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I don't think I have anything to say... Hm. Nope. There's nothing.
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Chapter 5
Wesley's eyes blinked open slowly as he started to wake up from another small nap. They hadn't meant to fall asleep, it's just that, after calling Sunnydale a million times and getting no answer, they decided to try later. He stretched his arms and looked around. The room was filled with natural light, the sun streaming in from the doors and windows. Cordelia and Gunn were both asleep in the chair; Cordelia's head on one arm, her legs tucked into her body; Gunn's head was lolled back, his mouth slightly open as he quietly snored. The little nap turned out to be longer than he thought.
Yet there was still no sign of Angel. He thought of having Cordelia or Gunn check up on him, but decided against it and let them sleep. They both deserved it anyway. Wesley wondered if there was any coffee left anywhere around here, he started to turn his wheelchair around towards where the coffee maker was when he saw Angel.
Angel... how were they going to tell him that his beloved Buffy was dated to die in the near future? He had never really gotten all the details on their relationship, but he could tell just by the way Angel's face almost lit up, that Buffy was special.
Angel was sitting on the other side of the counter, fully clothed in one of his black button up shirts and probably black pants, Wesley couldn't tell. Angel hadn't even noticed Wesley getting up, or hadn't made any notion too; his gaze was fixed on the mug in his hands. Wesley watched Angel for a minute, the vampire's knuckles were brimmed white as his grip on the cup became tighter and tighter, Wesley was afraid the glass might be ready to -
CRACK
The mug in Angel's hand had completely broken into tiny pieces and red blood spilt all over the counter. He looked at it, a little shocked and surprised, but made no movement to start cleaning up the mess. Wesley noted the utter confusion on his friend's face, his eyes looked as though they had aged another century and his posture was almost slumped. It made him feel almost sorry for Angel.
"Um, you might want to clean that up before it starts getting on the floor," Wesley offered, watching the blood seep over the counter.
Angel's head immediately shot up to where Wesley was. "I - uh... yeah," he quickly grabbed some nearby paper towels and soaked up the mess, moving the books so they avoided being ruined. "I... um, wasn't really paying attention."
Wesley watched as Angel frantically tried to catch all of the blood and wipe it off. "Do you want any - "
"No, I - I got it," he said, throwing away the towels and grabbing another batch. "I got it," Angel picked up the remains of the mug and threw them in the waste basket.
After he was done, Angel looked toward Wesley, trying to think of something to say. Wesley stared at the uncomfortable vampire, not making the situation anymore easier. Angel sighed and awkwardly shifted his weight. "Wesley..." he trailed off.
"Yes?"
"I..." he looked away. "I know there isn't anything right now that could make up for what I did to you guys - "
"No," Wesley said, wheeling himself toward Angel so he didn't have to crane his neck, "there isn't."
Angel nodded. "I know, and I just want to thank... you guys for doing what you did last night."
"Hm," Wesley thought. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
"No... I'm also sorry, for what I put you through. It wasn't supposed to get that tangled, I let it get out of hand and I can't explain how sorry I am."
Wesley sighed. "I understand what you're saying, Angel. You let us down when we tried to help you, neglected us when you needed us most. I don't think I can forgive you, but there are bigger matters at hand..."
Angel raised his eyebrows. "There are? Well... wh - what..."
"Angel..." Wesley started.
"Oh my GOD," Cordelia's voice bounced off the Hyperion walls as she started to wake up. "Why does it smell like blood around here - " she came around to where Wesley and Angel stood, stopping when she saw Angel. "Oh! Angel. You're up. And seeing as how there's that nasty red stain on the counter..." she stopped when she realized she wasn't helping. "Right, so anyways. How are you?"
"I - I'm good, Cordelia," he said, softly. "Wesley was just saying..."
Cordelia's eyes grew as she turned to Wesley, giving him a what-the-hell- are-you-thinking?! glare. Wesley gave her an accused look, shrugging his shoulders. Cordelia turned her attention back to a very confused Angel. "Well... Angel."
"Cordelia had a vision," Wesley butt in, but she quickly slapped him upside the head.
"Yeah, I did..." she walked up to Angel, grabbing his hand.
"What?" Angel sensed that something wasn't right. Something was amiss. "What happened? Is - is everyone okay?"
"Um," she looked down at his fingers, finding some way to put it down easy. "Angel... Buffy..." she met his gaze and she saw the fear in his eyes. "I had a vision and Buffy was in it, the vision. I saw Sunnydale... and there was this big fight, nothing new there, but... as it went on... Buffy. She died, Angel."
She died. Buffy died. Buffy Summers - his Buffy Summers... died.
The words hit Angel like a baseball bat nailed with spikes. Buffy... dead? No, no - that couldn't - this couldn't happen to him like this. Not, Buffy she - she was supposed to go on, she was supposed to live! The End of Days - the Oracles! They had promised him she was going to live. He gave back time for her so she didn't have to die! Why was she dead now? They could have been together right now, in his room -
Angel shook his head mentally.
"Well," Wesley started. "Maybe not. Cordelia's visions are of the future, the Powers That Be don't send visions that have already happened, they send visions of things that you're supposed to prevent or of people you're supposed to help."
"So, you're saying she may not be dead?" Cordelia spun around, staring at Wesley. "Great time to tell us AFTER I give him the 411 that his ex- girlfriend might be toast!" she turned around to look back at Angel, but he wasn't there. He was sitting on the couch, staring at the ground. "Here that, Angel? Buffy might still be alive and kicking."
Cordelia sat next to him, knowing that was probably one of the most painful things he has ever heard in his life. She couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of emotions that were stirring inside him and she felt a little bad for not really knowing how she could ease the pain, help him cope. "We can still prevent it, Angel. Hey, even I'll go down with you to Sunnydale - "
"No."
Cordelia was a little surprised by his answer. Taken back was more like it. "What?"
"No," Angel said, more calmly. "I'll go, you guys stay here and - "
"Hey," Cordelia snapped, her brow creasing in frustration. "Remember the part where we don't work for you anymore?"
"But - "
"We'll make Gunn stay here!" she said, pointing over to where he slept. "We can help, Angel!"
"No, Buffy - " Angel, got up and started rushing toward the door. "Buffy needs my help."
"Angel!" Cordelia said, trying to run after him. "Angel, we can figure this out together!" But by the time she got up Angel was out the door. Cordelia sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I swear, nothing can ever stand between him and his miss blonde and beautiful, now can it?"
"No, Cordelia," Wesley said solemnly, watching the Hyperion's back doors slowly close. "He loves her too much too let anything happen to her."
Cordelia looked at Wesley for a moment before turning around. "Then why has he been here in LA? Obviously something's HAD to happen to her between when he left and now. God, the guy has serious priority issues. We need to get him a planner."
I don't think I have anything to say... Hm. Nope. There's nothing.
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Chapter 5
Wesley's eyes blinked open slowly as he started to wake up from another small nap. They hadn't meant to fall asleep, it's just that, after calling Sunnydale a million times and getting no answer, they decided to try later. He stretched his arms and looked around. The room was filled with natural light, the sun streaming in from the doors and windows. Cordelia and Gunn were both asleep in the chair; Cordelia's head on one arm, her legs tucked into her body; Gunn's head was lolled back, his mouth slightly open as he quietly snored. The little nap turned out to be longer than he thought.
Yet there was still no sign of Angel. He thought of having Cordelia or Gunn check up on him, but decided against it and let them sleep. They both deserved it anyway. Wesley wondered if there was any coffee left anywhere around here, he started to turn his wheelchair around towards where the coffee maker was when he saw Angel.
Angel... how were they going to tell him that his beloved Buffy was dated to die in the near future? He had never really gotten all the details on their relationship, but he could tell just by the way Angel's face almost lit up, that Buffy was special.
Angel was sitting on the other side of the counter, fully clothed in one of his black button up shirts and probably black pants, Wesley couldn't tell. Angel hadn't even noticed Wesley getting up, or hadn't made any notion too; his gaze was fixed on the mug in his hands. Wesley watched Angel for a minute, the vampire's knuckles were brimmed white as his grip on the cup became tighter and tighter, Wesley was afraid the glass might be ready to -
CRACK
The mug in Angel's hand had completely broken into tiny pieces and red blood spilt all over the counter. He looked at it, a little shocked and surprised, but made no movement to start cleaning up the mess. Wesley noted the utter confusion on his friend's face, his eyes looked as though they had aged another century and his posture was almost slumped. It made him feel almost sorry for Angel.
"Um, you might want to clean that up before it starts getting on the floor," Wesley offered, watching the blood seep over the counter.
Angel's head immediately shot up to where Wesley was. "I - uh... yeah," he quickly grabbed some nearby paper towels and soaked up the mess, moving the books so they avoided being ruined. "I... um, wasn't really paying attention."
Wesley watched as Angel frantically tried to catch all of the blood and wipe it off. "Do you want any - "
"No, I - I got it," he said, throwing away the towels and grabbing another batch. "I got it," Angel picked up the remains of the mug and threw them in the waste basket.
After he was done, Angel looked toward Wesley, trying to think of something to say. Wesley stared at the uncomfortable vampire, not making the situation anymore easier. Angel sighed and awkwardly shifted his weight. "Wesley..." he trailed off.
"Yes?"
"I..." he looked away. "I know there isn't anything right now that could make up for what I did to you guys - "
"No," Wesley said, wheeling himself toward Angel so he didn't have to crane his neck, "there isn't."
Angel nodded. "I know, and I just want to thank... you guys for doing what you did last night."
"Hm," Wesley thought. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
"No... I'm also sorry, for what I put you through. It wasn't supposed to get that tangled, I let it get out of hand and I can't explain how sorry I am."
Wesley sighed. "I understand what you're saying, Angel. You let us down when we tried to help you, neglected us when you needed us most. I don't think I can forgive you, but there are bigger matters at hand..."
Angel raised his eyebrows. "There are? Well... wh - what..."
"Angel..." Wesley started.
"Oh my GOD," Cordelia's voice bounced off the Hyperion walls as she started to wake up. "Why does it smell like blood around here - " she came around to where Wesley and Angel stood, stopping when she saw Angel. "Oh! Angel. You're up. And seeing as how there's that nasty red stain on the counter..." she stopped when she realized she wasn't helping. "Right, so anyways. How are you?"
"I - I'm good, Cordelia," he said, softly. "Wesley was just saying..."
Cordelia's eyes grew as she turned to Wesley, giving him a what-the-hell- are-you-thinking?! glare. Wesley gave her an accused look, shrugging his shoulders. Cordelia turned her attention back to a very confused Angel. "Well... Angel."
"Cordelia had a vision," Wesley butt in, but she quickly slapped him upside the head.
"Yeah, I did..." she walked up to Angel, grabbing his hand.
"What?" Angel sensed that something wasn't right. Something was amiss. "What happened? Is - is everyone okay?"
"Um," she looked down at his fingers, finding some way to put it down easy. "Angel... Buffy..." she met his gaze and she saw the fear in his eyes. "I had a vision and Buffy was in it, the vision. I saw Sunnydale... and there was this big fight, nothing new there, but... as it went on... Buffy. She died, Angel."
She died. Buffy died. Buffy Summers - his Buffy Summers... died.
The words hit Angel like a baseball bat nailed with spikes. Buffy... dead? No, no - that couldn't - this couldn't happen to him like this. Not, Buffy she - she was supposed to go on, she was supposed to live! The End of Days - the Oracles! They had promised him she was going to live. He gave back time for her so she didn't have to die! Why was she dead now? They could have been together right now, in his room -
Angel shook his head mentally.
"Well," Wesley started. "Maybe not. Cordelia's visions are of the future, the Powers That Be don't send visions that have already happened, they send visions of things that you're supposed to prevent or of people you're supposed to help."
"So, you're saying she may not be dead?" Cordelia spun around, staring at Wesley. "Great time to tell us AFTER I give him the 411 that his ex- girlfriend might be toast!" she turned around to look back at Angel, but he wasn't there. He was sitting on the couch, staring at the ground. "Here that, Angel? Buffy might still be alive and kicking."
Cordelia sat next to him, knowing that was probably one of the most painful things he has ever heard in his life. She couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of emotions that were stirring inside him and she felt a little bad for not really knowing how she could ease the pain, help him cope. "We can still prevent it, Angel. Hey, even I'll go down with you to Sunnydale - "
"No."
Cordelia was a little surprised by his answer. Taken back was more like it. "What?"
"No," Angel said, more calmly. "I'll go, you guys stay here and - "
"Hey," Cordelia snapped, her brow creasing in frustration. "Remember the part where we don't work for you anymore?"
"But - "
"We'll make Gunn stay here!" she said, pointing over to where he slept. "We can help, Angel!"
"No, Buffy - " Angel, got up and started rushing toward the door. "Buffy needs my help."
"Angel!" Cordelia said, trying to run after him. "Angel, we can figure this out together!" But by the time she got up Angel was out the door. Cordelia sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I swear, nothing can ever stand between him and his miss blonde and beautiful, now can it?"
"No, Cordelia," Wesley said solemnly, watching the Hyperion's back doors slowly close. "He loves her too much too let anything happen to her."
Cordelia looked at Wesley for a moment before turning around. "Then why has he been here in LA? Obviously something's HAD to happen to her between when he left and now. God, the guy has serious priority issues. We need to get him a planner."