Chapter 2 ~ Didn't expect to be alone
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"Are you drowning or waving, just want you to save me, shall we try to get along . . ."
"Out of this World" Bush
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"Well I think it's good," Cordelia Chase said as she sat at the desk in the Hyperion watching Angel standing in front of it,
"Wesley is getting out. Seeing his family. Having a life. Unlike some other's who will remain nameless." She said looking at Angel, before looking away from him, and suddenly thinking of including herself in that equation,
"Plus it's been quiet lately, so it's not like we need him."
"Cordy that's not the point. There was something odd about his father."
"Well yeah! He's Wesley's dad." Angel looked at her and she held her hands up in the air, to prove that she was joking,
"Look. Angel. I'm not doubting your vampire senses or anything, but I think your seeing evil when there isn't any." She said looking at him seriously,
"But Wes seemed different. Like he was scared of the man somehow." Cordelia sighed standing up off the stool she was seated on,
"Angel. We don't know what happened between Wesley and his father and also I don't think it's really our business. You can't fight Wesley's battles for him. He has to do that for himself." She paused looking at Angel, thinking for a minute,
"Unless of course it's some big demon that's making Wesley sushi." She looked back at him again, and smiled slightly before continuing,
"My point is that Wes has to sort this out with his dad by himself. And unless his dad turns out to be some big green scaly thing that wants to take over the world then it isn't our business, unless Wes makes it our business." She shrugged her shoulders as Angel continued to look at her, before she went back round behind the desk,
"I'm just saying. He may be a demon but he's not the green scaly kind." She said slipping onto the stool again,
"What's not the green scaly kind? 'Cause hell I could kill anything. Even if it has slime." Charles Gunn said by way of greeting as he came down the stairs his cat boots echoing on them,
"Not the kind you can slay." Cordelia said watching him,
"Not even a little maiming?" he asked hopeful,
"Wesley's father's here." Angel said as if that would explain the conversation,
"And he's the demon? English's dad is the demon? Man, demon's really don't like them watcher's do they."
"No he's not the demon." Cordelia said standing up again,
"It's just Angel's paranoid that everything is a demon now. And also, no demon." She went to her desk, trying to tidy imaginary papers,
"No demons. No cases. Nothing." She looked over at Angel,
"Maybe they all died, and now we can all live happily ever after? With no money and no jobs and no way of making a living." She sighed,
"Ever -" she stopped mid-sentence as a blinding vision hit her,
"Speak for yourself." Gunn said, not looking at her,
"I still got -" Cordelia's scream tore Gunn away from his thoughts. Angel raced by him going to Cordelia who was on the floor. Gunn followed after as she wriggled in Angel's arms,
"They're in a warehouse - Vampires - They've got people - Lots - They're organ - organised - They have a leader -" Cordelia stopped having the vision and finally opened her eyes,
"It's Wesley's dad."
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Wesley shoved the key into the lock and turned it unwillingly. He pushed open the door before he lifted his father's suitcase at his feet and dragged it inside the apartment,
"Come in," he said watching as his father followed after him. Wesley then lugged the suitcase down the hall and into his own room. Wesley's father turned up his nose in disgust at the apartment,
"As I expected." He said under his breath as Wesley came back down the hall. He picked up the plate off the sofa and the empty mugs and wine glasses from the coffee table. He went into the kitchen to dump them in the sink and found that was already full. Instead he dumped them on the work surface, deciding to come back to them later. He went back into the living room and pulled the few books from the couch and coffee table,
"Make yourself at home." He said placing the books on his desk and opening the window to clear the room of the musty smell. The smell and noise of the traffic wafted in the window, and Wesley's father frowned again,
"I doubt I will be doing that any time soon." Wesley's father said before undoing his jacket buttons. Wesley continued to tidy, scared that if he stopped he would have to face the degrading eyes of his father. He picked up his laptop from the floor, placing it on his desk before collecting another few plates,
"Wesley!" his father said sharply as Wesley entered the kitchen again. He stopped, placing the plates on the work surface,
"Yes father?" he asked, turning nervously back into the living room. He stepped forward a couple of steps,
"We need to talk." He said his face not changing,
"What about?" Wesley asked, not moving,
"About how you are not worth anything. You were never worth anything. I thought that you would come to something; make me proud when you joined the watcher's council. I was wrong." Wesley's father moved towards him menacingly, but Wesley held his ground,
"I thought that you had something going for you when you joined this band of demon hunters. But you joined forces with Angelus?" Wesley's father struck out at him with such force that Wesley stumbled backwards into the wall. His father was over sixty, he shouldn't be able to hit that hard. Wesley watched his father for a moment, suddenly having the courage to stand up to him,
"It's Angel and he's good. He has a soul."
"A soul?" Wesley's father laughed at him, "I do not think that makes him any less the blood sucking fiend he is."
"He's fighting for redemption now," Wesley said leaning off the wall, "I've done more good with Angel than I've ever done with the council." Wesley's father's eyes narrowed and he lashed out again, causing Wesley to stumble and fall, hitting his head against the fridge. He slouched down beside it, his head spinning,
"All those years under the stairs in the cupboard. Would you like to go back there son? Back to the dark? I can still do that you know." He grabbed Wesley by the scruff of his neck, dragging him to the cupboard in Wesley's apartment and opening the door. He readied himself to throw Wesley in it, but Wesley was already scrabbling to his feet,
"No sir. Please." Wesley tried to wriggle away the horrors of his childhood coming back to him. He scrambled up the wall, away from his father,
"You never were the son I wanted. But you have a second chance now Wesley." Wesley looked up at his father, his face turned into the face of everything he had ever fought against. Wesley's eyes widened as he watched the grotesque face of the demon that had taken his father. He turned to run for the door but his father had him by the arm. But he couldn't lash out at his father, even now. He soon found himself being twisted round, his back slamming hard on the coffee table, his head following moments later. His head swam for a moment as his father's face returned to normal before he felt as though he had been locked in the black of the cupboard under the stairs again.
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"Are you drowning or waving, just want you to save me, shall we try to get along . . ."
"Out of this World" Bush
*********************************************************************
"Well I think it's good," Cordelia Chase said as she sat at the desk in the Hyperion watching Angel standing in front of it,
"Wesley is getting out. Seeing his family. Having a life. Unlike some other's who will remain nameless." She said looking at Angel, before looking away from him, and suddenly thinking of including herself in that equation,
"Plus it's been quiet lately, so it's not like we need him."
"Cordy that's not the point. There was something odd about his father."
"Well yeah! He's Wesley's dad." Angel looked at her and she held her hands up in the air, to prove that she was joking,
"Look. Angel. I'm not doubting your vampire senses or anything, but I think your seeing evil when there isn't any." She said looking at him seriously,
"But Wes seemed different. Like he was scared of the man somehow." Cordelia sighed standing up off the stool she was seated on,
"Angel. We don't know what happened between Wesley and his father and also I don't think it's really our business. You can't fight Wesley's battles for him. He has to do that for himself." She paused looking at Angel, thinking for a minute,
"Unless of course it's some big demon that's making Wesley sushi." She looked back at him again, and smiled slightly before continuing,
"My point is that Wes has to sort this out with his dad by himself. And unless his dad turns out to be some big green scaly thing that wants to take over the world then it isn't our business, unless Wes makes it our business." She shrugged her shoulders as Angel continued to look at her, before she went back round behind the desk,
"I'm just saying. He may be a demon but he's not the green scaly kind." She said slipping onto the stool again,
"What's not the green scaly kind? 'Cause hell I could kill anything. Even if it has slime." Charles Gunn said by way of greeting as he came down the stairs his cat boots echoing on them,
"Not the kind you can slay." Cordelia said watching him,
"Not even a little maiming?" he asked hopeful,
"Wesley's father's here." Angel said as if that would explain the conversation,
"And he's the demon? English's dad is the demon? Man, demon's really don't like them watcher's do they."
"No he's not the demon." Cordelia said standing up again,
"It's just Angel's paranoid that everything is a demon now. And also, no demon." She went to her desk, trying to tidy imaginary papers,
"No demons. No cases. Nothing." She looked over at Angel,
"Maybe they all died, and now we can all live happily ever after? With no money and no jobs and no way of making a living." She sighed,
"Ever -" she stopped mid-sentence as a blinding vision hit her,
"Speak for yourself." Gunn said, not looking at her,
"I still got -" Cordelia's scream tore Gunn away from his thoughts. Angel raced by him going to Cordelia who was on the floor. Gunn followed after as she wriggled in Angel's arms,
"They're in a warehouse - Vampires - They've got people - Lots - They're organ - organised - They have a leader -" Cordelia stopped having the vision and finally opened her eyes,
"It's Wesley's dad."
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Wesley shoved the key into the lock and turned it unwillingly. He pushed open the door before he lifted his father's suitcase at his feet and dragged it inside the apartment,
"Come in," he said watching as his father followed after him. Wesley then lugged the suitcase down the hall and into his own room. Wesley's father turned up his nose in disgust at the apartment,
"As I expected." He said under his breath as Wesley came back down the hall. He picked up the plate off the sofa and the empty mugs and wine glasses from the coffee table. He went into the kitchen to dump them in the sink and found that was already full. Instead he dumped them on the work surface, deciding to come back to them later. He went back into the living room and pulled the few books from the couch and coffee table,
"Make yourself at home." He said placing the books on his desk and opening the window to clear the room of the musty smell. The smell and noise of the traffic wafted in the window, and Wesley's father frowned again,
"I doubt I will be doing that any time soon." Wesley's father said before undoing his jacket buttons. Wesley continued to tidy, scared that if he stopped he would have to face the degrading eyes of his father. He picked up his laptop from the floor, placing it on his desk before collecting another few plates,
"Wesley!" his father said sharply as Wesley entered the kitchen again. He stopped, placing the plates on the work surface,
"Yes father?" he asked, turning nervously back into the living room. He stepped forward a couple of steps,
"We need to talk." He said his face not changing,
"What about?" Wesley asked, not moving,
"About how you are not worth anything. You were never worth anything. I thought that you would come to something; make me proud when you joined the watcher's council. I was wrong." Wesley's father moved towards him menacingly, but Wesley held his ground,
"I thought that you had something going for you when you joined this band of demon hunters. But you joined forces with Angelus?" Wesley's father struck out at him with such force that Wesley stumbled backwards into the wall. His father was over sixty, he shouldn't be able to hit that hard. Wesley watched his father for a moment, suddenly having the courage to stand up to him,
"It's Angel and he's good. He has a soul."
"A soul?" Wesley's father laughed at him, "I do not think that makes him any less the blood sucking fiend he is."
"He's fighting for redemption now," Wesley said leaning off the wall, "I've done more good with Angel than I've ever done with the council." Wesley's father's eyes narrowed and he lashed out again, causing Wesley to stumble and fall, hitting his head against the fridge. He slouched down beside it, his head spinning,
"All those years under the stairs in the cupboard. Would you like to go back there son? Back to the dark? I can still do that you know." He grabbed Wesley by the scruff of his neck, dragging him to the cupboard in Wesley's apartment and opening the door. He readied himself to throw Wesley in it, but Wesley was already scrabbling to his feet,
"No sir. Please." Wesley tried to wriggle away the horrors of his childhood coming back to him. He scrambled up the wall, away from his father,
"You never were the son I wanted. But you have a second chance now Wesley." Wesley looked up at his father, his face turned into the face of everything he had ever fought against. Wesley's eyes widened as he watched the grotesque face of the demon that had taken his father. He turned to run for the door but his father had him by the arm. But he couldn't lash out at his father, even now. He soon found himself being twisted round, his back slamming hard on the coffee table, his head following moments later. His head swam for a moment as his father's face returned to normal before he felt as though he had been locked in the black of the cupboard under the stairs again.