Demons from the Past
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; Joss & Co. do. Too bad, so sad.
Summary: Wesley takes a job after he’s exiled from Angel Investigations, and it brings up memories from the past. Can be considered a prequel to Cast Me Not Away, but it stands on its own.
A/N: Written for my 2009 holiday ficathon for spiralleds, who requested Wesley, Epiphany, and salt water.


Wesley sprinkled salt into the basin and held out a hand over the water, reciting the ritual blessing that would render the water holy. He had always procured the holy water he needed from a church in the past, but Wesley saw no reason to do that now. Of course, he tended to avoid human contact as much as possible these days, preferring to avoid opening himself up to any more pain than necessary.

The presence of people bred pain, as he well knew.

Besides, the creation of holy water required little from him, other than a few minutes’ concentration and a few words spoken over it.

Wesley carefully poured the water from the basin into several bottles, preparing himself for the exorcism. This time, he would not be surprised by the demon’s ability to exploit weaknesses, and Wesley knew that it was truly the demon he needed to be concerned about. The teenager in question had been a good kid, a straight-A student and star volleyball player before she’d been possessed by the Ethros.

He supposed he should be grateful that his name was getting out, and that he was getting work—jobs that he was good at, and that suited his areas of expertise. But this job, along with nearly every other one he took, only served to remind Wesley of what he’d lost.

With the holy water and a large cross on his person, Wesley drove to his clients’ house. The parents greeted him at the door with desperation mixed with hope.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Frank Abra said, shaking Wesley’s hand.

Wesley tried to remember what it was to smile. “I only hope I can help. I haven’t done many exorcisms.”

“Anything you can do,” his wife, Mira, said. “Andrea simply hasn’t been the same recently.”

“As I said, I’ll do my best.” Wesley didn’t want to spend anymore time with them than he had to; he preferred his solitude these days. “Where is Andrea?”

“In her room,” Frank replied, beginning to lead Wesley down the hallway of the small ranch to a door that had a lock installed on the outside. “We did as you suggested and locked her in.”

Wesley nodded. “Thank you. I think it might be better if I take it from here.”

Frank hesitated visibly, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. “I suppose, if you think it’s best.”

“I do.” Wesley managed a sympathetic expression—at least, he hoped it wasn’t a grimace. “Your daughter—or rather the demon—is going to say some things that will be unpleasant at best. There’s no need for you to hear them.”

Frank finally nodded, his face pale and strained as he handed Wesley the key. “Should we wait somewhere else?”

“Only if you think you’ll be more comfortable.” Wesley patted him on the shoulder. “I promise, I’ll do everything I can to save Andrea.”

Of course, Wesley thought as he slipped inside the room, he was well aware that his best might not be good enough. Still, these people were relying on him, and he had taken part in an exorcism before, even if Angel had been the one to finish it.

Resolutely, Wesley repressed those memories and took in the room. Soccer gear was piled in one corner, and there were posters of various sports stars on the wall. The line of binding powder around the bed was shaky, but complete.

Andrea opened her eyes as he stepped up to the line of powder on the floor. “So, ready for another failure?” she sneered, her voice deeper and harsher than that of a teenage girl.

Wesley ignored her; he’d dealt with an Ethros demon before, and although last time it had managed to get through his defenses, he wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

“You’ve been cast out, thrown away,” the demon continued as Wesley prepared the Ethros box. “You couldn’t save the boy, and you couldn’t save yourself. You’ll die, and you’ll fail again.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Wesley said mildly. “But I plan on taking you with me. Omnis spiritus in munde. In nomine dei.” He began the exorcism ritual without warning, chanting the Latin with precise diction.

Wesley held up the cross with one hand, holding out his other hand. He’d memorized the ritual before coming here, not wanting to risk losing his place. Over the years, he found that everything went much more smoothly if he could respond by reflex.

“This should be fun,” Andrea said in a deep voice. “You’ll cast me out, and I’ll enter you. Do you know what I could do with you? How much damage I could do? And you know you won’t be able to fight me off. You don’t have the strength. Gunn fought off Billy’s influence, but you couldn’t. You would have killed Fred.”

“In odorem suavitatis. Tu autem effugare, diabole. Appropinquabit enim judicium dei.” Wesley didn’t allow the accusations to put him off of his stride; he couldn’t. Angel wasn’t there for backup this time. If Wesley failed, the child would likely die, the demon would inhabit him or another warm body, and even more people would be hurt.

As though sensing his thoughts, the demon said, “You’ll always fail. You were the one who lost Connor. You betrayed your best friend—and for what? You ruined everything, and now you have nothing.”

Wesley threw holy water on the girl, hearing the sizzle as it hit her face. “Omnis spiritus in munde. In nomine dei.”

“What makes you think this time will be any different than the last?” the demon howled. “You’re nothing! You’ll always be nothing!”

Wesley smiled thinly and finally allowed himself to reply to the demon. “The difference is that I know exactly what I’m capable of.”

Raising the cross, he began shouting the last words of the ritual. “Abrenuntias satanae? Et omnibus operibus eus? Omnibus pompis eus? Exorcie te. Omnis spiritus immunde. Adaperiae!”

Wesley felt a fierce sense of accomplishment as the demon howled, and Andrea’s form began to glow. The demon flew out of the girl, and she gave a final convulsion before he felt it impact the Ethros box. Wesley slammed the lid down and locked it, moving quickly to check Andrea’s pulse.

“Daddy?” she called in a weak voice.

“No, but I’ll get him,” Wesley promised. “Just rest now.”

He moved quickly to the door, unsurprised to see Frank and Mira just outside, wringing their hands in the hallway. “She’s fine,” he quickly assured them. “She’s resting now.”

Mira rushed past him, clearly needing to reassure herself. “Andrea? Sweetie?”

“Hey, Mom.” Andrea sounded sleepy, but otherwise none the worse for wear, and Mira began to cry softly as she stroked her daughter’s hair.

“We can’t thank you enough,” Frank said as he walked Wesley to the front door. Wesley was anxious to get out of there, wanting to give the Abras time with their daughter.

“It was my pleasure,” Wesley replied, surprised to find that it was true. He’d proven something to himself here; what the demon had said might be accurate, but Wesley was well aware of his weaknesses and failures these days. He had very little false confidence.

“Let me write you a check.”

Wesley waved him off. “No, really, that’s quite all right. I’m just grateful that you have your daughter back.” He looked around at the Christmas decorations that were still up, almost two weeks after the holiday. “You can celebrate as a family now without worrying about what she might do.”

“We’ll be able to go to the Epiphany service as a family,” Frank agreed. “Thanks to you.”

Wesley nodded and took his leave, weary to his bones, but in a good way. It had been a good night’s work, and although he probably would regret not taking payment later, he’d received compensation of another sort.

Tonight, at least, Wesley proven that his past failures would not prevent him from being successful in the present, and he really could succeed on his own. For now, that would be enough.