Disclaimer: They belong to the WB etc.
Summary: Installment no. 9. Angel goes to Anna for help, and Connor finally learns the reason why Angel and Wesley don't get along so well.
Lorne is still in Vegas, Connor has learned the truth, and Angel and Wesley have started to patch things up. To learn more, read the damn story. Enjoy!
Chapter 13
Galway, 1753.
Angel made a conscious effort to keep putting one foot ahead of the other.
He was going to pay Anna a visit.
He didn't really want to see the girl any more than he wanted to return to the old house.
Some things were better left in the past.
But she was his only real hope of reaching Cordelia.
If he was going to save his seer, he needed an acomplis.
He had spent a day, a night and a second day, thinking out his next move in the safety of an abandoned warehouse.
It had not been easy. Thoughts such as "what if my father sees what I've become?" and "what will I say to anyone I've murdered?" kept jumping into his mind and getting in the way.
He didn't know how he would handle a conversation with a past victim. Which was why he had decided to approach Anna. She had never been his victim, having been absent the day he killed his family, and even more, she had been saved by him.
It was possible that she would be more than willing to help him rescue Cordelia from the church.
His memories of this time were vague, but he knew without a doubt that somehow, someone would rescue his seer. He recalled the uproar it had caused within the town, and his own anger toward Father Baker for letting the only link to Kathy's disappearance be taken away. Cordy would be taken out of the church, and all Angel had to do was make sure that he was the one who did the taking.
And for that he needed the help of someone who could enter Father Baker's house without an invitation.
He could of course take his usual course of using guile to convince Baker to let him in. But Baker had already met Liam, and being a religious man, might recognize Angel for the demon he was. With Cordelia's life on the line, Angel was not willing to take that risk.
So he walked to the old house. Step by step.
When he reached it he found that he had to do some fancy gymnastics to get into the courtyard. The fences were high.
He reflected that as a human he had never even attempted to climb them.
He jumped the fence, still moving on automatic.
If he stopped and allowed himself to think, the memories would cripple him
But as he reached the courtyard he was forced to think. Which one was Anna's window? There were six to choose from.
He saw one room with open curtains. There was movement within.
He squinted, then suddenly dashed to the house's side, too close to be seen by the room's occupant should he happen to glance outside.
It was Liam!
If Angel had been human he would have been trying to catch his breath, and slow his heart rate.
As it was he was cursing his own blind stupidity.
All this time he had been wondering what might happen if his parents saw him in his current state of undeadness. He hadn't even considered what might happen if he came in contact with himself.
That morning in the Blacksmith's barn he had been too disoriented to really register that Liam had been there.
Now his head was clear, and the full impact of what was occurring hit him over the head like a sledgehammer.
Could he change the past?
Could he prevent himself from being sired?
The consequences of that thought were mindboggling.
Kathy would live to see her ninth birthday.
Hundreds of victims would be saved.
Darla would never have left the master, and might still be alive somewhere.
Spike and Dru would have died nice normal human deaths.
Buffy would have drowned at the age of sixteen.
Cordelia would have been drained dry by Russell Winters.
Doyle might still be alive.
Wesley would still be a rogue demon hunter.
Fred would still be in Pylea.
Gunn would still be on the streets.
The world might have ended.
Connor would never have existed.
He decided right then that he would not make any attempt to change the past.
He would stick to the script in his head. He would not alter any of his own experiences.
And that meant staying out of Liam's way.
He could hear an argument occurring in the dining room. Liam and his father were fighting. Obviously Liam had left his room.
Memories of the long and tedious arguments flooded into Angels mind, and for a moment he thought he might faint. He could feel tears of regret coming, and stubbornly held them back. He needed to focus on Cordelia. On what it would feel like to be reunited with her. She had a way of making the pain stop.
He ventured out from the cover of the house and stared at the windows again. He was back on automatic now. Carefully blocking out the sound of his father's voice.
The top floor on the right had to be it he decided.
He picked up a variety of pebbles from the ground and began to toss them at the window. They made soft clunking sounds as they connected.
He waited.
After a while he began to wonder what he would do if she were not in her room.
He couldn't just climb in the window and wait for her.
He had a sudden memory of the time he had done just that while looking for Buffy one night.
He had climbed quietly through the window only to find a tiny little brunette trying on her big sister's make-up while Buffy was out.
It was his first memory of Dawn.
The ten year old had shrewdly made a bargain with the vampire. She wouldn't tell Joyce that Buffy was having strange late night visitors, if he would forget to mention the 'borrowing' of cosmetics.
They had even pinky sworn on it.
But such an accidental meeting in this house could prove disastrous.
Suddenly the curtains were thrown back and the window was being unlatched.
Anna's head appeared, long hair drifting out. She appeared to be confused.
"Anna!" Angel called softly.
"Liam?" she called back. She still hadn't seen him. He stepped into the light that shone from the room behind her.
"No." he said.
"It's you Sir!" she cried in surprise. "I thought I'd not be seein' you again!"
"Well I'm here," he said loudly, almost cringing at the sound of his own voice, "and I need your help."
She looked uncertain, "What would you be needin' help with Sir?"
Despite himself, Angel was getting a real thrill from being repeatedly called 'Sir'.
"I have a friend in trouble," he said, "and you can call me Angel. That's my name. Angel."
"Angel," she repeated, "It's nice to know you have a name. But how could I be of any help to you? What sort of trouble is your friend in?"
"Can you come out and speak with me?" he called. He was becoming concerned because in order to hear each other clearly they were almost yelling their words. He needed her to come out so that they could speak without being overheard.
She stared at him for a few long moments. He knew that she was trying to decide how safe he was. Just a few day's earlier she had witnessed a young girl being sucked into a portal, and had very nearly been raped. Her sense of security had to be fairly thin at this point.
"I saved you once," he pointed out, trying to win her over.
She looked down at her hands on the window sill.
"That you did," she muttered.
If Angel had been human he would not have heard the words. She hadn't intended him to hear them.
"I'll be comin' down then," she said, this time for his benefit.
He smiled as she disappeared from the window.
He had her.
LA, 2002
Connor sat in the lobby with Wesley and Gunn, confused and angry.
The problem was he didn't know who to be angry at.
His father was the most obvious target. He was the one who had killed the child.
Wesley was the second most obvious. His reaction was so odd. He had not responded to the news of Kathy's identity with anger, grief, or even fear. He had simply closed his eyes and muttered "poor Angel."
Part of Connor was even angry at Kathy for trusting her brother with such blind faith. She had talked about him for hours on end while Connor was taking care of her.
The strangest part of it all was that Kathy's descriptions of her brother didn't sound anything like the Angel he knew. Liam seemed loud and energetic. Angel was quiet and sad. Even his name was different. It made Connor begin to believe that his father's soul was slowly being destroyed over time
The difference in the names had been Connor's last hope that Angel and Liam might simply be two different men who looked alike. But Wesley had dashed that hope. When Connor had told him about the photograph he had known immediately. He seemed to know far more about the vampire's past than Gunn did.
The tall fighter had simply exclaimed "Angel's real name is Liam?!" seeming to miss the whole "Angel killed Kathy" side of the situation.
Now the three sat in silence on the circular couch.
Connor had asked Fred to take Kathy shopping for proper clothes, indicating to her that he had something to tell them and could not have Kathy underfoot when he did.
The physicist was still unaware of the girl's origins.
"Why do you think he changed his name?" asked Gunn suddenly.
"Well he was often referred to as the demon with the face of an Angel," Wesley replied, "perhaps it was given to him, rather than him choosing it for himself."
"We're not sending her back there," said Connor.
"Damn right." Gunn agreed.
Wesley looked uncertain.
Gunn noticed his friend's expression and winced.
"I know that look. That's the look you get when your about to let loose with some obscure educated reason why we can't just do the right thing without massive consequences. Am I right?"
"What consequences?" Connor demanded, "We are not sending her back to be murdered by Angelus!"
"It's more complicated than that." said Wesley slowly.
"No . . .!" Connor began, but cut himself off when Gunn touched him gently on the arm.
"Tell us about them consequences Wes." he said resignedly.
Wesley looked at him nervously, and Connor realized that there had been some kind of warning in the fighter's voice that he hadn't understood. It occurred to him that Angel had been taken away before telling him about the issues between himself and Wesley.
He would ask Wesley again. Soon.
"Try to think of it logically," the Englishman began, "if we keep Kathy here, in our time, we could very well alter the course of history, in ways that we can't even imagine!"
Gunn looked doubtful.
"We'd be savin' a girl's life! And you know Wes, I think Angel'd be happy to have little sis back. You know how he is about them past victims. If he had the chance to save one he would!"
"But at what cost?" asked Wesley softly. "If Angelus did not kill Kathy, he may have been a very different vampire. Killing one's own sister would have a deep psycological effect, evil vampire or not."
"Don't I know it," Gunn muttered, interrupting.
"How?" asked Connor.
Gunn just looked down.
Wesley decided to explain, "Gunn's sister was sired as a vampire. He was forced to stake her. But Gunn, you can't let your own experiences interfere with your judgment on this."
"What does it matter if she doesn't die two hundred years ago?" Gunn demanded.
"It matters because it might change the person that Angel is today! I mean think about it! What if Angel had never come to LA? Where would you and I be then? All the people we've saved while in his employ? What about them?"
"I'd still be out savin' 'em. Angel or no." Gunn stated stubbornly.
"Holtz's family might have lived," Connor whispered,
"Oh who cares about Holtz's family!" Gunn yelled, missing the fact that Connor was supporting his argument.
Having just found out that Gunn's sister had been murdered, Conner decided to let it slide.
"Conner might never have been born." said Wesley. That stopped everyone in their tracks.
Connors expression was thoughtful.
"If it saves Kathy's life, I could live with not being born." he said finally with a solemn look.
Gunn looked surprised, but impressed.
Wesley looked irritated.
"You wouldn't live at all if that were to happen and you're not seeing my point. Look at it this way. What if Angel had never been cursed? What if he'd spent the last hundred years killing and maiming the way he did for his first hundred and fifty years as a vampire? Could you live with that Conner."
Connor thought for a split second before replying, "No."
Gunn still looked put out.
"Haven't you ruined enough innocent lives with that cold hard logic Wes? I woulda thought you'd learned your lesson by now!"
And with that he stormed out, leaving Connor to wonder what the hell he was talking about.
Connor and Wesley were left alone in the lobby.
Connor watched the older man wondering if he would provide the explanation.
When Wesley said nothing Connor decided to probe him for information.
"The other day. You were going to tell me something about Sahjahn, and why you and Dad don't get along. Tell me now."
It had come out as an order.
Wesley looked critically at the boy, thinking about how much he had just sounded like Angel. Even after having his position as leader of Angel Investigations taken away, the vampire had given orders. It seemed to come naturally to him. Perhaps having something to do with the fact that he was over two hundred years older than any of his colleagues. But now Wesley wondered if it was hereditary. But if that was true Kathy would be bossing people around too. Wesley didn't think the girl had ever given an order in her life. He wondered how Buffy had dealt with Angel's tendency to take charge. She had never responded well to orders.
Connor was still waiting for a response.
Wesley thought about the day Connor had gone running from his apartment after hearing the truth about Holtz. He could feel himself shaking, but decided to bite the bullet.
"The fake prophesy," he said. "The one that said that Angel would kill you."
"Yes?"
"I believed it."
Connor was shocked.
"But you're his friend. You know he doesn't want to hurt me. Not while he's cursed."
"I thought that the curse might be broken accidently down the track. Or perhaps Angel would be under some influence that would make him act out of character."
"Oh. . . . . . . . . . . . . What did you do?"
"I took you from him."
Wesley had stated the words with such a flat voice that it took Connor a while to understand what had been said. When he did understand he jumped of the couch and backed away from the tutor.
"I was told that Holtz took me."
"No," Wesley whispered, clearly ashamed, "It was me. Holtz sent Justine to take you from me after the event. She gave me this."
He pulled his collar down, revealing the angry red scar.
"She tried to kill you." Connor whispered, feeling Justine's betrayal all over again.
"Yes. . . . . . . . . As did your father when he discovered what I'd done."
"You stole my childhood then?" Connor asked, choosing to ignore his father's actions for the moment. When he had first reached this reality he had not felt that his childhood had been stolen at all. But spending time with Kathy had made him realize how wrong he had been.
Wesley looked up at Connor and choked. Connor realized that the tutor's eyes were wet.
"I was trying to save you. I wanted to save you both! If Angel had killed you while under some evil influence it would have destroyed you both. I wanted to prevent that! Please believe that Connor. I didn't want any of those terrible things to happen. I certainly didn't plan your trip to Quor Toth."
Connor remained silent. A stoic expression on his face. Wesley writhed inwardly wondering what the boy would do. As Angel had warned him, Connor was dangerous and unpredictable.
The truth was that Connor was just too confused to respond. Images rushed through his mind. Justine slitting Wesley's throat. Angel trying to kill Wesley, (he could only imagine how), Angel promising to tell him the truth about what happened. Angel bearing down on him with an axe. Wesley taking a baby from the old wooden crib he kept in his room.
"I believe you," he said.
Then he went to his room.
TBC
Hey everyone!!
Just wanted to ask Firenze what "Reese's" is. I'm an Australian, so my knowledge of American foods in limited.
Also, in response to Tariq, suggestions are always appreciated! And I will even occasionally use them if they fit in with what I've already got planned for these characters.
Thanks to you guys for reviewing. You're all very kind!
Keep em coming!!
Hugs for all!!
Whiskey
Summary: Installment no. 9. Angel goes to Anna for help, and Connor finally learns the reason why Angel and Wesley don't get along so well.
Lorne is still in Vegas, Connor has learned the truth, and Angel and Wesley have started to patch things up. To learn more, read the damn story. Enjoy!
Chapter 13
Galway, 1753.
Angel made a conscious effort to keep putting one foot ahead of the other.
He was going to pay Anna a visit.
He didn't really want to see the girl any more than he wanted to return to the old house.
Some things were better left in the past.
But she was his only real hope of reaching Cordelia.
If he was going to save his seer, he needed an acomplis.
He had spent a day, a night and a second day, thinking out his next move in the safety of an abandoned warehouse.
It had not been easy. Thoughts such as "what if my father sees what I've become?" and "what will I say to anyone I've murdered?" kept jumping into his mind and getting in the way.
He didn't know how he would handle a conversation with a past victim. Which was why he had decided to approach Anna. She had never been his victim, having been absent the day he killed his family, and even more, she had been saved by him.
It was possible that she would be more than willing to help him rescue Cordelia from the church.
His memories of this time were vague, but he knew without a doubt that somehow, someone would rescue his seer. He recalled the uproar it had caused within the town, and his own anger toward Father Baker for letting the only link to Kathy's disappearance be taken away. Cordy would be taken out of the church, and all Angel had to do was make sure that he was the one who did the taking.
And for that he needed the help of someone who could enter Father Baker's house without an invitation.
He could of course take his usual course of using guile to convince Baker to let him in. But Baker had already met Liam, and being a religious man, might recognize Angel for the demon he was. With Cordelia's life on the line, Angel was not willing to take that risk.
So he walked to the old house. Step by step.
When he reached it he found that he had to do some fancy gymnastics to get into the courtyard. The fences were high.
He reflected that as a human he had never even attempted to climb them.
He jumped the fence, still moving on automatic.
If he stopped and allowed himself to think, the memories would cripple him
But as he reached the courtyard he was forced to think. Which one was Anna's window? There were six to choose from.
He saw one room with open curtains. There was movement within.
He squinted, then suddenly dashed to the house's side, too close to be seen by the room's occupant should he happen to glance outside.
It was Liam!
If Angel had been human he would have been trying to catch his breath, and slow his heart rate.
As it was he was cursing his own blind stupidity.
All this time he had been wondering what might happen if his parents saw him in his current state of undeadness. He hadn't even considered what might happen if he came in contact with himself.
That morning in the Blacksmith's barn he had been too disoriented to really register that Liam had been there.
Now his head was clear, and the full impact of what was occurring hit him over the head like a sledgehammer.
Could he change the past?
Could he prevent himself from being sired?
The consequences of that thought were mindboggling.
Kathy would live to see her ninth birthday.
Hundreds of victims would be saved.
Darla would never have left the master, and might still be alive somewhere.
Spike and Dru would have died nice normal human deaths.
Buffy would have drowned at the age of sixteen.
Cordelia would have been drained dry by Russell Winters.
Doyle might still be alive.
Wesley would still be a rogue demon hunter.
Fred would still be in Pylea.
Gunn would still be on the streets.
The world might have ended.
Connor would never have existed.
He decided right then that he would not make any attempt to change the past.
He would stick to the script in his head. He would not alter any of his own experiences.
And that meant staying out of Liam's way.
He could hear an argument occurring in the dining room. Liam and his father were fighting. Obviously Liam had left his room.
Memories of the long and tedious arguments flooded into Angels mind, and for a moment he thought he might faint. He could feel tears of regret coming, and stubbornly held them back. He needed to focus on Cordelia. On what it would feel like to be reunited with her. She had a way of making the pain stop.
He ventured out from the cover of the house and stared at the windows again. He was back on automatic now. Carefully blocking out the sound of his father's voice.
The top floor on the right had to be it he decided.
He picked up a variety of pebbles from the ground and began to toss them at the window. They made soft clunking sounds as they connected.
He waited.
After a while he began to wonder what he would do if she were not in her room.
He couldn't just climb in the window and wait for her.
He had a sudden memory of the time he had done just that while looking for Buffy one night.
He had climbed quietly through the window only to find a tiny little brunette trying on her big sister's make-up while Buffy was out.
It was his first memory of Dawn.
The ten year old had shrewdly made a bargain with the vampire. She wouldn't tell Joyce that Buffy was having strange late night visitors, if he would forget to mention the 'borrowing' of cosmetics.
They had even pinky sworn on it.
But such an accidental meeting in this house could prove disastrous.
Suddenly the curtains were thrown back and the window was being unlatched.
Anna's head appeared, long hair drifting out. She appeared to be confused.
"Anna!" Angel called softly.
"Liam?" she called back. She still hadn't seen him. He stepped into the light that shone from the room behind her.
"No." he said.
"It's you Sir!" she cried in surprise. "I thought I'd not be seein' you again!"
"Well I'm here," he said loudly, almost cringing at the sound of his own voice, "and I need your help."
She looked uncertain, "What would you be needin' help with Sir?"
Despite himself, Angel was getting a real thrill from being repeatedly called 'Sir'.
"I have a friend in trouble," he said, "and you can call me Angel. That's my name. Angel."
"Angel," she repeated, "It's nice to know you have a name. But how could I be of any help to you? What sort of trouble is your friend in?"
"Can you come out and speak with me?" he called. He was becoming concerned because in order to hear each other clearly they were almost yelling their words. He needed her to come out so that they could speak without being overheard.
She stared at him for a few long moments. He knew that she was trying to decide how safe he was. Just a few day's earlier she had witnessed a young girl being sucked into a portal, and had very nearly been raped. Her sense of security had to be fairly thin at this point.
"I saved you once," he pointed out, trying to win her over.
She looked down at her hands on the window sill.
"That you did," she muttered.
If Angel had been human he would not have heard the words. She hadn't intended him to hear them.
"I'll be comin' down then," she said, this time for his benefit.
He smiled as she disappeared from the window.
He had her.
LA, 2002
Connor sat in the lobby with Wesley and Gunn, confused and angry.
The problem was he didn't know who to be angry at.
His father was the most obvious target. He was the one who had killed the child.
Wesley was the second most obvious. His reaction was so odd. He had not responded to the news of Kathy's identity with anger, grief, or even fear. He had simply closed his eyes and muttered "poor Angel."
Part of Connor was even angry at Kathy for trusting her brother with such blind faith. She had talked about him for hours on end while Connor was taking care of her.
The strangest part of it all was that Kathy's descriptions of her brother didn't sound anything like the Angel he knew. Liam seemed loud and energetic. Angel was quiet and sad. Even his name was different. It made Connor begin to believe that his father's soul was slowly being destroyed over time
The difference in the names had been Connor's last hope that Angel and Liam might simply be two different men who looked alike. But Wesley had dashed that hope. When Connor had told him about the photograph he had known immediately. He seemed to know far more about the vampire's past than Gunn did.
The tall fighter had simply exclaimed "Angel's real name is Liam?!" seeming to miss the whole "Angel killed Kathy" side of the situation.
Now the three sat in silence on the circular couch.
Connor had asked Fred to take Kathy shopping for proper clothes, indicating to her that he had something to tell them and could not have Kathy underfoot when he did.
The physicist was still unaware of the girl's origins.
"Why do you think he changed his name?" asked Gunn suddenly.
"Well he was often referred to as the demon with the face of an Angel," Wesley replied, "perhaps it was given to him, rather than him choosing it for himself."
"We're not sending her back there," said Connor.
"Damn right." Gunn agreed.
Wesley looked uncertain.
Gunn noticed his friend's expression and winced.
"I know that look. That's the look you get when your about to let loose with some obscure educated reason why we can't just do the right thing without massive consequences. Am I right?"
"What consequences?" Connor demanded, "We are not sending her back to be murdered by Angelus!"
"It's more complicated than that." said Wesley slowly.
"No . . .!" Connor began, but cut himself off when Gunn touched him gently on the arm.
"Tell us about them consequences Wes." he said resignedly.
Wesley looked at him nervously, and Connor realized that there had been some kind of warning in the fighter's voice that he hadn't understood. It occurred to him that Angel had been taken away before telling him about the issues between himself and Wesley.
He would ask Wesley again. Soon.
"Try to think of it logically," the Englishman began, "if we keep Kathy here, in our time, we could very well alter the course of history, in ways that we can't even imagine!"
Gunn looked doubtful.
"We'd be savin' a girl's life! And you know Wes, I think Angel'd be happy to have little sis back. You know how he is about them past victims. If he had the chance to save one he would!"
"But at what cost?" asked Wesley softly. "If Angelus did not kill Kathy, he may have been a very different vampire. Killing one's own sister would have a deep psycological effect, evil vampire or not."
"Don't I know it," Gunn muttered, interrupting.
"How?" asked Connor.
Gunn just looked down.
Wesley decided to explain, "Gunn's sister was sired as a vampire. He was forced to stake her. But Gunn, you can't let your own experiences interfere with your judgment on this."
"What does it matter if she doesn't die two hundred years ago?" Gunn demanded.
"It matters because it might change the person that Angel is today! I mean think about it! What if Angel had never come to LA? Where would you and I be then? All the people we've saved while in his employ? What about them?"
"I'd still be out savin' 'em. Angel or no." Gunn stated stubbornly.
"Holtz's family might have lived," Connor whispered,
"Oh who cares about Holtz's family!" Gunn yelled, missing the fact that Connor was supporting his argument.
Having just found out that Gunn's sister had been murdered, Conner decided to let it slide.
"Conner might never have been born." said Wesley. That stopped everyone in their tracks.
Connors expression was thoughtful.
"If it saves Kathy's life, I could live with not being born." he said finally with a solemn look.
Gunn looked surprised, but impressed.
Wesley looked irritated.
"You wouldn't live at all if that were to happen and you're not seeing my point. Look at it this way. What if Angel had never been cursed? What if he'd spent the last hundred years killing and maiming the way he did for his first hundred and fifty years as a vampire? Could you live with that Conner."
Connor thought for a split second before replying, "No."
Gunn still looked put out.
"Haven't you ruined enough innocent lives with that cold hard logic Wes? I woulda thought you'd learned your lesson by now!"
And with that he stormed out, leaving Connor to wonder what the hell he was talking about.
Connor and Wesley were left alone in the lobby.
Connor watched the older man wondering if he would provide the explanation.
When Wesley said nothing Connor decided to probe him for information.
"The other day. You were going to tell me something about Sahjahn, and why you and Dad don't get along. Tell me now."
It had come out as an order.
Wesley looked critically at the boy, thinking about how much he had just sounded like Angel. Even after having his position as leader of Angel Investigations taken away, the vampire had given orders. It seemed to come naturally to him. Perhaps having something to do with the fact that he was over two hundred years older than any of his colleagues. But now Wesley wondered if it was hereditary. But if that was true Kathy would be bossing people around too. Wesley didn't think the girl had ever given an order in her life. He wondered how Buffy had dealt with Angel's tendency to take charge. She had never responded well to orders.
Connor was still waiting for a response.
Wesley thought about the day Connor had gone running from his apartment after hearing the truth about Holtz. He could feel himself shaking, but decided to bite the bullet.
"The fake prophesy," he said. "The one that said that Angel would kill you."
"Yes?"
"I believed it."
Connor was shocked.
"But you're his friend. You know he doesn't want to hurt me. Not while he's cursed."
"I thought that the curse might be broken accidently down the track. Or perhaps Angel would be under some influence that would make him act out of character."
"Oh. . . . . . . . . . . . . What did you do?"
"I took you from him."
Wesley had stated the words with such a flat voice that it took Connor a while to understand what had been said. When he did understand he jumped of the couch and backed away from the tutor.
"I was told that Holtz took me."
"No," Wesley whispered, clearly ashamed, "It was me. Holtz sent Justine to take you from me after the event. She gave me this."
He pulled his collar down, revealing the angry red scar.
"She tried to kill you." Connor whispered, feeling Justine's betrayal all over again.
"Yes. . . . . . . . . As did your father when he discovered what I'd done."
"You stole my childhood then?" Connor asked, choosing to ignore his father's actions for the moment. When he had first reached this reality he had not felt that his childhood had been stolen at all. But spending time with Kathy had made him realize how wrong he had been.
Wesley looked up at Connor and choked. Connor realized that the tutor's eyes were wet.
"I was trying to save you. I wanted to save you both! If Angel had killed you while under some evil influence it would have destroyed you both. I wanted to prevent that! Please believe that Connor. I didn't want any of those terrible things to happen. I certainly didn't plan your trip to Quor Toth."
Connor remained silent. A stoic expression on his face. Wesley writhed inwardly wondering what the boy would do. As Angel had warned him, Connor was dangerous and unpredictable.
The truth was that Connor was just too confused to respond. Images rushed through his mind. Justine slitting Wesley's throat. Angel trying to kill Wesley, (he could only imagine how), Angel promising to tell him the truth about what happened. Angel bearing down on him with an axe. Wesley taking a baby from the old wooden crib he kept in his room.
"I believe you," he said.
Then he went to his room.
TBC
Hey everyone!!
Just wanted to ask Firenze what "Reese's" is. I'm an Australian, so my knowledge of American foods in limited.
Also, in response to Tariq, suggestions are always appreciated! And I will even occasionally use them if they fit in with what I've already got planned for these characters.
Thanks to you guys for reviewing. You're all very kind!
Keep em coming!!
Hugs for all!!
Whiskey
