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"He said he wasn't to be disturbed, Wesley," said Harmony, edging behind her desk, "But, like, don't shoot the messenger or anything!"
It was too much. It really was. I'd got to Wesley's office fifteen minutes earlier, instructions firmly in hand on where to find that damned book. In and out. That was what Wesley had said. He'd made it sound so damned easy... Except I don't think he'd expected all of his books to be missing. Gone. Disappeared. Poof.
The only things in his office were his desk, his crappy-ass lamps and the decor that even after only two days of seeing it what you'd call regular looked carbondated.
"My books are missing." I said, narrowing my eyes at Harmony, "Is there something I should know?" I knew damned fine that if there was gossip, Harmony would share it... Except that did me no good at all while I was in this body, unless there was something else Wesley hadn't told me.
"I don't know!" She insisted, close to tears. Geez. It wasn't like I was all unhinged and waving a gun around or anything, and sure, my walking left a bit to be desired... But I was convincing, wasn't I? "Look, if you could just wait while Angel finishes up with--"
I toned out the rest of what she had to say and strode toward Angel's office, pushing open the doors. "Angel, we need to..."
I blinked, slowly, watching as the flash of blonde hair practically extracted itself from sucking Angel's face off. Buffy.
"Wesley?" He stepped in front of the blonde, which was about the time I realised that that blonde was no Buffy - she was shorter, for a start, and Angel was protecting her. From me? "What are you doing here?"
"M-my books are gone." I forgot, for a moment, why I was there, my gaze concentrated on the blonde. She kept throwing worried glances Angel's way, not sure how to take this or--
"Hey, Wesley," she said softly, "How are you?"
Still confused, I blinked. Two hours ago, Angel had been arguing about Buffy, about how much he loved her while Spike, apparently, didn't. And now he was sucking face with this chick. This chick who, apparently, knew all about Wesley, was comfortable enough to be on a first name basis with him.
"You remember Nina, right?" Angel asked, slowly, edging her backwards with a hand outstretched. My gaze focussed on that hand, hot tears pricking the back of my eyelids. Didn't take you long, did it, Angel? What did you do, wait 'til my wake was over? Or was she at that too?
"My books are missing." I said, my voice wavering dangerously. "You've had them removed?" Wesley knew Nina. He knew this girl. He probably knew that she and Angel were an item, judging by the fact that they weren't exactly hiding all the unspoken words between them. Body language was a bitch, sometimes.
"He was worried about you, Wesley."
I couldn't explain the sudden flash of anger. The girl - Nina - she was defending Angel, coming to his rescue like he actually couldn't speak for himself, when I knew damned fine he could. "Where's Buffy?"
It hurt, but I enjoyed the look of uncertainty on Angel's face, the flash of irritation. "What, you forgot about her while sucking face with *her*?" I knew I sounded jealous, couldn't help it... It just sounded a lot stranger on Wesley than it did on me.
"Nina. I'll call you later." I'd heard that voice before. He'd used it on me when we'd been-- In danger. He was scared of me? Scared of Wesley? He damned well should be. It was bad enough that he'd ignored Wesley and what had been happening for the blonde, slaying portion of the community... But to do this, with someone else, that wasn't Angel, was it? That wasn't my Angel.
I waited until Nina had gone before I spoke again. "I don't even know who you are any more." I said, shaking my head, "Did taking over this place really do all this to you?"
"Don't give me that, Wesley," he growled, "You knew what we were getting into when we took this on."
"Did I?" I wasn't talking as Wesley any more, though my voice still sounded the same, "Because the way I hear it? I wasn't given much choice at all." Okay, so I wasn't really speaking for everybody. I was hurting and I wanted Angel to hurt as much as I did. If that meant bringing up things he'd rather have left alone? Then so be it.
He stepped forward, to do what, I wasn't sure... But I sensed danger and I pulled out the only tool I knew I had available. Wesley's gun. "Come near me and I swear to God, Angel--"
"That won't kill me." He said, the look on his face unfamiliar. My irritation grew tenfold.
"No," I said, as my finger squeezed the trigger, "But it'll hurt like hell."
Five seconds later and I was outside Angel's office, shaking like hell, having dropped Wesley's gun. I'd shot him. I'd shot Angel. I knew it wouldn't kill him, he'd been shot enough times for me to know that it was practically just an itch to him now. But-- Still.
I was still waiting for security to come grab my ass when I heard a familiar voice. Scared. Just like the others. "Muffin? Everything okay?"
Lorne.
I looked up at him, still shaking. "Do things look okay?"
The minute I met his eyes, I knew. He knew something was off. "What?" I asked, irritated. I wasn't exactly ready for him to know about my little secret yet. Maybe I could bluff and--
"Plumcake? Is that you?"
No, no and no. What, he'd developed the ability to mind-read along with being anagogic? I grabbed his hand, misjudging my own strength, and dragged him towards Wesley's office. "Shut up," I frowned, slamming the door shut behind me, "Just-- Shut up."
My ears were still ringing from that shot. My heart was... Actually, I didn't know what my heart was except hurting and in tatters from the knowledge that Angel had sped on without a second look back. He'd been over me within minutes and he didn't even have the decency to--
"Oh, Plumcake." Lorne's voice was sad. He didn't look scared of me any more, just tired and apprehensive, "What were you playing with?"
"I wasn't playing with anything," I snapped, "I-- I was trying to-- How the hell did you know anyway? What, did I inadvertently hum in your direction?"
Lorne shook his head, "You didn't have to hum a note, sweetcheeks. It's written all over you."
Well that was just great. So that meant, what, that everyone knew I wasn't Wesley? Well, except from Angel. He'd always been a little slow. "How did you know it was me?" I asked, tiredly.
"Nobody could look that upset over Angelcakes and not have some good reason," he said, patting my hand sympathetically, "What happened?"
Where did I start? The part where I'd been impregnated with demon spawn or just skip it and go to Wes and I trading bodies? "I need your help." I said quietly, deciding to skip it all. "Wesley's-- He's in my body and I can't find his books."
Angel's timing was always impeccable. He chose right then to bang on Wesley's door, yell something about having security and that hurting Lorne wasn't the answer. Hurt Lorne? I didn't want to hurt Lorne, especially since he was the only one who I trusted right now. "Go away, Angel." I yelled, wishing the floor would just swallow me up.
Although maybe not, considering where I was.
It was too much. It really was. I'd got to Wesley's office fifteen minutes earlier, instructions firmly in hand on where to find that damned book. In and out. That was what Wesley had said. He'd made it sound so damned easy... Except I don't think he'd expected all of his books to be missing. Gone. Disappeared. Poof.
The only things in his office were his desk, his crappy-ass lamps and the decor that even after only two days of seeing it what you'd call regular looked carbondated.
"My books are missing." I said, narrowing my eyes at Harmony, "Is there something I should know?" I knew damned fine that if there was gossip, Harmony would share it... Except that did me no good at all while I was in this body, unless there was something else Wesley hadn't told me.
"I don't know!" She insisted, close to tears. Geez. It wasn't like I was all unhinged and waving a gun around or anything, and sure, my walking left a bit to be desired... But I was convincing, wasn't I? "Look, if you could just wait while Angel finishes up with--"
I toned out the rest of what she had to say and strode toward Angel's office, pushing open the doors. "Angel, we need to..."
I blinked, slowly, watching as the flash of blonde hair practically extracted itself from sucking Angel's face off. Buffy.
"Wesley?" He stepped in front of the blonde, which was about the time I realised that that blonde was no Buffy - she was shorter, for a start, and Angel was protecting her. From me? "What are you doing here?"
"M-my books are gone." I forgot, for a moment, why I was there, my gaze concentrated on the blonde. She kept throwing worried glances Angel's way, not sure how to take this or--
"Hey, Wesley," she said softly, "How are you?"
Still confused, I blinked. Two hours ago, Angel had been arguing about Buffy, about how much he loved her while Spike, apparently, didn't. And now he was sucking face with this chick. This chick who, apparently, knew all about Wesley, was comfortable enough to be on a first name basis with him.
"You remember Nina, right?" Angel asked, slowly, edging her backwards with a hand outstretched. My gaze focussed on that hand, hot tears pricking the back of my eyelids. Didn't take you long, did it, Angel? What did you do, wait 'til my wake was over? Or was she at that too?
"My books are missing." I said, my voice wavering dangerously. "You've had them removed?" Wesley knew Nina. He knew this girl. He probably knew that she and Angel were an item, judging by the fact that they weren't exactly hiding all the unspoken words between them. Body language was a bitch, sometimes.
"He was worried about you, Wesley."
I couldn't explain the sudden flash of anger. The girl - Nina - she was defending Angel, coming to his rescue like he actually couldn't speak for himself, when I knew damned fine he could. "Where's Buffy?"
It hurt, but I enjoyed the look of uncertainty on Angel's face, the flash of irritation. "What, you forgot about her while sucking face with *her*?" I knew I sounded jealous, couldn't help it... It just sounded a lot stranger on Wesley than it did on me.
"Nina. I'll call you later." I'd heard that voice before. He'd used it on me when we'd been-- In danger. He was scared of me? Scared of Wesley? He damned well should be. It was bad enough that he'd ignored Wesley and what had been happening for the blonde, slaying portion of the community... But to do this, with someone else, that wasn't Angel, was it? That wasn't my Angel.
I waited until Nina had gone before I spoke again. "I don't even know who you are any more." I said, shaking my head, "Did taking over this place really do all this to you?"
"Don't give me that, Wesley," he growled, "You knew what we were getting into when we took this on."
"Did I?" I wasn't talking as Wesley any more, though my voice still sounded the same, "Because the way I hear it? I wasn't given much choice at all." Okay, so I wasn't really speaking for everybody. I was hurting and I wanted Angel to hurt as much as I did. If that meant bringing up things he'd rather have left alone? Then so be it.
He stepped forward, to do what, I wasn't sure... But I sensed danger and I pulled out the only tool I knew I had available. Wesley's gun. "Come near me and I swear to God, Angel--"
"That won't kill me." He said, the look on his face unfamiliar. My irritation grew tenfold.
"No," I said, as my finger squeezed the trigger, "But it'll hurt like hell."
Five seconds later and I was outside Angel's office, shaking like hell, having dropped Wesley's gun. I'd shot him. I'd shot Angel. I knew it wouldn't kill him, he'd been shot enough times for me to know that it was practically just an itch to him now. But-- Still.
I was still waiting for security to come grab my ass when I heard a familiar voice. Scared. Just like the others. "Muffin? Everything okay?"
Lorne.
I looked up at him, still shaking. "Do things look okay?"
The minute I met his eyes, I knew. He knew something was off. "What?" I asked, irritated. I wasn't exactly ready for him to know about my little secret yet. Maybe I could bluff and--
"Plumcake? Is that you?"
No, no and no. What, he'd developed the ability to mind-read along with being anagogic? I grabbed his hand, misjudging my own strength, and dragged him towards Wesley's office. "Shut up," I frowned, slamming the door shut behind me, "Just-- Shut up."
My ears were still ringing from that shot. My heart was... Actually, I didn't know what my heart was except hurting and in tatters from the knowledge that Angel had sped on without a second look back. He'd been over me within minutes and he didn't even have the decency to--
"Oh, Plumcake." Lorne's voice was sad. He didn't look scared of me any more, just tired and apprehensive, "What were you playing with?"
"I wasn't playing with anything," I snapped, "I-- I was trying to-- How the hell did you know anyway? What, did I inadvertently hum in your direction?"
Lorne shook his head, "You didn't have to hum a note, sweetcheeks. It's written all over you."
Well that was just great. So that meant, what, that everyone knew I wasn't Wesley? Well, except from Angel. He'd always been a little slow. "How did you know it was me?" I asked, tiredly.
"Nobody could look that upset over Angelcakes and not have some good reason," he said, patting my hand sympathetically, "What happened?"
Where did I start? The part where I'd been impregnated with demon spawn or just skip it and go to Wes and I trading bodies? "I need your help." I said quietly, deciding to skip it all. "Wesley's-- He's in my body and I can't find his books."
Angel's timing was always impeccable. He chose right then to bang on Wesley's door, yell something about having security and that hurting Lorne wasn't the answer. Hurt Lorne? I didn't want to hurt Lorne, especially since he was the only one who I trusted right now. "Go away, Angel." I yelled, wishing the floor would just swallow me up.
Although maybe not, considering where I was.