Buffy stared at Angel's muscular form as he sat warming himself near the
fire. No matter how many times she saw him, his presence always evoked
the same bittersweet feelings within her. Sensing her nearness, Angel
stood and turned toward her.

"I need your help," Buffy spoke.

"Anything," he nodded.

"The police found Oz's van a couple of miles outside of town," she
began.

"That doesn't make sense. What would he be doing outside of Sunnydale?"
Angel asked.

"They found no trace of Oz, no signs of a fight. Just the van." she
continued.

"You don't think he left it there," Angel said.

"I just went by the Bronze. Oz was on his way to the campus to talk to
the activities director about scheduling a gig for the band. He was
supposed to meet the guy around 8:30."

"And no one's seen him since," Angel concluded.

"I'm heading over there to see what I can find out. Come with me?" she
smiled.

"Let's go," he answered.
***
"Release them? You're serious?" Willow asked.

Spike nodded, "We've shaken the slayer to her miserable little core.
She'll think twice before she decides to fuck around with our lives
again."

"And you're going to let them go, heartbeats and all?" she asked.

Spike grinned, "I know I've acquired a reputation for being a homicidal
maniac, but there's usually a method to my madness."

"Usually," Willow replied dryly.

"Careful, little one. They're not free yet," he reminded her.

"Sorry," Willow chuckled. "So, you release them back into their natural
habitat, and then--what?"

"We find a place to stay, cuz this ain't it, baby," he told her.

"I'll agree with you on that one," she said. "You think Buffy will let
us stay in Sunnydale?"

"Let us?" Spike repeated. "The choice isn't hers to make."

"I hope she realizes that," Willow replied.

"She'd better. If she starts anything again, she'll be collecting her
little friends' corpses."
***
Angel and Buffy exited the recreation center and stood on the campus
sidewalk in the warm night air.

"We don't know any more now than we did before," the slayer lamented.

"Don't we?" Angel asked. "Think about it. If Oz didn't drive the van out
of town, and neither of us believe he did, someone else must have. This
is the last place he was seen. Considering the way people have been
disappearing over the past few days, it's hardly likely he offered a
ride to a total stranger. So, Oz either knew the person, or he wasn't in
the van when it was driven away. And since there were no signs of a
struggle anywhere near the van, I vote for the second option."

"Then he's here, somewhere," Buffy said.

"Or nearby," Angel nodded.

The couple spent the next two hours checking out the fraternities,
sororities, and apartment houses that were scattered about the
sidestreets near the college. Aside from various obscene suggestions
directed at the slayer and a couple dozen hits on Angel from giddy
college women, no one had anything to offer.

They walked to the end of the street in depressed silence.

"I'm getting the distinct impression that we're not dealing with a
mortal," Buffy said. "These people may lean a bit toward the weird, but
I can't imagine any of them--"

She stopped as she realized she was talking to herself. She turned
around to discover Angel had stopped several feet back. Buffy walked
back to him and laid her hand on his arm.

"Angel, what is it?" she asked.

"Spike."

"What?" she gasped.

Angel latched onto her wrist, "Come on."
***
"Tell the boys to drag them down to the intersection and let them go,"
Spike ordered.

"All of them?" the minion asked.

"All of them," Spike snarled. "Then get your sorry asses back here. I
want to be ready to move out of this dump by tomorrow evening. Any more
questions?"

The minion shook his head and backed out of the room.

Willow moved from the chair to stand beside Spike. He put his arm around
her.

"Do you really think we'll be out of here tomorrow?" she asked. "Where
will we--"

Willow's question faded on her lips as Xander, Oz, and Wesley were
herded into the room by five of Spike's boys.

"What's the meaning of this?" Wesley demanded.

Spike glared at the odious man, and the watcher's mouth snapped shut.

"I suppose this means we're the main course at an open-air buffet,"
Xander spoke.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Spike said coldly. "We'll keep you on the
menu, for now."

He turned to his underlings, "Get them out of here."

The vampires turned as the door flew open with an earsplitting crack,
and all hell broke lose.

End.

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