Spike woke up by painful stages. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought. More or less under protective custody, and go prancing out without a care. Damn, his skull felt like it ought to be gaping wide open. It wasn't, of course, it just felt that way. He hadn't, as yet, moved or opened his eyes, instead he used his other senses to see what he could tell about where he was being held.

A musty smell. Place hadn't been inhabited for a while. A few trace human scents, all fresh, and one, unfortunately familiar. Nothing to hear, except the sounds of the city, extremely muted. Apparently he'd been left alone for the moment. Kind of careless, that. He opened his eyes and lifted his aching head. A rat squeaked somewhere off to the left. He seemed to be chained securely to a post. The post itself didn't seem to be in the best of shape, he could probably yank it out no problem, then step out of the chains. The problem lay in that it was a support post. If he pulled it out, the entire structure would probably come tumbling down on his head. And he didn't know how much was up there. Last time a building had collapsed on him, he'd been laid up for months. Didn't really want to go there again.

There were no lights on. But there was enough ambient light filtering through for a vampire's eyes to pick out a few details. A basement in a abandoned house, from the look of it. The cobwebs had cobwebs. A shuffling sound came from above him, then the creak of un-oiled hinges as the basement door opened. A dim, dust covered light flicked on. Footsteps on creaking old stairs. The footfalls cautious, but light, probably a woman, and a small woman at that. Then, the scent came drifting to the sensitive vamp nostrils. The bitch herself, surprise, surprise. Then, another, even more welcome scent. Spike's mouth started to water, and his stomach gurgled.

The bounty hunter stepped in front of him with a mugful of blood in her hand. In the coolness of the basement, the body temperature liquid steamed slightly. Spike swallowed before he started drooling.

"Awake, I see." She came up close to him, her body actually touching his in places, or at least the chains around him, for which he suddenly found himself oddly grateful. She waved the mug under his nose. "Hungry?"

"Not so's you'd notice," Spike lied. An audible rumble proved the lie.

The bounty hunter laughed softly. "Your stomach says otherwise, vampire. And it's even animal's blood this time."

"So what's the catch?" he asked suspiciously. "Don't try telling me there isn't one."

She stuck her hand in a pants pocket and did a writhing, wriggling dance to extract something from it. A mini cassette recorder. "Just a little message for your friends," she said nonchalantly. "Let them know that you're alive and well. At the moment."

"And if I don't, you'll starve me till I'm crazy enough to pull the whole house down just to get something to eat, is that it?" Might not hurt, alerting her to the possibility. Especially since there didn't seem to be anything more substantial around the basement that she could chain him to.

"I think it would take longer than you're going to be here for you to get that hungry." She was wearing the most annoying smirk on her face. "But, you're still going to be very uncomfortable. It's not a big deal now, is it?"

He considered. "Your message, or do I get to say whatever I want?"

"Anything you like, provided it's you saying it," the bitch replied. "But you'd better hurry. Your dinner's already starting to cool down."

Spike sighed. "Switch the bloody thing on."

&&&&&&&

"What does our friendly neighborhood bounty hunter want?" Lorne asked. "Or should I ask, how much?"

"She's not asking for money," Angel replied. "She's not even offering us a way to get Spike back, just to keep him alive."

"She wants me, doesn't she?" Rose asked softly. "And then, she'll sell us back to that demon, or another one like him."

Angel nodded, too angry to speak.

"She's not getting you again, Rose," Wesley said quietly. "And we'll get Spike back one more time."

"Yeah," Gunn put in. "We got him back once, we can do it again."

"You knew where he was that time," Rose pointed out. "I think that she's calling the tune this time."

"We're not dancing to that tune," Angel said firmly. He gave the specter a long look. "Rose, please promise me that you won't do anything..," He groped around for an inoffensive way to say it.

"Stupid?" Rose suggested. "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm just not sure I can make that promise now. Not this time."

"Rose," Fred protested. "You can't be planning on turning yourself in to her. We can't put a tracker on you like we did on.., Oh my god." Realization dawned. "Angel do you still have the tracker controls?"

"You never removed the tracker from Spike, did you?" Angel was wearing a broad grin. "Wes? You had the controller last, what did you do with it?"

"I believe that I left it in the car," the researcher said, brow knit, trying to remember.

"It's at my place," Gunn said. "We let you off first, and I saw it sitting there, and just kind of picked it up. I can get it and be back here with it in an hour or so."

"I've got a better idea," Angel said, getting up and heading for the door. "We'll just swing by your place on the way."

Before he got to the door, the phone rang.

"Hello?" After a brief pause, he switched it over the speaker phone.

"Hello, all." Spike's voice came over the phone. "Just supposed to let you know that I'm more or less okay. Singing for my supper, as it were." There was a silence, as if he were gathering his thoughts. "I screwed up bad, I know it. Knew it just about the time the lights went out. I'm sorry, babe." The was a stifled yelp of pain. "Bloody hell, bitch, I'm doing what you asked."

Spike's voice was replaced by one that they had all grown to know and loathe. "I didn't hurt him much," she purred. "Yet. That will change if I don't get what I asked for. I'll call again tomorrow night, and if you don't make arrangements to deliver the ghost to me, I'm going to start sending the vampire back to you, another piece every day." There was a loud click, then silence.

Looks were passed all around the room. Angel grabbed his jacket, and Wes and Gunn followed him to the door. So, did Rose.

"Oh no you don't, miss," Wesley ordered, being the first to see her. "You stay here out of harm's way."

"But..," Rose began.

"You're not going." Angel confirmed Wesley's order. The three men left.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Lorne soothed her. "They'll have Spike back before you know it."

Rose didn't even seem to hear the demon. "Bloody hell I'm not going," she muttered, then vanished.

&&&&&&

Fred and Lorne shuffled out of Angel's office. There didn't seem to be any reason to stay there at the moment.

"What are you going to do to while away the time, Freddikins?" the Pylean asked, just for something to say.

"Work on the robot, I suppose," Fred answered with a shrug.

"But are we going to need it now?" Lorne asked. "I mean, if the guys strike lucky, they might be able to take care of the problem without going to the trouble of luring her out into the open with the robot."

"I like to finish what I start," Fred replied. "Besides, if I don't have something to do until they get back, I'll go absolutely crazy."

&&&&&&&

"You spilled it all," Spike complained. "You promised me a meal in exchange for a message. You got your message, now I want what I've got coming to me." He winced. That probably could have been put a little bit better. The remark as it stood was definitely left open to interpretation.

"Well, there's a teensy little problem there," she remarked. "You see, that was all I had. So I guess you go hungry anyway, because I really don't feel like going out and getting more."

"Fine." Spike felt like the hunger was gnawing a hole in his midsection, but he wasn't about to beg. "Then why don't you just push off, because I'm already sick of the sight of you."

The bounty hunter's lower lip protruded. "You're not even going to ask if I'll change my mind?" she sulked. "I could be persuaded. Possibly."

"I'm not into playing games," Spike stated, not even looking at her. "Not with you at any rate."

"But I can play ever so nicely," she murmured, sliding her hands up around his neck, and pressing close to him. "You're involved with a ghost. How long has it been since you've been inside a woman?"

"None of your bloody business," he replied, his voice starting to show signs of irritation. "If you wanta get laid, bitch, find someone with lower standards than mine."

She ignored what he said, and ran her hands through his hair, and tugging downward, trying to kiss him.

"Go ahead and put your tongue in my mouth," Spike whispered. "I guess I am kind of hungry after all."

This time, what hit him actually was a right hook. And, it was a mean one.

&&&&&&&

Gunn leaned over the front seat, looking at the device in Wesley's hands. "Isn't that about where we got him the last time?"

"Pretty close," Wesley confirmed. "In fact, it looks like it's right about where Spike was supposed to meet that fictional contact."

"Man, that dame has solid brass balls," Gunn remarked. "Either she's sure that we don't have any way to find him, or..,"

"It's a trap." Angel put his two cents in. "She's totally amoral, but she's not stupid. I'm betting it's a trap, myself."

"You want to call in reinforcements?" Gunn asked.

"No," Angel answered. "If the three of us can't handle it, I don't think more bodies will help." He thought about it a moment. "We'll scope out the place first. If it looks like she's packing a lot of firepower, then maybe I'll reconsider."

"You do have some weapons in the boot, don't you?" Wesley asked. "I'm not all that well armed at the moment."

"Me neither," Gunn admitted.

"There's a small arsenal in the trunk," Angel informed them.

Gunn grinned. "Then let's bring it on."

&&&&&&&&

Rose, still invisible, sat in the back seat listening to the exchange. She fought back the urge to immediately go to where Spike was. If there was a trap, it was in all probability set for her, and it would be utter folly for her to go rushing headlong into it. But oh, how she wanted to. She wanted to find out what that woman had done, or was doing to Spike. She wanted to see Spike for herself to see that he was all right and not a pile of dust. And more than ever, she wanted to be corporeal at least long enough to give the bounty hunter one good solid slap.

&&&&&&&&

Spike was hungry, tired, irritated, his jaw ached, and he really wanted to be able to sit down. He missed Rose, and he cursed himself again for his own stupidity. And, since he was just feeling generally ill disposed to all and sundry, he spared some of his irritation for The Powers That Be. Go talking to a guy, start getting him feeling like maybe there's a little bit of hope, and then leave him hanging. If he was absolutely honest with himself, which he wasn't prepared to be at the moment, he'd admit that The Powers had a lot more to consider than just him. But there was Rose, as well. She bloody well used to be one of them. Maybe even still was, he didn't know, wasn't sure he cared. In fact, he was sure he didn't care. He didn't care what Rose was, as long as she was with him. But still, it would be nice to hold her again.

&&&&&&&&

They parked the car outside the warehouse and walked the rest of the way, keeping well to the shadows. And there were plenty of shadows. Most of the streetlights in this part of town were either non-operational or broken. They found the house with no problem, and except for a faint glow coming from cracks in the boards over the windows, the place still looked utterly deserted. There were no sentries evident.

"Looks quiet enough," Gunn whispered. "So why do I have the feeling it isn't as safe as it looks?"

"Because it probably isn't," Angel replied. "Wes, do you have any way to detect wards on the place?"

"Not on me," the Watcher admitted. "We did leave a little precipitately. And the only spell I know to detect wards without material components, I'd need Rose for."

"Why Rose?" Gunn asked.

"Because I need someone who speaks G'rin-g'og," Wes replied. "Rose is the only person I know besides myself that has so much as a passing acquaintance with the language."

"We're not bringing Rose into it," Angel said flatly, forgetting that Rose went pretty much wherever she wanted to. "I don't want her anywhere near here."

"Too bad," Rose said, coming into view. "I'm bringing myself into it."