Chapter Four

Faith frowned and strained backwards, trying to look out of the living room window to the doorway but failing miserably. She decided to investigate, her curious nature taking over easily, she stood up and brushed the creases out of her trousers before walking across the room to the huge hallway. Willow was still standing in the doorway but she wasn't speaking and the heavy wooden door was blocking Faith's view of whoever it was rendering Willow mute. She crossed the hall, coming up behind Willow and placing a hand on her shoulder as she came face to face with Spike.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, looking him up and down trying to ascertain if it really was him. She pushed her loose brown hair from her face and frowned quizzically at him, the confusion and humour evident in her eyes.

"Slayer Number Two, how's it going?" said Spike tiredly, Faith's frown dropped for a second before she began to laugh hysterically. Willow and Spike both looked at her as if she was mad but Faith couldn't help herself, she didn't know if it was shock or amazement that was causing her reaction but she couldn't help but laugh. "Crazy as ever then,"

"How the hell did this happen?" asked Faith, out of breath as her laughter died away. "And why aren't you in flames right now?" Spike shrugged and looked at Willow but she seemed just as shaken and shocked as Faith was.

"Ladies, as much as I would love to stand around all day chatting about this, I'm actually quite knackered. Can I come in?" asked Spike, Willow nodded mutely and moved aside, allowing Spike to enter their farmhouse and look around. Faith peered out of the front door to see an ancient motorbike sitting in their garden, it looked about ready to fall apart and she was pretty sure the engine was actually smoking. She smiled to herself and slammed the door shut, following Willow and Spike through to the kitchen.

"So, how long have you been back?" asked Willow, stuffing a plastic carton of macaroni and cheese into the microwave. Spike had actually requested some food but she had no idea what to cook for him; he hadn't eaten anything real in hundreds of years. Faith wandered in and jumped up onto the kitchen counter, anxious to hear Spike's story and hoping that it ended with some sort of big evil thing following him to Cleveland. She was desperate for some Big Bad to find them out and attack.

"About two weeks," he explained, drinking deeply from a tall glass of water. "I woke up in West Haven and went to see Sunnydale," Willow nodded, her eyes widening at the news. "It's just this huge crater so I figured that Giles would've made Buffy come out here, y'know, second Hellmouth, Slayer duty and all that stuff," Willow nodded, thankful that the microwave was beeping so she didn't have to explain the past year to Spike. "So, where is she?"

"Who? Buffy?" asked Faith, Spike made a face and nodded. "She's gone, left about two weeks ago. She went to LA,"

"To see him," whispered Spike, cursing himself for ever thinking that she could have waited for him.

"No," said Willow defensively. "She went to take Dawn to see her father; they wanted to be with family. Buffy hasn't had the chance to live her life in a very long time, Spike. I think she deserves a bit of freedom, don't you?" Spike nodded but his sadness was evident on his face; she had been the first and only thing he had thought about when he had woken up and now he was here, she was gone.

"You didn't drive here on that clapped out bike I saw in the garden?" asked Faith incredulously, Spike nodded and smiled up at Willow as she placed the freshly microwaved food in front of him. "That is a goddamn miracle, I swear. That bike is about ready to fall apart,"

"I know," said Spike, relishing the taste of the cheese and pasta on his tongue. He had been living on badly cooked burgers on the roadside; it felt good to actually taste something completely different. "I got that in West Haven, drove across seven states on it. I feel kind of attached to her now,"

"Still, if you wanna keep her then you'll have to get her fixed," said Faith knowingly. Spike nodded and continued to eat his meal, Willow eyed them both with an element of disbelief.

"I can't believe that something this huge has happened and you two are talking about motorcycle maintenance," she said, her eyes advertising that she was still in shock over the whole thing. "Buffy said you died, that you were gone. She was devastated and now you're back, just walking and talking and not bursting into flame, what's going on?"

"Well," started Spike, feeling a little guilty for just springing his news on everyone without a thought of their feelings. "I hoped that you and Giles would be able to work that one out. I'll tell you something though; it's weird having a heartbeat again. I never thought I'd feel it again, it's like being given a whole new life, a second chance or something," Faith couldn't help but let out a laugh. Spike looked up at her questioningly, she composed herself and shrugged.

"I'm sorry but William the Bloody waxing lyrical about a new chance at life? It's just sheer comedy," she laughed. "You have to admit it's a little funny. Will, you okay?"

Willow was staring out of the kitchen window to the two figures crossing their large back garden that led out into a small wood. She looked back at Faith and sighed deeply; ushering Faith to take a look for herself. Xander and Kennedy were on their way back from their walk and Willow knew only too well that Xander was not going to like this uninvited guest in their kitchen eating his macaroni and cheese. Spike looked up slightly and shrugged, he didn't really care what Xander had to say about him being here and as for Red's girlfriend; he didn't know her enough not to care.

"Hello campers, what's going on?" asked Xander as he opened the door from the garden into the kitchen and stepped inside. He stopped abruptly causing Kennedy to almost walk into the back of him; instead she quickly sidestepped around him, frowning.

"Xander, what is with you?" she snapped angrily before seeing Spike sitting at the kitchen table. "Oh,"

"What the hell is he doing here? I thought he was dead," said Xander, not really angry but not exactly ecstatic with the thought of Spike being back in their lives.

"I was, now I'm alive and I need you lot to help me work out what the hell happened," said Spike, standing from the table and placing the plate into the washing up bowl. "I'm not a vampire anymore; I'm one of you now. And I need to find out why,"

"When it rains, it pours," sighed Xander, grabbing a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and drinking it all in one big gulp. "Does Robin know he's here? He's not gonna be pleased,"

"He'll do as he's told," snapped Faith, jumping down from the counter-top and wondering why she was being so protective of Spike. If Robin had a problem with him, it was none of her concern but there was something about it all that annoyed her. If Spike really had been given a second chance to live his life then surely Xander and Robin and even she must forget everything that went on before, forget all his past crimes and accept him back with a clean slate.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will," muttered Xander. Kennedy joined Willow in the corner of the kitchen for a brief embrace before turning to the rest of the room.

"So, what's next? Do we call Giles or Eleria or what?" she asked, she knew enough about the old Spike to wonder how he had made it back but she didn't quite understand the feelings of animosity from Xander or why Robin would be upset by his return.

"Wait a minute," said Willow, frowning with thought and sitting at the table. "Didn't you and Faith have that Slayer sense thing about two weeks ago? It was the morning Buffy left, right?" Kennedy nodded quietly, she didn't like to think about her other Slayer powers; she would rather forget that morning had ever happened. "Maybe it was the heralding of Spike's return, maybe it was something connected to the Slayers or the Powers That Be?"

"Maybe," said Faith, nodding as Willow talked, absorbing her way of thinking. They were interrupted by a loud knock at the front door, Faith started to leave the room. "That will be Robin,"

Faith walked through the living room and back into the hallway where less than an hour before, Spike had been waiting for someone to open the door. She was less than thrilled at what Robin's reaction to the news would be but she knew that she had to tell him before he walked into the kitchen and went ballistic. She pulled open the heavy door and there stood Robin, carrying shopping bags and looking sheepish for forgetting his keys yet again.

"Sorry," he grinned, Faith smiled back and ushered him in, closing the door behind them. "I got milk and cherry Pop Tarts and bread and some other stuff," He put the bags down and turned to face her, she smiled as he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, bending down to kiss her softly on the mouth. Faith was pleasantly surprised; it had been a while since he openly showed any affection towards her like that. She almost felt a sense of guilt when he let her go, knowing what she had to tell him.

"Look, before we go into the kitchen, I gotta tell you something," she started, he looked at her concernedly. "God, there really is no easy way to say it. Spike showed up this morning; he's human now and we have, like, no idea how it all happened or whatever. He came looking for B but now, he wants us to help him sort out what happened to him," Robin wasn't looking at her but past her, staring at the kitchen door as if willing it to swing open so he could see this thing that murdered his mother. "I know you're gonna be upset about this but he isn't the same guy as before. He's been given a new life and stuff; we gotta give him a chance, okay?"

"Fine, let's go sat hi," scowled Robin, picking up the shopping bags and stalking off in the direction of the kitchen. Faith dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans and sighed, there was no way this was going to go down well. Something was going to give at some point and all hell would break loose; and not the good kind.