Disclaimer: I don't own Angel or any of its respective characters, but this storyline came from my head as well as the character Angel first meets.
Angel was still lying in a crumpled heap on the ground as the crowd began to disappear. It couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. He would go back to the Hyperion and Connor would be waiting there. This was all some kind of illusion. Angel closed his eyes tightly wishing everything away.
Connor was gone, and to make things worse he was in the most hellish dimension of all, whatever that was. Angel would have followed him if he could. How right was it to let him have Connor and than rip his child away so soon? All those dreams of watching him grow up seemed dashed, even with the little hope of finding him again.
He would find a way to somehow get Connor back. Wesley might be able to find something about this dimension in a book. Maybe they could figure out a way to get there.
No. Wesley had betrayed him. This was his fault. How could he have done that? For a second, Angel thought maybe he'd had good reason.
Angel felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and was shaken out of thought. He hadn't even noticed someone near him. His mind was too clouded and concerned in deep thought, He turned up to look at a woman who was bending over him. She had a kind and beautiful face. The first features he noticed about her were her eyes. They sparkled a dark green color and were clouded by concern. Her deep brown hair hung down over him. It shimmered in the light given off by the street lamplights. She looked at him and her eyebrows were close as when one is perplexed or confused. Her full lips were parted and the bottom one protruded slightly. She shivered and pulled her navy blue hooded sweatshirt tighter around her small shoulders. Even though she was bent over him, Angel noticed her long legs, which were covered by gray, baggy pants.
She looked at him in almost the same awe. In another place, another time, they may have fallen into love at first sight. With blank minds they gazed at each other for a moment's time. Finally it was she who spoke.
"I saw what happened… everything." Her hand still lay on his shoulder.
Angel didn't say anything to her. So? Who cared what she'd seen. She couldn't help him get Connor back. That was the only thing that mattered to him then.
She waited for him to reply but when he didn't, she continued. "Are you okay?"
Angel almost laughed. No. He wasn't okay. He had just lost his son.
She narrowed her eyes and threw up her hands, exclaiming, "Well? Are you going to say anything? Maybe something along the lines of, 'Oh, I'm fine. How are you?' Anything!" She paused and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Please. Just so I don't think I'm talking to a dead body. I see too many of those."
"I'm fine. How are you?" He mirrored her words, with no feeling whatsoever.
"Just a little freaked out, thanks." She rolled her eyes, "Would you mind explaining this little event to an innocent onlooker?" Her expression became more serious, "I saw the whole supernatural portal…and that little baby. Was it yours?"
"Still is." He replied sadly.
"Look, maybe I can help." She offered, "Or at least walk you back to your home, seeing as they took your ride when they left."
"Why are you here?" He asked her, ignoring her previous suggestions.
"I got bored of the morgue and decided to take a walk. It's the closest I could get to soul searching." She told him honestly.
"You work at the morgue?"
"Yeah, I work in forensics. Well, I saw all these cars screeching to a halt so I hid behind a building wall and watched the scene." She said, "I've seen some pretty weird things but this tops them all, by far."
Angel looked around at the surroundings for the first time, expecting to see everyone gone. Only not everyone had left. Justine was leaning against the SUV she and Holt had ridden in.
"Who is that?" The stranger asked him, following his gaze.
"Someone driven by revenge, but working on the wrong side." He told her, still looking at Justine.
"Look, I should get out of here. Maybe you should come with me. You look like the type who broods a lot. It's not healthy. I think you should talk your problems out with me." She straightened and stood up, burying her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt.
"Really? I doubt you'd believe it." Angel told her, finally sitting up.
"Oh yeah? How much you want to bet?" She offered him her hand to help him to his feet.
After a slight hesitation, he took it and stood to his feet. "I just have to do something first." He steadied himself on his feet and headed toward Justine. "How did he do it? How did he get Wesley to bring him Connor?"
She looked up at him, amused. "He did it to protect the kid. Everyone knows a child would never be safe with a vampire."
"Are you saying I would kill him?" Angel flared, "I would never kill my own son! Damn it, I loved him. Yeah, you heard me. I have a soul, I can love as well as hurt. And don't get me wrong, I'm just dying to hurt you."
"Rightfully so." She told him, "I'm the one who slit the Britt's neck to get your son from him. Left him bleeding on the side of the road."
Angel stared at her in disbelief. Wesley didn't give Connor up willingly. He could be dead. "Tell me where he is, now." He demanded.
"I don't think so." She told him, "You can kill me and I won't tell you. What do I have to live for? I've got no future. My twin sister is dead. My possibility for revenge is gone. Holt just left me here. Kill me now."
He grabbed her shoulders and threw her away from the SUV, hard against the ground. "We'll take her ride." He called over at his new companion.
She jogged over and hopped into the passenger seat and Angel sat himself behind the wheel. The keys were still in the ignition and he started the car and they drove off, leaving Justine lying in the street.
"Damn it Wesley. Where are you?" Gunn asked the air as he and Fred drove around the city.
"We've looked everywhere." Fred stated fidgeting her hands and keeping her eyes peeled to the window.
"I hope Angel hasn't found him before us." Gunn muttered, rounding another street corner.
Fred caught sight of a body lying on the grass. "Charles, stop!" Fred exclaimed, "There's someone lying on the ground out there."
"It's probably just a homeless man. There are a lot of those in L.A." Gun dismissed.
"Really? I wonder where he got Wesley's coat from." Fred commented, keeping her eyes on the figure.
Gunn's eyes widened and he pulled over to the side of the road. They both got out of the car and jogged over to Wesley.
"Oh God! He's bleeding." Fred rushed to Wesley's body and knelt at his side. She laid her head over his chest and listened for a heart beat. "He's still alive. We need to get him to a hospital." She told Gunn urgently.
He nodded once and heaved Wesley over his shoulder. His body was lighter than usual, due to the loss of a great amount of blood. They rushed back to the car and put Wesley in the back seat. Fred sat next to him and whispered, "Hold on Wesley. Don't leave us." His head lay in her lap and she grabbed a spare sweatshirt, applying it to his neck.
Angel was still lying in a crumpled heap on the ground as the crowd began to disappear. It couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. He would go back to the Hyperion and Connor would be waiting there. This was all some kind of illusion. Angel closed his eyes tightly wishing everything away.
Connor was gone, and to make things worse he was in the most hellish dimension of all, whatever that was. Angel would have followed him if he could. How right was it to let him have Connor and than rip his child away so soon? All those dreams of watching him grow up seemed dashed, even with the little hope of finding him again.
He would find a way to somehow get Connor back. Wesley might be able to find something about this dimension in a book. Maybe they could figure out a way to get there.
No. Wesley had betrayed him. This was his fault. How could he have done that? For a second, Angel thought maybe he'd had good reason.
Angel felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and was shaken out of thought. He hadn't even noticed someone near him. His mind was too clouded and concerned in deep thought, He turned up to look at a woman who was bending over him. She had a kind and beautiful face. The first features he noticed about her were her eyes. They sparkled a dark green color and were clouded by concern. Her deep brown hair hung down over him. It shimmered in the light given off by the street lamplights. She looked at him and her eyebrows were close as when one is perplexed or confused. Her full lips were parted and the bottom one protruded slightly. She shivered and pulled her navy blue hooded sweatshirt tighter around her small shoulders. Even though she was bent over him, Angel noticed her long legs, which were covered by gray, baggy pants.
She looked at him in almost the same awe. In another place, another time, they may have fallen into love at first sight. With blank minds they gazed at each other for a moment's time. Finally it was she who spoke.
"I saw what happened… everything." Her hand still lay on his shoulder.
Angel didn't say anything to her. So? Who cared what she'd seen. She couldn't help him get Connor back. That was the only thing that mattered to him then.
She waited for him to reply but when he didn't, she continued. "Are you okay?"
Angel almost laughed. No. He wasn't okay. He had just lost his son.
She narrowed her eyes and threw up her hands, exclaiming, "Well? Are you going to say anything? Maybe something along the lines of, 'Oh, I'm fine. How are you?' Anything!" She paused and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Please. Just so I don't think I'm talking to a dead body. I see too many of those."
"I'm fine. How are you?" He mirrored her words, with no feeling whatsoever.
"Just a little freaked out, thanks." She rolled her eyes, "Would you mind explaining this little event to an innocent onlooker?" Her expression became more serious, "I saw the whole supernatural portal…and that little baby. Was it yours?"
"Still is." He replied sadly.
"Look, maybe I can help." She offered, "Or at least walk you back to your home, seeing as they took your ride when they left."
"Why are you here?" He asked her, ignoring her previous suggestions.
"I got bored of the morgue and decided to take a walk. It's the closest I could get to soul searching." She told him honestly.
"You work at the morgue?"
"Yeah, I work in forensics. Well, I saw all these cars screeching to a halt so I hid behind a building wall and watched the scene." She said, "I've seen some pretty weird things but this tops them all, by far."
Angel looked around at the surroundings for the first time, expecting to see everyone gone. Only not everyone had left. Justine was leaning against the SUV she and Holt had ridden in.
"Who is that?" The stranger asked him, following his gaze.
"Someone driven by revenge, but working on the wrong side." He told her, still looking at Justine.
"Look, I should get out of here. Maybe you should come with me. You look like the type who broods a lot. It's not healthy. I think you should talk your problems out with me." She straightened and stood up, burying her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt.
"Really? I doubt you'd believe it." Angel told her, finally sitting up.
"Oh yeah? How much you want to bet?" She offered him her hand to help him to his feet.
After a slight hesitation, he took it and stood to his feet. "I just have to do something first." He steadied himself on his feet and headed toward Justine. "How did he do it? How did he get Wesley to bring him Connor?"
She looked up at him, amused. "He did it to protect the kid. Everyone knows a child would never be safe with a vampire."
"Are you saying I would kill him?" Angel flared, "I would never kill my own son! Damn it, I loved him. Yeah, you heard me. I have a soul, I can love as well as hurt. And don't get me wrong, I'm just dying to hurt you."
"Rightfully so." She told him, "I'm the one who slit the Britt's neck to get your son from him. Left him bleeding on the side of the road."
Angel stared at her in disbelief. Wesley didn't give Connor up willingly. He could be dead. "Tell me where he is, now." He demanded.
"I don't think so." She told him, "You can kill me and I won't tell you. What do I have to live for? I've got no future. My twin sister is dead. My possibility for revenge is gone. Holt just left me here. Kill me now."
He grabbed her shoulders and threw her away from the SUV, hard against the ground. "We'll take her ride." He called over at his new companion.
She jogged over and hopped into the passenger seat and Angel sat himself behind the wheel. The keys were still in the ignition and he started the car and they drove off, leaving Justine lying in the street.
"Damn it Wesley. Where are you?" Gunn asked the air as he and Fred drove around the city.
"We've looked everywhere." Fred stated fidgeting her hands and keeping her eyes peeled to the window.
"I hope Angel hasn't found him before us." Gunn muttered, rounding another street corner.
Fred caught sight of a body lying on the grass. "Charles, stop!" Fred exclaimed, "There's someone lying on the ground out there."
"It's probably just a homeless man. There are a lot of those in L.A." Gun dismissed.
"Really? I wonder where he got Wesley's coat from." Fred commented, keeping her eyes on the figure.
Gunn's eyes widened and he pulled over to the side of the road. They both got out of the car and jogged over to Wesley.
"Oh God! He's bleeding." Fred rushed to Wesley's body and knelt at his side. She laid her head over his chest and listened for a heart beat. "He's still alive. We need to get him to a hospital." She told Gunn urgently.
He nodded once and heaved Wesley over his shoulder. His body was lighter than usual, due to the loss of a great amount of blood. They rushed back to the car and put Wesley in the back seat. Fred sat next to him and whispered, "Hold on Wesley. Don't leave us." His head lay in her lap and she grabbed a spare sweatshirt, applying it to his neck.