Title: Past Lives Collide

Author: Kate R.

abelard950@aol.com

Disclaimer: not mine and never will be.

Rating: PG-13 to R

Pairings: Giles/Ethan, Angelus/Wes

Summary: Wesley's past catches up to him. Does he want to face it? No. Does he have a choice? No.


Past Lives Collide
by Kate R.


Prologue: The Past Is...

It had been a fairly quiet day in the Hyperion Hotel. Angel was making paper airplanes, Cordy was ordering Starbucks, Gunn was sharpening his hubcap ax and Wes and Faith were training in the basement. It was a typical Day for Angel investigations. Until the older woman in the pointy hat walked in the door. Then the day got seriously Atypical.

"Can I help you?" Angel asked the woman as he stood up to greet her. She looked him over as if searching for someone before finally speaking.

"The other male member of your team," she said. "I need to see him regarding a matter of utmost importance."

"Other male member of our group?" Angel asked. "Gee, that could be any number of people depending on the day of the week. Do you have a name for this person?"

"The last I knew him his name was Percival 'Percy' Weasley. I have no idea what his name is now as he left our world an his family several years ago as a result of a misunderstanding."

"As a result of them not being able to accept he made a mistake you mean," Cordelia said. "I'll go see if he's interested in talking to you. If he isn't? Well, you'd better be able to apparate or whatever the hell you call I out of her before we get after you people."

"He made more than a mistake. He chose against the headmaster in a serious matter," the woman said.

"No, he chose a side no one else liked. God forbid he's not perfect for you. Like I said, I'll see if he's available for you. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't though. He has no love for you people. No love at...."

"It's alright, Cordelia," a British accented voice said. "I'll see her."

"Not alone you wont," Angel said. "We're a team. We make decisions together. And I have a feeling you will have to make a decision so we'll all go into the office and we'll all sit down and I'll get Sunnydale on conference call and we'll talk."

And the woman was escorted into an office and she watched as the man she'd come to see took a seat at the desk and everyone else found places around him. She conjured herself a chair and then sat and looked at him as the big man made a call and put it on speaker.

"Mr. Weasley," she said. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, right," a sarcastic, female voice said. A girl with long dark hair came in and leaned against the desk. The way she sat told the visitor she was protecting the man. "You're only here because you want something from him."

"Faith," the man she'd come to see said. "Lets hear her out. It may be something we're honor and duty bound to do."

"You are," the visitor said. "It's your family."

And the man laughed. He laughed a bitter, hard laugh as he looked at her.

"Professor McGonnogall, I do believe you are mistaken," he told her bluntly. "I was informed I had NO Family. Now, without bringing my bloodlines into this, what is it you want from me?"

"We need a place to hide your...the Weasley Family as well as Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Malfoy. I could think of no place better than with you to hide them. After all, no one knows where you are or what you are doing."

"And you think I would just do this at the drop of a hat? My dear Headmistress, I have a job to do here that well, limits my free time. I don't have the time to baby-sit my family and a brat as well as a snob. Mr. Longbottom I could possibly take but the others?"

"You have no choice in the matter Percival Weasley," she said to him. "You are a blood relation. You can hide them and you must by Ministry Ordinance."

"You bitch," the girl, Faith hissed. "You and your world, you just love fucking with people, yanking their chains and shit. I ain't gonna let My Watcher get hurt by those bastard fucks he calls a family that disowned him. If we gotta keep 'em then fine but we ain't gonna like it and we ain't gonna coddle 'em or bend over backwards to please them or nuthin'. Right Angelus?"

"Correct Faith. Giles? Did you hear that? Sounds like we'll need you to drive up from Sunnydale. Can you all spare the time?"

"We'll be on the road as soon as we hang up here, Angelus," a voice the visitor, professor McGonnogall, recognized said. And Angelus nodded.

It only took another 15 minutes to hash out the details. To spare Percy...Wesley, he now went by, as much emotional distress as they could, his team decided unanimously that the Weasley Family and Guests would stay at the hotel. Wesley sighed knowing he'd have to be around as much s he could stand it but since they practically lived there anyway that would not be much of a problem. His family would be arriving in three days and Wesley sighed as he went home to pack a few bags to bring to the Hyperion. Damn his good and honorable nature to hell but he knew he protection would work best if he was there permanently. Besides which fact, Angelus had wanted him to move there anyway so no time like the present.

********************************

Three nights later, they were waiting in LAX for the plane from England that carried his family. He was leaning against a pillar by the gate, just waiting and watching. He saw the red hair first and he sighed as he whistled shrilly in a way that most members of their family knew. They all looked at him, seemingly frozen and he saw the cold looks but he no longer needed their approval. He had that of his chosen family and that was all that really mattered.

Two members of the family, his elder brothers, walked over and hugged him tightly. He smiled at them as they turned to the others.

"Well," he said after several minutes of tense silence. "Do lets be going. We have work to do tonight so I'd like to get you to the Hyperion so my team and I can do it."

And then he turned and walked away. His elder brothers walked with him and the others brought up the rear. He'd seen professor Snape but he really didn't have time for pleasantries or formalities. Cordy had had a vision before they left. They needed to get his family to the Hyperion, get
armed and get moving. Tonight was going to prove...interesting to say the least.


Part 1: Ranting

"Percival Weasley," his mother's voice rose to a tightening, annoying pitch and he gripped the steering wheel tightly in his hands. He was fast losing patience with her and to make matters worse, they'd had to take his family demon slaying with them. Cordy'd had another vision. He and Angel and Giles had dealt with the demons as it was on their way but he was tired now and wanted to go to bed. He had a feeling that was not going to happen though.

"Can you please wait until we get into the hotel?" he growled.

"I'd rather not wreck this car. It cost more money than you've ever seen."

And yes, he knew that was petty and spiteful but he was tired and irritable and he really didn't want to have to play host to a group of people who had hurt him more than he'd ever thought possible. He was tired and irritable and to be honest, just plain fed up. So, here he went again, being the dutiful one. And he hated it.

Arriving at the hotel he got out but refused to carry their things for them. He was not their bloody bell boy or servant. They were only here by his extremely generous nature and he knew that would be made plain to them in a few moments. Faith was inside. Buffy must have taken the patrol so Faith could meet his "Family".

"Welcome to the Hyperion," Angelus said as he led them inside.

"We'll show you your rooms in a moment. First we need to lay down some ground rules for you...people to follow."

He took them to the couches in the center of the lobby while Wes put all their weapons away. He could sense the tension in his mate and mentally kicked himself. The mother should have ridden with Giles. It would have been better and easier.

"Okay, rule one and I warn you now to heed this rule: NO ONE here is perfect. Every damn one of us has made mistakes. We know about the mistake he made and personally we think you all made a bigger one. Therefore, rule number 1 is this: Do Not Punish Him For Not Being Perfect!

"Rule number two: This place is not a fun house. There will be no pranks, jokes or anything else that could possible lead to danger while we're fighting demons. You all are forbidden to even touch out weapons cabinet. I find out you've tried and I'll hurt you. I will seriously hurt you all. "Rule three: Wesley is Off Limits to you all during business hours. We have work to do and we don't do well without our boss leading us. "Rule 4: Do not piss me off. I'm in your sodding DADA books. I'm not a nice person when I'm mad. I'm only being tolerant right now because I want you all here where I can watch you than alone with him. You all have done enough to him. You don't get to do anything else."

And Angelus turned and looked at Gunn. "Order some pizza and Chinese would you? They better get used to eating what we serve. No magic with wands in this place, people. Wandless can be hidden, your kind cannot."

Angelus then walked over to see how Cordelia was doing. He would take care of Wes in bed tonight. Faith stood by her Watcher's side watching him put things away. The precision with which he was doing it told her how tense and upset he was.

"Yeah, I got a rule for them too, Angelus," Faith said. And she loved seeing their faces blanche every time she said his name. "They try to hurt My Watcher and They'll be needing medical attention. I'm Faith, The Vampire Slayer and your son is My Watcher. You hurt him or let those little bastards you call kids hurt him and whoever did is gonna be in pain. And I'll know. Believe me I'll KNOW who did it."

And Faith pitched her knife into the floor at the feet of the group. She noticed the black haired adult trying to repress a smile and she inclined her head to him in respect. She could actually tolerate him she thought.

"Gunn? Can you show them their rooms? I ain't letting Wes go alone with them anywhere."

"His name is Percival," the one Faith pegged as his mother said.

"No, his name is Wesley," Cordelia said. "You all killed Percy when you disowned him for a mistake that he apologized for."

"Okay," one of the two older younger redheads said. "Mum, you've already torqued them. Can we please save pissing them off beyond belief for tomorrow? I am tired and am in no mood to clean up the blood."

"Bill," the mother said.

He sighed. "Look, we are guests here. It seems pretty obvious things have changed. Hell, he's the leader here. We are guests in this place so we really need to act like it. Percy? No, you aren't using that name anymore. What do we call you?"

"Wesley," Cordelia told Bill. "He's our Wes. He keeps us all together, watches over us and makes sure we win. He's our magic man, our walking Arsenal and our book man. If we need the info, chances are better than average our Wes has it. That's how it works here. You people aren't in charge and have no authority. We don't care about names or money. Names mean nothing here and money? Hell, Angelus could probably buy your bank. We don't care about whom you think you are or where you come from. This is our world and you are just guests in it."

"Down Cordelia," Wesley said softly. He looked at those he'd once called his family and sighed. "This is my world, now," he told them. "This is the family I chose. The family that does not care about past mistakes on my part. These are the people who accepted me for who I am rather than who anyone wanted me to be. I am Wesley Pryce here. That is the only thing that matters to my family. The rest? W hat you all may call me or think of me? Thos are just labels. And disregarded here with the same casualness as you all once disregarded me. I made a mistake, I'm sorry an apology wasn't good enough for you all. Angelus? I want a shag tonight. I'm far too tense to relax from anything else. Gunn? How long until dinner? Cordy, have you had any visions?"

"No visions," Cordelia said. "Dinner in an hour, Angelus, go shag your mate. I know we have time enough for that. And you...people...can just sit down and shut up."

"I hope we do better in the morning," the man in black said.

Angelus looked him over. "You and the two oldest boys haven't done anything," he said. "It's the rest of them we have issues with. What's your name?"

"Severus Snape," the man said. "And you're...which one?"

"Angelus," the dark vampire said. "We named this place for my souled half who didn't survive hell. Welcome to Angel Investigations. Home of the mixed family of one Wesley A. Pryce. We'll see you all in an hour."

And he vanished up the steps with his mate leaving most of their guests staring in shock.

"I really wouldn't start trouble with him," a petite blond said. "I can attest to Angelus' temper when he's mad."

END PART 1