Title: A time to dance
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own these characters, I simply write about them for pleasure
Summary: After Angel leaves Cordy stranded alone on the dance floor, Wesley fills Angel in on some information he should have shared earlier.
Spoilers: Events up to and including "Epiphany"
Author's note: Not a lot of romantic pondering in this part. This is the angsty and the 'curse-breaking' bit. Once we get that stuff over with we'll get back to the mushiness for the concluding chapter (titled "The Soul"). I tried to make my 'solution' to the 'happiness' curse a little different by placing the emphasis back on the Gypsies who originally placed it. Oh well, one can only try, these things are always up to individual interpretation.
--------------------------
A time to dance
Part III - The Heart
By Aphrodite Sky (
Wesley and Gunn watched as Angel ran from the crowded nightclub. Wesley glanced back to Cordy to see she was trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears.
"Gunn," Wesley said, "go help Cordy. I am going to follow Angel. I need to talk to him. Now." With that Wesley rose from his seat and hurriedly pushed his way through the throng of people blocking the exit.
------
Angel didn't remember exactly how he got back to the Hotel; his thoughts were just too chaotic. How could I have let her get so close? I thought I'd seen the end of this recklessness when I let Darla go. He collapsed into a wing chair and closed his eyes, the ache threatening to overcome him.
The 'Powers That Be' had given him so much to look forward to, so much promise. At this moment, though, he would give it all up - even his chance to become human again - for the opportunity to give in to love. 'True Happiness' - it was a term full of nuances, of ambiguities. As Angel had discovered over the span of his existence - nothing was ever black or white - it was always grey.
-------
Cordy found herself plastered to the spot. Her feet wouldn't move. Angel had been there. He'd kissed her. No, Cordy thought, he did more than kiss me. He liberated me - released me from the angst I had held inside me. Then he left - some trite excuse, then nothing. He was gone.
Someone gently holding her elbow tore Cordy, mercifully, from her thoughts. Turning quickly, hoping against all hope that Angel had returned, Cordy came face to face with Gunn. Trying not to show disappointment she forced herself to smile. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to maintain that smile when she saw the look of concern - Or should that be pity, she noted bitterly - on Gunn's face.
"Cordy, are you okay?" Gunn asked.
He's concerned about my mental state, Cordy was sure. It's not as if I'm going to jump off a building just because I've been dumped. I mean, I've had failed romances before. Despite herself, she flinched slightly at the memory of her breakup with Xander.
"Where is Wesley," Cordy asked with a decided firmness to her voice. " I thought he had told Angel. After all, it's been three weeks since he came back." She looked through the haze of the nightclub to where Wesley had been sitting with Gunn. "Wesley! Wesley Wyndam- Pryce, show yourself!" Cordy's voice was so loud that several people around her turned and stared.
"Cordy," Gunn said as he grasped her elbow tighter. When she did not respond Gunn physically turned her face, so she was looking at him. "Wesley is not here. He's following Angel to wherever it is he's running to."
Cordy blinked several times, trying to get her thoughts under control. In the space of a couple of minutes, she had gone on a roller coaster of emotions. From almost pure happiness to grief to anger. When I get my hands on Wesley, I'm going to rip his ear lobes off. He was supposed to have fixed Angel's little 'happiness' problem by now. Cordy again felt her knees begin to buckle, this time not from joy, but fear. I thought Angel must have known, why else would he kiss me like that.
Gunn tore her from her thoughts as he guided her towards the exit. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Gunn wasn't sure what Cordy was feeling. He decided the best idea was to get Cordy, Angel and Wesley together in one place so they could sort out this mess. Where would Angel go? After running through several options in his mind, Gunn determined that the Hyperion was the most likely place to start.
-----
As Wesley followed Angel back to the Hotel, he rehearsed what he was going to say once he caught up with him. It's not going to be easy, Wesley decided. Yet, I should have told him earlier, for Cordy's sake.
Wesley still wasn't sure what - if anything - he was going to tell Angel about the visitor he had discovered on his doorstep several weeks ago. Wesley had been holding onto this information all through the 'Darla Incident', as he thought of it. It had been easy to do then, but now that Cordy was - uh , involved - it made matters more urgent.
-----
After entering the foyer of the Hyperion, Wesley approached the figure slumped in a chair.
"Angel? I - uh - need to talk to you about something," he said quietly.
"Go away, Wesley. There is nothing you can say to me that I've not already heard," Angel's voice was soft, full of hurt.
"I'm not going until you hear me out. This is something you need to hear. Something I've been holding onto until I was sure you were ready for it. You've been 'unavailable' to Cordy, Gunn and me for quite a while. I wasn't prepared to give you this information until I was sure you were not going to 'revert to type', as it were."
He was rambling. He knew he was, but Wesley was nervous, very nervous. This 'tid bit' of news would have lasting effects on the people he cared most about - Cordy and Angel. Most of all, he was scared. Scared that this new life he had gained in LA, with his first real friends was going to change after he shared this revelation. He was never really good at 'change'.
"Wesley!" Angel's voice was raised in frustration. "Leave me alone. There is nothing you can do for me. You know I can't afford to let myself get any closer to Cordy than I already have. I may have already gone too close," Angel sighed. "I feel happier than I have in a long time. You know how dangerous it is for me to be happy," he sighed again. "I don't want to let this get beyond……" his voice cracked, emotion threatening to overcome him. A maelstrom of feeling pounded at his centre. This is too close to the edge, he told himself. How ironic. I try to lose my soul with Darla, fail, only to fall for Cordy and start the whole disaster all over again. Am I fated to be forever in pain? When will I have atoned for my past atrocities? Angel found no solace in the Scroll of Aberjian's promise of humanity. He wanted it now. Needed it now.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door slamming. Cordy and Gunn appeared in the doorway, Cordy's high-heeled shoes echoing throughout the room and she stalked towards them.
"Wesley - you slimy, good-for-nothing, short-sighted Englishman. Weren't you supposed to tell Angel something?" she accused. Her hands on her hips, she wasn't finished with him yet. "I thought the idea was to tell him and do the spell thingy, so he wouldn't have to worry about the soul-losing problem." Cordy stared daggers at Wesley, making him flinch under her gaze.
"Uh, Cordy. The subject - uh - had not come up. I thought I'd just wait a little longer to make sure that - "
" - You could cause the most pain, suffering and inconvenience for everybody?" Cordy finished for him.
Wesley tugged at his jacket nervously as he faced down his friends. He turned to see Angel looking at him, an unreadable look on his face.
"What is she talking about, Wesley?" Angel asked. "What spell?"
Wesley grimaced and re-adjusted his glasses, "Well, it seems that the local Gypsy 'chapter' - I suppose you would call them - have been keeping a close eye on your work with the needy of LA. They have had someone watching you since you have been here." He walked over to a chair opposite Angel and sat down.
Angel straightened in his chair, looked at Cordy - who was still glaring at Wesley, "Go on, Wesley"
"This Gypsy 'follower' approached me at our new office about a month ago, while you were - uh - busy with Darla. It seems that this fellow had favourably reported your activities back to the Gypsy brainstrust. The 'follower' also informed the Elders about Cordy, in her capacity as your seer. The Elders contacted the Powers That Be for further information regarding the significance of the 'seer'." Wesley stopped, cleared his throat then looked back at Angel. "I didn't know that the Gypsies were able to speak with the Powers That Be. You learn something new every day, I suppose."
Cordy and Gunn had now found themselves a place to sit. Cordy was sitting in close proximity to Angel, yet the furthest away from Wesley as she could. Hmph. Not going to let him off the hook that easily. "Get on with it, Wesley," she said.
Meanwhile Angel was feeling slightly lightheaded as he tried to take in Wesley's confession. He only knew part of the story, but it promised so much. Angel still felt the ache in his chest, but it was now coloured with the faintest feeling of hope. He managed to steal a quick look at Cordy sitting near him. I can hear her heart beating. I can sense her hope, her fear, and her love. I want to touch her, to hold her, to tell her I'll be with her forever. But I can't - yet. Not until Wesley speaks the words I want to hear.
"Angel? Are you listening to me? This is important," Wesley insisted.
"I know it's important, Wesley. I'm just a little nervous, I guess. I'm worried that you are not going to say what I want to hear," Angel replied. It was the truth; there was so much riding on the next words out of Wesley's mouth.
"Anyway, the Elders and the Powers That Be agreed that you have been doing good work. This was before they knew about Darla, by the way." He rubbed at his temple, "Where was I? Oh, yes that's right.. The Elders were quite surprised, apparently, when the Powers That Be asked for your curse to be removed. It seems the Gypsies are the only ones who can remove the curse completely. When the Elders asked why they should remove it, the Powers That Be told them that the existence of the curse impeded your ability to become 'one' with your seer. Then they said, 'The one who sees what shall be, to Angel's future she holds the key'. The 'follower' fellow came to give you the incantation to lift of the curse, but you were - er - otherwise engaged at the time. It seems you are destined to 'become one' with your seer, which I believe you two were attempting to do at the nightclub tonight " He again shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Cordy blushed.
"In my defence," he continued, "I wanted to wait until you realised your feelings for Cordy before I told you about this. Now that you have - uh - acted on your feelings for Cordelia, I knew it was time to tell you." With this Wesley slumped back into the chair, exhausted.
Angel didn't notice Wesley's fatigue. He looked at Cordy, the tightness in his chest had eased to that pleasing ache. I don't believe it. Could the forces of the Earth finally be working in my favour? He held his hand out to Cordy and when she took it, he squeezed them together. He saw a small, tentative smile forming on Cordy's lips. When he smiled in response, no grinned - he couldn't help but note, Cordy's smile grew and her shoulders relaxed.
"Cordy…" he said… "I…"
--------
Concluded in Part IV - The Soul