Title: Servant's Wish

Author: Kate R.

Disclaimer: So not mine.

Rating: PG-13 to R I suppose

Pairings: Giles/Ethan, Xander/Spike, Angelus/Wes (Eventually)

Summary: Angsty



Servant's Wish
by Kate R.

Part 1: Rules

"Okay, Wesley," Angel said once he had him in his office. "You know Giles and Buffy and the others from Sunnydale are coming for Christmas so you have to be here. Time I laid out the rules for what you will and will not do while they are here. Get me?"

"Yes Angel," Wesley whispered.

"Good," the ensouled vampire said. "Rule 1: No one got you anything because no one cares. You do not ask anyone for anything while they are here, you do not tell anyone you have no gifts to open. They'll find out Christmas morning how little you merit."

"Yes Angel," Wesley said again.

"Rule 2," Angel said. "You have no gifts so you do not get any Christmas meals. You are excluded from them. Understand?"

"Yes," Wesley whispered.

"Rule 3: No asking for anything at all from anyone. No matter what, no matter how hungry or how curious or how much you'd like to have something. They wont think you're worth it because you know they didn't get you anything either. You can answer questions but you do not ask them anything. Clear?"

Wesley nodded weakly. He was going to be miserable but he had to do this. He had to be here because Giles wanted to meet Angel's team. Team member yes, but he wasn't liked and he wasn't wanted and no one cared abut him. He sighed and went back out to his desk and sat down to wait. The group from Sunnydale would be here soon and he had to be ready to deal with everything.

He heard a few hours alter the cars pulling up. In that time he had had several snide comments shot at him and he swallowed hard. He had books he was working out of and since he was not supposed to speak unless spoken to he figured he would need them. Who would speak to him after all?

"Wesley!" he heard shouted by a young voice.

His head shot up and he stared. Dawn was running towards him all happy an excited. He brought his arms up to stop her from plowing into him and the desk and she gave him a hug. He froze but he hadn't asked. Anyone could see he had been trying to prevent her from hurting herself.

"I didn't know you worked for Angel," Dawn said excitedly. "Is it fun? Do you kill demons?" She babbled and he answered her questions as best he could while trying not to let on how much this was hurting.

He said hello to everyone and worked with Dawn watching him. They seemed glad he was there to watch her. To keep her out of the way while they decorated and such. Every part of the hotel except his corner where his desk was was decorated before they stopped and he felt so isolated and excluded. He knew there was nothing left he could maybe be allowed to have. Nothing he could use to cheer his desk up, nothing he could have to make it look like he at least was tolerated here.

"Wes," dawn said. "Giles is ordering pizza, his treat. What do you want?"

He glanced at Angel and saw the dark cowl but received a curt nod.

"Cheese," he said. No point in making it worse after all. He was being told what he would have by someone so he figured best make it as plain as he could.

"You don't like meat on your pizza anymore?" she asked.

His eyes again shot to Angel who gave an even colder nod than the last one so Wesley swallowed and asked for pepperoni.

Dawn grinned. She liked Pepperoni but not the other shit on the pizzas the Scoobies got so she would share with him.

Wesley swallowed as he worked until the food arrived. Oh, he was so dead.

The pizza was the best he'd had in awhile despite Angel asking him for a million things during the meal. He barely a one piece but it was good. He sighed as the boxes were cleaned up and left overs put in the fridge.

He knew it was nearly time for bed for everyone so he'd have his one chance soon. His chance to look at the Christmas tree and see the decorations on it. He was not allowed to look at it and everything under it unless no one else was there to see him. He'd never understood that rule but he had no choice.

Angel had cuffed him so hard on the back of the head the one time he'd made a mistake like that so he didn't look unless no one else was around anymore.

"Night, Wes," Angel said as he and the others trooped up to their warm rooms.

If he got lucky he would fall asleep at his desk. The room Angel gave him here to use when he had to stay like tonight was small and cold and drafty and didn't even have a bed. "Good night



Part 2: Discussions The Dark One

"What did you see, Xander?" the Englishman asked.

Xander flopped onto one of the two beds in the room and sighed. "He was staring at the tree and he looked so crushed. You were right by the way; nothing under that tree has his name on it. There is no table setting for him either. I think he's only here because you said you wanted to meet his whole team. I get the feeling Wesley may be a team member but he isn't part of this little family Angel has managed to build himself. He isn't even wanted here I don't think so I think we may have guaranteed Wesley one miserable Christmas. He has nothing and I think he's going to have to watch us with all our gifts tomorrow. And I know he won't be at dinner so..."

"So it's likely he won't be at any meal. Dammit! What the hell are they doing this for? If I had known he was here I would have gotten him something."

"I think that's the point, Giles," Buffy said. "Angel didn't tell us he was here because he didn't want Wes to have anything. I get the feeling he told Wes we knew he was here but Dawn shot that down when she said she had no idea he was here in LA too. Angel looked pissed about it. I saw his face and the look he gave Wesley was one that promised retribution later. I don't like this and I don't want to leave him here with Angel. I don't like the way it'll likely go for him. He looked so hurt earlier and notice we came in new stuff and he didn't ask word 1 about it. He only spoke if we asked him something. I think he's not allowed to and I really do not like how he's being treated."

"Then we need to do something about it but I don't know what," Giles said.

"How's about tomorrow we make Peaches know just how pissed we are? I noticed it too tonight, Rupes. That kid ain't do nothing but watch us all and work. He didn't laugh or smile and he wasn't included and you notice there aren't any decorations on his desk? He's being excluded deliberately. It's being done to make him hurt cause I saw the smirks and the nasty looks being sent his way. It's being done deliberately."

"DAMMIT!" Giles snapped.

He agreed with the plan. The next morning they would start showing Angel just how angry they were about the treatment of Wesley. He could not wait until tomorrow.

Once it was finished, they all went to sleep in the room Giles was in. They had work they had to do tomorrow but it was all planned out now.

In a limo with totally blacked out windows, Angelus rode in the late afternoon. It was getting on to sunset meaning Angel would be up soon. He did not know how they had been separated nor did he care. All he knew was that he could be with his Chosen One now without worrying about going insane from pain. He was feeling something wrong with his Chosen One though so he had a feeling he might experience insane Rage. He at back and waited in the darkness of the limo.

"I'm coming for you Wesley," he said. "Soon."



Part 3: Christmas Save

"Morning Wesley," Dawn called as she and the others came down the steps.

Wesley smiled weakly, trying not to whimper in pain it seemed as he continued to write.

"Hey Wes," Angel called. "Lets go. We're doing presents in ten minutes."

"M-must I?" he asked softly.

Angel glared at him and he swallowed starting to rise to his feet when Dawn intervened.

"I want to stay here with him," she said coldly to Angel. "I prefer his company to any of you all."

She deliberately wrapped her arms around Wesley's waist and hugged him.

He couldn't help the slight yelp and Dawn stared as she pulled her hands back and found them covered with blood.

"Wesley?" she whispered in shock.

"I..." he began.

He looked like he was trying think of an excuse when the doors to the hotel were slapped open and someone stalked in. He was big and radiated power and seeing his face everyone took a step back.

"Sire?" Spike asked the longhaired ringer for Angel.

He looked at Spike and smiled gently. "Aye, William," he said. "'Tis me."

He stood before Wesley and gently ran his hands over the badly hurt man. Finally his head came up and pinned every member of AI with a look that promised death.

"You're mine," he said darkly. 'Every damn one of ye will feel my wrath before I finish. Rupert, get whatever gifts you have that are yours and your family's. Were leaving. I won't leave mine here and longer I marked you all as my clan. And...I am sorry about the Acathala mess. Him I couldn't have cared less about but Liam. Ah, poor Liam. Didn't deserve the hell that was his life from the time he was a child. I have Liam now so I no longer need him. Come on, Wes. Ye can sleep in the limo on the way home. Angel, dinnae cross me, dinnae come near me. He's mine. They are all mine. Ye ever hurt what's mine again and I'll bloody rip yer heart out and step on it."

Angelus then wrapped Wesley in his arms and led the trembling man from the hotel with the others following. Angelus got Wesley settled in the limo with himself and the others got in to their vehicles and drove away from the Hyperion.

Enough was enough. No more hurt would befall this one who was theirs. NO matter what they would all strive to protect the gentle soul know as Wesley.


Chapter 4: Discussions And An Early Gift

They were at the mansion when Giles received his gift. By mutual agreement they had all followed the Limo there. Angelus had carried the
sleeping ex-watcher into the mansion and laid him on the couch by a fire. He covered the sleeping mortal up with a blanket and then looked at everyone.

Giles looked around the room and froze as he locked eyes with...

"Ethan!"

"Merry Christmas, Rupert," Angelus said. Giles was smiling as he hugged the sorcerer and finally they all settled around the big Chair Angelus
had positioned next to Wes sleeping on the couch.

"Okay, I gathered from the way you all were reacting in the hotel Angel did not get Wes anything and did not tell you all he was there correct?"

"Yeah," Buffy said. "We're trying to think how to remedy the Wes not having any gifts thing."

"Well, this was supposed to be part of your gifts but I sort of bought the use of Sunnydale Mall for three days. Think you can find things for him there in that time? I was thinking we could celebrate later? Maybe by a few days? AND he could have gifts that way and Ripper can get a few things for Captain Chaos. By the way, Ripper, Dru balanced him. She found what was wrong and ironed it out for him. Someone needs to do something about those stuffy bastards in London since they are the ones who caused it. Anyhow, if you all can go to the mall and get gifts for our sleeping Watcher here, I'll stay and get the food for dinner ordered and such. Okay?"

"Sure Angelus," Buffy said. It hit her she was more comfortable in his presence than she had been in Angel's and Giles seemed to be feeling the same way which confused him.

"I didn't torture you, Rupert," Angelus said. "I was trying to get Liam back from hell. Angel without Liam to give me nominal control sometimes can be sadistic and cruel. He wanted to go the hard way to get the door to hell opened. I was going to try to ask you but I was in too much pain on losing him and too frantic to find away to get him back to realize Angel was completely unstable and what all he was doing both to your group and my Childer. I am eternally sorry for that. If I'd been paying more attention it Never would have happened."

"It...wasn't your fault," Giles managed to say. He looked at the dark vampire and saw sadness over what he had caused by not being able to control Angel. "So, we really get the mall to ourselves for three days?"

"Mmmhmmm," Angelus said. "You can go shopping and such whenever you wish if you all don't mind waiting another day or so before opening your gifts. I'd like muh Chosen to have some things as well."

The Scoobies all nodded and Angelus retreated into silence just watching Wesley sleep under the warm blanket. He made a silent vow as everyone
picked a room leaving the Master bedroom for him, that he would protect this precious one until the day he died....Again.



END PART 4

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