The three combatants stood in the middle of the training room, light pouring through the high windows, and the specially enchanted glass, forming bright squares of colour on the floor. On one side of the room stood Angel and Spike, side by side by a fair distance apart. Spike had a put-upon expression on his face as it had taken quite a lot of persuasion, and eventually bribing from Angel to get him to perticipate.
"No offense mate, but you've gone completely gaga. I've seen the girl fight, and I don't particularly fancy getting my ass handed to me by yet another Slayer, if it's all the same to you. Grew out of that a while back," Spike had protested.
"And you think It's going to be any good me fighting her alone? You said it yourself, she's much better than both of us, and if I'm going to get any idea of what she can do I need to see her at least a little challenged," Angel replied.
"And you really think that two vamps will be a challenge for her!"
"What I think is that we're both a lot older than she is, bound to have picked up a few things she won't be expecting. Not to mention we've been fighting together for nearly 130 years."
"Not always on the same side," Spike muttered with a smirk.
Angel chose to ignore him, "So we probably have some shot of at least giving her a run for her money. Are you in?"
Spike pondered this for a moment.
"No."
"Spike!" Angel growled, "What is it gonna take to get through to you?"
"You're not the one who nearly got thrown through the bloody wall last week! Seriously I'm not going to do it!"
"It's not like she's going to hurt us! Why would she?"
"Because she's a bloody PSYCOPATH, that's why!"
"So that's why you like her so much then."
"Yeah...I mean...Oh balls."
"C'mon Spike. What's the worst that could happen?"
Currently, Spike wasn't so sure, but by the look on Wren's face it was bound to be painful.
Wren herself was stood, smiling gleefully, just watching her two opponents. She wasn't in the least bit surprised that Angel had wanted back up on this one, or that Spike had agreed. She's heard the argument they'd had, but was fairly confident that Spike's curiosity would get in the way. After all, it was in a vampire's nature to test out the biggest threat, even if that threat happened to be on their side. After all, that's exactly what Angel was doing.
After a few minutes of simply sizing up the 'competition', Wren broke her combat-ready stance and addressed Angel.
"So are we going to stand around all day or was there something you wanted to do? 'Cause right now I'm pretty sure Spike's missing Passions."
"Bloody right I am. You'd better just prey I can catch the re-run Peaches, or it's going to be your ass on the chopping board. And it's not like I wanted to be here anyway. Bloke can't seem to go five minutes without getting his bits handed to him, but does anyone listen to me, not bloody likely. And another thing!"
"Shut UP Spike!" Angel interupted. Turning back to Wren he spoke again more levelly, "We're waiting Wren, just waiting."
"For what?" replied Wren, incredulous.
"For you. We're testing you here, remember. I want to see what you do."
"Well this is a pretty damn stupid way to do it then! All clinical and safe. Two mediocre opponents? It's a bloody insult! You want to see what I'm capable of, then let me do what I do. Find me a nest. A cult. A demon expo, SOMETHING!" by the end, she was almost begging.
"All in good time. Right now, I want you to fight us."
"I don't by the way."
"Shut up, Spike."
Wren began pacing up and down. Hands clenching with frustration.
"You want to see what I can do?"
"Yes."
"Right here, right now?"
"Yes."
She stopped, and met his stare dead on.
"Right then, but don't say I didn't give you fair warning," she paused and turned to Spike. "Sorry about this."
"'Bout wh-"
But before he could finish the sentence, Spike found himself flying through the air and crashing about 12 meters up the wall into the climbing bars, before falling back down to the ground, gasping for breath and with at least two broken ribs.
Wren was back standing in her original position, and it was only becasue of his vampire senses that Angel had seen her move at all.
The smile on Wren's face was one of gloating happiness, but the look in her eyes was pure demonic fury.
Again she looked at Angel, and he fought the urge not to look away from the intensity of her stare. Fortunately, over two centuries of being what went bump in the night had desesitized him slightly to the sort of looks he was getting from Wren, but it was a close thing.
"So," she said, a happy tone covering the seething agression withing, "do I pass?"
Angel paused for a moment before answering.
"Not even remotely," he answered levelly.
"WHAT!"
"You really think that's what fighting is about? Being the fastest and the strongest?"
"Uh...yeah?" the silent 'duh!' on the end showing that Wren was really adapting to Californian life.
Angel shook his head in disappointment. "And here I really thought you were special," he said, turning to walk away, a brave move considering how fast and angry Wren was, and just where had that anger come from anyway? Angel was curious to find out, and was pretty sure he knew how, although it was risky.
"Don't talk to me like that! Do you know what I am? What I'm capable of?" Wren said, becoming more and more hysterical.
Angel turned back to face her, an even expression on his face. "Why don't you show me?"
"But I JUST-"
"No!" Angel shouted, then continued more softly, "Not brute strength, any five minute old fledgling can do that. If I wanted someone to push Spike through a wall I'd go see Harmony."
"Hey, little credit here, mate," Said a now standing Spike, although slightly hunched and clutching his chest.
Angel continued, "I want to see this power that you keep talking about, the 'mystical warrior of prophecy', 'cause right now all I see is a petulant child who throws tantrums to get her way."
Wren's eyes flashed yellow, the first sign Angel had seen of her demon, but he kept his face impassive. 'Just a little more,' he thought.
"Show me," he said in a low tone. "Show me who destroyed the closest thing you had to a family."
At that Wren lost it, and literally flew across the distance between her and Angel, who just stood there, unmoving. For Spike it all seemed to go in slow motion. He was about to shout out, tell Angel to defend himself, but it was already all over.
There was Angel...but not the bloody pulp he had been expecting. Intead he had Wren pinned face down into the mat, thrashing wildly in an attempt to escape. Eyes glowing yellow and face in full vamp mode, growling loadly.
Angel gripped her wrists tightr behind her back, knowing if he gave even the slightest amount of room then she would break his hold. He leaned down by her ear and spoke in a low murmer.
"You feel that? That's your demon. It wants you. It wants all of you. And you can push it down as far as you like, but some day it will take you, if you let it. Because you can be as strong and as fast as you like, but without control, without real power, you've got nothing. You are nothing."
Wren had gone still. Not moving but breathing very hard, obviously trying to control the malstrom of emotions that threatened to consume her.
"Remember," Angel said, apparently speaking to Wren, but perhaps speaking to something deeper inside her...or possibly even himself, "Remember how I beat you just now. I may not be stronger, or faster than you, but I am more powerful than you could ever be...if you carry on doing this to yourself."
Wren took a sharp intake of breath at that, Angel's words finally breaking through the wild monster which had taken control of her.
"But things don't have to be like this. I can teach you to be more powerful that you ever imagined. If you'll let me. If you'll let me in."
Angel stood up at that, but Wren remained lying on the floor.
"Please, Wren. Let me do what I promised. Let me help you. Let me help you fight demons...even if they happen to be your own."
The world held it's breath, including the two vampires who didn't technically need to breathe. And then, Wren turned over and kneeled before Angel. Looking up at him, he finally saw the scared young girl he had thought he had seen the first day Wren had arrived. Even though it had all been a charrade, Angel had been sure there was something haunting this girl. The slayer, the vampire, both shone out through the eyes of a very fightened girl, eyes which had tears in them.
And then, to everyone's surprise, Wren started laughing. Not the twisted laugh of a monster gone mad, but the twinkling, almost hysterical laugh of someone who had been drowing and had finally seen the shore.
"Oh God," Wren said standing up, only to double over with laugter again, "Talk about your intense moments! Seriously do you guys get paid to write this stuff? It's better than television."
There were a few seconds of stunned silence from the men in the room, before Spike spoke.
"Yeah, which reminds me, I'm still missing Passions, so if you two are quite finished?"
This sent Wren into another fit of giggles, before she met Angel's eyes again. He was looking at her with a completely shell shocked expression, so she took pity on him.
Wren walked up to Angel and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a huge bear hug. After a few moments he laid his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to him, still too shocked for words.
"Oh bloody hell," Spike muttered, walking out of the training room.
Pulling back Wren placed a small kiss on Angel's cheek.
"Thank you," she said simply.
"For what?" Angel replied, moving up into monosyllabic words.
"For helping me get a little perspective. It's so easy to just let the demon take over sometime, you know?"
"Yeah," Angel smiled, "I know."
Wren smiled back, realising how obvious that was. "Yeah. But you'll help me, right. You'll help me get back in control?"
"Of course. It's why I'm here."
"No, I think why you're here is to run a law firm...which I seriously don't get. But it doesn't hurt to have a hobby, right?"
"So I've heard," said Angel, now smiling too.
"Good," pulling back Wren squeezed Angels hand, before giving him another deep look and turning to walk out of the training room.
Angel thought for a moment, then appeared to make a decision and called her back. "Wren,"
"Yeah?"
"What do you say to a quick patrol tonight?"
"Really? You mean it?" Said Wren, bouncing on her toes like a kid at Christmas.
"Sure. After what you did to Spike I'd say you deserved a reward."
"No problemo, boss! So will you be coming too?" she asked, smile fading slightly but remaining polite.
Angel walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you, Wren. You don't need me holding your hand when you patrol. I trust you, Wren, otherwise how will you ever trust yourself?"
Wren smiled again, pulling Angel in for another quick hug, before running back off to her room to change, leaving Angel behind praying to whatever God would listen to a souled vampire that he had made the right decision.