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Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, amateur effort not intended to infringe of the rights of Joss Whedon, the WB, Mutant Enemy or any other copyright holders of Angel.

Together
by The Brat Queen

Spoilers: Up to Epiphany, after which Joss and I go separate ways.

Rated: PG

Summary: Angel finally discovers what's wrong with Wesley.

Dedicated to: Steph, who had a hand in this even if she insists that she didn't, and Cindy who definitely did.

When he woke up Wesley wasn't there. Which was something Angel didn't like.

He slipped on a pair of pants, then concentrated. The hotel was big, but Wes was a live body. He was easy to locate downstairs. Angel could even follow the scent of him down the specific staircase he'd used.

Wesley was sitting on the ottoman, dressed in his jeans and sweater, with his hands folded in front of him. Angel took a moment to be impressed that Wesley could sit, but then wondered if Wes was just ignoring the pain.

"Hey," Angel said, for lack of a better opening.

"I'm sorry," Wes replied, and it was not the answer Angel was expecting.

"For what?" He debated moving a chair over so he could sit across from Wesley, then decided not to bother and settled on standing.

Wes looked up at him. There were circles under his eyes. "For barging in as I did. For using you. I'm sorry. That was… beneath me."

Angel knelt down. He touched a hand to Wes's knee. Wes didn't pull back, but he didn't really respond either. "You hurt, you come to me. That's the way it should work. No apologies, Wes. I'm - glad if I helped you."

A pained expression touched Wes's lips, and once again Angel couldn't help but notice how strange he looked without his glasses. "I took advantage of you."

"I'm a grown vampire," Angel said. "I know the word 'no'. You wanted it. I was happy to do it." Reminded, Angel reached forward to take Wesley's hands in his, turning them over so he could see the bruises that covered his wrists. He let out a low whistle. "Jesus. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I am," Wes replied. At Angel's dubious look, he clarified. "They're sore, but survivable. I - I don't mind. Really."

Angel pulled Wes's hands forward and placed a soft kiss on each palm. "Don't want to hurt you, Wes."

"You didn't," Wes bent down and brushed a kiss across Angel's lips. "I - I promise."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Less than you might think."

They stared at each other for a few moments. "I'm not the enemy, Wes."

Wesley twitched as though someone had hit him. "Oh God - Angel -"

"I - I'm not," Angel insisted, then felt a lick of panic. "Am I?"

Wes cupped his hands against Angel's face. They were as ice cold as they'd been the night before. "I love you."

"Love you too, Wes," Angel moved up to sit beside him, drawing Wesley into his arms. "Love you. Crazy about you. You know that."

The wool sweater felt rough against Angel's skin as Wes snuggled close. "I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"I can't."

"Says who?" Angel asked. A list of possible problems ran through his head and he didn't like any of them. He took a chance with one. "Wes - is it the Council again? Have those assholes -"

"My father."

Angel blinked. Then forced himself to stay rational. "Your dad?"

Wes gave a bitter laugh. "Yes."

Angel held Wes more protectively. He kept his voice light, as though they could be talking about the weather. "Okay. What about him?"

"I can't tell you."

Angel swore silently, telling himself game face would not help the situation. "Wesley, I'm not - whatever you think I'm gonna do, I won't do it. Or I will, if that's what you want. Just - tell me. Okay? Let me fix it."

Wesley shifted, moving up to trail kisses along Angel's jaw. His body trembled. "You can't."

"Watch me. I'm stubborn."

There were tears in Wes's eyes again. "It's too late."

Angel felt a ray of hope. "He's dead?"

"He - " Wes struggled with himself, then gave up. With an air of finality he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Angel. "Here."

Angel took the papers, keeping one hand around Wes at all times as he read. It was a legal document, which meant already he didn't like it. Unfortunately it also meant he could hardly understand it. "What's this?"

"A note from my father's solicitor," Wes explained.

Angel noticed it was dated from last week. "What's it say?"

"As per our agreement," Wesley paraphrased, his voice rough, "I will…. He will… take the necessary actions if I do not fulfill my promises by the contracted time."

"Okay, and what does that mean?" Angel asked. He scanned the document quickly, trying to find any words he recognized. One in particular stood out to him.

"He's informing me - "

"Disowned?" Angel looked up. "Disowned?"

Wes nodded mutely.

"What the - " Angel read it through again. "He sends you a contract for this? His fucking lawyer tells you this? He's got a problem with the God-damned phone? What the fuck is wrong with him?"

"It was an agreement," Wesley said. He drew himself up, wiping at his eyes. "I agreed to this, Angel. It has nothing to do with you."

"Anybody who pisses you off has everything to do with me," he replied. "Jesus - what the Hell is this, Wes? I figured your dad was a Watcher but he's gonna be this much of an asshole because of me?"

"It isn't about you!" Wesley snapped. He moved away, turning to face him. "Get that through your head. I agreed to this. I will accept the consequences."

"And I have a real big problem with people who hurt you," Angel said. He clutched the papers in his fist. "Look - what little I know about your dad hasn't exactly put him on my Christmas list, but if you like him then I wanna do whatever it takes to make it better. Now come on - do we need to be more circumspect? Maybe put the word out that you're dating Cordy?"

"It's not you!" Wesley said. "Angel, dear God would you listen to me? This has nothing to do with you! I did this. I failed."

Angel frowned. "To do what?"

Wes snatched the papers out of Angel's hands. "It doesn't matter."

"Don't lie to me," Angel said. "What?"

"I decline to tell you."

"What?"

"I said no!" Wesley stood, shoving the letter back into his pocket. "Angel, you have no invitation here. I do not want you to be a part of this."

"Little late for that, Wes," Angel said.

"I said no," Wes repeated. His eyes were cold. "Must I make it an order?"

"Fire me then," Angel pushed himself off of the ottoman and met Wes eye to eye. "Break up with me. I'm still not going anywhere. What the fuck is going on, Wesley?"

Wes threw the papers at him. "There. Read if you're so bloody curious. Figure it out for yourself."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"If you loved me, you would drop this."

"There's no 'if', Wesley," Angel said. "I love you. Period."

Wes looked away again.

"Tell me?"

"I'm trying to protect you."

Angel blinked. "What? Why?"

"It's all there," Wesley gestured to the letters on the floor. "Read for yourself."

"I thought -" Angel started to bend down, but turned to look at Wes again. "You said this didn't have anything to do with me."

"It doesn't," Wes folded his arms against his chest. "Not in the manner you suspect. He doesn't care that you're a vampire, Angel. He didn't even mention you. This is about something that I did when…"

"When what?" he asked softly.

"I borrowed money," Wesley said. "I… It was a great deal of money."

Angel picked the papers up, scanning for mention of the figure. When he found it he hissed. "Jesus."

Wes nodded. "Indeed."

Angel tried to calculate the numbers. "But how come? What'd you have? Student debts or something?"

"No," Wesley said. "Not that."

"What then?" Angel asked. "Medical bills?"

Wesley gave a rueful smile. "Covered under my British citizenship, and thank God for that."

Angel wished he could make sense of the words. "Are - are you in trouble? Is this from gambling or something?"

"Angel," Wes whispered, "think."

Angel suddenly felt cold. "Oh fuck."

Wesley took the papers back. "I didn't want to tell you."

"Fuck," Angel said. "Fuck. Fuck. Oh fuck me, Wes. God fucking damn it!"

"It's not important," Wesley said.

"Not important?" Angel asked. "Not important? Your father's fucking disowning you and it's not important?"

"I'll handle it," Wes replied.

"I had no idea," Angel said. "Jesus, Wes - I had no idea."

"Well what did you think?" Wesley demanded. "That the business was suddenly free because you no longer ran it? There was a lease to pay, supplies to get - some to replace because you wouldn't let us have them. And Cordelia and Gunn could hardly be put out onto the street. They had paychecks they'd grown accustomed to. And -"

"I'll pay it," Angel said. "Let me pay it, Wes. I've got the money. I'll get the money."

"This isn't your debt," Wesley said. "It's mine."

"Because of me," Angel said. "Because I fired you. Fuck - call it severance pay, Wes! Severance pay plus interest. I can handle this."

"How?" Wesley asked. "By stealing?"

"How the fuck were you going to pay it?" Angel gestured to the nothingness around him. "We both know Cordy's visions don't exactly turn a profit."

"Demon hunting," Wes admitted. "I thought… perhaps I could find one with a bounty."

Angel held up the paper with the total on it. "For this much? You know how dangerous that would be?"

"At least it would take care of it," Wesley said.

"Yeah, and you," Angel said. "Some way to take care of it. Your dad's rich and you're dead. Can we talk about how much I don't like that solution?"

"Talk all you like," Wesley said. "It's past the point. I missed my deadline."

"When was it?" Angel asked.

Wes's blue eyes met his. "Last night."

Angel sank down onto the ottoman again. "Okay. So I'm not the smartest guy in the room."

"It doesn't matter."

"Say that one more time and I'm tossing the soul out the window and going on a rampage. Consider yourself warned."

For some reason this made Wesley smile. He sat beside him. "Fair enough. I'm duly warned."

Angel looked at him. "Why didn't you.… No, I get that now. Okay. I appreciate the not making me feel guilty thing. And - thanks. But Jesus, Wes, I should feel guilty! This is my fault!"

"Say that one more time," Wes said, mildly, "And I'll pull out a stake."

"That's fair," Angel said. He put a tentative hand on Wes's leg, then rested it there when Wes didn't pull away. "Okay. So let's talk. Without repeating ourselves. How can we fix this?"

"There's nothing to fix," Wesley said.

"I've got the cash," Angel said. "I hate like fuck handing it over to your old man but if that's what it takes - "

Wesley shook his head. "It's not about money. It never was."

Angel frowned. "What then?"

"My promise," Wes explained. "I swore an oath. I made a promise to repay my debt by last night. I failed to do so. A Wyndam-Pryce who can't be trusted at his word is not a Wyndam-Pryce."

"Nice family motto," Angel said.

"It's not much for stitching onto throw pillows," Wesley agreed. He threaded his fingers through Angel's. "It's not just that. It's a great many things. Losing my place on the Council… was a start. And yes, joining up with you was another. As far as I'm aware he doesn't even know about our personal relationship but I'm sure if he did he'd disapprove of that too. Frankly, I think this is merely the final straw. And - I'm grateful for it. The other shoe has dropped. I don't have to live in fear of his reaction."

"I told you to stop lying," Angel said.

Wes gave him a thin-lipped smile. "It was that obvious?"

Angel kissed Wesley's hand. "I know you, Wes."

"I love you," Wesley said. He moved into Angel's embrace. "I wouldn't change anything. You do believe that, don't you? This is the life I want. This is where I want to be."

"It's where I want you," Angel said. He caressed Wesley's back. "Sure as fuck don't want you going anywhere."

"I'm not," Wesley promised.

"Good," Angel pressed a kiss to the top of Wesley's head. He looked down at the paperwork again. "There's really no way to fix this?"

Wesley shrugged. "It might be an idle threat."

"He done those before?"

"Not really," Wes replied. "But - he's never threatened this before either. And…"

Angel looked at him curiously.

"I'm an only child," Wes said. "If he's to have grandchildren his hopes lie with me. Unless my mother divorces him or suddenly becomes fertile again."

Angel put two and two together. "Wes - how the fuck much did you give up to be with me?"

Wesley looked up at him. "Angel, you gave up Buffy."

"Not -" Angel started to say, then stopped himself. Okay, yeah. Not for Wesley. Not originally. But - he'd turned his back on her a few times with Wes in the room. "Okay. Maybe we're even."

Wes settled in his arms again. "And certain things are true even without you. The Council fired me. I prefer men. That I'm fortunate enough to work with you at my side and have you privately certainly makes things easier, but it doesn't change them. I am who I am. I realize that now."

"You're a pretty good guy, Wes," Angel said, kissing him again. "I like you."

"I like you as well," Wesley said.

"Okay, so we'll take your dad as he comes," Angel said. "But what about the business? I don't want you eating this debt. You can't."

Wesley shrugged. "I'll make do."

"Wrong answer," Angel said. "Look - I don't want to be in charge. I suck at being in charge. Hell, it's no fun being in charge. But on the other hand I don't have a credit rating to fuck up either. Let me handle the cash. Or at least take care of the debt. Cordy and Gunn don't even have to know."

Wesley traced his fingers over the muscles of Angel's chest. "You can't do that legally."

"You name me one thing in the business we do do legally."

Wes conceded the point. "What do you suggest?"

"Let me worry about it," Angel said. "I kept us afloat before - you and Cordy never had to worry, right? Just let me do it again."

"I don't like the thought of burdening you," Wesley said.

"I don't like the thought of you starving to death either," Angel said. "I think I win."

"Alright," Wes said. "I won't say no. I can't say no. We've had some paying clients but we still need the ready cash. However -"

"I don't like 'however'."

Wes ignored him. "However you're not to touch a dime of my debt to my family."

"Bull -"

"None of it, Angel," Wesley said, his eyes flashing. "I don't advise you cross me here. It's my debt, I'll repay it."

"Is that gonna matter?" Angel asked. "I mean - if it was last night - fuck, why don't you just repay me? We can wire the cash and -"

"No."

"- point out how stupid it is to annoy -"

"No."

"- the Scourge of Europe because, trust me, I haven't forgotten how to -"

"No," Wes said, and this time he covered Angel's mouth with his hand. "Angel, no. What would it prove if you solved this problem for me? I appreciate your desire but in the end it's my responsibility. I'll take care of it. I'll show my father that I can fulfill my promises, even if I'm unable to do so in a timely fashion."

Angel moved his head enough to speak. "You gonna go demon hunting?"

Wes shrugged. "I'm not sure. Perhaps."

"Try doing that without me," Angel said, "and I will get cranky."

"We'll talk about it later," Wesley said.

"Very cranky."

"Later," Wesley said again. He caressed Angel's cheek. "Please. I can't even bear to think about it now. It's - it's bad enough -"

"Wes," Angel said, uncertainly. "For what it's worth… I'm with you. I'm not planning on going anywhere."

"Thank you," Wesley said. "It's worth quite a lot, actually."

With that Angel pulled his lover close, and held him tight.