"They break up, and he goes out and gets his soul for Buffy, and then gets burned up saving the world when the Hellmouth opens in Sunnydale."
"Thus reducing the city to a crater." Xander adds. Gunn nods. "Did very many people survive?" he asked hesitantly, hope flaring.
"Almost everybody, I think." Gunn replied. "The town was pretty much deserted when the fighting started, and most of your crew made it out right before the collapse. Your ex didn't make it, though."
Xander frowned. "Ex?" He dated someone other than Cordelia? Then he almost smacked his forehead. Of course he dated someone else. It'd been six years, and she did dump him. There was no way he was going to pine after her for the rest of his life.
"Yeah, a girl named--" Gunn stopped mid-sentance, paused for a moment, and then said, "I don't know if I should be telling you all this after all. Isn't it like against the rules of time-traveling or something to know too much about your own future?"
"Damned if I know." Xander replied, his head in his hands. This was a lot to take in. Granted, there were many holes and gaps in the timeline Gunn explained, and some of it was confusing, with Gunn occasionally stopping and retelling a scene that he had already told, except with the addition of someone named Connor. When Xander had pointed this out, Gunn replied that something had happened that gave him two sets of memories, one with Connor and one without.
When Xander pressed him as to the identity of Connor, Gunn shook his head. "You don't want to know. Trust me. And don't you dare mention that name to Angel, or else he'll have my hide for telling you, okay?"
"Somehow everything comes back to that vampire." Xander muttered.
Gunn cocked any eyebrow. "Wild guess here, but I'm taking it that you don't like Spike and Angel?"
"I don't like vampires." Xander replied. "They turned my best friend, and I had to kill him."
A brief pause stretched before Gunn murmured, "They turned my sister. I had to kill her."
They looked at each other and for a moment, a bond of understanding was forged.
"""
The sun was starting to set by the time the hospital let Gunn go, but not without Teresa making Gunn swear that he would try to avoid any future incidents with Mack trucks. Xander almost laughed, wondering if the Mack trucks were driven by gang members on PCP. Gunn was still a little woozy on his feet, so Xander offered to help him walk to the hotel, where Gunn swore Angel would take care of him. Xander still didn't trust the vampires, but he trusted Gunn's judgment.
They reached the doors of the Hyperion and Xander let out a whistle. "This is much bigger than Dead-boy's apartment back in Sunnydale."
Gunn turned to Xander. "You sure you won't come in? The big guy can be dense sometimes, but he's got the soul of a champion. He won't rest until he's figured out what's happened to you."
Xander shrugged. "Thanks, but I'm just not feeling the trust. It's like, a few days ago by friends and I were aiming a rocket launcher at him, and that sort of thing is just a little bit hard to get past, you know?"
"Yeah. But where else are you going to go?" Gunn replied. Xander couldn't answer, gaze dropping to his feet. "Look, I've got a friend who owns a shelter, but you're going to have to hurry, because she locks the doors at sundown. Tell her Charles sent you." He gave Xander directions to the shelter.
Xander nodded, memorizing the directions. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."
"No problem. Thanks for getting me to the hospital." Gunn replied. "Good luck. If we find anything, I'll stop by Anne's and let you know."
"All right." Xander replied. With a parting handshake, Xander took off for the shelter. He followed Gunn's back-alley route, and was almost at the shelter when he ran into a trio of vampires. The sun was down just enough for them to be out without frying. Xander swore and pulled out the cross and a stake Gunn had given him at the hospital.
"Hey, look at who figures himself a vampire slayer..." The one on the left grinned, showing of his fangs. He was large and muscled, with short dark hair and tattoos down both arms. The vampire in the middle was the scrawniest of the three, with a silver-studded black leather collar and wristbands, and a faded rock t-shirt.
The one in the middle glanced nervously between Xander and the other two vamps. "Mebbe he is a Slayer, Tony."
The one on the left, Tony, growled and slapped the middle one upside the head. "You drink spoiled blood or something, Paul? All Slayers are girls, stupid. You know that."
Paul rubbed the back of his head, but bravely spoke up again. "Yeah, but mebbe he's a whatchamacallit? Trans-something or other, where he's a girl that's dressing up as a guy?"
"This ain't no chick." The vampire on the right, who wasn't particularly remarkable in size or style of dress, slowly took a step towards Xander, who was seriously starting to rethink Gunn's offer of Angel's hospitality. Speaking of Angel, a thought that quickly became a really bad plan condensed in his head.
Xander took a step back. "Now guys, as much as I'd love to get in a rumble with you all, I gotta tell ya that I'm already taken. You mess with me, and my Master will hunt you down. You'll be dust before sunrise."
"Oh yeah?" Tony sneered. "And who's your Master, little renfield?" It was on the tip of Xander's tongue to claim Angel, but someone else spoke first.
"Me." Spike said, standing behind the three vampires. Before they had time to react Spike shoved a stake through the hearts of the left and right vampires. Paul took one look at Spike and ran, but it was too late. Spike threw a stake at the retreating vampire, and his dust soon floated to the city street.
Xander held on to the cross and stake tightly. "Spike." There was a red cut on the vampire's cheek that Xander thought was odd, but he couldn't put a finger on why.
"Xander." Spike replied. He slid the stake still in his hand into a pocket of his duster, and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and had it almost to his lips when he reconsidered, slipping it back into the pack. He tilted his head at Xander, half-smile playing around his lips. "You can take the boy out of Sunnyhell but I guess you can't take Sunnyhell out of the boy."
Xander began walking toward the shelter half-a-block away, the tenseness in his shoulders the only sign of his discomfort of having a vampire near. "What do you want."
Spike shrugged, walking beside him. "Nothing, pet. Was just walking along minding my own business when I thought you might need a hand."
They got to the shelter and Xander knocked on the door. A wrought iron frame was already locked over the main door, but Xander hoped he would still be able to get in. "Hello?"
The inside door opened and a vaguely-familiar blonde woman peered out through the iron. "I'm sorry, but the doors close at dusk."
"Charles sent me? He said you might have an extra bed for the night." Xander tried, and the woman noticed the cross in his hand.
"I'm not offering an invitation, but if you can cross the threshold then you can stay," she said, unlocking the iron outer door and pushing it open. Xander caught it and she retreated inside the shelter. Xander passed the threshold without any problem, and was about to turn around and close the iron door behind him when Spike entered the shelter too. Xander's jaw dropped.
"How did you... I thought..." Xander babbled, and Spike held a finger to Xander's lips to quiet him. A warm finger. Then Spike took one of Xander's hands and pressed two of Xander's fingers to his wrist, where a pulse was beating steadily. Xander was too shocked to break free from Spike's grasp.
"I take it Charley-boy didn't mention the Shanshu?" Spike inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"""
TBC...