Instant Rewind: Chapter 5
Angel sat behind his large desk with Lindsey standing next to him. Lindsey was running him through the reasoning behind him firing his redheaded secretary. Angel found out that her name was Sara Miller. She was fresh out of business school and was a straight and narrow person despite her affair with Angel. Both men knew that they couldn't fire her because of her affair with Angel that would cause more problems for them then it was worth. So Lindsey had come up with a way to get rid of her without any aftermath.
"So, you know how someone has been stealing files from us?" Lindsey asked. Angel hadn't known, but he nodded his head nevertheless, "Well, meet your thief." Lindsey put some photos on the desk, some papers documenting when the files went missing and where Lindsey wasn't on those days and times, and a piece of security footage. Lindsey played the footage and Angel watched as Sara went into the archive room and came out with several files.
"Did she do it?" Angel asked.
"What does it matter?" Lindsey asked sitting down across from his boss, "We have proof that she did it and that is how we are getting rid of her."
"Did she do it?" Angel asked again.
"No. But I ask again, what does it matter? You want her gone right? This is the only way we are going to do it. Besides, all the files that were taken have been returned." Angel's head rose.
"When?"
"Last night a delivery guy dropped them at Harmony's desk. You were upstairs so I received the package and sure enough it was all the files, all material present and accounted for." Lindsey leaned back and smiled. Angel knew that Lindsey was right; the files were returned what did it matter if she really didn't do it? Angel leaned away from his desk mimicking Lindsey's posture.
"Who really did it?" Angel asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth, but at least it would be one problem dealt with and never heard about again.
"Trust me. You don't want to know. All that matters is that we are dealing with it and its over. No harm, no foul." There came a knock at the door and Harmony walked in. She moved to the side and allowed Sara to enter the room. She wore a tight red dress and her bounced off her shoulders cascading down her back. She was smiling when she entered the room. Lindsey stood and went to stand next to Angel. "Let me do the talking." Lindsey whispered. Angel nodded deferring to his colleague.
"Ms. Miller, please have a seat." Lindsey motioned for the chair in front of Angel. She smiled and took a seat across from Angel.
"What's this all about?" She asked. Lindsey sifted through the fake papers on the table and picking them up walked around the table to put them in front of her.
"It has come to our attention that you have not been very forthcoming with this job. It is actually rather disappointing. You showed such promise here." Placing the photos in front of her Lindsey showed her the doctored photos of her stealing files from the Wolfram & Hart archive room. Picking up each photo she stared in disbelief as frame after frame incriminated her for the theft.
"There has to be some kind of mistake. I would never do this to you. I swear it. Someone is setting me up." She put the photos down and crossed her arms over her chest. Angel said nothing as Lindsey picked up the remote to his TV. Turning her around in her chair Lindsey pressed play and watched as Sara was seen walking the halls towards the archive room; she walked in with nothing and then walked out with several of the files. Sara's mouth fell open and tears sprang to her eyes. She whipped around to look into Angel's face.
"You honestly don't believe I did this, do you?" She asked, "I have an alibi for those nights…I was with…"
"As Angel's lawyer I make a strong suggestion that he say nothing." Angel kept his mouth shut and swallowed.
"But…you know I was with you!" She screamed, "All you have to do is say it! That I was with you on these nights and that there is no way I could have possibly done this!"
"Again, as your lawyer Angel, say nothing." Angel stayed quiet. Sara's rigid form became tighter as she realized that no matter how much she pleaded with him, he was not going to back her up.
"Why are you doing this to me?" She pleaded with him. Angel, again, remained silent.
"Listen, we don't want to make a big deal of this," Lindsey continued, "We are going to dismiss you with pay for another 3 months and we are never going to let these photos or this tape make it to the light of day. Angel has a reference letter for you and we have set you up with another job at a different firm." Lindsey handed her an envelope that contained money; money to keep quiet she was sure. She held the envelope in her hand looking at it for a moment; slowly she raised her to meet Angel's once more.
"Please," She begged, "I love you, Angel. More than she ever could…Please don't do this to me. You love me…you told me you did. Don't do this!" Tears streamed down her face and to her shock, Angel said two words.
"Get out." Lindsey smiled and crossed his arms. Sara sat for only a moment longer then slowly stood. She clutched the money to her and then walked towards the door. She opened the door and found two demons waiting to escort her out of the building. Angel stayed where he was as Lindsey followed behind her.
"Make sure she is out of the building." He said to one of them. The demon nodded and together they escorted Sara Miller out of the building and out of Angel's life. Lindsey closed the office door and smiled to Angel.
"Done. You never have to see her again."
"What if she lawyers up and fights us?" Lindsey laughed.
"We're Wolfram & Hart. She can try. Don't worry, I have an airtight alibi for you on all those nights." Lindsey picked up all the photos, ejected the tape and locked them in the safe behind Angel's desk.
"You thought of everything." Angel said.
"Remember, I have been covering up for you longer than you know." Lindsey said. Angel was beginning to realize that. Smiling Angel moved away from his desk, stood, and walked towards the conference room.
"Well, we have more important things to worry about." Angel said, "We need to get ourselves ready for what's to come next." Lindsey followed his boss and closed the door to the conference room. Hitting the communication button to get Harmony's attention Lindsey said: "Send them in."
--
Wesley had been pouring over the final file Buffy had given them for hours. Last night had photocopied all the files she had given them then had them returned to Wolfram & Hart with all their contents. He figured it was the least he could, other than what he was doing. The team had been less than impressed that he had decided to help find out who was trying to kill Angel but he had given Buffy his word that he would find the answer. Fred was the only one who was really supporting him in his endeavor, but then for her she was doing it because she loved him. Wesley was looking over the police report yet again when he noticed a detail he hadn't read before. Wrinkling his nose Wesley read a side note pertaining to a report that had been filed previous to this one. Wesley put the page down to find the corresponding report. Finding it, he read:
"Thomas William Riley reported that several nights earlier one of the delegates for the negotiation team had been murdered. Wolfram & Hart magicians are trying to keep the incident under wraps; Riley was one of the lawyers involved in the cover up. The delegate was murdered between 18th Avenue and Hickory Street." Wesley looked up from the paper and moved his chair towards his own filing cabinet. Wesley picked out the file he was looking for and opened it next to the Wolfram & Hart documents. Wesley recalled that his team had taken out a demon at that same intersection. Wesley compared the documents:
"Riley wrote that there were no eyewitnesses and that the incident was contained quickly. The delegate was a member of the Kalan clan; Riley wrote that he feared this incident would have repercussions if any of this information leaked out." Wesley cross-referenced his file with that of Wolfram & Hart. His file reported that Gunn and Connor had taken out a similar demon on the same night. Dropping the paper Wesley came to the realization that his team was the reason that an attempt was made on Angel's life.
"Damn!" Wesley slammed his fist down on the table and leaned back in his chair covering his mouth with his hand. Fred came running in and looked at him with concern on her face.
"What?"
"It's our fault." He said simply.
"What are you talking about?" Fred asked as she moved towards him. Wesley stood abruptly and walked past her.
"Is everyone here?" He asked.
"Yes…but…"
"Get them." Wesley cut her off and waited in the lobby. Within minutes the entire team was assembled in front of him. He paced around and looked at them.
"What's up Wes?" Gunn asked. Wesley stopped walking and looked each one of his team members in the face.
"We are the reason someone is trying to kill Angel." He said at length.
"Now hang on a second. There is no way you are going to pin this on us. Angel causes his own problems." Gunn said.
"No, we are the reason. Do you remember a case a couple of weeks ago, the vision Cordy had about that demon in the ally attacking the young woman?"
"Do you actually expect us to remember all the demons we take out?" Connor asked him.
"This one you'll remember, he spouted off that he was under the protection of Wolfram & Hart and any dangers that befell him would cause severe consequences?" Wesley asked them. Cordelia nodded.
"Yes, I remember that one." She said.
"That was one of the delegates from the merger negations Angel is holding. I read a report that Buffy gave me and it turns out that Wolfram & Hart covered up our mess we left behind. They didn't want it getting out…we killed their delegate. We are the reason the clans are trying to kill Angel. Because we killed the delegate they think that Angel did it and Wolfram & Hart covered it up." Realization hit Wesley's team. Cordelia sat down and covered her mouth.
"Oh god."
"Hold on," Gunn said, "How is this our fault exactly? We killed a demon, so what. It's a demon and Angel can handle what comes next. We did our job, he is the one who forgot who he was." Connor sat beside Cordelia and put his arm around her slender shoulders.
"Does that mean that Buffy, Liam and Isabella are responsible too?" He asked. Gunn crossed his arms and stared at Connor.
"Well…no…but," Connor cut him off.
"So yes, then it is our fault. We may all hate Angel but Buffy and her children don't deserve what might befall them. We have to make this right." Connor said simply.
"But how?" Fred asked.
"I'm not sure." Wesley replied.
"We could tell them the truth." Cordelia suggested. Gunn snorted.
"We could, but I'm not sure if that will do us any good." Wesley replied.
"So what? We do nothing?" Cordelia asked.
"No, we don't do nothing," Wesley replied determination in his voice, "We will protect them. Whenever Buffy and her kids leave Wolfram & Hart one of us will be there watching them. I know that Wolfram & Hart have their own people, but as long as we are there we are at least trying until I can figure out another way to right this." Slowly each member of CW Investigations nodded their assent. Gunn was last reluctantly he nodded as well.
"Okay, we will do this in shifts. I'll take the first shift and talk to Buffy to let her know that we will be around even if she can't see us. It'll make her at least feel a little better." That afternoon Cordelia placed the call to Buffy. Using their code names they agreed to meet at the park where Wesley would be able to talk to her without fear of anyone watching…or listening.
--
The meeting with the clan members took longer than Angel had expected. As rehearsed, Angel and Lindsey presented their evidence against the Kalan clan for the attempt on Angel's life. Rage erupted from the Kalan leaders and the Maa Tribe through their own accusations against the Kalan tribe. Soon a fight had broken out and Angel had sustained several blows including having his arm broken in several place. Eventually, he had calmed the room down with a blood sacrifice and a quick prayer to the Kalan and Maa gods. This seemed to make them happy. Also, all three sides swore a blood oath never to attack another member again. This blood oath prevented any of them from killing a member of the other side, or inflicting bodily harm. Angel realized at that moment that this should have been done from the beginning. However it seemed appropriate that his counter part from this time might not have thought of that. Once the oaths and sacrifices were done the groups finished for the day all sides satisfied that it would never happen again. When the delegates were gone and Harmony made sure that they were fed and happy, Angel waited for the Healers to come to fix his arm. A chime rang out and the elevator door to the penthouse opened and Isabella came bounding out.
"Hi daddy!" She cried. She leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly. Angel winced slightly as his she connected with his arm. He used his good arm to hug her. Liam stood before his father and smiled. Buffy was behind him concern etched on her face.
"What happened to you?" She asked.
"Bad negotiations?" Angel suggested. She wrinkled her noise and gave him a crooked smile.
"Right…well, we are off to the park." She said to him.
"The park. Well that will be fun." Angel said mostly to Isabella.
"Yeah! I want to go on the swings!" She cried with excitement.
"The swings? They are my favourite too." Angel said to her with a smile.
"You should come dad." Liam said. Angel smiled at him and realized he had never had this time with Connor before he was taken from him. Shaking his head Angel looked at his son.
"No, I can't. I have work to do and…well my arm is less than up for a day at the park." He said. Disappointment played across Liam's face, "Next time. I promise."
"Sure, you always promise." Liam left his father's office.
"I suppose I break more promises than I keep." Angel said to Buffy. Buffy only smiled saying nothing. She held out her arms to Isabella and gestured for her to come off her dad.
"Come on monkey, we have to let daddy get back to work." She said. Reluctantly, Isabella climbed down from her dad's lap. She jumped into Buffy's arms and placed her head against her shoulder.
"Bye daddy." She said.
"Bye Bella." Angel replied. Smiling at her new nickname she let her mother carry her out. Angel watched them leave and then looked to Lindsey.
"Have someone go with them." Angel said.
"Always." Lindsey made the call as the Healers came into the room. They made quick work of healing Angel's arm and left without another word. Lindsey hung up the phone and smiled to him. Lindsey then began to laugh. Angel crossed his eyes giving his friend a silent question.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
"What a day eh?"
"Yeah. What a day." Angel replied.
"You want to go and get a drink?" Lindsey asked. Angel smiled at the Texan.
"A drink would be great." Angel stood and walked with Lindsey out of his office.
--
Buffy sat on the park bench while watching her children play on the jungle gym. She smiled as Isabella waved to her from high above the ground. Buffy waved back giving her a concerned look; Isabella carefully climbed down and ran towards Liam who began to push her on a swing. Buffy continued to watch her children as an old man approached her and slowly sat down next to her. Buffy knew who it was. Wesley was very good at charms allowing him to talk to her in public without fear of discovery. She looked around and saw two Wolfram & Hart men standing at the edge of the park. She smiled at them and they smiled back. She leaned back on the bench and held her jacket closed as the cool LA breeze nipped at her cheeks. It was strangely cold for an LA day, but she didn't mind. The old man next to her coughed twice and uttered a single word. Slowly the world around them froze and she turned to face him.
"I'm still amazing at how you can do all of this." She said to him. Smiling, Wesley lifted back his hood and laughed to himself.
"Sometimes I even surprise myself." Buffy laughed and gave him a hug. The world around Buffy and Wesley continued to turn; Wesley's spell covered them from prying eyes by making it appear as if they were simply sitting still on a park bench.
"What did you find?" Asked Buffy. Wesley sighed as he looked at the Slayer.
"Buffy, this is all our fault." Wesley said slowly. He then told her of what he found and how his team was involved. Buffy took in the information and said nothing until he was finished talking.
"Wow."
"Buffy I am so sorry. We will fix this." Wesley said. Buffy nodded and smiled at her friend.
"I think Angel has at least calmed the situation. It seems that the negotiations are moving forward. I don't know what he did but at least it seems no one is going to kill him anymore." She said.
"That is good. But I really don't think the threat is over yet." He said.
"Neither do I." She replied.
"What is going on is our fault, we tend to be a little hasty when it comes to demon hunting. However, we will remain by your side until I can figure out a way to make sure you and your children are safe." Wesley said.
"And Angel?" Buffy added. Wesley lowered his head, "I figured as much. You know he is not a bad man Wes. You know that don't you?" She asked him.
"I do. I know that because I have worked with him for so long. He is my friend and I do miss him, but the others are not as convinced as I am."
"He talks about you, you know. More recently than I would have expected from him. Wesley you need to see him. There is something…different about him lately."
"Different, how?" Wesley asked.
"I don't know. There is just something very different with him. It's like he is the Angel we remember instead of the Angel we know now." She said.
"I…I can't see him. I would never get past his security." Wesley said.
"Maybe he could come to you." She suggested.
"The team would never allow it."
"Do they need to know?" She asked him.
"I suppose not. It would have to be somewhere public…" He ventured.
"Thank you Wesley…thank you. You have no idea what this will mean to him." She said. Wesley made his suggestion and told Buffy to tell Angel to meet him at the Los Angeles aquarium Friday at noon. Buffy promised that she would pass along the message. Wesley hugged her once more telling her that one of them would always be near if she needed them. Thanking him, Wesley lifted the charm and the world went back to the way it was. Wesley as the old man stood slowly and hobbled away. Buffy didn't watch him leave she just smiled as her daughter came running up to her and leapt into her waiting arms.
--
Angel stood under the steaming water as he washed away the stress of that day. He was so tired from his negotiations all day that he wanted nothing more than to curl up in front of the large fire place, beer in hand, and watch the hockey game. The steam filled the bathroom fogging up the shower doors. Angel put his head under the water and allowed the pulsating water to wash down his shoulders and back erasing the stress he held on them. Wolfram & Hart had no answers to his hunt to find out how he had gotten here. He barely remembered what his life before was like since coming here. Angel was so consumed in his thoughts he didn't notice the bathroom door open and close. He had his eyes closed as slowly the shower door opened and closed. A small hand began to rub his shoulder kneading the knots free. Angel knew who it was before he turned around. Her olive green eyes looked into his and smiled. Buffy reached around him and took up the washcloth and soap. Lathering it up she turned him back around and began to run the cloth over his large frame.
"Long day?" She asked. Angel moaned in response as her little hands worked circles around his shoulders and lower back.
"Long day is an understatement." He said to her. He turned to face her as she continued to lather his body with soapy water.
"Maybe I can make it better." She said. Angel still wasn't sure if he should take advantage of the situation and allow anything further to happen. Since finding out what happened between him and Buffy and the Merger of Souls, Angel had been wrestling with the idea if he should allow himself to be with her. She fell to her knees in front of him and Angel finally made a decision. Rolling his head back he closed his eyes he took pleasure in every movement she made. Angel's breath quickened and he hissed as she instantly made the stress of his day disappear. Angel grunted his release then wrapped his hands around Buffy's shoulders. Slowly he pulled her up to him and kissed her full on the mouth. Desire filled Angel as he pushed her back against the shower wall. Lifting her up, she wrapped her legs around his lean hips and her arms circled around his neck. While they moved together, Angel never took his eyes off of her. Buffy blushed as Angel's intense eyes locked with her. She hadn't felt this way towards him in years. Recently, Angel had been more animalistic when it came to making love. She didn't mind at times, but in this moment it was like her Angel was back in her arms. A tender more gentle Angel; the Angel she missed and loved more than anything. Buffy continued to stare into Angel's eyes as together they slipped over the edge together. Coming down, Buffy ran her hands through Angel's wet hair and smiled.
"I love you." She said to him.
"I love you." He said back. Kissing her again he let her down and reluctantly let her leave the shower.
"Dinner is ready." She said, "All though suddenly I'm not that hungry anymore." Angel laughed and took her by the arm. He brought her to him and kissed her passionately. Shoving her hands into his chest she wagged a finger at him and blew him another kiss. She left the bathroom and Angel leaned back and let the hot water run down his face again. Smiling to himself he opened his mouth and gurgled the running water. He turned the water off and wrapped a towel around his hips. He put on a pair of worn sweat pants and a T-shirt. He walked out of his bedroom to find Buffy and her children…his family…waiting for him. In that moment Angel thought that maybe it wasn't so bad living in this time. Maybe he wouldn't find out how he had gotten here and just accept it. He sat down in front of Buffy and smiled at her. She smiled back and picked up her napkin. The family ate together not in silence but with family conversation. Something they hadn't done in a long time. Later that night when the children were asleep Angel made love to Buffy three times. And as they lay together warn and sated Buffy offered her suggestion.
"I saw Wesley today." She said. She moved up Angel's body so that she they faced each other.
"Really? How is he?" He asked.
"You're not mad?" She asked.
"Why would I be?"
"Because he is technically your enemy…well Wolfram & Hart's enemy."
"But he is your friend…and mine…" Angel said. Buffy smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek. Stroking his face she smiled.
"Anyway, he is good. He said that he would meet with you if you wanted."
"Really," After tonight he wasn't sure if he wanted to meet with Wesley or to tell him anything, "That's good."
"That's good? You couldn't stop talking about meeting with him; here is your chance."
"Where does he want to meet?" Angel asked. It might be good to meet with him.
"The Los Angeles Aquarium on Friday at noon. You can finally fulfill your promise of taking Isabella to the aquarium." Angel kissed her forehead and smiled.
"I think that is an amazing idea." Buffy sighed and rested her head on his chest. In minutes she was asleep. Angel lay awake for several more moments before closing his eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.