"I see some things don't change. Still as eloquent as ever first thing in the A.M., eh?"

"Piss off, m'tired. Somebody hogged all the blankets and I didn't sleep well."

Xander choked on his coffee and Spike smirked. That'd teach the boy not to insult him before he'd had his brekkies. Spike reached into the fridge and pulled out a large container of blood before setting it on the counter. When he turned around to get a mug from the cupboard he noticed that Xander was blushing and trying to hide behind the paper.

"Oh bugger! Look, I was just joking, all right? I'm not gonna take the piss with ya. Nothing wrong with needing comfort once in a while, especially after what you've been through. Tell ya the truth? I was glad for the company as well."

That seemed to shock Xander into responding as he dropped the paper and looked at the vampire.

"Really? So you won't say anything about..."

"Not a word. Promise."

"Cool."

Xander picked the paper back up with a sigh of relief and watched Spike move around the kitchen while he made his breakfast. He couldn't help but chuckle at Spike as he scowled at the ancient microwave again.

When Angel walked into the kitchen an hour later, he was faced with a half-naked Spike laying on the table while Xander was running his fingers over his back and scowling. He watched for a few minutes trying to figure out what was going on. Once he realized that Xander seemed to be looking for something, he cleared his throat to get his attention.

"You ah, need any help?"

Xander looked at the puzzled expression on Angel’s face and smiled.

"Sure, know anything about tracking devices? I think Spike might have one in him somewhere."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because we're talking about the military; they don't like to lose what they consider theirs. Plus, I'm figuring this chip is a prototype, right? So it's probably expensive. They won't give up looking for him."

The severity of the situation seemed to dawn on Angel. He knew some people who might be able to help but he wasn't sure he trusted them to keep quiet.

"I can't say I know anything about tracers, but maybe Wes could do a locator spell on him? He's pretty good with magic."

Xander looked at Spike who shrugged his shoulders.

"Call him. I'll keep looking."

Angel headed out to the office to call Wes while Xander continued his search for the implant. He hadn't found anything so far, and he wasn't sure if he would either. There was a very good possibility that any tracking device the Initiative may have implanted would be buried deep.

"You find anything mate?"

"Nope, not yet. Want me to stop? Wes should be here in a half hour or so."

Spike shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. Truth was, he was worried about the watcher using mojo on him. He was never very comfortable around magic. Plus, Xander’s warm hands on his back felt kinda nice.

"If you want."

Xander sighed and continued to search. He knew Spike well enough to know what he wasn't saying. His Spike didn't like magic, so this one probably didn't either. He hoped he would find something, but knew it was likely that he wouldn't.

By the time Wesley showed up, Xander had done a pretty thorough job of searching the vampire. He didn't find the tracking device, but he did discover that Spike was ticklish - something he planned on using to his advantage if he ever made it home. See how big and bad he'd look while giggling like a schoolgirl… Just the thought of it made him snicker.

Xander - this world’s version - showed up about ten minutes after Wesley, laden down with shopping bags and boxes. Angel and Xander helped him bring everything into the kitchen while Wes set up his spell in one of the empty rooms. Spike was in the courtyard having a cigarette. He was still nervous about the spell but as Xander had pointed out, it was better than having Finn and his goon squad finding him.

Angel left the two Xanders in the kitchen while he went to fetch Spike. He wanted to get this over with quickly; the last thing he needed was a bunch of gung-ho soldiers storming his hotel.

While emptying the groceries, Xander noticed his double watching him. He figured he was curious about him, in his situation he would be, so he turned, smiled and asked him if he wanted to know anything in particular. His double gave him a sheepish grin.

"That obvious huh?"

"Well yeah, but then it's not everyday you get to talk to yourself from an alternate reality."

The other Xander smiled.

"Kind of like Sliders, huh?"

"Yeah, kind of. So what would you like to know about my oh-so-fascinating life?"

"I'm curious about Spike, I mean are you two...?"

Xander chuckled. Then he shook his head.

"Not this time. There was one world though, the second one I ended up in. Don't tell anyone I said this, but they were cute together."

That made the other Xander choke. He couldn't grasp the idea of dating Spike. Sure Doyle had been half Brakken but he was a sweet guy, all heart. Spike was mean and nasty and would just as soon kill you as look at you. It just didn't make sense.

"I don't understand how you can take this so lightly. He's a soulless killer, how can you trust him? I mean, I work for Angel, I even kind of like the guy now but I don't trust him. One happy thought and he'd pull out my spleen, ya know?"

Xander tried to think of a way to explain his feelings about Spike, but the truth was he didn't really understand them himself. He had written in his journal that Spike was his friend. He had gone so far as to tell the Spike of this world that very same thing, but the truth was, before he'd left home on this wacky adventure, he had been just as close-minded about Spike as his double was. It wasn't until he really started to pay attention to Spike and 'Xan' that he saw who Spike really was under all the bluff and bravado.

"It's complicated. A few weeks ago, I would have asked the same thing. But now? I know what he can be, what he's capable of."

"So do I, and if you ask me you should have left him in Sunnydale. I don't like him, I don't trust him, and I won't come back here as long as he's staying in this hotel. Tell Angel I'll call him if I have a vision."

Xander watched in open-mouthed shock as his double walked out of the kitchen. He couldn't believe ... well, yeah he could believe.

"Jeez, was I this much of an ass before all this started?"