Wesley was already looking sorry that he’d mentioned it. “Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want to talk about it, I just want to get it.”

“You are getting it,” Alex had said quietly. “You’re doing really well. Look, no more practising this time of night, all right? Take an extra hour first thing in the morning if you want; no one will ask you any questions. But I need you in top form – and that includes getting enough sleep.”

The target slowly swung to a complete stop; around them the house felt heavy with silence. Finally Wesley had nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

There hadn’t been any big, dramatic change in Wesley after that; he was still closed-off and didn’t talk much. But as Alex stared at the TV, he realized that he felt like he knew the guy now. He knew all of them, just from watching them grow, change, get better – and he’d make sure they stayed safe through this, no matter what it took.

“Is Willow going on the hunt?” asked Kara.

Alex glanced at her; she sat curled up in the armchair with her forearm draped across its back. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

Though Willow didn’t think so, she was doing great for someone who’d never touched a gun before – but she wasn’t up to fighting angels yet. Leaving aside his fears for her safety, Alex knew that her angel self was incredibly useful in combat. Yet if an angel saw what she was and got away... He winced, seeing again the battle in the courtyard and the angel speeding off down the street.

“I don’t know,” he repeated, massaging his temples idly. Not a migraine this time, just a headache that had been grumbling at him for hours.

Kara glanced down at her bright red fingernails, turning them this way and that. “Can I ask you something?”

He gave her a wary look, holding back a dry smile. “If this is about my sex life again...”

“No, not that. It’s just – well, I’ve been wondering why you haven’t used her angel to help train them.”

Alex shrugged. “It doesn’t have a halo. And I don’t know what would happen if someone got excited and shot at it – whether that would hurt Willow or not.”

“But that could happen on a hunt, too,” Kara pointed out.

“Yeah, it could,” he agreed. It was another reason why he wasn’t convinced about taking Willow: the possibility of Sam or someone getting all adrenalin-rushed and trigger-happy with her angel in flight.

“If you want my advice, I don’t think she should go,” said Kara after a pause. “I mean, I know you’ve made it clear to everyone that she’s part of the team, but...”

“But she’s not, really,” finished Alex sharply.