The boy was running.
His sneakers barely touched the ground while he tried to outrun those four guys who were clearly out of his league. Anyone could see it was going to be an unfair fight once they caught him. Of course, it didn't matter. It was L.A. and no one was going to mind anyone else's business. Even more if the business was with those big, vicious guys.
So the boy ran and ran, but was finally cornered on an alley. He hit the wall in frustration before turning to the thugs, who were rounding him while smiled their white razorblade smiles. Big and pointy teeth shone in the dim light.
"So, little guy here wanted to be a hero" said one of them, his face changing from regular goon to big mouthed monster.
"Yeah, we were having fun with those babes and you had to come and stab Mike on his back" He signalled one of his mates, who had a wooden stake protruding from his shoulder.
Now the four of them looked like the monsters they were. The boy didn't look specially surprised, but he did look worried. He had no apparent weapon and was clearly outnumbered.
"Not so brave anymore, uh?"
The boy took a step back while the monsters took a step forward.
"You know what's funny?" Said Mike he took the slender boy by the collar and lifted him from the ground. "If you had had any idea of anatomy..."
"Or a better shot" laughed one of his friends.
"Yeah, or a better shot" accepted Mike, "you'd have had an opportunity".
The boy smiled dryly.
"I know something even funnier" He said, opening his mouth for the first time. "Have it occurred to you that I may have quite a nice grasp on anatomy and a pretty decent shot?"
Mike frowned at that while the rest of his gang laughed. He seemed to be the smart one, smarter than the rest, at least. But he was slow all the same.
Before the question his brain was forming could reach his lips (why would you fail on purpose?) the boy had grabbed his arm and, putting his feet on his chest, freed himself from his grasp, landing on their back.
Two wooden stakes appeared on his hands from under his sleeves.
"A fucking hunter!" Mike tried to organize his gang. They were still four against one. "Bob, Chuck, round him before he..."
One stake impaling him right through his heart prevented him from finishing the sentence and made him explode in a cloud of dust.
Bob turned to see Mike's attacker, but that made it easier for the boy to stab him while the rest of the gang succumbed under the supernatural strength of their new foe.
When the dust settled the boy lifted his head towards his associate, who was picking up his stakes.
"You've taken your time" he said, rearranging his shirt and hiding his weapons again.
"You had everything under control, Rob. Didn't want to crumble your stile" The other boy, for he wasn't much older than his friend, smiled. "Still, we make a pretty good team, don't we?"
Robin smiled back.
"At least we are a better team than they were."
"Fucking vampires always make for lousy teams. I still have to meet one that's not a sucker."
"Even your father?"
The fairer boy lost his smile for a moment and then smirked, a twisted, cruel grimace on his face.
"Specially my father."
And with that he began walking, leaving the younger boy behind.
Robin sighed. It was already hard as it was, believing in vampires, killing the undead, fighting demons and everything else. Stepping between the boy and his father perhaps was too much. He shouldn't care.
But he did.
He cared.
"He is not you" He said to himself. "Angel is not your father."
With a last sigh he followed Connor out of the Alley. They had finished with some bloodsuckers, sure, but their work was far from done.