Giles had been waiting impatiently to hear from Buffy and had just
decided to call Joyce when a urgent knocking sounded at his door. 
Rushing over he opened the door to find two very distraught young
ladies standing there.

"Willow, Tara, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"Giles, it's Buffy or, or not Buffy, I'm not sure.  Tara, you tell
him." Willow babbled.

Tara fidgeted nervously, hating to be the center of attention, but
said, "Mr. Giles, we saw Buffy at The Bronze, only we don't think it
was Buffy.  I mean, her aura was all off; it wasn't Buffy's aura, but
it looked like Buffy and sounded like Buffy.  But we're pretty sure
it wasn't Buffy."

Giles looked at the two girls in confusion, gestured them in and
said, "All right, please calm down and tell me everything."

"Well, we were at The Bronze and Tara spotted Buffy and so I waved
her over, you know?  And she seemed okay except she was kinda stand-
offish and then she said she was going to get a drink and ask some
guys to dance."

"Ask some guys to dance?" Giles asked astonished.

"See?  That's crazy, right?  Buffy hasn't even looked at another guy
since Spike, so I thought they had a fight or something but Tara said
that it wasn't Buffy."  Stopping just long enough to catch her
breath, Willow continued.  "So we watched her for a while and she
danced and flirted with a whole buncha guys and then she just left. 
We tried to follow, but, you know, Slayer speed, she lost us, so we
decided to come here and tell you all about it."

"Well, I don't know what to say," Giles admitted.  "When she was here
a few hours ago, she was herself."

"Here?" Willow asked.  "Why was she here, Giles?"

Giving the young witch a concerned look, Giles said hesitantly, "I
received some disturbing news this evening, Willow.  Faith has
regained consciousness and escaped from the hospital.  Buffy went in
search of her."

"Oh, no!" Willow wailed, sinking down into a chair.  "Do you think
Faith did something to Buffy then?"

"I don't see how she could have, Willow.  She's been out of hospital
just a little over twenty-four hours and the Mayor is gone so she's
lost her connection to the demonic underworld.  Perhaps when you saw
Buffy she was searching for Faith and just didn't want to worry you."

"Oh come on, Giles, you know Buffy better than that," Willow
insisted.  "Do you really think she wouldn't tell us that a crazy
psychopath like Faith was on the loose?  And what about the flirting
with all those guys?"  Willow hesitated and then said in a tremulous
voice, "You know, Giles, that was more like Faith behavior than Buffy
behavior."

Giles ran his hand through his hair in agitation.  "Tara, is it
possible that the Buffy you saw was actually a Glamour?"

Tara considered carefully before answering.  "It's possible, I
suppose.  But I didn't feel any magic field around her, and I think
there would have been with a Glamour."

Walking to the telephone, he picked up the receiver and said, "I'll
call Joyce.  Buffy feared that Faith would attack her mother in
retribution for the Mayor's death.  Perhaps she can tell us if Buffy
was acting normally when she saw her."

Before he could dial more than two numbers, his door flew open and an
exhausted, dirty and badly wounded vampire stumbled in.

"Spike!" Willow exclaimed, hurrying over to help him to a
chair.  "What happened?"

Spike turned anguished, pain-filled eyes to the Watcher and
said, "Giles, somethin's happened to Buffy.  Somethin' bad.  I think
she's been possessed."  Swallowing he concluded, "She did this to me."

***

Willow was carefully cleaning Spike's wound while Tara handed him a
mug of heated blood.  Luckily for the vampire, part of the groceries
Giles had picked up before coming home had been blood to take to the
shop with him in the morning.

"And so, I was comin' out of Willie's and there she was.  I was right
surprised to see her seein' as how she said she had to study
tonight," Spike was telling the group.  Giles was sitting, elbows on
knees, head down, glasses dangling from his fingertips as he listened
to the tale.  When Spike got to the part where Buffy staked him,
Willow put her arm around his shoulder and Tara gently patted his
back in comfort.

"I didn't want to hurt her.  Whatever's happened to her," he
continued, "that's still Buffy.  Her body at least.  Her smell and
her taste were right."

Giles was unable to control a small grimace of distaste at these
words, but sighing he looked up at Tara and said, "So it appears you
were right, Tara.  Whatever has happened, it is not a Glamour.

Nodding, the young witch agreed, "It was her aura that was off, not
anything else I could detect.  Except..."

"Except?" Giles prompted.

"Well, she didn't move right.  Almost as if she wasn't comfortable in
her body."

Spike's head snapped up at Tara's remark.  "Yeah, you're right, pet. 
Giles, you know Buffy.  D'you think there is any way our Slayer could
have missed her mark as close as she was to me?  I should be dust
blowin' down that alley, not here talkin' to you."

Nodding, Giles stood and once again headed to the telephone.  "I
think it's time I completed that call to Joyce.  Although if she was
aware of anything wrong, I'm sure she would have called me by now."

As he once again started to dial, Willow picked up the soiled towels
she had used to clean up Spike's wound and took them into the
bathroom while Tara went into the kitchen to fetch Spike more blood. 
It was while they were out of the room that the next round of shocks
began.

Once again Giles' door flew open, this time revealing a distraught
Xander.  It was evident that he had been crying and his voice hitched
in a sob as he wailed, "Oh God, Giles, she's dead!"

Giles looked at the boy in shock and fear.  "Who?  Who's dead,
Xander!" 

Spike had stood up again when Xander burst into the room, his own
face mirroring his fear.  Xander noticed the vampire for the first
time and rushing to him, began choking him.  "You!  It's your fault. 
You and your filthy kind."

Before Spike could push his attacker away, Giles was there pulling
him off.  "Xander!  Xander, control yourself.  What's happened?"

Xander lowered his head into his hands and sobbed, "It's Willow,
Giles.  I saw her.  She's a vampire."

"What?!"

The sound of three shocked, confused voices sounded at the same
time.  Looking up he saw Tara standing by the kitchen.  Wiping his
face, he started towards the young witch.  "I'm so sorry, Tara.  But
I saw Willow downtown and she's...she's..."

Before he could complete his sentence he heard, "I'm what, Xander?"

Xander's eyes almost bugged out of his head seeing his best friend
before him so unexpectedly.  Spotting a crossbow lying on top of the
weapon's chest, he lunged for it and turning it on Willow cried, "You
damned creature!  You're not gonna hurt anyone here!"

Even with his injury, Spike was preternaturally fast.  Speeding
forward he managed to deflect Xander's aim causing the bolt to hit
the wall a couple feet above Willow's head.  Wrenching the crossbow
out of Xander's hands he sent the young man flying across the room to
land in a heap by the window.

"What the fuck's wrong with you, Harris?" the vampire shouted.  "Have
you gone completely 'round the bend?  That's Willow there."

Xander turned hate-filled eyes on Spike and spat out, "Is she yours? 
Did you sire her, Spike?  Is that why you're protecting her?"

Willow and Tara were clinging together shocked and frightened.  Giles
came and stood between the two men, trying to inject some semblance
of sanity into the room. 

"Xander, I assure you, Willow is Willow.  She's not been turned by
Spike or any other vampire.  Why on Earth do you think that she's a
vampire?"

The tiniest bit of doubt began to show on Xander's face.  Standing up
and looking intently at Willow he said, "I saw her downtown, Giles. 
Only," he began to look confused, "she was dressed differently."

"Dressed how?" Giles probed.

"Uh, she had on this tight black leather outfit, real sexy.  I
thought maybe it was some new lesbi...uh, I mean, witch outfit."

"Tight black leather outfit?" Willow asked in a squeaky voice.  "Uh,
kinda Gothy looking?"

Xander nodded vigorously,

"Uh oh," Willow said.

"Uh oh?" Giles asked.

Swallowing nervously, Willow turned to Tara and said, "Just like in
my vision."

"Vision?  What vision are you talking about, Willow?"

"Oh, uh, well, you see, Giles, after you left the shop tonight Anya
asked me to help her do a spell to retrieve a necklace she lost. 
While we were doing it I began to have these, well, visions, I guess
you'd call them.  Of The Master, and Oz and Larry and uh, me in that
outfit Xander described."

As everyone watched the young witch intently, she explained exactly
what she saw in her vision.

"So you say you saw this other you and then she just vanished?" Giles
asked.  He was beginning to look as if he had nearly reached his
breaking point.  First Faith awakening and escaping custody, and then
Buffy perhaps possessed, and now a vampire Willow running around
town?  Too many things too quickly, he thought.

Willow nodded.  "What do you think it means, Giles?  Did Anya and I
somehow conjure that skanky Willow?"

"I don't know, Willow, but we'll have to wait and deal with this
after we've found out exactly what's happened to Buffy.  That must be
our priority right now."

"Hear, hear, Watcher," Spike cheered approvingly.

At Giles' look, Spike exclaimed, "What?  I watch Parliament on
C-Span."

"Wait a minute," Xander interrupted.  "What about Buffy?  Something's
happened to Buffy too?  Or I guess not too because Willow, not a
vampire, so there's no too to be too...uh, to," he trailed off.

Sighing Giles said, "You explain it to him, Willow.  I am going to
try, once again, to call Joyce."  Staring apprehensively at the
telephone, he starting walking towards it as Willow began to explain.

Spike sighed and sank back down into his chair, closing his eyes in
exhaustion and leaning his head back.  He was frightened and worried
about Buffy.  He didn't know this Faith they all kept talking about,
although Buffy had told him enough about her for him to know that she
was bad news.  He swore to himself that, chip or no chip, if that
bitch had harmed Buffy in any way, he'd kill her.

He felt a presence and looked up to see a contrite Xander standing
before him holding out a mug of blood.  "Here," the young man said
awkwardly. "Tara warmed up some more blood for you."

"Ta, mate," Spike said, reaching up and taking the mug.  As he
sipped, he watched as Xander twitched uncomfortably before him. 
Finally Xander said in a rush, "Look, I'm sorry I attacked you like
that.  Kinda out of my mind because of what I thought happened to
Willow."

Spike shrugged.  "Don't worry about it," he said disinterestedly. 
"Just one piece of advice though.  The next time you attack a vampire
try to remember that choking doesn't hurt us.  We don't breathe."

Xander blushed, dipped his head and moved away.  Spike smirked at
him, but was torn between being hurt that Xander had even considered
that he would have harmed Willow and touched that he had bothered to
apologize. 

Giles had been talking for some minutes to Joyce when Spike heard him
say, "So she just walked away?  And she seemed all right?"  A
pause.  "Well, we believe that something's happened to her.  No, we
don't know what exactly, but I think it best if you pack an overnight
bag and come stay here tonight."  A pause.  "No," Giles said
exasperatedly, "this has nothing to do with band candy.  I just think
it best if you don't stay at home alone tonight.  I'd send Spike over
to stay with you but we need him to help search for Buffy, plus he's
been injured.  No, he'll be all right.  What?  What device?  A
weapon?"  A pause.  "Very well, bring that too; it may be important. 
I'm sending Xander over to pick you up.  We'll see you shortly then."

Hanging up, Giles faced the others.  "Faith showed up and tied Joyce
up.  Buffy arrived, they fought, Buffy knocked Faith out, Joyce
called the police and Faith was taken into custody.  I'm going to the
police station to see if I can see Faith and get information from her
as to what she did to Buffy.  Xander, I want you to go get Joyce and
bring her here.  Willow and Tara, I want you to check in Skolcraft's
Compendium and find a healing spell for Spike.  We cannot afford to
have him at less than one hundred percent."

With that the Watcher grabbed up his car keys and left the
apartment.  Xander followed after and Willow went to the bookcase to
find the text to search for a spell to speed up Spike's recovery. 
Spike was less than happy with the idea of being on the receiving end
of one of Willow's spells.  He'd seen enough of her attempts go
arse-up that he was leery of the whole idea, but if it helped him
heal quicker, he'd let her have at.  Nothing was more important than
his ability to help Buffy.

She awoke to the feeling of motion. Shifting slightly, she heard a
metallic rattling and opening bleary eyes she looked around what
appeared to be the inside of a large van of some kind. Sitting up,
she realized that her wrists were shackled to the walls by thick
chains. "Oh no," she moaned, "Not chains again. Where's Spike when
you need him?"

At least this time she had enough play in the chains that she could
move around a bit. As her head cleared, she realized that the van
was slowing down, then stopping. She could faintly hear the voices
of men and then the van started backing up, the irritating clang of
the backup warning signal ringing loudly. The vehicle once again
stopped and the engine was shut off. She could hear the men coming
around to the back and decided that playing possum was probably her
best strategy, at least until she knew for sure whom she was dealing
with.

"Check on the bint while I call in." She wasn't sure, but she
thought she recognized the English-accented voice. The back door of
the van was opened and Buffy lay perfectly still regulating her
breathing so that it appeared she was unconscious. "Still out,"
another Englishman said. "She should be out for a couple more hours
yet, the dose we gave her."

"Yeah, well she's a Slayer," the first voice said. "Don't trust
that'll hold true."

The door was closed again and Buffy relaxed. She had an idea now who
had her. Last year the Watcher's Council had attempted to take Faith
back to England for counseling after she had accidentally killed the
Deputy Mayor. But instead of helping Faith, they had only made
matters worse with the end result that Faith turned rogue and
eventually ended up in a coma in the hospital thanks to Buffy.

Now it seemed the Council was back at it, once again trying to
expatriate Faith to England. Well this was just great, Buffy
thought. She wasn't sure how she was going to convince these guys
that they had the wrong Slayer, but she knew that she had to get back
home as quickly as possible. She didn't know exactly what Faith had
done to her, but the fact was Faith was now in Buffy's body, and the
harm she could do terrified Buffy.

The men were coming close to the van again and Buffy heard, "All
right, lads. We have the go ahead. Let's get this over with as soon
as possible so we can pack her up and ship her off. I want her dead
before she has a chance to wake up."

Buffy's heart started pounding in her chest. Dead? They were just
going to kill her? Not her, she thought, Faith. They were going to
execute Faith. Buffy didn't think that any amount of talking was
going to save her. She wouldn't believe her, so why would they?

Lying perfectly still, she waited while the door was once more
opened. This time she felt the rocking of the van as someone
carefully entered. All senses alert she waited until she felt the
hand on her arm and then using all her Slayer strength and speed she
sat up and in one rapid movement wrapped her legs around the man's
torso holding him restrained while she simultaneously wrapped a part
of the chain around his neck. Shocked eyes looked in at her and her
captive.

"Unless you want to be minus one buddy," she ground out, "I suggest
you throw me the keys to these chains."

The man in the doorway narrowed his eyes looking from her to her
prisoner. "You kill him, we still kill you," he said
coldly. "You'll gain nothing. Let him go."

"No," Buffy said. "I know you won't believe me, but I'm not Faith,
I'm Buffy Summers. She did something, switched out bodies somehow.
Let me go and I'll help you capture her. After she's switched us
back."

The man laughed at her. "I'll give you this," he sneered, "You've
got a rich imagination." With eyes gone flat and cold, he
repeated, "Let Smith go. You let him go, we kill you easy. You kill
him, you'll die slow and painfully."

"I'm not letting him go, and I'm not letting you kill me," she
hissed.

"We'll see about that, bitch," the man said as he closed the door.

"Collins!" the man cried out, but there was no answer from outside
the van.

"Looks like you friend doesn't care too much about you," Buffy said
coldly.

"Let me go," Smith said in a shaking voice. "You don't want to mess
with Collins. He will make you pay, believe me."

"Yeah, yeah," Buffy said. "I heard him. I don't suppose you have a
set of keys on you, do you?" she asked. When Smith shook his head
she shrugged and said, "Hope you don't mind if I check it out for
myself. Oh, and I think it'll be easier if you aren't awake to fight
me." With that she unwrapped the chain from around his neck, moved
her arm in its place and then squeezed. He fought against the
pressure, but soon slumped forward unconscious.

Buffy checked through his pockets coming up with a syringe.
Shuddering, she slammed the needle into the floor of the van,
breaking it and then tossed the syringe away, careful to not get any
of the liquid on her. True to his word, there were no keys on his
person. Shoving him aside, she carefully looked over the chains,
trying to find a weakness. She suspected they were magically
enhanced, just as the Gr'Racka's had been, which meant that she
couldn't break the chains. But maybe... Getting up on her knees,
she twisted around and looked at where the chains were attached to
the van walls. Wrapping the chains around her hands, she began
pulling with all her strength.

If she had been in her own body, Buffy was pretty sure she would have
had no problem pulling the chains from the wall. Stupid men. What
good were magically enhanced chains if you just hooked them up to
regular steel? Breathing heavily, Buffy rested a moment before
pulling again. Faith's body was weakened from her long coma, but
even a weakened Slayer was someone to be reckoned with and mere steel
didn't stand a chance. Little by little the steel hook pulled free
until at last it popped from the wall of the van causing Buffy to
fall over. With her arms free, she started pulling on the hooks that
held the chains attached to her legs. She quickly had them free as
well. Gathering the chains up in her arms she quietly moved up to
the end of the van and looked out the narrow window in the door. Two
men, Collins and someone Buffy didn't recognize, were seated at a
table loading a rifle.

"Shit!" Buffy hissed. Looking back over her shoulder, she quickly
made up her mind. Scurrying back to Smith as silently as possible,
she grabbed him and dragging him forward she placed his body in front
of hers. Reaching for the door handle, she threw it open and then
jumped out using Smith as a shield.

Collins sprang to his feet aiming the rifle and firing only to have
his aim knocked aside by his companion. "Don't shoot Smith, you son
of a bitch!" the other man exclaimed.

With a curse, Collins swung the rifle back towards Buffy, but it was
too late. Throwing Smith aside, she sped forward swinging the chains
in an arc. The links wrapped around the rifle jerking it out of
Collins' hands and she spun around using the chains on her legs to
knock the two men down. Leaping forward she quickly knocked both men
out in a flurry of rapid-fire punches.

Sitting back on her heels, she again caught her breath and then
searched Collins for the keys to the chains. Finding them, she
unlocked the manacles. Heaving a sigh of relief, she dragged the two
unconscious men over to where Smith lay. One by one she loaded them
into the van and chained them together in the back. Jumping down
from the back of the van, she shut the door and locked it. They'd be
okay for the time being. Once she was back home, she'd have Giles
call the Council to let them know where their bullyboys were. Right
now though, she needed to find out where she was exactly. She looked
over at the phone that sat on the table, but decided against calling
Giles. There was no way he would believe her. She had to get home
and hopefully find someway to convince him that she wasn't really
Faith.
 

The two girls were chanting, incense burned, and Spike was surrounded
by a warm blue glow when Joyce and Xander walked into the apartment. 
Joyce's eyes opened wide at the sight.  Although she was aware of
Willow's powers, this was the first time she had ever seen her in
action.  Spike's head was thrown back and he was breathing in short,
shallow gasps.  After a few more minutes, the two witches stopped
chanting, the glow faded and Spike slowly sat back up, eyes blinking
rapidly.

"Well," the vampire panted, "That wasn't too bad.  Thanks, ladies."

Willow and Tara grinned at him and then Tara leaned forward pulling
back the bandage on his chest.  The wound was almost completely
healed.  Spike stared at it in amazement.  He really hadn't believed
it would work, but, by damn, they really had done it.  A couple more
mugs of blood, and there would be no sign that he had been staked
this night.

"Spike, what happened?" Joyce asked. 

Spike looked down, then at the girls, then down again.  How could he
tell Joyce that Buffy had tried to dust him?  How could he tell Joyce
that Buffy was possessed?  Taking a deep breath, he began to fill
Joyce in on the night's strange happenings.

***

Giles' face was a mask of cold fury as he left the police station. 
He had spoken with Detective Clark and had learned about Faith's
abduction by masked men driving a large van.  He had a suspicion who
had taken her, and as he jumped into his car, he had to forcibly
restrain himself from speeding off in a cloud of burnt rubber. 

Reaching his home far quicker than the law would have approved, he
threw open the door and marched directly to the phone.  All
conversation stopped as everyone stared at the furious look on his
face.  Punching a string of numbers into the phone's keypad, he
ground out, "There was an accident on the way to the police station. 
According to witnesses, the cruiser hit a lorry, three masked men
jumped out, knocked out the police officers, and dragged Faith out of
the back of the police car taking her with them."

"What!" Spike yelled jumping up.  "You telling me she had help
escaping?  We need to find her, Giles.  We need to find her now!"

Giles gave Spike a cold look and said, "I'm well aware of that,
Spike.  Hello?  This is Rupert Giles.  I need to speak to Quentin
Travers.  I don't care if he's in a meeting.  This is of the utmost
importance.  It concerns Buffy Summers."

"Quentin Travers?" Willow exclaimed.  "Isn't he the head of the
Watcher's Council?  The one who hates you and Buffy?"

Giles ignored her as he spoke once more into the phone.  "Quentin,
what the hell are you doing now?  Did you send your goon squad to
Sunnydale to kidnap Faith?"

Giles listened with growing impatience.  "Do not try to fob me off,
Quentin.  This stinks of the Wetworks Squad.  Did you have her
kidnapped?"

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth he ground out, "I'll tell you
why I'm concerned about it, you daft old bugger!  She's done
something to Buffy, caused a demon to possess her or something of the
sort.  We need to talk to Faith to find out exactly what she's done. 
Now where the fuck is she?"

Willow and Tara gasped slightly at hearing Giles use such profanity. 
Spike only became more agitated.  If the Watcher was resorting to
foul language, things were really in a cock-up. 

As they watched, Giles suddenly deflated, his face turning a
frightening gray.  "Dear God, Quentin.  How could you order that? 
Call them back immediately and call if off.  Yes, yes.  I'll be right
here."  Hanging up, he looked at the anxious faces with shell-shocked
eyes.  "Quentin ordered Faith terminated."

"Terminated?" Spike growled, "You mean killed?  That bastard ordered
his own Slayer killed?"

Running his hands through his hair, Giles sighed, "She's rogue,
Spike.  It's...it's not unknown for the Council to terminate an
unsatisfactory Slayer in order for a new one to be called."

Spike just stared at Giles and then said coldly, "And you people call
me evil."

***

Buffy walked down the street totally lost; she had no idea where she
was.  When she had left the garage where the van was parked, she
found herself in a warehouse district far from any houses or stores. 
There didn't even seem to be newspaper vending machines around so
that she could find out what city she was in.  She had to rest often,
her body nearing the end of its resources, but she didn't want to
sleep until she felt safer than she did now.  At long last the area
began to change.  Warehouses and old abandoned factories gave way to
closed-up shops and boarded up buildings.  A few more blocks and
signs of life finally came into view.  It was a flyer tacked up on a
telephone pole that told her where she was.  It also told her where
she was going to go.

***

The redheaded vampire ran her thumb along the corner of her mouth
catching the blood that pooled there.  Sticking out her tongue, she
carefully lapped at the few droplets, licking the thumb clean. 

She was confused; nothing was right here.  Too many humans, not
enough vampires.  Not that she was really complaining about the too
many humans part.  She hadn't eaten this well in months.  Rubbing her
belly, she stepped over the bodies of the two teenagers she had just
drained.  Stupid girls.  Even if The Master hadn't taken over this
Sunnydale yet, there were still vampires.  You'd think the people
here would be smart enough to stay in after dark.

Shrugging, Willow continued her explorations.  This was definitely
Sunnydale.  She had gone past a now destroyed Sunnydale High where
she had been a student before The Master had turned her.  Her and
Xander.  Xander.  She had seen him tonight, but he was human again. 
That wasn't good.  She wanted her Xander back; they had so much fun
together.  He'd run off after he'd realized she was a vampire and
Willow, who'd been busy feeding, hadn't bothered chasing him.  She'd
find him eventually.

She entered The Bronze, but as with everything else, it wasn't the
same.  It was filled with human boys and girls dancing, laughing and
partying.  A couple vampires were in the crowd but Willow ignored
them.  They were weak; she could tell that right away.  Definitely
not made by The Master.  The vampires in The Master's line were
strong.  Especially the puppy.  Willow smiled coldly at the thought
of the puppy.  He was so much fun to play with.  She hoped he was
still around.  She loved to hear him scream.

***

Faith took the keycard from the registration clerk.  "Your room is
615," the girl told her.  Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Faith
sauntered over to the bank of elevators to the right of the lobby.  A
long hot shower and then bed.  She was grateful to The Mayor for
providing her with funds and a passport.  He had really cared for
her; something on one else had ever done, especially not Buffy or her
precious Watcher.  And they had killed the closest thing Faith had
ever had to a father.  Payback was really going to be a bitch.

***

Willow, Tara and Giles were examining the pieces of the apparatus
that Joyce had brought with her, discussing it quietly between them. 
Joyce sat looking frightened and confused and Xander watched as the
vampire paced back and forth and back and forth, growls
intermittently rumbling from his chest.

When the phone rang, everyone jumped and stared at the instrument as
if it had turned into a demon.  Taking in a deep steadying breath,
Giles reached for the receiver placing it to his ear.  "Giles here,"
he said softly. Silence as he listened.  "Where did they call you
from?  Do you have anyone nearby who can check?  Good.  And, Quentin,
you'd better hope that they haven't disposed of Faith yet.  Yes, that
was a threat."  Replacing the receiver he looked up and
said, "Quentin called the team but there was no answer.  He's sending
someone from the LA office to check."

Willow looked at Giles.  "There's an LA office of the Watcher's
Council?  How come we never knew about it?"

Giles looked uncomfortable, "Because it wasn't necessary that you
know, Willow."  Sighing he continued, "The Watcher's Council has
people in place in every major city of the world.  Sometimes it's a
whole office, sometimes just one person."

Spike started heading for the front door.  "Spike!  Where do you
think you're going?" Giles snapped. 

"I'm going to LA, Watcher.  That bitch is there and I'm bringing her
back."

"And just where exactly in LA are you going to find her?  Quentin
didn't tell me where the Wetworks Squad had her, so I couldn't tell
you where she is even if I wanted to."

Spike looked at him in frustration.  "Maybe I should go out lookin'
for Buffy then.  Bring her here so that we can fix whatever's wrong
with her."

Giles shook his head.  "And I think it best that we wait until we
know for sure exactly what's wrong with her.  You said you don't want
to hurt her, but she certainly won't come willingly with you, so
you'd have no choice but hurt her.  That is if she didn't just dust
you first."

Spike growled again and then flung himself down into his chair.  "I
hate this just sittin' around waitin' and doin' nothing."

"Yes, well I'm not happy myself, but going off half-cocked is not the
answer, Spike."  Turning away from the vampire, he returned to the
two witches and their examination of the mysterious smashed device.

***

Buffy stepped out of the cab and paid the driver.  She had felt a
little bit guilty stealing the money from Collins, but not too
guilty.  Entering the building, she looked for the office number
printed on the flyer.  Finding it, she took a deep breath and then
entered.

***

The vampire started drifting back to the old factory.  She had grown
bored walking around Sunnydale, her belly was full, she couldn't find
The Master or any others of her family, and Xander was nowhere to be
seen.  She'd look for him again tomorrow night.  Things would be
better once she had Xander with her again.

***

Faith stretched comfortably on the bed enjoying the feel of the crisp
linen sheets against her naked body. Sighing deeply, she snuggled up
to the spare pillow and drifted off to sleep.  Morning was soon
enough to start killing off Scoobies.

Cordelia Chase looked up with a smile as the office door opened.  The
smile didn't last long.  Jumping up, she hurriedly backed up yelping,
"Faith!  What...what are you doing here?  I thought you were in a
coma."

"Cordy," Buffy said, holding out her hand in supplication.  "I'm not
Faith.  Please, where's Angel?  I need his help."  Buffy was so
intent on trying to reassure Cordelia that she didn't even hear the
door open behind her.  The blinding pain that flashed through her as
something solid met the back of her skull was the last thing she knew
before darkness engulfed her.

***

It was quiet in Giles' apartment when the telephone once again
startled everyone into wakefulness.  Joyce had fallen asleep on the
couch and Xander had been snoring peacefully in one of the
armchairs.  The two witches had been studying a text intently.  They
finally had a notion as to what the device was and were looking for
verification.  Giles had been making another pot of tea and Spike had
just been standing in the doorway smoking yet another cigarette.

As Giles hurried to answer the insistently ringing telephone,
everyone waited tensely.  "Giles," he snapped.  He listened for what
seemed an interminable length of time before he said, "Well thank God
for that anyway."  Everyone immediately relaxed.  It appeared that
Faith wasn't dead.  "And you've no idea where she could have gotten
to?  There was no sign of her in the area?  Yes, yes, I know Los
Angeles is a large city, Quentin.  Very well, keep me informed.  Oh,
and Quentin, please be sure that your agents know that she isn't to
be harmed."  It wasn't a request.

Looking at the anxiously awaiting faces, he shook his head as he told
them, "She got away from the bloody idiots.  Chained them up with
their own chains, stole their money and disappeared.  She could be
anywhere by now."

Willow and Tara exchanged a look and Willow said, "Uh, Giles.  Maybe
we can find her."

"How, Willow?  Quentin has his entire team looking for her, but to be
honest, chances are they won't find her.  She could be in Mexico by
now."

"Well, maybe we could do a location spell.  All we need is something
of hers.  Maybe we can get something from the hospital that she left
behind."

Giles looked at the two girls and for the first time in hours
smiled.  "Yes, excellent idea, Willow."  Turning to the two men in
the room he said, "Spike, Xander.  Go see what you can get."  He
didn't need to speak twice.

***

Throbbing pain lanced through her head as she slowly regained
consciousness.  When she found out who had hit her, she was going to
tear them a new one she promised herself.  Moving slightly, she felt
the chains on her wrists.  God, not again!

Slowly opening her eyes and blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she
saw first Cordelia, then Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.  Struggling, she
managed to push herself back along the wall to which she was chained
until she was sitting upright. 

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Look guys, I know I look like Faith,
but please believe me, I'm Buffy, not Faith."

"Oh!" Cordelia exclaimed.  "Of course.  I knew that.  Just because
you look and sound exactly like that ho Faith and nothing at all like
Buffy is no reason for us to not believe that you're not Faith."

"Cordelia, please, let me handle this," Wesley said pompously.  "You
look like Faith.  Why should we believe you are Buffy?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes.  "That's just what I said, Wesley." 

Buffy closed her eyes in frustration.  "Look, where's Angel?  Let me
talk to Angel, okay?  He'll be able to figure out that I'm really
Buffy."

"Angel in out on a case right now, so I'm afraid you'll have to deal
with me," Wesley said, drawing himself up to his full height.

Buffy rested her head against the wall, shoulders slumping in
defeat.  "Great," she muttered.  "I'm doomed.  I just know it."

***

Xander and Spike got out of the car and hurried into the hospital. 
Going to the floor where Faith had been cared for, Spike told
Xander, "Look, just let me do the talking, all right?  I can get what
we need out of these nurse birds easier that you can."

"What, you think I can't charm a few nurses?" Xander protested.  Off
Spike's look he ducked his head and mumbled, "It's that damned
British accent, that's all."  Spike snickered, "Yeah. That and the
fact that I'm ten times better looking than you."

"Jeez, Spike.  Conceited much?"

Spike just smirked at him and then sauntered up to the nurse's
station turning on all his Big Bad charm.  Xander watched in awe as
the middle-aged nurse in charge turned into a prepubescent girl right
before his eyes.  Fifteen minutes later, they left the hospital with
Faith's personal belongings.

***

Cordelia and Wesley were off in a corner of the room whispering
together.  Buffy had refused to say anything more after telling them
she would talk only to Angel.  She hoped that the Watcher's Council
murder squad didn't track her here.  She had no faith at all that
Wesley would protect her.  He'd probably be glad to turn her over to
them and wash his hands of her.  Stupid Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.

***

Tara and Willow had prepared as much as they could for the location
spell.  They awaited only for Xander and Spike to return from the
hospital and Giles to return from the Magic Box with a few additional
ingredients.  The items from the Magic Box were not only for the
location spell, but also for a ritual that they had discovered in the
text.  Tara was certain that it would reveal exactly what had
happened to Buffy.

***

Buffy was studiously ignoring Wesley.  He had attempted several times
to get her to speak to him, but she had refused to acknowledge his
presence.  Cordelia had returned to the office above to wait for
Angel.  It had been over an hour and Buffy was hungry, thirsty, her
head ached and she had to pee.  If Angel didn't show up soon, she was
going to rip the damned chains out of the wall, thump Wesley with
them and go to the bathroom.  The sound of the elevator moving
brought both of them to attention.  As it slowly descended, Buffy
felt her heart start to pound.  She hoped it was Cordelia and Angel. 

The doors finally opened and Buffy looked up into the dark eyes of
her former lover.  She felt like weeping in relief.

"Faith," Angel said coldly.

"Buffy," Buffy answered.

"So Cordelia tells me.  Want to tell me just how Buffy came to look
just like Faith?"

Taking a deep breath, Buffy said, "I really need to go to the
bathroom."

***

The map of Los Angeles County was spread out before the two girls as
they cast the location spell.  It wasn't working.  The pendulum
they'd made by tying Faith's ring to a long cord swung erratically
over the map, seeming to settle over one area but then skittering off
to the edge of the map in the direction of Sunnydale.  After ten
minutes of concentration, the girls conceded defeat.

"Perhaps it didn't work because you're too tired," Giles said,
exhaustion evident in his own voice.  "I think it might be best if we
all take a break and get some sleep.  Try again in a few hours."

Protests abounded, but Giles was adamant.  And so the three women
went upstairs to sleep in Giles' bed while he bunked down on the
couch, Xander draped himself over an armchair and Spike curled up on
the floor.  Spike didn't think he would be able to relax, worried as
he was over Buffy, but he was asleep two minutes after lying down. 
The room settled into the soft sound of snores.

***

Buffy finished telling her story to Angel, Cordelia and Wesley. 
Stony looks of disbelief gave way to exclamations of shock when she
got to the part where the men had tried to kill her, and then back to
stony looks of disbelief again.  And so she brought out the big
guns.  Every single secret that Buffy knew about the three with her
was revealed.  By the time she got to the night she and Angel had
made love, everyone believed.

"So what do we do, Angel?" Cordelia asked.  "I agree with Buffy. 
There's no way Giles is going to believe this over the phone."

"Then we go to Sunnydale," Angel answered. 
 

The black convertible sped along the freeway.  Angel and Buffy were
in the front and Cordelia and Wesley were in the back, sound asleep. 
Buffy's head was feeling better after a couple aspirin and some
food.  She was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open, but
whenever she shut them, they just popped open again. 

She hadn't said anything yet to Angel about her and Spike, which she
knew was so not a good idea.  She needed to let him know before they
got to Sunnydale.  She just wasn't sure how.  And it certainly wasn't
because she was ashamed of her relationship with Spike.  She loved
the younger vampire, but at the same time she still cared for Angel
and didn't want to hurt him.

Finally gathering her courage up she said, "Angel, there's something
else you need to know before we get to Sunnydale."

"What's that, Buffy?" Angel asked gently.  He felt terrible about
everything the girl he loved had been put through the last few
hours.  He'd do whatever was necessary to help her.

"Uh, it's about me.  And Spike."

Angel frowned.  "Spike?  What about him?  Oh.  Did you dust him?" 
Angel's voice was gentle, understanding.  "I'm not happy to hear
that, of course.  He was a part of my family after all, but I
understand, Buffy.  You're the Slayer, he was evil, so..."

"Uh, no, Angel," Buffy interrupted.  "I haven't dusted him."

"Then what, Buffy?" Angel asked, more than a little confused.

"Spike and I are...together," Buffy said, looking anxiously at the
large, dark-haired vampire.

The car swerved across two lanes of roadway almost plowing into the
guardrail on the far side of the highway.  Cordelia and Wesley slid
across the backseat coming awake with grunts and exclamations.

"What do you mean, 'together'?" Angel asked through gritted teeth,
getting the car back under control.  "Tell me you don't mean in a
romantic sense.  Please tell me that."

Buffy swallowed nervously.  Man, this was every bit as hard as she
had thought it would be. 

"Yes, I mean in a romantic sense.  Spike and I love each other,
Angel."

"What?" two voices from the backseat screeched.  "Buffy, you cannot
be serious," Cordelia protested.  "Spike?  You're in love with
Spike?  Crazy stalker, tried to kill you a dozen times Spike?"

Buffy twisted around to look at her friend.  Nodding her head she
said, "We've been together since, well since before Thanksgiving last
year."

Looking at Angel, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner
to you Angel, but I wasn't sure exactly what to say."

"Yeah," Cordelia snarked. "Plus you wanted Angel to help you which
maybe he wouldn't have done had he known you've been getting all
horizontal with Spike."

"That's enough, Cordelia," Angel said coldly.  "Who Buffy sleeps with
is obviously her own business.  We'll just take her to Giles and then
head back home.  I'm sure Spike is more than man enough to give her
any further help she needs.  That is if he's not too busy killing and
terrorizing the citizens of Sunnydale."

Now Buffy was getting angry.  "He doesn't kill or terrorize or feed
or any of the other nasty things you're thinking," she snapped. 
"He's done nothing but help me since he returned to Sunnydale last
November."

Angel took his eyes off the road to stare at her.  "He's just been
back in Sunnydale since November and you were involved with him by
Thanksgiving?  What took you so long?"

"Angel, road!" Cordelia snapped as the convertible almost drifted
into the car in the next lane.  Angel returned his attention to his
driving, but Buffy could feel his seething anger.

"Angel, please," Buffy said trying to be conciliatory.  She knew that
he was hurt, and she knew that there was no way he could ever
understand.  Hell, she and Spike had been together for months now and
*they* still didn't understand.  "I didn't tell you to hurt you,
please believe that.  But I'm not ashamed of my feelings for Spike,
everyone knows about us, and I didn't want you to be blindsided by
it.  I know I should have told you back at your office, and I was a
coward not to.  Please just try to understand."

Angel was silent for a long time.  "I'd like to say that as long as
you're happy, I'm happy, Buffy," he said at last, "but I will never
be happy for you as long as you're with Spike.  He's evil, pure and
simple.  The biggest favor I could do for you is kill him as soon as
I see him."

"Try it, Angel, and you'll be dust before the stake ever gets near
him."

Angel looked at her in surprise.  He had never heard Buffy speak to
him in such a cold, calm voice, not even when he had been Angelus. 
One glance into her eyes and he realized that she was deadly
serious. 

"Very well, Buffy.  It's your life and the lives of those you love
you're putting in jeopardy.  When he turns on you, don't say I didn't
warn you."

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

***

A loud pounding on his door awakened Giles.  Rising from the couch he
went to open it aware that Xander and Spike were right behind him. 
Flinging open the portal, he was surprised to see Angel standing
there. 

"Angel?  What?"  Before he could say anything else, Angel stepped
aside to reveal Faith standing behind him.  "Faith!" he said in
astonishment.  She started to step into the apartment only to be met
by the demon visage of one very brassed off vampire.

"You bitch!" he growled grabbing her roughly.  "What've you done to
Buffy?"

Angel reacted instinctively, pulling Spike off of Buffy, throwing him
against the wall and lifting a stake pulled from his pocket.  Before
he could even begin to make the downstroke, he found himself being
thrown across the living room.  Looking up, he saw Buffy standing in
front of Spike, a murderous gleam in her eyes.  "I warned you,
Angel," she ground out.

Spike was staring in astonishment at his grandsire, lying in a
tumbled heap in the middle of the living room floor, then turned his
attention to the infuriated Slayer standing so protectively in front
of him.  He took in her stance, the way she held her body, the tilt
of her head and said, "Buffy?"

Buffy turned to him, her eyes shining with joy.  Spike stepped
forward, grabbed her head in his hands and looked deeply into her
eyes.  "Sweetheart, is that you?"  Buffy nodded vigorously, tears
streaming down her face as her lover gathered her to him in a
crushing embrace.  "God, baby, what did that bitch do to you?" Spike
asked tremulously.  Pushing her back again and looking closely at her
he said, "Are you all right?  Did those bastard Watchers hurt you? 
I'll kill them, love, I swear I will."

Buffy just laughed and cried and hugged him to her again.  Spike knew
her!  Without her having to say anything to him at all, he knew her.

***

Giles had never had so many people in his house before.  Cups of tea
and coffee were on every available surface.  Xander had made a
doughnut run and Angel and Spike were drinking mugs of warmed pig's
blood.  Angel watched stony-faced as Buffy curled up tightly next to
Spike, his arm wrapped possessively around her shoulder.  Joyce sat
on Buffy's other side, clasping her daughter's hand and the two
witches sat on the floor in front of her eagerly listening to Buffy's
story.

Giles had wanted to place a call to Quentin Travers to let him know
that Faith, or at least Faith's body, was in Sunnydale, but Buffy had
been adamant that she didn't want him to know anything about her, or
Faith's, whereabouts.

"He was going to have Faith killed, Giles.  No trial, no hearing,
just an execution.  I'm not saying that Faith doesn't deserve
punishment for the murders she committed, but she deserves a trial
first."

"Not only that, Watcher," Spike interjected, "but what's to stop
those wankers from sending their murder squad to Sunnydale to take
out Faith while she's still in Buffy's body.  I'm sure it doesn't
matter one whit to them, just as long as they get their new Slayer."

That argument, more than any other, kept him from the phone.

As Buffy finished her tale, Willow looked to Giles and said, "So we
were right.  A Draconian Katra spell."

"A Drawhoian Catnip spell?" Buffy asked.

"A Draconian Katra spell," Wesley lectured pedantically.  "Katra,
taken from the ancient Egyptian word 'Ka', meaning spirit or life
force, although perhaps in this case personality is closer. The Ka in
Egyptian mythology was believed to be able to enter a double, thereby
animating it.  This spell exchanged the personalities of you and
Faith including all memories and mannerisms, everything that makes up
a person's individuality.  Quite fascinating really.  I'd love to
study the two of you together once we've caught up with Faith."

Buffy just looked at him without expression and then said to her
Watcher, "So, Giles, how do we undo this?  No offense to Faith's
body, but I prefer my own."

Spike nuzzled into her neck and said, "So do I, pet."

Giles ignored the vampire's by-play and said to the two witches, "Do
you feel rested enough to try the conjuration spell?"

Willow and Tara exchanged glances and nodded their agreement.

"Excellent.  Let's get started then."