Just when you think there's nothing left (4-5/?)

Disclaimer in part 1

Chapter 4:

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" asked Fred, they were currently in Angel's car which they had recovered from Point Dume and were heading over to Wesley's apartment.

"Yes, he's family, and the powers told me he's needed, so yes" replied Cordelia as she brushed her hair using the side mirror of the car.

"I think Fred's right, I went to see him to get the slug out of Fred and he was pretty firm with the don't come back ever again thing" replied Gunn backing up Fred.

Cordy looked over to Gunn as she applied her makeup, "gotta see him" she said simply, emotion passing through her eyes.

The car was quiet for a few minutes before Cordy spoke again, "Thanks for taking care of my apartment and Dennis while I was gone, luckily I had enough saved up to cover the rent or I'd have nothing but that horrible white thing to my name!" she exclaimed as she applied the rest of her makeup and adjusted her jeans.

Gunn parked the car and they climbed out of the convertible, Cordy lead as Fred and Gunn walked behind her hand in hand. No one spoke as each of them were lost in their own feelings of betrayal towards the man who used to be both a friend and family to them all.

Slowly they arrived at his door, Cordy looked at the others and smiled nervously before turning back to the door and lightly knocking on it.

Not long after she had knocked the door opened to reveal the slightly drunken appearance of Wesley Windom Price the third.

"Oh, it's you, I'm fairly certain I told you all to go away..." Wesley snidely greeted them as he stood in front of the door unmoving.

"Hello, I'm Cordelia, remember me, I don't do as I'm told" Cordy replied as she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, right, Cordelia, I'd say it's nice to see you but we both know that would be a lie" he replied.

"Wesley, please" Fred spoke softly, looking up at him pleadingly.

"Just hear us out bro" Gunn asked.

"Hmmmm... as tempting as that is I think I'm just going to say get the hell out and shut the door" he looked at them for a second then continued, "Get the hell out", as Wesley went to shut the door Cordelia lifted her arm, light shone from her palm and Wesley's door was opened all the way.

"As I said, I don't do as I'm told" she replied, looking Wesley directly in the eyes she then turned to Gunn and Fred, "Can you give us a minute?".

"Are you sure?" asked Gunn, his concern showing on his face.

"Please?" asked Cordy.

"Ok, we'll be down the hall if you need us" replied Gunn as he and Fred reluctantly headed away.

As soon as they we're out of site Cordelia looked up at Wesley who was still trying to recover from having his door blown open by vision girl.

"Cut the crap Wes, I know about Wolfram and Hart" she replied to his questioning stare as she entered his apartment and seated herself on the couch.

Chapter 5:

"How?" asked Wesley as he walked to the counter and poured himself a scotch.

"How what? How did I open the door? Or how did I know about you and Lilah?" she asked from the couch as she raised an eyebrow.

"No, actually it was a how dare you, as in how dare you come here and think we can talk like nothing happend?" he asked, his voice cool and darkly sardonic as he sat on the couch opposite her sipping at his drink.

Wesley barely had time to register the hand that came at him before he felt the sting of the slap, he looked up into tearful eyes, "How dare YOU! You think I'm talking to you as though nothing happend?! You screwed up Wes! You screwed up so bad! Do you even know what loosing Connor did to Angel? What do you think it was like for him to loose the only child he's ever going to have and... and...." Cordy went to continue but the rage clouded her thoughts.

"What, no more Cordelia? Loosing your toutch perhaps? What do you think it was like for me? Huh? I can't wait to hear this! No, tell me, what do you think it was like, finding out that a man I concidered one of my best friends, my family, was going to slaughter his own son! What do you think that was like huh? What do you think it was like, summoning the Loa, risking my life seeing it and Holtz, trying to save Connor's life, to protect him and Angel only to end up with my throte slit, as the life pored out of me I kept going for only one reason! One reason! To see the people I loved again and to tell them why I did what I did!" he yelled.

"Well, while we're talking about it tell me, tell me what is so different from what I've heard from Gunn, what Loren read in you and what Fred read in your journals, what was so different to all that!!! What!" Cordy yelled back at him, her cheeked flushed and slightly moist with tears.

"What is so different is that nobody cared enough to let me explain, the only reason you're here now is that you probably need my help for some reason, and that while I was lying in a hospital bed, lucky to be alive, Angel tried to kill me, and that when I finally thought someone cared about me enough to see me they were really just telling me to stay away" he replied, emotion flickering through his tired features, he sighed and sat back down on the couch, Cordy looked at him and did the same, looking at him sadly.

"That's not the reason I'm here, I want you to come back, we want you to come back, you're family" Cordy replied quietly looking up into his eyes.

"I can't" he replied looking up into the eyes of the woman he saw before him, "Angel..." he started but Cordy took over, "is gone" at Wesley's questioning look she continued, "he's been missing for about six months" Cordy said as she picked up Wesley's scotch and took a sip, her face contorting as she tasted the bitter liquid.

"I knew it" Wesley replied harshly, "that's the only reason you came here, you want me to help find the man who tried to kill me, that's rich Cordelia, even for you" he continued glaring at her.

"No, you know nothing" she replied looking at him plainly, "you think that I've been avoiding you ever since I got back from Mexico, that's not true, you also think that you're doing the right thing by striking out at us" she looked him in the eyes, "but really you're just blaming us for what you did, you could have gone to Angel about this, you could have told Fred and Gunn, but you didn't!" she looked down for a moment trying to collect herself but instead looked up at him with freash tears in her eyes, "you could have rang me! I would have come back, I thought we we're friends!" she told him desperately as she sobbed.

"I know" he replied in a soft voice, "I should have" he continued, as he looked up, "I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing" he continued, his voice soft.

"You were being stupid" she replied with a soft, humorless laugh, Wesley joined her as he replied "I know", they both looked into each others eyes for a moment before they both looked down.

"Come back home Wes" Cordelia said soflty.

"I can't, I don't know what kind of man I am anymore" he replied, his voice emotionally drained.

Cordy concidered the man in front of her carefully before responding, "I do" as he looked up at her she continued "You're a good man whose made some very bad choices, but you're a good man Wes, you're the same man who took care of me when I was pregnant with demon spawn, who shared one really big humiliating kiss with in Sunnydale High, the same guy who got absolutley drunk off his ass with me and Gunn and sang 'We are the Champions' in what I like to recall as the 'Angel fired us and now we're screwed era', you're the same guy who pretended to be Angel just to save me and you're also a stuffy british pansy ass, but one of the few people I trust with my life compleetely" she replied as she looked up at him with a small smile.

"I'm not you know" he replied, "I've changed" he said looking at the girl who had grown into one of the most corageous people he knew.

"We all have" she replied as she rolled up her sleeve to her sholder, she walked over to the couch Wesley was sitting on and moved to beside him, she looked into his eyed before she positioned her arm directly in front if him to reveal an intricate gold pattern around her upper arm, Wesley's mouth opened as he examined the markings before looking up at Cordelia.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked her, wonder showing in his eyes.

"Pretty much, beats a lapel pin huh!" she replied, her eyes twinkling with mischeif.

"So you're a... a..." he stuttered trying to form words.

"Higher being? Yup, I've been training up in the higher relms for the last six months, at least six months here, time has no meaning there, at lease that's what they tell me, although I probably would have sold my left arm for a watch, do you have any idea how frustrating it is to not know the time???" she replied grinning.

"Can't say I've ever had that particular problem" he chuckled.

"And the white! Don't even get me started on that, everything is white!!! I tell you I'll never complain about Angel's black-on-black fetish ever again... well maybe not but you get the idea! And the clothes!" Cordy mock shuddered at the thought of the horrible white garment and he smiled.

Wesley watched the woman in front of him as her face grew strangely serious, "I can't forgive you for what you did right away, that's going to take time" she told him as she looked him in the eyes, "but, for what it's worth, I get why you did it".

"I understand" Wesley said after a few seconds, truth be told he wasn't happy about that, or the situation he was currently in but in the six months he had been away from his family he had truly realised how much he really did need them.

"Are you coming back?" She asked looking at him hopefully.

Wesley took in the woman before him, "do I really have a choice?" he asked, a small smile played across his lips.

"Nope, see you tomorrow" She replied with a grin as she got up and grabbed her purse from the couch, she started to head over to the door "Oh, and by the way, Gunn and Fred don't know about the whole Lilah/Wolfram and Hart deal" she said turning to him.

"Thank you" he replied sincerely as he opened the door for her.

She smiled at him before walking out the door and down the hall, just as Wesley was about to close the door she turned to him; "also, Wes, you really need to shave, you look like hell" she said teasingly as she continued down the hall, finally she thought that maybe, just maybe things might turn out alright.

TBC...

Well, one more wayward character has made it back into the family, let me know what you think. Sorry my Wesley sucks but he's tricky to write...