Angel / Protocol / Part Five

PART FIVE

Angel walked into his apartment. The outer door shut behind him with a click that sounded much more ominous than it usually did. He stood there, taking stock of the empty room before him, then decided he might as well take the plunge.

He found the new guy in the bedroom. Which, Angel guessed, was certainly direct and to the point but really didn't help at all with the awkward thing.

The guy stood up. "My Lord - "

"Hey -"

" - on behalf of the Council I - "

" - they told me you were here and - "

" - humbly offer myself - "

" - sorry I was out and all - "

" - to you as part of - "

" - but I thought I'd get back before - " Angel stopped, listening to what was being said to him. "Wait. That's rehearsed. Is this a rehearsed thing?"

The guy blinked. "My Lord?"

"You're saying a thing," Angel said. "Nobody told me there was a thing."

The guy stared at him. Finally he said, "There are protocols."

"Okay, that," Angel said. He pointed triumphantly. "*That* I remember somebody telling me about. But nobody said words. Are there supposed to be words? 'cause I'll do it but I don't have the script."

"Only me," the guy said. "I am supposed to pledge myself to your service."

"Right, sorry," Angel said. "Didn't mean to interrupt. Go on."

The man opened and closed his mouth a few times. Then said, "I - I… Actually I've forgotten my place."

"Could start from the beginning," Angel suggested. "Or - I mean if this isn't a magic thing - "

"My Lord?"

"If it's not a spell," Angel clarified. "If you don't have to say the words for a spell or anything we could just sort of take it as a given that we did that part."

The guy looked uncertain. "If you wish."

"We don't *have*, to," Angel said. "I mean if you want you can. I don't mean to step on your thing here."

"Whatever makes my Lord happy," the guy said. There was a frown over his eyebrows that looked like it was in no danger of going away.

"We got off on a wrong foot," Angel said. "Look, I'm sorry. Why don't we start over?" Angel held his hand out. "I'm Angel. It's nice to meet you."

There was a moment, then finally the guy took his hand. "It's a pleasure to serve you, your majesty."

"Well that was… formal," Angel said. Then hastily added, "But nice! Really. Like what you're doing there with the… formal… thing."

"Thank you?" the guy said.

Their hands remained clasped together. Angel wondered if it was possible to take his back anytime soon or if that too would prove to be a thing. "So do you have a name?"

"Wesley," the guy said.

"Wesley," Angel repeated. He gave a couple more pumps of his hand, then let go, figuring that was solid enough. "Nice. Anything else?"

"Wyndam-Pryce," Wesley supplied.

Angel rolled that one over. "I know that name."

"Perhaps you negotiated with my father?" Wesley said.

"Maybe," Angel said. He shook his head, dismissing it. "Not important now. So - trip go all right?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"No problems?"

"No, my Lord."

"You know - " Angel tried to find a way to put this diplomatically. "Look it's - Angel. Just Angel."

"I'm sorry my - Angel," Wesley said.

"I mean I get that out there - " Angel gestured to indicate the rest of the fortress " - we've gotta stick with the titles. But in here we're married. You get special privileges. You can call me by name."

"Whatever you wish," Wesley said. He looked thoughtful. "May I ask a question?"

"Sure," Angel said.

"Angel," Wesley said. "Not Angelus?"

"Used to be Angelus," Angel said. "I don't go by that anymore."

"Ah," Wesley said. "So you are, in fact, the same per - the same vampire?"

"Right," Angel said.

"I see," Wesley said.

"You thought maybe I was someone else?" Angel asked.

"It was a passing concern," Wesley said.

"Same guy," Angel promised.

"Good to know," Wesley said.

Angel noticed Wesley's hands were in fists at his sides. "You as nervous about this as I am?"

Blue eyes widened. "Pardon?"

"Nervous," Angel said. "About all this. Not just me?"

Wesley swallowed. "Why would I be nervous, my - Angel?"

"Oh," Angel said. "Um - no reason. I'm not either, for what it's worth."

Wesley nodded. Then said, "My Lord, I - "

"You know, can I - "

" - think perhaps it might be - "

" - get you anything? Because - "

" - best if we - "

" - it just occurred to me that - "

They both stopped and stared at each other.

"You first," Angel said.

"There are protocols," Wesley said.

"Right, those," Angel said. Then got it. "Oh - *those*. Right. Okay, what are we missing? Am I pledging myself to you or something now?"

"There is only one which remains," Wesley said. He picked a bottle up off of the table, then held it out. "I am to offer you that."

Angel took it. He turned it over in his hands. "Thank you. It's… uh… very shiny."

"It is the standard arrangement," Wesley said.

Angel wished like Hell he knew what that meant. "Okay."

Wesley seemed to be waiting for something. "So if you would like, that can be what is to be done."

"Sure," Angel said. He wondered if he was supposed to give the bottle back, like a symbolic gesture. "We could do… that… thing with… Look I don't actually know what this is."

"Oh," Wesley said. Surprise registered on his face.

"Sorry," Angel said.

"It's a love potion," Wesley said.

"Well that makes - " Angel froze. "Excuse me?"

"It's a - "

"No, I heard that part," Angel said. He held the bottle up. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that the Council expects me to swallow a love potion? My word isn't good enough for them? I took a *pledge*! To protect them *and* you and if the Council doesn't think that I stand by my promises then they can just kiss my - "

"For me, my Lord," Wesley said, quietly.

"For - I - what?" Angel asked.

Wesley seemed to be reciting something. "It is the duty of a spouse to give of themselves to their intended in all of their body, action, mind, and heart. To honor that duty, Council protocol demands that the spouse offer his or her husband or wife the use of a love potion. Should the husband or wife ask it, the spouse will take that potion, thus guaranteeing that the spouse shall be devoted to their duty until the day the spouse dies."

"That's slavery," Angel said.

"The Council honors its promises, my Lord," Wesley said. "You asked for a spouse and you have been given one."

"The Council doesn't trust *you* to remember your duty?" Angel asked.

There was a twitch of something that could have been a smile on Wesley's lips. "It is the standard arrangement, my Lord," he reminded him. "It is not that the Council doubts any of its spouses, but rather that they know that magic will remove all uncertainty."

"We're not doing this," Angel said.

"My Lord - "

"Angel."

"Angel," Wesley said, looking at him with frustration. "It - it is - This is a time honored tool."

"Tool," Angel said.

Wesley nodded. "Yes. To help with… cultural differences."

Angel suddenly realized Wesley wasn't looking at him in frustration. It was panic. "Cultural differences. Like your husband being a vampire."

Wesley shook his head. "I didn't say -"

"Didn't have to," Angel said. He sighed, sitting down on a chair. When Wesley didn't follow suit, Angel waved him to take the other one. Angel looked at him a long moment. "I'm guessing this wasn't an assignment that made you the envy of your friends."

"I don't - " Wesley started to answer, then clearly decided to say something else. "I take the assignment given to me with honor and humility and - "

"Stop that," Angel said. He sat forward, resting his hands on the table. "Don't do that. You don't *have* to do that."

Wesley's hands were folded in his lap. "Do what, my Lord?"

"*That*," Angel said. He ran a hand through his hair, tiredly. "Okay. Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but it's not necessary. You can be honest. It's all right."

"I don't think you want me to be honest," Wesley said, after a long moment had passed.

Angel smirked. "Because I can't guess the nasty things you've probably heard about me? Let's save some time with that - assume they're all true. I've done enough in my past, not all of it I'm proud of. If you heard it, I probably did it."

"Understood, my Lord," Wesley said. "Angel."

"Angel," Wesley repeated.

"But here's the thing," Angel said. "The nasty things *I've* done to people like you? Kinda match up with the nasty things the Council has done to people like me. And, I'm guessing, the Council would *still* like to do to someone like me specifically."

Wesley shook his head. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm forbidden to hurt you. And I do not work for the Council any longer."

"I get that," Angel said, holding a hand up. "But that's also my point. We're in this together. You and I both have to get past this thing where we don't trust our histories and actually find a way to deal with the now." He lowered his head, meeting Wesley's eyes. "I don't blame you for not liking me. My past is a horrible thing. But I'm not that person anymore, and I'd like to prove it to you."

"Why?" Wesley asked. He gestured to the bottle again. "We can save so much time - "

"I don't *want* a zombie," Angel said. "I want a partner. An actual partner. You can't get that if one of you has taken a love potion."

Wesley sat back, looking as though he didn't know what to say.

"I've been married before," Angel said. "They told you that, right?"

Wesley nodded. "Yes."

"So I know what it's like," Angel said. "What it's like is that you've got this one person in all the world who's either in the best position to kill you or the best position to be your friend. Now if you're anything like my first wife it's going to be a lot of us wanting to do both, but I really would like us to at least try to get that second part into the mix."

"I'll be whatever you want," Wesley said.

"No," Angel said. "Not *that*. *Honest*. I want you to be honest. Not whatever it is the Council forced you to be."

Wesley folded his arms. "With all due respect, this *is* what I am. I *am* what the Council forced me to be. Now I can either do my job properly or I cannot do it at all. You asked for this. Now you have it. And as you will not allow me to take the potion just to please you, I am now rendered incapable of shutting off my brain and my skills in order to make you happy."

"Okay, but that - " Angel pointed at him. " - that's just what I want. I want your brains and your skills and, yeah, everything you know about doing your job properly. I just want it from *you*. Not a potion. You. Why is that so complicated?"

"Oh, I don't know," Wesley said. "I can't imagine why the mere thought of making an error which would cause the tenuous peace between my people and yours to plunge into yet another chapter of war and certain death for those of my kind would *possibly* be something which causes this to be difficult for me."

"What did you just say?"

Wesley paled. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have - "

"No, no," Angel said. He grinned. "Humor. I like it."

Wesley looked as though he didn't believe him. "If you're certain."

"I am," Angel said. "See? This is what I'm talking about. Honesty. We're stuck together. Might as well build the trust somehow, right?"

"Again I point out the love potion would make that trust rather instantaneous on my part," Wesley said. "As long as you're asking me to be honest."

"Okay, I'm taking that off the table," Angel said.

"I don't think you've fully considered - "

"No, I'm literally taking this off the table," Angel said, picking the bottle up. "It's distracting the Hell out of me. You too, I'm thinking."

"It is rather shiny," Wesley admitted.

Angel started to put the potion into his bureau, then stopped himself. "You know I leave this out and I get these images of Spike accidentally falling in love with a rake."

"I could put it in my trunk?" Wesley offered. "It has a lock."

Angel thought about pointing out that he had safes too, but then decided that this could be a sign of trust between them. He handed the bottle back. "Sure. Thanks."

Wesley took it, then undid the padlock on his luggage, securing the bottle inside. "There. Safe and completely intact. Not a drop spilled."

"You're gonna hang this not letting you take the potion thing over my head for a while, aren't you?" Angel guessed.

Wesley stood up, giving him an arch look. "I had nothing planned beyond that. As you've told me to be honest, that's the material you're getting."

"Then I'll take my lumps," Angel said. He looked around. "You thirsty? Want a drink?"

"Well there's this potion that suggests - "

"Shut *up*," Angel said. He pointed at the bar. "Alcohol. Do you want alcohol? You'll like it. It's like love potions except there's this great headache you get in the morning."

Angel wasn't certain if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw a hint of a smile. "One might argue that love potions also guarantee *some* form of headache in the morning."

"I'm thinking pain in the ass," Angel said. "Now do you want it or don't you?"

Wesley gave a look of relief. "God, please. Strong?"

"Two scotches, coming up," Angel said.

Wesley seemed to remember something. "Actually - I should do that. It's my job to serve you."

Angel thought about it. "Hungry?"

"Yes," Wesley said.

"It's my job to serve you too," Angel said. "So how about I get some food, you get the drinks, and then we start this whole thing from the top?"

Now Angel was certain he was seeing hints of a smile. Wesley nodded his head. "All right."

"There," Angel said, going to ring the bell for dinner. "We finally agree on something."