Author's Notes: Monsters from Supernatural, Angel/Buffy and the author's imagination will be making appearances. I try to reply to those who review my stories, but for reviewers who post as Guests or don't enable private messenger: Thank you, your feedback is greatly appreciated. Special thanks go to my beta reader AngelfromBeyondBelow who helped make this chapter much more readable and enjoyable. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Supernatural or Angel. No profit was earned and only respect was intended.
*** Stanford's Hunters *** Stanford's Hunters *** Stanford's Hunters ***
"My dorm is at the far end of the hall this year," Connor explained to his parents and sister as he led them through the lobby on the way to his room after an enjoyable day of campus sightseeing and shopping, followed by a late dinner at one of the local restaurants. The sun set a few minutes ago, but deep reds and purples colored the clouds outside the windows as they stepped onto the elevator.
"I hope your friends haven't been waiting too long," his mother Colleen Reilly worried. She eagerly looked forward to meeting the three young adults Connor mentioned so often during their calls and video chats over the past month. While it was true Connor had many friends, before he always seemed to hold them at a distance. This was the first time she could recall Connor so enthusiastically embracing new relationships and she could not help but wonder about the people who finally won enough of Connor's trust to be treated so.
"Don't worry," Connor soothed, "I told them I wasn't sure when we would get back so they should have brought things to entertain themselves while they waited."
"What about your dorm mate," his father Laurence asked as the elevator reached his floor. "Won't he be a bit irritated to have so many taking over the room?"
"You're assuming Mike is ever around on the weekends," said Connor. "He usually stays with his girlfriend from Friday afternoon through Sunday. Honestly, it's not uncommon for him to sleep over at her place Wednesday night too, since he doesn't have any early classes the following morning. Sharing a dorm with Mike is a bit like having a part time roommate," Connor explained. Reaching his door he gave it a short warning knock before opening the door.
Inside a rectangular room lay before them. The left side held a small utilitarian desk and chair sitting at the end of a twin bed with four pull out drawers below the mattress while a narrow armoire stood between the head of the of the bed and the wall. The right side of the room mirrored the left with only bedding and wall decorations to differentiate. While a south facing window sat in the middle of the far wall, with a functional air conditioning unit nestled into the base of the window. Two shelves below the window housed a varied supply of snack foods.
Three people waited inside Connor's dorm room; a blonde woman sat cross legged with a laptop on Connor's bed while two young men each sat in the desk chairs. All three rose to greet the new arrivals.
"Mom, Dad, Abby, I want you to meet my new friends," Connor began the introductions. "The jolly green giant here is Sam Winchester."
Sam shook hands with all three Reillys while offering, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"If I'm remembering correctly," began Colleen Reilly, "Connor said you managed to earn a full ride academic scholarship." When Sam nodded in confirmation she continued, "That is quite the accomplishment." Colleen noticed the way her daughter, Abigail's eyes widened and her cheeks blushed when Sam took her small hand in his own. No doubt Connor's 'tall, dark and handsome' friend would be joining the current pop star as one of Abby's crushes.
"Over here we have Luis Jackson," continued Connor, "who saved my computer last week when I picked up a virus."
"Computers are certainly a growing field," Laurence commented. "Is that your major?"
"Yes, sir, computer programming to be specific," explained Luis while he took his turn greeting Connor's family.
"And last but not least, we have the token female of our quartet, Jessica Moore, education major," Connor finished teasingly.
"Token female?" Jessica mock glared at Connor.
"Don't mind Connor dear," his mother insisted, "he always saves his teasing for the people he likes the most." Colleen thought her son's tone sounded similar to the one he teased Abby with, but she still wondered if this girl might be the one to capture her son's heart.
"Mom, you might as well forget any matchmaking ideas floating in your head," Connor declared after correctly reading his mother's look. "Jessica is a friend only." Dropping his voice to a stage whisper he continued, "because we all know that Jess and Sam are both secretly in love with each other but too shy to admit it."
The nearly simultaneous shouts of, "Dude!" and "Connor!" Joined by the blushing of Sam and Jessica's faces effectively confirmed his claims.
"Connor," chided his mother, "quit teasing your friends. There is nothing wrong with taking things slow. If it is meant to be, it will happen when they are both ready." Connor grinned unabashed at her censure leaving Colleen to shake her head in exasperation even as a smile crept across her own lips. It was so good to see her son truly happy again. Ever since the attacks last spring Connor had changed in ways only those closest to him could have noticed. Though he claimed nothing of import happened during the time he spent at Wolfram & Hart, all the smiles in the world could not hide the new shadows in his eyes.
She and Laurence both agreed Connor was keeping secrets from them. Neither believed Connor's silence held malicious intent. Most likely Connor thought he could protect them from worry or upset by withholding what really happened. Since Connor seemed for the most part alright, if a bit more reticent than usual, Colleen and Laurence decided to respect Connor's privacy as an adult and wait for him to reveal what really happened if, or when, he felt ready.
"Well, you said you didn't plan to drive back to L.A. for another hour," Connor reminded his parents, "so let's sit and relax for a bit."
"My legs could use a rest after all of the walking," Laurence admitted. Connor offered his parents the cushioned desk chairs as they were the only proper seating.
Connor, Luis and Sam moved to sit on the roommate Mike's bed while Jessica shifted to one side of Connor's bed. "Would you like to sit here, Abigail?" Jessica asked the young teen while motioning to the empty side of the bed.
From the moment Jessica laid eyes on Abigail, she knew there was something special about Connor's little sister. Jessica felt an overwhelming need to protect, nurture and teach the smiling brunette. Seeing Abigail felt like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. 'She belongs with us.' The thought might have seemed random, but Jessica decided to trust her intuition.
"Thanks," said Abigail as she arranged her legs criss-cross to mirror Jessica. "You can call me Abby."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Abby," Jessica replied. "I hope we can become friends."
"I'd like that," Abigail admitted, her smile growing larger.
Across the room Connor chuckled. "I knew you two would hit it off," he proclaimed. At the others' puzzled or disbelieving expressions Connor continued, "It's true! The first night I met you three; when Sam and Jessica came back here to get cleaned up. Every time Jessica talked I kept thinking Abby would definitely hit it off with Jess. You two are going to be BFFs before the night is out. I guarantee it."
Abby giggled at Connor's proclamation, even as she decided she liked the idea of having an older college friend. Jessica was certain to have a different perspective from most of Abby's high school classmates. Then she noticed the jewelry around Jessica's wrist looked familiar. "You have a bracelet just like Connor's," Abigail noted. The girl couldn't resist reaching out to touch the cool silver talisman. "It's so . . . intriguing or maybe alluring would be a better word. Connor said it was a protective charm that you made, right?"
"That's right," agreed Jessica. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," admitted Abigail, "and that's despite me not being a big fan of the color green." She tapped the green parachute cord woven around the charm. Abigail released an embarrassed chuckle and pulled her hand away suddenly self-conscious about her fascination with a bit of jewelry.
Jessica offered a Mona Lisa smile and said, "I bet your favorite color is purple."
"Yeah, how did you know?" Abigail asked. "Did Connor tell you?"
"Actually," said Jessica reaching into her pocket, "I have one more charm which I've been saving for you, and it just happens to be purple. What do you think?" Jessica presented Abigail with the protective talisman she been holding on to for over a month. Three days ago she felt the urge to start carrying it around with her. Now she knew why and could finally see who it belonged to.
"For me?" Abigail took the bracelet gently form Jessica's hand and then leaned forward to hug its creator. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the words rushed out of Abigail as she gave Jessica a squeeze for emphasis.
Jessica saw the elder Reillys share a smile at their daughter's obvious pleasure. But when she looked towards Connor he did not look happy. Instead he appeared pale and worried. Jessica wondered if Connor felt upset because she did not think to talk to the others before giving away the last of the original six talismans. It just felt so natural to offer it to Abigail that Jessica momentarily forgot Sam's suggestion to let them know who the last talisman belonged to once she figured it out. Jessica was pulled out of further contemplation when Abigail eased up on her hug.
"Could you help me put it on?" Abigail asked while holding out her wrist. Jessica showed the young brunette how to latch the bracelet.
Connor's tense voice startled the room with the question, "Does Abigail need protection because of me?" Connor was struggling to keep the panic out of his voice. Jessica looked so happy and relieved to have found the talisman's new owner, while Abigail looked just as pleased to show off her new bracelet. But all Connor's thoughts spiraled around the certainty that Jessica would not be giving Abigail such a powerful protection if Abigail were not going to need it. Yet the only reason Abigail would need it would be if she were to cross paths with something supernaturally evil or demonic. Abigail was a sophomore in high school, not a hunter. No reason existed for such a thing to even notice his little sister since the only connection Abigail possessed with the supernatural was Connor himself. What if during the last few months he had done something to draw unwanted attention to Abigail or his adopted parents?
"What are you worried about?" asked Luis honestly confused. "I already asked Jessica to make sure her next batch of talismans included one for my kid sister and one for Granny Marie."
A look towards Laurence and Colleen showed their matching puzzlement. Even Sam and Jessica were giving him uncertain looks. "You've just given my baby sister a powerful talisman charmed to protect against supernatural evil." Connor wanted to add that there was no way he would allow Abigail to get involved in hunting supernatural monsters, but he knew making such a declaration would only guarantee Abigail setting her sights on precisely that goal. Looking at Jessica, Connor tried to explain why he felt a sudden painful knot in his gut. "As far as I know the only connection to the supernatural my family possesses is through me. Have I done something which would put Abby or my parents at risk? Am I the reason Abby needs protection?"
Understanding filtered across Jessica's face. She turned to Abigail considering, holding the girls hand in her own while her other hand traced over Abigail's bracelet. Jessica focused her thoughts toward the inner peace and connection to God she trusted to guided her. Truthfully, Jessica had been acting on faith since before the werewolf attack. If she felt compelled the carry around a symbol from an old dream, she had. When prompted to choose between a happy life of ignorance and a dangerous life of truth with Sam and the others, she made the choice she felt God preparing her years ago. Up until now Jessica never felt the need to question where her hunches and feelings might be lead because she trusted God's plan. But Jessica also knew her kind of faith was not the norm. Connor had valid concerns, so Jessica tried to draw out insight into why Abigail would need the bracelet. "No," Jessica said after a moment. "Abigail needs one because of who she is . . . who she's going to become. I don't feel she's in any danger right now," Jessica admitted hesitantly trying to verbalize the complicated impressions sweeping through her. "But at some point in the future, maybe a year from now, Abigail's going to need the protection this can give her."
Connor gave a sharp nod of understanding despite being less than pleased with Jessica's answer. Already Connor's mind was racing to create absurd plans to keep Abigail safe. Maybe he could convince his family to move away from Los Angeles and its large demon population. He could talk his dad into taking a job somewhere safe like Ohio. Wait! Scratch that idea. Cleveland, Ohio is home to a hellmouth. Maybe Iowa was a better idea. He never heard of a demon from Iowa.
"Excuse me," Laurence spoke up. "We thought these bracelets were simply good luck charms of a sort. Now you're talking about Abigail needing protection in the future. Could you please explain what Abigail needs protection from?" Laurence continued to exchange worried looks with Colleen while waiting for Connor or one of his friends to answer.
"You know I can do things that aren't considered normal for a human," Connor began.
"Your strength and ability to heal you mean?" confirmed his mother.
"Yes," said Connor, "Jessica also has some; I guess you could call them abilities. Not so much physical stuff like me, but she knows some things."
"Do you mean like a psychic?" asked Colleen.
"Similar but not exactly," Connor hedged. "These bracelets protect the wearer from supernatural beings like ghosts and dark spirits, which is a good thing. However, just the fact that Jessica is giving Abby a talisman is a good indication that Abby will be encountering something supernatural in the future. I've been doing my best to protect Abby and you from supernatural threats, so I'm not happy to learn those efforts are in vain."
"So we don't let it be in vain," Laurence insisted. "Maybe it's not possible for you to keep all things supernatural from your sister, but my father always said, 'Forewarned is forearmed.' Surely there are things we can do now that we know danger may be approaching."
Connor felt a bit caught off guard by his father's reasonable can do – let us fix it attitude, then realized he really should not be. After all, when things got weird around the Reilly house last spring with the revelation of Connor's powers, Laurence immediately sought to gather as much information as possible to help his son understand what was happening to him.
"We can probably ward your parent's home," Sam volunteered. "I could contact Pastor Jim and Uncle Bobby and see what they would recommend."
"My Grammy Marie might have some ideas too," offered Luis.
At Connor's startled expression Jessica admonished, "Don't look so surprised, of course we're going to help you and your family in any way we can."
"Thanks," Connor replied momentarily overwhelmed by his friends' offers of support. "I'm not sure . . ."
Thump-thump-thump! The three solid pounds on the door startled everyone within the room.
Connor grimaced at the interruption and shouted, "Go away, this is a private gathering." Connor noticed his mom frown at his rude behavior, but decided now was not the time to worry about the hurt feelings of which ever random classmate decided to stop by.
"Connor, open this door right now," ordered a firm voice that only Connor immediately recognized.
The group gathered got to see, or not see if they happened to blink at the wrong second, Connor use his superhuman speed to race from the bed to the door. Opening the door Connor asserted, "Now really isn't a good time."
"I'm not going anywhere until I have an explanation for why my son thought it would be a good idea to fight with a werewolf in the middle of campus," the new arrival retorted. The door pushed open to reveal Angel, master vampire of the Aurelius line, champion of the light, and Connor's biological father. The last being something Connor's adoptive parents did not know and Connor still wasn't ready to share. Though now it looked like it didn't matter what he was ready for because Angel had just spilled the beans to everyone.
"Sam, I didn't know Mr. Angel was your father," Colleen said in surprise after she recognized one of the people they met at Wolfram & Hart, and erroneously connected him with the student she thought most likely to be his son. "We met last spring."
"I heard about that from Connor," Sam was quick to respond. "It just goes to show what a small world we live in." Presenting a somewhat pleading face Sam added, "I'd really appreciate it if the connection between us was kept quiet. I'm enrolled under the name Winchester to provide me with a bit of protection. Connor mentioned you are aware of Angel's reputation for dealing with the weird and unusual. Over the years, my father has developed a large number of both allies and enemies who are equally weird and unusual."
"Of course," Colleen quickly agreed.
"Certainly," Laurence seconded, "how could we do any less for the man who helped Connor?"
Connor didn't know whether to thank the powers that be for the way his Mom jumped to the wrong conclusion, or offer Sam anything he might desire for backing up Mom's mistaken conclusion with a swift and convincing mix of lies and truths. Had Connor not already known otherwise, he might have believed Sam too. Connor's eyes flew to Angel silently pleading with him to jump on the fairy tale band wagon.
"Thank you," Angel murmured after a long second. "We appreciate your discretion. I really do thank you for helping my son . . . My son Sam." The vampire stepped across the room to stand next to the stranger he had just claimed as his own in an attempt to make his real son happy. The two stood awkwardly shoulder to shoulder while Connor closed his dormitory door.
Lawrence noticed the tension and wondered aloud, "Were all four of you involved with the werewolf Mr. Angel mentioned?"
"Not by choice," said Luis trying to offer an explanation that would not further tangle the web of lies and misunderstandings Connor seemed to want his parents under. "Honestly, Mr. Angel and Mr. & Mrs. Reilly if it weren't for Sam and Connor, Jessica and I as well as a couple of others would have died over a month ago." With that Luis launched into another retelling of the night of the werewolf attack, much as he had during the conference call with Sam's family and friends.
While the Reillys listened to the tale with a fair amount of justified concern, Angel listened to the story with his detective's mindset firmly in place. It helped him push aside the confusing mix of emotions unleashed by the unexpected encounter with Connor's adoptive family and friends. It wasn't long though before Angel heard details he didn't like the sound of.
"Sam, you can't confront a werewolf without either silver or heavy firepower and expect to win," Angel pointed out. He may not be the boy's father as Mr. and Mrs. Reilly believed, but Sam was Connor's friend at the very least. Perhaps Angel's words of caution could keep their friendship alive longer.
"I know racing into the fight barely armed was foolish," Sam admitted. With a half smile he added, "In fact, Connor referred to my actions as 'heroically stupid', but there was no time to run back to my dorm for the proper weapons. At least not without sacrificing lives in the process. So yes, I charged in unprepared, but I'd do the same thing again if I had it to do over."
Angel found himself respecting the young man's determination. "Please tell me you are at least carrying something now?"
Sam grinned and pulled back the right side of his unbuttoned flannel shirt, revealing five items hooked to his belt. "Two-point-five inch fixed blade of consecrated iron, six inch folding blade of blessed silver, both legal to carry in California, a flask of holy water, a pouch of rock salt, and a hickory wood stake," Sam described as he pointed to each item in turn.
Angel nodded in approval, pleased to see Sam taking steps to be more prepared in the future. Glancing at the other students before letting his eyes settle on Connor, Angel wondered aloud, "Are the rest of you wearing the same gear?"
Connor replied by gesturing to his own tool laden waist with a smirk.
"Jessica and I are waiting on order for the folding silver knives," Luis admitted when he and Jessica pointed to their own belt additions.
"Good," Angel approved, "those five items give you effective tools against the majority of supernatural threats." Realizing there was still more story to hear he reminded, "I believe you just mentioned Sam knocking down the werewolf."
The others continued relating the events from January's chilly full moon night. Each took a turn explaining their part to their rapt audience, until finally Connor explained their decision to protect Stanford from future threats.
"The four of you are taking on a lot trying to protect a campus as large as Stanford," Angel pointed out.
"What about classes?" asked Colleen. "Protecting Stanford sounds like a wonderful idea, but how will you do that and still keep up with your assignments?"
"It's not going to be all that much work," assured Connor. "Stanford already has a pretty effective guardian spirit, in Officer Montgomery, who has protected the campus from many dangers for decades now. He just needs us to help with the more physical threats, like the werewolf."
"Well I'm not surprised Connor's turned hero," declared Abigail with all the faith of an adoring kid sister. "He was born to be a champion." Her vote of confidence only slightly diminished by the sudden yawn at the end of her statement.
"So tired already?" teased Connor. "It's not even an hour past sundown."
"It's not my fault," protested Abigail even as she rearranged Connor's pillows to a more comfortable position. "I didn't sleep well last night," Abigail admitted, before muttering, "Stupid nightmares."
"Abigail," Colleen spoke, "I thought you said you weren't having nightmares anymore."
"They mostly went away," Abigail insisted. "They just come back every once in a while now."
"So last night one of those 'once in a whiles'?" asked Jessica. When Abigail just nodded in response Jessica queried, "Would you mind if I ask what your nightmares are about."
"I guess not," said Abigail frowning and picking an imaginary bit of lint off the blanket she sat on. "They don't even make sense really. There are monsters or sometimes strange people fighting . . . it's kind of like they are fighting me only I'm not me." Abigail struggled to explain better. "In one nightmare I'm a priestess fighting a mummy in the shadows of the pyramids. Another had me in China battling some blond Brit in the middle of the Boxer Rebellion." Only Sam noticed Angel stiffen when hearing Abigail's last sentence. The vampire grabbed a notebook and pencil off the nearest desk and began drawing what Sam thought might be a face. Figuring Angel would speak up if he knew something important, Sam refocused on the conversation. "In yet another nightmare I confronted a tentacle creature living in a tributary of the Amazon."
"So, were you always the same person in each of the dreams?" asked Luis, who could not help but think of his psychology class's recent topic of dream interpretation. They would no doubt have quite the debate over the hidden meanings of these dreams.
"No, I was a different girl every time I died," Abigail explained in a tired voice.
Jessica set a comforting hand on Abigail's back. "Are you saying you died in every nightmare?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah, it sucks," confirmed Abigail. "Though sometimes I'm able to kill the monsters too, and the dying doesn't feel so pointless then."
Connor knew his little sister had nightmares sometimes, but this was the first time she opened up enough to share the particulars of her sleeping torment. Connor did not like what he was hearing. Even the thought of Abigail dying in a dream, which while admittedly disturbing still left her physically unharmed, drew forth all of Connor's protective instincts. "Okay, it sounds like we need to find something to stop these nightmares," decided Connor. "There has got to be some ward or protection we can put into place to end these night terrors." Abigail looked hopeful at her brother's words and Laurence and Colleen both seemed willing to follow Connor's lead. Unfortunately, Connor did not know any effective ways to stop nightmares so he turned to Sam hoping to tap into his seemingly endless stockpile of knowledge.
"It might not be that easy," Angel interrupted warningly.
"What do you mean?" asked Connor. Recognizing the worried almost regretful look on the vampire's face Connor's tone became much chillier, "What do you know?"
"I have a theory," answered Angel. "One I'll need Abigail's help to confirm." Focusing on the teenage girl he continued, "I have a few pictures I drew of someone. I'd like you to tell me if this is one of the people you've seen in your dreams." Angel turned the notepad over revealing sketches of William the Bloody a.k.a. Spike. The uppermost image showed William as he looked over a hundred years ago with longish wavy locks and traditional grab, the second drawing favored Spike's more recent look while the last picture displayed Spike's vampiric visage or as the Scoobies so often called it 'game face'.
Abigail's eyes immediately widened in recognition and she said, "He is the one I fought during the Boxer Rebellion. I even had him pinned to a wall ready to deliver a death blow when an explosion knocked me away and allowed him to gain the upper hand." Abigail's fingers drifted to the more modern visage of Spike, "But he fought with me in a New York subway. He took my leather jacket." Abigail declared the last while sounding both irritated and confused. Then she looked up at Angel. "These pictures, they're of the same person, aren't they?"
"Yes," Angel nodded. "He is known as both William the Bloody and Spike. He also carries the title 'Slayer of Slayers,' as the only currently existing vampire to have defeated two slayers in single combat. It sounds likes your dreams are showing you those fights from the perspective of the slayers he defeated."
"So what is a slayer and why do I keep dreaming about their deaths?" Abigail asked her exhaustion allowing irritation to leak into the question.
"Slayers are teenage girls gifted with superhuman abilities to fight creatures of darkness," Angel replied bluntly. "As neither your parents nor brother have mentioned you possessing such powers I'm inclined to conclude you are still a potential."
