Protected
Chapter Two
Father
Three others had joined the small group in the lobby. One was a green man wearing a suit with two small horns jutting out of his head. Another had long, black hair and pale white skin. The third had shoulder-length red hair, and her aura was slightly green. She was a Wicca! Wesley stood, following Mercy's eyes.
"Lorne, Faith the Vampire Slayer, and Willow. Yes, she is a witch. She's from Sunnydale."
"Buffy's friend. You mentioned them all in the few letters you actually posted."
Mercy gave him a pointed glare and he held his hands up in surrender. Fred had been observing the Wyndam-Pryces, enjoying seeing Wesley that content. He had seemed depressed for many months and she hated seeing Wesley sad. His smile was charming and she had missed it desperately. Wesley felt Fred's eyes on him, so he turned and their eyes locked. Fred blushed, but didn't break the contact. Mercy noticed it right off, so she glanced at the other Wicca. They smiled at each other and Mercy decided to break her promise to see if it would work.
*Willow, can you hear me?*
Willow's green eyes widened. *You can do it, too?*
*Yeah. I don't usually, but I felt a powerful connection with you. You're a pretty well-known sorceress.*
*Really? Was it my whole I-tried-to-end-the-world fame, or something else?*
*A little of both. Magick can be addicting. You have to be careful.*
*You're preaching to the chior, girl.*
*Do you think that Wesley fancies Fred? It seems like it, but I could be way off.*
*Yeah. I think Fred has a thing for Wesley, too. Heck, he's pretty hot...for a guy.*
Mercy raised her eye brow.
*I think Connor's pretty adorable.*
Willow studied her. *You've got a crush on Angel's son?*
*Hardly. I don't even know him. I just thought he was dashing.*
The two girls started to giggle.
"What's so funny?" Angel asked, finally.
"Nothin'." Willow replied, innocently.
Lorne watched Mercy carefully, studying her aura, but not able to read it. If he could just get her to sing.
"So, you're Wes's sister?"
Mercy looked up to find Faith standing next to her.
"Yeah. You're the crazy bint who tried to kill my brother."
The girls faced each other up.
Faith finally broke the silence. "I like you. Wes, you're little sister's got stones."
Wesley nodded. "She never liked being told what to do."
He slung an arm around Mercy, kissing the crown of her head.
Wesley sat in his office, staring at the phone. It resembled a bomb to him at the moment. He was afraid that if he picked it up it would kill him. He lifted the receiver off the cradle and slowly punched in the number.
"Hallo?"
"Mum? It's Wesley."
"Wesley! Oh, goodness. Mercy's disappeared! She was gone yesterday when I..."
"Mum, she's here with me."
He heard her sigh in relief.
"Oh, my darling little girl."
"She was beaten."
Wesley heard some shuffling occur in the background.
"Mum?"
"Your father was angry. She continued magicking in her free time, even after he told her to stop."
"That isn't a reason."
"You know how your father is. He doesn't want his daughter messing with the occult."
"I don't bloody well care."
"Don't you curse at me."
"Did you see her after he was done? She had a cut at least 8 inches long on her cheek. Her eye is almost swollen shut. Who knows where else she's injured that she's just covering up!"
"You don't understand the circumstances."
"I reiterate. I don't bloody well care. All I care about is that my baby sister is hurt. She will not be coming back to England."
"Wesley, no."
"Pack up all her belongings and ship them to her. Put Father on the phone."
"Wesley, don't do this."
Wesley's voice hardened, not at all the special tone he'd always used for his mother and sister. "Put Father on the phone. I know he's there. I heard him in the background."
He heard the demanding tone of Nicholas Wyndam-Pryce, "Let me talk to our failure of a son."
His mother's meek reply sounded. Wesley looked up and saw Fred standing in the doorway, looking quite bashful. Wesley motioned for her to enter the office. Fred did so, perching herself on the desk away from the computer and phone, on the other side of Wesley.
"Wesley."
"Father."
"I understand Mercy is there with you. Your mother and I will be along to collect her as soon as we book passage to America."
"No, you will not. She will continue out her adolescent years under my guardianship and then she will do with her life as she wishes."
"I am her parent. You have no say in this. Besides, you were a Watcher and we see how well that turned out. We don't want Mercy to become a serial killer."
"That has nothing to do with Mercy. If you ever try to threaten this, I'll reveal to everyone that Nicholas Wyndam-Pryce beats his children."
"I have connections."
"So do I."
An ackward, angry silence passed between them. Wesley suddenly became aware of Fred's hand on his upper arm and he drew strength from the touch.
Nicholas continued, "I will cut you off from your inheritance."
"Fine."
"You'll have to raise Mercy without our money."
"I'll manage. I have a family."
Wesley smiled at Fred slightly.
"You'll pay for this, Wesley. This won't be the last of it."
"I'll be waiting, then." Wesley slammed the phone down with a crash. He got to his feet. Fred hopped from the desk, facing the British man.
"Mercy will be with us indefinitely."
"That's great!" Fred's eyes sparkled.
"It is. I, just...I've always been able to fight all kinds of demons, but I've never been able to fight my father. He's going to force me into battle."
"When you fight demons, Wesley, do you do it alone?"
Wesley shook his head.
"When you fight your father, Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, Connor, Lorne and I will all be there to destroy your demon."
Wesley looked down and Fred reached out, cupping his scruffy cheek.
"We'll help you both through this."
Wes's eyes closed instantly, taking in her comforting presence. Fred stood on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek.
"Now, let's go tell your little sis the good news."
"It is quite brilliant, isn't it?" Fred giggled and led Wesley through the door.
Chapter Two
Father
Three others had joined the small group in the lobby. One was a green man wearing a suit with two small horns jutting out of his head. Another had long, black hair and pale white skin. The third had shoulder-length red hair, and her aura was slightly green. She was a Wicca! Wesley stood, following Mercy's eyes.
"Lorne, Faith the Vampire Slayer, and Willow. Yes, she is a witch. She's from Sunnydale."
"Buffy's friend. You mentioned them all in the few letters you actually posted."
Mercy gave him a pointed glare and he held his hands up in surrender. Fred had been observing the Wyndam-Pryces, enjoying seeing Wesley that content. He had seemed depressed for many months and she hated seeing Wesley sad. His smile was charming and she had missed it desperately. Wesley felt Fred's eyes on him, so he turned and their eyes locked. Fred blushed, but didn't break the contact. Mercy noticed it right off, so she glanced at the other Wicca. They smiled at each other and Mercy decided to break her promise to see if it would work.
*Willow, can you hear me?*
Willow's green eyes widened. *You can do it, too?*
*Yeah. I don't usually, but I felt a powerful connection with you. You're a pretty well-known sorceress.*
*Really? Was it my whole I-tried-to-end-the-world fame, or something else?*
*A little of both. Magick can be addicting. You have to be careful.*
*You're preaching to the chior, girl.*
*Do you think that Wesley fancies Fred? It seems like it, but I could be way off.*
*Yeah. I think Fred has a thing for Wesley, too. Heck, he's pretty hot...for a guy.*
Mercy raised her eye brow.
*I think Connor's pretty adorable.*
Willow studied her. *You've got a crush on Angel's son?*
*Hardly. I don't even know him. I just thought he was dashing.*
The two girls started to giggle.
"What's so funny?" Angel asked, finally.
"Nothin'." Willow replied, innocently.
Lorne watched Mercy carefully, studying her aura, but not able to read it. If he could just get her to sing.
"So, you're Wes's sister?"
Mercy looked up to find Faith standing next to her.
"Yeah. You're the crazy bint who tried to kill my brother."
The girls faced each other up.
Faith finally broke the silence. "I like you. Wes, you're little sister's got stones."
Wesley nodded. "She never liked being told what to do."
He slung an arm around Mercy, kissing the crown of her head.
Wesley sat in his office, staring at the phone. It resembled a bomb to him at the moment. He was afraid that if he picked it up it would kill him. He lifted the receiver off the cradle and slowly punched in the number.
"Hallo?"
"Mum? It's Wesley."
"Wesley! Oh, goodness. Mercy's disappeared! She was gone yesterday when I..."
"Mum, she's here with me."
He heard her sigh in relief.
"Oh, my darling little girl."
"She was beaten."
Wesley heard some shuffling occur in the background.
"Mum?"
"Your father was angry. She continued magicking in her free time, even after he told her to stop."
"That isn't a reason."
"You know how your father is. He doesn't want his daughter messing with the occult."
"I don't bloody well care."
"Don't you curse at me."
"Did you see her after he was done? She had a cut at least 8 inches long on her cheek. Her eye is almost swollen shut. Who knows where else she's injured that she's just covering up!"
"You don't understand the circumstances."
"I reiterate. I don't bloody well care. All I care about is that my baby sister is hurt. She will not be coming back to England."
"Wesley, no."
"Pack up all her belongings and ship them to her. Put Father on the phone."
"Wesley, don't do this."
Wesley's voice hardened, not at all the special tone he'd always used for his mother and sister. "Put Father on the phone. I know he's there. I heard him in the background."
He heard the demanding tone of Nicholas Wyndam-Pryce, "Let me talk to our failure of a son."
His mother's meek reply sounded. Wesley looked up and saw Fred standing in the doorway, looking quite bashful. Wesley motioned for her to enter the office. Fred did so, perching herself on the desk away from the computer and phone, on the other side of Wesley.
"Wesley."
"Father."
"I understand Mercy is there with you. Your mother and I will be along to collect her as soon as we book passage to America."
"No, you will not. She will continue out her adolescent years under my guardianship and then she will do with her life as she wishes."
"I am her parent. You have no say in this. Besides, you were a Watcher and we see how well that turned out. We don't want Mercy to become a serial killer."
"That has nothing to do with Mercy. If you ever try to threaten this, I'll reveal to everyone that Nicholas Wyndam-Pryce beats his children."
"I have connections."
"So do I."
An ackward, angry silence passed between them. Wesley suddenly became aware of Fred's hand on his upper arm and he drew strength from the touch.
Nicholas continued, "I will cut you off from your inheritance."
"Fine."
"You'll have to raise Mercy without our money."
"I'll manage. I have a family."
Wesley smiled at Fred slightly.
"You'll pay for this, Wesley. This won't be the last of it."
"I'll be waiting, then." Wesley slammed the phone down with a crash. He got to his feet. Fred hopped from the desk, facing the British man.
"Mercy will be with us indefinitely."
"That's great!" Fred's eyes sparkled.
"It is. I, just...I've always been able to fight all kinds of demons, but I've never been able to fight my father. He's going to force me into battle."
"When you fight demons, Wesley, do you do it alone?"
Wesley shook his head.
"When you fight your father, Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, Connor, Lorne and I will all be there to destroy your demon."
Wesley looked down and Fred reached out, cupping his scruffy cheek.
"We'll help you both through this."
Wes's eyes closed instantly, taking in her comforting presence. Fred stood on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek.
"Now, let's go tell your little sis the good news."
"It is quite brilliant, isn't it?" Fred giggled and led Wesley through the door.