the only pain I get off on is physical, and even then, there's a limit; this stuff is too, well, painful even for me."

"Then we're agreed. Willow, you go with Spike to see Fai--er, Bu--that is, the girl the police are holding. You're more likely to get them to let you in to see her, and if it really is Buffy, she'll be more willing to trust you. And if it's Faith, she doesn't know Spike, so better to have a familiar face, even though you don't get along. Xander and Anya, I'll want you to see if you can find Buffy, or her body, or whatever, and keep an eye on her--but only if you can be unobtrusive about it. If it's really Faith, we don't want to let her know that we're aware of the, er, switch. I'll stay here in case we're wrong about this, and Buffy's really Buffy; she may drop by to get an update on the Faith situation, since we haven't told her yet that she's in jail. The rest of you, please check in periodically and keep me informed."

"Will do, G-man."

"All right, Giles. Spike, you ready?" Willow grinned at him mischievously; she wasn't normally the type to enjoy another's pain, but this was pretty harmless, and he shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place if it was as painful as he was making it out to be. Besides, if it worked, then maybe they would stop teasing her about that spell--without it, Spike and Buffy never would have kissed, and they'd still be wondering why Faith had claimed she wasn't herself. Her companion for the evening just glared at her, grabbed his coat, and stalked out of the apartment.

By the time she had caught up with him, he was smoking furiously. Even knowing that he couldn't do anything to hurt her, Willow found herself feeling nervous, even a little afraid of him.

"Spike?" she ventured. He didn't even glance at her in response, but she decided to continue nonetheless. "I...I just wanted to say 'thank you' for helping us. I know how much you hate doing this...but we need to find out if you're right, and the real Faith really is still out there somewhere."

"Just remember, when this is over, you lot will owe me. And I'm not talking about just a few pints of blood, either. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get the Slayer taste out of my mouth the last time?" he demanded gruffly.

"Well, no, but I really am sorry about all that. I didn't mean for anything like that to happen, honest."

He could tell from her voice that she was still punishing herself for that whole fiasco, and while it was far from pleasant for him, he did believe she hadn't intended for it to turn out as it had. Berating himself for going soft, he sighed. "Look, pet, I know you didn't. But it happened anyway, and just because it wasn't done on purpose doesn't mean I have to like it."

She just nodded, and they finished the trip to the police station in silence. Spike lurked in the background, trying to look unmenacing without much success, as Willow convinced the officer on duty that they just wanted to talk with Faith, and had no intention of helping her try to escape. Eventually they were let into the holding area. The cells were all empty except for the one at the far end, whose lone occupant looked up at the noise of their entrance.

"Oh my god, Willow!" she exclaimed gratefully, rushing to the bars. "Thank goodness you're here! Did you come to get me out of here? And what is Spike doing with you?"

"Um...hi," Willow said, not quite certain if this was her friend, or just Faith putting on a very good act. The fact that she recognized Spike was a good sign--or a bad one, since it meant that Faith was still free--but you never knew, in Sunnydale.

Spike, on the other hand, didn't really care who was in the cell; he just wanted to get this over with. He strode over to the Slayer, grabbed her waist through the bars, and pulled her to him. Before he could do more than brush his lips against hers, however, she pulled away, outraged.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?!? Get away from me! Will, what's going on?"

"Uh...well...I can't tell you. Not until we know what's happened, I mean. But please, kiss him. Just once. It's important; I wouldn't ask it otherwise."

"Yeah, Slayer, do you really think I want to be here, doing this?"

"Well...no...."

"Then let's just get this over with so I can get the hell out of here."

Reluctantly, she moved back over to him, shooting Willow a glance that promised dire consequences should this turn out not to have been necessary. Their kiss was relatively brief, but it was enough to convince Spike.

He pulled away. "Yeah, it's her all right. Can I go now?"

"Really?!" Willow could hardly believe it. "Oh, Buffy, we'll get you out of here somehow! But the police think you're Faith, so it might take some doing. Will you be all right staying here for the night? I mean, you should be all right, 'cause it's a jail and all and what are the chances a vamp or someone's gonna come looking for you here, but will you be okay with our leaving you here for now? We need to report back to Giles, and try and find Faith, not to mention figure out how this happened and how to get you back into your own body...." She paused for breath, and Buffy took advantage of the break.

"You believe me! You have no idea how horrible this has been, even my mother thought I was Faith. But yeah, I'm cool here, now that I know you're working on it. See if you can get into my mother's house--we were fighting in the living room, and she took out some device thingy and grabbed my hand. That's when it happened; if it's still there, Giles might be able to use it to switch us back. But don't tell my mother what's going on--she's probably safer if she doesn't know I'm Faith...or whatever."

"Yeah, no prob. Look for device thingy, don't say anything to Mrs. Summers. Got it. I'll try and drop by in the morning to let you know what's up, okay?"

"That'd be great! Oh, and Willow? Why the Spike kissage, hmm?"

"Oh...uh...." She blushed and glanced towards the vampire.

"Bloody hell," he sighed, turning back to the Slayer. "I ran into you--or rather, your body--at the Bronze; you were acting kind of strange, ending with kissing me. It felt...off. Different from the last time I got stuck being kissed by you. So the bloody vengeance demon convinced the others I should come down here and see if it's you in there or not. Now," he switched his attention back to Willow, "I'm going to Willy's, see if he's got anything strong enough to get the bloody taste of two bloody Slayers out of my mouth. And remember--you owe me."

"We won't forget this. Thanks again!" Willow's gaze remained focused in the direction of the exit for a few moments after Spike vanished into the night, until her attention was caught by Buffy's clearing her throat.

"Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"

Buffy grinned for the first time since finding herself looking out at her own body. "Wills, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Huh? No, no wanting here. To tell, I mean. Nope. Don't want to tell anything. Because I have nothing to want to tell. Not me." Willow could feel the blush starting, and hoped her friend hadn't noticed it, or the unfortunate phrasing, yet knew she probably had. Best to change the subject before Buffy started questioning her further, yep, definitely time for a subject change. "So...uh...I'll go tell Giles, and we'll see what we can find about getting this reversed. And getting you out of here. And everything. Don't worry, we'll think of something! Bye!"

Willow made her escape before the other girl had time to comment, much less interrogate her further.

Having confirmed that the Slayers had indeed swapped bodies, the Scooby Gang went to work trying to uncover a means of switching them back, without letting Faith realize they knew she wasn't really Buffy. Willow, as Buffy's roommate, was charged with keeping her occupied for most of the day, until night fell and they could send her off to patrol. Once rid of Faith, she hoped to make her visit to Buffy's mom's house to look for the only clue they had.

Unfortunately for her, it looked like she might not be allowed the luxury. Giles was making noises about its not being safe, especially since if Faith found out about it--and not telling Joyce about the switch, which he did agree was a good idea, meant not being able to tell her to keep Willow's visit a secret from her "daughter"--she would almost certainly jump to the right conclusion. At last Spike, who'd dropped by to commandeer the use of the microwave to heat up his evening meal, volunteered to accompany her.

"If the Slayer chit finds out, I simply dropped by for more of Joyce's hot chocolate. The witch just...I don't know, wanted to make sure I didn't try to hurt her," he shrugged.

"What if Faith knows about your implant? She had at least a full day before we knew she wasn't Buffy; she may have heard us talking about it."

"Fine, then, you came to reassure Joyce that I really am harmless; satisfied?"

The girl nodded, then looked at Giles for approval of the plan. "Yes, yes, that should be all right. But do be careful."

"We will. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Well, Red, looks like I'm stuck with you for another evening. What did I ever do to deserve this?" Spike complained as they left the Watcher's.

"You? I'm the one who's walking through a Hellmouth town with a murdering demon. I could be at home studying, or, or at the library, or something. But no, I'm playing chaperone to a vampire and my friend's mother!"

He chuckled. "That's all you can think of to do on a night like this--study? Don't you ever have any fun?"

"What's wrong with studying? I like learning things," Willow protested. "And besides, what else would I do?" she grumbled. She wasn't going to tell Spike, of all people, but there were times when she longed to be the kind of person who could simply let go, do something silly or teenagerish or--fun. It wasn't that she never did anything other than study, but...when she went to parties with Buffy and Xander and her few other friends, she never really enjoyed them. Too many people, acting too mindless. You couldn't have a good, intelligent conversation at a frat house or the Bronze, and Willow had never been able to loosen up enough to really enjoy loud music and dancing and people drinking. It was one thing when they went to the Bronze on a night Dingoes was playing, and she could watch Oz, but now.... She was unable to contain a sigh.

Spike watched the young human at his side as the thoughts played across her face. He didn't know the details, but could tell she was unhappy. He supposed she could be thinking about the dog--though why someone like her would be mourning the loss of that wanker, he had no idea--but it seemed to go deeper than that. Shoving any analysis of his motives to the back of his mind, he decided to lay off the sarcasm and personal jabs for the time being. The chit seemed to have enough to deal with without his adding to it, and for some reason she took his comments seriously. Of course, it appeared she took everything seriously....

Once again their walk was spent mostly in shared silence, each too busy with their own thoughts to realize just how comfortable their silences had become. As they neared the Summers residence, Spike shook off his contemplative mood and tried to summon up his trademark attitude. It was getting harder to act threatening the longer he spent with that bloody chip in his head; as he knew through a century's experience, talking tough without believing you were capable of and willing to follow through with any threats was merely bravado, and didn't fool anyone. Well, no demon, anyway. It was that confidence and ruthlessness that helped separate minions from masters in the vampire world, and thanks to the Initiative he was losing the confidence half of the equation--and the ruthlessness only mattered if he was dealing with other demons. The Slayer's gang was bad enough, but then, it was too late to fool them in any case--they'd seen too much of his recent humiliation. But he and Joyce had a history, of sorts, and while he may have been willing to pour out his heart to her over Dru's leaving him--it didn't really hurt his image any, since these late twentieth-century women seemed to find men who could cry over lost love sexy for some stupid reason--he didn't want her to think he'd gone completely soft.

At last they stood before her front door, each hoping the other wouldn't do anything to blow their cover. Spike rang the bell.

"Hello, Joyce," he drawled as the door opened, giving her his most charming smile.

"Spike! I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Yeah, well, I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by and see if you had any of that hot chocolate that needed someone to drink it."

"Not at the moment, but I could certainly make some if you'd like. And--Willow, how nice to see you again."

"Oh, yeah. Giles made me bring her along to reassure you I'm not going to kill you, or some such rot."

"So you know Mr. Giles?"

"Unfortunately."

"Spike, be nice!" Willow scolded. "Giles has been very good to you lately."

"Pet, I'm never nice," he purred. She scowled, but the effect was marred slightly by her blush. Spike managed to restrain his smirk, instead turning back to their hostess. "Now, about that chocolate...."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry." Joyce held the door open wider, and he moved to enter the house, only to find himself barred. He growled in surprise.

He heard a quiet "oops" from behind him, and turned on Willow. She tried to shrink from his gaze. "Um...sorry about that, Spike. I'd forgotten that Buffy made me do the invitation-revoking spell after the last time you were here."

"That's hardly nice of you, now is it, love? Joyce, it looks like I'll need an invitation. Again."

"Oh, right. Please come in, Spike. Willow, would you like some hot chocolate as well?"

"Oh, um...no, thanks, Mrs. Summers. I'll just go up to Buffy's room, if that's all right, and see if she, uh, still has something that I'd lent her back in high school that I couldn't find the other day...."

"Certainly you may. We'll be in the kitchen when you're done looking."

"Thanks!" She disappeared up the steps, hoping Spike would keep Buffy's mom occupied long enough for Willow to check the bedrooms and, more importantly, the living room as well, though she'd wait a while before returning downstairs, to give them time to get caught up in hot chocolate-making.

Spike followed Joyce into the kitchen and took a chair facing the doorway to the rest of the house, so he could keep an eye out for the girl and keep Joyce's back to the other room. They made small talk as the milk was heating, then this most unlikely of hostesses for a vampire of his stature--how he ever got friendly with a Slayer's mother, he'd never figure out--brought two mugs over to the table and took her seat opposite him.

They continued talking for several minutes before Joyce asked the question that had been on her mind since he arrived. "So tell me, how did things go with...Drusilla, wasn't it?"

He frowned into his mug. "Not very well. She left me again."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. How are you doing? You seem to be handling it better than you were the last time, if you don't mind my saying so."

"Yeah, well...as one of those bloody kids would say, I'm dealing. It's just hard, you know? I thought I'd be with her forever, literally. Worshipped her. Treated her like a queen. And she just walked away." He took a large gulp from the mug in front of him and snuck a quick glance at Joyce's watch. Where was that girl? How much longer would he have to keep Joyce occupied? Sighing mentally, he decided he might as well continue on this topic; someone else's romantic problems could keep women occupied for hours. "Actually, though, I think I'm starting to move on. I mean, I still miss her, always will, but it doesn't hurt as much as it used to."

"Moving on? That's wonderful, Spike. And to think that just last year you didn't believe it was possible. Who is she?"

Spike blinked at her, nonplussed. "Who is who?"

"This new woman you're falling in love with."

He scowled. "I'd hardly say I'm falling in love...maybe a slight crush at most," he admitted.

"Of course," she nodded knowingly. "What's she like?"

Oh, bloody hell.... "She's barely more than a girl, really...of course, pretty much all you humans are practically children from my perspective, I suppose...."

Willow found nothing that could be the strange device Buffy had talked about in either her room or her mother's, but then, she hadn't expected to. Hoping that Spike had Mrs. Summers' attention fixed on him for the time being, she crept back downstairs to search the living room. Knowing how Faith fought, and that Buffy wouldn't have held back either when it came to protecting her mother, she was amazed that this room, like those upstairs, was in the shape that it was. Obviously a lot of effort had been put into erasing most of the damage done by the fight that had taken place here just a couple of days ago; with her luck, the clean-up would have gotten rid of the object she was searching for as well as the shattered glass and broken furniture she had expected to find.

After looking in vain for a few minutes, she sat down on the floor with her back against the wall, frustration mounting. How would they ever return Buffy to her own body? This device thingy was the only thing they had to go on...and she couldn't even manage to get it for them. It was hopeless.

"She's...well, with her friends she's loyal almost to a fault. And though in many ways she's quite fragile, easy to hurt, underneath that there's a strength that most people don't realize she possesses. She even stood up to me once, despite knowing I'm a master vampire and was rather sloshed at the time, which isn't exactly something most humans are willing to dare...."

Joyce watched as a shy, slightly goofy grin came over Spike's face and his expression softened, just thinking about this girl. She was happy for him, glad that he was clearly feeling a lot better about himself than he had the last time they'd talked. He had seemed so...lost, then. Intellectually she knew that, however young he looked, he was something like three times her age; but he did look younger, and had been so vulnerable that her heart had gone out to him, vampire or not. No matter what she knew about him, she couldn't be afraid; it wasn't as if he had tried to kill her, after all, despite Buffy's assumptions to the contrary, and he had come to her for comfort and advice, so that's exactly what she'd give him.

"Does she return your feelings?" she asked gently.

Spike looked at her in amazement that she would have to ask. "Of course not, she bloody well hates me. And well she should. She's mortal, I'm a demon, it would never work. I kill people like her; I enjoy it, it's who I am. I won't change that for some chit, no matter what. And I can't imagine she would let me turn her...she's just not that kind of girl. Even if she didn't have cause to hate me, she's not stupid, she'd know what becoming involved with a vampire like me would mean...."

Willow had at first barely registered the conversation drifting in from the kitchen; when she realized what they were talking about, she couldn't believe it. Spike was in love? With a human? Surely not...but there was a tenderness in his voice as he described "her" that she couldn't remember hearing before. Maybe he was just making it all up to keep Mrs. Summers occupied? Perhaps...but she hadn't thought he was that good an actor.

She didn't know why the idea bothered her so much. It wasn't like he could hurt the girl, whoever she was, thanks to the Initiative. Maybe it was just that now everyone had someone else, except her. Xander and Anya, Buffy and Riley, even Giles and Olivia...now Spike and Mystery Girl. Even if he said she hated him, at least he sounded happy thinking about her. Whereas every time she thought about Oz...no, she wasn't going to go there. No time for her own problems, she had to focus on getting Buffy back.

But instead of continuing her search, she just sat there and listened.

It was as her mind was occupied with the discussion going on in the other room that she saw it. A glint of metal from underneath the couch caught her eye, and she gasped, forgetting momentarily that she was supposed to be making as little noise as possible. Lying on the floor, she reached under the couch, grumbling slightly when it turned out to be too far for her to grab. "Good thing this couch is so high," she muttered to herself, scooching further until her head and upper torso were also underneath the furniture. At last her fingers closed on the object, which was lying amongst broken glass, apparently having ended up getting knocked under there in the cleaning efforts, unnoticed. After hitting her head trying to sit up regardless of the couch on top of her, she slowly wriggled out of the uncomfortable position and examined her find. That just had to be what Buffy was talking about in the jail, she couldn't possibly think what else it might be. Shoving it in the depths of her backpack, she dusted herself off and prepared to enter the kitchen, the conversation she'd overheard temporarily forgotten in her excitement.

"...But you know what I like most about her? Her mind. I know it sounds silly, but it's true. She's bloody brilliant. Not to mention sane--which, after a century with Dru, is something I'm finding a very refreshing quality. Unlike Harm, you can actually have an intelligent conversation with her; and unlike with Dru, you know that you don't to worry about the stars or a bloody doll taking part in it."

"Well, she sounds wonderful, Spike. I hope things work out between you."

"Oh, they won't," he shrugged. "I told you, vampires and humans just don't belong togeth--" Suddenly he froze, and Joyce was forcibly reminded that he was no longer fully human; she could have sworn his ears perked up, even though she herself hadn't heard a thing. She caught a brief flash of fear in his eyes before his entire expression hardened; his voice and bearing followed suit, closing him off once more. "So then I took the spike, and slammed it into the bloke's chest, yeah? Right above his heart, just far enough off-target that it wouldn't kill him. Not yet, at any rate. That would have been no fun." His glance shifted to something over her shoulder, and before she had a chance to adjust to the sudden change of topic, he changed it yet again. "Ah, there you are, pet. About bloody time. You find what you were looking for?"

She turned in her chair to find Willow standing in the doorway. "Y-yes, thank you. I've got what I came for. Um...are you done with your hot chocolate?" the girl asked, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

Joyce smiled. "Good, I'm glad you found...whatever it is. Are you sure you don't want a mug yourself before you go back to the dorms?"

"No thanks, Mrs. Summers. I'm fine, really."

"All right, but if you ever feel like a home-cooked meal, feel free to drop by. I've seen what passes for a kitchen in those dorms, and since Sheila doesn't do much cooking, I'd be happy to help you relieve the monotony of college food myself."

"I'll remember that. I wish I could stay and chat, but, um, I'd really better go."

Spike sighed, and gulped down the last of his cocoa. "Fine, pet, let's go." He stood, grabbing his coat from its resting place on the back of the chair, and turned back to Joyce. "Once again, thanks for the hot chocolate. I might just have to drop in again sometime."

"Oh, certainly, whenever you like. I enjoy our little chats. Goodnight, Willow," she called out as they started down the front walk. She stood there watching them together for a few moments before smiling fondly and returning to the house.

"So, you found it?" Spike's voice breaking the now uncomfortable silence between them startled Willow.

"What?! Oh! Right. Yeah, I...I found it. I mean, I must have, I can't think what else it could be...." Her voice trailed off nervously. This was just Spike, why should she be nervous? Okay, yeah, he would kill her if he could, but...he couldn't. So no killing. Which meant that couldn't be why she suddenly felt awkward being with him, could it? She snuck a glance at him, but his face was unreadable. She sighed. "I guess I'll, uh, take it to Giles now. Um, thanks for, you know, keeping Mrs. Summers occupied so, so I could look around."

"Yeah," he replied curtly. She wasn't sure how to take that, but something told her asking for clarification would be a Bad Thing just then.

Finally she couldn't resist asking, "Um...aren't you going back to your crypt? 'Cause you really don't need to walk me back to Giles', I'll be fine. It's not that late, and I've got my stakes and stuff, so I'm cool. You can go back to...whatever it is you do when you're not having to be around us." She bit her lip apprehensively, not really wanting to make the trip alone at night, but not wanting to force him to accompany her, either.

Oddly, he just shrugged. "Crypt's got no electricity, pet; might as well drop by the Watcher's myself, heat up some blood, before going back."

"Oh. Right." She continued glumly down the street, trying to ignore the undead presence beside her. Why hadn't he just taken the opportunity to go find "her"? Here she was, trying to be..."friendly" was the only word she could think of, but did that really apply when the other person was your self-declared mortal enemy? Whatever, she was trying to be it, and the stupid vamp wasn't cooperating. She started to mutter to herself, then remembered that annoying super-hearing, and decided she'd rather not risk his understanding what she was saying, so she sighed again instead, and resolved that if he was going to be so short with her, she wasn't going to keep trying to start a conversation. Nope, not her. She'd done her part for making the walk more comfortable, it wasn't her fault if he refused to meet her half-way. Stupid vamp.

She quickened her steps, wanting to see Giles and drop off the device as soon as possible, so she could escape this...whatever this was. This uncompanionable companion she seemed stuck with. She wondered what had happened, what had changed; she and Spike had seemed to be getting along relatively well ever since that whole staking himself thing. Somehow, during her attempts to keep him from repeating it, they'd sorta bonded. At least, she'd thought they had. Enough to where they could almost relax with each other, joke around a bit. Sure, he still said mean things, and it wasn't like they were actually friends or anything, but...there was something different. But now, all of a sudden, they were back to being awkward and silent with each other. She didn't like it, but she didn't know what to do about it, either. So she just walked faster, until she was almost running, silently cursing the vampire speed and endurance that allowed him to keep up with her so easily. She sighed again, with relief this time, when they reached the apartment complex.

"Giles, I got it!!" she announced.

"You did? That's wonderful, Willow. As it happens, I have some good news myself--I, I spoke with Angel, and he said he has some contacts in the LA police department who might be able to pull some strings with the police here in Sunnydale. They might be persuaded to release Buffy--or, rather, Faith, in their minds--to my custody temporarily."

"Here, what's all this 'I' business? You couldn't have done it without me."

"Yeah, and while Will searched the place, you did...what? Drank some of Buffy's mom's hot chocolate? I know how tough that must have been...." Memories of that same hot chocolate drifted enticingly through Xander's mind. "Why couldn't I have been the one to do that job?" he whined.

"Because, Xander, we needed someone to keep an eye on Faith, and she would have suspected something if we sent Spike to do it, whereas she knows you and Buffy spend time together. We've been over this several times."

"Yeah, I know, but it's still not fair."

"Fair or not, that's the way things are. Now, Willow, let me see this...device. The sooner we get started researching how it works, the sooner we'll be able to reverse its effects."

The others groaned at the mention of research, but moved to do their parts as Giles began dividing up the tasks. All except Spike, rather. He simply brought his mug of warmed blood into the living room, sprawled in a chair, and watched them all.

From her place at the computer, Willow did her best to concentrate on the problem at hand, rather than let herself be distracted by thoughts she had no business thinking. She wasn't sure why Spike kept looking at her, but she could feel his gaze and bent her head further over her keyboard, determined not to look up. It must be some kind of game for him, and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of winning. She just wouldn't. Whatever it was. She did wish he'd leave, if he wasn't going to help with the work, though.

For an hour the only sounds heard were the rustle of pages, and the staccato clack of Willow's fingers on the keyboard. At last the silence was broken.

"Whoa, hey! Guys? Call me crazy, but I think I've found it!"

"What is it, Xander?"

"Seems there's this thing called a...a katra, which among other things can be used to--and here's where the 'I've found it' part comes in--swap the personalities of two people into each other's bodies, if they both hold it at the same time. I think. Why can't anyone write these things in modern English?"

Giles took the book from him and read the passage in question. "No, that's indeed what it says. Excellent job. So now we know what, and we just have to find a way to reverse it."

"Does this katra thing only work once? Or can we re-use the one that started this in the first place?" Willow asked.

"That's a good question. Everyone, concentrate your research on that issue; Willow, do one of your searches on 'katra', see what you can come up with on that thing." Giles paused as his eyes fell on his unwanted former houseguest. "And Spike, if you wish to have continued use of my refrigerator and microwave, I suggest you grab a book and start helping. Otherwise, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The two exchanged determined glares for a few minutes before Spike reluctantly broke the staring contest and reached out to take a book from the stack. He opened it at random, and once the Watcher assumed his point had been made and went back to his own research, Spike resumed watching the mortals.

They continued flipping through their books, knowing what they were looking for doing little to aid their search. Finally Anya sighed and threw down the book she'd been skimming for the past half-hour. "This is hopeless. We could be reading for days and still not find anything useful."

"Yeah, what ever happened to a good old-fashioned index? This would be a lot easier if we could just scan the back of each book and know right away it was useless. But no, those stuffy old Watchers had to go and make things difficult for everyone...."

"Xander, hush," Willow interrupted. "We're not getting any closer to finding the answers while you complain. Just...think about Buffy. We've got to help her. I know you hate research, but I also know you can do it when you have to. And, hey, you're the one who found our biggest lead so far, right? So you've done it once, you can do it again, I know it," she encouraged.

"Will, look. It's been hours. I've never been book guy; that was always your thing. I just feel so.... I hate sitting here, doing nothing! I'd feel much better if we had something to go out and fight. Or, in my case, run away from, but at least it's something."

"Yeah." Xander had never been big on studying, and he was just too active by nature to sit still that long. "Hey, I know, why don't you take a break, do a doughnut run? We haven't had a good fight over who ate the last jelly in a long time," Willow said smiling.

Giles looked up from his book and examined the young man closely. "Yes, you should probably take a break, Xander. You did a marvelous job earlier, you deserve it."

"And what about me? Don't I get a break? I've been looking through your dusty old books, too."

"Anya," Willow tried to explain, "this is sort of a high school thing. I mean, not that we're like in high school anymore, but that...well...you weren't part of the group back then, you never really knew what our traditional all-night research parties were like. And Xan's the doughnut guy. That's his job. I'm computer girl, Buffy sharpens her stakes, Giles complains that none of us take anything seriously, and Xander brings us food. I mean, not always, but that's what I think of when I remember them. It's, it's comforting, sort of, I mean, we got through all sorts of badness back then, so surely we can do it again." Suddenly she realized that everyone was looking at her strangely. "Well, it's comforting to me, anyway," she mumbled.

"Doughnuts. Yeah. I think I'll go do that." Xander grabbed his jacket and left before anyone could try to make him continue with the research. Anya sulked for a few moments, then grudgingly returned to her book, muttering all the while about how unfair it was.

When Xander returned with snacks, they all decided to take a quick break to refuel before continuing the research. Aside from the brief moment of hope when Xander identified what they were dealing with, no one had had any luck in the hours they'd been looking; even Willow had to sigh and suggest that maybe they ought to just give up, and try to find some other way to reverse the situation.

"They're right, Giles, we aren't getting anywhere. This really is hopeless." She slouched in her chair and gazed dejectedly at the can of diet Coke in her hands.

"Yes, well...perhaps it would be best to consider other alternatives for a time. Yet I can't think of any way to test the katra we have to see if it's still functional other than trying it out on two of us."

"Oh, you don't want to do that," Anya interrupted matter-of-factly. "I've seen a lot of magic gizmos over the centuries, and there are several that work an unlimited number of times, but only once per victim. So just because it works for two of you doesn't mean it'll work on Buffy and Faith again."

"Leaving us with four people outside their own bodies, not just two. Clearly something we want to avoid. Thank you for the warning."

The gang sat around in glum silence, no one willing to be the first to suggest they get back to work. At length they heard a sigh and Spike's voice coming from the corner where he'd sat observing them, forgotten.

"A katra can be used to swap bodies an unlimited number of times for the same people, but each time it has to be re-set. There's a pretty simple spell for that; should be in one of your bloody books somewhere."

All eyes fixed on him in disbelief. "I knew someone once who liked to use the things; caused lots of trouble among you unsuspecting human-types. Was quite amusing, actually."

Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you're just now telling us this?"

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "Couldn't give you the answer too soon, that would take all the fun out of it."

"So now all we have to do is go through all the books again, and look for this spell. Which we still know nothing about. Fangboy, has anyone ever told you you're a first-class pain in the ass?"

"Watch it. Without me, you would still be thinking that everything was fine with your Slayers, you wouldn't have been able to retrieve the katra, and now you wouldn't know that it can be re-used. I'd say I've done more than my share of helping lately."

"Children, please! Everyone just, just calm down; we won't solve anything by arguing amongst ourselves. There will be plenty of time for that after we have everything back to as close to normal as it ever gets around here. Now, Spike, is there anything else you can tell us about this spell? A clue as to what we're looking for? And will it matter that the one we have seems to have been, er, smashed?"

"I don't know if I want to help anymore, my feelings have been hurt," he pouted.

"Spike, this is not the time for games," Giles warned.

"What's in it for me?"

"I'll...I'll forget about the money you still owe me from the last time you needed us to help you."

Spike pretended to consider the offer, but opened his mouth to demand more; after all, he'd never intended to pay back the rest of his debt to the Watcher in the first place, so he still wasn't getting anything out of it.

But before he could speak, a tired voice piped up from the couch. "Spike, please? It's too late for this; we can figure out some way to repay you later. For now, can we please just find out what we'll need to do, so we daytime folks can get some sleep?"

He thought briefly, seemed to come to a decision, then sighed again. "No, it doesn't matter, since that metal gizmo would just be a container for the actual katra, make it easier to carry around and use. Don't suppose you've got a list or some such of all these books, Rupert? I should be able to recognise the titles of one or two that contain the spell."

"Er...not really, I'm afraid...not one that's current at any rate. I keep forgetting to add my new acquisitions to it."

"See, Giles, I've told you you should keep a database or at least a spreadsheet of all this stuff! Yeah, it'd be a lot of work at first, but once it's set up, it's a breeze to keep up-to-date. And it would be searchable. If you really wanted to make this easier, we could try getting a scanner and some good OCR software, so we could just do a computer search of not only the titles, but the contents...." Willow perked up, her eyes alight with visions of an electronic version of Giles' occult library. The others groaned, too familiar with her pleas to move their research into the computer age.

"What kind of librarian doesn't even catalogue his own collection?" Spike taunted. "Fine. I guess I'll have to actually look at the books themselves. This could take a while, though, so don't go getting your hopes up."

Freed from the responsibility of researching, the others took more comfortable positions to wait until they were needed again. Anya nestled in Xander's lap, while Willow curled up in one corner of the couch to watch sleepily as the vampire picked up and then discarded the books piled upon the table. Giles tried to rescue his precious volumes from being damaged by Spike's rough treatment, and periodically made trips back and forth to his shelves, returning the rejected books and bringing forth others for inspection.

At length he opened one and flipped through its pages. Stopping about two-thirds of the way through, he scanned the contents before holding the open book out to Giles. "That's the one. Do that, and the katra will work on them just fine."

The Watcher read the spell, pleased that it did indeed seem simple. "Er, my Russian's a little rusty, I'm afraid. What is this?"

Spike glanced at the word he was pointing to. "Sage."

"Oh, yes, quite right. In that case, I believe I have all the necessary supplies already. Excellent. Well, we shall perform the spell first thing in the morning, then get this situation taken care of, and put the entire mess behind us. Everyone, get what sleep you can, then be back here around ten. That includes you, Spike; you're the only one of us who has experience with this, and it may prove useful."

Willow yawned. "I can't, Giles; I have class until eleven tomorrow. Then I'm free until two."

"All right, then, eleven. Xander and Anya are welcome to stay here for the night--or what's left of it, rather--but Willow, I'm afraid you ought to return to your dorm. We mustn't let Faith know we are researching something without her; if she's warned before we're ready to reverse the switch, we may never catch her."

"Oh, that's okay, I'm sure she won't notice if I don't come home."

"Nevertheless, you should be there when she wakes up. I'd rather not take any more risks than we have to, now that we're so close to solving this. Ordinarily I would give you a ride, but since someone crashed my car a couple of weeks ago, I'm afraid that's not an option."

"Hey! I was trying to keep the Initiative off your back, remember? Successfully, too, as I recall. Bloody ungrateful, you are."

"Oh, hardly. I'll tell you what, Spike, to show just how grateful I am to you for that, I'll let you make sure Willow gets back to campus safely."

"That's not necessary, Giles, I'm sure I can make it all right," Willow protested weakly. Just what she needed, yet another silent stroll with a grumpy vampire.

"No, Willow, I insist. It's the middle of the night; the chances of your running into a demon of some sort out there are too high. It would be an unnecessary risk."

Spike weighed his options, and decided that he'd rather do as requested than spend more time at the Watcher's just then. He knew he was not exactly in their good graces, after having withheld for so long the information they'd spent several hours searching for, and since he couldn't fight back...well, best to just get the chit home and spend the rest of the night on his own before he had to decide between returning and allowing the sun to get him.

It galled him though, that they would trust him like this. He was completely disgusted with what he had turned into, someone these people--who had surely researched at least the better-known aspects of his history back when he'd turned up in their lives the first time, plus whatever his sodding sire might have revealed--felt comfortable sending out alone to protect Willow, who was still the weakest among them, at least physically. It seemed like every time he turned around lately, he was being told to escort her somewhere, nothing more than a mortal's bleedin' bodyguard. And if they ran into a human mugger or some such, and she got hurt, he somehow doubted they'd refrain from blaming him despite the fact that the blasted chip wouldn't let him fight back.

A voice from beside him pulled Spike out of his melancholy thoughts. "So, you speak Russian?"

"Huh?"

"Russian. You speak it?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Wow." Willow pondered that for a bit. "I guess I never really thought of you as the multi-lingual type. Though now that I think about it, Giles did say you understood him when he was all demony, so you would have to be, wouldn't you?"

"I speak a few," he shrugged. "A handful of human languages, a few demon ones. You live long enough, you find they come in handy at times. And then it can be rather boring, stuck indoors all day every day for over a hundred years, might as well spend some of that time learning things that could prove useful.... Me and Dru, we spent several years in Russia off and on. This century had some great times, for a vampire...all those civil wars, and then the purges.... When people disappeared, no one was willing to complain; they all just assumed it was the government. No need to go looking for explanations of the supernatural variety. We could hunt to our hearts' content, and never have to worry about being caught."

"Oh. I never looked at it that way."

"And of course there was Leningrad during the seige; people dropping left and right, some of hunger and the cold, others from blood loss, and no one really had the energy to notice the difference. Yes, those were the days...."

"Um, ick." Silence. "So...I suppose you probably wanted to turn Stalin, huh? Him being about as into terrorizing innocent people as you, and all."

"You must be joking, ducks. And have to spend eternity with that wanker? No thanks. As a human, he was useful, but a paranoid vampire is not a pretty sight. Especially when even as a human he's able to put himself in power like that and stay there for so long."

"Hmm, I can see where that would be of the bad, yeah. Especially since with our luck he would have ended up moving to Sunnydale."

Spike couldn't help laughing at the image that leapt to his mind. "Now that would have been interesting; dear old Joe versus Slutty. Damn, it's almost enough to make me wish we had turned him...."

Willow giggled. "Who do you think would have won?"

"Good question." He gave it some thought. "I think, in the end, you Slayerettes would. He'd come in making the same assumptions I did--that this Slayer would, like all the others, have no friends or family assisting her--only instead of learning otherwise, he'd never believe you lot posed any threat. Mostly because he wouldn't believe she could trust you, since he himself never trusted anyone. So he'd go about his plans as if the only one to worry about were the Slayer...and find himself facing your entire group, which means strengths that he never took into consideration. Plus there'd be lots of strife within the vampire community, since he wouldn't trust them any more than he did his associates as a human. So yeah, you'd win, but it wouldn't be fun getting there."

"Oh, like it was a walk in the park facing you and Drusilla, or evil Angel--or even the Master, though at least he was stuck underground in that old church most of the time. I guess the Mayor doesn't count, since he wasn't a vampire...."

Spike winced at the mentions of his former lover and their sire, but answered the girl anyway. "At least we were sane. Well, most of us. And not utterly paranoid. And you did disgustingly well against us; I heard how you took out the Judge, and not many Slayers would have the creativity to think of something like that. Of course, I don't like it, that you managed to cause us so much trouble, but I have to admit it's pretty damn impressive. Especially now that I've seen what you're like behind the scenes, as it were," he smirked.

Willow grinned, and protested the implied insult. This was more like it; this friendly teasing was what she had missed on their walk back from visiting Mrs. Summers.

That thought reminded her of the discussion she'd overheard, and during a pause in their own conversation she decided to risk inquiring about it.

"Spike, can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, love. What?"

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Who's this mystery girl you've fallen for?"

Spike glanced at her sharply before turning back to the road in front of them. "What are you talking about?"

"I...I kind of heard you telling Buffy's mom about her. Who is she? Do we know her?"

"I was lying," he told her curtly.

She shook her head. "Nice try, Spike, but I've thought about it, and you're not that good an actor. Besides, if you were just making it up, why choose a human instead of another vampire? It doesn't make sense. Don't worry, I'm not going to run tell Buffy or anything; I know you can't hurt whoever it is."

He stopped walking and looked at her seriously. "Willow. Don't make me do this; you'll only regret it. And I'm not going to tell you--or anyone else, for that matter. There's no point to it, and believe me, you really don't want to know."

Willow met his gaze, trying to make sense of the expression she saw there. "Why not? And even if you don't trust me, why won't you tell even her? Surely she deserves to know how you feel about her...."

"Funny thing about you humans, pet; you tend to take things like being kidnapped and almost killed very badly. Why would I tell someone who has every right to hate me that I...don't hate her?" Spike wondered if he was making a mistake here, giving her enough information to figure out what he was trying to say. But since she wasn't one to give up once she started asking questions, he didn't really have much to lose, and at least they could get this blasted conversation over with sooner this way.

He could almost see the moment at which she caught on. "Oh? Oh! Oh...wow. Really? Um. Wow."

While she stood there in shock, he shrugged and resumed walking. It didn't take her very long to catch up, and he continued as if nothing had happened. "So you see, ducks, I'm not about to say anything to anyone," he remarked casually.

"But...Spike...what if...maybe she...doesn't hate you like you think. Possibly even...more than not-hate," Willow ventured.

His steps faltered a bit at that, but he recovered quickly. Before he answered, though, he took a minute to fully absorb what she had just told him, wanting to impress the moment firmly in his memory for future comfort. "Doesn't matter," he told her honestly. "I've seen relationships between vampires and humans, and they never work. They always end very badly, with everyone involved more miserable than they were before. And I, for one, am not up for another heartbreak so soon after Dru. Best to just ignore it, forget even the possibility. Because anything else would be plain stupid. And even if she doesn't hate me like she ought, she's not stupid--and I like to think I'm not either."

"I, I see. I...I guess I see your point. Not about the she-should-hate-you part, because I don't agree, not now that you can't hurt anyone at least, but the part about it being better not to...get involved...." Her voice trailed off, reluctant to concede the impossibility of their situation.

"Precisely. So, nothing said to the others, hmm? Don't need anyone getting all stake-happy, after all," Spike said, endeavoring to sound more cheerful than he actually felt.

"Uh, right. No staking would be good. Just call me Secret Girl."

"Good." They were nearing the dorms, and he was content to spend what remained of their walk in silence, glad that at least he didn't have to try and hide it from her anymore. "Well, this is where I get off. Goodnight, pet."

"'night, Spike," she smiled sadly. "I'll, I'll see you at eleven?"

"Absolutely." He stood watching as she went inside, then waited until a lamp came on in her room, only turning away once he was certain she'd made it safely. The chance she would run into danger within her own building was probably nonexistent, but he couldn't resist the temptation to watch over her. Cursing his own weakness, he began to retrace his steps to the Watcher's.

Much to Willow's surprise, she fell asleep as soon as she crawled into bed. She'd thought the unexpected conversation with Spike would keep her awake, mind whirling, for hours, but apparently the hours of research had left her too tired even to think. Unfortunately, it meant that when she woke up that morning she had had no chance to analyze what had happened, much less decide what to do about it, so she spent her morning class trying to figure out how to act around him now that they had...reached an understanding. Or not, really. Reached an understanding not to understand? She wasn't sure what the right term would be for their bizarre not-quite-revelations.

Finally she decided the only thing she could do was take her cue from him. After all, he had over a century's more experience in these things...or maybe not, since he spent most of that time with the same woman, and it had probably been that long since he had to deal with this uncertain, beginning kind of thing, which left her the one with more recent experience....argh! Why couldn't life ever be simple, like on TV?

All in all, it left her very glad that she'd found the room empty when she finally got home; there was just no way she could deal with even Buffy, much less Faith, after that. On the bright side, at least this way, with his insistence on not doing anything about it, she could console herself with the thought that she wouldn't have to deal with her friends' finding out. That was a discussion she would so not be looking forward to.... So even though she wasn't going to get to find out what might happen between them, at least she wouldn't find herself being killed by her best friends. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt her, she decided.

Willow almost laughed out loud when she realized she hadn't once named Spike, even in the privacy of her mind. Instead, he became simply "him". It was as if his own refusal to come out and name her had rubbed off, and the secrecy he seemed to think necessary had embedded itself in her as well. Of course, maybe he hadn't been talking about her at all...knowing Spike, there could be any number of girls he'd kidnapped and threatened to kill. Probably several right there in Sunnydale, in fact. Oh, gods, what if she had misunderstood and made a complete fool out of herself?

Frantically she went back over the conversation in her mind, relieved to discover she hadn't said anything that couldn't work just as well if he'd meant someone else. Of course, she would probably never know for certain, since he seemed determined not to talk about it. Maybe that really was for the best, since it meant she wouldn't have a chance to find out that he really had meant some other girl. Now that she realized how she felt about him, she didn't know if she could bear that. Not so soon after Oz. He was right, neither of them were ready to risk being destroyed again after their last relationships.

Having convinced herself that he was right, and they should just forget that conversation had ever happened, she arrived at Giles', glad that she didn't have to wonder if anyone else would be there. She didn't think she could handle being alone with him again so soon, no matter what they had decided. But when the door opened on only Xander, Anya, and Giles, she was unable to keep from feeling a twinge of disappointment at not seeing him at all.

"Um, hi, guys. Are we all set for this spell?"

"There you are, Willow. Yes, I believe we have everything here. Or will do, once Spike manages to retrieve the, uh, remaining supplies."

"Giles! You didn't send him out to buy supplies?! It's broad daylight!"

"Good heavens, no, of course not! He's fetching some of the, er, bulkier items from the storage room. It's not very well-lit in there, and he does see much better in the dark than the rest of us do, after all."

"Oh. Sorry about that; I know you wouldn't do something that cruel.... I just didn't get much sleep last night," Willow apologized.

"None of us did," Anya complained from her position on the couch. "And having to stay here all night meant Xander and I had to cancel our plans to have sex."

"Anya, honey. Private conversations, remember?"

"Whatever. I still don't think we should have had to stay here while she got to go home."

Willow tuned out Xander's millionth attempt to explain the concept of "appropriate conversation topics" to his girlfriend. Instead, she crossed to where Giles was laying out various herbs needed for the spell and began to assist him. Fifteen minutes later, cursing from the back of the apartment heralded Spike's return; Willow studiously concentrated on the herbs in front of her, curbing her instinct to jump up and go help him with the items he was carrying.

Unloading the objects onto the coffee table, Spike gave her a curt nod in greeting; she managed a quiet "hi" in response. She then turned her attention to the description of the spell they were about to perform that Giles had translated for her, wanting to have her part memorized before they actually began. She noticed something that she thought might be a problem.

"Um...Giles? It says this needs to be done by four experienced spellcasters. Who's going to help us?"

"Oh, yes, well, there's myself, of course, and you, and I believe Anya would count, having, what, over a thousand years' experience?"

"Mostly with wishes, but I've worked a spell or two in my day, yeah," the former demon confirmed.

"And the fourth?"

"Oh, yes, that would be Spike, of course."

"What?!?" chorused the four other occupants of the room.

"You'd trust Fang to take part in a spell to help Buffy? I don't think so!" Xander protested.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter, mate, 'cause I don't qualify to begin with."

"What do you mean, you don't qualify?" Giles questioned him. "You are the only...person here who's ever run across one of these, these katras before, much less been involved with the spell we're about to perform."

"Yeah, well, that was entirely through a bloke I knew. I had nothing to do with it. Just because I've known a few 'experienced spellcasters' doesn't mean I am one, you know."

"Oh, well that's just bloody marvellous. I don't suppose you could have informed us of that earlier? After all, being familiar with the spell you must have known what it would take."

"What if I did know, Rupert? Not like you ever asked, now, is it? And I don't think I'm going to go volunteering information to you lot all night."

"Um...guys...?" Willow ventured. "I know someone who could be our fourth. She's a hereditary witch, so she's probably more experienced than the rest of us, and she, uh, already knows about the whole Slayer thing and all."

Giles sighed. "I know it can be hard to remember, after all this time, but do try to keep in mind that the Slayer's identity is supposed to be a secret. You, you can't just go and tell everyone you become friends with."

"I know that! Honest. But, well, we met during that whole thing with the Gentlemen, and, hey, scary!, and she started helping me with a few small spells, and it was just so hard trying to ask for help without explaining why I needed it, so...eventually I kinda, well, told her. But we can trust Tara, I know we can."

After deliberating silently for a few moments, Giles gave in. "All right, as we don't seem to have a qualified fourth amongst ourselves, you may call her. But please make certain that she understands none of this is to be discussed with outsiders."

Willow promised Tara wouldn't tell anyone else, and bounced over to the phone to call her. After a brief conversation, she hung up and turned back to the others. "She'll be here in about 20 minutes."

Spike sat back and watched, seemingly detached, as the other witch arrived and the spell was performed. He tried to tell himself that he should be glad, as once this little escapade was resolved he could go back to his crypt and not have to deal with the bloody Scooby Gang again--ever, if he was lucky for a change--but he was having trouble fooling himself. After the night before, it was harder than ever to pretend he wouldn't miss the girl sitting just a few feet away, carefully avoiding looking in his direction. He couldn't decide if she was embarrassed or just, like him, trying to ignore wishes for what she knew was impossible; either way, at least he knew his presence was affecting her.

Realizing the turn his thoughts had taken, Spike reminded himself sternly once more that he, unlike his sire, was not about to try and make his feelings for a mortal into anything more. These sappy thoughts would just have to go plague someone else--Angel, for preference, though they'd have to shift focus first; he was not about to have Angel thinking about Willow like that. Though he probably was; everyone Spike...cared about, his sire got to first.

He was pulled out of his thoughts of just what he'd do to Angel if he ever caught him so much as looking at the girl and realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly. "Um...what?"

"So nice of you to join us, Spike. I asked if you thought you could, er, tolerate the, the effects of the implant long enough to restrain Faith until we get her tied to a chair. The last thing we need now is for her to take one look at Buffy and either attack or, or realize what we're doing and run off. Unfortunately, none of the rest of us are strong enough to do the job ourselves."

"Oh." He considered for a minute. The pain was far from pleasant, but for the chance to fight a Slayer again, however briefly--not to mention work out some of the tension and frustration that seemed to plague him of late--well, he'd survived worse. "I suppose I could."

"Excellent. Well, then, it appears that all that remains is for A-angel to speak with his contacts about getting Buffy released temporarily. Once she's here, we can call Faith over, and get this taken care of. In the meantime, why don't you have some lunch? There are, are sandwich things in the refrigerator," Giles suggested before moving to the phone to call Angel and inform him they were ready to proceed.

Spike just continued to observe the group as they got out the food and went about making their lunches, every so often fighting with Xander as he took more than his fair share of something. He was surprised to find a mug of blood suddenly appear before him, and glanced up to see Willow standing quietly by his side.

"Here, I thought you might, uh, want something to eat too," she offered with a shy smile.

"Thanks, pet," he managed, taking the mug from her and draining it quickly.

She stood there awkwardly for a few moments, while both tried to think of something to say. Finally giving up, she flashed him another smile before moving back towards her friends.

Her friends who wouldn't hesitate to kill him slowly if they so much as suspected the things they'd revealed the night before.

Bloody hell. When did his unlife get so complicated?

He was almost glad when the Watcher returned, announcing that Angel had indeed somehow managed to get the jailed Slayer released to his custody for a few hours, and he and the kids left to pick her up. At least it gave Spike half an hour or so in which to pull himself together before having to worry about whether they could tell anything, or what Willow might have said to them. With any luck, by the time they returned he'd have figured out what he ought to do about it all.

Something about the way the new girl hovered uncertainly around Willow as they prepared to leave caught his attention, and started him wondering.... When they all returned, he concentrated on observing her, trying to ascertain if his hunch was correct, and if so, what kind of person she might be. He responded to Buffy's jibes automatically, without really thinking about it, as she settled into a chair and allowed the others to chain her securely, for once the switch had been made. He finally had to abandon his thoughts when the rogue Slayer had been called and asked to drop by "her" Watcher's "on a matter of utmost urgency", and he was needed to prepare to restrain her the instant she walked through the door. Well, the instant it was closed behind her, at any rate; until then, he was going to be standing safely behind the door, out of the way of the sunlight, thank you.

Faith arrived, calling out blithely to Giles, wondering what was up that was so important. He nodded slightly to Spike, who stepped in behind her and grabbed her arms, ignoring the pain that shot through his head as she began to struggle and he had to apply more pressure. Giles and Xander moved in, and between the three of them they eventually managed to get her secured to a chair, arms tied behind her back. Once they were convinced she wasn't going anywhere in the short time she'd be in Buffy's body, Spike picked Faith up--chair and all--and carried her over to where the other Slayer was waiting, setting them down back-to-back. He stepped away, and Willow approached to drop the recharged katra in Buffy's hand; Buffy then reached what little distance she could to grab Faith's hand, activating the katra.

For a moment everyone just stood around looking at each other, wondering if it had worked; then Faith's body began struggling against her bonds, and swearing at them all. Buffy's just smiled and said, "It's good to be back. Now, could someone untie me?"

Xander stepped forward to do just that, but was stopped by Anya. "Aren't we going to test her first? After all that fuss, you'd think you would want to make sure they've swapped again."

"Test how?" Xander asked.

His girlfriend just shrugged. "The same test that proved they'd switched bodies in the first place would be easiest."

Before Spike had a chance to protest, Buffy broke in. "No way! I am NOT kissing Spike again!! I think I've suffered enough for one lifetime, don't you?"

"Feeling's mutual, Slayer," he growled.

"Yes, well," Giles interrupted before things got out of hand, "let's just assume that knowing what that, er, 'test' was is sufficient to prove Buffy's identity, shall we? Go ahead and untie her; I'll call the police and inform them they may come retrieve Faith."

Once more Spike withdrew from the rest of the group as hugs and relieved greetings were exchanged. Once Faith had been taken away and everyone started catching up on all the mind-numbingly dull things that had gone on in their respective lives during the few days Buffy had been stuck in jail, he tuned them out again. Soon Willow drifted over, sitting down next to him on the steps to join him in silently observing the gang.

He glanced over at her, and decided she deserved a chance to be happy. "Seems like a nice chit."

"Huh?"

"Your new girlfriend. She seems nice."

Willow blinked at him, clearly confused.

"Witch-girl."

"Oh, Tara?"

"Yeah. Her."

"Oh, well, she is. Nice, I mean."

"Thought as much." He was silent for a moment, trying to decide how to proceed. "She's clearly quite taken with you."

"We're becoming good friends."

"I approve, pet," he informed her quietly. "You could certainly do worse.... At least the witch is human, unlike...Dogboy."

Willow didn't reply; they both sat there, lost in their own thoughts, for a few minutes before she rose and rejoined the rest of her friends. Spike was not surprised to see her begin a conversation with the new girl, and met the tentative glance she sent his way with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

It was better for everyone this way.