Chapter Two

Spike whistled as he paced through the lobby, his mind not on anything in particular apart from when the next whiskey would be placed in front of him. Harmony looked up and saw him, plonking the package on the top of her desk and shouting out to him.

'Spike. You got mail.' She said and Spike sauntered over in that sexy way of his, a confused look on his face.

'Who would send post to a –'

Harmony cut him off. 'Ghost?' She grinned. 'Sorry. Are you gonna open it?' Spike held up his hands and wiggled his fingers, shooting her an accusatory look. Harmony had the decency to appear sheepish and grabbed a letter opener, stabbing the offending box and opening it. As she opened the lid, a blinding flash gave the two vampires blind spots.

'Ow… what was that?' She asked, looking inside. She shrugged. 'There's nothing in there.' Spike peered into the box alongside her and then made a face.

'Someone's idea of a joke.' He walked off, not even acknowledging Harmony chucking the box into a nearby bin. He strolled along, the tune he had been whistling earlier returning to his lips in the form of a hearty hum. He went to go straight through the door into Angel's office, fully intent on annoying the hell out of his grandsire. But upon his assumption of being able to pass through the door, he instead ended up with the beginnings of a headache and possible concussion as he smacked in the wood head first and landed on the floor. The door opened and Angel looked down on him with a look of confusion and humour, mug of blood in hand. Spike looked straight back up at the Brooding Wonder and frowned, his hand coming to touch the sore spot on his lip.

'I'm bleeding! Hell, I'm corporeal!' he jumped up and grabbed Angel's arm. 'I can touch. I can feel. I can…' He grabbed Angel's mug and drank it all in one gulp. 'Oh god! Is this otter?' Angel looked bewildered and then frowned.

'What the hell?' he asked. Harmony walked over and showed him the slightly crumpled box that Spike had been sent. Angel took it from her roughly.

'He got a box of flash in the mail and boom, he's all solid again.' She said, eyeing Spike up. He ignored her completely and looked to Angel, waiting for his reaction. Angel furrowed his brow as he noticed a postmark on the box. It read as simply "PTB". Spike grew bored and went to walk off. Angel grabbed him.

'As much as right now, I just to want to punch you for annoying me for two months on end, I want you to go and see Fred. Right now. I know who this is from.' Without giving an explanation, he left to go back into his office and shut the door behind him. Spike stuck two fingers up and swore. Harmony stood in his way as he began to head for the lab.

'Busy for lunch, Spikey?' She purred seductively. Spike squirmed.

'Harmony…I…flattered luv, but not interested.' She frowned and Spike slipped past her.

'Fine. Just because I'm not a slayer.' The only response she got was the same two fingers Angel had been on the receiving end of.

Fred waved the scanner over him and smiled. 'You're all normal vampire. Nothing wrong here. But I do suggest you get some of that well needed plasma into your system.' She put the equipment down and gestured for him to hop off the table and he did so, grinning at the science wonder.

'I already drank Angel's blood. You should have seen the look on his face.' He grinned and made as if to leave.

'Do you know what you're gonna do now you've got your body back?' She asked, guilt flooding her system all of a sudden.

'Get incredibly drunk.' He answered.

'So you're going to stay?' She stated. He shrugged.

'Why do you want me to piss off?' Spike asked and Fred shook her head.

'No, that's not it at all. Just wondered what your plans were.' The look on her face was a plain example of guilt but Spike was too giddy with his solid form again to notice.

'Got nowhere else to go, pet. Buffy don't want me anymore and I'm hardly likely to be welcomed into the fold anywhere else. So I'll try and do my bit here.' He turned to leave again. Fred chased after him and grabbed his arm.

'I think this is wrong. That you don't know. I'm not a naturally dishonest person and I can't keep lying to your face.' Spike frowned at the urgency in the petite brunette's voice.

'What do you mean, luv?' She squirmed.

'It's Buffy. She was here before you came back.'

'I know that pet. Rehashing old news here.' He said. Fred shook her head.

'Angel lied. She wasn't fine. Far from it. She was devastated. Destroyed even. Whenever she heard your name, she just broke. Angel didn't think you should know. So he lied to you.'

'Did he tell her I was back?' Spike said his anger evident. Fred shrugged.

'He told us he did.' Spike turned angrily and stormed off, heading for Angel's office.

Angel looked up as the doors to his office slammed open with a good force. Spike walked in, a severely pissed off look on his face. He marched over to Angel.

'Fine was she? Fucking peachy? You hypocritical tosser!'

'What are you gibbering about Spike?'

'You fucking lied to me. Told me she was fine. Didn't care.' Angel stood up and moved round the desk to confront the younger vampire.

'No, I did what was best for both of you.'

'No, you did what was best for you. What was more advantageous for you! Because you couldn't stand the fact that she actually loved me!' Spike hit him hard and Angel pushed him backwards. 'Did you even tell her I was alive?'

'I didn't need to. She's better off without you, Spike!'

'Why don't you let her decide that?' The blonde snarled. Wesley walked in on them at that point and looked towards Angel, whose nose was bleeding profusely.

'What's going on?' Wesley asked, although he probably already knew.

'We're just discussing that fact that Angel lied to me about Buffy. Fred told me, that she was cut up.' Spike spat the words out, his hate for his sire overwhelming everything at this particular point in time.

Wesley nodded. 'Well, I have found something that needs some attention. A prophecy regarding the shanshu.' The two vampires turned, their fight momentarily forgotten.

'What is it?' Angel said.

Buffy looked up into azure eyes, secure in his warm arms around her. She smiled and kissed him gently. 'I miss you.' She said. He smiled back and rubbed his hand up and down her back.

'Baby, I'm still alive.'

'I wish you were. Then I wouldn't be so alone.' She mumbled, wishing he wouldn't talk about this again. That she could just pretend for this time.

'I'm back, Buffy. You have to come find me. Please.' His grip was loosening and a look of urgency crossed his face. Buffy frowned and sat up, realising she was alone in her room once more. Tears came, like they did whenever she woke up now. For two months his face and his voice tormented her in her sleep. She got up silently, the tears falling of their own accord. She washed them away and then got dressed.

She missed him so much and needed him back so desperately but it would never happen.

Buffy left the room and headed down the hall to Willow's bedroom. The witch was meditating on the bed, the scent of incense in the air. The red head opened her eyes as Buffy entered and smiled.

'What's up Buffy?'

'I had that dream again. It's been two months Will.' The blonde said, sitting beside her friend on the bed. Willow frowned.

'I think we should look into it.' Willow said. 'Does it feel like a slayer dream?'

'I don't know. It just hurts a lot. I miss him, Willow. So much.' Willow hugged her friend and they sat in silence for a few moments.

'I'm going to ring Fred and see if they have heard anything.' The witch said, reaching for the phone and smiling reassuringly at her friend. She dialled a number and after a few moments, a female voice answered. 'Hey Fred, its Willow. How are you?'

Buffy waited. 'Uh huh. No I'm in Rome now. I've got Buffy here with her. She keeps having this dream about Spike being alive.'

Willow frowned. 'No, Angel never phoned us. Never said anything.' Another pause, this one longer. The frown deepened. 'Okay Fred. Thanks. I can't imagine he'll get away with it. Bye.' She put the phone down. She looked to Buffy.

'Angel said he had told us. That Spike is alive. He's been a ghost the last two months.' Buffy frowned and stood up, pacing. 'He got turned corporeal yesterday by something in the post. Angel told him that you didn't care he was alive. That you were fine after he died. That's why he hasn't contacted you.'

'But he has. His dreams…subconsciously.' Buffy stamped her foot. 'I am going to kill Angel.'