"Nah, couldn't have been." Xander's words hung in the silence like a heavy fog, thick and smothering. He paused for long moments, thinking. "Could it?"

"But why?" Dawn's pained cry was thin and high, her voice at a breaking point. Her mind gibbering away in denial of the unthinkable.

"Don't you see? It's the only answer that makes any sense." Andrew rose from the bed with his finger in the air. "He'd be like Gandalf the White, returned to the world that needs him...."

Giles cut him off. "The world does not need him any more. He saved it, he was finished. I can think of no good reason for anyone to bring him back." He'd done a lot of thinking since the fall of Sunnydale and had realized that he'd been unnecessarily harsh toward Spike. His guilt at trying to have the vampire killed had eaten at him for months afterward. He'd been almost as relieved as Dawn when Willow had done the soul search and had told them all that Spike had gone to a Heavenly dimension. As it was, peace for them all had been long in coming but eventually they had all moved on. Each of them was grateful to the vampire for his sacrifice and they gave him a special place in their memories where he belonged.

Willow bowed her head, thinking. She mentally reviewed everything they'd heard in the past hour. Something Lorne had said brought her head up sharply. 'Could be because he was brought back under the protection of the Powers That Be. He's their Champion.' "He's their Champion." She murmured.

Buffy leaned forward. "What was that Wills?"

The witch turned until she was facing Buffy. "He's their Champion." She repeated. "That's what Lorne said. Why would the Powers That Be need a Champion? They have Angel." She turned around to look up at Wesley. "Unless something has happened to Angel?"

Wes shook his head. "He was fine when we left Los Angeles. He's been a little distracted lately. I think maybe he needs one of those vacations Xander was talking about but otherwise he's been business as usual."

"I think we need to confirm where or not it actually is..." Willow couldn't bring herself to speak the name.

Xander nodded, catching her meaning. "Gunn, how about you and I go talk to the guy in that room?"

Gunn nodded and pushed away from the wall. "Let's do it. But you have to explain to me just who you're talking about." Xander agreed and they left the room. Silence reigned in their wake, no one willing to say anything.

They were halfway to the vampire's room before Xander spoke. "Remember who closed the Hellmouth last year?"

Gunn nodded. "Yeah, Spike." Horrified realization spread over his handsome face. "Not even the Powers That Be would do that. Why in Hell would they bring Spike back?"

"I don't know, man, but I'm sure gonna find out." Xander's face was set in determined anger.

Gunn stopped. "This is it." The two men looked into the open room where a maid was changing the sheets. The room looked empty, unrented.

Xander grimaced. "This is not good." He muttered.

"Come on, let's go talk to the desk clerk." Gunn motioned toward the lobby. The male Scooby shrugged and followed.

Chuck looked up as the men entered the lobby. While they looked menacing, the clerk didn't feel threatened. He was puzzled for a moment when he remembered that they had checked in with two different groups. He recalled the tall black man as being with the Los Angeles one and the one-eyed man had joined the second group that had checked in later the same day. He gave a mental shrug and smiled at them. "How can I help you fellows tonight?"

Gunn, aware of Xander's withdrawal, became the spokesperson. "We need to talk to you about a particular guest." He went on the tell Chuck what he'd overheard.

The clerk fiddled with a stack of check-in cards. He wasn't sure how much he should tell these guys. He liked Spike and didn't want him to fall victim to any vampire hunters. He'd heard rumors about people who sought out and destroyed vampires for the thrill of it. He couldn't figure out why anyone would risk angering a killer that way. Live and let live was his personal motto. His silence began to wear on Xander, patience never being his long suit, and he began to fidget. Chuck took a second look at the younger man, gone was the laughing young man of the night before. In his place was a battle-scarred and soul-weary man who appeared to have heard news he could have done without.

"Look... what was your name again?" Xander paused. Chuck supplied his name. "Look, Chuck. We just want to talk to the guy. I need to find out if it's who I think it is. I don't want to hurt him."

Chuck nodded, thinking. He could warn Spike about the people looking for him, let him make his own decision about whether or not he wanted to talk to them. "He didn't give me his name. He paid cash and put a fake name and address on the card. I only found out about that when he checked out last night. He kept to himself for the most part. I only arranged the blood thing cause it's not good business for people to start turning up dead or disappearing. And I didn't want to be a midnight snack for him." He gave a little shudder as he finished. "That just sounds icky."

Gunn sighed. "Did he say where he was moving to?"

The clerk shook his head. He hadn't, Anya had been the one to say he was moving in with her but Chuck was not about to volunteer that information until he checked with them. "Just that he was moving out. Sorry."

Xander unconsciously fiddled with his patch. It was something he did whenever Spike crossed his mind. It was a habit he hadn't indulged in for quite a while but it was coming back with a vengeance now. "Ok. If I describe the guy I know can you tell me if it's the same one?"

Chuck frowned and thought about that. What could it hurt? They didn't know where Spike had gone. The one-eyed man seemed to be genuinely concerned about the vampire. He nodded hesitantly. "I guess I could try."

Xander sighed. "Great. He's about an inch or so shorter than me but slighter almost skinny. He's got dark blue eyes with a scar in the left eyebrow. He's left-handed. He has a British accent. He dyes his hair platinum blond and slicks it straight back. He might be wearing a long leather duster that's at least one size too big and looks like it's older than dirt. His name is William but he goes by Spike. And you do not want to know how he got that nickname. It's not a nice story." Xander smiled slightly, remembering. He knew how Spike had really gotten the nickname, having heard the whole sordid story one night when they'd both gotten completely trashed while playing pool. He'd agreed to keep the secret and stick to the 'official' story they both knew was archived in the Watcher's Council records.

"Sounds like you know him pretty well, this guy you're looking for." Chuck commented. He crossed his arms and leaned on the counter.

"I don't want to be looking for him. If it's the same guy then something bad happened and I want to know how and why. But yeah, we've shared space a couple of times, roommates. You kinda get to know a guy pretty well." Xander's eye darkened and his lips thinned. "Is it the same guy?"

Chuck nodded reluctantly, his attention caught on the phrase 'shared space'. The same phrasing Anya had used, strange. "Yeah, sounds like the same guy." He finally admitted.

They were subdued when they returned to their waiting friends in Wes and Fred's room. Gunn entered first, Xander trailed in after him with head down and fists clenched. The Sunnydale survivors took one look at him and knew.

"Oh dear." Giles whispered in dismay.

Xander looked up finally, his dark eye cold and hard. He looked at Andrew. "He's alive, Frodo."

Anya's house, dinner time....

It had surprised Anya when Spike refused to drink his blood at the dinner table. He'd insisted on water. Telling her he preferred to take the blood to the privacy of his room. They didn't rush the meal, taking their time as they talked about inconsequential matters until they were finished. She poured them both some coffee and cleared the plates away. It had taken her the entire time they'd been eating to gather the courage to ask him the questions that had been nagging at her all day.

"That was wonderful lasagna, Pet." Spike sighed as he sipped his coffee.

She smile and inclined her head. "Thanks, it's frozen. They have all kinds of great things all ready made. All you have to do is stick them in the oven and heat them up." She bit her lip and plunged off the deep end. "Spike? Why are you back? You were in Heaven and someone dragged you out like we did Buffy. That's not fair. Who would do something that horrible to you?"

Spike frowned and focused on his drink. "The sodding Powers That Be brought me back. The wankers seem to think I have some control over the Great Poof's actions. I'm supposed to stop him from doing something monumentally stupid. That's all I know." His voice was low and troubled.

"Why are you having nightmares?" She continued.

He closed his eyes and turned his head away slightly. He'd hoped she hadn't heard. "They're showing me what will happen if I fail."

The telephone rang before she could respond. She went into the living room to answer it. Spike could hear her side of the conversation.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chuck. What's up?"

"Can you describe them?"

"I know one of them and I'm pretty sure I know who the other one is."

"No, I'm not really happy about them being in town."

"That's great. No, we don't want them to know where we are. At least not right now."

"I appreciate it. Can you ask Cindy to warn the others not to say anything about Spike until we give the all clear?"

"Thank you so much. Bye, Chuck."

Spike frowned as she returned to the room. "You heard?" She asked. He nodded.

"Xander's in town. He and someone, who from the description sounds like Charles Gunn, were asking Chuck about the 'ensouled vampire' that had checked out last night. You know where Xander is, Buffy and Willow are sure to be there too. I'm willing to bet that Giles and Dawn are with them." She explained.

"Who's Charles Gunn?" Spike asked with a scowl, this was not good news.

"He's one of Angel's team. Where you see him you also find Lorne, Wesley and Fred." Anya got up for more coffee. "Damn, why would they be here now?"

"Me. They must have detected the magical force that brought me back to this dimension." Spike got up. "You've been great but I can't drag you into my problems. I'll leave."

Anya choked on the sip she'd just taken. "You will not! Chuck didn't tell them where you are and they certainly don't know I live here. For all they know I moved to Maine. They left me at Wolfram and Hart and took off. It was another month before I moved here."

"Red will do a locator spell and they'll be here. Can't put that on you." The vampire argued.

The ex-demon waved her hand. "Like I can't put a protection spell on the house? Please. She might be a 'goddess' now but I've still got 12 centuries of magic on her. Besides, would they have thought to bring something of yours with them?"

Spike shook his head, bemused. "Don't think there was anything left of mine."

She ducked her head, uncharacteristically tentative. The last ten months had had that effect on her. She was a little less blunt and a lot less confident. "Do you want Buffy to know where you are?"

Spike was silent for long moments. He hadn't given contacting Buffy a thought in the few days he'd been back. The question surprised him with the instant revulsion that had occurred when she voiced it. Slowly, he shook his head. "No, I don't." He admitted almost too softly for her to hear.

Anya let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "That's good." She breathed. "Now, I'll go put that spell up before they get a chance to try to find you."

Spike smiled at her. "Thanks, Pet."

She put her cup on the table and stood in front of him. "I just figured us Scooby outcasts need to stick together." She shrugged, looked up into his eyes for a second then dropped her gaze to the floor.

Spike raised a gentle hand and ran his finger along her jaw. "Sounds good, Luv." He murmured.

At the motel, Wes and Fred's room...

Xander caught Dawn around the waist as she dived for the door. "Let me go! I want to see him!" Tears streamed down her face as she fought to get free.

"Dawnie, I'm sorry. He checked out last night. I don't know where he is. I think the desk clerk knows but he's not telling." Xander held her close as he talked. She slumped against him and buried her face in his shoulder. Her sobs broke the hearts of everyone listening.

Buffy got up and headed for the door. "I'll make him talk."

Giles spoke up. "No. You can't do that. If he knows Spike and knows where he went, antagonizing him will not get the information you need. He doesn't know us. Therefore, his loyalty will lie with Spike. We should keep an eye on the man and he might lead us to where Spike is now staying."

The Slayer deflated. "You're right." She returned to her seat on the bed.

Willow moved from the floor to the foot of the bed. "Dawnie, do you still have that pendant you found in Spike's stuff?"

Dawn wiped her face as she pulled away from Xander's shoulder. She tugged the necklace out of her shirt. "I'm never without it. Why?"

"I can do a locator spell with it." The redhead moved to the bedside table and pulled out the telephone book, leafing through it quickly. "Oh, good. There's a city map in here. I just need a couple of things and I can do this." She stated. "I'll have to do it in my room."

Anya's house...

It only took Anya about five minutes and the spell was set. The entire house was warded. There was no way any spell to locate either of the occupants would succeed.

Willow's room...

Within fifteen minutes the redhead was all set and ready to cast her spell. While shoving the minimum of possessions onto the bus that last fateful day, Dawn had included a box she'd found in the basement. She'd guessed, correctly, that it belonged to Spike. After Willow had done the soul search, the teenager had picked through the box looking for a memento of her vampire friend. She'd found a beautiful gold and sapphire necklace. The stones had reminded her of his eyes and she'd wanted it instantly. She wondered who it had been intended for but had decided that no harm would come from keeping it for herself. She'd asked the advice of every adult in her family and they had agreed that Spike would not mind her having it. Using the necklace, Willow chanted the incantation and sprinkled the glitter over the map. She fully expected to see a bright glow marking the missing vampire's location. She was speechless when there was no reaction anywhere on the map.

Spike's room...

Spike looked around the beautifully decorated guest room and wondered about his luck. How fortunate was it that he and Anya had hooked up mere hours before Xander and his friend had gone looking for him at the motel? He shuddered at the thought of meeting any of them. He missed Dawn terribly but the threats the teenager had made had convinced him that there was no possible way she'd welcome his return. There had been no indication from Chuck about the two men's attitudes but Spike had the feeling that there was still no love lost for him with the Scoobies. Having never met any of Angel's team, he was certain that his poofy Sire had told them nothing but the worst stories about him.

There was a small color television connected to a satellite or cable receiver sitting in a cabinet occupying one corner of the room. Spike picked up the remote and switched the set on, immediately lowering the volume so he wouldn't disturb his hostess. He felt a little restless but until he knew what the humans wanted, he was reluctant to go out to the bar. He wasn't sure how to get there from here anyway. He wondered if she'd mind if he got one of his beers from the refrigerator. Tomorrow he'd have to give her some money for groceries. He knew she didn't eat much and didn't want to be a burden.

Cautiously, he opened his door and peeked across the hall. Her door was closed but he'd noticed that she kept it that way whether she was inside or not. Remembering his inadvertent flashing of the neighbor lady, he made sure he had a t-shirt on before he left his room. He padded on bare feet to the kitchen, figuring that if he heard her, he would make some noise so he wouldn't startle her. He made it to the kitchen without incident and was on his way back to his room with several beers dangling from his fingers. The door to Anya's room opened suddenly and they both jumped, startled.

"Oh! Sorry. I thought you'd turned in. I was just going to check my website. I didn't get much work done today. That's the great thing about online business, you don't have to keep regular hours." Anya babbled nervously, clutching the neckline of her robe closed and studying the floor somewhere around the vicinity of Spike's toes. She noticed abstractedly that he had really nice looking feet, not all knobby and calloused like Xander's.

"Hey, Demon?" She looked up and smiled at the old nickname. "Thanks. The room is great. Having a telly in there is a brilliant idea. I just wanted a beer or two. Want to join me?" He held up his hand with the dangling bottles.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. The last time that I drank while I was online, I gave discounts to all the customers on at the time. I don't want to do that again." She told him seriously.

He nodded soberly. "That would be very bad."

"Damn straight. I can't afford things like that. It's very hard to accumulate money if you help people save part of it." Anya assured him earnestly.

He nodded again and opened his door. "See you tomorrow then."

"Right, tomorrow." She walked slowly down the hall toward her office. She heard his door close and she turned back to look at the empty hall, wishing she'd been brave enough to take him up on his beer.

Spike closed the door and leaned on it for long minutes wondering why he felt so disappointed that she'd turned down his offer of beer and company.

TBC