16 hours earlier...

Wesley, sitting at the desk in his office, stared at five golden boxes that were lined up on his desk. All of them were identical; perfect squares that glowed dully in the faint light of the room.

Next to the boxes stood a picture of Wes, Fred, and Lorne hamming it up for the camera at the Wolfram & Hart Christmas party. Both of them, Fred and Wes, had been mystically drunk at the time, thanks to Lorne's projective empathy. They were all smiles as Lorne stood behind them giving his "showtime" grin.

It all seemed a lifetime ago. The happiness that Wesley finally felt in his life with Fred sometime after that had not been a result of Lorne's suggestions, yet it had a magical quality of it's own. Now that was gone...

The prospects of what he now faced paled in comparison to the loss he had sustained when Fred had been taken away from him by Illyria. What he was about to do with his companions was inconsequential. He had told Angel that Illyria was hollowing out Fred, using her body as a shell, during her horrific transformation, yet it was him now that was a shell. He was empty without her. In truth, he had died when Fred did.

All that remained was sitting on his desk. Five golden boxes and duty.

Wesley had always tried to do what was right. Tonight would be no different. Although he care little anymore for himself, he wanted to see Angel and the others through this ordeal if he could.

His mind suddenly shifted to Angel and Connor and his action that led up to where they were now. The prophesies said that the father would kill the son, so Wes assumed he was doing the right thing in taking Angel's baby boy and giving him to Holts. Holts then went into the portal, Connor returned later as an adult, eventually fell under Jasmine's control, which led Angel to make a deal with Wolfram & Hart, which in turn brought Illyria and what they were about to do.

One action. His choice, whether right or wrong, had brought them to their present dilemma. Fred was gone and he had killed her.

Wes hoped that this time would be different. Would his decision now effect their lives, if they made it out of this with them, down the road for ruin? Wesley hoped not. His father, on one of the rare occasion that he had spoke to him as an equal, had said, "Wesley, one has to life for the immediate. Be where they are at, not where they wish to be. Do what is right in the moment because that is what you can control. The outcome is up to fate."

Live for the moment.

It was sound advice. Yet what his father had failed to tell him was what to do when every moment without Fred felt like an eternity. How did he get out of the moment and find fate again?

Wesley was reaching for the first cube when his cell phone rang.

"Yes," Wesley said as he flipped the phone open.

Whoever was on the other side of the phone talked for a moment before Wesley responded.

"Good. I'll be down in a few minutes."

With that he flipped the phone shut and slipped it in his shirt pocket.

It was all coming together, yet there was so much yet to do. The last piece of it as was Vail, yet the rest of the puzzle lay before him. There were so many pieces that were missing and time was running out.

Picking up the first cube, Wes spoke in a guttural tone.

Thid un syh machari shay she.

With the sounding of the final syllable that came from his mouth, the cube began to shimmer and pulse with a lavender inner light.

It was then that he began to speak again.

Thank you to those who have responded to my plea for critiques. Keep them coming because they end up as fuel for the writing.

Allen, thank's for bring the Angel/Giles/Illyria thing to light for me. That was one angle I didn't really consider. However, in my mind, Giles is a general, just like Angel is and generals use those around them. His visit was not a social one. As for the exact reason that he and others are in LA looking for Angel was indirectly linked to Illyria and the results of choices that were made to bring Angel's plan to fruition. What Angel and the other have experienced in the last few hours will just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg, with consequences the reach all the way around the world. (It is also a plot device to bring the old Sunnydale gang into the picture.)

I think you are ahead of me where this is headed, yet not completely. Illyria is a link and so is someone else's departure that should also be at the Well. (Jeez, why don't I just tell you what I'm planning.) It's hard to show a few of your cards without tipping your whole hand.

Also, to thecomputerroom – I like Spike and Illyria, but I don't see anything developing with them yet. Actually, anything that doesn't involve staying alive right now will be kinda put to the side, though there is always hope.

Also, I hope everyone notices that I chose the title "Finding Purpose" for a reason and can see that as the characters develop. I think there has to be a reason they fight other than just the fight itself. For love, hope for the future, to gain something(maybe humanity) or for just the crash and grind of it (Spike). Everyone has to have a reason to live or there is no reason to.

Thanks

Jay