Californian standoff

"You try to shoot that woman and we'll shoot you," said Riley.

"This is none of your business," said the leader of the Watchers Council operatives. "For all you know, we are agents of MI-6 apprehending an enemy of Her Majesty's government."

"You seriously expect me to believe that?" asked Riley.

"No," said the leader. "But with a name like Riley Finn, I'd figure you'd believe anything."

"B, please," said Faith-in-Joyce, still staring at the revolver the leader was pointing at her head. "I know we're not the best of friends right now, but I could use a little help."

"Seriously, Faith?" asked Buffy. "You have some nerve. First you attack my mother, then you steal her body and now you want my help?"

"Wait a minute," said Riley, pointing to Faith-in-Joyce. "This is Faith? Not your mother? Isn't she a bit old to be a Slayer?"

"Hey," said the man called Blade. "Some Slayers get to be very old. However, for a female Slayer, she is kinda over the hill."

"Look who's talking, Mr. I-Know-a-Vampire-When-I-See-One?" asked Faith-in-Joyce.

"Well, this has been interesting," said Spike. "Well, actually it's been bollocks but I got things to do, so later."

And with that, Spike started to walk away toward the back of the club where the hidden entrance to the sewer tunnels was located.

"Going somewhere, vamp?" asked Blade.

"What's it to you?" asked Spike.

"I thought you might want to stick around and chat," said Blade.

"About what?" asked Spike.

Blade drew out his sword and said, "Nikki Wood."

"Oh, bollocks!" said Spike. "I don't suppose you knew her."

"Actually I knew her quite well," said Blade. "Before you killed her."

"Well, you can't possibly be that old," said Spike.

"I'm half-vampire," said Blade. "Of course, I'm that old."

"Oh, so you're that Blade," said Spike. "Well, I got a chip now so I couldn't fight you right now even if I wanted to."

"Who ever said I wanted to fight you?" asked Blade, aiming his sword in Spike's direction. "Perhaps I just want to send you to the same place that you sent Nikki. She did have a kid, you know."

"Oh, well, in that case..." Spike started to say.

Then Spike turned and pointed. "Look over there, folks!" he cried. "It's Dracula!"

"Where?" asked Blade, turning around for a brief second.

"See you later, wanker," said Spike as he ran away like a bat out of Hell.

"Hey, wait a minute!" yelled Blade when he saw Spike running away. "Come back here!"

Blade hurriedly ran after Spike as the rest of the people in the Bronze watched with bemusement.

Then Riley shrugged and gestured for his men to follow Blade. "Might as well see if we can get our vampire back," he said.

His men rushed off and hurriedly followed Blade and Spike as they ran past Buffy and Joyce-in-Faith and into the club's hidden entrance.

After they had disappeared into the sewer tunnels, the leader of the Watcher Council operatives just shrugged and turned again toward Riley.

"Well, that was interesting," he said, "but we're still taking the woman."

And with that, he turned once more toward Faith-in-Joyce.

But before he could do anything else, Willow Rosenberg came into the club via the front entrance and quickly uttered a quick chant in Greek and Latin.

Before anyone could move, the trio of armed men were gone and in their place were three large rats sitting upon piles of empty clothes and discarded weapons.

As the three rats scampered off into the darkness, Willow shouted, "Yes! In your face, Amy Madison! I knew that spell would work."

Then Tara Maclay entered the club behind Willow.

"Why did you use that spell, Willow?" asked Tara. "You know we have no way of turning those men back into humans. Otherwise, we would have used it on Amy."

"I had to do something," said Willow. "They might have been about to kill Buffy's mom."

"Actually they were about to kidnap Faith,"said Buffy from her place of concealment. "But thanks for saving her all the same."

"No problem, Buffy," said Willow. "Hey, why are you still naked? I would have thought that you found a way to get dressed by now."

"I kinda wish people would stop asking me those types of questions," said Buffy. "It's a long story. Anyway, Tara said something about a way to reverse the body swap between Faith and my mother. Do you have it?"

"We sure do," said Tara.

Tara reached into her purse and pulled out a small metal object that looked like something Buffy had seen on the floor of her mother's house the night of Faith's attack.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's a Draconian Katra," said Tara. "They're very rare and the process for making one was almost impossible to find but Willow and I managed to do so anyway."

"Cool," said Buffy. "So I take it we can use this to reverse the spell. How does it work?"

"Simple, really," said Tara. "You hold it in one hand, and then place it in the other person's hand like this and then -- No, Buffy. Don't squeez --"

And just like that, there was a flash of light and a sound of thunder.

And just like that, Buffy found herself staring at her own naked body while Tara in turn was staring at her own clothed form.