Disclaimer:  All recognizable characters belong to Whedon, Greenwalt, ME, and the WB. 

A/N: This is one of my first fics, written during Season 3 and set before the Sleep Tight/Loyalty arc.  Therefore, please excuse the Wes/Fred shippiness (ugh) and the Mary Sues. :P

Ratings: Mentions of "the sex," so we'll go with PG-13 to be on the safe side.

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce felt his glasses begin to slide down his nose yet again.  Sighing, he pushed them back up to their proper position and used that distraction to look away from the text he was translating.  He glanced around the office, stretching and then refocused his attentions on the Torflakk scroll.  Cordelia had a vision two days earlier that the Torflakk demon clan would try to retrieve an Orb of Kaul from a former lair in downtown L.A tonight.  Angel was able to go and find it before they arrived, and later the demons would find a couple warriors with weapons instead.  But before that, Wesley hoped to discover the significance of the orb.

"Hey, Wes—whassup?  Any news on the Orb thing?"  Gunn entered the office, followed closely by a smiling Fred.

"Hi Wesley."

Fred sat in the visitor's chair, while Gunn perched on the end of the desk; both patiently waited while Wes finished translating a section, mumbling to himself and holding one finger in the air.  Finishing the sentence, he looked up at the two and smiled.

"I'm getting somewhere, but not nearly fast enough."  He paused, confused.  "What time is it?"

"8:30 AM," Fred replied, a concerned smile appearing on her face.

"No…"

"Yes.  Good morning, Wes.  Have you been working on this all night?" Gunn asked, laughing.

"Oh my good…yes.  I'm going home."

He stood and began to gather his papers together when Cordy joined the others in the office.  "Wes?  There's someone named Drew Carrington to see you."

"Drew?!  Send him in!"

Cordelia left, only to return shortly with a slightly older, dignified-looking man.  Wesley rounded the desk to shake his hand, greeting what appeared to be an old friend.  Turning to the others, he introduced the members of Angel Investigations.

"Everyone," he continued, "this is Andrew Carrington, my mentor when I was training with the Watcher's Council."

****

December, 1982

            Anne Trauer snuck over to her bedroom door and listened for sounds of activity.  Determined that her parents were indeed asleep, she picked up the phone in her room and dialed a familiar number.  The phone on the other end only rang once before it was answered.

            "Hello?" a British voice inquired.

            "Hey, it's me."

            "What's wrong?  Why aren't you here yet?"

            "Ugh, sorry.  My mom insisted we talk about my grade on that Biology exam.  Then, Mom and Dad got into a big fight.  I thought they'd never go to bed."

            "Is everything okay?"

            "As okay as always.  I'll do a quick sweep of the park before heading over to your place.  Jenny thinks she saw something suspicious there when she drove past with her mom earlier tonight."

            "Sure.  Do you want me to meet you there?"

            "No, I'll be fine.  See you soon."

            "You bet.  I love you."

            "Love ya, too."

            Anne hung up and then walked over to her bed, opening the Hope Chest at its foot.  She lifted out the false bottom and removed a stake.  Replacing the bottom, she glanced at a picture of her best friend, Jenny Samson, resting on top of various youthful treasures that belied the hidden contents below.  Jenny was the only on who knew that Anne was the Slayer, and often helped her out on big assignments, even though Anne worried terribly about her safety.  They had been best friends for years, though, and there were no secrets between them.  Not even about Anne's love affair with their History teacher, who just also happened to be Anne's Watcher.  It made sense to the three of them—not only were they close in age (Drew was a prodigal Watcher at age 23; she was mature well beyond her 17—and a half—years due to her Slayer experiences), but more importantly this love was meant to be.  They realized it after a few months, and they didn't care if it wouldn't be approved of—who knew how long a time they would have together?

            Anne stood resolutely and walked over to the open window.  Climbing onto a nearby tree branch while gripping the stake was difficult, but she had practice.  She dropped off the branch to the ground and ran quietly into the dark night.

****

            Nearly two hours after they had left for breakfast, the two Britons returned to Angel Investigations, laughing over some happy memory.  Angel was standing in the Hyperion lobby, trying to calm a fussy Connor; he turned to greet them, already informed of Drew's presence.

            "Hello, you must be Drew Carrington."

            "And you must be Angel.  Pleasure to meet you."  The two shook hands and Drew seemed reluctant to release his grip.  He stared curiously at Angel for a few seconds.  "Most intriguing."

            Wesley cleared his throat in an attempt to admonish his friend.

            "That's okay," laughed Angel.  "Would you like to see my game face?"  He immediately morphed into his vampire visage, causing Drew to step back in shock.

            Returning to his human face, Angel smiled at Drew, who could only manage a "huh."

            "This is my son, Connor, by the way."

            "Yes, Wesley explained everything to me.  Most curious, indeed."

            "So, what brings you to L.A.?"

            "Well, I recently retired from active service with the Watcher's Council and I've been doing some research in the south of France.  Unfortunately, I hit a rut in my research, and was trying to find a way out of it.  I found myself with the irresistible urge to visit my old protégé here, so there you are."

            "Well, you can stay here as long as you'd like.  Rent's, well, free."
            "Thank you.  I hope to hit some tourist spots, actually, so I might have to take you up on your kind offer."

            "Well, it just so happens that tonight we'll be in a charming old section of the downtown, hopefully surprising a group of Torflakk demons, so if you feel like joining us…"

            Drew laughed.  "Maybe I will."

****

            Anne sighed sadly as she leaned into Drew's arm.  She had just finished patrolling; she had only encountered one vamp, but unfortunately he had been an acquaintance.  Anne hated dusting people she actually knew—well, had known.  Drew tightened his grip at the sadness in her voice and looked down at her with sympathy.

            "I wish I could make it better."

            "You do." Anne leaned up for a kiss, which continued to grow deeper.

            They stretched out on the couch, and Anne hungrily kissed him, trying to forget her earlier actions.  However, after several minutes, Drew pulled away. They were at the level they usually stopped; Anne had never been in a relationship this serious before and Drew respected her decision to wait.  Tonight, though, Anne pulled him in for more.

To Be Continued.  Please review!