Disclaimer: These characters are not ours, unfortunately, they belong to the WB and Mutant Enemy; created by: Joss Whedon. We own the plot and storyline and some of the personality traits. and of course the villains. The only villains that do not belong to us would be Wolfram and Hart.

Chapter one

Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley were at the park, when a strange man approached them from the shadows. The man had long purple hair and wore a black trench-coat. There was an aura of power surrounding him.

The man began to walk toward them, he raised his right hand and a ball of power flew towards Cordelia. Wesley saw it coming and pushed Cordy out of the way, only to be hit by it himself.

ÒWesley!Ó She cried, as she ran over to him.

He didnÕt answer, seeing as he was unconscious.

The sorcerer vanished. Angel and Cordelia bent down, next to WesleyÕs unconscious body and checked on his condition. Angel picked him up and carried him to the car.

~*~

ÒWhat happened to him? Is he okay?Ó Cordy asked worriedly.

ÒCordy, calm down he will be fine. He is just restingÉandÉwell, we have tended to his wounds as much as we could. There is nothing left to do.Ó

ÒThere has to be something else we can do.Ó She stated.

ÒActually, now that you mention it, there is. Sit there and give him some support.Ó

~*~

WesleyÕs eyes fluttered open. All he could see was complete darkness. He screamed. A hand touched his shoulder.

ÒWhatÕs wrong?Ó Cordy asked.

ÒI canÕt see. I canÕt see anything. Why is it dark in here?Ó

ÒItÕs not dark in here. The light is on.Ó

ÒWhat do you mean, the light is on? If the light was on, I would be able to see.Ó

Cordy looked at Angel, ÒThis cant be good.Ó

ÒWhat canÕt be good? This isnÕt funny. WhatÕs going on?Ó

ÒItÕs not supposed to be funny.Ó There was a slight pause. ÒUmm...Wesley, I donÕt know how to tell you this, but youÕre blind.Ó Angel said softly.

ÒHa, ha. Not funny. Seriously this isnÕt funny.Ó

ÒIÕm sorry, Wes, but I am afraid that it is the truth.Ó

He sat up, leaning against the bedpost, remaining silent for a moment, as if trying to take it all in. ÒYou arenÕt joking are you?Ó He asked softly, sadness in his voice.

ÒIÕm afraid not.Ó Angel told him.

Moments of silence followed. ÒHow long do you think it will last?Ó He asked, again softly.

Cordy and Angel exchanged glances again. They knew what the other was thinking, but were afraid to say it.

ÒIs there a reason that you two are being so quiet? I can handle the truth, you know. I am not a child. Tell me what is going on.Ó

ÒIt is not that we think that you canÕt handle it, itÕs just that we donÕt think you are very stable right now, and should probably recover first.Ó

ÒNot stable? I can talk and I can move, I think I am pretty damn stable. Since, I cannot see, what injuries have I sustained and how long have I been unconscious?Ó

ÒYou have been unconscious for 24 hours. Your injuries consist of massive scarring to your face, a few bruises and some rib damage.Ó

ÒSounds pretty serious, explains a lot though.Ó

ÒWell weÕll leave you to get some rest, you need all the rest you can get.Ó Cordelia stated compassionately.

He nodded and Cordy left, leaving Angel nearby to keep watch.

~*~

Wesley stood up, his arms in front of him for guidance, and started to walk towards the door.


ÒTurn to your left.Ó Angel said quietly.

He did so slowly, and walked towards AngelÕs voice. When he reached the opening of the door, he noticed there was a person standing there.

ÒSorry AngelÓ

ÒDonÕt mention it. Would you like some help?Ó

ÒPlease.Ó

Angel held out his arm for Wesley to grab on to. Wesley fumbled for a moment, until he found AngelÕs elbow. He grabbed onto his elbow and Angel guided him down the stairs.

~*~

Wesley sat down on the window seat as his thoughts began to creep up on him.

Ô Why did I save Cordelia? What drove me to protecting her? Why was my sight sacrificed because of this? Do I have feelings for her? What is it about Cordelia that makes me feel this way?Õ He shook the thoughts he had of Cordy out of his head. He grabbed the blanket that was at the foot of the window seat, and wrapped it around himself. Ô I know that I have done a good deed, but why do I feel so bad about it? Maybe it is just the pain talking.Õ His thoughts continued to fester, and he became increasingly depressed.

~*~

ÒWhatÕs wrong with Wesley? He hasnÕt been himself lately.Ó Cordy asked.

ÒI think he is going through some sort of depression, it will pass in time.Ó

ÒI hope so. All he does all day long is sit there and think. He doesnÕt eat and he doesnÕt seem to care about anything anymore.Ó

Ò Yes, I know this Cordy, I can see, I still have perfect sight. I am not blind. Just get off my back, please.Ó

ÒPlease?! Please?! I donÕt think so. Being blind isnÕt a joke! I know you can see. I am perfectly aware of that little fact. I just want some sort of explanation, because I donÕt have one. How dare you use that declaration! You shouldnÕt have even let it slip out of your mouth!Ó Cordy stated.

ÒIÕm sorry Cordy it was an accident. It was just a phrase, a bad choice of words. I apologize. Your right I shouldnÕt have said that.Ó

ÒLets just hope he didnÕt hear your big, inconsiderate, comment!Ó She stated as she stormed out of the room.

Wesley curled up into a tight ball. Just hearing that phrase come out of AngelÕs mouth hurt a lot, regardless of it being an accident. He hugged himself and began to sob quietly.

~*~

Cordelia entered the lounge and saw Wesley sitting in a chair, facing the window. She sat down next to him, ÒHeyÉ Are you okay?Ó

He looked in the direction of her voice. ÒIÕll be fine.Ó

ÒYou donÕt look fine.Ó

ÒWell, how I act and how I look are two different things.Ó He stated coldly.

ÒWes, I didnÕt mean it like that. Will you talk to me and tell me what is bothering you? You can trust me, you know.Ó

ÒI never said that I didnÕt. I just donÕt feel like talking.Ó

ÒWes, please, talk to me. It hurts to see you like this.Ó

Ò IÕm sure, it does.Ó He says sarcastically.

ÒWes, that was cruel. You know me better than that. PleaseÉwhatÕs bothering you?Ó She placed her hand on his.

He pulled his hand away. ÒWhy do you care?Ó

ÒWesÉ I can see how you could be bitter, but it shouldnÕt be directed at us. We are trying to help you.Ó

He sighed. ÒYou think I donÕt know that? É You donÕt know what itÕs likeÉOne day you can see everything thatÕs beautiful in the world and then the next minuteÉ you cant even see two feet in front of you. You have no idea how lucky you are. All I can see is darkness, and that is all I will ever be able to see. I have to live with that, nobody else, but me.Ó

ÒWesley, IÕm sorry, really I am, but you shouldnÕt throw your life away, just because youÕre blind. There is so much that you are capable of. Let me help you. I will show you the light and give you an escape to your darkness.Ó

Ò I think I would be better off if I had died. I am useless to you now. I canÕt do the things that I used to do. I am completely and utterly dependent on you. Am I to be a charity case for the rest of my life? What am I good for? I am just a burden.Ó

ÒThatÕs not true and you know it. You saved me once and I believe you can do it again. No matter what it takes, I will get you to believe that.Ó

ÒWhy do you care so much?Ó

ÒBecause I love you.Ó

ÒGo and give your love to some one who cares.Ó He stated, despite his true feelings for her.

Cordy forced back her tears. ÒPlease Wesley, donÕt do this to yourself. DonÕt do this to us. We canÕt stand to see you like this.Ó

ÒAt least you can see.Ó

ÒI didnÕt mean it like that.Ó

ÒYou might not have but Angel did. I heard what he said, IÕm not deaf, I can still hear.Ó He retorted.

ÒOh my God! You werenÕt supposed to hear that. I am so sorry. He didnÕt mean it.Ó

ÒYes he did. The tone in his voice says it all.Ó

ÒI honestly donÕt know what to tell you, Wesley. I am trying so hard, but you donÕt even want to try. I hope you feel better.Ó She said softly, as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

She stood and left him to his solitude.

Angel let out a deep sigh. ÒShit! He did hear me. I didnÕt mean to say thatÉI have let my personal problems hurt my friends for the last time! I have to make this up to him. I swear I will make this up to you, Wesley, even if it costs my life.Ó He promised to himself and to Wesley quietly. He turned and walked into the hallway.

~*~

ÒSoÉ how are you feeling today?Ó Angel asked, as he sat down across from Wesley.

ÒThe same as any other day. There is nothing special about this day, so why should I feel any different.Ó

ÒI hear ya. So have you eaten in the last 24 hours?Ó

ÒNo. IÕm not really hungry.Ó

ÒAnd I think your lyingÉI brought you some soup. You should at least try it.Ó

ÒLike I said I am not hungry.Ó

ÒListen, I am only going to say this once, so listen carefully. You will eat and you will eat every drop. You can not sit here and starve yourself. You will then get up and go take a bath, because you havenÕt taken one for awhile, and being clean will make you feel better. And then you will walk around and start making yourself useful, because I am getting tired of watching you mope. Your life isnÕt over! Get up, smile and live. Because you have people here who care about you. It hurts us to see you like this. So get up and move on with this chapter of your life.Ó

ÒI know what youÕre doing and its not going to work. Besides, why should I listen to you, especially after what you said?Ó

ÒYes it will, because we will work together and beat this thing, called depression. Why should you listen to me? Because I am a friend and I care. Granted, what I said was cruel and shouldnÕt have been said. It slipped out, I was letting my personal problems get in the way, but that is no excuse. I am sorry.Ó

He looked in the direction of the voice. ÒIt really hurt me when you said that.Ó

ÒI know and I am sorry. I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you.Ó

ÒTime should heal this woundÉI also think that you should be a lot more careful about what you say. It would prevent this in the future.Ó

ÒI agree with you and I will certainly try.Ó

Wesley reached for the soup and began to eat.