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Author's Chapter Notes:
This is part 1 of 4th episode in Angel Season 5. REVIEWS ARE REQUESTED AND APPRECIATED.

Some of the dialogues and scenes are from the episode HellBound from Angel Season 5. Episode was written and directed by Stephen S. DeKnight. Source is Buffyworld.com (http://www.buffyworld.com/)
Fred walked down the hall toward the laboratory alone. When she entered her lab, she was blindsided by a lab-tech assistant.

"Oh! Good night."

"Good night." the man replied and walked out of the lab.

Fred stood by a lab desk reading papers in her file when she sensed something or someone behind her. Startled, she gasped and turned to see, but there's no one there. When she turned back around, she saw Spike standing right in front of her. Fred let out a little scream and dropped her papers.

"How long did you know I was there?" Spike seemed defeated by her pretence.

"Uh, just since the lobby. But that popping up behind me was really scary. Look, I dropped my papers." She picked up the papers from the floor.

"Nice touch."

"Thanks."

"I'd give you a hand with that, but..." Spike ran his hand right through some science equipment to show her he still can't touch anything.

"Still no interaction?" She asked sympathetically.

"Not a twinge. Can't spirit the knickknacks about. Can't willie the locals. Bloody sad ghost I turned out."

"I've told you before you're not a ghost."

"Chipper. Give us a hug." Spike spread his arms out as an invite for a hug.

"You know what I mean. You're more than a common spectral disturbance. I've never seen anything like you." Fred scanned Spike with a beeping instrument.

"Bet you say that to all the spirits."

"Oh, your radiant heat signature's dropped another .02 degrees." She said looking at the measuring instrument she held in her hand.

"Thought it was a bit nippy."

"Is everything... are you..." Fred couldn't say it. She understood what Spike was going through and saying it out loud will make it more real.

Spike crossed his arms. "Feeling the tug of eternal damnation? Maybe that's why I can't touch anything. Using all my mentalies just to keep from slipping into hell."

"I won't let that happen. I've been working on a theory. Well, more of a hunch, actually, but I think I'm getting close." She informed him positively. She wanted him to hold on and not give up.

"To making me a real boy again?"

"Heh. As real as a vampire with a soul can be. It won't be like Angel's thing with the prophecy, but..."

"What prophecy?" Spike looked surprised at what Fred said. He didn't know there was any prophecy about a vampire with a soul.

"The shan-shoe-ha something or 'nother. Says that if Angel helps enough people, he gets to be human again." She explained.

"Oh. Really." He nodded his head. "Goody for him." Mentally, Spike contemplated at the situation. He knew prophecies are always turn bad and he wondered how this was going to turn out.

"Ah! That totally makes sense." Fred exclaimed suddenly.

"What does?" Spike questioned her sudden revelation.

"The fluctuations in your readings. Lack of particle cohesion. It's almost as if your essence is straddling a dimensional void, which may be the key, assuming that the amulet you used to save the world is some sort of trans-reality amplifier capable of focusing massive quantities of mystical energy." Fred rambled on with her scientific explanation.

"And what in the King's English does that mean to the dearly almost departed?" Spike asked confused. He didn't understand the gibberish she was rattling about.

"It means that if I can defy most of the laws of nature, there's a good chance I'll be able to anchor you to this plane and make you corporeal." She explained enthusiastically.

Spike gave her a big sweet smile. "Well... might be a hug in your future after all." He tried to lean into a table but slipped through and disappeared.

"Spike?" Fred looked alerted at his sudden disappearance.



Spike fell through the floors all the way to the basement, landing flat on his face. He laughed out loud.

"Brilliant."

Spike stood, hearing a repetitive chopping sound nearby, and walks down the hall toward it. There's a man at the end of the hall, sitting at a table, chopping something with his back to Spike.

"Don't mean to interrupt the sitting in the dark basement, mate, but could you point the quickest way back to the lab? As the ghost flies?" He asked the busy man.

As Spike walked closer to the man at the table, he could see that the man is chopping off his own fingers one by one. The man turned to face Spike, and revealed his lipless cut-up face with gashes all over his eyes and cheeks. Spike did a double-take and the man at the table has disappeared.

"Take that as a ‘No' then." Spike felt fear at the unknown situation.



Buffy walked into the building as always. She went straight towards Angel's office to know that day's situation and if anyone require her assistance. Ever since she joined the gang, she didn't do anything else but wait in the building. She didn't mind though as she had someone important to think about in there.

When she walked in, Angel was having a discussion with Fred. Eve was standing in the corner of the office. The bleached blonde was missing in action which made Buffy worry. She hasn't seen him yet since his vanishing act after Nina.

"Look, I- I know it sounds like. I mean, it is a lot of money, but I- I'm trying to do something that's never been done before. So, yeah, attempting to recorporealize Spike is gonna cost."

Buffy instantly knew what they were talking about. She didn't interfere or announce her entrance. She knew Angel would have sensed her so she kept quiet and stood close to the door.

Angel raised his hands to stop Fred's flow of speech. "Whoa! Trying to do what?"

"Make Spike corporeal again like you asked." She clarified.

"Uh, no, what I asked for was for you to try to find a way to get Spike out of Wolfram & Hart."

Buffy looked at Angel disbelievingly. Angel sensed her stare and didn't dare to look at her. He knew what her response would be. Before Buffy could say anything, Fred spoke first.

"Angel..." Fred paused to stand up. "We accepted the offer to take over the L.A. Branch of an evil, multi-dimensional law firm because we thought we could make a difference. Use the resources of Wolfram & Hart to do something decent."

"And how does that have anything to do with Spike?" Angel responded.

"He just saved the world. Vampire with a soul fighting for the good of humanity. Ring anything? He's just like you, a champion." Fred explained.

Buffy just kept silent watching Fred argue. She was surprised one of Angel's team members is arguing for Spike's sake. She didn't know the girl had the courage to stand up to her boss. Fred was surprising Buffy by standing up for what was right.

Angel crossed his arms and said "God, I really hate that word."

"Think of what an asset he'd be fighting on our side." She tried to convince him to agree.

"Except he won't be. I know Spike better than anyone, and he only cares about himself."

"And Buffy." Fred pointed out to Angel. She didn't know the person was standing right close to her. Angel shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He didn't want to get into this situation right now. Eve on the other hand was interested.

"Well, this is getting interesting." Eve said. Buffy turned her gaze at the woman.

"You're right. He does care about Buffy. So, what do you think he's gonna do as soon as his fresh, new feet hit the ground?"

"Angel." Buffy interfered this time with a calm voice. Fred was surprised and jumped a feet at Buffy's voice sounding close to her. Buffy didn't notice as she was looking directly at Angel.

"Spike has been helping me and my friends for a long time now. I can put my life in his hands to protect me. I have confidence of him doing the good thing whether you like it or not. He has changed. More than you are willing to accept."

"I just want Fred to be careful, because I know how charming Spike can be." Buffy smirked at that.

"He is quite the dish, with those eyes..." Eve spoke out. Buffy felt jealousy burning inside her at Eve but didn't want to expose her feelings in front of them. She just saw her for the first time and she already started to dislike Eve.

"And the hair and the cheeks and? What do you think I am, stupid? I know he's been playing me with the looks and the smiles. I'm not some idiot schoolgirl with a crush." Buffy turned her eyes to Fred and stared. Fred gave her an apologetic look.

"Then what is it?" Angel asked missing all the eye interaction.

"It's about doing what's right. Remember?"

"Your department. Your call. Just don't be disappointed if it doesn't work. Some people can't be saved."

Fred walked out of the room and Buffy followed her. She knew she can get more details from Fred than Angel who will not willingly give information on Spike to her. She caught up with Fred in the hallway.

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know. He disappeared in my lab today morning."

"That vampire is really going to get from me. He's been avoiding me for a while now. Do you know why?" Buffy questioned.

"No. Sorry. I'll tell him to talk to you if I see him." Fred answered avoiding Buffy's stare. Buffy looked at Fred for a moment then walked away looking for the ghostly vampire. She knew Fred was hiding something and no matter how hard she tries, she knew Fred will not give out the secret. So she had to get the truth straight from the horses' mouth.



Spike reappeared in the laboratory, but it's empty.

Sighing Spike said, "Never a fetching mad scientist about when you need one." He saw Fred's notes lying in the lab desk, "Whatever you're cobbling together, pet, I think you better hurry it along."

Spike noticed a desk lamp blinking and buzzing across the room and walked towards it. A dark shadow passed quickly behind him.

"Done chopping your feelers off in the basement? Floating upstairs for a few chuckles now?"

Right outside the lab, another light started to blink on and off and made a buzzing noise.

"Right. Vampire ghost here, ya sod. Bloody well invented afraid of the dark." Scoffing, Spike walked towards the light. He didn't want anyone to know he was feeling scared at this mystery ghost that is trying to spook him.

Now in the hallway, Spike saw a row of ceiling lights going off one by one, seemingly directing him down the hallway.

"Bugger this. I'm not playing follow the blinking light for the rest of the-" There was a woman crying at the end of the hall. "All right. Lured me here with the creepshow. Now what?"

Spike walked up to the woman, who was crouched on the ground crying. She's dressed as a maid from the late 19th century with a frilly white hat and an apron. When he got near, she stood and held out stubs of what once were arms.

"Please- hold me- Hold me, please. It's coming."

Spike did a double-take at the sudden creepiness, and the woman was gone.



Angel walked out of the elevator into his office, where Spike was standing, waiting for him.

"So, what's on the 'genda? Rousting a nest of venomous retirement plans?" Spike asked.

Rolling his eyes, Angel poured a drink of blood for himself. "Shop's closed, Spike. Come back and haunt me tomorrow."

"Air's too rarefied up here for my taste, anyhows. Down with the dregs is where I belong, isn't it?"

"And yet he's still here." Angel walked towards the window.

"Just thought we could hang is all. Couple of vampires from the old days doing our... hangy thing." He said casually trying to hide the fear he was feeling inside.

"You're starting to feel it, aren't you? How close you are now- to hell?" Angel could see the torment in Spike.

"What if I am? Not like it's such a big, bleeding deal, is it? If a ponce like you could break out?" Spike replied back outraged. He doesn't like anyone feeling sorry for him especially Angel.

"I never escaped from hell. All I got was a short reprieve. Not even sure how I managed that."

"Oh, put your martyr away, Mahatma. Fred told me all about your great, shining prophecy. Pile up all your good deeds and get the big brass ring handed to you like everything else." Spike scoffed at Angel.

Angel turned around to face Spike. "Except for one small catch. The prophecy's a bunch of bull. They all are. Nothing's written in stone or fated to happen, Spike. You save the world, you end up running an evil law firm."

"Or playin' Casper with one foot in the fryer."

Angel walked close towards Spike, whispering in his ear. "You think any of it matters? The things we did? The lives we destroyed. That's all that's ever gonna count. So, yeah, surprise. You're going to hell. We both are." He sat on the couch.

"Then why even bother?" Spike asked with discontent. "Try to do the right thing, make a difference-"

"What else are we gonna do?" Angel interrupted.

"So that's it, then. I really am going to burn." He said desolately.

"Welcome to the club." Angel raised the glass high up.

Sighing, Spike took the seat beside Angel in the couch. "Least I got company, eh? You and me, together again. Hope and Crosby. Stills and Nash. Chico and the-"

"Yeah, are we done?" Angel interrupted Spike's charade of partners.

"Never much for small talk, were you? Always too busy trying to perfect that brooding block-of-wood mystique. God, I love that."

"Not as much as I loved your nonstop yammering."

"The way you always had to be the big swingy, swaggerin' around, barkin' orders..."

"Never listening..."

"Always interrupting..."

"And your hair. What color do they call that, radioactive?"

"Never much cared for you, Liam, even when we were evil."

"Cared for you less."

"Fine."

"Good." Angel took an un-needed breath. "There was one thing about you..."

Spike looked interested at the prospect. "Really?"

"Yeah, I never told anybody about this, but I- I liked your poems."

Spike frowned. "You like Barry Manilow."

Spike turned away from the conversation all of a sudden when he noticed a man hanging from the ceiling. Angel noticed Spike's distraction.

"What is it?" he queried.

"Don't you see it?" Spike asked in response.

"See what?"

"Nothing. Too much talk of fire and brimstone." He looked over Angel's shoulder and saw the hanging man standing there.

Angel looked confused at Spike's sudden behavior asked the only thing he can. "What?"



After Angel's urgent call, the rest of the gang entered the room. Buffy was with them and when she saw Spike, she was relieved to finally see him there still his ghostly self.

"Spike."

Spike who was agitated by the creepy experience he had calmed a little bit after seeing her. "Buffy." He said in a soft voice.

"What's wrong Angel?" Wesley asked.

"Spike says he's seeing dead peoples' ghosts." Angel pointed out.

"What?" all of them exclaimed. Buffy was shocked at first and then panicked.

"Is it the First?" Buffy asked Spike. Spike looked around for a moment then shook his head. "They look different. And we closed the Hellmouth. First cannot travel this far."

"Then what is it?" Buffy questioned in confusion.

"How do I know? They are here talking." He was getting agitated again.

"Right now?" Angel asked.

"Yes. Right now. Right here." Spike turned to the ghosts. "Piss off! I'm trying to have a conversation here! Shut up!"

"Who's he talking to?" Wesley asked Angel.

"Ghosts."

"Where?" Fred asked. A ghost walked behind Fred, unnoticed.

"Everywhere. The blighters are coming out of the woodwork!" He looked at the ghosts. "No, I am not talking to you! Go away!"

Gunn and Eve entered the room.

"We just checked with security." Gunn said.

"They do hourly sweeps with the mystics to secure against spectral intrusion."

"So how many are we dealing with?" Angel asked.

"None. Last sweep was 10 minutes ago. Spike's the only non-corporeal in the building." Gunn stated.

Armless ghost woman whispered to Spike while circling him. "It's coming for you."

Spike turned to the Gunn and said "Check again."

"Maybe we should go back to the lab?" Fred suggested.

Spike saw ghosts all surrounding him. "No, I'm telling you, they're here. You have to check again. Something's happening."

"What is it Spike?" Buffy asked alarmed. She never saw Spike this panicked before. And it was freaking her out too.

"It's...here." Hanging ghost man said.

Spike exhaled loudly. "Fred, please, you have to use that perfect brain of yours and get me the hell out of here." And he faded away.

Buffy and Fred called out in unison. "Spike?"

"Where'd he go?" Eve asked.

"It's OK. He does this sometimes." Angel replied.

"Does what?" Spike asked.

"We should spread out, see if we can find him. We just need to find him." Fred suggested, Buffy nodded and hurried out. The rest of them exited the room.

"What are you going on about? I haven't gone anywhere. Fred? I'm here. I'm-I'm still here! Fred! Buffy!" Spike walks out after them.

Chuckling, a male voice said "She can't help you now, William. No one can."



Spike stood in the lobby, looking over his shoulder, talking back to the voice that just spoke to him.

"Is this the part where I say, "who's there?" And something creepy happens?"

A black shadow glided quickly across the balcony.

"Thought so."

Spike walked up the stairs toward the shadow, when the elevator bell dings, the doors open, and the light shows it's going down.

"Oh, no. Haunted lift. Take a slice more to wet my knickers." Sighing, he walked into the elevator.



Buffy walked into Wesley's office and found Fred and Gunn were there along with Wesley.

"I couldn't find him anywhere." Buffy said disappointingly.

"Angel does have a point. Spike has been unintentionally disapparating more and more frequently." Wesley said.

"Give him 20 minutes. He'll be popping up next to you in the bathroom, making cracks about your-" Seeing everyone's confused faces, Gunn looked at Wesley. "Am I the only one he does that to?"

"I know he's done this before, but you saw the way he was acting. Something's different this time. He's agitated, hallucinating."

"Ghosts can do that?" Gunn questioned.

"We are dealing with a unique case here as far as manifestations go. Dementia isn't completely out of the question." Wesley replied.

"Is there any chance he was telling the truth Wesley?" Buffy asked.

"I don't think so Buffy. If he was, the mystics would have found about it." Wesley explained.

"What if they are involved in this too?" Buffy doubted.

"I don't think so Buffy." Gunn told Buffy. "I was there with Eve when they did the sweep and it didn't seem like they were hiding something."

"I just have a bad feeling about this." Buffy said dejectedly.

"He's not crazy." Fred stated.

"Screaming about people who aren't there? That's grounds for involuntary committal under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act which states- Oh, sorry. Sometimes the law they stuffed in my noggin just clicks on." Gunn said apologetically.

"You don't know what Spike's dealing with, where he goes when he disappears. He told me. It's hell." She paused for a moment. "He's slipping into hell."

"Kinda figured." Gunn said.

"Of course." Wesley agreed.

"Where else would he be headed?" Gunn asked.

"What?" A yelled voice silenced them. Everyone turned to see a shocked and angered face of Buffy.

"You told me you didn't know what was happening." Buffy accused Fred.

"He wanted me to keep it as a secret. I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry. I tried to get him to tell you but he refused." Fred explained in a low voice.

"That vampire better have a good reason for this." Buffy turned her anger towards the vampire. The others kept in silence. They knew it would be stupid to say anything right now and to face the angered Slayer.



The elevator dinged, the doors open, and Spike stepped out into the basement.

"Had to be the basement." Spike said to himself. He heared the chopping sound again.

"I already played this one out. Not like another round's gonna rattle my knobs."

Spike walked toward the table at the end of the hall, but the man isn't sitting at the table anymore. His chopped-off fingers are still there, twitching. A business-woman appears out of the corner. She's got a shard of glass sticking out of her left eye.

Glass ghost woman singsonged "It's gonna get you." and giggled.

"What exactly would it be, love?" Spike enquired.

"Reaper's gonna take you." She responded still giggling.

"The Reaper? Tall, grim fellow with a scythe? Is that what all this boogie-boogie's been about?"

"It hurts..." glass ghost woman changed her tone of voice from giggling to pained.

"I have been knocking around the land of the lost for months now, pretty as you please. Slipped through the cracks, did I?"

Glass ghost woman pulled the shard of glass out of her eye. "Don't worry, William. Haven't forgotten you." She sliced Spike's face with the sharp glass.



Buffy was sitting in one of the quarters' bed silently thinking. Spike appeared behind her in the room.

"Buffy luv, I think its time for me to go. I'm expected in hell. Guess this is the last time I will ever see you. I didn't want to leave without seeing you for the last time." He came close to Buffy and kneeled in front of her.

"I know who I am and what I did. I have done some awful things in the past and it is time for me to suffer for it. But I want you to know that the one thing I ever did right in my life is falling in love with you. You changed my life into the good side. I did some things I can feel proud of because of you. You are my eternal light and I am lucky to have loved you even if you didn't. I don't deserve your love. Your love deserves a pure soul and that certainly isn't me. I just wish you know how much I love you. And I wish I could see the Nibblet one last time. No matter where I am, I will always be with you my love. Be safe and live your life." Spike pretended to touch Buffy's cheek with his hand. It glided along her cheek and his finger touched her lips. Tears dropped from Spike's eyes and he got up and walked away. He went through the door along the hallway.

After Spike left, Buffy laid in the bed with her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she had tears in her eyes too. She murmured "I love you Spike" in a low voice.



Fred was working hard on equations in her lab.

"Carry the quotient load across the remainder... support the imbalance with Lumirea's fourth constant..." She was talking to herself.

Spike apparated near her and talked to Fred. "Think I know what they are... the things I been seeing. They're the welcoming party. Guess hell got tired of waitin'. Reaching out for me now. Sent their boy around to collect me."

Fred looked at her papers, "I knew it."

"Knows my name. Knows how to hurt me. I wanted to thank you, pet. How you tried to help. Wanted to tell you what that meant to me before I-" Spike was interrupted by Fred.

"Damn, I'm good!" She exclaimed with joy.

Spike shook himself to reality. "You are?"

"Frickin' genius! Just cancel out the radical..." Fred kept on mumbling to herself.

Spike looked up, gives the finger, and chuckles victoriously. "Thought you had me, didn't ya?"

"Which causes a feedback wave that liquefies half of Los Angeles." Fred finished her mumbling disappointedly.

"What?" Spike looked shocked.

"Oh! I'll never figure this out!" Fred said frustrated.

"Yes, you will! Genius, remember? Don't throw in now, Fred. Please!" Spike sounded desperate.

Spike reached out emphatically toward Fred, and his hand created a spark of electricity near Fred's shoulder, making her jump.

Fred gasping looked around. "Spike?"

"That's right, love. You felt it, too, didn't you? I'm here! I'm still here. No! She can feel me. You're not taking me yet! You're not taking me!"

"Spike, if it's you, give me some sort of-" Fred looked around the room, startled when she saw Angel standing there. "Oh! Would everybody please stop doing that?"

Angel looked apologetic. "Sorry. I just wanted to let you know-"

Fred interrupted him. "Angel, something was in the lab. It… it touched me. I think maybe it was-"

"Fred, we did another sweep with the mystics. They didn't find anything." Angel stated.

"Screw the mystics. I know what I felt. We have to find a way to contact him before he's really gone." Fred was on a mission to save Spike and she will not give up until she saved him.



Chapter End Notes:
I had to split this episode into two chapters. It is a lengthy one and most of the dialogs are from the episode itself. I made some changes and some character dialogues are changed to different characters. I hope it has the flow. A touch of Spuffy involved. More in the next chapter.

I really need to know if I am having plagiarism problems in this chapter. I used a lot of dialogues and scenes from the episode because the episode was Spike centric. If it is a problem, I can upload a condensed version that will not have those scenes but it will only make sense to those who saw the episode.

PLEASE REVIEW and let me know if I should condense this chapter or not. If you want it this way, I can upload part 2 of this episode. Otherwise, I will upload the condensed version which is only 1 chapter.



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