They lay side by side in their marriage bed. She trying to curl around him, but he was just so rigid. "Angel. It's OK. This is me. Your wife. Please?" she begged him, her voice shaking. Being rejected by him was terrifying. He tried to shake of the feeling of fear, but he couldn't. He was afraid. He had not been a vampire for over ten years, but the memories haunted him always. He wanted to be a mortal man, but he couldn't. He had made a choice. And here he lay. In a mortal man's bed, next to a mortal woman. What if...
Finally Temperance pulled away from him and sat up in the bed. Her fear had turned to anger. Thumping the pillows behind her with her fists and crossing her arms. He turned his head slightly. "We need to talk about this Angel" she said firmly. He turned away "I'm. I'm tired." he whispered. She pulled his arm "No. You're not. You are avoiding me. And this" she said gesturing at his body. "We are going to talk. You need to talk to me" she said her voice insisting. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Now Angel." she demanded.
Angel knew that there was no getting away from it. She had always been able to worm her way into his head. As she was now. Knocking on his brain, demanding to be let in. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He became aware of her staring at him. "I'd forgotten that you didn't breathe" she said quietly. He glanced down at his chest and watched it not rising and falling. Angel forced himself to take a large breath. "Don't do it for my sake. I'd just forgotten." she said, laying her hand on his chest. "And you're so cool. I remember when I used to lay my face on your chest when it was hot." He turned and stared into her eyes, so blue, glistening.
He pushed himself up and shoved a pillow behind his back. "OK. You're right. We need to talk. First. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did this to you. But you need to understand" Temperance raised a hand "You haven't done anything to me Angel. And I do understand why you've done this. Angela and I talked a lot over the last couple of weeks. A lot. But what I want to know is what happened to you. Angela wouldn't tell me. I want to know. I need to know. I want to know how Max was involved in all of this. And don't try to tell me he wasn't. I know he was. He told me. And Kathy was pushing odd things into my head at night. So, right now. You are going to tell me everything." Angel shuffled uncomfortably "I don't remember anything" he mumbled. She pulled his face to hers and stared into his eyes. "Tell me again you don't remember anything Angel. Tell me while looking at me, and I won't ask you again."
That was it. He was trapped. Backed into a corner. He could not lie to her. He'd done enough of that over the years and failed. She always knew. She could read him like a book. And part of him was glad. "OK. But it's not nice. I can't tell you that things went well Temperance. Because they really didn't. I became something bad."
Angel recounted everything he could remember about the last couple of weeks to her. He was honest. Brutally so. He could see the horror and the disgust in the back of her eyes, but she never said anything. He felt ashamed at times. But it was the only way.
"So Angelus came back. I mean, that didn't surprise me. He was always part of you, but the beast? I don't know what to think of that. It must have been terrifying for poor Angela." she hesitated "But what I don't understand is how Max changed it all?" she said, her brow furrowed and her eyes questioning. confused. Angel stared up at the ceiling. "I don't really understand it myself. I was a wild thing. so angry. I was literally a monster. I remember seeing him and wanting to just drain him." he glanced at her, apologetically. Her reaction resulting in one more thing to feel guilty about. "I didn't know who he was Temperance. I wouldn't have known you either. I wasn't me when I was chained to that wall." he sighed, but continued "I remember he came right up to me. With no fear. Like he knew who I was. I remember him reaching up and putting a hand on me." his voice catching in his throat.
"Temperance, it was like I was on fire. The pain. unbearable. Then all these flashes started. The room lit up like it was full of fireworks. My eyes were burning, my throat was on fire. And the pictures in my head. There were thousands of them. Right from the moment Max was born and I held him. Kathy. Cordy and Seeley. You. Oh you Temperance. You and your eyes. Our whole life was there in that child's hands. He pushed it all into me. Forced me to remember who I was." he trailed off.
Wiping a tear from his cheek, which was followed by another, and another. He turned and buried his face in her chest. The realisation of what he had gone through, breaking her heart. And the knowledge that he did it all for her and the children. To save them. To protect them. To fight for them. Temperance sat staring ahead, then slowly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him to her. Her own tears falling on his hair.
She had him back. That was all that mattered to her right now. And all because a ten year old boy had the courage to see his father trapped in a monster and call him back.