Angel walked in through the front doors of the Hyperion Hotel at about eleven after taking out a nest of vamps in downtown LA. It always made him feel good, and a even a little pompous at times, to know that he made the world safer for mankind. But none of that mattered. No, none of that mattered as long as he was making it safe for the world of one little boy.

He walked into the lobby to see Lorne on his hands and knees with the eighteen month old boy laughing on his back. When the child saw Angel walk in, he stopped everything and jumped of the back of the Host.

"DADDY!" He yelled excitedly as he ran into Angel's arms.

"Hey Connor," Angel replied just as enthusiastically as he picked up his son and kissed him on the forehead. "What are you still doing up? It's very late for little boys like yourself. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Connor shouted at the notion of bed, he wouldn't have any of it.

"Well, I kind of left my Coke open at dinner and Connor kind of drank it when I wasn't looking," the explained the young Texan girl from the round red couch in the lobby.

"It's okay Fred," Angel laughed, "I don't mind putting my boy to bed. Say goodnight, Connor."

"NO NO NO! No bed!"

"Connor," Angel stated warningly.

To that the small boy put his head on Angel's shoulder and mumbled what sounded like a goodnight to the rest of the team.

Wesley walked over and ruffled the boy's hair as he walked tot he couch were he more collapsed than sat. The rest said goodnight as Angel walked up the staircase to the room where his child slept.

As soon as his head is was on the pillow, Connor's eyelids drooped and fell closed. The boy was asleep before Angel even finished tucking him in.

"Goodnight Connor," he told his son as he turned and walked back downstairs.

When he reached the rest of the team, everyone looked completely beat. Gunn's clothes as well as Wes's and Cordelia's were still covered in vamp dust.

"Ow," Cordy moaned as she leaned into Wesley. "I forgot how much I could ache at one time."

"I haven't," Gunn told her as he put his arm around Fred who leaned against him as if it were reflexive.

"Oh, come on guys. It wasn't that bad," Angel told them, attempting to lift their spirits. They all just groaned and rolled their eyes at the vampire. Angel just shrugged and walked over to the small refrigerator which was kept in the office. He pulled out a mug of blood and walked back over to where his companions rested for the time being.

Angel smiled when he came back at the sight of everyone picking up the toys that had been left out. Something that Angel never even dreamed of happening after becoming a vampire was right in front of him. One would think that he was perfectly content, which wouldn't be so good for him and the ones he loves, but the constant worry of parenthood kept him from becoming unsoulful.

Angel raised the glass of pig's blood to his lips and just before the mug touched his mouth, he released it and it fell to the ground. The sound of shattering glass which was right next to Angel seemed miles away. He felt as though a gust of wind came through the hotel lobby, and the wind carried power, and hate, and fear. His head spun as he fell onto his hands and knees, oblivious to the cries of his friends. He looked up slowly at the blurred vision of the people in the room, and then slowly looked back down at the ground in fury and fear.

"Oh god," he moaned through the terrible screams in his head. "They're here."