Was It? Nah, Couldn't Have Been

Disclaimer: There are so many things I would have owned had I won the lottery but :sigh: since I didn't, I own nothing. Especially these lovely people.

Summary: Hmmmm, well, there're meetings and speculations. Will the investigators find what they're looking for?

Reviews: Yes please. I love readers and adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: I'm so sorry it took almost a month to update this fic. I was working on it I swear but the muse got hijacked by Demon/Spike. And then Marsters Mobsters put up a fic contest/challenge and the muse just insisted that I write something for that (which, due to contest rules, won't be posted anywhere until after Thanksgiving). And then my computer fried its power cord which had me down for a couple of days. I promise the next chap won't take so long. Next up though is chapter seven of 'The Demon Within'.

For those intrigued enough to go check out the contest/challenge, it can be found at MarstersMobsters dot com. (Insert an actual dot please) All you incredibly talented writers should go check it out.

Many thanks to WayWard Childe for the usual encouragement, criticism and invaluable help he provides. Muse loves you! Kinda fond of you myself but don't let that get out.

Giles put his newspaper down and extended his hand for Wesley to shake. "What a surprise! Are you here investigating the phenomenon?" Mindful of the motel clerk, the question was phrased carefully.

Wesley nodded. "Yes, Fred picked up a lot of data on it yesterday. We're running computer tests on it now. We do have some concerns about a guest here but I'll wait to tell you about them."

Giles smiled in understanding. "We're going out to the crater today. It'll be the first time since..." He trailed off remembering the losses of a year ago. "So, is it just you and Fred or did he come as well?"

Wes allowed a tiny smile. He knew quite well the elder Brit's aversion to Angel's presence. "Gunn and Lorne are with us. Lorne has picked up some fascinating information that you need to hear."

Rupert opened his mouth to ask about Lorne's findings but didn't get the chance. Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Xander trooped into the lobby.

"G-man! We need to find a restaurant. My stomach feels like my throat's been cut." Xander exclaimed.

Wesley winced. "Trust me, you don't want to know what that really feels like."

Buffy squeaked as she jumped on the younger Brit. "Wes! I didn't know you were going to be here! Is Fred with? How about Angel?"

Her shrill questions caused an expression of pain to cross Wesley's face.

"Buffy, volume please." Her former watcher wheezed as he cautiously eased out of the slayer's strangle-hold. He surreptitiously checked for cracked ribs as she backed off to let the others say hello.

Xander held out his hand with a sympathetic grimace. "How are things, Wes? Ribs intact? Slayer hugs can be hazardous to your health, you know."

Wes shook hands with the male Scooby, taking in the shaggy hair, eye patch and fresh tan. "You're looking well, Xander. And things are fine, thank you."

Xander grinned, white teeth flashing, dark eye sparkling. "That would be called taking a vacation. Does a body good. You should try it."

Wes nodded. "Someday."

Dawn elbowed Xander out of the way and threw her arms around Wesley but with far less strength than her sister. "Where's Fred? Oh! And Lorne! I really need to see Lorne!" The teenager and the Pylean had bonded after the fall of Sunnydale. He'd helped her come to terms with never seeing Spike again.

After the arrival of the LA group, the Watchers managed to relocate their respective teams to a nearby restaurant where they all caught up on gossip before the Scoobies left to visit the crater. They decided to save conversations of a supernatural type for when they could all convene in a more private setting.

Sunnydale crater....

Buffy and Dawn clasped hands tightly as they stood on the edge of the crater. Dawn peered down trying to see the sign that had toppled over into the rubble. They had been in such a hurry to escape the destruction the previous year that it had only been later she'd realized she wanted it.

"The occurrence was over where the high school was so we need to get there." Willow chewed uncertainly on her bottom lip as she looked out over the uneven terrain.

Giles pulled a small walkie-talkie from his pocket. "Wesley loaned me their helicopter." He brought the device up to his mouth. "We're ready."

Buffy grimaced. "I hate using Wolfram and Hart's stuff."

Xander nodded. "But it beats walking." He allowed. "It's not like we can use the sidewalks or take the usual shortcuts." He gazed sadly over the hole in the ground that had been where he'd grown up.

It only took a few minutes for the helicopter to deposit the survivors to the site of their biggest battle. Dawn stood silently staring at the devastated area. She bit her lip as her huge blue eyes filled with tears. "Spike's down there." She whispered.

Buffy slipped an arm around her sister's slender waist. "Not really, Dawnie. Remember? Willow did that soul search and she says he went to the same dimension that I was in. Anyway, he knew. He loved you so much." The redhead had done the soul search three months after the Hellmouth closing to ease the younger girl's grief and imagined guilt over Spike's death.

"I hope Willow's right. I would feel better if I had told him though." The teenager sniffled.

Giles discretely made sure the others were kept clear of Willow as she prepared to tap into the mystical residue of the magical occurrence that was garnering far more attention than they'd initially expected. It was Xander who discovered the disrupted cinder block and Buffy who spotted the footsteps leading way from the location.

"Looks like somebody did a little rearranging." Xander crouched next to the small hole. Andrew wiped away the sentimental tears he'd been shedding and made a show of kneeling next to the older Scooby, running a hand over his chin. He narrowed his pale blue eyes as he scanned the terrain.

"It would appear that way, indeed." The younger man intoned.

Xander rolled his eye, knowing quite well it lacked the impact of both eyes but old habits died hard. He stood and shifted unobtrusively several feet to the side. He leaned down, pulled on the overturned chunk of concrete and managed to flip it over to look at the other side. A small black streak marred the pale grey surface.

"Kicked by someone wearing black shoes or boots." He mused quietly.

Buffy wandered along the path made by the faint footprints. They led away from the high school site and toward the side of Sunnydale that was nearer the ocean. She remembered the caves there and wondered if whoever or whatever it was had taken shelter in them. Dawn joined her as she gazed thoughtfully out over the devastated landscape. It was hard to see over the sides of the crater and didn't envy anyone who had to climb up out of it.

"What does it mean? The footprints and everything?" Dawn asked softly. "What happened here the other night?"

"I don't know, Dawnie, but if anyone can figure it out Wills can." Buffy squatted down to see if she could make out anything from the vague imprint in the hard dirt. She traced the outline. A boot, she figured, distracted by the memory of Spike's well-worn Doc Martins.

Giles noticed the senior slayer's distraction and joined her. He crouched down and scrutinized the boot prints. He pulled a digital camera out of his shirt pocket and snapped a few shots of the trail. "I'd say someone definitely walked out of here." He observed.

Buffy nodded. "But how did they get here?"

Willow joined them. Her hair was slowly returning from the Goddess white back to her normal bright red. "Whoever it was, they were brought through from another dimension." She reported.

"But who and why?" Dawn wanted to know fretfully.

"Both very good questions. Ones we will most certainly investigate and ascertain the answers to." Andrew folded his arms over his skinny chest and tried to look both wise and determined. Giles and Xander exchanged exasperated looks and wondered yet again why they'd brought him with them.

Anya's house, early afternoon...

The one thing Anya liked best about her online business was that she could keep strange hours should she choose. It was just past noon when she woke. She stretched languidly for a few minutes before she remembered her houseguest and his unexpected return to the world. She recalled the stark sorrow in the dark sapphire eyes when she'd revealed that she knew where he'd been. Try as she might though, she couldn't bring herself to be unhappy he was back.

She tried to be as quiet as possible, well aware of vampire hearing and their overall nocturnal habits. She made a pot of coffee and toasted a bagel for her breakfast. Carrying her plate and cup into her office, she powered up the computer.

Normally she loved logging onto her website and keeping track of her business but today she was distracted. After only half an hour of work, during which she lost track of what she was doing three times, she shut the computer off and pushed away from the desk. She sat quietly in her office thinking about Spike for a long time. Finally she decided it wasn't doing her any good to sit and brood. A rumble in the vicinity of her stomach convinced her she needed to do something else. She was on her way to the kitchen for more coffee and to begin dinner when a light knock sounded against the front door panels. She hurried to answer the summons before whoever it was could knock again and possibly wake Spike.

Her neighbor, Monica stood on the porch, grinning. Anya motioned her in and gently closed the door.

"Dan told you?" Anya sighed.

"Yup." Monica giggled. Her wide grey eyes avidly inspected the living room of Anya's house, trying to catch a peek at the mysterious Spike. She was practically vibrating with curiosity about him. Dan had given her a description and Monica wanted to see for herself.

"Well, I'll tell you but we have to be quiet. Spike has really good hearing." The blonde motioned for her friend to follow her into the kitchen. She shut the swinging door and offered her friend a cup of coffee.

Monica sat at the table. Anya always thought it was amusing to see her neighbor sitting straight in a kitchen chair. Monica was barely five feet in height and had waist length auburn hair. Today, her wealth of hair was caught up in a thick ponytail, making her look about the same age as her students. The illusion was enhanced by the sprinkling of freckles on her little upturned nose and the ready smile perpetually curving her luscious lips. She was an elementary school teacher and was Brittany's homeroom teacher. She had a crush on Dan, having taken one look and fallen hard for the rugged deputy. It was a mystery to Anya why Dan remained oblivious of Monica's affection for him. Some days Monica reminded Anya of Willow but without the competition for Xander's attention that had marred that chance to make a female friend.

Anya's silence stretched out for several minutes. Monica's smile dimmed a little. "Ahn? Are you all right? Are you sure having that guy here is a good thing?" She asked in concern.

The blonde shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled reassuringly. "It's a great thing. I've missed Spike, more than I'd realized. I thought he was dead so seeing him last night was quite a shock."

Monica nodded. "So where is he? Don't tell me you wore him out the first night. I'm so happy you finally got a man in your life. No one is supposed to live as celibately as you have."

Anya smiled as she remembered her first couple of years as a human. She'd been obsessed with sex and money, not necessarily in that order. She'd learned a lot in the past year, the most important lesson being that she didn't need a man around to make her happy and that she could make money easily and again didn't need a man. Seeing Spike after a year of believing him to be dead had awakened a longing for male companionship that she hadn't thought she'd ever feel again. Once more her silence concerned her friend.

"Anya?" Monica put a tiny hand on Anya's arm.

"Sorry, I'm a little distracted. Didn't Dan tell you that Spike is staying in my guest room?" She frowned at the mistaken impression her friend seemed to have.

"He did. I was just hoping he was mistaken." Monica winked as she sipped her coffee.

A light tap sounded on the closed kitchen door and caused it to swing open. "Damn, Demon, been smelling the coffee. It's not sundown yet so you better have a lot of it if I'm gonna stay up. Oh! Sorry." Spike stopped at the sight of Anya's guest. He'd neglected to put a shirt on and his jeans rode low on his waist. His hair was mussed into curly spikes and his eyes had a heavy sleepy look to them. The grumpy look on his handsome face melted into a sheepish grin. "Didn't know you had company. I'll just... ah... yeah, sorry." He turned to go back to his room.

"No, don't go." Monica hopped off her chair and extended her hand. "I'm Monica. I live next door. You'd be Spike?" She let her sparkling grey eyes run appreciatively down the vampire's leanly muscular torso.

Spike took a covert scan of the kitchen to make sure he wouldn't run into any stray beams of sunlight before moving forward slightly and shaking the redhead's tiny hand. "I see my reputation precedes me." His deep sleep-roughened voice caused shivers to climb up the spines of both women.

Anya got up and poured him a cup of coffee. She held it up inquiringly. "Will you join us or do you want to take it back to your room?" She asked.

If Spike could have blushed, he would have. As it was, a faint tint rose in his face. "Thanks, Pet. I think I'll go drown my embarrassment in a hot shower and make sure I'm decent before I roam the house." He accepted the cup and left the kitchen with a short wave to Monica. "Was a treat to meet you, Elf."

Monica turned away from the softly swinging door with an expression of complete bemusement on her pretty face. He lips were moving in soundless words. 'Elf? Treat?' She gulped. "Tell him not to feel like he has to cover up on my account." She fanned herself theatrically. "Oh my God, that accent! Damn, Anya, how can you let him sleep in the guest room?"

The blonde did something that Monica had never, in the ten months she'd known her, seen before. She blushed. "We had a thing, just once. It's over. I'd been told he died in the earthquake. I'm still a bit in shock over him being here. Here and alive." Anya's voice faded as she remembered where Spike had spent the past year. Her brown eyes dropped to the table top and she bit her lip.

Monica frowned in concern over her friend's obvious distress. "Are you sure you're all right?"

'Stop thinking about that until you can talk to Spike.' Anya told herself sternly. She smiled at her friend. "I'm fine." She got up and refilled their coffee cups. "How's Brittany doing in school?"

Monica took the hint; no one had ever accused her of being dense, and began telling her friend all about the latest antics of her young students.

That evening, back at the motel...

It was an unusually subdued group of people who returned from the crater. After dinner, by prior arrangement, they congregated in Wesley and Fred's room. The Sunnydale survivors greeted the Los Angeles contingent with rib cracking hugs and exchanges of 'How are you?'.

Lorne opened his arms to catch the teenage juggernaut aimed at him. Dawn buried her face into the big green demon's shoulder and heaved a huge sigh.

"Hey, Cupcake." Lorne soothed. "Tough day?" Her sable hair swung across her shoulders as her head nodded against him. He patted her back comfortingly.

From his position leaning on the doorframe leading into the bathroom, Wesley looked around the crowded room. Lorne was leaning against the head of the bed with Dawn snuggled up to him, absorbing his comfort. Buffy was sitting next to them with her hands clasped in her lap, fidgeting distractedly. Giles was ensconced in one of the chair placed at the small table with Fred opposite him. Gunn leaned on the wall next to the door with his arms folded across his brawny chest. Xander had found his own spot on the wall, leaning casually with one foot propped a foot or so up on the faded wallpaper. Wes was having difficulty associating the gracefully confident one-eyed man with the gangly, hyperactive teen he had been.

Andrew was perched nervously on the other side of the bed, chewing his nails while he visibly tried to keep from babbling. Wes smirked a little when he caught the warning glare from Xander to the younger man. There had obviously been some threatening done before the meeting. Willow was sitting calmly on the floor at the foot of the bed, her back resting against the mattress with her knees drawn up and held in place by her arms. She looked like the teenager Wes remembered rather than a formidably powerful witch.

"Willow, you said that whoever it was that walked out of the crater came from a different dimension?" Wes asked to clarify what she'd told them all a few minutes before.

The redheaded witch nodded decisively.

"Were you able to determine which dimension?" Wes seemed to be the only one asking questions. He wondered briefly just when he'd become the leader of the group.

Willow shook her head and hugged her knees a little closer. "No, I was lucky to figure out that much. I don't even know species it was that came though."

"Whatever it was wore black soled shoes or boots." Xander spoke without shifting his position.

"How do you know?" Gunn asked.

"They kicked a cinder block, left a black streak on it." The one-eyed Scooby explained patiently.

Gunn looked surprised. "I saw that block. I didn't see a streak."

"I turned it over." Xander nodded with a slight smile.

"Ah, I knew there was something I forgot to do." The black man observed with an abashed grin.

Wes nodded. "I believe you also found the footprints leading away from the high school?"

Buffy roused herself. "I did. Giles got pictures."

Lorne lifted his hand as if back in school. "I got pictures also." He added.

"Whoever it was wears boots." Buffy went back to inspecting her fingers with a frown.

Willow's face showed sympathy. "Spike wore boots."

Giles decided to change the subject. "Wesley, you mentioned a guest you had concerns about?"

The younger Brit nodded. "Lorne, would you like to tell them what you discovered last night?"

By the time the peaceful green demon had finished his tale, the Scoobies were pale and silent. Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, dear. I wonder." He muttered.

"Oh, God. I hope not." Buffy resisted the urge to cry.

Xander clenched his fists and studied the floor with his eye fixed on the floor.

Fred noticed the new tension in the room. "What's wrong?"

"There's no reason for anyone to... Oh Goddess." Willow shook her head, tears glittering.

Wesley straightened. "What am I missing?" He asked. "Do you know who it is?"

Xander adjusted his patch compulsively, remembering the blond menace that had saved his remaining eye and then had felt remorse because he hadn't been fast enough.

Dawn's breath hitched. "Was it....?" She couldn't finish the question.

"Nah, couldn't have been." Xander denied the possibility.

TBC