Angel's Offices | Los Angeles, CA | Monday Afternoon Fandom Time
Wesley was still shaken by the time they returned to Angel's offices, and he was barely managing to keep from jittering as Angel wrapped up his phone call with Rupert Giles.
Faith was dangerous. She hated all of them -- perhaps Wesley most of all, though it felt arrogant to even suspect so. And he couldn't stop remembering the badly-written and difficult to track down conversation he'd had with her future counterpart over a year ago in which she'd seemed to imply that she would do something still worse than her offenses in Sunnydale later down the road. Sharing that with Cordelia and Angel seemed like more trouble than it was worth, but he, personally, was alarmed by it.
Angel"Giles said she left Sunnydale about a week ago," Angel reported, placing the phone back in the receiver. "He described her mental state as 'borderline psychotic.'"
CordeliaOh. Well. How good of the Sunnydale crew to pass along the word, then.
"That explains her outfit," Cordelia contributed helpfully.
Wesley"Mr. Giles," Wesley murmured.
Cordelia looked up. "What was that?"
"Mr. Giles," he repeated. "He should've given me the heads-up." Whether Rupert was fond of him or not (and Wesley knew the answer was "not,"), it was simply petty to overlook him when it came to passing on information of this nature. And with future-Faith's words still lingering in his mind...
"I was Faith's Watcher. When she came out of the coma, Rupert should have contacted me immediately."
CordeliaCordelia didn't see it that way.
"Maybe he was busy trying to keep her from -- I don't know -- killing everybody?"
AngelAngel shook his head, entwining his fingers as he thought.
"He didn't know she was coming after me," he said quietly. "He was worried about Buffy."
A concept that he of all people could get behind.
CordeliaCordelia sighed, giving up her hostile nature for just long enough to sympathize.
"Is she okay?" she asked gently.
Angel and Cordelia"Yeah," Angel said softly, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.
And with that, Cordelia returned immediately to business. "What can we do?"
Angel shook his head to clear his thoughts, then readjusted his posture as he delegated tasks. "Help me track her down," he instructed her. "I want you two to check police reports -- beatings, killings -- anything within the last week, possibly near bus stations and bars. And then you get yourselves out of town. Wesley's school should do. I don't want to give her any free targets."
His eyes lingered on Wesley for perhaps a moment longer than necessary on that last part.
WesleyRight, well, that was completely unacceptable.
"You're being targeted by a psychotic! I'm certainly not going to run and hide," Wesley snapped.
He hadn't realized he was going to say that until he did, but once it was out in the open, he supposed there was no taking it back.
Cordelia"I like the plan where I'm scarce," Cordelia contributed. Even if it did mean going to Wesley's weird school. Maybe that crazy girl from last time would be around and Cordelia could remind her how much fun fighting vampires wasn't.
WesleyWesley shook his head. "We've got to band together," he declared. "Strength in numbers."
Cordelia"Two's a number!"
AngelThat seemed to set Angel off, and he stood up abruptly. "She's coming," he said, "for me. I've got a fight coming up. I don't want you to get in the way."
Wesley"I thought we were a team!" Wesley exclaimed, outraged. It was one thing to be relegated to driving duty, but when this was someone who clearly had a personal vendetta against him, someone who was dangerous, he couldn't take a back seat to the fight.
No matter how terrifying it was.
Angel"We're not a team. You're in high school," Angel returned firmly. "You go where I tell you, and I tell you to lay low."
Wesley"Seems you're taking this a bit personally," said Wesley, who had absolutely nothing to stand on when it came to accusations on that subject.
Angel"She tried to shoot my own personal back, so yeah," Angel snapped in return.
WesleyAnd then it clicked.
Wesley remembered this behavior -- this steadfast, uncharacteristic determination to the point of bossiness and a disregard for others. He remembered it because he'd been exhibiting it not too long ago himself. In Panem, and afterwards.
Softening, he asked more quietly, "Did she do something to Buffy?"
AngelAngel hesitated, clearly taken aback. Of all people, he hadn't thought that Wesley would be the one to figure out that particular lack of emotional subtlety. Was that school of his teaching him maturity now?
"Giles just... said it was rough," he admitted.
WesleyWhich was, yeah, pretty much what Wesley had been expecting.
"I'm sorry," he said truthfully.
Just like he was sorry for speaking the way he had to Karla, and to Kenzi, and just about anyone who'd had the misfortune to try to speak to him when he'd been concerned about a certain someone else.
Which was why he had to add this next part:
"But if you let your emotion control you right now, one of you will certainly end up dead."
Angel"Yeah," Angel muttered. "That's what the lady wants."
Three guesses who he was planning for it to be.
WesleyAnd that hit a particularly powerful note with Wesley too. He'd seen more than enough unwarranted death this past summer, and he wasn't planning to see any more of it.
"That's not good enough!" he exclaimed. "She's not a demon, Angel! She is a sick, sick girl. If there is even a chance that she can be reasoned with --"
AngelAngel glared.
"There was," he said coldly. "Last year I had a shot at saving her. I was pulling her back from the brink when some British guy -- " Emphasis on the some, as he gave Wesley a look -- "kidnapped her and made damn sure she'd never trust a living soul."
WesleyWesley flinched at the reminder. It wasn't exactly a secret that he wasn't proud of what he'd done back then.
Cordelia"Angel," Cordelia said, interrupting them for the first time, "it's not Wesley's fault that some British guy ruined your -- "
Angel glared at her.
" -- Oh. Wait." She turned to Wesley. "That was you."
She took in Wesley's kicked-puppy expression and Angel's evident fury, then carelessly waved a hand. "Go on."
WesleyWesley looked down.
Very, very quietly, he said, "You don't need to."
Of course Angel wanted him gone. It wasn't as though he could be useful here. Not against her.
AngelMiraculously, Angel didn't. He appeared to recognize the extent of Wesley's disappointment with himself, because when he spoke again, his tone was much softer.
"Let's just get to work."
[[Once again, taken and adapted from Angel 1x18, "Five by Five." NFB, NFI, OOC is so welcome, post three of seven. Follows this and this.]]
Faith was dangerous. She hated all of them -- perhaps Wesley most of all, though it felt arrogant to even suspect so. And he couldn't stop remembering the badly-written and difficult to track down conversation he'd had with her future counterpart over a year ago in which she'd seemed to imply that she would do something still worse than her offenses in Sunnydale later down the road. Sharing that with Cordelia and Angel seemed like more trouble than it was worth, but he, personally, was alarmed by it.
Angel"Giles said she left Sunnydale about a week ago," Angel reported, placing the phone back in the receiver. "He described her mental state as 'borderline psychotic.'"
CordeliaOh. Well. How good of the Sunnydale crew to pass along the word, then.
"That explains her outfit," Cordelia contributed helpfully.
Wesley"Mr. Giles," Wesley murmured.
Cordelia looked up. "What was that?"
"Mr. Giles," he repeated. "He should've given me the heads-up." Whether Rupert was fond of him or not (and Wesley knew the answer was "not,"), it was simply petty to overlook him when it came to passing on information of this nature. And with future-Faith's words still lingering in his mind...
"I was Faith's Watcher. When she came out of the coma, Rupert should have contacted me immediately."
CordeliaCordelia didn't see it that way.
"Maybe he was busy trying to keep her from -- I don't know -- killing everybody?"
AngelAngel shook his head, entwining his fingers as he thought.
"He didn't know she was coming after me," he said quietly. "He was worried about Buffy."
A concept that he of all people could get behind.
CordeliaCordelia sighed, giving up her hostile nature for just long enough to sympathize.
"Is she okay?" she asked gently.
Angel and Cordelia"Yeah," Angel said softly, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.
And with that, Cordelia returned immediately to business. "What can we do?"
Angel shook his head to clear his thoughts, then readjusted his posture as he delegated tasks. "Help me track her down," he instructed her. "I want you two to check police reports -- beatings, killings -- anything within the last week, possibly near bus stations and bars. And then you get yourselves out of town. Wesley's school should do. I don't want to give her any free targets."
His eyes lingered on Wesley for perhaps a moment longer than necessary on that last part.
WesleyRight, well, that was completely unacceptable.
"You're being targeted by a psychotic! I'm certainly not going to run and hide," Wesley snapped.
He hadn't realized he was going to say that until he did, but once it was out in the open, he supposed there was no taking it back.
Cordelia"I like the plan where I'm scarce," Cordelia contributed. Even if it did mean going to Wesley's weird school. Maybe that crazy girl from last time would be around and Cordelia could remind her how much fun fighting vampires wasn't.
WesleyWesley shook his head. "We've got to band together," he declared. "Strength in numbers."
Cordelia"Two's a number!"
AngelThat seemed to set Angel off, and he stood up abruptly. "She's coming," he said, "for me. I've got a fight coming up. I don't want you to get in the way."
Wesley"I thought we were a team!" Wesley exclaimed, outraged. It was one thing to be relegated to driving duty, but when this was someone who clearly had a personal vendetta against him, someone who was dangerous, he couldn't take a back seat to the fight.
No matter how terrifying it was.
Angel"We're not a team. You're in high school," Angel returned firmly. "You go where I tell you, and I tell you to lay low."
Wesley"Seems you're taking this a bit personally," said Wesley, who had absolutely nothing to stand on when it came to accusations on that subject.
Angel"She tried to shoot my own personal back, so yeah," Angel snapped in return.
WesleyAnd then it clicked.
Wesley remembered this behavior -- this steadfast, uncharacteristic determination to the point of bossiness and a disregard for others. He remembered it because he'd been exhibiting it not too long ago himself. In Panem, and afterwards.
Softening, he asked more quietly, "Did she do something to Buffy?"
AngelAngel hesitated, clearly taken aback. Of all people, he hadn't thought that Wesley would be the one to figure out that particular lack of emotional subtlety. Was that school of his teaching him maturity now?
"Giles just... said it was rough," he admitted.
WesleyWhich was, yeah, pretty much what Wesley had been expecting.
"I'm sorry," he said truthfully.
Just like he was sorry for speaking the way he had to Karla, and to Kenzi, and just about anyone who'd had the misfortune to try to speak to him when he'd been concerned about a certain someone else.
Which was why he had to add this next part:
"But if you let your emotion control you right now, one of you will certainly end up dead."
Angel"Yeah," Angel muttered. "That's what the lady wants."
Three guesses who he was planning for it to be.
WesleyAnd that hit a particularly powerful note with Wesley too. He'd seen more than enough unwarranted death this past summer, and he wasn't planning to see any more of it.
"That's not good enough!" he exclaimed. "She's not a demon, Angel! She is a sick, sick girl. If there is even a chance that she can be reasoned with --"
AngelAngel glared.
"There was," he said coldly. "Last year I had a shot at saving her. I was pulling her back from the brink when some British guy -- " Emphasis on the some, as he gave Wesley a look -- "kidnapped her and made damn sure she'd never trust a living soul."
WesleyWesley flinched at the reminder. It wasn't exactly a secret that he wasn't proud of what he'd done back then.
Cordelia"Angel," Cordelia said, interrupting them for the first time, "it's not Wesley's fault that some British guy ruined your -- "
Angel glared at her.
" -- Oh. Wait." She turned to Wesley. "That was you."
She took in Wesley's kicked-puppy expression and Angel's evident fury, then carelessly waved a hand. "Go on."
WesleyWesley looked down.
Very, very quietly, he said, "You don't need to."
Of course Angel wanted him gone. It wasn't as though he could be useful here. Not against her.
AngelMiraculously, Angel didn't. He appeared to recognize the extent of Wesley's disappointment with himself, because when he spoke again, his tone was much softer.
"Let's just get to work."
[[Once again, taken and adapted from Angel 1x18, "Five by Five." NFB, NFI, OOC is so welcome, post three of seven. Follows this and this.]]