Brought Back Home Chapter 7
It was over ten minutes before Connor stopped crying, and it would have taken a lot longer for him to stop if he wasn't so exhausted. He hadn't slept, eaten, or drank anything in the nearly two days he'd been gone. He started talking suddenly, blurting out everything he'd done since he'd left. About talking to Wesley and Justine and what they'd said and what had happened.
Angel listened until Connor had run out of words, then he gently put him on his bed on his side. "I'll be back in a minute okay?" Connor nodded wearily.
He went downstairs grabbing a box of tissues and he poured a glass of lemonade. The others looked up, they'd started going about their business it'd been so long. He hurried back without stopping to talk though, and handed Connor the lemonade and tissues. Connor sat up, leaning to the side still, and blew his nose, then drank thirstily.
"Feel any better?"
"Some."
"I would have helped you if you'd just asked me you know."
"I needed to find out for myself."
Angel sighed and tried to think of something to say to that but when he looked at Connor again he saw that he'd fallen asleep. He smiled a little sadly then took the empty glass and set it on the table by the bed. He got up and turned out the light leaving the door open a little and went back downstairs.
"What happened up there," asked Fred. "I could hear all this yelling. You didn't get into a fight did you?"
"No… I spanked him."
Fred's eyebrows shot up. "Spanked him?"
"About time you did something like that," said Gunn.
Lorne looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I can bet he wasn't happy about that."
"He wasn't, but I can't let him get away with things anymore. It's not good for any of us. So I pulled his pants down and let him have it on the bare behind with a backscratcher."
"MY backscratcher? Gee thanks. You can keep it then."
"Sorry Fred, I'll get you a new one."
"You weren't too hard on him were you?" Fred was a big softie.
"Judging by all the crying I could hear up there," said Lorne, "You got your point across."
"I used the flat of the fork end." Angel looked at Fred's anxious face. "He's got a red sore bottom but that's it. As for all the crying, I don't think it was all because of the spanking. I think a lot of it was from emotion."
"Well it was probably pretty embarrassing," said Gunn.
"Not just that Gunn." Angel told them what Connor had done and found out while he was gone. All was quiet for a few moments.
"Well at least he seems to finally believe you Angel," said Lorne.
"I feel bad for him," said Fred softly. "Imagine finding out the person who you thought was your father was just someone who used you for revenge." Gunn slipped his arm around her hugging her a little.
Angel nodded. "Whether he fights it or not, he needs us. All of us." He looked around at all of them.
"You can count on us Angel," said Lorne. "On me anyway. Though the kid doesn't seem to care for me much. Maybe it's the green skin and horns."
"I'm sure he'll come around Lorne," Fred smiled at him.
Hours later Connor woke up to a growling stomach. He got up and came downstairs. He looked around but the only person he saw was Fred who was in the office doing some paper work. He hesitated then went in.
Fred looked up and smiled. "Hi."
"Hi…"
"You hungry?" He nodded. "Thought so. I can hear your tummy growling from here. Pizza okay?" He nodded again. "What do you want on it?"
"I don't care. Anything."
Fred picked up the phone. She ordered one pizza with everything on it and another one with just lots of cheese. "That should do it. How you doing?" He shrugged and started to sit on a chair but winced and quickly stood back up. "Guess that backscratcher hurt huh?"
"Backscratcher?"
"What Angel used on you. You use it to scratch your back when it itches in places you can't reach with your fingers. Though he found another use for it."
His face flushed. "I guess everyone knows."
"Well, we did hear you yelling." Connor looked away. "Don't worry about it. You did the crime, you did the time, it's in the past now."
When the pizza came Connor practically attacked it. He felt like he was starving. He ate lying on the couch on his stomach with his feet in the air. Fred smiled as she watched him, eating some of the pizza herself. He looked like such a typical teen right now.
"What?"
"Nothing. Like the pizza?"
He nodded. "It's good."
Suddenly the door opened and Gunn, Lorne, and Angel came in. Angel was covered in blood and goo.
"Ugh that demon practically popped when you hit its head man," Gunn was saying. "I mean it was like, BAM! Squish!"
"Yeah no kidding-" Angel was suddenly interrupted by a someone hugging him tightly around the neck in a near strangle hold. "Gack!"
"Dad! Are you okay?" Angel's eyes widened. Connor had barely realized what he'd said. It had suddenly seemed to come out so naturally, as had sudden concern.
"Yeah… I'm… I'm okay son."
The others smiled at each other as Angel hugged Connor to him tightly. "I'm definitely okay now."
To Be Continued…
