Title: Cruise Control
Author: Minnie-May
Distribution: Archive permission granted to: Unnatural. All others please ask.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Buffy or Angel (not even Wesley ;_;) they are all owned by Joss Whedon and the fine folks of Mutant Enemy…..lucky….
Summary: Wanting to impress Dawn, Connor asks Angel to teach him to drive (D/C)
Rating: G-PG
Feedback: Yes please! Send to: sweet_senshi@hotmail.com
Notes: This has spoilers from S6 of Buffy and S3 of Angel. It takes place sometime in the future, possibly after season 7 or 8 during the summer.
CRUISE CONTROL
It was a calm, balmy night in the City of Angels. The moon shone down lazily, illuminating the parking lot and casting reflections off car windows. The vampire stalked back and forth in front of the two teens, looking them up and down.
"Now driving in a BIG responsibility," Angel said, staring at Connor and Dawn. Dawn rolled her pretty green eyes and tossed her mane of brown hair off her shoulders. Connor nodded with a mock sense of seriousness. Neither of the children were listening to a word he said, to the great annoyance of Angel.
The previous week Dawn had shown up at his doorstep as she had for the past few summers. At first it had just been because Dawn needed some time away from the craziness that was Sunnydale. Everyone that lived in Sunnydale at one time or another could sympathize with the feeling so Buffy had sent Dawn out to LA to visit her father. While in LA Dawn had popped by at Angel Investigations and that's when she met Connor. 'Hormones' Angel thought grumpily as he watched the two sneak peeks at each other.
Hefting a sigh Angel gestured to the car with one hand and rubbed his forehead with another. This was going to be such a long night.
"Well if you think your ready….and I want you to really THINK about this, then you can get in the car" Angel said. Before the whole sentence had left his mouth both Dawn and Connor had climbed into the vehicle, Connor behind the wheel and Dawn in the back seat.
Earlier in the day when Connor had asked Angel if he would teach him to drive Angel had been both flustered and confused. Flustered because Connor had asked him to perform a parenting task, not something he did often. Even after things had been work out between them Connor was never really one to show his emotions or ask for help. Angel supposed the boy was like himself in that respect. Which is why he had been so confused when the question had suddenly as if from nowhere. Not to mention the fact that Connor had already expressed a distaste for cars.
As Angel climbed into the passenger seat he played the scene as it had happened earlier in the day.
****
EARLIER
Angel sat back in his desk in the Hyperion, listening to some calm, soothing music and thinking. Or brooding, as Cordy would consider it. He had just received a call from Buffy about some demon or other that they were dealing with in Sunnydale. She had asked if they could talk to Wesley because, apparently, he knew a thing or two about this demon. All that would have been fine if he hadn't heard the cocky English voice in the background ask if she was talking to "peaches".
Spike. Angel still hadn't put his finger on why Buffy still talked to Spike, let alone let him into her home. Dawn did nothing but sing his praises when she spent the summers, but Angel wasn't fooled in the least. Spike was evil. He was evil and he was in Buffy's house. Angel's fists clenched and unclenched around the snowglobe he had been twirling between his hands as he wondered how long it took to get to Sunnydale. Surely it wouldn't be more than a two-hour drive if he started out now and-
Angel was jarred out of his thoughts by a purposeful knock on the frame of his door. He knew the knocker immediately, after all it was his son.
"Connor, hey didn't see you there" Angel stated obviously. Connor let himself into the office and sat across from Angel. Then he looked around the room nervously, gaze flitting upon the picture of the whole gang when they had taken their trip to visit "Uncle" Lorne in Vegas. Angel recognized the nervous gesture immediately and knew that Connor had come to ask for a favor. "What's up?" Angel asked.
"Teach me how to drive?" Connor blurted out. The dark haired boy turned his gaze from the picture and studied Wesley's tea set that still took up the back corner of Angel's office. For a moment Angel just stared at him unintelligently, trying to figure out what was going on. Then the vampire with a soul seemed to swell up with pride at being asked to perform such an important task.
"Of course! I never thought you liked driving though. Didn't you say something about cars being unnatural?" Angel asked after a moment of consideration. This was all very curious.
"Well I figured that I'd have to learn sometime. I mean cars are important for people to get around in this dimension right? So I will need to know how to maneuver one" Connor explained, nodding to himself.
"Yea, well you have a point there. But still, if you're not ready-" Angel trailed off, trying not to push Connor into anything he didn't feel comfortable with.
"No, I'm ready" Connor said, getting up from his seat and crossing over to the doorway of the office. Before he exited he turned around to glance back at his father. "Could we start tonight possibly, if there are no cases?" Connor asked. He only waited for his father to nod before he walked from the office, leaving Angel once more to his thoughts.
Angel once more twirled the snowglobe between his palms, frowning as the snow in the glass circle swirled around and around into a storm. What had he just gotten himself into?
****
PRESENT
"Check the mirrors" Angel said.
"I did already" Connor remarked, snaking the keys towards the ignition.
"Check again" Angel said sternly. He was beginning to develop a horrible headache and rubbed his forehead wearily.
"Fine" Connor mumbled, adjusting the mirror for about the third time in a row. He didn't understand why his father was making him do these senseless tasks over and over again. But of course he figured that if he wanted to learn to drive he should listen to Angel.
Connor adjusted the mirror over a little so that he could catch eyes with Dawn in the small rectangle of glass. He smiled at her in an apologetic way and she rolled her eyes in turn.
"I think you have the mirror a little too far over" Angel said, leaning over and adjusting the mirror back to it's former position.
"Is it good now?" Connor asked in exasperation.
"Yea" Angel mumbled, giving him a look out of the corner of his eye. "It's ok".
Once again Connor started to put the keys in the ignition when suddenly Angel grabbed his wrist and pulled it back. Connor let out a long sigh; at this rate he'd be driving when he was as old as his father.
"Is there enough gas?" Angel asked quickly.
"Full tank."
"Right" Angel said and cleared his throat. "Did you adjust your seat right? Can you reach the pedals ok?" Angel shot out another question after a furrowed glance around the car.
"Does it matter? At this rate I'll never be using them" Connor remarked sarcastically. Angel made a mental note to stop letting Cordy spend so much time with Connor, he was starting to pick up on her unique brand of sarcasm.
"Being snippy isn't going to make it any quicker" Angel commented, leaning back in his seat. He watched the young man's jaw clench visibly. Connor hated to be ordered around and told what to do about as much as he hated asking for favors. 'All this for a girl' Angel thought, glancing back at Dawn who was making herself comfortable in the back seat.
"Sorry" Connor said in a strained voice. Angel knew that they were about two minutes from an argument and considering their history of arguments he decided to drop it and let the boy start the car up. He was not in the mood to be thrown in the ocean.
"Go ahead and start the car up if you're ready" Angel commented, watching as Connor put the key in the ignition and turned. The car came to life with the loud hum of the engine. Dawn smiled and leaned forward between the seat, turning to Connor.
"Are we driving now? Cool" she commented when Connor nodded to her with a smile. Angel felt himself rolling his eyes and turned to give Dawn a quick glance.
"Back to your seat" Angel ordered. Dawn mumbled some comment that Angel only half heard and returned to her seat with a sigh. Angel turned his full attention back on his son behind the wheel of the car.
"Ok now" Angel began, clearing his throat nervously. How had he gotten himself talked into this one? "Press on the gas" Angel directed. Connor looked at him blankly for a moment and Angel felt his nerves get worse.
"The gas…." Connor trailed off, face screwed in concentration. "Right, the gas…" he trailed off again.
"The one on the right" Dawn supplied from the back. Connor let out a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously.
"I knew that" he commented as he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. Angel's eyes widened as the momentum of the speeding car threw him forward. He should have really gotten one of those cars with the controls on the passenger's side too. In the back he heard Dawn give out a little yelp as she flew forward and then fell over in her seat.
"Brake! BRAKE!" Angel yelled, balancing himself on the dashboard. Connor slammed his foot down on the other pedal and the car came to a halting stop. In the backseat Dawn, who had just regained her composure, tumbled over once again.
"Dawn…" Angel addressed the brown haired girl in the back seat, "I think you should put on your seatbelt.
****
EARLIER
The door to the Hyperion opened as Cordelia Chase stepped through and into the main lobby. Her mid-length dark hair caught the sunlight and for a moment she looked as if she was posing for a picture. She used her foot to close the door behind her and descended the lobby stairs, looking for a place to ditch her bags. Cordy took off her dark sunglasses now that she was inside and could hardly see where she was going and noticed Angel standing in the door of his office. She smiled and walked over to him.
"Well I've got your nasty shrunken head thing" Cordy announced, passing one of her bags over to Angel. Wordlessly he opened the bag and peered inside, then closed it and put it on the desk in his office.
"You know that thing was really, really nasty and I had to touch it. The least I could get is a 'Thank you Cordelia'. Or possible a 'Good job Cordelia, you're the best Cordelia, thanks for being my best employee Cordelia'." Cordy said indignantly, putting her empty hand on her hip.
"What's that?" Angel asked, pointing to the other bag. Cordy turned a bright pink for a moment and then flipped her hair over her shoulder defiantly.
"Well there's this cute little store right by the magic shop you had me go to and they had a 50 percent off sale, can you imagine? So I figured I'd go in, browse a littler, and I ended up buying a whole new outfit…and shoes!" Cordy said, reliving the glory of the bargain.
"Right…." Angel trailed off, just looking at Cordy strangely. Cordy looked at him for a moment and then titled her head to the side as if trying to figure something out.
"What's up Angel? You're in serious brood mode today " Cordy commented, walking over to the poof in the middle of the lobby and stretching out on it. Angel walked over and sat down next to her, folding his hands in his lap.
"It's about Connor" Angel began wearily. Cordelia's eyes widened and she leaned forward in concern.
"Nothing's wrong with Connor is there? Because I just saw him earlier with Dawn and he looked-" She began but Angel quickly cut her off.
"No there's nothing wrong. Well, nothing serious anyway" Angel put in, taking an unneeded breath and letting it out in a whoosh.
"Well then what's the matter?" Cordy asked, her voice showing the slight strain of aggravation.
"He asked me to teach him how to drive" Angel said, looking at Cordy out of the side of his eye. "He's never wanted to learn before, he doesn't even like cars" Angel mumbled.
Cordelia rolled her eyes at him and pushed herself up from her sitting position. She leaned down, grabbed her bag, and began walking towards the steps leading up to the rooms. She stopped when she got to the landing and turned to address Angel over her shoulder.
"Maybe you should stop looking into demon possession and look around you" Cordy commented, nodding her head in the direction of where Connor and Dawn sat outside. Dawn squatted Connor on the arm and both of them broke out into infectious laughter.
"What?" Angel questioned, watching the scene and then turning back to Cordelia.
"He's doing it to impress Dawn. Hello?" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You really have been out of the dating game a long time" Cordelia muttered.
"Hey! I can woo with the best of 'em" Angel said defensively, feeling as if somehow he were under attack.
"If you need me I'll be upstairs showing Fred my new bargains" Cordelia announced, ascending the stairs before the sentence was out of her mouth.
"I could woo you!" Angel shouted after her. He wasn't sure but he thought that he heard a stifled giggle come from upstairs.
****
PRESENT
"Ok….this is good….nice and slow" Angel commented as the car crawled forward.
"We're moving?" Dawn asked from the back. Angel turned and glared at the young girl, causing her to burrow a little deeper into the seat. "Just a question, jeez."
"Could we maybe go a little faster?" Connor asked his father. He was itching to feel some momentum and the snails' pace of the car was driving him crazy. After the gas pedal incident 15 minutes earlier he had been going a lovely 10 miles an hour around the parking lot.
"I….suppose" Angel muttered. "But just a little quicker" he put in hastily as his son pressed down on the gas and the car shot forward a little quicker. Angel glanced at the speedometer, 30 God help him.
Connor, meanwhile, was rather pleased with himself. He had just about figured out how to keep the car in a straight line. When he had first begun, the car had been all over the parking lot, but now he was keeping it fairly straight. Connor took the opportunity to glance back in his mirror at Dawn. The pretty girl had her head in her palm and was staring out the window, deep in thought. He couldn't believe that in a few weeks she would be going back to Sunnydale to get ready for school. Connor let out a depressed sigh at the thought of losing Dawn's presence.
"Eyes on the road, eyes on the road!" Angel barked, pulling Connor out of his thoughts. He focused his attention back on driving again as the car neared the end of the parking lot. "Now do you think your ready for turning?" Angel asked.
"Turning?" Connor asked, still preoccupied with the idea of keeping the car straight. In the backseat, Dawn suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention to the front of the car.
"Turning?" she asked doubtfully. It sounded almost as if she didn't think that Connor could turn the car. Which he could, easily.
"Yea, I'm ready for turning," Connor said, glancing in the backseat in time to see Dawn try to tug her seatbelt tighter.
"Now, slowly….SLOWLY, turn the steering wheel to the right" Angel instructed, once again feeling dread descend upon him. Connor quickly cut the wheel over to the right and the whole car skidded towards the right with a loud squeal of tires. Connor slammed his foot back down on the brake again and the car rocked to a violent stop.
"Maybe we'll do turning another day" Angel said faintly. Connor let out a loud sigh and wondered again why he was doing this. The whole car put him ill at ease, having spent so many years away from technology of any kind.
The sound of Dawn giggling in the back seat caused him to turn and look at her. She was practically doubled up laughing on the seat, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes. Angel was glaring at her, not looking at all amused.
Connor's mind wandered back to earlier that day when he had first gotten the idea to learn to drive.
****
EARLIER
Dawn and Connor walked along the sunny LA streets, stopping sporadically to peer in windows and enter shops. Dawn had a big bag from one of the trendy teen stores hanging from her arm. She had decided that she wanted a new shirt and had dragged Connor in to help her find one. Personally after about the fifth shirt with the word 'Princess' or 'Angel' they all started to blend together to him. The one time he had held something up she had given him a sympathetic look and disappeared in a dressing room.
When she had reappeared it had been in a pretty blue shirt that made her eyes look brilliantly bright. Of course he hadn't minded the scoped neck either.
After Dawn had forked over the money for the top they had exited the store and Connor saw a weapons shop that he was itching to go in. While he stared at all the different axes and broadswords Dawn made random comments about most of the merchandise.
"What would you do with this?" Dawn asked, eyeing a contraption in the corner that could have either been some sort of hurtling device or a really low-tech toaster.
"I think Aunt Fred made something like that once" Connor said, glancing over at the weapon in question. "I forget what she called it though. She gave it a name but Gunn refuses to call it anything but 'the weird toaster thing'. They argue about it all the time" Connor said with a smile. Dawn grinned, happy that Connor had finally come to terms with his 'family' in LA.
Since they left the weapons store they had been walking around hand in hand for the last hour. Connor was comfortable, happy when they were talking and just as happy in the comfortable silence they enjoyed. But Dawn was beginning to limp slightly, something that he noted with worry.
"Are you ok?" Connor asked, nodding towards Dawn's leg.
"Yea I'm fine. I just wish I knew we'd be walking a lot. Because I would have worn shoes other than my heels" Dawn said, wincing slightly. Connor noticed an unoccupied bench close by and steered her towards it.
"Maybe we should sit down for awhile, give you feet a rest" Connor remarked plopping down on the bench. Dawn sat down beside him and he slipped his arm around her thin shoulders. She had a light splattering of freckles across them that stood out in sharp contrast to her sunburn. Connor leaned back on the bench and let the sunlight wash over him, grateful for it's warmth.
Dawn groaned and yanked off her shoes, once more cursing her choice to wear heels. She rubbed her tired foot and sighed as sharp pains stabbed her foot. 'That's it' she thought to herself, 'Spike was right, heels are stupid.'
"You know what I wish we had right now?" Dawn asked, looking over at Connor. 'Well doesn't he look comfortable?' she thought resentfully.
"Hmm?" he said by way of question, too busy enjoying the good weather to turn around.
"A car. That would be nice," Dawn said, leaning back now as well and putting her heels on the seat beside her.
"A car?" Connor asked. The strange vehicles had been one of the first things Connor had encountered when he made his way from Quor-toth to this dimension. He still didn't really understand much about them other than they were apparently important to most people here. He didn't like them much; they just didn't seem to belong in this world.
"Yup. I should be able to get my license soon. You would not believe how good I'm doing in Driver's Ed. Even though my teacher is a totally witch-except with a B" Dawn paused in her rant and blushed as she saw Connor staring blankly at her. "And I'm totally boring you right now aren't I?"
"No, not at all" Connor said absently. She seemed pretty happy about this whole car thing, about being able to operate a motor vehicle.
"Is being able to drive important?" Connor asked, curiously.
"Of course! It's essential" Dawn said, nodding with a great amount of energy. "When you drive you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. It's like total freedom" Dawn said, getting a bit starry eyed at the prospect of not having to go wherever Buffy wanted her all the time. To just be able to drive away from all the craziness whenever she need time. Of course, Dawn was sure that her being able to drive was Buffy's worst nightmare.
"Hmmm" Connor muttered to himself, mulling over the idea.
Dawn leaned her head back on the bench and tilted her head to stare over at Connor. Her hair spilled out over his arm, which touched the warm skin of her neck. Connor felt butterflies begin to flap their wings in his stomach and blush rise to his cheeks. It was one of those magically moments when everything else just seems to stop and there was only the two of them.
Connor leaned towards Dawn, intending to kiss her. She leaned in too, closing her eyes. Their breath mingled as they both leaned in, moments from the kiss when-
"Connor! Dawn!" the English accented voice broke into their moment and Connor turned around to see Wesley walking up with Fred beside him. Wesley took one look at the situation and coughed nervously, realizing his mistake.
"I saw the two of you and I thought that I would come by and, ahem, say hello. So…hello… "Wesley trailed off lamely. He turned to Fred, who was obviously trying hard not to giggle, for some backup.
"We were also wondering if you wanted a ride home? We were picking up some ingredients for a spell and were just about to head out when we saw you two. But if we're interrupting." Again Wesley trailed off into uncomfortable silence. Fred let slip a little giggle and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Wesley gave her a mock disapproving look and Fred tried to smooth out her smile.
"Actually that would be really great. My feet are killing me" Dawn said, getting up and grabbing her shoes in one hand. Connor got up from the bench as well, frowning at the brown haired girl and the Englishman. 'One more minute and-' Connor sighed to himself. The only bad part about Dawn coming to visit was that the whole group crowded around them like vultures, hardly giving them any time to themselves.
Wesley opened up the passenger's side door for Fred and then went around to the driver's side himself. Dawn pulled open the door to the backseat and slid herself inside the car. Connor slid in after and sat close beside Dawn.
"You know" Dawn directed at Connor, "it's too bad you can't drive. That would make things soooo much more convenient."
Connor stared over at Dawn a moment as she turned to answer a question posed by Fred. His thoughts were jumbling together in a whirl.
'Hmmm' he thought to himself, 'maybe….'
****
PRESENT
"Ok, this is good," Angel remarked, sounding relieved. "Slow is good. Nice and slow. Slow and stead" Angel intoned as the car crawled along through the parking lot.
Angel's eyes shot to the electronic look in the center of the car. The glowing numbers read 12. He couldn't believe he had been doing this for two hours now. He wasn't sure he could take much more of this, the stress was killing him. In the backseat Dawn stifled a yawn and re-crossed her legs for about the millionth time.
"Maybe we should call it quits for the night son" Angel suggested quietly. "Do some more learning tomorrow?" Connor let out a relieved sigh and turned to look at Angel.
"Good, I could use a break" Connor said, taking his hands on the steering wheel while he spoke to Angel. The car began to weave about crazily, fanning to the right and then the left. Connor looked about in a baffled way, trying to figure out what was going on. In the backseat, Dawn yawned again and routinely tightened her seatbelt.
"Hands on the wheel! Hands on the wheel!" Angel bellowed as the car began to edge closer to a tree on the outskirts of the lot. Connor grabbed the wheel a little to forcefully and yanked it over to the right. The car went into a skid, turning the car around 360 degrees before it settled when Connor slammed on the breaks. Angel looked at him wide-eyed and Dawn stretched in the back.
"So we're done then?" she asked, leaning forward between the seats like she had done when they had first started the lesson.
"We're done" Angel agreed, taking off his own seatbelt and slipping out of the car. Unconsciously his eyes slid up and down the car to check for any damage. Although at this point why keeping the car in shape was even important was beyond him. The poor thing already got battered, shot at, and blown up on a regular basis.
Dawn slid out of the backseat and Connor moved out from the front. The two kids looked at each other for a moment and Dawn began to giggle. For a moment Connor only frowned at her, wondering if he was being laughed at, but then he found himself laughing along with her.
"You did a good job" Dawn commented when she finally got her breath back. When she saw the doubtful look in Connor's eyes she nodded and continued on. "Really, you should have seen what I was like when Spike first taught me to drive."
"What?" Angel asked, suddenly paying attention to the conversation. "Spike? Spike taught you to drive?" Angel asked incredulously. Dawn nodded that it was the truth and Angel made a face.
"That must have been an enlightening experience" Angel muttered under his breath as Dawn began to tell Connor a story of how she had almost run over a cat.
"I hate to interrupt" Angel interrupted quickly. He didn't know how many more stories he could hear about Spike tonight; he was not in any kind of mood for that. "But do you two want a ride home?" he asked, gesturing to the car.
The two of them looked over at each other and then to the waiting car and then back. Dawn shook her head slightly and Connor nodded; the two were talking without words.
"Nah" Connor commented, throwing an arm around Dawn. "You go ahead, I think we'll just walk" he announced. Angel gave him a quick look as if weighing the options for a moment.
"You have some weapons?" Angel asked. In reply Connor silently pulled a stake and a small battle-axe from the inside pocket of his jacket.
Angel nodded then and headed around to the driver's side of his car, intent upon heading back to the hotel. Maybe there would be a case waiting there when he got back. Something to take his mind off all of the things that had been plaguing him lately. His son was practically all grown up now and he had seen none of the growing. All the years he'd missed. And he wouldn't even allow his mind to pause on the Spike issue. It was just too disturbing for words.
Slipping behind the wheel of the car, Angel watched as Connor and Dawn turned their backs and started walking off in the direction of the hotel. Softly some of their conversation floated over to this sensitive vampiric hearing.
"Are you sure you'll be ok with the walking? You're feet were all painful the last time" Connor asked awkwardly. Dawn laughed and shook out her mane of brown hair.
"Yea, I changed my shoes before we came out here" Dawn stated. "These boots are definitely made for walking."
"But you're wearing sneakers" Connor said, confused.
"Nevermind" Dawn said with a smile, "pop culture references are lost on you. Forgot that."
Angel shook his head and smiled, putting the key in the ignition and turning the car into life. He shifted into gear and headed the car out of the parking lot.
A moment later he passed Dawn and Connor, walking hand and hand, oblivious to their surroundings.
'Kids' Angel thought, as he headed his car towards the direction of the Hyperion.
THE END