Wesley
Wesley locked the door to his apartment and turned to go, mind already on what he would be doing today. Something struck the back of his head hard and he crumpled into a heap, books spilling out over the floor.
"Garu ilf coria." (Pick up the human.)
"Ye'ah usu lrydd?" (Should we be doing this?)
"Ralu teska." (This is war.)
"Aye."
Wesley's limp body was picked up and carried away.
Cordelia bounced into Wesley's office.
"Wes, gotta..."
No Wes.
She went and looked all over the building. Talking to the security staff, she found that Wesley hadn't been in. She rang his apartment, no answer. Very worried now, she went to see Angel.
"Angel, I can't find Wes. Like, at all."
Wesley grunted slightly as a punch broke a cheekbone, dazedly sliding in and out of consciousness. Damn. The Corieans who had captured him talked among themselves, about what a good lesson this would be to show Angel they meant what they said.
Angel and Gunn
"He might be on his way, have you tried his cell?" Angel asked.
Gunn came in, looking perturbed.
"Ok, just spoke to that other guy in Wes's department. Man, I hate him. I miss Wesley. Where is he?"
"What we're trying to find out."
Angel dialled in Wesley's number.
Wesley
Wesley's cell phone rang and one of the demons picked it off his belt.
"Who is this?" the Coreian hissed.
Wesley grunted as another fist slammed into his stomach.
"Ala garu kilas!" (Keep the human quiet!)
"Skae iska garrrillil," another one hissed back. (He's pretty quiet, you know.)
"Halalal iskin vraidya," one chuckled. (So, he is a tree and not a mouse like the others.)
The demons all laughed at that.
Angel
"No one's answering," Angel said.
He looked at Cordy.
"Go alert the black team, we're gonna go hunting."
Wesley
"Uh huh."
Cordelia nodded and went to do that.
Wesley spat blood out of his mouth, ears ringing from the beating he was taking.
"Ilki gar des?" (Should we get rid of it now?)
"Aye."
"Tell Angelus that we will have the human's hide for our temple."
Wesley's eyes noticed a fist headed for his face and then he blacked out again as it slammed into his head.
Angel
"Maybe the Coriens have him," Eve drawled, appearing in the room.
"Why don't you give them the kid and be done with it?"
"Get out," Angel said.
Spike & Wesley
Spike sauntered into the room.
"What's the matter? Queen C went past like her tail was on fire. She was yammering about Percy being lost. Losing team members, peaches? Very bad form."
He picked up a file on Angel's desk and flipped through it.
Wesley woke up to the smell of oil, the ground beneath him shaking slightly and there was an engine running. A car? Must be. Demonic tongues clicked and hissed above his head, but he couldn't focus long enough to understand them. Then he blacked out again when someone kicked him in the head.
Angel
"Well, the theory is we're losing him thanks to your mess."
Angel sighed.
"Harmony, get Lindsey on the phone."
"Will do, Boss!" she called from the lobby.
Spike,Wesley & Lindsey
Spike shrugged slightly, picking up a pen and twirling it between his fingers.
"We could just kill 'em all."
Wesley woke up again as the car stopped, then he was thrown. He hit a window, or something he supposed in a small corner of his mind that wasn't taken up with how much pain he was in, that shattered in a shower of glass. He hit his head again and blacked out.
Spike looked up, and then walked quickly for the door, looking over the stair rail to the ground floor.
"Looks like your bookboy's been returned kinda rough."
Lindsey picked up his ringing cell.
"Lindsey here."
Angel
"Hi Lindsey! It's Harmony here, from Wolfram and Hart. Angel asked me to call you because your clients took Wesley," she trilled.
Angel went to help Wesley, calling for Fred.
Wesley & Lindsey
Wesley opened an eye as he regained consciousness.
"Ang..." he slurred through bleeding lips.
He paused, hacked, bringing more blood up.
"Oh, that's not good," he observed quietly, then blacked out again.
Lindsey rubbed his eyes slightly.
"My client as a representative of his race does not condone this action, and wishes it to be known that fanatics exist in every race."
Angel
Fred ran over with medical supplies.
"Ok, Wesley, I need you to sit up a bit."
Angel rubbed his forehead.
Harmony nodded.
"Right, well I'll pass that on to him."
Wesley & Lindsey
Wesley murmured something, eyes closed, then they flicked open for a moment to stare at Angel.
"Tell Angelus that the human's hide will hang in our temple."
His voice was cold and had a slightly serpentine quality, then he went unconscious again.
"The main body of Coreans deplore and distance themselves from this action," Lindsey said.
"It has been done by an element as yet unknown, but it will be punished when it is found. Yet we remind Angelus that the price for my clients not declaring war upon the Order remains the same."
Angel
"But we want to like... negotiate!" Harmony said.
"Because we don't want him to die. Well, I wouldn't mind if he died, then maybe Blondey bear would -"
Angel sighed.
"Fred, get him to the labs."
Fred nodded and called for some of her workers.
Serafina & Lindsey
Wesley's limp body was picked up and taken to the infirmary.
Serafina poked her head out of Wesley's office in time to see them leave, and started to cry in frightened sobs.
"Uncle Wes!"
"The price remains the same. Good bye."
Lindsey hung up and sat back in his office chair, rubbing his forehead.
Angel
"Sunshine cat," Angel said, going to pick his daughter up.
"Uncle Wesley's going to be alright."
Harmony hung up and went to find Angel.
"Lindsey says nothing's changed."
Serafina
Serafina hung onto Angel's neck and bawled, tears soaking his shirt.
"But he was so still! And I could smell blood!"
Angel
Angel hugged her and rubbed her back.
"He'll be ok. I promise."
Serafina
"But what if he isn't? What if he DIES?"
Serafina shook.
Angel
"He won't die, I promise."
Angel kissed her head.
"If you want, I can arrange that you go visit Faolan today?"
Serafina
"No."
Serafina shook her head stubbornly and clung to Angel.
Angel
"Are you sure? Kanika and Faolan?"
Angel rubbed her back.
Serafina
"N-no."
Serafina hid her head against his chest.
"When I went away last time, and Mama was hurt, she died. I don't want Uncle Wes to die."
Angel
"Ok."
Angel nodded.
"We can't go in until later, but you can see him soon, ok?"
Serafina
"Mmmkay."
Serafina kept her face against his chest, tears soaking through his shirt.
Angel
"Do you want to go get some ice cream?" Angel asked.
Serafina
"Just want to be with you."
So you don't disappear on me, Serafina added silently to herself.
Angel
"Alright, come on, we'll go get some ice cream," Angel said.
He hitched her higher on his hip and headed down to their food level.
Spike, Vortigern & Serafina
"Luv, he will be fine," Spike said, sauntering after a fuming Vortigern.
"Who else will be hurt because of me, Spike?" Vortigern hissed, turning on his heel and grabbing Spike's shirt.
"Who else? Will I wait until they take the little girl and kill her to hurt Angel because of me?"
"Luv, they wouldn't..."
"Spike. Don't condescend to me. Don't you even f*cking dare."
Vortigern let Spike down again and stormed off, hands flexing and unflexing as sparkles floated through the air around him. Glimmers of light hinted at wings lying over his back as well, as he lost control of his powers totally. Spike sighed, and went after him.
"Luv..."
Serafina glanced upwards at Spike and Vortigern as they went past, Vortigern in a complete cold rage and Spike faintly puzzled but looking vaguely guilty.
"Don't 'luv' me, William. I'm not in the mood."
Angel
Angel sighed, rubbing Serafina's back when Fred jumped into the elevator with them.
"Wesley's looking better than he had been before," she said.
"I've managed to stitch up some of the cuts."
"That's good, thank you Fred."
Serafina
"Uncle Wes will be alright?" Serafina inquired tearfully.
She rubbed her hand across her eyes and sniffled.
Fred
"He'll be fine, in fact you can go see him later tonight," Fred said, smiling.
"He's looking much better."
Serafina
Serafina sighed in relief.
"Why did they hurt him?"
Angel
Fred looked to Angel to answer that one.
Angel sighed.
"Because they're very angry with me," he said.
Serafina
"If they're angry with you...why did they hurt Uncle Wes?" Serafina inquired.
"Cos he's not you."
Angel
"They wanted to hurt someone to hurt me," Angel explained.
"It's complicated."
Serafina
"That doesn't make sense, and they're bullies, and I hate them," Serafina said firmly.
Angel
Angel nodded and took her out to the ice cream parlour as the lift opened.
"If only it were that simple. Anyway, what would you like?"
Serafina
Serafina shrugged slightly.
"Chocolate?"
Angel
"One chocolate," Angel said.
The man nodded and fixed that up, handing it to Serafina.
Serafina
Serafina ate her icecream, and later they went and saw Wesley. Who was recovering well from his beating.