Disclaimer: I own nothing, Angel belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else who owns Angel.
Sahjhan wasn't the only one who heard what Wesley and Fred planned on doing with Connor. Vail heard and saw too, because he heard and saw everything that had to do with Angel and his friends. So, he knew what their plan was, and he knew that it wasn't an automatic win because of Sahjhan. He was the one with the true power, the vast strength to send Connor to that Hell dimension Quor'toth. Vail was smart enough to know that even though events were happening differently, Sahjhan knew of these new events and still wanted Connor gone.
In other terms: Unless Sahjhan was stopped before he could send Connor to Quor'toth, there was little hope for Vail. Nobody knew of Sahjhan's plan but Vail, meaning he was the only one who could stop him now before it was too late.
As Vail had stated before, if Connor were to go to Quor'toth, Jasmine would gain the upper hand, which would then lead to Angel Investigation's future at Wolfram & Hart. To stop this, Sahjhan needed to be stopped. Once he saw that Sahjhan knew about Wes and Fred taking Connor, Vail knew that he needed to step in now, whether he was ready to or not. There was simply no choice in the matter.
He got moving as quickly as he could. No time could go to waste. Everything was moving faster than he originally thought they might. He grabbed a Resikhian Urn, which he had just lying around just in case he'd ever see Sahjhan again. This was the only thing that could trap Sahjhan, no matter corporeal or incorporeal. Vail had always kept one around, just in case Sahjhan showed up again.
It didn't take him long to get to Holtz's hideout, where he knew Sahjhan would be. Silently, he entered. What a fool he'd make of himself if Sahjhan heard him and disappeared before he could even do anything.
In the main area, he found Holtz and Justine talking with Sahjhan, who had his back towards Vail.
"If you don't leave now, you'll never find them," Sahjhan was saying, but was interrupted by a gasp from Justine, seeing Vail. Vail grinned as wickedly as he could. Holtz then saw the demon also.
"State your name," Holtz ordered.
Sahjhan turned around, seeing who in the world they were talking to. Once he saw, a groan escaped his throat. Of course, of course, of course. Could things be any worse right now? First, if he didn't get Holtz to get off his butt and go take Connor, he'd never be able to continue his plan of banishing both of them to Quor'toth so they wouldn't be a nuisance to him anymore (he was also willing to banish anyone else who stood in the way), and those fools Wesley and Fred would get away with Connor. Secondly, Cyvus Vail was showing up? What place did an old enemy of his have showing up here, now? Sahjhan didn't have time for this right now.
Unfortunately, he knew Vail, and he knew what a worthy opponent he could be. Plus, Sahjhan saw the urn in his hands that he could certainly want to try and avoid.
"Cyvus Vail," Sahjhan spoke, answering Holtz's question. "How nice to see you. I don't really have time for chit-chat now, though, so maybe we'll catch up another time?"
Vail ignored Sahjhan and looked at the two mere humans. "Leave."
Given Vail's extremely old age and colossal power, the word came with enough fear and order to shake both Holtz and Justine. The single word seemed to creep into their bones and rattle them up, so they knew they weren't dealing with just any demon and if they wanted to get out alive, they needed to listen to him.
Still, Holtz was an honorable man. Despite his fear, he looked at Sahjhan to see what he had to say about this.
Sahjhan sighed exasperatedly. "You heard him: Go! Just remember, now's your only chance."
Holtz and Justine passed by Vail slowly, just to make sure he wouldn't do anything. After they were past him, they hurried out quickly, and got ready for a change of events—they needed to take Connor now, and they needed a plan.
Vail wasn't overly worried about the two humans. Whether they took Connor or not, it made no difference. As long as Sahjhan couldn't take Connor, that was all that mattered. And right now, as far as Vail was concerned, he had complete power of Sahjhan.
Angel wiped the tears away. It was almost time. If he didn't let go of Connor soon, he'd never let go of him again, and the result of that would be his death. But the warmth of Connor in Angel's arms, the gaze of his beautiful eyes looking up at Angel, and the small grin he had on his face as he placed a few fingers in his mouth made this one million times harder than it already was. He truly was a beautiful, beautiful baby.
One last time, Angel brought Connor up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He made a giggling sound, and Angel wished he could tell Connor that it would all be okay.
This is it, he thought. It's almost time for him to go. Forever.
"I love you, Connor," Angel managed to speak. "I don't know if you can even understand what I'm saying right now, but I love you, and I will never forget you. You were going to be the one truly good thing I accomplished in my life. I guess you still can be, because I know Wesley and Fred will do the best they can to raise you. But…just because you're gone…just because I'll never see you again…that doesn't mean you're not my son. I-I love you, Connor. And I know you'll be okay. I know you'll have a great life." He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again. "I just wish I could be around to see it."
As a tear drop fell on Connor's forehead, Connor made a crying sound. He knew something was wrong. He didn't want Angel to let him go.
Gunn was standing in the room, trying his best not to impose on Angel and Connor's goodbye moment. It was hard, though, especially when Angel talked to Connor and everything became sadder and sadder and Gunn felt like he could probably cry at the situation also, if he allowed himself to. But he understood why Angel wanted someone else in the room with Connor. Gunn understood that Angel didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone and have no one there to try and stop it.
As much as Angel didn't want to, he turned to Gunn. "We should go."
No more words needed to be spoken. They left the room, and headed downstairs. Wes, Fred, and Lorne were already down there waiting as patiently as they could, albeit the entire situation was pretty nerve-racking.
The sight of Angel walking down those stairs with Connor in his arms one last time was heartbreaking. Angel appeared so hurt and alone, and Connor wasn't smiling—he knew this was incorrect. The stern and unhappy look on Angel's face was almost enough to make Fred want to start yelling: We can't go, we can't do this, we'll find another way!
But there was no other way.
Down in the lobby, Angel reluctantly handed his son over to Wesley. Not because he wanted to, but because there was no other choice. The longer Connor was away from him, the safer he'd be.
Immediately after Angel let go, Connor burst into tears and screams and started flailing his arms around. Wes tried to hold him tight, but it was difficult while he was having this tantrum. Connor wouldn't let up. Angel's instincts were clawing at his insides, begging him to take Connor back and never let go and run and never come back ever, ever, ever, because he was his son and no one else's.
Before he could move and give in, Wes was turning away, towards the entrance of the Hyperion. They all followed slowly behind as Fred helped Wesley place Connor in the car in the car seat and buckle him up. Connor was still crying and trying to escape. They closed the car door, drowning out Connor's crying only a little.
"I-I guess this is goodbye," Wes said almost unsurely.
"I'm gonna miss y'all so much," Fred stepped forward and threw her arms around Lorne.
"Oh, it's been so nice knowin' you, Fredikins," Lorne spoke, tears threatening to spill from his eyes at any second. All this emotion was too much. Goodbye to Connor, goodbye to Wesley, goodbye to Fred—there were just too many goodbyes!
Fred then went and hugged Gunn while Wesley and Lorne embraced.
"You'll be a great mom," Gunn told Fred. She thanked him, and they said their goodbyes. Then she hugged Angel while Wesley and Gunn spoke one last time.
"Thanks for being so kind about this whole thing," Wes told Gunn, referring to Fred, of course.
"She chose you fair and square. I ain't gonna stand in the way of your happiness, English."
If only you knew about the possessions, Wes silently thought, wondering if he and Fred getting together was as "fair and square" as Gunn thought.
A few seconds later, Wes came to meet Angel. He didn't know what to say at first. "I'll tell him about you, if you'd like."
Angel nodded. "That'd be nice." Then he frowned. "Maybe leave out the whole vampire thing, though?"
Wes shrugged. "Hey, I won't tell him unless he asks."
They chuckled shortly. They hugged. "Don't tell him too much, of course," Angel continued talking as they hugged. "He can't know where I am. In fact, maybe just lie and tell him I'm dead. That'd make things easier, right?" They pulled apart.
"Well, don't tell Connor you're undead," Lorne spoke quietly, trying to lighten the mood just a little bit. "You're already dead, Angel-cakes."
"I guess you're right," Angel chuckled. "I know you'll do great, Wes," he finally told Wes what he'd wanted to all along. "If anyone were to raise Connor, well, I'm glad it's you."
"Thank you," Wes whispered.
"You should get going."
He and Fred got in the car. Wes put the key in the ignition and turned the car on, then the headlights, and slowly pulled away. If Wes had to choose the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life, it would be that moment of driving away, looking in the rearview mirror as Angel, Gunn, and Lorne slowly and methodically waved them goodbye. The three eventually became mere dots and then disappeared.
The night was dark, the streets nearly empty, which was a bit of a surprise. Connor was just beginning to quiet down, the motion of the car putting him to sleep, as it did to any number of other babies.
Driving along into the night, Wes kept glancing at Fred, who was occasionally looking back at Connor, making sure he was okay. He couldn't help but feel that they were going to be okay. This new life together would be amazing.
Wow. He, Fred, and a baby. Wes could honestly admit that in the many scenarios in his head where he and Fred were together, this was never one of them. He'd never pictured them running off into the night with a baby that belonged to neither of them. He'd never pictured them finding a new place and raising a child days after they'd finally started seeing each other. It was strange, and odd, and unusual, and for some reason Wes wasn't frightened. He should be—his life was changing forever. But when he looked at Fred, everything just felt so…right.
And he couldn't help looking at her right then. She was stunning. Just wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of jeans with her hair in a ponytail, but the look suited her well. She was now staring straight forward, no doubt having a plethora of thoughts of her own. Was she thinking about him and their new life together? Was she excited about it?
Wes checked the rearview mirror to look at Connor. He was now asleep.
After checking the empty road, Wes glanced back at Fred. He, Fred, and Connor: A family. A very different family, indeed, but they'd make it work. And, maybe one day, he and Fred would get married. Okay, okay, so he was thinking a bit ahead of himself, but come on. They were running off to raise a child together, why couldn't there be a wedding sometime in the future? Not in the near future, of course, but in the general future.
Maybe one day they'd have an actual child on their own. A little brother or sister for Connor. They'd be ecstatic, jubilant. Wes could already imagine the giant grin on Fred's face that she'd have at the news. They'd spend the rest of their lives together, happily being there for each other and the children. They'd live a normal life, because they were giving up the demon-hunting life to protect Connor. They'd grow old together and go through many hardships, but that didn't matter, because every morning Wes would wake up and see the most beautiful face lying next to him and he'd smile, because how in the world could he have been so lucky?
It wasn't crazy to be thinking of these things, was it? Wes didn't really think so. They were moving fast, there was no denying that. Hell, earlier this day Fred had said they were two people in love. Did that mean she loved him? Because Wes knew he loved her, he always did. He'd just never told her. And maybe now, at the start of a new life, saying those words wouldn't be a bad thing. They'd be a great thing. A symbol of their new life together, those words could be.
"I-"
"Wes, look out!" Fred screeched suddenly, stopping Wes from speaking any further. He looked up at the road and saw the person, no, two people standing there and not moving and they were getting closer and closer and-
Wes slammed on the brakes as hard as he could. The car came to a screeching halt, and Connor was awakened and started crying again. As the car stopped seemingly a few feet in front of the people, Wes took a deep breath and put the car in park. What were these idiots doing? He looked at Fred to make sure she was okay. She appeared perfectly fine, except for the frightened look on her face as she peered out the window. Wes looked to where she was looking.
The light from the headlights illuminated Holtz and Justine's faces. They were both holding stakes and looking into the car a bit menacingly.
"Wesley, what do we do?" Fred asked shakily. Wes didn't know. He couldn't just run these people over, no matter how evil they were. They weren't going to move.
"Get out of the car." Holtz ordered from outside, and his voice was faint from in the car, but still audible.
"Just listen to him. We can fight our way out of this." Wes told Fred, albeit he wasn't sure if he really believed it.
They unbuckled their belts and got out of the car. Instantly Justine jumped on Fred, holding her in a chokehold and pointing the stake at her neck. "Don't move, or your girlfriend's dead," Justine said. Wes and Fred didn't know it, but Holtz wasn't going to allow Justine to kill Fred. They were humans, even if they accompanied monsters. Still, fear was a powerful motivator.
Wes was tempted to attack, to protect Fred, but he didn't. He couldn't risk it, at least not yet.
Holtz went over to the door where Connor was in the car. He opened it, and then grabbed for Connor. In a few seconds, a screaming Connor was being pulled out of the car and being wrapped in a blanket in Holtz's arms.
"Shh," he tried to calm Connor, but Connor wouldn't listen. "We're going to protect you. We will save you from the monsters."
Fred's anger was boiling. How dare he? Who did he think he was? He was not going to take Connor and let Justine keep her as some sort of hostage. What could she do to get out of this?
A new pair of headlights appeared on the situation as a speeding car came over to them. It stopped a little before them, and out stepped none other than Lilah Morgan of Wolfram & Hart. She had a gun in her hand, and she pointed it at the area around Fred and Justine.
"You're not going anywhere, Holtz," she spoke, "and don't you think I won't shoot your friend. I really don't care if I hurt Fred here in the process. Hand over the baby to me." She was glad she'd made such an entrance in time. She was originally headed towards the den she knew where Holtz was figuring she might be able to find Sahjhan. She hadn't heard from him in a while and wanted to know how the progress was with Angel and his spiked blood. It was just pure luck she drove in on this situation, and of course she had a gun handy, and she figured that since her firm wanted the baby anyway, she might as well try and get it now.
Neither Wes nor Fred was sure if Lilah's arrival was a blessing or a curse.
"What do I do?" Justine asked Holtz.
Holtz didn't know.
"What do you want from me, old pal?" Sahjhan asked Vail. "Because I really do have some business I need attending to."
"I'm here to trap you, Sahjhan, like you should've been trapped long ago." Vail stated bluntly. He wasn't in the mood to talk in riddles.
Sahjhan nodded, taking the information in. "Okay. But what makes you think I'll stick around? Maybe I should just zap on out of here before you even have the chance to use that fancy little urn there."
"You're not a coward. You won't run."
"Yeah, well, I guess you were mistaken. I have more important things to attend to."
Before Sahjhan could disappear, though, Vail held him in place with a spell. Sahjhan couldn't leave. No matter if he was incorporeal, Vail had learned quite a few tricks and he wasn't about to let Sahjhan go.
"Sorry," Vail faked sincerity.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Sahjhan complained. "Fine. Whatever. I'll do it here. I'm powerful too, you know? You've always underestimated me."
Sahjhan raised his arms and muttered a few syllables. He didn't have time to do much else as Vail opened up the urn and uttered a few words and then Sahjhan's incorporeal form was flying into the urn in a flash of bright light, undesirably, and Vail closed it before Sahjhan could escape again. That was it. Sahjhan was trapped.
"That was a bit anticlimactic," Vail spoke to himself. But he didn't know the entire truth.
Call it some grand mixture of Sahjhan's powers, or just the sheer great influence of Jasmine, or just a plain case of repetition of the past—it didn't matter, the portal still opened. Sahjhan was connected to Holtz, and the few words he spoke before being trapped in the urn were enough to cause the very start of a portal to Quor'toth to open up anywhere near where Holtz was. Of course, he was trapped before he could complete the ritual, thus meaning the portal should have closed.
The portal did not stop, though. Seeing the bare minimum being done was enough, and Jasmine took control from there on out, because she most certainly was not going to let that stupid Cyvus Vail ruin everything for her! Using her influence and grips on reality, she held open the portal before it could fully close, as it should have. And it worked. And before anybody knew what was happening, a giant portal to an unknown dimension was opening up in front of Holtz's eyes, held by the influence of Jasmine's power.
Holtz was not a man to take things for granted. If a portal was opening up in front of him seemingly from nowhere, he had to take a chance. He was outnumbered anyway, correct, with Wes, Fred, and Lilah all against him? He had to take any possible escape he could with Angel's son before things got too out of hand. So he leapt in the portal.
Wes screamedand ran forward, trying to get to them to save Connor, because that was all he could think about, but Jasmine released the portal once Holtz was through and it closed immediately.
The portal was gone. Holtz was gone. Connor was gone.
Wes collapsed to his knees in despair and shock and hopelessness while Jasmine grinned at the events that happened just as she would have planned, but with a little more work.
How did everything go so wrong so quickly, Wes was wondering?
Where were Holtz and Connor?
