7.
Angel was about as close to a nervous breakdown as a Vampire can get.
He'd been locked in a box and thrown into the middle of the ocean for 3 months. Locked in it by his own son. When the welded clasp holding the box closed finally gave way, and he was released, his appearance was so frightening to people, that ghost stories were being told... about a man with a sunken face wandering around the beach, wailing.
He'd hidden outside a butchers shop for a full week and had eaten everything they threw out, and drank as much blood as he could find. He'd even gone so far as to eat the rats which also inhabited the area. It was too frighteningly reminiscent of his time before Buffy...
When he felt like he was almost back to his old self, he called Fred & Gunn and asked them to pick him up. Once the greetings and explanations were finished, he was told about Cordelia's disappearance. He was distraught, and automatically blamed Connor.
The hotel felt different when he returned. Connor was standing on the stairs, in battle stance, waiting for him. Angel had spent too long thinking things over, he couldn't be bothered with an all out brawl, so just casually walked up to him, grabbed him around the collar and demanded to know what he'd done with Cordy. Connor was genuinely shocked that Angel thought he had anything to do with her disappearance, and Angel could tell by his manner that he was telling the truth. He told Connor to get out of his sight for at least a month. He was scared, that if he looked at him too much, he'd kill him for what he had put him through. He told him that maybe, one day, they could talk about what he had done. But not yet.
After a month, he started to get back into the routine of things. He had called Lorne and begged for him to come back. He needed help tracking Cordelia down. One day, as he was rivelling through his correspondence, he found a letter addressed to him. It was a letter from "a friend" asking for his help with Spike.
He wasn't feeling too threatened. Buffy had dealt with Spike before. But he knew she was different since she returned. Not to mention that the grapevine had told him Spike fancied himself in love with Buffy. What damage could he do if he thought it was love. The minute he thought this, he realised how very wrong he was. The worst damage could be done. He would've felt better if all Spike wanted to do was Kill Buffy. The problem was, he realised, that everybody relaxed their attitudes with Spike the minute he got the chip. But now, by the sounds of the letter, Spike had the chip removed. He was going to be trouble!
He didn't know what he should do! He missed Cordelia. She would have told him what to do. He had to find her! But, he also had to help Buffy!
A few days later, Lorne arrived. Angel told him everything that had happened to him. He put him in charge of locating Cordelia. He just knew she wasn't dead. He asked him to use any demon sources he could find... just find her. "Call me on my cell phone when you have news" he yelled as he ran out the door. He was going in search of Connor.
He went to the old factory Holtz used when he had his little band of wannabe Slayers. Sure enough, there was Connor, sitting at a table with Justine, eating dinner. He watched them for a while, eating in silence, atmosphere strained, before he made his presence known.
"So," began Angel, "It's the bitch and my beloved son!". Justine jumped up, startled. "I don't know what you conspired with Connor to make him lock me in a box and dump me in the ocean, but what ever it was, you have 20 seconds to tell him the truth. I used to be bad, I haven't been for a while and I'm not planning on being ever again. And I never hurt Holtz."
"I don't know what you're talking about" Justine muttered, very unconvincingly. Connor watched this display in amazement! He always believed what she told him. Angel had killed Holtz. He'd bitten him and sucked him dry. Watching her, he realised she had guilt written all over her face. He grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the wall. "Tell me" he said through gritted teeth. She finally said "Fine! I don't care anymore. Holtz is gone. He asked me to stab him twice in the throat. To make it look like puncture marks, and then he told me to tell you Angel had killed him. I didn't want to do it, I loved that man. But it was his final wish, and if I hadn't done it for him, he would have done it himself."
Connor wasn't raised in this dimension. He came from a place where killing somebody was a basic survival. Before Angel could stop him, he had Justine's head in his hands, and had broken her neck. "Connor No!" Angel shouted when he saw what Connor meant to do, but it was too late.
"She was a murderer and a liar." was all Connor had to say.
"You can't just go around killing people! You'll end up in jail! You probably don't know what Jail is, but it's not good! Remember that box you put me in? Imagine being in a room about as big as that for the next 25 years! That's what happens to people who kill other people in this world."
"What's done is done. I could have killed you! Because she lied to me. She deserved it. But I'll try and refrain from now on if it's what you want. I'm so sorry... dad." Connor looked down, overcome with emotion.
"We'll deal with that later. Right now, I need your help." Angel said, not wanting to think about what Connor had said.
"Sure, anything. What do you want me to do?" Connor asked, eager to start making up for everything he'd done.
"We're going on a little trip. We're going to Sunnydale to help an old friend of mine, and to kill another old friend, but this one's an evil Vampire, so it's ok." And with that, he turned on his heal and walked towards his car, Connor following.
Angel was about as close to a nervous breakdown as a Vampire can get.
He'd been locked in a box and thrown into the middle of the ocean for 3 months. Locked in it by his own son. When the welded clasp holding the box closed finally gave way, and he was released, his appearance was so frightening to people, that ghost stories were being told... about a man with a sunken face wandering around the beach, wailing.
He'd hidden outside a butchers shop for a full week and had eaten everything they threw out, and drank as much blood as he could find. He'd even gone so far as to eat the rats which also inhabited the area. It was too frighteningly reminiscent of his time before Buffy...
When he felt like he was almost back to his old self, he called Fred & Gunn and asked them to pick him up. Once the greetings and explanations were finished, he was told about Cordelia's disappearance. He was distraught, and automatically blamed Connor.
The hotel felt different when he returned. Connor was standing on the stairs, in battle stance, waiting for him. Angel had spent too long thinking things over, he couldn't be bothered with an all out brawl, so just casually walked up to him, grabbed him around the collar and demanded to know what he'd done with Cordy. Connor was genuinely shocked that Angel thought he had anything to do with her disappearance, and Angel could tell by his manner that he was telling the truth. He told Connor to get out of his sight for at least a month. He was scared, that if he looked at him too much, he'd kill him for what he had put him through. He told him that maybe, one day, they could talk about what he had done. But not yet.
After a month, he started to get back into the routine of things. He had called Lorne and begged for him to come back. He needed help tracking Cordelia down. One day, as he was rivelling through his correspondence, he found a letter addressed to him. It was a letter from "a friend" asking for his help with Spike.
He wasn't feeling too threatened. Buffy had dealt with Spike before. But he knew she was different since she returned. Not to mention that the grapevine had told him Spike fancied himself in love with Buffy. What damage could he do if he thought it was love. The minute he thought this, he realised how very wrong he was. The worst damage could be done. He would've felt better if all Spike wanted to do was Kill Buffy. The problem was, he realised, that everybody relaxed their attitudes with Spike the minute he got the chip. But now, by the sounds of the letter, Spike had the chip removed. He was going to be trouble!
He didn't know what he should do! He missed Cordelia. She would have told him what to do. He had to find her! But, he also had to help Buffy!
A few days later, Lorne arrived. Angel told him everything that had happened to him. He put him in charge of locating Cordelia. He just knew she wasn't dead. He asked him to use any demon sources he could find... just find her. "Call me on my cell phone when you have news" he yelled as he ran out the door. He was going in search of Connor.
He went to the old factory Holtz used when he had his little band of wannabe Slayers. Sure enough, there was Connor, sitting at a table with Justine, eating dinner. He watched them for a while, eating in silence, atmosphere strained, before he made his presence known.
"So," began Angel, "It's the bitch and my beloved son!". Justine jumped up, startled. "I don't know what you conspired with Connor to make him lock me in a box and dump me in the ocean, but what ever it was, you have 20 seconds to tell him the truth. I used to be bad, I haven't been for a while and I'm not planning on being ever again. And I never hurt Holtz."
"I don't know what you're talking about" Justine muttered, very unconvincingly. Connor watched this display in amazement! He always believed what she told him. Angel had killed Holtz. He'd bitten him and sucked him dry. Watching her, he realised she had guilt written all over her face. He grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the wall. "Tell me" he said through gritted teeth. She finally said "Fine! I don't care anymore. Holtz is gone. He asked me to stab him twice in the throat. To make it look like puncture marks, and then he told me to tell you Angel had killed him. I didn't want to do it, I loved that man. But it was his final wish, and if I hadn't done it for him, he would have done it himself."
Connor wasn't raised in this dimension. He came from a place where killing somebody was a basic survival. Before Angel could stop him, he had Justine's head in his hands, and had broken her neck. "Connor No!" Angel shouted when he saw what Connor meant to do, but it was too late.
"She was a murderer and a liar." was all Connor had to say.
"You can't just go around killing people! You'll end up in jail! You probably don't know what Jail is, but it's not good! Remember that box you put me in? Imagine being in a room about as big as that for the next 25 years! That's what happens to people who kill other people in this world."
"What's done is done. I could have killed you! Because she lied to me. She deserved it. But I'll try and refrain from now on if it's what you want. I'm so sorry... dad." Connor looked down, overcome with emotion.
"We'll deal with that later. Right now, I need your help." Angel said, not wanting to think about what Connor had said.
"Sure, anything. What do you want me to do?" Connor asked, eager to start making up for everything he'd done.
"We're going on a little trip. We're going to Sunnydale to help an old friend of mine, and to kill another old friend, but this one's an evil Vampire, so it's ok." And with that, he turned on his heal and walked towards his car, Connor following.
