Why now?
Why did he have to come.
Benjamin Wyndham Pryce, golden child of the high class Wyndham Pryces. Ben was the pride of their fathers eyes and Wesley hated his guts.
Everything in his life was just coming together, perfectly at that. He had a life he could be proud of, people to care about. He was happy, truly happy for the first time in his life... and then Ben came over.Ben the diplomat, Ben the attaché of the ambassador.
His younger brother who'd gone through Watcher schooling only to forget all about it as soon as he'd had the chance.
Ben who thought he was the smart one, seeing through the superstition and using the Watcher council as a tool for his career. Wesley knew his brother mocked with him, with his belief in the reality of his Watcher calling.
Even when he had the honor of being the watcher of not one, but two
Slayers, Ben had mocked it.
It had been the only moment in both their lives that Jack Wyndham Pryce had
even been remotely proud of his oldest son and Ben had made a mockery of it.
Calling it a 'glorified babysitting job'.
Wesley hadn't even considered calling him when he was fired.
Despite that, Benjamin was the first to call him afterwards.
Pretending to be nice, to give him a work permit for his stay in the States.
While showing his contempt, letting him know that their father didn't even
consider talking to him.
Where had he, where had the family been when he'd really needed them? When he
couldn't cough up the airfare to get home.
Where had they been then?
Probably trying to destroy all evidence that he'd ever been a part of the family.
So here the man was, sitting in 'Wesley's' chair, in 'his' office, sipping 'his' coffee and chatting with Wesley's friends. Making tall tales about his assignment with the British consulate.
"Wesley old chum."
The smirk on Benjamin's face looked so damn dignified,
"Now I finally understand why you didn't come home."
He gave Cordelia an appraising look.
"With a beauty such as this around, even California can become tolerable."
"Benjamin."
Wesley tried to make his voice sound as non-committal as possible. He sat down
in the corner, glaring at Benjamin who was relaxing on Wes' comfortable chair
while enjoying the sight of Cordy, who sat on the desk in front of him.
"What can I help you with." the ex-watcher held in his temper
with true British stoicism and turned towards his brother.
"Nothing, can't a guy visit his only brother. His only relative on this
whole godforsaken continent?" Ben gave a short pout. Wesley didn't
believe it for a second.
"Besides. I thought I might do you a favor."
Wes knew better than to just accept Bens favors. They always came with
strings attached.
"Well I have this small problem that requires discrete handling. It is
nothing serious really, but since you 'are' my brother." Ben made it
sound as if he was forced to admit it. "I thought I might let you and
your friends of course, here handle it."
The younger Brit smiled for a second. Adding as a matter of fact.
"It's small enough a thing, even you shouldn't be able to mess it
up."
Wesley was about to refuse when Cordelia cheerfully accepted it for them all.
"Cordy, we can't... " Angels voice was almost a relief.
"Of course we can."
"But this isn't..."
"It's paid." Then she turned to Benjamin. "You are paying,
right?"
Benjamin gave them his all time charm look.
"Of course, I wouldn't consider not giving some measure of recompensation,
my pretty."
Then he waved his hand as if thinking of something unimportant.
"Oh you mean that whole supernatural bulshit. You're not going to tell me
you're all taking poor deluded Wesley here serious about that? Just like
Irena. She believed in it as well.
Look where it's gotten her now. In some kind of Satanic cult. "
"What's wrong with Irena?"
In a world where he'd hated, well disliked almost every person he met, Irena,
his brother's wife, was the only one he actually cared about. The
thought of something having happened to her, he shuddered to think about it.
"What do I know? I don't run in that kind of circles that she
does." 'That you do', the man luckily didn't add.
"Why do you think I want your help in the first place?"
Wesley got up.
"We'll take the case." He said, his voice completely under control,
"for Irena's sake."
Wesley knew he wasn't the greatest man in human history, but neither was
his brother, no matter how much he acted like it.
"So what happened?"
"I'm not sure. Irena was dabbling in witchcraft. I told her to stop it
after we married. Imagine the shame if someone found out... She refused. I had
all this work, what was I supposed to do? Give up my carreer to hold her hand
all the time. I mean she had no reason to get angry just cause I forgot one
wedding anniversary."
He snorted a moment.
"I'd planned an important meeting, she shamed me by opening the door in
lingerie."
The disgusted look in his eyes spoke enough.
"The sheer thought of it. Repulsing."
Wes could barely hold in a grin at the thought. Irena had always been a bit open in her affections. To the regret of her husband of course.
"She just slammed the door in front of my nose and refused to come out of the room. When she finally did, she had her suitcases packed and was leaving the house. Leaving me."
Wesley couldn't feel sorry for his brother. He still remembered Irena's complaints about last year and the year before that and ... Not to mention all the birthdays, the plans ... He was surprised the woman had held on as long as she had.
Wesley forced himself to listen to his brothers angry ramblings.
"I finally found her. She was living with some witches over in West
Hollywood. They called themselves the sisters of Grestnah ... whatever. I need
proof that they're forcing her to stay there. Anything to get the police to
take her away from that place. Can you imagine the disgrace if this comes
out."
"The sisters of Greznich?" Wesley could hear the respect in Angels
voice. A respect not easily gained.
Benjamin snorted. Not really caring. But Cordy looked at them surprised, wondering where she could have possibly heard the name before.
"The weavers of fate Cordelia." Wesley could barely believe it.
The tree sisters had finally chosen a third. Irena. He marveled at the
thought, but then... Irena had always been open to the new, to the unknown.
"It is an incredible honor. They ... " he gasped for a second.
"they don't usually recruit amongst humans."
"There's nothing we can do." He whispered softly but
audibly.
"What!!" Benjamins face stood in fury. "Are you a fool. They
must be forcing her. She'd never disgrace me like that out of her own free
will. She'd know that I ..."
Wes looked at him, facing him of.
"That you'd hurt her?"
Wes couldn't believe it. He'd known his fathers treatment of their mother.
Benjamin had seen it too. The Watcher council had never done anything against
it. It was all part of life that got covered with the mantle of duty. How
could Ben even consider doing the same to his wife. How could no one stop it.
"That's what this is about isn't it Ben?
Not that something could be wrong with her. But that people could find out
what you're doing to your wife. That she dared stand up against you."
Ben got up as well. "That's none of your business." he growled.
"I'm sorry Benjamin. But we are 'not' going to stalk her for your
pleasure."
"Why you ... I'll have you deported. I'll ..."
"You'll what? Wesley could barely believe his ears, nor his brothers
words.
"Who do you think you are anyway. Have you forgotten who I am?"
Wesley got closer to him, leaning over the desk, staring at him. His fists clenched around the table.
"Who you are?" Wesley remembered standing up against Faith over a
year ago, facing of demons with nothing more than a crossbow or an ax to
protect him.
"What might that be then ... now. You're nothing more than a desk clerk
at the embassy."
Ben lost his calm at that.
"Well at least I'm not some idiot who managed to get kicked out of the
worlds oldest British D&D club for being careless with their Prize
players. What did you do to make them fire you anyway? What did you Wesley? I
mean look at you. So desperate for a job that you're now forced to ... "
"I'm not forced into anything. I'm doing exactly what I wanted to do. And it's damn more important than whatever the hell kinda forms you're working on."
Ben snorted but Wesley didn't let him.
"Do you know what business we are in Benjamin? We save lives, we save
souls. How many times have you saved people lately? How many persons have you
helped? What have you been doing." he scoffed at Bens angry look.
"Other than carrying the ambassadors case and organizing his
parties."
Ben snorted again, but Wesley knew he had him.
"You have no reason to look down on me. Now get the hell out of
here."
Wes stood straight. Pulling up his collar and straightening his shirt.
"Angelus show him the door."
"Why you?" Benjamin wanted to pull back his arm, only to stare in
Angels 'vampire' face. God bless that vampire.
"You heard what mister Pryce said."
Benjamin stared at the vampire, stuttering something. Cordelia put his
jacket over him and opened the door as Angel dragged him out.
"Goodbye mister Pryce."
Wesley had never been happier in his life and no matter what Ben would most
definitely tell the family, no matter what his father would say, they could
never take this moment away from him. What they thought no longer mattered.
He knew that he was doing something important.
And that's all he needed to know.