Wesley was sitting in his office, trying to pay attention to the book in front of him. He hadn't completely lied to Angel; two texts mentioning the Kuunchadri legend had been delivered on Monday. Just a small misplacement of the truth. He felt excited to see Buffy, and even Oz, though he barely knew the young Werewolf. Mostly, he was excited that he had visitors, old friends that had nothing to do with the tiresome state of his present life.
It had taken all week, but he'd finally translated the prophecies surrounding the legend. He'd called the A.I. Team down from their various hotel rooms an hour ago to share his findings, unashamedly using the translation to get them into place for Buffy's surprise arrival. He supposed he should feel guilty for setting up his colleagues, but he just couldn't resist. Angel, as expected, became even more concerned for Buffy once Wes had read them the translated text. The souled vamp immediately began making plans for the Team Angel to go to Sunnydale and help her.
Cordelia had proceeded to scream at Angel for an hour about his never-ending obsession with Buffy, an interesting charge given her own similar obsession. Wes smiled at the thought of the upcoming confrontations, wondering exactly when he'd become so devious. Oh yes, when his throat was slit and his 'friends' abandoned him. He hoped his mischief wouldn't cause Buffy undo stress, but it was obvious to him that her sun didn't rise and set around the broody vamp anymore. He listened idly as Cordy began regaling them with stories about every mistake Buffy had ever made --- world-savage 'don'ts' and fashion victim moments alike.
"Hey Wes," she called out. "Remember when Little Miss Saves The World said you scream like a woman and then fired you? Oh wait, that wasn't a mistake, it was probably the smartest thing she ever did."
"What's this? Having an episode of 'Buffy's Biggest Bloopers' without me?" a cool voice inquired from the doorway. Every head turned to stare at the Slayer and the Werewolf in shock, captivated by the stunning image they presented: from their nearly matching clothing to their gleaming, magical tresses. Angel came bounding down the stairs at the sound of her voice. "Cordelia," the Slayer continued, "I'd have to say my biggest mistake was saving your face when Marcie tried to carve it up with a scalpel. You obviously didn't learn your lesson."
"Buffy?" Angel gasped out, as per usual.
To everyone's surprise, she ignored him and sauntered over to Wesley, enveloping the ex-Watcher in a warm hug. "Wes, you're dashing as always. The nitty gritty looks good on you." She reached out to tickle his ever-present scruff.
"Hello Buffy, you look gorgeous," he replied, immensely grateful. It seemed she'd caught on to his little game immediately, and was playing it up for his benefit. "And your hair, it's incredible, how'd you do it?"
She grinned, hazel eyes flashing while her hair shimmered around her. There was no denying her power, and it made Wes happy to finally see her so comfortable in her own skin. "Helps when your stylist is a Sorceress," she confided.
Wesley looked beyond her to the Werewolf, noting his equally magical silver do. It suited him. "Hello Oz, I'm so glad you two could make it. I see you've met Buffy's stylist."
Oz glanced at Buffy, and was pleased that she appeared highly amused with the whole situation. He came to stand beside her, and shook hands with Wesley. "Good to see you, man." The three exchanged a conspiratorial grin before turning to face the rest of the Hyperion's occupants.
Fred turned to Gunn and whispered, "Do we know him?"
Buffy stepped forward, pulling Oz with her. "It's nice to see you all."
"I'm Oz," the Werewolf added.
The brunette smiled. "Fred, nice to meet you."
"Same here, man," her companion added. "Name's Gunn."
"Zeb showed up in Sunnydale last weekend," Buffy explained.
Fred looked confused. "Zeb?"
The Slayer pulled up short. "Oh, sorry." She turned to Oz. "I didn't even realize I…"
"It's cool, I like it."
"Anyway," she continued. "We decided to pay a little visit to Wes," she finished up brightly.
"I love your hair," Fred complimented. "Both of you." She couldn't help but sneak a peek at Cordelia, whose locks were still bleached in a shoddy facsimile of Buffy's former color.
Angel was watching this byplay, irritated at being ignored. "Buffy," he began, putting just the right inflection on it. "How are you doing? You look wonderful." He came forward, arms outstretched to embrace her, but a voice from the hotel's main entrance stole her attention.
"Is that my little Cream Puff?" Lorne asked with a big grin.
"Lorne!" Buffy exclaimed, and once again to everyone's surprise, she rushed past Angel and into the anagogic demon's waiting arms. "I'm so glad you came over." He spun her around in a circle, laughing, both of them oblivious to the shocked expressions they were getting from Team Angel.
Placing her back on her feet, he hugged her tightly. "Well, Sugarplum, when you said you'd be in town for the day, how could I resist?" Pushing her gently to arm's length, he gasped. "Oh, Kyon, you're a dream! The hair is perfect. What'd Dear Jezza say, 'equal parts dark and light, and both are beautiful'?"
She giggled, and several mouths dropped. "That's exactly what she said, how'd you know?"
"Some things are just obvious, even without a song. And you," he turned to Oz, extending a hand. "It's alright friend, I like puppies."
Oz approached, and Buffy introduced them. "This is Lorne, alias The Host. Lorne, this is Oz, known in some sectors as Master Zebinchak."
Lorne laughed. "I get it. Probably got lovely silver eyes to match the hair, right Sweetcakes? Dearie wanted to help you see the OzWolf."
Oz grinned back. "So you're the one who sent the Furies to Bert and Ernie's bar and Jezza's Place. Sunnydale has definitely improved in my absence." His eyes slid over to meet Buffy's. "Kyon's told me a lot about you. I'd love to see Caritas if we get the chance." The A.I. Team watched this exchange in silence, lost, and realizing that there was a large part of the anagogic demon's life that they knew nothing about.
"Who's Kyon?" Fred asked curiously.
"The Cream Puff is Kyon," Lorne answered, pointing at Buffy. "They call her Kyontar in the Underground. Means Goddess of Protection." He caught everyone's confused looks at his mention of the Underground, but didn't explain.
Angel just continued to glower, waiting impatiently to get Buffy alone. Something was off about her. There was no trace of the vulnerable, airy young girl that was his Buffy. She was all warrior right now, from her attitude to her clothes and glowing hair. As though she'd embraced the darkness in her nature. And how did she become best buddies with Lorne? HIS contact. Not to mention her chumminess with Wes, the traitor.
"Well that's great," Cordy smirked. "Now we can stop calling you a 'real' name and pretending you're a 'real' girl."
"Cordy!" Fred exclaimed, embarrassed at her friend's rudeness. She glanced apologetically at Buffy. Cordelia hadn't always been this way. At least not completely. But her jealousy over the beautiful woman in front of them had warped her over time. Fred knew that Cordy had been in love with Angel for years, and existed constantly in the Slayer's shadow. But that was Angel's fault, not Buffy's.
"It's OK, Fred," Buffy assured her. "I stopped pretending to be a real girl a long time ago. I've gotten used to people not approving of me."
Queen C pounced. "You mean in that empty house where you live all by yourself because your Watcher and your friends couldn't stand the 'real you' and left town?" Everyone gasped, but she wasn't finished. "Come to think of it, making people leave town seems to be a specialty of yours." She smirked triumphantly at Buffy.
Angel growled and leapt protectively in front of the Slayer. "That was uncalled for. Apologize." He glared at Cordelia.
"Thanks, 18th Century Guy, your horse and buggy are waiting outside," Buffy snapped sarcastically. "Put your fangs away, Angel, I can fight my own battles."
Fred and Gunn snickered, but Angel turned on Buffy, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek. He was determined to snap her out of this fake persona she'd adopted. He decided that she must be angry about his relationship with Cordelia, but he thought he'd made it clear in the past that it wasn't serious. Otherwise, he'd be Angelus right now. "I don't understand," he murmured softly, trying to regain the connection they'd always shared.
"Of course he doesn't," Cordy seethed in the background. "Whenever precious Buffy is around, his brain jumps out the window."
"And on that note," Buffy said dryly, with a smirk at Oz. "Wes, Lorne, you owe me lunch." She grabbed Oz's hand and headed for the door.
"Hello? Too big for your britches, much?" Cordy exclaimed from her seat behind the front desk. "You can't waltz in here and start giving out orders, Buffy. Just because you've finally embraced your inner freak of nature doesn't mean you can push us around."
Buffy turned to stalk towards the former cheerleader, a feral grin on her face. Everyone flinched, but no one made a move to stop her. "OK, Cor, we'll do this your way," she said sweetly. "After all, it's not your fault you never learned to interact with people without getting paid first."
Cordelia shrieked at the implication. "Angel, are you gonna let her talk to me like that?" The vamp in question was still in shock over how summarily Buffy had dismissed him. "Do something!" Cordy ordered him.
Buffy ignored her and leaned casually against the desk to rifle through her purse. Pulling out her checkbook, she leaned over to fill it out. "I know you'd prefer cash, but I don't make a habit of carrying that much around," she murmured, handing over the check and smirking as Cordy verified the amount. "Now I can order you around, right?" she continued brightly. "Lucky for you, all I want is for Wes and Lorne to accompany me to lunch. We've got business to attend to."
Angel finally regained his faculties and took charge. "Lorne stays here," he said. "He has to do a reading."
Lorne blanched. "You didn't mention anything to me, Angelcakes."
"Well it came up this morning. And Wes knows he isn't allowed to be alone with the clients." The sooner he broke this up, the better. His face softened then. "Why don't you and I go out for lunch, Buffy?" he pleaded. "We'll go through the tunnels. We can talk and make plans for my team to go back to Sunnydale with you." He turned to Oz. "You can stay here and help Wes research," he commanded.
Buffy stared at him in amazement, and then turned away, once again ignoring him completely. "Wes, Lorne, would you like to go to lunch with me?" she asked, fixing them each in her gaze and silently asking how far they wanted her to go with this. They both nodded firmly at her with small smiles, and then turned to grin at each other, sharing their glee that this fierce warrior was crossing Angel on their behalf. "I'll take that as a yes," she concluded.
Angel spoke, tone quiet and threatening. "Wes, we had an understanding that your position here is contingent on you toeing the line. My line. I'm willing to overlook your lie about the phone call, but I won't overlook this."
To his shock, Buffy burst out laughing. At him. "Oh God, you're a hoot and half, Angelus. Could you contemplate getting over yourself for a minute?" The rest of the hotel's occupants were glued to the exchange, wondering if it would end in violence.
"I'm not Angelus," he growled.
"Pity," she replied. "I think I liked him better. At least he had a reason to act like an arrogant asshole."
Blinking, incapable of processing this information, he didn't speak for a moment. Then, he tried to appeal to her softer side again, face wounded and needy. "Buffy, you don't know what he did…"
She waved a hand carelessly to cut him off. "Of course I do. You told me the whole sordid tale. Over and over again, I might add." Gunn chuckled in the background and tried to cover it with a cough. "Wes made a mistake, it was years ago, get over it."
He stalked towards her, hoping to intimidate her into backing down. "You don't know what it's like to be betrayed that way. To lose your son…"
The Slayer's eyes grew cold and hard at his words. "I don't know?" she murmured softly, her tone more dangerous than the vampire's bluster. "Did you forget about when Giles drugged me for the Cruciamentum? And what about Dawn? The monks made her out of ME. What did Giles do just weeks after mom died? He told me to kill her to save the world. Even threatened to do so himself. So don't tell me I don't know about betrayal. But I've wronged him, too, so we got past it. He was trying to do the right thing; he was just misguided. We're all misguided, Angel. You most of all." She gave a disgusted sigh and strode rapidly out of the hotel. Oz, Wes, and Lorne immediately followed.
"That chick knows how to make a great entrance AND exit," Gunn said admiringly as the rest of Team Angel stared after her.
"Well, you certainly caused a stir, Twinkie," Lorne said with a grin once they'd settled into a booth at the restaurant he recommended.
"I, for one, enjoyed every second," Wesley added with an uncharacteristic expression on his face.
"Wes, are you smirking?" Buffy demanded.
"Quite possibly," he retorted, feeling some of the weight slip from his shoulders for the first time in years. The Slayer and the Wolf exchanged a pleased smile.
"They seem pretty wound," Oz commented. "Are they always like that?"
Lorne spoke up. "I've read Angelcakes and 'Delia a few times over the years, and they've strayed from the path, boys and girls."
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, fascinated.
"The mission isn't first anymore. He's chasing Connor and the Shanshu prophecy, while she's chasing him and power, though not necessarily in that order."
"Shanshu?"
Wes spoke up. "It's a prophecy we found during our first year in L.A. It speaks of the vampire with a soul earning the ultimate reward once he's achieved redemption. I'm afraid it's consumed him over the past few years."
"What's the reward?" the Slayer asked, afraid of the answer.
"He'll become human," the ex-Watcher explained gently.
Buffy was stunned. Angel had never mentioned this. Suddenly, she could feel Oz tapping at some internal door within her, and felt compelled to make eye contact. She stared intently at him, and he knew she was wondering how he'd gotten her attention. He shrugged slightly, and then held her gaze, wanting to see how she was handling Wes' revelation. Her lips quirked a little and she shrugged back, indicating that she was thrown, but dealing. He gave a brief smile in return, and they turned their attention back to their companions, who were staring at the duo in astonishment.
"You two had better be careful," Lorne warned with considerable amusement. "When you get all trance-y and connected like that, your inner Zeb and Kyon peek out." At their confused looks, he indicated their eyes.
"Huh, I didn't even notice yours change," Buffy told Oz, and he nodded in agreement. He tilted his head at her in question, and she shook her own slightly. "Later," she said aloud. Lorne and Wesley exchanged a knowing look, but kept their thoughts to themselves.
"So…" Wes prompted.
"Right, Shanshu," she replied, focusing. "A question. If Angel's working for a specific reward now, doesn't that negate the concept of redemption?" She looked around at their faces. "Did that make any sense?"
"It did," the ex-Watcher replied with a small smile. "I came to the same conclusion."
"Which means," Oz added thoughtfully, "that his fixation on the reward will pretty much ensure that he never reaches it."
"To make matters worse, I've had suspicions for years that the prophecy isn't real. That it was created by Wolfram and Hart, who've been working to corrupt Angel to their side. Given my past mistakes, I'd know better than anyone about the dangers of false prophecies," Wes added self-deprecatingly. "I've tried to discuss it with him, but he made it clear that he'll never trust me again," he concluded bitterly.
"I can't believe he's naïve enough to think the Powers would reward him," Buffy murmured. "And when did he start thinking he deserves a reward?" She shook herself from these thoughts and changed directions. "Enough about him, it's 'get down to business' time."
"You mean why you really came today?" Wes questioned curiously.
"Yes." She reached out for his hand. "I know it's a big surprise, since just last week I was being my normal, avoid-y girl self…"
"Buffy," Wes squeezed her hand. "You don't have to…"
She cut him off. "Please, just let me get through this, OK?" He nodded, so she continued, feeling comforted by the Werewolf's presence beside her. "You've helped me so much these past few years. And you never demanded a thing from me. And I…" she paused, searching for the right words. "I'm so afraid that I've been using you, like Angel. That you might not realize how much I respect you and care about you. It's been pointed out to me," she tossed a smile at Oz, "that we need each other. I know I need you, and Wes, I'm so sorry that I haven't shown it. So many people have been hurt, killed, or emotionally ruined just for being in my life. And when they all either died or left me, I decided I'd never let it happen again. That I'd face my fate alone like a Slayer should."
Wesley felt tears spring into his eyes, amazed at how much this young woman was capable of making him feel. He'd become so numb following his near death, and had held onto that numbness fiercely to protect him from the hurt administered daily by his former friends. "Dearest, I never thought you were using me," he murmured. "And I understood why you kept me at arm's length. I've just always wished that I could find a way to help you."
As one, they jumped up from their seats and wrapped their arms around each other, each reveling in the simple act of physical comfort that had been sorely missing from their lives. They wore twin expressions of relief and hope on their faces, causing Oz and Lorne to exchange victorious grins.
