Numb and Number: Chapter Twelve

[jesterladyfic]

Chapter Twelve

The next day was spent moving everything into the museum. They knew it was a sure bet that Illyria could find them pretty easily, she certainly had enough resources at her disposal, but they did it as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Better to have her find them later than sooner. Giles and Wesley hated to break off their researching now that they were on a good track, but they believed it was best to get away from the apartment and they knew that it was driving Spike and Oz crazy to be there anyway.

It was on the last load when Angel showed up. Giles and Oz had gone ahead to the museum. Spike and
Wesley were just closing the door when Angel appeared at the top of the stairs.

“What are you doing?” Angel asked as he saw the bags slung over their shoulders.

“Leaving. What’s it look like?” Spike said sarcastically and began to walk away.

“Where to?”

Wesley sighed, knowing he was going to have to be the moderator of this little group meeting.

“We thought it prudent to leave this well known location, especially since Willow is not on our side anymore.”

“Wait, Willow? What happened?” Angel walked with them down the hall and stairs and out the door.

“Did bad mojo, got caught up, hates all our guts, I suppose,” Spike gave the short version.

“So we…don’t want to help her?” Angel asked Wesley.

“We don’t want to do bloody anything,” Spike said shortly. “But Wes and I certainly aren’t going to help
her hand over our carcasses to Madame Blue.”

“Spike,” Angel said and then stopped as if he knew it would be useless to talk to Spike. He turned to Wesley.
“Wes, I came back because Illyria isn’t watching Connor anymore and he insisted on going back to school. So he’s
here where I can keep an eye on him and still help you guys out.”

“How nobly convenient,” Spike snorted but didn’t say anything else which Wesley took as a good sign.

“I’d like to help, please.” This was all said to Wesley, who inwardly smiled, knowing how much it cost Angel to
apologize or ask for anything.

“I’m sure we’ll be grateful for your help,” he said, glancing over at Spike, knowing the vampire had put the
decision in his hands.

“Thanks, Wes,” Angel said and then they walked to the museum together, keeping a low profile as they did.
“But I’m not asking him,” Angel said firmly, glaring at Spike who glared right back.

“I think Spike will adjust eventually,” Wesley said smoothly.

Spike said something unintelligible. Wesley was glad he didn’t understand.


***


They found Giles and Oz moving things around inside. They’d chosen a small area to be their base. There was a room that was used as a kitchen, though with only the most basic of needs met, same went for the bathroom. There were various rooms and each chose one to sleep in. A large room with a long counter served as their meeting area.

Spike hauled boxes in, smirking as he passed Giles holding two boxes while he held six. Giles looked less
than amused, but said nothing as he grabbed his own belongings and went to place them in his room. When he’d
come out again, Angel was standing in their kitchen.

“I didn’t realize you were back,” he said gravely.

“Only just.” Angel shifted his weight.

“Good trip?” Giles asked superfluously.

“Quite smooth,” came the answer.

“You two through poncing at each other yet?” Spike asked when he came in with the last load. “If you are I’ll
have a go at either or both of ya.”

“How instrumental, I’m sure,” Giles said sitting down at his research table, which Spike informed him, meant he
couldn’t use the kitchen table because that was for food. Wesley soon joined him while the other three put odds and
ends away. Angel and Spike kept a wide berth of each other and Oz felt like a human buffer for the rest of the night.

“Worse than five year olds,” he muttered to himself. Everybody there had a major problem with everyone else
except him. His problem had been with Willow, she’d gone away and now he was left with the awkward position of being nobody’s problem and everybody’s escape scenario.

***

Wesley was busy putting away his books. They had been pored over too many times to be of anymore use in stopping Illyria. He didn’t even know how that was possible, even with Giles’ hypothetical magic focus. He was so busy focusing on the situation that he didn’t even notice that Angel had come into the room.

“Oh, you startled me,” he said as he turned around and the sight of the much larger man loomed into view.

“Sorry.” Angel stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him. “Can I help with anything?”

“Pretty much finished here,” Wesley said with a small smile. “Perhaps Spike could use some help with the
refrigerator.”

“Even Spike can handle a fridge.” Angel snorted. “Besides, he won’t let me anywhere near him. He blames
me for he- for what happened.”

“People aren’t rational when someone they love dies,” Wesley stated somewhat amusedly. “I believe I’m living
proof of that.”

“You’ve acted much better than I would’ve thought,” Angel said.

“Thank you.” Wesley decided to take that as a compliment.

“Do-do you think I am to blame?” Angel asked hesitantly. “I mean, I wasn’t even here. I did what I thought was
right.”

“No one can do more.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t there.”

“You were protecting someone.”

“Yeah, I was.”

There was silence for a few minutes. Wesley turned around and stopping putting things in their new homes.

“Who is Connor, Angel? Why is he so special to you? He seems so familiar somehow.”

Angel’s face grew dark.

“Connor is complicated. I don’t know what to say. He came into all our lives a few years before and needed
help. I tried, but he needed more than I could give.” Angel moved back to lean against the wall in perfect brooding
position. “I gave him up to save him. But he still needs to be saved because she knows how much I care about
him. She may not want him exactly right now, but she’ll try again. Somebody will try again. I was stupid to think it
could be over.”

“I don’t remember any of this,” Wesley said in confusion. “It must have been while I was…gone that one time. I left because…” He trailed off and then went back to his books.

“Wesley, I’m sorry for everything,” Angel said. “I did some things - I let things fall apart. I should have been
there for you all.”

Wesley turned to Angel, deciding in that moment to give his all back to Angel and his cause. He remembered
where he belonged, even if Angel was all that was left of it.

“Apart from several rather Angelus periods, Angel, you’ve never done anything but accept me. Unlike anyone
ever has. I don’t blame you for anything connected to Fred’s death. Nor should Spike blame you for Buffy’s. You’ve
always done your best.”

“Wes.” Angel sighed. “It just isn’t true. I’ve done so much and that’s after the soul. I failed you.”

Wesley sat down on his bed and looked at Angel, giving him his full attention.

“Angel, I know we grew apart some last year. I can’t really remember why. Why did I go to Lilah? What does Connor have to do with all this? Why wasn’t I with you until Angelus came back? Don’t you think it’s time you told me everything?”

Angel’s face became incredibly stone-like as he contemplated this request.

“I don’t know if that’s wise, Wes.”

“I want to be what we were, Angel. I want to understand.”

“I don’t think this will help. But…you deserve the truth and maybe it will help.”

“I think I have it!” came a shout from the other room. Spike ran up to the door and stuck his head in the room.

“Better come before he falls over. I think old Rupes has got the key to our blue problems. About bloody time.”

Angel looked relieved and Wesley frustrated, but they both got up and went into the other room.



***


Angel had been prepared to give the whole story from the moment Darla showed up pregnant to when he accepted the offer of Wolfram and Hart. What the results would be of telling that story, he didn’t know. But he knew what he hoped. Still, he was glad when Spike interrupted them.

Giles was frantically writing on a piece of paper.

“It must be there,” he muttered.

“Give us all a bead on that psychic frequency?” Oz asked patiently. Giles looked up, startled.

“Of course, everyone, come here.”

“Yes, Dad,” Spike muttered as he flopped down on an old antique couch.

“I believe I know where we can find our magical focus. There’s an ancient prophecy about something that could
destroy the Old Ones. I’ve looked at it a million times since we first encountered Illyria, but this time I caught words I
never comprehended before. It was talking about magic and since I’d dismissed magic as a possibility, I previously
dismissed it as well.”

“So where is it, what is it?” Angel asked.

“I’m not quite sure exactly. The text mentions something about a diamond and a quest.”

“All too Indiana Jones for me.” Spike reached into his pockets for a cigarette before seemingly discovering he
didn’t have any more. “Bollocks.”

“The scroll about the quest says something about the biter and bitten, the moon tamer, and the empty head full
of wisdom.”

“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” Spike asked.

Giles gave a grim, little smile.

“Well, I believe you’ve got something to do with it, Spike. The biter and bitten, that certainly sounds like a
vampire.”

“Get Broodiness to do it. That destiny crap’s his gig.”

“One doesn’t choose destiny,” Giles reprimanded. “I don’t know what vampire it is talking about, but I will figure
it out.”

“Moon tamer certainly sounds like you, Oz,” Wesley said, studying the paper Giles had read.

“Tamer is hardly the word I’ve choose,” Oz answered dryly.

“I’m not sure who is to go, but I do know where to go,” Giles continued.

“Where is that?” Angel asked.

“The Deeper Well. It’s in England.”

“All out for a ride to the jolly old mother country,” Spike said, getting off the couch and heading to the kitchen.
“I’ll just let you Watcher types figure out the specifics.”

A flash of light entered the room. So did Illyria. Spike’s knife appeared his hand, so did Wesley’s gun, Oz’s
crossbow and Angel’s sword in theirs. Giles held his research in his hands.

“Settle yourselves,” Illyria said, looking around with cool disdain. “There shall come no harm to you today.”

“Then why the house call?” Angel asked, his eyes not leaving her.

“So it has returned,” she said idly. “Today I wish to tell you that you shall never overcome me and if you
attempt it I shall decimate you.”

“What a shocker!” Spike’s sarcasm knew no bounds. “Why choose to tell us this amazing bit of information?”

“Because everyone should have the proper advantage.” Illyria smiled cruelly. She turned to Wesley. “This shell
had a hole in it. I know her better than you, but she didn’t know herself. Therefore, I repaired the hole.”

“Wesley, don’t listen to her,” Angel said, suddenly fearing the worst of himself was about to be revealed in the
worst way possible.

Wesley turned to her.

“Whatever you want to say, I don’t care to hear.”

Angel’s hands stopped trembling and he felt better.

“As you wish,” Illyria said and pointed her finger at Wesley. A point of light shot from her finger into his head
and he fell to the floor, screaming. Spike leapt at Illyria, but she swept her hand up and knocked him away.

“Enjoy your advantage,” she said and disappeared. Oz and Giles rushed to Wesley in concern, who had
stopped screaming and was attempting to sit up.

Angel just stared in apprehension and Spike snapped his knife in two, looking frustrated.

“You did it,” Wesley said quietly, looking at Angel. Angel’s face was impassive. “You took it all away, for him,
for you. You didn’t trust us. You violated us. I did-“

“You took my son, but I forgave you for that a long time ago,” Angel said quietly.

“But then you took me away from me,” Wesley said, sounding dazed. “My head’s always been full of many
things, important or not, but you made it empty and false.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not enough.”