Finding Answers. Or maybe just more questions.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Continued from here.

The world reeled, and Wesley reeled with it. Everything -- well, whatever had been in the canister -- spread through his brain, moving like a tidal flood, sweeping away most of his consciousness with it. He wasn't aware of his hand letting go of the delivery device, but he did hear it hit the floor, the sound echoing slightly as steel hit cold tile.

He waited for the darkness to swallow him up, or at the very least to feel himself hitting the floor as well, but instead someone with strong arms caught him.

There were two sets of memories -- one real, one artificial -- and a voice in the back of his head.

Comments

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley heard someone speaking, but he wasn't sure if it was real. He felt utterly overwhelmed, as if he'd suddenly sped through several years all at once, everything rushing over him, no, through him.

Hard hands. Something held over his face, and he couldn't breathe, and whoever was touching him shouldn't be, and there was shouting and...

"Oh God," he whispered, needing to hear it but unable to bear it at the same time. "What did you do?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

A vast array of emotions flickered across Wesley's face, and he tensed beneath Spike's hands. Spike could hear his heart pounding and his breathing becoming harsher. "I didn't do anything. It's okay. You're okay," he assured him, hoping that he was speaking the truth. "You've got to focus. Remember where you are."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

It was too much, too much. Wesley moved away from whoever was touching him blindly, not trying to get away as much as break contact. There wasn't enough air in the room.

"I'm all right," he said, not knowing who he was talking to but sensing that reassurance was required. The surface under his hands was cool and his mind was racing.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Watching helplessly, Spike sat back as Wesley pulled away. "Right," he said automatically, all of his attention focused on the other man.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I took his son," Wesley said in disbelief.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley twitched, then looked at Spike, actually aware of his presence for the first time since... God, how long had it been? Hours? "I took Angel's son," he said, hoping that it wouldn't sound real even though he knew it was, painfully so. "It didn't matter that I was trying to... and then..." His hand flew to his throat.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

It was obvious to Spike that Wesley was still confused by what had happened. "Angel doesn't have a son," Spike said very calmly. "He's a vampire, remember?"

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"He did," Wesley said. The 'real' memories, if that's what they were, seemed to be growing stronger. More convincing. "He and Darla. They had... a boy." The last two words echoed, catapulting him back in time to a place where he'd watched an ultrasound on a hospital screen. "A son."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Angel and Darla?" Spike shook his head and laughed. "Think you need to lie down for a bit longer, mate. Two vampires having a child? Not possible. Unless they turned one, but Darla always hated children, except for dinner."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Uncertainly, Wesley looked at Spike, part of him wanting the vampire to be right, for these memories to be some sort of illusion. But, "They had a son," he insisted, pushing himself to his feet and then finding it necessary to lean against the wall. "And I was trying to protect him, and I took him. And Angel tried to kill me."

A wave of dizziness washed over him.