wesleynotponcy | Cordelia's Apartment | Los Angeles, CA | Sunday Evening/Monday Morning Fandom Time (Reply)

In between projects, the Angel Investigations team tried their best to spend time together outside of the office at least once a month. It was difficult because, well, three out of the five of them lived at the office, and their job did tend to be fairly tiring, especially now that Cordelia had started taking private training lessons from Angel in the hotel basement. But it was something that they made an effort to do, which was why it made sense that when Wesley invited Fred out for dinner on Monday night and was overheard by the rest of the office, the matter inevitably ended up with the five of them piling into Angel's car for dinner at Cordelia's.

Upon arriving, Angel and Gunn had promptly settled on the couch to play a video game, Fred squeezed between them and watching earnestly. Meanwhile, Wesley found himself helping Cordelia prepare some tea in the kitchen.

Wesley	"It's inspiring to see you like this," Wesley said sincerely, looking up from his very important project of adding honey to a mug of tea for Fred. "The initiative you've shown in training with Angel. Taking responsibility. I'm proud of you."
Cordelia	"Well, it never hurts to be prepared," Cordy replied, reaching for the sugar from the cabinet. "And no offense, but I'm taking vampire advice over your old Watcher skills. His moves seem a bit more intimidating."
Wesley	Wesley flushed at that, but didn't protest. "Yes, well," he said. "I was thinking perhaps I'd enter into a similar training arrangement with our Fred."
Cordelia	"Oh, sure," Cordy said. "If you think she can help you fight, why not?" At Wesley's unimpressed look, she waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm kidding. Wesley, if you wanna get to know Fred better, maybe the next time you have her over for an intimate dinner for two, you won't ask the rest of us to come along."
Wesley	Wesley's eyes went wide. "Ah-- I don't -- er, I mean, that is to say--" He sighed. "Was it that obvious?"
Cordelia	Cordelia took pity on him and leaned in, lowering her voice to assure him, "I don't think anyone else noticed." Of course, that was more because the rest of the office was fairly clueless than because Wesley was especially subtle.
Wesley	Wes sighed again, looking a bit wistful as he surveyed Fred from across the room. "She is a rather extraordinary young woman," he admitted. "And it's been quite some time since I, er, that is, since I ended it with Katniss." So, yes, he'd been thinking about this. "Still, the last thing any of us should be doing is -- coupling with each other, I mean. Office romances, even under the most normal circumstances..."
Cordelia	"We don't live in normal circumstances," Cordelia pointed out gently. "I mean, come on, what are the odds of any of us actually finding someone out there who can deal with the kind of stuff we have to deal with?" She shook her head, not even wanting to touch upon her recent romantic history -- if there was any of it to speak of. "I don't know. Maybe we are meant..."
Wesley	"For each other?" Wesley guessed, still not looking away from Fred.
Cordelia	"Actually, I was going to say 'to be alone,'" Cordy corrected him. "But what the heck -- Wesley, if you like her, tell her. Just go right up to her and--" Her speech slowed a little and she braced a hand on the table to steady herself, managing to finish weakly, "--hug her into little pieces" just before the vision hit and she collapsed on the ground.
Angel	Immediately Gunn and Angel were at her side, practically knocking over the table in their haste to help her up to the nearest chair. "Easy," Angel cautioned when it looked as though Cordy might topple over. "What'd you see?"
Cordelia	"Convenience store, man attacking a woman," Cordelia managed, mostly to her knees. "It's -- oh god, it's his wife, they were... shopping together."
Angel	"How many convenience stores we got on the Westside?" Angel barked out, immediately slipping into detective mode.
Fred	"Well," said Fred, all in a rush and without pausing for breaths, "even if you just include Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Malibu only, the combined populations is something like a hundred thirty thousand people spread over more than thirty square miles, and given that..."
Gunn	"A lot," Gunn filled in.
Wesley	"All right," Wesley said loudly and authoritatively, "we go in two teams. Gunn, you and I--"
Cordelia	"No," Cordelia interrupted Wesley, setting a hand on his wrist. "It's too late. You can't save her. This murder happened a week ago." She looked up at Angel, clear hurt and bewilderment in her eyes. "Why would they show this to me now?"

The Powers that Be might have had some unconventional ways of doing things, but Cordelia's visions -- with the small exception of that time Wolfram and Hart had had someone hack into them to broadcast torturous images for her on a constant loop -- had always been reliable in the past. So bright and early the next day, Wesley found himself paying bribes to numerous contacts of his, and eventually enough of them came through for him to put together a little portfolio, which he brought back to the hotel.

''What's this?''

Cordelia	"What's this?" Cordelia asked, making her way over to the desk to see the folder Wesley had just deposited there."
Wesley	"Everything," Wes replied. "Everything about the crime I believe you saw in your vision. Police reports, husband's written confession, captures from the convenience store's video surveillance cameras..."
Gunn	"Charlaine Baird," Gunn read out, eyeing one of the police reports.
Wesley	"The victim," Wesley confirmed with a nod. "She and the perpetrator were married for thirty years, no history of domestic violence."
Fred	No one else looked like they wanted to ask the logical follow-up question, but then, Fred wasn't everyone. "Why'd he do it?"
Wesley	Wes looked a little green at that. "He says," he said slowly, "she wouldn't listen to him. He was trying to get her to stop talking."
Fred	A natural silence followed that, interrupted only by Fred's muttered, "Well, it worked."
Gunn	"I don't get it," Gunn said, looking up from the reports. "This guy confessed. Done deal. Why are the Powers airing reruns in Cordy's head?"
Angel	Wesley only shook his head in response to that, but as Angel turned over one page and looked at the next one, a security camera photo, his expression changed to one of recognition. Angel put the photo down in the center of the counter. "Eleven twenty four, twenty minutes before the crime occurred," he said. "Look who's there."
Wesley	Wesley thought he recognized the face in the background, but he got his magnifying glass out at once to confirm it. Billy Blim. The man Angel had extracted from a hell dimension to appease Wolfram and Hart and get them to stop tormenting Cordelia. A vicious killer, and, according to the demon who'd guarded his fire-cell, one of the most monstrous people on the planet. He passed the photo to Gunn without comment.
Gunn	Gunn made a face. "Oh boy."
Cordelia	It was only a moment before Cordelia grabbed for the picture too. She and Fred were the only ones who hadn't actually met Billy, which explained the look of confusion on her face as she squinted uncertainly at the man in the background of the photo. "Okay," she said, finally looking back up at the group. "Who the hell is that guy?"

[[nfb/nfi, taken and adapted from angel 3x06 "billy." oh god this episode is so gross, you guys. warning for very mild mentions of sexist violence under the cut.]]