Title: There’s Your Trouble; Rupert’s Angels
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: various Spike/Xander (Xander/Jesse, Giles/Wesley, Willow/Tara, former Xander/Anya, former alt-Xander/Jesse)
Categories: angst, AU, body swap, humor, supernatural
Length: Long (~36,000 words)
Warnings: discussion of partner betrayal, discussion of homophobia, some Jesse bashing

Author on LJ: savoytruffle
Author Website: A Master List of My almost exclusively S/X Fics

Review:
Xander wakes up in a different world. A world where he has his own apartment and Jesse’s alive. And Xander’s apparently gay. This means that when alt-Xander wakes up next to Anya in his parents’ basement he doesn’t take it very well.

I am a sucker for body swap fics, and this is the best one out there in the Buffy 'verse. It’s especially neat that SavoyTruffle uses both Xanders’ POVs instead of just restricting herself to the one side.

On the not so positive side, Jesse is made into a jerk in this, not that it’s exactly against canon, but it’s still a bit heavy handed.

It’s really interesting that SavoyTruffle chose not to reveal if their bodies were switched or if it was just their consciousness’s, especially considering the ending. Also, we never find out if alt-Spike is chipped or souled or more along the lines of Season Two Spike. It’s an intriguing choice to make, especially considering the extent to which different people like the different versions of Spike.

The most interesting aspect of this series is ‘the gang’ in the alt-Universe. Wesley and Giles are in a relationship and are Watchers for Buffy, Faith and Cordelia. Which is why the coda is so fantastic. Hilarious and very unique, ‘Rupert’s Angels’ may be the best short story in the Buffy fandom.

There’s Your Trouble
Rupert’s Angels