Switching Lives (BtVS,XO,CC,TEEN) {WIP}

This is the place where fics that have not been updated in the past three months will be moved until the author asks a mod to move them back to an active board.

Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators

User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Switching Lives (BtVS,XO,CC,TEEN) {WIP}

Post by Roswell428 »

Image

Hey all! I'm back! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.

Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but it worked best for my story.

Banner by the fabulous Anniepoo98!



Chapter One - A Change



"What do you want, Maxwell," Michael snapped sleepily into the phone. "It's four in the morning and I have an early shift at the Crashdown."

"I think I've ruined my chances with Liz. This whole Tess ordeal, well?.," Max sighed into the phone. "How could I have ever been so stupid? Liz will never forgive me. Michael, you and Maria are together again, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well maybe you could give me some advice, you know, um? about how to get Liz back?"

"Oh this is priceless," a now fully awake Michael laughed into the phone. "You, our fearless leader, is asking me for advice and romantic advice at that!"

"Michael this is serious," Max said embarrassed, because he could still hear Michael laughing in the background.

"Oh, I'm sure it is. I'm sure you and Liz's little love fest is serious. Very serious. Well Maxwell, my advice to you is to be nice to her. You know, apologize to her and buy her flowers- all that crap that women seem to like."

"What crap that women seem to like," Maria asked groggily.

"Nothing, just go back to sleep," Michael replied as he carried the phone into another room.

"Michael, was that Maria?"

"Yeah, so?"

"She's sleeping at your place now? I had no idea things had gone that far."

"Yeah, well she is my girlfriend."

"Michael, I don't know if that is such a good idea. I mean--"

"Look, Maxwell," Michael cut him off, "You just be nice to Liz, let me handle Maria."

"But Michael, this could have serious ramifications. You don't know what could happen. Just think this through--"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Max," Michael murmured as he hung up the phone and got back into bed.

"Was that Max," Maria asked, trying to wake up.

"Yeah. Let's just go back to sleep, okay? I'm tired."

"Goodnight Michael," Maria whispered as she snuggled into his arms and went back to sleep.

************************************************************************

"Can you believe him," Buffy yelled over the roar of the screaming demon. "I mean, Spike just showing up at my house like that, at two in the morning, with no explanation, wanting to talk. Wanting to talk about what? We don't ever talk, we just screw around and even that's not great. I mean, really, I?"

Buffy trailed off realizing she had already killed the demon and was now just beating it's steaming carcass. "I've really gotta stop talking about my problems to the night uglies," she thought out loud.

"So I'm a problem now, Slayer? I thought I was just the one who rocked your world," Spike called out from the shadows.

"What are you doing here, Spike?"

"What do you think, love, I've come to have my daily dose of fun with the Slayer."

"You are so gross, Spike," Buffy said taking a step back.

"Maybe, Slayer, but you're gagging for it anyway. I can smell you -- your excitement and anticipation. I can hear your little heart beating ecstatically. Just admit you want me, Slayer."

"Never, I will never want you, Spike."

"You're such a bad liar," Spike murmured as he grabbed her into a passionate kiss.

He dragged her back into his crypt, slammed the door and began to fumble with her clothes. "You've always wanted me, Slayer."

************************************************************************

Spike opened his eyes and looked next to him on the bed. Buffy was gone. It didn't surprise him, but bloody hell, it still hurt. He looked around the room and noticed that he was no longer in his crypt. It didn't look like Buffy's house either. Where the hell was he? How did he get here, wherever here was?

He pulled back one of the curtains and sunlight spilled into the room. He jumped back screaming and then realized that nothing had happened. He hadn't felt any burning and he was not turning to stone. He cautiously stepped forward and put his hand into sunlight. Nothing. What the bloody hell had happened to him?

He looked at his hand and realized that the skin was tan and his fingers were longer than he remembered. Just then a blond girl, wearing nothing but a sheet, walked into the room.

"Hey, spaceboy. I think we overslept. Liz's dad is probably furious with you for not showing up to work this morning. We'll just have to smooth things out later. Right now I want to spend some quality time with my boyfriend," Maria told him.

"Well then I suggest you bloody well go find him, because I want to be alone now. And another thing, I don't know who you are, woman, so don't call me 'spaceboy'. Also?," Spike stopped startled, but his mouth continued to move. His voice was different! What happened to his accent? He just sounded like some pitiful American teenager now. What the hell was happening to him?

"I don't know what your deal is Michael, but this is not funny. You just can't stand closeness can you, because every time our relationship is going well, you do something to push me away. Well, it won't work, Michael, I won't let you," Maria ranted as she grabbed a calming bottle of cypress oil.

"Michael, who the bloody hell is Michael?"

"Oh, cute Michael, real cute. Would you just stop being immature for a minute and talk to me. What's wrong? Are we having communication problems, because if we are--"

"Shut up, damn you. Do you always babble so? I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, so kindly?," Spike trailed off as he saw a mirror above the dresser. He hadn't seen his reflection in centuries and now that he finally saw it again, it wasn't his. The face of a teenage boy stared back at him.[/img]
Last edited by Roswell428 on Sun Dec 24, 2006 12:24 pm, edited 13 times in total.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.




Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.

Chapter Two - A Morning Discovery



"Morning baby," Michael said sleepily as he rolled over to kiss his girlfriend. With his eyes still closed, he reached over a gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "You know, Maria, I really could get used to this, the whole couple thing. It's, well, it's nice."




"Um hmm," Buffy muttered sleepily before her head popped up sharply. "Who the hell is Maria?"




"What?" Michael opened his eyes and looked at the girl who had been lying in his arms. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"




He paused and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, wondering if this was some new FBI tactic to get information from the aliens. If it was, it was a great new plan, one that almost any male (human or alien) could easily fall for. Sure it was great to wake up with a beautiful woman in your arms, he thought to himself. Especially one who kind of looked like Maria, but… wait, where was Maria? He turned to the girl who was now sitting as far away from him on the bed as possible and asked, "What did you do with Maria?"




"What did I do with Maria? Who the hell do you think you are? Not only are you stupid enough to believe that I'm in love with you, but now you've decided to cheat on me? You're sleeping with me and with some floozy named Maria. I can't believe I let you defile me like that!"




"Defile you? I didn't do anything to you lady. I don't even know who the hell you are. And Maria is not a floozy."




"You know, I'm really sick of you and your bull. Maybe you should have a little meeting with a nice Mr. Pointy. I should have staked you a long time ago, but it was just too much fun to kick your ass, no matter how annoying you are. Oh yeah, and what's with your voice? Why the sudden change of expressions- what happened to 'bloody hell'?"




Michael stopped glaring at her for a moment when she mentioned his voice. She was right, it was different. Since when did he speak with a British accent? It was kind of creepy, but then again so was she. No matter how attractive she was, she still was creepy and she could be a member of the FBI for all he knew. What was her deal, anyway? And what was up with this whole threatening to stake him thing? What does she mean, stake him? And anyway, who the hell did she think she was? His anger overcame him again. He was going to give her a piece of his mind. "You listen here, you little witch -"




"Slayer, you idiot. You know I'm a slayer, not a witch," she interrupted him.




"Whatever. Slayer or witch, it makes no difference what title you give yourself. Whatever you are, you're still attacking me, in my own home, for no reason.




"I don't know why my voice is different or why I'm talking with this stupid British accent," Michael continued, "but you've got another thing coming if you think I'm just going to sit here and let you bitch at me. You are going to shut up and tell me what you're doing here and what you did with my girlfriend."




Buffy was silent for a moment. She had seen Spike aggressive before, like when he had been intent on killing her, but this was different. There was something strange about him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it was there all the same. Her slayer senses were screaming at her that there was something not normal about him, well more not normal than the whole 'undead' thing.




She decided to play by his rules for a while, try to figure out what was wrong with him. She would figure out what had happened to him and try to fix it; after all, she didn't want to lose a good babysitter.




"So Spike, um, who is this Maria person?"




"What do you mean, who is Maria? And what makes you think you have the right to ask me questions, this is my place, you know." Michael paused, realizing what she had said. "Why did you call me Spike?"




"Um, because that's your name, Spike. You are being really annoying, even more annoying than usual," she said while wondering just what exactly had happened to him to make him act this way.




"Well, maybe I'm not usual for Spike, because I'm not Spike," Michael stated calmly, realizing that arguing was futile and he was more likely to find out what had happened to Maria and why his voice changed if he quieted down and played her little game for a while.




"Well if you're not Spike, who are you," Buffy asked, deciding to be patient with him, because if she lost her temper she might never find out who the Maria girl was. If she was a vampire you can bet a million stakes I'm going to be staking her tonight, Buffy thought menacingly.




"My name is, um, Kyle," Michael stated, quickly saying the first human name that came to mind. He had decided a pseudonym would be safer since he didn't know where Maria was or even if this girl was a part of the Special Unit. Until he found out, he was going to be patient with her and see if being polite would get more answers out of her than yelling at her had. "I don't know how you got into my apartment, but would you please explain what you're doing here."




"Apartment? If you haven't noticed yet, you are, 'Kyle', in a crypt. Spike's crypt to be exact."




"I'm in a crypt?"




"Ye-sss. Not the brightest in the morning are you?"




"How did I get here? Who brought me here?"




"Hmm, maybe I should take you to Giles. He can probably figure out what happened to you, Spike," Buffy said, wondering if Spike had somehow developed Multiple Personality Disorder in the last few hours. And what was with the name Kyle? He should have stuck with William the Bloody- at least it had a nice ring to it.




When she saw Michael's blank look, she said, "You know Giles, my watcher? The stuffy librarian?"




"Well I hope this Giles can figure it out, because I can't." Where the hell am I and where is Maria, he wondered. I don't know what they did with her, but if they hurt her, I'll kill all of them, he thought as he ground his teeth. The Special Unit could have kidnapped her during the night and left the blond girl with him to question him. Sure she didn't look strong enough to be able to handle him should he try to escape, but there was something about her- he didn't know what, but it was bad news for anyone who crossed her.




I've got to find Maria and figure out a way to get out of here, Michael recognized. The only thing he needed now was a distraction; something to keep her occupied while he located Maria and the nearest exit. (Hey, he wasn't a general for all those years for nothing).




With his mind made up, Michael started backing towards the door. "Well, you just call that Giles. I'm sure he can figure this all out. While you do that I'm going to, um, go to the bathroom. Yeah, I've really got to go to the bathroom. I'll find it, and I'll be back in a minute," he called as he reached the door.




"Spike, I mean Kyle, aren't you forgetting something?"




"Uh, what?"




"There isn't a bathroom in your crypt. You have to go outside."




"Yeah, well, outside is always nice," Michael said. Man, she was making this escape way too easy. Maybe she wasn't FBI, they would know better than to let him go outside alone. But if she wasn't Special Unit, who was she working for?




"Earth to Sp- Kyle. It's sunlight."




"Well sunlight is nice too. I'll see you in a minute," he said as he flung open the door. "Aaaaaaaahhhhh," he screamed as he quickly slammed the door. "What the hell? That hurt," he cried as he looked at his burned, pale skin.




"Well, duh, 'Kyle'. No matter what your new name is, you can't have forgotten that sunlight will still burn you, even though you seem to be seriously confused. You are still a vampire, you know."




"I'm a what?"




******************************************************************************
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.




Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.




Sorry for the long delay in updating- I have a new job that is eating all of my time and have had no time nor inclination to write. Enjoy.






Chapter Three - Passionate Beginnings






Spike just stared into the mirror holding his new face, a boy's face, and studied it in shock. Had he somehow been recaptured by the Iniative? But they had bloody well broken up, he remembered. Wait, what was that sound? Was that a heartbeat? Impossible. He hadn't had a heartbeat in centuries. This wasn't his body- hell, this wasn't even a vampire's body. He was in a living body, a breathing body. Bloody hell, he had liked his own body- even if it had that bugger chip. Now he was in some stupid American teenager's body. Hell, the boy didn't even have blond hair; he'd have to dye it later. Why couldn't he at least have gotten a stylish new body? Brown hair is just so archaic, he thought to himself moodily.




When Spike continued to stare in the mirror, lost in his own thoughts, Maria became worried. Sure Michael brooded a lot of the time, but he was just standing there, looking at himself in the mirror. Something was very wrong with him. She needed to call Max- Max would know what to do.




She picked up the phone and dialed the Evans' household. When Max answered, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Max, something's wrong with Michael."




"What's wrong with him Maria," Max asked, instantly afraid that his friend might be sick with the akino again, or possibly something worse.




"I don't know, he just weirded out."




"I'll be right over," Max promised as he hung up the phone and made a dash for the door.




When he arrived at Michael's apartment, he walked in to find Maria sitting on the bed, clutching a cypress oil as if it were a life preserver and Michael just staring into the mirror. He went over to Michael and stood next to him, looking into the mirror.




Spike's thoughts were interrupted by the slamming of a door. A boy of about his body's age walked into the room and looked at him with questioning eyes. Who the bloody hell is that, Spike wondered. The boy stood there and met his eyes in the mirror. He seemed to be waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. Well he could bloody wait an eternity, as far as Spike was concerned; he had far more important things to think about, like how he had gotten into this body and how he could get back into his own, than some half witted child.




"Michael, are you all right? You're behaving strangely," Max stated, concerned because there was something very odd in his friend's behavior. Michael wouldn't even look at him or recognize his presence.




When he didn't get a reply, he turned to "Maria, what happened this morning? Tell me anything you can remember."




"I don't know," Maria said almost hysterically. "He was normal last night and then this morning, he didn't know who he was. I thought he was just being his normal, immature self, but then he looked in the mirror and looked shocked, like his face wasn't what he was supposed to be seeing. He's just been standing there like that for almost half an hour now."




"Did Michael have any visitors last night, besides yourself, I mean? Were there any strange noises?"




"I didn't notice anything, but then I wasn't really paying any attention to outside noises." Maria said as her cheeks tinged a slight pink.




Max looked back at his friend who had continued to stare into the mirror as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.




Spike still couldn't believe this was happening to him. He had been through many trials and ordeals, but this one was definitely near the top of the list. He looked back at the boy and decided to ask him a few questions, maybe they could help him sort things out.




"You, boy," Spike intoned turning to Max, "where am I?"




Boy? Michael usually called Max names such as Maxwell and fearless leader, but boy? It was almost degrading the way he said it. And the fact that he didn't know where he was and didn't appear to recognize either Maria or himself were signs that something was very wrong with Michael. This was not the Michael he knew and loved.




"Michael, we're in your apartment. Don't you recognize it?"




"No. What town are we in?"




He was really gone, Max could see that. He needed to call in the rest of the group so they could help him determine what was wrong with Michael and think up a solution. He turned to Maria, "Keep him in here for a minute. I'm going to call the others."




Spike watched the boy start to back out of the room, looking at him strangely. If he left, he knew he wouldn't get any answers; the blond didn't look capable of answering anything. He called out, "Wait, you didn't answer my question," but by that point Max had already left the room.




Fifteen minutes later, the boy entered the room again, with four other people. Three of them were teenagers and there was an older man who looked to be in his forties. He ignored the two males and concentrated on the two teenage girls that had entered. One was a brunette and looked to be shy, almost studious. He decided to ignore her as well; studious just wasn't his bloody type. The other one was a tall girl with long blond hair and a Hollywood starlet figure. She was quite appealing. He resolved to stop thinking about his predicament for a minute and concentrate on the girl's long legs and big eyes.




When Isabel had walked into the room with Liz, Kyle and Sheriff Valenti, she had been worried to find Michael sitting on the floor staring out into space, like he wasn't lucid. He looked different, too. He had a different aura about him; something was undeniably wrong. But then he looked up at her as they walked in and the look in his eyes when he stared was unnerving, wolfish even. It was kind of creepy.




"Michael, why are you looking at me like that," the blond goddess asked him. Hell, she could call him Michael if she wanted to, as long as she would wrap those long legs around him. She looked like a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and took it- his kind of woman. Bloody hell, but she was ravishing.




Isabel saw him give her the once over and was about to take a step back when he stepped forward and ran his hand up her arm.




Spike, forgetting that there were five other people in the room including the girl he had woken up next to that morning, grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight, hot kiss. This goddess was intoxicating.




Isabel couldn't breathe. Michael was kissing her! What the hell was happening? She knew Maria was standing right there and what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't help enjoying the kiss; it was so sensual her knees began to feel weak.




Maria, who had been watching Michael's odd reaction to Isabel, gave a shriek of alarm at the disgusting display and shouted at Michael to stop. When Isabel broke the kiss, Maria ran out of the room in tears, hardly believing that her boyfriend, whom she had shared her body with just hours ago, would do that to her. That was not her Michael.




Isabel couldn't believe herself. She had allowed herself to kiss Michael and had completely forgotten Alex when she was doing so. Alex, her boyfriend who had been dead less than a month, she had betrayed completely. She was a horrible person. What she had done was completely disgusting, though it had felt so good. She hung her head in shame and left the room after Maria.




Spike looked at the shocked faces that surrounded him. He had always loved creating destruction, and this particular situation was highly amusing. The girl was beautiful and sensual; he could feel her passion simmering just below her icy exterior when he had kissed her. It was only an added bonus that he was able to antagonize her friends. Even with the bloody chip in his head he had found a way he could create chaos-- William the Bloody was back!




No one had said anything, were too stunned to, until Isabel had left the room. At that moment, Liz realized Maria needed her and ran out after her, leaving the three men to confront Michael.




"What the hell is wrong with you, Michael," Max asked, anger at how Michael had hurt both Isabel and Maria, replacing his concern for his friend.




Spike just quirked an eyebrow in a self-satisfied smirk.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.




Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.




Sorry for the long delay in updating- my job is sucking the life out of me and I haven't had time to write. Well, I hope you enjoy it.






Chapter Four - A Crazy Phone Call




Michael was is shock. In the past ten minutes he had just learned that not only did he not know where he was or where Maria had gone, he had somehow been turned into a vampire overnight. How had this happened?




Buffy sat on the bed next to him, looking at him as he stared out into space. Something was really wrong with him- maybe it was some kind of delayed reaction to the experiments the Initiative had performed on him. Whatever it was, it was just creepy. She had to go get help; even if she didn't want to admit it, she would never forgive herself if he was permanently damaged. She would go find Giles.




Buffy got up and got dressed. Then she turned to the confused figure on the bed and said, "I'm going to go get help. Don't go anywhere- I'll be right back." When she received a dumb nod, she sprinted out the door, headed to Giles' house.




Michael began to try to clear his thoughts. The most important thing was that he had to escape and find Maria. He could sort out what had happened to him later. Right now, he just had to make sure that Maria and the rest of his friends were safe.




He grabbed a blanket and draped it over himself (he had learned from the first time he had tried to step outside) and made a dash out of the door. He ran to the nearest payphone- deciding to call Max first- he might know what was going on.




Keeping the blanket wrapped firmly around himself, he dialed the familiar number. He was startled when he was informed that he needed to add an area code to the number. He had to be out of Roswell. But where was he?




He hung up the phone and grabbed the telephone book. Flipping the cover, he discovered that not only was he not in Roswell, he wasn't even in New Mexico. He was in some place called Sunnydale, California. Picking up the phone again, he redialed Max's number, this time with the area code, only to discover that no one was home.




Next he tried Maria's, but she wasn't home. Maybe Maria was still at his apartment; it's possible he was the only one taken. It wasn't likely, but he had to try to call in case she was still there. He needed to make sure that she was safe.




He picked up the phone again and dialed his own apartment.




*********************************************************************




Maria sat in Michael's kitchen, leaning on his counter and crying. Liz sat with her, with her arm around her best friend, trying to comfort her.




"I can't b-believe he would do this to me," Maria sobbed. "Everything in our relationship was p-perfect and then he went and kissed Isabel.




"I was worried about him, because I thought something was wrong. Nothing is wrong with him; he was just lusting after Isabel- like every other male in existence."




"I'm sure that's not it," Liz soothed. "It's probably just some alien thing. You know, Michael and Isabel were supposed to have mated in a past life. This is probably just some kind of genetic coding, like Max had with Tess," Liz stopped at the painful memory, but then continued, knowing her friend needed her. "I'm sure he didn't even want to kiss her- he was just programmed to. It's only a kiss, I'm sure it meant nothing."




"Sure that's how it starts," Maria choked out, "but they're going to end up sleeping together, just like Max and Tess did."




Liz drew in a sharp breath and closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away.




"I'm sorry," Maria gasped, realizing how badly she had hurt her friend.




"It's alright," Liz said shakily. "It's not your fault, you only repeated it. You weren't the reason they slept together- they did that of their own free will. Anyway, I'm supposed to be comforting you, remember?"




Maria smiled through her tears. "What a sorry bunch we are. We need to get ourselves better, non-czechoslovakian men. Men who aren't programmed."




Liz grinned and said, "Yeah, but we'll have to move. There aren't any good non-czechoslovakian men in the area. We'd have to go to California for that."




Just then the phone rang. Maria picked it up, "Hello."




"Will you accept a collect call from a Michael Guerin," the operator asked.




Maria was unnerved. Wasn't Michael in the next room? How could he be calling her?






"Hello," the operator repeated. "I need your answer, ma'am."




"Uh, yes, I'll accept the charges," Maria uttered, praying that this wasn't some kind of FBI device to trap the aliens.




"Maria," Michael said into the phone, hoping that Maria was alright.




Maria heard the British voice and had no idea what was happening. Obviously whoever this was, knew she would be there, even though she didn't know who he was. She decided to talk to him regardless. Maybe he knew why Michael was acting strangely. She would have to be on her guard, though, because she had no way of knowing if it was the FBI on the phone.




"Yes, this Maria," she answered calmly.




"Oh thank god. Are you okay?"




"Yes, I'm fine. Who is this?"




"It's me, Michael. I know my voice has changed, but it's still me. I need your help."




"I'm sorry, I don't know who this is, but I know you're not Michael."




Michael panicked. She didn't believe him. He had to make her believe him by proving himself. He needed her help to get home.




"Maria, it is me. Ask me anything, something only Michael would know so I can prove to you that I am Michael."




"All right. Um, where are you originally from?"




"Antar."




That was too easy, Maria knew. Other people could have known that, researched that. I need to ask him something know other soul could possibly know.




"What did you do when you were going to leave?" Maria asked. Her heart still clenched when she thought of how close she had come to losing him.




"I cooked you an Italian dinner. Then I showed you the real me, the self I'd never shown anyone before. We made love and I told you I loved you. I couldn't leave you and go back home because I loved you so much."




"Oh, Michael, it is you," Maria started weeping again at the memory.




"Shhh, Maria. It's okay, we'll be together again soon, I promise."




"But Michael, where are you? Why does your voice sound different? And how can you be in two places at once?"




"I'm in Sunnydale, California. I don't know why my voice is different, and I'm not in two places at once."




"But you are. I'm talking to you on the phone but you're also sitting in the next room. You just kissed Isabel," she said accusingly.




"What?!? I didn't kiss Isabel. First off, I'm not even in Roswell and most importantly I don't have feelings for her. Whoever is in the next room may look like me, but is an imposter. Who else is there with you? It's not safe for you to be there with that guy, I want you to go find Max-"




"Max is here, Michael, so is everyone else. In fact, Max is talking to your look-a-like right now. I knew there was something funny about him.




"What's going on, Michael? How did you get out there and who's the guy here with us?"




"I don't know. But I do know that I need Max to come get me. It's hard to explain, but I can't travel by myself. Get him to lock up the imposter before he leaves, though- we don't need him causing trouble. Tell Max to meet me in the Sunnydale cemetery."




"The cemetery?"




"It's a long story, one that I'm not even entirely sure of myself. Just fill everybody else in and have Max come get me."




"We'll be there as fast as we can."




"Maria, I don't want you coming, this is too dangerous. I -"




"Michael, I'm coming and that's final. I love you too much not to. We'll bring the fake Michael with us, so we can sort this out. I'll see you in a couple of hours. I love you, Michael."




"I love you too, Maria."




Maria hung the phone up and turned to Liz, who had discreetly moved away so she wouldn't eavesdrop on her friend's conversation. "Who was it," Liz asked.




"That was Michael. We're going to Sunnydale, California to go get him."




Liz's mouth just fell open.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.



Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.



I know, I know, I need to update more often. I promise I will try to have quicker updates in the future. Also, this may not be up to the caliber of the other updates. Sorry about that, but this is the difficult part of the story- getting the details set up so that the action can begin. So if you'll just bear with me, I hope that you'll enjoy it.




Chapter Five- On the Road to Beautiful Sunnyhell

Max, Liz, Isabel, Maria, Kyle, Jim Valenti and the Michael-imposter were all riding down the highway in a van that Valenti had rented. Maria had filled the gang in on her phone call with Michael and now they were all on their way to go find him and bring him home.

Spike sat in the backseat moodily staring out the window. He couldn’t believe these little buggers had forced him to come along on their stupid quest. Trying to find their friend- aw, how bloody sweet. If he could discover where they were going, then he could figure out a way to get back to Sunnydale. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the bloody Scoobies’ help- he didn’t want to be stuck in this horrendous body forever.

“How many miles is it to this Sunnydale,” Max asked Valenti, who was holding the map. (Valenti had insisted on coming on their little adventure, especially with their little Vegas vacation still fresh in his mind.)

At the mention of Sunnydale, Spike was instantly alert. They were going to Sunnydale? He felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach; somehow this was just too much of a bloody coincidence. Then again, maybe it was just hunger- after all how could he remember what a damned "human" hunger pain felt like. Oh well. He then began wondering just what the vulgar boy normally ate, anyway, and how soon it would be before he could fill up his stomach.

“About 50,” Valenti answered him.

“Maria,” Max then called to her, “We’re meeting Michael in the cemetery, you said?”

“Yeah, he told me that for some reason he couldn’t travel by himself and that that’s where he is, so we needed to go pick him up.”

Spike was beginning to feel very strange-maybe it wasn't just his bloody stomach. Maybe there really was something wrong here. First of all, he had woken up in this poof’s body and now he was hearing that this Michael (he'd learned that that's what his body was called) fellow was in Sunnydale cemetery. This couldn’t be a coincidence- something had to have happened. Whatever it was, he was going to keep his mouth shut until he could talk to Buffy; he still didn't know if he could trust those soddin' morons, not even the blond goddess. Hell- he’d even talk to bloody Giles if that’s what it took to get him home, back to his own, perfect body. Until he talked to Buffy, he was going to keep his theories to himself. Besides there were other ways he could amuse himself for the moment, he thought, looking at the leggy blond sitting in the seat in front of him.

Isabel had been quiet the entire trip. She still could not stop blaming herself for kissing Michael and hurting Maria that way. She had apologized to Maria and Maria had seemed to forgive her, but she could not help but feel guilty. Even though she now knew that this wasn’t Michael, or rather her Michael, she couldn’t stop blaming herself. Besides she had been unfaithful to Alex, even if it was just to his memory. She would never forgive herself for that. She vowed that she wouldn’t let it happen again, for Alex’s sake.

Thinking of Alex just brought back memories, beautiful memories of the times they had been together. Though she hadn’t always treated him the right way, she had still loved him, with all of her soul. And to honor him and the exquisite way he had made her feel, she would be loyal to him- which meant no more "Michael" kisses- no matter how great that one kiss had been.

Just as she made her mind up, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "You want to slip into the back for a minute, love," Spike leans over and asks her. "We could really have some fun, pet."

"Get off me," Isabel said, trying her best to sound annoyed, even though his touch was sending shivers down her spine. She ignored them, though. "I don't want to play your silly games." She was keeping her word.

Isabel looked up at the rearview mirror and met Maria's eyes. She smiled at her and was relieved when Maria smiled back.

"You know, I can't wait till we get the real Michael, my Michael, back," Maria said, shooting a look of annoyance at the fake Michael in the backseat. She had seen his pass at Isabel, and although she knew it wasn't the real Michael, it still irked her to see it. She had felt a lot better, however, when Isabel had rebuffed him.

"You and me both, lady," Spike answered her with contempt. "I can’t wait to get away from you stupid gits."

Everyone in the van chose to ignore his comment. From the several hours they had spent with him, they had learned to disregard everything he said. This was just one of many great lines he had come up with so far. They just hoped that he wouldn't make the rest of the trip hell. (If only they had any idea what they were getting themselves into!)

Spike, used to being ignored, just hunkered down in the backseat for the rest of the ride. He couldn’t wait till they got back to Sunnydale.



Thanks for all of the great reviews. They have really kept me writing this story, even when I have had my doubts. Sorry this chapter is so short, I am having problems with the second half of it and I have just decided to put up this half for now (since it's been so long since my last update) and I'll try to get the other half up as soon as I can. I'll keep writing. Keep reviewing.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.



Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.



Chapter Six – The Kekkoniki Attack



"I'm telling you, Giles, Spike is being very weird, well, weirder than usual. He was acting really un-Spikey. It's like he drank some defective blood and his mind has been seriously changed," Buffy declared from the floor of the Magic Box, where she was doing stretches. She looked over at the rest of the Scooby Gang sitting around the table and continued, "It was like he wasn't even Spike- like there was someone else in his body. It was creepy."

"When did he start displaying this behavior, this 'un-Spikeyness,' as you so eloquently put it Buffy," Giles asked, coming out of the back room. "Has he been conducting himself this way for a while or is this a more recent development? Come to think of it, how long has it been since any of us have actually seen him, with the exception Buffy, of course." He looked at the rest of the group, waiting for someone to volunteer more information.

"I haven't seen him for a few days, but we never really hung out together much to begin with," Xander stated.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him lately either," Willow commented and Tara nodded her head in agreement.

"He first started acting like Mr. Creepy man this morning." Buffy frowned, remembering his strange behavior. "Before that he was just his usual, annoying vampire self."

"When did you see him this morning, anyway? It's eleven a.m. now, and usually you don't get up that early," Xander asked her.

"Oh, I was just out patrolling late and I stopped by his crypt afterwards to see if he knew anything about this a, this new vampire in town," Buffy finished, somewhat lamely.

"Uh, I see," Giles said, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a handkerchief. "And he was not acting like his normal self then, when you saw him this morning?"

"Nope. He also didn't seem to know who I was, he kept calling me Maria, or something or other."

"That is strange." Giles was still cleaning his glasses absentmindedly, lost deep in thought.

"Maybe we should go check on him," Dawn stated, coming into the room. "I mean, we need to know if he's alright."

"Dawn, what are you doing out here? I thought I told you to do your homework in the back room," Buffy told her sister, while firmly pushing her towards the door.

"Why do we need to check on him, anyway? Wouldn't it be better for us (and spare us the trouble) if he just got himself killed," Xander stated callously from the table.

"Xander, as much as we don't like him, he still has helped us get out of some really tight spots in the past," Buffy pointed out. "Besides, he's always been a great babysitter for Dawn, and those are hard to come by." 'Not to mention a really great ride,' she thought to herself. She then began mentally chastising her brain for even thinking that.

"Buffy's right, Xander. We may not like him, but he has proved to be an asset on more than one occasion," Giles stated.

Dawn used Buffy's momentary distraction to her advantage, by stepping around her sister and having a seat at the table with the rest of the group. Her efforts proved futile however, as Buffy (as soon as she finished telling herself not to think such bad thoughts) just pulled her up and sent her out of the room, calling after her, "Dawn stay back there and stay out of trouble. I don't want to have to tell you again."

Xander just sighed and said, "I guess you're right. Maybe we should go look for him, just to make sure he hasn't caused any more problems than he usually does."

The rest of the group nodded their assent and headed out the Magic Box door (after firmly telling Dawn to stay back there and making sure she would) to the cemetery and a very familiar crypt.

* * *

The Pod Squad arrived outside of Sunnydale just before eleven a.m. They parked the van in a parking lot close to their destination and then walked back to it. They stopped right outside the cemetery and decided that they would split up into two groups so they would be able to find Michael faster. No one liked the eerie feeling that the cemetery gave off and they all were anxious to leave.

Group one, which consisted of Max, Liz, Valenti, and the fake Michael (Spike) headed off to search the north section of the cemetery. The second group, which contained Isabel, Maria and Kyle, went to search the southern section.

As they walked, Max and Valenti were keeping the imposter between them and leading him along. Liz walked behind them, to make sure he didn't try to break away from them. All three of them (not including Spike) looked around and called Michael's name, hoping he would answer and they could leave and decide what to do with the fraud.

Suddenly, a large green thing jumped out at them from behind the bushes and made swiping gestures at them with its claws. All of them stopped moving instantly, unsure of what the thing would do, or even what it was. Everyone tensed for the probable confrontation, Max and Valenti still holding Spike between them.

The creature dove at them, and Spike using the distraction, broke free of his holders. The monster went after Max and Valenti, picking them up and hurling them against a tree, before either of them could react. Liz screamed and Spike used the opportunity to laugh heartily, glad that his captors had been properly disposed of. But then, the beast went after Liz and seeing the look of terror on her face, Spike froze. Maybe he had been hanging out with the slayer and her friends for too long, but he knew that he couldn't just stand by and let the helpless girl get trampled.

Spike jumped in front of her, pushing her back behind him, to safety, just as it was about to strike. "What's this, another big bad Kekkoniki demon? How do you ever survive being that soddin' ugly," Spike taunted the thing.

The demon roared with anger and raised its claws to slash at him. Spike instinctively threw his hands up to protect himself. Abruptly, there was a flash of light and then the demon lay in a smoking heap at his feet.

Spike looked at his hands in confusion and swore. "What the bloody hell?" He looked at his hands again. What had just happened? How the hell had he done that? This was shagging impossible.

Liz looked at him and fought down her panic- he must have somehow gotten Michael's powers. Unless she was mistaken, only Michael could do that, not some imposter. This was bad- this was very bad.

The Scooby Gang had just entered the cemetery when they heard the piercing shriek. Quickly, they all started running towards the source of the sound, sure that whatever had caused it could not be good. (This was the Hellmouth, after all.)

Michael had heard Liz's scream from the crypt (where he had been waiting for them, as it was daylight) and had taken off running towards where he thought he heard her. When he arrived, he found Max and Valenti crumpled up at the bottom of a tree, and Liz staring with fright at someone who could be his mirror image- someone who looked suspiciously like himself.

Isabel, Maria and Kyle had also heard Liz's scream and had run towards the sound as fast as they could, knowing something horrible had happened to the rest of their group.

Spike looked up from the still smoking demon (how had he done that?) and found himself looking into a pair of strikingly familiar eyes- his own.

All the two of them could do was stand there and stare at each other. It was just too unbelievable. As they both stood there gaping, the rest of the Pod Squad and the Scooby Gang arrived at the scene at the same time. Everyone halted in their tracks at the image in the clearing.

* * *

Don't you just love cliffhangers? I'll try to put the next chapter up soon, since I hate having to wait for the next installment myself. As always, reviews are enjoyed and appreciated. Thanks for all of the great reviews I have received- for you, I will keep writing this story. I hope you enjoyed it and the next one will be out fairly soon (I really will try). Thanks for reading.

By the way, unless I am mistaken, a Kekkoniki demon is one that I made up for the story. I don't think that it is a real demon in the Buffy universe, but if anyone knows differently, please let me know in your reviews. I needed to use a fictional (to the Buffy world) demon for this part. Thanks.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.



Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.



Chapter Seven – The First Council





Spike was the first to break eye contact. When he turned and saw the Scoobies all standing around him in confusion he said, "Well look who finally showed up- the little do gooders. I was wondering when you'd finally get here, so you could try to fix the whole situation. It's about time, you know. I'm getting tired of living in this miserable little body; I want mine back."



Michael (who had grabbed a sheet from Spike's bed before running outside) kept that sheet draped over him and proceeded to ignore Spike. He then went to help Max and Valenti up, from where they still lay at the bottom of the tree. They both stood shakily, but seemed to be okay. He then turned around to face the rest of his friends and the woman he loved, looking to make sure that they were all okay as well.



Maria looked at him and saw the different features and the pale skin, but in her heart she knew who he really was. She threw herself into his arms. "Oh, Michael."



He embraced her back, just as tightly (still keeping the sheet over him of course), relieved to see that she was unharmed and extremely happy to see her and the rest of the group again. He needed his friends to fix him. He mumbled her name a few times, just glad to be holding her again.



'So this is Maria,' Buffy thought to herself. 'Pretty thing… I guess.' For some reason that she couldn't fathom, it greatly bothered her to see that girl in Spike's arms- even though she now knew that the man she had talked to this morning wasn't Spike. Buffy jumped, startled by her own thoughts. Why should she care who Spike, or someone in Spike's body, slept with? But she did and she couldn't deny it. This was all getting way too confusing.



The rest of the Pod Squad watched the scene between Michael and Maria, glad that Michael was finally opening up to his emotions. They all noticed the sheet as well, but decided to ignore it and concentrate on more important issues, like what exactly Michael was doing here, and how he had gotten here.



Max, after having dusted himself off and thought for a minute, put a comforting arm around Liz and turned from Michael and Maria, to face the newcomers. He was going to take charge of the situation (as usual). Always being the cautious one, he figured a few questions were in order, so they would know exactly what they were dealing with. He turned to the older man in the other group, asking him bluntly, "Do you know him?" (indicating Spike).



Giles, not surprised at the question directed at him, responded, "Yes, well, that depends on what you mean by 'know him.' If I am correct, that would be Spike, in what appears to be … your friend's body." He turned to Buffy, "This would explain why he was acting rather peculiarly this morning when you saw him."



Michael, who had broken away from Maria and turned to face the Scooby Gang, had been listening to the exchange. He then spoke up. "Who exactly are you people?"



The Scoobies shared a look, and then Buffy answered him. "We're friends of Spike's and we were just coming over to see him."



Michael, ever the paranoid one, shot back, "Oh yeah… well why are you friends with a vampire?"



The Pod Squad all looked at each other. A vampire? Maria, who was familiar with vampire lore, looked at Michael and said, "Well that explains the sheet at least." (Hey, if she could accept aliens, she knew she sure as hell had better be able to accept vampires as well.) At seeing the rest of the Pod Squad's confusion, she continued, "You know, the whole no sunlight thing?"



They nodded with new comprehension. Kyle then asked, "Well why are you friends with a vampire?"



Giles took his glasses off and began to rub them absentmindedly again. "I think the more important question here, is how these two managed to switch bodies the way they did. And how we are going to change them back. There are many switching spells and such that might have been a cause, but there are several other possible causes as well…" Giles stated, beginning to be lost in his train of thought. He brought himself back from his reprieve and continued, "What matters here is that we are going to have to work together to solve this problem; we are going to have to trust each other."



Sheriff Valenti, thinking about it for a minute and then looking at Max, said, "You're right, we have no idea what we're dealing with here. We will need to work together, especially since we aren't even sure what is mixed up in this mess … "



Michael broke in, "Could we please continue this inside? It's getting kind of uncomfortable out here." He shifted the sheet around himself for emphasis.



Spike looked at him with amusement. "Yes, sunlight can be a mite objectionable, especially to you right now. I, on the other hand, am enjoying this right fine bit of morning air."



Glaring at him, Isabel wrapped her arm around Michael's shoulders and began to walk with him back to Spike's crypt. She couldn't let her brother be burned to a crisp- no matter what body he was in. As she walked, she remembered the distressing kiss from this morning. She should have known that Michael wouldn't have done that to her, that he didn't think about her that way. No, it was this insensitive … vampire, that had rudely kissed her and who had hurt Maria's feelings. She would have to keep a close eye on him; she couldn't have him running around creating disasters in Michael's body, especially if he was able to access Michael's powers. Her heart froze at the thought. He couldn't be left alone to discover those. She would keep a very close eye on him.



As they walked, Spike was deep in thought. He didn't know what he had done to stop the demon, but he was damned sure he was going to find out. Whatever it was that had happened, one thing was for certain- this body had power and energy; power and energy, that he was going to figure out how to use. And then…



The rest of the two groups followed and the walk back to Spike's crypt was a short one. Once inside, they separated into two clusters and began having their own little discussions, about exactly how much they were going to be revealing to the other group.





* * *

I'm very sorry for the long delay in updating—I've been stuck in paper hell (having had many things due recently). I know this part is short, but I was having a lot of trouble with it and I finally just rewrote it, so it is shorter, but hopefully better, than the original was. Thanks so much to my beloved consultant- Pizzygirl- who helped me get this chapter to you much faster. Thanks also for all of the reviews- they are tremendously appreciated! (I'm glad to see that you like this story). Oh and good eye, Moonflower- I think that you are the only one who caught that; hopefully, I rectified that mistake with the sheet, in this part. Thanks!
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.

Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.





Chapter 8 – Strategy Sessions





Michael said heatedly, "How do we know we can trust them?"



Max considered for a moment and then replied, "It doesn't look like we have any choice. After all, their 'vampire' friend is occupying your body. We're going to have to work together to get you guys fixed back; if we can't, the possibilities could be terrible. I mean, what if-"



Isabel broke in quickly, "He has Michael's powers?"



"Crap! I hadn't even thought of that!" Michael exclaimed forcefully.



"He does." Everyone turned to look at Liz. "He does have Michael's powers. I saw him use them on that- I think 'demon' is what he called it? – to kill it. He does have them, although I don't think he realizes it, or at least he doesn't know what they really are or how to use them; it will only be a matter of time before he does figure it out, though."



"She's right," Max, stated calmly, all the while swearing to himself. How in God's name had this happened?



Maria clung to Michael's hand. "Oh God! What do we do now?"



Sheriff Valenti spoke up, "For right now, it seems like the best thing to do would be to stay here for a while and work with them and try to get them switched back to their normal selves, while keeping a close eye on this Spike. I think that librarian type was saying something about researching 'spells' as possible causes; we'll work with them on that, but in the meantime, we should also be looking into the more alien related causes ourselves."



Max nodded his assent. "That's a good plan. Then that's what we'll do, and the rest of it, I guess for right now we'll just play by ear."



Liz, looking on the bright side, gave a little smile of relief. "Well at least we'll have a little while to try and get this sorted out. Thank God that if this had to happen, it happened over summer vacation."



The rest of the group agreed.



"But what should we tell them? I mean, if they ask us stuff about, you know…" Kyle asked, bringing them back to the aliens' greatest fear.



"As little as possible. Don’t talk about anything alien related," Max replied sternly. "Just tell them the truth, that we're on summer vacation. That we were just passing through town on our way to the beach, and that we don't know what happened to Michael and that Spike guy."



"But what if they find out," Maria put in.



Isabel shivered and Max put a comforting hand on her arm. "We'll deal with that if we come to it."





~*~ Meanwhile ~*~





"But what are we going to tell them, Giles, that we fight demons for a living? That'll go over real well," Buffy rolled her eyes melodramatically.



'That is not what I was suggesting, Buffy," Giles continued. "I was simply saying that we will need to discuss some of our paranormal background with them, merely in order to discover what happened to alter those two. After all, they already know that Spike is a vampire, and they seemed to handle that information fairly well. We can just tell them that we're-"



"A crime club?" Xander broke in helpfully. "You know, like we loved Scooby Doo so much that we decided to form our own version of it. You know, like Buffy can be Daphne. Willow can be Velma. I could be," he stopped at the looks from the other Scoobies. "What? It worked before," he said defensively. At the blank looks of Anya and Tara, he added, "We told a mummy that once, but we didn't mention Scooby Doo at all; I hadn't thought if it yet."



"Quite," Giles said, raising his eyebrows and giving his glasses a good swipe.



"It could work," Buffy replied, wrinkling her nose. "Except without all the Scooby Doo stuff."





"Hey! I like Scooby Doo!" Xander protested.



Anya patted his arm. "We know you do." She then pointed out, "Yes, well, you all should get to work now. The sooner that we get Spike back to normal, the sooner Xander and I can go and have sex, and I am really in the mood right now."



Xander turned a slight shade of pink and pulled Anya aside, yet again. The rest of the group just rolled their eyes.



"What? It's only natural," Anya stated, coming back to the group.



Buffy noticed that Spike was standing kind of off by himself, and that he was being unusually quiet. That usually meant that he was up to something; either that, or that he knew more than he was telling.



She moved over to stand next to him. "Spike?" She broke into his train of thought, startling him.



"What?" he responded automatically.



"What do you think of it?"



"Of what?"



"What happened," she said exasperatedly.



"Oh, uh, it's pretty strange," he replied, almost distractedly, still trying to puzzle out just how he had killed that demon.



"It's also pretty weird talking to you now," she put in. "I mean, to hear your expressions coming out of that mouth is just really bizarre. … Well, we'll have you fixed soon."



"There's no rush about it. Just do what you need to."



Now she knew he was up to something. "Okay, sure," she said turning back to the group conversation, vowing to have a chat with Giles about it later.



"I th-think they're okay," Tara was saying. "I can just feel it, that they're good, that they'll help us. I don't think the trouble is coming from them." Willow smiled at her girlfriend and squeezed her hand.



"Well, that's something." Xander stated.



Buffy opened her mouth to speak and abruptly changed what she was going to say. "Dawn!" she yelled at the teenager who was standing at the door of the crypt. That got everyone's attention and both groups turned to look at the door. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay home!"



Dawn just smiled impishly. "So, what did I miss?"







Sorry for the long delay in updating, my computer was broken for most of the holiday season. Thank you, all my patient readers, and I hope you enjoy it!
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.

Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.

For: my sister, who helped me hash out the plotline for many of the next chapters.



Chapter Nine – The Research Begins







"Dawn! What are you doing here?!? I thought I told you to stay home!" Buffy asked her angrily.



Before she had a chance to answer, Michael cut in. Pointing to Dawn, he asked, "Who's she?"



"I'm Buffy's little sister," Dawn answered him. Seeing his confused look, she pointed at the woman he had woken up next to that morning.



"Oh," he replied.



Buffy turned back to Dawn. "You know you shouldn't be here. I told you to stay and do your homework."



"Please can I stay? I can help. I want to help."



Buffy was impatient. Did that girl ever listen to her? "Oh alright, but only because I don't want you walking back by yourself. You can stay for now, but when we get back you're going straight back to your homework. You only have a little bit of school left before your summer vacation, and you can't mess it up by not doing your homework. And no arguments about it."



"Thanks Buffy," Dawn said excitedly, before going over to stand next to Spike.





Michael got Buffy's attention again by asserting, "You know, you never answered our earlier question about why you're friends with a vampire."



Xander broke in, explaining eagerly, "We're in a paranormal club. We love investigating the occult and stuff. We started it because we all loved Scooby Doo so much that we wanted to be just like them and we even call ourselves the Scoobies and—"



Buffy cut him off hastily. "Yes, we do investigate paranormal activity- we're really into the occult."



"But not ALL of us have an unhealthy obsession with Scooby Doo," Spike snickered.



"Just Xander," Anya put in proudly, grabbing her boyfriend's arm tightly, showing everyone in the room he was hers.



"Thanks a lot, Anya," he replied, looking at her exasperatedly.



"No problem, Xander." She smiled brightly.



"Anyway, that still doesn't explain why you're friends with a vampire," Maria pointed out. "I mean, wouldn't he try to kill you?"



Buffy answered her. "Most normal vamps would, but not Spike. He's different, he's—"



"Neutered," Xander said chuckling, getting him back.



"Hey! I am not bloody neutered! Especially not in THIS body- with this body I can knock you hurt free," Spike shot back.



The Podsters all shared a worried look. Xander looked slightly panicked and moved to the other side of the room.



"That's right, Harris. You'd better watch your mouth and those stupid jokes from now on," Spike advised him.



Buffy shot Spike a warning look and Spike just chuckled. "I was only messing with the blighter. You know that."



Buffy just rolled her eyes and went on. "Anyway, he had a chip installed in his head by some wacko government group a few years ago so he couldn't hurt people. He's been one of the good guys since then."



"But isn't the chip now in Michael's head and not Spike's," Liz asked.



"Michael, who's Michael," Buffy asked back, having missed his real name earlier.



"He's the one who's switched bodies with Spike," Max answered her.



Buffy turned to Michael accusingly. "I thought you said your name was Kyle?"



"It's Michael," he replied. "I didn't know who you were or how I had gotten here and I thought it best to use a pseudonym."



"Michael suits you better; it's a nice name." Tara smiled shyly at him. Michael hesitantly smiled back.



"Hey! What's wrong with Kyle," Kyle asked indignantly.



"N-nothing," Tara stammered, ducking her head quickly.



"Oh please, Kyle," Isabel exclaimed, rolling her eyes. Sheriff Valenti just laughed. Kyle shook his head at the both of them and went over to stand next to Liz and Maria instead.



"Besides," Buffy continued after the interruption. "The chip doesn't matter. Spike's one of the good guys now."



"Thanks, Slayer." Spike locked eyes with her and slowly smiled.



Michael, not finished with his questions by a long shot, cleared his throat, breaking the moment. Both Spike and Buffy looked quickly away from each other. Michael spoke up, "Oh yeah? Then what's a slayer? And a watcher?"



The Podsters shared another look. What on earth (or not on earth ;) ) was Michael talking about?



Michael continued, looking at Buffy, "You called yourself a 'slayer' before. What is it?"



The Scoobies also shared a look. What could they tell them?



Xander jumped in quickly. "Uh, that's Buffy's nickname. It's from a comic book. We all have comic book nicknames."



"Yep. Yep, we do," Willow echoed him. Buffy smiled at him gratefully.



Kyle stepped forward. "That's not from any comic book I ever read."



"Well, maybe you don't read enough of them," Xander shot back.



"Boys, let's not argue over comic books," Maria stopped them, giving Kyle a look.



Kyle ignored her look and just glanced at Xander curiously. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get the first word out, Anya started speaking instead. "How come you all get to ask all of the questions anyway? What if we have some questions? What if—"



Giles interrupted her. "I think we've had enough questions for now. What we really need to be concentrating on first is getting the two of them switched back. We will have plenty of time for questions later."



Max nodded and asked, "What can we do to help?"



"You can help us research," Giles responded to him. "If you'll just follow us back to The Magic Box, we can get started. Buffy, Willow and Xander will show you what books to start looking in."



"Which one of you is Willow," Maria took a quick look around.



"Oh, right," Giles remembered, "introductions are surely in order. We'll start with me, I guess. I'm Rupert Giles, but you may just call me Giles." The rest of the two groups went around and introduced themselves to each other, only giving their names.



After they were done, Giles took the lead again. "Right. Everyone know everyone else's names? Good, time to get started. Oh, and Michael, you might want to make sure you have that sheet wrapped tightly around you- it's a little bit of a walk." With that, Giles lead the way out of the crypt to the shop, with both groups trailing along behind him.





* * *



When they got to the Magic Box, the first thing Buffy did was to send Dawn back to the back to make her finish her homework. Then Willow and Buffy began handing books out, for people to research.



As Liz got her book from Buffy, she observed, "You guys sure have a lot of books on the paranormal and the occult."



Buffy countered, "Like I said before, we're really into the occult."



Liz just nodded and took her book, going to sit by Max.



After instructing everyone on what to look for and pay attention to, everyone picked up their books and grouped off, to go research in small clusters around the shop.



Spike meanwhile, moved off by himself to an empty corner and pretended to read. He really wanted to think about his new defense capabilities. He wondered what exactly they could do.



As everyone began to examine their designated book, Willow noted, "Well, at least with this many pairs of eyes, it shouldn't take too long to find out the cause of the switch, and then the solution."



Giles looked at her. "We can only hope."





* * *



Once again, thanks to all my fabulous readers! You all are great! And I will try to write faster, I really will! Keep reading and reviewing!
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
User avatar
Roswell428
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:35 pm
Location: The stars

Post by Roswell428 »

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.

Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.

This picks up a few minutes after where part 9 left off...




Chapter 10 - Playing with Power




Giles had just picked up his book to look through it when a disturbing thought occurred to him. Turning to Willow, he said, "I just remembered something Spike said earlier that worries me a little." At seeing Willow's puzzled look, he continued, "You remember when he crudely said he could 'knock Xander hurt free'? I know that Buffy thinks that Spike is one of the good guys, but what if he's not now, now that's he's inside Michael's body and chipless? Is he still evil or did he truly reform his ways? I mean, Michael is the one that now contains the chip, inside the vampire's body, but what if the demon is with Spike in Michael's body now, without the chip..." he trailed off and looked at her, waiting for her answer.




Willow creased her forehead in thought. "I see what you're getting at. If Spike took the vampire demon with him into Michael's body, there would be nothing to stop him from hurting people. But wait, didn't Spike walk in the sunlight in Michael's body? And Michael had to use the sheet?"




"Yes, but that could just be that Spike's body is already dead, while Michael's is not. But if it had the demon inside of it, it might start to decay his body and kill it. I wonder if that's even possible?"




Willow took on a worried expression. "I don't know. I've never heard of a vampire and a human switching bodies before."




Giles continued, "Neither have I. And come to think of it, which one would be evil? Is Michael now going to become like a vampire because he's inside a vampire's body, possibly with the demon? Or is Spike going to revert to his former ways in Michael's body, because he took his demon with him? Neither Michael nor Spike have displayed any evil tendencies yet, but it could be only a matter of time- time for the demon to adjust to the changes. Anyhow, these are very puzzling and disturbing thoughts. This will need to be researched, along with how to switch them back. We need to be prepared for any possibility."




"Yeah, a little info on this would be good. Do you think we should to call the council to find out what they know? As much as I hate the council, they may have heard of a case like this before."




"It's possible, but I'd rather not. We may, however, have to use them as a last resort. Before that, though, I'll find out what I can myself. I think I'll get started researching that paradox right now."




"Do you need any help," Willow asked.




"No, not right now, I'd prefer it if you would continue looking for ways to switch them back. If we can get them switched back soon enough, this issue may not matter at all. I will start researching it, though, just in case."




"Okay," Willow told him as he got up and made his way into the back, to grab other volumes.




Tara grabbed another book and came over to sit next to Willow. "Hey baby," she said.




Though she was still worried about those questions, Willow smiled back. "Hey yourself." She resolved to put it out of her head for the time being though, and to concentrate on researching how to switch them back. She and Tara both settled down to research.




* * *




A Little While Later.......






Buffy looked up from where she had been restlessly researching with Xander, Anya and Dawn (who had finished her homework a little while ago and been allowed to help). "Where's Spike," she asked.




"Oh I saw him go in the back a little while ago," Anya answered without looking up. She was looking at a picture of one of her demon friends and was quite fascinated with how the artist had portrayed her.




"He went in the back," Buffy repeated.




"Yes, he went in the back," Anya again answered her, getting slightly annoyed.




"Thanks." Buffy got up and went back into the back. Right before entered, there was a loud crash. Looking in, she saw a broken piece of pottery lying on the floor- it had been smashed to bits.




Everyone else came running into the back to see what the chaotic noise had been. Giles looked at the broken pottery on the floor and then at Spike accusingly. "Spike! That was a very valuable piece of Native American pottery used for spell casting. It cost me a good deal to get it shipped here and it just arrived yesterday. What were you doing back here?!?"




Spike looked at the remains of the bowl that was lying in small shards on the ground and then back at the Watcher. "Oh, uh, I was just looking around and I accidentally bumped into that table and knocked it over. Sorry, mate, didn't know it was valuable. If you're pissed, I understand. Maybe I should just get out of here, and out of your way. I don't want to break anymore of your *lovely* and valuable items. I'll be much more useful at home." He was lying to cover the fact that he had been trying out his new powers. After all, he wanted to make use of them, which he couldn't if Scoobies were aware of them. And he wanted to get out of there; it would be so much easier to practice his new abilities if he wasn't under the Watcher and Slayer's eyes, and ears.




Buffy narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him- Spike was being way too polite and apologetic (for him anyway) and seemed way to eager to get out of there. There was definitely something that he wasn't sharing with the rest of the class. Though she did believe that he was a good guy now, he still had that up-to-trouble look in his eyes. She was going to have to watch him to see what was up.




The Podsters all were worried as well. They all knew what he was up to. Spike didn't knock that vase over- he had been trying to use Michael's powers and had probably accidentally blown it up. He would have to be watched VERY carefully.




Spike started to edge towards the back door.




"Wait," Giles commanded. "When we figure out what switched you two, we'll need you to be here to switch you back. You cannot go anywhere yet."




Sheriff Valenti, who knew that Spike probably just wanted to go play with his new powers some more, backed Giles up. "Yeah, you should stay here with the rest of us."




Spike narrowed his eyes slightly. Fine, they wanted him to stay, he'd stay. They had him outnumbered- even with those wonderful new powers. He wouldn't try anything yet, cause he still didn't know exactly what he could do with them and he didn't want to be stuck facing an angry slayer if they didn't work right. He'd be a good boy, for now. "Fine, sure. I guess I'll just take a right little nap back here for a while. I'm a bit tired, what with the switch and the excitement and all," he said as placatingly as he could. (No need to make them even more suspicious). To prove his point, he yawned and stretched out on the floor.




Everyone looked at him a little skeptically as he did so, but they all nodded and went back to the front. Dawn held back. She asked Spike, "Do you want me to stay and keep you company?"




"No thanks, Little bit. Appreciate it, but I need to get some sleep."




"Okay," she smiled at him and went to join the others up front.




Spike smiled to himself. Yeah, he'd be good for now, but just until he figured out how to use these new powers of his. After that- watch out! Not that he meant to go evil again or anything- his love for Buffy had pretty much stopped all those tendencies. But he did mean to have some fun before they shoved him back into that chipped body of his. A sudden thought occurred to him- he had powers in Michael's body, which meant that Michael had powers. Did the other Roswellians? That would bear watching, as if they did, they would be able to stop him, to control him. Although he wouldn't mind it one bit if that Isabel girl decided she wanted to 'control' him. He liked her and her feistiness. She and Buffy had a lot in common.






Meanwhile, back out front......






The Scoobies had all gone back to their research, but the Roswellians gathered in a small huddle to discuss Spike.




"He was using MY powers," Michael whispered angrily.




"We know that Michael," Max said, shooting him a warning look to keep it down.




"What are we going to do about him," Liz asked, worried.




"We're going to have to keep a close eye on him," Sheriff Valenti responded.




"I think I know who should do it," Kyle said, looking at Isabel. The rest all nodded their heads in agreement.




"Me?" she questioned.




"Yeah, Isabel. It's obvious he likes you and if you use your 'womanly' charms on him, it might be enough to be able to keep him under control for the time being, or at least enough to find out what he's up to," Michael stated.




"Way to be encouraging, Michael," Maria said sarcastically, shaking her head at him.




Isabel looked worried. She didn't like that idiot at all, and just being near him made her feel guilty- like she was betraying Alex.




Max saw her uncertainty. "Look Isabel, if you really don't want to, you don't have to. Someone else will."




Isabel shook her head, at first slowly, but then with more resolve. She could do this. She would do this. And she would do it without betraying Alex. "No Max, it's fine. I'll do it."




"Alright then, why don't you go back there now, and make sure he's not trying out his new powers some more. And see what you can get out of him. Remember, we'll all be right out here, and if he starts giving you any trouble, we'll be back there in two seconds."




"Got it, Max. And I won't let everyone down." She then turned and headed into the back of the shop. The rest of the Podsters went back to their dropped books and began to research again; all were keeping at least one ear trained on the back room, though.




Isabel went into the back. Buffy saw her from where she was sitting and watched her head into the back room with troubled eyes. She knew she had to watch Spike (because he *was* hiding something). Now she knew had to watch that Isabel girl as well. What was she up to?




Once back there, Isabel stepped in to find Spike sitting, with his hand out in front of him, trying to *quietly* practice some more. Oh, not a good sign, she thought, it looks like he's trying to experiment with Michael's powers again. Well, I'd better interrupt him now, before he gets any further and learns anything more about them.




She closed her eyes briefly for resolve, and then spoke in her sultriest voice, "Hey Spikey..."




He turned around and there was a brief flash of annoyance in his eyes at being interrupted, but that annoyance soon turned to pleasure when he saw who it was. (Well if he had to be disturbed, he didn't mind being disturbed by that blonde goddess). "Hey yourself, gorgeous."




* * *




Hope you all like the new part! Thanks to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers! You all are the best! And thanks to TD Master for bringing up the Michael/Spike issue.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my fic:

Switching Lives
Locked