"Thank god I didn't lock the door." Spike muttered as he entered his
apartment, he headed straight to the fridge. "Puppets better be able to
drink." It had been a long night. After realizing he couldn't drive home,
he had to walk several miles back to his apartment. Along the way he met a
stray dog that had chased him down an ally, luckily he had been able to
squeeze through a gate leaving the dog behind. He was too shaken up from
that to find much humor in the way that homeless man had stared at him as
he walked by. "Oh, balls." Spike said, looking up at the handle on the
fridge, he wasn't tall enough to grab it. He curled his puppet fingers
around the door and tried to yank it open, but it didn't work. He sighed
and headed into his bedroom, he was exhausted. Resigned to deal with his
problem in the morning, he climbed up into his bed and went to sleep.
The next morning Spike had just gotten out of bed when he heard a knock on the door. "Spike?" It was Wesley. Spike quickly stood against his wall and out of Wesley's view. He heard the door open and Wesley step inside.
"Knew that unlocked door would bite me in the ass." He muttered to himself.
"Spike? Is that you?" Wesley called. Spike sighed, Wesley knew he was home.
"You know you shouldn't just barge into a bloke's home when he doesn't answer the door." Spike called back, still hiding in his room.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to check in." Wesley looked around the room, a little puzzled that Spike was nowhere to be seen.
"Yeah, well, I'm a big boy Percy, don't need you looking out for me."
"That wasn't exactly why I came here, Spike. We're working on a case and I was hoping you might have heard something that may be of some help." He paused, still feeling a little awkward that he was talking to an empty room. "Spike, is there a reason you wont come out?"
"Yes."
"And that would be...."
"It would be none of your business, mate."
"Fine." Wesley replied, sighing. "There's a television show called Smile Time that we think might be harming children. Angel's going to check out the studio and the rest of us are trying to find some clues as to what exactly it's up to.
"No, Wesley, Angel can't go to the studio. He'll get-" Spike stopped and reconsidered. "No wait-on second thought, absolutely he should do that." Wesley rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone.
"Angel, you might want to hold off going to the studio for now. No, I don't know why, I just...doubt it's a good idea." Wesley hung up the phone. "Spike, What's going on?"
"Look, I want to talk with Fred, she might be able to help." Spike replied.
"Fred's busy. She's looking into the possible biological causes for what's happening to the kids."
"Bugger." Spike muttered. He hesitated and stepped into the doorway. "Then she's wasting her time."
"Spike?" Wesley gapped at him. "What happened?"
"I don't know exactly, I was over at the Smile Time studio following up on a lead. I wandered into some room and there was this burst of light, next thing I know I'm a bloody puppet." Spike walked over to his couch and hopped up onto it. "Say would you do me a favor and grab me a beer from the fridge? I was having trouble with that earlier."
"Sure." Wesley went to the fridge and was getting a beer when he asked, "Can puppets even drink beer?"
"Guess we'll find out." Spike replied. "You can grab one for yourself." Wesley handed Spike his can and opened his own. Spike struggled with his tab a moment before holding it out, slightly embarrassed. "Do you think you could..."
"Of course." Wesley opened it and handed it back before taking a seat beside him. "I'll get a hold of Fred, she'll probably be able to help you with your...puppet problem."
"I'd appreciate it." Spike replied.
"How's that beer going down?" Wesley asked, smiling a bit.
"Alright I guess, different though. Wesley nodded and they both sat silently for a moment. "You ever hear of a bloke named Doyle?"
"Yes, I've heard quite a bit actually. I've never met him myself, but Angel always speaks quite fondly of him. He doesn't like to talk about him often though, I can tell it's still quite painful for him."
"How did Angel know him?"
"Doyle was his link to the powers before Cordelia, he's actually who she got her visions from. It's funny you should ask, I wasn't aware you knew about Doyle."
"Oh, I was just curious is all. He said something about how he and Angel had had some disagreements in the past." Wesley's eyes widened. "Is that what happened? They have some fight and go their separate ways?"
"Spike, you say you've spoken with him, recently?"
"Yeah, he's the guy who told me about Smile Time." He paused for a moment, taken back by the look on Wesley's face. "What's wrong?"
"Spike, Doyle's dead." Wesley told him Solemnly.
"But, that's not possible. I talked to him yesterday!"
"The question isn't how he can be dead, it's how and why is he back?" Wesley pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Angel, I'm at Spike's. Listen, I don't want to say anything over the phone, but you need to get over here."
The next morning Spike had just gotten out of bed when he heard a knock on the door. "Spike?" It was Wesley. Spike quickly stood against his wall and out of Wesley's view. He heard the door open and Wesley step inside.
"Knew that unlocked door would bite me in the ass." He muttered to himself.
"Spike? Is that you?" Wesley called. Spike sighed, Wesley knew he was home.
"You know you shouldn't just barge into a bloke's home when he doesn't answer the door." Spike called back, still hiding in his room.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to check in." Wesley looked around the room, a little puzzled that Spike was nowhere to be seen.
"Yeah, well, I'm a big boy Percy, don't need you looking out for me."
"That wasn't exactly why I came here, Spike. We're working on a case and I was hoping you might have heard something that may be of some help." He paused, still feeling a little awkward that he was talking to an empty room. "Spike, is there a reason you wont come out?"
"Yes."
"And that would be...."
"It would be none of your business, mate."
"Fine." Wesley replied, sighing. "There's a television show called Smile Time that we think might be harming children. Angel's going to check out the studio and the rest of us are trying to find some clues as to what exactly it's up to.
"No, Wesley, Angel can't go to the studio. He'll get-" Spike stopped and reconsidered. "No wait-on second thought, absolutely he should do that." Wesley rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone.
"Angel, you might want to hold off going to the studio for now. No, I don't know why, I just...doubt it's a good idea." Wesley hung up the phone. "Spike, What's going on?"
"Look, I want to talk with Fred, she might be able to help." Spike replied.
"Fred's busy. She's looking into the possible biological causes for what's happening to the kids."
"Bugger." Spike muttered. He hesitated and stepped into the doorway. "Then she's wasting her time."
"Spike?" Wesley gapped at him. "What happened?"
"I don't know exactly, I was over at the Smile Time studio following up on a lead. I wandered into some room and there was this burst of light, next thing I know I'm a bloody puppet." Spike walked over to his couch and hopped up onto it. "Say would you do me a favor and grab me a beer from the fridge? I was having trouble with that earlier."
"Sure." Wesley went to the fridge and was getting a beer when he asked, "Can puppets even drink beer?"
"Guess we'll find out." Spike replied. "You can grab one for yourself." Wesley handed Spike his can and opened his own. Spike struggled with his tab a moment before holding it out, slightly embarrassed. "Do you think you could..."
"Of course." Wesley opened it and handed it back before taking a seat beside him. "I'll get a hold of Fred, she'll probably be able to help you with your...puppet problem."
"I'd appreciate it." Spike replied.
"How's that beer going down?" Wesley asked, smiling a bit.
"Alright I guess, different though. Wesley nodded and they both sat silently for a moment. "You ever hear of a bloke named Doyle?"
"Yes, I've heard quite a bit actually. I've never met him myself, but Angel always speaks quite fondly of him. He doesn't like to talk about him often though, I can tell it's still quite painful for him."
"How did Angel know him?"
"Doyle was his link to the powers before Cordelia, he's actually who she got her visions from. It's funny you should ask, I wasn't aware you knew about Doyle."
"Oh, I was just curious is all. He said something about how he and Angel had had some disagreements in the past." Wesley's eyes widened. "Is that what happened? They have some fight and go their separate ways?"
"Spike, you say you've spoken with him, recently?"
"Yeah, he's the guy who told me about Smile Time." He paused for a moment, taken back by the look on Wesley's face. "What's wrong?"
"Spike, Doyle's dead." Wesley told him Solemnly.
"But, that's not possible. I talked to him yesterday!"
"The question isn't how he can be dead, it's how and why is he back?" Wesley pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Angel, I'm at Spike's. Listen, I don't want to say anything over the phone, but you need to get over here."