A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine.

Chapter 26-Shanshu Fulfilled

Cordy smiled.

"I said congratulations. The Shanshu prophecy has been fulfilled. The Powers decided that, even though you went against their direction, you have fulfilled the terms of prophecy and earned back your humanity." She smiled and held out her hand to Angel. He didn't move. She laughed.

"C'mon hero. This is so not the time to be shy." Angel shook his head.

"No."

The word echoed in the stillness. Buffy and Faith both turned, wide-eyed, to face Angel.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" asked Buffy. Connor stood silently nearby, his arms still around Dawn, her head resting on his shoulder. He looked at Angel and understood.

"He wants to stay a vampire." Faith turned on Connor.

"Why would he want to do that?" Connor met Angel's gaze.

"You should tell her Dad," he said, motioning towards Buffy. Buffy looked from Angel to Connor.

"Tell me what?" Angel closed his eyes and looked pained.

"Buffy, do you remember when you came to LA to yell at me for showing up in Sunnydale but not letting you see me?" Buffy thought back and remembered how hurt and angry she was that he had the nerve to decide when it was appropriate for him to appear in her life.

"Yes, I remember."

"That wasn't how it was supposed to happen." Buffy looked confused and glanced over at Faith who looked as surprised and confused as she. Chandra and Willow both gasped. Angel turned quickly and saw surprise, shock and understanding cross both witches faces as Chandra read the thoughts and memories screaming through his head.

"When you came to visit me, Buffy, a demon attacked me. It's blood mixed with mine and it made me human. We were both thrilled. It was a miracle…until we went after that demon and I couldn't fight it. You had to risk your life to save mine…and I couldn't have that. If I had stayed human, you would not have any back-up, no second front, in the war on evil. You would have died, Buffy, and I would have been to blame. I knew that I needed to keep helping the helpless and atone for my past sins as well as be there to back you up. So, I went to the Oracles and had them rewind time to just before you arrived. When the demon attacked, I knew how to kill it. You yelled at me and then you left. You didn't remember that one day of absolute happiness we had.

"I learned that I can't become human. I have a job to do and I can't do that as a human." He turned to Cordy.

"So I have to tell the Powers thanks but no thanks." Angel turned to look at Spike who was standing next to Kira, her head leaning against him, his hand softly stroking her hair. "Besides, I think that Spike has earned it." Spike stared incredulously at Angel. Not looking away, Angel continued.

"You were right, Spike. Drucilla sired you, but I made you a monster. I showed you the fun and the excitement of the hunt and the thrill of taking a human life. I taught you to relish it, to savor it, to drag it out for as long as possible. All of that was so outside of your nature that it took you awhile to accept it. You're different than other vampires, Spike. You always have been. You didn't suffer as long as I did when I got my soul back. That's because you were suffering more without one. I need to stay a vampire; you need to be a human again." Spike's eyes narrowed.

"If you think you're going to get in good with the Powers by playing the sodding martyr_" Angel cut him off.

"Spike, it's not a trick or a joke. I'm saying that you have earned the right to be human because I owe it to you. You can handle being a human. You had a life before this one. You were loved and you knew how to love. That was something I never knew which is why it was so easy to become Angelus. You had to work and prove yourself to be Spike and not William. I made you work and prove it. I goaded you into doing ninety percent of the things you did, even when I wasn't around. I made you feel you had to prove yourself as a vampire and as a man." Angel looked from Kira to Chandra and back to Spike.

"You have a family. You deserve to be able to enjoy that without the blood lust." Angel then turned to Cordelia.

"Spike is as eligible for the Shanshu as I am, more so than I am. Give him the opportunity that he deserves." With that, Angel turned and began walking away from the group.

"Angel wait." He turned to Chandra and Willow. Both witches began to chant quietly. He felt a weight being lifted from the center of his being. His soul, of which he was always aware, felt hotter and more a part of him than ever before. The fire it generated burned hotter, sealing itself into his flesh, before it finally cooled. As soon as it was over, both witches collapsed. Chandra looked up, tears in her eyes.

"We used the last of the magic of the Deeper Well to bind your soul to your body, Angel. No matter what happens now, gypsy curse or no gypsy curse, you can never again lose your soul. Angelus is dead and gone forever." Spike had hurried over to the girls when they had collapsed and both he and Giles helped them to their feet. Chandra held on to Spike, still weak and drained. She looked at Cordelia.

"Well, are the Powers going to allow Spike to become human or not?" Cordelia pursed her lips and walked over to them.

"You know Chandra, you and I probably wouldn't have liked each other much. We're too much alike. However, what Angel said is true. Spike's as eligible for the Shanshu as Angel is, that is, if he wants it." For once, words failed Spike. He could only nod. Cordelia reached out her hands and he took them in his.

The pain that coursed through his body was excruciating. Rejection by first Chandra then Cecily, becoming a vampire, digging out of his own grave, falling in love, receiving his soul, dying in the Hellmouth, returning through the amulet in Angel's office…none had been as painful as that of his body healing itself. He could feel his blood thinning in his veins, his lungs inflating, the painful need to breathe and, finally the rhythmic beat of his heart, thudding painfully against his ribs. He fell to his knees, the sound of his own blood thudding in his ears, drowning out everything around him. He looked up, his vision blurry. He was unable to focus. He could hear his name being called and turned to see Chandra looking at him with concern. He stood up on shaking legs and reached for her hand, taking it and placing it on his chest. He was finally aware of the reason for his blurry vision when the warm tears spilled over and down his face. Chandra reached her hand up to touch his no longer cool face.

"Oh my god, William. You're back." With that, Chandra threw her arms around him and kissed him. His lips were warm and she could feel his heart beating faster as she pressed herself against him. Suddenly he pulled away, laughing.

"Have to catch my breath love." He gasped for a second and laughed again. "Long time since I've had that problem." Chandra felt the tears of joy well up again and blinked them away.

"It was over one hundred years ago since I last took your breath away." She leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Now everything is back to the way it should be." She heard the laughter of the slayers around her and Kennedy letting out a wolf whistle. Feeling the eyes on her, she looked to where Angel, Buffy and Faith were standing and mouthed "Thank you." Angel and Buffy smiled back. Faith winked, kissed two fingers and pointed them at her. Then, she heard Maggie scream.

The three Wolfram and Hart bounty hunters had reappeared.

"You're not done with us Witch," said the largest one. "The bounty still stands. In fact, it's doubled. And we mean to collect." Chandra glared at them.

"Not only are you slow but you're extremely stupid. You really think you're going to take me out with an army of slayers right here?" The largest one laughed.

"Not you, Witch." He summoned a fireball in one hand and pointed the other at Kira, who had moved away from Spike when Cordelia approached him. "We want the Seer." Chandra saw that no matter what she did, there was no way she could get Kira in time. She heard Willow trying to cast a spell but she was still depleted. Kira froze, a look of horror and fear on her face. Worse still, was the knowledge of her fate that was clear in her eyes. Chandra screamed.

"No!" The bounty hunter threw the fireball directly at Kira.

Faith knocked her out of the way just before the fireball could hit the girl, taking it in the side of her chest and hitting the ground rolling, extinguishing the fire before it could spread. She lay still, her clothing still smoking.

At once the slayers, led by Kennedy, charged the bounty hunters. Chandra couldn't see what was happening, didn't care. She only cared about her friend, who was now lying motionless on the ground just four feet away from Kira. Her best friend, who had just saved her daughter. She ran to Faith's side with Spike, Giles, Willow and Xander right behind her. They were joined by Angel and Buffy. Connor was holding Dawn and trying to keep her from looking. Angel rolled Faith over.

"Faith, come on!" He leaned over and felt a very faint breath. "She's alive." He looked at Giles, who knelt beside her. Her shirt and jacket were burned. Burns of various degrees covered her hands, arms, chest and neck. She was bleeding from her abdomen.

"There's nothing I can do for her." Giles looked from Willow to Chandra. "Do you have the strength to heal her?" Chandra grabbed Willow's hand and both witches tried to draw in enough energy to perform any spell but they were both too drained.

"I can't do it Giles," Willow said, her voice barely above a whisper. Chandra choked back a sob as she struggled again to draw on some power but was unable to feel more than a spark. "No. Not Faith!" She told herself, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. Suddenly, Faith drew in a ragged breath and opened one eye.

"Angel…" He took her hand and pushed her hair off of her face.

"Faith, come on. You'll be fine. You'll pull through this." She smiled slightly.

"Not this time boss." She turned her head slightly and looked at Chandra.

"Kira…" Chandra smiled at her.

"Kira's fine, Faith." Faith nodded and winced in pain. She drew in another ragged breath. Her eyes focused on the sky above her.

"Angel…do something for me." He squeezed her hand gently and tried to speak around the lump in his throat, the tightening of his chest.

"Anything, Faith, you know that." She smiled again and closed her eyes.

"Be…happy…Angel." She drew in another breath and opened her eyes again, arching her back in pain. Angel touched her cheek.

"Faith, you'll be ok. We'll get you fixed up and you'll be fine." She finally looked at him before closing her eyes and smiling one last time.

"Sure boss….five by five…" Her last words used her last breath.

Every ounce of joy and excitement that had been building in the air faded as the remaining Slayers joined them in the crowd surrounding Faith. Kira was crying. Maggie picked her up and carried her away, cooing to her in Gaelic. Chandra felt the lump in her throat move to her chest and found she could barely breathe. She heard Kennedy, Vi and Janelle behind her talking to Giles. Xander leaned over and spoke quietly to Spike who rose and followed Xander back to where Giles was standing with the girls. Kennedy's face was hard and her eyes furious.

"We saved one of them. The smaller of the three. We thought that it would be important to find out who sent them." She motioned over to where Candace, Duffy and Katie were holding the smaller bounty hunter down while Alex stood over it holding the scythe. Giles strode purposely over to it and, without a word, began beating on the defenseless demon.

"Giles! Stop!" Xander tried to pull him off but Giles spun blindly and punched Xander, knocking him down. Spike jumped on Giles, knocking him over. Giles tried to fight him but Spike had him on the ground and quickly pinned his arms behind him.

"Rupert! Enough!" Spike didn't relax his grip until he felt Giles stop fighting. When Spike released his arms, he helped Giles to his feet. Giles walked over to Xander, an apology on his lips but he was unable to speak. Wordlessly, Xander clapped his hand on Giles' shoulder and the three men rejoined the slayers around the bounty hunter. Giles knelt down to face the demon.

"Now, who sent you?" The demon shook his head.

"I can't tell you." Giles reached behind him and picked up a knife from the ground. He fingered the blade and focused on it while addressing the demon.

"We know that Wolfram and Hart hired you to kill Chandra and her family twenty years ago in order to change the past. When you didn't succeed and you were unable to locate her all those years, why didn't Wolfram and Hart kill you?" The demon looked from the men to the slayers and finally to the sword in Giles' hands.

"If I tell you, they'll kill me." Kennedy kicked it in the head.

"If you don't, we kill you. Looks like it's lose lose for you either way."

Giles brought the knife to the demon's chest and made a serious of shallow cuts with the blade. Big though he was, the demon still pulled back from the pain.

"The Senior Partners wanted the Seer destroyed. They…" the demon stopped suddenly, shaking violently. Giles pulled Duffy back and yelled at the other Slayers to back off. With an unworldly scream, the demon was engulfed in a ball of fire.

"Hmmm…that was a waste of resources." Angel snapped his head around when he heard Lila's voice. She stood just behind Chandra and Willow, who quickly backed away from her.

"Lila. What the hell are you doing here?" Angel's voice was more of a growl.

"So happy to see you too Angel." She looked around, a faint smile on her lips. "Nice little setup you've got here. All these little girls, just ripe for killing…" She looked pointedly at Faith's body and then covered her mouth in mock chagrin.

"Oops. Sorry." She giggled. "Too soon?"

A/N Yes, I really did just kill Faith. I'm sorry, I really am. I tried to finish this with Faith still around but I couldn't end it the way I wanted too. It sucks too because Faith is my favorite slayer. Please forgive me and keep reading.