"What the hell are you doing here," murmured Wesley darkly as he entered his apartment to see it actually semi-clean with a small group of cleaners there.

"Chill out Wes, we ordered some cleaners." said Gunn in an oddly cheery way.

"Whats going on Charles?" he said darkly.

"Wes look, why don't you come with me and we can tal-" yet only he got was a fist in the face.

"Stay the hell away from me. We work together you got It." he grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt. "We are not friends," he said looking at him square in the eye and he could tell there was fear in them. Not of Wesley but have what he said. Charles Gunn was coming in realization that, that statement had been true for over a year. Wesley merely threw Charles Gunn to the ground and ran out of his apartment needing to get out.


"Wesley?" murmured Fred's voice the next dayat the office. Rumors where flying all around about what Wesley had done to Gunn. Angel had came in and talked to him first thing in the morning and asked him what's wrong yet Wesley brushed him off with his own cold glare and told him the same thing he had told Gunn, and this made Angel slightly silent and walk away.

"Did they send you in here Fred? To break me or what ever." said Wesley rubbing his temples.

"No, actually I came in here by myself...I just wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" he said sighing in obvious annoyance.

"Your health." she said quickly taking a seat in front of him.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Look Wesley you don't have to tell me what is going on with you if you don't want to but..." she grabbed his hands. His eyes softened ever so slightly at this contact. Yet quickly went back to being cold and serious. Yet that small moment gave Fred courage to move on. "Take care of yourself. Go home, get 12 hours of sleep, eat something, take a shower, shave, and just...get better." she said and squeezed his hands. "Please? For me?" she said weakly.

"Fred I-"

"Wesley I heard what you said to Charles and Angel... and I'm not mad just...disappointed." she said and let go of his hands and walked over to the side of his desk. He stood up to meet her gaze. "We use to be a family...and then...we all jus started to drift apart and.well...what if tomorrow one of us dies Wesley? Do you think you could live with yourself?" she asked holding his hand once more.

Dear god could this woman read his mind? He merely leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Ok." and with that she smiled and left him. His eyes soon became sad, as he didn't cry yet the pain came back. Physically once more.

5 minutes later he entered Lorne's office.

"Is that retreat to that private island the firm owns still open?" he asked urgently. Fred was right. His head was to muddle, and it was hurting him, and the people around him. He had to get better because if he didn't. History would repeat itself.


Yet he was still so unaware of so many people watching him. A hawk hovering outside Lorne's window, Robin Wood from the crack of the door that was still open, and one of the oracles watching from his crystal ball.

"Shadow has fallen off the path."

"He will return to it soon, with the death of the people who distract him from his destiny, he will soon return to it." said the other oracle, and it flashed the faces of Lorne, Angel, Gunn, Harmony, Spike, and Fred.


Wesley lied on the tropical beach, warm pearly sand under his toes. Everyone will come eventually. Fred, Gunn, Angel, and Lorne said they'd let him be for a few days before coming by and spending thier own vacation. It was nice to now this place was in an alternate dimension. It had one sun yet 3 moons at night. Under Fred's requested he had taken a shower, shaven, eaten and had actually gotten a little tan from his countless hours of just lying out on the beach. Just thinking about everything, yet over the many hours of pondering he had come to one conclusion.

He missed them so much.

After all the years of just trying to hide it away, it finally came out and he had lost control of himself, his work, hell he lost control of his life. It was like being exiled from the gang again. Being on the beach reminded him of his last vacation so much. He would sometimes walk out onto the grand balcony of the large spacey beach house and stare at the ocean. He could hear Liz's voice. He would just close his eyes and breath in the smell of the warm air and the ocean.

Yet as he currently lied on the beach his minded wondered of what to do next. Should he go off again? Should he go and see what other life he could possibly have? Should he stay? What he had told Gunn and Angel was true yet he never wanted it to be. But at the time it was true. Should he apologize and try to put back the family they once had back together? Yet his thoughts where interrupted by someone blocking his sun. Wesley opened his eyes to see Elizabeth Wattson standing there. Wearing a pink bikini.

"Hey" she said squatting down.

"Hey" he whispered back.

"Miss me?" she whispered almost seductively in his ear as she bit his earlobe lightly.

"More then anything." he whispered back.

"Good," and with that she slapped him on the face hard. "I hate you." and with that Wesley awoke from his nightmare on the beach.


On his third day of vacation Wesley awoke at 6, out of habit. He tossed and turned in his bed trying to go back to sleep yet his body just wouldn't let him. Sighing deeply he decided to do something he once swore to never do again. Slipping into his swim trunks he walked out of his large master bedroom and down the stairs. The beach house that was on the private island was a mansion. A private Olympic size pools, industrial kitchen, 12 bathrooms, a music room, a dance sort of room (Full of mirrors) a personal gym, a movie theater, bowling alley, and was well more like an expensive hotel.

Wesley grabbed a towel on his way out along with what he had expected to be in the small (about the size of 2 garage's) sports supply room.

Wesley sighed deeply as he placed on a silicone swim cap and a pair of Speedo goggles. Stepping up onto the block Wesley leant forward grabbing the edge imagining his summers back in Pinegreen.

Wren and he where swim coaches for the local swimming pool. It was a lot like the "Little Giants" looking back. A hopeless team with the help of a leader, new coaches, and some lots of fun, made it all the way to never losing a meet that summer. Luke who had swum back home in Maryland was quite fast for a 7 year old. One of the fastest 8 and under, and as he grew so did his swimming skills. He swam in the winter to. When Wesley had first met Luke he didn't quite understand his swimming obsession. Of course he himself swam a lot as a boy, and was not half bad. Yet when he saw the look in his eyes at the small 9-year-old boy at the time explained it to him he understood.

"Swimming to me is peace," the small little 9-year-old William Luke Wyndam Pryce said. For a brief moment his eyes darkened. "Father back home was not a kind man," he said shivering slightly. He points to his shoulder of the 5 brown birthmarks on his right shoulder. If you connected the dots you would get a cross. Everyone thought it was a cool birthmark yet Matt knew better for he himself had the same mark on his right shoulder. They where cigar burn scars from his early childhood. According to what he had heard Luke had gotten his father's twin brother and his parenting skills where probably similar. "I am at peace there. Always have." he said a bright smile. For a 9 year old Luke was incredibly mature, just like Wesley had been at his age. It was after that conversation Matt would wake up at really early in the morning to go Swim before work. Yet after the accident...swimming wasn't peace. It was a haunting.

Wesley pushed off the block diving in the cool chlorine water, doing a streamline and starting a simple freestyle. Wesley was reminded of forgotten muscles as he continued to swim.


Wesley lied out in the sun on the deck of the Olympic size pool. He had lost track of time and when he stopped swimming it was almost 8. God he was so exhausted and yet at peace. He had been this tired after doing something healthy in a long time. Yet the experience wasn't a haunting, yet in fact he felt at peace. Sometimes he would swim with his brothers in the early morning. That is when he would feel at the most one with them. And the last 2 hours he felt the sense of community once more, as if they where there with him. Wesley chuckled at how odd it sounded yet it was quite true. Wesley sat up sighing deeply his back against a wooden post that separated the deck of the pool and the sand of the beach. He ran a hand through his now reddish brownish hair. It must have been the combination of the chlorine and sun that is making it turn back to that color. He ran a finger over his ear to feel the small golden hoop that was in his ear. About a year ago, when he was exiled from the grouped he got drunk and got it repaired. Starter earrings are always so hard to get out, so for 6 weeks right after his exile he had an earring that only Lilah knew about. He took it out after the 6 weeks, yet found himself putting it back in when he was alone. So his ear had been pierced for well over a year.

Wesley soon drifted off to his first calm slumber in years. For once it was not haunted of his past actions yet it actually involved a pony and a butterfly. Yet he was once again unaware of a black hawk with intense blue eyes watching him from the roof of his mansion. The dark black hawk flew off, and then is was as if someone cut a hole into the air with an invisible knife because a small portal opened only for a second as the hawk flew in, and the portal closed the moment he entered.


The black hawk flew over the city lights of LA, and landed on an old abandon warehouse building. It landed next to a black panther that lied calmly on the roof. A young boy sat on the roof the panther watched him with intense eyes, yet did not attack, yet it was obvious it did not trust the boy either. Yet the hawk seemed to as it flew to the boy's arm, which contained a leather glove.

"You found him hawk?" asked the boy in a dark cold voice. The hawk merely nodded. The boy looked on the other side of the roof where a semi-old jet-black wolf was in a cage that was locked. It's ribs where showing slightly. "Well Shadow it seems your old master will return." and he then looked upon the city. "You will return brother...you will return. Along with the power that is rightfully mine." and with that 17-year-old William Wyndam Pryce walked off the roof, the hawk still perched on his arm.


Emma entered LA with an extreme urgency. He is alive, her presscisaus wonderful Matthew is alive! God where has he been the last 7 years? And is aware she is alive? He even aware that his 7-year-old daughter is alive?


Eule: Check out my other mini-stories which are more detailed on the second year of Christmas (Operation I saw Lizzy Kissing Santa Clause) and Wilona's birth (Wilona the Desired). Also please tell me if something is mixed up, I tittled the chapters wrong in my comp so you might get chapter 9 instead of 7 or something. Please keep up those reviews. Heck you don't even have to reveiw just post if you read the story please

Thanks

EULE

PS: I believe the next for chapters a little less action packed, and more drama, and angsty. Lots of romance on the upcomming chapters aswell. And why did Robin call Wesley the same exact name that Wren his old best friend use to call him! GASP DUN DUN DUN!