For the second time in as many days, the assembled members of the Wolfram and Hart executives sat dumbfounded, staring at th person in the middle of the room. This ime, however, Angel was once of them, his face projecting a look of mixed confusion and growing concern at what he was hearing. Spike was, as usual, stood in the corner, cigarette in hand, apparently completely unphased by what he was hearing. He, after all, had heard it all before.
"So, yeah. I'm a vampire, Spike will attest to that. I have power greater than any vampire of slayer before me and I'm here to help you. I think that's pretty much it," Wren finished.
She stood silently for a moment, waiting for the disbelieving reactions and accusations which were obviously to come from every memberof the room. Questions which she had had to answer many times before and was getting all too tired of hearing.
No one spoke for over a minute, and Wren began to grow more tense as the time passed, but still maintained her calm, composed appearance. Then, as expected, Wesley spoke up, but what he said shocked Wren a great deal.
"Yes, I suppose that would make a lot of sense."
Everyone, besides Angel, turned to look at this contribution from the ex-watcher. The dark haired vampire instead rose from his seat and went to stare out the window.
"What do you mean Wes?" Fred asked.
"Well, during my time as a watcher I read several books of demon lore, many of which concerened with one kind of apocalypse or another, but there was one very obscure text," he paused for a moment, brow furrowing with thought, "the name of which escapes me, but it contained some very shady details of a ritual involving something very much like what Wren has just described. It talked about...a bonding of two spirits and...a communion of good and evil intertwined in the body of a great warrior. It didn;t mention who this person would be, but I can't think of anyone better suited than a Slayer."
All eyes turned back to Wren, still slightly shocked at the idea of someone believing her so easily. Normally getting anyone to understand what she was saying involved a long process of argument and counter-argument, and usually ended in Wren throwing the person through a wall as means of a demonstration. After that few people were in any sort of position to doubt her. In this case, however, it seemed this was not going to be necessary, and Wren was suprised to find she was relieved she wasn't going to have to use violence against any of these people. After all, they'd been nothing but kind and understanding to her since she had arrived, and she wasn't made of stone.
"Erm...yeah, that would be...erm...me," Wren provided, feeling slightly silly for feeling the need to clarify that fact.
"so what-" Wesley started, but was interupted by Angel, who was still looking out of the window.
"What happened to the vampires?"
Everyone turned to look at the previously silent vampire at this, including Wren who said, "I'm sorry?"
"After the ritual," Angel clarified, voice low and even, turning around to face her, "what happened to the cultand their leader."
Wren went silent for a moment, she looked at her feet and her eyes glazed over as if looking back in time. When she rased her head again she tried to look calm, but clearly something was troubling her.
"I killed them," she said softly, meeting Angel's gaze dead on.
"What?" Wesley said, slightly stunned.
"I killed them."
"When? You mean..." Wesley added, eyes going wide in realisation
"Yes," Wren said, eyes never leaving the vampire at the window, "I killed them. All of them. Right then, right there. I was called, and turned, and an hour later only I was left alive," she at laughed a small, mirthless laugh, "well, I was the only one left standing anyway."
"But...how?" Fred asked, aghast.
Wren took her eyes off Angel and looked at the other woman, once again composed and in full explanation mode. "After the ritual was completed I passed out for, well it coudn't have been more than a few minutes. Anyway, after that I don't remember anything, except deep, seething rage...and the power," her voice took on a distant tone. "There was so much power. I wasn't in control, couldn't have been. I had no idea what I was doing. All I could feel was the anger boiling inside me. Deep, dark, something ancient and evil. But also something else, just as old, but it was like a blinding white light, I couldn't see it was so bright. And it was angry too, furious for what those monsters had done to me, what they had made me become. And it wanted vengence. And it got it. The next clear thought I remember is standing in the middle of a shattered room, covered in blood, but not my blood. And dust, so much dust...and there at my feet was him..." She broke off and her eyes went wide for a moment, and almost tearful.
"Who?" said Angel, who had not been struck speechless like the others.
"The Master. He was there, almost unconscious. I don't remember hurting him, but he had his throat almost ripped out. He was in so much pain and I...I..."
"You pitied him," Angel finished.
Wren nodded. "It was so strange. Before all I had felt was revulsion at the things which had violated me. Taken my life away. But then I saw him, so broken...and I couldn't stand to see it. So I staked him. My first real kill as Slayer. And as he dusted he looked at me with such pain and betrayal in his eyes...and you know what I felt?"
Angel shook his head.
Wren smiled a humorless smile, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Here was the man...ha...who had been as close to a father as I'm ever going to have, and to see him disappear from existance made me feel absolutely nothing. Guess I'm a Slayer after all yeah?" Wren finished bitterly, throwing herself down on the chair behind her and staring blankly into space.
Everyone in the room, including Spike, looked stunned by this little speech, except for Angel, who moved over and crouched next to where Wren was sitting. He stared he straight in the face and held her gaze while he spoke. "Wren, I don't understand you. Everything about you is completely new to me. I don't see how it should be possible, but it is. I can only imagine what your life has been like, and to be honest I'd rather not, but what happened on that day was nothing that you should be scared of. It's clear to me that you have more power than you could possibly know how to control, and that worries me. I won't lie to you, the thought of having such a powerful weapon around that could go off at any minute frightens me more than I'd like. But when you first came here I said I would protect you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. If that means that I have to protect you from yourself, that so be it. You were sent here to be trained, and while, from what you say, there is absoluelty nothing I can teach you as far as fighting is concerened, I might be able to help you control what's going on inside. I know more than anyone what it's like to have something inside you which is forever trying to destroy you and find it's way to the surface, but it can be controled and used, in time. So will you let me, Wren? Will you let me, and us, all of us, help you?"
Wren sat silently, the other vampire's words appearing to settle into her mind. After a moment her faced seemed to clear, and she smiled a full, confident smile, full of relief and thankfulness and said, "Yeah, I guess I could do that."