Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Author's note: please say if this gets too sickly for you! I think it will run darker later, at the moment I'm all awash in a sea of reunion happiness.
They found a table for four and piled burgers and fries on it. Connor found he was ravenous and began to eat hungrily, imitated by Gunn. The two women took their food and followed suit, albeit more delicately.
"You grew," Cordelia said, after a while. "Wonder if you're going to be as tall as Angel?"
"Angel ain't tall," said Gunn through a mouthful.
"You're just taller," Fred said proudly.
"I think you look like him," Cordelia continued. "I think that's great. Poor guy never gets to see himself, and it's such a pity."
Fred nodded her enthusiastic agreement, and then, catching a look from her husband, ducked her head.
"How did you all meet him?" Connor asked, putting down his burger to take a drink.
"He hung around my high school," Cordelia said. "And that's a long, ugly story which I am not telling now. But I ran into him when I arrived in LA, and kind of stuck with him." She smiled. "Seventeen years now."
"Do you … did you …" Connor waved a fry in the air to make his point. "Like, were you ever …"
Cordelia raised her perfect eyebrows. "Us? Gee, no!" She paused. "Not that occasionally, mind you, I didn't think about. I'm human, after all." She paused again. "Mostly. But he's more like a big, annoying brother."
Connor grinned. "I have an aunt. Cool." He glanced at Fred, who looked up from her drink.
"He saved my life," she said. "On a horse an' everything."
"Wow. How?"
Connor ate burger and fries, and then Cordelia's fries, and listened awestruck to tales of demon dimensions and fights to the death. His companions kept trying to outdo each other with their stories, and in an hour his world had expanded immeasurably. By the end of ice-cream sundaes for himself and Gunn, and coffee for Cordelia and Fred, he felt as if he had been on a long journey.
Cordelia glanced at her watch as Gunn was telling a colourful story involving a slime demon. "Oh hell. Look at the time! It's already seven. Angel's going to kill us … ow … oh …"
She rocked forwards, holding her head in her hands, and grimacing. "Ow … big red demon … near Sunset Boulevard … aaargh … there's a woman with a baby …" She sat up, her eyes clear. "Water?"
Fred passed her a glass, and Gunn had his phone out. "Angel? Yeah, man. Cordy had a vision. Sunset Boulevard. See you there." He put the phone away. "Let's move."
Connor found himself rushed into the car and almost bundled into the back seat next to Cordelia, and the car was racing down the street before he had the breath to ask what was happening.
"I had a vision," Cordelia said. "Thanks!" she added, glaring up at the sky. "Which means we rush to help and you really shouldn't be here, should you?"
Gunn turned his head slightly. "What's that?"
"Connor. Angel will flip if he realises he's here."
"We can't stop now."
"I know." Cordelia turned to Connor. "Whatever happens, stay back. Stay hidden. And don't speak to Angel till it's all over, right? He mustn't be distracted."
Connor felt like asking a question, but decided to hold his tongue and to wait and watch.
The car screeched to a halt next to an alleyway, and they all tumbled out. From the trunk, Gunn handed Cordelia a long axe and Fred a crossbow, and after a moment's hesitation, he passed Connor a stake. "See a vamp, put that through it's heart," he said, and then, grabbing a sword for himself, they were off.
Connor kept up with the adults easily; in fact he thought he could have outstripped their pace, but he stayed back and at the corner of the alleyway he stopped and peered around.
It was dark, but enough light came off the street that he could see a huge figure silhouetted against the night, covered in long hair. By its feet a smaller figure was slumped, and as he watched, he saw a third person running from the opposite end of the alleyway, coat streaming behind it and a long blade in its hand. The third figure and Gunn's group reached the demon at the same time, and without a second's hesitation the battle was joined.
Connor could see Cordelia pulling the slumped figure out of the way and bending over to speak to it. Fred was firing arrows as quickly as she could. But by the demon, Gunn and the other were slashing and kicking and ducking against the demon's claws. There was a roar, and Gunn went flying against the wall and lay still. Connor restrained a scream and kept watching.
Fred had seen her husband land, and was now by his side, leaving the last figure fighting the demon alone. The movements were almost balletic in their grace, and the sword was handled with precision and strength, the person using it moving quicker than Connor would have thought possible. And then, with a roar both from the demon and its attacker, the thing fell, landing with a thud in the alleyway.
The smaller figure pulled the sword out of the demon's carcass, and came towards Cordelia and the person she was tending, and Connor saw now that all the time he had been watching Angel – watching his father – fight. He came out from behind the wall and made his way across to Cordelia.
"She'll be fine," Cordelia was saying. "She's just fainted."
"There's no blood," Angel said, touching the woman's forehead – now Connor could see that the person was a young woman – and nodding. "That was a nasty one."
"You're tellin' me!" Gunn hobbled over, supported by Fred. "That hurt."
"But you're okay?" Angel looked up at his friend. "You should've stayed back, Gunn. You'll get seriously hurt one of these days."
"I'll live," Gunn said cheerfully.
"One day you may not," Angel returned, his expression serious. "Come on, let's get this woman … Connor?"
"Hi. I stayed out of the way."
Cordelia gestured to him. "We didn't have time to stop and leave him somewhere safe."
"I was safe!" Connor protested. "Look. I'm safe. Not a bruise on me."
"That's not the point," Angel said, his voice low. "You could have been hurt."
"He's fine," the other three chorused raggedly.
"I had a stake," Connor said, displaying it.
Angel moved, in a blur, knocking the stake out of Connor's hands before he had time to register that his father was not where he had been a moment before.
"If you don't know how to use it, it's useless."
"But …"
"How long can you stay in LA?" Angel asked, and continued without waiting for an answer. "You know who you are now. Before you go, I'll teach you the basics. Fencing, defensive moves. Simple stuff, but it could save your life." He turned to the others. "Gunn, you should get your head x-rayed. You three take the girl to the hospital and I'll walk Connor back to the hotel."
Cordelia opened her mouth, and Angel shook his head. "I'm not in a discussing mood, Cordy. See you later."
They accompanied the others to the car and waved them off, and then Connor fell into step beside his father, who had tucked his sword away under his coat and was, for the moment, silent.
"Why did you give me away?" he asked, eventually. "I'd have thought … surely you could've looked after me?"
Angel glanced down at him. "It was … the hardest thing I've ever done. But I wanted you to have a proper childhood. I didn't want you to grow up surrounded by death and darkness." He paused. "It was more than that, though. I'm fighting a war here, Connor. Stop me if you don't understand, please. But I'm fighting on the side of good, for the light if you will. It's at odds with my nature, but I have to do it. And there are equal forces ranged against me and mine. The darkness is powerful, and when they learnt that you had been born – that a human child had been born to two vampires – they began to hunt. You would have been useful to them, Connor. So I gave you up. And, I suppose, I was protecting you from myself."
"From you?"
"I've not always been like this, Connor." Angel's tone was heavy. "Until I was cursed, I was as bad as you can get. And sometimes you never know what will tip you over the edge." He stopped walking and took Connor's shoulders, turning him so they faced each other. "And you must promise me that should I ever try and hurt you, or yours, you'll kill me."
"I … I don't know if I could," stammered Connor.
"Then promise to try."
Angel's eyes boring into his own held such intensity that Connor found himself promising. His father kept the stare for a second, and then dropped his hands and starting walking again. Connor hurried to catch up.
"I like Cordelia, and Gunn and Fred."
"There's a lot to like," Angel said. "They're strong, and Fred has to be the most intelligent person I know – one of the most intelligent I've ever known. I couldn't manage without any of them." A brief shadow crossed his face. "Why am I answering all the questions? You haven't told me enough about yourself."
"What do you want to know?" asked Connor.
"Well …" his father hesitated. "Um … the sort of things a father is supposed to know about his child? Like …. well, erm … have you … got a girlfriend?"
"Dad!" Connor exclaimed. "Honestly … yeah. We've only been seeing each other a few months. She's great. Pretty. Blonde hair. Her name's Natasha." He fumbled in his pocket and brought out his wallet. "She's really popular, and clever – cleverer than me. Look." He held out a photograph for Angel to see, and Angel took it, seeing his handsome son grinning out of the picture with his arm around a stunningly pretty girl with blue eyes and a radiant smile. They looked perfect together, the sunlight glinting off their hair, and Angel felt a surge of tenderness well up in his heart.
Connor watched his father and the flicker of emotion that passed across his face, and tucked the photograph back in his wallet when Angel handed it back. "I'll send you one of me," he said suddenly. "Me in the sun."
"That'd be nice," Angel said softly.
They turned in to the Hyperion and Angel took his sword out from under his coat and began methodically to clean it. Connor, watching him, caught himself yawning.
"Bed?" Angel suggested mildly. Connor nearly protested, but another yawn caught him and he nodded sheepishly, crossing the lobby to his father.
"I'm glad I came," he said, and quickly hugged Angel. "Night."
"Good night."
* * *
Connor lay in Fred's old bed, his arms flung out sideways and an expression of peace on his face. For a moment Angel watched him, a silent, still figure shrouded in shadow, before bending down and softly kissing his son's brow.
"I'm glad you came too," he murmured. "Sweet dreams, my son."
Author's note: please say if this gets too sickly for you! I think it will run darker later, at the moment I'm all awash in a sea of reunion happiness.
They found a table for four and piled burgers and fries on it. Connor found he was ravenous and began to eat hungrily, imitated by Gunn. The two women took their food and followed suit, albeit more delicately.
"You grew," Cordelia said, after a while. "Wonder if you're going to be as tall as Angel?"
"Angel ain't tall," said Gunn through a mouthful.
"You're just taller," Fred said proudly.
"I think you look like him," Cordelia continued. "I think that's great. Poor guy never gets to see himself, and it's such a pity."
Fred nodded her enthusiastic agreement, and then, catching a look from her husband, ducked her head.
"How did you all meet him?" Connor asked, putting down his burger to take a drink.
"He hung around my high school," Cordelia said. "And that's a long, ugly story which I am not telling now. But I ran into him when I arrived in LA, and kind of stuck with him." She smiled. "Seventeen years now."
"Do you … did you …" Connor waved a fry in the air to make his point. "Like, were you ever …"
Cordelia raised her perfect eyebrows. "Us? Gee, no!" She paused. "Not that occasionally, mind you, I didn't think about. I'm human, after all." She paused again. "Mostly. But he's more like a big, annoying brother."
Connor grinned. "I have an aunt. Cool." He glanced at Fred, who looked up from her drink.
"He saved my life," she said. "On a horse an' everything."
"Wow. How?"
Connor ate burger and fries, and then Cordelia's fries, and listened awestruck to tales of demon dimensions and fights to the death. His companions kept trying to outdo each other with their stories, and in an hour his world had expanded immeasurably. By the end of ice-cream sundaes for himself and Gunn, and coffee for Cordelia and Fred, he felt as if he had been on a long journey.
Cordelia glanced at her watch as Gunn was telling a colourful story involving a slime demon. "Oh hell. Look at the time! It's already seven. Angel's going to kill us … ow … oh …"
She rocked forwards, holding her head in her hands, and grimacing. "Ow … big red demon … near Sunset Boulevard … aaargh … there's a woman with a baby …" She sat up, her eyes clear. "Water?"
Fred passed her a glass, and Gunn had his phone out. "Angel? Yeah, man. Cordy had a vision. Sunset Boulevard. See you there." He put the phone away. "Let's move."
Connor found himself rushed into the car and almost bundled into the back seat next to Cordelia, and the car was racing down the street before he had the breath to ask what was happening.
"I had a vision," Cordelia said. "Thanks!" she added, glaring up at the sky. "Which means we rush to help and you really shouldn't be here, should you?"
Gunn turned his head slightly. "What's that?"
"Connor. Angel will flip if he realises he's here."
"We can't stop now."
"I know." Cordelia turned to Connor. "Whatever happens, stay back. Stay hidden. And don't speak to Angel till it's all over, right? He mustn't be distracted."
Connor felt like asking a question, but decided to hold his tongue and to wait and watch.
The car screeched to a halt next to an alleyway, and they all tumbled out. From the trunk, Gunn handed Cordelia a long axe and Fred a crossbow, and after a moment's hesitation, he passed Connor a stake. "See a vamp, put that through it's heart," he said, and then, grabbing a sword for himself, they were off.
Connor kept up with the adults easily; in fact he thought he could have outstripped their pace, but he stayed back and at the corner of the alleyway he stopped and peered around.
It was dark, but enough light came off the street that he could see a huge figure silhouetted against the night, covered in long hair. By its feet a smaller figure was slumped, and as he watched, he saw a third person running from the opposite end of the alleyway, coat streaming behind it and a long blade in its hand. The third figure and Gunn's group reached the demon at the same time, and without a second's hesitation the battle was joined.
Connor could see Cordelia pulling the slumped figure out of the way and bending over to speak to it. Fred was firing arrows as quickly as she could. But by the demon, Gunn and the other were slashing and kicking and ducking against the demon's claws. There was a roar, and Gunn went flying against the wall and lay still. Connor restrained a scream and kept watching.
Fred had seen her husband land, and was now by his side, leaving the last figure fighting the demon alone. The movements were almost balletic in their grace, and the sword was handled with precision and strength, the person using it moving quicker than Connor would have thought possible. And then, with a roar both from the demon and its attacker, the thing fell, landing with a thud in the alleyway.
The smaller figure pulled the sword out of the demon's carcass, and came towards Cordelia and the person she was tending, and Connor saw now that all the time he had been watching Angel – watching his father – fight. He came out from behind the wall and made his way across to Cordelia.
"She'll be fine," Cordelia was saying. "She's just fainted."
"There's no blood," Angel said, touching the woman's forehead – now Connor could see that the person was a young woman – and nodding. "That was a nasty one."
"You're tellin' me!" Gunn hobbled over, supported by Fred. "That hurt."
"But you're okay?" Angel looked up at his friend. "You should've stayed back, Gunn. You'll get seriously hurt one of these days."
"I'll live," Gunn said cheerfully.
"One day you may not," Angel returned, his expression serious. "Come on, let's get this woman … Connor?"
"Hi. I stayed out of the way."
Cordelia gestured to him. "We didn't have time to stop and leave him somewhere safe."
"I was safe!" Connor protested. "Look. I'm safe. Not a bruise on me."
"That's not the point," Angel said, his voice low. "You could have been hurt."
"He's fine," the other three chorused raggedly.
"I had a stake," Connor said, displaying it.
Angel moved, in a blur, knocking the stake out of Connor's hands before he had time to register that his father was not where he had been a moment before.
"If you don't know how to use it, it's useless."
"But …"
"How long can you stay in LA?" Angel asked, and continued without waiting for an answer. "You know who you are now. Before you go, I'll teach you the basics. Fencing, defensive moves. Simple stuff, but it could save your life." He turned to the others. "Gunn, you should get your head x-rayed. You three take the girl to the hospital and I'll walk Connor back to the hotel."
Cordelia opened her mouth, and Angel shook his head. "I'm not in a discussing mood, Cordy. See you later."
They accompanied the others to the car and waved them off, and then Connor fell into step beside his father, who had tucked his sword away under his coat and was, for the moment, silent.
"Why did you give me away?" he asked, eventually. "I'd have thought … surely you could've looked after me?"
Angel glanced down at him. "It was … the hardest thing I've ever done. But I wanted you to have a proper childhood. I didn't want you to grow up surrounded by death and darkness." He paused. "It was more than that, though. I'm fighting a war here, Connor. Stop me if you don't understand, please. But I'm fighting on the side of good, for the light if you will. It's at odds with my nature, but I have to do it. And there are equal forces ranged against me and mine. The darkness is powerful, and when they learnt that you had been born – that a human child had been born to two vampires – they began to hunt. You would have been useful to them, Connor. So I gave you up. And, I suppose, I was protecting you from myself."
"From you?"
"I've not always been like this, Connor." Angel's tone was heavy. "Until I was cursed, I was as bad as you can get. And sometimes you never know what will tip you over the edge." He stopped walking and took Connor's shoulders, turning him so they faced each other. "And you must promise me that should I ever try and hurt you, or yours, you'll kill me."
"I … I don't know if I could," stammered Connor.
"Then promise to try."
Angel's eyes boring into his own held such intensity that Connor found himself promising. His father kept the stare for a second, and then dropped his hands and starting walking again. Connor hurried to catch up.
"I like Cordelia, and Gunn and Fred."
"There's a lot to like," Angel said. "They're strong, and Fred has to be the most intelligent person I know – one of the most intelligent I've ever known. I couldn't manage without any of them." A brief shadow crossed his face. "Why am I answering all the questions? You haven't told me enough about yourself."
"What do you want to know?" asked Connor.
"Well …" his father hesitated. "Um … the sort of things a father is supposed to know about his child? Like …. well, erm … have you … got a girlfriend?"
"Dad!" Connor exclaimed. "Honestly … yeah. We've only been seeing each other a few months. She's great. Pretty. Blonde hair. Her name's Natasha." He fumbled in his pocket and brought out his wallet. "She's really popular, and clever – cleverer than me. Look." He held out a photograph for Angel to see, and Angel took it, seeing his handsome son grinning out of the picture with his arm around a stunningly pretty girl with blue eyes and a radiant smile. They looked perfect together, the sunlight glinting off their hair, and Angel felt a surge of tenderness well up in his heart.
Connor watched his father and the flicker of emotion that passed across his face, and tucked the photograph back in his wallet when Angel handed it back. "I'll send you one of me," he said suddenly. "Me in the sun."
"That'd be nice," Angel said softly.
They turned in to the Hyperion and Angel took his sword out from under his coat and began methodically to clean it. Connor, watching him, caught himself yawning.
"Bed?" Angel suggested mildly. Connor nearly protested, but another yawn caught him and he nodded sheepishly, crossing the lobby to his father.
"I'm glad I came," he said, and quickly hugged Angel. "Night."
"Good night."
* * *
Connor lay in Fred's old bed, his arms flung out sideways and an expression of peace on his face. For a moment Angel watched him, a silent, still figure shrouded in shadow, before bending down and softly kissing his son's brow.
"I'm glad you came too," he murmured. "Sweet dreams, my son."