Chapter 4
Adventures and Actions

A/N: Sorry this took longer than usual. School has started again, so I'm really busy. I'm kind of using my 8 year old cousin Lewis as a muse, since it's a (little) while since I was a kid. I'm not sure if this is a good thing, because Lewis is quite annoying (if cute) and very talkative (despite this awful stuttering speech impediment, that the rest of the family is completely in denial about) so there'll be a few Pokemon references later on. Spike will have no speech impediments if I can help it, but this chapter, he might just get a friend!

Wolfram & Heart was the centre of operations for thousands of legal, illegal, and demonic operations. Every day, millions of people were cursed, scarified, or in someway dismembered by the representatives of the evil law firm. They had more power than any organisation in the whole of L.A. Perhaps more than any in the world. Spike thought it was a very boring place to be.

He sat quietly by the window, hugging his knees, looking at his surroundings. He was in Angel's office, a place as new and square as Angel's apartment. There was nothing fun in it, just wooden furniture, black leather, book shelves, and big greyish windows. There were no toys, no interesting places to explore, no TV. There wasn't even any cushions to sit on. Spike was sitting on the floor. Angel was at the desk with that Wesley, looking in big old books. They had been doing that for a long time.

Spike could hear someone talking. Not Angel or Wesley, they were both silent, Angel didn't even breathe. These voices were quiet, or muffled, somewhere far away. Spike felt like he should hear what they had to say, there was something they needed to tell him, but they were so quiet. "Talk louder," He whispered. The voices remained quiet. He strained his ears to listen, but it was no good. The voices fell silent. Spike listened a moment longer, but there was nothing. He was soon bored again.

He sniffed the air, smelling something familiar. It was Fred. He could smell Aun'y Fred. He got down on his hands and knees, sniffing following the sent, just like a wolf. He was a wolf, following the scent. Out in the wild, with the wild dogs. He sniffed the carpet crawling across the office as the Fred smell got stronger. He growled and sniffed, enjoying his new game. Sniff sniff. Fred over towards the bookcase. Sniff sniff. Fred over near the desk. He sniffed around Angel's chair, crawling under his feet. Angel looked down curiously at him, but before he could comment on Spike's odd behaviour Wesley spoke. "Angel, I think I've found something." Spike continued to follow the Fred scent around the desk.

"Have you found a way to reverse it?" Angel said, "Tell me you've got a cure."

"Not quite, but I have found a reference to the power," Wes said. "It seems the ability to reverse age has been around for aeons, but it's a very carefully guarded power. Only one in every hundred kin of the Sora Demons ever posses the Compleat power. Yes, uh, Sora demons have the ability to slow the ageing process," he read "and almost stop it, but few posses the power to completely reverse it. The complete power is only born into those of purist blood. These demons guard their power, as many mortals would readily abuse it."

"Are you sure that's what happened to Spike?" Angel asked.

"I can't find any other reference to a demon possessing the power to reverse age in this way." Wes said, flipping through the book. He looked down, to find Spike sniffing around his chair. Spike sniffed his way over to Wesley, and stopped.

"You smell like Aun'y Fred." He said.

Wes shuffled uncomfortably. "I dare say I do."

"Why?" asked Spike suspiciously.

"Because I spend time with her." Wesley replied curtly, "I'm sure you smell like her too."

Spike didn't take his suspicious gaze of Wesley, as he sniffed his wrist. "I smell like Spike, and Angel." He said "You smell like Aun'y Fred. She smells like you."

Wesley almost smiled. He smelt like Fred. "Spike, how come you're smelling me?"

"I'm a wolf. I'm following Aun'y Fred's scent." Spike replied.

"You're a wolf?" Wes narrowed his gaze and looked towards Angel, saying more quietly "Did you tell him? About his special heritage?"

Angel remained silent for a moment, "No. I haven't found the right time yet. Tell me more about this demon."

Wes nodded, happy as always to return to the endless supply of information contained in his dusty volumes "Dr Mordred is almost certainly a Sora demon, he fits the profile. I'm sure he'd even tell you, it's not something he needs to hide." He paused, "This is interesting. The demon controls age by injecting its own blood into the victim's blood stream. Which also acts as a sedative. The power actually flows in the blood. It can be used like a potion almost."

"Dr Mordred said something about Spike working through his emotional trauma." Angel prompted.

"It seems it's a new procedure Dr Mordred is testing. Perhaps it was a punishment in Spike's case." Wes said, "But it is within his power. One with the power to reverse age may control it at will, allowing a person to be young for but a day, stay young forever, or reverse completely into non existence. They can also tamper with the ageing process, or place conditions upon a subject, forcing their internal growth measurement to remain at one age, until another condition has come to fruition. In short, they can set the subjects own biological clock to one age, and have it drastically change once the subject meets the demon's enforced conditions."

"In Spike's case, these conditions would be the emotional issues the doctor mentioned?" Asked Angel.

Wes nodded, "Precisely. Once Spike meets these conditions, works through his problems, he will grow up. We need to see Dr Mordred again."

Angel looked around. "Where did Spike go?" they both gazed around the office, but Spike was gone.

Spike quickly lost interest as Wesley and Angel began to talk about the boring books again. His Aun'y Fred tracking game had been fun, but it had only lead to Wesley, who hadn't given him a proper answer about why he smelled like Aun'y Fred. Spike needed a new game, but there was nothing to do. Then he heard the voices again.

They were louder this time, he could here the words. They were talking voices. A little girl

"Dad," she said, "I'm frightened. It's dark out."

"I know, we'll be home soon" a man replied.

"I wouldn't be so sure." A British man replied. This voice was very familiar to Spike, though he couldn't say why. "It's dangerous out at night. Never know what might happen. Bad people hang about after dark. Bad people, like me."

Spike heard the little girl scream. He stumbled, realising, he had walked right out of Angel's office, following the voices. He knew he should go back, but the voices kept going, so Spike kept following.

"Who are you? We have no money leave us alone." The father said.

The other man laughed "I don't want money. I'm not a robber. I put in a honest days work. Now, I'm not gonna rob you, or hurt you, I just want your blood."

"Please don't... just spare my daughter, take me." The father said.

"But she's the one I want." The familiar voice crooned, "She's so pretty and young, all innocent." He paused, "Too good for me really. Alright, I will take you." The voice said. There was a scream from the girl and the sound of a muffled groan. Spike's stomach churned uncomfortably. The men didn't speak for a long while, but Spike could hear noises, scary noises, and the heavy frightened breathing of the girl. "Now" The familiar man said after a while "I'll spare you, like you're father wished." He said, "I'll even take you home to meet my girl, Dru. She'll love a young innocent little thing like you. And you won't be able to resist her."

Spike stumbled down the halls, not aware of where he was going, only aware of the ghastly voices. He could hear her screaming. Screaming and screaming, she didn't stop. Spike started to cry. His whole chest was on fire. No one else noticed the voices, nor did they notice the boy staggering along the halls. They were all around him now, the voices, and pictures too. Spike could see her, this poor girl, being dragged along a dank street by a dark figure. The girl sobbed and kicked out towards her captor. The man stopped, and threw her to the ground. "Don't make this hard for me." He hissed. The girl tried to stand, but the man kicked her hard on the chin. Spike heard her neck snap back, and he screamed.

"What's wrong?" a voice asked. Spike looked up, to see a young girl with grey- black wavy hair staring worriedly at him.

Angel charged through the doors of his office into the foyer beyond. "He can't have got very far," Wesley assured him.

"He's gone." Angel cried, as he looked around at the oblivious adults. No where in sight was the small blond vampire. "He's gone, he's gone!" Angel cried again, spinning around looking for Spike.

"Angel keep calm," Wes advised, "He's safe. We'll just alert security and-" Angel wasn't listening, he was already striding off down the hall away from his office. Wes caught hold of Harmony's arm as she passed him, "Harmony, Spike's gone for a walk, and we'd like him back. Put someone on that right away would you?" Harmony nodded, as Wes hurried off after Angel.

"Spike? Spike!?" Angel called, as he stormed down the corridor in search of the child, "Spike, come back here right now!" Angel felt the panic rising. He knew he had to stay calm, but it was impossible. Spike could be anywhere, there where thousands of rooms he could be in. Wolfram and Hart was full of dangers: demons, portals and lawyers to say the least. He cursed himself for taking his eyes of the boy for even a second. If anything happened... "Spike!" He called.

"Angel," Wes said catching up to the vampire, "Calm down, I've got Harmony to put out a memo that Spike is missing. The security cameras are probably picking him up right now, there's no need to worry."

"No need to worry?!" Angel asked through gritted teeth, "Spike is missing in an evil law firm Wes. Who knows how many demons are walking around here, looking for victims right now! And Spike's not even four feet tall. I think this is a good time to worry."

"Alright, I understand you're worried," Wesley said calmly "but we'll find Spike much faster if we have some sort of plan. Where would Spike go?"

"He was talking about Fred, tracking her scent. Perhaps he's gone down to the labs." Angel suggested.

"Ok, I'll go check, and if he's not there, I can enlist Fred's help." Wesley said.

"I'm going to find that nut case doctor," Angel said, "This is all his fault! If anything happens to Spike I'll-"

Wesley's phone rang and he held a hand up telling Angel to wait while he answered it, "Yes? Ah, Harmony. Good." He closed his phone and turned back to Angel, "Spike's been spotted, he's one floor down in the Containment Department."

"Containment?" Angel asked worriedly. The Containment Department was where Wolfram and Hart kept its dangerous clients and cargo before other arrangements could be made for them. Werewolves, griffins and flesh eating goblins were just some of the things Angel had seen in there. "Spike's in containment?" Angel muttered, frightening images flooding his head. Angel set off at a run towards the stairs. He thrust open the door and flew down the first flight, almost knocking over a woman carrying a stack of files as he did. He charged into the Containment Department, not even stoping to show his ID to the desk clerk. He searched frantically along the corridor, looking into the glass cells at the many frightful beasts held there. "Spike? Spike!?" He called. He rounded the corner, and saw Spike, flat on his back in the containment cell at the end of the row.

There was a little girl in a pale white sundress leaning over him. Angel couldn't see her face, because she was pressed against Spike's chest, her hair spilling over him and obscuring her features. Angel didn't know what she was doing, but it could be anything, she could be eating his heart, sucking out his life, devouring his flesh. Angel roared with rage, and charged toward the door, flinging it open with a crash. The girl jumped backwards with a squeak. Spike sat up.

"Angel!" He cried, hopping to his feet and running to hug the older vampire. "I heard people talking, and someone who sounded familiar, but I don't know who, and so I followed them, but then bad things happened. And the little girl was screaming, and then I was here, and this girl was asking if I was ok. So I said I didn't know, and she said she knew how to be a doctor, and she would check for me. And she checked my forehead and I didn't have a fever, so she was checking my heart, and then you came and I'm so glad to see you!" He said, never stopping to breathe once, not that he would need to.

"I mustn't be a very good doctor," The girl said, "I couldn't find your heart Spike."

Angel looked from one child to another, his head still spinning from his earlier panic. He patted Spike's hair idly as he regained his calm. Spike was ok, he was found, he was safe. He had run off, and he would be told off later, but for now, he was ok. What ever that girl had been trying to do, she hadn't succeeded. "Spike," He said, suddenly pushing the boy away from him and regaining his cold troubled face again, "We're leaving. Now. Never run away again." He swept out of the room, dragging Spike with him.

"But Angel!" Spike wailed, as he stumbled down the corridor, "I was making a friend! Why are you mad again?"

"I'm always mad." Angel said simply, "And don't make friends with anyone. Everyone here is dangerous."

Spike looked back at the dark haired girl. She had a hand pressed up against the glass cell wall, her dark grey eyes full of hurt and confusion. She didn't look dangerous at all, she looked nice and like she could use a friend as much as Spike could. Spike waved to her as Angel pulled him around the corner, and she waved back hopefully back. Angel was angry again, and Spike was sure it was his fault. Still, he had liked that girl. "Are you dangerous Angel?" Spike asked.

Angel didn't look at Spike as he answered bitterly, "Terribly dangerous."