Los Angeles May 13th 1 p.m.

Andrew was looking at the pictures that the recon person had taken of the battle between Angel's group and the Senior Partners' demon army. His heart sank as he recognized Spike-in his leather duster with blood pouring down his face-meeting up with Angel right before the fight started. Something kept bothering him about the whole thing; he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Why would Angel and his crew take out only a few important players, knowing the Partners would send the demon squad from hell to kill them?" Andres unknowingly spoke aloud, having heard the two souled vampires and the others assassinating major clients of the law firm before heading to the alley for the final fight.

"What?" Rhonda asked.

"Something just doesn't jive here. Why only take out some important clients only to bring down the wrath of the Partners if the plan was taking over the whole kit and caboodle from the inside?"

"I was thinking the same thing actually," Rhonda sighed. "And who is the hot blond guy?"

Andrew knew he had to do something to make her forget she had noticed the blond vampire. He really didn't want the resurrection of Spike to come to light; it would really look bad for him that he had hid the vampire's mystical return from everyone.

The newly appointed Watcher walked over to the L. A. Slayer with his briefcase and the photos in his hands. He looked into her eyes and softly repeated, "You did not see a blond in the pictures. There was never any discussion about a blond man helping out Angel's band of avengers."

Rhonda felt a little dizzy. She repeated the words back to him slowly as Andrew confiscated the photos and erased the memory card with pictures of Spike on them, placing the hard copies in his briefcase to destroy later on. When he had them out of sight, he coughed, bringing Rhonda out of her trance. She woke up remembering nothing about a blond male; she only thought to mention that the blonde ditzy secretary that worked for Angel had left L.A. on the red-eye to Vegas last night.

"Good. We'll see if we can pick her up there." Andrew smiled as he patted his briefcase smugly and silently congratulated himself.

'Well, I can't tell them them all my secret Jedi tricks, now, can I?' He felt proud of himself for being able to protect Buffy from the heartache that finding out about Spike would bring. It would devastate her on top of this trouble with Angel.

"I think we need to investigate this further, but I have an errand to do first." Andrew sighed. "Then maybe by tomorrow, we'll have enough to call the bosses and give them a proper update."

He wanted to go to Spike's apartment and see what he could find there. Then he wanted to go to Wolfram and Hart as well and see if the wrecked building was safe enough to enter. He was eager to get a look at some of Angel's files.

Rhonda nodded her agreement and gathered up all of her things. "I'll take a couple of girls and hit the underground demon network and see what we can come up with." She offered a lopsided smile. "Could be enough dust has settled that some clear information is available now."

"Good idea. You check your resources and we'll meet back here around five. Then we can plan our day for tomorrow. I'm going to try and get into Angel's office today and will let you know how that goes."

"Great," Rhonda said before she left the room.

Andrew quickly followed, rushing outside to catch a cab to the address he had listed as the last home of one William the Bloody, otherwise known as Spike. "Please, oh pal, oh buddy of mine, having something…anything that will lead me to believe in yours and Angel's innocence.

*******

Connor woke up from a nice dream about his father. It was as if he had been there watching everything as it happened. Cordelia and his father were dancing around a room like a couple in love with each other. He glanced at his watch and noticed it was going on two in the afternoon.

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked around the abandoned suite. His father's room was bare of any personal items. Connor figured his dad must have taken most of them with him to his apartment in Wolfram and Hart. The bed was still here, and while the sheets had a musty odor, he could still smell a touch of Angel's cologne. He was sure the dream meant his father was safe and happy now.

Connor stretched, dreading getting up and facing the day. He thought about how he had just found his real family, only to lose them again. He moved quickly off the bed and realized his dear dad would not want him sulking, but instead focusing and thinking clearly on how to best deal with getting out of town.

He took a last look around the silent room before going to wake up Lorne so they could plan together on what they should do next. His thoughts were to lay low for a while, to move around and use some of the green demon's contacts to flush out more info on what had really happened in the alley.

*******

Spike woke up feeling a tingle that something wasn't right. He could hear two sets of heartbeats, and a sense of familiarity in the air. He didn't want to move. He could tell that her Highness was still sleeping. The vampire worried that maybe he took too much last night when she let him have a sip of her royal blood.

"I am awake," she announced.

"Well, then, I guess we can go downstairs and see who snuck in during the night," Spike said with a smirk on his face. "I think Greenjeans has come home and brought a friend."

"Do you speak of the one called Lorne?" Illyria asked as she sat up on the side of the bed. She felt odd; well rested, but at the same time somewhat weak. She decided it was from the blood loss she suffered in battle and while caring for her pet.

"He did not joy us in battle. Why?" she asked, suspicion oozing from every pore.

"Don't really know. Won't until we ask, but my suspicion is the bloke didn't want one of us dying tying to protect him. The demon is a singer, not a fighter." Spike shrugged. "If he did his job and walked away, that's enough for me."

"If what you say is true, then yes; it was smart on his part to have stayed out of the battle," the blue goddess agreed, imagining how different the battle may have turned out if Lorne had in fact come with them. His presence would certainly have caused the others to be more concerned about his welfare than their own.

"Well, luv, let's go and welcome them to Hotel Apocalypse." Spike sighed as he opened the door, motioning her to exit before him with a dramatic swing of his hand. "After you, your Highness."

"Your attempt at humor annoys me in this instance." She glared at the irrepressible vampire as she stalked past him and out the door.

"Sorry, pet, since I don't have Gramps to irritate anymore, I guess the tradition falls to you now, don't it?" Spike chuckled as he watched her spine straighten. He was surprised that she chose to ignore his word 'pet', as well as the implication that he was going to aggravate her any chance he could get.

The vampire heard Lorne talking to another male as they both approached the office that had once 'helped the helpless'. He recognized Lorne's scent, and for some reason the other person's smell made him think, he knew this person. The voice was vaguely familiar, too.

Lorne stopped talking as he watched Spike and Illyria walk into the office. His heart sped up and a look of shock came upon his face. It caught Connor's attention, causing the young man to turn and see what had made Lorne look like he'd seen a ghost.

"Spike…Illyria…you're alive!" Lorne gasped. "Oh, thank the sweet PTB for something."

"I remember both of you from the tour Angel gave me," Connor stated as he took in the couple's bloodied appearance. "I take it you fought in the battle?"

"Yeah, we did." Spike looked at the young man more closely, thinking to himself that there was something different about the boy.

"Angel, did he…?" Lorne just couldn't come right out and ask. "Wes and Gunn, too?"

Spike dreaded telling him the full story. Other than Fred, Lorne had been the only other truly good-hearted member of their group.

Suddenly, Miss Congeniality came to his rescue. "They died bravely in battle."

Connor bowed his head and fought back the tears. He remembered that his father had told him that as long as he was alive, then it was okay, the evil had no hold over him.

"There's something different about you, mate. What is it?" Spike moved closer, taking a deep whiff of the boy, when it hit him. "How could it be possible? Why didn't I smill it the first time we met?"

Connor looked at Spike as if he was crazy. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I smell them on you. Angel and Darla, I smell them," Spike growled.

"They're my parents." Connor explained. "Now, how do you know how my mother smells on me? Wait; that doesn't sound right. Or maybe it does. I don't know anymore."

"In the vampire tree that would make you my relation of some kind." Spike laughed. "Darla sired Angel, who sired Dru, who sired me, and then she re-sired Darla, so…oh, sod it! You try and figure it out."

"We are family," Lorne sang softly, trying to bring some humor to the situation.

Connor looked at the blond vampire and smirked. "Maybe I don't like acknowledging my vampire kin?"

Spike snorted. "I guess that's up to you, denial boy."

"Call me Connor and I won't call you 'BBB'."

"BBB?" Spike replied, already liking this part of his family, even if the spawn was bred by the queen bitch and the might poof.

"Bleached bottle blonde." Connor shrugged. "Oh, has anyone ever told you the eighties are over?"

"Yeah, and been told by better." Spike noticed that her Highness had taken a seat and was quietly watching the show. "Care to tell me how the hell you exist?"

"Can I share with you later?" Connor asked. "I'd rather get as far away from evil incorporated and then talk about resurrection, sex, death, and weird labor stories, along with growing up way too fast and furious. Then, if you can fit it in, I'd like to hear about my father's last battle with evil."

"That would depend on if you want to help me nab a baby from its uncaring bitch of a mother?" Spike smiled evilly.

"What!" Lorne gasped.

"That little nipper I nabbed from the evil-sitters from hell. Well, seems like his mother couldn't give a rat's arse about him," the blond vampire informed them. "I won't fail him, not after what we've already lost here. He deserves a chance."

Lorne looked at the vampire and felt for him. "So, boy wonder, have you thought of what to do with said infant when you've rescued it from its evil mother?"

"He comes with me and Blue, here, 'til we find him a good safe, clean, no-threat-of-being-sacrificed family," Spike reasoned. "With all those self-help books for dummies out there, we should be able to handle a small human for a week or so until we find someone to take him in."

The three of them looked at him like he had been nipping at the bottle while they hadn't been looking. "We can't take a baby on the road!" Lorne sputtered.

Spike smiled at the green demon. "You plannin' on comin' with us, Greenjeans? 'Cause you're more than welcome to travel with us."

Lorne knew they would make it with or without him; his biggest concern was if he could survive without them right now.

"Count me in, Captain Midnight. I'm sure we can find a decent home along the way for the mini boy wonder." The green demon smiled as the blond vamp offered up a glare that otherwise would've made him run.

Connor grinned as he looked over the rag-tag group and knew this was where he belonged. He felt the connection with Spike, something close to what he'd felt toward Angel the night the spell hiding his past had been broken by Wes. "Does this baby have a name?"

"I'm sure dear ol' mum gave him something, but we'll change it." Spike smirked. "The boy is getting a new chance on life, so with that he gets a new name."

"And that would be?" Lorne asked.

"I think I'll let the imp inspire me." Spike shrugged. "Whoever takes him on will change it any way."

"I agree." Lorne clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, let's get organized. We'll need diapers, formula, baby clothes, baby books, diaper bag…oh, the list is endless." He glanced over at Connor with a poignant smile. He had spent hours looking after him before Holtz had ripped the boy from their lives. The man's cruel actions had sent them all into a downward spiral, which had resulted in all of them either ending up dead or possessed by demon gods. He was the last of the AI gang left standing, and if his babysitting skills were going to be of help, then so be it.

"One step at a time." Spike winked. "How about you and the boy here go and get what we need."

"I'm not a boy." Connor glared at the vamp. "And what do we do for money?"

"It is a show of acceptance for him to call you by any name but your own," Illyria explained, having kept quiet as the others planned and talked. "I think we should go in and just take the infant and leave quickly. I think the rest of the Brethren will not wait for very long before they try to reclaim him."

Lorne sighed as he moved over behind the desk as he said, "Good think we never moved the emergency cash that Angel had hidden here in case something like this happened."

The others stood and watched as the empathy pulled up one of the boards and lifted out a big metal box. Inside the container was a large amount of cash along with several credit cards. "The cards will allow us to withdraw from some accounts that Angel put in fake names in case we needed to go underground."

"Hats off to Peaches for thinking ahead of the game he decided to play with Wolfie and Company." Spike nodded. "Angelus was always leaving backups. Good to see that part of him didn't go into hiding when the Poof came to be in control."

"The Poof?" Connor asked.

Spike chuckled. "Your dear old Dad, is who."

"You shouldn't speak ill of the dead." Conner glared.

"I'm not speakin' ill, it was a compliment, actually. Besides…vampire, he was already dead." Spike winked as he took the cards and looked at the alias his Grandsire had set up. "Very good; none he used while he was Angelus."

"All new names he made up before we entered the evil kingdom of doom and gloom," Lorne sighed.

"Alright, here's how it goes." Spike started to plot. "Me and Green Hornet here will try and find us a safe place to meet. Can't come back here, first place the baddies will look once they regroup and search for survivors.

"I think Junior and Blue here should do some sprog shopping, maybe pick up a book or two on baby care as well as all the things we'll need." Spike started to pace. "We will need a set of wheels that would accommodate the four of us and a baby."

"I know where we can get the getaway car," Lorne offered. "He won't ask questions."

"Okay, the ride is taken care of." Spike frowned. "Where to meet?"

"Cordy's place is still vacant, and I don't think they'd look there," Lorne offered. "Wesley kept it that way for Dennis' sake. The ghost didn't want anyone to live there after Cordy-well…he wanted time to grieve over his mistress." Lorne shot a glance at Conner as he spoke, wondering if Angel's son had any residual feelings for the dead seer.

"Know where that is?" Connor asked, pretending not to know. It was something he wasn't ready to talk about right now.

Connor watched as Lorne wrote down the address to Cordelia's apartment, along with simple instructions. He didn't know how he should react toward the mention of Cordy's name. So he did nothing. He'd talk to Lorne another time about it.

"Okay, let's try and be there about an hour before sunset. I want to grab the brat as soon s the sun goes down." Spike looked at the others. "Timing is important here. I can feel it in my bones that it'll mean life and death if we mess up here."

"Then we don't mess up," Connor said as he turned to the familiar blue female. "So, do you have a way to camouflage yourself?"

"Yes," she said as she easily transformed herself into Fred's image.

Connor felt lightheaded when he realized who stood before him. "Fred?" his voice shook in shock.

"She is the one who occupied this shell before I took over," Illyria explained. "I take it that you knew her as well?"

Connor felt like he was in a daze. "Yeah, I knew her."

"Then I'm sorry. Had I known, I would have warned you." She actually appeared apologetic, which was very unlike her, causing Lorne and Spike to wonder what was happening to the usually stoic and indifferent goddess.

"Sorry sweetness, I should have told you." Lorne sighed. "I promise that we'll take time to sit and talk about what has happened while you were away trying to be normal."

"Okay," the young man answered.

"Can you do this, Junior?" Spike asked, not realizing the boy had known who Fred was. "I'll understand if you can't."

Connor shook himself and got a hold of his emotions. "I can do this. The explanations can wait for a better time."

"That's taking it like a man in charge of his destiny." Spike clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That talk will come and explanations given all around."

The vampire wanted them gone so he could move on and try to forget the memories that invaded his brain at the mention of trying to find a normal life. It reminded him of Buffy. How she had moved on to her so-called normal life with a being, he despised more than any thing or anyone in his entire existence.

Spike couldn't help his anger at how she accepted The Immortal so openly, yet treated him as though he was some dirty secret she had to hide. It seemed even the idiot Scoobies welcomed the bastard with arms wide open. He wondered if the beast slept with them, too. Spike shook himself out of the thoughts that should have no importance to him any longer.

From what Andrew had said, she knew he was alive. The knowledge that she wanted nothing to do with him- that her words of love were lies- cut him to the bone. Just her way of offering a dying vamp some cold comfort before his soul was sent to Hell. He had been right about not contacting her.

"Alright, kiddies, lets go and rescue a baby and start a new life for ourselves." Spike's gruff voice sounded forced and the others in the room noticed. They just didn't know the reason for the vamp's change in behavior as the anger radiated off of him.

"Okay, Ria, let's go." Connor forced as mile on his face as he accepted the cash and one of the credit cards from Spike.

"Ria?" The higher being glared.

"Yeah, I can't call you Fred or Illyria," Connor explained. "You can call me Ron. We might want to wear a hat or scarf so they don't recognize us, either."

"Ah, Aliases and disguises. Subterfuge. Your explanation makes sense." The blue goddess nodded, otherwise no emotion showed. She approached the vampire. "Do you need nourishment before I leave?"

Spike shook his head no. "Not yet, your Highness. I'll pick up some while we are out."

Illyria nodded, feeling slightly let down that he had not taken what had been offered, but she hid it well as she followed the young man who had been attracted to her when they had first met. Illyria tried not to think further about the vampire that had come to mean something to her, she just hadn't figured out what."

"I'll bring the car to the back entrance and meet you there," Lorne instructed as he moved toward the door. "So don't forget your blanket and sun block."

"Yeah, meet you there." Spike agreed as he put the metal box under his arm and moved quickly upstairs to grab a few blankets.

One his way back down, something told him to load up on as many weapons he could carry. He opened up the weapons cabinet and spotted a set of carved knives in a special shoulder holster. He picked them up and while looking for a sack to carry them in, he noticed a weathered scroll tucked away in the bottom of the cabinet. Angel must have hidden it there. By the discoloration and frayed edges, Spike knew it was very old. Thus, in his mind, it was something important to have. He quickly added it to shiny knife set.

Spike never thought he'd feel this way, but he missed his grandsire. He really could use Peaches right now. Taking one last look around, knowing he'd never see this place again, Spike vowed quietly to Angel, wherever he might be.

"Give my promise to keep my eye on yours and Darla's spawn."

Using one of the blankets to cover himself, he made his way to the back door where Lorne was waiting for him.

*******