Lorne had finally sat down, it seemed that just being near William gave him a headache. Lorne blamed it on the aura. Gunn thought that the Seabreeze that the green demon had been drinking might have had something to do with it as well. Lorne was all fun and games about their deal with Wolfram and Heart and at first Gunn had thought that the green demon was all too eager to go for it. But the more time progressed, the less Lorne seemed to enjoy it.
Ah well, they weren't dealing with it now, now were they. William was mumbling about something again. A conversation with someone they couldn't really see. An apology of the past in a moment they probably weren't supposed to witness.
He tried to call Angel again, they had to hurry if they were to save those kids that William was talking about. Angel still wasn't reachable. Where was that guy?
Then he tried to call Macy, asking her about the new check, returned again. How was he supposed to help them if they wouldn't take the help he offered? God!
"Where's Wesley?"
No one answered, Gunn barely looked up as Fred came in, she was flirting with that science boy again. A bit of jealousy raced through him at seeing them together, even as he knew that he had no right to it. It's not like he'd been all that celibate himself lately.
"Hello?" Fred tapped Gunn on the shoulder. "Earth to Charles. Have you seen Wesley?"
"Wasn't he with you?"
Another second of spite before he got a hold of himself. Over, over and done with, no more rights... And God could he be any more pathetic.
"I'm sorry. Just haven't got a clue."
Fred furrowed her brow, looking at the ranting man and Lorne, who was rubbing his head. "Something going on?"
"Fred, this is William. I found him with Randall's gang. He gets visions, like those of a band of demons holding some kids that need to get saved as in now, better earlier than later."
"Like Cordy's visions?"
William flinched. "Cordy. Like the hair...."
He began to laugh.
"Mick's got spine. I wonder what it'd sound like if I snap it in two"
Fred laughed nervously. Unsure what to make of it.
"Even I'm not that incoherent.... "Then a bit worried to Gunn.
"I wasn't right?"
He smiled a bit at the worry on her face.
"So there are kids? Have you told Angel?"
"No" Gunn grumbled.
"We've been trying to reach him for the past half hour."
He was getting anxious. They didn't have much more time.
"What is it with Angel, he gets to be a corporate suit and he no longer has time to save the day?"
"Maybe there's something big coming," Fred said, "Maybe he's busy planning a world saving thing?"
"Yeah, or just holding a stockholder's meeting."
He turned back, trying not to look at Fred's science-boy too much. Couldn't the guy have been old or ugly, or old and ugly.
"He's been unreachable all month."
"Angel wouldn't do that." Fred sighed. "That's not like Angel."
Lorne shrugged. "Power can go to a guy's head. Our fearless leader hasn't been to... Leadery lately."
"But he's still Angel, Champion of the Powers. Even if those Powers might just have been Jasmine and please stop me."
William raked a hand through his hair.
"So much blood.... So much blood...."
Fred shivered. "We have to find Angel. He'd know what to do."
****
"I don't know what to do."
Angel laced his fingers with Cordelia's. He stared at her, trying to look beyond the breathing mask covering her face.
"What? I can so admit that. Just don't tell Wesley."
He frowned for a second as if waiting for her response.
"And I don't act like a twelve year old! It's not like I'm not planning to tell Wes about Spike."
He sighed, desperate to touch Cordy.
"I just can't, not right now."
She was so still. Cordy wasn't supposed to be this still. She was supposed to be vibrant, annoying them in that loveable way of her where she pulled all the attention in the room to her with a single whisper.
"It's Spike of all people. I spend a century, honing my brooding, dealing with things and Spike just blunders into it. And now he's supposed to be the big hero? It's just not right."
How was he supposed to react, cause he sure didn't know anymore. What did it mean that Buffy sent him away, she just wasn't ready, but did that mean they couldn't even fight on the same side together? It's not like they could have just restarted their relationship even if he had wanted to. The curse was still there, always. And he'd wanted too, with Cordy gone, he'd been scraping for anything, any sign from the past, that he hadn't lost everything, that something was still left. Only to loose even more.
"How the hell was I supposed to react Cordy? Buffy with that peroxide pest?
What'd she do with him anyway. She didn't even bother to explain what he did for Willow to curse him in the first place.
And it's Spike... Spike. As if he could ever make her happy or be good for her. Even with a soul.
And honestly how much of a copycat is he?
I got a soul first.
Me, not him. Me."
And yes, he wasn't completely unaware that he was being childish about it. Being souled wasn't fun and games. No sane vampire would ask for it. So it's not like Spike did it on purpose…
But it had been his thing.
Him, the souled vampire, the champion.
What kind of a champion was he that he couldn't even protect his own loved ones, Cordy, Connor, the others… He'd nearly killed Fred for Jasmine for crying out loud. How champion-like was that?
He'd given up so much, sacrificed so much. Yet the first real reward he got, was from the side of evil…
"Did we ever really fight for the Powers Cordy? Or was it Jasmine all along?"
He sat down next to her.
"I miss you Cordy."
