DISCLAIMER: I do not own Angel, Buffy TVS, or any other production of Joss Wheldon. This Story is solely for entertainment purposes only and i will not make any money for it.

However i do wish i could Angel and Buffy TVS, Joss is too cruel, and he does know how to satisfy anyone! I am done rambling. On to the story.

Author's Note: I will make a note of every character or concept I make up for each chapter.

Author's Stuff:

Coronel: A Power That Be

Fred's Prayers: Im pretty sure she didn't pray to the Powers that be.

Too Much of Nothing

"Angel, what the heck are you doing?" Gunn asked, eyebrows raised as Angel struggled to pry a can of baby formula open.

Angel didn't look up, neither did he answer; Gunn that is.

"You'd a' think vampire strength like mine would be able to pry something like this open!" Angel grunted.

"Yeah, if you had a pair demon nails along with it!" Gunn retorted. "Angel, there are types of devices for these things, they're CAN OPENERS!"

Frustrated, Angel slammed the now dented can on the hotel's green counter. "Gee thanks Gunn, you tell me after Connor is already wailing for something to eat." Angel frowned.

Gunn made his way over to the weapon's cabinet and retrieved a small dagger. He used it to bore and open some holes in the top of the can, then he handed it back to Angel, so he could fill Connor's bottle with it. Angel just stared.

"So what ever happened to can openers Gunn?" he asked dumping the formula into a baby bottle.

"Well man, you see, yall ain't got no can opener in here, but a dagger worked fine didn't it?" Gunn asked coolly.

"I guess…" Angel answered making his way back to his crying baby.

"The thing is, we ain't really got anything around here, we spend so much time on the mission and crapping evil, we forget about the other parts of life." Gunn observed.

"I couldn't have said that better myself" Angel agreed.

"My thoughts exactly." The team's English book nook replied emerging from the front door.

"Where you been?" Gunn asked his nerdy pal.

"Oh, just to the local book store." Wesley replied. "So what's with Angel? He looks glum." He whispered beckoning to Angel.

"When do I know what wrong with Angel Wes?" Gunn asked with a shrug. "I guess he's kind of…Im stumped."

"Well with Connor still crying, I can see why he'd be glum." Wesley observed. "He was crying when I felt."

Gunn and Wesley watched Angel try his hardest to entertain his wailing baby. Angel's frustration showed in his face as he struggled with the crying child.

"Lookey here little man, daddy's making silly faces!" Angel cried with a hint of anger.

"Bloogah Bloogah Bloogah!" Angel tried for the umpteenth time shaking his head and flapping his tongue.

More crying…

"Angel why don't you let me try- Wesley began.

"NO!" barked Angel, "I can handle this myself!!!! Im his father you know!"

Connor, frightened by his dad's sudden outburst began to wail harder.

"Some dad." Gunn sighed.

"Where is Cordy!" Angel shouted.

"She out at the store, remember?" Wesley told him peevishly. "But here comes Fred!"

Sure enough, Winifred, aka Fred, emerged through the hotel front doors. She looked around for about 5 seconds and realized what was going on. She wanted to offer to take Connor, but she didn't want to anger Angel. However, Angel longed for a female's touch, so he beckoned to Fred to come over there. Fred gingerly made her way over to Angel and gently took Connor from him, who immediately began to calm down. Angel looked down at the short brunette and sighed. "I'll be up in my room; I guess I'm just not cut out to be a father, just a demon with a soul…" He sulked.

"NO Angel! That's not true, you- you just – Connor sensed your anger and was afraid that's all!" Fred tried sympathetically.

"Yeah right?" Angel retorted.

Lorne had just passed by Angel; he looked at his friends downstairs and asked, "Hey, what happened to Jonny Sunshine?"

******************

"Somebody has got to talk to him; I mean Angel is clearly having emotional problems." Wesley stated. "Angel has been disagreeable for quite some time now, however I don't know why; he isn't usually like this."

An awkward silence followed as everyone pondered their vampire champion's depression. Fred finally got the courage to speak up.

"Um, well you know, the other day…When Angel and I went out…this vampire, Spike, saw him and started bringing up his curse because he saw him with a girl…" Fred explained. "Which was me…of course!" she laughed nervously.

"I think Angel is just sick and tired of being a vampire…" Fred concluded.

Fred looked around wide eyed to see what the others would think.

"Well now that you mention that Honey Cakes, I do remember reading him one day while he was singing to Connor. Let me tell you, the vibes - ain't pretty. Lorne put in.

"So generally somebody needs to talk to Angel; he wishes he wasn't a vampire anymore?" Cordy asked.

"Sounds legit to me" Gunn agreed. "So who exactly is going to risk talking to him while he's like this anyways???"

Everybody exchanged glances; talking in the silent eye language as most people do when these types of situations occurred, the decision seemed to be made. All eyes fell on Fred.

"Me?!?" Fred squeaked. "Why not Cordy! She can get through to Angel!" she complained.

"Not with out getting a bashing first." Cordelia answer in a matter of fact-ly way "Besides Angel won't shout at you."

"Yes, Cordelia is right; Angel won't shout at you Fred, come to think of it nobody will." Wesley added with a smile.

"That's the deal Muffin Buns" Lorne grinned.

Fred smiled shyly as she crossed her frail arms across her small chest. "Well when you put it that way, I guess I have no choice." She smiled.

Everyone nodded.

"Just tell him nice things, tell him why we all need him, and why it is good that he is a vampire, even if he can't have happies!" Cordelia told Fred as she went upstairs.

"Yeah, I should bring up Love! That will definitely cheer him up!" Fred cried sarcastically as she ran up the stairs. Everyone watched her disappear as she disembarked on a dangerous voyage to cheer up Angel.

"Since when did Fred know how to use sarcasm?" Cordelia asked, apparently baffled from Fred's sarcastic remark.

"You know, I don't quite know." Wesley contemplated.

"That's my Fred, Full of surprises!" Gunn grinned.

Angel looked up as the door to his creaked. A second later there was a soft knock, and a tiny voice. "Angel?" it said.

"What Fred?" Angel asked simply and obstinately.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

"Since when do you want to come into my bat cave Fred?" Angel as still staring down at his feet, his hands clasped tightly.

"Since I saw how down you were." Fred replied. "Im sorry for Connor's behavior earlier." She added.

"Why, it wasn't your fault." Angel retorted.

"Yes – but – you got miserable when he wanted me to hold him…" Fred told him.

"Alright, you can come in, but don't make it a habit." Angel told her.

The door creaked all the way open as Fred tippy- toed inside. She was wearing a velvet red parka over a white camisole, along with a black skirt. Her hair was completely loose, Angel thought she looked cute, especially since she was the one who came to check on him; typical Fred.

Fred walked over to Angel and sat down beside him on the hard bed, Angel eyed her wearily, so she inched away from him about 8 inches and then looked up at him for confirmation as if to ask if the distance was sufficient. Angel nodded and closed his eyes slowly like a wise cat.

"So…how are you?" Fred asked nervously.

"Tired…tired of life." Angel answered flatly.

"Why?" Fred asked.

"Don't even act like you don't know Fred!" Angel scowled. "You know as well as I do."

"Still you should – you should explain, it'll make you feel a lot better." Fred urged him. "Come on, im listening, sometimes you need to just get it out."

Angel pondered Fred's words for a minute, cocking his head to one side he looked at her; his brown eyes weary and sad. "You ought to know that right?" he assumed.

Fred nodded softly.

"Ok, Fine," Angel nodded biting his lip. "I'm cursed. I have nothing to offer my son. I can't love any of the females in my life, neither can I give them anything. I can really hang with Gunn and Wesley – Yes! I know, you are probably thinking: 'Does Angel really want to hang with people?' and yes I do, I sometime wanna get out there in the warm sunlight and enjoy the great out doors!" Angel paused. Then looking at Fred he got a little more enthusiastic about his situation.

"I mean, I would like to go to the beach and flirt with hot girls! I want take Gunn up on his basketball match! I'd like sink my rotten blasted teeth into a juicy burger! I'd love to teach Connor how to play baseball when he gets older! I want to carry him to school! I want to go on a cruise! I want to eat chocolate! I'd maybe want to date Cordy or Buffy or even you! I want to fringing be alive!!!!" Angel shouted. "But no, I've been damned, living in a freakin 2 and a half century body that consumes this nasty pig's blood that taste like cold shit!" Angel cried furiously.

Angel sulked even lower in his state and buried his face in his hands. Fred just stared at him feeling terrible in side, so terrible she might cry if she tried to speak.

Angel stayed that way for along time, then he continued to rant on about his terrible life.

"Connor doesn't even like being around me!" he sulked. " Why'd the hell did I have a son! Connor's life is going to be nothing but misery and despair, and there is only one reason for that…he is my son…" Angel finished.

Fred's big round eyes bulged as she in took all of what Angel was saying, she realized that he really and truly did have it hard. "Wow" she breathed.

Back to his normal self, Angel eyed Fred. "Sorry for shouting at you, but you were right, I had to vent." Angel admitted.

"Its totally ok" Fred assured him gently. Fred inched over closer to the depressed vampire champion and placed her arm around his broad muscular figure.

"Angel, I know I can't understand what you are going through, but I know what its' like." She told him.

"Fred, exactly how do you fit those to statement together and make sense of them?" He asked peevishly.

"Well," Fred began, smiling her "Fred" smile. " I can't understand you're overwhelmingly bad situation because you've been going through this for…how many years?"

"140"

"Yeah, one hundred and forty." Fred grimaced. "But, there was a point in time when I though I had lost everything, for five years, I was a dirty slave." She informed him.

"With no underwear, so flies could come and go as they please!" Fred pointed out widening her eyes and sticking up a finger for emphasis. Luckily for Fred, Angel snickered. She beamed at the fact that he laughed at her joke.

"It's true!" she insisted. "I'd be sleeping and I feel this tiny creepy crawling thing walking on my backside!"

Angel actually started laughing. "I guess they like the smell!" he cracked.

"Stop it!" Fred smacked him laughing while blushing. "It wasn't my fault I couldn't bathe, I was a cow!"

"True," Angel observed. "But then again it could be the smoothness." He added with a evil – naughty smile.

"ANGEL!" Fred shouted laughing. "You are so rude!"

Angel chuckled a bit more and then returned to his regular, brute state.

"My point is you have to bear your time." Fred said returning to her serious state.

"Angel you gave me hope…I waited and waited until I thought I was living a dream, but you came… you came and manifested the little spark of hope I had in my heart." Fred informed Angel softly. "That's worth living for." She rambled softly.

"When you fight a battle, and it tears you down, and despite all the pain and misery it caused you – you prevail? That makes the victory so much sweeter, and you come to love the hardships of life, cuz it is life with out it." Fred told Angel.

Angel looked into Fred's soft brown eyes to see if she was telling the truth, or if she had just fudge some intelligent crap outta nowhere. But her speak was true; true to the core.

Angel nodded understandingly as Fred smiled.

"You know what Fred, you are absolutely right." Angel began. Fred beamed. "That's why I have no future."

"WHY!" Fred whine-screamed.

"Because I will never be redeemed." Angel stated flatly. "I've been cursed for eternity, haven't you realized yet?"

"But, Cordy and Wes told me about a prophecy where your vampire dies and your human relives." Fred countered.

"Damn those blasted prophecies!" Angel shouted. "They are just a bunch of biblically structured hunky-dory bullshit, to scare people into think the world is gonna end and a black hole casting demon is going to rise up outta their backward pool!"

"Wow Angel." Fred gaped. "You think they are really trash?"

"Yes, they said my son was going to bring destruction, the only think he destroys are clean diapers." Angel state as a matter of fact.

"Point" Fred grinned. "Well Angel, I will redeem you!"

"What."

"I'll redeem you!"

"Fred, pardon me."

"Angel, you saved my life, I owe you my life, and that's exactly what I mean."

"Fred, you don't owe me anything."

"Yes I do, and im going to help you, we all are, we are here for you Angel, no matter what!" Fred cried brightly.

"Really?" Angel asked the frail brunette.

"Yup," Fred smiled getting up from the bed.

"What are you going to do?" Angel asked.

"Well if I try to tell you, you are going to get really annoyed because its techno talk, as Gunn puts it."

"I don't know if it I'll – Angel began but he didn't finish. He got frightened because Fred leaned down and kissed him on the nose. Angel rubbed his nose thoughtfully and pondered Fred's sudden act of affection.

"Why'd you do that!" He asked really annoyed.

"Oh I forgot to do that when you saved me from Phylea, plus also, I think your nose is handsome." Fred told crossing her arms and rocking back and forth on her feet.

"You think my nose is handsome?" Angel asked perking up. "Hey you think my nose is handsome, yeah, that sound true, and maybe it is." He grinned the "Angel" grin. "Thanks Fred, I think you may actually helped my situation."

"I did?" Fred asked leaning her head to one side. "Yes!" Fred thought, "Its already working a little bit."

"Yeah, I will continue my duty as champion vampire until the day comes when I can rest, I live forever anyways." Angel smiled.

"Great" Fred laughed. "Well Angel you're welcome, that's what friends are for." Fred told him as she pulled the door open to leave. A mess of eavesdropping friends tumbled inside as soon as she opened the door. "Or for eavesdropping…" She added sheepishly.

Angel got up and stared down blankly at his friends for an explanation.

"My Angel, you sure are tall from down here!" Gunn grinned.

"So Fred is actually really good at cheering people up?" Cordelia asked Angel about 2 hours later.

"Yes, she's is quite good." Angel answered not looking up from what he was doing.

"So did you tell– Cordy began

"Don't even go there." Angel cut her off.

"Well you – Ohhhh!!!" Cordelia screamed.

"Cordy!" Angel exclaimed scrambling to get to Cordelia as she was having another vision. Cordelia stumbled backwards knocking off papers and objects from the searing pain, she dropped to her hands knees screaming. Angel rushed to her side and grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Cordy, I thought visions didn't hurt anymore!" Angel cried. Soon after, the rest of the gang came rushing in.

"Ow, Ow, Ow," Cordelia whined as she emerged from the painful trance. "Whoa!"

"What is it?" Gunn asked.

"Whoa! That was the single weirdest vision ever!" Cordelia mused rubbing her forehead.

"Cordy, I thought the vision pain was supposed to go away." Angel asked frowning.

"Me too, but I guess this one was special." Cordelia put in.

Wesley help Cordelia to her feet and the whole gang walked over to the desk where they all leaned around Cordelia to get the vision details.

"So what was the vision about, what did you see?" Lorne asked.

"Look guys it was weird stuff, so don't push!" Cordelia demanded pushing everyone away. "There was a dark alley, it was raining – no, pouring. Um…there was a vampire standing there, yup, just standing there and man was he in desperate need of a mirror!"

"Cordelia what was with the vampire?" Wesley asked.

"Um well he was definitely ugly and wet!" she laughed. Everyone glared at her.

"Ok ok!" Cordelia cried putting her bronzed hands up in defense. "Well the vamp just dusted, just like that! It just dusted to the ground and left a good amount of that nasty dirty dust!"

"That all?" Gunn asked not seeing the point.

"No," Cordelia answered. "After that, three new born babies formed from the vamp's leftovers, then they just got up and crawled away in different directions, and that's it!" Cordelia conclude with an I-told-you-it-was-weird shrug.

"That's all" Angel asked.

"Yes, that's all." She replied.

"Well that sure sounds…nasty." Gunn agreed.

"Yes, I wonder what are the Powers-That-Be trying to tell us, it can't be anything unimportant for such a vision is not normal." Wesley stated.

As soon as Wesley mentioned the Powers That Be, Angel turned irritable.

"Yeah, and I don't suppose it means babies are made out of vamp dust." Gunn mused rubbing his chin. Fred giggled.

"The Powers That Be must want us to – Wesley started.

ANgel couldn;t take hearing those words anymore, that council was one of the biggest problems in his life, he couldnt take it.

"Shut up Wesley." Angel commanded. "I don't want to hear another blasted word about the Shit-That-Don't-Do-Nothing.

An uncomfortable silence follows

Everyone gasped at Angel. Fred looked like she may have a heart attack. Cordelia placed her hand upon her heart as if to show Angel that he had just punctured it. Lorne tapped his horns subconsciously.

"Angel…you'd best take that back before they come to kill you." Wesley informed Angel cautiously.

"Ptfff!" Angel snorted. "Common on guys, the Shit-That-Don't-Do-Nothing can't hurt me. A demon slaughtered two of there best people, and I killed that demon, so what does that make me? How can they hurt me?" Angel asked widening his eyes for emphasis.

"Angel, they can hear you!" Wesley whispered fearfully.

"I mean these stupid loafers just sit up in their smoky condos and send pretend to send some stupid visions down to Cordelia to help us and kill her." Angel continued. "I'd say I can fuss all I want! Besides, did it ever occur to you guys the Shit-That-Don't-Do-Nothing never ever thanks us? All they really do is hurt all the people in the world I care about and love, isn't it enough that im a tortured vampire!?!"

"Angel please stop!" Fred whined.

"Angel, the visions that the powers send do help us!" Wesley countered. "And why do you say pretend, they are fully real, haven't you noticed at all????"

"I know this may sound weird coming from a vampire and all, but I personally think the visions come from God." Angel stated. "I mean, how can you humans serve God, and serve such abominable shit like the powers that be also!?! Sounds pretty stupid to me, don't you think?"

Angel waited for an answer and got none.

"Huh!?!" Angel asked.

No answer.

"Guess I stumped ya right there, huh Wes?" He asked.

"I suppose." Wesley sighed.

"Guys, im just saying those powers are not what they seem to be. They hurt you guys, and when I confront them they don't seem to care, they'd let you all die in a blink of an eye yet it is us that are fighting for the good of humankind!" Angel insisted. "Cordy, Fred, you guys know im right, right?"

"To be quite frank with you Angel, I think you just graduated from Harvard College with a PHD in Insanity for Gorgeous Hunks." Cordelia replied.

Gunn spun around to hide the laugh that was bursting to pop out of his mouth. Angel ignored Cordelia's comment and turned to Fred. She trembled frantically and continually side glanced at the doors to see if anybody was going to burst in. Her brown hair was wispy and loose, it curled around her round face, just amplifying the innocence in her stick figure. "Fred?" Angel asked.

"Well – I – uh – I don't know…" Fred sputtered.

"Common Fred, admit it! You know im talking the truth!" Angel urged.

"You could be right." She began.

"FRED!" Angel cried. "Who did you pray to for help and guidance when you were in Pylea? God? or the Powers That Be?"

Angel strummed a powerful note with that one. Fred was forced to answer, the answer Angel wanted to hear.

"God…" she said in a tiny voice.

"So there you have it! God is the power that is! Not the Shit-That-Don't-Do-Nothing!" Angel finished turning to go upstairs. "I'll be up in my room pondering the vision, you guys, do whatever. Actually, Wes is the boss so he'll tell you guys what to do."

Angel's boot thumped softly on the carpeted steps as he made his way up them; his black trench coat flowed behind him. His powerful figure seemed to say, "Im not afraid of anything."

Angel walked into his room swiftly and carelessly pulled off his jacket, he tossed it onto the bed when he heard breathing behind him. Without spinning around, Angel knew who was behind; a member of the Powers-That-Be.

"Hello Angel, I see your mouth is as courageous as your fist." The man observed. "Im Coronel a member of the mighty council of the Powers-That-Be."

"Oh, im am soo afraid! I think I get wet my self! Oh no! I just shit myself as well!" Angel mocked; back still facing the man.

"You are a valuable player is this time Angel. I cannot afford to loose you; however, your filthy mouth is not needed for the task, so I will do the honors of sewing your tongue to the roof of your mouth and welding your lips together…" Coronel sneered.

"Be my guess." Angel shrugged showing no fear.

Coronel lunged towards Angel; it was only the beginning of a war…

END OF CH01

Author's Note: So what do you think? Plz review!

~FusionScream