A/N: All my ideas for this fic seem to be hiding from me. I know what I want to do in future parts of it, but I'm having trouble with this part directly. Well, let's hope my much publicised ability to make stuff up comes in handy, eh? This may seem like filler, it really might, but it does have a plot-purpose. As well as being filler, obviously. Ah, I probably have more I should say but I'm lazy and in a hurry, considering this is going up the morning I leave. Gah, damn schedules.

Disclaimer: Very grateful for the reviews last chapter. It's why I'm squeezing this chapter out before I go on holidays and aren't able to even work on a new chap for a few days, maybe even a week. If any of you find Buffy slightly detached, she's supposed to be. It's part of the story. Unless I'm just getting horrible at writing Buffy, which is a possibility.

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Wandering

Buffy stared morosely at the TV. It wasn't on, but it's not like she could change that. She was a ghost. Insubstantial. She didn't even matter any more. No-one came to visit her now. Oh, there was someone or even a few people stoping by every day, but they were always there to see Faith, or to have a Scooby meeting, or to see one another. She didn't matter anymore. The only people who were ever happy to see her were the kids, and that was because they thought it was funny when she fell through the furniture.

She could hear the muffled sounds of Faith's morning routine - a shower, a cup of coffee and a cigarette - and started to sulk more. Even Faith, a condemned criminal, had more of a life than her now. She just didn't matter any more and she couldn't do anything about it. How do you kill yourself when you're dead?

"For God's sake, Buffy," Faith's husky voice grumped behind her. "Get a life."

Buffy leapt to her feet and glared indignantly at the dark Slayer. "How can I do that, Faith? How?"

Faith heaved a sigh and pushed her wet hair out of her face. "I don't know, B, but you can't always hang out here."

"Oh," Buffy snorted derisively. "I'm just supposed to go out there and get a job, am I?"

"This is the most life I've seen in you in days, B," Faith said quietly, seriously. "You don't even talk to the gang any more. When they show up, you disappear."

"I'm always in the room, you just ignore me."

"I don't know what world you're living in, B" Faith began slowly, "but I haven't seen you with the gang since Angel showed up."

"That's another thing!" Buffy spat. "Everyone's all good friends now. Since when do Xander and Angel get along? Or Xander and Spike? Since when does anyone get along with Spike?"

"Everyone's gone through a lot after you died, B," Faith said in a low tone.

"Spike is a murderous vampire! He's killed two Slayers and countless people! Why am I the only one who remembers that?"

"It's not that simple, B," Faith replied. "At least I hope not, because if it is I'm in the same boat as him."

"Faith, I didn't mean--" the ghostly Slayer started to apologise.

"It's not who he is anymore, B. It's not who I am anymore. I think you need to stop looking at the world like it's purely black and white."

Buffy was at a loss for words. "I--"

"It's not always about you, B," Faith reminded her harshly. "Since you came back have you gone to see any of your friends? Have you even left the house?" Faith's expression softened. "Look, just think about it."

Buffy stared after the Slayer and thought. Had she left the house? She hadn't even thought about it. She'd been turning into a stereotypical ghost, like that one she'd run into in that antique shop her Senior year. It must be something about being a ghost that made you want to settle down and haunt one place for the rest of time.

Buffy set her expression. Well, not this Slayer. Her resolve set, Buffy began to plan. She'd have to stop by Xander and Anya's place, and Spike's place, and she'd have to at least stop by Dawn's apartment, and she'd have to stop off at Angel's hotel room, and Oz, she'd have to see Oz. As the plans whirled in Buffy's head she wondered briefly why she hadn't had any of them before. She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Then Buffy realised a slight flaw in her plans. She didn't know where Xander and Anya had moved. She knew that they had - well, that they'd had to. Their old apartment was way too poky for one kid, let alone too - and she didn't have any way for her to travel. How would she get around considering she'd fall through cars?

Buffy closed her eyes in frustration. She really wanted to go to Xander and Anya's now, even if only to prove she could. She was the Slayer, and okay, maybe she was deceased, but she'd never let it stop her in the past. Life just had to be difficult, didn't it? Well, maybe the world had forgotten how determined Buffy Summers got in the six years when she'd been dead, but she was going to remind it!

Buffy opened her eyes with a new sense of purpose and nearly fell over. She wasn't in the living room anymore. She was standing in a strange corridor which she'd never seen before. Well, this was certainly new. Instinctively crouching into a battle stance, the ghost began to head down the hall.

Suddenly, a giggling, naked child streaked past her, quickly pursued by a soaking wet Anya, bellowing threats and curses. "I swear to D'Hoffryn that if you don't come back and have your bath, Sarah Julia Portia Jenkins-Harris, I will cut off your hands and feet and feed them to feral rabbits!"

Buffy tried. She really did, but not even her formidable willpower could stop the snort of laughter that escaped, and once the first had gotten out she let out peals of laughter.

"Buff, is that you?" Xander's voice echoed into the hallway, and Buffy head towards it and had to laugh again when she did.

Xander was using a towel to dry off his son, despite the fact that he was wetter than Seth. What caused Buffy's laughter were the giant dinosaur bath puppets on his hands, the pink nylon apron around his neck and, for some odd reason known only by the Harris family, the raccoon hat on his head.

"What are you doing here?" Seth asked Buffy innocently, getting a grin in reply.

"I just thought I'd stop by and say hello. I didn't know it was bath time." Buffy's grin widened. "Love the outfit, Xand. It matches your complexion."

"Buff, please," Xander appealed, eyes wide, "Don't let anyone know about this, please. Spike already knows too much. If word of this gets out, I won't have any masculinity left!"

"But Xand," Buffy said with faux innocence, her lips twitching. "I couldn't lie to any of my friends."

"Buff, Buffy, Buffster," Xander laughed desperately before breaking down completely. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get my two monsters to have a bath?"

Buffy started to laugh again.

XXX

Buffy closed her eyes and opened them again. She was still in front of the Harris household, and it was starting to annoy her. She'd just spent a really good hour catching up with Xander and Anya, and had been looking forward to doing the same with her sister only whatever power or force or demon or whatever that sent her to the Harris household wasn't working now.

"Listen up, whatever you are," Buffy growled suddenly. "I'm going to close my eyes, and when I open them I'm going to be at Dawn's apartment or else I'm going to find a way to kick your ass."

Buffy closed her eyes and counted to three. When she opened them, she smiled in a self-satisfied way. She was standing out the front of Xander and Anya's old apartment. She could hear indistinct voices from inside, so she grit her teeth and stepped through the door. She hated doing that, though. It just seemed wrong to walk through solid objects like that.

"I haven't seen you in a while," a very male voice said in a playful tone, and Buffy froze.

"I guess I'll just have to make it up to you, then," Dawn's voice seductively replied. Buffy heard some giggling and the soft thump of a pair of bodies hitting a bed and she clenched her eyes shut.

When she opened them, she was in a new place that she'd never seen before. She let out a huge sigh. She was not mentally equipped for Dawn to have a boyfriend, let alone hear them being all couple-y. She didn't even know Dawn had a boyfriend, but it might have come up when she wasn't paying attention. Buffy was ashamed to admit, even to herself, that that was a considerable portion of the time.

"Would you like some more tea, Mr Squid-thing?" Caitlin's voice said, answering the question of where Buffy was before she realised she even wanted to ask it. She was at Spike's house.

She stepped through the nearest door and couldn't believe her eyes. Caitlin had set up a little tea party with all her plush toys. She was seated at a little table with an adorable little tea-set. A plush octopus was on her right and a plush dog on her left. It was what was sitting opposite that had Buffy frozen in shock. Spike was sitting at the dainty little table, a tiny porcelain cup pinched delicately between two fingers. His face held an expression of inexpressible dread.

"Slayer, it's not what it looks like!"

"Buffy," Katie beamed. "Would you like to join our tea party?"

XXX

Buffy opened her eyes. She was standing in front of a door in the Sunnydale motel.

"Alright, you just postponed an ass kicking, mister," Buffy grumbled under her breath. She didn't really feel all that angry at whatever was sending her around town, but threatening it seemed to work. A Slayer's gotta do what a Slayer's gotta do. She just hoped this was where Angel was staying. He'd kill for the information Buffy had.

She'd accepted Katie's invitation to join their tea party and has spent a very fun twenty minutes smiling widely at Spike as he had more tea at his daughter's command. She couldn't wait to tell Xander about this, it made his bath-time outfit pale in comparison, but Angel had to know first. Hopefully it wouldn't give him perfect happiness.

"Buffy," Angel said in surprise. Well, surprise for Angel, which meant he really didn't move or change much.

"Angel, you are never going to guess what I just saw," Buffy started, a silly grin spreading over her face. "I just walked in on Spike having a tea party!"

At first Angel didn't react. Then his lips started twitching, before he started to chuckle. Buffy was shocked to her very core. She had no idea that Angel even knew how to chuckle. Hell, she thought he only barely knew how to smile. It must be Fred's doing, she decided. Buffy decided that she liked Fred if being with her allowed Angel to be this happy.

"That bit of information is going to last me a very long time," Angel said finally.

"So," Buffy said into the silence. "How's things?"

Angel allowed a small smile. "It's okay, Buffy. You can ask me about Fred."

"Am I that transparent?" she asked him ruefully.

"I saved her from a hell dimension about the same time you died," Angel began. "She was… special. There was just something about her."

Buffy listened to Angel talk about his girlfriend, how she'd been crazy after coming back to Earth, how she'd nearly left with her family before deciding to stay and saving their lives, how she and Angel had started an awkward relationship. It did hurt her, but not as much as she thought it would. It was more a bittersweet pang when she realised how much Angel loved Fred, that he'd moved on.

"I guess it's not easy for Spike," Buffy said finally. "I mean, you having Fred and him having no-one."

Angel nodded. "Yeah, but has Rosie. It's the only reason he didn't stake himself when she died."

"Caitlin died?" Buffy asked, confused.

Angel shook his head slowly. "No, her mom did. Didn't they tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Angel closed his eyes. "This is just like him," he said in a resigned tone. "He tries to pretend it didn't happen by not talking about it."

"Talking about what?" Buffy asked impatiently.

"Who Rosie's mom is," Angel replied evenly.

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A/N: Dun dun dunnnnn! That's right people, the next chapter will explain all. Okay, not all, but some. It'll explain what you all want to know, at least. Who Katie's mum is. This chapter is a little bit shorter than usual, just for that nice little cliffhanger. If you are very good and REVIEW, then maybe when I get back from my holidays I'll post the next chapter AND an additional interlude of a holiday with the kids.