A/N: Quick note. Last chapter it was said that the 4th was coming in 2 days. Scratch that and make it today. By the way, I had to use the horizontal rule on the QuickEdit thing because no other symbols are showing up as spacers. Anyone know of any that do or why they aren't showing up?

"I don't understand. Why would the ghosts do that to just Tara? Why didn't the others feel it too?" Faith asked. Tara had just finished telling Wesley and Faith what had happened in the game room last night.

"I haven't a clue," Wesley admitted.

"So this is happening? I mean, there are ghosts here?" Tara asked.

"Yes. We encountered the ghosts as well. I think they are trying to convince each and every one of us to help them find their killer," Wesley replied.

"So how are we supposed to find this baddie? He could be in Albania for all we know," Faith asked.

"He?" Tara wondered.

"Yes, a floating marker wrote 'Find Him' on my wall," Wesley informed.

"Should we tell the others?" Tara asked.

"I highly doubt they'd believe us. I think we should wait until the ghosts contact them and convince them that this is real." Wesley said.

"Well, I told Willow what happened last night and she seemed to believe me," Tara said. Faith thought of something.

"Wait, isn't Willow good with computers?" she asked Tara, who nodded. "'Bout damn time we got luck."

"You think she'd help us," Wesley confirmed.

"Right now, a computer hacker is what we need."

"I'll ask her. We're supposed to head over to the store to get stuff for the party today," Tara explained.

"Party?" Wesley asked.

"And about damn time for some fun," Faith mumbled to herself. Tara nodded.

"Today's the Fourth of July. Last night we all agreed on Barbequing today. Since you two were down here, that's why you didn't know," she told them.

"Well okay then. You and Willow go with the shopping. Wes and I will be keeping an eye out here for more weirdness," Faith said. Tara nodded and left the computer room.

"So what do you propose we do?" Wesley asked, calm and still looking at the door which Tara just exited. Faith shrugged.

"I'm thinking party," she replied. Wesley didn't answer and they both left the computer room together.

Buffy stepped out of the elevator and into the Hyperion lobby. She still couldn't believe that she was here. Sure, she'd been to many nice hotels in her lifetime but this one still had her breathless. Beautiful to the very core it was. Too bad it was only a week stay, with already two days down.

"G'morning luv." She looked over to the large comfy couch against the wall and spotted Spike sitting there. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and had a notebook and pen in his lap.

"Hey Spike. Didn't think anyone was up yet. It's still kinda early," she replied. Spike looked up to the ceiling.

"Passed by Giles in the hallway. Chap was heading down to get something to eat in Caritas. And, I think Tara is her name, came by not too long ago," Spike replied before taking a sip of his coffee. Buffy sat down next to him and peered at the paper.

"Whatcha writing?" she asked. Spike absentmindedly covered the paper with his spare hand but then pulled it away.

"Working on a song. My manager's pissed off as it is that I had to leave the tour but he said that if I write a decent song while I'm here, he won't kick me out of the band." Buffy giggled. "S'not funny luv. That band is my life right now. Wouldn't be too funny to be unemployed."

"But at least you'd walk out an unemployed man with five grand in his pocket," Buffy said. Spike smirked at her comment and set his coffee down on the table in front of them.

"What's the agenda for today then? More boring events?" he asked. Buffy raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're not having fun here?" she asked.

"Truth be told pet, this conversation I'm having right now with you is the most fun I've had these past two days. And that's a good thing."

"And why is that good?" she asked. Spike brushed his hand over hers for a split second, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Because it means that I can have fun around you," he replied softly.

"Well Mr. Crawford, I have to admit you're not as boring or pigheaded as I thought you'd be," Buffy said after a minute. "Plus, I have heard that you are an excellent singer."

"Have you now? You haven't heard one of our songs though?" She shook her head. "Nice to meet a bird who isn't a freakish hardcore fan. Get annoying they do," Spike said. Buffy smiled and realized that he was dipping his head slightly and slowly.

Before they're lips could meet, the elevator door opened and Andrew stepped out. He saw Spike and Buffy and immediately became giddier. Mostly because Spike Crawford was in the same room as him.

"Spike, didn't expect to see you up at this early hour. Working on a song I see?" Andrew said, greeting the rockstar and completely ignoring Buffy in the process.

"Andrew. What's going on with you mate?" Spike replied, trying to be as friendly as he could be. If he had ever met a hardcore Wrong Way fan in his life, Andrew would be it. Spike bet he'd give all the screaming teenage girls a run for their money.

"Well, I have to run some errands for Mr. Green today. You know, important business errands. Some highly classified business indeed," the young man replied. Spike nodded his head and tried to look interested. "So what are you up to today? Any important music stuff?"

"Uh, no. Actually, I was just asking Buffy here what was planned for today," Spike replied, nodding to Buffy. Andrew, looking like he just finally noticed Buffy, smiled.

"Actually, we were all planning on a 4th of July party today. Probably later this afternoon," Buffy said. Spike nodded and noted that that sounded at least potentially exciting. Andrew looked glum for a second but had his cheery face back on in a flash.

"Oh. Well, that's great. Nothing like a party to bring fun to all..." Andrew trailed, letting the gloominess take over.

"Would you like to come Andrew?" Spike asked, fearing that the bloke would start crying soon. Andrew sniffled and looked up. His face showed relief.

"Really? Oh, I'd love to! Wonderful," he replied.

"Great then. It'll be by the pool area. Feel free to bring someone along if you want," Buffy told him. Andrew nodded and tapped his fingers against his thighs. Buffy and Spike noted the silence and shared a smile.

"Well, I better be going then. Have some important errands to run," Andrew said at last.

"Ok then." "Have fun with that." Spike and Buffy replied at the same time. Andrew gave them a thumbs up and headed out the door, a slight spring in his step.

When he was gone, Buffy and Spike let out held in chuckles.

"You know, he really looks up to you," Buffy told him. "It was nice of you to be nice to him."

"Kid's mental. Safe to say I've never met a fan like him," Spike replied, sighing. Buffy laughed at him. "What?"

"Nothing. But I better head on out too. Gotta pick up some party supplies," she told him. Spike almost looked disappointed, which made her giggle some more.

"Being laughed at isn't really good for one's self esteem luv."

"Ok, no more laughing," Buffy promised. "Would you like to go with me?" Spike leaped up immediately and left his notebook and coffee.

"Lemme grab my coat," he said. Buffy snorted.

"Your coat? It's like ninety degrees out there," she informed.

"You don't understand luv. That coat is my treasure, my second skin. I never go anywhere without it," Spike told her.

Before they could get to the elevator, Buffy noticed the girl standing by the front doors. She noted the girl's long brown hair and clear complexion. She didn't look older than 16.

"Hi! Are you looking for someone?" she asked the girl. Spike stopped and gazed over at the teen.

"Yeah, I am actually, but I need your help," the girl replied. Buffy took a couple steps toward her. She got faint chills up her spine but she ignored them.

"Sure, who are you looking for?" Buffy asked. Spike was still staring at her, tilting his head slightly. He had an odd feeling in his stomach.

"Please, I really need your help. You have to help me and my brother," the girl pleaded.

"Are you two lost? Where's your brother?" Buffy asked, inching closer to the girl. "What's your name?"

"Dawn," the girl replied. Buffy stretched her hand out to take the girl's hand.

"Why don't we sit down over there Dawn and I can help you?" she said, almost touching Dawn's hand. The elevator chimed and opened. Both Spike and Buffy looked behind them to see Angel and Cordelia, hand in hand, step out.

But when Buffy turned back to Dawn, the girl was gone.

"Where'd she go?" she wondered aloud. Spike too turned back around and saw that Dawn was gone.

"Did you hear the door open?" he asked Buffy under his breath. Before Buffy could answer, Cordelia and Angel walked over to them.

"Who were you talking to?" Cordelia asked Buffy. Buffy looked back at where Dawn was standing seconds ago and shook her head. It was the only thing she could do.

"Uh, no one. Spike and I were going to make a store run," she replied. Cordelia nodded in response and turned to Angel.

"We were going out too. Angel offered to go out and get the fireworks so that's where we're going. See you two later." And they were out the door. Buffy looked back at Spike and realized she was shaking.

"Spike? What just happened?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Gosh, what a small town," Fred observed from the back seat of the car. Willow, who was driving, nodded in agreement.

"I know. Hard to believe that it used to be smaller than this, like 10 years ago. But with Palm Springs being so popular, they decided to revamp this place up a bit," she explained to Fred and Tara, who was sitting in the passenger seat beside her.

"Smaller? That is hard to imagine," Tara said, smiling.

"This isn't the way back to the hotel," Fred said after a while. Willow nodded.

"I know, but after all that shopping and carrying, I want to explore Keyton a little before we head back.

The three of them had been assigned grocery shopping duty, which meant leaving the hotel and into the rest of the town. Cordelia had complained that they should just get the chefs in Caritas to make the food, but the rest felt it would be more traditional if they made everything themselves.

"Ooh, can we see if they have a shopping center around here? I wanted to get some things if they had a Wal-Mart here or something," Fred asked. Willow spotted a shopping plaza and pulled into the parking lot. They got out of the car and walked around, looking into shops and just peering around.

Deciding to walk into a flower shop, they split up and looked around, thinking of buying flowers to decorate the pool area with. Willow and Tara went over to look at the daisies so Fred occupied herself by the carnations. She spotted a middle-aged couple standing by the roses next to her so she decided to spark up conversation.

"Sorry to bug y'all, but I was wondering if there was a mall or something nearby?" she asked them. The couple smiled warmly at her and the man nodded.

"Yeah, there's one near the west end of town. It's just off Katella and Habor," he replied.

"Thanks so much," Fred thanked, and outstretched her hand. "Hi, I'm Fred Burkle. Nice to meet you." The man and woman each shook it, smiling. Fred noted that they were married by the rings.

"Lindsey McDonald, and this is my wife Darla," the man introduced. "Are you new in town? I don't think we've ever seen you around."

"Actually, I'm staying at the Hyperion. The owner, Mr. Green, is holding a contest there and I'm one of the contestants. My friends Willow and Tara are over there. They're in the contest too," Fred explained. Lindsey nodded.

"Yeah, I heard about a contest. Well welcome to Keyton. It's not much, but it's home to some of us," he told her.

"Roses for someone?" Fred asked, nodding at the two purchased bouquets in Darla's arms. The couple's mood suddenly changed as they looked solemnly at each other.

"This month is the anniversary of my children's death," Darla replied. Fred gasped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I asked you. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," she apologized. Darla shook her head.

"It's alright."

"Mind if I ask what happened?" Fred asked. Lindsey rubbed his wife's shoulders.

"They were murdered 15 years ago in our home," he replied, pain in his voice.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Fred told them.

"Thank you," Darla replied. "We take flowers to them every July."

"Can I ask what their name were?"

"Connor and Dawn. They were fraternal twins, brother and sister," Lindsey told her. Fred blinked several times and was frozen on the spot. Her mind went back to what Riley had told them all on their first day.

"Something wrong dear?" Darla asked. Fred shook off the cold feeling in her bones and forced a soft smile.

"Nothing, I just had a friend in high school named Connor. But again, I'm sorry."

"That's perfectly ok Fred. But we have to be going now. We hope to see more of you and your friends around town," Lindsey said. Fred said goodbye to the couple and retreated to thought. 'Poor folks, loosing their kids.'

"Fred?" Willow said, waving a hand in front of her face. Fred came out of her thoughts and smiled. "Good thoughts?"

"Uh, yeah. Just thinking about flowers," Fred replied. Tara joined them with the petunias and gardenias purchased.

"Who were those people?" Willow asked, looking out after them as they got into their car.

"Uh, just a nice couple buying roses," Fred replied. 'For their dead children.'

'I could stay here forever,' Xander thought to himself as he sat on a bench near the small lake. He was the only one out here right now, and it was nice. He picked up a couple small rocks from the ground and threw them into the water.

"Cool huh?" a voice asked behind him. Xander turned to see a teenage boy standing behind the bench. His heart stopped in his chest as he jumped.

"You're good at that. I didn't even hear you walk over," Xander told the kid, hand over his heart. The kid grinned and put his hands in his jean pockets.

"Out here all alone?" he asked. Xander nodded.

"Speaking of being out here, are you supposed to be here? The hotel isn't even open yet," Xander asked. The kid shrugged.

"My father is here," he replied.

"Who?" Xander asked. The kid ignored the question and nodded toward the ground.

"Came to get my baseball," he told Xander, who looked at his feet. Sitting there on the grass was indeed a baseball. Xander picked it up and twirled it in his hands.

"That's weird, didn't hear it land," he said aloud. Then he turned to the kid. "Here's your-" he started, but stopped. The kid was gone. "-baseball."

Xander turned back toward the lake. What he saw made him almost drop the ball and almost fall off the bench. The kid he just was talking to, not 10 seconds ago, was lying at the edge of the shore with blood everywhere. Spilling out of his mouth, his chest, and his neck. There was a knife sticking out of his back and a deep slash across his throat.

Xander got up and ran back toward the hotel, baseball still in hand. The dead body was now gone.

At around 5 o'clock, everyone was back from their shopping. The employed cooks of Caritas had left for the day and so the whole kitchen was free for them to start cooking.

While Willow and Tara were making a salad over on the counter, Buffy was cooking the corn on the cob on the stove. Cordelia was currently outside helping Angel and Gunn barbeque, so that left Tara and Faith with the fruit salad and the baked potatoes.

The silence was unnerving, so Willow spoke up.

"Should be fun today," she said to everyone, hoping someone would speak. But everyone just nodded in response. "What is wrong with you people? You all look like you saw a ghost."

Buffy, Tara, Fred, and Faith all looked up when she said that but still stayed quiet.

"Tara, is this about what happened last night in the game room?" Willow asked. Tara shook her head and continued to chop up the watermelon.

"What happened last night?" Buffy asked, nervously. Tara continued on with her chopping, trying to drop the topic.

Luckily for her, Xander came into the kitchen. Willow saw him earlier this morning when she got back from town coming back from the direction of the lake. He was chock white and had a baseball in his hand. Without saying anything, he rushed inside. Something had scared him good but what did that exactly was unknown to her.

"Hey Xander," she greeted him. Xander gave a small wave.

"Hey. Angel sent me in here to tell you gals that the meat is done cooking," he said. Willow nodded and lifted the salad bowl and gave it to him.

"Take this will ya? I need to get the potato salad."

The two took the containers and exited the kitchen. The others looked at one another and each sighed. Their earlier experienced still loomed in their heads, not letting them forget anything.

Once all the food was set up and everyone had changed into their swim wear, things lightened up considerably. Andrew showed Gunn how to work the music and speaker controls, so soon the whole pool area was rockin' with music.

Angel and Spike took turns cooking up hamburgers, hotdogs, and ribs on the barbeque. Xander had Anya take time off of work and come down and eat. Anya informed them it was her birthday today so Willow and Fred ran out to go get a cake. Riley and Samantha Finn arrived as well. So did Andrew, after he assured Spike and Buffy that he had finished all his official hotel errands.

Once everyone had their own fill of food, it was time for another activity. They still had a good three hours until it got dark for fireworks.

"There's a park on the next block. We could go do something over there," Sam suggested to the group.

"That sounds fun. We could play a game or something. You know, girls against guys," Willow said.

"Basketball?" Gunn offered. Several girls shook their heads. Spike and Buffy had a thought and smiled.

"Softball. A good old fashioned game of softball. Girls vs. boys, winners get bought dinner by the losers," Buffy said. Everyone smiled and nodded.

"We have gloves and bats in the activity closet. Sam and I will go get it and meet you all there," Riley said and he and Sam got up and left.

"You really want to take on us macho guys here?" Gunn asked the girls, who raised their eyebrows.

"Macho guys? We'll see how macho you all are once we cream you all," Faith told them. Wesley and Gunn looked at each other at Faith's comment.

"Yeah, whatever girlie. I just don't want to hear any whining once we all go for dinner at Red Lobster," Gunn said back. Faith smirked at him and shook her head. Everyone got up and started to walk toward the hotel. Wesley walked over and patted Gunn's shoulder.

"You do realize she's going to kick your ass now right?" he asked humorously. Gunn nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

The group arrived at the park and walked over to an unoccupied baseball diamond. With Buffy, Faith, Cordelia, Willow, Tara, Fred, Sam, and Anya on one team, the guys were Angel, Spike, Xander, Gunn, Wesley, Giles, Andrew, and Riley. Giles didn't want to play since he wasn't as young as he used to be, so he was scorekeeper. The guys really didn't mind that they had one less player. They knew they'd win anyways.

The girls were batting first so that meant Willow was up first. Angel was pitching for the guys.

The first pitch Willow hit with remarkable speed. The ball sailed over Gunn's head and landed in left field. The girls were cheering wildly as Willow made it to first base before Wesley was able to throw it to Riley, who was first base. Cordelia was up next and she knew she was going to get out no matter what. The last time she played baseball was in junior high for PE. But the fact that her new beau was the pitcher, she wasn't all too sure.

She swung and missed the first pitch. Angel tried to look sorry for the pitch and threw the ball a little softer this time. Cordelia hit the ball, which landed... against Angel's skull. Because of the rules, Cordelia was automatically out since she hit the pitcher, Willow was now at second base, and Angel was repositioned to right field, and Spike now took over.

Up next to bat was Buffy, who walked up to home plate slowly and carelessly. The first pitch that was thrown was hit way past Xander in center field and therefore Buffy was able to score a triple. Willow scored so the girls were leading 1-0. The next two outs were by Anya and Fred. Now the guys came up to bat.

Faith was designated pitcher and her first batter was Xander.

"Ready for this one Harris?" she asked. Xander tapped the base plate with the tip of the bat in response. Faith threw the ball. Xander swung and popped the ball to right field, but it was caught by Sam. After Xander, Riley got to second base, Andrew struck out, and Gunn caused the ball to hit Faith in the knee.

An hour later, the girls walked away with a 5-2 win.

When the group got back to the Hyperion, it was time to hit the pool. Everyone jumped into the cool water, even Giles, who just leaned against the edge.

A few games of Marco Polo were played, followed by some water volleyball. Then it was time for the fireworks. All types were lit; sparklers, Girandoles, Roman Candles, Bottle Rockets, and spinners. The Keyton High School stadium was the place where the actual sky fireworks were being launched, so the gang kicked back and watched them from afar.

After the grand finale, the group lit more of their own fireworks, enjoying the night. Fred got kinda bored of that and went back to the pool. Although she wasn't going to get back it, she put her feet in the water and sat along the edge. She could hear the group on the other side of the fence.

All the feelings she had earlier had disappeared throughout the day. But now they were back. Her thoughts on the poor couple and what had been done to them. Their own children killed. How could someone do that?

She looked into the water, the light of the fireworks reflecting on the still surface. But there was something else there. A face. She looked behind her but no one was there. Turning back to the water, her eyes suddenly locked onto the image. She swayed a little forward but she didn't notice. Then she fell forward.

A/N: Well, how was that? Please, please review. I would like to know how I'm doing with this. And it saddens me to say that I start school again next Thursday, so updates will be less frequent. But I will make time. Anyways, I'll have chapter 8 out before next week for sure. As for who the killer is, if you have an idea, try to keep quiet about it for a while please. I'm not going to answer questions or give clues so don't ask for them. Also, I will have more Darla, Lindsey, and Kate later. We have 4 days left of the contest so you won't have to wait too much longer for the end. Ok, that's all I have to say. Oh, and please review.