---I felt like shit when I woke up this morning---

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. An empty bottle of Jack
and two bottles of Guinness lay not far away. Three crushed
cans Coors Light was strewn about the dingy room, and a
half empty six-pack of Corona lay on its side by the window.

---I've been a loser all my life, I'm not about to change
If you don't like it, there's the door, nobody made you stay---

He rolled over and tried to stand up, but his ankle almost gave
out on him. He remembered what happened the night before
and sighed, getting up again and hobbing over to the sink.

---There ain't a woman on the planet that can deal with it
Just how I wanted it, I'm hating all of this---

He glared at the floor and yelled for the people below him to
turn off the stereo as loud as he could without making his head
explode. The music stopped, right after the last line:

---Now I know why...
I felt like shit when I woke up this morning---

He splashed water on his face in an attempt to feel better. The
alcohol binge was not a good decision...
***

Buffy waited for Spike to answer his cell phone. "C'mon, pick up,
pick up," she whispered. She needed to tell him about the painting
being stolen from the gallery.

:Hello,: he groaned.

"Spike. Hi," she said.

:Princess,: he stumbled over something. :Ack...:

"Are you okay?" she frowned.

:Yeah, peachy, luv. Popped my bloody ankle last night and I
have the bloody mother of all hangovers, just tripped over an
empty bottle of Guinness...: he sighed.

The people below him started playing their stereo again and
Buffy could hear it.

"Well...I don't mean to put a damper on your mood, but someone
broke into Mom's gallery last night, or on Saturday night," Buffy bit
her lip, waiting for Spike's reaction.

:Bloody hell,: he muttered.

---Got a criminal record, I can't cross state lines
First on the bad list, you're last on mine---

:Pro'ly Liam...: he told her. :But...what were you lot doin' in the
hospital last night?:

"Visiting with Wills. She got in a car crash," Buffy shrugged.

:'Ow?: he asked.

"Yeah," Buffy sighed. "She looked pretty bad."

:Not "ow", luv. 'Ow as in the question,: Spike answered.

"Oh. Um, she says a van crossed over the median and crashed
into her on the highway," Buffy replied, feeling silly.

:Ow,: Spike commented.

"Probably just ran over the strip and got her from the side," she
told him.

Spike groaned. :Ow as in the word synonymous with ouch, pet.:

---I still hear him screaming "where do I hide?"
And all he asks and I say "hurry inside"---

"Well then. I just wanted to tell you that Mom's gallery got
robbed. So...I'll see you later?" Buffy asked hopefully.

:Maybe. Love you,: he hung up.

---He said, she said... no she don't
Be back before morning, you know she won't---

Spike got dressed as quickly as he could and limped towards the
window, throwing his duffel bag into the tree he used to get to
the sidewalk. He carefully sprang into the tree, ignoring the
throbbing in his ankle, grabbing his duffel bag and shimmying
down the tree. He started down the sidewalk casually.
***

Oz paced the hospital waiting room, waiting for visiting hours
to start. Xander entered the waiting room and looked at Oz.

"Hey man," Xander said. "How you holding up?"

"When did you turn into a surfer?" Oz raised an eyebrow.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Just wanted to know how you were
doing. Buffy called and told me that Joyce's gallery's been
robbed."

Oz raised an eyebrow. "Would someone please fill me in on
the big scoop?"

Xander looked around cautiously and motioned Oz over,
proceeding to explain what Spike had told him and Cordelia on
their way to the hospital. "Liam used to go out with Buffy too."

"I see," Oz frowned. "So...the most valuable painting in the
gallery goes missing, Willow ends up in the hospital, and Spike
gets the proverbial hell beaten out of him in one night. This
has 'Liam' written all over it."

"Yeah. The way Will described the van coming at her it wasn't
an accident," Xander filled in. "It was an on-purpose-ent."

"Right. But why knock Willow out of the picture?" Oz wondered.
"Either way--I want to set this guy up. I already have the
beginnings of a plan."

"We'll talk about it after we visit with Will," Xander nodded.
Visiting hours had started.
***

Oz and Xander met at Xander's house and went down into his
basement. "Okay Oz, let's talk this plan of yours out."

"It's really a one-person plan, Xander," Oz looked at the darker
haired man.

"I wanna help," Xander told him firmly.

Oz sighed. "I'd probably need help anyway..."
***

Spike limped into Xander's neighborhood. He figured Xander might
help him out after last night, not that he really wanted the younger
guy's help, but any help was better than no help.

Darla popped up in front of Spike. "Hi."

"Bloody hell," Spike growled. "What do you *want*?"

"I want to help you," Darla said. "Listen, Spike, I didn't want to
get caught up with Liam in the first place, all right? He just...
sucked me in. I fell in love with him, he pretended to love me back
for a while, and then he started having me go along with his
'missions' and stuff and Spike, I really didn't want to help him. So
now I want to help you to make up for all that I've done with him."

"He caught me last night, Dar," Spike walked on the sidewalk,
passing Xander's house on purpose.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I called the police and told them he was at
the park...that's what drove him off," Darla told him sincerely. "I knew
he was going to kill you..."

Spike shook his head and turned around. "I'm going to my girl's friend's
house. Since you're tellin' the truth, let's see if you can help us out."

They made their way to Xander's basement and knocked on the door.
Oz opened it. "Spike, hi...and...?"

"Can we come in?" Darla asked.

"Let them in," Xander called from somewhere further back in the
room.

Oz held the door wider and watched Darla and Spike enter. Xander
saw Darla and narrowed his eyes. "Billy Idol, you playing--"

"This is my cousin, whelp," Spike glared. "I would never do tha' to
Buffy."

"I'm Darla," she smiled.

"She wants t' help us out," Spike sat down on Xander's sofa. "She's
in tight with Liam."

Oz sighed. "So now we have five people helping this operation?"

"By the way, what *is* the plan?"
***

In the end, Team Scooby Doo had six members: Oz, Xander, Spike,
Darla, Cordelia, and Buffy. The plan was to first get Darla to take
Oz to Liam and convince Liam that Oz was really wanting to support
Liam's plan. Oz would then go to Joyce's gallery, where Buffy had
already let Xander in. Xander would wait in the back with a large,
blank canvas covered in a sheet and load it onto a nondescripit
truck with Oz and Spike would follow them in his car down to Liam's
lair. Meanwhile, Spike would call Cordelia and give her the address
to the lair. Buffy would "find" the gallery "broken into" and the find
one of the painting's "missing", call the police, and while the police
were investigating the crime scene, Cordelia would call them. Then
the police would rush over to the lair and catch Liam, Oz, and Xander.
Then Oz and Xander would reveal all they had was a purchased
canvas. Not the best of plans, but a plan nonetheless.

"All right," Spike said. They'd drawn a crude map of Sunnydale and
used miscellaneous objects from around the basement to serve as
themselves. "So...this is wha' we're gonna do."

Xander and Oz set up the pieces at the gallery where they should
be, and the pieces around the town. Darla had long since left as
to not arouse Liam of any suspicions. The pair set up the figurines
and Spike went over the plan once more.

"What do we do now?" Xander asked.

"We set the plan in motion," Buffy piped up.

"Let's go, then."

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