"Shan-what?" Xander stuttered, still trying to kick his brain into gear. Spike was human. Spike, who was one of the most feared vampires in history, second only to Angelus, was human. "B-but you're a vampire!" he exclaimed.
Spike shushed him, glancing nervously at the other people within hearing distance in the shelter. "Keep it down and I'll explain everything."
"Is there a problem here?" Anne said, approaching them warily. "I don't allow vamps inside my shelter."
Spike smiled innocently. "Then it's a good thing there's no vampires here, innit?" She continued to watch him, and he sigh, plucking the cross from Xander's lax grip and showing the lack of sizzle to her. "See? Not a vampire."
Anne nodded, closing and locking the shelter doors while Xander turned from staring at Spike to staring at her. It suddenly struck him where he'd seen her before. "Hey! You're Chantrelle from that vampire-worshiping cult thing!" He glanced nervously around, worried that maybe Gunn had betrayed him and sent him to a vampire cult.
"I was Chantarelle, but I'm Anne now. I was a fool then; I didn't realize the truth about vampires." the woman replied, and recognition blossomed in her eyes. "You're a friend of Buffy's, aren't you? I remember you in the club right before... You don't look like you've aged at all!"
Xander laughed with a slight edge of hysteria. "Funny story, that." Vampires turning human, ex-cult-members running shelters... "What kind of bizarro world is this?"
"Heh." Spike grinned under Anne's questioning gaze, pulling Xander close with an arm across his shoulders. "He's had a long day."
"Okay." She didn't look like she believed him, but they passed the vamp test so she couldn't very well kick them out now. "There's a couple cots empty, if you'll follow me." She led them to a room, and left them to settle down for the night. "Breakfast is at nine sharp."
"Thanks, Anne." Spike said as she left, sprawling out on one of the cots. Xander sat down gingerly on the edge of the other cot, still trying to grasp the situation.
The silence stretched for a several minutes before Spike murmured, "Hey. You okay?"
Xander snorted. "Just peachy," he answered in a monotone voice. Spike shrugged and was about to fall asleep when Xander spoke again. "So, you're human?"
Spike rolled onto his side so he faced Xander. "Yeah. There was a prophesy, called the Shanshu. Said that the vampire with a soul would have to endure the apocalypse and several trials before becoming a real boy."
"Huh." Xander said, nodding as he took the information in. "I'd have thought Angel would be first in line for that kind of a reward. Not that I'd like to see him rewarded, but..."
"He probably was." Spike grudgingly admitted, "But he signed it away, and seems like I got it." Xander was quiet, and Spike continued, "I don't know how much Gunn filled you in--"
"He gave me a brief summary of what's happened over the years." Xander said, and suddenly grinned. "Did you actually date Harmony?"
Spike groaned and buried his face in his cot while Xander laughed.
"""
Angel heard Gunn's footsteps and hurried to the door to let him in. "You're back."
"You can't pay enough to keep me away." Gunn replied with a grin, and shuffled his way into the lobby with a wince and a slight limp. He glanced around and whistled, the sound echoing in the space. "Nice upkeep. I thought it would be dustier."
"I have a cleaning company come in every other week while we were at Wolfram and Hart." Angel replied.
Just as Angel helped Gunn settle into a chair in the lobby, Illyria stalked in, Wesley's body in her arms. She laid him down gently on the couch across from Gunn's chair.
"I can't believe he's gone." Gunn said, unable to tear his eyes away from Wes.
"I do not understand." Illyria spoke, frustration apparent in her voice. "This should not be happening."
"Wes was human." Angel said, "Humans die. It happens, and we can't always stop it."
"No." Illyria shook her head, staring at him with unblinking blue eyes. "His body should be cold. It is not."
Angel's eyes widened and Gunn reached for Wesley's hand. "Man, she's right." Gunn exclaimed. "He's still warm... and I think I feel a pulse. It's really faint, but I think..."
Angel focused his senses on Wesley and was able to pick up an extremely slow heartbeat and very slow, shallow breathing. "He's still alive." Angel uttered, shocked. He took another look at the stab wound, which was indeed lethal. "How is this possible?"
"His heartbeat and breathing is not sufficient for a human to sustain life." Illyria said, "Despite this, Wesley is alive."
"""
TBC...