It only took a few minutes of the unnatural silence in the car for Xander to impatiently jab a finger onto the power button of the radio. The signal from Los Angeles was strong enough that the sound of a human voice reporting the news assured the two men that the silence was confined to Sunnydale. The report went on to tell them that all schools and businesses were closed until the source of the 'mass laryngitis' was found and dealt with by the Department of Communicable Diseases. Xander rolled his eyes at the blindness that was continually exhibited by the authorities. He glanced at his passenger. Mike had a slight smile on his face as he gazed out of the car window. As Xander watched, the smile disappeared and a frown crossed the broad forehead.

Returning his attention to the road, he saw what had caused his companion's frown. The sidewalks and streets of Sunnydale were discretely but liberally peppered with Initiative soldiers. While the military members were in civilian clothing, they were obvious by their stiff bearing and the fact that they were wandering the streets in pairs. A silent curse moved Xander's mouth as he was forced to stop at a red light. Mike's hands clenched into fists as two of his former co-workers deliberately looked into the car and stared at them. It occurred to Xander and Mike that the large number of soldiers out on the streets were looking for their missing member as well as attempting to maintain control during the abnormal silence.

Mike's heart raced when he realized that both men facing him lived on the same floor of the fraternity house that he had. He forced himself to remain calm as they peered through the windows but heaved a tiny sigh of relief when neither of the soldiers registered even the smallest flicker of recognition. His now-green eyes swung around to Xander. A smirk twisted the male Scooby's mouth as he pulled smoothly through the intersection and away from the inquisitive soldiers. A huge grin lit Mike's handsome face.

The radio had moved on to the weather report by the time the sedan pulled into the Summers' driveway. Both men sat and watched the quiet house for several minutes. Finally, Xander opened his door and motioned for Mike to go with him into the building. The brunet knocked on the front door and waited impatiently for an answer. With a frown of concern, he reached down and turned the knob experimentally. It gave easily and with a slight push, Xander opened the door. Cautiously he stepped into the foyer. With Mike behind him, he walked slowly down the hall listening intently for any sound at all.

Both men froze in shock when Spike strolled through the kitchen door, game-faced and bloody. Watching the vampire wipe the blood from his chin and suck it into his mouth caused gory visions of Buffy's mother and little sister lying on the kitchen floor with their throats torn out to flood Xander's mind. Without another thought he flew forward and punched Spike square in the face sending him skidding backwards into the wall by the door.

Instinctively, the demon bounced up to defend himself. Forgetting the consequences, his own fist darted out into his attacker's chest. White-hot pain shot through his head. Xander staggered with pain but managed to sink his fist into Spike's abdomen. The vampire stumbled back into the wall again with a thud before he sank down to the floor, his hands wrapped around his head. Tears of agony welled in his eyes as his demonic visage faded, leaving his handsome human face in its place.

As Xander's arm pulled back to land yet another punch on the crumpled vampire, Spike folded his arms over his head and braced himself for the punishment he'd been trained to expect.

In the kitchen, Joyce and Dawn looked up in alarm as the sounds of a scuffle sounded in the hallway. In unison, they ran through the door. The sight that confronted them filled them with dismay. Spike was crouched defensively on the floor, his arms wrapped around his bowed head. Above him, Xander stood with his fist raised to strike another blow to the helpless demon. The only thing stopping him was Mike's iron grasp on his forearm. The male Scooby's attention was so focused on Spike that he didn't notice the entrance of the women he was mistakenly defending.

Joyce darted forward into Xander's line of sight. She placed a slender hand on his chest and gazed into the fury-filled depths of his eyes until he refocused and saw her. She nodded and pointed towards Dawn, indicating that both of them were all right. Slowly, he lowered his fist. Mike moved his grasp from forearm to bicep, changing the hold from restraining to calming.

Joyce turned her back on Xander and crouched next to Spike. She ran her hand gently down his back, her heart breaking at the shudders wracking the slender frame. Xander watched her comfort the vampire for a few seconds before stepping forward to try to help. He looked over in puzzlement when Mike's hand tightened on his arm momentarily before easing away. Mike motioned for Xander to stay back. The soldier pointed to himself and then at the couple kneeling on the floor. Xander nodded, ducked his head sheepishly and moved aside to stand next to Dawn. The teenager glared up at him, accusation in her huge blue eyes. He shrugged, deciding to explain it to her when they got their voices back.

Spike cowered against the wall waiting for his punishment. Once again in the mindset of his captivity, where for his every action there was a violent and agonizingly painful consequence. As the tremors quaked through his thin body he waited for the blinding lightening-like jolts to stop frying his brain. A gentle touch to his shoulder was not what he was expecting. A sharp breath and he realized that Joyce was next to him comforting him through the ongoing ordeal. Inch by inch he lowered his arms away from his head. He ran his hands over his face in a last minute delay before once again facing the human who was pulling him away from the lessons that had been tortured into him. Making sure his face was dry of tears he lowered his hands and raised his head to see – a face that was far too familiar for comfort.

Michael crouched in front of the traumatized vampire, carefully keeping a small distance between them. He hadn't been this close to this particular demon before even though he'd been on guard duty in his holding section for a major portion of the time he'd been with the Initiative. He remembered the defiance that had sparkled in the fiery eyes even after extended periods of torture. He closed his own eyes as he thought about the nightmares that had plagued this creature every night, nightmares that had been ignored by everyone except Michael. It had been a serious shock to look into the holding cell the first time he'd pulled guard duty after this vampire's capture. He knew the vampire would not remember his own face well enough to make the connection but the first opportunity he had after that night, he'd contacted his uncle and requested the family records. With a sudden chill, he gave silent thanks that he'd had the foresight to hide those records in a safe deposit box under an assumed name. He hadn't been strictly honest with Mr. Giles. He knew who this vampire had been before being turned. He also knew that no one other than himself had that knowledge. He was very aware that, given enough time, Rupert Giles would put the pieces together. Inhaling sharply, he opened his eyes and met the suspicious blue glare aimed at him.

Spike tilted his head curiously trying to figure out where he'd seen this man before. He inhaled in an attempt to place the scent. A silent growl rumbled in his chest and his eyes glowed with gold as the unmistakable taint of that place registered. Another inhalation and a puzzled frown crossed his forehead. Drusilla? Why would this human smell of his Sire? It was too confusing. He vamped and stood suddenly. Joyce tumbled backwards onto her behind as she lost her hold on him. Xander leapt forward to help her up. Mike rose at the same time so Spike found himself standing eye to eye with the disturbingly familiar man. The Nike running shoes Mike wore put him taller than the barefoot vampire but by less than an inch. It was obvious to the onlookers that they were nearly identical in height and build.

The vampire took one menacing step forward. Michael refused to move. Spike's fists clenched in rage. He wasn't going to take this any more. He was a Master Vampire. He'd been kidnapped, tortured and he was not going to put up with any more insolence from the food.

Xander gently tugged Joyce toward the kitchen, not wanting either of the females near the enraged vampire. The three of them stood back and watched the eerily silent confrontation.

Spike reached out and poked Mike in the chest, not hard enough to hurt but strong enough to indicate he wanted to get past. Mike shook his head slowly. Fangs flashed as Spike snarled silently. Mike tilted his head in an uncanny imitation of Spike's earlier motion.

Suddenly the emotional roller coaster Spike had been riding since waking swerved again. Anger, confusion, fear all crashed through his still aching head. He no longer trusted his own instincts, didn't feel safe any more. A sudden breeze caused the still open front door to bump against the wall. The unexpected noise made them all jump. Spike saw an opportunity. With a little of his recovered vampiric speed, he shoved Mike aside and dashed for the open door.

Giles' house.....

Buffy finished her written report and turned it over to her Watcher with a grimace reminiscent of her late homework assignments of high school. He nodded his thanks and checked his watch, wondering vaguely if everything was all right at the Summers' house. Xander had indicated that he and Mike would make sure Spike was secured and harmless. The Brit was concerned about the unpredictable reaction the former captive would have to this unnatural silence. With a silent sigh, he wrote a quick note to his Slayer instructing her to go out and begin an early patrol. She frowned at him since sunset was still a few hours away. Giles pulled his glasses from his face with one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose with the other. It had been a long, tiring day already and all he wanted was more sleep. Willow bounced over and showed them both a note on her message board asking Buffy to escort her back to the dormitory so she could finish some homework.

Anya had given up even pretending to search the books for references to mystical silence. She'd uncovered the old television in the corner and had turned it on. Rupert had to admit to himself that the sound of the news announcer was a welcome diversion from the oppressive silence.

After the door closed behind the Slayer and the Witch, Giles wandered into the kitchen to put the kettle on for tea. He hoped fervently that Drusilla would remain asleep in her room until Michael returned. Another glance at his watch and he was again wondering what was delaying the two young men.

Summers' house....

Mike allowed the momentum of the shove from Spike carry him all the way to the wall. A slight gasp of pain as his shoulder collided with the wooden base of the stair railing was all that was required. Mere inches from the open door and the deadly sunlight that splashed through it, Spike crumpled to the floor with his head held tightly in clenching fingers. Instantly, Mike regained his balance and leapt forward to slam the door shut. Spike looked up as he felt the soldier rush past him. Mike stood resolutely in front of the now closed front door and impassively stared down at the vampire. For endless minutes everyone in the house remained frozen.

Finally, Spike shifted. He rose slowly from his crouch near the base of the stairs. Xander, Joyce and Dawn held their breath waiting to see what the unpredictable vampire would do next. Game-faced and golden-eyed, Spike prowled closer to Mike.

The soldier remained still as the vampire crowded into his personal space. The green tinted eyes held steady on the demonic features. Spike bared his fangs in annoyance when the human continued to watch him coolly, fearlessly. He stopped inches from Mike and stared into green eyes that seemed...... wrong? The demon inhaled again, trying to decipher the human's scent. He growled silently as he caught and dismissed the odor of that place, the bittersweet tang from Drusilla calmed him marginally before being discarded. This time he caught yet another layer of the human's scent, something basic and unique, and something vaguely, disturbingly familiar. Spike froze as he tried to process what he'd smelled. His face shifted back to his human visage as he stepped backwards in surprise. It had been over one hundred years since he'd known someone who smelled like that. He took another look at the man in front of him, this time sweeping his gaze from head to toe. The spiked burgundy hair seemed as wrong as the green eyes. Spike closed his eyes for a moment trying to picture this human with different hair, light brown or dark blond. That done, he mentally changed the eye color to something more compatible, more familiar. The image his mind presented to him startled him so badly his eyes flew open and he stared in disbelief.

Michael stood statue-still while the vampire in front of him attempted to process the impossible. He could see the others at the other end of the hall waiting and watching, unsure of just what they were seeing. He watched Xander wrap his hand around Joyce's upper arm to keep her from approaching and possibly startling the unbalanced vampire.

Spike's emotional roller coaster took yet another plunge and he began to back away from Mike. His bare feet collided with the bottom step of the stair case and he sat down with a slight thump. The vampire propped his elbows onto his knees and he leaned forward to bury his face in his hands. Joyce took that as a sign that it was reasonably safe to approach her shaken friend. She bent in front of him and ran her hands across Spike's bowed shoulders.

Mike inched backwards until his hand rested on the doorknob. A quick turn, a tug and the door opened just enough for him to slip through. Outside he made his way shakily to the top of the porch steps where he sank down slowly. In a mirror image of the vampire, he rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands.