TITLE: Afterthoughts - Carpe Noctem
AUTHOR: Goddess Isa
EMAIL: goddessisa@aol.com
SUMMARY: Angel's in a hurry to get to Buffy
SPOILER: Carpe Noctem
RATING: TV-PG
DISTRIBUTION: http://planetslaythis.homestead.com
DISCLAIMER: Joss owns 'em. I don't.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I feel so freaking cheated that we don't get to see them meet. Anyone else agree?
10/23/01


"Angel, you cannot just run out of here late at night and—"

"I can and I will," Angel said. "I have to see her."

Wesley groaned.

"I think it's romantic!" Cordy exclaimed. "Buffy is his one true love, back from the dead and he's going to sweep her off her feet and kiss her, than drop her like a fish because it's too hard."

Angel glared at her, then went into his room to change.

"Am I wrong?" she asked, smirking.

"Prolly not, from what I've heard," Gunn said. "You guys have fun, I'm goin' home. Got me a date with Conan O'Brien."

"He's not really your type," Cordy teased.

"Bye, Gunn," Wesley said.

"Okay guys," Angel came back out in a clean blue shirt and his signature duster. "I'll be back when I'm back. Take care of things, and of Fred."

He was gone before they could say anything else.

"Um, guys?" Fred came in and tried to smile. "Who's Buffy?"

"It's a very long, very boring story," Cordy said brightly. "Come on. I'll tell it to you over tacos."

"I thought you didn't like tacos," Wesley mumbled.

"I don't, but I love the Mexican guy who sells them to us. Bye!"

When they were gone, Wesley sighed and picked up the phone. It answered on the first ring, and he smiled.

"Hello, Mr. Giles," he said as professionally as possible. "This is—"

"Wesley, I know. How are you?"

"I'm quite well, and yourself?"

"I seem to be overjoyed, at the moment."

"Yes, the news about Buffy is quite wonderful. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I trust you plan on staying on back in Sunnydale, now, yes?"

"What did you call for, Wesley?" Giles asked. He knew the small-talk would accomplish nothing but a rather high long distance phone bill for Angel.

"Well, I'm sure you know that Angel has gone off to meet Buffy."

"Yes, she's gone off as well. I believe they're meeting at a half-way point between our two cities."

"Should we be worried?" Wesley couldn't help asking. "I don't have a Thessulan Orb on hand at the moment."

"Neither do I, though Willow's been trying to get one into the shop for months now."

"What?"

"Nothing," Giles shrugged it off. "Are you really that worried about them?"

"To be honest Mr. Giles, I'm worried of the outcome if it doesn't happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Angel has....changed a lot, in the last year and a half. When Buffy died, he was finally getting back to his old self. Being delt that blow sent him to Tibet for three months, among other things. I'm not crazy about the idea of being his keeper or even Watcher, if you will, but I do worry. I know it goes against all things, but perhaps they truly do belong together."

"Since Buffy's returned, she's been mellow," Giles admitted. "It's had me rather scared. She's not herself, not that I completely would expect her to be, but...she seems to take solace in Spike."

"Crazy blonde vampire that was sired by Angel?" Wesley guessed.

"Right. Those two can talk for hours with no lapse in conversation, but she can't seem to say ten words straight to her own sister."

"Oh dear."

"It's gotten so that I wondered if we might be asking Angel to move back here when Buffy announced that she was ready to call him."

"She didn't do it right away?"

"No, no, she waited three or four days. I'm not really sure why. I get the feeling that she's not happy to be back here, Wesley. And I can't get into her mind to find out why."

Wesley took off his glasses and sighed. This was getting harder and harder to make sense of. "I do wish I could be of some assistance."

"I do appreciate you calling," Giles said. "The conversation was nice."

"I suppose this is like having allies on opposite ends of the battlefield," Wesley said. "Perhaps we should keep up correspondance, watch over our respective warriors."

"I agree," Giles said. "Good night, Wesley."

"Good night, Mr. Giles."

"Wesley?" Giles said before hanging up. "It's just Giles."

"Right. Good night, Giles." Wesley hung up and put his glasses back on. Then he got on the Internet and started looking for a website that sells Thessulan Orbs. If Angel and Buffy didn't get back together on their own, he was going to try and make it happen himself.