FOUND
Xander Harris sat at his desk in the LA branch of the Watcher’s Council. He’d just gotten off the phone with Willow and there was still no news of Spike. It was now the second of January - he’d been missing since the twentieth of December. It wasn’t looking good for him.
“Christ, after all he went through a year ago and now this. Poor bastard. I hope it was quick,” he said to himself, certain he must be dead.
There was a knock on the door. It opened before he had time to speak, Helen walking in a coffee cup in each hand.
“How are things? Any news?” she asked, putting the cups down and going to his side of the desk to give him a kiss.
Xander pulled her o to his knee, wrapping his arms around her.
“Nope, not a thing,” he sighed.
“Poor Buffy and Joy,” she said, “God, it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Xander had met Helen initially when she was with Spike. Romance had blossomed when she nursed him in hospital, but it didn’t work out. Xander then met her again when she’d been attacked by the Immortal’s henchmen in his search to find Spike to use him as bait for getting Buffy back into his grasp. Helen had told them where to find Spike and even after he had returned to full health she’d still felt guilty.
After the threat of the Immortal had passed and Xander had decided to stay in LA, she’d asked if she could work for the Council in some shape or form. After learning of the vampires and demons that lived amongst us she felt she couldn’t just go back to her old life and pretend nothing had changed. Now that she knew of the creatures she needed to work where she could help in the fight against them. She still had nightmares about the vampires that attacked her.
Xander had taken her on as a researcher. She’d ended up becoming his personal assistant and then they lived up to the classic workplace stereotype and become lovers a few months later. They’d been living together for three months now. They had been going to go to England to tell everyone at Christmas but with Spike’s disappearance they’d cancelled the trip and stayed quiet.
“Anything happening that I should know about?” asked Xander.
“The hospital where I used to work had some blood stolen a few days ago but no violence, it was just taken from the store. That’s about all I’ve got,” replied Helen.
“Perhaps the bad guys are still on vacation,” said Xander.
Oooooooooooo
Spike took a long shower and shaved his face, grinning at the lack of reflection in the mirror. He searched through Johnny’s clothes and found a pair of trousers and a shirt that didn’t fit too badly. Johnny’s wallet contained about $2,000 plus several credit cards.
“Time to go shopping, love,” he said, “ That’s if you’re sure we can go out in the sun?”
“We can, we can,” sang Dru. To prove it she opened the curtains and stood in the light.
“Come on then,” said Spike, eager to be out and about after his incarceration.
As they walked past the cellar door they could hear Johnny still screaming. They were laughing hysterically by the time they got onto the street.
Spike had soon bought himself his usual garb of black jeans, black t-shirt and black boots, even wearing them out of the store. He was glad he’d gotten new clothes but was pissed off that he’d paid for them even if it was with someone else’s money. Where was the fun in that?”
“Where’s your coat?” asked Dru.
“Coat? Haven’t got one, sweetheart.”
“Yes you have, your leather one. Got it from a slayer, you did,” insisted Dru.
She was right. He still had it but it was in London where he’d been when he’d been human.
“I’ll get another,” he decided and started to look for a shop that sold them.
When he did he went inside, with Drusilla following him. He made his way to a rack at the back of the shop and started to try them on. His old one had been a bit too big and he wanted one that felt just the same. He’d just put on the one he wanted when the shopkeeper came over.
“I think if sir looks in the mirror he’ll see that one’s a little big,” said the man helpfully.
“I think if you look in the mirror you’ll see that you’re in trouble,” replied Spike, stepping in front of the mirror and pulling the shopkeeper towards him so he could see he cast no reflection..
“How….?” started the man.
“Easy,” replied Spike in full vampire mode.
He ripped into the man’s jugular, drinking some then offering him to Dru. She finished him off and the pair left him where he fell. Spike ripped the security and price tags off the coat and they walked out and strolled through the mall holding hands.
Dru ran into a shop holding the money she’d asked Spike for screwed up in her hand like a child would.
“Getting you a present,” she said.
She wouldn’t let him know what she got him, telling him he’d have to wait until he got home. As they headed out of the mall they could hear the wail of police sirens, the body of the shopkeeper found.
Ooooooooooo
Helen walked into Xander’s office. “Got a report of a vampire attack,” she said as she entered.
Xander looked up at her as quizzically as a man with one eye can.
“Yeah?” He wondered why she was telling him; the normal ‘everyday’ stuff, if you like, wasn’t really his department. LA at the moment, despite the council’s best efforts, averaged a death by vampire three times per week.
“Thought you’d like to hear about this one since it took place in broad daylight.”
“What? Where?”
“In the mall in a leather goods shop. The only thing missing is a black leather duster. The police found the tags for it near the door. They’ve got a couple of witnesses saying they saw a man wearing such a jacket going out onto the street and walking hand in hand with a dark haired woman.
“My God! He’s here,” exclaimed Xander, standing up and starting to pace about the room.
“Who’s here? Xander, stand still,” said Helen.
He turned and looked at Helen.
“Spike,” he said grimly.
“But it’s good that we know where he is, isn’t it?” she asked, wondering why he looked so bleak.
“Thing is, Helen, if he’s with Drusilla and wearing the duster again, it’s not the Spike you ever knew. Maybe not even the one I knew. Even before he got his soul there was always something slightly different about Spike - he’d retained a sliver of soul perhaps? According to Willow if he’s been turned and the prophecy broken there will be nothing left of the Spike we knew. He’ll just be another vampire. But how can they be out in the day? Phone London and let them know.”
“But Xander, we don’t know for sure it’s him.”
“Do it, Helen,” Xander said sharply. He softened his tone, “I’m sorry, but I’m sure it’s him. Just let them know.”
Ooooooooooo
Buffy put the phone down slowly and turned to the others.
“That was Helen. They think Spike’s in LA,” she said quietly.
“How does Xander know? asked Dawn, “Has he seen him?”
Tears started to fall down Buffy’s cheeks.
“No, he hasn’t seen him but a report of a couple matching Spike and Drusilla’s description were seen after a man was found dead in a shop.”
“Doesn’t prove anything,” said Andrew.
“The only thing stolen was a leather duster,” added Buffy.
They all looked at each other. They knew that Spike the vampire had loved his duster, that after he’d regained his soul he’d sought it out and put it on when he needed to call on the demon within to fight.
Buffy thought of the original jacket. She’d seen it packed away in the back of a closet. Even though human Spike never wanted to wear it or even see it because of the memories it evoked, he still hadn’t been able to bring himself to throw it away. Soulless vampire Spike would want one back again as it was his signature.
Giles broke into everyone’s thoughts.
“Well, if we know where he is we’re closer to getting him back. Willow, have you got all the ingredients you need?”
“Not yet but I’ll be able to get the last few over in LA,” she replied.
“Right then, let’s get organised,” said Giles.
They all started to go out of the room. Willow saw Buffy didn’t move.
“Buff? Come on, let’s go. It’s good we know where he is,” she said gently.
“He’s a vampire again and he’s been killing.”
“Yes, but we should be able to sort that out. The information Dawn found, remember?”
“I’m just afraid it’ll be too much for him to take. You know what he was like when he got his soul.”
“Look, Buffy,” said Willow sharply, “We’ll worry about that when we come to it. We’ll all be here for him and for you, whatever happens.
Buffy visibly pulled herself together and the two women walked out to start planning their trip.
Ooooooooooo
Spike and Drusilla got back to the house. As soon as they were inside Dru, giggling, led Spike to the bathroom.
“Sit there,” she said.
Spike perched on the edge of the bath.
“What are you up to, Dru?”
She opened the bag she’d bought in the mall and started to mix the packets together. A familiar pungent odour assailed Spike’s nose. Dru smeared the mixture onto his hair, which stung his scalp a bit. After a while she washed it off. Spike towelled his hair dry and turned to Dru.
“What do you think, pet?”
She ran her hands through his now snowy white hair, pushing it back from his forehead.
“That’s better. Now you’re all mine again.” She took a step back to admire him. Over all the years she’d been with Spike she’d liked him best as a platinum blond - it emphasised his blue eyes.
He grinned at her, “I’m all yours, Princess.”
They went down to check on Johnny in the basement. The screams had abated but as they walked towards him they could see he was still in the throes of a bad trip. His eyes were wide but unfocussed, his mouth open in silent screams as if he’d worn out his voice, his body thrashing about.
Spike grinned evilly at the sight then picked up the chair leg he’d used the night before, marched up and thrust it into Johnny’s heart. He exploded into dust.
“Had to put him out of his misery,” he said to Dru, “Come on, let’s go have some fun.”
He took her upstairs and made love to her before they left the house to go out on the prowl looking for trouble. Spike’s newly bleached hair shined as the streetlights started to come on in response to the gathering dusk.
Ooooooooooooo
Xander had spent most of the day on the phone. Helen had been organising getting one of the Council’s safe houses ready for the arrival of the London contingent. Now with everything in place for when they got here, Xander and Helen were heading home, Xander at the wheel of their old station wagon.
“Pull over here, Xander,” said Helen, indicating a pharmacy, “My head’s splitting and we’ve no pills at home.”
Xander stopped the car in the nearest space, about a hundred yards from its door. Helen got out, hurried along the sidewalk and into the shop. Xander’s mind wandered as he thought of Spike. He’d finally gotten close to the guy, gotten to like him even. When he helped him come to terms with the blindness he’d suffered at the hands of the Immortal (thankfully he got his sight back a few weeks later), Xander had been impressed at how Spike had coped. He knew the guy adored Buffy and his daughter. Now he was back, through no fault of his own, to being a dead soulless bloodsucker and according to Willow probably as evil as Angelus had been.
His attention was caught by a couple walking towards him. He couldn’t mistake that swagger nor the colour of the hair. Spike! He and Drusilla were still a few yards beyond the shop Helen was in.
“Stay in there, stay in there,” muttered Xander, tensing in his seat. He reached his hand under it and pulled out a crossbow.
He glanced up in time to see Helen coming out of the shop, fiddling with her purse. She didn’t see the couple until she literally bumped into them.
“Shit!” said Xander, and he started to slowly get out of the car.
“Oh, sorry,” said Helen. She looked up and there was no mistaking the face she’d known so well.
“Spike” She said it before she could stop herself.
He had been going to just carry on walking, ignoring the woman who’d bumped into him, intent on finding a nice club in which to terrorise the clientele. As she said his name he stopped short and turned to look at her.
She quailed at the look in his eyes. If they say the eyes are the windows of the soul then he certainly didn’t have one. He fixed her with a hard stare, tilting his head a little in a gesture so familiar to her she caught her breath.
He spoke, the voice as cold as ice.
“You know me?”
“Er…..no…..sorry, my mistake,” stuttered Helen.
Spike sniffed the air, closed his eyes for a second and then snapped them open again.
“Helen,” he said triumphantly. “I remember now, you were with me when I was human.” He said the word human with a sneer.
Dru at that point, not liking the fact another woman was holding Spike’s attention, started to speak.
“Spike,” she whined, “I thought we w…”
“Shh Dru, this could be interesting. I can smell someone else on you,” he said, reverting his attention to Helen. “Harris,” he added.
His features changed into vampire mode. Helen shrieked and made to run away but Spike caught her, grabbing her by the throat.
“This will be fun,” he leered at her, yellow eyes gleaming.
“Spike.” Dru’s voice was urgent.
He looked round and saw Xander approaching, crossbow aimed at Drusilla.
“Got yourself one of my little cast offs, did you Harris?”
“Let go of her, Spike,” said Xander, voice trembling with rage.
Spike went to bite Helen, and Xander let fly with the crossbow. Dru started yelling in pain - the bolt had missed her heart but was embedded in her shoulder. Spike bellowed in rage and threw Helen so hard she hit Xander, who was still twenty yards away, and they both fell to the ground. He grabbed Dru’s hand and the pair ran off into the shadows.
Xander managed to untangle himself and stood up. He offered a hand to Helen to help her get up. She didn’t take it but just sat on the sidewalk, crying so hard her breath was coming in gasps. He knelt beside her and put his arms around her.
“Shh, it’ll be okay,” he soothed, not convinced it would be, “Come on, we need to get home.”
He helped her to her feet and took her to the car. The journey home was silent. He parked the car in the garage that was attached to the house he and Helen rented. Lowering the garage door they entered the house through a connecting door into the kitchen. Helen sat weakly at the kitchen table whilst Xander chanted a further protection spell around the house, boosting the one already in place. He had no intention of telling Helen that now Spike had their scent locked in he could track them anywhere they went. He poured them both a stiff drink, carried the glasses to table, sat down and pushed one towards her.
“I don’t want it,” said Helen.
“Sure you do,” said Xander mildly. “Trust me, it’ll help.”
She looked at him.
“Spike! God, his eyes - they were so cold, so…..empty.”
“Listen, Helen, he’s not the Spike you knew. It’s something using his body, sharing his memories. The vampire Spike I knew would never have risked Dru getting hurt. He didn’t care that I could’ve taken her out tonight. It was a shame that I was too far away to be on target.
“What do you mean? How can it not be Spike?” asked Helen
“When a human is turned into a vampire a demon inhabits their body but their soul is lost. It still has the memories of the human but it feels no guilt, remorse, or compassion. It feels nothing that makes us human. All it lives for is to hunt, feed and whatever passes for fun in their sick minds.”
“That happened to him before but I know you’ve told me how he protected Buffy even before he had a soul. How is it different now?” asked Helen.
“Not sure. Like I said before, perhaps somehow he’d managed to retain an inkling of what he’d been before he was turned - a sensitive gentleman by all accounts. Even as a vampire he had emotions as strong as a human, something not normal in vampires. Willow thinks that because he’s been sired again by Drusilla and it’s denying the prophecy that his soul would be ripped out even harder than before. It may look like Spike, it may talk like Spike, but all we’re seeing, Helen, is an evil demon.”
Oooooooooooo
Spike and Dru got back to the house. Spike was in high spirits.
“Did you see her face? God, it was delicious!”
“Daddy’s bad,” grumbled Drusilla
“Oh, shut up Dru. You’ll be okay,” said Spike impatiently, walking up to her and pulling the bolt from her shoulder.
She squealed in pain. He put his mouth to her wound and licked the blood away.
“See? All better now,” he said.
“But you let him shoot me.”
“I didn’t figure he’d have the balls to do it. He was too far to get a good shot,” said Spike to appease her but he knew he’d do the same again. The thought of tasting Helen’s blood was just too irresistible.
“Will you make him pay?” asked Dru.
“Oh he’ll pay, Princess, he really will,” grinned Spike, “I think I’ve found my new hobby.”
To be continued………
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