A/N: Coda to season 5 episode 18, "Origin." Also, post "Origin," leading up through the the finale, "Not Fade Away." This fic is actually for a class. That is, a fan fiction class. A class that teaches fan fiction. Yes, they have those!
Anyway, it should probably be said that my other works, "Home" and "Identity Crisis" are still in the works and will be finished, I promise. But school, you know?
Warning: gratuitous pop culture references ahead. Also, ignore the time line of the reference to Guardians of the Galaxy. I realize I'm about ten years off, but I don't care.
And as always, these characters belong to Joss.
The elevator was playing (Don't Fear) The Reaper. Connor got the vague sense the universe was trying to tell him something.
He started to sing along to tune the universe out.
But the universe was loud, and he couldn't shake the image of Angel standing in the light of the sun shining through that special glass window in his huge corporate office, wearing what looked to be an expensive suit, watching as Connor walked away.
Angel in sunlight was weird. And he never used to wear expensive suits.
This whole law firm was weird. How many people can say they walked into a law firm a regular Stanford student and walked out a demon-fighting freak named Steven who was raised by a crazy time-traveling Catholic vampire hunter in a hell dimension?
But Connor's not thinking about that. Connor's just riding in this elevator to the lobby of Wolfram & Hart after having a conversation with his vampire father about the necessity of keeping your family safe, filled with hints and suggestions that Connor knew exactly who Angel was but he wasn't going to say anything except thank you in the most round about way possible.
Angel probably won't get it. He always did have a problem with understanding complicated human emotions.
But again, and Connor couldn't stress this enough, he was not thinking about it.
The elevator doors opened as the last of (Don't Fear) The Reaper ended. Connor's very human father and very human mother were there waiting for him in the lobby.
"Ready to go, champ?" His father slapped him on the back and Connor couldn't help but think the gesture, paired with the word 'champ', was all very step ford.
His mother and father still looked at him with worry, like his clothes were going to tear off as his skin turned green and he grew ten feet, grunting and smashing his way through the Wolfram & Hart lobby.
Still, they seemed to be taking the news of the supernatural much better than he was, and that was after his dad had been treated by a doctor with claws, so he just nodded he was ready to go and they made their way out to the car.
Connor was just about to pull the car door open when he paused. He looked up the tall building to where he thought Angel's office was and imagined Angel looking down from his office, not only at him, but the rest of the city as well.
A vampire sitting on top of the world.
Connor remembered the days when Angel Investigations was run out of a creepy old hotel. He may have just gotten his memories back, but he figured half a day was enough time to remember how Angel Investigations never went looking for clients. The clients always went searching for them.
Like an underground handshake, the clients would always walk through the front doors of the lobby and ask, "Is this Angel Investigations?" because there never was a sign on the door. And then they would launch into an explanation on how they had heard about them from their best friend's sister's cousin or something or other and then ask, very reluctantly, if it's true Angel Investigations handled "special" cases.
Funny how Connor just now was appreciating the anonymity of such work the AI team did. What was the word Angel used to use?
Champions. Right.
He wondered if Angel still used that particular definition for himself anymore, way on top of his castle.
Connor thought he got it now, half a day from remembering vampires, demons and hell dimensions. What's a new set of good memories if they can't give you a different perspective on your previous psychopathic life?
Like Angel said, he's just a normal, well-adjusted kid with enhanced abilities.
Angel knows what he's doing. After all, there's a better view from 20 floors up.
So Connor decided he wasn't thinking about it. And he wasn't worried.
Not about Angel being in charge of an evil law firm.
And certainly not about the two sets of memories circulating his head now.
He half expected (Don't Fear) The Reaper to be on the radio when his dad turned the car on because he wouldn't put it past the universe to be extra obnoxious today, but it wasn't and Connor tried not to be disappointed by the fact.
It was just a really damn good song.
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While he's not thinking about vampires, demons, and hell dimensions, he was quite fascinated with the logistics of memory, the point of interest coming from the two sets of memories he has running through his head.
Case in point:
A few years ago, he and his girlfriend Tracey went on their second date to see a Tom Cruise film called Vanilla Sky. It was really weird and had Cameron Diaz in it, so Connor kind of hated it on principal. Tracey had a thing for Tom Cruise, and she loved it based on that principal.
But anyway, by the end of the movie, Tom Cruise finds out he's been living in this dream world sort of thing and his understanding of events split off from reality when the love of his life chooses his best friend over him.
Or something.
Point being, and though Connor hated to admit it, he kind of felt like Tom Cruise at the end of Vanilla Sky.
Because technically, that date never happened and he hasn't actually seen Vanilla Sky, which he would be glad for if it wasn't for the fact he remembers seeing Vanilla Sky with Tracey on their second date. While logically he knows his real life is the one where he's the son of two vampires and was kidnapped by a crazy person into a hell dimension, brainwashed into hating his biological father, Angel, by said crazy person, and then tried to blow a whole bunch of people up, including himself and Cordelia.
He shuddered, suddenly remembering his completely inappropriate relationship with Cordy, and decided to not even go near those memories.
Except.
He definitely remembers losing his virginity after getting back from that stupid Tom Cruise movie.
So he either lost his virginity to Tracey or to his stepmom Cordy.
See how confusing this was? He kind of wanted to kill Wesley at the moment too. Smashing Orlon Windows in his free time, Jesus Christ.
"Hey, Tracey," Connor said, seriously wanting to clear this matter right up so as not to think about Cordy anymore. They're in his dorm room at Stanford studying for their Exploring Religions final. It's been about three days since he got back from Wolfram & Hart and decided he wasn't going to think about vampires or demons or hell dimensions.
He thought it's been going well so far.
"What's up?" she replied from her spot on his bed, her laptop and various books about religions spread out over the comforter.
"You remember our second date when we saw Vanilla Sky?"
"Mm, Tom Cruise. Professor Stanley should teach Scientology for this course."
"It really makes me feel awesome that the first thing you remember about that date is Tom Cruise and not about us having sex for the first time."
Tracey looked up from her laptop and smirked at him. "Of course I remember that, silly. But you asked about the movie specifically, so I replied about the best part of the movie." She shrugged her shoulders as if it was the most logical reasoning in the world and didn't understand how someone who got into Stanford on a full ride couldn't figure that out.
Connor nodded slowly, trying to reorganize his thoughts back to his point, which he felt was getting away from him. "And have you seen the movie since?"
"Nope. Tom may be hot, but that movie was capitol W weird. Not really my thing."
"But you still remember seeing it."
This time Tracey gave him an exasperated look as she looked up from her computer, the teasing smile gone from her face. "What's up with you today? You're being weird. You always told me to tell you when you're being weird and you're being weird."
Connor sighed and shut his religions book. "I know. I'm sorry. I've been super stressed lately."
Tracey's look softened and she smiled at him. "You did get hit by a van a few days ago. It's understandable."
Connor smiled back at her and reopened his book. It was quiet for a few more moments until Tracey broke the not-quite comfortable silence.
"'I'll see you in another life, when we are both cats.'"
Connor looked up to find Tracey staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.
"What?"
She shrugged. "Besides Tom Cruise, that was my favorite part of the film. Tom says it at the end of the movie right before he jumps off a building after finding out that what he understands as reality isn't right." She paused, then broke into a smile and gave a small laugh. "Hey. Reincarnation. Funny how you looped our second date back to our religions final. Nice."
Tracey scribbled something in her notebook, probably about reincarnation and cats.
Reincarnation.
It's a nice idea. Maybe he can just pretend he drew the short end of the stick during the Who Will You Be Reincarnated As competition and got Steven.
Because Tracey remembered Vanilla Sky and having sex with him that first time. Whatever magic mojo Angel used to give him this life is quite thorough because he can remember very specific details of that night, like very very specific—
Connor felt a blush rising to his cheeks, so he quickly shook the thoughts from his mind. What kind of fake memories are able to produce a blush? This was all getting quite confusing again, so Connor went back to the not wanting to think about it deal he came up with three days ago.
Whatever he might be though, Connor's just glad he isn't a cat.
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Connor may be actively trying to avoid the supernatural, but others seemed to be embracing it quite spectacularly.
It's been a week since Connor was at Wolfram & Hart and his human parents, because Connor can't quite seem to break the habit of adding that certain clarification, kept asking about "that Angel fella."
"He just seemed so nice, honey," his mother said while on the phone with him exactly one week later. "I think you should call him and see if he can't help you out with those internship applications. It's called networking, sweetie. And that Angel fella probably has a lot of connections."
"He's a vampire, Mom."
There's barely a pause before she huffed. "This is America. We don't discriminate. Well, we shouldn't anyway. Plus, he's the nicest vampire I've ever met. Handsome, too."
Connor tried not to gag while replying, "He's the only vampire you've met."
"Just call him Connor, okay?" He could picture her waving her hand around above her head as if she was trying to shoo away Connor's reservations herself. "It doesn't hurt to have a CEO of a major law firm on your side. He may be a vampire, but he lives in this world too."
Connor doesn't call Angel because a) he doesn't even want to be a lawyer and b) he's not thinking about vampires and demons and hell dimensions. It's not his fault everyone else around him can't seem to stop thinking about them.
Connor used to think his parents were pretty square. Not in a bad way, though. Just in a normal, white picket fence and 2.5 children kind of square. That's probably what Angel was going for he thought, as the memory of the mall and the bomb strapped around his waist flashed across his mind. Now they're watching Dracula and Frankenstein and Interview with a Vampire and mocking the filmmakers for their ridiculous interpretations of vampires.
The irony was going to kill him.
Connor thought about his dad slapping him on the shoulder and calling him champ in the lobby of Wolfram & Hart, but that just reminded him of Angel in sunlight so he halted that train of thought immediately.
He did have to fill out these internship applications though so he emailed his religions professor for a recommendation even though the internship he's applying for has nothing to do with religion.
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Connor's not really a sports guy, but his roommate and best friend, Kyle, plays baseball for Stanford and Connor would sometimes help him practice.
Two weeks after his visit to Wolfram & Hart, Kyle and him were throwing the ball back and forth on the lawn next to their dorm. Things had been proceeding as usual, until Kyle asked about the van incident.
"You got hit by a van," Kyle said as he threw the ball to Connor.
Connor caught it and threw it back. "I did."
"And you didn't get a scratch on you?"
"Nope. Throw the ball the back."
Kyle did, but he also had a giddy smile on his face, the one Connor recognized Kyle got every time he thought he had a brilliant idea and was intent on sharing it with Connor. The expression mostly was used on Friday nights after drinking way too much at Sullivan's bar and right before Kyle tried to don a red cape and fight crime on the streets.
In fact, Connor wouldn't be surprised if the next thing out of Kyle's mouth was something about superheroes.
"Dude, you could be like a superhero or something."
Yeah, he's definitely spent way too many Friday nights bailing Kyle out of jail for vigilantism. "I don't look good in a cape," Connor replied.
"I bet Tracey would love to see you in spandex," Kyle laughed.
All of this talk about superheroes was setting Connor's nerves on edge and he threw the ball back to Kyle with a little more force than usual. The loud smack of the ball connecting with Kyle's mitt seemed to echo for miles. Kyle grunted in pain and threw his mitt off his hand.
"Holy Jesus," he exclaimed, cradling his hand to his chest. "You're not supposed to use your super powers on me!"
Connor rushed over to Kyle. "Oh God, it's not broken is it?"
"Kind of feels like it. Hey, can I start calling you Hulk now?"
"Shut up, Kyle! Come on, you need to go to the hospital," Connor said, pulling Kyle up off the grass where he had fallen in the wake of Connor breaking his hand. Kyle came willingly, but Connor couldn't figure out why he wasn't freaking out about his hand. He was sure to be out for the rest of the season.
Kyle gave Connor a pained smile as Connor pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Tracey for a ride to the hospital. "Don't worry about the hand, Connor. I've been looking for a way to quit baseball and you gave me one! You really are a superhero, aren't you?"
Connor ignored him as Tracey answered. "Hey Tracey, can you take us to the hospital? Great thanks." He hung up on Tracey and walked Kyle over to a nearby bench. They sat down, Kyle still holding his hand to his chest.
"Hulk, tell me your secret ways," Kyle sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes.
"I'll break your other hand if you call me that again. Tracey should be here in about 15 minutes. Kyle, I'm so sorry."
Kyle opened his eyes and peered over at Connor. "Don't worry about it, seriously. I'm totally replaceable on the team. Also, your secret is safe with me. As long as I get to come up with your superhero name and costume," he laughed, patting Connor on the shoulder with his good hand.
Connor remembered referring to himself as a superhero to Angel before he got his memories back and felt like throwing up. Connor wasn't sure what kind of superhero broke their best friend's hand while playing baseball. During his crusade to not think about the supernatural during the past two weeks, Connor had also been trying not to put himself in any position to show off his super strength.
And his super hearing.
And his super sight.
If he told Kyle about those characteristics, he wouldn't put it past Kyle to actually draw up a superhero costume for him. It wasn't like he didn't already have a cape.
He would have to ask about the baseball thing later, after the hospital.
Tracey showed up a few more minutes after that, made some comment about how she had noticed Connor's abnormal strength during sex the night he got back from W&H when Kyle asked her if she knew about it and they both spend the car ride to the hospital thinking up various superhero scenarios for him, much to his chagrin.
His chagrin got even more annoyed when they started talking about helping citizens from a burning building or saving an old woman's purse when it got taken by some guy on the street.
It was all sounding very Angel Investigations to him, minus the supernatural bit, but he was sure if Kyle and Tracey ever found out about that aspect, they would somehow be even more in to the superhero idea.
Never mind the fact the Angel Investigations team never referred to themselves as superheroes. If you asked them what they were, they would shrug and say they were private detectives, minus the private detective license, and plus the supernatural.
That's what Wesley would say. Then Cordelia would reply with "Why not just say we're a Supernatural Detective Agency?"
Then Wesley and Cordy would argue over semantics, Gunn would watch them fight while sharing a basket of tacos with Fred and Angel would stand off to the side where he preferred to be.
It wouldn't be until some hours later when Cordy got a vision that the rest of the team remembered what they really were.
Holding her head in her hands, trying to stave off the piercing headaches that came with the visions, Cordelia would say, "Oh, right. We're Champions." She always said it with a hint of sarcasm, but later when the headache was gone and the helpless were saved, she would proudly say it again.
And then Wes would say "Technically, Angel's the Champion," and the argument would start over.
But never superheroes.
Angel, if he were human, would probably have some sort of aneurysm if he heard someone referred to him as that.
Of course, Connor only knew about that particular argument because of Fred and Gunn. It had been a favorite story of theirs' they liked to share during that summer Angel and Cordy were missing. At the time, it made Connor gag. But now, strangely, he shared Fred and Gunn's nostalgia when picturing the argument.
He's not sure what to think about that.
It wasn't until they got the confirmation from the doctor that Connor did indeed break Kyle's hand that Connor thought again of the whole Champion spiel Angel gave him after Wes saved Angel from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Angel may have given him a new, happy life, but now, every time he sees Kyle with his blue cast, he'll be reminded of just how far he is from being included in the Champion life Angel had once wanted him to be a part of.
He's not a Champion, and he's definitely not a superhero.
(Don't Fear) The Reaper is playing on the radio when they get back in the car after Kyle gets his cast.
Figured.
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It's not that Connor was a bad person. At least, not anymore. It's just that he knew he shouldn't have decided to take a walk at 12:30 at night because now he can't exactly ignore the scream he just heard from somewhere ahead of him.
He just needed to clear his head. His nightmares didn't exactly get the memo he was avoiding the supernatural at all costs and he couldn't be near Kyle and his broken hand a moment longer.
Even if those costs were someone's life…
….Steven would have said once upon time. But now Connor's heard the scream and standing in front of a kid of about 15 getting his neck torn out by a vampire, and well. Connor knew what to do.
"Hey! Ugly vampire guy!" he called. The vampire looked up from the boy's neck but didn't drop him. Connor's super hearing told him the kid was still breathing, but barely.
Too late, Connor realized he didn't exactly have a stake with him as the vampire dropped the boy and advanced on him, most likely because Connor was the bigger and more challenging threat at the moment. "Yeah, come and get me you ugly bastard," he taunted again, because apparently his mouth decided to betray him along with his nightmares.
"You're not human," the vampire replied, advancing toward Connor with every bit the horror cliché of a monster stalking an innocent in the nighttime.
But Connor was no innocent, and the kid didn't have much longer. "Sure I am," he told the vampire as he discretely looked for a piece of wood in the alleyway, his eyes landing on a broken chair to the right and behind the vampire currently thinking about having him for desert. "Just with enhanced abilities," he finished with a smile he didn't want to admit was on his face, and made his move.
Connor dove for the chair, knowing he would miss but his movement got the vampire away from the kid. The vampire kicked him backward and he landed on his back with a huff. The vampire loomed over him, a sneer on his face that he probably thought made him look evil but Connor decided just made him look like a poor knock-off of haunted house vampire.
He'll be damned if he loses to a newly minted vampire who was exercising their blood thirst for the very first time that night.
He barely had time to wonder why he cared about that before the vampire was showing his fangs and leaning toward Connor's neck. Connor drew his head back and snapped it forward with a strength he didn't think he possessed, not even during the fight with Sahjan, their vampire's foreheads clashing with a hard smack, the vampire stumbling backwards while Connor jumped to his feet.
Again, he dove for the chair, the vampire still trying to reorient himself. He broke a leg off the chair, spun around and thrust the chair leg into the vampire's chest.
Connor made it to the kid's side before the dust settled, pulling out his cell phone and dialing 911.
After making the call, Connor looked down at the kid and was surprised to discover the kid wasn't as far gone as he originally believed. There was a small smile on the kid's face, though his eyes were glassy with pain. Still, the kid managed to open his mouth, his voice ragged.
"Vampires are real, huh? Knew it."
"Stop talking, kid. Help is on the way."
"You some kind of superhero or something?"
Connor didn't answer, just sat down on the pavement and kept two fingers on the kid's wrist to keep track of his rapidly decreasing pulse and his other hand over the bite on the kid's neck, trying to staunch the blood flow. After a few moments, Connor could hear sirens in the distance.
"Hey," the kid said, his voice a whisper. Connor looked down at him, not bothering to tell him to keep quiet. "I'm not going to turn into a vampire or anything, am I?"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Connor couldn't hold back his laugh. "No. No, you're not."
Before the kid could reply, the ambulance was there and loading him in the back. Connor figured the kid's parents would be called, so he stood and watched the ambulance drive away after he gave his statements to the cops.
A couple of days later, while he was watching movies with Kyle and Tracey in the dorm, he got a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?" he answered, attempting to keep his voice low while Peter Quill initiated a dance off with Ronan.
"Is this Connor Reilly?" A woman answered.
"Speaking." Kyle gave him a glare, which he ignored but turned away from the screen anyway.
"This is Beth Gracen, Tyler's mom?"
Connor felt his throat go dry, but managed to keep his voice steady while he told Mrs. Gracen he knew who she was.
"I'm just calling to let you know Tyler's okay. The police gave me your number and Tyler wanted me to let you know," she continued.
Connor released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's great ma'am."
"It is." She paused, and Connor could tell she was trying to figure out what to say next. "And I wanted to thank you. For what you did."
Connor turned back to the TV where the Guardians were all holding hands as the purple light of the Infinity stone surrounded them. "It's no problem, ma'am. I'm just glad he's okay."
She said thank you one more time and they hung up. Tracey was shooting him a concerned look, but didn't say anything, for which he was grateful. Kyle noticed too, but just handed him a beer. Connor took it with a nod of thanks and tried not too think of Kyle's broken hand and washing Tyler's blood off his hands.
It was easier than he expected.
The movie ended, and Tracey asked, "What shall we watch next?"
Connor smiled around his drink. "28 Days Later?"
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Connor had heard back from his religions professor just the day before. Professor Stanley had agreed on writing a letter of recommendation for the internship Connor was applying for.
It was that application he was working on at the coffee shop he liked to frequent when Angel showed up, a month out from his visit to Wolfram & Hart.
Connor still didn't think of himself as a hero, super or otherwise, despite what happened with Tyler, but he did feel better about who he was — Steven certainly would not have stayed with Tyler as he lay bleeding in a dark alley.
What he told Angel about his memories being like just a really bad dream was true. They were, and as long as he remembered that, he thought he could handle it.
Things were still weird, of course. Connor still wasn't sure if he should be strolling the streets at night, protecting the city. He figured he probably needed to see a therapist, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Regardless, his new memories helped in balancing himself.
But it wasn't until Angel's second reappearance in his life that Connor remembered being worried about Angel's situation at Wolfram & Hart. Connor remembered his limited interactions with the law firm last year as not very good ones. And of course, he had heard all about the firm's agenda to ruin Angel's life from Fred and Gunn. Not to mention the fact the firm had a small part in Connor's kidnapping when he was just a few weeks old.
And he knew, deep down, that Angel was at Wolfram & Hart because of him. But Angel's casual tone and seemingly innocent conversation topics didn't really register as odd until later.
Part of him, Connor guessed, had wanted to view Angel's visit as a sort of father/son bonding moment. Talking about girlfriends, his future, his goals and dreams.
After Angel left, Connor stayed at the coffee shop for another hour or so. Angel hadn't given him much help in the application process, but Connor figured Angel just liked to be included in knowing what was going on in Connor's life.
He left as the sun was going down and headed toward home. Connor was about half way there when once again, (Don't Fear) The Reaper came on the radio.
He slammed on the breaks as soon as he heard the first few chords of the song, obviously reminding him of his confusing ride in the elevator the afternoon after everything changed from him, and mentally rifled through his entire conversation with Angel that afternoon.
All of the reasons he could come up with to explain Angel's odd behavior were all leading to A Very Bad Thing. Connor threw the car in reverse and turned around, not caring if he got a ticket for reckless driving, and headed toward Los Angeles.
He had ignored the Universe once before. Many times, actually, he thought, mentally calling up a picture of his real mother dressed in white. This message seemed pretty straightforward.
Don't fear the reaper, indeed. He didn't know what the reaper was this time around. It probably didn't matter.
He sped straight past the Welcome to Los Angeles, the City of Angels sign in record time.