"I don't get it." said Spike. "It's a bug right? So how come we can't hear them?" Spike, Angel, and Illyria were waiting in the nurses break room for the information that they would receive from the thermometer Illyria left with Veronica and Wallace.

Rubbing his forehead, Angel turned to the younger vampire. "It's not that kind of bug." Off Spike's confused look, Angel continued. "It reads magical auras. Did you even pay attention at the briefing?"

"He did not." Illyria piped in helpfully from her position at the window. Illyria was still in the Burkle persona, and still in nurses scrubs.

"Yeah, thanks for that Blue." He threw back at her. Looking to Angel, Spike asked what the bug actually did.

Angel smirked, "I'll use small words."

"Like you know any big ones." Spike shot back.

Ignoring the comment Angel went on. "Basically, it should tell us why the spell used on Gunn also effected the kids." Off of Spikes blank look, Angel sighed. "You don't know what I'm talking about do you?"

"Of course I do!" Spike replied, indignant. "I just don't know all the particulars of the spell those little minions used is all."

Rubbing his forehead again, Angel sighed. Again. "You really need to start paying attention at the briefings if you want to help Spike."

Spike saluted. "Scouts honor, I will. Now just tell me what the bloody hell is going on."

"The mewling offspring of humans where effected by the meager spell casting of feckless half-breeds." Illyria informed him, still standing in front of her window.

"I got that much already, thanks." Spike continued. " I want to know what spell those ninnies used."

Angel opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word in, Illyria interrupted. "The half-breeds used a spell to immobilize, and hide Charles through confusion and disorientation. It was an underhanded attempt at defeating one who would be their better. It is of no surprise to me that Charles was able to resist long enough for you to track him."

Spike nodded his head. "It was a bit of a bitch trying to find him. That was the spell?"

"It was." Angel confirmed. "The spell they used was called, in english, 'Champions Bane'. It's primary use is the capture and interrogation of some-one considered to be a champion. It attacks the target's equilibrium, causing delirium, nausea, and other fun side effects designed to make you helpless. The spell also hides the target from other 'champions'. Making it difficult to track him." Angel drew a deep breath. "It was a lucky break for Gunn when those kids interrupted the spell." Frowning, Spike wondered aloud where two little punks like that would've gotten such a powerful spell. "I don't know." Angel said. "That's one of the things we need to find out."

Spike had a couple more questions. "You said our little friends were being affected right?" Angel nodded. "Why? Were they looking for Gunn?"

Angel shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't know why they were affected. That's why I got the thermometer."

"So maybe the spell didn't effect them. Maybe they were just lost."

Again, Angel disagreed. "She had a map. The destination she circled was no where near the place of the attack. There was no reason for her to be near that ally."

"Maybe she just didn't know how to read it." Spike suggested.

Rolling his eyes, Angel told Spike why that wasn't a very likely scenario. "That's Veronica Mars in there. Her father is Keith Mars, Head of Mars Investigations." Spike, not getting it, just shrugged. Angel went on, incredulous at Spike's ignorance. "Neptune, California? Aaron Echolls? There was a book! Any of this ringing a bell in that slicked back blonde helmet of yours?"

"Oh! The actor!" exclaimed Spike, light-bulb finally going on. "He was the one who was arrested for killing that girl he was drilling! Shame that. Man made good movies. Still, what of it?" Apparently the light-bulb's on, but nobody was home.

"Mars Investigations was primarily responsible for getting the evidence against Echolls." Angel said, resisting the urge to throttle the younger vampire. "According to Mars's book, Veronica was instrumental in finding that evidence. So you tell me Spike." Angel paused for dramatic affect. "If a girl that can find enough evidence to release a man who confessed to a crime he didn't commit, and enough evidence to arrest one of the richest actors in town, why wouldn't she be able to read a map!" He finished, pleased with his deductive reasoning.

"The documents used by this city's feeble law enforcement stated the human progeny admitted to being lost." Illyria said, clearly unimpressed.

"Maybe she never bothered to learn." Spike replied innocently, knowing perfectly well what was coming. Spike was not disappointed.

Angel let out a "Gah!" of frustration, then sat in a dark corner and brooded.

-

Alone, Gunn waited. He was waiting for his ribs to heal. He was waiting for his eye to work again. But most of all, he was waiting for a reason. He'd been in a foul mood since his beating, and asked that no-one visit with him unless they had something to report. Gunn was happy to use his contacts to help Angel get the aura reading bug that he requested, but that was it. He didn't want them there. They weren't his friends. He would trust them with his life, but they weren't friends.

Wesley, Fred, Cordelia. Those were his friends. His family, after being outed from his gang. They were there for him.

Even Wesley, who betrayed everyone. In different ways. He betrayed Cordy by betraying Angel, he betrayed Fred when he didn't ask her for help, and he betrayed Gunn when he tried to put the moves on his girlfriend.

But that was in the past. He came back to the fold only to be betrayed in turn. Not by Angel and Cordelia, they forgave him surprisingly enough.

But by Fred, who died just when she realized she loved him. And by Gunn, who caused that death. Cordy died. Fred died. Wesley died.

One by one, the people he cared about the most were taken down. As smart as he is now, he always knew that casualties were to be expected in the war he was fighting. Alonna taught him that, so did Rondell, Sweeper, Mickey, Jack. The list could go on and on. He honestly didn't wish he could go back in time. To lead his gang again. Back to living on the streets fighting for his life every night. Now, he eats three square's a day, lives in an apartment, and fights crime with a couple of ensouled vampires. In the past four years he has done more good working with Angel, than he ever did on the streets. And that means something to him. It's important enough to him that he could work with, and trust, beings that he has every right to hate. And he did. Work with them that is. He didn't hate them. Hell, he even liked them, but they would never be his friends simply because they're demons.

The work wasn't the only thing keeping him going though. The knowledge that he was helping his friends did that too. He helped Wesley get a sense of humor that didn't involve making lame jokes only stuffy english people would get. And even they wouldn't even have found them funny. He liked to think that he had some small part in turning shy, sweet, and scared Fred into the ridiculously sexy, kinda shy, sweet chick who could use a flame thrower without batting an eyelash. Of course, surviving three years as a cow-slave showed she could have done it without him. But it would have been later, not sooner.

And then there was Cordelia. God what a woman! The first time Gunn met her, he more or less dismissed her as a flaky, conceited, selfish, prom queen. Well, she wasn't flaky, and she said she was never prom queen, she was definitely conceited, but she was only selfish to a point. When she reached that point, she would use her stubborn princess nature to make damn sure someone had your back. She was the type of person you liked being around, wanted to help, to do favors for. Anything so she would flash that 10,000 megawatt smile at you. It didn't hurt that she was smoking hot either.

But they were gone, and all that was left were the demons. Why should he fight the good fight? Yeah, the people need help, but they have Angel, Spike, and a thousand slayers running around for that. He'd make better use of his time helping Anne at her shelter. Maybe become her attorney. He could use his human contacts to help get some red tape off her back. Why shouldn't he stop fighting? He did help save the world a whole bunch of times. Maybe it was time to help make living in it better for the people living in it, before it was too late for him to do so. After all, he would be dead right now if those two kids hadn't distracted those punk ass vampires.

"Huh." he said to nobody, "I guess I owe them my life." And with that statement, Gunn found his reason. He would help Veronica and Wallace.