Okay, so here is the fourth instalment of the Poster Girl series. I hope you all enjoy it
††††††††††
The Plymouth pulled up to the curb, as Gunn and Fred hopped out. They had come across a group of vampires, hoping to get some answers
"What can we do for you, Mr. Gunn?" the leader asked
"We're looking for Maria," Gunn replied, "I'm told she knows something about Angel. Where is she?"
"Maria. Yeah, I know where she is. Downtown on fifth," the leader replied, "Tell her I want my CDs back. On second thoughts, I'll tell her myself"
Gunn swung his car-rim axe, decapitating a vampire, but five more vampires quickly surrounded him and knocked him to the ground. Fred headed for the vampires, raising her stake, but one of the vampires grabbed Gunn's axe and hurled it at the scientist…only to land straight in Connor's hands, as he hurled it back and decapitated the vampire. The other vampires looked up, as Gunn rose up and struck a vampire. Connor kicked one vampire in the stomach and punched another, as another vampire held Fred to the bonnet of the Plymouth. She popped a stake out of her sleeve and stabbed it into the vampire's heart, dusting him. Connor and Gunn dusted the rest of the vampires, except for one who ran off. Connor chased after him, as Gunn and Fred hopped into the Plymouth and took off after the teenager
"The boy better know what he's doing," Gunn said, "This is the last lead we've got on Angel and I hate to lose it cause the kid's not thinking"
"Charles…"
Fred trailed off when she saw that Gunn wasn't going to listen. He floored the accelerator, arriving at Maria's apartment, just as Connor kicked the door down and stormed inside. Gunn shook his head and followed after him, axe in hand, while Fred trailed behind them. Suddenly, she was thrown aside, as Gunn was uppercutted. Maria kicked Connor in the stomach and ran off. Connor quickly recovered and chased after the vampire as Gunn helped Fred to her feet
"Connor, don't kill her," Gunn called, but Connor was already gone, "Damn it"
Connor reached the top of the building, spinning around and seeing Maria, as she slid her vampire features back to human
"What did you see?" Connor asked, "Did you see anything?"
"Look, I haven't been to that spot in months," Maria answered, "So I didn't see anything"
"Don't lie to me"
"Okay, so I was there a few months ago, but it doesn't matter what I did or didn't see. Come on, babe, why don't we hang out?"
She tried to snuggle up to him, but Connor staked her. Hearing Gunn and Fred arriving, he ripped open his sleeve and cut a line on his arm, just as Gunn and Fred arrived. The vampire hunter sighed when he saw the pile of dust
"What did I say? Did you even listen to me?"
"She attacked me. I was defending myself," Connor protested
"What is wrong with you, boy?" Gunn asked, "Why won't you listen?"
"What makes you think I have to listen to you, Charles?"
Connor fixed the older man with a glare, before stepping off the edge of the five storey building, as Gunn growled in frustration
"Charles, it's okay," Fred said, "He's just like an ordinary boy"
"Jumping off a five storey building without busting your coconut is not ordinary"
††††††††††
"How'd it go?" Cordelia asked later that night
She had wanted to go out and help search for Angel, but soon discovered that Piper had also disappeared, which meant now that either Cordelia or Fred had to stay at the Hyperion with Ashleigh while Connor and Gunn went out to search for Angel
"Your son," Gunn muttered, "Doesn't know how to listen"
"What did you do this time, Connor?" Cordelia asked
"He staked our only chance at finding Angel after I told him not to"
"Connor! Why on earth did you do that?"
"She attacked me, Mom. I was simply defending myself," Connor said, walking away
"Look at me when I'm talking to you, young man. When you're out there, you listen to Gunn, Fred and/or myself. None of this cowboying stuff, got it?"
"Yeah, sure, Mom, whatever"
Connor turned away and headed upstairs as Cordelia let out a heavy sigh
"I don't know what to do with him. I really need Angel here. Connor has become worst ever since his father disappeared"
"Don't worry, Cordy, we're trying," Fred said, "We're doing our best"
††††††††††
"You heard about Angel having disappeared, right?" Lilah asked
"Yes, I know, but I do not care," Wesley replied, holding her close to him
"Don't lie to me, Wes. I know when you're lying"
"I have no interest in what goes on with Angel and his team. I do not care what happens to Angel or his team. They have no place in my life anymore"
"Wow. Isn't that cold?"
Just then, her mobile phone went off. Lilah sighed and switched the alarm off, before sliding out of bed and getting dressed. Wesley watched her with a small smile, as she kissed him, before leaving the apartment. Wesley waited a few minutes, before getting out of bed and putting on a pair of jeans, then heading to a door cut into the wall and opened it, revealing the cage…and Justine gagged and bound inside
"Time for a little boat ride," Wesley said, dangling the keys
††††††††††
Connor turned the page, staring at the photographs. He was in his room, going through the photo albums he had taken from his mother's room. He was slowly going through them, staring at photos of himself as a baby, being held by Angel, Cordelia and Wesley. He saw that his parents were so happy with him, Angel especially, always wearing a grin whenever he held his son. Cordelia looked so young with her long, brown hair as she cradled her son in her arms
"Angel doesn't seem to be that evil. He really cares about Mom. But looks can be deceiving. Told me that, especially when it comes to Angelus"
He turned the page again, coming across a large photograph. It was of Angel, Cordelia, a newborn Ashleigh and Connor as a toddler. They were all dressed smartly, as if they had gone to a professional photographer. Connor looked at the smiles on his parents' faces, mainly at Angel's, trying to see the evil in his father's eyes
"He doesn't look evil. He's so…happy. How could he have killed Holtz? No denying it, Angelus killed Holtz and now he's suffering for it. But…who's lying?"
††††††††††
"Why do you even bother?" Justine asked, "He did try to kill you"
Wesley ignored her as he piloted the boat, checking the sonar every now and again. Not long after Angel had disappeared, Wesley had gone around to Justine's apartment, demanding answers. Justine refused and a fistfight broke out, a fight that Wesley won. He then brought the unconscious Justine back to his place and interrogated her, learning that she and Connor had captured Angel, sealed him inside a steel coffin and tossed him out into the ocean. And since then, Wesley had been out on his rented boat with Justine every night, trying to find Angel
"Why would you even want to help that…thing?"
"Angel has a soul. It makes him different from every other vampire"
"Didn't stop him from trying to kill you. Didn't stop him from killing Holtz"
"We both know that's a lie. You killed Holtz, Justine and you framed Angel for it. You made a young man turn on his father and sink him to the bottom of the ocean"
"Well, it was worth a couple of hucks"
Justine then spied a wrench hiding under a map and slowly drew it out, before raising it, ready to bring it crashing down onto Wesley's head
"I'll take away your bucket," Wesley threatened without looking over his shoulder
Justine tossed the wrench aside and sat down with an angry sigh
"I think I'm getting something here"
"Might be another shopping cart"
Wesley ignored her, cutting the engine, before tossing her a wetsuit
"Time for a little swim, Justine"
Ten minutes later, Justine was wearing scuba gear and under the water with her torch in hand, swimming along the bottom of the ocean. Then, her light swept over a large, steel box. It was the coffin she had made and the light played over the glass, revealing the vein-covered face inside, as a small smile broke out on his face
††††††††††