Return to Sender, Part One
Rating: PG-13
Author: Elsa Frohman
Feedback: elsa@frohman.net
Spoilers: Chosen
Summary: Getting Spike back from the beyond, version 238.



"I don't know. I'm sort of thinking Cleveland. Faith says she
wouldn't be caught dead in Cleveland, so someone's got to do
it."

Buffy had finished her story of how they had defeated the First,
closed the hellmouth and managed to destroy the city of
Sunnydale in the process. The topic had shifted to "what are you
going to do now?" The group was uncomfortably silent,
digesting the story of how Spike, once an unusually powerful
and evil vampire, had saved the world -- by his own choice,
through the sacrifice of his life.

Angel, sitting with his back to the bright windows of his
Wolfram & Hart office, cleared his throat. He was having
trouble looking Buffy in the eye.

"If you need any help relocating..." he said tentatively.

"Thanks, but I think we're good," the young woman replied,
having a similar problem making eye contact. "Dawn and I can
stay at my dad's apartment here in LA until he gets back from
Europe. That's a couple of weeks to get our feet under us. By
then we should have an idea of where we can settle out East. It's
not like we have a van full of stuff to move."

"Kennedy and I are going back to England with Giles," Willow
piped up, sensing her friend didn't want to talk any more, but
didn't have a comfortable exit from the conversation. "I want to
continue my studies with the coven."

"Oh, that sounds exciting," Winifred Burkel, better known as
Fred, chirped. "I've never been to England. Maybe I could come
visit you there sometime?"

"Um, sure... anytime," Willow said, not sure she really wanted it
to happen.

"I haven't been back over the pond for quite a while," Wesley
Wyndom- Price added. "Perhaps we'll drop in on you together."

"The more the merrier, and no better place to be merry than
merry old England," Willow replied with a smile that only
looked a little bit forced.

"Me, I've found a job up in Sacramento," Xander offered.
"Looks like at least six months of steady work. Just my luck, I
sign a lease on a furnished apartment with reasonable rent, and
right away I find a job somewhere else."

"OK, we'd better get going," Buffy said haltingly. "Dawn and I
have some heavy duty shopping to do."

"Sure," Angel said glumly. "Maybe we could get together
before you go..."

"Yeah, maybe... I'll give you a call."

Angel nodded, knowing that it wasn't going to happen.

The Sunnydale refugees moved for the door, but Xander held
back.

"You coming?" Buffy called back over her shoulder.

"Um... in a minute. I wanted to ask Wesley something. Tell you
what. You guys go on -- I'll catch a bus home."

Xander turned back to face Wolfram & Hart's new management
team. He fidgeted for a moment, adjusting his eye patch
nervously, unsure of how to start.

"There's something else," he said, at last. "Something else about
... Spike."

"Wonderful," Angel said, rolling his eyes. "I haven't heard
nearly enough of the heroic, world-saving deeds of the Platinum
Avenger. The fun just keeps on coming."

Fred frowned at her boss. He'd been controlling himself through
Buffy's narration. Now that Buffy was gone, he wasn't making
the same sort of effort.

"I thought he was family," Fred said.

"Family, yes... the kind of family that kidnaps you and has you
tortured. But no, that's not how it's been lately. Spike has a soul.
Spike is different. Spike saved the world..."

"And for the past three nights, he's been sleeping on my sofa,"
Xander said, rushing the words out.

The room went silent.

"Buffy doesn't know..." Angel said slowly.

Xander shook his head.

"Why?"

"Why is Spike staying with me, or why doesn't Buffy know?"

"Both... either..."

"Buffy doesn't know because every time I bring up calling her,
it's with the death threats and really scary faces. The whole 'I'll
make it so you can switch that eye back and forth between your
sockets,' thing. Why is he staying with me? I don't know. I
guess in kirlian photographs my aura spells out 'provides shelter
for homeless vampires,' except he isn't exactly a vampire
anymore either."

"Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning," Wesley
suggested.

"Three days ago, about eight a.m., I get a knock on my door. I
open up and there he is -- wobbling on his feet, looking like he's
about to fall down, standing in full sunlight. I help him inside
and get him laid out on the sofa, and go for the phone. 'I'm
calling Buffy!' I say. And he's up and between me and the phone
before I can take another step. I mean, full vampire speed. He's
glaring in my face. All he'll say is, "No Buffy!" Then as fast as
he got up, he's about to fall over again. So I get him settled
again, and he passes out.

"He's been more communicative -- especially after he got some
rest and something to eat -- but he says he doesn't have a clue
about why he's alive, or why he's alive, if you know
what I mean."

"Shanshu," Wesley said quietly.

"What-shu?" Xander asked.

"When the vampire with a soul has fulfilled his destiny, he is
rewarded by dying and returning as a human. We have a whole
prophecy about it," Wesley replied. "Of course, we thought it
was talking about Angel."

Angel laughed bitterly. "Yeah... all that time, thinking I had this
great destiny and reward waiting for me. But I was just the
decoy. Keep the forces of evil busy trying to take me out of the
game while the Powers were moving Spike up under the radar.
You know, sometimes the whole champion thing just sucks
rocks, you know what I mean?"

"Ah... I supposed so," Xander said uncertainly.

"I just thought someone ought to know. I'm leaving day after
tomorrow. Spike can have the apartment. The rent's paid up for
two months. But he's kind of ... I don't know... lost. Doesn't
know what he's here for, isn't sure what to do most of the time.
Kinda wanders around whining about his heartbeat annoying
him. I just thought someone ought to look in on him from time
to time."