Freaky Friday Series

Part 4 – Presto Chango

By Li'l Evil Pixie

Disclamers – I own nothing.

 

Arrangements were made, and the Scoobies left the Magic Box to head for Tara’s dorm.  Buffy, forced to take the sewers, reluctantly allowed Spike to join her and show her the way. 

 

Spike was the first to leave the magic box, deciding to be a gentleman and open the manhole cover for Buffy.  Struggling with the loss of his vampiric strength, he had just managed to throw it aside when she came barreling through, blanket nearly on fire and smoke billowing from underneath.  “Watch it luv!” cried Spike, not eager to see himself burn up in flames.  “No need to waste a perfectly handsome body just because you can’t wait for me to open the bloody cover.”

 

“Well what took you so long?” retorted Buffy, bitter herself over nearly going up in flames.  “Just because you have no superpowers, you can’t open a 10 pound lid?”

 

Spike mumbled something about never being appreciated and climbed down into the sewer after her.

 

The two trudged on in silence for what seemed like ages.  Finally, Buffy spoke up. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?  I think we’ve been going in circles.”

 

“No luv, I think I know my way around the bloody town.”

 

Unconvinced, Buffy pointed to a ladder up the side of the tunnel.  “Look! We’ve passed that ladder before.”

 

“Of course we passed a ladder before, you git.  There’s a ladder around every bloody corner,” Spike’s shot back, exasperated.

 

            “Men.”

 

            “What’s that, pet?”

 

            “I mean, would it really injure your manly pride to admit you’re lost?”

 

            “I’m not lost, luv,” he explained.  “ ’Sides, I have no insecurities about my manliness.”  He smirked at her and licked his bottom lip.  “Point of fact, I’m willing to bet you have none either.”

 

           

 

 

Tara was home when they arrived, and answered the door with a smile.  “Hey everyone.  Come on in.” She took a look at her friends, and bit back a frown as she saw Willow walking in, clutching Buffy’s hand and leaning up against her in a far-past-platonic manner. She knew it wasn’t really Willow, but it hurt her all the same.  Catching the sympathetic look on Anya’s face she smiled “Wow…this IS strange.  Oh, but don’t worry. I’ve got everything set up here, and I know I can do this.”

 

            The group piled in to the modest sized dorm room, and sat themselves around a small table, which was covered with lit candles.  A chalk circle was drawn around the table, and some herbs lay scattered about the room.

 

            Lighting the last of the candles, Tara turned to them holding an old leather bound book.  “Okay, now I’m going to recite the spell.  I’m going to need you all to close your eyes and hold hands with whoever is in your body, and think about your own body as hard as you can.  It says here that the spell will free your spirit from the body you inhabit, but its up to your mental powers to return to your proper body.  When I blow out the candles, you should feel a gust of wind, and wake up in the body you’re concentrating on.”

 

            “Is it safe?” asked Anya. “I mean, are you sure you know what you’re doing? Not that I don’t trust you, but I really want to get out of this body.  No offense Willow,” she added hastely “but it’s just that…well, you won’t let me kiss Xander, and it’s weird anyways.  I don’t like kissing him when he looks like Buffy.” Catching Xanders ‘just stop talking’ look, she turned and shot an apologetic look at Buffy.  To make up for her unintended insult, she tried again to cover her tracks. “Nothing against Buffy either.  I just don’t like kissing women.  It’s creepy.” This time Tara and Willow both turned to glare at her, and Xander grabbed her arm before she had a chance to insult anyone else in the room.

 

            “We trust you.” Said Xander.  “And we’re ready.” 

 

            The group nodded their agreements and shuffled positions into a new circle so that each person was standing to the left of their own body.  As Spike approached Buffy’s left, he ‘accidently’ grabbed her ass and pulled her up against him, bringing her hips flush to his and enabling him to feel the erection he knew was still there.  He chuckled deep in the back of his throat and turned his head to whisper huskily into her ear. “Is that a stake, luv? Or are you just…”

 

His remark was interrupted as Buffy slapped him hard across the face. “OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW.”  Buffy let out a howl as the chip kicked in.  The Scoobies rushed to her aid and picked her up off the floor.  “What?” she demanded after the pain had subsided. “He’s not human.  He’s in a human body, but he’s still Spike.  A demon. EVIL!  This is so not fair.”

 

A malevolent smile broke over Spike’s face.  Wounded by her last comment he struck back with a hurtful one of his own.  “Well this is interesting, pet.  Looks like the tables have turned a little.  I can hurt you now” he laughed, demonstrating with a right hook before anyone could stop him.  “And you can’t do anything about it.”

 

Buffy recoiled and shot him a glare. “It’s YOUR body, bleach-boy. If you want to go around wrecking it, by all means go ahead.”

 

Xander stepped boldly in front of Spike.   “And just because she can’t hurt you, doesn’t mean that I can’t.  In fact, I’ve got the muscle now.  Why not have a little fun with it?”  He took another step closer, nose to nose with his enemy.

 

“Right.” Spike looked contemptfully at the mortal in front of him.  “Like you’d hurt your precious Anya.  Give her a bruised body to return to? I doubt it.  Git like you can’t afford to lose a girl.  Probably isn’t another bloody bird in the world who’d sleep with you.”

 

Xander’s face began to flush, and Spike laughed and continued.

 

“I mean, someone with your appearance? Couldn’t find another decent woman.  Or even a good lookin’ bloke.”

 

Seething now, Xander lost whatever remained of his self-control and landed a bone crunching punch to his face. 

 

“Xander NO!” cried Anya, on behalf of her face.

 

Spike raised his head, and an evil grin spread across his face as he wiped the blood from his mouth.  “Temper, temper…” he chided, laughing at the remorseful look Xander wore.

 

Biting on his lip to keep from causing any more damage, Xander backed off, although the glint of hatred did not fade from his eyes as he maintained eye contact with his adversary.

 

            “Guys, guys!” broke in Willow, “Can we stop this manly display of testosterone for, like, a minute and get this done?  Preferably before we kill each other?”

 

Clenching his fists, Xander returned to his position between Buffy and Willow and grumbled something about going straight home for a stake when all of this was over.  Spike took one last condescending look at the whelp and returned to Buffy’s left.

 

Tara gave the command, and they all joined hands. Buffy reluctantly allowed Spike to grab hers although she shot him a look, warning him not to try anything.  “Pig,” she thought.  “God he’s conceited.  I can’t believe he’s hitting on me when I look like this.  Talk about being in love with himself.”

 

            Spike caught her glare and offered her a look of mock innocence in return, followed by a suggestive wink as he ran his tongue across his bottom lip.  ‘She wants me.’ He thought to himself with macho pride.  ‘Don’t even have my dashing good looks at the moment, but she wants me.’  He gave her hand a seductive rub and looked his own body up and down, his mocking eyes lingering at the bulge in her jeans that refused to go away. 

 

            It was Anya’s body leering at her, but the gesture was completely Spike.  Ego written all across his face, she was reminded more of Spike’s trademark smirk than of Anya’s feminine features.  Why, WHY couldn’t she stop thinking about Spike.  Ever since the sewers, she’d been horny.  Erotic images of Spike, of her and Spike, of all the things they had done together…they danced through her mind, mocking her attempts of focus. 

 

Tara was midway through with her chanting now, and while each of the Scoobies was concentrating on their desired body, Buffy was sidetracked, focusing rather on Spikes lean and muscular body.

 

Spike too was filled with thoughts of Buffy.  With one eye peeked open, he watched as her arm hairs prickled up when he stroked her palm with his thumb.  Sliding his hand further up her arm, he began tracing seductive circles with his fingertips.  He smiled at they way she  instinctively reacted to his touch, and at the strained expression on her temporary face.  ‘I’m a right good lookin’ bloke’ he thought satisfactorily, taking another good look at himself.  He was still unused to seeing his own face, and it surprised him each time he looked at her. 

 

Not that he preferred things this way.  No bloody way.  He liked Buffy’s face just fine the way it was.  He smiled as he pictured her in his mind.  In the image she was running through a field, barefoot and laughing.  Really laughing.  She was happy in the image.  This Buffy was the Buffy he remembered from years back.  Before she had lost her mom, lost her life, and lost her place in heaven.  He hoped to bring that Buffy back.  He’d seen glimpses of it from time to time.  Rare, sure.  But enough to let him know that his cause was not all together hopeless.  He would be the one to bring happiness back to her life, if she would let him.  He ignored the fact that they were unable to spend two seconds together without fighting or shagging, and focused instead on the image of happy Buffy in his mind.

 

 

Tara breathed a sigh of relief as the bodies around the circle began to stir.  She had read the spell over a hundred times, but she was still nervous about something going wrong.  Fortunately they had not been out long, and when Willow rose to her feet and gave Tara a very Willow-like smile, the last tinge of fear cleared from her mind.

 

“I’m me again!” Willow shouted, jumping up and down while hugging herself tightly.  “Oh, it’s good to be me!”  In her excitement, she ran over to Tara and wrapped her arms around her in an impulsive hug. For a moment the two Wiccas were caught up in the jubulent mood and leaned in to the embrace, enjoying the feeling of each other’s arms around them.  But the moment was brief and reality soon came rushing back.  Willow took an awkward step back and Tara focused both eyes on the floor.

 

Anya was next to awaken and pulled herself to her feet before clapping her hand over her nose in pain.  “XANDER HARRIS YOU GET UP THIS INSTANT,” she screamed, pulling angrily on his arm.

 

Xander squinted his eyes open and looked around the room before remembering what they were doing on the floor. He ignored his fiancées angry shouts as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.  “Oh yeah!” he sang, flexing a muscle to his reflection.  “100% pure man”.

 

“Psshaw…” came a snicker from behind him.

 

The room fell silent and all eyes fell on Buffy. 

 

“Buffy?” Willow asked tentatively, knowing full well that it wasn’t.  Something had gone wrong, and not everyone had managed to find the right body.

 

“Huh?” Spike took a look at himself and let out a girly scream, awakening Buffy who groaned loudly when she saw what had happened.

 

“Tara, I think you did something wrong.” Stated Anya matter of factly.

 

Tara flushed and looked up at everyone. “No, I did it right.  I KNOW I did.  Buffy…did you…I mean were you thinking of Spike when I blew out the candle?”

 

“What?!” She exclaimed, her face a picture of denial.  “NO! Oh, god…no! I mean ICK! Why would I be thinking about Spike?!”  Her defensive babbling caused everyone present to stare at her, and she thanked God for making vampires unable to blush.

 

Willow caught her friend’s guilty expression and sent her a suspicious look that promised a talk later on the subject.  However to take the pressure off Buffy for the moment, she turned to the vampire. “Well, Spike…were you thinking about Buffy.”

 

“Always.” He purred, gazing lovingly at his own body.

 

            Xander groaned.  “Way to screw things up, Dead-boy.  Now thanks to you, Buffy’s stuck in your disgusting body.”

 

            “I think Buffy likes my body just fine.” Teased Spike, noticing that the slayer had been diligently avoiding eye contact with everybody ever since Tara had questioned her.  ‘She was thinkin’ about me’ he chuckled to himself with pride.  ‘She can’t stop thinkin’ about me.’

 

            “Well I guess the only thing to do is to try the spell again,” said Tara, desperate to keep the peace.  “But I’m going to need more rosemary.  Who’s up for a trip to the Magic Box?”

 

            “Count me out,” declined Buffy.  “I’m still all with the flammable.”

 

            “I’ll go.” Volunteered Willow shyly.  Tara smiled back at her, and they walked awkwardly together out the door.  The remaining four sat in awkward silence until at Anya’s frequent and increasingly violent requests, Xander excused them both to drive Anya to the hospital.  This left Buffy and Spike alone in Tara’s dorm. 

 

“Oh goody” thought Buffy sarcastically.  “This should be fun.”