Spike stumbled out into the alleyway, his legs still not quite up to their usual standards. He pulled on the denim jacket he had found in the hospital staff's changing room. He had also managed to steal a pair of grey jogging trousers that were too long for him, a white T-shirt that was too small for him, and a pair of loafers that fit just right. All in all he looked like hell. Worse still, he felt like hell.

Leaning against the brick wall of the hospital, he felt his way along the alley. His eyes were trying to adjust to the brightness he could see from the street ahead. It was blessedly dark in the alleyway but beyond that Mr. Sunshine had decided today would be a good day to burn as bright as possible.

He could make out shapes of things and could work out mostly what everything was; it was the clarity he missed, the sharpness to objects. Everything seemed slightly dulled, softened around the edges, details blurred. Posters were stuck up on the alley wall and Spike could make out blocks of black on them, which he guessed was writing, but he couldn't decipher the letters.

Spike carried on inching down the alley. He just had to get out of that bloody place. He'd always hated hospitals; they always seemed too sterile, too fake. Besides, he knew that he was dragging Buffy down with him. He could see she wanted him to leap for joy about his newfound aliveness, but he couldn't muster it, not even for her. So, it was best he got out of her way.

He could hear car's honking in the near distance, the sound of the usual hustle and bustle but there were other sounds missing. Spike was accustomed to hearing sounds that humans just didn't hear. Like, earlier, in the hospital room – he hadn't been able to hear Buffy's heart beating like he used to. He couldn't even hear his own heart beating.

His sight and hearing weren't the only thing that had been downgraded. His sense of smell had too. As a vampire he used to be able to track by the scent of blood, he used to be able to assign a certain scent to a certain person. Now all he could smell was the stench of urine from the alley and his own rankness.

Yippee Spike thought grumpily.

His legs groaned at him to stop moving but, stubborn as ever, he told them to shut up. Spike looked on up ahead and saw a group of women, rich socialites as far as he could tell from what they were wearing. He concentrated hard on trying to pick up their scent, on trying to hear their whispered gossip.

He was so busy concentrating on that that he failed to notice the trashcan's right in front of him. Spike walked right into them and fell in a heap on the pile of rubbish bags, knocking the bins down to the ground nosily and drawing the socialite's attentions to him.

Spike looked up, cursing loudly in time to see them all looking at him and giggling wildly before walking off, noses wrinkled in distaste.

Spike growled, How dare they of all people laugh at me? Those snobs! I could rip their sodding heads off with one hand!

Except of course, he couldn't. Not now. Spike let out a yell of rage and slammed his fist into the brick wall of the hospital. Pain screamed through his hand and up his arm, sending him yelling and cursing again but louder this time.

He scrambled up to his feet and stood shaking his hand, then holding it close to him as his knuckles seeped blood. Tears prickled at the corner of his eyes and Spike hated himself for it. Seeing how weak he really was.

Spike pushed himself forward towards the mouth of the alleyway, hand clutched to his side. He blinked at the brightness, stretched his hand out cautiously.

All his instincts were telling him to stay in the dark, the light would hurt him. His hand inched out into the light slowly and carefully. He braced himself for pain but felt none. He turned his hand over then felt warmth on his palm. Warmth, but not burning heat.

Spike marvelled at it for a moment.

Having not felt the sun upon his skin in such a long time, at least not without it being extremely painful, he gave the occasion the moment of reverence it called for.

Then he shrugged and stepped out of the alley.

------------------------

Buffy came tearing around the corner of the hospital corridor, nearly careening into a nurse at the same time. She leapt over the trolley the nurse had been pushing and rounded another corner, hearing Dawn calling after her.

The Slayer sprinted down the corridor and skidded into Angel's room, looking about wildly. Everyone looked at her.

Her gaze turned to Oz.

"Oz, I need your help" Buffy panted.

------------------------

Spike walked down the pavement, squinting as he tried to take in the details of where he was. He could see a street sign up ahead, but he couldn't read it. He could see people giving him odd glances, however. It was L.A; surely they'd seen stranger things then him?

People walked around him mostly giving him a wide berth, reaffirming his whole theory about his own horrific stench.

Spike had no idea where he was going but wherever it was it was far away from here. A man barrelled into the side of him as he rushed to work in a business suit. Spike wasn't prepared for it and he got knocked back, stumbling against his feet and nearly going down for the second time in less than five minutes. His shoulder ached where the idiot had walked into him.

"Oi!" Spike yelled at him, giving him the finger.

The man looked back and smirked "Get a job!"

He disappeared around the corner a moment later. Spike clenched his injured fist without thinking and set off a whole new set of sparking pains. He gritted his teeth and carried on down the street. His legs were beginning to ache and this pissed him off no end. He had barely walked anywhere yet.

Spike turned a corner and nearly walked straight into a pair of kids who'd been running and laughing to each other. They ground to a stop when they saw him and he was forced to do the same thing since they were taking up the whole path.

Their eyes were big and round, they looked spooked. Spike was glad.

"Boo" He rasped.

The children ran screaming back from where they came to their mother who was slightly behind.

She waved a fist at Spike "Go back to your crack house, junkie!"

Spike's eyebrows lifted "Charming" he murmured to himself.

He turned and went back the way he had come, deciding instead to cross the road and carry on down the same street. He'd need to find somewhere to hole himself up soon. Spike wondered if Buffy had noticed he was gone yet. If she even cared. No doubt she'd slipped out on him to go and moon over Angel.

Angel, who was taking this all so well. Spike's lip curled up. Well, of course Angel was alright with this. He'd always wanted to be a namby pamby human. Spike remembered back to their useless quest for the Cup of Perpetual Torment. Sure, Spike had fought Angel for it but that had only been because he didn't want Angel to get it. It was petty but true. Spike had never really wanted to be human again. He was actually rather glad when the whole thing turned out to be a farce.

No point in being human. He was a vampire, who fought on the side of good, who had a soul...what exactly did being human offer him over that? Nothing but joint aches and frailness. Who would choose that over what he'd had before?

Well, Angel of course.

Spike grunted and carried on down the street when a peculiar urge struck him. One he hadn't felt in a long time. He really needed a piss.

---------------------------

Buffy walked alongside Oz, really hoping he'd hurry up. The werewolf was sniffing the air, trying to distinguish Spike's scent from hundreds of others in the city. Since Spike was now human Oz had had to sniff his sheets to get his new scent. It had all been very odd. Now, here they were, still with the not finding Spike yet.

"Déjà vu" Oz intoned.

Buffy nodded. It had only been a couple of weeks ago, that they had been doing the exact same thing – looking for Spike. Only, that time had been because he'd stormed off jealous about her being stuck on Angel, or so he'd decided. She had rubbished his claims that night. Now, she couldn't even think about it because it was all so damned complex. Maybe she was stuck on Angel, and not in a good way. Maybe it was her teenage self, stuck on her first love and unwillingly to let him go completely. She knew that whenever it came to Angel she had the blinders on, never really seeing the full picture.

Here she was again, with the confusing. Best to just think about finding Spike.

She wondered where he was and what he was doing.

----------------------------

Spike stood in another charming L.A alleyway, hand braced against the wall as he relieved himself. It just kept on coming and coming. The alley was sure to start rivalling the L.A River, soon. He didn't understand where it all came from. He hadn't drunk anything recently. This was another thing he hated about being human. Spike hadn't urinated in the past one hundred and whatever years, and now it seemed it was all catching up with him. He was pissing like a racehorse.

Vampire's never had to take leaks in the middle of saving, or destroying, the world.

It was a nuisance, is what it was.

After what seemed like a good ten minutes it finally trailed off and Spike let out a sigh of relief. He had never realised he retained so much water. Shrugging, he made himself decent again.

Spike did the buttons on his jacket up as he left the alley again. Despite the heat he felt oddly cold. His hand was still hurting from his attack on the wall and so it took him a while to do the jacket up all the way. He pulled his collar up, trying to cover as much of himself from the sun as he could, and trying to gain some sense of anonymity.

He saw a tramp sitting on the sidewalk with just the thing he needed. Spike knelt down next to him, squinting and negotiated a deal. He gave the man the cell phone he had found in the jacket pocket in return for his grungy trucker's cap. The tramp had gratefully accepted.

Spike took his new hat, which was ugly as sin, placed it upon his head and started back down the road. He just hoped he wouldn't get lice but knowing his luck today, it was more than likely.

Now if only he could get himself some shades to really complete the look. Then again, Spike thought, probably best I don't – could find myself walking into all sorts of things.

Spike ventured on.

---------------------------

Minutes later Buffy and Oz stood in an alleyway.

The ground was wet. Very wet.

"Well, at least we know we're on the right track" He said.

Buffy pulled a face "Ew"