Chapter 7 - Without a Trace

"Armani.Armani.Armani." Angel mumbled to himself as he sorted through the sea of dark suits that filled the large2 walk-in closet. "Calvin Kl-" He paused and studied a charcoal gray pantsuit. "Nope. Armani." He reached for the next garment and frowned.

"That's funny," he said, pulling out a black trench coat. Judging from the rest of the clothes in the closet, Emily Pierce was a petite woman-probably no taller than Buffy. He held the coat up against him. It appeared to be his size. Definitely too long for Spike's sister.

"Hmmm. Maybe she had a boyfriend." He searched through the pockets and pulled out a roll of money and a crumpled bit of paper with a name and number neatly written on it. "Boys and girls," he said with satisfaction, "I think we've found a clue."

He put the money and note in his pocket and headed downstairs to tell Buffy.

* * *

"Spike?"

Buffy stared at the chair across of from her in disbelief. Just a second before it had been occupied-by Spike. She leaned over the table and waved her hands over the seat, but the only thing left of the former vampire was his jacket slung over the chair's back.

They'd been talking, then he'd started to fade, his body becoming mist- like. He'd looked at her alarmed and confused-and then he was gone-like in a magic show.

Only this hadn't been done with mirrors, slight of hand or trap doors. This wasn't a trick.

But how? Why? Buffy had no idea.

She stood up and scanned the kitchen, turning around and around, making herself dizzy. "Where did you go?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "Where did you go?"

* * *

"I'm right here!" Spike yelled, his face just inches from Buffy's. He tried grabbing her shoulder, but his hand passed right through her. "What the.?" He stared at his hand and then down at his body. He looked transparent, like a hologram.

He turned back to the Slayer. "Buffy!" But she couldn't hear or see him. She was heading for the door, calling Angel.

The dark-haired vampire nearly collided with her as he entered the room.

"What's happened?" he asked, looking around warily and noting the blond Watcher's absence. "Where's Spike?"

"He's gone," the Slayer replied, her eyes glistening with tears. "I don't know what happened. He just." Buffy covered her mouth, suppressing a sob and stared wide-eyed at Angel, who put a comforting arm around her shoulder and guided her to a chair.

"He just disappeared," Buffy continued. "One second he was sitting right there and then he started.fading. Right in front of my eyes."

Angel pulled a chair close to Buffy's and seated himself next to her. Tentatively, he put a hand on top of hers. She looked at him in surprise, but didn't pull her hand away.

Standing behind them, Spike glared at Angel and took a swipe at him. "Get your bloody mitts off my-" But Spike's hand passed ineffectually through the vampire's body and both Angel and Buffy remained completely unaware of his presence.

Angel's brows knitted in thought. "Maybe he was teleported somehow. You said his sister was a witch. Maybe she."

Buffy looked up at him, hopeful. "Maybe."

"Or maybe not!" Spike said angrily. "I'm right here! I didn't go anywhere. Peaches is dead wrong with the teleportation idea. C'mon, Buffy, you've got to feel me here.sense me."

"But the ashes we found earlier," Buffy said, sounding doubtful. "We assumed that they were Emily's."

Angel looked contemplative. "From what you told me, this Emily was pretty powerful. She'd be tough to kill. Those ashes could've been from another vampire maybe.or an ashtray for that matter."

Buffy nodded silently.

"I'm just guessing, of course," Angel continued. "I don't know for sure what happened here, but if he was teleported somewhere, we could probably find him-"

"With a location spell!" Buffy finished, looking up at him with shining eyes.

"Right." Angel smiled at her. "We can go to my place and work on it."

Spike rolled his eyes in irritation. "Wrong. Wrong. Wrong!" he muttered, then stopped to think.

Did location spells work on ghosts? Or whatever it was he'd become.

Maybe the poofter wasn't such a daft bloke after all. If they could at least be aware of his presence. That would be a start, he supposed.

Buffy stood up, then noticed Spike's coat hanging on the chair he'd been sitting on. She walked over to it and ran her fingers over the smooth leather. "We'll find you," she whispered. She picked up the coat, draped it over an arm and carried it with her as she followed Angel out of the room and to his car.

* * *

Standing in the driveway with his arms crossed, Spike watched the taillights of Angel's car fade into the darkness as the vampire and Slayer drove away. He'd tried to go with them, but lacking substance, his body had passed right through the car.

If only they could hear him, he thought angrily. If only 'somebody' could hear him! What he would've given to find somebody that he could talk to!

Without warning, the air at his feet began to stir, gusting around him and sweeping him up, up, up over the treetops toward the midnight sky.

"Oh bloody hell!" Spike said as he found himself being swept away. "Now what?"