Part Three

Sunnydale California had always been a typical southern west coast town. The problem most of its inhabitants had with this was that it had typical southern west coast weather. Especially in late July. In an attempt to escape the simmering summer swelter, the Scooby Gang retreated to their favorite evening hangout – The Bronze.

Buffy chose to stay at the table they took in the corner, while Xander and Anya hit the dance floor. That was amusing to watch for the first few minutes, but after a while one got bored with the strange gyrations a former revenge demon and her weirder-than-normal boyfriend could come up with. Willow and Tara brought the drinks over and stayed at the table to keep Buffy company.

The Slayer took her lemonade and grinned at her friends. "Hey, Will. We have to do something about Miss Kitty. I found her all the way up on Amy's shelf this morning. Amy looked less than thrilled."

The red-head sighed. "I know. Sometimes I think it would be easier to find a spell to turn Amy back than to keep the kitten away from her."

"So why don't we try again?" Tara asked. "You said it had been almost a year since you tried to find a spell. You have more experience now. Maybe we'll find something."

Willow smiled at her girlfriend. "Let's do it."

The three roommates had just finished their drinks when Xander and Anya decided to join them.
 
"Hey, college crew," Xander grinned. "There's quite a crowd tonight. So what are you three chatting about?"

"Oh, not much," Buffy pretended to be absorbed in stirring her melting ice with a straw. "Just castration."

"I know some great spells for that!" Suddenly they had Anya's full attention.

The girls burst out giggling while Xander blushed bright crimson.

He decided it was time to change the subject. "Maybe you girls can help Anya and I with a small problem."

"Uh oh," Willow grinned. "This could get dirty."

"Guys!" Xander wailed. "Anya's got to move out of her apartment."

"Why's that?" Tara asked.

"Oh, they're tearing it down to build a new shopping center," the ex-demon sighed. "It's no fair."

Buffy, Willow, and Tara looked at each other. "Well," Willow said finally. "I'd invite you to move in to our place, but the building is students only."

"Oh, didn't I tell you," she smiled. "I'm a student now."

"What?" came the unison response.

Xander stared at his girlfriend. "You didn't tell me!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Anya replied. "I'm getting a job on campus and taking classes."

"That's great," Willow smiled. "We still have one room if you want it."

The other girls nodded their agreement.

"Thanks," Anya smiled, clearly pleased. Buffy could tell that Anya hadn't always been comfortable with the group. Or the group with her for that matter. So she was a little weird. Weren't they all? And somehow it seemed fitting for the four of them to room together. Less explaining strange things to ignorant roommates that way. "When can I move in?"

"Whenever you like," Tara said, looking at Willow and Buffy for confirmation. "We don't really have anything planned for tomorrow. How much stuff do you have to move?"

"Not much," Anya replied. "My place is pretty empty."

"Okay, then how about we help you move in tomorrow?"

"I'll help too," Xander smiled and put his arm around Anya's shoulders.

"You're sweet," she smiled at him. "Sure. I can move then. So," she said, abruptly changing the subject in her usual manner. "I'm going to get a drink. Anybody want refills?"

Angel looked up at that comment, then looked down, and sighed with relief. He was wearing jeans. He had gotten up early after a long night of demon chasing to look over the pile of mail that had grown over the past couple of days, and he had feared for a moment that he had forgotten something important. "Very funny, Cordelia."

"I thought so," she shrugged, setting the food and drinks down on the table. "What are those?" she asked her employer, motioning at the huge pile of mail and other pieces of paper.

"Rejection notices," Angel sighed. "I've got seven here from buildings refusing to allow us office space, and another twelve saying I don't have the qualifications to rent an apartment in their complex. All five of the places I applied for loans with turned me down as well."

"What kind of garbage is that?" Cordelia frowned. "You have good credit, a good record. It's not your fault the last building you lived and worked in blew up!"

Angel nodded. "I know. But that's not what Wolfram and Hart are telling them."

"Wolfram and Hart are behind this?" Wesley asked coming into the room, fully dressed. "But how can you be sure?"

"This," Angel tossed a piece of paper at Wesley. The Brit caught it and read out loud. "To Mister Angel. We felt that it was our duty as good members of the community to inform people with whom you may do business of the way in which you have treated other business associates. We hope this does not cause you any undue inconvenience. Wolfram and Hart."

He passed the paper to Cordelia, who read it again to herself. The paper was heavy, expensive stuff, with the Wolfram and Hart letterhead at the top. It looked like the stuff her father had used to send business messages back when they could afford to spend money on impressive looking paper. "Those creeps!" she exclaimed. The contempt and smugness simply oozed off the paper in her hands. "They have no right to do this!"

"But it's right where they want me," Angel replied. "This isn't business. It's personal. They wanted every friend I had and every link to the Powers that Be severed. They want me helpless. Having failed with their main mission, they want to do everything they can to inconvenience me and keep me out of their hair."

"Are you really that much of a threat to them?" Cordelia asked as she took a strawberry jelly filled donut from the bag.

"They certainly think so," the vampire replied. "There's a very good chance that they know something we don't."

"Then why haven't they attacked us since then?" Wesley considered, biting into a glazed donut. "It's been three months."

"They must have another weapon," Angel reached out and took a cup out of the Starbucks bag. "They're confident that they can come after me once it's ready, whatever it is."

"I don't like that idea," Cordelia said, sipping her hot mocha latte. She kept her smile to herself as Angel drank his hot Chai and ate a chocolate iced donut like any other American male. The knowledge of his impending humanity in the not-impossibly-distant  future had caused a change in her friend. A gradual one that she was sure he hadn't noticed. Occasionally he smiled, or went somewhere with her and Wesley. She had even convinced him to go shopping with her the week before after she had complained that she couldn't get clothes that fit him properly if he wouldn't try them on first! He had gone, albeit reluctantly, and had actually appeared to have had a pretty good time. At least now he wasn't living on three outfits. He couldn't even accessorize or borrow Wesley's things because they just didn't fit his large, muscular build. It was at moments like this, when he was sitting there doing something perfectly human and innocent, that Cordelia could see why Buffy had been so uptight when their relationship wasn't going as smoothly as it might. Angel was a wonderful guy. Not in spite of but because of what he had gone through in his life.

"Hello?" someone called from the hallway simultaneously with a loud knocking on the door, causing all three of them to jump.

Wesley looked at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's David."

"David?" Cordelia looked stunned. She stood and got the door. Sure enough, it was their favorite Dungeons and Dragons playing multi-millionaire. "How...good to see you. Won't you come in? Have a donut."

"Thanks," he smiled, obviously a little overwhelmed at the welcome he was given. "I just came by to see how things were going. I'm sorry about your building."

"Thanks," Angel glanced at Wesley, who shrugged. "If you don't mind my asking, David, how did you know where to find us?"

"Oh," he said, a little flustered. "I just looked Cordelia up in the phone book. I was on my way over there when I saw her come out of Starbucks. So I..."

"Followed me," Cordelia finished for him, slightly flattered, and happy, that the richest person they knew had followed her. "How clever. How are you, David?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he smiled again as he sat down in a chair. "But you look like you could use a little help," he motioned at the frustratedly tossed together pile of papers.

"It's just a little problem," Cordelia cut in before either of her business partners could open their mouths. Quickly she explained.

"Well, that's no problem," David said when she finished. "I know of a building less than five blocks from your original place. One of my Dungeon brothers bought it last week from a real estate company. It's even a similar layout to your old place, and I've got a space on the third floor with an elevator into the basement, like you had before. The rent is a little high right now because of the extra insurance the businesses and buildings in that area have been forced to pay, but I can help you out some with furnishings and some of the rent. Here," he pulled out a check book and scribbled some number Cordelia couldn't quite see without being too obvious. "This should help, and if you don't like the place there, I can help you find another. This should be enough for anyplace you decide you like." He ripped the check out his book and handed it to Angel. "Unfortunately, I have to go now. I have a meeting with my Stock Broker in an hour." He stood and awkwardly backed from the couch. "Bye."

"Bye," Cordelia waved as he left. When he was gone she nearly lunged over the table to get to the check. Angel's face told her all she needed to know. "How much is it?" she asked.

Angel looked up at her. "A hundred-thousand dollars."

Needless to say, it hadn't worked. It wasn't that the movie was bad, though it did seem to be a cheap rip-off of some old seventies cartoon. It was just that things weren't progressing very quickly. At least, the demon hunt wasn't. A Vei-rogk hadn't been seen anywhere in the area, and the tracking spell hadn't picked up so much as a group of vampires out for a little fun. Her stomach however, was expanding right on schedule. It seemed to her to be a little ahead of schedule. Of course, with Riley's constant nagging about healthy eating, she doubted if she ingested enough calories in a day to be gaining wait with a baby inside her.

Riley came up behind her and put one arm around her from behind. Buffy pushed him away. "Not now. Please. I'm not really comfortable right now."

"Oh," her boyfriend looked a little hurt. "I'm sorry." He backed away.

Buffy felt guilt steal over her. She'd been feeling that a lot lately. Every time Riley looked upset when she asked him to back off a little. He was only trying to be a helpful, protective, father-to-be. Somehow that didn't make her feel any more comfortable when he wanted to get close. She reached out and took his hand. His smile brightened a little, and her conscience let her alone for the moment.

The meeting hadn't been particularly relaxed for other reasons as well. Buffy was having a really hard time giving up slaying. Her blood hummed with the need to do her given duty, completely ignoring her tendency now to be slightly off balance, need for more sleep, and the extra effort needed to do any of her usual fighting moves. Her temper had been shorter lately as a result as well. She had argued with Giles, Riley, and anyone else she just felt like yelling at and, while she knew he friends understood, she still felt bad about it.

"Buffy, are you okay? You're really quiet tonight."

The Slayer looked up at her boyfriend and managed a small smile.  "I'm just exasperated. Things have been tense lately."

"You mean you've been tense lately," he smiled, rubbing her shoulders with his hands as they walked toward the apartment.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she conceded grudgingly. "There's nothing going on. It's almost too peaceful. I mean, where's the demons, the end-of-the-world thing that we run into at least once a year?"

"I think Adam filled that bill," the tall blond replied. "You're awfully eager to go beat something up."

"I can't help it!" the petite Slayer replied in a tone that was whiney enough to make her wince."It's like my skin is too tight! I'm just...itching to do something."

"Maybe your skin is too tight," Riley chuckled.

Buffy growled audibly. Her boyfriend's sense of humor was seriously lacking in some places. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't fit in any of her old pants. They were size fours for gods' sake! Of course they didn't fit anymore. When she had complained to her ob-gyn, the woman had explained a little of the physics behind the size of child versus the size of the mother's stomach. Much to her dismay, it was usually the case that if the father was a large person, the baby very well could be, and a small woman tended to show earlier than a larger or heavier woman. Which meant that at three months Buffy looked a good month-and-a-half heavier than the average woman at the same stage of pregnancy. In other words, in anything tighter than a tee-shirt, she looked obviously pregnant. "That wasn't funny," she replied shortly.

"I'm sorry," Riley said again. "I think you're very attractive this way. I just worry about you sometimes."

"Worry?" Buffy looked up at him.

"You shouldn't be doing so much. You're working too hard. The rest of us can handle anything that comes along, and still you worry endlessly about nothing. Take a break. And what about the baby?" He turned her around to face him, his face showing how worried he was.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to the baby," she assured him. "I won't slay anything if I can avoid it until after the baby's born. I promise."

"Actually," he spoke haltingly. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

"What?" Buffy looked at him suspiciously.

Riley looked guilty, and she knew she wouldn't like what he was about to say. He really wasn't that hard to read once she knew what to look for. "I think you should give up slaying."

"What?!" she glared at him. How could he even suggest such a thing! "How dare you presume to tell me what I should do or not! Do you even know what I am? I mean really?" she challenged.

Riley sighed. "You're the Slayer. You kill demons and vampires. It's your sacred duty. But there's no way these Powers or whatever runs things can expect you to do something that could leave your child without a mother."

"You don't get it," Buffy nearly screamed. "I don't have a choice. They don't have a choice. I am the Slayer, and that's the way things are. I...I don't even know why I'm trying to explain this!" she threw her hands in the air in exasperation.  "Just...I'll talk to you tomorrow." She spun on her heel and stormed back to the apartment without looking back at Riley, who she knew was probably still stunned speechless.

By the time she got back to the apartment Buffy was feeling stressed, slightly out of breath, and guilty again. It was as if her hormones were on super-mode, and made even more so by her Slayer powers. She slipped inside quietly, hoping that the others were busy. She was in luck. Willow was in the shower, Tara was in her room, and Anya was too absorbed in the television to do more than wave absently as she went by.

In the peace of her bedroom, Buffy was able to relax a little bit. Taking deep breaths, she stretched, feeling the tense muscles in the small of her back release. Oh, that's better. Changing into her most comfortable pajamas, she curled up in bed and turned out the light. The darkness was peaceful. In the years since she had been called, Buffy had grown accustomed to the dark. She knew it like it was an old friend. The dark was comfortable, peaceful almost friendly. As she drifted off to sleep, the thought came unbidden, and haunted her dreams all night.

Angel would have understood.

No one so much as twitched at Anya's statement. Simply a tribute to how bored they all really were. Nothing had happened in three days. No demons. No Scooby meetings. Nothing. Even Miss Kitty had left Amy alone. Now the kitten was stretched across as much of Buffy's lap as she could possibly take up, purring as she absently stroked it. Anya was laying on her stomach on the couch, staring over the end of it into space. Or rather...the wall. Willow and Tara were sitting Indian-style on the floor, playing war with a deck of cards.

"I'll take that as a yes," the ex-demon answered herself. "We should do something."

"Like what?" Willow asked. "It's 101 in the shade outside!"

"We could go to the beach," Tara suggested. "I de-clare war." She and Willow put down the last cards. "I win!" she grinned triumphantly.

"The beach is a great idea," Willow said enthusiastically. "I've got a new spell that requires some special seaweed, and a swim would be nice."

"And I've been wanting to show Xander my new bathing suit," Anya grinned. Fortunately she didn't get into any more detail than that. She was learning.

"Buffy?" Willow looked up at her best friend.

Buffy fidgeted slightly. A cool swim sounded really good -the heat got to her much more easily these days- but... "I...don't know."

Willow stood and came over to her. "Come on, it'll be fun." She smiled. "You look fine."

Buffy sighed. "Thanks. I wish I agreed with you. Sure," she nodded. "Why not."

"Great," her friend replied. "Let's get going! We've still got a few hours before it starts to get dark."

"I'll make a picnic," Tara said, heading into the kitchen.

"I'll feed Miss Kitty and Amy," Buffy pushed herself out of the chair and set the mostly full-sized kitten on the floor.

"I'll call Xander," Anya sprang from the couch.

Buffy grinned and looked at Willow. "What will you do?" she asked.

Willow smiled. "Grab the beach ball and the sun screen! Are you going to call Riley?"

"No," the Slayer shook her head. "He...has to work late this afternoon. And they don't like it if the councilors take personal calls at the camp."

"Oh, okay," the red-head shrugged. "Let's go!"

"I'm trying!" he yelled back. "Volleyball isn't exactly my sport you know!" He served, and it went over. Tara spiked it back and as Xander ran to get it -Anya was hopeless- he tripped and fell into the surf, a large wave riding up over him. He stood up again, soaking wet with a strand of seaweed in his hair, sending everyone into a fit of giggles.

"Hold on, don't move!" Willow called. "That's the seaweed I need for my spell!" She ran over tothe only boy at their end of the beach and plucked the green off him. "Thanks."

Lounging on low beach chair under the umbrella she had brought, Buffy laughed at her disheveled friend. Even though diving for the volleyball wasn't exactly on her list of things she was permitted to do at the moment, she was having fun just watching. And they were at the far end of the beach, so the privacy was at a maximum, which she was extremely grateful for. In a swimsuit there was no hiding the bulge of her abdomen. But with only her friends there, she was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself.

Anya dove for the ball, and actually managed to hit it. It came careening across the sand at a perfect right angle to the net and bounced to a stop at Buffy's feet.

"Point! We win!" Willow yelled, jumping up and down excitedly. "Come on, Buffy, we were going back in the water for a few minutes. It'll be too dark soon, and it's still hot!"

It was hot. They had been at the beach for six hours already and it was starting to get dark. The tide was in, and the surfers that had been abundant earlier had all gone home. At their end of the beach were some small cliffs, perfect for diving into the deep coves that they sheltered. As Xander climbed one of them, the girls splashed into the water, floating easily on the waves and splashing each other.

"Look out below!" Xander yelled from above. As the girls looked up he jumped from the top of the cliff, falling semi-gracefully downward, and managing to turn his tumbling into a sort-of dive just before he hit the water. He came back up to enthusiastic applause and cheers.

By the time it was fully dark, they were all back on the beach, and drying by the heat and light of a small bonfire over which they were cooking hotdogs and s'mores. The non-health food was a dream to Buffy's taste buds. In fact, the entire day had been like a dream. She had enjoyed herself as carelessly as she had before become the Slayer, and even in high school with these same friends as they had done when they were younger. More innocent. Things had been different in college. They had all drifted apart somewhat, and she had been so busy with Riley and the Initiative that she had neglected them.

Riley. With a start Buffy realized that it was the first time all day that she had even thought about him. When she was around him lately everything was....tense. He got on her nerves. His constant concern and overbearing manner drove her nuts. He'd been annoying her for months! The realization hit her like a falling elephant. It was so clear! Her unease when he touched her. The way she wanted to throttle him when he suggested yet another kind of salad for lunch. The way she felt like she couldn't trust him. He didn't trust her! She had known that ever since the incident with Angel. He had assumed that she had slept with her ex simply because she had gone to LA. Buffy had shoved her doubts aside because she hadn't wanted to see the flaws her in perfect, normal relationship.

For some reason this night, on this beach, it was impossible to ignore what her heart had known all along. Riley obviously did love her, but it was a jealous love. His emotions blinded him to the truth sometimes. Just as hers had blinded her up til now. Did she really love him? She was definitely fond of him. And he was a good lover. The question was perplexing. Promising to think long and hard about it later, she put the thoughts away for the night and joined her friends in singing off-key tunes from the 80's.

That meant she needed a release spell. Perhaps she needed to prove she was worthy to read what lay on those pages. Quickly she focused and centered, calling instinctually out and down towards the book. She found the spell that blurred the words, and with a simple whisp of an unlocking spell, undid it.

The last pages of the chapter lay open before her, plain as day. As she read the last page, Tara gasped. There it was! The spell. And in another tongue that she didn't recognize, what appeared to be a piece of prophesy regarding it lay below. Quickly she read  what remained. Then, when she was no longer stunned by her discovery, Tara slipped out of her room and knocked quietly on Willow's door.

"Unnngh," came a call.

Tara entered. "Willow, wake up. I have to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" Willow asked blearily as she rolled over and turned on her small bedside light.

Tara sat down at the edge of the bed and held up the book. "This was in Giles' house, and I found something important."

She now had Willow's full attention. The red-headed witch sat up and took the book in her hands, quickly reading over what Tara had worked for hours to get through. She looked up and stared at her girlfriend. "You spoke this spell in your sleep?" Tara nodded an affirmative. "And this is what you've been looking for since then." Willow shook her head. "It's amazing."

"But what does it mean?" Tara asked. "The wording is strange."

Willow re-read the passage aloud, then translated. "It says `what needs be made of two may be made of such as is of another and not of the one. But the one made of two can be of the other only when the one is the One and the other is not the one of the proper two.' The spell translates as "Take what belongs of one, and switch with that which makes the other, to be bound with the One and form what must be of two. Switch the strands of life, and make what was of one of the other. Let these be done in the words of the Powers.' Wow," she looked at it. "You know what this is, don't you."

Tara nodded. "That's why I came to you. What can I do about it?"

"There's nothing you can do," Willow said. "The spell has been cast. It cannot be reversed according to the passage, and it can only be cast by the Powers through a mortal body."

"And I was the vessel," the ash-blonde sighed. "When I woke up, and felt those words on my lips. They sang...unlike any spell I've ever done before. It was amazing. And frightening. What does this mean. Who did I do this too? There must be three involved. Or is the third some stranger?"

"We can't be sure," Willow replied. "No...wait. It would make sense that the vessel for the spell know the one on who it is cast. They would have to, or the nuances of the spell would be completely wrong. The pronunciation changes. So it has to be her."

"But then who is the other one?" Tara asked. This was all so confusing!

"I'll bet the answer to that is in this prophesy segment below," Willow said. "Whoever wrote everything in this book was obviously working from an older source, that he or she didn't bother to translate. For the same purpose that they put the locking spell over these pages." She looked at the page for a moment, then closed the book. "We'll take it to Giles. If he can't translate it I know a couple of occult book sources that may have what we need."

"Okay," Tara smiled. "I feel better knowing I've found the spell...and yet it scares me. What was done?"

"Well, what you've done is clear," Willow replied. "We just don't know the details, or how the consequences will play out."

"I know," Tara sighed as she stood up to go back to her room. "But I've never heard of a DNA switching spell before."

Go to Part Four