Title: Sun and Shadow
Section: Los Angeles I
Part: One -- Connor's New Baby-Sitter
Author: Arsahi
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Angel the Series belongs to Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, and Mutant Enemy.
Distribution: Eh...gonna be stingy this time and say ask first. You can find my email address on my author profile.
Dedication: The normal people, you know who you are.
Rated: This part is rated PG-13.
Pairings: Ugh! Too many to name!
Notes: This is my first crossover, folks. Be warned.
Timeframe: Post-Gone for BtVS and post-Dad for Angel.
~*~ Connor's New Baby-Sitter ~*~
Angel held Connor in his arms. It figured that the Powers That Be would give him a colicky son. A colicky human son nonetheless, that wouldn't
stop crying until he pulled out his game-face. Angel had even tried that that evening, but it hadn't worked. Not that night. Then he had let Cordelia
try her hand at calming Connor, to no avail. Wesley had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with the squalling infant, and Gunn made himself scarce,
not wanting baby-duty. Fred had tried to calm the baby down, but had failed miserably, just like Angel and Cordelia had.
It was now nearing three a.m.
Angel was hungry.
He paced the lobby of the Hyperion, Connor still in his arms. He had tried singing to him. He tried changing Connor's diaper. He tried everything
he could think of, and then even some of Lorne's suggestions. It amounted to absolutely nothing. His efforts proved useless to the extreme.
The front door slammed open, scaring Angel nearly to his second death. Then he looked at his visitor and stared in shock at him. "You."
"Why is it that everyone greets me tha' way?" Spike asked, letting himself in and dropping a black duffel bag on the rug near the door.
"You're just so awe-inspiring," Angel replied dryly. Connor just wailed.
"Bloody hell...gone to baby-sittin' now, Peaches?" Spike smirked, walking over and looking at Angel and Connor.
"He's my son, Spike," Angel glared at Spike, trying to force the territorial demon down.
Spike arched an eyebrow and laughed. "What, did you knock up tha' Cordelia bint?"
"No," Angel's glare intesified and he let his game face show, no longer wanting to keep the demon leashed.
"Then who'd you knock up, poofter? And how?" Spike inquired, the last question being an honest inquiry.
"Darla. And I don't know how. If I knew how..." Angel started, sliding back into his human visage. "It was part of some prophecy. All I know
is that he is my son. And I will protect him."
"Can I see the li'l tyke?" Spike asked quietly, curiously, sincerely wanting to see the baby.
Angel sighed. "Might as well. Maybe you can make him stop crying." He handed Connor over to Spike carefully, knowing Spike couldn't hurt his
child. It helped staying in touch with Willow over the years. Otherwise he never would've known about the chip.
Spike took Connor with the gentlest of hands. Angel watched his grand-childe curiously, having never witnessed the tender side of Spike before.
Or, hadn't cared to look for it. After all, last time he associated with Spike he was Angelus, and before that Spike wanted to kill the Slayer,
his girlfriend.
"Hey there, kiddo," Spike said softly. Amazingly, Connor stopped crying. "Guess you're my my uncle now? Drusilla's brother, hm?"
Angel chuckled lightly before he realized the noise escaped from his lips. Spike didn't seem to notice.
"Angel?" Spike asked quietly, sitting down on the sofa.
"Yeah, Spike?" Angel answered, sitting next to his childe's childe.
" I need somewhere to stay," Spike informed him suggestively.
You're going to regret saying this some day, Angel's mind told him. But Spike looked so vulnerable it pulled at Angel's long-dead heart.
"You can stay here."
Spike looked at Angel, set the baby in his lap (holding him with one hand), and clapped Angel on the back. "Thanks, mate. Owe you one. Guess
you aren't such a wanker after all."
"No," Angel shook his head. "You don't--"
"I don't take charity," Spike informed his grand-sire. "Unless it's in the form of a Happy Meal with legs."
Angel shook his head again. "Right. I should have remembered that. Let's get you set up then."
Angel reached for Connot, but Spike said, "Go on ahead. I'll stay here with the Li'l Tyke."
Angel half-smiled and picked up Spike's bag. He was nearly to Spike's room when he heard Cordelia yell, "Get away from Connor!" followed
by the soft thwap of a crossbow being released.
And Connor began to cry.
Again.
He sighed and tossed Spike's bag into the room, jogging back down the stairs to find Cordelia with another arrow trained on Spike. One arrow
already stuck out of Spike's left arm already. "Cordy, leave him alone..."
Spike, by that time, had managed to calm Connor back down and yank the arrow from his arm, hissing in pain. "Cor, pet. Tha' was very unnecessary.
Was jus' sittin' here, babysittin' the Li'l Tyke--"
"'Tyke'?" Cordelia repeated disbelievingly, arching an eyebrow. "Oh, I can just see it now...you'll be 'Uncle Spike'..."
Lorne and Fred chose that moment to enter the room. Fred, in her haste, threw holy water at Spike and Lorne ducked behind Fred. Spike had to
jerk to avoid being scorched, upsetting Connor in the process...again.
Angel's patience began to wear thin. It had already been very close to snapping because of Connor's incessant squalling, and it didn't help that
everyone was trying to kill his grand-childe, who had done a complete 180 on him. "Fred, Lorne, this is Spike. As you've already guessed, somehow.
Spike, that's Winifred Burkle, call her 'Fred'. And the green guy standing behind her is Krevlornswoth of the Deathwok Clan. Call him Lorne. And
you know Cordelia Chase, and Cordy you know Spike. Where are Wesley and Gunn?"
"I'll go get them," Fred scurried from the room.
Cordelia walked over to Angel. "What's gotten into yu? You're going to trust him? Are you out of your mind?" Suddenly, she
pulled away from him. "You're not Angelus, are you? 'Cause, hey, don't feel like killing you today. Don't wanna get the dust on my new shoes."
"No," Angel rubbed his forehead, swearing he could feel a headache developing between his eyes. "But I'm going to snap soon if everyone doesn't
stop pulling at me..."
Cordelia mustered up a sympathetic smile. "Leave it to Cordy."
Angel's head snapped up, his broody brown eyes wide. He looked...panicked...no, terrified. "I've got it. That's okay, Cordy."
Cordelia laughed at him. Fred chose that moment to enter the room with Wesley and Gunn. Angel cleared his throat. "Spike, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.
Wesley, Spike. Spike, Charles Gunn. Gunn, Spike. Spike won't hurt any of us and can't, on account of the chip in his head. Except for
me, I think. If he tries anything, I'll deal with him. Okay? Okay."
Angel left, into the kitchen, and minutes later they heard the microwave ding. He came back into the room with a mug of blood for Spike, gave it
to him, and left again.
"Peaches has a rod up his bloody arse," Spike snickered. Then he looked down at Connor. "Your daddy's a stiff. Always has his knickers in a
twist."
"Don't tell him that," Cordelia grumbled.
"Oh, sod off, Queen C," Spike retorted. He looked to Connor. "If that's your surrogate mum, I feel sorry for you."
Spike took a sip of the blood from his mug and Connor reached for it, whining. Spike dipped his pinky lightly into the red liquid. "Connor
wanna explore his vampiric roots?" Spike stuck his finger to Connor's mouth.
"Spike!" Fred cried.
Connor sucked on Spike's finger and whined when there was no more blood to be lapped off. Spike repeated the process he'd developed and gave
Connor more of his blood.
Cordelia glared. "That's Angel's son."
Angel walked in, looking slightly miffed. "What's going on?"
"He," Cordelia pointed an accusing finger at the blond vampire, "just fed your son blood."
"Does he like it?" Angel asked Spike.
"Loves it," he answered while feeding a little more to Connor.
"Fun," Angel commented dryly.
Spike took a long swig from the mug. Connor fell asleep on Spike's lap after that, smiling contently. He picked the child up and followed Angel
up to the room father and son shared.
"Night, Tyke."
And Spike did something Angel thought he'd never see--Spike kissed his son on the forehead after laying him down in the crib.
"Night, Peaches. I'll find my room on my own."
It wasn't until five in the evening before Spike trudged out of his room and down to the stairs, a little disoriented and very shirtless, as Fred soon found out.
"Oh! Spike," Fred blinked at him in surprise, a blush momentarily staining her cheeks.
"D'you have a shower?" Spike asked groggily and quite gruffly.
"Down the hall and around the corner and to the left but the cold water doesn't work very well and the water heater is on the fritz," Fred told
him hurriedly. Spike rewarded her with a blank stare. "Um...go ask Angel, I think he can tell you where a working one is."
"And I can find his Royal Highness...where?" Spike blinked his eyes back into focussing on Fred. He'd nearly fallen back asleep during her
babbling.
"Up one more flight of stairs and the fourth room on the right," Fred answered. "I was on my way there but I can wait."
Spike hauled Fred up the stairs with him. She led him to Angel's room and knocked on the door quietly. "Angel? You awake?"
The door opened to reveal a haggard Angel. He grabbed Spike's arm and gave him a push at the crip. It took Spike a moment to realize Connor
was crying.
"I'd best get paid for bein' his bloody babysitter," Spike grumbled, picking the child up. "You're just as fussy as your daddy, Li'l Tyke, know
that?"
"How much to do you charge an hour?" Angel asked seriously, leaning against the door frame.
"Five bucks," Spike shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, you let me stay here, feed me, viola--payment. Told you I don't accept charity."
Angel nodded. "Very well."
"Where's your shower, poofter? I'm feelin' a bit dirty," Spike asked.
"Down a flight, down the hall and to the left. Cordy says it doesn't work, but it's water," Angel shrugged his broad shoulders.
Spike shook his head and went downstairs with Connor.
"Angel?" Fred asked softly.
"Yeah, Fred?" he answered, stretching.
"Cordy just got a phone call," Fred said cryptically.
"That's nice," Angel replied unfeelingly, heading for his bed.
"From Buffy."
Angel stopped walking and turned to Fred. Whenever there was a call from Buffy, it was usually always bad news. "What about?"
"She said Spike was missing and she wanted to know if you knew where he was. Cordy wasn't sure what to say so she asked why and--"
"Did she tell Buffy that Spike's here?"
"No, don't worry. She beat around the bush and became 'Queen C'. Cordy said it was nice to be Queen C again--"
"I'd better call her," Angel sighed, following Fred as she left the room with him and walked down to Cordy's desk. "Cordy? Phone?"
Cordelia handed the phone off her desk to him, their fingers brushing. Cordelia quickly went back to typing up an invoice.
Angel dialed *69 and waited for someone to answer.
:Hello, Magic Box,: Anya said.
"Hi Anya. Is Buffy there? This is Angel," he said.
:Hold on. Buffy, your ex called back!: Anya called over her shoulder, not bothering to cover the receiver.
Angel heard the phone being jostled. :Angel, hi,: Buffy greeted him. :I wasn't expecting you to call me back so quickly.:
"Cordy said it was important."
:Um...sort of. I...I can't find Spike. Dawn's worried for him.:
And so are you. "I see."
:Do you know where I could find him?:
Angel took a moment to run through the possibilities of answering in his mind. He didn't want to readily give up his babysitter..."I don't think
he wants to see you, Buffy. If he left..."
:I'm sorry I bothered you then. You're right--he left, he doesn't want to see me. He lied to me. If you see him though, steer him Sunnydale's
direction so I can take care of him.:
"Will do."
:Bye.: Click.
Spike wandered in with Connor. "Hey, mates."
"Baby snuggles!" Cordelia cried happily, jumping up and taking the baby from Spike. She coddled him and cooed at him.
Spike yawned, despite the fact he didn't need the oxygen. "When are you lot gonna show me the sights?"
"How's tonight sound?" Cordelia asked, suddenly changing her tune about Spike.
"Sounds good t' me," Spike nodded. "What about the kid?"
"I'll stay with him," Angel said.
"You won't get to see Los Diablos then," Lorne piped up, having said nothing for the past few minutes.
"Los...Diablos?" Spike replied, to the Pylean. "Help me out here, mate, haven't brushed up on my espanol in a while."
"The City of Demons. The night life of the City of Angels, Los Angeles."
Section: Los Angeles I
Part: One -- Connor's New Baby-Sitter
Author: Arsahi
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Angel the Series belongs to Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, and Mutant Enemy.
Distribution: Eh...gonna be stingy this time and say ask first. You can find my email address on my author profile.
Dedication: The normal people, you know who you are.
Rated: This part is rated PG-13.
Pairings: Ugh! Too many to name!
Notes: This is my first crossover, folks. Be warned.
Timeframe: Post-Gone for BtVS and post-Dad for Angel.
~*~ Connor's New Baby-Sitter ~*~
It wasn't until five in the evening before Spike trudged out of his room and down to the stairs, a little disoriented and very shirtless, as Fred soon found out.
