Chapter 22: Late January 2006
Nika stood in front of the mirror, putting the finishing touches on her hair. “How do I look?”
Enid gave a nod of approval. “You are exquisite, cariad annwyl. I have something for you.”
“What is it?” Nika turned to face her grandmother. The older woman held out a chain with a familiar pendant, and Nika pulled back slightly. “Nain, are you sure? That’s your amulet.”
“It is time,” Enid said calmly. “I will retire soon, and when I do, I will come here, to be near you.”
Nika smiled tremulously. “Thank you, nain.” She bent her head obediently. The amulet had been passed down through her family from generation to generation, always from the hand of one midwife to the next. It’s value lay in its simple beauty, and the history behind its various bearers. She let her fingers play over the silver and onyx and turned to look in the mirror again. Its stark beauty was a fitting statement to her own dark hair, pale skin, and the black dress she wore.
“I am so very proud of you, cariad,” Enid whispered in Welsh. “So very proud.”
Nika smiled, meeting Enid’s eyes in the mirror. “I’m glad you like Wesley, nain. I knew you would, but—”
“Danny was a good boy,” Enid said stoutly. “Wesley is a solid man. There is depth there that will be a good match for yours. I think he would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy.”
“I think you might be right.” Nika gave the amulet a final pat and reached down for her purse. “So do you know where he’s taking me tonight?” Wesley had called her on her way home from work and told her to get dressed up, but he wouldn’t say where it was that they were going, only that it was a surprise.
It wasn’t that Nika was nervous about it; she trusted Wesley with her life. This was the first time he’d done something like this, however, and she had no idea what to expect.
“I have no idea what the boy is up to,” Enid said innocently, and Nika simply shook her head.
“Just like you have no idea what’s happening with Spike and Buffy,” Nika stated.
Enid snorted, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. “Am I their mother? Of course not. If I were a betting woman, I would say that young woman finally got her nerve up though.”
Nika smiled. “It’s about time. Spike’s been pining away for her since the day I met him.”
“Then perhaps you will get a happy ending, all of you,” Enid said gently.
Nika shrugged. “Happy endings are an oxymoron, nain. Endings are rarely anything of the sort.”
“Then I will not wish you a happy ending, but a joyful life, no?” Enid laid a wrinkled hand against her cheek. “I have always only wanted your happiness.”
“I know,” Nika replied. “I think I might manage it.” She stepped out of her bedroom to find Wesley waiting for her in a dark gray suit and blue shirt and darker blue tie. “Hello, Wesley.”
He stood, paralyzed a moment. “You look beautiful, my love.” Their lips met without thought, a gentle embrace with the promise of heat behind it. Wesley ran a hand through her hair. She’d left it down, and it dipped to her lower back.
“If you two don’t leave now, you’ll end up spending the evening in the bedroom,” Enid said from behind them, sounding amused. “And I had plans to catch up on my shows tonight.”
They both smiled rather sheepishly. “Of course,” Wesley said. “If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be late for our reservations.” He shrugged into a greatcoat, and held Nika’s coat out for her, offering his arm.
“Have fun,” Enid called cheerfully, waiting until they had gone and sinking down on the couch with a satisfied sigh. She pulled out the pack of cigarettes that she’d nicked from Spike and lit one up. Turning on the TV, she put her feet up on the coffee table.
Finally, she’d gotten them all out of the house. As a woman who had lived on her own for the last decade, Enid valued her quiet. She would have her smoke without Nika chiding her about her health, she would have her drink, and she would have a few hours’ peace.
At least until one or the other pair came home and started shagging like crazy. Enid allowed herself a fond smile for the follies of youth, letting herself remember when she too was young and in love and bright with potential.
~~~~~
Nika found herself pleasantly surprised by the restaurant. Not that she doubted Wesley’s abilities in any arena, but he hadn’t shown this side of himself before. The candlelight, the muted elegance of the atmosphere, the food: all was very satisfactory.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Nika?” Wesley asked after a while.
She smiled in reply. “Of course. I always enjoy myself when I’m with you.”
He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. “I’m afraid you give me too much credit.”
“And you give yourself too little,” was her rejoinder. She frowned. “We’re not going to argue about this, are we?”
“Far be it from me to try and convince you of what a rogue I really am,” Wesley said with a small smirk.
Nika smirked in response. “I like rogues.”
“Now you tell me,” he teased. “I would have acted entirely different around you had I known you felt that way.”
She laughed. “So are you going to tell me why we’re here tonight?”
“Does there need to be a reason?” he countered.
Nika raised an eyebrow. “Wesly, cariad, you never do anything without a reason.”
Wesley considered her statement, finally having to agree that she was right. There was typically some reason backing up each and every thing that he did. “Then maybe my reason was simply to spend time alone with you.”
It was possible, but Nika wasn’t buying it for a second. “Out with it, love. What is the big secret?”
“No secret,” he replied, feeling unaccountably nervous. He had already proposed; Nika had already said yes. Her answer was not in doubt, but Wesley still wondered if she wouldn’t come to her senses and change her mind.
He fished around in his breast pocket and pulled out the small, black box. “I wanted to make this official,” he started. “Partly because your nain is returning to Wales soon, and partly because I wanted everyone to know that you had agreed to be my wife.” Wesley opened the box slowly, grateful that his hands weren’t shaking too badly. “I would be honored if you would wear my ring, Danika.”
Nika was stunned. They hadn’t spoken about making their engagement official, nor had Wesley given her any indication that he planned on giving her a ring. She had expected that it would happen eventually, but it was still a surprise.
Not to mention the fact that the ring was perfect—exactly what she would have picked out for herself. “It’s beautiful,” she finally managed.
“May I put it on?” he asked.
Nika raised an eyebrow. “Do you even need to ask?”
Wesley smiled in reply, slipping the ring out of the box and onto her finger, then turning her hand over to place a gentle kiss on her palm. “And what shall I give you to tell the world that you are mine?” Nika asked softly. “For I am honored to be yours.”
“You have my heart, darling,” Wesley said softly. “I would not deny even my soul to you.”
An outside observer—Spike, for instance—would probably have been gagging at this point, but for Wesley and Nika the formal endearments seemed a natural outgrowth of their feelings for one another. The simple truth was that neither of them could ever remember being quite as happy as they were at that moment, and so they could be forgiven their sentimentality.
Indeed, the rest of the meal wasn’t much better. Casual observers couldn’t help but notice the couple, striking in their intensity and their obvious devotion to one another. More than one older couple found themselves looking at their partners in fond remembrance of a time when they had been so passionately in love. Wesley and Nika were unaware; they might have been alone in the restaurant for all they noticed.
When they had fed the last bite of dessert to one another, Wesley stood smoothly. Gone was the klutziness that sometimes plagued him, the uncertainty that at times dominated his movements—tonight he was a god among men with such a woman on his arm. “Would you care to dance?”
“I would love to dance.” Nika placed her hand in his, following him through the tables to the dancefloor. There was an string quartet playing in the background, and for a moment Wesley looked a bit self-conscious.
“I’m afraid I must warn you that I’m a very poor dancer.”
Nika merely gazed at him, and in her eyes he could tell that she had no doubts. “You have never danced with me.”
She was not just talking about waltzing, and Wesley smiled, accepting her challenge. “So very true.”
Wesley wasn’t quite as bad a dancer as he thought he was, at least not the formal kind. Those steps—the dances where there was a set pattern to the steps—he had learned as a part of his formal education. The Watchers’ Academy had been very big on formality.
In one another’s arms they found a contentment that had long been missing. “I could die a happy man,” Wesley murmured.
“Please don’t,” Nika replied quietly. “I have far too many plans for you.”
Wesley pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I have far too many plans for us.”
“Where will we be in ten years, fy ngharid i?” she asked. “Where do you see us?”
Nika felt him sigh against her. “Ah, sweetheart, a year ago I would have told you that ten years hence would find me in an early grave.” A tremor passed through her frame, and Wesley tightened his grip, continuing. “Now? Now I see us in a home, picket fence optional, with a child or two. Perhaps three,” he added as an afterthought. “I was an only child. I would like to have more than one.”
“I think I would be okay with that,” Nika replied, blinking back tears. “Though, maybe an even number would be better.”
Wesley chuckled. “Then we try for two with an option for an additional pair?”
Nika laughed. “Only if that’s what you want, Wesley. With one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That you grow old beside me.”
“If it is within my power, Danika,” he promised. “If I have my wish, I will be there until the day you breathe your last.”
They might have danced forever, but eventually the music ended, the musicians packing away their instruments. Neither of them were in a hurry to leave; Nika had her hand tucked in the crook of Wesley’s elbow, leaning against him as they walked. They were so completely engrossed in each other that it took something along the lines of a hydrogen bomb to intrude on their private bubble.
Interestingly enough, the Slayer was probably the only other person in the world that would have counted the presence of Angel as equal to an atomic blast—and the resultant crater.
“Wesley?” From her position on his arm, Nika could sense no increase in tension. Wesley’s sinewy forearm was as relaxed under her hand as it had been all evening, and she realized that a demon had finally been exorcised. She wondered if Angel had any idea.
Wesley turned slightly to face Angel and Cordelia who looked as though they were out for a night on the town. “What are you doing here?” Cordelia asked, when their identification was confirmed.
“We were celebrating,” Wesley replied with perfect calm.
Angel blinked, looking a bit surprised. “Did you just finish a case?”
Wesley and Nika’s eyes met, and they both looked amused. “Actually, no,” Nika said. “Wesley asked me to marry him.”
“You’re getting married?” The disbelief in Cordelia’s voice would have been insulting had Wesley not known her so well. As it was, Nika was insulted for him.
As though he could sense what she was thinking, Wesley’s hand slipped around her waist, giving her a subtle squeeze. Nika took the opportunity to show off her new ring, as all newly engaged women were wont to do. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked guilelessly. “Wesley picked it out himself.”
The pride in her voice had Wesley looking over at her with a love bordering on awe. Angel watched the exchange, watched as Cordelia obediently admired the ring, realizing with a pang that had he not run into the couple, he wouldn’t have known of Wesley’s engagement until Connor or Dawn informed him. The man he once would have called his best friend now seemed but a distant acquaintance. While he had never dreamed that Wesley would get married, he once would have been sure that he was the one who would have been best man at the wedding.
Angel somehow knew that Spike would have that honor now.
It was, perhaps, the first time Angel had truly assimilated his loss. He had taken the ex-Watcher’s devotion for granted. He had believed that Wesley would always be there, ready to lend a helping hand or his razor-sharp mind to solve a problem. Even after the attempted murder-by-pillow in the hospital three years before, Angel had believed that Wesley would remain a loyal follower, ready to jump to his aid at a moment’s notice.
He had been a fool, and he had lost his friend. Cordelia had been right when she had encouraged him to reconcile with Wes. Angel had believed he had all the time in the world when it had already slipped out of his grasp.
“Congratulations to both of you,” Angel managed to say when he realized that the others were waiting for his response. “I hope both of you will be very happy together.”
Wesley nodded, the knowledge of their friendship’s passing present in his eyes. He’d known it was over for a long time now, but he’d had yet to acknowledge it. In this moment, his contentment was enough to drown out any lingering sorrow. It had been nice while it lasted, but he had everything he might have ever wanted in Nika and Spike and any others that might drift into their circle.
“We should go,” Wesley said. “It’s late.”
Nika nodded. “We’ll be sure to send you an invitation when we’re sure of the date.”
“That would be great,” Cordelia replied. “It was good to see both of you again.”
Everyone present knew that she was lying through her teeth to a certain extent. It was a polite fiction—they were all too uncomfortable around one another to truly appreciate a run-in.
“Likewise,” Wesley said politely, and then he and Nika ambled away, quickly becoming lost in their own world again.
Angel watched their retreating forms, finally murmuring, “I never meant—”
“No,” Cordelia agreed, knowing what he meant. None of them had meant for things to end that way. No one had suspected their tight circle might be disrupted, short of someone dying. “But it’s done, Angel.”
~~~~~
They were quiet on the drive home. Nika sat in the passenger’s seat, content to allow Wesley to drive. “Are you alright, cariad?” she asked after a while.
“Of course,” he replied, the touch of surprise in his tone giving his answer authenticity. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Perhaps because you’re usually a bit upset when you see Angel,” Nika suggested gently.
Wesley’s brow furrowed as he considered the truth of her statement. “I suppose that might be accurate,” he admitted. “But not tonight. I suppose I’m too happy to be upset.”
A little smile of pleasure curled Nika’s lips, knowing that she was responsible for his imperturbable mood—at least in part. “Then you are content?”
It was actually a more potent question than “Are you happy?” Happiness came and went, depending on the circumstances; contentment was a more abiding state, deeper than mere happiness. “More than I ever thought possible,” Wesley assured her. “At one point, I would have said that I was happy. Being with you has taught me otherwise. I did not know true joy until I knew you, my love.”
They were still riding the high of the evening, still reveling in the general sappiness that comes from being in love. She smiled, recognizing the sentimentality for what it was and enjoying it. “Why, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. You’re a romantic. I never would have guessed.”
“I do my humble best.” Wesley paused. “I think I finally have been able to forgive myself, and it doesn’t matter quite so much if Angel does. As Spike might say, I’ve finally been able to say screw ’em and believe it.”
Nika nodded. “Then you have moved on.”
“In a sense,” Wesley agreed. “More than that—I have been able to accept that I am in a different place now. It was not what I might have hoped for because I didn’t know what to hope for. Or, rather, I didn’t know to hope for this.”
“I didn’t either,” Nika said softly. “I never knew being with anyone could be like this.”
Wesley glanced over at her. “I don’t—”
“I loved Danny,” she replied to his unspoken question. “I love you, and the loss of my first love makes this new love even stronger, wiser. I know what I could lose, and so I know what it is that I have gained.”
“Because each day might be your last, it is all that much more important to enjoy it,” Wesley said softly, repeating Nika’s motto from so long ago.
“Yes.”
Wesley was quiet, simply enjoying her presence, the movement of driving. “I was thinking about getting a car,” he said, out of the blue.
“You’re not going to get rid of your bike, are you?” Nika asked, sounding rather unenthusiastic about the idea.
Wesley smiled. “I sometimes think you like the bike as much or more than I do.”
“I like going for rides with you,” she said, sounding a little plaintive.
Wesley smiled, thinking about the last ride they’d taken, and the rather heated make-out session that followed. “I have no desire to get rid of the motorcycle,” he said. “On the other hand, I do think that we would benefit from having another vehicle, especially for Spike and I to take out on jobs. It may become necessary at some point to have a different mode of transportation. Perhaps an SUV,” he mused.
“Why on earth would you want a monster like that?” Nika asked.
Wesley gave her a half shrug. “There would be more room to carry things.”
“Things like children?” Nika asked coyly.
“Perhaps,” he teased. “Though I must warn you, I will be dead before I drive a minivan.”
~~~~~
Angel was sitting in the dark when Connor came back in from his date with Dawn. They had gone out to a club with a number of her friends, and she had taught him to dance. Well, she’d tried, at least, but as graceful as he was in battle, it didn’t seem to translate to dancing. Even so, he was in a great mood. Their six month anniversary was coming up, and Dawn had all but promised him a night of passion. They had taken it slow up to this point, but it looked like his girlfriend was finally ready for the next step.
Connor sighed when he saw his father in his office in full-on brood mode. When Angel had that look on his face, there were only two ways to deal with him—ignore him completely or kick his ass out of it.
Ignoring him seemed like the better idea, so Connor started to head up the stairs. “Connor?”
He sighed. “Yeah, Dad?”
“Did you have a good time tonight?”
Connor wandered into the office. “Sure. Dawn taught me how to dance.”
“How did that go?”
Connor shrugged. “Didn’t suck.” He sat down in the chair across from Angel. “Is there any particular reason you’re sitting in the dark, or do you just like it tonight?”
Angel sighed. “Did you know Wesley was getting married?”
“I kind of suspected it might happen sooner or later,” Connor admitted. “Why? Did you see him?”
“Tonight,” Angel said. “Cordy and I went out and we ran into the both of them. They looked happy.”
“I think they are,” Connor said. “I guess they’re about as happy as anybody can be, you know.”
Angel was quiet for a minute. “He’s not coming back, is he?”
“Why would you think he would, Dad?” Connor asked. “You let him go.”
“Connor, you—”
He stared at his father. “I was back a long time ago. If you’d wanted Wesley to come back, if you’d wanted to forgive him, you should have said something to him. He has his own life now. He had to make his own life.”
“With Nika,” Angel said quietly.
Connor shrugged. “And Spike. He’s really pretty okay for a vampire.”
“He’s evil,” Angel replied, sounding very close to a pout.
Connor gave Angel a dirty look. “It’s not what someone is, it’s what they do, Dad. You and Cordy taught me that. So did Dawn and Spike, not to mention Wesley. You taught me that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. I figure if you can forgive me for sending you to the bottom of the ocean for a few months, and you can forgive Buffy for sending you to hell for a while, then you can get over Wesley doing what he did, because he did it for all the right reasons. Maybe you’ll get that eventually, but for right now I think you pretty much just have to accept that you’re not in Wesley’s life, and he doesn’t want you in his. Maybe it’ll take him some time to forgive you.”
Angel’s eyes narrowed. “Forgive me for what?”
“For leaving.” Connor looked suddenly much older than his years. “And for giving up. You shouldn’t give up on people, Dad.”
“Who did you learn that from?”
Connor suddenly looked smug, and very much like his mother. “I figured that one out for myself.”
~~~~~
They retreated to Nika’s bedroom as soon as they got back to the house. “I’m going to have to clean out a drawer for you.”
Wesley tugged his tie off. “Is a drawer important?”
“Of course,” Nika said with a smile. “It’s for you to stay the night so you don’t have to go back and forth to your apartment every day.”
“But I’m not moving in yet.” It was more of a statement than a question, and he looked slightly amused at the distinction.
“Not yet,” she agreed. “We can make it official after—”
“We make it official?” Wesley asked, completing her thought. The tenor of his voice changed subtly, causing Nika’s head to snap towards him. He’d tossed the suit jacked carelessly over the small wooden chair that sat by her bed. His shirt and tie both lay on top, and he was proceeding to tug off his t-shirt. Nika’s mouth went dry when she saw the look in his blue eyes.
He looked—predatory.
“Tonight, this is about you,” he murmured, coming close, bringing his head down to kiss her. His lips were more forceful than they had been before, and she was suddenly quite sure that she was going to be taken for a wild ride. Pun intended.
Wesley’s hands were as skillful as his lips, and Nika found herself divested of her dress rather quickly. She felt out of control and well taken care of, all at the same time. Where their first time making love had been her trying to reassure him, tonight Wesley was in charge and doing his best to satisfy her.
Nika ended up very satisfied indeed.
When they lay, sticky and sated, Wesley smiled as his fiance laid her head on his shoulder. “I really hope Spike’s not home,” she murmured.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Why not, love?”
“Because if he is here, he definitely heard me.”
Wesley got a self-satisfied smile. “Sweetheart, it wouldn’t take a vampire to hear you. I’m fairly certain that we woke nain.”
Nika groaned, though the sound held more than a hint of pleasure. “She’ll be the most horrible tease tomorrow.”
“Was it worth it?” he asked, somewhat facetiously.
“Worth it?” Nika lifted her head to stare at him incredulously. “It would be worth a thousand scoldings, let alone a little teasing.” She sank back down and cuddled up next to him. Wesley relished her weight against his shoulder, the feeling of her arm flung over his waist, her legs entangled with his. “I can’t help but be glad that Angel is an idiot,” she murmured. “Otherwise I never would have found you.”
Wesley smiled. Fate was a tricky thing. He thought perhaps that they would have found one another anyway, but he couldn’t help but agree with her. “I love you, Danika.”
Her murmured reply in kind followed him down into his dreams, and they were sweet dreams indeed.