Part 9: Confrontations
When Cordelia materialised at the entrance to the hotel, the man fell unconscious into her arms. She was not physically strong enough to carry his weight, so she called out for help. Fred came running out of the office, followed by the client. Between them, they managed to carry him onto the couch.
"What happened to him? He's looks like he's been knocked out." Fred looked at Cordelia, puzzled. "Were you attacked?"
"No, he's just tired after the journey here. Plus, he went through some 'transformations'." Cordelia did not want to say too much around the client, who was standing around awkwardly.
"Yeah, Gunn just called. I didn't know you would be getting here so soon."
"We took a short cut."
Fred looked confused, but soon forgot about it, because Angel was coming down the stairs. "Hey, you're up! Welcome back!"
"Fred! Stop shouting, Angel has a headache." He looked at her appreciatively. "Are you feeling better? You look a lot better."
"Exactly how bad did I look?" Angel enquired, worried.
"Kinda like him," Fred pointed to the unconsious guy on the couch.
"What happened to him?"
"I'll explain on the way upstairs. Are you strong enough to carry him up to a room?"
"Let's find out." Angel walked over to the couch. "Is he wearing your clothes?"
"Yes, but there's a perfectly good explanation for that."
Angel picked him up, proving that he had recovered most of his strength. "I'd like to hear that."
"Well, he lost his." Cordelia replied simply.
"Do I even want to know how that happened?" Angel asked, laughing. Cordelia thought she caught a hint of jealousy behind his laughter. "You know, he kinda smells funny."
"Probably because he isn't human. Well not completley anyway. I'd better fill you in on what we know. It isn't as simple as it first looked."
Angel and Cordelia continued up the stairs, finding a suitable room for the man. Fred led the client back into the office to interrogate him further. A few minutes later, Cordelia came back downstairs. They did not think that the man would wake up for a while, but thought that Fred should check him out anyway. Angel stayed with him while Cordelia went to get Fred. She was about to walk over to the office when she saw a man walk in the door.
"Wesley, what are you doing here?" Cordelia was shocked, he was the last person she had expected to see. She walked over to the door.
"I really need to talk to you," Wesley seemed desperate.
"I really think you should leave, right now." Wesley was taken aback by her harsh tone. He had agonised over his decision to come and was still not completely sure that he was doing the right thing. Even so, he realised that he deserved her reaction.
"I'm sorry, I know you don't want to listen to me at the moment, but you have to hear this."
Pausing, Cordelia reflected on this. Wesley looked genuinely sorry. His pained face gave away his sleepless nights and a sadness that made her heart ache. Still, she held back, , keeping him at a distance, not giving in to her emotions. "What is it you want to say?"
"I have something to tell you about Angel."
"What about me." Wesley and Cordelia both jumped, neither of them had heard Angel approach. Instinctively, Wesley stepped out the door, into the safety of the sunlight. Angel stood in the shade of the doorway, as Cordelia followed Wesley.
"Wes, did you think Angel would not be here?" she stopped, suddenly realising. "Oh God, you knew. You knew what had happened to Angel." Wesley glanced at Angel, who stared coldly back. Cordelia took his silence for an affirmation. "Did you know when I went to see you?"
"You went to see him?" Angel choked.
"You knew, and you said nothing," her tone was angry, but the sadness leaked through her voice. "You used to be a good person, Wesley. What happened?"
Wesley looked at the ground. "I came here to tell you," he explained, quietly.
"But you didn't come as soon as you found out? You had to weigh the pros and cons?"
"It's not that easy. It's complicated."
"I think you should go, you're just making things worse." Cordelia turned away.
Wesley stared after her, saying nothing. Just when he thought things could not get any worse, Steven appeared.
"Connor!" Angel called. The boy looked at him in shock.
"Why did you come here Wesley? I thought you said you went out to get food." Steven looked at him questioningly.
"I don't believe this. Wesley, what are you doing with my son?" Angel's cold fury made Cordelia shudder.
"I'm not your son!" Steven cried.
"Yes, Steven, you are." Wesley looked at Steven, bluntly telling him what he thought he had to.
"I trusted you! How can you say that?" Steven exclaimed.
"You can't trust him," Angel spat. "I trusted him and he betrayed us all."
This sparked up Wesley's anger. "You know, I came here to bring back your son's father. But, now that I'm here it does not seem like such a good idea."
Cordelia put a hand on Wesley's arm, trying to calm him down, telling him that he should simply leave. When her hand connected with his body, she immediately experienced a range of emotions. She felt vulnerability, anger, pain, worry and fear at the same time. Realising that she had been searching to understand what Wesley was feeling, it suddenly became clear what Wesley had undergone. She stepped back in shock, seeing understanding flash across his face. He turned away and left, quickly followed by Steven.
Angel had no idea what had just happened and Cordelia did not think it was necessary to tell him. She followed him inside, knowing that he would be heading for the tunnels, intent of finding his son.
"Angel, stop," she pleaded. "You're not going to achieve anything. "You'll just make things worse or get yourself killed. You're weak." For once, Angel actually seemed to be listening. "You need to give him time, he'll come back to you, he has to. He needs a father." Angel sat down on the couch, wanting to believe her.
"I hope you're right." She sat next to him, taking his hand and smiling up at him.
"Of course I am. Now, we have a case to work on..."
TBC...
When Cordelia materialised at the entrance to the hotel, the man fell unconscious into her arms. She was not physically strong enough to carry his weight, so she called out for help. Fred came running out of the office, followed by the client. Between them, they managed to carry him onto the couch.
"What happened to him? He's looks like he's been knocked out." Fred looked at Cordelia, puzzled. "Were you attacked?"
"No, he's just tired after the journey here. Plus, he went through some 'transformations'." Cordelia did not want to say too much around the client, who was standing around awkwardly.
"Yeah, Gunn just called. I didn't know you would be getting here so soon."
"We took a short cut."
Fred looked confused, but soon forgot about it, because Angel was coming down the stairs. "Hey, you're up! Welcome back!"
"Fred! Stop shouting, Angel has a headache." He looked at her appreciatively. "Are you feeling better? You look a lot better."
"Exactly how bad did I look?" Angel enquired, worried.
"Kinda like him," Fred pointed to the unconsious guy on the couch.
"What happened to him?"
"I'll explain on the way upstairs. Are you strong enough to carry him up to a room?"
"Let's find out." Angel walked over to the couch. "Is he wearing your clothes?"
"Yes, but there's a perfectly good explanation for that."
Angel picked him up, proving that he had recovered most of his strength. "I'd like to hear that."
"Well, he lost his." Cordelia replied simply.
"Do I even want to know how that happened?" Angel asked, laughing. Cordelia thought she caught a hint of jealousy behind his laughter. "You know, he kinda smells funny."
"Probably because he isn't human. Well not completley anyway. I'd better fill you in on what we know. It isn't as simple as it first looked."
Angel and Cordelia continued up the stairs, finding a suitable room for the man. Fred led the client back into the office to interrogate him further. A few minutes later, Cordelia came back downstairs. They did not think that the man would wake up for a while, but thought that Fred should check him out anyway. Angel stayed with him while Cordelia went to get Fred. She was about to walk over to the office when she saw a man walk in the door.
"Wesley, what are you doing here?" Cordelia was shocked, he was the last person she had expected to see. She walked over to the door.
"I really need to talk to you," Wesley seemed desperate.
"I really think you should leave, right now." Wesley was taken aback by her harsh tone. He had agonised over his decision to come and was still not completely sure that he was doing the right thing. Even so, he realised that he deserved her reaction.
"I'm sorry, I know you don't want to listen to me at the moment, but you have to hear this."
Pausing, Cordelia reflected on this. Wesley looked genuinely sorry. His pained face gave away his sleepless nights and a sadness that made her heart ache. Still, she held back, , keeping him at a distance, not giving in to her emotions. "What is it you want to say?"
"I have something to tell you about Angel."
"What about me." Wesley and Cordelia both jumped, neither of them had heard Angel approach. Instinctively, Wesley stepped out the door, into the safety of the sunlight. Angel stood in the shade of the doorway, as Cordelia followed Wesley.
"Wes, did you think Angel would not be here?" she stopped, suddenly realising. "Oh God, you knew. You knew what had happened to Angel." Wesley glanced at Angel, who stared coldly back. Cordelia took his silence for an affirmation. "Did you know when I went to see you?"
"You went to see him?" Angel choked.
"You knew, and you said nothing," her tone was angry, but the sadness leaked through her voice. "You used to be a good person, Wesley. What happened?"
Wesley looked at the ground. "I came here to tell you," he explained, quietly.
"But you didn't come as soon as you found out? You had to weigh the pros and cons?"
"It's not that easy. It's complicated."
"I think you should go, you're just making things worse." Cordelia turned away.
Wesley stared after her, saying nothing. Just when he thought things could not get any worse, Steven appeared.
"Connor!" Angel called. The boy looked at him in shock.
"Why did you come here Wesley? I thought you said you went out to get food." Steven looked at him questioningly.
"I don't believe this. Wesley, what are you doing with my son?" Angel's cold fury made Cordelia shudder.
"I'm not your son!" Steven cried.
"Yes, Steven, you are." Wesley looked at Steven, bluntly telling him what he thought he had to.
"I trusted you! How can you say that?" Steven exclaimed.
"You can't trust him," Angel spat. "I trusted him and he betrayed us all."
This sparked up Wesley's anger. "You know, I came here to bring back your son's father. But, now that I'm here it does not seem like such a good idea."
Cordelia put a hand on Wesley's arm, trying to calm him down, telling him that he should simply leave. When her hand connected with his body, she immediately experienced a range of emotions. She felt vulnerability, anger, pain, worry and fear at the same time. Realising that she had been searching to understand what Wesley was feeling, it suddenly became clear what Wesley had undergone. She stepped back in shock, seeing understanding flash across his face. He turned away and left, quickly followed by Steven.
Angel had no idea what had just happened and Cordelia did not think it was necessary to tell him. She followed him inside, knowing that he would be heading for the tunnels, intent of finding his son.
"Angel, stop," she pleaded. "You're not going to achieve anything. "You'll just make things worse or get yourself killed. You're weak." For once, Angel actually seemed to be listening. "You need to give him time, he'll come back to you, he has to. He needs a father." Angel sat down on the couch, wanting to believe her.
"I hope you're right." She sat next to him, taking his hand and smiling up at him.
"Of course I am. Now, we have a case to work on..."
TBC...