Testament Series
by Schehrezade
Pairing:
Wes on his lonesome
Rating: R
Summary: A series of letter from Wes to various people. All the letters are
written by our man during the final season of ATS
Disclaimer: Wes isn't mine - though it's been fun playing with him!!
Dear
Rupert,
It is with a slight trepidation that I put pen to paper, as I am hesitant to add
to your workload. But I have some news and also would be interested in hearing
from you in reference to the final moments in Sunnydale. Angel has been-- as
usual-- particularly closed mouthed about his visit. It was only in the last day
that I discovered he had been to visit Buffy. More on this later, though.
I imagine that you are heavily involved in salvaging the remnants of the Council
and supervising all the newly called Slayers that have been popping up all over
the world. I would be interested in hearing about the Slayer phenomenon if you
have time?
It is an unprecedented and exciting situation that you must be finding yourself
in. Travers often complained about the aberrance of having two Slayers fighting
the good fight and felt that there may have been an imbalance created by
Kendra-- and then Faith-- being called after Buffy's first brush with death.
Personally, I always felt the more Champions for good the better, as did many
others of our now deceased fellow Watchers. It is hard to believe that so many
have gone, people we trained with and also worked side by side with. And on
occasion against, such as the team of thugs that Travers sent to 'retrieve' her
after she first awoke from her coma.
I still cannot begin to understand the loss of so many human lives; the impact
on all their friends and families must be colossal.
I imagine you have lots of ideas on where to escape the narrow-minded confines
of Travers's thinking and ensure that the Slayers and their welfare are placed
first? Have you tried contacting any of the other families? Surely some of the
Council survived? I suppose you are hesitant in doing so - a call to arms after
such a devastating attack would no doubt cause the few of the surviving trained
Watchers and their families’ distress?
I find it a strange new world that we are living in - the effect of The First's
campaign has left many scars on our lives, ones that I fear we will carry for
ever. So many fallen friends and co-workers - I find it very hard to accept that
they are all gone. And in such a cowardly way - a bomb, truly terrifying and it
makes us all feel so vulnerable. Something that I have recently been victim to
myself - I was shot by the reanimated corpse of a policeman. Fortunately, I
recovered, unlike our fellow friends and co-workers.
We have all been trained to be on guard against mystical attacks-- who would
ever have imagined that the forces of Darkness would resort to using mortal
weapons? And so effectively.
In all honesty, I doubt any of them considered the more mundane ways of being
attacked. A bomb! To this day I am stunned at the way they were all killed in
one stroke. A small part of me also laments the loss of all the resources the
Council had at its command. If there is anything I can do to assist in sourcing
lost tomes of reference, please contact me. Recently I have come into possession
of some wonderful texts and have the resources to purchase anything that may be
of assistance. Please don't hesitate to ask, Rupert.
I must say, we are all curious about the way in which Willow called all the
Potentials during your final fight in the Hellmouth. If you have time, I would
be fascinated to hear about how she managed it - her last visit to LA was a
revelation. Her powers have increased exponentially, truly amazing. She
mentioned also having succumbed to the darker elements of magic - I trust that
Ms Rosenberg has managed to avoid the more evil aspects of the magical world?
This must have been a strain for you? Sorry, I have managed to move away from
the crux of this missive.
There is no easy way to couch this in gentle terms, but I felt you should know.
From what I understand, he fought side by side with Buffy and the others for a
good few years. No, Angel was not the one to tell us this, unfortunately Spike
is particularly verbose and we are often regaled with his adventures. I find it
all fascinating.
I digress.
Giles… William the Bloody is back. I believe he goes by the moniker, Spike? I
imagine that this news is something of a shock?
Envisage our surprise when he appeared in Angel's office. It was all very odd;
Angel opened an envelope and a rather gaudy amulet fell out. A strange cloud
swirled out of it and slowly Spike's body reformed. I must say he does shout
rather loudly…he maintains that he wasn't screaming like a child, though I
have to say it did sound suspiciously like a scream to me. The entire process
looked extremely painful - he reformed from a molecular level. I have to say I
was disappointed that Angel had not informed us of Spike's involvement in our
cause and that he also sought out and won his soul. Which is a marvellous
achievement for a demon, don't you think? I wish that I had been there when he
had returned. Did you assist him on his difficult journey?
Spike immediately launched himself at Angel - there appears to be some
tremendous animosity on both their sides, doesn't there? However, to his and our
shock, Spike passed straight through Angel and landed up standing inside Angel's
desk. It appears that he is incorporeal, and another side effect is that he is
bound to LA in some mystical way. He did attempt to leave but was returned to
the building in which we now work. I hesitate to mention where we work as I fear
you may judge us harshly. If you wish to know, please contact me and I shall
endeavour to explain our reasons for being where we are now.
As for Spike's unfortunate situation, one of our associates-- a Ms.Burkle -is a
supremely talented scientist and she is working on establishing why Spike is in
the state he is. She is also trying to find a way to return him to a solid form,
though this is probably going to take some time, as we have no idea how to
address the problem. So for now, Spike is an unwilling guest with us. He really
does delight in tormenting Angel, doesn't he?
And he can be quite prickly and defensive, can't he?
Spike did tell us of his sacrifice during the final battle with the Turok
Han, the sealing of the Hellmouth and the restoration of the balance. A truly
heroic achievement for one of the Scourges of Europe; we truly are fortunate to
have individuals such as Spike and Angel fighting the good fight!
Has the First truly gone into hiding? I wonder, as we both know that there is
good and evil in us all. However, I have to ask, did you document anything about
the Turok Han? I can't believe that these demons exist. I had thought-- as did
many others-- that they were mythical. But then again, we are surrounded by
mythical beings and demons on a daily basis - why should I be so surprised, I
ask myself.
I felt it was essential that you heard of Spike's return and the current
circumstances of his 'health'. His first questions were about Buffy-- he was
concerned about her. Angel was extremely vague to Spike about Buffy and her
whereabouts and whether she was well or not. I sensed a note of rivalry between
them over Buffy. Were Spike and Buffy friends as well as fighting together?
Anyway, if you could, would you please inform Buffy about Spike's return? I have
included a note for her - I wasn't able to glean her address from Angel so I
hope you can forward this to her?
I will keep you posted on Spike's circumstances when time permits and look
forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely,
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Giles sat back at his desk and sighed, the letter for Buffy rested under his
fingers as he considered his options.
With a sigh he opened it and began reading, a frown furrowing his brow as the
contents were quickly absorbed.
Without hesitation he screwed it up and tossed it into the trashcan...
Dear Buffy,
I have sent a letter to Giles, with this note included within it. I do hope that
he forwards this to you. I imagine you are surprised to hear from me? Seeing
that the last time you saw me was quite a long time ago. I know that we have
never been close and my tenure as your Watcher was nothing if not a debacle. But
a lot has happened since those rather green days - I have seen and fought so
many beings that it has had an impact on me. Hopefully for the good. I do
apologise for much of my behaviour during your last year in High School - I wish
I had done so many things differently.
I do hope that you and your sister are well and are adjusting to a life away
from the Hellmouth. It must be very liberating not to have to patrol the
cemeteries nightly in Sunnydale? Have you returned to your studies? Is Dawn
enjoying Europe?
Angel mentioned briefly that you and your sister were travelling on the
Continent - have you managed to take in all the sights and museums? It must be
wonderful for you both to have the time to do so. I envy you - the road that we
have chosen to take in our lives-- fighting against the forces of Darkness--
usually dominates all aspects of our day-to-day living. Often to the detriment
of the more 'normal' things that life and the world offers. It is good that you
have a chance to see what you have been fighting for all these years. I imagine
it gave you a great deal of pleasure to see what and whom you are fighting for?
I do hope that you find the time to write to me, I apologise for all the
questions but would be interested to hear from you and hear about your
experiences.
Life has been busy here in LA - there is some sad news that I do need to impart
to you. I wish that I wasn't the bearer of such bad news - sadly, Cordelia Chase
has fallen into a coma. I know that the two of you knew each other and that she
tried to help in your Slaying on occasion at Sunnydale High, and I felt that it
was important that you knew her current circumstances.
Quite frighteningly she was taken over by a rather destructive individual called
Jasmine, who has, I promise, been dealt with. But unhappily, Cordelia didn't
recover, much to all our mutual despair. I assure you that the best doctors we
can locate are tending too her. We are all hopeful that she will awaken,
however, in all honesty, it has been a long while. I will contact you with any
news about her and we all hope that she will return to us soon.
I do have some rather interesting and, I hope, happy news? It occurred the other
day - we were in a meeting and Angel opened an envelope addressed to him and
something quiet surprising happened. An amulet, which I believe Angel gave you
on his last visit to Sunnydale, fell out and, well, I have no idea how to put
this in gentle terms - Spike is back. It was a rather surprising course of
events. A cloud of dust and light whirled out of the charm and slowly a form
began to appear. And then Spike was standing there, shouting his head off.
I wish there was an easier way to tell you this, but he appears to be a ghost.
He is unable to touch anything and has developed the rather annoying habit of
walking through walls and doors into our offices. Was he always this garrulous?
I understand that this is probably quite a shock for you? But in our line of
work we should expect the unexpected - and as you know from personal experience,
individuals can come back from death. I apologise if the last sentence sounded
flippant, but I am at a loss as to what to write.
However, if you wish to contact me and discuss this latest turn of events, I
have included my home and mobile numbers for you. If you are interested in
talking to Spike, I am sure that I can arrange for you and he to speak to each
other - maybe with a conference call? Technology is really quite amazing.
I look forward to hearing from you and about your more recent adventures
All the best,
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Testament II
Dearest Mother,
I apologise for the lack of news recently. Life
has taken some interesting turns of late; I don't imagine that father will be
impressed with my news but I am hopeful that the choices we have made will
result in some good being achieved. I have decided to put pen to paper, rather
than call you about the recent events that have occurred. But more of this in a
moment.
Where to begin??
Firstly, I wanted to say how very sorry I am
about the recent tragic events - I know that both you and father lost a great
many dear friends and associates. I imagine everything has been a terrible
shock. I'm very sorry; I know that you were close with many of the wives and
have probably been very busy helping them through their grief.
Have you heard from Robson's family? I heard that
he had survived an attack and was wondering if he has recovered from his ordeal.
Can you send my best to Amy and his children? I sadly don't have his contact
numbers. If you have the time then please could you forward them to me?
I'm hesitant to contact any of the families
because of my parting of ways with the Council; I know many people still do not
hold me in very high regard as a result of my choosing to work with Angel. But
that is an old argument, which I am positive neither of us can face in this time
of sorrow.
I imagine you are wondering why I am writing to
you? I know that we have not been in contact with each other as much as I would
have liked. But something has happened and I needed to contact you. As I
mentioned earlier - I have been working with Angel for several years and
recently we took on a new position, within a company called Wolfram and Hart.
Yes, mother, I know that they are the representatives of evil in this dimension.
But we defeated their LA branch and in turn the company ceded it to us to do
with as we wish.
So, we have taken possession and are striving
from within to destroy the company and their demonic clients. There is a wealth
of knowledge and tremendous means for us to use to help in our fight against all
the things that go bump in the night. There are a series of books that are of
outstanding value. I wish you could see them!
I'm sure you will have much to say on the subject
and will no doubt be airing your views very soon. But there is something vitally
important that I have to impart to you.
Something happened here recently - and I am at a
loss. Mother, I really don't know how to put it into words, but I will try.
Father was here - and yes, mother, I know it
wasn't him. But at the time I was positive it was. He knew everything about me -
intimate details which only he and I knew. I was convinced it was he - the way
he looked, spoke, smelled and behaved-- it was father. This impostor took all of
us in; it was chilling and very nearly caused the death of someone I hold very
dear to my heart. This cyborg was using me to get his hands on the means to
control Angel for his organisation's no doubt murky intentions.
I was fortunately able to prevent either of these
tragic events from happening - but it was in a way which I abhorred and am
stilling feeling more than a little off kilter.
I know that neither you nor father appreciate me
showing any form of 'weakness' but I have had to do something repugnant to my
nature - kill a human.
I had to shoot father - and up until the moment I
shot him I was positive that he was father, right up to the moment I squeezed
the trigger. Part of me was just positive and yet still I managed to kill him.
Mother, I am at a loss - it was possibly the most
appalling thing I have ever had to do in my life. As you intimately know, father
and I have never been close all those years where he tormented me for my
supposed failures. Not to mention the cupboard and how fond father was for using
it as 'punishment' for all my sins... But lets not reopen old wounds.
I just needed to contact you to try and put into
words what has happened and how I feel - I think I have failed miserably though.
I know what you are thinking; I deserve it for
aligning myself with Angel and also now with Wolfram and Hart. But mother, I
assure you that we have entered the company with open eyes and are determined to
work from within to make a difference.
We have high hopes of succeeding and I will keep
you informed about our progress. And no, mother, I am not being punished because
of joining W & H by having to shoot a simulacrum of my father. It was a
series of unconnected events.
Though, I have to say I have real concerns as to
how whoever created this machine managed to get so much information about our
family and the inner workings of the Council.
Has father been away for any unexplained reasons?
Has he had any memory loss? Have you noticed anything different about him? I am
very concerned about you and he – please, if anything out of the norm has
occurred contact me or at least someone you trust, who can help you. I know we
haven't spoken for so long - in fact, on writing this I realised that it would
be an idea to call you as soon as possible.
I am planning to come home for a visit; I hope it
will be all right to stay in my old room? I have the tickets booked and will
send you the details of my itinerary. It shall be good to see you mother and to
have a rest from all the insanity of my life in LA.
Your loving son
Wesley
The middle-aged woman carefully folded the letter
and replaced it in the envelope. Reaching for the telephone she rang her son.
"Come home my boy, come home." A sad
smile lingered on her lips as she heard Wesley's voice
Testament III
Dear
Mr & Mrs Chase,
I found your address in Cordelia's address book. There was no telephone number
so I have decided to write to you. I do hope the address is up to date as I know
you haven't been in contact with your daughter for the last few years. It is a
shame that you didn't as she developed into a wonderful woman.
It is with great regret that I write you this news. Sadly Cordelia passed away
two days ago. It was something that we were --unhappily-- waiting for.
She had been injured badly a while back and had lapsed into a coma. Please let
me assure you that she received only the best medical care and was extremely
comfortable in her last days. She was not in any pain or discomfort.
I imagine that this is devastating news for you to hear from a stranger, but let
me assure you that Cordy and I were dear friends and have known each other for
many years. So please take comfort in this. I knew her so well and hence why I
am contacting you with this terrible news. Much better than a government
official or a stranger who didn't know what an astonishing woman your daughter
was.
She and I first came in contact with each other when I was working in Sunnydale.
From the moment I met your daughter, I realised what a lovely girl she was, so
full of charm and a sharp wit. It was a brief friendship at best in Sunnydale as
I was only in town on business for a short time.
It was in Los Angeles a year later, where we made contact again. We worked
together in a detective agency. Cordelia temped there whilst trying to establish
herself in the film industry. I understand that at this time you and your wife
were in dire straits and were unavailable to assist her in the difficult
transition from High School and the adult world.
I would like to tell you that Cordy managed to create a new life for herself,
and was a success. I am sure that you would been so proud of her.
I am unsure as to how much of her recent life you were aware of? She did have a
modicum of success as an actress, but rapidly became more involved in helping
our clients. Many of them were in a difficult place in their lives and Cordelia
was able on many occasions to help them, and to create a safer environment for
them to live in. In a way you could say she saved lives and made a difference in
this harsh world. Cordelia did this and more and always with that irrepressible
smile of hers on her face!
She became the heart of our company and was the glue that held us all together.
I cannot tell you how much Cordelia will be missed by us all. In a sense, we
were each other's family. Over the years I watched her develop into the warm and
generous woman that she became; you would have been so proud of her. All of our
lives were greatly enriched by knowing Cordelia. I wish with all my heart that
she had been with us for many more years, her absence from our lives has left a
gaping wound. All I can take comfort in is that I knew her as a friend and a
colleague.
Angel, Gunn, Fred and I who worked with Cordy and were also her closest friends,
we all loved her - and to have her taken away from us in such a senseless way is
devastating.
All of us are mourning her loss; it has left a gaping hole in our family. If you
wish to contact any of us to talk about Cordelia, please do so - I have included
all our numbers. Sadly, Angel may find it very difficult to talk about her as
they had become extremely close. I believe that they loved each other very
deeply. Unfortunately time and circumstances didn't allow for them to
investigate their burgeoning relationship. So, if you do contact him, please
bear this in mind? He is particularly fragile at the moment and is prone to
lapses of silence and anger for losing her in such a way. As for the others and
myself, we would be more equipped answer any questions you may have.
Please accept my deepest condolences on your tragic loss - she will be deeply
missed by us all.
Yours truly,
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Dear Mr and Mrs Burkle,
I hate to write this and I detest that I have to let the dark world in which we
have been entrapped touch your lives. I have very little time and I wish I had
more of it to break this gently to you both.
As you have probably realised the above something terrible has happened.
Fred has passed away. I am sorry to be the one to write and inform you of this.
So much has happened since you were in LA with us. And most of the news is not
good.
You are two of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my
life; your kindness and love for Fred has been a delight, not just to myself,
but also for all the others. It offered us all hope that there were parents in
this world who did indeed love their children-- something which none of us have
experienced. So it is with great regret that I have to write to you with this
news.
However, I have no choice as I doubt there will be anyone left to contact you in
a few hours. We are about to go into a battle that I am positive none of us will
survive. But just in case this doesn't occur, I need to warn you both. If anyone
comes to Texas looking for you and resembling Fred, turn her away from the door!
It is not your daughter - it is the monster that destroyed her. You met her on
your last visit; I am sorry to say I allowed for this to happen. It is something
I deeply regret allowing to occur.
Please know that it was not through malice or anything so unkind, it was that I
just didn't know how to tell you - to explain to you that Fred was no more. I
had barely begun to accept it myself, and to attempt to vocalise it would have
destroyed me even more - not that there is much left of my heart and soul to do
so.
She asked for me to tell you that she was brave and wasn't scared at the end. I
believe she wasn't scared and Winifred was terribly brave during the entire
ordeal. I am sorry if I am not breaking this to you gently, but I'm at my wits
end. So much has happened and I have lost so many friends - Cordelia passed away
a few weeks ago and we were still recovering from her loss when Fred was torn
from us.
Fred was a determined young lady as you both well know, and she decided to join
us in our fight against the evils of this world. Now I wish she had never
returned to the hotel that night when you first came to collect her and take her
home all those years ago.
If she had, she would still be alive and well. I'm a fool for wishing this -
there are so many things I dreamt of changing. My greatest sorrow is that Fred
and I were only just beginning a relationship. Something that I had hoped for
from the moment we met. I hesitate to tell you all this, but I wanted you to
know - we loved each other very much and now she is gone and I am all alone.
Without her my life has no meaning.
Every day since she has gone, a part of me has perished.
It was something supernatural that ripped her away from this world; I blame
myself for this. I should have been there and protected her from the goddess
that took over her body. I am completely at a loss as to how to apologise for my
failure to protect Fred, to save her. I'm so very sorry, please forgive me.
Angel, Spike and I all fought desperately to save Fred once the 'infection'
occurred - sadly we failed. Angel and Spike flew to England and managed to
ascertain what had occurred; there was a cure but only if at the sacrifice of
hundreds of thousands of humans. Something that they grudgingly realised Fred
would never tolerate. I searched through all the books and prophesies I could
find to avert this, but to no avail.
I held her in my arms as she passed away - Fred was surrounded by love, please
be assured of this. All of us loved her, some as a friend, others as a sister
and I as the woman I loved. I know you weren't aware of this; our relationship
was new and one that I will treasure forever.
She completed me.
If you are reading this letter then I have died and have hopefully rejoined Fred
in the afterlife, if there is indeed such a place. I had left this letter along
with instructions for Fred's possessions to be returned to you in the event of
my not returning from this battle.
Please accept my deepest apologies for hiding behind a letter and not calling
you, but I couldn't bear to tell you over the phone. Fred deserved more than
that. I wish I could do more but time has run out for me. I have to go - Angel
is relying on me to help him defeat some of the architects of Fred's demise and
the corruption of our team. Rest assured the insidious individual that unleashed
the infection was brought to justice for what he did to Fred and all of us. Now
we go to face the others and try to make a difference-- for Fred and Cordy.
Something that I am determined to do, I will do my best I promise.
With deepest sympathies,
Wesley
Father,
I know you are not one for sentiment so I will be brief.
If you are reading this then I am dead. Please tell mother I love her and not to
mourn me too deeply. In reality I have been dead since Winifred died; I have
merely existed since then.
I know I was a great disappointment to you - being in your opinion a less than
stellar Watcher, what with the Council letting me go and the final insult,
working for a vampire. As I have often told you, Angel is no ordinary vampire.
He has a soul! But it appears he was not as unique as I originally assumed. His
GrandChilde also is ensouled and by choice, not as a result of a curse.
Something you would find quite interesting - I did mention all this to mother
when I came over to England on my last visit. It was a pity you were busy and
unable to come home for the brief time I was there.
However, I did spend a nice few days with Mother catching up - did she mention
any of the news I imparted? Well, I guess it doesn't really matter now.
Father, I want to say that I have made mistakes in my life, as have you - but I
am proud of what I have achieved. I believe I made a difference and in time I
hope that you will think so as well. Some of the paths I have chosen in my life
have resulted in great sadness, but also have brought me great happiness.
I leave it with a few regrets: one, that you and I never had the relationship
that I hoped for, and the other for the loss of the woman I loved-- Fred.
Something I have not recovered from, but now it doesn't matter, as it will be
all over soon and I will be at peace either way. If I survive it will be because
I made a difference in the good fight, and if I die then I will be able to rest.
Maybe my death fighting against evil will exacerbate some, if not all the
disappointment you seem to feel towards me?
I'm so tired, so very tired and angry at the hand that fate dealt Fred and I. I
know a show of emotion is something you find distasteful, but at this point I
really am past caring. But father, please know that despite all that has passed
between us, I do hope you know I cared for you and Mother.
I will leave this with my effects and instructions for them and this missive to
be sent to you in the event of my death.
I wish you and mother all my fondest love and hope that your lives will be full
and happy.
Your Son
Wesley
From:
M.E. Mortuary Ltd.
For the Attention of Mr Wyndam-Pryce.
The final arrangements have been made for the return of your son's body to the
United Kingdom. His remains will be arriving at London Heathrow on Flight BA 314
at 16.00pm.
All the relevant paperwork you will need to collect your Mr W Wyndam-Pryce's
coffin are enclosed.
If I or any of my associates can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate
to contact us.
Allow us to offer our condolences to you both on the passing of your son.
We are deeply sorry for you loss.
Yours Sincerely
J Whedon