Title: Deceptions and Betrayals 15/21
Author: Ness
Contact: sessa1_2@yahoo.com
Written: 09/08/2003
Spoilers: Nothing after "Wrecked" in season 6 on BtVS and anything before "Sleep Tight" on AtS. But this is completely AU.
Summary: This one is a sequel to "When You Least Expect It". If you didn't read that one, this will probably confuse you.
Pairings: Cordelia/Giles and Buffy/Wesley
Rating: PG most of the time but there are NC-17 parts.
Distribution: Anyone that already has permission. Anyone else, please ask first.

Disclaimer: We all know who owns 'em and it ain't me. Joss and Co. are gods in their universe, I'm just a peon in mine.
Thanks to Suzanne for the beta. It is much appreciated, Chica. *G*
A/N: I did a bit of juggling with this after Suz saw it, so any and all mistakes are mine--as usual. ;-)
Dedication: This one is for Kerrie. She gave me the idea that ended an almost six month block. She read this puppy even though she didn't normally read these pairings. Now, I've corrupted her or that's what she says anyway. *G* Thanks darlin', you're the best.

Buffy hung up the phone after talking to Cordelia and turned to Wesley, thankful that she'd told Willow she was staying in L.A. a few days longer. "Giles says he needs us at his house right away."

"Us?" Wesley looked up from the text he'd been reading. They had been arguing the aspects of a particular demon and he was looking it up in order to prove he was right.

"Us." She nodded emphatically

He slowly closed the book. "Serious?"

She nodded again. "Very, from the sound of it."

He set the book back on the bookshelf and grabbed his jacket and followed her out of the door.

A few minutes later, they were tearing down the freeway on his bike.

****

Buffy opened the door to Giles and Cordelia's. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she knew that Giles sounded really strange when he called.

"Giles?" She called as she slowly pushed open the door.

"In the living room, Buffy," her Watcher called.

Wesley followed her into the room and they both were greeted to the sight of Robert Matthews sitting, slumped, with Giles and Cordelia standing over him.

Buffy took one look and asked. "What's going on?"

"We have a traitor in our midst." He gestured to Robert.

"Him?" She didn't try to hide her bewilderment. "But I thought he was your boss."

"He is. He's also working for the Council."

She looked at the man seated before her.

"He's a Watcher?"

"No. He's a spy." He quickly filled them in.

"Uh oh. We've got a problem." Buffy felt dread start in the pit of her stomach and spread.

"Why?" Giles didn't know how much more he could stand.

"My father is in town," Wesley supplied the answer.

Cordelia groaned.

Robert looked from her to Wesley and back to Giles. "What? Who's his father?"

"William Wyndham-Pryce," Giles answer quietly.

"Oh, God. What have I done?" Robert moaned quietly. "What have I done?" He began to slowly rock back and forth in misery. "I just killed my parents."

"No you didn't." Giles grabbed his shoulders. "Nothing has changed."

"How the hell can you say that? I just told *him*," he spat the word out.

"Telling Wesley doesn't make anything any worse than it was before." Buffy said from her place by Wesley. She'd slipped her hand into his as Giles had told of his father's deceit, to comfort him. She tried not to think how natural that was becoming for her.

"He'll tell his father and my parents will die," Robert accused.

"No, I won't," Wesley contradicted quietly. "I will tell my father nothing."

Robert looked at him. Fear warred with the need to believe the younger Englishman. He decided to believe Wesley and pray that his parents would be okay. That meant that things weren't any better, but at least they hadn't gotten worse in the last five minutes.

"What do we do now," Cordelia asked.

"Now we find Travers' spy and finish this." Giles had a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Wesley was turning the problem of who could be spying for Quinton Travers. The more he worked the problem, the more he came back to the same answer. It was an answer he didn't want to be right. He took a deep breath and unconsciously squeezed Buffy's hand.

"I think I might know who the other spy might be," he offered quietly.

****

Less than an hour later the five of them were standing in front of Graham's pub, four out of the five of them praying that Wesley was wrong.

They walked in and were surprised to find the normally bustling pub empty.

"Come in, mates."

Their eyes adjusted to the dimness and saw Graham leaning against the bar.

"Where is everyone?" Giles asked warily.

"I've closed down for the evening." The bartender pushed away from the bar to move into the middle of the floor. He kept his hands in the open. "I had a feeling you chaps would show up here tonight." He looked at Buffy and Cordelia and smiled. "And you brought your lovely ladies with you."

"Cut the bullshit." Cordelia stepped closer to him. "You wanna tell us why you've been spying on us?" Anger reverberated in every word.

The Englishman looked at the hostile faces surrounding him and decided that it might be time to confess. "I work for Quentin Travers."

"We know that," Buffy said with something akin to a snarl.

Graham held up both hands. "I mean you no harm."

"Why. Did. You. Spy. On. Us?" Giles enunciated each word carefully. He was feeling very betrayed right now and didn't know exactly what he would do if he lost his temper. He looked over at Wesley and saw he was struggling with the same problem.

"Quentin wanted me to watch you." Graham gestured to the four of them, Robert being forgotten. "He wanted to know what you were doing that had kept all of you alive for so long."

"He never wanted to know before," Buffy reminded him.

Graham ran a hand through his hair. "I know that he got started on the wrong foot with you, Buffy."

"Wrong foot?" She asked incredulously. "He almost got me killed and fired my watcher, I'd say that qualifies as more than a 'wrong foot'"

The man across from her shook his head. "He made mistakes, he admits that; but he does what he believes is best for the Council and for future Slayers."

Buffy snorted even as Cordelia laughed cynically.

He flushed. "I know you don't believe it."

"It doesn't matter what we believe," Wesley interrupted quietly. "What matters now is that, apparently, there is a power struggle with in the Council and we are caught squarely in the middle."

Graham couldn't argue that point.

"That still leaves my parents as pawns in this little game of yours," Robert interrupted angrily. He just as good as signed his parents' death warrants and all anyone could do was rehash old mistakes.

"No, actually they're not," Graham told him.

"What do you mean?" Robert asked suspiciously.

"It means that Quentin found out about Wyndham-Pryce's little game with you and got them out." Graham watched relief pour through the man. "They're on their way home right now."

"Thank God," the curator whispered.

A new voice interrupted. "That is unfortunate."

Everyone spun to see Wesley's father leaning against the front doorjamb in a nonchalant pose; his immaculate suit in direct contrast to the relaxed flavor of the pub.

He continued. "It seems the strings have been cut on my puppet." His eyes glittered at being thwarted. "No matter," he said casually. "I have what I want."

"Which is?" Wesley faced the man who'd sired him. Who had done his best to destroy him.

"Why, kill the Slayer and her Watcher, of course." The older man looked his son and Cordelia up and down. "The fact I can take their significant others with them is an unexpected, albeit, pleasant bonus."

"Why do you hate us?" Buffy asked as she watched Giles slowly begin to move.

"M'dear, I don't hate you." William protested. "I simply think you are a disgrace to the Council and your legacy."

"Buffy has been one of the most successful Slayers in history," Wesley reminded his father archly, inching closer to the woman he loved.

"Her success doesn't matter. Her defiance of the Council is the only thing that concerns me." Wesley's father began to show agitation. "Her complete disregard and lack of respect for the people that have dedicated their lives to the cause is totally unacceptable." He started to pace. "She is *our* tool. *We* control her."

"Buffy is no one's tool. She will not die to appease your wounded pride." Wesley knew his father was close to the edge and he hoped to pull his attention to himself in an effort to save Buffy, Giles and the others.

His father turned cold, vicious eyes on his only son. "What would you know about pride?" He sneered. "You've been a disappointment from the day you were born. You could do nothing right and were always an embarrassment."

Wesley was mildly surprised to find his father's hurtful words no longer bothered him. He smiled slightly; it was actually something of a relief.

William Wyndham-Pryce was disconcerted to see that his words had no affect on his son.

"Wesley is not an embarrassment or a disappointment." Buffy's voice was low, lethal and furious.

"I see you still have your defender." The older man looked at his son. "It's quite fitting that you still can't fight you own battles."

Buffy's eyes flashed and Wesley reached out to grab her before she launched herself at his father.

"Don't,' he told her. "That's what he wants. My father's specialty is mind games. The more off-balance you are, the more in control he is," he explained quietly.

She nodded and fought for her composure. He was right; giving his father the upper hand wouldn't do anyone any good.

William looked at his watch and pulled a gun. "As much as it would please me to continue to discuss my son's shortcomings, I'm afraid I must do what I came here for and leave. I have a plane to catch."

"What makes you think you'll get away with it?" Graham spoke softly. He could see the others assuming battle positions and figured he might as well contribute to distracting the bastard in front of them.

"Because when they find you dead, I'll be over the Atlantic Ocean."

"Forensics is a great science; they can tell exactly when we died. They'll know you were still here," Cordelia reminded him.

"True, but I will have an airtight alibi," William smirked.

"What?" Wesley asked.

"My wife." His father wore a smug smile that slid off his face a moment later.

"Don't be too sure of that," a voice interrupted.

Wesley cringed as he recognized it. "Mother," he whispered.

"Yes, Wesley. I've decided that it is time I defied your father." Margaret Wyndham-Pryce stood in the doorway.

"Go to the car, Margaret." William ordered furiously.

"I don't think so, William. You wish to kill these people; you'll have to do it with me watching. And rest assured, my next stop the police."

Her husband swung to face her. "You bitch," he snarled.

His wife merely smiled at him. "Think what you like, dear. I will no longer stand by and allow you to do as you wish." She looked sadly at her son. "I did that for too long as it is."

"Be sure your shots count, William," Giles told the would-be murderer softly. "You'd better take me out first, because once you fire, I'll rip your throat out."

"And if he doesn't, I will." This came from Wesley.

For the first time, William looked uncertain and his hand began to shake.

"If they don't get you, you can damn sure bet one of us will." Buffy put her hands on her hips and assumed her most bad-ass pose. "You really picked the wrong group to try and kill all at once."

"Then I shall achieve my mission and kill *you* first," the man snarled as he turned the gun on the blonde and pulled the trigger.

Everything happened at once.

Wesley threw himself in front of her, his last conscious thought being to shield her with his body and used one hand to pull her down to the ground with him. The force of the bullet drove him back into her causing her to land in a heap under him.

Giles barreled towards the madman holding the gun and tackled him before he could get another shot off.

Cordelia was right behind her husband, helping him.

The rest of the people in the room were in shock. Then they heard the crying.

Graham looked over to where Buffy was holding Wesley, his blood slowly soaking into the hardwood floor. Buffy had torn her shirt off, leaving only a flimsy tank top protecting her modesty, and was attempting to staunch the flow of blood coming out of his stomach.

"OhGod, OhGod, OhGod." She pressed into the wound and began to talk. "Don't you dare die on me, Wesley." She began to tremble. She sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Hysterics wouldn't do him any good. She turned to Robert. "Call 911." When he didn't go right away, she supplied a bit more direction. "NOW!" He scrambled for the phone.

Graham knelt down beside her. "Is there anything I can do?"

Buffy looked at him with stricken eyes. "Pray, do a spell, anything." She bit back a sob. "I don't care, just help me to not let him die," she begged quietly.

Graham laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and began to do the one thing he could do-- pray.

****

It what seemed hours later, but was really only minutes, Wesley was being loaded in the back of an ambulance. Buffy climbed in the back with him, not giving anyone an option.

She watched them working on him, all the while, clutching his hand. The one time they'd tried to get her to let go; he had become agitated and after that, they'd left her alone. She noticed that his color was waning even more.

She began to make deals with every deity she could remember from Giles' musty books. She remembered how Cordy had made the same deals when Giles was stabbed. She remembered the heart-breaking desperation in the other woman's voice at the time, how Cordelia had shut out everyone but Giles. How she'd prayed, bargained and threatened him to wake up and be better.

She inched forward until she was kneeling on the floor of the ambulance, using one hand on the metal rail of the gurney to steady herself. She leaned down until her lips were almost touching Wesley's ear.

"Don't you die on me." She shuddered as she fought for her composure. "You can't leave me." She rose up a little, being careful not to get in the paramedic's way, and brushed the hair back from his forehead. She avoided looking at his wound. "You haven't even kissed me yet," she whispered.

"I beg to differ with you," was the raspy reply.

She jerked her head back to see his eyes open slowly. They were cloudy and dulled with pain, but they were open!

"Okay," she agreed breathlessly. "You haven't kissed me properly, yet."

"Remind me to rectify that mistake at the soonest possible opportunity," Wesley told her. She sobbed quietly and kissed his forehead before whispering. "I love you." He smiled weakly at her before sliding back into the ocean of black nothingness that her voice had pulled him from. She sat down on the floor of the jerking and rolling ambulance and allowed the tears to fall.

****

Cordelia left Graham and Robert to deal with the police and loaded Giles and Wesley's mother into the car and was right behind. A cop had tried to stop them from leaving and she'd told him that if they wanted them, they'd be at the hospital, but they *were* going. He jerked his hand off her arm and nodded as he backed away, because her eyes had begun to glow.

She peeled away from the curb.

They arrived a couple of minutes after the ambulance. Cordelia was the first out of the car and looked at her husband. "You go in now."

"Are you sure?" Giles was anxious to get inside, but he knew how much Wesley meant to her.

"Yeah, Buffy's gonna need you." She gave him a small, half-hearted grin. "Besides, you'll probably be the only one that'll be able to pull her off the doctors."

Giles' eyes widened at the thought of the bodily injury his Slayer could do when she was upset.

"Go," Cordelia told him. "I'll help Wesley's mom and we'll be right behind you."

Giles sprinted across the parking lot.

****

Giles hit the emergency room doors at a run. He got a glimpse of his Slayer and scrub-covered man in an argument.

"I don't care if I'm not family. I want to know what's going on," Buffy said through clenched teeth. Her hands were fisted at her sides and Giles knew she was moments away from doing more than just argue.

"Buffy," he said as he came up beside her.

"Giles," she exclaimed with relief. She threw herself in his arms for a moment before pushing back to stare at him with flashing eyes. "This jerk won't tell me what's happening with Wesley." She glared at the jerk in question.

"Ma'am, I told you. I can't tell anyone but family," the doctor explained patiently-again.

"I'm Wesley's mother, young man, feel free to impart your information," Wesley's mother said as she entered, leaning heavily on Cordelia's arm. The Seer looked at her husband over the older woman's head and mouthed, 'she needs to sit down'.

He nodded. "Why don't we sit and the doctor can tell us what's happening?"

Buffy started to protest, but one good look at Wesley's mom changed her mind. She couldn't do anything right now to help him other than make sure his mom was okay. She bit back her impatience and sat down.

"Now, Doctor?" Giles asked after they'd been settled.

"We think the bullet missed any vital organs, but he's lost a lot of blood. The bullet's lodged somewhere in his body." He saw the flash of pain in the petite blonde's eyes and hurried on. "We're operating now. I'm sorry, but that's all I know." He turned to leave, but then turned back around. "Who thought to put the pressure compress on the wound?"

Cordelia pointed at Buffy. "Her."

Buffy fought tears. "I learned it from him," she said softly.

The doctor nodded. "You gave him a chance." He turned and left.

Buffy stood abruptly and strode to the window. She wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned against it. She didn't recognize the woman staring back at her from the reflection in the glass. When had she started caring? When had a once-uptight, ex-Watcher gotten so far under her skin that she couldn' t imagine life without him? She let a humorless laugh escape. Hell, they'd never even talked about anything other than friendship. She leaned her head against the cool glass and fought the loss of control.

She felt someone come up behind her and thought it was Giles. She was surprised to feel small, frail hands grasp her shoulders. She turned to find Wesley's mother contemplating her with dark, troubled eyes.

"You love my son," Margaret said, not allowing it to be a question.

The Slayer nodded. She knew this woman must love Wes, she didn't know how anybody couldn't. But she also didn't understand how the older woman could have let her husband treat their son the way he did. Yes, she'd done the right thing when it came crunch time, but that didn't excuse what she'd let that bastard do to Wesley.

The Slayer's head snapped up as a thought occurred to her. She found Giles and made her way over to him. "What happened to Wesley's dad?"

"He's not a concern any longer," Giles said.

"Why?"

"He just isn't, Buffy. Leave it at that," he repeated as he looked at the older woman standing behind his Slayer.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Margaret asked quietly.

Giles thought about lying for a moment before nodding. "Yes. He suffered a massive coronary. Graham just called to inform me." He looked at the Englishwoman. "I'm--." He broke off. He couldn't, in all honesty, offer his condolences. Her husband would have murdered him, his wife and his Slayer without a qualm. He might still manage to take his son to the afterlife. But could he deny this woman such basic human decency?

She saved him the trouble. "I'm glad," she said in a small voice, dropping her head. She looked up to find him gaping at her. "What? You think I would still care about what happened to him? He tried to kill my son."

"That never stopped you before." The words were out of Cordelia's mouth before she could stop them.

Margaret paled even more.

"Cordelia!" Giles was shocked.

"What?" Cordelia hadn't meant for the words to escape, but she damned sure wouldn't deny them. "You forget, Wesley stayed in my apartment with Angel for a while when our first office was destroyed. I heard his nightmares."

Margaret didn't know what to say to that. She hadn't known that anyone outside of their family had known about what William had done to Wesley. She said as much.

"You don't understand one thing," Cordelia told her quietly.

The other woman arched her eyebrow in question.

"We're family, Wesley, Angel and I." She gave her husband a loving look. "We 've added to it, but we made ourselves a family a long time ago. We take care of one another."

Buffy heard the warning in the last statement and wondered if Wesley's mom would heed it.

Margaret drew herself up. "Are you saying you care more about my son than I do?"

Buffy shrugged to herself. Guess not.

Cordelia gave her an incredulous look. "You can't be serious? You let that bastard you were married to abuse him for years--belittle him even after he came to L.A. and you ask me if we care more about him than you?"

"You don't understand what happened in our family, young lady," was the frosty reply.

"I understand fine," Cordelia shot back. "I lived it myself, I know how it feels."

Margaret didn't have anything else to say. She retreated to a chair in the corner and sat by herself.

"That was poorly done, luv," Giles told his wife.

Cordelia sighed, wanting to hold onto her anger and knowing she couldn't. "I know." She sighed again. "I'll go talk to her."

Buffy started to say something to Giles when the doctor came in.

"He's out of surgery," he said without preamble.

Buffy sighed in relief.

"He'll need a lot of care," the doctor cautioned. "But he should make a full recovery."

"Can I see him?" Buffy asked him.

He looked at her and thought that he should have known she'd be the first one to ask.

"Let us get him settled in a room and then we'll think about allowing visitors."

He left before Buffy could argue with him.

Buffy looked like she was going to go after him so Giles grabbed her by the arm and steered her to a chair.

"Sit," he ordered as he shoved her into the seat.

"But--."

"No, buts, Buffy. You won't be able to see him until they're ready to let you and wearing yourself out, or making enemies of the doctors and nurses, will not make a difference to their timetable."

Buffy admitted silently that he was right, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Besides," her Watcher continued. "You need to eat and get cleaned up."

For the first time, Buffy realized how she looked. Her shirt and pants were covered in blood, Wes' blood. She wanted to clean up, but she had no intention of leaving the hospital.

Cordelia, coming up beside them, read her mind. "I've already taken care of it. Lorne has a key to Wesley's apartment and he's swinging by there to pick up some clothes for you before coming here."

"He's coming to the hospital?"

"Well, him along with Angel, Gunn and Fred."

Buffy cringed inwardly after hearing Angel's name. She didn't know how she was going to explain this to him.

At that exact moment, she ran out of time, Angel came through the doors, along with the others.

He went straight to Buffy as she stood.

"Are you okay?" He nearly panicked at the blood on her clothing.

She saw the anxiety in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's Wesley's blood," she told him quietly. "He made sure I was okay."

"What do you mean?" Fred asked.

"It means his father was going to kill me and he took the bullet meant for me." Buffy still had a difficult time believing he did it. He was so going to catch hell for it when he woke up.

Angel saw something besides just disbelief in her eyes. He recognized the look. She was in love and his heart broke a little at the realization.

Buffy saw the flash of pain in his dark eyes and felt sympathy. She also knew she couldn't put this talk off, no matter what else was going on.

She looked at Giles and tilted her head slightly to the hall. He nodded, knowing what she intended. She took the vampire's hand and led him away from the others.

****

Angel knew what she was going to say, but he didn't know how he was supposed to respond. The logical thing would be to wish her well. After all, she'd told him she was in love before. Albeit, with a lot more intent of causing pain. He found he couldn't just let it go. Some warped sense of masochism had to hear her say she'd moved on with one of his best friends.

"Angel," she began as she looked into his eyes. What she saw there made her want to weep. "I'm sorry."

"For loving Wes?" he asked softly.

"No," she answered quietly. She wouldn't deny the man lying in the hospital bed. Not even to make her first love feel better. "But I am sorry it's causing you such pain."

Angel squeezed his eyes shut at the quiet certainty in her voice about her feelings for the ex-Watcher. He knew they'd never be together again, but it didn't make the pain any less to know that. He felt her hand cup his cheek. He opened his eyes to find hers darkened with compassion.

"Be happy," he whispered. "Tell Wes--tell him--," he couldn't finish. He turned and left the hospital quickly. He couldn't stay. He'd find a way to accept it, but right now, he needed to lick his wounds and say goodbye to a future that never was meant to be.

Buffy sighed and went back into the waiting room to wait for the doctor to allow her to see Wesley. She paused and took one last look at the emergency room doors before leaving the past behind for good.

NEXT