Ringing. Wesley was waking up because of the annoying ringing that filled his ears. He reached out and pounded the air next to him but his alarm clock wasn't there. Wesley sat up as disorientation hit him and he looked around his front room. Wesley massaged the crick in his neck that he'd gotten from sleeping at an odd angle as his phone rang on. Did he unplug his answering machine?
The phone rang again and Wesley got up, walked over to his cordless phone. He pushed the talk button, put the phone to his ear, and heard a dial tone. Wesley brought the phone to eye level and glared at it as if the person who hung up could see him.
Ring.
Wesley jumped slightly and raised the phone to his ear again but it was still giving him a dial tone.
Ring.
His mobile was ringing in his jacket pocket. Wesley clicked off the phone, threw it onto the couch behind him, and walked quickly over to his jacket.
Ring.
He searched through his jacket pockets, slipped on a piece of glass in his stocking feet, and fell with a crash onto the floor.
Ring.
Wesley picked himself off of the floor and saw that he had scratched a deep gouge into his arm. He brushed off the blood and glass and winced painfully.
Ring.
Wesley found his phone in his pocket and...
Ring.
flipped it open.
"What?!" Wesley barked hoarsely into the phone.
"Sorry to disturb you sir," a random voice said to him over the phone, "but Mr. Angel has insisted we get a hold of you right away so-"
"Oh did he," Wesley interrupted with a sigh.
"Yes, sir. Mr. Angel asked that you come to Wolfram & Hart right away, sir."
"Ah, yes, anything for 'Mr. Angel'," Wesley said sarcastically.
"Sir," the lackey said, "where are you?"
"I beg your pardon," Wesley said indignantly.
"Your location," the lackey said loudly.
"I will not answer that and you should-"
"I've been expressly instructed to determine your location, sir," the lackey said, "by Mr. Angel ."
"Well," Wesley said quickly getting angry, "if it's for 'Mr. Angel' of course. 'Where am I'? Let's see, last night I went to a bar and picked up some guy in a pub, one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know my mobile is ringing and I'm laying in a bed next to him completely starkers. Right now, however, I'm on my way to the fabulous Wolfram & Hart and we can finish talking about my fabulous sex life when I get there. Bye," Wesley said in a falsely cheerful voice and snapped the phone shut.
Wesley gripped the phone tightly so he didn't throw it. Angel wanted to know where he was but didn't want to waist the time doing it himself. Mopey Wesley was gone, replaced by an angry, ready-to-rip-Angel's-head-off-and-watch-Angel-turn-to-dust-in-front-of-Wesley's-eyes Wesley. If this was how Angel was going to play with Wesley, then Wesley was going to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Wesley looked over at the clock on his wall. It was just after sunrise. Wesley decided to take a shower before heading into the office. What could be a 'situation' directly after sunrise? What? Was Nina still a werewolf?
Wesley chuckled at that thought and trudged off to take a shower.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel hated to be the bearer of bad news and having to be the one to tell Nina she was now a werewolf was bad, bad news. Then to have to admit he was a vampire and that all of the bad things she was taught weren't real, are real. It was too much for most people to deal with but Nina seemed to be doing fine, or as close to fine as she could be considering...
Angel decided that Nina probably needed sometime to herself and wandered out into the lobby where Fred and Dr. Royce were waiting.
"How's she doing?" Fred asked looking through the window at Nina.
"Oh, agreed to stay the night in the holding cell tonight, but she's pretty scared," Angel told Fred then directed his attention to Dr. Royce. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait for the show," Spike interjected appearing suddenly. "Should be a good one. Everyone on pins and needles, dreading the moonrise. Then pop goes the werewolf."
"I can't stop what's gonna happen. But I can keep her from getting hurt," Angel said ignoring Spike.
Angel was still angry at Spike for yesterday. Angel had seen how Spike hadn't left Wesley's side. Angel didn't know if Spike could tell what was going on between Angel and Wesley but he knew he didn't like Spike hanging around, constantly hovering over his Wesley.
And Wesley was still his even though he'd promised to leave Wesley alone. Angel did it because Wesley had a thing for Fred. 'Had'. As if Wesley ever stopped liking Fred. Wesley still liked Fred, that fact had finally been hammered into Angel's head the way that Wesley had spoken jealously of Knox the previous night. Angel decided, at that minute, that if Wesley still wanted Fred so badly then Angel wouldn't stand in his way. Angel would let Wesley have a proper go at Fred and Angel wouldn't make Wesley stay with him just because Angel thought of Wesley as his. Even though Angel really, really liked Wesley, Angel did what he thought was right, noble. He did the noble thing for Wesley and let him go.
But last night Angel had still snuck off to stand on Wesley's balcony and watch him. Angel watched as Wesley sat and sat and finally started destroying his apartment. Angel decided that maybe Wesley did like him and enjoyed their time together and it was time to make their night time activities mean something more than just sex when his phone vibrated. Eve with important Wolfram & Hart business and Angel had to come immediately. So Angel had cast one final glance at Wesley and disappeared into the night.
"These first few transformations are the worst," Royce said bringing Angel back to the present. "Werewolf strength combined with disorientation and fear..."
"You mean, she could hurt herself?" Fred asked.
Angel wondered what Wes saw in her, she was all skin and bones. Sure she had big doe eyes but Angel had eyes too. What was it that made Fred so special to Wesley?
"Oh," Royce said drawing Angel back again, "I've seen 'em bang their heads against walls, claw at their own skin."
"We'll just have to tranq her," Angel said, "let her sleep through it."
"Well, that could work for tonight but, uh, over the long haul, bad idea." Royce said.
"Well, there has to be something," Fred said.
"They like familiar scents, images," Royce said. "Maybe if you took her home, let her get a few things, could have a calming effect."
"Fetching her blanky's not gonna make a bloody bit of difference," Spike said from behind them.
"Spike," Fred said and turned to face him, "really not helping."
"I'm just saying," Spike continued, "the girl's a killer. Maybe not tonight or tomorrow, but she will get out of that cage."
"Not if she doesn't want to," Angel said.
"Oh she'll want to," Royce chimed in. "It's unfortunate but..."
"And when it's not that time of the month?" Spike continued again. "She'll be wracked with the guilties. What with a soul and all."
"Didn't seem to bother you," Angel snit.
"Oh, it's been nothing but a pain in my-" Spike said and faded away again.
"Finally," Angel said and turned back to Royce. "I'll take Nina by her house."
"Angel," Fred interjected, "it's the middle of the day. Unless you plan on waiting in the car..."
"Take security," Angel instructed her. "In case she changes her mind."
"Excuse me, Mr. Angel!" A sandy blond haired man of about twenty four called to Angel. Angel recognized the man immediately. He had been waiting for this lackey all morning. This was the guy he told to get in touch with Wesley, find out where Wes was, and get him back to Wolfram & Hart.
Fred looked at Angel. "Go ahead. I've got something I need to take care of." Fred nodded and went into Angel's office. Angel walked over to where the man was standing, by Gunn's empty office.
"I got a hold of Mr. Wyndam-Pryce per your request," the lackey said in a hushed tone.
Angel almost snickered at him. He still got a kick out of hearing people refer to his friends by their sir names and a title of respect. "And," Angel said crossing his arms over his chest, "what did you find out?"
The lackey reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He straightened it and began reading from it.
"Akhm, I called Mr. Wyndam-Pryce at his home number and let the phone ring twenty two times. No answering service of any kind picked up so I didn't leave a message. I then called Mr. Wyndam-Pryce's mobile and let it ring six times before it was answered by Mr. Wyndam-Pryce-"
Angel sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. "The point is coming right?"
"I informed Mr. Wyndam-Pryce that his presence was required at Wolfram & Hart and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce said he was on his way. I asked Mr. Wyndam-Pryce where he was since he didn't answer his home phone and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce told me that he was at a gentleman's house where he had spent the night." The lackey looked over his paper again before looking up at Angel with a self satisfied smile.
"He said what?!" Angel asked loudly. The lackey's smile dissolved and he began fidgeting with his paper nervously.
"His exact words, sir, were: 'I went to a bar and picked up some guy in a pub, one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know my mobile is ringing and I'm lying in a bed next to him completely starkers'. That means naked, sir." The lackey said quickly and flatly.
"I know what it means, you-"
"Angel," Gunn called and walked over to the two of them with a number of files in his hands. "You're just the person I wanted to see."
Gunn clapped Angel on the back and gave the lackey a look that said 'get lost'. The lackey handed the paper slip to Angel and took off towards the elevator. Gunn walked into his office and sat down behind his desk. Angel followed him in slowly. Gunn opened up a file and motioned Angel over, he handed Angel a pen and pointed to a line in the file.
"You sign this, we're all set to return McManus's body over to his family," Gunn said.
Angel signed the paper and walked over flopping himself heavily into a chair.
"They've made arrangements to transport his body back to..." Gunn trailed off when he noticed that Angel wasn't paying attention, "the north pole. Turns out he had a close personal relationship with Santa."
Angel wasn't listening, he just kept thinking back to what the lackey had told him. Wesley met another guy? Wesley picked up some guy at a pub? On some level Angel could handle Wesley wanting Fred more than him because that meant Angel was still the only guy Wesley had ever been with. That maybe Angel meant something because Wesley had done something with him that Wesley wouldn't do with any other guys. That maybe Angel was special to Wesley and the only thing that made Fred better than Angel was the fact that she was a girl. But now, if Wesley had picked up some random guy then that meant that Wesley just didn't like Angel.
Angel could still remember why he had started it with Wesley that night. Angel had been unable to sleep and was sitting up thinking. He thought about when he became Angelus and told Fred that Wes was almost perfect and if he swung that way... then later when Angel was sitting on Wesley's bed. Just sitting there, face to face with Wesley, Wesley radiating heat and practically naked, smelling so good, so alive, and letting Angel devour him with his eyes Angel thought 'why don't I swing that way?'
Wesley had reacted almost the exact way Angel expected him to. Wesley tried to put some space between them but Angel had a feel of how warm and soft Wesley's skin was, and Angel wanted more of it, needed more of it.
When Angel trapped Wesley against the wall with his body the fear that radiated off of Wesley was intoxicating. Angel had to fight from slipping into game face and biting into the soft, alive flesh of Wesley's neck and drinking from him. Angel had settled for a kiss, a kiss that Wesley neither stopped nor continued.
Angel pulled away and told Wesley that he would be coming back the next night, he didn't ask. Wesley was Angel's, had been for some time, Angel just hadn't claimed him. But with that tiny kiss Angel claimed Wesley as his own. Angel wanted to own Wesley, anyway Angel saw fit, claim him as no mortal lover possibly could. Angel wanted to bruise Wesley, scratch Wesley, mark Wesley as his own.
But, Angel realized, he couldn't be what, who, Wesley wanted and Angel let him go. Angel let Wesley go so Wesley could go after Fred or some other girl. But not a man! Wesley couldn't have another man! Angel wouldn't allow it! No man shall touch Angel's Wesley and live!
"Angel?" Gunn said.
"What?" Angel asked. "Um, I'm with you. Turning the body over to... Santa?"
"Angel," Gunn said in that patented 'I'm on your side' patronizing tone they reserved for spooked clients, "you saved that girl's life. If you hadn't gotten there when you did-"
"The werewolf would've killed her," Angel said. "I know. Doesn't change what she's gonna have to go through."
"Well, that part sucks, no doubt but... you did everything you could."
"You know what Gunn," Angel said coldly, "don't need a pep talk right now. Just do your job."
"Right," Gunn said curtly and grabbed the files from his desk. "I'll just go do that... someplace else."
Gunn walked out of the office and Angel thought about calling out to him, telling him he was sorry and telling Gunn he just had a lot on his mind but just decided to let Gunn go. Better to be alone so Angel could brood, it's what Angel did best.
"Whoa! Watch it there," Lorne called after Gunn and walked into the office where Angel was sitting. "Just passing by and got splashed with a heap of grouchy. Got to tell you, Angelkins, that extra weight is not looking good on you."
Angel looked down at himself slumped in the chair. Great, he thought, that is why Wes doesn't want me.
"I'm talking about psychic pounds, pumpkin," Lorne amended. "Why don't you consider me the Jenny Craig for the soul, huh?"
Angel didn't say anything, he wondered if Lorne knew about him and Wesley. Lorne should know he was empathic, of sorts. Lorne probably sensed it the moment Angel walked into work the day after Angel' had kissed Wesley. But Lorne hadn't said or done anything that made it seem like he knew. And if Lorne didn't know then Angel wasn't going to be the one to tell him.
"So let's hear it," Lorne said.
"I'm not gonna sing," Angel said sternly.
"Couldn't bear it if you did," Lorne said. "No, it's talking you need... or maybe a shoulder to-"
"I'm not gonna cry either," Angel said quickly.
"I was going to a leaning place," Lorne said. "Okay, Atlas, How about a shrug? Look so you got the weight of the world. It's a burden, sure, but breaking news it ain't."
"Listen, Lorne, this isn't a good time," Angel said.
"No," Lorne agreed, "it never is. Spike showing up your first day in the Wolfram & Hart saddle took the jolly right out of the rancher. We've been feeling it ever since then, Angelcakes."
"Okay, so it's no secret. I don't like the guy," Angel said trying to end the conversation quickly.
"Like him, don't like him, that's up to you. You're fighting so many enemies around you, Angel, your punches are getting sloppy, and we've got the bruises to prove it. We're operating in unfriendly territory, champ. I don't want you to forget about the people covering your back."
Lorne looked at Angel for a moment longer and then left Angel alone.