Chapter Two Rest Now
Fred sighed, slamming one of the old, dusty books shut.
"I can't find any clues on how to find his soul. The restoration might not work. But no clues."
Gunn shook his head, "I haven't found Angelus, either."
Wesley rubbed his temples. "I don't know where he'll go. He'll either stay here to terrorize us or return to Sunnydale to torture those there who don't know he's returned. I fear our only hope is Willow. She's trying to hold off on the magicks, also. Plus, Sunnydale has there own problems. But she's the only one who might prevail. I can't seem to get a hold of her."
Connor was out patrolling. Cordelia had fallen asleep on the lounge couch. Lorne was in the office, searching the desk for clues on Angel's mind. It couldn't be too far from Angelus's. So it was Gunn, Fred, and Wesley.
"I can keep looking for something, anything."
Wes moved to the arm rest of the chair.
"That's all right. You haven't had any rest in the last 24 hours."
"I'm not tired, Wesley."
"We've all slept for a couple of hours."
"You slept for less than an hour."
"Ok. But you haven't rested at all."
Fred raised her gaze, chocolate circles in a forest of thick, ebony lashes.
She lowered her voice, "I'm afraid of going to sleep."
Wes tilted his head and Gunn inched closer.
"Why?"
"That message Angel-Angelus left, he specifically mentioned Cordelia and I. I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, he'll come."
Wes resisted the urge to take her into his arms and attempt to wash away her fears, her reasonable fears. So he smiled at her, to calm her, unaware of the affect it had on her. Gunn sat in front of her.
"Fred, Baby, Wesley and I will not let anything happen to you."
"You can't control everything, Charles. Look at what happened to me during your fight. You didn't intend to harm me, but you did."
Gunn's face fell, disappointed that Fred wouldn't forgive him for the accident.
"Gunn's right. We won't let Angelus take you, Fred. We'll protect you. We already renewed the spell that protects the hotel. Angelus couldn't get in if he tried."
"I'll lay down for a while, okay?"
Wes smiled at her. "Rest in the room right off the Lobby. We'll be in here and we can watch the room."
Fred nodded meekly and walked to the room, both watching her go.
Gunn left to back Connor up, so Wes was pretty much alone.
"Buffy, it's Wesley."
"Wesley?" The young slayer asked.
"Wyndam-Pryce. Ex-watcher."
"What do you need, Wesley?" The girl sounded exhausted.
"Is Willow there?"
"Yeah. Just a second." He heard the phone switch over to the Wicca.
"Hello?"
"Willow, this is Wesley. There's a bit of a situation here in Los Angeles. Angel had to lose his soul so we could find out how to defeat this beast that Angelus knew in the past. We put the soul in a jar in a safe, but it's missing. And not to alarm you, but Angelus escaped. You restored his soul once. Can you come here and do it again?"
"I don't know." She paused, "They need me here, too, but if Angelus is on the loose, I guess that needs to be taken care of. We might need Angel to help fight the First."
"Ahhhhhh!!!!!"
Wesley nearly dropped the phone at Fred's scream.
"Thanks, Willow. Come to Los Angeles immediately. Call Angel Investigations when you arrive. Be careful, make sure you have stakes and crosses. Gotta go!"
Wes hung the phone up and sprinted into the bedroom.
Fred gasped for air as she caught her bearings. Wesley burst through the door, stake in hand. He sighed when he saw that Fred was unharmed, tucked away in bed, but frightened. Wes dropped the stake and it clattered to the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed and Fred jumped into his arms, surprising him. He held her closely, stroking her tresses, rocking her back and forth.
"What was it?"
"A nightmare. Angelus came after me and he sent me back to..." Her voice trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Wesley kissed the tears that were rolling down her face. The saltiness attacked his tongue.
"Fred, look at me. Winifred."
He took her cheeks in his hands and forced her to look him in the eyes.
"I will never let you go back to Pylea. Ever. You don't have to worry about it. Do you trust me?"
Fred lost herself in the warmth of Wes's dark blue eyes. She nodded slowly. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. Wesley just held her until her breathing regulated.
"Can you go back to sleep? You've only been asleep for an hour."
Fred pulled away and shivered from the loss of contact.
"Will you stay here, Wesley?"
"Hmm?"
"Until I go to sleep."
"I guess I do need to rest a little bit more, as well."
Fred shot him a weak smile and stretched out across the bed, her head sitting on the pillow. Wes pulled the comforter up around her shoulders, then stopped, unsure of what he should do next. Fred said quietly, "You can lay down."
So he did. Next to her, his hand settling around her waist. He leaned forward, kissing her forehead, before laying his head down.
"I missed you, Wesley." Fred whispered.
"Me, too, Fred."
He studied her while she drifted off, taking in the innocence of the exchange. He finally couldn't keep his own eyes open and fell asleep next to the woman of his dreams.
Fred sighed, slamming one of the old, dusty books shut.
"I can't find any clues on how to find his soul. The restoration might not work. But no clues."
Gunn shook his head, "I haven't found Angelus, either."
Wesley rubbed his temples. "I don't know where he'll go. He'll either stay here to terrorize us or return to Sunnydale to torture those there who don't know he's returned. I fear our only hope is Willow. She's trying to hold off on the magicks, also. Plus, Sunnydale has there own problems. But she's the only one who might prevail. I can't seem to get a hold of her."
Connor was out patrolling. Cordelia had fallen asleep on the lounge couch. Lorne was in the office, searching the desk for clues on Angel's mind. It couldn't be too far from Angelus's. So it was Gunn, Fred, and Wesley.
"I can keep looking for something, anything."
Wes moved to the arm rest of the chair.
"That's all right. You haven't had any rest in the last 24 hours."
"I'm not tired, Wesley."
"We've all slept for a couple of hours."
"You slept for less than an hour."
"Ok. But you haven't rested at all."
Fred raised her gaze, chocolate circles in a forest of thick, ebony lashes.
She lowered her voice, "I'm afraid of going to sleep."
Wes tilted his head and Gunn inched closer.
"Why?"
"That message Angel-Angelus left, he specifically mentioned Cordelia and I. I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, he'll come."
Wes resisted the urge to take her into his arms and attempt to wash away her fears, her reasonable fears. So he smiled at her, to calm her, unaware of the affect it had on her. Gunn sat in front of her.
"Fred, Baby, Wesley and I will not let anything happen to you."
"You can't control everything, Charles. Look at what happened to me during your fight. You didn't intend to harm me, but you did."
Gunn's face fell, disappointed that Fred wouldn't forgive him for the accident.
"Gunn's right. We won't let Angelus take you, Fred. We'll protect you. We already renewed the spell that protects the hotel. Angelus couldn't get in if he tried."
"I'll lay down for a while, okay?"
Wes smiled at her. "Rest in the room right off the Lobby. We'll be in here and we can watch the room."
Fred nodded meekly and walked to the room, both watching her go.
Gunn left to back Connor up, so Wes was pretty much alone.
"Buffy, it's Wesley."
"Wesley?" The young slayer asked.
"Wyndam-Pryce. Ex-watcher."
"What do you need, Wesley?" The girl sounded exhausted.
"Is Willow there?"
"Yeah. Just a second." He heard the phone switch over to the Wicca.
"Hello?"
"Willow, this is Wesley. There's a bit of a situation here in Los Angeles. Angel had to lose his soul so we could find out how to defeat this beast that Angelus knew in the past. We put the soul in a jar in a safe, but it's missing. And not to alarm you, but Angelus escaped. You restored his soul once. Can you come here and do it again?"
"I don't know." She paused, "They need me here, too, but if Angelus is on the loose, I guess that needs to be taken care of. We might need Angel to help fight the First."
"Ahhhhhh!!!!!"
Wesley nearly dropped the phone at Fred's scream.
"Thanks, Willow. Come to Los Angeles immediately. Call Angel Investigations when you arrive. Be careful, make sure you have stakes and crosses. Gotta go!"
Wes hung the phone up and sprinted into the bedroom.
Fred gasped for air as she caught her bearings. Wesley burst through the door, stake in hand. He sighed when he saw that Fred was unharmed, tucked away in bed, but frightened. Wes dropped the stake and it clattered to the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed and Fred jumped into his arms, surprising him. He held her closely, stroking her tresses, rocking her back and forth.
"What was it?"
"A nightmare. Angelus came after me and he sent me back to..." Her voice trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Wesley kissed the tears that were rolling down her face. The saltiness attacked his tongue.
"Fred, look at me. Winifred."
He took her cheeks in his hands and forced her to look him in the eyes.
"I will never let you go back to Pylea. Ever. You don't have to worry about it. Do you trust me?"
Fred lost herself in the warmth of Wes's dark blue eyes. She nodded slowly. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. Wesley just held her until her breathing regulated.
"Can you go back to sleep? You've only been asleep for an hour."
Fred pulled away and shivered from the loss of contact.
"Will you stay here, Wesley?"
"Hmm?"
"Until I go to sleep."
"I guess I do need to rest a little bit more, as well."
Fred shot him a weak smile and stretched out across the bed, her head sitting on the pillow. Wes pulled the comforter up around her shoulders, then stopped, unsure of what he should do next. Fred said quietly, "You can lay down."
So he did. Next to her, his hand settling around her waist. He leaned forward, kissing her forehead, before laying his head down.
"I missed you, Wesley." Fred whispered.
"Me, too, Fred."
He studied her while she drifted off, taking in the innocence of the exchange. He finally couldn't keep his own eyes open and fell asleep next to the woman of his dreams.
