wfc2

~~~part two~~~

�Say something!� Cordelia snapped, growing tired of watching Angel stare expressionlessly at the highway in front of him. It was his death grip on the steering wheel that gave away his true emotions. �We�ve been driving now for the last hour and you haven�t said a word!�

�I have nothing to say.� Angel loosened his hold on the steering wheel, only to grip it tighter.

�Uh-huh.� Peering over her shoulder, Cordelia checked on Patrick who was sleeping soundly in his car seat.

Angel stayed silent for a moment. �How could they do that...and to Willow? How many times has she been there for them? Putting her life on the line night after night. Going to that crappy college so she could stay in town and keep the Hellmouth safe. She gave up so much for them, for Buffy and this is how they repay her.�

�If it�s any consolation Spike didn�t *say* that they kicked her out of town.�

�Come on Delia, we both know how inconsiderate they can be.� Angel let his eyes off the road for a moment to give her a look. �They may not have packed her bags and put her on a bus, but I�m sure their thoughtlessness and self-absorbed attitudes was enough to make Willow disappear.�

Cordelia nodded numbly. She tried to envision how Willow must have felt during her last days in Sunnydale. Scared and alone, trying desperately to make things right again.

�And what really makes me mad as hell is that we�re no different than they are. We didn�t think twice when the calls and e-mails stopped.� Angel�s tone was low and filled with self-loathing.

�Angel stop that. You�ve been through a lot this last year. You�ve become a Daddy, had that whole Holtz thing to deal with, not to mention keeping Patrick safe from all those crazy demon cults. Plus may I add keep the agency running while Wolfram and Hart tried to take it all away. Now me on the other hand could�ve called, written a letter, something.� Cordelia looked out the window as cars went whizzing past.

�Why didn�t she come to us for help?� Now sounding hurt, Cordelia wished that she could hug her friend and tell him that everything was going to be all right.

�After the hatred she faced in Sunnyhell I�m sure that she thought she�d receive the same from us. Face it, where Buffy is concerned you�ve been known to be a little biased.�

�But things have changed.� Angel defended himself.

�Hello?! I know that. Been with you almost every step of the way. I know you got over her when she died. But they don�t know this. They all see you as Buffy eternal forbidden flame, not the vampire I have watched you become.�

�I wish I knew where to find her...hell I wish I knew where to start looking. Maybe if we knew a year ago we�d have some leads. A DAMN YEAR!� Angel growled out the last part, pounding his fists on the steering wheel. Patrick stirred in the backseat but stayed asleep.

�We can still at least try.� Cordelia knew how fruitless it would be. A lot could happen in a year, people forgot a stranger passing through town.

�Delia we�re buried by the cases we have now. If she wanted to be found she would�ve left some sort of clue.� Cordelia felt as though she were going to cry. �That doesn�t mean that we won�t try, but I want you to be aware that we may never see Willow again.�

~~~~*~~~~

The doors to the Hyperion swung open, Wesley Gunn and Fred stopped in mid-sentence to give a look of confusion.

�Now that�s what I call a dine and dash.� Gunn walked up to Cordelia and took Patrick from her.

�We didn�t stay long enough to eat.� Angel muttered handing Patrick�s diaper bag to Fred.

�You were barely gone long enough to get to Sunnydale and back.� Wesley spoke slowly, not sure if he wanted to hear what had his friends return so early from their festivities. �Did you have a vision?� Wesley looked over to Cordelia in concern.

�Yeah, something like that. I envisioned Buffy and her little pals dying a slow and painful death...at my hands.� The words were spoken sharply as Cordelia walked past the group.

�I don�t understand. You saw yourself hurting...�

�They�ve been keeping a little something from us.� Angel�s cryptic words didn�t help Wesley�s confusion. �Willow�s gone.�

�What do you mean gone? Will you two stop being so bloody cryptic and get it out already?!� Wesley followed Cordelia.

�Willow�s powers got the better of her last year.� Angel stated softly.

�I knew it would happen! I told Giles a hundred times that she needed to be trained properly.� Wesley�s right temple started to throb as his face turned red. �But nooo. He was too bloody wrapped up in the slayer and her little melodramas that he couldn�t see that Willow was digging her own grave.�

Cordelia looked up sharply at Wesley. �What do you mean you warned Giles? Wesley is there something that we should know?�

�Willow was playing with power that she had no idea how to handle. Perhaps if Giles had listened and found her a teacher like I suggested ...� Wesley looked around the room at the intense expressions and calmed down a little. �I know you all hated me when I first showed up in Sunnydale. With all my *stuffy* Watcher ways. But there were some things that the council believed in, that I still back them on. They never approved of the small army that Buffy had supporting her, not because the slayers secret had been shared, but because there wasn�t enough supervision for the adolescents. Giles had his hands full training Buffy and keeping her on the right path. He didn�t have enough energy to keep a proper eye on Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz and Amy.�

�Yeah we all know how Amy turned out.� Cordelia grumbled.

�Who�s Amy?� Fred was trying hard to keep up with the conversation. She had heard most of the names in passing, but this was the first time anyone really talked about the residents of Sunnydale. She had always been interested in how Angel and Cordelia met, and about the small group of friends they fought beside.

�Amy was a witch who turned herself into a rat when the adults of Sunnydale went all pyro on them.� Cordelia tried to fill in the gaps.

�Oh...�

�Wesley get back to the part of you warning him.� Angel�s tone was murderous.

�If you all remember when I arrived in Sunnydale my appearance wasn�t all that welcomed. So I was able to be a stranger looking from the outside into your small group. Out of all the teens Willow worried me the most. She was playing with magic, seeing what nifty little spells she could perform. That�s the major reason most of her stuff backfired, she wasn�t taking it seriously. There was no formal education. I warned Giles that sooner or later Willow was going to go too far, without knowing it and the consequences would be deadly.�

�So what did this Giles guy say?� Gunn asked.

�That he�d look into it.� Wesley�s low voice responded. �I was going to inform the council that something had to be done, but then that whole thing with Faith happened, then the ascension.�

�He knew.� Cordy looked over to Angel, her eyes flashing in anger. �Giles knew what could happen. How many times did we just expect Willow to do some *little* spell?�

�Back to Willow, what happened?� Gunn rested a reassuring hand on Cordelia�s shoulder.

�She got so bad she almost killed Dawn. She swore off magic, from what Spike said it was like watching a heroin addict get clean. Buffy and her groupies wouldn�t forgive Willow, but it also didn�t stop them from asking her to do a spell.�

�Poor Willow!� Fred�s face was twisted in concern.

�So she left.� Angel stood and took Patrick from Gunn. �A year ago.� Walking across the lobby and up the stairs everyone watched his retreating back.

�If you haven�t guessed Angel�s not taking this very well.� Leaning her head back against the couch Cordelia let out a long sigh. �To tell you the truth I�m not dealing with this all that well.�

Wesley stood looking from the stairs to Cordelia and back again. �What do you mean a year ago?�

�Willow left a year ago, don�t know how to clarify it any other way.�

�But no one called us.� Wesley�s voice was filled with puzzlement.

Cordelia gave a harsh laugh. �If it weren�t for *Spike* we wouldn�t even know now.�

�Well what are we going to do? We can�t just sit here and do nothing. I�ve seen witches who get addicted, it�s not a pretty sight. She needs friends and family around her.�

�Wes, her family is worse then her friends in Sunnydale if you can believe that. Where are we going to start looking? Local witch rehab centers? I�m going upstairs to take a long hot bath.� Cordelia stood, walking wearily up the stairs.

�So that�s it? They�re gonna let one of there friends just fade away like that?� Gunn asked the moment Cordelia was out of sight. Wesley shook his head.

�I think they just need time to absorb this.�

�But that doesn�t mean we can�t start looking does it?� Fred arched a brow at the two males.

~~~*~~~