Here's Part II which, due to some thinking, will be different than what I told you.

(Chapter Ten - - - - - - -)

It was about a week and half since the incident and plans for the tearing down of the haunted house were already underway. Xander and Giles seemed to be the only ones to recover the fasted emotionally. Buffy still felt angry at Wesley for letting Victor do what he did.

Willow was upset and felt the same as Buffy, she couldn't quite forgive Wesley. Wesley said nothing and hardly ever slept, so it was difficult to tell what he was feeling. Giles had recovered mostly from the gunshot and his arm was now in a sling. Willow had a concussion that was almost gone and a bruised tailbone. Buffy stood in the waiting room with Xander, Willow and her mother.

Buffy had personally asked for Joyce to come, lying and saying they were attacked after school one day, troubling Joyce to no end. The four of them were waiting for Giles to bring Wesley out so they could sort out his living arrangements. According to the doctors, Wesley was being let out of the hospital slightly too soon. They said he still needed to be under observation.

Giles said that he had told the doctor that he would be under constant observation. Buffy wasn't too keen on seeing him, but she kept trying to convince herself that it wasn't Wesley who hurt her friends, but Victor.

The doors to the waiting room swung open with a push of Giles' good shoulder and he stopped to let Wesley through. Wesley paused and refused to go first and Giles sighed walking into the room first, slowly followed by Wesley.

Buffy expected something completely different than what she saw. She expected plain old Wesley and what she got was exactly the opposite. Buffy hadn't seen him since the early morning when she and Xander drove him in, and she almost staggered backwards when she saw him.

Wesley was incredibly pale and he almost matched the color of the bleached walls. He had dark circles under his eyes from neglecting to sleep and he looked breakable. Wesley had been given a clean shirt, but he clutched the old, bloody one in his left hand, letting it trail on the floor behind him.

He refused to look anyone in the eyes and stared at the floor most of the time, glancing up every now and then to make sure he didn't walk into anything or anybody. His sleeves were rolled up, much to his displeasure, and you could see where the doctor's stitched up his self inflicted wounds.

Xander just blinked and Willow had pretty much the same reaction as Buffy except she actually did stagger backwards a little. Joyce put a startled hand to her mouth when she saw this man's state and could think of nothing to say. Giles sighed again and finally spoke.

"The high school is giving me time off to fully recover. I'll take him in with me." Giles clarified. "I have to go call a taxi." Giles began for a payphone, but Joyce followed saying she would go get her car ready and drive them home. While this was going on, the three friends were left with a silent Wesley. None of them knew the right thing to say at that moment.

"Uh, hey Wes." Xander tried. Wesley cringed at the sound of his name and continued staring at the floor, his old shirt limply dangling at his side, clutched so tightly in his hand, his knuckles were white. Willow recovered from the shock and approached Wesley cautiously.

"Hey." Was all she said and placed a gentle hand on Wesley's shoulder. It seemed to take him a moment to register what was going on. He let her hand linger there a moment longer before violently pulling away, his eyes never leaving the hospital tile.

Buffy just stared at Wesley with tragic eyes until her mother came up behind her.

"Buffy, are you coming home?" she asked. Buffy let her eyes remain on Wesley a little longer before turning to her mother.

"Yeah. You guys need a ride?" Buffy asked her friends. Xander looked up.

"Nah. I'm taking Willow home. See you guys at school, huh?" Xander and Willow walked out first.

Joyce had called Buffy in sick that day, knowing she would want to be with her friends when they were let out. Joyce and Buffy headed to the car and Giles helped Wesley get out of the building. Giles was going to sit next to Wesley in the back, but Buffy surprisingly offered to instead.

"He looks awful. Do you know why he did that to himself?" Joyce asked Giles as the car sped down the road.

"He thought he was abandoned." Was all Giles said and Joyce shook her head. Buffy watched Wesley while she sat in the back. She had tried prying the shirt from his hand, but found that act useless and gave up. He stared out the window a lot and Buffy finally worked up the nerve to speak to him.

"Wes, you can't avoid looking forever." Buffy tried to search for his eyes to look into but was unsuccessful. Wesley cleared his throat and turned his eyes to the car floor.

"She hates me." He whispered and Buffy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Who hates you?" she encouraged and Giles turned in his seat, careful not to hurt his shoulder when he heard Buffy. Wesley was silent for another minute or two.

"Willow." Was all he said and fell silent once again.

"Willow doesn't hate you." Buffy half laughed. "That wasn't you who hurt her. It was Victor. Using you." Buffy leaned back in the seat and stared out the window as the houses and other car's whizzed by. "He used us all."

(--------)

Joyce pulled up right in front of Giles' house. She offered to help them inside but Giles declined saying she'd done enough. He opened the car door for Wesley, who climbed slowly out with a sigh.

"Go along inside, Wesley. Here's the key." Giles dug the key out of his pants pocket and placed it gently into Wesley's palm. Wesley nodded slightly and trudged to the door. "Buffy, can you stop by later?"

Buffy turned to her mom for the okay, which she reluctantly gave. Giles was about to walk away when Buffy spoke up.

"That was beyond weird, even for me, what Wesley said. . . about Willow."

"Yes. It was rather odd, I'm thinking maybe. . ."

"Rupert?" Wesley called out, not turning from the door. Giles and Buffy looked at each to each other, puzzled, before Giles turned to address Wesley.

"Yes?" Giles asked confusion mingling in his voice. Wesley had never called him that before.

"The key doesn't fit." He stated matter of factly, still not turning around.

"Bring it here and let me see." Giles suggested and cleared his throat when Wesley did nothing. "Wesley!" Giles called, slightly annoyed. Buffy, sensing something wrong, climbed out of the car and told her mom to leave.

"I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is. Be careful." Joyce did the usual mom thing and drove off.

"Wesley!" Giles called again and this time, Wesley slowly turned and with one quick movement raised his hand and pulled Giles a good foot off the ground and let him hang there.

"No. . ." Buffy managed to squeak out weakly. Wesley's eyes were a pulsating, glowing red. "No. . ."

"Oops." smiled Victor.

(-------)

Well-see. Wasn't expecting that now WERE you? Or, if you know me, maybe you were. R&R peas and tanks.