"Gosh, Wesley, are you okay? I thought you were going to block that!" Angel rushed over and kneeled down to examine him for serious injury. Finding none, he rolled Wesley onto his back and offered his hand, to help him up. Wesley lay there a moment longer, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him, and finally accepted Angel's boost up.

"No, no. My fault, really. I lost my concentration for a moment. I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me." Wesley could feel the blush starting at the back of his neck and creeping up to his already flushed cheeks. He avoided Angel's curious gaze by fumbling with the clasps that held on the padding he wore for training with Angel. He could still feel his employer's eyes boring into his back.

Angel frowned. "You seem to be having a lot of trouble concentrating lately, Wes. Are you sure nothing's bothering you that I can help you with? I can't have you out there on the streets with me if I can't trust you to back me up and hold your own in a fight. I need you out there a hundred percent."

"I know, Angel, and it will never happen again, I assure you. You can count on me. I guess I'm just a bit tired lately. We have had a few late nights this week. That must be it. My fault for agreeing to train with you, when I wasn't feeling up to it." Wesley knew he was babbling like an idiot, and hurried to leave the room before Angel could say anything else.

Angel watched the hunched figure climb the stairs to the upper offices, and shook his head. This wasn't the first time Wesley had made a mistake and brushed off Angel's concerns. The vampire didn't need to be a detective to know something was bothering his friend, but Wesley was so tight-lipped these days, he couldn't get anything out of him. Even Cordelia could hardly get a rise out of him lately. Not for lack of trying either. She had taken to referring to the Wesley as 'Mr. Sulky-Pants' and had commented that Wesley was overtaking Angel in the 'brooding contest'. Angel could only hope that eventually Wesley would confide in someone.

Wesley sat quietly at his desk. He was alone, and the offices were dark, except for the dim light of his desk lamp and the moonlight filtering in through the window blinds, casting eerie shadows on the floor. His books were spread out before him, and he was supposed to be searching through them for any reference to an eight-foot demon that could turn invisible and had the ability to freeze its victims with its breath. His hand kept turning the pages, but Wesley wasn't concentrating on the words printed on them. The ancient tomes were emitting that wonderful musty smell peculiar to old books, that usually made him feel so contented, and he pressed his nose to one of them, breathing in deeply, drawing the smell into him, like it was an expensive perfume.

The tick tick tick of Wesley's watch seemed incredibly loud so close to his ear. When he glanced at it he realized it was 2am and he was suddenly acutely aware of the aching in his temples and the tiredness of his eyes. He slipped off his glasses and rubbed at the sore spot on the bridge of his nose. Rising stiffly, he raised his arms over his head to stretch his limbs and back. Wandering over to the other side of the room, the tired man picked up the coffee pot and cautiously eyed the dark liquid inside. Having determined, with a sigh, that this was probably the same coffee he had badgered Cordelia into making that morning, Wesley returned the pot to the hot plate and switched off the machine. He contemplated laying down on the office couch for the remainder of the night, but was inexplicably drawn to the window overlooking the alley below. He opened the window as wide as he could and felt the cool night air begin to revive him somewhat. Wesley stuck his head out and let the wind ruffle his hair. Taking a deep breath, his nose wrinkled at the unpleasant odor coming from the garbage dumpster below, but he continued to stand there, reflecting on his solitude. Only now could he allow himself to dwell on the unsettling thoughts that had been plaguing him for nearly a month.

Faith. An involuntary shudder still coursed through his body at the mere thought of her name.

'Don't be ridiculous, Wyndham-Pryce. Pull yourself together. What kind of a man are you? It's been over two months already. Get over it!'

He would tell himself this when the nightmares woke him up in the middle of the night, and when he would see Faith among the people on a crowded street or in a restaurant. Wesley had almost succeeded in putting her out of his mind when he had received the phone call last month that threatened to turn his world upside down and tie him to his former tormentor forever.

Pregnant. Wesley turned the word over in his mind, as if examining it from all angles. A soft groan escaped his lips, and he put his hands to his temples, rubbing them in a slow circular motion.

'It might not be mine. Surely I wasn't the only one... I'm probably worrying for nothing.'

Still, when he closed his eyes, Wesley's mind's eye replayed, in great detail, his and Faith's sexual encounter.

'How am I ever going to tell Angel, let alone Cordelia, what really happened with Faith that night; or about the... possible results? I'm not even man enough to confront Faith face to face. What the hell am I going to do?'

Wesley tried to fight back the tears of pain and frustration that were welling up in his eyes, but he was too tired to hold his emotions in any longer. Exhausted, he leaned against the window frame, put his head in his hands and began to cry.

Wesley didn't want to wake up. He had slept better last night than he had in weeks. Even with his eyes closed though, he knew it was light out, and he'd better get up or be late for work. With a groan, Wesley started to turn over to check the time, and it was only his quick reflexes that stopped him from completely rolling off the couch onto the floor. Cordelia peered up from her Cosmo and eyed her watch.

"Sleeping Beauty's finally awake, Angel."

Wesley tried to remain somewhat graceful, as he extricated himself from the space between the couch and the coffee table, while rubbing the sleep from his eyes and searching for his glasses.

"Hi, Wesley, are you looking for these?" Angel came over to the rather rumpled man and handed him his glasses. "I found them over by the window this morning when I came upstairs."

Wesley gratefully accepted the glasses and looked at his watch. It read 11:15. "Why didn't you wake me? There was no reason to let me sleep when there's work to be done."

"Relax, Wesley. It was obvious you were up all night researching that demon, and needed the sleep. I found all your notes on your desk and I've got a pretty good idea where to start looking tonight, so don't worry."

"Besides," Cordelia chimed in. "You talk in your sleep and I was waiting for some juicy gossip." Wesley looked stricken and Angel sent the girl a stern look. She threw up both hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, kidding! You guys really need to lighten up."

Wesley stood and attempted to smooth the wrinkles from his trousers and tame his unruly hair, which stubbornly refused to lay flat. Cordelia suppressed a smile and couldn't help thinking that the rumpled look somehow suited him. He was always so meticulous about his appearance, and this was a pleasant change. She shook these unexpected thoughts from her mind and went to get herself a donut, bringing back a cup of coffee and a donut for Wesley as well, who looked up at her in surprise.

"Don't get used to it. I was coming back this way anyhow," she explained, dismissively.

Wes took a sip of the warm liquid, and sighed, as he felt it slide down his throat. "Right, well, I appreciate it - both of you. Now, Angel, is there something you need me to do?"

"Yes, there is, Wesley. I want you to go home, take a shower and then take the rest of the day off, maybe get some more sleep." Angel wore his 'there's no use arguing with me' expression, and was surprised when Wesley quickly took him up on his offer.

"I think maybe that is a good idea. I would really like to change out of these clothes, and get something proper to eat. I will see you both tomorrow." With that, Wesley grabbed his jacket and headed out the door before even Cordelia could think of a response. He wasn't going to go back to bed though. Wesley had made a resolution the night before and he was determined to carry it out as soon as possible. Wesley was going to the jail to visit Faith.

Wesley stood in the drab, grey room, hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He could feel the air conditioning blowing down on him, chilling the beads of sweat that were still forming on the back of his neck. His necktie suddenly felt tight at his throat, and his fingers tugged at the knot to loosen it. Although there were seats enough for six visitors on his side of the glass partition, Wesley was alone, and he kept his eyes glued on the heavy metal door on the other side. Even so, he jumped at the clang of the bolt sliding back and the door opening. A small figure entered, wearing a baggy gray work shirt and jeans, and it took Wesley a moment to realize it was Faith. Without her makeup and trademark leathers, the girl looked younger and fragile. Faith stopped short when she saw her former watcher standing across from her, but quickly recovered enough to casually stride over to a chair and flop down into it. When Wesley appeared to be rooted to the floor, Faith gave him an impatient look, which caused him to hurriedly sit down across from her. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and gingerly picked up the telephone receiver at his right, watching as Faith did the same.

"It's alright, Wes, don't worry. I don't bite... much."

"Hello, Faith. You're looking... well."

Faith looked down at herself and then back at Wesley. "Ya think? 'Cause I kinda thought gray wasn't really my color."

Wesley was close enough now to see how pale she was. There were dark circles under her eyes and she seemed too thin. When his gaze involuntarily traveled downward and rested on her midsection, Faith pursed her lips in a tense smile and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Relax, Wes, it's a little too soon to tell anything." Wesley's eyes snapped up and met hers. "Okay, let's not pretend we both don't know why you're here. It's certainly not out of concern for me."

"On the contrary, Faith. That is precisely why I'm here."

"Yeah well, you don't need to worry. The doc says I'm fine. He's got me taking all these vitamins and junk and..." Faith caught the look on Wesley's face and leaned forward to study him intently. "Wait. That's not what's bothering you, is it?" A sickening realization swept over her, and her eyes grew cold. "You don't want me to have the baby do you... Well?!"

"No, Faith, I don't."

On her furious look, he continued. "Faith, listen to me, please. I've had a great deal of time to think about this, and can really only see one solution. We have to face facts. You and I are not exactly ideal parental material, and neither of us is in the position to properly raise a child. I'm not any happier about it than you are, but you have to know I'm right about this."

Faith leaned forward in her chair again, getting as close to Wesley as the glass would allow. "Okay, Wesley. Now you're gonna listen to me, because I have some facts of my own for you to face....You are not going to take this baby away from me, and I'm gonna tell you why... My whole life people have been taken away from me. First it was my parents, and then my Watcher - my real Watcher. I thought maybe I'd finally found someone to hang with in good ole Sunnydale, but - gosh - she tried to kill me and feed me to her vampire boyfriend. Thanks to your precious Council and my so-called destiny, I always end up alone, and I'm sick of it! You could never understand." The outburst seemed to wear the girl out, and she slumped back in her seat. When Wesley finally spoke, it was quietly, and with a great deal of empathy.

"I do understand... No, wait!" Wesley held up a hand before Faith could protest. "I too know what it's like to be alone and feel like an outsider. But, we can't look at this selfishly. You're... in here, and I fight evil at the side of a vampire. Just what kind of life would our child have?... And that's not even mentioning the manner of conception." Wesley felt his muscles tensing, as he prepared for another explosion from the young slayer. What he got was the opposite.

"Wesley," Faith's voice was barely more than a whisper. "I'm not exactly into all this honesty and confiding in people crap, and you're the last person I ever expected to be having this conversation with, but I guess I don't have a fucking choice." She took a deep breath, before continuing. "Look, we both know I haven't been 'Miss Goody Two Shoes' lately - or ever. I've done a lot of bad in my lifetime and this is finally my chance to do something good for a change. It feels... right somehow, y'know? Like it was meant to happen. Okay, maybe not this way, but..." She looked at Wesley for some sign of understanding. As usual, to her he just looked... Watcherly. Frustration finally took over, as she felt her anger well up in her chest and force its way out her mouth. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to explain this to you. None of it is up to you, anyway. It's my body and my decision, and if you don't like it you can just shut up and get the hell out of my face! I sure don't need you hanging around here, trying to boss me around. You're not my watcher anymore. Not that you ever really were."

Faith turned away so Wesley couldn't see her tears. That was fine with him, as he was having trouble holding back his own. Her words stung as surely as if she'd slapped him in the face. He had been so sure Faith would never want to keep the baby, that he had never allowed for this turn of events to enter his mind. Neither of them spoke for several minutes, while Wesley chewed his bottom lip, automatically removing his glasses to clean them, as he processed all that the girl had said. Finally, he put his glasses back on, straightened his tie, and resolutely tapped on the glass, to get her attention.

Ahem "Right, well then...There will be no more talk about you going through this alone. Despite the circumstances surrounding our... situation, I feel I have a certain responsibility to you and the baby. We may not like each other - correction, I know we don't like each other, but if you're serious about this, you are going to need my help."

Faith rolled her eyes. "My hero. That's the way to sweep me off my feet." Any further discussion was halted by the return of the guard in the doorway.

"Time's up, sweetheart. Say goodbye to loverboy here and let's get a move on."

"So, I guess I'll be seeing ya then... Daddy." Faith hung up the phone before Wesley could reply and turned quickly to leave.

Wesley stood stiffly and watched Faith's back until it had completely disappeared from view. His hands were shaking and his knees felt weak.

"Oh dear."

(six weeks later)

mumble, mumble, mumble SLAM mumble, mumble, mumble BANG

Angel could hear Hurricane Cordy in the outer office and, even with his door closed, he could tell the young woman was on the war path. Hope it wasn't anything I did! Curiosity finally won out over the desire to hide, and Angel poked his head out the door.

"Something I can help you with, Cordelia?"

The girl spun around, eyes flashing. She wore a pretty dark blue peasant skirt and matching light blue top that clung in all the right places. Even Angel would have to admit she was attractive, if she weren't... Cordelia. At this particular moment, however, all she looked was angry.

"Now that you mention it, Angel, we need to have a talk about this office's recycling policy. Now, I'm as concerned about the environment as the next girl - don't roll your eyes at me, Mr. I-Don't-Have-A-Life-So-I-Don't-Generate-As-Much-Garbage-Private Eye. I don't really mind if you get rid of my old magazines - after I've read them - but I waited all month for those new European fashion magazines I bought this morning, and they've already disappeared! And please, if you've taken up cross-dressing and are eyeing the latest fashions, I so don't want to know."

Angel, with his typically bland expression in place, regarded Cordelia calmly. "So, some of your magazines are missing?"

"Well, duh. Didn't I just say that?"

"Why don't you ask Wesley? He-"

"I would, except you gave him the afternoon off... again!" Cordelia interrupted. "I don't see where he goes every week that could be such a secret anyway. It's not like he's got a girlfriend or anything..." She paused at the thought, and frowned. Angel seized the moment to continue.

"I saw Wesley leaving last week with a stack of magazines, so maybe he knows what happened to yours. Uh, maybe he's making a collage or something. You're always telling him to get a hobby."

Cordelia eyed her boss critically, but couldn't tell if he was serious or teasing her. Damn that vampire and his one facial expression. "Yeah, well, just wait 'til I get my hands on him. I'll..."

Glad it was not him she was mad at, Angel turned back into his office, leaving Cordy to her ranting. Only then did he allow the smile to grace his lips.

Wesley sat quietly in the room that was becoming increasingly familiar to him with every visit, waiting for Faith to appear. His eyes wandered, first to the patched crack in the wall in front of him, then to the flickering fluorescent light that never seemed to get fixed, and finally to the dried wad of gum stuck to the underside of the counter to his immediate right. It was always the same, and he could not imagine how it all must be for Faith, seeing the same gray walls of her cell, day after day. He shuddered to himself. Even he always sat in the same chair when he came. Sometimes there were a few other visitors there, but today he was alone.

The door opened with a clang, and Faith appeared, carrying the box he'd brought her - his usual care package - that, of course, had been thoroughly searched before she'd received it. The box was obscuring his view of what he was most curious about. He and Faith didn't talk about the pregnancy much beyond what the doctor had to say and about her general health. So far she hadn't confided in him about morning sickness or cravings or any of those other things he'd seen in the movies. He was, of course, reading a book on the subject, but it wasn't the same as experiencing it. He really wanted to know if she was 'showing' yet, without making it look like he was looking. Faith saw through this right away and set down the box, giving him a clear view (and a rather sarcastic look) before sitting down. Wesley swallowed hard. It wasn't all that noticeable in her loose fitting clothes, but he could definitely see a bump there.

"Hello, Faith. How are you doing today?" He said the same thing every week and always got the same response. A shrug of the shoulders, followed by the standard answer:

"Okay, I guess." Faith began to go through the items in the box. The usual fashion magazines - Cordelia's, no doubt - candy bars, and popcorn. Well, he knows what I like. The first time he'd brought her candy she hadn't trusted him and gave half of it away. When no one keeled over, she'd decided it was safe to eat.

"Wesley, you don't have to keep bringing me stuff, y'know. You're not my mom. Next thing you know you're gonna have Cordy baking me brownies."

Wesley shook his head knowingly. "Trust me. If I did that they would be confiscated as lethal weapons." Faith shrugged again and dug back into the box.

"Oh, wow, a CD player? Cool!" She looked through the collection of CDs that accompanied it. There seemed to be every type, from the Backstreet Boys to Korn, represented. She pulled out one in particular and shot Wesley a look. "Rob Zombie"?"

He allowed a smile to twitch at the corners of his mouth. "I couldn't resist the name." He realized Faith was laughing and his face broke out into a full-fledged grin. It was a major breakthrough - their first real connection. He then launched into his weekly conversation about world events and his continuing adventures with Angel Investigations.

Faith looked closely at the man sitting across from her, as she listened to him talk. Wesley never ceased to amaze her anymore - not that she would ever admit that to him. He had changed so completely from the 'tight ass' he'd been back in Sunnydale that she hardly recognized him as the same person. Today he was wearing a dark blue shirt, with the collar opened, and tan slacks, and his hair was a bit rumpled, in a boyish way. When he'd returned the following week, after their first heated meeting, Faith had been shocked to see him. She was sure she had scared him off. Now she actually looked forward to his monologues on politics, gas prices, and anything else involving the outside world. She encouraged his detailed descriptions of the demons and monsters that he, Angel and Cordelia encountered during the week. Late at night, when lying in her bunk, Faith replayed these adventures in her head, only it was she that was fighting evil again, sometimes alone and sometimes with Wesley by her side. She really missed her life as a slayer.

"...I'm sorry, I've probably been boring you to death." Wesley interrupted her thoughts, in his usual polite way."

"No, Wes, it's okay. I was just -" Suddenly, she jerked forward, hands on her midsection. Immediately alert, Wesley stood up and looked concerned.

"Should I call a guard? Are you in pain?"

"No, wait. I'm alright. Really... sit down." She had a shocked look on her face. "Oh, wow, that was amazing!" She looked at Wesley in awe. "I just felt it move - the baby. It kicked me."

Wesley's expression twisted up, unable to decide how to react to all the conflicting emotions flooding him: fear, pride, elation, envy... "That's wonderful... I wish..."

"I wish you could feel it too, Wes. God, this is really happening. It all seems so... much more real all of a sudden."

Neither of them spoke for a minute, as they both absorbed what had happened. Faith's expression turned thoughtful.

"Wesley. I just had a weird thought... if the baby's a girl... is she gonna be a slayer? I mean, will she get all my powers and stuff? What's happened before?"

Wesley was stunned. He should have thought about this himself. "I... I don't know, Faith. I don't recall reading about anything like this in the Watchers Diaries, although this certainly can't be the first time something like this has happened. Perhaps there is something in The Codex. I'll look into it and let you know what I find out. A fascinating question, really."

As he was leaving a few minutes later, one thought was utmost in Wesley's mind.

'I can't figure this one out on my own. I'm going to need help, and there's only one person I know who can. I only hope he's willing to, after I tell him everything I've done.'

Giles whistled softly to himself as he shuffled out of his kitchen towards the living room. Dressed only in his boxers, socks, and comfortable robe, he carried a full teacup and saucer in one hand and a plate of his favorite biscuits in the other. They had come in the mail that morning, a care package from an old friend in London. Settling comfortably onto the sofa, he put his feet up on the coffee table, balancing the cup and saucer on his knee. Ah, there were some delights to being 'retired' and this was one of them. Giles picked up a paperback - Danielle Steele's latest - and was about to bite into a delicious sugary confection, when he was startled out of his reverie by an unwelcomed noise.

Brrrrrnnnnng Brrrrrnnnnng

At the sound of the telephone, Giles' knee jerked, sloshing hot Earl Grey onto his leg.

"Bloody Hell!" Giles leapt up, knocking the plate of biscuits to the floor, and yanked the receiver from its cradle. "Yes?!"

The man on the other end of the line pulled the phone away from his ear, startled by the unexpected response. "Er... hello?" he began tentatively. "Is this Rupert Giles' residence?"

Giles groaned inwardly. It figured. He knew that voice. Still, he followed through with formalities. "Yes, this is Rupert Giles. May I help you?" He bent down to retrieve a fallen biscuit from the floor, and began to munch on it. Floor or no floor, he was going to eat them.

"Oh, uh... hello... Giles. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce here. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

"Hello, Wesley." Giles lowered himself onto the arm of the sofa and rubbed the back of his neck wearily. Where had his relaxing day gone? "It's quite a surprise to hear from you. Nothing's wrong, I trust?" He took another bite and chewed noisily.

"Yes, well... the reason for my call... There is something of some urgency that I would like to discuss with you, in person if possible. I could come there, if it's not too much trouble."

Giles was now flipping through a magazine, half paying attention. "Wesley, why don't you just tell me what this concerns first?" He was not at his most patient at the moment.

There was a long silence and for a second Giles thought Wesley had hung up. Finally, he had his answer, and it was barely above a whisper.

"It concerns Faith. There's a problem and I need your help."

The elder watcher was suddenly on his feet, alert, worried by the tone in Wesley's voice as much as by what he'd said. "There's no immediate danger?"

"No, nothing like that. Faith continues to remain safely behind bars. I'd just rather not discuss the specifics over the phone, if that's alright."

"Quite right. Tomorrow then?"

"Yes, and thank you." Relief was clear in Wesley's voice as he hung up the phone. Giles just stood there, rubbing his face. He picked up another biscuit and held it aloft, muttering to it.

"Wonderful. Thank you, Wesley. All I have to do now is worry for the next twenty-four hours." And with a resigned sigh he put it in his mouth and ate it.

(the next morning)

Wesley parked his motorcycle outside Giles' apartment building and removed his helmet. He was attempting to 'check out' his image in the bike's mirror. He straightened his tie and tried to smooth down his rather unruly hair. Damned helmet. Even though his watcher's uniform had been replaced by a leather jacket and khaki pants, Wesley just didn't feel right visiting Giles without a tie on.

Unhooking his satchel from the back of his bike, Wesley followed the path to Giles' front door, adjusted his glasses and reached up to knock on the door, only to have it swing open unexpectedly, revealing his former colleague standing there. Giles was dressed in a gray loose-knit sweater, blue jeans, and his feet were bare. Wesley suspected that his own facial expression mirrored that of the stunned look on Giles' face, as the two men studied each other's attire. Wesley swallowed nervously and waited. Finally Giles shook himself slightly and extended his hand.

"Wesley, hello. Excuse me, please come in."

"Hello, Giles. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

Giles motioned Wesley to a seat on the sofa. "Well, you did sound rather urgent on the phone. I dare say, anything having to do with Faith is bound to turn out badly."

Wesley suddenly found his own hands very interesting; his face shifting through a variety of emotions, ranging from anger to sadness to guilt. Giles seemed to realize what he had said because his expression softened. "I'm sorry, Wesley, that was thoughtless of me. I heard wha... what she did to you." The elder man seemed about to put a hand on his counterpart's shoulder, but thought better of it. Instead, their eyes met with a flash of mutual recognition. Wesley smiled.

"That's quite alright. I did come here to discuss Faith."

Giles leaned back and crossed his legs, feeling more relaxed now. "So, what is our darling rogue slayer up to now? Prison riots? Escape attempts? Don't tell me - she's knitting me a sweater."

"She's pregnant." Wesley watched Giles intently. His host froze, hand halfway to his face, his glasses sliding from his fingers and clattering to the floor. Finally, Giles found his voice.

"Wha... uh... uh... excuse me? I know I couldn't have heard you right."

"You did." Wesley wrestled with himself, wanting to tell Giles everything, but yet not daring to. Instead, he went the safer route. "I'm hoping you still have The Codex. I thought perhaps you had read something in it that could pertain to this. Could the pregnancy have been prophesied?"

Giles was more in his element now. He retrieved his glasses from the floor and put them back on. "Well, I don't recall anything, but I haven't actually translated it all. Once Buffy defeated the Master I uh, well, I didn't much see the point." He shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "To change the subject... do we know who the father is? But then, I suppose it could be anyone. We all know Faith's... er... fondness for... uh, uh... hmm."

Wesley's face grew hot and he shot out of his seat nervously, hoping Giles hadn't seen the look of horror on his face. This drew the other man's attention back from his own thoughts and he frowned thoughtfully, as he watched Wesley pace over to the wall.

"Wesley, is there something you're not telling me?"

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the front door banging open, and the entrance of two young people. Wesley only barely managed to keep from yelping in surprise. Giles, of course, wore his stern 'I've told you a million times to knock first' glare, which Xander patently ignored and Willow blushed apologetically at.

"Hey, G-Man! Buffy here yet? Got anything to munch on?" Xander walked straight past Wesley and into the kitchen.

"Xander, I have asked you repeatedly to not call me... oh, forget it."

Xander came back out with a box of snack crackers and two rootbeers. "Huh?" He handed one of the cans to Willow and cracked open the other one.

"As much as I enjoy your company, Xander - and I'm sure there must be times when I do - I would please ask you to not make my house quite so much your home."

The boy looked up, his mouth full of crackers. "Huh?"

Willow motioned to the can in her hand. "Here's me... asking for permission first." Giles nodded his ascent to her. He had long since given up.

Xander suddenly noticed Wesley standing nearby. "Hey, what's Wimpy Watcher Wesley doing here?" Willow whispered "Xander!" but he ignored her. "You're not going all Watcher's Councilish on us again, are ya, G-M... uh, Giles? Cause I don't think the Buffster would go for that." He turned to motion his soda in Wesley's direction. "I think you'd better pack up those British bags of yours, Mister, cause we're not buying today."

Willow elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Xander, you're not being very nice."

"Hey, if ya wanna find stuff out, you gotta break a few eggs."

Giles rolled his eyes skyward. "Xander, Willow... Wesley is here on private business... and no, this does not concern the Council." He put one arm around each of their shoulders and was heading them towards the door, when it swung open again and Buffy bounded in.

"Hey, guys! What's up? Sorry for the late-itude, but I had some major slayage to do... Okay, confession time. I was with Riley." She noticed everyone staring at her. "What's with the silent treatment? I wasn't that late. Stare much? Oh, is there something on my face?"

"Willow and Xander were just leaving..." Giles began, when Xander interjected.

"Yeah, Buff, I'd watch out! He and Wesley are being awfully hush hush about something. I'd look out for any passports with your name on 'em." Buffy looked at him like he had suddenly grown a second head.

"Wesley?" The girl suddenly realized someone else was in the room. "Wesley, what are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed. "Angel didn't send you, did he? Because I thought we'd come to an understanding..."

Willow had to smile at the identical looks of exasperation on the faces of both men. They were so alike in many ways. Wesley stepped forward and nervously cleared his throat. Being around Buffy and her friends still made him uneasy. "Look, let's clear this up, shall we? No, I no longer work for the Council. Yes, I do work for Angel, but I am not here on his behalf. I've come here today to see Giles about an entirely different matter, that really doesn't concern you!" Wesley looked at the stunned faces surrounding him and realized he had begun to yell. He backed away, mumbling "I'm sorry... you'll have to excuse me... Just a moment..." He turned and fled down the hallway, finding the bathroom and shutting himself up in it.

Giles quietly ushered the remaining trio of visitors out the door. "Look, I will fill you in as best I can later on. I can't talk about it now. You will just have to trust me." He managed to shut the door on the chorus of "but but buts" and he walked down to the bathroom door, hesitating, then wrapping lightly. "Wesley, they're gone." He went back to the living room and waited. A few minutes later Wesley joined him again, outwardly calm, but exuding a tension not unlike a tightly wound coil, waiting to be sprung.

Wesley could feel his heart pounding and his stomach was doing flip flops. He'd drank a glass of water in the bathroom, but it had done nothing for his bone dry mouth. He tried to sit, but was too restless, so he stood up again, and paced behind the sofa.

Giles sat silently, steepling his fingers, watching Wesley. Eventually, the young man seemed to make up his mind about something and he returned to his seat. When he still didn't say anything, Giles prompted him gently.

"There's something else you haven't told me about?" Wesley nodded. "Something about Faith?" Wesley nodded again. A long pause followed, and then, quietly, he spoke.

"I know who the father is. I'm the only one who knows - besides Faith, obviously." Wesley felt he was at a crossroads now. He was bursting to confide in someone, but terrified at the reaction he might get. He took a deep ragged breath, looked Giles square in the face, and continued."It's mine. I'm the father of Faith's baby."

"What?! How?... Why?... Good God, man, what were you thinking?" Giles leapt up, whipping off his glasses again.

Wesley tried to keep eye contact, but crumbled under this attack. His head hung low as he put his face in his hands. "It's all my fault. I should have been stronger... I was a watcher... I was trained to resist..."

Having recovered from the initial shock, Giles' attention was drawn to a few key words. "What do you mean by you 'should have been stronger'? Wesley, look at me!" He used his most authoritative voice and Wesley looked up at him bleakly. "You need to tell me what happened. Why did you need to be stronger?"

Wes looked at the floor, then the walls, anywhere but at Giles. "It doesn't matter how it happened. I let it happen. I should have been able to stop... her." The last word was added uncertainly, like it was not what he had originally meant to say. Giles was hit by a burst of clarity.

"It was when she was torturing you." It was a statement, not a question. "She kidnapped you, tied you up, and ra -"

"DON'T!" Wesley's head snapped up again. "Don't say it. I mean it!" His bitterness and anger started to pour out into his voice. "You couldn't understand. She beat me and cut me and then she stopped. And she started to... to touch me...and I enjoyed it. God help me, it felt good... I must be sick. I should have been strong enough to resist her... to not respond..."

Now it was Giles' turn to be angry. "Don't you dare tell me I couldn't understand. I was tortured by a far more experienced, sadistic demon than you could begin to imagine. Do you think he stopped at physical torture? Oh no! He specialized in mental cruelty. Believe me, when put into that sort of situation, your body reacts on instinct, and you certainly are not to be expected to control yourself. What Faith did to you was very wrong, but it was not your fault!"

Wesley sat in stunned silence, mulling over what Giles had said. He looked up gratefully, when Giles went into the kitchen and returned, minutes later, with two steaming cups of tea. "Thank you. I mean it... Thank you for what you said."

"Wesley... Why come to me? We were never exactly on the best of terms. I would have thought you were closer to Angel."

Wesley smiled weakly. "That's exactly why I couldn't tell him. Don't you see? I feel... felt like I'd done something unforgivable, so I had less to lose by coming to you. Besides, I thought... well, we do come from similar backgrounds... and I thought maybe you would understand better. Angel isn't exactly big on sharing feelings."

"True," Giles grinned. "But, as much as I hate to admit it, he does care about the people close to him. You're going to have to tell him, you know... and Cordelia. You wouldn't want them to hear it from Faith."

"I believe Cordelia would rather have her eyes poked out with a hot poker than hear from Faith again. As for Angel... there isn't a convenient way for him to get to the jail during the day, so he doesn't visit either... I know I'm going to have to tell them eventually. I just don't know how to yet."

Both men lapsed into their own thoughts, as they sipped their tea. Giles was about to go find The Codex when Wesley sighed. "I wish I hadn't been forced to surrender the Watchers Diaries. They could have provided valuable information. This couldn't be the first time this has happened... uh... to a slayer, that is."

Giles wore a smug expression as he went over to one of the bookcases. He pressed a hidden lever and a secret compartment popped open. He pulled out two of the many binders hidden there. "You mean these?" He smiled at Wesley's look of astonishment. "No, I don't suppose you would have ever dared to think of making your own copies."

"Copy the Watchers Diaries? That would have been... alright, point taken."

Giles returned with a volume for each of them. "Fortunately, I had no such qualms."

Wesley began leafing through the pages. "Faith had a most interesting question the other day -"

Giles' eyebrows shot up. "You've seen her?" he interrupted.

"Hmm, yes. I visit her once a week." His mouth twisted into an odd, almost wistful smile. "Once a watcher, always a watcher, I suppose. The first time was pretty bad, but it's getting better. She's nearly friendly towards me now."

"You are a bigger man than I."

"Oh, I don't know. If the roles were somehow reversed, and it was Buffy in trouble...?"

"Of course, I would stay by her side, no matter what."

Wesley nodded. "We all have our duties to perform."

"So" Giles wanted to get off this topic, "What was Faith's question?"

"I'm surprised it hadn't occurred to me before. If the... if the baby is a girl... will it inherit her slayer powers?"

Giles cocked his head to one side, thoughtfully. "That is a good question. I can't say I ever remember coming across that in my studies... Oh dear."

"What is it? You remember something?"

"No, just a rather disturbing thought. Does the Council know about... Faith's ... uh... situation?"

"I shouldn't think so, but, well, we all know how resourceful they can be. Why, what are you thinking?" Wesley was starting to get worried, and Giles' tone didn't help reassure him.

"That they may be asking the very same question we are, and I shudder to think what they might do to find out the answer."

"You think Faith is in danger?"

Giles shook his head slowly. "They wouldn't do anything to harm the baby, but I think you should get back as soon as possible and warn her to watch out. I've still got some friends on the inside, back home. I'll contact them discreetly and find out if they've heard anything. I'll also look through the diaries, and let you know as soon as I've found something."

"Right. I'll go back now." Both men stood up and shook hands. If either of them felt strange that, as former rivals, they were now working together, they kept it to themselves. Wesley's face was grim and he was anxious to get back to L.A., filled suddenly with a dark sense of foreboding. "Thank you again, for everything."

Giles tried to sound reassuring and he smiled warmly at Wesley. "It's all part of the job. Watchers' solidarity and all that rot. We're probably worrying for nothing. Give me a ring when you've talked to her."

"I will, thanks."

Giles watched Wesley hurry down the path towards the street, and the smile left his face. "Oh dear, this can't be good."

A spider scurried recklessly across the grey concrete floor, seemingly unaware of the imminent danger it was in. A shadow fell across its path as a sneaker-clad foot loomed overhead. The foot hesitated one second, then two, until the insect had safely reached the wall on the other side and disappeared into a tiny crack in the plaster. Faith slowly lowered her foot and, with a sigh, flopped back onto her bunk.

God, I'm getting soft. I gotta get out of here! What I wouldn't give for a big stake and a side order of vamps.

She chuckled at her own pun, but the smile faded quickly. There was nothing like staring at the same bare walls, day after day, to bring a girl down. Especially one used to so much freedom and activity. She had her allotted exercise time in the gym and weight room, but it was hardly the same. The nights were the worst.

"Well, it's not like Angel's gonna come swooping in here to take me home any time soon. Better get used to this.." The girl lay sideways on the bunk now, so that her head hung upside down over the edge and her legs were propped up on the wall. "Great, now you're talking to yourself. You really will end up in the loony bin." Out of sheer boredom, Faith reached down and picked up the book she'd tossed aside earlier. The cover featured a smiling man, with his arm around an equally happy woman. The words on the cover read So You're Going To Have A Baby. "Yeah, right, that's me and Wes there - the 'happy couple'." She was about to throw it down again, but changed her mind. Chewing thoughtfully on her thumbnail, she opened the book and started to read. "I guess I can skip the conception crap. I think I've got that part figured out." She was then drawn to the color photos of the different stages of fetal development.

"Hey look!" She held the book to the small bulge in her stomach. "This says you have fingers and toes and everything already. That is so cool." As if in response, she felt the baby move. "Yeah, practice those kicks. We'll have to wait a while for the crossbow training though. Seein' as you're only... uh..." she found the page. "...five inches long and all." She rested her hand on her midsection and smiled.

Faith was so caught up in the moment that she almost didn't hear the noise coming from outside her cell. However, her slayer instincts kicked in and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, as she whirled around and stood up, in one fluid, lightning-fast move. Her eyes darted around her, even as she realized there was nothing in there to defend herself with. Her gaze fell on the stack of magazines from Wesley. 'Great, I can give someone a lethal papercut.'

"Who's there? I can hear you, y'know."

Out of the shadows stepped a tall, slender, poised woman in a guard uniform.

Faith looked the woman up and down and gave her a skeptical look. "You're not the 'Big Bertha Lesbo' type that's usually around. What gives?"

"Hello, Faith." Chills ran down the slayer's spine at the sound of the British accent. She backed up and again looked for a way to protect herself. Her adrenaline was pumping, her body ready to fight if necessary. 'Brit Lady' seemed to notice this, and she smiled. "It's alright. I've only come here to talk to you."

"Yeah, well forgive me for not inviting you in."

The woman merely ignored her. "My name is Penelope Birch, and I am here as a representative for the Council of Watchers. We have a proposition for you."

Faith sneered sarcastically. "Sorry, I'm not that kind of girl." Ms. Birch continued to ignored her.

"How would you like to get out of here? You could be free and never have to stand trial, be an active slayer again, with no further repercussions from the Council."

"Sounds great, but what's the catch?" She was interested, in spite of herself.

"No catch. You would need to come back to England with us for a few months, but after that you would be free to go as you please."

"Yeah, like I'm gonna let you take me back to be tortured, or reprogrammed, or whatever it is you guys want to do with me. No way! I'll take my chances here."

"It wouldn't be like that, Faith, I assure you. It's merely a precaution, to secure the safety and well being of you and your baby."

Startled by the realization that the Council knew she was pregnant, Faith was slow to catch on to the implications being made. "And... after that we're just free to go? Wherever we want?"

"Well, of course the child would stay in our care, for its own protection. It would be well taken care of."

Faith's expression darkened, as it all became clear to her now. "How many times do I have to tell everyone? This is my baby, and no one's gonna take it from me."

Penelope smiled and, in a rather condescending voice, said "Oh, Faith, do you really think they are going to let you keep it? In here? Even if the court decides to send you to a mental hospital instead, they are going to take your child... The choice is yours. You can stay locked up and have your baby enter 'The System', in which case you would probably never see it again, or you can be free to come and go as you please, knowing your child will be raised by parents that can protect it from all of the kinds of evil in this world."

Faith was feeling an unfamiliar sensation - panic - as her mind raced back and forth. She hadn't seen past the immediate need to have her baby. What if the Council was right? Self doubt overwhelmed her and she looked around her cell in vain, for someone or something, that could help her decide what to do. She looked again at the box sitting on her bed. The box of CDs, candy, and magazines that Wesley had brought her. Just as quickly as it came, the panic disappeared. Faith relaxed and smiled at the woman watching her.

"I gotta admit, you almost had me there for a minute. But I thought of a third choice, and I think I'm gonna pick Door #3. Sorry. You can go tell your old crony friends 'no deal'."

Penelope's smile disappeared, to be replaced by an angry grimace. All traces of friendliness were gone from her voice. "I was really hoping we could do this the easy way, Faith. I guess I didn't make myself clear. You don't really have a choice." With that, the woman pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Faith.

The girl laughed at her. "You're not gonna shoot me."

"Whoever said this gun was loaded with bullets?" A tranquilizer dart shot out and sank into Faith's neck. Her eyes opened wide with surprise as she crumbled into a heap on the floor.

Wesley swung his bike into the parking spot and locked it up. He walked with a spring in his step and his heart felt ten times lighter than it had that morning. Despite the worrying notion that the Council may be after Faith, he couldn't help but feel immense relief at having finally unburdened himself to someone. That this someone was Rupert Giles, and that his fellow ex-watcher seemed to understand him and put no blame on him, was no small thing. Wesley had great admiration for Giles, and had indeed once envied him a great deal. Not that this was a secret to anyone. He couldn't help smiling at the idea that he and Giles were working together and had the potential to become friends. What an odd world it was.

Wesley bounded up the stairs to the office two at a time, and as he rounded the corner, his expression slowly changed to one of worry and surprise. The lights were all on in the office and it was well past Cordelia's clocking out time. Unless they were busy on a current case, the girl made it a point to leave promptly at 5pm. Something must have happened, and the ever-devoted employee in him hoped he had not gone missing when Angel needed him. He opened the door and Cordelia came at him at once.

"Wesley! Where have you been?" He could tell there was worry behind her angry, scolding tone. "Angel tried calling you and I've been calling your cell phone for almost an hour. Y'know, you're not a 200+ year old vamp, so no there's no excuse for not answering it."

"What's happened, Cordelia?" Wesley chose to bypass the obligatory bantering. "Where's Angel?"

"Hummmph. I'm not sure I should tell you now."

"Cordelia!"

"Alright, he's out looking for Faith." She leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "She escaped from jail tonight."

Cordy was oblivious to the strange shade of grey that Wesley turned at her words. He only hesitated for a moment, before acting on them. "Right," Wesley headed towards the stairs, leading to Angel's apartment. "Cordelia, this is important. I need you to call Angel and tell him to meet me at the airport - the international terminal."

"No way she'd have made it that far, Wesley!" Cordelia scoffed. She froze at the icy stare he gave her in response before he disappeared down the stairs.

"Okay, okay. Geez, glare much?"

When Wesley returned upstairs a few minutes later, he was carrying a small satchel and he had traded his button-down shirt and tie for one of Angel's black sweaters. Cordelia was on the phone.

"Yeah, that's what he said... He seemed pretty sure... I tried to tell him that, but... uh huh... Well, if he were a vamp I would have thought he was gonna bite me... I know. I didn't mean you... He went downstairs... Oh, he's back now and (to Wesley) Why are you wearing Angel's shirt? (into phone) He's wearing your shirt... Your black v-neck sweater... He didn't tell me why..."

Wesley was sorting through the satchel, making sure he had everything he needed. He wasn't paying any attention to Cordelia, or her phone conversation.

"...Angel, he's got a gun!... I don't know, and I don't think I want to ask... uh huh... Well, if you think I should... uh huh... Okay, I'll tell him... (whispers) and hurry up!"

Wesley moved to leave and was stopped by Cordelia, standing in the doorway.

"Okay, Wesley. Angel's gonna meet you at the airport, and he said I should go with you."

Wesley hesitated, and looked about to protest, but changed his mind. "Good, I might need your help, especially if Angel doesn't get there in time. It may already be too late. We must leave immediately." He took Cordelia by the arm and led her out of the office and down the stairs before she could even form a reply.

When they reached the lobby, Cordy stopped him. Real worry was written on her face now. "Wesley, what's going on? You're starting to scare me."

Wesley looked her directly in the eye and smiled grimly. "We don't have an enormous amount of time. I'm sorry, you're just going to have to trust that I know what I'm doing. Okay?" When she nodded mutely, he added "I hope you don't mind riding on the back of a motorcycle." With that, he propelled her out the door to the bike, and plonked a helmet onto her head. Only a muffled "Hey!" could be heard as he helped her on, and then got on himself. The bike roared to life and Cordy only just managed to keep from flying off the back by making a quick grab for Wesley's waist. They flew down the street, with complete disregard for speed limits and stop signs, and the poor, frightened girl could only bury her face in Wesley's back, as she clung to him for dear life.

They made it to the airport in record time and Wesley was retrieving his satchel, when Cordelia finally managed to reassert herself. She punched Wesley hard on the shoulder to get his attention, and raised herself up as much as possible, to get right in his face.

"Okay, stop right there, Mr. I-Scoff-At-All-Traffic-Laws! Don't you ever, ever do that to me again." She poked him in the chest several times with her index finger for emphasis. "If it's a choice between Faith getting away and me avoiding becoming a road kill pizza, I think you know what that choice had better be. Do I make myself perfectly clear?!"

"Yes, Cordelia." Wesley answered somewhat meekly. "I apologize, really I do, but we must hurry." He had nearly disappeared into the crowd before Cordelia managed to catch up to him.

"Slow down, Wesley," she hissed. "Your legs are longer than mine." Wesley took her hand in his, but didn't slow down much, as he dragged Cordy through the crowded airport. He was searching the signs, and finally found the one he was looking for. He stopped abruptly, causing Cordelia to run smack into him. She cursed creatively at him, but he was, once again, preoccupied.

"Here we are... British Airways Flight 623, leaving from Terminal D, Gate 42, boarding in twenty minutes. This appears to be the last flight to London until morning. This has to be it."

"Wes, I don't get it. Why would Faith run off to the land of watchers?... Oh... you think..." The proverbial light bulb had gone on over Cordy's head, but before she could finish her thought, Wesley had her hand again and they were headed for Terminal D. This time she gamely tried to converse along the way. "Why the rush? If the Council wants Faith, I say let them have her. She can be their headache from now on. I don't see why you're do determined to stop them."

They stopped again and Wesley leaned down to talk quietly in her ear. "Cordelia, this is very important. I need to get through that security gate and you are going to have to create a diversion. Do you think you can manage it?"

Cordelia smiled her thousand watt smile and squared her shoulders. "Are you kidding? Piece of cake!" She rummaged through her purse and finally produced a metal nail file. "Last time I went through one of those thingies, this set it off right away." She tucked it neatly inside her cleavage, and grinned broadly at her friend. "Oops! Now how did that get there?!"

"That's my girl." Wesley smiled back.

She squeezed his hand. "I don't know why you're doing this, but good luck." Their eyes met for a long moment and then they headed for the security checkpoint. Cordelia went first and, just as she said, she set off the alarm. "Oh darn, I set off that buzzer thingy." She emptied her pockets and set it off again. "I don't get it. I emptied all my pockets." She had now gained the attention of several of the other guards. When she set it off a third time, Wesley managed to slip through the neighboring gate unnoticed, by swinging his arm and the satchel around the outside, catching it on the other side with his other hand. He could still hear Cordy's innocent act behind him.

"This old thing? It's just a nail file. You mean that's what's been setting it off? Oh well, keep it if ya want..."

Wesley slowed down and kept his eyes peeled for Faith. It wasn't as if he expected to see her just standing in front him. After all, the police were hunting for her too. Only now did his doubts start to gnaw at him. If he were wrong about this, it was likely she would get away clean, and he would never see her again, never see his own child. He chewed at his lower lip nervously and headed for Gate 42. As he came upon it, he slid along the wall to keep out of sight, and was preparing to peek around the corner, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"GAAAH!" He whirled around, heart in his throat, only to find Angel standing next to him. "I wish you would stop doing that. Cordelia is right; you need a bell around your neck."

Angel's face remained as bland as ever. "Any sign of Faith?"

"Not yet, but, unless I miss my guess, they will have to go through that gate there." He pointed to his left. Angel peeked quickly.

"London... so you think the Council took her?" Angel was studying Wesley closely. He didn't know what the man was hiding, but he was hiding something. Angel could feel it - smell it.

"It's the only explanation for how she got out of the jail completely undetected." Wesley cautiously scanned the waiting area. On his second pass, he saw a familiar face half-hidden by a newspaper. "Weatherby, I knew it!" Sitting next to the tall, thin, black-ops agent were a nurse and a small figure in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket. Wesley recognized the nurse as well. "Angel, that must be her, in the wheelchair. They've probably drugged her."

"Okay, how do you want to handle it?"

Wesley looked at his employer in surprise, then motioned towards the men's room behind them. When they'd slipped unnoticed into a stall, Wesley revealed the weapons he had in his satchel. Angel was impressed. "I don't even want to know how you got those in here, do I?"

Wes smiled. "With a little help from Cordelia." His voice was low. "Now, they won't be expecting us, so it should be fairly simple..."

Five minutes later, Faith's two would-be rescuers stood back in the concourse, outside Gate 42, waiting for the right moment to make their move. Angel turned to whisper something to Wesley, when there was a sudden tap on his shoulder.

"GAAAH!" Angel nearly jumped out of his skin.

"HA!" Cordelia was triumphant. "I finally scared you for a change." She was beaming, and Wesley had to hide a smile behind his hand. "So, any luck finding Little Black Riding Hood?"

"Shhh, yes. She is in there, in a wheelchair, with two Council ops. Angel and I were just about to -"

"Not without me you're not. If I can be nearly arrested for a concealed nail file, then I can be in on the fun stuff too."

Angel and Wes exchanged looks and shrugged in unison. Once again, Wesley took charge. "Very well then, Cordelia, Angel and I will take care of the Council ops. You get Faith out of there as quickly as possible."

"That's it? That's your cunning plan?"

"Cordelia, we are in a public place. We cannot very well go in there with guns blazing. Besides, I think discretion would be best, under these circumstances."

Angel interrupted, "Okay, some seats have opened up around them. I think it's time to make our move."

It was all quite simple. Wesley took a seat next to 'Nurse' Penelope Birch, while Angel sat down next to Weatherby. The ex-watcher kept his gun hidden from public view, while making it quite visible to the woman. Angel also had a gun, but preferred to growl menacingly, while flashing his fangs at the startled man beside him.

"Hello, Penelope. I'm surprised to see you here. Never would have figured you for the getting the hands dirty type."

The woman's gaze moved from Wesley, to the gun, and back again. "Wesley, I'd say it was a pleasure, but we both know I would be lying."

As they talked, Cordelia slipped up behind the wheelchair and whisked Faith away. Weatherby made a move to go after her but Angel growled again, and shook his head slowly. The man swallowed hard and sat back again.

Penelope sneered. "Okay, this round goes to the sacked watcher and his pet vampire, but you won't be able to protect the slayer forever, you know. The Council knows what it wants and we will have it."

Wesley put his face up to hers and hissed, "She is my slayer and I am her watcher, and I will protect her as long as I have breath... I think we understand each other."

Angel was startled by Wesley's sudden protectiveness towards Faith. Considering his views on the subject a few months ago, it was just plain weird. He turned back to Weatherby and for a brief moment allowed Angelus out to play. He leaned over and sniffed the man's neck, and was pleased to feel him quaking in his boots. Then he leaned back and smiled, licking his lips and revealing his gleaming fangs. The boarding announcement was called, and just as quickly, the sweet face of Angel returned.

Wesley and Angel watched until they were sure the would be kidnappers were on the plane and the doors had shut, then hurried to find Cordelia and Faith. They hadn't gone far. Cordelia had gone down two gates and was waiting amongst a large crowd of passengers. She leapt up at the sight of her friends, and waved them over. "She's asleep, but I didn't try to wake her up. I know how grouchy I am when someone wakes me up."

They moved over to a less crowded area, and Wesley kneeled down in front of Faith, shaking her gently. "Faith, can you hear me? It's Wes." Cordelia gave Angel a surprised, questioning look, and he could only offer a shrug in return. Wesley shook her a little harder and heard the girl moan softly. "Faith, wake up. You've been drugged, but you're alright now."

"Wes?" Faith groggily opened her eyes and looked around. "Whoa, what's with all the spinning? Hold still, would ya... Angel, what are you doing here... and where is here?"

"You're at the airport. The Council tried to kidnap you, but we stopped them in time." Wesley tried to sound reassuring.

"Oh yeah, I remember. Stick Lady - she a friend of yours?"

Angel leaned over to put a friendly hand on the girl's shoulder, a frown crossed his face, and he leapt back, as if he had been burned. Without even realizing it, he blurted out "Faith, you're pregnant!"

Faith and Wesley exchanged pointed looks, then Wesley looked up at Angel, simply stating "Yes, she is."

None of them heard Cordelia gasp or saw her hand fly in horror to cover her mouth, as she stumbled back, away from the group. It was all too clear to her now: Wesley's mysterious afternoons off, his odd moods, his alarm at hearing Faith was missing... It was too much for her to take in, and she turned and fled.

The two men's eyes were locked in a staring contest. It was Wesley who looked away first, turning his attention back to Faith, who was watching them both with trepidation. Both men were very important to her, and she had felt a connection break between them.

Faith had overwhelming feelings of guilt that, this too, was her fault, and sighed audibly.

"Faith, are you sure you're okay?" Wesley wore a look of concern. She smiled weakly back at him. Angel's voice came from behind her, and was frighteningly cold.

"She has to go back to jail, Wes."

Wesley glanced up, startled by Angel's harsh tone. "Yes, of course. That was the original plan. We need to get Faith into more protective custody, so this won't happen again."

Faith quickly grabbed Wesley's arm. "Oh, here, Wes, feel this." She pressed his hands to her abdomen and he felt it. He felt the baby move. Faith smiled."She's awake."

"Oh, my!" Wesley's eyes filled with wonder, followed by tears. "Oh, my God!" It was finally real for him. He had felt his child moving for the first time, and it was overwhelming.

Angel shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot, and he coughed politely to get their attention. "We gotta do this now. C'mon, we need to find airport security."

Wesley stood and looked around. "Where did Cordelia go?"

"Uh, I don't know." Angel hadn't noticed she was missing. "Went on ahead, I guess."

Wesley and Angel now stood at the entrance to the parking garage. Faith had been safely delivered to the proper authorities, and bittersweet good-byes had been made. Wes opened his mouth to speak, but the vampire beat him to it. "We'll talk in the morning." Without another word, he turned on his heels and vanished into the dark shadows of the garage.

"Yes, well, alright then... thank you." Wes realized he was talking to himself, and turned sadly to go find his motorcycle.

(the next morning)

"Excuse me?" Wesley couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Angel repeated himself. "I'm sorry, Wes, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go." His face was grim.

"You're sacking me." It was a whisper to himself, not a question. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs 'You promised you would never sack me!' but all he could do was nod dumbly. He looked down and the floor was gone. In its place was a swirling black hole, and he wanted nothing more than to leap into it, to get sucked down until he disappeared altogether. Instead, his hand reached out for the edge of his desk, to steady himself. In the distance he could still hear Angel talking.

"I had a long talk with Cordelia last night," he was saying, "and she's pretty upset. We both know how she feels about Faith. Frankly, she says she's not coming back here as long as you're still here."

Wesley forced his eyes up to meet Angel's. He was wishing that - for once - the vampire had been a little less frank. "Of course, I will leave immediately." He fumbled for a few personal items on his desk, but then abandoned them. "Perhaps you could send me my things. It would be... ah... easier." He could feel tears forming in his eyes. Would he ever be able to keep from crying? At least Angel had the decency to look sad. The vamp was leaning against Cordelia's desk, shoulders hunched, hands jammed deeply into his pants pockets. His head hung down and he kept looking at his shoes.

"Angel?" Wesley waited until he had his friend's full attention. "I just want you to know... I am sorry..." He fought to swallow the large lump in his throat. "I never meant to let you down. Please.... know that much."

Angel nodded slowly and, without another word, turned and walked into his office, closing the door behind him.

Wesley took a moment for one last look around what had practically been his home for the last six months. He ran his fingertips lightly along the edge of Cordy's desk, his head filled with images of the young girl: laughing loudly, scolding - usually him, angry - again, usually at him, holding her head in a painful vision... there were so many memories and he had ruined it all with one act of weakness. Wesley abruptly turned on his heels and walked with a determined step out of the office. He was not going to let it end without seeing her one last time.

Cordelia sat on her sofa, hands over her ears, trying to ignore the persistent knocking at her door. Her nerves were frayed and she just couldn't take it anymore.

Out in the hallway, Wesley was surprised when the door suddenly flew open to reveal a frying pan, hovering on its own, menacing him. He took an involuntary step backward and called into the apartment. "Cordelia, please talk to me. Or at least listen to me." He leaned in and could see where she was sitting, but the frying pan made a swipe at his head, forcing him to back off. "I know you can hear me... I just wanted you to know that I value your friendship greatly. If it were not for you... you and Angel, I would never have survived in Los Angeles. I know that. And I also know I let you down. I am hoping that someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

The girl abruptly leapt off the sofa and stalked to the door. Her eyes were red from crying and she was still dressed in her pajamas. "You say you value our friendship? HA! I am so angry with you right now. I thought we were on the same page concerning Faith. We agreed she was trash and nothing but trouble, and all this time you were choosing her over us. I don't even want to know why - or how - you did what you did. It's too late to be sorry about it now. You made your bed and now you can go lie in it... with your precious slayer!"

Wesley's brow furrowed in confusion. Something didn't sound right here. "Cordelia, you think Faith and I -"

"I think I'm done talking to you now. Please leave." She walked away and Phantom Dennis slammed the door in his face.

The devastated man didn't remember leaving Cordelia's building, didn't remember walking all the way home, didn't remember climbing the filthy staircase to his tiny, lonely apartment. The next thing he knew, he was lying under the covers of his bed, still fully clothed and curled up in a ball. He didn't really care if he ever moved again.

(the next afternoon)

The phone at Angel Investigations rang. It was 4:55pm and Cordelia contemplated letting the machine get it. A voice from the other room called out "Answer the phone, Cordelia!" She sighed and picked up the receiver.

"Angel Investigations, we... oh, hi, Giles... Wow, what a surprise!" Her smile fades quickly as she listened. "Uh... let me get Angel for you. She yelled over her shoulder towards Angel's closed door. "Phone! It's Giles."

Angel came out of his office. "One of these days you're going to have to learn how to transfer calls, Cordelia." Cordy rolled her eyes dismissively and handed him the receiver. "Hello, Giles, what can I do for you?"

Giles: "Uh, well, actually I was hoping to speak to Wesley. Is he there?"

Angel looked sharply at Cordy, who was pretending to look busy. "Ah... I'm going to have to give you his home number. He's... not here."

"I tried him there and got no answer. I hope nothing's wrong. He was just here the day before yesterday, and -"

"Wesley came to see you... in Sunnydale?" Angel interrupted. "What about?"

"Ah, well, I don't think it's really my place to say."

"He told you about Faith?" Angel guessed. Cordelia looked up at him in surprise, upon hearing that.

Giles sounded very relieved. "Oh, good, you know about that. I urged him to tell you what she'd done to him. He was afraid of how you would... well, I'm just glad he told you." There was a very long pause on the other end of the line, and Giles thought they had been disconnected. "Angel, are you still there?" When Angel's voice came back on the line it sounded oddly strangled.

"Giles, what exactly do you mean by 'what she'd done to him'?"

"Oh, dear, I've put my foot in it, haven't I? I... I... I thought you knew. Really, I shouldn't say any more. As I said, it's not my place."

"You need to tell me what happened... now!" Angel practically yelled the last word. He must have gotten through to Giles because he proceeded to tell Angel everything he knew. If it had been possible for the vampire to turn even paler, he would have. As it was, his expression turned bleak and Cordelia stared at him, looking for clues as to what Giles was telling him.

Ultimately the conversation ended. "Thank you for telling me, Giles. You've helped more than you know... Yes, I'll tell him you phoned... Goodbye." Angel hung up the phone and stood silently, rubbing at his face and running his hand uneasily through his hair.

Cordelia tugged on his shirt sleeve impatiently. "Well? What did he say? You look like somebody just died."

Angel had that look in his eyes, when he turned to her. The sad, brooding look he got when feeling particularly guilty about something he'd done, or failed to do. "We have to go see Wesley. We... we've made a terrible mistake."

Cordelia leaned against the wall, twirling a stray lock of hair around her finger. She watched as Angel paced in front of her, stopping now and then to knock on Wesley's apartment door.

"Maybe he's not home," she said, trying to be helpful.

"Wesley's always home. Where would he go?"

"Well, there's lots of places. He likes to...He could have gone to...Y'know he's always talking about..." She gave up. "He doesn't get out much, does he?"

Angel put his ear to the door. "I can hear his tv on. You know how he's always bugging me about leaving lights on and stuff. He just wouldn't go out and leave the tv on."

"Here, let me listen." Cordy pushed Angel out of the way and put her ear to the door for a minute. "Damn."

"What, did you hear something?"

"No. I'm missing my favorite show and I was hoping he was watching it."

Angel gave Cordelia The Look - Wesley called it the Cordelia Look. He had been unable to describe it to Angel, but it never failed to get a laugh or a grin out of the ex-watcher. Just thinking about it now depressed Angel. "Maybe he's in there and he's sick or hurt."

Cordelia put a sympathetic hand on Angel's shoulder, and quietly added "Or maybe he knows it's us and just doesn't want to see us right now. I feel bad, too. We jumped to conclusions and said some bad stuff, and we're really sorry, but until he lets us talk to him, I don't see what we can do."

Angel looked up and down the hallway. No one else was there. He then leaned over and whispered, "I could accidentally fall against the door and bust it open."

Cordelia copied his look up and down the hall and whispered back, "Are you insane?" Then in a normal voice, "Why are we whispering?"

"Just remember that time you were late for work and I came and busted your door in. That time you were pregnant with demon babies." Angel nodded his head knowingly.

Cordelia considered this and then waved her hand at him. "You're right - bust away!"

Angel backed up and had raised his foot to kick the door open, when Wesley opened it. Seeing him standing there, Angel did a spectacular twist in mid-kick, trying to stop, but his momentum carried him forward and he found himself smacking face first into... an invisible barrier.

Wesley, without so much as a flinch, merely turned around, wandered back into his apartment, and sat down. Cordelia and Angel exchanged looks, then she followed Wes inside, leaving a rather impatient - and as yet unwelcomed - vampire in the hallway.

It was a studio apartment, so there wasn't much to it. Wesley had managed to make it homey though. In the living room, two of the walls were completely filled with book shelves - most of them made with boards and bricks - overflowing with books of all sizes and conditions, separated now and then by the odd nik-nak and framed photo. A few worn throw rugs covered the wood flooring and a rather ancient looking sword and several oriental silk-screens hung on the walls. The small television and coffee table were the centerpieces of the room, with two overstuffed chairs and a small couch taking up the rest of the space. Wesley's bed was pushed up against the far wall. At the moment, it was unmade and nearly as rumpled looking as Wesley was himself. He was still wearing the clothing he'd had on the day before, and obviously hadn't bothered to comb his hair or shave since then either.

"God, Wes, you look like hell." Cordelia still didn't believe in tact.

Wesley picked up a glass containing an amber liquid, threw back his head, and downed the drink in one gulp. "That's what I think I am going to miss the most, Cordelia, your keen eye for the bloody obvious." He poured himself another glass of scotch, raised it to the girl as a toast, and downed it as well.

Cordy looked at Wesley anxiously. She'd heard Giles use the term 'bloody' plenty of times, but never Wesley. She turned back towards the door and called to Angel. "What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?"

Angel stared at her pointedly and indicated the doorway.

"Oh yeah, whoops!" Before she could say anything else, Wesley sprang from his seat and clamped his hand over her mouth. Unfortunately, he overestimated a bit and nearly knocked the both of them over. He clung to her for stability and spoke with a hushed voice.

"Cordelia! Have you learned nothing from living on a Hellmouth? You never invite a vampire into your home."

Cordy peeled back his fingers, one by one, and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "Don't be silly, Wesley - it's Angel!"

Wesley swayed a bit as he turned back towards where Angel was standing in the doorway. He made his way over and stood directly in front of his former employer. "One can never tell about vampires, you know. They can turn on you at any moment." The hurt and bitterness were evident in his voice. "Why are you two here anyway?" He made a sweeping gesture with his hand and nearly fell over backwards. "I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me."

Cordelia scowled guiltily and started towards him. "Wesley, I -"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand before she could finish, and looked Angel right in the eye. He suddenly seemed completely sober. "You told me once that it is not our place to decide who's soul is worth saving. You never gave up on Faith..." He continued in a small, almost child-like voice, "...why did you give up on me?"

For a moment it was as if they were all frozen in time, no one moved or spoke. Cordelia was the one who eventually broke the spell. "Look, that's what we came here for. Why don't we all go sit down and discuss this. If you're not gonna do it, Angel, I inv..." She saw Angel shaking his head 'no' at her and stopped. Angel knew it had to be Wesley's choice.

"Cordelia, why don't you see if you can make some coffee. I want to speak to Wesley." The girl hesitated, then nodded and went into the kitchen. Wesley just stood there, warily watching him. Angel cleared his throat and looked very unsettled. He had hoped he wouldn't have to do this while standing in the hallway.

"Wesley, I... I don't know what to say... I guess to say I blew it would be an understatement. I-I'm really sorry." Angel's eyes were pleading too, and he could see Wesley had started to breath a little easier. This seemed to be what his friend wanted to hear, so he kept talking. "That whole thing with Faith... Well, it was such a surprise. We... I... We kinda got the wrong idea, jumped to the wrong conclusions. But you were right, it shouldn't have mattered." Angel swallowed hard. This confessing thing was a lot harder than it looked. "Wesley, I consider you to be one of my closest friends, and I had no right to fire you without hearing your side of things. I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry."

Wesley felt a warmth shoot through him, as if his heart had been stopped and only now had begun to pump blood through his body again. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth and his voice was thick with emotion.

"Angel, why don't you come in and we can talk about it." The two friends smiled at each other and Angel stepped through the doorway, into Wesley's home.

Cordelia busied herself in Wesley's small kitchen, trying to occupy herself while, at the same time, trying not to worry about what Wesley and Angel were talking about in the other room. She had peeked through the doorway and seen the two men heading towards the couch, and was relieved that Wesley had finally invited Angel in. She was feeling no small amount of guilt over what had transpired in the last day and a half. She had been the one who convinced Angel that Wesley had been lying to them, that he had been carrying on an affair with Faith behind their backs. She had been the one who had given Angel the ultimatum - Wesley or her. God, she had even begun to doubt Faith's torturing of Wesley, her overactive imagination coming up with plots between the two of them - possibly plots to kill Angel. After all, it was ingrained into Wesley his whole life that the only good vampire was a dusted one. Angel had probably told Wesley everything, and Cordelia was afraid to go out and face him, knowing what an idiot she had been. Wesley probably hated her now. She went about, looking through cupboards, making tea and sandwiches, and avoiding the inevitable.

Wesley smiled uneasily at Angel and continued his train of thought. "...but I am guilty, don't you see? Not of that obviously, but I was keeping secrets from you both. In our line of work, we need to be able to trust each other implicitly, and I... I didn't trust you enough to tell you what was happening."

The vampire leaned over and put his hand on Wesley's shoulder. "Wes, you were dealing with a lot of... stuff. Give yourself a break. And I don't expect you to trust me 'implicitly'. I'm not infallible, you know."

"I know..." Wesley murmured, absent-mindedly, then he had to grin as Angel pretended to take offense at that remark. "Angel, there is something I don't fully understand." He tried to find the right way to say what he was thinking. "Why - aside from the fact that she tried to kill you - did it upset you so much to think of me and Faith... together?" I mean, you were the one encouraging me to give her a second chance in the first place."

Angel didn't know what to say to that. He leaned back on the couch, deep in thought.

Wesley hurriedly backed off. "Never mind, it's none of my business. Stupid question, really."

Angel sat there quietly for a moment longer and then looked at Wesley. He'd already revealed quite a bit of what he was feeling, so why stop now. "No, it's okay. I guess... well, there was Cordelia to worry about. But, I don't know." The truth was just dawning on him. "It was like I was the one who Faith always turned to, the one she trusted. Now she turns to you."

Wesley's eyes opened wide with awe. "You were jealous... of me?"

Angel squirmed a little, embarrassed. "Well, yeah, I guess I was... a little bit."

While Wesley sat stunned, digesting this new revelation, Angel looked around curiously. "Uhm, Wes, does your kitchen have a back door?"

"No, why?"

"Because it doesn't take a half hour to make coffee, even for Cordelia. He leaned around Wesley and yelled towards the kitchen. "Cordelia, are you still in there?"

There was a sound of plates and cups rattling and then the kitchen door swung open. Cordy came out with a heavily laden tray in her hands and a nervous smile plastered on her face. Her two friends gawked at the large amount of food on the tray, and Wesley leapt up to take her burden from her. Cordelia blushed and looked away as his hands brushed hers. She settled into the chair farthest away from the sofa, while Wesley set the tray down on the coffee table. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Well, Cordelia, this all looks very... appetizing." Wesley encouraged.

"Uh, yeah. Those sandwiches look really..uh, tasty." Angel added.

"I couldn't find any coffee, so I tried to make tea. It's a lot harder when it doesn't come in those little bags."

Wesley had been eyeing his teacup with trepidation. There were tea leaves floating generously at the top. "Ah, yes, loose-leaf tea can be rather tricky. I... I'm sure it's delicious."

Angel was marveling at Wesley's ability to choke down his tea without making a face, when Cordelia turned towards him. Angel hastily picked up the sandwich nearest to him and took a large bite. "Oh, mmmph, peanuff buffer..." Being rather unused to eating solid foods, he was having extreme difficulty removing the sticky substance from the roof of his mouth. "Delifish!" Angel finally admitted defeat and had to drink down a cup of tea to get the peanut butter loose from his mouth.

Cordelia beamed at her two comrades. Things seemed to be like old times again. She put aside her worries for the moment, and joined in on the impromptu indoor picnic.

"Cordelia, I think we should go." Angel motioned to Wesley's sleeping form on the couch. He had his feet resting on the coffee table and his head hung to one side, resting on his own shoulder. A half- eaten cookie still hung from his fingertips.

"Angel, why don't you go ahead. I want to clean up this stuff first." She saw him hesitate and gave him a friendly shove towards the door. "I can tell you've reached your limit of togetherness. Go off and patrol the streets or sit in a dark room or something. I know you want to. I'll be fine."

Looking somewhat relieved, Angel said, "Well, if you're sure..." and quickly headed out to find some much needed solitude.

Cordy paused to watch Wesley sleep. His long eyelashes and half smile gave him an air of innocence that tugged at her heart. Hit with a sharp pang of guilt, Cordelia quickly busied herself with collecting the dirty dishes. She had hoped to find time to talk to Wes alone, as Angel had done, but hadn't found the chance to. That was probably why she hadn't left with Angel.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts, that her hand slipped and one of the teacups fell to the floor with a crash. As Cordy knelt on the floor to gather the broken pieces, large droplets of tears started to fall.

With the sound of the cup breaking, Wesley's body jerked awake and he slowly blinked his eyes, disoriented as to where he was, as well as to what time it was. His stomach lurched - either from the three cups of Cordelia's tea he had drank or from all the scotch he'd had before that. He heard a sniffle and turned to find Cordelia kneeling on the floor, crying. Alarmed, he reached out to her.

"Cordelia, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

This only seemed to upset Cordy more, causing Wesley to clamber down on his hands and knees and crawl over next to her. Her hair was hanging down, partially obscuring her face, and he was trying to see if she seemed hurt or was bleeding. Wesley looked so comical at that moment, with his overly concerned expression on his face, that Cordelia suddenly burst out laughing. Relieved, Wesley rolled over and sat on the floor, narrowly missing the remains of his teacup.

"Oh, Wesley, I'm sorry. I broke it." She sniffled again.

Once more, he became confused and concerned for his friend. Wesley searched his pockets and produced a handkerchief, which he handed over to the teary-eyed girl. "Well, that's certainly nothing to cry over, Cordelia. It wasn't expensive. Please don't cry."

This produced yet another bout of tears, but when she saw Wesley was practically beside himself with worry, Cordy pulled herself together. She dabbed at her eyes with the white cloth and smiled warmly at him. "I don't know how you can be so nice to me after the rotten way I treated you yesterday."

He gestured as if to wave the thought away. "It's all water under the bridge, Cordelia, I understand."

She shook her head resolutely. "No, it's not okay. I said and thought some horrible things about you, and I had no right to. I've been thinking about this all night, and I want to try to explain why I acted the way I did." She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts before she continued. "I don't think I ever told you about me and Xander."

"I gathered, from my time in Sunnydale, that the two of you didn't like each other very much."

"We dated for over a year, and then he did something... It was a pretty messy break-up. I don't like to talk about it much."

"Ah."

"So, I see you and Faith together, and suddenly it's Xander and Willow all over again, and... I kinda freaked.

"I see." Wesley tried to sound supportive and sympathetic.

"I mean, it's not like you're my boyfriend, like Xander was, or anything - because I think we are so 'water under that bridge', but... I feel close to you, as a friend, and it hurt that you were keeping something from me. Stupid, huh?"

Wesley took her hand in his and gave it a friendly squeeze. "No, it does not sound stupid. I am sorry to have hurt you. I was afraid to tell you, because... well, I was embarrassed and ashamed and... I thought you would think less of me when you found out."

Cordelia leaned over and hugged him. "You're a very brave man, Wesley. I could never think less of you - well, except for during those brief bouts of insanity. I guess we were both a little stupid. So, are we friends again?"

"As far as I am concerned, we never stopped."

Cordy failed to stop a relieved giggle from escaping her throat. So much for her tough girl image. Good thing she could trust Wesley to keep her secret. She hopped up and was going to finish removing the dirty dishes, when Wesley made a plea from the floor.

"Ah, Cordelia, as my friend, perhaps you could do me one small favor."

"Sure, Wes, name it!"

"I seem to be having some trouble controlling my legs. Could you perhaps help me up?"

She grinned and held out her hand to him. "That's what you get for turning into a lush overnight, Mr. I-Can-Drink-A-Whole-Bottle-Of-Scotch-All-By-Myself." With much heaving and pulling they finally managed to get Wesley off the floor, and they both collapsed onto the sofa.

Cordy tried to stifle a yawn, and Wesley looked around. "Has Angel gone? How will you get home?"

"Oh, ah, I can take a cab or something."

"Nonsense, it is much too late for you to be out by yourself."

Hands on her hips, she gave him her best 'give me a break' stare. "I'm not helpless, y'know. I think I've proven I can handle myself in a fight."

"Nevertheless, we - more than most - know what is lurking out there, and I do not see any reason for taking unnecessary chances."

"Well, then what am I gonna do - stay here?"

"Why not? That is, if you can stand it," he teased. "I know it's not the Ritz Carlton."

"It's not even Holiday Inn. Oops! I mean, that's really sweet of you. Just give me a pillow and blanket and I'll be fine on the couch."

"Oh, no, my mother would box my ears if she ever found out I had allowed a woman to sleep on the sofa, while I took the bed."

Cordelia grinned wickedly. "Oh, so your mom would prefer they sleep in the bed with you. And who's gonna tell your mom anyway?"

"Ha ha, you know what I meant. You take the bed and I shall take the sofa."

"Okay, you'll get no arguments from me."

"That will be the day," he muttered good naturedly to himself.

"What was that?"

"Ah, I said 'Goodnight, Cordelia'." He lay down and pulled an afghan over himself.

"Hmm, well okay. Goodnight, Wesley." Cordy lay on the bed, propping herself up on one elbow, and watched Wesley trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable. He was so tall that he either had to scrunch his legs up, or put them up over the armrest at one end, with his feet dangling over the side. After several minutes, she'd had enough. "Wes, c'mon, there's plenty of room on the bed. Why don't you sleep up here? I won't attack you, I promise." She realized immediately what she had said and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean that. Inserting foot into mouth now."

"It's quite alright. I know what you meant. No offense taken."

"Good, then get your bony butt up from there and come to bed. Look, I'll even face the wall. See?"

Knowing when he was not going to win the argument, Wesley dragged himself off the couch and flopped down next to Cordelia. He lay with his back to hers, and gratefully stretched out. "Goodnight, Cordelia," he said for the second time.

"G'night, Wes." They were both quiet for several minutes and then Cordy spoke again. "Wes?"

"Hmm, what?" he answered, sleepily.

"What's gonna happen now.... with you and Faith, I mean?"

Wesley's eyes popped wide open, and he looked over his shoulder at his friend. He wondered where that question had suddenly come from. "I... I don't really know for sure." He paused in thought. "I do know one thing though. Whatever happens, I know it will be easier because I have you and Angel here to help me."

This seemed to satisfy her, as he heard a happy sigh and all was quiet again. In moments, Wesley was sound asleep. Cordelia listened to his even breathing and smiled. She rolled over and wrapped one arm around his chest. Snuggling close to his warmth, she too drifted off to sleep.