*****

Part I: Desperation

L.A.: September 26, 2002

Cordelia Chase looked down at the lower right corner of the pc monitor sitting on the desk; the time read 7:53PM, Thursday. 7 minutes would mark the third hour she'd been in the lobby-office of Angel Investigations without any sign of her employer.

At any other time the lateness of the hour and absence of *brood-boy* normally wouldn't bother the young woman. Cordelia wasn't bothered with the fact that in the past 2 days she hadn't seen *brood-boy* - as her Sunnydale friends were fond of calling the man; well it was actually Xander who used the moniker, and the thought of Xander failed to bring Cordelia any happiness when she thought of he and Angel in the same sentence.

But this wasn't *any other time*, and the thought of the moniker and its origins did little to keep her from feeling like *brood-girl* at the moment. No, Cordelia Chase was *not* bothered, disturbed, or in a typical *dither*; descriptions that couldn't even begin to touch on the magnitude of her current mental or emotional state, ~Can we all say Manic Panic and I do* not* mean that awful hideously disgusting hair color dreck the Berzerkely crowd at U.C. is fond of. I mean like, I'm talking MAJOR MELTDOWN here somebody~; I mean really~ was moving into frantic. Something was terribly wrong and Cordelia desperately needed to speak with Angel.

The simple thought of the man caused another terrifying slide toward panic as the fluorescent green characters on the velvet-soft, blackness of the computer monitor began to blur and swim in the young Seer's vision. Cordelia stifled a moan as the images in the room began to bleed out around the edges, color smearing outward into paler and paler streaks until everything became a blinding white blur with a dark hazy center. Pain lanced through her head and she squeezed her eyes shut tight, as tight as she could manage, adding to the pain radiating outward from deep within her head.

"N-no, please no more." she whimpered, pushing against the hard wood of the desk she was sitting at. The expensive, ergonomic chair shot back with the force of her shove, the wheels gliding rapidly and unhindered, across the large floor mat placed there to protect the beautiful marble-tiled floors of the old hotel. Her trajectory was brought to an abrupt halt when the back of the chair made contact with the doorjamb of her employer's empty office.

Another bolt of pain, larger in its viciousness and intensity rocked through her, a physical blow that helped in throwing the ex-cheerleader on the unyielding floor. Catching herself on hands and knees, Cordelia cried out again as the vision tried to come.

"No God Please No please no more oh god oh god Aaahhhh!" Tears streamed down her face, pain jerked her to her feet. With hands to her head, Cordelia stumbled away from the dark empty office toward the long dark wood of the reception desk, doubled over from the pain as it connected with her midsection.

Bright light/chains/pain. Flash of dark hair limp and damp with sweat, glittering darkly under the harsh light. A shining needle, sharp and long, a syringe the plunger sliding down the length of narrow glass tubing. Swirls of red through clear fluid, a flash of brown eyes specked with yellow, a pink tongue over sharp white fangs and lips dry and cracked. Cordelia screamed as the hotel doors swung open and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Charles Gunn dragged themselves in.

The scream echoed off the walls of the cavernous hotel lobby, spiraled up to be trapped against the high vaulted ceiling as the young woman collapsed to her knees in the middle of the room, where she had managed to stagger.

"Good God, Cordelia!" Wesley yelled, running down the short stair and across the floor. Dropping to his knees, the young ex-Watcher turned demon hunter, wrapped his arms around the convulsing woman.

Gunn slammed the doors and was right behind him. Taking one quick look at Cordelia's pain wracked features the rogue vampire hunter ran toward the restroom for a damp cloth and pain tablets. When he returned, Wesley had managed to maneuver Cordelia over to the circular couch.

****

Sunnydale: September 26, 2002

Xander LaVelle Harris looked up from the large, leather bound volume on the table in front of him. The time on his cheap, battered watch read 7:53 PM. Something was wrong, he didn't know what how or why but felt it, the *something* hidden deep within that seemed to lift its muzzle; scenting the air, seeking the intangible essence of what was heading his way.

His brown-eyed gaze slid across his surroundings from a distant and 'else-where' focus, as if he were looking at something somewhere else super-imposed on everything.

~No, that's not right~ he thought as his quick mind shifted and grasped. Confusion turning to wariness with the knowledge that he was somehow seeing not a super-imposed image, but an altogether different sphere of perception; he was seeing two actual realities sharing the same space in time.

Before Xander could really consider this weirdness, the door to the Magic Box crashed open and closed so quickly he almost missed the figure of Tara trying to hold the door closed and suppress terrified sounds in her throat.

"Goodness Tara, please be careful of the door," Giles stated in a slightly aggrieved tone.

The young blonde witch didn't look around or respond except to say one word, "Spike," and the room was in sudden turmoil.

"Oh he is *so* dusted," Buffy snarled from where she was sitting at the far end of the table. Reaching for her ever present favorite, tried and trusted Mr. Pointy, the Slayer vaulted over the table and ran toward the door and the shaking witch. Once at the other girl's side, Buffy took quick inventory of her friend, noting that besides the shaking, Tara looked 'physically' fine. Well she was a bit pale but since there weren't any bite marks visible Buffy didn't worry.

She was actually a bit disappointed. Of course there was no way in the world she'd wish any hurt or pain on any of her friends but if there had been a mark on Tara, then Buffy felt like she could just let Spike and Mr. Pointy get real up-close and personal.~without asking any questions or getting around Giles~ she had been looking for a reason to dust the platinum-blonde menace.

"Ta-Tara! Tara are you hurt? Did he hurt you?" Willow was asking franticly as she grabbed her carry bag and reached in for her spell book.

Everyone was yelling and screaming, running around the shop, adding to the rising confusion, everyone except Xander who found himself once again slipping into that distorted perspective as he watched the events unfold around him. His friends at the door, sudden flash of dark paleness and bodies tumbling across the floor.

****

Xander watched as everything shifted into slow motion with distorted sound reaching his ears too far behind the actions. He felt as if he had been thrust into a low-budget Kung-fu movie where the fighters move their mouths and deliver kicks and blows with the sounds coming out of sync. He watched as the crazed vampire stumbled across the street and crashed against the door to the shop of curious goods and books, the force of his full-body impact slapping the door open. The sound of glass shattering, over the sound of Willow, Tara and Buffy screaming as they flew and slide across the room; Spike growling, blue eyes a feral and glimmering amber, hands gripping the side of his head.

~The chip~ Xander thought as he stared at the agonized vampire, until they locked eyes. That sense that told him something was wrong, that something was coming, jangled through Xander's senses sounding the alarm of arrival.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Xander was out of his chair and closing the distance between himself and the howling demon. Spike continued to rage, flecks of blood-foam at his lips, demonic ridges of his brow in constant motion, rippling like waves before a strong wind.

****

The Slayer was the first to recover her senses, rolled to her knees and looked around for the stake. Saw it spin across the floor as the brightly colored Nike' clad foot brushed it from its path as Xander moved toward the vampire. Buffy tried to make it to her feet only to collapse back to the floor as her Slayer-sense went into overdrive. Her wide and frantic blue eyes flashed around the room looking for the others she could feel but couldn't see.

The room seemed to swell with the sound of wind and preternatural wails of agony. The air pulsed with pain blood and power, a misty cyclone coalescing around Spike's wracked form.

Willow crawled over to Tara and tried to shield the unconscious girl with her own body as objects on the very edges of the building whirlwind were caught up and flung about.

"Xander!" Giles screamed into the gale. His strong voice instantly swallowed up and silenced the Watcher tried again. Forcing his body away from the wall where he'd been flung, Giles bent his head into the strong force of opposition and fought to take another step. "Xander!" he screamed the name for all he was worth.

Xander continued to move toward Spike, he could feel himself growing weak from exertion as he fought to return from 'else-where' and reach the vampire, to touch him; the need so strong it consumed everything else. Xander's world spiraled down into a funnel-tight focus with the failing vampire at its apex. He knew there was something he was supposed to do and the drive to complete that task over-rode every other instinct the young man had.

It didn't matter to him that he and Spike weren't friends but tolerated each other; tolerated in the same sense of the tense undercurrents between him and Angel. It had no bearing, that Spike rode his back and got on his last never with his continuous barbs and innuendo's, sarcastic and caustic comments. Xander overlooked the fact that the vampire looked upon Xander as his personal whipping-boy and source of antagonistic amusement. What was important was that all these things had become trivial and inconsequential in the face of this moment.

When Xander's lean but muscular form breached edges of swirling mist everything slip-streamed into fast-forward around him. The wind tugged and pulled at his clothing with frantic fingers, combing upward through dark wavy locks of hair as Xander cut through. He raised his hand, noting absently how steady it was as he reached toward Spike.

****

Buffy watched in horror, unable to do anything else as her senses continued to reel and the energies raging through the room kept her pinned against the glass-front display counter. Coral-pink glossed lips, fell open, a deep shuddering breath pulled in and vocal cords tightened in preparation. "XANDER STOP!" the Slayer roared. Her loud voice, full of her projected Slayer power; wide blue eyes ballooned wider in shock and in the instant Giles, Willow and the now conscious Tara took their eyes of their friend and the vampire Xander closed the distance and touched Spike.

"Now," the young man said in a quiet tone that rang even louder than the roar from the stunned Slayer. Turning back to the two men, four minds had the same fleeting thought, ~I didn't know I/she could do that~.

Four pair of eyes watched in horrified fascination as Xander placed his palm on the rippling flesh of Spike's forehead and continued to speak.

"Drink," Xander finished calmly as he stared into the agonized depths of glowing pain clouding over with red.

****

The words broke through the barrier around the vampire's mind, the pain receded slightly as Spike tried to focus through the growing red haze. "Now Drink," Spike heard/felt the words cut through the burning agony in his mind. This was what he'd come for, had been driven to.

Something had been messing with his head for the past three days, had been growing in intensity until it culminated in this blindly driven desire for *something*. In an agonized daze of pain and confusion he was driven across town, stumbling and staggering, growling in pain as if he were being driven before the lash of a stinging whip in his Sire's hand. Falling into a vortex of bright-light/chains/pain/swirls of bloody red through clear fluid/yellow-brown eyes; loosing his very being as he was swamped under by some outside force transcending all he knew in his preternatural life-time.

Spike wanted to laugh, but could only continue to howl as he thought of the irony. The *something* he was driven to embodied in a boy/man still trying to cross the borders from child to mature adult. That Xander Harris, Nummy-treat extraordinaire would be at the end of this agonizing journey. That Xander would pick this moment to display some perverse sense of humor or revenge by toying with him in his condition.

Tears of blood leaked from the corners of his eyes as Spike squeezed them tightly, trying to shut out the image of a distant Xander sharing the same space as the acid-burn flares washing the inside of his mind. His eyes flashed open as his mouth was suddenly filled, his sounds muffled by soft, warm flesh.

The Scooby gang watched, stunned and unable to move as Xander slid his hand down over the twisted face, angled it to the side and pressed it between the open red lips - the soft tender webbing between thumb and forefinger pressed into the gasping sobs. In disbelief they watched the frozen jaw muscles unlock, white fangs piercing soft flesh. They watched as the vampire finally made good on his constant threat to bite and drain Xander.

The air was strong with the scent of blood/desperation/pain/power as Spike closed his powerful jaws on the mortal's fragile hand and sank his fangs in. Xander remained distant and calm, not even flinching when fang grated against bone.

Spike sucked once, felt the thick, rich blood wash over his tongue, across the insides of his burning mouth and swooned. He pulled again and again until he didn't need to pull anymore, the burst of hot metallic-copper now a steady flow easing his pain and agony. Washing out the red misty swirls and turning everything an intense bright white.

****

"Are you going to keep doing that for much longer?"

Spike jerked his head back and looked around in the brightness. He could sense Xander there next to him but couldn't see the mortal. There was a heavy smell of antiquity/ozone/light surrounding them. He blinked clear blue eyes as the figures coalesced into solidity. A man and a woman, both tall and regally draped in swathes of shimmering cloth stood watching him curiously.

Their beauty was astounding in an intense subtle insinuation of flawless alabaster skin stretched taut and pore-less over perfectly formed limbs. Dark glimmering hair crowned both heads in sleek falls that ended at the waist. Distant, 'else-where' focus of intense orbs, dimmed to a soft pulsing violet otherwise it would burn away vision.

:{'Gently'}: softly murmured, power-to-power, the narrowing of ebony fringed violet depths as Xander cocked his head slightly, shifted his distant focus uncertainly.

"Wh-what?" Spike stumbled around the words as he stared at the robes, only able to endure that much of their blinding radiance. The male flashed a wolfish smirk of disdain. The female smiled benevolently with sadness and satisfaction.

:{'They are but children'}:

:{'So it would seem. This is the one'}:

:{'Will they survive?'}:

The voices fell to silence just as clarity sharpened. Xander blinked in mild frustration and moved closer to Spike unconsciously.

The woman smiled as gold sounds washed over them. "Complete the task Childe of Chaos," they murmured.

Xander turned his 'else-where' focus fully on the blonde vampire next to him. Spike was entranced as he stared into the distracted beautiful eyes. He experienced a strong wash of emotion as Xander raised his hand.

From his distant perception, Xander looked past the dazed sea of blue, ivory of bone. He saw/felt the chip, reached toward and called to it in one surge of amber. Closed his fist on the chip in his palm, soft amber glow and curl of smoke and Xander was slumping forward in exhaustion.

"It Is Done," twin voices ringing out - one dark the other light - like golden bells as Spike caught the falling boy and the powers retreated.

"Was this wise?"

"This is my jurisdiction.don't meddle Old Wolf," she told him sweetly as they faded.

The Scooby gang watched as the glow around the two men faded and the sparks of amber and silver lightening keeping them from getting to close sizzled out. Spike blinked around the Magic Box at the stunned faces and the fading, ".Trust me," ringing in his ears. He blinked once, opened his mouth and plunged into darkness.

****

By the time Nomac Neyizhsalo reached the edge of the town, he stood upright and walked on two high-booted feet, human feet, as any of Sunnydale's residents might have. Not that anyone would see him - not on the path nor slipping through the deserted streets. The moon was all but hidden tonight; Nomac would accomplish the deed set before him soon, when the night sky was completely black.

Despite the urgency of his task, Nomac did not rush. The royal blood that flowed through his veins was also patient blood; his father and his father's blood had shaped his life, as the first born, Nomac had suffered a childhood horrific even for a pure-born vampire. He was burned with the knowledge that being first born did not make you the favorite or protect you from betrayal, and each small revenge was a draught of sweet blood to savor. There would be time enough after the final battle to revel with abandon and wallow in the bloody dregs. For now, the plans were laid, and all that remained was to set them in motion.

The shadows were deep and eerily alive throughout Sunnydale, situated as it was on the Hellmouth. Sparse fluorescent light filtered down around curtains drawn in the quiet homes but could not keep the night, and all it concealed, at bay beyond each families threshold. Nomac made his way silently past stands of trees and yards, keeping a cautious distance from the presence of dogs and most definitely cats. Chimney smoke from a few of the houses tainted the air, and on the smoke rode a scent other than that of seasoned firewood, a scent barely noticeable were one not expecting it. Nomac followed the odor to its source; a shop on a moderately lit street crowed with signs of traffic and humans.

****

L.A.: September 26, 2002

Gunn looked at his watch again, the time read 8:53 PM. He stalked back and forth in growing anger. His large, tightly muscled framed radiating growing levels need to *do* something. Yeah, sure, right man, he was *Gunn*. Wasn't scared of much, hell he grew up in Compton, not one of your *safer* parts of town. Although, the number of drive-by's and drug/vamp gang-related crimes had fallen since Angel Investigations, Inc. had come into existence.

The street-wise young man had grown up on his own Hellmouth, had seen enough to last him a life time before he met Angel. Had doubled the atrocities his brain had imprinted during their never ending struggle to save the innocent in the vampire's quest for redemption. All hung on the slight inference of a promise of mortality.

Hell no, Gunn wasn't scared of much, but right now he was terrified. Angel was missing. They had been searching for three days now with no sign of their employer/partner/friend and family member. As Cordelia would put it *that spoke of the Not Good* and the thought of his friend and adopted sister brought him crashing back into the utter sense of hell and desperation.

"Where the Fuck are they Wes!??" he yelled, swiping a large brown hand over his bald head. The demon-hunter looked up and was struck by the un-related contrast of ragged pink nails against the soft glow of brown velvet as he watched the larger man paw his head in frustration.

"I-I don't know. They should have been here by now. Shit! I can't believe we didn't just take her the damn hospital ourselves." Wesley agonized. He was starting to fall apart at the seams. This couldn't be happening. Why couldn't he stop this? Cordelia couldn't die. She couldn't, she just couldn't because they needed her.

"Cordelia honey, hang in there please," Wesley sobbed again as he held her threshing body down on the cushions. Tears streamed from his red-rimmed grey eyes. And the screams continued.

~How can she keep screaming? There should be nothing left.it's been over an hour and she is dying. The visions are finally killing my poor sweet no-talent Cordelia. Oh, Angel where are you? Why aren't you here when we need you so badly? What could be keeping you from your family in our hour of need Angel, Damn-it! Fuck!~

Cordelia continued to be racked by the non-ending vision. She saw the past, present and future burning through every fiber of her being, slowly destroying her. Ripping her into nothingness with images she couldn't comprehend, couldn't see clearly. Everything was filmed over in a haze of cloudy red - like blood mixed with something strong and light. Her vision dimmed in degrees as the pain spiraled down to a fine point someplace deep in her brain. Stabbing and pulsing painfully. One intense, full-body, convulsion and she felt something snap loose. Felt herself floating free of the pain as her body sank down against the red cushions.

Cordelia looked down at the scene, her lifeless body looking strange and she wondered what she had been thinking when she'd gotten dressed that morning. Oh yes, Angel. And her thoughts spun off again, her essence following up and outward. A silent confused sob at the realization of her death, the arrival of the long awaited paramedics ~Well Finally~ and the bright light distracted her.

*****
Part 2: Organized Chaos

The coroner and forensic doctors had never seen anything like it before, the death of Cordelia Chase had them confounded. It wasn't every day one saw a death with multiple causes and they were at a loss. How could it be possible for such a healthy young woman to die so suddenly, one who had no known history of medical problems?

Not only had the young woman suffered a series of strokes, explosion of a multitude of blood vessels though out her brain and body, just to name a few of the items on the long list that ended with listing the massive and fatal coronary; what really disturbed them was the lack of body fluids. After her spirit departed this plane for the one of never-ending shopping malls and silver screen conglomerations, all that remained was the husk of a shell that had once answered to the name Cordelia Chase. It gave a whole new meaning to the term 'burned out'.

Not being immediate family, Wesley and Gunn solemnly stepped aside for their deceased friend's aunt, who was also named Cordelia. Both men were distraught at the sudden and unexplained passing of their close friend. Both felt responsible for her death.

"If only I had been thinking clearly," Wesley murmured as they watched the elderly woman walking away from them. She had arrived the very early that morning upon being notified of her niece's passing. Cordelia and her aunt had been the last members of the Chase dynasty, now the young Seer was gone. Mysteriously dead, leaving a gaping hole in the lives of those she left behind.

"Man Wes, I know how you feel, but you can't blame yourself. We did the best we could, what were we supposed to do, say? 'Um excuse me but the girl is suffering a vision overdose, you wouldn't happen to have a transcendental-type vision specialist on staff would you?'" Gunn asked.

"But maybe."

"Maybe what," the larger man cut Wesley off. "Maybe Angel should have been there? Maybe none of this shit should of happened? Man there is long ass list of maybes' and I ain't trying ta hear that right now."

Wesley remained silent, shaking his head, knowing the other man was right. There was, had been, nothing they could have done differently. Maybe they shouldn't have left her alone while they were out looking for Angel. Maybe they should have taken her more seriously when she'd told them the first night that something was wrong. Maybe they should have started searching that very same night. But there hadn't been any visions. Not one, nope not a peep.until the first one. And maybe, they should have started asking for outside help after she finally had the first one. The one that had started some type of hemorrhaging of the brain, it was obvious by the amount of blood squeezed from her pointy little nose that something was not right. Maybe they should have overlooked 'courtesy' and said something when they knew the visions and the pain were getting worse.

Wesley followed the other man out of the hospital and into the bright sunlight of a cold and warmth-less day. There were things to do, they had calls to make and still had to find Angel. If for no other reason than to let him know he had lost one of his.

****

Giles softly opened the door to the small room and two men lying in the darkness. His tired eyes swept over the forms lying on the twin beds of the guest room in his condo. He didn't know what to think of what had happened just a few hours ago.

Spike raging in the magic shop, Buffy out of commission, Tara and Willow locked in panic and shock. Hell, he'd been shocked as well, more so than any of the others. It had been a miracle they weren't killed by the demented demon called William the Bloody.

Giles looked again at, *The Big Bad* blonde vampire huddled in the darkest corner of the lightless room, couldn't reconcile the vulnerable and fragile looking young man with the out of control force from the night before. In all his years as a Watcher, he had never encountered anything like last night before. There had never been any mention in the journals of an event like the one he'd witnessed last night and the English librarian was plagued with doubts and fears of the unknown. He felt insufficient to deal with what ever else was coming their way.

****

Buffy sat in a chair in the small living room, her blue eyes slightly unfocused as she stared unseeing at the two girls huddled together on the couch. It was important for them to stay together. The Slayer was more certain of that fact than anything else in her life. She had the strong feeling that this was only the beginning. Something monumental was taking shape and maybe for the first time, Buffy Summers realized that despite the fact she was the Slayer, she was still mortal and still a little girl at heart.

Buffy was so angry with Xander she didn't know what to do, and Spike. Well here she had to stop. Could she have been wrong about the bleached-wonder all this time? Had all his blustering just been a cover-up? No matter what she thought or felt, there was no disputing the fact of what had happened. That Xander had actually forced the vampire to bite him.

~What is going on? How did this happen? And Xander~ the thoughts disturbed her and the Slayer was glad to push them aside in favor of the comfort being offered by her Watcher.

"How is he Giles," Buffy asked softly, her voice filled with concern and worry for her goofy friend. The thought of Xander brought a fresh wave of tears to her blue eyes.

"For the moment I believe he's fine Buffy," Giles responded, hands absently sliding his glasses from his tired face, fingers wrapping the soft weave of his sweater-vest gently around the lens and rubbing. His gaze flickered over to Willow and Tara.

There were questions he wanted to ask the light-haired girl, he wanted to know what had taken place before she had slammed through the door of the Magic Box in total panic.

The heavy silence of the cold morning was broken by the ringing of the phone. Tara flinched and Willow soothed her with gentle arms and hands, soft words whispered into the delicate shell of a pale ear hidden beneath a fall of blending red and blonde tresses.

"Yes, hello," the emotionally exhausted man murmured into the phone.

"Hello, Giles is that you?"

"Well of course it is, who else would be answering my phone?" there was silence on the other end for a moment.

Wesley shot a look across the office at a silent Gunn. The large black man stood before the weapons cabinet staring at the small circular couch.

"Um, right sorry Giles of course you're right."

"Wesley?" Giles questioned, catching the other man's voice now. The caller sounded small and tinny to his ears. He heard the other man take a deep shuddering breath. "Wesley what's the matter?"

Buffy and Willow looked over at him at the tone of his voice. A grim look settled on the Slayer's face, Willow's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She voiced the thought the other girl wouldn't, "Please, not Angel," the red-head whispered.

Gathering the dregs of his strength and energy, Wesley spoke again, "I'm sorry to be calling so early, but we have a.situation on this end."

"Wesley," his voice was filling with growing concern at the subdued and anguished tone of the younger man. Buffy stood up and moved closer to her Watcher, placed a small hand on his shoulder quietly lending him her support.

"Giles, have you seen or heard from Angel?"

"Sorry no, Wesley what's wrong?" Giles pressed. He knew there was something; he could feel it in his bones.

"Giles, Angel is missing.we have no clue as to his whereabouts'.and..and Cordelia died last night," Wesley rushed out in one breath.

Giles felt himself going numb. The feeling just seemed drain out of his head, down through his body and puddle at his feet where it seeped away leaving him empty and hollow. The receiver fell from his numb hands.

"Hello, Wes, where's Angel?" Buffy said into the phone, a deeply worried look on her face as she watched the pale and trembling Englishman.

"Y-yes, hello Buffy?" Wesley asked.

"What did you say to Giles," she demanded.

"Buffy I don't know how."

Then there was another voice on the line. She could here sobbing in the background as a strange voice spoke rapid fire into the phone.

"What is going on, somebody please tell me what's happening here!" Buffy shouted.

The sudden horrified scream from the guest bedroom broke over them. Willow was moving instantly toward the room where Xander was lying unconscious. She shot a disgusted look at the stunned Watcher as she made for the door. Tara blinked at the sudden ball of spitting flame in the red-haired witches palm as she marched across the room. Skirts flaring wildly from the urgent movement of her long pale legs.

The bedroom door burst open and a scared Spike bolted from the room.

"N-no! Get away!" he yelled at the apparition.

"Willow don't!" Tara yelled as she watched her girlfriend raise her flaming hand and aim it at the stunned vampire.

Spike flinched away from Willow, darted around her and raced across the sun-speckled room. He pressed himself into a shadowed corner as the blonde witch quickly moved to close the drapes on the bright sun shining in through the few windows of the room.

"Sp-spike," Xander murmured from the doorway.

All eyes turned toward the quiet boy. Xander looked worn out and ready to just drop at any moment. Buffy snarled again and reached for her stake, dropping the phone as she moved toward the cringing vamp. "That's it you fucker you are dead!"

"Buffy, Giles.hello.somebody?!" Gunn was yelling into the receiver on his end of the line.

"Leave me alone you stupid bint," Spike snarled at the air a few feet away from him.

"What is the matter with him?"

"Buffy stop!" Xander yelled.

"Please go away! Just leave me alone. Oi, help me somebody, please." Spike whimpered as he sank down into the corner.

Xander quickly moved to his side, effectively cutting the Slayer off as he wrapped his arms around the shivering form.

"It's okay Spike. You're fine."

"No. Make her go'way," Spike whined, turning to hide his face against the boy's awfully colored shirt. "Pl-please help me," he begged looking into Xander's deep brown eyes. Not understanding.

"Hello, who is this?" Tara said into the hand-set as she placed the phone to her ear.

"This is Gunn, who is this?"

"Oh, it's me, Tara."

"Hey girl, what the hell is going on over there?"

"All hell is breaking loose; I don't know.Sp-Spike went insane last night.bit Xander's hand. Blood." She whispered back, suddenly shy again.

"Spike did what?!" Gunn asked in disbelief, okay shit was really getting weird. First Angel, then the fucked up thing with Cordy, and now Spike biting Xander. "What, hold up a sec.what do you mean Spike bit Xander? Xander the doughnut-boy, no fashion sense?" Tara couldn't help it, she smiled and for a second everything was fine. Until she heard the crying voice behind her, "What about the chip thing?" she heard Gunn say.

"Gunn, why are you calling?" it occurred to her to ask. "What did you say to Giles, he's in shock ?" her voice petered out on a questioning note, as if she weren't sure.

"Okay this is the deal," Gunn said then fell quiet for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. Tara waited patiently. "Angel is missing," the girl gasped. The first thought in her mind is that something had happened to bring Angelus back. That was the only time Angel had ever gone missing before.

"And.and we lost Cordy," the subdued, deep voice told her.

"Oh, oh NO! It wasn't.did.."

"No it wasn't Angelus. We don't know.where Angel is. Cordy had this seriously evil vision shit happening when we got here last night..Fucked up shit man, I gotta tell ya. It was like, I don't even know but it wasn't cool at all."

"Please, tell me what's happened," Tara managed, turning to face the room. Everyone was looking at her. Well, everyone except Spike who seemed to be looking at something only he could see, and Xander, who was completely focused on the vampire. At least Buffy wasn't trying to stake him anymore.right now anyway.

Knowing she couldn't deal with hearing this news alone, the young witch pressed the intercom button and Gunn's voice filled the room. "I'm putting you on speaker," Tara told him.

"Got'cha, same on this end," Gunn responded and the quality of his voice changed as he went to conference-call mode on his end.

"Tara, you there? Can you hear me a'ight?"

"Yes, just fine, now what happened, please Charles." She was the only person who called him that, besides his mother.

"A'ight, peep this. Three day's ago Angel went missing."

"Why didn't anyone notify us?" Buffy demanded.

"Yo Buff, ya wanna check the attitude?" Gunn snapped at the Slayer.

"What's important is that we are letting you know now," that was Wesley.

"Whadda ya mean?" Spike snarled at nothing, his fear and confusion rapidly turning to anger and irritation. "That's crazy!" he yelled.

"What the hell I going on over there?"

"Oh just the *Big Bad* flipping out again."

"Spike who are you talking to?" Xander asked.

"Xander?"

"Um yeah?"

"Ok, holdup a damn minute here. Tara I thought you said Spike bit doughnut-boy?"

"He did."

"And the kid's not dead? Nobody dusted Spike?"

"Hey, I'm in the room too, ya know," Xander snapped.

"If somebody doesn't make her leave me alone I'm going to go mad!"

"Make who?"

"The mouthy bint, ya know vision-girl," Spike rolled his eyes in disgust. "Cordy, why the hell are you at the Beverly Center? And why come I can fuckin' *see* you there when I'm not?" Spike snapped.

"Um Spike."

"What!?"

"Cordelia died last night."

Shocked silence followed the statement. Spike looked at the figure yapping at him as she rode the escalator down to the first level of the large mall.

"Um then somebody explain to my why I'm seeing her? And why the hell is she dragging me through a shopping mall?"

"Is Spike having hallucinations?"

:{'No you aren't you Billy Idol sorry excuse for a wanna be. You are very much not hallucinating. I can't believe no-one explained this to you. Well hurry up, I haven't got all day. Another sale is about to start and there is the cutest little.'}:

"I don't give a flyin fuck about some cute outfit about to be on sale!" Spike yelled at the apparition making her way toward the entrance of another store.

:{'You know fangless, you're getting off way easy, do you know much I suffered when I was having these awful vision?'}: quipped the shade only Spike could see as she spotted a sweater she had been dying to purchase, on sale for half price, :{'Excuse me Spike but I have just got to have that sweater,'}: and he was alone for a minute.

"Oi mate, I'd trade anything to get rid of her," the confused vampire said to no one in particular.

"Um.get rid of who Spike," Xander asked just as confused as everyone else. He was still squatting near the loony vamp. Spike had to be loosing his mind as far as Xander was concerned.

"Cordelia, whelp, weren't you paying attention?"

"Um Spike..Cordelia died last night ?"

"Um no she couldn't have, she's somehow discovered a way to torture me while I'm dreaming, that's the only thing to explain why how come I can see the idiot fighting over a god-awful sweater..Hey Cordy! Who ya fightin' wit, cor, there's nobody on the other end of it eh?"

"Ok stop. Everyone just stop and shut up a minute, I need to think." Giles said. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed at the lens. Too much was going on at one time.

The sudden silence pressing down on the room was almost as loud as the cacophony of yelling people had been. The crackle of static across the intercom the only other distinguishable sound besides their breathing. Giles looked around the room, checking on everyone and their respective locations.

Willow had returned to the couch and was sitting next to Tara, well actually the two were kneeing on the leather looking over the back at Spike still huddled in the corner. He looked a tad bit better.all things considered, Willow thought fleetingly. She flicked her gimlet gaze toward her best friend since childhood.

"Um Xander could you not stand so to close Spike? Very over the top angry-demented-vamp-guy and all," she said to him.

Spike blinked at her and then at Xander who had realized how close he was to the vampire and fell over trying to stumble further back. Buffy hissed and stepped forward, stake raised.

"I'm not in the best of moods right now.slutty, you might wanna think about backin' the fuck up huh?"

Buffy smirked, "And if I don't bleached-blunder?"

That was it. Enough was e-fuckin-nough. Spike stood up slowly, facing the Slayer. Very casually he looked down at his clothing and brushed of a bit of dust from the rusty looking black jeans; caught everyone by surprise when his hand shot out and came back with the stake. Buffy looked from his hand to her empty one. She took a breath. Spike held up the stake and shook his head in warning.

Buffy took a step toward him, and pealed from the wall where the vampire's backhand blow had plastered her.

'I warned you."

"Spike, don't," Xander told him.

"What's happening over there?"

"Spike hit Buffy."

"She tried to stake me. I'm not playing around anymore, the next asshole who tries that won't live." Spike told them.

"Hey, shouldn't Blondie be like, on his knees in pain from the chip."

"Oh I got rid of that.." Xander trailed off.

"You did what? Okay this is just getting us no place fast except confused. Everyone be quite and let me get this sorted out." Giles overrode everyone.

"First thing, Angel. You say he's missing, how long?" his voice was crisp and clipped.

"Today makes the fourth day," Wesley responded across the speaker.

"What leads have you if any?"

"None, we were.hoping Co-CeeCee would be able to get a bead on him or something." Gunn replied.

"I regret not having called after Cordelia's first vision.it was one of the worst she's ever had."

"Which brings us to the next item, Cordelia, what happened?" Giles had been in many intense situations during the course of his career, had always prided himself on his iron willed, self control over body and emotions. Right now he was using every trick and technique he could to make it through this ordeal. He knew he sounded cold and uncaring in the face of the overwhelming grief confronting them all, but too much was happening too quickly and they didn't have time to tip-toe around on eggshells if the current mess was any indication.

"Gunn and I went out to try and make contact with some of our sources hoping someone may have discovered some word about Angel. Wh-when- when,"

The Scooby team looked at each other with different degrees of concern and grief as they listened to the young man on the other end try and pull himself together.

"When we got back to the Hyperion, Cordy was stuck in another vision, only I don't think it was an ordinary one. Whatever it was didn't just end, but kept on and on and on and.."

"We get the picture Wesley," Giles said in a sick sounding voice.

"Right, sorry, its just."

"We understand Wes," Willow told him softly and Gunn took over the narration at that point.

"Right, so we get back and CeeCee is stuck in this crazy vision-loop that lasted for a full hour. The paramedics didn't show up until moments after she stopped breathing.and screaming. She screamed the entire time." Gunn couldn't help whispering, remembering the image of his friend's terrible ordeal. "That's it."

"Is that everything? What about a funeral service?"

"Cordelia's aunt.Cordelia ? came to claim the remains. She already left with the body and seems set on dealing with everything without us. She even refused to take the money Angel left."

"Angel left money? That must mean he had some clue as to.."

"Sorry, no. Angel put a few things in place a while back, after the first Angelus thing. There are funds left for all of us in the event something should happen to him. The dummy even had the nerve to put in the stipulation that we would loose the duckets if we tried to investigate." Gunn sounded seriously offended.

"So I take it that."

"You sure do take it that I am not EVEN trying to hear that bullshit!"

Buffy smiled sadly. It made her feel funny knowing that Angel had people in his life he loved and cared about besides her. She knew they would always have that special something they'd shared, but Angel had moved on with his life and maybe, just maybe it was time for her to grow up and stop acting like such a little bitch. She flicked a glance at Xander, still not over him having called her that during one of their more vocal arguments. It dawned on her that all of her friends had already grown up and left her behind. That she could no longer boss them around, she would still watch out for and take care of them but she had to let them be who they were. Even if she didn't like it.

"At least now we have that cleared up. Okay," Giles sighed again. "What's been going on in Sunnydale? Let's see, everything had been fairly routine until last night when Spike went mad."

"I did not go mad." Spike told them distantly. Xander narrowed his eyes from his spot on the couch next to Willow.

"Then what happened?" Buffy snapped.

"Did you learn nothing a minute ago Slayer?" Spike asked her. He still seemed to be looking at something only he could see.

"We're gonna have a nice long chat about that," Buffy hissed. Spike laughed at her.

"Any time babe.I'm standing right here."

"Children, please," Giles scolded with much emphasis on the first word. Tara giggled and the tension seemed to lift.

"What did happen Spike," Wesley wanted to know.

"Strange thing that, mate," Spike mused as he fell silent again.

"Share Spike." Willow snapped. Spike blinked.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking that I started feeling different about three days ago."

"About the same time Angel disappeared?"

"So it seems. That must have been what it was then," the blue-eyed vampire commented more to himself. "I didn't realize at the time."

Making a collective leap, they all realized the possibility that Spike had been feeling something that had to do with his missing Sire.

"I've never heard of that kind of link between a Sire/Childe," both Wesley and Giles commented and Tara whispered, 'jinx neither of you should talk anymore'. Even Buffy had to laugh.

"Oh good -grief here she comes again," Spike told them, blue eyes flashing with trepidation.

"Spike I want you to listen to me very carefully. Cordelia ascended to a higher plane last night while you were trapped in whatever it was," Giles made a vague gesture in the air. "I think somehow, you've inherited Cordelia's visionary gifts.

:{'Giles could always be rather bright when he wanted. He's right. I died last night, it was soo awful. Boy I will never do that again.'}: Cordelia told spike as she studied her reflection in the glass of Bloomingdale's, admiring her new sweater.

"She's talking to you again isn't she Spike," Tara said softly. Spike nodded.

"Spike ask her why she hasn't left this plane yet." Giles prompted.

"Hey talent-less? If yer dead then why ya hanging around bugging me?"

"Be nice Spike," Tara chided him.

"Awful vocal today aren't we pet?" Spike leered at her. Willow shot him a deadly look. Spike quickly turned his attention back to his personal torment.

"Sorry Cordy, um, why haven't you left this plane yet?"

Cordelia beamed at him. She was rather proud of her perfect teeth, flawless skin and never aging beauty. Who needed to be an actress when she could shop 24/7 now.anywhere she wanted. She took a great deal of pleasure informing the vampire of this fact. That and the fact that instead of the painful visions she had been subjected, he had her instead. Wasn't that so much better than having all the pain.

"I think I'd rather have the pain," Spike told her.

"What are you two talking about?" Buffy wanted to know. Spike relayed the information he was getting from Cordelia.

"Blimey, I can't believe this. She's watching a large-screen monitor hanging from the center of the mall showing a fashion show starring her! Oh wait, there a new flash." Spike went pale.

The Scooby gang watched as the delusional vampire conducted his one-sided conversation, relaying facts as they were revealed to him. Yes, Cordelia had died and yes the pain and vision had been caused by Angel. That wasn't a surprise, what came next rocked both groups to their very foundations.

"She says that I am her replacement to Angel, that the PTB are responsible for what happened last night between the three of us. Three?" he questioned his apparition frowning. His face cleared, "For whatever reason the Power's couldn't intercede directly so they worked through Xander? If you say so talent-less." Spike laughed, "No, actually I don't really. You see if I'm being punished, I don't care, it's punishment to me, and if I have to put up with you instead of the pain of the visions then I'll call you whatever I damn well feel like. Hell, you have carte blanch to just show up whenever you want!" he snapped in rising anger.

"What do you mean calm down? Do you realize how many layers are involved in this punishment you wanna call a blessing? You're dead. You're haunting me fer' fuck's sake! Now you tell me I'm your replacement for the Poof! I don't want to be your replacement and I don't want to spend my time with Peaches! It's not fair and I just won't do it."

That was when the news flash caught her attention and she started telling him what she was seeing. Spike continued to grow paler and paler, something almost impossible for someone practically colorless to begin with.

In a very subdued tone Spike told them his news.

"Gunn, Wes, the two of you need to come to Sunnydale. Today."

"Why?"

"Because we have less than 48 hours to find my Sire." he couldn't finish the rest. Suddenly Spike didn't want to be the one to tell them that if they didn't find Angel what was coming would make everything other invasion from their past look like a game of hop-scotch. Something tugged deep within the platinum-blonde vampire as he turned away and headed for the darkness of the condo guestroom.

No-one saw the glimmering tears of pain and remorse in the ocean blue of Spike's eyes except for Xander.

No-one spoke as Spike quietly left the room and shut the door behind him.

*****