CONSEQUENCES

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created like Katy and Morgan.

Wesfan1234-Thanks for the nice review, Angel has something planned and he's not in the mood to be playing games, hopefully this chapter will be a bit funnier than the last one…and who knows, maybe even a kiss(or more) for my favorite pair of mismatched rogues.

CHAPTER 21-MIDNIGHT RONDEVOUS

"Tell me again why you and I are sitting out here, freezing our asses off, watching Angel's ex and all of her little friends while the rest are nice and warm inside," Gwen grumbled with an irritated scowl on her face as she pulled her thin coat more tightly around her.

"We are doing a most necessary and valued aid to our friend Angel, we are collecting information on our adversaries, this knowledge will be vital if we are to defeat them in combat," Groo replied with an excited and warm smile on his face as he picked up a pair of binoculars and trained them on the small park where Buffy had gathered her now slightly smaller flock.

"We don't need to know their plan to kick their sorry little asses Groo, Angel just doesn't want to be taken by surprise again, and after what that little weasel Andrew pulled who can blame him," Gwen snapped back with an angry scowl on her face before she had to stop to direct some blowing hair away from her face as the wind had picked up since Buffy and the others had entered the park.

"Hmm…I do not see such an animal in the park, perhaps it is being hidden under the cloak of," Groo started to wonder out loud with a naive smile on his face as he stopped looking through the binoculars and turned to Gwen. Rather than let loose a tirade of angry words at him Gwen concluded to just slapping him upside the head and scowling at him, letting him know that he had said something wrong, before she returned to watching Buffy and the others.

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For much of the rest of the day Angel and Spike spent that time locked away in the map room, pouring over one possible scenario after another. Unlike many times before both would offer up valid possible plans and they managed to discuss the merits and faults of the different plans without it degrading into a royal rumble. Meanwhile Willow had dived into the multitude of magical texts that David had collected over the years and along with Michelle's help she was actually beginning to make some progress. Wesley had tried to help the two but had quickly become tired and had retired to his room to get some sleep, with Faith appointing herself his guardian and trying her best to stay awake in a chair near the door inside his room. That plan lasted for only a few moments after he fell asleep as soon the two were unintentionally sharing each and every dream via their connection with the medallion. Both however would awaken hours later with a need to stretch their legs and have a drink.

"There you are, you know if you want to get Morgan than you're actually going to have to spend time with her," Katy grumbled with a slightly annoyed look on her face as she walked over a small hill to find Connor kneeling down beside the pond in the backyard of David's estate.

"Go away," Connor grumbled with an annoyed and impatient scowl on his face as he slowly continued to work with something in the weeds by the pond.

"Sorry comrade, but I can't do that, if you want Morgan to notice you instead of Spike then you can't spend your entire day out here by yourself," Katy replied with an unfazed expression on her face as she continued to slowly walk towards Connor but kept looking back over her shoulder at the top of the mansion that was barely visible above the top of the hill.

"I'm not good…at talking, I always mess things up," Connor said softly with a defeated pout on his face as he finally stood up and Katy saw that he had tied several of the dead plants together into a small stick figure.

"Doesn't look like you messed that up," Katy said with a proud smile on her face as she nodded her head down towards the figure.

"This…it's just a hobby, something to calm me down," Connor said with a calm but sad frown on his face as he handed the small figure over to Katy and began to walk back towards the mansion.

"Look…I wasn't making fun of it, actually I think it's kind of cool," Katy called out to Connor's back before she had to hurry to catch up to him. When she caught up to him he slowed his pace for a bit before he turned abruptly when he caught sight of Morgan staring down at him and Katy out of her second story window.

"Would you stop staring at them already and come downstairs and help us find the spells," Michelle said with a rather stern scowl on her face as she stood in the doorway of Morgan's room and stared at her new friends back.

"I'm not staring…I just wish I knew what they were talking about," Morgan snapped back angrily at first before she calmed down some and whispered the rest.

"Maybe you should ask them," Michelle offered with a sly smirk on her face as she knew what the two were really doing as she had overheard a conversation between Spike and Angel earlier in the night where Spike had told Angel about the whole situation.

"Maybe I will," Morgan said with a hint of jealousy in her voice before she pulled a coat on with her one good arm and stormed out of the room.

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"But surely there must have been something good that happened to you, it can't all have been bad," Willow said with a scared and nervous look on her face as she and Dawn finally cornered Spike and Angel in one of the pantry's.

"Well there was that onetime that ole Peaches here took on the machine, course all it got him was being turned into a puppet," Spike joked out under his breath with a sly grin on his face as he glanced over at Angel, who looked about ready to strangle him before Dawn spoke up.

"A what," Dawn interjected with a very surprised look on her face as she stopped watching Wesley and Faith putting their coats on to turn back to Angel and Spike.

"A puppet, a wee little puppet man, it was hilarious," Spike quickly answered with an exuberant smile on his face as he patted Angel on the back, much to Angel's chagrin.

"It really was…he was made of felt and his nose came off, I think I might have a picture somewhere," Nina added with a sly grin on her face as she could tell that Angel was getting more and more upset by the second.

"I bet that you were so cute," Willow said with an excited and eager smile on her face before she started to make cooing sounds and pinched Angel's cheeks.

"I was not…I was the baddest puppet that ever walked…under its own power, those demons didn't stand a chance," Angel loudly interjected with an embarrassed look on his face as he took a step back from Nina and Willow and Dawn and shut the door behind Wesley and Faith.

"Course they were all puppets to, little bitty ones, Angel wanted to throw the bloody helicopters and black ops team at them," Spike said with an almost devious grin on his face as he took a step back and leaned up against the nearest doorway.

"But luckily Wesley convinced me not to and everything worked out fine in the end, now can we drop this," Angel snapped with a frustrated scowl on his face as he glared at everyone around him before he threw up his hands and stormed out of the room and then up the stairs.

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He casually lifted his gaze skyward, staring calmly at the dark and cold storm clouds that were beginning to form overhead. She led him across the street and into the pub without saying a word. She had somehow managed to convince Angel to let Wesley out of the mansion. As he surveyed the inside of the pub he was glad that he had let Faith drag him here. She had said that she loved this particular pub, mostly because she had saved the bartender from a pack of vampires and in return he didn't charge her for her drinks. That, the lack of to much lighting, and there never were to many patrons in the place and it had quickly become Faith's favorite place to drink and be alone.

"Love the décor Faith, remind me to bring a torch next time," Wesley joked with a sly grin on his face as he followed her over to a dark booth in the far corner of the building.

"Don't be so quick to knock this place Wes, it grows on you," Faith quipped with a slightly hurt look on her face before she shrugged her shoulders and slid into the booth next to Wesley.

"I'll bet…like mold," Wesley shot back under his breath with a devilish grin on his face, as he was beginning to feel better, before the bartender walked over and placed an overly large pitcher of beer on their table and set two large mugs down in front of them on the table. He was gone before Wesley could say a word of thanks.

"I usually only get through half of this…except after Robin and I…then I polished off three of them…course my brain nearly exploded from the hangover but my troubles definitely went away," Faith started to explain eagerly with an excited glint in her eyes before they grew cold and sad and she glanced away.

"But only for a short time, that's the problem with alcohol, no matter how much you drink to take your problems away, you will always have a need for more," Wesley said dryly with a sad frown on his face as he nodded his head when Faith looked at him and silently asked if he wanted her to fill his glass.

"That's the sober you talking, the drunk you will hopefully be a lot more enjoyable," Faith joked with a sly grin on her face before she filled her own glass and lifted the mug up to her lips.

"I shudder to think what the drunk you is like Faith, a prim and proper schoolgirl perhaps," Wesley started to say with a worried look on his face before the edges of his mouth curled up into a smile and Faith nearly inhaled the foam from her beer through her nose as she tried to laugh, drink, and come up with a funny anecdote all at the exact same time.

"Bet you'd like that…course it could be fun, a bit of role-playing to go with dinner, kind of always wanted to be a naughty schoolgirl…with the plaid skirt hiked up to…and nothing on underneath my…," Faith countered at first with a nervous shrug of her shoulders as she sat back in the booth before she got on a roll and only stopped when she caught the look in Wesley's eyes and decided that she didn't want to go there just yet.

"Yes well…let's keep that discussion until later shall we," Wesley finally said after several silent moments between the two.

"No argument here," Faith said with a nervous and slightly embarrassed smile on her face before she continued, "You ready for what's to come?"

"Whether I am or not isn't really important Faith, either way I have to take part in this… the good fight yeah," Wesley replied with a nervous and somber look on his face before he drained his mug and poured himself another.

"I guess…but there was something that I wanted to ask you about from earlier, when I got your memories through the amulet there were a few things that I wouldn't have expected in a million years from you," Faith said with a slight shrug of her shoulders before she shook her head and turned to Wesley.

"Such as," Wesley asked with a relaxed expression on his face before he lifted his mug up and took a long sip. For the next four hours the two talked about everything under the sun from their favorite color to when they lost their virginity. In the back of her mind Faith found it odd to be talking so openly to Wesley in such a way but she blamed her willingness on the alcohol that she was drinking and didn't hold back. Wesley on the other hand relished the simple fact of being alive and talking to someone, pushing aside thoughts and fears of what he would do when all of this was over out of his mind for the time being. The rain that had begun as a simple light sprinkling a few minutes after they had entered the pub had become a steady rain by the time that they left, except they left through the back alley instead of onto the street as Wesley had discovered that something that he had eaten earlier in the day all of a sudden no longer agreed with him.

"You okay," Faith asked, the concern evident in her voice, as she squatted down beside Wesley and laid a hand on his arm as he tried to wipe the rest of the vomit away from his mouth.

"I think so," Wesley answered softly with a slightly sickly expression on his face before using the nearby wall to stand fully back upright.

"Good because if we stay out here much longer we're going to be soaked clear through to the…bone," Faith started to say with a sigh of relief before they both heard a low growl that came from one end of the alley. They stood in a cold silence, hoping that the sound that they had just heard was only a trick of the wind. Their hopes were dashed when a large demon materialized out of the darkness, towering down over them. Faith instantly grabbed a loose iron pipe and rushed forward to attack while Wesley checked the other end of the alley to make sure that they were not being boxed in. As Faith landed her first blow Wesley switched tactics and tried the door to the pub, only to find it locked from the inside.

"I think we're in trouble here," Wesley shouted out with a very serious expression on his face before the demon that Faith had hit several times opened its second set of eyes and grabbed the iron bar out of her hands.

"Hey…give that…," Faith started to growl with an angry scowl on her face before the demon smacked her first across the face with the iron bar and then jammed it into her side. Bile rose in her throat as she felt and heard her ribs strain and then crack.

"Faith," Wesley shouted loudly in an almost drunken panic as he grabbed a broken bottle of wine and hurried to Faith's defense. He got to the demon just as Faith doubled over from the pain and spat out some blood. He swung the broken bottle towards the demons throat but it easily blocked the attack and then grabbed his arm and shoved him away and down, straight into a pair of full metal garbage cans. The grunt of pain from Wesley hitting the garbage cans snapped Faith momentarily out of her pained state and she had just lifted her head up a bit when the demon grabbed her by the throat and the ankle, picked her up, and threw her the entire length of the alley, with Faith finally coming to a landing in a large pile of wooden packing crates and garbage bags. Wesley only saw part of her flight before the sickening sound of a body going through wooden crates met his ears. Feeling both outraged and emboldened Wesley flung himself out of the smashed up garbage cans and back at the demon, only to be met with a fist to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could stop to regain him breath the demon placed its forearm across his chest and ran him straight into the nearby brick wall. The demon grinned as a flash of extreme pain crossed Wesley's face. Pinned to the wall Wesley was almost completely defenseless when three more demons walked out of the shadows, the low amount of light reflecting off of their almost steel like talons. Wesley tasted blood as one of the new demons slashed at first his midsection and then both shoulders, shredding his coat and shirt and leaving wounds behind that would harden into scars that would never disappear.

"We…," Faith grumbled with a queasy expression on her face as she slowly climbed out of the rubble of the packing crates while trying to keep her vision was showing her double of everything. She hadn't noticed either demon and was only barely able to avoid having her throat slashed when one of the two demons that hadn't attacked Wesley slashed at her, knifing through her shirt and leaving three long lines of blood that ran from her shoulder down to the small of her back. Falling forward from the first attack the next one came, as Faith felt the demon's claws scratch through her arm and rip away what little was left of her sleeve. Fighting through the pain Faith was able to dodge the next attack and was somehow able to get in between the two demons that were attacking her and ducked out of the way of the next attack. The second demon barely saw Faith duck down before the others demons claws raked across its throat, killing it.

"Nnh…ah," Wesley gasped out as the air was being forced from his body before his barely flailing hands found what he was looking for and pulled the gun out from the waistband of his jeans. Using the rest of his small amount of surprise Wesley used the bigger demons arm to prop his own up as he leveled the sights of the gun straight into that demons eye. Before the demon could pull away Wesley fired. The bullet ripped through the demons eye, skull, and bone before blowing out the back of its skull. The smaller demon was so surprised by the sudden event that Wesley was able to get off another shot at it, just as he was starting to slide down the wall. The bullet sprayed the wall behind the demon with its brains as it flopped to the ground just as the rain turned into a torrent. Faith finally caught her breath and was just able to block the attack from the remaining demon when Wesley clicked his tongue against the top of his mouth, catching the demons attention. The last thing that the demon saw was a flash of bright light and smoke and then everything went black.

"Nnh…Wes," Faith moaned with a pained look of panic on her face as she slowly crawled along the ground over to where he lay in a steadily growing puddle of water, with both covered in blood.

"Faith," Wesley mumbled back with a slightly shell-shocked tone to his voice before Faith gritted her teeth and ripped away what was left of his coat and shirt and gently laid her hands on his chest, hoping to keep him from trying to get up. When she saw the blood dripping out of the wounds on his shoulders and chest Faith began to frantically rip away what was left of her own shirt and tried to cover every wound.

"Easy Wes…I won't let you die," Faith started to say with a very determined look on her face as she leaned across Wesley to tie a strip of her shirt around the wound on his right shoulder, never noticing that she was practically lying in his lap in what some would say a compromising position. It wasn't until Wesley turned back from looking at his wounded shoulder that both noticed this, with their faces barely centimeters apart and blood mixed with rainwater dribbling off the ends of their noses.

"Faith…I," Wesley started to whisper softly before Faith took a gamble and leaned in and pressed her lips against his. At first he didn't respond, but soon Faith felt his left hand reach around and pull her deeper into the kiss. Abandoning the attempt to wrap his injured right shoulder Faith pulled her hands back and slid her left hand around his back and with her right hand she laid it around the back of Wesley's neck, keeping the kiss where it was. When the two finally came up for air the look in each other's eyes gave each the only explanation needed. Soon the logical need for one's own survival was replaced with a deep need for the other. The rest of the night the clacks of thunder would overshadow her screams and she would leave scars on his back that would never fully heal.

END OF CHAPTER 21