Wesley: "If it's a sacrifice you require, take me. Angel's no more responsible for the crimes of Angelus than I am."
Holtz: "Really?"
Wesley: "Yes."
Holtz: "And was it your hands that held down my beloved Caroline as she was violated and murdered? That wrapped themselves around my son's neck and snapped it like kindling? Were your hands that clutched at my daughter as she was turned into a creature damned for all eternity? ---Angelus is in his nature. The beast will reemerge. You've seen it. You know it."

She was scared; her heart was beating rapidly and her eyes were distorted from crying endlessly. She didn't think she had ever cried this much before. She didn't think she had ever felt this kind of fear before. Every few seconds she tried to close her eyes, slamming her eyelids shut on the constant tears, trying to imagine happiness. To be with her mother and father, to have them near her. Just to cry onto them forever, to be in their arms forever, to feel safe. She couldn't close her eyes for long though, she couldn't escape the reality of her pain for long because he would talk. His voice would break through her hopes to imagine a better place, far from where she was. He would talk and with each word fear and sadness exploded within her mind. She wished she hadn't of gone with him after leaving the club late last night. She wished she hadn't of been attracted to him, hadn't of been so foolish as to accept an offer to go to his house. That despite his good looks she shouldn't have gone with him. He told her she was beautiful, that he would love to take her home with him, just for a few drinks. He told her things, he lied to her, he deceived her and now she was there, tied up and gagged. She was going to die, she knew. She wanted to be home so badly; she wanted to be with her parents, she wanted to be safe and wanted to be warm…

"You know what? This is really fun. I mean honestly, I'm not just saying that to make you feel good, I am really genuinely having fun. You are just a fun little girl aren't you?" Angelus spoke, smiling as he stared at the tied and gagged teenage girl in front of him in amusement.

She let out a loud scream, following it with a hard bite into the thick rope he had wrapped around her mouth. She was strapped to a chair, in a dark room, she didn't know exactly where she was, really. All she knew was that it was dark that she was scared and she wanted to be home. A part of her wanted to close her eyes so she couldn't see him but she was too frightened. She was scared that if she closed her eyes for too long, tried to escape the reality of his torture, that would be when he would get her. So, she cried on…listening to him speak…watching him…with vibrant fear screaming in her tear-filled eyes.

"Now I've tortured plenty. I'll be honest, some were better looking than you but I've never had this much fun with a victim! Ok, ok - maybe its just because it's been a while…" Angelus spoke, glancing down a piece of broken glass held in his hands.

The girl stared on, tears streaming down her face. She struggled for a moment before stopping and staring at him still.

Holding the piece of glass near her tear-stained cheek, Angelus laughed,
"…Gee, it's like I got this gift in front of me but I just don't want to open it. Because I know when I open it, it'll be over in seconds and I'll want more. Problem is, I'm not very patient…I just got to have what I want right away. You're a kid; you know what its like right? Like on your birthday or something. When you get that special gift, all wrapped up with a nice bow and you just want to open it right away but then you know you'll have just one less gift to open. So a part of you wants to save it and a part of you and wants to rip it open and see what's inside.
It's my birthday every day, and people like you are my little presents. What can I say? The world loves to give to me, and I love to take. It's been working for years so why mess with a good thing?"

With that, the horrified teenage girl watched as his vampire features fell over his face.

***** ***** ***** ***** *

"Are you family?" the secretary asked Lindsey, who was trying desperately to catch his breath.

"No…I'm…a friend. I guess. I just… need to see him" he spoke, long breaths in-between most of his words.

"You guess? We only allow close friends and family sir, we can't have anyone walking in, I hope you understand" the secretary asked, suspicious almost.

Lindsey slammed his hands onto her desk, frustration in his eyes, "Listen! I don't have time for this crap. I know that man, I need to see him. As. Soon. As. Possible!"

Offended almost, the secretary nodded, "Alright. He's fine. He didn't lose a lot of blood; we'll be releasing him in an hour or so. He was very lucky. If you'd just like to wait…"

Lindsey nodded, "…Yeah. I'll wait"

Letting himself fall back onto the uncomfortable chairs, he waited. He didn't exactly know what he was thinking; he had rushed to the Hospital pretty fast. He didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know much anymore. Wolfram & Hart had brought fourth the return of Angelus, they manipulated Wesley to get their way, now the world was going to Hell. So much was on him now. So much…

"God, Lindsey…what the hell are you going to do?" he whispered to himself as he let out a long exhausted sigh.

***** ***** ***** ***** *

An hour and a half later, Wesley, a large white bandage on his neck, stared at Lindsey, his expression making it very clear that he was exhausted.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, tired.

"You know, a lot of people have been asking me that lately and to tell you the truth I'm starting to wonder that myself…" Lindsey said in response, getting up from the uncomfortable chair he had been sitting in.

"Never mind. I don't care. I have things to do" Wesley spoke, heading for the doors out of the Hospital.

"Like giving Angel his soul back? Not going to be easy. Not in the slightest. You and I both know that" Lindsey called out to him before he reached the doors.

Wesley stopped, "Tell Wolfram & Hart not to send any more lawyers to piss me off"

"I don't work for Wolfram & Hart anymore, you know that. This isn't a trick; I came to L.A. to warn Angel about this chemical. That's right, I was warning Angel. Smirk at the idea of it; do whatever the Hell you want. Point is, I didn't realize they had used you as a vessel for it…until it was too late. Now we got Angelus wandering the streets…"

Wesley turned to face Lindsey, nodding, "That's right. Angelus has returned. Wolfram & Hart got their way. I tried to help Angel and it blew up in my face again. Angelus will pull this world into Hell, innocents will die, and it will all be my fault. So back off!"

"You got some bad luck, eh? Every time you try and do something out of the best interest of Angel it backfires. It wasn't your fault though; Wolfram & Hart put that chemical in you without you knowing. I guess they knew your real motive was to stop them and help Angel. They used you…Sure, you made a few mistakes. Your making a lot of those lately but…what can you do? What's done is done, don't be so dark about it"

"Who do you think are? You're in no position to preach words of wisdom to me. I neither appreciate nor want any of your advice, your counsel. Yes. I am aware of how my acts of good backfire. So maybe if I try to stop Angelus, I'll screw up again. Maybe not. All I know is that I'm not letting anything happen to the world at his hand "

"You're going to kill him?" Lindsey asked, surprised.

"As I've done in the past, I'll do what I have to do. It's not given me the best luck before but not everything's about me, I'm already going to Hell, the rest of the world still has a chance. Don't get in my way again" he responded.

Lindsey nodded, "…For God's sake, just let me help"

Wesley didn't bother responding and instead turned and headed out the doors of the Hospital. With a sigh, Lindsey soon followed.

***** ***** *

Meanwhile, at Wolfram & Hart Linwood smiled staring out into the bright new day, Lilah by his side.

"Angelus is here. Months of chemical development, planning, taking so many risks and it all comes together for Wolfram & Hart. We now got one of this world's most vicious beings on our side, ready to pull the world into Hell. Now, there's a destiny for him. Much better than all that 'save the world' crap" he spoke, obviously satisfied.

Lilah nodded, a smile on her face aswell,"As long as this doesn't turn into another wine-cellar fiasco then I'm with you. Go evil Angel…and all that. I'm just saying though, Darla & Drusilla tore apart a lot of our lawyers. We don't exactly have a good history with evil vampires…"

"That was different. This is destined! Angelus will assist in dragging the world into Hell! Now that's he's evil he can't escape destiny. No one can" he assured her.

Linwood turned away from the window to look at her directly, "You can expect a lot of things Lilah. The Senior Partners are very pleased. They are screaming with delight, and it takes a lot to make those guys smile. This is the first step into wrapping Wolfram & Hart's hand around every inch of this entire world"

Lilah smiled for a moment, letting it fade when she suddenly remembered Lindsey's return earlier, "What about Lindsey McDonald? Why the Hell was he here and why would he care about Angelus' return? Back when he used to work here he hated Angel just as much as anyone else…another lame epiphany and he's born again"

Linwood shrugged, "He's no threat to us. His place in Wolfram & Hart was closed long ago, yes? So there goes his power. For whatever reason he's here, and for whatever reason he cares about Angel - that's his problem. Not ours"

Lilah's mind then drifted off to Wesley and she couldn't help but ask, "What about Wes? What'd you do with him?"

"Drained him of the chemical, sent him over to the Hospital" he responded.

"…I would have thought you would have left him for dead. Why didn't you?" she asked.

Linwood shook his head with a smile, "Oh no. You never know when a tool like him can come in handy. He's a fascinating human being, that one. Then again he might just wither away and die - either way. The point is, he brought us Angelus. For that, I was grateful"

Lilah nodded, "Speaking of, you're just going to let Angelus roam the streets until he decides to come to us begging for work?"

"Non -sense, we're going to find him and reveal to him what his true purpose is. Angelus wont be one to turn away from the opportunity to suck this world into eternal torment"

"So we have to find him then? I'll call in the soldiers…just in case he needs some convincing" Lilah said, turning to leave his office.

"Don't be too harsh Lilah. After all, he's not the goody good souled vampire that was a thorn in our side for so long. He's Angelus, he has a thirst for violence. It's our job to help him drink as much as he wants"

Nodding to Linwood, Lilah stepped out of her office.

***** * * *

"We have to find him," Lindsey said as he drove, staring at Wesley for a moment, who was in the passenger seat.

"Thanks for stating the obvious. I know what we have to do" Wesley responded, still sounding tired and weak. He found Lindsey's presence annoying, another piece of his torment. His guilt, his anger, his pain and now severe irritation.

Lindsey smirked, "Do you really? I hope your not planning on trying to help Angel under the guise of betrayal…cause that just doesn't work"

Wesley didn't respond to the comment, only looked ahead, determination in his eyes.

"I know you think it's weird, me being here. Angel did too. Hell, so do I. I used to be a lawyer working for the most evil law firm in the world. Truly evil. I did unspeakable things, rode on their power for a few years of my life. I don't want to do anything bad anymore, so when I saw this chance to do some good - I took it. Yeah, sounds pretty stupid I know but…it's what I'm going to do" Lindsey explained.

"Good for you, you've changed for the better. You've done some soul-searching and now you know that you have to do the right thing from here on," Wesley said, his voice making it very clear that he was sarcastic and un-caring for Lindsey's change of heart.

"…Well, yeah. I know you probably think this is a revenge thing against Wolfram & Hart but it's not. I just thought it'd be useful to keep an eye on them so I made sure I had access to all their information. Who knew it would have been so easy…"

Wesley looked at Lindsey for a moment, suddenly interested, "Wait. You're saying that you can find out what Wolfram & Hart are doing right now? You can tap into their information, take what you need?"

Lindsey nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"Brilliant. They'd most likely know where Angelus is" Wesley responded.

"Most likely, yeah. I left my laptop at the hotel, we're going to have to stop there" Lindsey said as he made a turn.

Fred's words screamed in Wesley's mind at the mention of the Hotel. ". ---And I also wanted to say, I thought what Angel tried to do to you was wrong---and I'm sorry. ---But he was right to blame you, Wesley. You should have come to us. You should have trusted us instead of going to Holtz behind our back. You're supposed to be our friend and you didn't even...---If Angel sees you again; he'll kill you, Wesley. This time for real. Don't come back to the hotel---ever."

"…God" Wesley spoke, his voice soft, his eyes suddenly filling with sadness.

Lindsey turned to him, "What?"

Wesley looked down, a look of sadness now washed over his face, "The prophecy was false. I just took his son…I just took him. Then I joined Wolfram & Hart in hopes of warning Angel, in hopes of showing him I was trying to help him, and I end up destroying him…and they cast me away. They all cast me away"

Lindsey nodded, "Yeah you did. You also did the best with the information you had. You tried to save Angel's son. Then you tried to save his soul. So you messed up - you should have told them, so what? People make mistakes"

Wesley looked up, "You don't understand. I took his son. I turned Angel evil. I did it all…I was just trying to do what was right! I was just trying to…damn it!"

"Just take it easy. You screwed up, big time. A lot of people do" Lindsey assured him.

"Shut up! No. No one screws up like me. It's in me, it's calls to me, and it's my true destiny to be like this. To screw up, to betray, to be nothing"

Wesley looked towards Lindsey; "I'm not the man I want to be, despite what I try to do, I'm always cast down. It's who I am. I'm meant to be locked up and alone, suffering…do I deserve it? Maybe…maybe it's destined"

Lindsey shook his head, "What do you think my destiny is? Before it was nothing but to be another one of Wolfram & Hart's lawyers. Now I'm…helping some people that annoy the Hell out of me for the better good of things. Things change. Destiny changes"

Wesley shook his head, "Shut up. You don't understand fate. We're screwed. Angelus is destined to pour the world into Hell. I'm destined to be a screw-up and your destined to live in denial. Trying to be all good. Give it up"

"Then I'd be like you. Screw you, think what you want! I know what I'm doing…. The right thing!" Lindsey shouted back to him.

As Lindsey drove on their minds were filled with thoughts of destiny, of where they were meant to be in the world. Their words had more of an effect on each other than they revealed….

***** ***** * * * *

Angelus let his tongue slide up the girl's cheek, a clean cut now visible. Tasting her blood, he smiled.

"Mmm…what can I say? I like to play with my food"

The girl screamed, rocking back and forth violently in her bound position.

Laughing, Angelus continued to speak, "Oh looks like your excited too. Good, I'm glad were all having fun!"

The girl's eyes lingered to the ground as she stopped moving. Her facial expression was one of defeat.

Angelus' eyes looked towards a package of matches lying on the ground. Letting his eyes raise up to the girl, he asked her with a pleased smile, "You cold?"

***** *****

Opening the doors to the Hyperion, Wesley and Lindsey stormed in, headed for his laptop. They were surprised to find Gunn & Fred, sitting near the counter, expressions of confusion on their face. They just stared at each other, un able to grasp something to say right away, analyzing the situation first.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Gunn asked, sliding off his chair and staring at them both. He knew the lawyer vaguely, pissed Angel off a lot once, and played the guitar well too. He knew Wesley all too well, pissed Angel off extremely. The two here at the same time wasn't good, at least not in his mind.

Fred tried to hold back an expression of happiness, she was glad to see Wesley.

Looking at Wesley then back to Gunn, Lindsey finally responded, "Angel said you two were on vacation?"

"Yeah well we decided to come back. We can't exactly take months off given the circumstances" Gunn spoke, not being too revealing.

Fred spoke quickly, feeling that Wesley deserved to know. Just wanting to talk to him, really, "Cordelia's is missing. Angel was trapped for the entire summer at the bottom of the ocean. Things aren't good…"

Gunn stared at her, angry, then back to Wesley, "Fred, we don't need to keep these two informed on what's happening. They aren't with us. In fact they are leaving, now"

Wesley stared down, the words striking him hard. He didn't want to let them know they did but it was difficult. Everything was so dark…

"I just thought -" Fred protested but was soon cut off by Gunn.

"No! These two aren't with us, we don't need them. Get the hell out of here, both of you."

"It's Wesley, Gunn. I have no idea who this other guy is but I'm pretty sure Wesley used to be family!" Fred shouted to him.

"Angel made it clear whose family and who's not" Gunn spoke.

"Angel doesn't make those choices. Some things just are! I've missed you Wesley, I won't deny it. You did something wrong, yeah but your still family…" she said, looking into his eyes.

Wesley was filled with warmth at her words but the warmth was cut short as Gunn spoke again. Gunn, the one he used to appreciate so much as one of the family. Former family…He was being so harsh, maybe he knew Angel was going through a dark time and didn't want Angel to get set off any more. He was thinking of him. There's vibrant loyalty in him, Wesley knew that, and he respected it but he couldn't help but be hurt by his cruel words towards him.

"No, he's not. Get the hell out, both of you. Angel comes back, Hell's going to break loose" Gunn warned them, losing his patience.

Wesley finally spoke, "Hell is going to break loose. You don't understand. We're here to get something, then we'll be gone"

"What do you mean, Hell is going to break loose?" Fred asked.

Lindsey was about to answer her but Wesley stopped him, "Just go get your things and let's go"

"Things?" Gunn asked, "Ok, someone's going to tell me what the hell is going on. I got two people who aren't welcome here rummaging around. You think Angel's going to like that Wes? Or do you not care? What is it, got bored so you came here looking for something else to take from Angel? Sorry, there was only the one son."

Wesley suddenly slammed his fist into Gunn's face, his eyes filled with fierce anger. He couldn't take it anymore. Another acts to add to his guilt but at the moment, his anger and sadness reaching their peak, it only seemed right. Maybe that's how Angel felt when he bit into him, maybe not. Maybe, Wesley thought, he just realized that he deserved to have his blood sucked out of his neck violently.

Holding his jaw, Gunn just stared at him, Fred's face overcome by surprise

Lindsey returned to Wesley's side, laptop in his right hand, and a few folders in the left. "Ok, we're all set then, let's go" he said to a now irritated Wesley.

Wesley nodded, his eyes locked on Gunn for a long moment before turning towards the doors and walking off with Lindsey.

As soon as they left, the Hyperion was filled with silence. Fred's look of concern for Gunn twisted into one of frustration. "God damn it, I hate this crap! Angel's going to swallow him self whole with all his sadness. He just came out of two months out f the ocean, betrayed by his own son, to find that Cordy is gone. A few months before that Wesley betrayed him. His life isn't good. The one thing he needs now is family, we all need it. Family like Wes!"

"He doesn't want Wes back, you know that" Gunn responded.

"His head's clouded. There's a part of him, underneath all his traumatized state that remembers that Wesley was one of us. He knows that Wes belongs here, deep down inside. He just…forgot"

Gunn smirked, "Fred. You don't get it. Angel's pissed for a good while. Bringing Wesley into the mix isn't going to help it. Unless Wesley has some cure for whatever happens to vamps like Angel when they get tossed into the ocean by their one and only son. He doesn't. Forget about Wes"

"No, you don't get it. Sometimes we just have to do the right thing, even though it seems wrong. I really hope this turns out good but Gunn, you know what? I'm not seeing any goodness in the future and your not helping! Just…just…leave me alone!" Fred shouted angrily.

Running upstairs, Gunn watched her walk away, not knowing what to say, "Fred…wait…I...I…"

***** *****

As Wesley drove, Lindsey typed rapidly on his laptop, his eyes studying the screen closely. Breaking the silence, he decided to talk as he searched through Wolfram & Hart's activities…

"Looks like they really don't like you. I guess the happy family of Angel has really broken apart. Ones missing, you've betrayed them, Angel is evil unbeknownst to them. Now all that's left is those two…"

Wesley didn't respond, his eyes still filled with fury.

"Ok. Guess you have no comment on that. Actually, I got another question for you. How'd you like that power?" Lindsey, asked, switching the subject.

Wesley looked to him for a moment, "Power?"

"Working for Wolfram & Hart" Lindsey explained.

"That's not the power I want. Tainted power. I don't want a grasp over power. That's not why I joined them" Wesley responded, angrily.

"Yeah, I know. I just thought maybe it appealed to you somehow. Looks like things are really breaking apart, you've messed up bad, been left in the cold, no friends…you'll get back on your feet" Lindsey said as he continued to type.

"It didn't appeal to me. Not in the slightest. It looks like the world is going to be sucked into Hell if we don't find Angelus…so just keep looking" Wesley said, trying to avoid the topic of his family. Former family…

"What do you plan on doing when you find him? Stake to the heart and watch him dust? Imagine how they'll hate you then…"

"It doesn't matter! I've dug myself a hole that I'm not getting out of it. Destiny. Fate. Whatever you want to call it, I'm falling and I wont ever stop. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm just going to find him and…"

"Do what's right?" Lindsey asked.

"I…I don't know. Just search! God damn it! I don't have time for this crap. I don't know if anything I'll ever do is right, all I know is that because of my many screw-ups I have Angelus as my responsibility. I unknowingly ushered him into this world. I've taken so much from that man and most that relates to his life…and now I may have to take something else" Wesley shouted angrily.

"Take him…kill him?" Lindsey spoke.

"I don't know! Stop asking questions! I screw up all the time, I've got a place for me in Hell and the world has turned it's back on me. I'm screwed. I'm just hoping I don't have to screw the rest of the world too," Wesley shouted.

Lindsey continued to type rapidly now, staying quiet. The two were silent for a few minutes before Lindsey finally found what he was looking for.
"Well that didn't take long. Looks as if soldiers were assigned to a search this morning. They sent soldiers to find and bring back Angelus. They just recently found out where to go, there were sightings of him at an old abandoned factory last night, they think he's setting up shop there"

Wesley nodded, "Give me the address, we're going to get there before the Soldiers do. I may not know what I'm going to do but rest assured whatever Wolfram & Hart do with him will be much worse…"

***** ***** * * *

The frightened teenage girl stared directly in the flame burning off of the match held in his hand. He would light it, hold it to her face and blow it out, teasing her. She wanted it to stop, she wanted to escape, and she wanted to be safe…so badly.

"This is just…wow…great!" Angelus said, still smiling, "I'm just playing with you though, I admit. I don't want you to think I'm all talk and no…. action!"

With that Angelus lit another match, holding it to her clothes, letting them catch on fire to her horror. Stepping back, he watched, amused. "There we go," he said, watching the flames.

His delight was cut short, as the doors to the Factory were kicked open, bright sunlight pouring inside, Lindsey and Wesley standing at the entrance.

Growling, Angelus leaped into the dark corner, his vampire features fallen over his once smiling face.

"The girl!" Wesley shouted to Lindsey, his attention attracted to the flames rising on her right arm, her screams filling his ears.

Lindsey raced towards her, patting down her clothes, getting rid of the flames. Angelus growled from his confinement in the corner. Wesley stared out to him, filling with remorse for what he had done. He made him evil, it was his fault.
Dear god, he thought, watching him.

"…Angelus. It's over" he spoke, his voice slightly shaky. He knew he couldn't sound like he was brave. He knew the overwhelming guilt and fear was too much for him now. It was breaking him down; he wasn't ready for this confrontation. Not yet. He had no choice though, he had assisted in ushering Angelus into the world, and he had to assist in getting him out of it as well.

Angelus laughed, slamming in a fist into his heart, pretending to be touched by their heroism, "Ooh - Wesley has come to save the day with his trusty side-kick Lindsey. Together they fight against the evil and injustice in the world. Fighting for peace and love! How nice! Real heroes! Give me a break. You two are in over your head"

Lindsey quickly began to untie the girl, who was, of course, relieved to see them, even though fear was still vibrant in her tear filled eyes. Her face was tear-stained, a clean cut along her right cheek. It gave Lindsey an uneasy feeling, looking at her; she was in so much pain. That bastard should die, he knew it, and hopefully Wesley did too. Because he wasn't exactly trained for instances such as these, it was all new to him. Wesley was capable, he could take him down. Maybe. Hopefully.

Wesley walked towards Angelus' shadowed corner, pulling out a stake from his pocket and holding it tightly, "I don't want to do anything I don't have to. Don't try anything…please…"

"You're saying please to him? Sorry Wes, you don't use manners on things like him. Do what you really have to do for God's sake! Stop wasting time!" Lindsey said as he released the final rope on his victim. Lindsey hoped Wesley was strong enough to kill him, because he knew he wouldn't be able to reason with him. Not with Angelus, not with pure evil. Wesley had a chance, he had to kill him! He had to…
"Do it…" Lindsey spoke, his voice so soft no one heard it.

Smiling, Angelus spoke, "Oh don't listen to him Wes. People always say 'please' to me. 'Please stop', 'Please, no more', 'Please spare me'…which will you say before I rip you apart slowly?"

Before Wesley could respond the door to the Factory was shut closed, submerging all it into darkness once again. The Soldiers had arrived.

Six of them, all carrying weapons aimed at the four of them. Lindsey and Wesley stood perfectly still, facing away from Angelus now and towards the Soldiers, surprised. The girl ran to one, wrapping her hands around him, "Take me home…take me home…" she pleaded desperately, tears rushing down her face.

The Soldier, walked forward, ignoring the girl and speaking, "We've come for Angelus"

Angelus walked forward happily. He slammed his fists into the back of Lindsey and Wesley's head before they had time to do anything, knocking them to the ground furiously, "That's me!"

"Wolfram & Hart wishes to talk to you. They say they can give you what you crave" The Soldier spoke, his weapon still aimed at Angelus.

Angelus laughed, "Gee - thanks for the offer but I can get what I crave all by myself. I don't need the big bad law firm to hold my hand."

While he spoke Wesley, from his fallen position, grabbed his leg and brought him crashing down. Lindsey, who quickly stood to his feet, took this as his chance to pull out his cross and hold it as close to Angel's face as possible. "It's over. Don't try anything" Lindsey warned, the cross inches from his face. His hand was trembling as he held the cross tightly.

"Let him go. I'm warning you, five seconds before we make you let him go" the Soldier warned.

Wesley stared down at Angelus then back to the soldiers. He didn't know what to do. All his thoughts were rushing inside his head at incredible speeds. He was being forced to face the consequences of his actions before he was ready. It wasn't his fault! Wolfram & Hart pulled him into this, buried him into his grave. He knew it. Now he was dealing with something far greater than him. He couldn't handle it. Too much pressure, too much.

Lindsey, holding him down with the cross knew that death was the only way; he only hoped that Wesley would do it. As he turned to face Wesley he realized he was lost, confused and scared. "Oh crap" Lindsey said, it was either Angelus' death or theirs.
Wesley was noble enough to take himself for Angel, even after all that had happened. Even despite the fact that he was evil. Was that what Wesley thought was the right thing? Lindsey couldn't understand, he wanted Angelus dead so desperately. In his world, that was doing the sane thing. The right thing. He wanted Wesley to kill him so badly, so very badly. Do it, Wes, his mind screamed, do it.

"Were screwed" Lindsey spoke, staring straight into Angelus' eyes. Wesley shook his head, "No…we…we can't be. We have to do something!"
Lindsey nodded, "So Wesley. Do it!"

Angelus, who was still smiling, laughed at the situation. "Ooh. Well, can't wait to see what happens here!"

"Five!" The Soldier yelled.

Wesley looked down at the stake in his hand.

"Four!"

Gripped it even tighter than look towards Lindsey.

"Three!"

Wesley let his eyes linger down to Angelus. Tried to hold back the feelings, tried to forget that he cared for him. That he was family. Tried to forget…tried to forget….

"Two!"

He closed his eyes and raised the stake above Angelus' chest, trembling. Lindsey staring towards Wesley, a look of anxiousness on his face. "…. Oh my god…" Lindsey spoke, staring back at the six soldiers.
A tear slid down Wesley's cheek, he swallowed hard, "…I know. Is this it? Doing the right thing? I'm destined to do the wrong thing; fate doesn't let me do anything else. I'm meaningless…I…I… "
Wesley looked to Lindsey, his hand still holding the cross, then back to the soldiers. "…My God…I…I…cant…" Wesley whispered, closing his eyes as another tear fell down his cheek.
Angelus laughed from below, "You bunch of idiots. This is priceless, how old are you two? Can't even stake an evil vampire…and you two call yourself fighters for good! What's the matter Wes? Would you miss me too much?"

"One!" The Soldier shouted into the air.

With that, all six soldiers fired their weapons, bullets ripping through into the air towards Lindsey and Wesley.

Suddenly, in mid-air, the bullets stopped right before Wesley & Lindsey's faces. They watched with amazed and confused expressions as the bullets vanished into dust right before their eyes.

Before they had time to think about what had happened a powerful force of energy exploded into the room, carrying white light every which way. Even Lindsey's cross flew out of his hand, Wesley's stake hitting a nearby wall, the Soldier's weapons rushing out of their grip as the light exploded, causing everything to turn a bright white. After a moment, the white light faded, Angelus found himself still lying on the ground. Wesley and Lindsey were standing by him, not sure what was going on. It had all happened so fast. It didn't make any sense. The Soldiers themselves were knocked unconscious in the mesmerizing explosion of light and energy, their weapons tossed all over the room. The teenage girl was left standing, just as amazed and confused as Wes and Lindsey were.

The room was also silent. Lindsey tried to speak but no sound came out, there was no sound whatsoever. Wesley looked downwards to Angelus, who was also trying to speak, a look of confusion on his face. Getting up, Angelus wasted no time and walked towards what he thought was rightfully his, the teenage girl. Grabbing her and holding her tightly he readied himself to slam his fangs into her neck. Not a sound was heard as he did this; everything was quiet, the Factory was over come by some kind of mystical force.
As he tried to bite her she quickly disappeared in his hands, turning to dust as the bullets did. Angrily he looked towards Wesley and Lindsey, shouting something, as if looking to them for an explanation. Wesley made out what he was saying from his lips to something along the lines of: 'What the hell is going on?'

Angrily he advanced on Lindsey, grabbing him then and tossing him towards Wesley, knocking them both down. They looked up to his thirsty face as he bent down to finish them off. They were helpless. However, before Angelus got too close to them they too began to vanish into dust, to his surprise as well as theirs.

So he was left, alone, in The Factory, looking around angrily for some sort of explanation. He screamed furiously but no sound came out. Soon enough another bright burst of white energy exploded within the room. Maintaining its presence within The Factory, the white light surrounded him entirely.

A figure stepped out of the endless white, Angelus' eyes filled with anger and confusion. He tried to move but he couldn't, he was bound to his position. This figure's hand reached out to Angelus, letting its hand slip into his chest, filling him too with white energy. It filled his angry eyes and shot out of his open mouth. She filled Angelus with this energy as he levitated in mid-air from the force of it all. Soon enough Angelus was over-come by the white energy, not even visible anymore, it had swallowed him whole, the whole Factory as well. All was still silent, and all was done in seconds

It was over. The white light vanished, sucked up into nothing. Angelus was gone, the figure that emerged from the light gone. The Factory was dark and empty as it once was, the busy city streets now heard from outside, the door swinging back and fourth from wind. Everything was as it was previously.

***** ***** * * * *

His eyes opened slowly, as the realization fell over him that he was laying atop his bed. Lifting himself upwards he let himself sit on the edge of the bed, rubbing his right eye. He turned and looked at her. She was smiling at him. He didn't say anything for a while; instead he just continued to stare at her. Eventually, he broke the silence, his voice soft, "Cordelia…"

Cordelia, who was still smiling nodded, "Hey there…how are you feeling?"

Angel sighed, looking down for a moment before answering, "…Confused"

Cordelia walked closer to Angel from her place at the other end of the bed, sitting right next to him.

He looked over to her, directly into her eyes, "Cordy…I…"

She let her hand slide on top of his, caressing it gently. "I know" she said, "Don't worry. It's all over now"

Angel looked away from her again, looking downwards. "I…I hurt someone…"

Cordelia let her headrest on his shoulder, "You did but it's not your fault, don't worry"

Angel's eyes lingered on the ground. "Is she…" Angel began, "…Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's hurt and scared but she'll be alright. She's glad to be home and safe" Cordelia assured him.

"I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want to touch her. I didn't want to…Cordy, I didn't." Angel said, his voice full of sadness.

"I know, I know…shh…don't worry. It's all over now, your safe - I'm here," she said.

"…You saved me" Angel spoke.

"I was supposed to meet you, I'm sorry I didn't show. I wanted to. The Powers That Be intervered, they told me it was my time to descend to a new level. To become a higher being. I spent months with them, graced by their power, they said they were fulfilling me," she explained.

Angel didn't respond, he remained silent for a while.

"You know what though? They made it sound much better than it was!" Cordelia said, smiling still.

Angel smiled, "You were a higher being. You didn't like it?"

Cordelia shook her head; "The power was nice for a while. It wasn't me though. It didn't feel right. I couldn't create a new life there; I couldn't be there no matter how much power was there. No matter where they told me I should be. Screw destiny, I'll do what I want and if I say my purpose is here, than it is. I know it is. Plus, those Powers That Be just get repetitive with all their talk, I mean you'd think they shut up but they really don't! Yak, yak, yak…I mean, give it a rest! "

Angel nodded, smiling, "Screw destiny…"

"Damn straight. My place is here, doing good with my family, with the people I care about, my way" she explained.

After that was said, there was a long pause. Silence. Until Angel finally spoke again.

"Wesley…and Lindsey. They were here. Wesley was working for Wolfram & Hart, to stop them for hurting me. He was trying to help me. Lindsey, too…for some reason…" Angel explained.

"I know. They're safe. Lindsey's on his way out of L.A., I made sure he knew you were all right and that his help was appreciated. He's starting something good now, way better than that whole evil lawyer thing at least. He's not spying on the big bad law firm anymore though, his connection was lost. He tells me he'll find another way to lead him to do what's right. I think he knows its good, the way he's living now" Cordelia told him

"…Wesley?" he asked.

"He's safe. I told him you were all right too. He blamed himself for a lot of things, he hates himself. I made him understand that he shouldn't, that he's not always going to screw up and when he does it's all right. People make mistakes, and at least he makes them while determined to do good. I think I got through to him. He took away your son, assisted in making you evil - he's got a lot to deal with. He said he's going to go away for a while…I told him he should feel free to come back when he feels he can. I also told him I'd try and get you to not tear him apart when and if he does show up" Cordelia explained.

"I guess that's…that's a good idea" Angel responded.

"Yeah. You know what he did was wrong but he did it while trying to save you. He thinks of you a lot. He cares about you and you did too at one point," Cordelia said.

"I know" Angel said.

After that was said, there was another long pause. Until Angel spoke again,

"I missed you"

Cordelia held his hand tighter for a moment, "I missed you too. I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you…I'm so sorry…"

"No, don't" Angel said, "Please, don't apologize. It's all right. I understand"

"Too bad I won't be able to just save you that quickly ever again. It used so much of my power, it drained me. The Powers told me what was done was done, that you would turn evil and suck the world into Hell. I didn't care what they said; I didn't care what was destined. I was going to save your ass regardless of what they told me. Right there and then I cut loose from them."

"Thank you…I can't let you know enough how much I appreciate it. Now that your back, does that mean that your powers are gone?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, I'm just like I was before I got sucked up into this whole 'Higher Being' deal. Sorry to disappoint you" Cordelia said.

"You could never", Angel assured her.

"So how have you been? I mean with the obvious 'I-just-turned-evil' ordeal aside" Cordelia asked.

"A lot happened. Connor…he…he thinks I killed Holtz. Thanks to Justine's lies I spent months at the bottom of the ocean" Angel explained.

"Oh my god…" Cordelia began.

"I know, I know. I'm all right though. It's got me questioning some things though. I…I just don't think I have a place in this world. I just think that I'm destined to suffer in the darkness. That's what I deserve…"

"Oh God, no. No Angel. Do you know what makes you so valuable to this world? So valuable to me?" she asked him.

Angel didn't answer.

"Not only are you the most loving, caring individual I know but you have a passion for good. You care for this world. You've really made this world your own. Look at yourself, you have a life, you have family, you have people who love you. Pinch yourself Angel, it's real and that's what you deserve. Just because you run into the dark every now and then doesn't mean that's where you belong. You know where you belong, deep down in that big heart of yours - you know this is your home. It has nothing to do with the prophecies or with what is foretold or what's destined. You make your own path Angel, look at yourself, you have been for years. Like I said, screw destiny. Make your own. Your unique, your wonderful and you don't follow fate. You follow what you want to follow."

Angel let out a smile of happiness. "Cordelia, your…"

Cordelia laughed, "I know"

Angel laughed too, "…Amazing."

With that Angel layed back down onto the bed, Cordelia joining him on the other side. She stared into his eyes until he fell asleep. When he was sleeping, a look of peace on his face, she whispered, "…I love you…"

With that, Cordelia got off the bed and walked away, taking one last glance at the look of peace on Angel's face while he slept.

END