Early the next morning as the sun was coming up, Angel gently laid Katherine down in his bed and carefully covered her up. As she slept, he quickly showered, shaved, and dressed. He tip-toed out of the room and went downstairs. By the time he got there, Fred, Gunn, and Cordelia had already arrived.
"Good morning," he said cheerfully to everyone.
"Is he smiling?" asked Fred.
"Not sure," answered Gunn, "Anybody ever seen him smile before?"
"Go ahead. Make your jokes. Nothing is going to make me mad today," he assured them. "My daughter is upstairs sleeping. She's safe and sound…and home."
Everyone smiled.
"Have you given any thought to what you want to do with her today?" Cordelia asked.
"Not really. I guess I'm pretty limited on what I can do during the daylight hours. I thought I might take her to a movie or something. That's indoors," he suggested.
"I think that's a great idea," Cordy told him as his enthusiasm caught on. "And by the time the movie is over, we could take her to the pier for some cotton candy and a hot dog," she added.
Angel walked around to counter to where Cordelia was sitting. "Listen, Cordy, I was hoping maybe you could do me a favor," he said. "I need to go out for a bit and I don't want Katherine to wake up all alone. Could you go upstairs and just sit with her in case she wakes up?"
"Where are you going? Not on a case, cos, Vision Girl, remember? I'd know.."
Angel shook his head. "Just something I need to take care of. Something personal. I shouldn't be long. Call my cell if she wakes up and I'll rush right back."
"Take it easy there Dad," Cordelia told him. "She'll be fine without you for two minutes, three maybe. You've got to try to loosen up a little. She's home and she's not going anywhere. So, go run your errand and try to stop worrying."
Angel gave her a nervous smile. "Thanks. I'll try."
Half an hour later he was standing in the hallway of an apartment building. He almost knocked and then stopped himself. He took a deep breath and held it a moment. As he let it out, he raised his hand and tapped on the door.
"Who is it?" came the response from inside.
"Angel."
The door opened and after four long weeks Angel was once again face to face with his friend Wesley.
"Hey," Angel said.
Wesley was visibly surprised. "Hey. What are you doing here?" He couldn't totally mask the hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I needed to talk to you," Angel told him. "Can I come in?"
Wesley raised his eyebrows. "You've been here before. You don't need an invitation."
Angel leaned in confidentially. "I know. I was being polite. Wanna play along?"
Wesley stepped aside and gestured Angel in. "Of course. Please come in. Can I get you something to drink? I'm afraid I don't have any blood."
Angel wasn't sure if he was being serious or sarcastic. He decided to play it straight. "That's okay, I'm good."
Wesley gestured toward the couch. "Won't you sit down?"
Once Wesley's manners kicked in they really kicked in. Angel took a seat on the couch.
"Katherine's back," he blurted.
"Yes, I know."
Angel thought for a moment. "Fred?" He guessed.
Wesley nodded. "We've been talking a bit here and there. She called last night. Angel, I can't tell you how happy I am about the way this has turned out. I know having her back doesn't make up for the time you missed with her but…"
Angel put up a hand to stop him. "Wes, I'm not here because I'm angry. I'm here because I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trying harder to understand why you did what you did. I know you never intended to give my daughter to Holtz or Wolfram and Hart or anyone else who would hurt her."
Wesley looked him in the eye. "I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't sort out that blasted prophecy. I didn't want to believe that you would ever hurt her, but…the way you were with her, after they spiked your blood with hers…I couldn't be certain. I thought if I could just take her somewhere and keep her safe until I figured it out…"
Angel nodded his understanding. "I know that now. And I know why you couldn't trust me, or anyone. You were in a horrible position and, just like always, you made the tough decision. Even though you knew it would probably get you killed, and probably by me. At the very least, you knew you'd be in it alone. But that didn't matter to you. All you cared about was keeping my child safe. I'll always be grateful to you for that. I couldn't ask for a better friend, Wes. I just hope that you can forgive me now and that we can try to put all of this behind us and move on from here. What do you say?" Angel offered his hand to Wesley.
Wesley started to take his hand but hesitated. "What about the others? They may not be as forgiving as you are. Certainly Lorne has cause to nurse a grudge," Wesley reasoned as the image of Lorne lying on the floor covered in blood flashed in his mind.
"I'll talk to them but, trust me, since Katherine showed up, the vibe around that place is all about forgiveness. I can't wait for you to meet her."
He pushed his hand toward Wesley again. This time, he shook it warmly and smiled. "I can't wait, either."
Angel stood up to go. "So, see you at the office tomorrow?" he asked.
"First thing," Wesley promised.
Just as Angel was walking back to the sewer tunnel that led to Wesley's building his phone rang. It was Cordy. "She's up!" was all she said. That was enough. Angel was home in a flash.