I try and post once a week. I'm determined to finish every story I start - no matter how long it takes, so don't fret about cliff hangers without resolutions.

Reviews certainly help the process. Review keep me motivated, broaden my thinking, and improve my storytelling. So if you have a moment, as you read, let me know what you like, don't like, your questions, suggestions, observations - anything that might be on your mind.

Now, on with the tale:


Murky Grey

Snow like sugar on the ground

Melts a little, we fall down.

As we work to make our way,

We track in the murky grey.


Chapter 1: Life is Fickle

Without any news or leads, Angel met Gunn and Fred back at the Hotel. "Please tell me you have something." He stopped short seeing Groo and Cordy with ice packs.

Surrounded by Gunn and Fred, Cor glanced his way, "if you count a couple of concussions."

Gunn ignored Angel and continued with his questions, "And then what?"

Cordy glared, "And then what nothing. Standing, talking, boom - knocked on our butts."

Angel looked at the air above them, "You think something else came out of there?"

Forgetting her pain, she held the ice away gesturing, "Hello? Face down. Knocked out?"

Tentatively, Fred pulled out the book on her lap, "I found a picture of that beast Connor killed. And uhm, it says that these things usually have a mate." She passed the book to Gunn. He looked it over and closed it as the rift above the Pentagram crackled again.

Cordy jumped at the sound, "Where is Lorne? He should have been back with that expert hours ago."

Gunn eyed the pentagram warily. "Well, he said it was complicated."

Angel walked around the pentagram sniffing the air. "While we're waiting for Lorne's guy to come and patch this up, you wanna tell me where Connor was last sighted?" Instead of launching into police scans and news reports, Fred and Gunn stayed silent.

He watched them avoid eye contact. "He grew up in a hell dimension how bad could anywhere here be?"

Fred answered softly, "We don't know."

Cordy chimed in, "What about your super sniffer? Can't you just smell him out?"

Angel looked chagrined, "I tried that, but it's like the trail just stops. If I didn't know better I'd say he been here for a month rather than a few hours. He knows L.A. well enough to disappear."

Looking at his feet, Gunn shrugged, "Guess hell teaches a thing or two 'bout laying low."

Before anyone could reply, the door opened and Lorne, wearing a hat and trench coat, walked in with a blue-haired woman in a black cloak.

Cordy took off the ices again. "Lorne!"

"Uh, sorry it took so long, kids. Mistress Meerna is a very difficult woman to find." He beside him but his guest had disappeared. Hearing footsteps, Cordelia turned around to find Meerna walking down the stairs from the first floor. Lorne sighed, "There, you see what I mean? It's been like that all day! One of the nasty side effects of specializing in dimensional magic. What I wouldn't do for a lasso and some crazy glue."

Seeing this situation being handled, Angel turned back to the door, "I'm gonna go back out there."

Gunn put in, "You want Fed and me to join ya? Ya know, ask around, divide the town?" He expected Angel to turn the offer down and ask them to go into research mode.

Instead, Angel gave a curt but solemn nod and continued on his way. Putting aside their surprise, they hustled to his side. Apparently, doing things the slow and thorough way wasn't his top priority. Angel wanted to find his son, and he wanted to find him now.


Three days passed without any sightings. Around dawn, Angel and Gunn met up after doing another sweep - Gunn checking the alleys above ground and Angel scouring the sewers below. They were just about to head back to the hotel, when they heard a thump - and then another. Angel turned around and saw two figures exiting the alley having just jumped off a fire escape.

Although the clothes were different, the height and walk were familiar enough for Angel to shout, "Connor!" Catching on, Gunn ran after the figures. When he made it to the street, Gun couldn't spot them. The sun had risen, and the streets were relatively empty so it should have been easy, but they really weren't there. From the shadows behind him, Angel practically growled. "Where'd he go?"

Gunn just shrugged murmuring, "Man, your boy moves fast."

"His parents are vampires. What'd you expect?"

Catching his breath, Gunn smirked, "Nah, not like that. Not even here a week and he already got himself a girlfriend."

Angel's frowned deepened His son's short, brown haired companion did appear female, but a romantic relationship? He hadn't had time enough to adjust to Connor walking and talking let alone dating.


Angel wished time would stop marching forward. He knew what he had to do, but if time stopped, he could put it off indefinitely. But time didn't -shouldn't- stop, so Angel continued his search while dreading success.

Seeing him pace again, Fred soothed. "It's going to be okay. It's only been a couple days since you saw him so most likely he's still in the city."

Gunn looked up from map-covered floor. "And he's not alone - he's got a friend."

Angel stared at the maps. "When it was just me trying to keep him safe, failure was hard to accept, but now, he needs to know this. He deserves to."

Touching his arm, Cordy looked at him earnestly. "We'll find him."

Fred looked at Gunn meaningfully. When he shook his head, she escalated it to nudging. After a nudge or two, he sighed. "Your smeller ain't our only hope finding two street kids." He felt the whole room staring at him -especially Angel. "By now they've probably fallen in with a group or at least been noticed by one. I can check them out."

Cordelia frowned, "Why didn't you do that already?"

Ignoring the question, Gunn took the jacket Fred offered him. "Give the smelling a break and come with me."

He made it to the door, but didn't feel Angel behind him.

Angel watched his friend carefully as well as Fred's concerned expression. He concluded, "You're scared. You think they'll be more trouble than help."

"Gotta take the risk." Gunn looked anxious but determined, "He needs to know right?"

Angel nodded slowly and followed him out.

Fred looked at Cordelia, "So what do you think his lady friend's like?"

"Crazy or desperate - maybe both." She walked back over to the maps and straightened the ones they'd accidentally knocked aside. "You'd have to be to hang around someone just out of a hell dimension."

"I think it's nice he found someone." She smiled. "Everyone should have someone they can count on."

Cordy's gaze appeared distant, "Yeah."

Fred noticed her wistfulness and rambled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean - I mean, I know it must be hard to talk about couples since you and Groo . . . since he left."

"It was what it was: nice but not a forever thing. Connor will learn soon enough that people who fall in your path aren't always meant to stay there."

Fred gave a small nod but remained silent. While she didn't see her and Gunn breaking up, she accepted nothing is guaranteed. One minute you're minding your business restocking shelves, the next you can be pulled into another dimension and enslaved. Life is fickle that way.