Fred hurried down the hallway of Wolfram and Hart, fishing her keys out as she approached the door of the lab. She smiled as she heard the faint strains of the radio from her office. She’d left it on for David, even though she hadn’t seen him in a couple of days. She assumed he’d found a more interesting way to occupy his time. So, it was quite a shock when she opened the door to see a strange man dancing in the middle of the lab. Her first thought was that someone had broken in, but the stranger looked like he’d been transported directly from 1969.

  The man’s back was to her, obscuring his face, but he wore a pair of brown corduroy bellbottoms, paired with a loose-collared cream shirt printed with an eye-popping array of psychedelic flowers. The outfit was capped off by a fringed leather vest and long, wavy reddish-brown hair that brushed his shoulders. All Day and All of the Night by The Kinks was playing on the radio, and the man was grooving to the music, swaying back and forth and swinging his arms through the air. As she watched, he performed a little half-slide, bringing his feet into view. Fred realized with dismay that the stranger was barefoot. She winced at the thought of possible contamination issues; she’d have to get a cleaning crew to re-sterilize the lab once she got him out of there. Suddenly, he put a fist up to his mouth like he was holding a microphone as he danced in a circle and spun around, eyes closed as he sang along to the music.

  Fred’s jaw dropped as she realized that it was David, completely oblivious to his audience. His shirt was partially unbuttoned, and she could see that he wore a gold band hanging from a simple silver chain as a necklace. Curiously, he seemed to be covered in tattoos; from her position in the doorway she could see the edges of an intricate design in black ink covering the top of his chest. It appeared to wrap around the base of his throat before disappearing under his shirt. Even the tops of his feet looked like they’d been tattooed!

  David hadn’t struck her as the type of person to be heavily tattooed; she’d certainly never noticed them before. Though now that she thought about it, the alien hoodie he wore like a second skin almost seemed like it was intended to cover as much as possible. He often wore the hood bunched close around the neck; Fred wondered if he’d been judged in the past for his tattoos. She’d heard plenty of lectures back in Texas about how heavily tattooed people were practically unemployable. Once again, she wondered about David’s mysterious past. They knew so little about him.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a noise in the hallway. She turned slightly to see Knox standing behind her and put her finger to her lips in warning before he could interrupt. She was curious to see what David would do next. She had to admire how he was enjoying himself; it was absolutely adorable.

  I believe that you and me last forever

  Oh yeah, all day and nighttime is yours leave me never,

  The only time I feel alright is by your side

  Girl, I want to be with you all of the time

  All day and all of the night

  All day and all of the night

  All day and all of the night

  As the song came to an end, David smiled happily and let his imaginary mic drop. He opened his eyes to see Fred and Knox in the door to the lab, and his eyes went wide as he realized they’d witnessed his performance.

  “Oh, um, mornin’ luv. I, erm, didn’t see you there,” he stammered. “Thanks for, uh, leaving the radio on again. ‘Preciate it! Have a nice day!” he squeaked, flushing bright red at being caught. Suddenly, his clothes were the ones she was used to seeing him in, and his hair reverted to its usual short-clipped cut. He gave her a very awkward smile as she watched him literally drop through the floor.

  “Oh wait, you don’t have to … go,” she said as he disappeared from view, eyes closed in embarrassment. “Awwww. That was kind of cute. It’s nice that he can find a way to enjoy himself.”

  “Nice? Cute?” Knox asked from behind her, in a surprised tone.

  “Yeah,” she said, ignoring the slight note of jealousy she heard. Apparently, David could change his clothes and hair at will. Being able to project a certain image of himself was an interesting development, and she wondered how much of his own appearance he could change. Could he make his face look different as well? Affect the shape of his body? Could Spike do the same? Her mind was spinning with all the questions she wanted to ask, but she was unsure if David would be willing to answer them.

  The next time Fred saw him shift his appearance was when he thought no one was looking. She didn’t catch what Spike said to him, but she could see the look of annoyance on his David’s face as Spike turned away. Suddenly, David’s hair went platinum blonde and slicked back like Spike wore his. David’s outfit also matched Spike’s, complete with black shirt, pants, boots and duster. He raised his hands in the air and mockingly pinched his fingers open and shut in the universal sign for blah, blah, blah, mouthing the words as Spike continued to talk. As Spike spun around, David’s appearance instantly returned to normal, as he pretended to throw up his hands and rolled his eyes at Spike.

  “Fine mate. Whatever,” he said as he turned and walked away. Fred couldn’t help but laugh to herself. David heard her and turned, noticing her for the first time. He smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged, then laughed too and waved as he walked down the hall, blushing a little at being caught again. Another time, it was late and nearly everyone had gone home. She was coming out of the lab, and spotted David dressed like Angel, strutting behind him, then dropping through the floor when he turned around. Fred couldn’t help but giggle. She suspected this wasn’t the first time he was haunting Angel and inquired about it with the security team.

  “Oh, he’s hilarious!” the guards laughed. “The man can do some incredible impressions, but only we seem to notice. He always disappears before they catch him. We’ve started a running pool to see who he’ll do next and how long until someone actually catches him.”

  “Have you ever seen him change his face, body, height, weight or anything?”

  The guards shook their heads. “Nope. Just his clothes and hair, really. You should see him in your office at night. He’s pretty good at the costumes and the dance numbers. The guy really gets into it. He’s been popping in and out quite a lot.”

  Fred looked at the guards sharply. “Does he disappear at the same time as Spike?”

  The guard frowned, thinking it over. “You know, I guess I never really thought about it, but yeah. Usually when one is gone, the other is. It’s pretty rare to only see one and not the other. Come to think of it, we’ve actually been seeing them less and less lately.” Fred thanked them, silently chiding herself for not having started on the research she’d promised to do for Spike. She’d just been so busy. There was always something going on, but if the disappearances were becoming more frequent... somehow she’d figure out a way. She’d make time. She’d made a promise and intended to keep it. She also vowed that she’d make time for David. When he was around, he was always so eager to talk to her and talk about the articles she’d left out for him – when she remembered to do it.

  ****

  David had been doing his best to avoid Angel, but he kept popping back in at random places throughout the building when he came back from flashbacks or the hellish place he kept being pulled into. Every time he saw Angel, it got harder and harder not to flash out. Angel would do or say something, and David instantly felt pulled back to the years they’d spent with the Whirlwind. They’d been a vampire quartet of destruction, infamous for the carnage and chaos they’d spread wherever they went. Those had been the dark years when he’d watched William become twisted into Spike, as his eagerness to belong had allowed him to be manipulated and pushed into becoming a dark creature. Angelus, in particular, had been determined to turn the sweet, innocent man into a vicious killer. Dru and Darla had certainly encouraged it, but it was Angelus who’d boasted of wanting a male companion to kill with; a demon with a thirst for darkness that matched his own. David had watched Spike try to adapt, to belong. To be accepted. If the glimpses David had seen of William’s life before he’d been sired by Dru were any indication, that wasn’t something the man had known.

  David walked around the corner into the lobby, trying to come up with something to do. He came face to face with Angel angrily yelling at one of his employees as Spike stood across the room watching the show. The harsh tone of his voice took David back before he even knew what was happening. He was sucked down into a memory so fast, it took his breath away.

  ***

  “Come on Willy! It’s best when they scream.”

  “The name’s William!” The fledge corrected Angelus, studying the vampire who was casually gripping a crying woman by her hair.

  “There’s an art to it. The innocent ones are the best. Their screams are always the sweetest.” David felt like he was going to be sick. If his body had been capable of it, he probably would have been already. Bodies lay scattered around them as Angelus gave the young fledgling lessons in the art of destruction and violence. He knew William well enough to see that the man was fighting his own level of illness, but the fledgling vampire hid it well as he stepped up to grasp the woman’s neck. “That’s it!” Angelus crowed. “Have fun now!” He stepped back to let William take the woman as she whimpered and begged to be released. She’d just watched the two slaughter her family, and her twin boys lay throats torn open at her feet.

  They reminded David of him and William, or of him and his brother so many years ago. Innocence and life stolen by these creatures of the night. David turned away, unwilling to watch William rip viciously into the woman’s throat while Angelus coached him on the best way to bleed her dry as she continued to scream and cry. He wanted William to find out how long it took until she finally couldn’t cry out anymore. David put his hands to his ears trying to drown out the noise. He ran through the wall, trying to escape but he misgauged the distance and popped back into the room as the woman’s whimpering began to quiet. He wasn’t able to slow himself quick enough and stumbled to his knees as William brought the woman down to the ground. He was face to face with the monster that had taken over William. Face to face with the woman whose face was wet with tears and blood. He watched helplessly as the light went out of her eyes.

  David scrambled backwards and turned to crawl towards the wall. He found himself right between the bodies of the two boys and cried out in anguish. Would he ever escape this nightmare? Surely this was hell. It had to be. Across the room, Angelus was congratulating William on how long he’d drawn out the woman’s anguish, telling him how he could do it even better next time. David curled up in the corner and tried again to cover his ears, humming to himself as loud as he could to drown out the voices. He could still hear screams from the other room where Drusilla and Darla were having their fun. He could never manage to get far enough away from them. Sometimes, if he was lucky he managed to find the furthest distance he could get from William without being snapped back like a rubber band. Other times it seemed the distance changed. He’d think he was safe only to be pulled right back into the horror again. He cried and hit himself in his head trying to distract himself when he realized he couldn’t escape the screams and cries tonight.

  Drusilla walked into the room and looked over at him. She was spattered head to toe in blood and gore; she’d obviously been in a mood to play with her food tonight. “Poor Puck isn’t having fun. Did you not like the little boys? I thought they were so sweet, like you two were.”

  David looked up at Dru with tears in his eyes. “You’re monsters. The lot of you.”

  “Of course we are!” Drusilla crowed merrily. “The fairy comes to play with monsters in our garden. You’ve fallen from your tower, but you’re still just the fool, little pixie. Still so new.”

  “What’s she on about now?” He heard Darla ask as she came into the room, daintily dabbing at her lips with a handkerchief.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Who knows? She’s been talking about fairies, Puck and King Oberon’s court since William joined us,” Angelus replied, sounding like he wished he’d never heard of fairies. David rolled through the wall to get away from them. He’d rather sit in a room with these corpses than be made fun of by those monsters who didn’t even believe Drusilla about his existence. Such as it was, anyway. She thought him a fairy. He hadn’t known what else to call himself and it had slipped out. In her insanity, the other vampires had simply accepted her latest ramblings as new hallucinations. They assumed it was a reference to Shakespeare. A joke or flight of fancy. David realized it said a lot about who she was that this didn’t seem all that strange to her companions. It had certainly terrified him.

  Suddenly, he felt a sharp yank and then he was sitting in the cobbled street, watching the vampires walk away from the building they’d just left as flames started to lick at the structure. William had his arms wrapped around Drusilla, whispering something in her ears conspiratorially as she giggled. David closed his eyes, willing himself to be able to block it out. He didn’t have the will yet to get up and follow them, so he continued to sit as he was yanked again and again. Each time, he appeared next to William like a puppy on a leash. Finally, he climbed to his feet and trudged after them, tired of the feeling of his insides being yanked around. He tried not to look at them. It hurt too much.

  ***

  David popped back into Wolfram & Hart and found himself in Angel’s office. He groaned. What did they do to deserve being stuck here haunting Angelus of all people? He knew the vampire had been cursed with a soul, and those who knew him talked like Angel and Angelus were two entirely different people. David would believe that when he saw it. So far, this just seemed like Angelus with a soul. Less violent and vicious maybe, but he hadn’t witnessed any softness. Nothing that explained how he had the friends he had. From what he’d seen the last few weeks, Wesley, Fred, Lorne and even Gunn seemed loyal to the man and were decent enough blokes. What had Angelus done to inspire it?

  Angel walked into the room and groaned when he saw David standing there. David rolled his eyes at Angel and deliberately walked through him as Angel attempted to back out of the way in surprise. The second groan he heard made him smirk as he walked away, pleased to have caused at least a little discomfort for the vampire.

  David decided to head back to the lab. He’d begun to get a better handle on the science journals that Fred left out for him – when she remembered anyway. Running the science department kept her incredibly busy. He’d noticed that she had a worrying habit of forgetting to eat and take care of herself. As a result, he’d started to check on how recently she’d eaten when he popped up there. He also paid attention to how Fred treated her employees. She was kind and fair, with a good head on her shoulders. She was brilliant as well and he enjoyed watching her work. At first, she was a little uncomfortable with him just hanging around the lab. He tried to stay out of the way as best he could, but so far the lab was his favorite place to be. If he wasn’t there, he’d be sitting on the main steps in the upper lobby people watching, or trying to read over Wesley’s shoulder, much to Wesley’s annoyance.

  David had found that if he wandered the building, he would inevitably run into Angel, Spike, or a demon species he recognized and be transported into a flashback. Even when he didn’t wander, it still happened, but with less frequency. In many ways, it was no different than when they’d started happening so many years ago. He’d wanted to escape the horror around him so badly that he’d started trying to revisit memories. He’d felt the strange echoes of his memories in addition to David’s, and one day he’d finally managed to enter one. He’d tucked himself into a corner with his hands over his ears and humming, trying to block out the sounds of William and Drusilla as he started to imagine one of his favorite places. He envisioned himself standing on the deck of the Endymion, as the ocean breeze drifted past. He tried to remember the smell of the salty air, the cries of the birds flying above, and even the sounds of the crew bustling around and swinging the crates up in their arms as they unloaded the deck.

  ***

  William came up behind him and leaned onto the railing of the deck next to him. David grinned. “How much longer do you think until they finish unloading?”

  “At least two more hours, I’d wager. What are you thinking?” William replied, mopping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

  “At this moment, I’m just relieved the ship made it back. The storm last week had me worried. We’ve a good crew and a good ship. It feels good to be on her again.” David replied, turning to face his friend.

  William smiled at him and nodded. “She’s our pride and joy! And you’re right. She’s got a good crew. You helped put together a good group. Even the captain says so.”

  David waved aimlessly at William, brushing off the compliment. “Captain Gantry did most of the work.” He replied modestly, uncomfortable with the praise.

  “But you insisted on meeting every one of them!” William protested. “Not many in our line of business would even care to meet with the captain, let alone the crew. And the captain said he was impressed with your instincts. Said most of the businessmen he’s met with not only don’t care but can’t tell who would make a good crewman versus a bad one. They’re too concerned with who’s going to cost the most.”

  “Gantry said that? Really?” David was surprised. It was high praise from the taciturn Welshman.

  “Does that surprise you?” William asked.

  David shrugged. “Yeah. I guess it does.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me. Though why you spend time around me with those good instincts still baffles me.” David laughed at that and bumped into William teasingly. William pushed him right back with a grin. “You’ve got to give yourself more credit! You’re going to be a great leader here.”

  “So long as you’re by my side, I’m sure we’ll make the business even more successful. In the meantime, I want to setup some kind of celebration. Show the crew some appreciation for a job well done.” David responded, already thinking of ideas.

  William smiled at him, remembering the times his own mother had insisted on the same for their employees. “What have you got in mind?”

  “Something simple. Maybe a banquet for the crew and their families.”

  “Children too?” William inquired, already considering where to hold the banquet. If children were going to be present, they couldn’t possibly hold it on the ship or at the docks – the risks that a curious child would get injured were too great.

  “Of course.”

  “Alright. I’ll talk to the captain, and we’ll figure something out. You’re going to end up with a loyal crew without even working on the ship you know.”

  “That’s half the point!” David exclaimed. “Take care of your crew, and they’ll go above and beyond for you.”

  “I’m fairly sure Machiavelli and a great deal of noblemen would disagree with you,” William said chuckling.

  “Well, Machiavelli didn’t have Mother. Maybe he would have learned a thing or two about caring for people!” David quipped, thinking of the lessons William’s mother had imparted on them both.

  William laughed again. “Too true. Mother certainly would have taught him a thing or two about taking care of others. Speaking of which, we should head home soon. She was upset we missed dinner yesterday, and I promised Madeline you’d stop by as well.”

  “Oh, did you now?” David arched a knowing eyebrow at his friend.

  “She pouted,” William said with a shrug.

  David laughed and nodded. That sounded like Maddy all right – she knew full well that Will couldn’t resist her pout. Not that David was any more immune to it. “Alright, I’ll head over there now. Don’t want to break your promise on my behalf.”

  “You’re a good man!” William said as he clapped him on the back.

  “Then I shall see you tonight at dinner.” They shook hands, smiling at each other, as David bid William farewell. David greeted each crew mate he passed by name on his way off the ship. He had to hurry. Maddy loved to talk and share the latest gossip and stories, and they often spent much longer than he planned together. He quickly tidied his desk and put his books away and headed out to the awaiting carriage.

  ***

  “Meow!” Angel jerked his head up, startled at the noise. He looked around and listened, sure he’d heard something. After a few moments, he decided he must have been imagining it and started to read the papers in front of him again. “Mraow.” This time he’d definitely heard it. It was a cat! Angel stood up and slowly walked around the room trying to place the source of the noise. He couldn’t hear a heartbeat or smell the creature, but he knew that he’d heard it meowing. Harmony walked into his office and Angel immediately held up his hand to silence her. Harmony froze and watched him pace around his office, clearly looking for something.

  “Meooooow,” came the noise again. Harmony frowned, and Angel hurried over to a vent. “It’s coming from over here. I think there’s a cat stuck in the vent!” Harmony walked over to listen as well.

  “I dunno, boss. How did the cat get in?”

  “I don’t know, but I definitely heard it that time. Can you call maintenance and have someone look into it?”

  “Sure, boss,” Harmony said a little hesitantly as Spike sauntered into the room, bored and looking to make some trouble.

  “And what are you two up?” Spike raised an eyebrow as he saw them bent over a vent.

  “Cat in the air ducts. I know I heard it. Have you seen anything?” Spike shook his head. As if on cue, another softer mewling was heard. “Ah ha! You heard it that time, didn’t you!” Angel exclaimed.

  “Yes. It’s a cat noise. Congratulations,” Spike said sarcastically.

  “If you’re not going to be helpful, you can leave, you know!”

  “Think I just might. You’re not nearly as entertaining as I’d hoped today.” Spike walked through the wall and found David laying on the ground with his head stuck inside the floor. He stopped and watched for a moment, realization dawning on him. Suddenly he heard Angel call out from the other room again, and David pulled his head up, his entire body shaking with suppressed laughter. He was trying to contain himself, but was having a hard time keeping quiet. He looked up at Spike with a big grin and put a finger to his mouth.

  Harmony walked out of Angel’s office, promising to call maintenance, and David lost it. He let himself fall through the floor out of Angel’s earshot as he giggled helplessly. He looked up to see shocked faces peering at him, realizing that he’d landed on a conference table – in the middle of a meeting. The absurdity of the situation only made him laugh harder. He waved cheerily at the faces staring at him in shock and let himself fall to the next level, which was thankfully empty. It took him a while to pull himself together, but it felt good to laugh again. And the look on Spike’s face! He’d caught him, sure, but he’d been amused too. David just hoped he wouldn’t spill his secret.

  ***

  “Did the maintenance men find anything out about the cat?” Angel leaned over Harmony’s desk, and rubbed his eyes with fatigue.

  “Sorry boss! They haven’t found anything yet. Pretty sure it must have moved floors.” Harmony looked up at Angel’s haggard face. He looked exhausted.

  “Well, have them look in the vents in my apartment! Every time I dozed off last night it started yowling again,” Angel griped.

  Spike was standing against the wall near Harmony’s desk listening in, and David was sitting in his usual spot on the stairs.

  “Did you say something about a cat? You still haven’t found it?” Spike asked, surprised.

  “No. Do you know anything about it?” Harmony asked.

  “Could have sworn I heard it actually. Maintenance men didn’t find anything? That’s weird!” Spike replied, his face the very picture of innocence.

  “You heard it too?” she cocked her head, studying him.

  “Yeah. You might want to have them go look again.” Spike jammed his hands in his pockets. At this rate, he’d start whistling.

  “Alright, I’ll call them again,” Harmony shrugged. If Angel and Spike both insisted they heard it then maybe maintenance just needed to look again. Spike glanced at David who had to get up and move before anyone caught the smirk he couldn’t hide.

  ***

  David had climbed onto the roof. He was pretty sure Spike was somewhere in the middle of the building so he thought it was safe. He wanted to fly again. He hadn’t been able to visit dreams in ages and since he couldn’t sleep himself this was about as close as he could get. He climbed up on a railing and then jumped and let himself fall through the floor, watching the floors of the building rush past in a flash. He quickly realized that he’d miscalculated. Spike was headed to the top floor. As he neared the basement, he felt the tug inside. Bugger!

  He crashed onto Spike, landing on top of him as they both fell to the floor in a tangle.

  “What the bloody hell is wrong with you mate?!” Spike shouted as he shoved David off of him, dusting himself off. David couldn’t help but laugh. Of course he’d move the first time I try that move here.

  “Is that a trick question?” He smirked at Spike who just rolled his eyes. “Didn’t realize you were below me when I jumped.” David apologized, hoping that Spike didn’t ask too many questions.

  “Jumped? From where?” Spike asked, looking around.

  “Roof. Planned to go all the way down to the lobby. It feels like flying, especially when it doesn’t hurt to land. Of course, I don’t usually land on top of anyone.” David rubbed his forehead gingerly where it had smacked directly into Spike’s knee.

  “You jump… through the floors? For fun? And I thought Dru was barmy!” Spike was staring at him with a mixture of fascination and horror.

  “Gotta stem the boredom somehow.” David shrugged, attempting to look casual.

  “Right. Well, be more careful.” Spike straightened his duster and turned, prepared to continue whatever had brought him upstairs in the first place. Likely snooping around Angel’s penthouse – there wasn’t much else up here in the building.

  “Wanna try?” David offered.

  “No.” Spike’s reply was curt. He was still looking at David warily, like he’d suddenly sprouted a second head or something.

  “Well, your loss!” David shrugged and got up. “Wanna mess with Angel?”

  Spike turned to him, with an interested look. “What’d you have in mind?”

  “Could climb into the vents and let the ghost cat out to play some more?” David suggested, holding his breath.

  Spike considered this, then smirked back at David. “Yeah, alright. Gotta get my jollies somehow.”

  David grinned back at him, already mentally going through the other pranks he and William had pulled as kids, trying to figure out which ones they could make happen without being able to touch anything. The phantom cat had been one of his favorites, despite how upset Anne had gotten when she’d finally figured out what was going on. He was sure he could come up with something else too. After all, wasn’t like he had anything else to occupy his time.