Author note: Really quick chapter. I haven't read it through the dozen times like I always do, because I wanted to get it posted quicker. And this is dedicated to Imzadi. Happy times!
Chapter Three – Living in a New World
Angel came out of his office the same time Lindsey McDonald walked through the front doors.
"What do you need?" Angel asked Cordelia.
At the same time, Lindsey started to speak. "I need to talk to all of you."
"Something's wrong with Wes," Cordelia cut in.
"He needs to go back to the hospital," Doyle added.
"There's something more pressing," Lindsey said.
They all talked at the same time, making Wesley's headache hurt all the more. He just wanted to lie down and let it all slip away.
"Could everyone please be quiet for just one moment?" he told everyone, raising his voice.
Wesley rarely raised his voice in his world. By the look of shock on everyone else's faces, he obviously rarely did it here too. But they all stayed silent.
"There's much that I have to discuss with you. Let me start off by saying . . . ," Wesley began.
"No, you don't understand. Wilson escaped. He'll obviously want to pay you a visit."
"What do you mean he escaped? I thought Kate had him under wraps?" Angel asked.
Wesley had no earthly idea to what Angel was referring. By the look on Cordelia's face, this Wilson must be bad news. They all turned to Wesley, looking at him for something. He hoped it wasn't answers.
"Wes, man, we need to figure out a good place to hide you until Wilson is caught," Doyle responded to the staring.
"Who's Wilson?" was the obvious question that he asked.
"Um, Wes, honey, the kidnapping case. You caught him. Don't you remember?"
Cordelia was talking nonsense. But in her version of reality, it must be true. They were detectives, and they caught real, human criminals. She patted his hand gently, trying to reassure him of what he didn't know.
"You tracked him down. Cornered him in that hotel with the little girl. Went in and took him down," Doyle explained.
"Without back-up," Angel growled. "You could have been hurt."
"He wasn't. Until now," Cordelia grimaced. "I'm thinkin' hospital is in order for Mr. Selective Memory here."
Everyone agreed. All the people that were in the room went to the hospital with him. By the time he was done, he'd been probed, prodded, and poked every which way and in practically every cavity of his body. He didn't want anyone else to touch him, ever again.
They found nothing. Absolutely, positively nothing.
No head trauma, no lingering concussion, no brain damage, nothing. He was fit as a fiddle, the doctor announced, who then gave him a card to see a psychiatrist. He wouldn't bloody well see a psychiatrist until he was absolutely sure that something was definitely wrong.
Definitely wrong hit the next night, but not before a confrontation from this world's Cordelia.
Things had been going swimmingly, at least from his standpoint. Cordelia had waited on him hand and foot. Had massaged his shoulders, read to him, fed him his favorite dinner in the whole world, even tucked him into bed. It was when she joined him that he flinched. He hadn't meant to flinch. Typical reaction on his part. Obviously not a reaction from this world's Wesley.
"Wes, what's wrong? Do you not find me attractive anymore? Oh, I know, it's her, isn't it?"
Cordelia sat up in the bed beside him, wearing nothing but a slinky nightgown. Whoever she was referring to couldn't look any better than she did right at that moment.
"It's Faith, isn't it?"
He stood corrected.
"No, no. Of course not. Why do you think that it's Faith?" he stammered out.
"I know her. And I know you. The history there. What's a girl supposed to do?"
Oh, good God the two of them had history together. Well, they had history together in his world too, just not very pleasant history for him to look back on.
"Do you know me, Cordelia? I gather that you think that you do. I assure you that my thoughts are clearly in this room, right this instant, on you."
Cordelia's shoulders slumped a little, letting some of the tension she had been holding herself up with out. He could tell all of that because his Cordelia did the same exact thing when she was freaking out, as she so often told him.
"But I would like you to sleep elsewhere. Or I'll go elsewhere, if you'd like," he managed to get out of his mouth.
The look of shock on her face was classic. He had turned her down. Her, Cordelia, Queen C, one of the most beautiful, desirable women that he had ever kissed. He had turned her down after she offered herself to him.
"No, um, that's OK. I can go sleep on the couch. You just stay here."
She slowly backed off the bed, looking as if she was ready to cry. He almost called her back to apologize profusely. Instead, she turned and jumped across the bed to him, sending a punch that rattled his jaw. Unfortunately, it still didn't knock any sense into his frazzled brain.
"If you think for one second that I will let her win, you've got another thing coming, buster."
With that, she swung her legs, oh, so long and lovely legs off the bed and strolled out of the room, slamming the door home for emphasis. The breath that he had been holding rushed out almost choking him. He sputtered a little as he took some deep, deep breaths to calm his racing heart.
Getting up to go over to the bath, he focused his sight on the mirror to see how much damage she had committed. The face he saw staring back at him looked harder somehow, much more world weary, in fact even older than he thought that he had looked. The scruffy beard and appearing wrinkles around his eyes did nothing to dispel his musings on how much he had really changed. His hair was even much shorter. He had been here for only a day or so and his whole look had changed? He must be losing his mind, completely.
"I've gone off my rocker. That's the only explanation," he said to himself, not expecting anyone to reply.
"Yeah, well, welcome to the club. Mr. Insane-O Guy appeared more times than I could count."
Cordelia had reappeared back in his room. Only this time, she was different too. Much like he was different. Gone was the long, flowing tresses, to be replaced by shorter, curler, somehow more self-assured Cordelia hair.
"Don't say it. I know. The hair. Can't trust those lawyers to keep things the way they should be."
Wesley just shook his head ruefully at her. Who the hell was this and where were the other two Cordelias.
"Who are you?"
"Cordelia, you dumbass. Get your butt in gear, for God's sake."
"For what, may I ask?"
"You have choices to make. But not right now. Right now, I want you to experience this world. See what you like, what you don't like. Then I'll come back and we'll talk. Got it?"
Got what, he thought? Maybe this Cordelia could hit him also. Would another version appear if she did?
"So you want me to act normal here and then you'll come back and ask me questions?"
"Well, duh. At least you answered it back without a dissertation. That's an improvement."
He slowly made his way over to the new version of Cordelia. She looked like Cordelia, she certainly acted like his Cordelia, not like the one in this reality.
"You haven't figured it out yet, have you, Mr. I'm-Way-Too-Smart-For-My-Pants?"
Wesley mouthed her new name for him back, perplexed by her nomenclature. Right at that moment he was wearing his pajama bottoms and nothing else.
"I must not be smart enough. Please enlighten me, if you would."
"Touch me," she instructed him to do.
"So you can slug me back. I don't think I will."
He pulled back slightly as her hands went to her hips.
"I am not going to hit you. God, you can be such an idiot at times. Just swing out at me then."
He couldn't hit Cordelia. Was she mad? Insane? So he swung out lightly with his palm, making sure that if he made contact, she wouldn't be injured in the least bit. His hand passed right through.
"What, what just happened?" he stammered out.
"You know, I always wondered that if you sat in front of those books too long, that this would happen. Total, absolute cluelessness," she yelled back at him. "I'm a freakin' ghost, you asshole."
That much he had figured out. And to be a ghost, one would have to be . . .
"You're dead."
"Give the man a prize."
He tried not to display a look of shock, but by the way Cordelia was looking at him, she really didn't want him to keel over and die from it. She wanted his attention.
"I, uh, when, how, why?"
"Not questions that I can answer right now. Now, can you do this for me? Live in this world for a while?"
She knew exactly who and what he was, why he had been transported to this different world.
"I don't belong here. I want to go back to my world."
"Wes. Do you trust me? I mean, Cordelia? Do you trust Cordelia? Your Cordelia?"
"Yes, completely."
One of her eyebrows quirked up high as she shook her head side to side. "What I wouldn't do to have this Wesley back. The sweet, unassuming, not racked by guilt Wes that I loved so much. Before all the mess happened."
"I'm guilty?"
"Of too much and not enough. And I know that I make no sense right now, but you have to trust me. Live here, see the world the way it should have been, or the way it could be. Please, for me."
This Cordelia was begging him to live a normal, non-demon filled life. All of his friends and enemies (who seemed to be friends now) were normal beings. They all worked for doing good in the world. What more could he wish for?
"I didn't wish for anything, now did I?"
"No. No wishing. No vengeance demons around. Although, later, you might wanna look that up. Strike that. Not gonna give you ideas. So, are we clear?"
"Not so crystal. How much should I live this life that you've given me?"
"As much or as little as you like."
"Am I supposed to look for something, some kind of sign or prophecy?"
Cordelia threw her hands up with disgust. "Enough with the prophecies. You think you'd learned your lesson. Oh, wait. Not yet. I need to keep my big mouth shut. So, agreed?"
What else could he do? It didn't look like anyone could be hurt from whathe was doing. His friends surrounded him, with additional surprises like Doyle and Faith. And in this world Cordy seemed to care for him, unlike in his world where they were just friends. That was something he wished he could change in his world, but he wouldn't let the ghost Cordy know that.
"I don't have much of a choice, now do I?"
"You will, Wes. You will."
Cordelia blinked out of existence just as fast as she had appeared. Hallucinations did happen to people with concussions, didn't they? But it all seemed too real. Ghost Cordy was too much like his Cordy. He would tread carefully in this world until she reappeared again to tell him what he wanted to know.
Creeping downstairs the next morning, Wesley made his way to the coffee pot, only to notice that it was empty. Thank God Cordelia hadn't made it yet. He quickly filled it up with water and put the grounds in the filter and started it bubbling. Maybe the rich caffeine would clear his head more.
"Hey, and I thought that I was stealthy," Faith called from behind him.
"Oh, well, yes. I just needed a jolt this morning."
He rubbed his hands over his stubbly cheeks, having forgotten to shave yet again this morning. It seemed that this Wesley didn't shave so often. It itched fiercely. How could one get used to it?
"You usually aren't the one to drink coffee around here, Princess Margaret. You sure you don't want me to boil you some water or somethin'?" Faith asked him, voice going husky on the last few words, or was it his imagination that it had.
"Coffee will be delightful," he replied with a little squeak.
"Sounds like you're comin' down with somethin'. Want me to . . . ," Faith started as she made her way over to him, brushing past him on the way to the phone, "call Cordelia?"
"Oh, we, um, sure. I mean, if that's what you want. That would be fine," he said, the last sentence a rush.
"Man, you really need to take some time off. You really look like shit."
And he felt like shit too. Faith dialed whatever number she knew for Cordelia, but got no answer. "Not answering. Sit down, Wes. You look a little pale."
If he put two and two together, this Faith and the other him must have shared something intimate. The look in her eyes was unmistakable. She had that look several times in Sunnydale, but he had pointedly ignored them all, mostly because she was his slayer, and definitely because she was underage. Mostly.
Although her clothes weren't as revealing as they were in Sunnydale, they were still tight and still left not too much to his imagination. He had to get out of that room before he embarrassed himself.
"You know, I'll just go and look for Cordelia. Get out of your way, Faith."
"My way? Wes, this is your office. Whoa, that head trauma must be worse than we all thought. You, Angel, bosses?" Faith shook her head like he was supposed to remember this very important fact. Then he saw the small picture of himself and Cordelia at the corner of the neat and tidy desk. It must be his desk. While the other desk on the other side of the room, the one with the mess on top of it, must be Angel's.
"Oh, right. Now you see why I need that coffee," he jested, still not earning her confidence.
Faith started to back out the door, like she was in a hurry to find something or someone. "I'll just go track down Cordelia. Or maybe Angel. Hell, I'd take Doyle right now, not much use for the shrimp, but I'd take him anyway."
She smiled at him like he was one of those escaped convicts from prison (oh, right, just like she was in his world, only not escaped thank you very much) or that he was crazy, off his rocker, going downhill in front of her eyes.
"Hey, what's up, man?" Gunn yelled from the front door.
"Oh, thank you fuck," Faith muttered under her breath as she kept backing away. "Wes here is actin' a bit funny. Why don't you just talk to him while I go find Cordy?"
Faith patted Gunn on the behind and fled up the stairs.
"What'd you say to her? Aliens taking over your brain or somethin', cuz that would be just really disgusting."
"She seems to think that I'm from another planet. I made coffee. Is that strange?"
"You made coffee? Hell, no. Just as long as Cordy didn't get her mitts on it, I'll take it where I can get it."
He poured Gunn a cup and sat talking with him about whatever newest video game he had rented the last time they played, which could have been a very long time ago in this universe.
"Crash Bandicoot is coming out with a newer version," Gunn started to say, but was interrupted by Cordelia running down the stairs.
"Did you hit your head again? Faith said that you made coffee. And that you're talking nonsense, again."
He smiled back at Cordelia, like he didn't have a care in the world. He was rewarded with a room-lighting smile back. That didn't change from one version of Cordy to the next.
"Why are you smiling at me?" she finally asked when he didn't stop.
"Because today is the first day of the rest of my life."
Gunn snickered and got up to leave. "That's my cue to leave. See y'all later, man." Gunn waved goodbye at them and strode out the front door.
"I wanted to apologize for last night. I don't know where my head was. I really am sorry to put you through all of that," Wesley told her.
"It's OK. Just don't do it again. Are we good?"
"We are absolutely perfect," he said as he reached out to softly touch her face.
"All right, break it up. No PDA's when I'm in the room," another familiar voice shouted from across the room.
Kate walked into the hotel, gun strapped to her hip. In this reality, she was still a cop, while in his reality, she was still a cop, but not as happy as she looked right in front of him now.
"Did you get it?" Cordelia gushed.
"You should see it," Kate squealed back.
Kate Lockley squealed. Now that was definitely a first.
"I wanna see it. Where is it?" Cordelia wanted to know.
"Wait, wait. I'll bring it in. Stay right there," Kate said as she ran back outside.
Wesley stayed silent, just so Cordelia didn't think he didn't know what in blazes the two women were conversing about. Not like he did in his own reality either. Women most of the time perplexed him. Probably was why he hardly ever dated. Tripping over one's own two feet precluded asking most women out on a date. Klutzy, stammering Wesley may be cute to his Cordelia, but it didn't get him dates.
Not that he needed to worry about dates here with warm and willing Cordy. God, if she saw him now, she'd probably smack him for the lurid thoughts racing through his, well, brain.
"I see that look on your face," Cordelia purred.
"Wh, what look?" he stuttered out.
"That please kiss me before I explode look?"
He had that kind of look? Was he blind? Of course, he didn't know what he looked like at that moment. But Cordelia did. She yanked him to her and set about to try and devour him in one gigantic, warm, torturous kiss. She pressed all of herself against his front, making even his ears red. When she grabbed his head to angle in for a better fit, he groaned in pleasure, then wrapped his own arms tight.
"Let him go, Cordy. My dress, my dress," Kate called out, having come back in the room without either one of them knowing.
"Sorry. He looked way too yummy to not take a taste," Cordelia told Kate.
Wesley turned around so that the two couldn't see his reaction. He put his fist in his mouth so that they couldn't see or hear him wanting to yell at the top of his lungs that the kiss he had just received from Cordelia was the hottest kiss on record (oh, well his record and it wasn't all that extensive).
"Lindsey's gonna want you to shave, Wes," Kate spoke up as the two women oohed and aahed over a dress.
It was white, he saw as he turned back after having gained some semblance of control. So he put two and two together and came up with wedding, Kate, mostly likely Lindsey as the groom. Then he snickered. Kate had to be taller than the lawyer was. He didn't know why that was a tad bit funny, it was just that in his world, Lindsey was evil and Kate hated everything about the demon world. And she could probably kick Lindsey's ass. Much like Faith could kick his any time she wanted. Oh give it up, Pryce, he thought. Cordelia could kick his ass too. He was such a ponce.
"Shave?" he managed to get out.
"Yeah. Although I think you look kind of hot like that."
Wesley almost snorted in amusement at being called hot by Kate Lockley. She wouldn't give him the time of day back in his reality. And he thought there she was kind of hot too. He wouldn't mention that fact right then.
"Yeah, one hot puppy," Cordelia winked at him.
"Oh, sheesh, you guys. You could warn a man when you're gonna start throwing all those cute nicknames around. Makes me sick to my stomach," Angel said as he trotted down the stairs. "Doesn't anyone work around here?"
Work, work. What was he supposed to do with that?
"Any new cases that I should be worried about?" Wesley asked nonchalantly.
"Gunn is on one right now. Messy divorce case. But it should be wrapped up shortly. Doyle is looking into that racetrack fixing scandal. Who knows how long that one will last? You just wrapped up the biggest one, so it's looking pretty clear right now."
"You promised, you guys. We have a wedding coming up, remember?" Cordelia said, hands on her hips.
"I don't make the rules. And I'm not jinxing it either," Angel wanted the others to know.
He poured himself a cup of coffee, nodding in approval as he tasted it. "Beat Cordy down this morning?" he said out the side of his mouth to Wesley.
"Indeed."
Angel smiled and raised his mug to the ladies. "Another day at the office."
"Yes. Another day at the office," Wesley mimicked.
Could he keep up this charade for long? If Cordelia kept smiling at him the way she was right that instant, maybe he just could.
TBC
Next: The wedding is fast approaching for Lindsey and Kate. And so is Christmas.
Author notes: OMG, is this taking longer than I thought. The holidays sure have messed with my schedule. And I'm writing my own, original story too. Not enough time in the day. But this is what I've signed up for, thanks to the hubby. Please read and review. I know this is kind of silly right now, but it won't be the whole time. Am I getting the right mix of season two Wes with season four/five look of Wes? There's a reason, coming up soon.
Thanks go out to all that have reviewed. I've been trying to keep up with all the ones that I normally review. Not easy. Thanks go out to asdeed, Illyria639, Imzadi, tp96, pari106, SPIKEANDKELSIE, psychotic chaos, and everyone else who decided to jump aboard this fic. A little different from my others. I really needed to do something different to shake things up a bit.
Answers to questions:
Illyria63—I was wanting a change from Wes/Faith.
Imzadi—I'm not saying that it's your fault that Lindsey appeared. He just seemed to fit. I'll give you credit for the marriage thing with Kate though. Although don't hit me for Wes's immaturity.
Tp96—Don't stop reading. There will be a little flirting between Wes and Faith.
Par106—I miss Doyle, I miss S2 Wes, I miss Cordy, I'll stop now.
SPIKEANDKELSIE—Does this make it a little clearer?
Psychotic chaos—hey, I didn't say there wouldn't be problems though. Never in a fic of mine would that not happen.