Thank you to Aragorn II Elessar for his help with this chapter.
Ellie Bishop: Sadly, Sam got the Phony Stark treatment, being twisted into saying and doing things he would never normally say or do until he was unrecognizable. No kidding on Bucky.
Los Angeles
Night
Connor was in the car with his parents, they had just pulled into the parking lot of the hotel they were staying at when the doors were suddenly yanked open. A boar faced demon grabbed Connor and pulled him from the car before throwing him onto the parking lot. As Connor got to his feet, he was punched by another demon. As he went down to the ground, he looked up and saw his parents being dragged from the car. Colleen was thrown against the side of the car by one of the demons. Lawrence tried to help before another demon attacked him.
"Mom!" Connor exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
He slugged the demon trying to attack him and, to his shock, the demon went flying. He slammed into the windshield of a nearby car, cracking it.
"Whoa," Connor mutter, looking down at his hands in disbelief.
However, Connor had no time ponder this, as the demon then jumped back towards him. It grabbed him by his shirt, punching him before tossing him into the side of a nearby car. Connor went down to his knees as he noticed another demon approaching.
Then, Angel seemed to jump out of the shadows. He immediately began to engage the two demons. He kicked one before grabbing its arm when it tried to retaliate and slugged it. Angel let go, dodging a strike from the other demon before slugging it and delivering a series of kicks to the other demon. A punch forced Angel back against the car before one of the demons tried attacking him. Angel grabbed it, throwing it down to the ground before grabbing the other, lifting it up into the air and slamming it onto the roof of a car. Angel snapped its neck before proceeding to pick up the other demon and slamming its back onto his knee, shattering its spine.
As Angel dropped the corpse to the ground, he turned around to face Connor, who was eying the dead demons in shock.
"Oh my God," Connor said as he got to his feet.
"Connor, listen to me," Angel began, wondering how he was going to explain this.
"You almost broke that guy in half," Connor said before grinning. "That was awesome! Seriously, it was the coolest thing I've ever seen."
"Well, it's no big deal," Angel shrugged off, hoping to impress his son. "I do this kind of thing a lot. There was this one time-"
"Connor?"
Angel looked over his shoulder, seeing Colleen supporting Lawrence as they looked around for Connor.
"Dad!" Connor exclaimed, rushing towards them.
As he watched Connor rush towards the Reillys, Angel silently followed. Connor belonged with the Reillys now, Angel reminded himself. Connor was no longer his son but theirs. He had to remember that.
"I'm okay," Lawrence assured Connor as he helped Colleen support him.
"We need to get him to a hospital," Colleen worried.
"We have doctors at Wolfram and Hart, we can help," Angel said before turning to Connor. "You and I have some things we should probably talk about."
"Yeah, kind of figured," Connor said after glancing at the dead demons.
Russia, Wanda's safe house
Slightly later
Wanda was in the kitchen, doing some dishes. As a peace offering to the others, she had made dinner. They all seemed to like it and if they didn't, they didn't say. Currently, Fury was in a spare room while Sam and Sharon were playing cards from a pack Wanda had found a couple days ago while they kept watch over the Flag Smasher.
"Need any help?"
At the unexpected voice, Wanda nearly jumped. She hadn't even heard Bucky enter the room.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Bucky apologized with an amused twitch of his lips.
"It's okay," Wanda said, trying to calm her racing heart. "You just surprised me."
"So, do you want some help? You made us dinner, you're letting us stay here, I feel kind of bad," Bucky said.
Wanda stared at him for a moment. While she believed he felt bad, she had gotten to know Bucky enough over the last two years to know that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. Still-
"Grab a sponge," Wanda finally said, gesturing over to where she had them.
Bucky nodded, a slight grin on his face as he grabbed one. As he walked over to join her at the sink, Wanda idly wondered what his plan was.
Wolfram and Hart
Not long after
"Your dad's gonna be fine," Angel assured Connor as he led him out of medical. "He's in good hands…or claws, as the case may be. They're good doctors."
"What were those things that attacked us?" Connor asked.
"Some kind of demons. We're looking into it," Angel assured him.
"Is that why I am? Some kind of demon?" Connor asked as they stopped.
"No," Angel said with finality as he turned to face Connor.
"Then what am I?" Connor asked.
"Best we can tell, you're a healthy, well-adjusted kid. With…enhanced abilities," Angel said lamely.
"And you're a Vampire?" Connor asked and Angel gave a slight nod. "So, demons, vampires, doctors with claws, and I'm some kind of…superhero." A beat passed. "Okay."
Angel asked in disbelief as Connor walked right passed him, seemingly not bothered by any of this.
"You're taking this pretty well," Angel mentioned as he followed after Connor.
"Three months ago, half the world just up and vanished. I know friends who lost their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles. My family was one of the lucky ones, we all survived. So I'm a little different, things could be worse," Connor pointed out. "I just don't know how to explain this to my parents. You got family?"
"No," Angel said after a beat.
"Right, Vampire. So what are you, like five hundred years old?" Connor inquired.
"No. I'm – do I look five hundred to you?" Angel asked a little defensively.
"Do you spend all your time making out with other vampires like Anne Rice's novels?" Connor asked.
"No, well I used to but-"
"You have a girlfriend at least?" Connor asked.
"No. There was someone but…" Angel trailed off, a pained look in his eye as he thought of Cordelia.
"Must be lonely," Connor said awkwardly, sensing he'd touched a sensitive subject.
"I keep busy," Angel said defensively.
"Right. So, you guys fight crime and save the world and stuff?" Connor asked.
"That's the idea. But, as you saw three months ago, it doesn't always work out," Angel said darkly.
"Still, you're like the Avengers. This place must be insane," Connor mentioned.
"It's mostly paralegals and secretaries. It's kind of boring really," Angel mentioned.
They were passing the training room when suddenly, the glass shattered as an axe was thrown through it, impaling the wall. Connor jumped back, startled as Angel paused.
"Would you like to meet some of my co-workers?"
"Yeah. Sure," Connor said after a beat.
Anger led Connor inside as Spike offered Dawn a hand up.
"Hey guys," Angel said and they looked over as Spike pulled Dawn to her feet. "How's the training going?"
"Well, she's improving. It took me twice the amount of time to disarm her as the last spar. Who's the kid?" Spike asked as he saw Connor.
"Right. Spike, Dawn, this is Connor. Connor, this is Spike and Dawn," Angel made the introductions. "Connor's brought us a case. I'm just showing him around."
"Hey. So, you do this a lot?" Connor asked.
"Recently, yeah. Spike's teaching me how to fight," Dawn said as she eyed him. "Have we met before? You seem familiar."
"Trust me, I'd remember meeting a pretty girl," Connor laughed.
Spike shot him a dirty look as Dawn flushed. The door then opened and Fred walked in.
"Whoa!" Connor exclaimed as he saw Fred, instantly attracted to her. "This place is way better than college."
"Angel, Willow and Faith want you upstairs. They said it was about those demons that attacked the Reillys," Fred explained.
"Right, we should head up there," Angel told Connor, who nodded.
"Right. It was nice meeting you," Connor told Dawn and Spike.
"Nice to meet you to," Dawn called back.
Unseen to Dawn, Spike made an 'I'm watching you' motion to Connor before using his Vampire face to snarl quietly. Connor, unnerved, turned to follow Angel. Confused, Dawn turned back to Spike, who by this point had turned back to normal.
"You're in college?" Angel asked Connor as they walked out of the room.
"Yeah," Connor shrugged.
"Where?"
"Stanford," Connor said and Angel felt a swell of pride.
"Really?"
Later, Angel, Connor, Fred, Willow and Faith stood in the board room. Willow and Faith were showing Angel and Connor some pictures.
"That's them," Angel said, pointing at a picture of the demons he had fought earlier.
"We were afraid of that," Willow muttered as she and Faith exchanged a grim glance.
"Best we can tell, these guys are the go to hired gun of Cyvus Vail," Faith said as he pulled out a photograph of a demon looking man with withered, red skin in a cloak.
"I've heard of Vail. He's the Warlock version of The Master Angel. He leads a demon empire, he's the go to Warlock when someone with power needs something done," Willow explained and Angel looked concerned.
"What does he want with me?" Connor asked.
"That's what we're still trying to trying to figure out," Fred told him.
"But I think we all know it's nothing good," Faith said darkly.
"Hey, where are you going? Connor asked as he started to walk out of the room.
"To see Vail."
"I'll come with you," Connor volunteered.
"No," Angel said in a tone that left no room for argument, whirling around and pointing at Connor. "You stay here."
"Angel, with Vail involved, you can't rush in halfcocked," Fred reasoned.
"It's not up for discussion," Angel said as he moved towards the door.
"At least let me come with you," Faith argued.
"I said I'll take care of it!" Angel snapped, startling them all. "You all stay here."
Angel walked out, leaving a teenager and three confused friends.
"Okay, you're right, he is acting weird," Willow told Faith.
"So what do we do about it?" Faith asked.
"Well, for starters, let's look into everything we can find on Cyvus Vail," Fred said after a moment. "Something about this case has him rattled. We find out what, we get our answers."
Russia
Same time
"Thank you," Wanda said after she and Bucky had finished dishes.
"It's what friends are for, right? I'm literally asking, because it's been a while since I've had friends," Bucky said and she laughed.
"Yes, it's what friends do," Wanda said and a beat passed. "I wanted to apologize to you for…what I did. I owe everyone an apology but...it seems worse doing it to you, after everything you've been through."
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault. You didn't mean to do it," Bucky reasoned.
"But I still did it," Wanda said bitterly and Bucky stared at her for a moment.
"You and I are a lot alike," Bucky said and she raised an eyebrow. "We've both done bad things, we've both lost people. And now…now we're alone. But we don't have to be. You still have people who care about you Wanda, people who don't care what you did in the past. Sam has spent months looking for you, and he's not gonna stop if you run again. A friend like Sam, he comes along maybe once in a lifetime. He's with you 'til the end of the line Wanda. That's not gonna change just because you don't think you deserve it."
"Because I don't. I didn't deserve it when Steve gave me a second chance, I don't deserve it now," Wanda said darkly.
"None of us deserve it. But we try our hardest to anyway. Because they want us there anyway," Bucky said gently. "You might want to think about that."
"Thanks for the help," Wanda said after a moment before walking out of the room, Bucky staring after her sadly.
In the living room, Sam and Sharon were playing cards as the Flag Smasher sat, still bound in the chair.
"Think Barnes is getting through to her?" Sharon asked Sam as she put down a pair of fives.
"I don't know, I sure hope so," Sam said.
"She just went to her room," the Flag Smasher said and they looked over at him. "I can hear them from this angle."
"So you're eavesdropping," Sharon said dryly.
"Not a whole lot to do when you tie me up," he snapped and she shrugged.
"What's your name?" Sam inquired after a moment. "Since you're helping us, we might as well know you're name."
"Nick, my name's Nick," Nick said after a moment, eying Sam wearily. "You're…not like the others."
"That's an understatement," Sharon said with a chuckle. "You are just like Steve."
"Yet another reason you should take up the shield," Fury said as he walked in.
"Is there anyone Bucky didn't tell?" Sam grumbled. "And I thought you were asleep."
"Oh Fury doesn't sleep, he just goes into his room and makes lists of all the people out to get him," Sharon joked, laughing when Fury shot her a look.
"Barnes didn't tell me, she did when she called me," Fury said, gesturing to Sharon. "And I don't sleep much these days."
"Uh, shield?" Nick asked confused.
"Barnes gave Sam Cap's shield, wants him to be the next Captain America. Sam's undecided," Sharon explained helpfully.
"Most people would take it up in a second," Nick said after a beat.
"Because most people aren't actually asked to do it. To be Captain America. I just…I don't think I can do it. I'm not sure I want to do it," Sam admitted.
"Hate to break it to you Wilson, it's not always about what you want," Fury said and Sam looked up at him.
"Do you think Steve wanted to go into the ice? Or to bring down SHIELD? But he still did it, because he knew he needed to," Sharon pointed out.
"The world needed Captain America in 1945. It needs him just as much now. It may not be what you want, but it might be what you need to do. You might want to keep that in mind," Fury pointed out.
Los Angeles
Not long after
In his home, Vail was sitting in his chair, receiving his blood transfusions from his medical equipment he carried around when, suddenly, the body of one of his guard was thrown into the room. Vail looked up as Angel walked into the room.
"Did you kill all my guards?" Vail asked in his raspy voice.
"All the ones I could find," Angel said simply and Vail hummed.
"I should have given them the day off," Vail noted as Angel approached him. "I wasn't trying to kill your son you know. I simply needed him to understand what he's capable of."
"How do you know about Connor?" Angel demanded.
"I built him," Vail revealed, taking Angel aback.
Back at Wolfram and Hart, Willow, Faith, Fred and Lorne were in Faith's office, going over all the Intel they had on Vail.
"Here we go," Lorne said and the three women looked over at him. "Vail listings under 'account paid'."
"You mean Wolfram and Hart did business with him?" Fred asked.
"It looks like he was one of their go to Warlocks when it comes to the magical mojo. He specialized in memory restructuring, mind control, temporal shifts," Lorne said before he saw something on a piece of paper. "Oh boy."
"What? What is it?" Faith asked.
"Willow, take a look at this, tell me if it's as bad as I think," Lorne said, holding out the page.
A pit of dread forming in her stomach, Willow walked over and took the paper out of Lorne's hands. As she read it, her blood ran cold.
"Will?" Faith asked when Willow remained silent for a moment.
"Vail's been in charge of some of the most powerful sorcerers alive. It's not as bad as Lorne thinks, it worse," Willow said as she put the paper down. "Angel has no idea what he's walking into."
Suddenly, Willow paused as she got a look at something on the paper.
"Fred, when did you guys take over Wolfram and Hart?"
"A two days before you defeated the First. Why?" Fred asked wearily.
"Because on the same day, Vail performed some kind of reality shift," Willow revealed to the shock of everyone.
"Could you help me up?" Vail asked Angel. "I'd have one of my guards do it but, well, you know."
Angel silently walked over to Vail, helping him up. Then, Angel yanked the IV out of Vail's neck. Vail gasped as Angel glared at him, the intention clear.
"When Connor was five, he got lost in a department store. He wondered off while his family was shopping. Nearly scared the poor child half to death."
"That never happened!" Angel snarled.
"But he remembers it happening," Vail said and Angel let him go in shock, the implications sinking it as Vail frantically reattached the IV. "He remembers screaming in the middle of the store. He remembers his mother rushing towards him, and he remembers his father sweeping him up into his arms."
"You built his memories," Angel muttered.
"I did," Vail confirmed. "He is some of my finest work."
"What do you want?" Angel asked lowly.
"I need someone dead. A demon named Sahjhan," Vail said and Angel started.
"Sahjhan," Angel repeated as Vail got to his feet.
"I believe you tussled with him before. He's a nasty little cur," Vail said as he walked passed Angel.
"He's gone. I trapped him in a bottle," Angel said as he turned around.
"An urn actually," Vail said before, to Angel's shock, he opened a cabinet to reveal said urn. "Morbid little thing. Doesn't go with my decor."
"He's trapped. Let him rot," Angel said indifferently.
"Urns tend to break. Long lost enemies tend to return. I need finality to my affairs," Vail said before he held out a hand and, to Angel's surprise, a yellow box appeared in his hand. "Do you know what an Orlon Window is Angel? It's a fascinating little spell. It allows warlocks such as myself to see the past as it once was. You have to be careful with it though. If it were to break around someone whose mind had been altered, all his old memories would come rushing back."
Immediately, Angel understood. Vail had brought him here to blackmail him. Angel took a step towards Vail.
"Careful Angel," Vail warned him and he froze. "I gave Connor his happy life. Are you sure you can kill me before I take it away from him?"
Angel simply stood there, his unmoving form giving away his answer. Vail smirked, moving towards him.
"I built your son. I am not the sort of man you want as your enemy," Vail warned him as he walked passed Angel, retaking his seat.
"Fine," Angel said, staring at the urn before turning around to face Vail. "I'll do it. I'll kill Sahjhan."
"If it were that easy, I'd do it myself," Vail said, taking him aback. "No, the prophecy is quite clear. There is only one person who can kill Sahjhan."
"Connor," Angel realized.
"So, you see our problem. I turned your son into a healthy boy, now I need you to turn him back into a killer," Vail explained.
Wolfram and Hart
Later
"He wants me to kill somebody?" Connor asked as they stood in Angel's office, Angel having explained the situation.
"A demon…named Sahjhan. I've fought him before," Angel explained.
"Why me? Why do I have to it?" Connor asked confused.
"Because you're special. There's a prophecy that says you're the only one who can kill him," Angel explained.
"Okay, why do we care what some prophecy says?" Faith asked.
"Vail's made some convincing threats," Angel said vaguely.
"We've dealt with people like Vial before. What makes this any different?" Fred asked.
"Because he's not threatening you, he's threatening my family," Connor realized and Angel didn't deny it.
"Angel, you can't trust Vail. He did something the day you took this job. Who knows what he's really after?" Willow argued.
"I don't Willow, but we don't have any choice," Angel said lowly.
"This Sahjhan guy, is he strong?" Connor asked.
"Well, the last time Angel fought him, Angel nearly became a pile of dust," Lorne said dryly.
"Is that true?" Connor asked startled and Angel sighed.
"This is different. Like I said, you're special," Angel explained.
"We don't have a choice, do we?" Connor realized.
"We always have a choice. Just give us some time," Fred pleaded.
"We don't have time," Angel said regretfully, looking at Connor sadly.
"If I kill Sahjhan, will Vial leave my family alone?" Connor asked after a moment and Angel nodded.
"Kid, you don't have to do this," Faith tried to argue.
"I think I do," Connor said before getting to his feet. "What are we waiting for?"
Later, Angel and Connor stood in the training room, Spike and Dawn having finished for the day.
"You're not alone in this. I'll be right there with you," Angel assured him.
"What, you're gonna hold Sahjhan down while I stab him?" Connor asked.
"Prophecy never said you couldn't have a little help," Angel pointed out.
"Hardly seems fair," Connor noted.
"Well, fair's not something we really worry about," Angel said.
"Well maybe you should," Connor said, taking Angel back. "I'm not a bully. If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it my way." A beat passed. "Now I just gonna figure out what my way is."
"You have your whole life for that," Angel assured.
"Might as well start now," Connor pointed out.
"Alright, I can show you a few things," Angel assured him.
"Well, yeah. I'm noble and stuff, but I'm not an idiot. I've been in one fight in my entire life and you bailed me out of it," Connor pointed out before walking over to the weapons on the wall. "Should I take one of these with me? Maybe an axe or whatever this thing is."
Connor picked up a weapon but clumsily dropped it to the floor. Angel resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. This was a bad idea, he knew, but they didn't have any other choice.
"Sorry," Connor apologized as Angel walked over to him.
"It's fine, just…stay away from the weapons for now," Angel told him as he put them back on the wall. "Alright, look. You're faster than Sahjhan. Use it. He talks a lot. He'll try to lull you into slowing down. Don't listen. Hit him quick, keep moving."
Connor paused as he digested this advice. Then, after a beat, he spoke again.
"Do you really think I can do this?"
"I know you can," Angel said, hoping he wasn't lying to himself or his son.
In the storage room, Willow led Faith, Fred and Lorne inside, leading them down rows of storage boxes.
"Uh, Wicca Wonder? What exactly do you hope to find?" Lorne asked Willow as she began opening drawers.
"Vail changed reality. You guys, Angel, the world could have been changed and none of us would ever know the difference. Your actions these last few months might not have been your own. We need to know who's behind it," Willow said as she began looking through the files. "First step is finding out who signed off on Vail performing a temporal shift."
Finding what she was looking over, Willow pulled out a file. As she read it, the others watched as Willow paled several shades.
"Willow? What is it?" Fred asked concerned.
Silently, Willow handed Fred the file. As she read it, Fred's expression became one of shock, denial, hurt and anger.
"Winifred? What's going on?" Lorne as he and Faith looked concerned.
"It was Angel," Fred said lowly as she turned the file so they could see Angel's signature at the bottom of the document. "Angel's the one who ordered the temporal shift."
Vail's house
Later
"This place smells like a retirement home," Connor mentioned as Angel led him inside.
"Welcome," Vail said as he stepped into view. "I've been waiting for you."
"Oh Lord, look at him," Connor muttered to Angel, only for Angel to shush him.
"Listen, Vial, we won't be staying long," Angel started when Connor suddenly stepped forward.
"Here's how it works. I kill this Sahjhan thing, and we walk. You come near my family again, I'll slit your throat," Connor said boldly as Angel resisted the urge to strangle his son. "And if that doesn't work, I'll just chop your head off. And if that doesn't work I'll just…keep stabbing you 'til you…'til you bleed to death. Understand?"
"I do," Vail said, not seeming bothered by Connor's threats.
"Good," Connor said nonchalantly. "So where is he?"
"Right through there," Vail said, pointing to another room.
Connor and Angel looked into the room. Angel could see a table that held the urn, along with a few weapons nearby.
"Okay. See ya later," Connor told Angel as he began to head into the room.
"Wait," Angel said as he walked up beside Connor. "He's gonna want to talk to you. Don't let him distract you."
"I won't," Connor promised.
"Even if he's on the ground, don't take your eyes off him."
"Okay."
"Whatever you do, do not-"
"Dude, you're starting to freak me out," Connor said annoyed and Angel stopped.
"Right. Sorry," Angel said awkwardly.
Connor turned to walk when Angel spoke.
"Wait," Connor looked at him annoyed as Angel fixed his sorry. "Sorry. Go get him."
Connor looked at him bewildered for a moment before turning and walking into the room. Connor walked up to the table, looking down at the urn wearily.
"What am I supposed to…"
Connor trialed off as he turned back to where Angel and Vail had been a few moments ago. Where he had just exited, a wall now stood.
"Okay," Connor muttered.
"He can't see us anymore," Vail told Angel as they watched Connor.
"Why not?" Angel demanded.
"I can't risk Sahjhan getting loose. He has a nasty habit of trying to kill me," Vail said dryly. "But don't worry. Your boy is very brave. I'm sure he'll do you proud."
Connor stared down at the urn uneasily for a moment before sighing.
"Open sesame, or whatever," Connor said before he opened the urn.
Connor then stepped back as some kind of silver air came out, flying towards a corner before solidifying. Sahjhan stood, now solid and Connor inspected him. He didn't seem so tough, Connor thought.
Sahjhan looked around in surprise before spotting Connor.
"Thank you mortal for freeing me from my accused prison. In gratitude, I grant you three wishes," Sahjhan told him.
"Really?" Connor asked in surprised.
"Nah, I'm just messing with you," Sahjhan chuckled.
"Oh," Connor said disappointed.
"I do appreciate it though," Sahjhan said as he loosened up some joints. "That urn wasn't exactly a day at the spa. I owe you one."
"Right," Connor noted. "Well, before you start trying to kiss me, I should probably tell you, we're uh, we're supposed to fight."
"Is that right?" Sahjhan raised an eyebrow, or would if he had any.
"Yep."
"Now why would you want…" Sahjhan trialed off as the realization hit him, looking at Connor closely. "Ah. You're him."
"Yeah. I'm me. Hi," Connor said with a smile. "You can take a moment if you want. There's some weapons and stuff if you think you'll need 'em."
"Thanks," Sahjhan said, thrown by Connor's reaction to him.
"He's talking to him. Why is he talking to him? I told him not to talk to him," Angel muttered to himself.
"Been a while since we've seen each other. How'd Quor'toth work out for you anyway?" Sahjhan asked.
"Uh, it worked out great. Thanks for asking," Connor said, wondering what Sahjhan was talking about.
"You know I've had a long time to plan for this moment. I figured you'd be a lot more…intimidating," Sahjhan said.
"Yeah, well, I figured I'd be going to Tony Roma's with my folks tonight, but I'm here. Learn to cope," Connor said flippantly.
"I'll work on it," Sahjhan said.
Sahjhan then threw the urn at Connor. It hit him in the face and Connor was knocked back, falling face first onto the floor.
Angel instinctively tried to push into the room but, to his shock, some kind of barrier prevented him from entering.
"Sorry. Not your fight," Vail said, not sounding sorry at all.
Angel glared at him as he heard Connor groan. Turning back to watch, Angel saw Connor pull himself to his feet.
"OW! God, that really hurt," Connor complained as he held his face.
"Did it?" Sahjhan asked mocking.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry. Do you need a time out?" Sahjhan asked sarcastically.
"No, I'm alright," Connor said.
Without another word, Sahjhan tried to strike him. Connor ducked, moving behind Sahjhan, dodging another strike in the process. Connor managed to slug Sahjhan but this seemed to have no effect. Sahjhan landed a punch on Connor's face and Connor went down to the ground.
"Open the doorway, right now," Angel demanded as he turned back to Vail.
"Or you'll what?" Vail said and Angel noticed he was holding the Orlon Window. "Relax. Your son has to grow up sooner or later. Sit back and watch his future unfold."
Connor pulled himself to his feet only for Sahjhan to strike him twice more in the face.
"There's no need to bring back the past if we don't have to," Vail pointed out.
Angel looked at Vail grimly for a moment before turning back to watch Connor.
Connor tried to strike Sahjhan but the demon merely grabbed his fist before striking Connor in the abdomen. Connor nearly doubled over before Sahjhan tossed him into the wall, a chair cushioning his fall. As Sahjhan approached him, Connor jumped back to his feet, slugging Sahjhan. Again, this had no affect and Sahjhan struck Connor in the side with a cane. Connor went down to the ground as Sahjhan circled him.
"You know, I went to a lot of trouble to get rid of you. What a colossal waste of time that turned out to be," Sahjhan noted.
Sahjhan then kicked Connor in the side and Connor went flying. He crashed into the wall before falling to the ground.
Unable to take it anymore, Angel turned back around to face Vail.
"Open it no-" Angel stopped abruptly as he noticed Vail was no longer holding the Window.
Not only that, but Vail was seemingly frozen in time.
"What is this Angel?"
Startled, Angel turned towards the doorway. Willow was holding the Orlon Window, eying him wearily. And she wasn't alone.
So focused on the fight, Angel hadn't noticed, Fred, Lorne and Faith sneaking in and surrounding him. Fred and Lorne had crossbows at the ready while Faith had a stake out, all four of them eying him wearily.
"Guys, what are you doing?" Angel asked uneasily.
"I think that's a question we should be asking you," Lorne said stiffly.
"The reason you're not concerned about what Vail did is because you signed off on it," Fred said darkly, stepping up next to Willow and taking the Window from her.
"Fred, be careful with that," Angel pleaded.
"What did they promise you Angel?" Faith asked, looking like she'd lost her best friend. "I want to believe you had a good reason for doing whatever you did…so tell us."
Sahjhan picked Connor up off the ground before slamming down onto the table.
"Prophecies are turning out to be pretty overrated," Sahjhan said darkly. "I gotta tell you kid, you're making a good case for the whole concept of free will."
"Guys, listen, you need to trust me," Angel pleaded.
"We want to, but you're not making it easy," Willow said lowly.
"You've been lying to us," Lorne pointed out.
"What did Vail do Angel? Why is this so important?" Fred demanded as she looked down at the Window.
"He's my son," Angel finally said. "Connor is my son."
Everyone absorbed this news silently. Fred and Lorne looked surprised as Faith and Willow exchanged a startled glance.
"How-" Fred started.
"I don't have time to explain, just…put that down, give it to me," Angel pleaded, looking at the Window.
"What did you do Angel?" Fred demanded.
"Nothing that would hurt you, that would hurt any of you. You know me Fred, you know I would never sell you out," Angel reasoned. "Trust me Fred."
"I want to," Fred said, looking conflicted.
"Then do. Fred, you don't wanna do this," Angel reasoned.
For a long moment, the room was silent. Fred took a fraction of a step forward and Angel relaxed slightly. Then, a green hand yanked the Window out of her hand before Lorne threw the Window onto the floor. It shattered, a mist spread through the room. The five of them were all thrown back, memories surging through their minds.
Angel and Fred were in an alley, Angel holding a pregnant Darla's hand as it rained down on them. Darla suddenly staked herself, turning into dust and leaving a wailing baby boy on the ground.
Angel handing baby Connor to Wesley.
Wesley beating Lorne over the head with a statue from his desk.
Angel on the ground, watching helplessly as Holtz ran through a dimensional tear with Connor.
Angel angrily trying to smother Wesley with a pillow for his role in Connor's abduction before being dragged off by Gunn and some orderlies as Fred watched in shock.
Fred disowning Wesley at the hospital.
A grown Connor emerging from a dimensional tear into the center of the hotel.
An old Holtz telling Connor to go spend time with Angel.
Angel and Connor bonding.
Connor finding Holtz's dead body with Justine.
Connor and Justine sending Angel into the ocean.
Angel kicking Connor out after Wesley rescued him.
Connor saving 'Cordelia' from the memory-less Angel.
Wesley rejoining the team.
Connor sleeping with 'Cordelia' as Angel watched from a rooftop, heartbroken.
Angelus revealing to Fred Wesley was sleeping with Lilah.
'Cordelia' revealing she was heavily pregnant to Connor.
Willow arriving at the hotel and meeting Connor.
Connor trying to kill the newly ensouled Angel before Faith stopped him.
Connor saving 'Cordelia' after Angel, Fred, Lorne, and Wesley exposed her.
Angel and Connor fighting as Angel tried to kill 'Cordelia'.
The complete Team Angel, under Jasmine's spell.
Connor trying to alert Jasmine's followers after the rest of Team Angel was freed from the spell.
Angel and Connor fighting.
Connor killing Jasmine.
Connor trying to kill the comatose Cordelia and innocent civilians.
Angel bringing a knife down on Connor's throat, starting the spell.
Fred and Lorne held their heads, overwhelmed as Faith and Willow looked up, much less affected. Angel stared at them for a moment before he remembered Connor. Jumping to his feet, Angel raced towards the room.
Connor grabbed Sahjhan by the throat and tossed him off. Connor then got to his feet, giving Sahjhan a dark look.
"Lucky shot," Sahjhan said.
Connor then grabbed an axe of the table before jumping over the table, rolling over it and landing a few feet from Sahjhan. Sahjhan tried to strike Connor but Connor used the axe to block before kicking Sahjhan in the chest. Connor dodged a strike from Sahjhan, moving to the side before striking the demon in the face. Connor then elbowed Sahjhan in the face before trying to strike him with the axe. However, Sahjhan easily caught the axe, stopping it before striking Connor in the face. Connor then yanked the axe out of Sahjhan's hold before striking Sahjhan in the abdomen. Sahjhan nearly doubled over before Connor struck Sahjhan in the neck.
Sahjhan's head flew from his body, landing a few feet away as the body fell to the floor. Connor breathed heavily, taking in the scene as Angel entered the room, stopping to stare at his son. Angel wearily approached, unsure if Connor had received his memories back or not.
"Connor?" Angel called out.
"Whoa," Connor said as he turned around, looking at Angel. "Did you see that? Went a little hardcore there for a second. That guy made me cranky."
"You alright? Angel asked after a moment.
"Yeah. I guess. I don't really like people touching my neck, you know?" Connor said as he put a hand to where Sahjhan had wrapped a hand around his neck.
"Connor-"
"Hey, can we get out of here? I'd like to go back, see my parents," Connor said before dropping the bloodied axe. "This whole fighting thing, I'm not really sure it's for me."
Angel stared at Connor, relieved. Despite what he had feared, Connor seemed completely unaffected by the breaking of Vail's spell. And he'd still managed to beat Sahjhan, somehow. As far as Angel was concerned, that was a win in his book.
And that more or less finishes up Angel 5x18. I know not much happened on the MCU side of things but next chapter will have a lot of focus on our MCU characters, promise.
Even without Wesley being a factor, Angel's strange behavior would be enough to make his friend poke around enough to stumble onto his secret IMO.
Considering how powerful Willow is, I think she could freeze someone but it wouldn't be for very long IMO.