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

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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 right where part 10 left off...






Chapter 11 - A Little Flirtation






Isabel stepped into the back room 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, sweetest 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."




Isabel resisted her impulse to gag when he called her that, and instead blushed prettily. "So you think I'm gorgeous?" She gave a nervous little smile. She would go with the blushing school girl routine. She found that most men were immensely more attracted to her when she played that way. (Not Alex though, she thought with a brief flash of remorse. Alex had only wanted her to be herself. Don't think about that now, though, she reminded herself. Concentrate on what you have to do). She blushed again. Hopefully Spike would fall for it- it would be the easiest way to play him and would require the least physical contact. If he wasn't biting (no pun intended), she would just have to try something else- which would unfortunately require her to touch him a bit more. But if that's what it took, she would do it. She had promised that she would distract him and she would.




Spike looked at her strangely, losing interest a little. What was with the blushing school girl routine? He had thought her feisty and dominant, and much more appealing that way. He didn't want to play with a child. (He'd had enough of that with Harmony). He'd just get rid of her and then go back to experimenting with what he could do. "Yeah, you're pretty enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my beauty sleep."




Damn! She was losing him. Alright, time for plan B. She stiffened her spine to get over her disgust of touching Michael's body that way and to try not to think about Alex while she was doing it. She used to be so good at baiting men like this before she fell for Alex, used to enjoy it immensely. She would just have to remember that and use it. I'm sorry Alex, she silently sent up to him, before she moved forwards to trace her hand over Spike's back. "Why would *you* need beauty sleep," she practically purred.




Bloody Hell! The woman had just done a complete 180. But bollocks, she was appealing now. "Well normally I wouldn't," he responded a little too eagerly, "but this body needs a lot of work."




"But you don't. You attract me," she said running her hands a little bit lower.




This girl was a real turn on. Maybe if he could just figure a way to lock the door for a few minutes... Just as he was about to get up to go do that, Buffy stormed in.




Buffy had been out front stewing about what Spike had been doing in the back with the high school brat. And now she knew, the sleeze's hands were all over him. She shook with fury. She had thought she had to watch out for a Maria, but now she knew it was this Isabel tramp who was her competition. No, she wasn't competition. Spike was hers! No other woman was allowed to touch him. No other- she stopped shaking and thought about what had just run through her brain. She couldn't possibly have serious feelings for Spike. Sure, she had slept with him a few times, but that was just to feel, not for anything else. She shook her head at herself. Well, he had certainly just made her feel. She'd have to watch that- she COULDN'T have feelings for Spike.




Isabel meanwhile had removed her hands from Spike when she saw the possessive rage consume the other girl's face. She must have somehow stumbled into a lover's quarrel. Oh crap! This was going to make it extremely hard to watch Spike and keep a close eye on him. She felt bad for Buffy, but she had a duty to do, and she was going to do it.




Spike allowed Isabel to remove her hands, but he didn't get up from where he was sitting next to her. He loved Buffy, but until she would truly be with him and love him, he would amuse himself with this bit of skirt. Maybe he could make her jealous...




Buffy, getting herself under control, calmly asked, "What are you doing back here?"




"Oh, I was just keeping him company until he fell asleep," Isabel answered casually.




"Right," Spike seconded just as casually, leaning into Isabel a bit. "Just a bit of talking."




"Well, why don't you two come back up front. We could use your help to research," Buffy said, trying not to react to him leaning into her. She knew she could keep an eye on them when they were up there.




"Sure," Isabel replied standing up. Up front, with all those eyes watching him, he couldn't try to play with Michael's powers anymore, and she could try to stay out of Spike and Buffy's fight for a while.




Reluctantly Spike got up as well. So his time with the goddess was interrupted, he'd resume it later. Besides, maybe he'd get Buffy to admit she loved him in the process.




The three walked out the door and moved back up front. Spike and Buffy going to sit with the rest of the Scoobies, albeit on opposite sides of the table. Isabel went to the rest of the Podsters.




As Isabel sat down, Max asked her, "How did it go?"




"Spike was playing with the powers when I got back there, but I was distracting him fine until Buffy stormed in. I think those two may be involved and there's going to be some issues if I continue to try to watch him. But I'm willing to do it if it means keeping him from discovering anything more about us and our powers."




"Yeah, they are involved," Michael spoke up. "Buffy is the one I woke up next to this morning. I have to say, she looks pretty good in a sheet." He looked to Kyle for approval. Kyle just grinned, until Maria spoke up, and then his grin faded quickly.




"Better than I do?" Maria's eyes glittered dangerously.




"No, of course not, baby. You're the one I love."




Maria just glared at him.




"You know it would have been really helpful if you had passed that information on, Michael," Isabel said rolling her eyes. The rest of the group nodded agreement.




"Sorry, I've been kind of distracted what with the whole switch and all." He glanced at everyone. "Give me a break."




"So you're going to continue to watch him," Sheriff Valenti asked.




"Yeah, I will. I'll just also need to watch Buffy now as well. I think she's already suspicious of us, and she certainly doesn't like me flirting with her boyfriend.




"We just have to keep Spike from discovering the true depths of his powers. That's the important thing. We can't let him be alone."




Liz looked at Spike and Buffy across the room, the two of them repeatedly looking at each other over the tops if their books. She spoke up. "Maybe if Isabel can't watch him, we can make sure that Buffy is with him. He wouldn't try to practice in front of her."




"That's a good idea," Isabel nodded in agreement. "I somehow get the feeling that he doesn't want her to know about them. I don't know why, but it will work to our advantage."




"That's settled then," Max declared. "But since we're all together for right now, we should try to research instead of worrying about it at the moment. Because if we can get them switched back soon, we won't have to worry about it at all."




Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Good, then let's get back to research." With that everyone picked up their books and began reading again in earnest.






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




Thank you to all my great readers and reviewers! You all are the best! I hope you enjoy this part, and thanks for reading!
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.

A/N 2: Wow, it's been a long time since I have worked on this story. I've had some major writers block, which caused me to abandon it for a while, until I could get some plot ideas straightened out. I've recently changed direction with this story, which helped me get back into it. Hope that you like it and sorry for the extremely long wait. And thanks for the reviews! You all rock!



Chapter Twelve – Sweet Skin is So Tempting









Quite a little while had passed since that incident with Isabel and Spike in the back room. It was now well into the afternoon. The group had just decided to take a research break to get some things settled. This was of course after Anya had thrown her book down in disgust saying she wouldn't look at another 'moldy old page' until her eyes got a little rest. And, she had added, much to the group's chagrin, until she had gotten a little 'orgasm time' with Xander. The Scoobies, used to Anya's bluntness and turn of phrase, had just shaken their heads at the two, while the Roswellians had been very much startled and shocked. Xander had blushed again and pulled Anya aside, the two later 'mysteriously' disappearing for a while, not that anyone, ah, noticed, or at least they tried very hard not to. Anya's words had done the trick though, both groups glad to have a little research rest and time to get plans worked out.



It had been determined that the Roswellians would stay in one of the many lovely Sunnydale hotels for the duration of their stay. The group had called their parents and given them some story about their being on a summer exchange. Their parents had reluctantly agreed to let them stay, but only after Sheriff Valenti had assured them that he was with them and they were indeed on a bonafide exchange trip. When it was asked how long they were planning to say, they couldn't give a definitive answer and the parents weren't placated until the Roswellians had promised to keep in touch with them on a regular basis.



With that settled, both groups realized they had better get back to researching. It was around this point that Xander and Anya had appeared again, both looking a little worse for wear, but both wearing big grins. Those who saw them sneak back in just rolled their eyes.



It was at this point that Giles, after just having picked up his book, almost dropped it, with a loud "Good Lord!"



Everybody looked up at him, surprised.



Willow looking at his stunned face, asked him, "Giles, what's wrong?"



Giles was just muttering to himself, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? It could be the solution. I just need to-"



"Uh Giles," Willow tried again. "What's going on?"



"Oh, sorry, something just occurred to me" the ex-Watcher looked a little sheepish. "You remember when Buffy switched bodies with Faith?"



"Of course I do." Willow answered. "Oh!" Comprehension dawned in her eyes. "You mean…"



"Exactly."



"Wait a minute," Buffy started, but was cut off by Xander.



"Okay, care to explain for us mentally challenged folks here? I remember when they switched, but I still don't… wait a minute, that came out wrong!" Xander realized belatedly.



"No it didn't," Spike snickered, which earned him looks from the rest of the group, as this was very bizarre coming out of Michael's mouth, for the Scoobies.



"Hey!" Xander shot back, glaring at him.



"Anyway," Giles shot a reproving glance at Spike. "When Faith switched bodies with Buffy, Willow and Tara created a Katra to switch them back. It occurred to me, that another Katra might be able to do the same thing here. Though we don't know what switched them in the first place, we didn't then either, and the Katra worked well in that situation. There are no guarantees of course, but it is worth a try."



Willow grabbed Tara's hand, "We'll get right on that." She lead her out of the shop, both of them giggling and holding onto each other, as they knew what they would be spending the rest of the afternoon doing.



"Well that should take them a while," Giles continued. "In the meantime, I suggest we keep researching in case the Katra doesn't solve the problem." Turning to Michael, he asked, "Would you be willing to try the Katra to get yourself switched back? We're can't be sure of the risks of course, especially as it would involve switching a vampire and a mortal," The Roswellians shared a look at this, "But it would be worth a try, especially as it might switch you back. Katra's generally don't have any effect other than to switch the person back, but still…" he trailed off.



Michael glanced at the other Roswellians. "Sure, I'll try it. Anything to get back in my own body."



After that, they had separated again, into smaller groups and once again picked up their discarded books. It was looking like it was going to be a VERY long day.







As Michael and Maria sat researching, Michael couldn't help but be distracted. He was tired of researching. Sure it was to get him back in his own body, but his brain could only take so much at a time. He glanced around the room at the other people working. His glance fell on Max and Liz who were sitting in a corner talking quietly to each other. He had no idea what they were talking about, but from the pained expressions on their faces, he could only guess that it had something to do with the whole Tess chaos. He hoped that they could get it worked out. He liked Liz and knew that she and Max were good for each other, destiny or no.



He was just glad that he and Maria weren't going through that anymore. As he thought this, he looked at her. His girl. His love. He was finally able to admit it. He had loved her for a long time but had been too scared to say it until recently. He took in her face and smiled softly at how beautiful and wonderful she was. He was so lucky to have her, and he had been stupid to try to push her away out of fear. Good thing she was stubborn and hadn't listened to him.



His gaze moved down, to her neck, her smooth and creamy neck. As he stared at it, a small voice in the back of his mind came to life. Bite it. You know you want to bite that beautiful neck. Michael was shocked. Where had that voice come from? He loved Maria, he didn't want to- Oh but you do, the voice interrupted. You really do.



His mind was reeling. What was that voice saying? He couldn't bite her. Yes you can. You know you want to. Just look at that neck. Michael looked at her neck more closely. That smooooooooth creamy skin, the voice tantalized. You know what that skin tastes like. Doesn't it taste good? Michael could only agree with the voice in his mind. Yes, it does. That skin tastes wonderful, the voice continued. Just look at it. All that luscious skin, and all that blood pumping away underneath. The blood is just pumping and flowing, pumping and flowing… If the skin tastes that good, don't you think the blood must taste fantastic? Just imagine how sweet it would be. Rich and luxurious, flowing into your mouth, warm and tender. All you have to do is just bite into that delectable skin. Just reach over and bite…



Michael could feel himself morphing. His face was changing into that of an animal. He leaned closer into her neck, inhaling her scent as he went. That's it. It's so easy. Just bite and you will have the most wonderful taste in the world. It is ecstasy… and it is so easy… Just a little further now. You know you want to. Can't you just taste it?



Maria, who still had her eyes on her book, could feel Michael leaning into her. It felt like he was about to kiss her neck. Oh, so he wants to play? She would let him. She was really enjoying this new intimacy that they were sharing.



Buffy who had been across the room, happened to look over at Michael and Maria. She still couldn't believe that he and Spike had switched bodies, and the feelings that she had been having ever since that happened. When Spike got back into his own body, she was going to have to- It was then that she noticed that Michael had morphed out and was going in for the kill. Before she could do anything, however-



Michael, fangs bared, was about to bite, when suddenly he seemed to come back to himself. "NO!" he screamed, as he flung himself away. His face changed back instantly. What had come over him? What had possessed him to almost bite Maria? It had been seductive, alluring, and nearly impossible to resist. Oh, God, he would have hurt Maria!



Everybody had looked up at Michael's scream (except Buffy who was already looking at him that is), wondering what the hell was going on. At seeing his game face, the Scoobies all shared a worried look, Giles especially.



Giles now knew that since Michael had vamped out, the demon must still be in Spike's body with Michael. But where did that leave them? Michael had a soul, which must have some effect on the demon, as he had obviously just stopped himself from biting the girl. But how much? And where did this leave/ put Spike? And what about the chip? Had Michael stopped because he had some control from his soul? Or did he stop because of the chip? He hadn't seemed to be in pain, though, well, at least not physical pain, after he attempted to bite her. So once again, where did this leave them? This would bear more careful investigation.



Maria looked at Michael confused. Why had he suddenly stopped? She had been looking forward to a little fun with Michael. She then noticed his game face when she looked up startled. Oh God, he had been about to bite her. And the look he was giving her now was one of pure remorse, and incredulity, like he couldn't help himself. He had been about to bite her! But didn't he love her? Obviously not, was the thought in the back of her mind. Her more rational mind chose to ignore it. It had to have been the vampire in his new body. Maybe the demon in Spike's body had control of him. (She was fairly knowledgeable about vampires as they, and some other paranormal things had caught her interest before, and she had looked into them out of curiosity, never really believing them to be real, before all of this anyway). Oh, she hoped not. Otherwise who knew what would happen before they could get him back in his own body? But maybe it didn't. After all, he had stopped himself before he had actually bitten her. He probably still had some control left. But just how much did he have? Right now, the only thing she knew for sure was that, no matter how much she loved Michael, she couldn't trust him in that body, and she would therefore have to keep away from him. If the demon was controlling him, or could control him, even a little… Oh God.
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.

A/N 2: I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for it. As always, real life barges in unmercifully on my writing time and makes it really hard for me to actually get any writing done. Plus I think my muse may have gone on vacation. Ah well, anyway, thanks to all of you for sticking in there and I hope you enjoy this part. And thanks especially to Bloodstar. You are awesome!

Chapter 13- Giving in to Emotion





Michael and Maria sat in a glen, a beautiful wooded one, filled with aromatic plants. They sat on a blanket; Maria was in front, and was leaning back into Michael, his arms wrapped around her waist. As she sat there, listening to her breathing and the occasional calls of birds, she felt a deep peace and contentment wash over her. She felt safe and loved. She felt cherished.



She craned her head back slightly to look at Michael. His eyes were half closed in the drowsy afternoon. His breath was soft and warm against her cheek. She smiled at him and placed a light kiss on his lips. Pulling back, she softly whispered that she loved him, and then she turned her head back around.



There was silence for several moments, and then Maria felt a change. It was a minute change, so small that at first she wasn't sure she had even really felt it. But she had, she knew she had. She couldn't at first readily identify it, it was so small, but then she felt it more strongly. The peace and comfort was gone from the glen, erased, and in its place was a cold emptiness, a nothingness that haunted. The very air around them had changed, and been tainted.



Maria shivered involuntarily, chilled by the lack of feeling. Michael's arms tightened around her. It seemed that he had felt it too. She took comfort in that, in him. But then his arms continued to tighten, past the comfort level, until she was having trouble breathing.



"Michael," she managed to gasp out, as she tried to free herself. Now his arms were so tight she couldn't breathe at all. As she struggled to capture a much-needed breath of air, her head turned and she saw him. He was different. What she saw of him now scared her so badly that if she had had any air to, she would have screamed. As it was, she barely had enough left to keep her eyes open to see the animal that had taken Michael's place, and to struggle for air. For that is what his face had become, that of an animal. Her struggles ceased then, as she looked at him, for she simply did not have enough air left anymore, and her vision was beginning to fade, as she grew more and more lightheaded. He smiled cruelly at her before lowering his fangs to her exposed, and in that position, elongated neck. As his teeth tore at her flesh and her life's blood spilled and stained the floor of the forest, her vision darkened, until the only things she could make out were the thing that was destroying her and the red mud she now sat in. Her last thought was of pain and a deep sense of loss before she collapsed, her oxygen totally spent.



* * *



Maria sat up quickly in bed and took a long deep gasp of air. Her hands flew to the side of her neck where the michael thing had bitten her, but discovered nothing there but smooth, unmarred skin. 'It was just a dream,' she realized, breathing a deep sigh of relief. That relief was short lived however, as she remembered the reason that she was having such a dream. Michael had become a vampire. Well, not exactly become, but close enough, until they could figure out how to switch them back. And he had tried to bite her earlier that day. She closed her eyes in pain. She would not think of that now. She needed some oil.



Getting up, being careful not to disturb Isabel and Liz, who were her roommates for this little trip, she crossed the motel room to her suitcase and knelt down. She fished around until she found a bottle of her most calming oil and inhaled some deeply. She felt slightly better after that, but knew it would be a long time before she would be able to go back to sleep.



She decided that some air might do her some good and she could use a cold drink anyway, so grabbing her flip-flops and a bottle of holy water (Buffy had given them each one and told them to carry them with them at all times before they had separated earlier), she headed down to the snack machines. Walking out of the room, she looked around carefully while locking the door. She continued to watch everything around her as she made her way down. Turning the corner of the snack area, she found Max sitting at the table, eyes downcast and looking desolate.



Max had been there for a while, as he was not able to sleep either, his guilt weighing too heavily on him. He and Liz had had a long talk earlier while they were supposed to be researching, and for the first time, he had felt how deeply he had truly hurt her. During his whole Tess stupidity, he hadn't really stopped to think about how it would affect her, his Liz. He had known that he was being idiotic- hell, he had even known he was being idiotic when he was having sex with her- but he still hadn't stopped himself. Maybe a part of him had wanted to get back at Liz for hurting him, maybe that's why he hadn't stopped. He didn't know. All he knew was that his desire for Tess had been irrational and tremendously foolish. He hadn't stopped to think and he had hurt people, namely Liz and Alex, but the whole group had also been affected, in the process.



And that was another thing. Because of him, Alex had been killed. If he hadn’t encouraged Tess, she wouldn't have needed him to translate the book and he would still be alive today. He was a fool and a murderer. It was his fault Alex was gone and he could never do anything to make up for the fact. And then the way he had acted after, towards those he loved. It was shameful and degrading of his feelings for them. In some small part in the back of his mind, he had known all this, but he hadn't really realized it until he had begun talking with Liz earlier that afternoon. It was then that he understood just how deeply he had wounded her, Alex and the others- how much he had screwed everything up. And he had been trying to explain things to her, to see if they couldn't work things out. Now he wasn't sure if he should. He had hurt them all badly.



Then when everything with Michael had happened, Max had felt even more responsible. If he had been concentrating on being a leader like he was supposed to be, instead of worrying about his romantic life, he would have been able to stop all of this from happening. And if not stop it, at least not let it get to the point where it was, with Michael nearly hurting Maria today. Michael had managed to stop himself, but still, it had been close. It was after that that the group had called a halt to the day, deciding they would all be fresher with some sleep. Before they had left however, Max and the others had made sure that Spike was staying with someone else- it was too dangerous for him to be alone right now. He was- he was staying at Buffy's house, because in his "human" form (to the Scoobies) he couldn't defend himself in his crypt. Max had felt a little better after that. He knew from Isabel that Spike wouldn't try anything in front of her. At least he had done one thing right.



It was, though, as Max had watched Maria back away from Michael earlier, fear and pain in her eyes, that it had really hit home about how bad a leader he was. He never should have let things get to this point. And now, even after spending a day researching, he still had no idea how to fix them. It was thoughts of this nature that had kept him from sleeping and had him at the snack area of the motel at 2 in the morning. And it was because of this that he did not notice Maria approach.



He jumped up startled when she said softly, "Hey girlfriend."



As they looked at each other, they both could see the anxiety and the pain in the other's eyes. And both knew that there would be no sleep for either one of them that night.



"If I had been a monster, I would have gotten you before you would have even noticed me, Max," Maria told him quietly as she sat down next to him.



He just shrugged, still on the self-loathing kick. "Maybe I deserve to be gotten."



Placing her hand on his shoulder, Maria forced him to look at her, "No you don’t, Max. Don’t say that, please."



Looking at her, Max felt some of his self loathing leave him, he had done appalling things, but now was not the time to dwell on them, now was the time that Maria needed him and he would be there for her. He could dwell on his faults and wrongdoings later, but now she needed him more. He was finally going to do what he should, and put aside his own feelings, so he could be there for a friend in pain.



"I'm sorry," he said simply.



Tears gathered in her eyes as she felt the hurt surge to the surface again. "Me too," she said before the clouds overcame her and she buried her head in his shoulder, giving in to the emotion. He held her and watched over her as she cried.



* * *



Wow, this one got a little angsty. If you can tell, I just watched the end of the second season of Roswell again, and I think I may have picked up some of the anxiety from that. The story will get more lighthearted soon, I hope… And there will be more of the other characters in the next part.
Last edited by Roswell428 on Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:44 pm, edited 1 time 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.

A/N 2: Wow, it's been a long time since I have worked on this story. As always, real life is too demanding for me to get in a lot of writing time. Plus, most teachers just don't seem to understand the concept that theirs is not your only class, so they shouldn't ask you to read a 400-page novel in two days, for example; at least my teachers don't seem to anyway. Hope that you like it and sorry for the extremely long wait. And before I forget, can I just say how much the Roswell DVD set rocks? I love it! And I'm so happy that they finally released it here, though the music changes are bummers, but other than that it's great! I can't wait until they release the next two seasons. Also, thanks a lot to my wonderful reviewers- you all are wonderful and reading your reviews simply makes my day. Thank you all.

Chapter Fourteen- What Dreams May Come

Buffy Summers looked around and noticed that she was in the middle of what appeared to be a deserted glen, until she noticed the couple sitting on the blanket on the far side of it. She looked more closely and discovered that the couple was Michael and Maria, except that Michael was in his own body. She watched them and heard Maria sigh contentedly. Buffy felt a pang of jealousy at that- she wanted to feel a love like that again. She had briefly felt it with Angel, but that was over before she could even truly relish her happiness with him. She was about to turn away, when she saw something disturbing- Michael appeared to be suffocating Maria. She started to rush forward, when a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"It's not for you to save her," Michael, beside her, said cryptically, "Not now, anyway." Buffy was puzzled for a moment before she realized that it wasn't Michael, but Spike, she was talking to. But why was he in Michael's body in this dream? Especially as Michael was also in Michael's body right on the other side of the clearing?

"But she's-"

Spike cut her off, "This is not up to you. Leave it. You are not meant to interfere now, pet." He smirked at her. "Come on, I have something to show you," and grabbing her hand, he dragged her off.

As they were leaving, Buffy turned back just as Michael bit into Maria and saw the look of pain and loss on the girl's face. A single tear slipped down her cheek for the girl she had just met. She knew she should have stopped it from happening, despite Spike's protests, but she took consolation from the fact that it was just a dream. She resolved then not to let anything happen to Maria in real life, nor to any of the other Roswellians. She was the protector of the innocent after all.

She continued to follow Spike as he led her through the bushes of the glen into a vast expanse of open desert, where an immense battle was taking place. She recognized the Scoobies and the Roswellians fighting side by side against the other group. But what was the other group? They looked human, but Buffy's senses were telling her that there was something off about them, not quite demon, but not really human either. She started to ask Spike about them, when a shot was fired in their direction, from one of the weapons the other group was holding. It appeared to be some kind of laser weapon. Just as she was about to dodge the blast, Spike threw up his (Michael's) hand and the blast disintegrated.

"I've been practicing," he smiled conspiratorially.

Buffy looked at him in confusion. "How did you do that?"

"Oh come on, Slayer, the answer should be obvious to you, with all those slayer insights you've got." As she continued to just stare at him, he said, "Come on now love, use your senses. What do you feel?"

"Well, you don't feel normal, you don't feel either demon or human now, but I thought that was just because of the body switch…" As Spike just shook his head in amusement, she trailed off. "Come to think of it," she continued, expanding her senses once more, "You feel like those others, the ones we're fighting now."

"Bingo, love."

"Well what are you?"

"S'not for me to tell, s'for you to figure out. And you bloody well better hurry up too, as time is running out." With that said, he disappeared, leaving Buffy alone at the edge of the battle.


* * *

Buffy sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. It was nearly three in the morning. She knew there would be no going back to sleep for her, so she decided to go talk to Spike. Maybe he would be able to shed some light on her strange and cryptic dream; after all, he had played a key part in it. She also needed to talk to Giles, but knew that at this hour he was asleep, so it would have to wait until morning. But she could talk to Spike now.

She headed quietly down the stairs and into the living room, where Spike was staying the night on the couch. When she got there, she found him sound asleep. She knew if she woke him up when he was sleeping like that, he wouldn't tell her anything, that is, if he knew anything to tell. Buffy had a suspicion, though, that he did.

'Great,' she thought, 'The one time I actually do need to seriously talk to him, and he's asleep. Figures.' She had the childish urge to stomp her foot, as the dream had left her frustrated and upset and now she was unable to ask Spike about it, but she refrained, knowing it would do her no good. She instead decided to go back out on patrol, to work off some of that frustration. She had already patrolled earlier in the evening, but another sweep wouldn't hurt.

After going back upstairs to get dressed, she headed out. She headed over to one of her favorite cemeteries to patrol, the one where Spike's crypt was, and where there was usually the most demon activity. After searching for a while, she found a nest of seven vampires in a nearby abandoned mausoleum. Deciding she had more than enough energy to take them, she jumped into the fray, immediately taking out two of them. The others jumped up in surprise and quickly moved in for the kill.

One by one, Buffy took them down, until there was just one left. He snarled at her and lunged for her throat. Boy, was that a stupid move. Buffy used the heel of her hand to knock his head back and then quickly staked him before he had time to recover.

She walked out of the mausoleum, feeling suddenly very tired as the adrenaline from the fight left her. Those vamps had taken far more out of her than she had thought they would. Feeling wearier with each passing step, she decided not to make the long walk back to her house and to crash in Spike's crypt instead. After all, it's not as if it would be the first time she had slept there; she had many times, in fact.

Reaching his crypt, she went in and bolted the door behind her. The minute her head hit his pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

The next morning at Buffy's house:

As Willow, Tara, Dawn and Spike all got up and prepared to go meet the Roswellians back at the Magic Box, as they had arranged the day before, no one could find Buffy.

Walking down the stairs, Willow called to Dawn, "Dawn, have you seen Buffy? Or did you hear her leave earlier?"

"No. Sorry, Willow, I can't find her either," Dawn replied scrambling to eat breakfast before they had to go.

"She probably just went on ahead, Willow. I know this body switching mess was really bothering her and she may have wanted to get a head start on it. I bet she'll be at the Magic Box when we get there," Tara said wrapping her arms around her lover.

"Yeah, you're right, sweetie. She's probably there. We should get going anyway. Come on Dawn and Spike- we're leaving."

The four of them piled into the Summers' SUV and headed off.

* * *

About half an hour later, Buffy woke up from a deep sleep. Looking around at her surroundings, she remembered what had happened last night and the dream she had had. 'I've got to tell Giles,' she thought. 'He'll be able to make something of it.' She then remembered that she was supposed to meet them all at the Magic Box, so she set off.

When she arrived, she noticed the Pod Squad and the Scooby Gang all standing off to one side of the shop, surrounded by another familiar group. The members of the Pod Squad all looked uncomfortable and irritated, as the men in the suits seemed to be 'guarding' them and not allowing them to really move. They seemed to feel threatened (especially because the men were wearing suits and looked very government-type, but Buffy couldn't know that), but they also seemed to be waiting to see how the situation played out, whether or not there was truly cause for nervousness or action. To Buffy's experienced eyes, it looked like they were preparing to defend themselves should the need call for it. She wondered where and why they had been forced to learn that lesson, and she resolved to ask them about it later. The Scoobies all just looked angry.

Buffy looked to Giles in dismay at the intrusion and he could only shrug back hopelessly.

"Well, Ms. Summers, so good of you to finally arrive. We have been waiting for you for a while, so that we could begin. But then as I remember correctly, you always did have a penchant for tardiness," Quentin Travers said, smiling evilly at her.

* * * * * * *

I know I'm bad to stop it there, but well…. Anyway, about the Spike/ Michael thing of dissolving the laser blast. Since one of their powers is to manipulate molecules, I figured that he would probably be able to do that if he figured out how, besides it was a dream. If he couldn't do that, just let me know. Thanks.
Last edited by Roswell428 on Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

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Roswell428
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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.

A/N 2: Wow, it's been a long time since I have worked on this story. As always, real life is too demanding for me to get in a lot of writing time. Also, thanks a lot to my wonderful reviewers- you all are wonderful and reading your reviews simply makes my day. And thanks for reading this fic. Thank you all.

Chapter Fifteen – Fears From Shared Dreams

Isabel Evans was disturbed. She had shared a very strange dream last night with Buffy Summers and she had no idea what it really meant. As they were leaving the Magic Box the previous night, Isabel had seen Buffy drop a ponytail holder and she had quickly scooped it up. Dreamwalking always worked better with a picture of a person, but a personal item (especially from someone with an aura as strong as Buffy's) would usually work. She had been curious and she had wanted to figure out what kind of situation she and the others were getting themselves into. She knew Buffy knew something she wasn't telling.

So she had grabbed the ponytail holder and pocketed it, resolving to try to dreamwalk her that night. She hadn't been prepared for what she had found.

When she had woken up, she had been even more confused. What she had witnessed them fighting could only have been aliens, but who it was, she wasn't sure of. She knew it was probably Kivar and the skins, but they had many enemies and it could just as easily have been another group.

And what was with those weapons they had? She had never seen anything like it. Watching Spike in Michael's body deflect the blast with his powers gave her hope, though. That means that at least if they could figure out how to do that, they would have some defense.

Another thing that had bothered her was that the Spike in the dream knew they were aliens and was encouraging Buffy to figure out what they were. What did they mean by her senses? How could she sense they weren't human? She had known there was more to Buffy than what met the eye, and though she was more sure of it after dreamwalking her, she still didn't know what it was. And the fact that she was close to figuring out they were aliens scared her. The battle scared her also. If they truly were supposed to fight another alien group with these scoobies (and Isabel had a sinking feeling they were), they would need to know their secret, if only for their own protection. After all, how were they supposed to fight these aliens if they didn't know what they were? And that thought scared her even more.

After the dream, she had awoken to find Liz sound asleep and Maria gone. She knew she had to find Max anyway; he needed to know this information.

It was with these thoughts that Isabel found Maria crying quietly into Max's shoulder in the snack area. She hated to interrupt, after all with what Maria was going through she needed to let the emotion out, but this was important, so she did.

"Hi guys," she said quietly.

Max and Maria looked up quickly and Isabel softly smiled at them. "I hate to interrupt, but I have something really important to tell you."

With that Isabel proceeded to tell them her dream. When she was through, the three had sat in silence for a few moments.

Max finally spoke up. "You're sure she wasn't just having a random dream," he asked bleakly.

Isabel shook her head. "No, this was too real for that. I'm wondering if she might be some kind of psychic or something."

"It's possible," Maria agreed. "Though they do all seem to know something they aren't telling us."

"What I'm worried about," Isabel said hesitantly, "Is that they may need to know our secret if this plays out like the dream showed."

Max glanced at her quickly. "They may know our secret regardless. I'm not sure how long we can keep Spike from it, if he hasn't figured it out already, and then he may tell them."

"He might not, though. We all know how he didn’t want to practice with Michael's powers in front of the rest of them, especially Buffy," Maria said.

"That's true, but I think we need to be prepared for any eventuality," Max continued. "We should just feel the situation out as we go along and then go from there."

The others nodded their agreement and the three (each of them knowing that they wouldn't be able to go back to sleep) continued to talk about the situation until the morning, before each went back to their room to change.

All of the Podsters had then met back at the shaded snack area to have a quick breakfast before getting in the van to head back to the Magic Box for more research. During breakfast, Isabel had filled the rest in on her dream and the group had come to the same conclusions that the three had the night before. They would just monitor the situation carefully and be prepared to do what was needed.

When they arrived at the Magic Box, they had been pulled inside by a group of government looking types. The suits had quickly herded them into a corner. Max, Isabel and Michael had shared a look and in that look decided to wait before acting. Each of them was prepared to use their powers to defend themselves and the rest of the Podsters if need be, but if this group didn't know their secret, they didn’t want to expose themselves without reason to yet. So they would wait and see.

This was the reason was Isabel was currently extremely nervous. The suits were just keeping them there, in the corner, and not doing anything. They appeared to be waiting for something. Isabel looked around and realized everyone else was there, everyone except Buffy, that is. Perhaps they were waiting for Buffy.

It was at that moment that Buffy came in. She took in the situation and her mouth opened in surprise. Her face then contorted in anger and she looked to Giles. Isabel saw him only shrug back. Judging by the anger, Isabel guessed that they knew the suits- they knew the suits and didn’t like them.

Isabel wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.

It was then that the one who seemed to be the head suit spoke up.

"Well, Ms. Summers, so good of you to finally arrive. We have been waiting for you for a while, so that we could begin. But then as I remember correctly, you always did have a penchant for tardiness," the head suit said, smiling evilly at Buffy.

--------------------------------------------------------

Wow, I know I'm bad to do that and not get to the Council's reason for being there, but that will happen next chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

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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.

A/N 2: Lots and lots of exposition in this part. I had to do lots of rewrites and it still feels kind of bogged down to me, but the exposition is necessary. Ah, well...


Chapter Sixteen - Involuntary Confessions


Buffy crossed her arms and looked at Quentin petulantly. "What is it exactly that you want? I thought I made myself perfectly clear the last time you showed up."

Travers' grin just got bigger. "Quite. But with the information we have, I thought you really would be glad to see us."

Xander snorted.

"Well, I see you are still working with these 'people' when your destiny is to fight alone."

"According to my 'destiny,'" Buffy held the word with disgust, "I should be in the ground."

"Yes, well, unforeseen things do occasionally happen," Quentin replied, looking at first at Xander, then at Willow.

Willow blushed slightly, while Xander just rolled his eyes.

"As amusing as this is, would you please get on with it? You say you have information for us. If we could see it, then you can just be on your way," Giles spoke up.

"It's not quite that simple," one of the Council's many flunkies hedged. "For you see, this goes beyond what you have dealt with before. This isn't just about the saving of the world; it is about the saving of two worlds."

The Scoobies just looked confused. The Podsters shared a worried look.

Quentin caught the Roswellians' look. "Yes, your 'highnesses,'" though the sneer he addressed them with could be called anything but respectful, 'this involves your world too.'

Willow looked at them curiously. "Are they some kind of royalty or something?"

"Some kind... You see, they are not exactly as they appear."

"What do you mean," Giles asked suspiciously.

Before he could answer, Max moved forward commandingly. "How do you know about us? Who are you?" He raised his hand and pointed it at the Council members, as did Michael and Isabel. Michael raised his hand out of habit, forgetting in the threat he felt to his family that he no longer could access those powers.

"Do you really want to harm me before I tell you what I know?" They lowered their hands slightly. "I thought not." He turned back to Willow, "Yes they are royalty, just not of the human kind."

"You mean they are some kind of demon royalty," Xander asked with a slight frown.

"I don't think so," Anya said, her face a mask of puzzlement. "I've never seen them before, and in my time, I got to know most of the higher ups."

Michael moved forward and glowered at Travers. "He asked you a question. Who are you?"

Quentin looked at him for a moment. "All in good time, boy. You must be Rath, the second in command. Your reputation for impetuousness precedes you." He turned back to the others. "No, they are not demon royalty, they are alien royalty."

"Aliens!?!" The exclamation came from several people at once.

For the first time, Spike spoke up. He looked at the shocked and disbelieving faces around him and chuckled softly, "So you lot can believe in vampires and demons, but aliens are a stretch?" The powers he now had were starting to make a whole lot more sense.

Giles looked slightly sheepish. "Spike does make a good point." He turned to Max, "Are you really aliens?"

Max looked at the rest of the Roswellians. The secret was out of the bag, they might as well fill in the details. Besides, who knew just how much these other people were going to reveal. "Yes, we are aliens. Only Michael, Isabel and I are though."

Buffy was thoughtful. Well, that explained at least part of her dream. She would definitely have to talk to Giles later.

Willow paused, "You are ... good ... aliens, right?"

Kyle jumped in, amused, "Yeah most of the time they are, just their whole luck for getting in trouble can be really annoying."

"Thanks Kyle," Isabel said dryly.

He just grinned back.

Michael, ever the paranoid one, just glared at Travers and the rest of the Council members more threateningly. "How do you know this???"

"We have our sources. A while ago we were in contact with a group called the Skins and I believe they were looking for you," Travers said with a small grin.

Max and Isabel's hands came up, while Michael now remembering his transformation (and not wanting to give them any more information than they already had, such as him now being a vampire) moved into an attack posture.

"You work with the Skins," Max asked tightly.

Travers looked affronted. "Not with so crass a group as that, no. We originally were interested in what they were doing here and what they wanted. When we found out all they cared about was you and the foolish war you had going on on Antar, we left them alone, only keeping tabs on them in case something else came up."

Buffy looked at the Roswellians' tense reactions. "Who are these Skins?"

Travers motioned to another flunky who took over. "You see, to understand the Skins, you need to know about Antar first. The planet was ruled by Zan," he gestured to Max, "who was king. With him was his sister, Vilandra," he pointed to Isabel, "and his second in command, Rath," he nodded to Michael. "There was also his bride, Ava, but we will get to her later," he said noticing the Roswell group's further intense reaction to the mention of her name.

The flunky continued, "Another, Kivar, wanted to be king and he had to royals murdered, with the help of the lovely Vilandra." Isabel shuddered and Max wrapped an arm around her. The Scoobies shared confused looks with each other. If she had betrayed them, why was she with them and why was her brother comforting her? For that matter, if they were murdered, what were they doing here?

Quentin picked up the story thread. "To save their planet, the four's DNA was cloned and mixed with human DNA to create human/ alien hybrids. This way they would be able to blend in on Earth where they could be safe until it was time for them to return."

Spike was thoughtful. If he had Michael's powers and he was second in command and therefore military on his planet, it kind of explained how he was able to blow up things. It made him wonder what else he could do.

Quentin looked at the Scoobies. "You've heard of the 1947 Crash in Roswell?" When they all nodded, he continued. "Yes, that was their ship driven by their protectors and covered up by the government. Unfortunately, the government wasn't able to stop the protectors from taking the pods which contained them and placing one set in New York and the other in Roswell."

Willow interrupted. "There are two sets of you guys?"

Max nodded slowly. "It was for insurance."

Willow's mouth formed a small 'o' and Tara nodded, lost in thought.

"The Skins were sent to Earth by Kivar to find the Royal Four and kill them."

Giles was confused. "Wait a moment, if the ship crashed in 1947, why do you look like 17 year olds?"

Isabel took this one, "We were in incubation pods until 1989 and when we emerged we looked like 6 year olds."

"They've aged normally since then," Maria put in.

"Well, we are half human," Max said with a shrug, while Michael just continued to glare around the room.

"What about this Ava girl," Xander asked.

"She betrayed us," Liz spat, the anger still coursing in her veins over Tess.

Max looked ashamed and guilty. "She used me to conceive an heir for Kivar and she... she murdered a dear friend to be able to get home." Even though Liz was still upset, she couldn't bear to see Max hurting like that and grabbed his hand in support. Kyle wrapped an arm around Liz and one around Isabel, knowing how much talking about her hurt both of them. Michael squeezed Maria briefly, before remembering it wasn't safe for him to be near her and moving away again.

Giles looked at Quentin harshly. “Why are you being so helpful and giving us so much information at this point? Usually we have to drag it out of you.”

"That would be because of Ava, or Tess, as she was known here," Quentin answered. "It is because of her that we're here. Well, her and Kivar, and their plans for you... and the destruction of Earth..."

________________________________________________

Cliffe! I shouldn't leave it here, but well... :D
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

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Switching Lives
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Roswell428
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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.

A/N 2: This never seemed to go quite right, but since I’m so late in posting, I decided to just go ahead and put it up. More necessary exposition... sigh... :roll:

Chapter 17 - More Unwilling Disclosures

The Roswellians shared another suspicious look. “What plans for the Earth,” Sheriff Valenti asked.

Travers ignored this question. “Why are you in contact with humans, sharing your secret? According to what we learned from the Skins, this goes against your mission of returning home.”

Isabel shot him a full ‘Ice Princess’ look and grabbed both Liz and Maria’s hands. “Sometimes you just have to trust people.” Both girls smiled at her, knowing how much Isabel had changed and that she now fully accepted them into the group.

“Highly irregular.”

“What plans for the Earth,” Sheriff Valenti repeated annoyed.

“Fine. Their plans for the Earth are basically to destroy it and everyone on it, including your highnesses,” Quentin replied shortly.

“What?!? But how can Kivar do that?” several people asked at once, with variations on the phrase.

Once quiet had been restored, Travers continued. “Now that Kivar has his heir, he no longer feels he needs the Royal Four. You all can be killed, including his precious Vilandra, as his power has been assured and you only pose a threat as you one day might find a way back.”

One of the other council members picked up the thread. “He is also tired of Earth and thinks it has caused him too much trouble, as it is harboring his enemies, so he has decided to get rid of the whole planet. As it would take several years for them to get here by ship, the quickest way would be for them to destroy the planet using something on Earth. That something would just happen to be the Hellmouth...”

“The Hellmouth! Oh, God,” several people again voiced.

“How is he going to get the Hellmouth,” Buffy asked. “Especially if he’s not here. He’s not, right?”

“No, girl, he’s not. As to how he’s going to ‘get’ the Hellmouth, we have no idea. We do know, though, that with a power source as volatile as the Hellmouth and the alien technology, it could very well be the end of Earth.”

Max had been thinking, “I’m not sure what this Hellmouth is, but it could be one of the Skins here is going to activate it. There could still be several here, for all we know. We don’t know how much time their husks have left.”

Travers gave a short nod. “From our information, it most likely will be an attack on the Hellmouth by the Skins, though we are not sure what they are planning to do exactly. What we do know, is that for this to work, both those who protect the Hellmouth and the Royal Four would have to be distracted–“

“Hence the body switching,” Giles cut in. “It has certainly had us distracted.”

Travers gave Giles an irritated look. “Quite right. While you have not been paying attention, though why you should even bother with that vampire when it is your clear duty to slay it, several Skin units have been on the move and we think they are heading here.” He turned to look at both groups and the Scoobies (minus Xander) shot him looks ranging from irritated to dirty. “On to defense. All of the aliens have special powers- Zan has the ability to heal and create shields, Rath has the ability to blow things up, and Vilandra has the ability to dream walk people- literally enter and control people’s dreams if she so chooses.”

Buffy looked suspicious at this comment, remembering her very unusual dream.

“All of them can of course, manipulate molecular structure to a certain degree and both Liz Parker and Kyle Valenti should be developing their powers soon,” Travers continued.

“Why should they be developing powers,” Giles asked as Michael once again asked how they could know this.

“One question at a time. They should be developing powers because both were brought back from the brink of death by Zan and in so doing, they were changed. As to how we know this, apparently Ava was very free with information when she returned to Kivar.”

The Roswellians all looked angry again, but Buffy cut in before they could. “So what happens to Michael’s powers since he and Spike have switched? Michael seems to have inherited the demon, so does Spike have his powers?”

“Yes, he does,” Max answered heavily. “We don’t know if he knows what they are, but it is with Michael’s powers that he killed that demon.”

The Scoobies all looked at Spike. “Why didn’t you tell us this?,” Giles demanded.
Before Spike could answer, Michael jumped in, “What exactly is a Hellmouth and why are you the protectors of it? I thought you were a crime club...”

Travers once again looked highly irritated. “What is it with you and questions, boy? You do not need to know who these people are- your only concern should be stopping the Skins from ending the world and that is up to you alone.”

Max sighed, “He’s right Michael, it is up to us, but how are we supposed to fight with Michael... like he is?”

Buffy shot a glare at Travers. “We’ll help you fight of course. We’re supposed to, based on the dream I had last night.”

“What dream,” Giles asked, while Isabel asked, “How can you help us? You don’t even know what you’re up against.”

“I’ll tell you about the dream later, Giles,” Buffy answered. “As to how we can help, we’ve been fighting to keep this planet going and averting apocalypses for the past six years.”

Willow and Xander both nodded agreement. “It’s what we do,” Xander chimed in.

“Why is it what you do,” Liz asked.

“That is none of your concern,” Quentin cut in.

The Roswellians were all irritated. He was willing to divulge every detail of their lives to the group, but was not willing to share about how he was connected to the other group. Arrogant.

‘The Council was still playing its stupid privacy games while the world was possibly going to end,’ Giles thought with disgust.

“It’s because I’m the Slayer,” Buffy answered, looking angrily at Travers.

“What’s a Slayer,” Maria asked.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Switching Lives
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Roswell428
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Posts: 25
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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.

A/N 2: Even more exposition... sigh...

Chapter 18: The Truth of the Matter

Giles took this question. “A slayer is literally a vampire slayer. She is the one girl in all of the world who is chosen to fight the demons and the vampires who prowl the world. She has to stop the many apocalypses as well. Slayers have many powers such as super strength and speed, an advanced healing capacity, advanced senses and some prophetic ability. She is called as a teenager and slayers generally have short life spans, as they have a very dangerous calling. Buffy was called when she was fifteen.”

“How short is short,” Kyle asked.

“Most slayers don’t live to see their eighteenth birthdays. The lucky ones make it to twenty,” Dawn answered quietly. Up until this point, she had remained silent as she had just been absorbing the information the council had offered. Then she continued proudly, “But Buffy’s 21. She’s one of the oldest slayers on record.”

“Yes, well, there were those two little incidents of her death to mar that perfect record,” Travers said malevolently.

Giles said, “Shut up, you bloody ponce!” just as Spike chimed in with “You bleeding wanker!”

“If you’ve died twice,” Liz asked, her natural curiosity coming out, “How is it that you’re ...” she then trailed off, uncertain how to phrase the question tactfully.

“How is it that I’m still here,” Buffy finished for her. “Well, once Xander did CPR and though I wasn’t gone long, I was still technically dead. Then another time, Willow used magic.” The abruptness of that sentence indicated that Buffy didn’t want to talk about it.

“You’re a witch,” Maria asked excitedly, momentarily forgetting about her worries with Michael and what was going to happen with him and the situation with Kivar. “That’s so cool!”

“We prefer the term wicca, but yeah, Tara and I are witches,” Willow answered.

“Interesting,” Isabel offered. Inside, her excitement was building as she considered the possibilities. Willow was a witch. Willow had brought someone back from the dead. If she had done it once, maybe she could do it again. Alex...

Michael then chimed in. “I thought you said that ‘slayer’ was just your nickname. Why didn’t you tell us the truth?”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were aliens,” Xander shot back.

Max bypassed the question with one of his own. “You mentioned the word ‘watcher’ before, as a name or a title. What is it?”

Giles answered. “That would be me. The watcher is the one who guides and trains the slayer for her calling–“

Travers interrupted him. “Mr. Giles is no longer a member of the Watcher’s Council. He was fired several years ago.”

Buffy turned her glare on Travers again. “Yes, for caring about me. Which in my book, is not of the bad. Besides I don’t consider any of you real watchers anyway- you’re just assholes.”

Seeing the Roswellians confused looks, Dawn supplied, “They do this really cruel test on slayers when they turn eighteen and Giles interfered when they did it to Buffy.”

“If you’ve shared all of the information you have, I would suggest that you leave,” Giles told the council members coldly.

Travers just glanced at him coolly. “Yes, that is the information we came to deliver. Keep in mind, that the only reason we are cooperating with you is–“

Before he could finish his intended cutting remark, Giles had forcibly ushered him and the other council members to the door. Closing the door firmly behind them, he locked it and turned back to the group.

“Back to something you said earlier, what is this Hellmouth,” Sheriff Valenti asked.

“It is basically the mouth of hell,” Giles answered. “It is a core of evil that acts as a magnet to draw evil to the area. Evil is nourished by it, and in return, it is nurtured by the evil it draws. If it were to be used as a power source, it could be extremely volatile.”

“It basically makes Sunnydale a demon hotspot,” Xander chimed in.

“So if the Skins got a hold of it...” Michael trailed off.

“Exactly,” Willow responded, sharing a look with Tara.

“Where is this Hellmouth,” Max asked.

“It’s located under what used to be the high school,” Buffy replied, “before I blew it up.”

Liz, who had been looking around the magic shop while she was listening to the conversation, suddenly stopped. A strange feeling had come over her. Her hands began to crackle and glow with energy. She drew in her breath sharply. This called the group’s attention to her.

Max was at her side in an instant. “Liz?!?”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me.” Her anxiety grew and the volume of the sparks did as well.

“It’s her powers,” Isabel breathed. “Her powers are beginning to manifest.”

“What kind of power is that, though,” Maria asked. “I’ve seen you guys use energy before, but not like that.”

Michael looked thoughtful. “Nascedo said that our powers were basically advanced human powers. Maybe this is just another form of that.”

Liz’s hand accidentally brushed Max’s. She gasped as she was seized with a sudden vision. *She saw a large battle in the desert. She saw Nicholas fighting with Max. The scene switched and she saw the Skins on the move in several buses, heading to California.*

The energy within her stopped crackling and she opened her eyes. She was met with worried looks. Hesitantly she explained to them what she had just seen, with the battle and with the Skins.

Buffy spoke up, “I had a dream similar to that last night.” She decided not to mention the part she had seen concerning Michael and Maria, as she could deal with that later and she felt it was not something everyone needed to hear.

“I know,” Isabel replied. “I had the same dream you did.”

“Did you use your powers on me,” Buffy asked suspiciously.

Isabel decided Buffy would not trust her if she learned that she had dreamwalked her, so she decided a tiny lie wouldn’t hurt. “No. But I have shared dreams with people before.”

“What just happened to me, though,” Liz turned to Max. “What was that?”

“It looks like your power may be to receive visions. If both Buffy and Isabel saw the same thing, what with Buffy’s prophetic ability (which Isabel was probably just picking up on when they shared the dream), then what you picked up could very well be real. In any case, I don’t think it was just your imagination. If it is real, then you may have the power of having visions, or of premonitions as some call it,” Max answered her, gripping her hand in support.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Switching Lives
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Roswell428
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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.

A/N 2: It’s kind of a short new part, but I wanted to get something up. Thanks to everybody who’s read and reviewed. The reviews just make my day! :D

Chapter 19 - An Unexpected Visitor

Max was still holding Liz’s hand when the door to the magic shop opened again and in walked a very familiar young woman.

There were exclamations from many people around the room, of surprise and anger. “TESS?!?”

The three Podsters walked forward menacingly, while the girl merely stood in the doorway.

“Wait, stop!” Liz exclaimed and rushed forward, to place herself between the purple haired girl and the other three. “It’s not Tess!”

Max, trusting Liz, stopped and Michael and Isabel stopped as well. “How do you know?”

“I don’t know. I just do. It’s not Tess.” Liz looked back at her. “Hey, Ava.”

“Hey Liz,” Ava said in her New York accent. “Hey guys.”

The rest of the group was still cautious after their recent betrayal by Tess and answered her noncommitally. She looked slightly hurt at that. “I know you must not be real happy to see me, but I just felt I had to be here.”

“Woah, back up a second,” Buffy said with a confused look on her face. “There are two sets of you guys, right? Is she the Ava from the other set, or what?”

Isabel answered her. “Yes, there are two sets of us. This ~is~ the Ava from the other set, the one who didn’t betray us, but...”

“But you’re not sure if you can trust me, I got it,” Ava finished for her. “After all, my dupe totally sold you out.”

“Yeah, and how do you know about that,” Kyle asked her. He wasn't sure how he should react to her. He had trusted, and in a way, loved Tess and she had forced him to carry Alex's body after she had murdered him. Not to mention messing with his head with her mindwarps. Now her dupe, who had the same exact power, just happens to show up in an alien 'situation' and she knew exactly what had happened to them? To him, it was really fishy and he knew that she could be a spy. He would just have to watch her carefully, is all, and not let her try any of her funny stuff.

“Let’s just say that I was Nicholas’ ‘guest’ for a while and he always liked to gloat. When I managed to get away, I knew I had to find you.”

Michael looked at her askance. “Why? What do you want?”

“Nicholas bragged about Kivar’s little scheme with the Hellmouth and from what he said, I pieced together that only a complete set would be able to defeat them, so I came here.”

Liz, who was still kind of traumatized about Tess, nonetheless saw how much the girl needed a friend and remembered just how she had helped when she was in Roswell. Even though a part of Liz was still unsure about her, the greater part recognized how much they did need her. She knew for a certainty, from that little visit from Future Max, that Ava was right about them needing a complete set. She realized that she would probably have to tell Max, if only so he knew just how much they did need Ava- they would have to talk later. Right now, she had to make sure that Ava felt welcome so she wouldn’t leave. She moved forward and pulled the girl into the shop, closing the door behind her. Then she surprised everyone by giving her a hug. “It’s good to see you, Ava.”

Ava hugged her back, with something akin to relief- at least someone believed her. She had been worried that with everything Tess had put them through, they wouldn’t accept her help. The stupid bitch- she was just as bad as Lonnie and Rath. “It’s good to see you too, Liz.”

Maria moved forward as well and offered her a small smile. Ava smiled back, finally letting herself believe that maybe it would be okay.

A sudden thought occured to Liz. She could also probably talk to Ava about what was going on with her. After all, Ava had been the one who knew that Liz would be changed, thanks to Max's healing of her; she just might know what was going on with her now. Liz released her and as she did and before she had a chance to voice her question, Ava pitched forward unsteadily. Liz and Maria caught her and then led her over to a chair to sit down. “What did he do to you,” Liz asked.

“He did whatever he could to get any information I had about you. I didn’t give him anything though- I swear,” Ava said anxiously. “I’ll be alright though. I’m just a little bruised and tired from running is all.”

Sheriff Valenti moved over to her. Upon seeing her walk in the door, his emotions had gone haywire. On the one hand, he knew that she was not the girl who had betrayed them. On the other, she looked exactly like the girl he had opened his heart and his home to, and who had repaid him by murdering one of their own. For the moment, he decided, he would just have to remember that Ava was NOT Tess, and take it from there. “The important thing is that you’re okay. Max,” he called, looking back at the young king, “why don’t you come over here and make sure?”

Max, who’s emotions had also been in turmoil, recognized that until it was proven otherwise, Ava was their ally and they probably did need her help in beating Kivar. They would just have to watch her, is all. “Sure, Sheriff.” He moved over to her and knelt down in front of her, connecting with her and making sure that she was really okay.

While he was doing that, Giles spoke up. The Scoobies had been quiet up to that point, letting the Roswellians handle it, but he felt it was necessary to know what they were dealing with. “So she is an ally then?”

Michael, while still paranoid, could recognize the benefits of having Ava on their side. “Yes, she’s an ally. She’s helped us out before. But there are two others out there- Lonnie and Rath- who are definitely enemies and should be avoided at all costs.”

Just then, Max gasped and began to look strained through the connection. Liz was next to him in an instant. “Max, what’s wrong?”

“There’s something... can’t quite... need more power,” he breathed out. Isabel moved to his other side and placed her hand on his shoulder. With the increased energy, the strain on Max eased and he was able to complete his work.

Ava was looking at him warily and he could detect a fear in her eyes. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing anymore,” Max answered her. He realized that he needed to be truthful with her and that she needed to know the extent of the damage. “It’s just your internal organs were a mess. It looks like Nicholas,” and he gripped her hand while talking to her, “messed with your internal functions, either in his quest to get information from you, or on the off chance that you would escape. If you hadn’t come here, where I could fix you, I don’t know how long...” and he trailed off, unable to say the rest, at the look in her eyes.

Ava was horrified, but more importantly, she was pissed. “That little bastard!”

Liz had noticed Max gripping Ava’s hand and felt pain at the image. It brought back so many bad memories of Tess, but then Liz realized she needed to put her emotions aside and be there for her friend. She was horrified at what Nicholas had done as well. “Don’t worry, Ava, we’re going to get him.” After all, he had been a part of what Tess had done to the group and to Alex. The two girls shared a grim smile, which soon included all of the Roswellians, even the Sheriff, as they were all looking for a little payback and for the threat hanging over them to be gone once and for all.

“Oh yeah,” Isabel chimed in, “It’s time that little shit was a pile of skin flakes.” At that, the Scoobies just shared a look and Spike happily thought that their new associates seemed to be rather bloodthirsty.
Last edited by Roswell428 on Thu May 18, 2006 2:22 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

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

Switching Lives
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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.

A/N 2: Thanks for all the feedback- to all the new readers and the old- especially the ones who’ve stuck with me for so long! You guys are the best! :D :D :D


Chapter 20- A Time to Talk


After Ava’s unexpected, but timely, arrival, the group decided to take a break, even though they hadn’t even started what they were going to do for the day yet, thanks to the Council’s visit. Both sets needed to digest all the information they had learned and the atmosphere had become a little emotionally charged.

Xander and Anya went out for food for the group, bringing Dawn with them at Buffy’s request (she intended to have a talk with Spike and didn’t want her getting in the way). The others all just sprawled in different clusters around the Magic Shop, thinking and talking quietly.

Michael and Maria were sitting together in a corner, talking solemnly about his earlier lack of control. Both were afraid of what would have happened if he had totally lost control and had bitten her. Both were afraid that it would happen again, and neither really knew what to do about it. The only thing they could really agree on, was that the sooner they had gotten them changed back the better, especially if there was an alien battle coming up, as he didn’t really know the extent of his new body and how to best protect the group.

Giles was sitting in his office, mentally berating himself for having been so hasty with the Council. He had been so irritated with them that he hadn’t stopped to think. What if they had been holding something back from them? Something crucial that could help them win the upcoming battle? It must be a serious situation indeed if they had been willing to go to them with information- the last time that had happened had been with the Glory situation and look how that had turned out. He also hadn’t asked if they had any information about how to switch the two back, though Travers had said they were wasting their time with that. On the other hand, the Council were still arrogant bastards and having them out of the way would probably only help them- at least that way they couldn’t interfere.

Buffy had pulled Spike into the back room and was angrily asking him why he hadn’t told her about the powers. The two were arguing until Spike settled the matter by grabbing her and kissing her passionately. Even while kissing him back, she resolved to get some answers out of him later. She wouldn’t always let him silence her that way.

Kyle and Jim had sat down with Ava. As they had been the closest in the group to Tess, they felt they should get to know the possible newest member of the group. They both were still wary of her and felt that the best way to figure her out would be to get to know her. So the three sat quietly talking.

Max and Liz sat in a separate corner of the shop talking to each other. Liz had decided that it was finally time to come clean about the whole ‘Future Max’ episode. Ava’s arrival had only cemented the decision in her mind. She had been thinking about telling him before that, ever since their talk the previous day. After she and Max had talked about Tess and his betrayal, she knew she couldn’t keep him in the dark any longer about why she had turned him away in the first place. She was just as guilty for this whole mess and Max deserved to know, as did everyone else. She knew she needed to tell the whole group, but figured she would tell Max privately first, as he deserved to hear it first.

Before Liz started talking, however, she looked at Ava and resolved to have a talk with her later, as Ava might be able to help her understand just what it was she had become and what she could do. But first she was going to have to work on her issues with Max and then with the group, which was going to be painful. She opened her mouth and the whole sordid tale spilled out, with Max just looking at her in astonishment.

When it was over, he just held her and murmured against her hair how sorry he was. Even his future self had decided to bring pain to Liz, maybe he really didn’t deserve the girl in his arms- the girl who had given up her own happiness to ensure life- theirs and everyone else’s.

Liz knew what he was thinking and knew that it didn’t matter anymore. What was done was done and she just wanted to be back with him, back where she felt she belonged. As she had been the one to push him away, she knew she was going to have to be the one to bridge the gap between them. She reached up and kissed him, silencing his self doubts, at least for the moment. Though they still had a lot of work to do on their relationship, including moving past all the hurts they had caused each other and the whole Tess confusion, the fact that they were both willing to try was a giant step forward. Max leaned into the kiss and they both poured their love for each other into it.

Isabel watched this with some satisfaction as she sat by herself in another part of the shop. ‘Way to go guys,’ she thought. She was glad that her brother and Liz finally seemed to be working past all of the roadblocks they had been facing- roadblocks of their own making- but roadblocks none the less. They were good for each other and she was happy for them.

She looked over to where Willow and Tara were sitting together, looking very ‘get a roomy’ as Xander would have put it. She had been mulling over in her head just what to say to them about Alex. She knew that if they had brought someone back from the dead once, they might be able to do it again. Sure, Alex had been dead for a while now, but from what Buffy had said earlier it sounded as if she had been dead a while herself before they brought her back, maybe even buried and everything like Alex was. She had said something about how when Xander brought her back, she had only been gone for a few minutes but was still technically dead, but her lack of info on her other death had made it seem like it had been much longer. Whatever the case, Isabel was going to do whatever she could to get Willow to bring Alex back- she didn’t know how much longer she could live without him, now that she had finally realized how she felt about him and he was gone.

She took a deep breath and approached the pair. “Hi, mind if I sit?”

Willow looked at her and smiled, “Go right ahead.” Tara nodded her assent as well.

Isabel just sat there looking at them, trying to work out what she was going to say. She sat there for so long that Tara, not liking the uncomfortable silence, blurted out, “What do you want?”

Isabel looked at her and then nodded to herself. The best way would be to just come out and say it. “I want you to bring Alex back to life. No, I need you to.”

Willow and Tara just looked at each other, ‘uh oh’ was plain in both their expressions. “Who is Alex,” Willow asked gently.

“He’s the one that Tess murdered,” Isabel explained briefly and both could see the tortured expression on her face.

“Who was he to you,” Tara asked just as gently as Willow had before, both could sense that this was very important to the young woman sitting in front of them.

“I love him,” Isabel replied simply, “And I need you to bring him back.” A tear slipped down her cheek as she said this.

“It’s not that simple,” Willow said, “This is not something you can just rush into-“

She was cut off by Isabel. “It’s simple for me. I need him. Please,” She was begging and she didn’t care- she would do anything for Alex. “You can do it- I know you can. You brought Buffy back, you can bring Alex back.”

Willow sighed. She knew she was going to have to tell her about Buffy and what had happened with her botched attempt to save her from ‘hell.’ Buffy wouldn’t like it, she didn’t like talking about it, but it was necessary that this girl understand. So she began filling Isabel in on Buffy’s death, the strain on the group, the thought that Buffy was in hell, the decision to bring her back, where Buffy had really been- everything.

When she was done, Isabel just sat there with a horrified expression on her face. She didn’t want to do that to Alex. If Alex was in Heaven, which he surely was, as you couldn’t ask for a better example of goodness in her opinion, did she really want to rip him out of it? If she truly loved him, didn’t she want what was best for him and if that was staying where he was, well... She didn’t want to put him through what Buffy went through, she loved him too much for that. But what is he wasn’t happy there? What if he wanted to come back to her, to them?

She looked back at Willow and Tara. “Is there any way we can talk to him, ask him what he wants?”

“I guess so,” Tara replied hesitantly, aware of where Isabel was leading her.

“And if he wants to come back, you will bring him back right? Right?” Isabel pleaded once more.

‘Why don’t we just talk to him first, and then we can go from there. I can do a summoning spell tonight, at the house. Why don’t you come over around eight, and then we can talk to him.” Willow answered her.

“Oh thank you!” Isabel hugged them both. She would get to talk to Alex that night! He would be back with her! And if he didn’t want to come back... After all, she hadn’t been exactly blameless for his death, she had led Tess right to him... But then she pushed those thoughts aside. If it came to that, she would deal with it. But for now, she had hope- she was going to see Alex!

It was around that time that Xander, Anya and Dawn arrived back with the food. Everybody dug in and chatted, some in much better moods than they were that morning. It was at that point that Giles stopped eating and turned to Willow and Tara.

“What about the Katra? Is it finished? I completely forgot about it, what with the Council’s ‘visit’ and all. Is it ready,” he asked them.

“Oh yeah,” Willow exclaimed. “I totally forgot about that too.” And reaching into her bag, she pulled out the small object. “It’s ready, so we can try it whenever.”

Everybody just looked at each other.
Love is forever. Destiny is not. Create your own destiny.

Candygirl, Stargazer, and Dreamer forever!

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

Switching Lives
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