TITLE: "Average Joe" Part 2
AUTHOR: Elise D.
FEEDBACK: Gimme gimme. Just be gentle.
SUMMARY: Season Seven, Spike heads to L.A. to visit some old friends.
SPOILERS: Spoiler free, do I get a cookie? Zero spoilers for Ats. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, that wacky stuff ain't even happening. So the details are so vague, they're almost new.
RATING: PG-13.
DISCLAIMER: Nobody buys me good presents, so I steal other peoples.
THANKS: Much love for the wonderful people who have left kind words about this fic. I'll try not to disappoint you :)

---

"Nooooooo! DON'T KILL HIM!" came the desperate scream from upstairs. Within seconds, Cordy came running into view, skidding to a halt between the two vampires.

"Well, hello Cordelia. It's lovely to see you again," said Spike gruffly, rubbing his neck.

"Sorry," said Cordy with a cringe. "I didn't think you'd make such good time! Didn't realize you were here yet! Oops!" she said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh well, no harm no foul, yeah? Pops didn't actually kill me, so I'd say things went better than they could," he assured her with a small smile, which she gratefully returned.

Angel stared wide-eyed at Spike with a mixture of confusion and anger, before turning around to confront Lorne.

"A soul? Spike? Spike has a soul?" he asked incredulously, his confusion evident as he looked from the vampire on the floor, to the demon leaning on the banister. "This can't be…it can't be right."

"Oh, it's as true as I am green, that boy had his soul stuffed in him." Lorne tilted his head quizzically at the blonde vampire, "and a pretty traumatic ordeal, by all accounts. Kudos to you, my friend," he said with a nod.

"Umm, thanks, I think? No offence, "friend" but who the hell are you, and how do you know so much?"

"Well, I can read people for one thing, and I'll be honest, I heard Cordy when she was humming in her room, and I knew she had things to do."

"Yes, she did have a bit of an important job tonight," said Spike, sending a withering glare in the former cheerleaders direction.

Cordy simply rolled her eyes, and joined Gunn and Fred behind the counter.

"So, that's the William the Bloody?" whispered Fred. "I expected him to be more scary and…well, less charming, actually," she said with a nervous giggle.

"Oh yeah, that's our Spike," replied Cordy. "Ever the gentleman, even when he's stalking Slayers, or trying to kill you and torture your boss!" She said the last part loud enough to get the vampires attention, and he mirrored the withering smile she had given him a moment before.

"That's all water under the bridge, princess. I'm a good guy now. Besides, I hear that a certain rogue Slayer did pretty much the same thing once upon a time, yeah? So let's leave it alone, shall we? It's in the past, and now I come in peace." He looked around the room. "Yeah, well that would have gone better, but you seem to be missing a resident nerd. I thought all good groups of justice and light had one."

Fred meekly raised her hand.

"I think I'm the nerd here. But bein' stuck in a hell dimension for a few years, I kinda forgot a lot of the basics, what with the going insane and all," she admitted.

"Aww, pet. That's a terrible shame. But you're back now, aren't ya? Nice and safe in the land of freedom," Spike replied with a beaming smile, causing the young girl to blush and avert her eyes.

Gunn however, was not as impressed.

"So? What's the deal then? Why the hell have you just shown up here, risking your ass being staked?" he asked. "I don't see this being just a social visit, and you told Fred you had business. We do that, so what's going on?"

"Ahh, yes. Well, let me recover from my little…welcoming hug, and I'll fill you in, shall I?" Said Spike gleefully, rubbing his hands together.

---

"The First Evil," sighed Angel, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't think I'd here from that again." The news that Angel had dealt with the pain in his ass before caused Spike to tilt his head in confusion. "It's a long story," he said with a shake of his head.

"The First tried getting Angel to kill Buffy, he tried to commit suicide via sunshine, but the Powers that Be made it snow to save him," said Cordy with a bored shrug.

"Okay, not that long of a story," conceded Angel.

"Well, it sounds like we both faired as well as each other. Nothing like a serious morphing mind job to make a bloke want to greet the sunrise," said Spike with a smile.

Angel simply nodded in agreement. He was surprised that Spike had survived the torment of such great evil but then again, this was Spike. A vampire who never gave up if he didn't want to. He had to respect that. Hell, it sounded like Spike might have endured the trials a little better than Angel had, but he'd be dammed if he'd give Spike the satisfaction of knowing it. If the First Evil was trying something in Sunnydale, they needed to help. For Buffy's sake…for everyone.

"It sure seems to have an affinity for souled vampires, huh?" joked Fred, causing the two vampires to look at each other.

"Yeah, I suppose it does at that, eh?" replied Spike smiling, while Angel just scowled. "Oh what's the matter now? Christ, so you're not as special as you were last year…get over it. S'not like I did it just to piss you off."

"Yeah, but it must have been a consideration," replied Angel, narrowing his eyes intently, with a morbid fascination over Spike's new condition.

"No," scoffed the blonde. "The only reason I did it, was so…ahhhh," Spike lifted his head with the sudden realization of what Angel was trying to do. "Nice try old man, but it's private."

Angel shook his head with a laugh, okay, he was busted.

"Fine. Just tell me this then; why the smell of Buffy's perfume all over you?"

"It's not her perfume, you plonker. It's her body lotion, and…crap. You got me, didn't you?"

Angel simply nodded, while Cordy's eyes bugged out.

"You? You and Buffy? Buffy? With a vampire? Again? With a soul? Again???" she babbled.

"No. There has been no slap and tickle for super-souled Spike, don't worry. It was just a good luck hug for me travels, that's all," Spike said, choosing to avoid spilling too many details from the past year. What Angel didn't know, wouldn't hurt him. Or Spike, and that was just dandy. Plus, he was pretty sure the Slayer would kick his ass for any kiss and tell details, no matter how out-dated. Nah, he'd let the whelp spill those beans, when the time was right and he had Slayer protection. "We're just friends; partners in the fight against darkness. Noble warriors in the never-ending war against evil…"

"Oh shut up," moaned Angel. "You just can't answer with a simple yes or no, can you?"

"I could if I wanted to, I simply choose to express myself in a deeper manner," Spike replied with a cheeky grin, causing Angel to roll his eyes.

"You never change."

"Oh, but I do, don't I? Got the shiny William interior to prove it."

---

The gang were in the lobby, packing up what Spike admitted was a choice weapons collection, when a thought hit him.

"Hey…isn't someone missing? A Watchery type, all stick up his bum and bad ideas? We've already got one, but I think a matching pair might come in handy, don't you?"

Angel pointedly ignored the comment and forcibly stuffed an oversized axe in the duffle, while Lorne visibly flinched at the mention of Wesley.

"Okay, someone better tell me what the hell is going on, we don't need any surprises considering what we're about to get into back at Sunnydale," Spike said, frowning.

Cordy sighed, and turned to face him, hand on hips.

"Angel had a son with Darla – don't ask," she said, listing off the details on her fingers. "Wes kidnapped the kid, and he was taken to a hell dimension by an old enemy of Angel's – again, don't ask. Kid came back a few weeks later with 16 years under his belt and a chip on his shoulder. Angel didn't take any of this very well, especially when his own son then dumped him at the bottom of the ocean for a few months. Wes hasn't done well either. He's now hanging out with an Evil lawyer ho and being kinda cold with us, even though he was the one that went out and saved Angel. And Steve…Connor just shows up when he feels like it. He's not really comfortable here." She paused, going over her news, when her face brightened. "OH! And I was a higher being for a while, but I'm back now."

Spike just stood there for a moment, digesting everything he'd heard. A kid. Okay, that one was definitely a shock, and he was pretty sure Buffy would flip her lid at the news, especially considering the circumstances. He knew Darla had been brought back, thanks to Dru's visitation a couple of summers ago, but knocked up? That was definitely something for the family newsletter. Now was not the time for gossip, however, and he needed a watcher, not a genealogy lesson.

"So, this Watcher then? Wes? Where can I find him?" Spike finally asked, scanning the faces in the room, expectantly.

Angel sighed and put down his weapons.

"You can't. He won't want to help, and you really don't need the kind of aid he's offering. Trust me on this one, he won't be interested in what you've got to say."

"Oh really," replied the haggard looking watcher from the doorway, "Well, I'm pretty sure if Spike's information matches my own, I'd be very interested indeed."