Buffy was frantic. She, Giles, Xander, and Anya had been searching for Dawn for three days and there was no sign of her. Giles even had Anya surreptitiously check the morgue for Dawn's body. Luckily Dawn wasn't there. Spike and Zoë's mysterious disappearance coupled with Willow and Tara's deaths were too much for the gang to handle. Dawn's disappearance was the last straw and Buffy was about to break.
"I'm going to go search, again," said Buffy. She was running on about an hour and forty-five minutes of sleep for the entire three days Dawn was missing. Her Slayer powers helped her, but even she needed more rest than that.
"Buffy, wandering around aimlessly won't help Dawn."
"I can't sit here and do nothing, Giles. Spike and Zoë are missing. Willow and Tara are dead. The people I care about are disappearing. I can't lose Dawn!"
"Buffy, this has been difficult for all of us, but you must. . ."
"I don't have time for this!"
Buffy shoved Giles out of the way and ran out the door. By late evening, Buffy still wasn't back and Giles, Xander, and Anya were beginning to worry. The knock on the door gave them a sigh of relief, but it wasn't Buffy on the other side.
"Hello, Watcher," said Spike.
"Spike, you're alive?"
"Not really, no."
"Well yes, I suppose you're right, but you aren't a pile of dust. Have you seen Buffy?"
"Slayer's not here?" said Spike.
"No, she's out looking for Dawn."
"Niblet's missing?"
"Yes, we've had a rather serious rash of misfortunes."
"You don't say," said Spike desperately trying to contain his mirth at the sight of the grieving Watcher.
"Is that Buffy?" said Xander as he came behind Giles.
"No, Xander it's Spike," answered Giles.
"Spike, you're not dust?" asked Anya who had shown up with Xander.
"Nope, so where's the Slayer and where did Little Bit run off to?" asked Spike as he entered Buffy's house.
"We don't know and we have reason to fear the worst," said Giles.
"Why don't you have Red magic up a locator spell," said Spike as he took a seat on Buffy's couch. Silence filled the room for a second that felt like an hour to all inhabitants but Spike.
"Willow is dead, Spike. So is Tara."
"Dead? Red? And Glinda too? I can't believe it," said Spike.
"It's true, Spike. We thought you were dead as well, you haven't seen Zoë have you?"
"Other witchy bird? No, haven't seen her."
"You're taking this awfully well, Spike," said Xander darkly. He resented Spike's seemingly blasé attitude to the deaths of his friends. "So where exactly have you been these past few days?"
"Are you implying something, Boy?" said Spike as he stood up and looked Xander in the eye.
"Willow and Tara were killed by vampires. Interesting how you disappear right before they die, and then you just show up afterwards."
"Well, you've got me all figured out don't you boy. Somehow I bite through the blinding pain of this bloody chip, then I kill the witches for no real reason, then I return to the seen of the bloody crime just so the Slayer and her friends can drive a stake right here." Spike pointed to his chest. "Why you're a bloody Sherlock Holmes, you are."
"Nope, I just know evil when I see it," said Xander.
"Gonna do something about it then?" said Spike.
"I should," said Xander.
"You both should stop your testosterone-driven male posturing and find a way to find Buffy," said Anya.
"In this instance, Anya is right," said Giles, "Spike, could you tell us where you've been, perhaps theirs a clue in it."
"I doubt it. I went to LA," said Spike.
"To see Angel?" asked Giles.
"God, no!" answered Spike. "Just needed to get away for a bit, you know, take a holiday."
"Well while you were off drinking yourself stupid, our friends were being killed," said Xander.
"Don't blame me 'cause you all can't protect yourselves. Maybe if you weren't such a bloody useless git, you could have done something to protect Red, Glinda, and what, Dawn now? But no you just sit back and make smart remarks, right? That's your gig, isn't it?" said Spike.
"You son of a bitch!" Xander took a swing at Spike who effortlessly dodged it and knocked Xander to the ground. Anya rushed to Xander's aid and tried to calm him down.
"Xander, stop. Getting beaten up by Spike isn't going to help Buffy."
"He can't beat me. The chip is keeping him . . . hey," Xander turned his attention to Spike, "How'd you hit me?"
"Like this." Spike put on his game face, but didn't attack Xander, instead he turned around and hit Giles, knocking him into the hallway. Xander attempted to fight Spike, but was no match. He was easily put down when Spike slammed him into the wall. When the fight broke out, Anya ran to get weapons. She returned with a stake and a bottle of holy water. Unfortunately for Anya she found Giles and Xander unconscious. Spike turned and saw her. Anya opened the bottle and tried to throw the holy water on Spike, but Spike shielded himself with his arm and the water beaded down his leather coat. Spike made his way over to Anya who attempted to stake him, but her attack was easily blocked. Spike grabbed Anya's hair and smashed her head into the wall, knocking her out completely. Spike took Giles unconscious body and threw him outside onto the porch, then he did the same with the other two bodies. Zoë, had been outside listening to the events and waiting for Spike to emerge (Zoë couldn't enter Buffy's house uninvited).
"We can't carry all three bodies, Spike. Let's eat one know," said Zoë.
"Eat it and leave it for the Slayer to find. Excellent idea, pet." Zoë and Spike fed off of Giles who, luckily for him, didn't wake up for the process. He was drained and left on the front steps. While Spike and Zoë carried Anya and Xander away to Spike's crypt.