The Prophecy
"Let it be known that on the day that two Champions fall in love, and the lives of Innocents are threatened by an unstoppable force, as well as a triangle being broken by one, that this shall be the day that the Apocalypse draws dangerously close. Beware of the fallen Champion who will destroy The Prophecy that will save the Innocents and the rest of the world from an unbearable world worse than hell itself."
Part 3
"What's she doing here?" Angel growled. "Why's she tied up?" Fred flinched at Angel's outburst as Gunn stepped up. "Relax, man," he began. "We found her this way at the office." "We think Wesley did it while..." Fred supplied after seeing Angel's confused look. She trailed off, figuring she didn't need to explain the rest cause they all knew the rest. "That's, um...not the, uh, important thing...however." Fred stumbled nervously. Angel was almost afraid to ask, "What is?"
Fred outstretched her hand, which was holding a piece of paper. Angel stepped for ward and took it from her hand and noted how Gunn automatically intertwined his fingers with hers. He then looked down. "Wes' notes." He observed. "Look at the bottom." Fred told him quietly. By that time, Cordy and Lorne had walked up to glimpse at the paper.
Both Cordy and Lorne gasped as Angel read what was at the bottom of the page, circled in red. "No." he whispered as the words clouded his mind. "We think Wesley-" Fred stopped, however, when Angel raised his hand as a signal. The paper fell from Angel's hand, but Lorne quickly snatched it before it hit the ground. "I'm just gonna..." Lorne trailed off as he stepped aside to double check Wes' work.
"Angel." Cordy began as she grabbed his hand. "Don't." he snapped as he took his hand back fiercely. Didn't they realize that Connor was the one real thing he had? That it hurt so much to know that one of the people he trusts most in this cruel world went behind his back and took the one real thing he had? That Wesley had translated that he would kill his own son? Wesley had to be wrong.
"Wesley...he's been wrong before. Maybe-" Angel began, but was cut off by Lorne. "It's accurate," he said as he joined Angel again and looked at him grimly. "Sorry boss, but if you read everything...it just makes sense." Angel snatched the paper back and read the whole thing, trying to ignore the bottom that was screaming out at him. "Champions...force...triangle? When did this happen?" Angel asked with a confused tone.
Snatching the paper back, Lorne looked at Angel with a 'Duh' look. "Do you remember everything that's happened these past few days?" Lorne exclaimed. "Champions, you and Cordelia. Force, what almost destroyed the human race? Triangle, Fred choose...it's all there!" It all fit, and Angel hated admitting that. "Wesley has been tracking this for a while," Fred chimed in with an uncomfortable tone. "I helped him find a translation for one of those lines."
Angel sighed heavily and looked at the floor. "I'm so sorry." Fred whispered. Even though she was only a foot away, she sounded like she was farther than far. He felt alone, when he knew that he was anything but that. "What do you want us to do?" Cordy asked after a beat. "I'm not the boss." He simply said. "Unfortunately," Cordelia began softly. "Our boss is not available, Angel. We need to think of something."
Angel couldn't think. Not about anything except the aching he was feeling knowing that his son was not with him and he didn't know where he was. Deep down, he knew that Wesley had done this to protect Connor and Angel knew that he was safe, or at least hoped. "Angel?" Cordelia said again. "Find Wesley," Angel said suddenly. "All of you do whatever it takes to find him."
"Don't you even want to ask Lilah if Wolfram & Hart knows anything about this?" Gunn questioned. Angel looked up at her, still bound and gagged. "Do you know anything about this?" he asked lowly. Lilah shook her head. "Let her go." Angel whispered. The gang looked at each other with quizzical expressions. "But-" Gunn started, but stopped when Angel glared over at him and said, "Just go, find Wes."
"Come on." He motioned to Fred while still glaring back at Angel. Gunn led Lilah out the door with Fred trailing behind, looking torn between her boss and Gunn, whom Angel knew she cared about a lot. With a shrug, Fred turned and practically ran after Gunn. "You don't have to be so harsh." Cordelia muttered. Angel turned to face her, but she didn't look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the door where Gunn and Fred had just exited.
Angel glared at Cordelia. "When you have a son that isn't supposed to exist...and everyone wants to kidnap him, then one morning you wake up and he is gone and you discover that one of your most trusted friends may be responsible, then you can talk to me about how I'm supposed to feel." Cordelia licked her lips and pushed past Angel. "It feels like I have with your son." She muttered as she exited her apartment.
He sighed heavily and turned to Lorne. "I know you've checked your contacts-" "I'll do it again," Lorne interrupted. "I'm worried about leaving you alone though, boss. You need to get out of here."
Angel didn't reply. He just watched as Lorne left. After a minute, Angel looked at the clock. It read 6:47, night was coming soon. He watched the sun setting from one of Cordelia's dark corners. "Who says I'm staying?" Angel muttered as soon as the sunset.
***
"Charles?" "Not now." Gunn growled in a way that reminded Fred distinctively of Angel. Gunn was mad, mad that he had to let Lilah go. Fred wasn't really complaining about Angel's decision. She didn't like Lilah at all, yet she believed Lilah when she said that Wolfram & Hart knew nothing about Wesley's translation.
They had exited Cordy's building and were now walking towards Gunn's truck, but Fred didn't understand why Lilah was still with them. "Weren't you supposed to let her go?" Fred muttered. "Yeah," he laughed, not even bothering to look at her. "I'm gonna let her go and let her go back to Wolfram & Hart and tell them all about Angel's missing son."
"So...she's just going to tag along with us?" Fred asked. Gunn stopped. He looked at Fred with an expression that Fred didn't understand. He pulled her aside, away from Lilah and held her hand in his. "Not us." He replied quietly. Fred shook her head. "You're going after Wesley by yourself? You can't," Fred told him with force. "I won't let you."
Sighing heavily, Gunn released her hand and turned away. "This is how it's gonna happen, you will stay at the hotel where it's safe and I'll look for Wes, OK?" Gunn told her. Fred couldn't believe what she was hearing. Had Angel made Gunn that mad? "You'd rather have her with you than me," Fred whispered after a minute. "I get it, I understand. I never thought we were anything anyway."
"Don't do that," Gunn sighed. "I don't want to have to worry about you when I'm trying to do my job." Fred could tell that he regretted what he had just said. He opened his mouth, probably about to apologize, but he had already said it, and Fred didn't want to listen anymore. "Just take me to the hotel," Fred said sharply. "I don't want you to worry about me any more than you have to."
She brushed past him, not even bothering to look at him. Fred walked past Lilah to. She went straight to the truck and climbed in. She folded her arms across her chest and stared out the window, not moving her gaze as Fred and Lilah got in, as they drove through the slowly darkening streets of L.A., and not even when Gunn dropped her off at the hotel and drove away without saying a word.
"Let it be known that on the day that two Champions fall in love, and the lives of Innocents are threatened by an unstoppable force, as well as a triangle being broken by one, that this shall be the day that the Apocalypse draws dangerously close. Beware of the fallen Champion who will destroy The Prophecy that will save the Innocents and the rest of the world from an unbearable world worse than hell itself."
Part 3
"What's she doing here?" Angel growled. "Why's she tied up?" Fred flinched at Angel's outburst as Gunn stepped up. "Relax, man," he began. "We found her this way at the office." "We think Wesley did it while..." Fred supplied after seeing Angel's confused look. She trailed off, figuring she didn't need to explain the rest cause they all knew the rest. "That's, um...not the, uh, important thing...however." Fred stumbled nervously. Angel was almost afraid to ask, "What is?"
Fred outstretched her hand, which was holding a piece of paper. Angel stepped for ward and took it from her hand and noted how Gunn automatically intertwined his fingers with hers. He then looked down. "Wes' notes." He observed. "Look at the bottom." Fred told him quietly. By that time, Cordy and Lorne had walked up to glimpse at the paper.
Both Cordy and Lorne gasped as Angel read what was at the bottom of the page, circled in red. "No." he whispered as the words clouded his mind. "We think Wesley-" Fred stopped, however, when Angel raised his hand as a signal. The paper fell from Angel's hand, but Lorne quickly snatched it before it hit the ground. "I'm just gonna..." Lorne trailed off as he stepped aside to double check Wes' work.
"Angel." Cordy began as she grabbed his hand. "Don't." he snapped as he took his hand back fiercely. Didn't they realize that Connor was the one real thing he had? That it hurt so much to know that one of the people he trusts most in this cruel world went behind his back and took the one real thing he had? That Wesley had translated that he would kill his own son? Wesley had to be wrong.
"Wesley...he's been wrong before. Maybe-" Angel began, but was cut off by Lorne. "It's accurate," he said as he joined Angel again and looked at him grimly. "Sorry boss, but if you read everything...it just makes sense." Angel snatched the paper back and read the whole thing, trying to ignore the bottom that was screaming out at him. "Champions...force...triangle? When did this happen?" Angel asked with a confused tone.
Snatching the paper back, Lorne looked at Angel with a 'Duh' look. "Do you remember everything that's happened these past few days?" Lorne exclaimed. "Champions, you and Cordelia. Force, what almost destroyed the human race? Triangle, Fred choose...it's all there!" It all fit, and Angel hated admitting that. "Wesley has been tracking this for a while," Fred chimed in with an uncomfortable tone. "I helped him find a translation for one of those lines."
Angel sighed heavily and looked at the floor. "I'm so sorry." Fred whispered. Even though she was only a foot away, she sounded like she was farther than far. He felt alone, when he knew that he was anything but that. "What do you want us to do?" Cordy asked after a beat. "I'm not the boss." He simply said. "Unfortunately," Cordelia began softly. "Our boss is not available, Angel. We need to think of something."
Angel couldn't think. Not about anything except the aching he was feeling knowing that his son was not with him and he didn't know where he was. Deep down, he knew that Wesley had done this to protect Connor and Angel knew that he was safe, or at least hoped. "Angel?" Cordelia said again. "Find Wesley," Angel said suddenly. "All of you do whatever it takes to find him."
"Don't you even want to ask Lilah if Wolfram & Hart knows anything about this?" Gunn questioned. Angel looked up at her, still bound and gagged. "Do you know anything about this?" he asked lowly. Lilah shook her head. "Let her go." Angel whispered. The gang looked at each other with quizzical expressions. "But-" Gunn started, but stopped when Angel glared over at him and said, "Just go, find Wes."
"Come on." He motioned to Fred while still glaring back at Angel. Gunn led Lilah out the door with Fred trailing behind, looking torn between her boss and Gunn, whom Angel knew she cared about a lot. With a shrug, Fred turned and practically ran after Gunn. "You don't have to be so harsh." Cordelia muttered. Angel turned to face her, but she didn't look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the door where Gunn and Fred had just exited.
Angel glared at Cordelia. "When you have a son that isn't supposed to exist...and everyone wants to kidnap him, then one morning you wake up and he is gone and you discover that one of your most trusted friends may be responsible, then you can talk to me about how I'm supposed to feel." Cordelia licked her lips and pushed past Angel. "It feels like I have with your son." She muttered as she exited her apartment.
He sighed heavily and turned to Lorne. "I know you've checked your contacts-" "I'll do it again," Lorne interrupted. "I'm worried about leaving you alone though, boss. You need to get out of here."
Angel didn't reply. He just watched as Lorne left. After a minute, Angel looked at the clock. It read 6:47, night was coming soon. He watched the sun setting from one of Cordelia's dark corners. "Who says I'm staying?" Angel muttered as soon as the sunset.
***
"Charles?" "Not now." Gunn growled in a way that reminded Fred distinctively of Angel. Gunn was mad, mad that he had to let Lilah go. Fred wasn't really complaining about Angel's decision. She didn't like Lilah at all, yet she believed Lilah when she said that Wolfram & Hart knew nothing about Wesley's translation.
They had exited Cordy's building and were now walking towards Gunn's truck, but Fred didn't understand why Lilah was still with them. "Weren't you supposed to let her go?" Fred muttered. "Yeah," he laughed, not even bothering to look at her. "I'm gonna let her go and let her go back to Wolfram & Hart and tell them all about Angel's missing son."
"So...she's just going to tag along with us?" Fred asked. Gunn stopped. He looked at Fred with an expression that Fred didn't understand. He pulled her aside, away from Lilah and held her hand in his. "Not us." He replied quietly. Fred shook her head. "You're going after Wesley by yourself? You can't," Fred told him with force. "I won't let you."
Sighing heavily, Gunn released her hand and turned away. "This is how it's gonna happen, you will stay at the hotel where it's safe and I'll look for Wes, OK?" Gunn told her. Fred couldn't believe what she was hearing. Had Angel made Gunn that mad? "You'd rather have her with you than me," Fred whispered after a minute. "I get it, I understand. I never thought we were anything anyway."
"Don't do that," Gunn sighed. "I don't want to have to worry about you when I'm trying to do my job." Fred could tell that he regretted what he had just said. He opened his mouth, probably about to apologize, but he had already said it, and Fred didn't want to listen anymore. "Just take me to the hotel," Fred said sharply. "I don't want you to worry about me any more than you have to."
She brushed past him, not even bothering to look at him. Fred walked past Lilah to. She went straight to the truck and climbed in. She folded her arms across her chest and stared out the window, not moving her gaze as Fred and Lilah got in, as they drove through the slowly darkening streets of L.A., and not even when Gunn dropped her off at the hotel and drove away without saying a word.
