Disclaimer: They're not mine, if only.
Feedback: Thanks for the reviews guys, appreciated. To answer your questions, unfortunately for us, Fred/Gunn will be appearing in this fic to stay true to the characters and the story lines of the series. I don't like it, you don't like it, but it has to be done. Cordy/Groo will be mentioned as may the highly icky Angel /Cordy (not one of my personal favourites). As for the biggy, go to my profile page if you want a clue, but it will probably become quite obvious.
Author's note: The precise structure of this story hasn't yet made itself known to me, although I have some ideas of where I want it to end up. I'm trying to incorporate seasons three and four in a kind of squashed version of reality to hurry it along a little, as well as add some ideas of my own, but if there's some way it could be more true to the series, feel free to let me know.
……………….
When Angel finally hit the rock bottom of a tremendous downer, the realisation hit them all.
Fred was willing to let his frenzied attack on the Wraithers slide. She understood that sometimes the release of the battle was easy to get lost in. She had even tolerated his strange mood all the way back to the hotel without saying anything. But when he yelled at Connor she found herself truly shocked.
She had covered it with anger at first, trying to make Angel acknowledge just what he was saying. It was only when the glass of blood shattered against the wall with such force that she had admitted to herself that she was frightened.
She didn't think she had ever seen Angel talk or act that way before. She understood from what little Angel had told of the encounter that his dismissal of Wesley had perhaps been a bit harsh, but she had put that down to a father's desire to protect his child. She didn't know all the facts, but the way he had explained it to them had made it sound like Wesley had been way out of line.
They hadn't spoken of him since, and Gunn seemed unwilling to even discuss the subject if it meant going beyond Angel's wishes. He and Wes weren't on the best of terms, she knew, and she had decided to give everyone a few days to cool off before she would approach Wesley herself. If she was honest, their recent case had taken up most of their time so far in order to help Lorne out.
She wondered now if her view of the situation was in fact the correct one.
Angel looked up, distraught. "What's wrong with me?"
She got to work analysing the blood in his glass as soon as Lorne suggested a spike, not even needing to report her results to the group. Angel beat her to it, confessing his suspicions. She felt sickened.
Wolfram and Hart were the obvious culprits of course, and she sensed Gunn bristling with anger beside her. Angel, however, remained quietly disgusted with himself rather than giving in to the extreme display of fury she would have expected from him, even without the human blood in his system.
Lorne hushed the baby, at a loss for what to do. He offered Connor to his father.
"I really don't think that's such a good idea," Angel said.
Fred was grateful when Lorne got the hint and offered to take him upstairs for a feed.
"You know what I would do if I were you?" Gunn said. "I'd hunt out that bitch Lilah and snap her neck. This is bound to be down to her. Only she'd come up with something that twisted. Remember what she did to Cordy?"
Angel remained silent for a few minutes, thinking Gunn's suggestion through. He had to admit that had been the first thing that had come to mind, but after willing himself not to get carried away with his immediate reaction and do something he would regret, he realised that the woman had probably unwittingly done him a huge favour.
In light of what Wesley had revealed to him the day before, it occurred to him that the man had been right to confront him. If this incident showed nothing else, it was that he could never be completely certain that he would not hurt his own son. There were just too many factors he had not been willing to consider before, least of all the constant danger that he may one day become Angelus again. His enemies were always finding new and unexpected ways of messing with him and his friends and could easily trigger the fulfilment of the prophecy by no fault of his own.
He rubbed at his face with his hands, still ashamed of himself for his actions. He of all people should have noticed that something was very wrong, and he felt like he'd let everyone down. It was time to make it up to them and prove to himself that he could still do something right.
"Lilah will be safe from me tonight," he announced, noting Gunn's disapproving snort and Fred's resulting admonishment. "We have more important things to do. We have to make sure I can't hurt Connor."
………….
Now, don't say I didn't warn you. And this is only the beginning. Things can get so much worse for Angel, I can assure you. But hey, I'm not completely made of stone, you know. I never intended for Holtz to jump into Quortoth last time and mess things up, I just wanted the kid dead. I also didn't plan to get any of the others involved. Unfortunately for them, they tend to take it upon themselves to protect the vampire and his damn kid. Shame. I kinda liked the guts they showed.
Let me redeem myself slightly by promising you that, whilst Angel may well get his comeuppance for what he did to me, stuff can still improve for everyone else. Let's just say I'm with the people who'd rather not see the apocalypse take place too soon. I'm evil, not stupid. In no way would the destruction of the earth benefit my plans. The kid's death would kill two birds with one stone. No pain for me, no slavery of the human race. Everybody wins.
So, with no accelerated growth, the kid is not gonna be impregnating anyone with his evil, world-ending spawn any time soon. But that doesn't mean that the Powers responsible for orchestrating the whole thing are just gonna sit idly by. Let's just say that if they ever knew of my part in upsetting the time schedule for the arrival of the apocalypse, I wouldn't be too popular. But anyway, no one's gonna tell them, so they'll never know.
You know about the seer, right? Ah, good. So hopefully you know what to expect. And you've probably realised that by now the darker powers behind the visions are starting to have more of an influence. They've made an appearance once or twice already, like with Pylea, for example. Ever asked yourself why it was so essential for that random girl to be rescued? None of the other humans were brought back and, let's face it, the rocky truce they have is never gonna last. That was just a cover for the true purpose. The girl is the catalyst for the break up of the Angel group and thus the arrival of Jasmine.
I think I've managed to avoid that sequence of events quite nicely, though. The break up has still happened, but it's far more repairable now, you've gotta admit. And it's ironic. The halting of the kid's destiny has sped up the onset of the apocalyptic plans. I guess the dark powers are getting anxious. Anyways, you'll see what I mean. Just 'cause they can't bring Jasmine into the world just yet, doesn't mean they can't use the kid to spark it all in a different way, does it?
And then of course there's the big battle. I personally believe that wouldn't have gone so bad and killed so many of the major players had the dark powers not succeeded in splitting the group so spectacularly. Thus my little altering of the time line has some chance of re-uniting them and, ultimately, saving their lives. Guess you never figured me for a guardian angel type, did ya? Let's just say that if I want the world to carry on ticking just the way it is, and I do, thank you very much, I'd rather have as many champions on my side as possible. They probably wouldn't see themselves as being on my side exactly, but hey, I can live with that. I don't care if they understand my evil motivations or not. And you don't need to worry either, you'll be long dead by the time my ultimate plan comes into fruition.
So there you have it. No need to thank me, averting major disasters is all in a days work. Just don't complain too much when everything isn't all rainbows and happy bunnies for a while, okay?
……….
Little did Angel know that had he tried to find Lilah that night, he would have had no luck. She'd been busy, visiting perhaps the last place he'd have thought to search for her, and she'd told no one about it.
Those fools at the firm wouldn't know a diamond opportunity if it hit them in the face. And it would be right up Gavin's street to try and ruin something like this if it meant getting one over on her. He couldn't even begin to realise what it could mean. As for the insufferable Linwood and his ineffective plans for Angel and the kid, he could rot in the grave he had dug for himself. She and only she would be claiming the credit for this next move.
It had been surprisingly successful if what she had seen had been correct. She was confident that now the ball had started rolling, permanently separating Angel from his grounding group of pet humans would naturally follow and would be fairly simple. It was just a pity it had not begun sooner. She had always known that they were the key to getting to Angel. He had shown that to be true many times before. It was just a pity that it had taken this long for a break up within the group to occur that was not directly attributable to her. It meant she could go ahead without fear of interference from Angel.
An ex-watcher would make a perfect addition to her team.
………..
"I've got something!" Fred announced excitedly and perhaps a bit too loudly, shrinking back when Gunn, Lorne and Angel almost fell off their seats. She mumbled an apology and continued more calmly. "I mean, I think this might be something we can use."
She shifted from her seat, offering the computer station to Angel. He took a seat and scrolled through the page, nodding as he took it in.
"A protective spell," he stated, confirming Fred's finding for the others. She tapped energetically on the back of his chair, nervously seeking their approval.
"It can be used to protect a loved one from any specified threat," she reported.
"Damn. They put that sort of thing on the internet?"
"It's a crazy world we live in, Gunn my friend," Lorne told him knowledgably. "You don't want to know what you might find if you look hard enough. It's scary."
Gunn gave him an odd look and he raised an eyebrow to indicate his seriousness.
"So what do you think? Can we use it? Will it work?"
Gunn reached round to pull Fred close to him. "That's my girl, the electronic queen."
She blushed slightly and gave him a playful swat on the chest. He beamed at her a little wider.
Angel remained quiet and chewed on his pencil, carefully reading through all the information. There was a lot at stake here, and he wanted to be sure. He didn't know how much trust they should be putting in something they could find on the web of all places, but if it was a workable option, he was going to consider it. He was having little luck elsewhere. As for their record with spells and magic in general, this was going to have to be prepared as carefully as possible.
He leant back in the chair. "There's only one problem as far as I can see."
"Oh no," Fred said, "I knew there would be something wrong. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is."
"It's not that," Angel assured her, trying not to crush her sense of achievement. "It's just that I'm not sure how to make it work. We need to get it checked out to make sure it's genuine. I want to know what all this stuff means to make sure we do it right."
He indicated several lines of gibberish in the corresponding book, none of which looked familiar to him. Lorne leaned in for a better look.
"You understand any of that?" Angel asked him hopefully.
"Well, it's definitely demonic, that I can tell you. But I'm Shirley Temple if I can read it."
Angel tapped his pencil on the table. "I don't know what it means or how to decipher it."
"So… what exactly are you saying?" Gunn asked, already suspecting the answer.
Angel sighed. "It means we need Wesley."
………..
The visit from Lilah was not completely unexpected. Wolfram and Hart were the ever circling vultures, waiting for some small weakness to show before they swooped down to defile the remains. They had probably been watching him for some time. What had surprised him was his own reaction to what should have just been a quickly dismissed annoyance. The woman had struck a chord with him, and he found himself dwelling on very unhealthy thoughts.
He hadn't been left alone long however before he was disturbed again by a knock. He scowled, imagining that she had returned for one last attack on his ever darkening ego, and decided not to answer. She could shout her insults through the door for all he cared. He was going to enjoy his drink, and he was damned if he was going haul himself up from his comfortable position on the couch. Besides, he didn't need her help to slip further into bitterness.
"Wesley? Are you in there?"
For Christ's sake. There was no mistaking Fred's voice. He cringed and took another long swallow, hoping she would go away on her own. Someone tried the door handle.
"Maybe he's gone out," Gunn's hushed voice told her.
Wesley growled irritably to himself, beyond frustration at the unwelcome intrusion. No doubt they wanted something from him, having finally made the effort to approach him, and not only were they expecting him to answer, but the entire bloody cavalry was here. That unpleasant, prickly, dreading feeling told him that Angel was probably out there too.
"He's in there."
There it was. Wesley had thought as much. He really wasn't ready to hear anything that Angel had to say. He begrudged Angel the fact that he hadn't yet said anything to him at all, let alone apologised for his behaviour, but he also resented that fact that he hadn't been allowed the chance to prepare his own confrontation. He felt conflicted, but then again, nothing Angel did was going to sit well with him for a long time to come.
The looks on their faces suggested to Wesley that they hadn't expected him to open the door at all, let alone so suddenly and without any indication that he had heard them. With his arm still propping it open, he just stood there, still as stone and with a cold expression.
It took the others a couple of seconds to react. Fred attempted a smile.
"Hi," she said tentatively, giving a little wave. Gunn stood resolutely by her side. Angel hung back, analysing Wesley's appearance with a guarded expression. He clearly didn't want to give anything away and, although he didn't look in his direction, Wesley could feel the scrutiny. He didn't like it.
Fred felt the bad vibes fizzing around her as the guys watched each other, and she took it upon herself to break the stalemate.
"Wesley, we need your help," she started, deciding that it was a good a place to start as any. Apparently, she was wrong.
Wesley directed those cold eyes down at her, and she squirmed inside. To her relief, Angel stepped in to take over the one-sided conversation.
"Can we come in?" he asked smoothly.
Wesley remained silent.
Angel sighed and retreated back from the glare. That was his answer, then.
Told from the beginning to stay quiet and keep out of this, Gunn found himself getting increasingly annoyed. Taking in Wesley's unshaven face, he leaned round to look back into the apartment, spotting the whiskey bottle and empty glass on the coffee table.
"Look, we're not here for an argument," he said. "We want to perform a spell that will protect Connor and we can't do it on our own."
Wesley's hard look relented as he heard Gunn out, giving Fred fresh hope that they would be able to persuade him to help.
"This is for Connor, not for Angel," Gunn concluded, sensing the problem and interpreting the situation perfectly.
"Alright," Wesley conceded after a pause. Speaking for the first time, he had forgotten how raspy his voice had become with the benefits of about half a bottle of scotch. He reached round the frame to pull a jacket from the back of a chair before pulling the door shut behind him. "Let's go."
………………………
The ride to the Hyperion had been like Chinese water torture, the oppressive silence of the passengers threatening to drive Fred mad. She had longed for someone to just say something, but being at a loss for anything to contribute herself, she'd had to endure it.
Even now, as they made their way towards the pile of information they had collected on the desk, the topic of conversation was strictly business. Fred felt awkward. The dispute was not hers, and yet she felt embarrassed and irrationally responsible by the way in which an apology didn't seem to be forthcoming. Gunn, protective and smouldering next to her, didn't seem to be improving the mood.
She understood that maybe now was not the ideal time for Angel and Wesley to be having a heartfelt talk, but she was worried that it may get out of hand if words were not had soon. After her cold reception at the apartment, she also felt as though she should have done more before now. She had been side-tracked.
She tugged on Gunn's sleeve, concerned that he seemed to be allowing himself to get involved in something that really was none of their business.
"Charles…" she whispered, "stop staring. Let's sit down."
They took a seat a little way from the others and watched from a distance as Wesley sifted through the papers. Angel was pulling up the internet source to show him on the computer. He looked as though he was trying to be useful.
Fred sighed on his behalf, well aware that the dark and disinterested expression on Wesley's face was only getting deeper. He was trying to feign indifference to Angel's presence, ignoring him like he might as well not have been there. It was plain to Fred that Angel's attempts at helpfulness were only earning him more bad feeling.
Gunn continued to radiate dangerous vibes beside her, eliciting another sigh. She knew he was just looking out for her. He probably didn't appreciate the way in which Wesley had seemed to lump them all together as one rather than direct his anger at Angel. Then again, she could see Wesley's point of view. It didn't seem like there was any way of solving this peacefully anytime soon.
"You know, it doesn't actually say anywhere here what exactly the result will be," Wesley reported neutrally, looking up to the others for confirmation.
Fred got up to look for herself, sure that she couldn't have missed something as important as that. Angel beat her to it, leaning over the book Wesley was reading to scan the contents. Wesley, personal space invaded, moved away in distaste.
"I figured this text would explain that," Angel mused, pointing to the passages of obscure languages surrounding part of the incantation. "What does it say?"
"They are instructions for the precise positioning of the subjects," Wes replied. "Connor will have to be present when it's cast. It might not be safe."
Feeling it his duty to express his concern, for Connor's sake at least, he wondered then if he should have bothered at all. Gunn's frown suggested that he didn't think Wesley was in any position to be telling them what to do, and the threatening disappointment of a promising plan gone wrong was making Angel touchy.
"As long as I don't do the spell, there should be no danger that I will cause Connor any harm," he said, challenging Wesley's judgement.
Wesley sighed. "That's not the point. You don't know what might happen. It could be something else entirely that poses a threat."
Angel took a moment to think the risks through and, as if he had known his presence was required, Lorne descended the staircase, a screaming Connor in his arms.
"Um, a little help?" he implored. "The nipper doesn't seem to appreciate the smooth tones of the Rat Pack. The kid has no taste."
Fred rose to his aid, taking the baby and attempting to hush him.
"Is he okay?" Angel asked anxiously. He hadn't imagined that such a short period of self-enforced abstinence from is son would be so difficult to endure. Already, he longed to go to him and comfort him. Ignoring those anguished cries made him feel unnecessarily cruel, almost as if Connor knew his father was neglecting him.
He had to settle for watching Fred do her best, still unwilling to give himself any opportunity to hurt him. It could be something as innocent as dropping him accidentally, but events had a tendency of turning far more sinister, something Angel knew far too well. He kept his distance.
"We're doing this," he said instead. "We're doing this now."
He grabbed the book from the desk and gave the spell one more read over. He couldn't take it any more. He wanted his son back and he wanted him safe. He wouldn't allow himself to watch the reactions of the others. They would no doubt try to dissuade him.
Wesley moved away from the group as soon as Angel reached his decision. He was not going to voice his opinions out loud since they had made it quite clear that his thoughts on the subject were not wanted. Unless he was going to back them up, he would be dismissed again. If they'd have asked, however, he would have told them straight. He wanted no part of what was about to take place. He had Connor's best interests at heart, just as they all had. He didn't want to be blamed if something went wrong.
That didn't mean he was going to leave just yet. He had a bad feeling about this, and he was going to be ready. He moved to the other side of the lobby and sat on the stairs, watching the proceedings silently from his viewpoint.
"Are you sure about this?" Lorne asked as Angel set about preparing a nest of bedding on the ground for Connor. "Magic plus us doesn't have a history of working out well, you know? And has anyone thought to ring Cordelia?"
Angel snapped his head up at that moment. "No. No one's calling her. She's on vacation."
As if that had ended the conversation, he stood back and examined his handiwork.
"Wesley, where did it say we have to be?"
Running a hand across his face before he answered, Wesley took a second to ensure his voice sounded neutral. He wasn't certain it worked that well.
"You need to be on opposite sides of the room without any obstacles in between. Someone needs to read the beginning of the passage, then you have to repeat the actual protective incantation three times. That's the key to keeping Connor safe from you."
"Then what?" Angel asked, not sure exactly what that meant. The last thing he needed was to be having second thoughts, but it occurred to him that the spell might work too well. He still wanted to be able to be with his son.
Refraining from scowling, Wesley kept his mouth shut, certain that he had already been over the fact that he didn't know. Angel got the idea. Lorne and Fred helped him push furniture out of the way and stood to the side.
"Okay," Angel said. "So who's gonna do the honours?"
Volunteers were thin on the ground. Gunn looked around at the others, surprised to see the nervousness they showed. Lorne remained uncharacteristically quiet and still, perhaps turning a deeper shade of green. Fred shifted on her feet and looked at the floor, Connor still screaming and throwing his arms around. Even Wesley looked pensive.
"I'll do it," he announced, moving to take Connor from Fred.
Placing him gently on the floor and wrapping him securely in the blankets, he crossed the lobby to take the book from Angel's hands. The man's face was like stone.
"Show me," he said, scanning the archaic words. He had never done anything like this before. He just hoped it worked.
"Read the first five lines," Wesley instructed from his perch. "Pronounce each word separately and phonetically. Ignore the 'zr' sequences. They're silent."
He probably hadn't meant to sound patronising, but Gunn heated somewhat. If the guy knew so much about it, why didn't he read the damn thing himself? Just lately, it seemed that everything Wesley did or said rubbed him up the wrong way. He took a calming breath and looked up.
"Okay if I stand here?" Wesley nodded. Gunn turned to Angel. "You ready?" Again, he got a nod as an answer.
"Right then. Here goes nothing." He dutifully read the passage as he had been told, managing to sound fairly confident with the wording. With a cautious look around, he handed the book to Angel once he had finished. So far so good.
Connor's wailing slowed as Angel began his own recitation of what Gunn guessed was a Latin pledge for protection from himself. The speech took a while to complete, with Angel pausing slightly before he began the second reading. Nothing seemed to be happening. Gunn kept his eyes on Angel, ready for any sign of a result. Fred and Lorne fearfully scanned the ceiling as though they expected something to fall from the sky.
The third and final repetition began, and everyone collectively held their breath. Angel reached the end and slammed the book closed with finality. He looked up. Nothing seemed to have changed. He looked at Gunn and they waited. He seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Wesley," he half whispered, "what's going on?"
He didn't get an answer. They looked over to find the steps empty. Connor resumed his screaming with double the effort.
"Where did he go?" Fred whispered, not daring to move.
Angel looked ready to throw the book to the floor in frustration at the lack of result, and Gunn began cursing Wesley's name for his ditch and run.
"Uh, guys?" Lorne cut in, focusing on a small spark that had appeared in the middle of the lobby, directly between Connor and Angel.
Everyone turned to watch as it expanded and shielded their eyes against it as it suddenly flashed brightly. Fred turned her head away and rubbed at her dazzled eyes until the light died down. She heard two loud thuds as something heavy feel to the floor, followed by pained grunts. She whirled round to see two sprawled shapes silhouetted against the fading flash.
"Oh my God," she mouthed as Wesley sat up and shook his head to clear it.
She would have asked him what had happened, but she was more anxious to know about the stranger next to him who was flinging tangled dark hair out of her eyes. The woman met Wesley's eyes and mirrored his shocked expression, then looked around her and noticed her audience.
"Fuck me," Faith exclaimed.