Carpe Diem [Part One] (Angel) (Patreon)

This is the first of a two-part story requested by one of the Bosa Tier patrons. It took me a little time to get into the writing of this one which is why it's been a little while between releases. I really hope you all enjoy it!

Some days it was difficult for Wesley Wyndham-Price to believe just how drastically his life had changed in just two short years. He had gone from following his father’s footsteps as a member of the Watcher’s Council and even the replacement Watcher of the current Vampire Slayer, Miss Buffy Summers, in Sunnydale to a rogue demon hunter traveling across California, and then finally to a member of Angel Investigations, a vigilante group solving supernatural mysteries in the heart of Los Angeles. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would be working alongside a vampire, even an ensouled one like Angel, but the man had become a close personal friend in the year they had worked together.

While being a Watcher and rogue demon hunter had felt like awkward fits for him, Wesley was happy to say that his current role made him feel suitably accomplished and appreciated. He was the brains of their small group, although there were definitely times when he found himself craving the thrill of danger and physicality. Much of that was handled by Angel who had the supernaturally enhanced strength of a vampire on his side, or Gunn, who had grown up fighting on the streets. Wesley himself only had a small amount more experience in combat than the fourth and final member of their group, Cordelia “Cordy” Chase, who was cursed by painful visions that allowed her to see future events. They were an odd collection of individuals but they made their situation work and were doing everything they could to keep the forces of evil at bay.

Their latest case had them hunting down a warlock who had been placing curses on the single men of Los Angeles. These curses drained their muscles, caused their manhood to dwindle and forced them to become submissive and desperate for pleasure. To make matters worse, Gunn was one of the men who had been afflicted by the warlock’s sick enchantment, which effectively took him out of action. He was currently locked up in one of the Hyperion Hotel’s suites just for his own safety while the three remaining members tackled the case with even more urgency than before.

Cordelia’s latest premonition had sent Angel and Wesley into the sewers beneath the city, where they were looking for an entrance into the secret chamber that the warlock was operating from. To narrow things down for them, Wesley had cast a spell that made an orb basically become a tracking device, as it sought out other sources of magical energy and increased in temperature the closer that they got. Angel had at first insisted that Wesley hand the orb over to him so that he could keep the former Watcher out of danger, but when Wesley had lied and said that the orb would only work in the hands of a human rather than a vampire, Angel had begrudgingly allowed him to tag along.

The pair were rapidly approaching the suspected location of the warlock’s lair when the first sign of impending disaster struck. All of a sudden the silence of the sewers was penetrated by the shrill ringing of Wesley’s cell phone. While he was still trying to fish the buzzing cell phone out of his jacket pocket, Wesley was stunned by how quickly the device was snatched out of his hands by his employer. Angel moved with supernatural reflexes as he extended his arm and threw the cell phone against the sewer wall, causing it to smash into pieces. The ensouled vampire then leveled a glare towards Wesley, with the annoyed look saying more than enough to make the British man feel incredibly foolish and even somewhat emasculated.

Now feeling understandably embarrassed, Wesley cleared his throat and continued to follow Angel down the sewer tunnel. It was a mere thirty seconds before the orb’s temperature rapidly rose, prompting the mortal man to let out a gasp and start rapidly transferring the object between his hands to try and prevent a potential burn. Being alerted to the situation by Wesley’s verbal reaction, Angel quickly pulled the orb out of his hands. Due to the complex magic within, the orb immediately lost its heat at the moment it made contact with the vampire’s flesh. Wesley opened his mouth to apologize but before he could say anything, Angel’s expression became suddenly serious and he outstretched a hand in warning. “He’s here.”

The words had barely left the vampire’s mouth when the sewer wall across from the pair shimmered and warped to reveal an open archway. Standing within that space was a man who would be considered utterly forgettable under any other circumstance. He was tall, around six-foot-three, but incredibly slender and his facial features were incredibly gaunt and pale. Wesley felt confident that even he could successfully take the man in a physical fight and Angel would certainly break him in two with the lightest touch. Unfortunately for them, the conflict wouldn’t be a question of physical strength, as the warlock had magic on his side and he immediately made an impact by thrusting both hands forward, one towards each of his pursuers.

All of a sudden Wesley was stripped of his ability to move. It was as if he had been turned into a statue, only he was still breathing and aware of what was going on. From his peripherals he could see that a similar fate had fallen upon his friend, as Angel was trapped in stasis just a few short feet away. The men were helpless to watch as wisps of light and magical energy started to be pulled from their chest - purple from Wesley and orange from Angel - where it began to swirl around the warlock’s extended hands. Then, as if the situation wasn’t already bad enough, Wesley’s sight failed him and his vision was overtaken by a menacing black void that only promised further danger. He was left with a stomach-turning feeling of weightlessness and an all-consuming dread that far outdid anything he had ever experienced before.

Mercifully the two men only had to endure that strange sensation for a few short seconds before it was brought to an end, although even that was not without painful consequences. The warlock thrust his hands forward once more, sending the orange energy into Wesley’s body and the purple into Angel’s. At the point of impact though, both men were launched off of their feet as if struck by a jackhammer. The pair crashed against the opposite wall, their skulls bouncing off of the concrete and fleshing ripping open as a result of the blunt force trauma, before dropping to the ground. Both bodies remained still for some time, and when neither of them immediately stirred, the gaunt-faced warlock took that as his cue to hastily skitter away into the darkness.

It was several long minutes before Wesley finally drifted back to consciousness but when he did it wasn’t without some serious brain fog and an overall heaviness that seemed to have spread throughout every inch of his body. Once he had pried open his eyes and pushed himself into a seated position though, Wesley quickly took notice of the most alarming development to come from their encounter with the warlock: he had been separated from his own body! There was no mistaking it. The body that was slumped on the floor just a few feet away was most definitely his own and if he wasn’t the one occupying it then that meant…

A glance down at himself confirmed Wesley’s suspicions. There was no mistaking whose leather jacket he was wearing, nor whose thick hands he was staring at. He was in Angel’s body! Whatever magic the warlock had used on them had displaced them from their own bodies and forced them into the nearest available host. That means… I’m a vampire now, Wesley realized in stunned silence. Despite the shock, his heart remained completely still in his chest as he now possessed the physiological makeup of a member of the undead. His ability for rational, good natured thought suggested that he still retained his soul but everything else was brand new to him. Although the most pressing emotion in the wake of that realization was concern, there was also a small part of Wesley that was actually excited by the new possibilities that came from being in his vampire boss’ body.

After peering around the dark tunnel, the former Watcher was quickly able to identify two things: the warlock was long gone, and his sight had been greatly improved. He could see much further and much more vividly into the darkness than his human eyes had ever been able to manage. His hearing had been similarly bolstered too, as he could now quite clearly make out the sounds of rats scuttling further down the tunnel and even the faint sounds of traffic in the streets above them. By far the most alarming change to Wesley’s senses though was his heightened smelling, as he was not only exposed to the stench of the waste that surrounded them but also an alarmingly inviting aroma that seemed to drift from where his real body was slumped over.

It’s the smell of blood, Wesley identified, with his eyes being almost hypnotically drawn to the large gash upon his own body’s head, where blood was freely seeping from. He was appalled to find himself so susceptible to its scent and forced himself to keep in mind that it was his own blood he was smelling. Not only that but he wasn’t really a vampire, just temporarily occupying the body of him! He’d be forever forsaking his humanity if he even stopped to consider the possibility of licking that wound clean…

Equally as concerning as Wesley’s new desire for blood was the fact that the man who had been stuffed into his human body was still yet to stir. The former Watcher knew from experience that human bodies were much more easily breakable than vampire ones and the hard collision against the unforgiving stone wall had probably done quite the number on him. If his theory was correct and Angel’s consciousness really had been switched into that human body, he was at considerable risk of bleeding out or suffering some other long term effect if he didn’t receive medical attention soon.

After summoning up all of his willpower to suppress the strange urges building inside of him and gathering his strength, Wesley finally rose to his feet and staggered over towards his fallen friend. To say that it felt strange to suddenly have a heavier and more muscular body under his control would be an understatement. That was never more obvious than when he reached his arms around the limp body and lifted him up in the air. Wesley’s true body weighed around one hundred and eighty pounds, but at that moment it felt as if he was carrying only a quarter of that weight!

Out of concern for both his friend and his own body, Wesley took off in a sprint towards the entrance to the sewers. It was mercifully still night so he at least wasn’t at risk of bursting into flames under the bright sun. A mix of adrenaline and supernatural strength helped the man carry his fallen friend all the way to the closest emergency room in record time. He didn’t even stop to think about what his next move should be until he had laid the unconscious Angel out on the gurney and let the doctors and nurses step in to offer care. Once they had wheeled his friend into another room though, Wesley was finally left alone with his thoughts. To say that his mind was a jumbled mess would be an understatement; there was so much to think about that it was nothing short of overwhelming.

“I have to tell Cordy,” he muttered to himself as he navigated towards the nearest restroom. “Maybe she can help find a way to undo this… but if Angel doesn’t wake up any time soon, would that even be possible?” As soon as he was in the restroom Wesley navigated to the sinks and began pouring out water to splash on his face. After rising back to full height though, he came face to face with the mirror - and his complete lack of a reflection. It was a startling discovery even if it was one that Wesley knew he should have anticipated. He’d spent his entire life up to that point studying vampires (among other supernatural creatures) so he should have been well aware of what to expect but he’d never truthfully expected to become a member of the undead! No amount of reading and researching would help prepare him for reality.

“If I tell her though, won’t I just panic her?” Wesley asked his non-existent reflection. Despite knowing that telling the truth was most likely the best course of action, a new idea was beginning to formulate in the man’s mind. Now that his expert mind had been paired with the physical superiority of Angel’s body, wasn’t he incredibly equipped to deal with their warlock issue himself? He could find and subdue the man responsible, force him to undo the curse that had befallen Gunn and so many others, and then provide Wesley safe passage into his own body.

While Wesley had faith in his ability to bring a swift resolution to the whole ordeal, he was aware that others might not share his confidence, including Cordelia. It wasn’t lost on Wesley that she thought he was sweet but physically incompetent an there was no way she would support him in attempting to solve things by himself. “So I don’t tell her,” he decided, still struggling to get used to the deeper bass and American accent of the voice that came forth from his lips. “I can pretend to be Angel for a few days, no problem. Just be broody and handsome all the time, how difficult is that?”

Now with his mind made up, Wesley departed from the restroom with the intention of getting a check-up on his friend’s condition. Once he was certain that the other was stable it would be time to get to work. The sooner he’d brought the whole saga to a swift close, the sooner they would all be able to laugh about the insanity of it and Angel would never again doubt Wesley’s capabilities. This was his chance to prove himself as a hero and he wouldn’t rest until he had the whole mess cleaned up!