"Angel," Sam repeated for the seventh time, "as in Angelus ensouled, that Angel." Sam turned to Jessica, "Can you believe he's really talking about Angel?"

Jessica chuckled a bit nervously. She wasn't sure how concerned she should be that Sam, the Hunter who apparently had no problem taking on a rabid werewolf with nothing more than a hammer and tent stakes, would choose to freak out over Connor's story. "I'm still trying to make sure I've got the whole vampire – slayer thing right." She glanced back towards Connor since he had dominated the vampire explanations. "Vampires are not only real, but there are three types," Jessica summarized. "Infirm-Lamia or 'weak vampires' are the most human type. They look like us, except for a second row of fangs that drop down from their gums. They can walk in the sunlight and religious artifacts are generally useless, but dead man's blood is poisonous to them. They are almost extinct thanks to being determinedly hunted by both humans and Aurelian Vampires. Aurelians fall much more in line with what one would think of as a vampire: two long fangs, burned by crosses and holy water, and Aurelians can be killed with a wooden stake to the heart. If you're not sure which breed you are dealing with; decapitation will work on both."

Connor nodded encouragingly for her to continue. "Turok-Han are cave-man vampires, last seen right before the Sunnydale Hellmouth imploded in what was not really a sinkhole collapsing due to earthquakes, but the result of a mystical battle of epic proportions," Jessica rushed out the last part feeling like she had just finished giving an oral exam for one of her professors.

"I think she's got the vampire lore down," Sam assessed approvingly while filling three shot glasses. "Bottoms up," he toasted. "Then you get to tell us what you've learned about Slayers."

The whiskey burned down her throat, but Jessica was starting to get used to the sting. She also realized; were it not for the 'liquid courage' Sam and Connor were steadily supplying, she would likely be shaking in terror by now. At least she could find some hope in the Slayer side of the lore. "The Vampire Slayer is a human girl imbued with the strength and agility of a demon," Jessica began, "duty bound to battle vampires and other supernatural forces of evil. For thousands of years a teenage girl would be called as a Slayer. She would bounce from one fight to the next until she made a mistake that cost her life."

Jessica sighed, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Can I just say, on a personal note, how happy I am, not to be a Slayer? Their job descriptions totally sucked! Anyway," she returned to her recital, "at some point the Watcher's Council developed to identify, train, and guide potentials as well as the Slayer. But what started out as an organization to support and aid the Slayer eventually came to see her as a tool at their disposal. Once she died her powers would pass to another teenage girl and the cycle would continue."

"Everything changed with Buffy Summers," Jessica continued. "She had friends who chose to ignore the whole 'Slayers fight alone' tradition, reviving her with CPR when the Master left her for dead in a pool of water. Though she retained her powers, another was called when her heart stopped; thus splitting the slayer line for the first time. It split again when The First Evil tried to wipe out the Slayer by eliminating all potentials. Buffy retaliated by turning all of the potentials into Slayers."

Connor and Sam both began to applaud loudly, making Jessica blush. Drinking another whiskey shot pushed into her hand by Sam, Jessica wondered, "How many slayers are there now?"

"No one outside the Slayer's Council knows exactly how many there are," Connor informed. "I've heard estimates ranging from five hundred to five thousand."

"Does that mean there aren't any more potentials?" asked Jessica. "Are girls that would have been potentials born with superpowers?"

'Actually no," informed Connor with a shake of his head. "In all of recorded history, Slayers were never called before the age of thirteen. When Buffy's friend cast the spell to activate all of the potentials only those thirteen and older were called; which is probably a good thing. Can you imagine the chaos a two-year-old Slayer having a tantrum would cause?"

"Yeah, somehow I don't think preschoolers with super human strength are a good idea," Jessica agreed. "You also said Angel is one of only two Aurelian vampires to ever acquire a soul; the other being Spike. Both are considered 'good guys' and you are somehow connected to Angel," Jessica finished with a questioning tone, not sure about the last part.

Connor up-ended his glass of whiskey and set it on the table. "Here is the Reader's Digest version: Around 1750 a young man named Liam was sired by Darla, an Aurelian vampire. It's important to understand Aurelians don't retain their souls like Infirm-Lamia. The person they infect dies, their souls leaves the body and a new demon moves in, stealing not just the person's face, but also their memories. Angelus, as he was known then, became the Scourge of Europe as he and Darla rained terror across the continent. Just before the end of the nineteenth century, he ran afoul of a gypsy clan after tormenting and killing one their most beloved daughters. They retaliated by cursing Angelus with the return of Liam's soul."

"That sounds more like a curse on Liam than Angelus," Jessica noted.

"True," admitted Connor, "Liam suffered overwhelming guilt and shame about the atrocities Angelus committed using his body. But the curse on Angelus existed in that the soul was in control. Angelus was aware of everything around him but could never take action as long as the soul remained. Fast forward to 1996: The vampire, who is now going by the name Angel, is sought out by Whistler, a demon charged with maintaining the balance between good and evil. Whistler led Angel to the newest Vampire Slayer, Buffy Summers. Apparently, it was love at first sight and the impetus to convince Angel to become a Champion of the light. Unfortunately, no one bother to tell Angel his curse included an escape clause: If Angel experienced pure happiness he would lose his soul and revert to evil."

"Do not tell me he lost his soul because he fell in love," Jessica insisted. Despite her denial, she leaned forward to hear what happened next.

"Of course not," agreed Connor, "He lost his soul because she loved him in return."

"Harsh," decided Jessica. "What ever happened to love conquers all?"

"It doesn't apply to gypsy curses," Connor deadpanned, causing Sam to burst into a fit of drunken giggles, which in turn made Connor break down in laughter.

"Men," grumbled Jessica, tossing corn chips at both offenders.

Once Connor regained his composure, he continued, "Eventually, they re-cursed Angelus to get Angel back, but only after a significant body count. He and Buffy decided they were better off apart, and Angel made his way to Los Angeles. There he crossed swords with Wolfram and Hart."

Jessica frowned, "Isn't that a law firm?"

"They specialize in clients of the demonic and supernatural persuasion," explained Sam, "though they do take on the occasional human clients, if they are really rich and really evil."

"Angel was killing a few too many of their clients," Connor picked his story back up. "They weren't willing to kill him because they possessed a prophecy implying that he would be a major player in their apocalypse. So they went at him sideways."

"Hold up," Jessica shifted to sit cross legged. "Did you say 'their apocalypse'? As in the apocalypse, or is this just some hunter euphemism?"

"Look at it this way," offered Sam. "Christianity is just one of many religions with an apocalypse prophecy. Even the old faiths, mostly forgotten, had predictions of how the world might end. As do many of the religious texts for the demon tribes and monster packs who inhabit our planet. There is almost always someone trying to end it all. Yet at the same time, there are also those fighting to keep our world going. Thus far, every attempt to end the world has turned into an apocalypse averted."

Jessica's eyes grew huge. "Averted by Hunters? Shit, Sam, who do I bake the 'thank you' brownies for?"

"Not me," Sam laughed. "That sort of stuff was way above my pay grade even when I was still actively hunting. Apocalypse averting is usually left to the Slayer or some prophesied Champion. We hunters handle the minor stuff like hauntings, poltergeists, and rabid werewolves." Sam looked toward Connor for confirmation. Instead, his new friend's eyes skittered away nervously. "Crap!" Sam swore as several inconsistencies in Connor's behavior were explained. "That's how you were able to pull the werewolf off of me. You're a Champion."

"It's really not that big of a deal," Connor insisted.

"A prophesied Champion?" Sam asked. Any warrior could claim the title of Champion, but those whose lives were foretold most definitely fell into the 'Big Deal' category.

"One prophecy," Connor admitted. "I already fulfilled it last year, so I don't know if the title of Champion even still applies."

Sam shook his head. "I can't believe I'm sitting here shooting the breeze with a Champion," Sam confessed, reaching for more whiskey.

"But what does being a Champion mean?" asked Jessica, again trying to catch up with Sam and Connor's conversation. Apparently, discovering the supernatural involved a steep learning curve.

"It kind of varies from one person to the next," Connor hedged. "In my case, I have strength, speed and agility equivalent to a Master Vampire. I also heal a lot faster than normal. Some Champions are selected by one of the Powers That Be, and gifted with superhuman abilities. I received my abilities from the supernatural events surrounding my birth." Connor stopped to offer up a prayer to anybody listening for Sam and Jessica to stay his friends once his sordid past was revealed.

"I said earlier Wolfram and Hart was trying to find a way to stop Angel from interfering with their clients," Connor returned to his earlier story, his tone low and serious. "They were hoping to convince Angel to join their side. They set about resurrecting Darla, his sire, whom he staked a couple years before while proving himself to Buffy. Darla was resurrected as a human, making it impossible for Angel to simply stake her as he had before. However, Darla's human condition also meant she possessed a soul, bringing a boat load of guilt and confusion over her vampire past. At first, Darla wanted to be sired again to be rid of her conscience. She wanted it even more desperately when she learned she would soon die of syphilis. Angel tried to win her a magical cure via the Demon Trials, but though he survived the trials and was granted a life in reward, it couldn't go to Darla because she was already living her magical 'second chance'. Right about the time Darla told Angel she would rather die human than survive as a vampire, a Wolfram and Hart team burst in and incapacitated Angel. They forced him to watch while Drusilla, a vampire Angelus sired centuries before, sired Darla."

Connor took a deep breath as he tried to decide the best way to explain what happened next. "Have you been in, or maybe watched someone spiral down into, a self-destructive relationship?" asked Connor. Sam and Jessica both nodded having watched others engage in unhealthy unions. "With Darla again soullessly happy to toy with Angel's emotions, and Angel despondent over his failure to save her, he found himself in a very dark place. The two eventually fell into bed together. This is where the life Angel won in the demon trials came back into play. Angel almost immediately ended the relationship, not realizing the damage was already done. Darla fled Los Angeles as the only known Aurelian vampire to ever become pregnant.

"Fast forward about nine months: Darla shows back up to let Angel know he's about to be a daddy. The only problem being, the magic used to create the baby and kept it from being miscarried or aborted could not help Darla deliver. Vampires simply weren't capable of the physical changes needed to give birth to a baby." Connor considered the refilled whiskey glass in his hand for a moment before putting it down. "Angel told me, by the time Darla went into labor, she could feel my soul, was even sharing it. He said she loved me and wanted me to be born healthy. She made him promise to tell me, I was the one good thing they'd ever done together. Then she staked herself and I was born."

"Connor, I'm so sorry," consoled Jessica, aching for the loss he had suffered. She knew her words were inadequate. She wanted to embrace him, but didn't know him well enough to decide if a hug would make the situation better or worse.

Sam understood better than most what it meant to have a mother die before you were old enough to remember her. Despite what some people claimed you could miss what you never had. It felt like a hole in your soul that could never be filled. Suddenly, his mind stuck on another detail. "But didn't these things happen within the last couple of years? How are you here instead of preschool?"

Connor half expected to hear disbelief or derision from one if not both of his companions. Instead Jessica offered him compassion while Sam met his words with honest interest. Even Sam's earlier amazement over his Champion status did not halt his total acceptance. Connor felt certain Sam and Jess were two people he would be lucky to have as friends for the rest of his life.

"Remember earlier when I said my life was really weird?" Receiving nods from both he continued, "Well I have two sets of memories. In one set of memories, I'm Connor Reilly, the adopted son of Laurence and Colleen Reilly. The scariest thing to happen to me between birth and college involved getting lost in a department store. I remember Dad teaching me how to ride a bike. I remember being worried about being replaced when Mom found out she was pregnant. One of my clearest memories is being handed my baby sister, Abigail, for the first time: The weight of her in my arms; her hand wrapping around my finger; looking into her eyes and promising to protect her from every bad thing in the world. This set of memories tells me I grew up in a happy family with loving, supportive parents. I was a straight-A student with lots of friends and an awesome little sister. I earned top scores on my SATs and an acceptance letter from Stanford.

"In my other set of memories, I'm Steven Franklin Thomas Holtz, adopted son of Vampire Hunter Daniel Holtz. I was raised in a hell dimension known as Quor'toth where he and I were the only two human beings. I gutted demons regularly by age six, because it was that or die. Holtz trained me and cared for my physical needs. He talked about love and family, spending a lot of time and detail on how an evil vampire named Angelus killed his wife and newborn son then sired his young daughter, forcing Holtz to kill her. Holtz admitted that he kidnapped me from Angel, explaining he felt duty-bound to rescue me from the selfish and twisted vampire with a soul. Though he gave me his son's name and told me to call him "father", he never really saw me as a son. The only times he showed approval were when I was killing for him or expressing hatred for my birth family.

"By the time I found my way back to this dimension, Holtz had succeeded in turning me into the perfect brainwashed tool to use against Angel. Time moves differently in each dimension. I aged sixteen years on Quor'toth, while only weeks passed here." Connor grabbed a couple chips and washed them down before plunging into the darkest part of his tale. "When I returned, Angel tried to talk to me; explain what really happen both before and after I was born, but listening would have meant going against Holtz, and I wasn't capable of that. When I did start to soften, and see Angel as something other than a monster, Holtz killed himself while making it look like Angel murdered him. I reacted just as he knew I would." Connor's eyes clouded over with dark memories.

"Did you try to kill Angel?" Sam prodded. He knew that's what he would have done to the thing he believed murdered his brother or father.

"No," denied Connor. "Death would have been too quick. I sealed him in a metal box and sunk him to the bottom of the ocean to ensure he suffered starvation and hallucinations indefinitely. Even when he was rescued and the truth about how Holtz really died was revealed I stayed defiant. I went from making bad choices to worse ones. I fell in love with a woman who was being possessed. The situation spiraled out of control when I let the monster manipulate me. I unintentionally provided it with access to our reality, thinking it was my baby, and then stood by while she started taking control of peoples minds. When Angel broke Jasmine's hold over others, I killed her, not because I thought she was evil, but because it seemed the most merciful thing I could do for her.

"Afterwards, I felt dead inside. I was prepared to kill the woman I loved, myself and a bunch of innocent folks in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had bombs rigged and everything," Connor continued in a bitter brag. "By the time Angel caught up with us, my mind was so broken; psychotic would have been an improvement."

"What did he do?" Jessica asked softly. Even now he only saw sympathy in her eyes.

Connor offered a small, but genuine smile. "Angel did what a Champion is supposed to do. He saved the innocents, disarmed the bombs, and stopped the crazy man from harming himself or anybody else. He killed the twisted, broken person Holtz made, and with a deal from Wolfram and Hart created Connor Reilly by magically altering everyone's memories, including mine. He was the only one whose memories weren't changed. It cost him a lot too. To win me a chance at a normal, happy, sane life, he took over the LA Branch of Wolfram and Hart. Everyone viewed his actions as an indication he had switched sides. He gave up everything with no apologies because you do whatever you have to, to protect your family."

"I've got someone like that," Sam volunteered after a moment of silence. "I've lost count of how many times I've thanked God for placing him in my life, even though he often plays the part of world's most annoying jerk." Sam's tone turned low and gravelly in imitation. "Shut your pie-hole and stop being a bitch, Sammy. We've got work to do." Even as he spoke, he remembered ignoring Dean's last text because he had been studying for an exam. He resolved to get back to Dean once his inevitable hangover passed.

"Angel has no sense of humor," Connor confided. "When you call him on it, he gets this wounded look that makes you feel like a schoolyard bully."

Jessica might have trouble relating to Sam and Connor's supernatural past, but over protective family members was something she knew about. "My Dad forbade me to date until I became a black belt," she shared.

"He wanted you to be able to protect yourself," noted Sam, remembering all of the time Dean and his dad drilled him on his fighting skills.

"So did you get it?" asked Connor, pretty sure she had.

"Second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do," she revealed with a self depreciating grin, "not that it was any use against a rabid werewolf."

"Well, going close-quarters or hand-to-hand is seldom a good idea when monsters are involved," Sam pointed out.

"Should that be hand-to-hand, or hand-to-claw," Connor wondered idly.

Sam shrugged, "Claw, paw, slimy tentacle."

Connor shuddered. "I really hate the slimy tentacles."

Making sure Jessica didn't get left out of the conversation, Sam added, "Your training probably helped more than you realized. Martial arts demand a lot of self-discipline and focus. Those are the same things that keep you from panicking in a crisis like tonight. Don't forget you managed to get a pretty effective attack in, too."

"Really?" asked Connor suddenly interested. "What did you do?"

"I got lucky," replied Jessica, well aware her contribution was minor in comparison to what Sam and Connor had done.

When he realized Jessica was hesitant to say more, Sam explained, "I wounded the werewolf, but even with a crippled arm, it kept coming. We took shelter in the shed, but before I could lead it away, it started tearing into the walls trying to get in. It managed to rip part of a board off near the door frame and stuck its snarling head through. Right about the time April, Zach, and even Luis were screaming, Jessica grabs a spray bottle and squirts it in the snout with weed killer. For the first time in my life, I heard a werewolf whimper like a kicked puppy."

"I wish I could have seen that," Connor sighed. "Actually, now that I think about it, your attack is probably why the werewolf never sensed me coming. I knew I had the wind at my back as I approached. I kept expecting it to turn and face me but it never did. When you sprayed its snout, you probably killed its sense of smell."

"Glad I could help," Jessica replied, finally convinced her actions were useful. "I have a question though: If Angel had your memories changed to give you the experience of a happy, normal childhood, why do you still remember Holtz and Quor'toth? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?"

"Actually, that answer lies in the last chapter of my story," explained Connor. He used his wheeled desk chair to roll over to the mini-fridge and pull several chocolate bars out of the ice box, giving one each to Sam and Jess. "So, last year, I was happily living the life of Connor Reilly, enjoying my first year at Stanford. During Spring break, I was visiting home when I got hit by a van and pinned against our garage. When the van backed up and drove off, I didn't have a scratch on me. One of the officers who took the accident report suggested my parents take me to Wolfram and Hart because of their reputation for dealing with the supernatural. I remember meeting Angel, for what I thought was the first time, and not understanding why he stared at me so strangely. Of course, he promptly kicked us out, saying he couldn't help us: His not so subtle way of keeping me safe from the dangers of his life.

"Unfortunately, the van wasn't a fluke. My parents and I were attacked at a restaurant parking lot the same evening. That was when I learned I possessed more strength than your average weightlifter, but I still managed to get my butt kicked because I didn't remember being trained to use it. Luckily, Angel showed up to save us from the demons. It turned out they were working for a warlock named Cyvus Vail. Vail wanted to kill an old enemy of his, a demon known as Sahjahn. Sahjahn was already trapped in an urn, but according to Vail, prophecy insisted there was only one person who could kill him, specifically me."

"He needed you to do his dirty work," Sam guessed.

Connor nodded in confirmation. "Angel told me what Vail wanted, adding that Vail made some convincing threats to go along with his request. At the time I assumed those threats were against my family, now I realized they were against me. Vail told Angel if he didn't get me to cooperate, he would bring back my original memories, turning me back into the psychopath I used to be."

"You already said you have two sets of memories," noted Jessica, "so I'm guessing you weren't cooperative."

"I tried to be," Connor countered, "but Laurence and Colleen Reilly raised their children to be productive members of society, not axe-wielding demon hunters. Angel gave me a few tips on how to fight Sahjahn, they were even good advice, but despite my super human strength and speed, I had no idea how to fight. Sahjahn beat me to a pulp within moments of being freed from his urn. He had me pinned down and was choking the life out of me when suddenly a thousand different fights from both Quor'toth and Earth flashed through my mind. Instinct took over and abruptly I wasn't just holding my own, I was beating him. I severed his head the way I had for dozens of other demons.

"Then I saw Angel and remembered everything I had done to him and everything he tried to do for me. I remembered Holtz too," Connor explained, "but the memories weren't so fond when compared to Laurence and Colleen." The love Connor received from the Reillys greatly altered how he perceived Holtz.

Connor couldn't quite bring himself to share the memory of Angel hovering over him with a knife declaring, "I really do love you, Connor." At the time Connor had been too broken to recognize the emotions swirling in his father's eyes; to really even believe love existed. He taunted Angel with a low, "So what are you going to do about it?" Angel's responding, "Prove it," joined by a sweep of his blade through Connor's throat could have been a betrayal, were it not followed by the gifts of Laurence, Colleen, Abigail and the thousands of memories tying him to the Reilly family. Angel had loved him enough to give him up to another family's care. Provided him with the love and stability he needed to heal his shattered mind. Connor knew the cost had very nearly been his father's soul.

"Standing there with Sahjahn's corpse at my feet, I could see the terror on Angel's face," Connor continued. "Terror that the revelation of my true past would break me the way it had before."

"But it didn't break you," refuted Jessica with certainty.

"No," Connor agreed. "Maybe it was because I still held my memories of the Reillys. They gave me the perspective to see Holtz had only ever used me, while Angel was the father who always put me first, even if he had made a few mistakes along the way. I didn't want to make Angel's sacrifice for nothing, and honestly, I was uncertain I could pick up fighting again without turning into psycho-Connor, so I pretended I didn't remember Angel and went home with my parents."

"You didn't say anything?" Sam demanded aghast.

"Nothing definitive, at least, not then," hedged Connor, remembering his comment about learning the importance of protecting one's family from his father. "About a month later, Angel tracked me down at the Stanford Coffee House. Out of the blue, he starts a casual conversation about work and the new girl he's dating."

Jessica seemed confused about the implications, but Sam understood immediately, "Was there an apocalypse last May I missed hearing about?"

"Did you hear about the chemical leak in LA that caused hallucinations and minor rioting?" asked Connor.

"Are there any major news events that aren't related to the supernatural?" wondered Jessica. During the past couple of hours she had learned the collapse of Sunnydale, Jasmine fad, and even the recent riots were all supernatural in origin. Jessica knew she would never look at a headline the same way again.

Connor chuckled, "Anyway, Angel is telling me about the girl he is dating: That conscientious werewolf I mentioned earlier. I crack a joke about him jonesing for some full moon loving, which he totally didn't get. It was strange watching him try to connect with me when as far as he knew, I just thought of him as the weird vampire who helped me deal with a prophecy. So I told him I knew he was my father. Thanked him for what he had done for me, but asked him to leave it there. I'd struggled through a month's worth of nightmares trying to sort out my memories and I still wasn't ready to man up."

Connor poured the last of his whiskey into his glass. "After he left, it kept nagging at me. There was no way Angel would come to see me if something big wasn't about to happen. The way he acted; it was like he was saying goodbye. So I ignored my own decree and went to see him at Wolfram and Hart. It turned out to be a good thing because some loser in a suit was about to stake him."

"You got to save your dad's life," assumed Sam.

Connor grimaced, "Not really. I managed to knock the guy off of him, but he was back up again in seconds. Angel and I were both going at him full tilt, hitting him with all of our strength, and he wasn't even winded. I vaguely remember being head-butted and tossed across the room. Apparently, while I was lying semi-conscious, the bad guy bragged to Angel about how the power of Wolfram and Hart flowed in his blood."

"He bragged about how powerful his blood was to a vampire?" Sam asked wondering at the stupidity of such an action.

Connor grinned, "You've got to love the bad guy pontificating."

"Wait, so Angel drank his blood and stole his power?" Jessica wanted to make sure she had the events right.

"And beat him to death," Connor nodded in confirmation. "Then the building started to collapse on us. That was interesting. Angel told me to go home. He said they could never destroy him as long as I was safe. I didn't want to leave him to fight alone, but I'd barely survived the first skirmish. It was clear the war Angel planned to wage was way out of my league. Plus, if I stayed with Angel, there wouldn't be anyone to protect the Reillys." Jessica and Sam could see even the thought of his adoptive family coming to harm upset Connor. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to them, especially Abby." The adoring, freckle-faced girl was a far better sister than he had any right to deserve. In fact, the most significant change Connor made in his life after the return of his true memories involved spending more time with Abigail. He needed to make certain his little sister never experienced the pain and isolation which scarred Connor's life. He would never be able to pay Laurence and Colleen back for loving him so unconditionally, but he could at least do everything in his power to make sure Abby never came to harm.

Forcing his thoughts away from the Reillys, Connor finished his story. "I called Dad on my cell; told him to get Mom and Abby packed up and head out of town. I planned to meet him, but felt this sudden urge to check out the mansion where I'd fought Sahjahn. There, I found both the warlock, Cyvus Vail and Wesley, one of Angel's team members, were dead. I decided I needed to at least bury Wesley, when his spirit appeared to tell that me, I shouldn't bother with such trivialities when Wolfram and Hart would likely launch a counter-offense that could destroy much of LA. He said their standard perpetuity cause prevented his spirit from passing on. He knew what might happen if he died and decided Angel's plan was worth the price. He was advising me on the best way out of town when Cordelia's reinforcements arrived via portal."

"Cordelia?" Sam and Jessica both asked.

"The older possessed woman I fell in love with; mother of my demi-god, monster baby," Connor explained.

"You weren't joking about your life being weird, even by hunter standards," noted Sam. He couldn't help but shake his head at the supernatural melodrama that revolved around Connor. Passions had nothing on this guy's life.

"Not even a little," confirmed Connor, nursing the last of his whiskey. "After the delivery of . . . the baby, Cordelia hovered in a coma for several months before dying. I heard the Powers That Be used Cordelia to pass a message to Angel before she died and, in return, owed her a big favor. She called in that favor to have her ex-boyfriend and some of their friends reinforce Angel's team if Wolfram and Hart got too frisky about their vengeance. She was even able to help Wesley. She couldn't break the perpetuity clause but she was able to sever his ties the Wolfram and Hart. So now I've got my own ghost counselor."

"Seriously?" asked Sam. He had encountered many spirits, but they were usually tied to places or things, not people.

"Cordelia said the only way to make sure Wolfram and Hart wouldn't try to take back Wesley's soul was if it was bound to a Champion. I thought he would ask to be bound to Angel or Spike, but he said he owned me a debt and would prefer to be bound to me," Connor confided.

Sam and Jessica looked at each other and then around Connor's room.

"Can we meet Wesley?" Jessica finally asked, half-expecting some ghostly visage to float out of Connor's cabinet.

"No," denied Connor, "he's not here right now. Angel's team needed help with some complex translations, and Wesley thought he could be of some use. Angel is supposed to bring him back in a couple of weeks. You can meet him then if you want."

"I think I'd like that," said Sam. While his family had a reputation for dealing with vengeful ghosts, Sam had met a few guardian spirits over the years. Those who dedicated their after-life to protecting the living were left alone by the Winchesters. "So once the reinforcements arrived, the apocalypse was averted?"

"Pretty much," agreed Connor. "Cordelia's ex is one of the founding members of the Slayer's Council; the organization which replaced the Watcher's council when it was destroyed," Connor explained to Jessica. "He brought an entire white coven from Dover as well as a dozen slayers and three dozen other fighters. Before I knew it, I was leading a group of fighters to protect and evacuate civilians, while the Slayers helped the remains of Angel's team contain the demon hoard, and the coven neutralized all black magic in the area."

Connor turned to Sam. "Now that you've heard my life's story, let's hear yours," he encouraged. Connor was eager to have the attention focused on someone other than him. He also had a feeling Sam would have an interesting story to tell.