Chapter 21
"Steven." The blond repeated.
Steven pulled on Tyke's leather jacket, never taking his eyes off Angelus and the blond.
"Okay. Steven. It's a good name. Not Irish, but... Look, I know we haven't gotten off to a great start here, but if we can just take a minute. That'd be good. Please, just..." Angelus started, but stopped when he noticed Steven was glancing past Angelus to the door.
"Don't run away from me, alright? We lost you once already. There's just, there's just so much I wanna know, so much I need to know. Okay?"
Steven just stood there.
"You been okay? I mean what was it like there? Did you have any friends? Okay, I mean, not friends." The blond sighed. "It's not like you were at summer camp. I mean, you were stuck in a hell dimension. Conner, I'm so sorry. We tried to get you back. We did. We tried to come after you. We would have done anything. We just... we just... we couldn't find a way in." the blond said.
"I found a way out."
"Yeah. You did. You sure did. We should've, we should've tried harder. We shouldn't've quit. But you're back. And, and that's what's important, you know? You, you came back to us. I wanna know everything, Conner. I wanna know everything. Everything about you, you know, what your life's been like? You must have a million questions."
"No." Steven answered.
"No?" the blond and Angelus asked.
Steven stepped closer to Angelus. "My father told me everything."
Angelus stared at him. "Your father? Holtz isn't your father. He's..."
Steven hit Angelus across the face, hard. "You don't get to say that name! You don't even get to think it!"
Angelus straightened back up and just looked at Steven.
"I know everything. He told me all about you. That you're a, a thing that kills and drinks blood. You're a vampire."
"What do you know about vampires?" the blond asked.
"Decapitation, stake in the heart, daylight, fire, did I forget anything? You have a second face. A face for killing. Show it to me. I wanna see it."
When Angelus just stood there looking at him, Steven started punching Angelus in the chest. "Come on, show me! Show me the face you used to kill my father's family. Show me! Come on! Show me!"
Steven aimed his next punch at Angelus' face, but the blond caught his fist and held it still.
"Show him Angel." The blond said.
"Buffy."
"Angel, shut up and do it. Our son needs to know the truth."
Angel morphed into his vamp face and Steven pulled his fist free and stumbled a couple of steps back.
"That's what you are." Steven said.
"It's part of what I am." Angel morphed back into his human face. "A part I hope you will be able to accept one day."
"You'd have to kill me first."
"Well, that's a plan." Tyke, the drug dealer guy that Steven had taken out earlier said.
The blond, Buffy was what Angelus had called her, and Angelus turned around to see Tyke, followed by a couple of his goons, entering the motel room. Tyke pulled out a gun.
"But I've got a better one." Tyke said. "Chamois man."
Steven tried to get to Tyke, but Angel held him back.
"No, no, no. Don't." Angel said.
Tyke touched the bandage on the left side of his head. "Where's Sunny?"
"Would that be the dead girl in the bathroom?" Buffy asked.
Tyke motioned for one of his guys to check the bathroom.
"Who are you?" Tyke asked Buffy and Angel.
"I'm his father." Angel said.
"No, you're not." Steven said.
"Let me handle this?" Angel turned to Tyke. "And this is his mother. Now let's find a way to work this out. Talk through it." He turned to Steven. "Which is a thing we do here." Angel turned back to Tyke. "There's no need for violence."
Tyke slugged Angel across the chin with the butt of his gun.
"I'm sorry. Did you say 'no need for violence?' You may wanna speak up, you see I don't hear so good any more!" Tyke said.
A goon came back. "Sunny's dead in the can. O.D."
Tyke looked to Angel. "You know, I begged her to get help. Oh, well. One down, one to go."
"We can make this right." Buffy said. She was trying to block Steven with her tiny body.
"You can give me a new ear?"
"Well. maybe you can wear a hat."
"Maybe I can blow your head off." He stared coldly at Buffy and then looked to Steven. "That's my coat and I want it back. And whatever's not in Sunny's body better be in those pockets."
"Son, give him the coat." Angel said.
Steven said to Tyke, "You killed her."
Tyke nodded, but before he could say anything a third goon entered. "Tyke, cops, man, they're looking for you. They're everywhere."
Tyke looked at Angel and raised his eyebrows at him.
Police with flashlights were moving around the outside of the motel. One of the cops was talking to another squatter.
Tyke was aiming his gun at Angel.
Angel said to Tyke, "Dead body in the river. Another one in the bathroom. This just doesn't bode well for you, does it?" Angel turned to look at Steven. "Well, you see, son, violence just always ends up bad..."
With that Angel started to attack Tyke and the goons, with Buffy and Steven quickly joining in.
"Hey!" Steven yelled.
Steven hit Tyke on his bandaged ear and he fell to his knees with a suppressed scream. Police, carrying guns with flashlights mounted to them were closing in on Sunny's motel room. Angel dropped the last of the goons and turned to his son. "Conner, we got to get out..." Then trailed off as he sees that Tyke is holding Steven like a shield in front of him while another goon had Buffy. She was playing stupid scared blond.
"I got to get out of here." Tyke said.
"Don't. Use me. I'm bigger. I'll make a better shield."
While Tyke hesitated, the cops started to punch at the door. Tyke spun to shoot. Buffy broke out of the goon's hold easily and grabbed a hold of Steven and pulled him down on the floor with her as bullets begin to fly. One of the goons was shot and he fell, but Tyke and the remaining goons kept shooting. Angel looked up at the light shining in through the many holes riddling the walls by now. Another goon was hit and went down.
A stray bullet shattered the glass in the window opposite the door.
Angel looked at Buffy and Steven. "Out that window! Go! Out the window!"
Buffy hauled Steven up and they ran towards the window.
"Stay down! Stay down!" Buffy said. She looked at Angel who was fast following.
The door was kicked open and a cop came in, spinning to aim his shotgun at Buffy's back. Angel jumped up and took the bullet full in the back. The cop loaded the next bullet into the chamber but had to take cover as Tyke started to shoot at him. Steven crouched on the windowsill staring at Angel lying on the floor and Buffy trying to get to him and keep Steven covered at the same time.
Angel raised his head and looked at them. "Go!"
Buffy turned to Steven and smiled. "I think we better go now."
Steven only nodded and jumped out the window with Buffy.
Angel pushed himself up and launched himself at the window, tumbling out, while the firefight continued behind them.
Buffy, Steven, and Angel were running, Angel hunched over around his middle, down a deserted street.
"Do you need to stop?" Steven asked Angel.
"I'm okay." Angel said.
A police car with lights and sirens going turned into their street and Buffy pulled Steven between two parked cars while Angel followed.
"Behind here." Buffy said.
The police car passed and Angel let out a groan as he tried to straighten up.
"Maybe I do need a second." Angel said.
"Stupid. You're not the hero all the time, that was my job first." Buffy said lightly smacking Angel on the back of the head.
Angel smiled and leaned on the hood of the parked van.
"What you did..." Steven started, but Buffy cut him off.
"Are you hurt?"
Steven shook his head.
"You know, if you want, you can come back to the hotel."
Steven stared at Angel for a moment then his eyes looked everywhere but at Angel.
"No pressure or anything." Angel said.
Steven looked at Buffy. She smiled tenderly and he smiled back faintly. Steven liked her, the one that Angel had claimed to be his mother. She had a pretty smile. He wanted to ask her questions, but he was afraid, so he started to move past Buffy.
"No, uh..." Steven said.
"But if you, you know, if you need a place to stay." Buffy said.
Steven turned to look back at Buffy and Angel. "I have to go."
"You're not alone. You know that, right? I know what it's like and it's scary." Buffy asked.
"Yeah. I know." With that Steven turned and ran off, leaving Buffy and Angel standing by the van, looking after him. After a long beat Buffy went to Angel and slowly and carefully moved off towards the hotel.
Steven ran down a narrow alleyway. He slowed and straightened as he came up to a dark opening. After a moment a figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Hello, son." Holtz said.
"Hi, dad."
"Steven." The blond repeated.
Steven pulled on Tyke's leather jacket, never taking his eyes off Angelus and the blond.
"Okay. Steven. It's a good name. Not Irish, but... Look, I know we haven't gotten off to a great start here, but if we can just take a minute. That'd be good. Please, just..." Angelus started, but stopped when he noticed Steven was glancing past Angelus to the door.
"Don't run away from me, alright? We lost you once already. There's just, there's just so much I wanna know, so much I need to know. Okay?"
Steven just stood there.
"You been okay? I mean what was it like there? Did you have any friends? Okay, I mean, not friends." The blond sighed. "It's not like you were at summer camp. I mean, you were stuck in a hell dimension. Conner, I'm so sorry. We tried to get you back. We did. We tried to come after you. We would have done anything. We just... we just... we couldn't find a way in." the blond said.
"I found a way out."
"Yeah. You did. You sure did. We should've, we should've tried harder. We shouldn't've quit. But you're back. And, and that's what's important, you know? You, you came back to us. I wanna know everything, Conner. I wanna know everything. Everything about you, you know, what your life's been like? You must have a million questions."
"No." Steven answered.
"No?" the blond and Angelus asked.
Steven stepped closer to Angelus. "My father told me everything."
Angelus stared at him. "Your father? Holtz isn't your father. He's..."
Steven hit Angelus across the face, hard. "You don't get to say that name! You don't even get to think it!"
Angelus straightened back up and just looked at Steven.
"I know everything. He told me all about you. That you're a, a thing that kills and drinks blood. You're a vampire."
"What do you know about vampires?" the blond asked.
"Decapitation, stake in the heart, daylight, fire, did I forget anything? You have a second face. A face for killing. Show it to me. I wanna see it."
When Angelus just stood there looking at him, Steven started punching Angelus in the chest. "Come on, show me! Show me the face you used to kill my father's family. Show me! Come on! Show me!"
Steven aimed his next punch at Angelus' face, but the blond caught his fist and held it still.
"Show him Angel." The blond said.
"Buffy."
"Angel, shut up and do it. Our son needs to know the truth."
Angel morphed into his vamp face and Steven pulled his fist free and stumbled a couple of steps back.
"That's what you are." Steven said.
"It's part of what I am." Angel morphed back into his human face. "A part I hope you will be able to accept one day."
"You'd have to kill me first."
"Well, that's a plan." Tyke, the drug dealer guy that Steven had taken out earlier said.
The blond, Buffy was what Angelus had called her, and Angelus turned around to see Tyke, followed by a couple of his goons, entering the motel room. Tyke pulled out a gun.
"But I've got a better one." Tyke said. "Chamois man."
Steven tried to get to Tyke, but Angel held him back.
"No, no, no. Don't." Angel said.
Tyke touched the bandage on the left side of his head. "Where's Sunny?"
"Would that be the dead girl in the bathroom?" Buffy asked.
Tyke motioned for one of his guys to check the bathroom.
"Who are you?" Tyke asked Buffy and Angel.
"I'm his father." Angel said.
"No, you're not." Steven said.
"Let me handle this?" Angel turned to Tyke. "And this is his mother. Now let's find a way to work this out. Talk through it." He turned to Steven. "Which is a thing we do here." Angel turned back to Tyke. "There's no need for violence."
Tyke slugged Angel across the chin with the butt of his gun.
"I'm sorry. Did you say 'no need for violence?' You may wanna speak up, you see I don't hear so good any more!" Tyke said.
A goon came back. "Sunny's dead in the can. O.D."
Tyke looked to Angel. "You know, I begged her to get help. Oh, well. One down, one to go."
"We can make this right." Buffy said. She was trying to block Steven with her tiny body.
"You can give me a new ear?"
"Well. maybe you can wear a hat."
"Maybe I can blow your head off." He stared coldly at Buffy and then looked to Steven. "That's my coat and I want it back. And whatever's not in Sunny's body better be in those pockets."
"Son, give him the coat." Angel said.
Steven said to Tyke, "You killed her."
Tyke nodded, but before he could say anything a third goon entered. "Tyke, cops, man, they're looking for you. They're everywhere."
Tyke looked at Angel and raised his eyebrows at him.
Police with flashlights were moving around the outside of the motel. One of the cops was talking to another squatter.
Tyke was aiming his gun at Angel.
Angel said to Tyke, "Dead body in the river. Another one in the bathroom. This just doesn't bode well for you, does it?" Angel turned to look at Steven. "Well, you see, son, violence just always ends up bad..."
With that Angel started to attack Tyke and the goons, with Buffy and Steven quickly joining in.
"Hey!" Steven yelled.
Steven hit Tyke on his bandaged ear and he fell to his knees with a suppressed scream. Police, carrying guns with flashlights mounted to them were closing in on Sunny's motel room. Angel dropped the last of the goons and turned to his son. "Conner, we got to get out..." Then trailed off as he sees that Tyke is holding Steven like a shield in front of him while another goon had Buffy. She was playing stupid scared blond.
"I got to get out of here." Tyke said.
"Don't. Use me. I'm bigger. I'll make a better shield."
While Tyke hesitated, the cops started to punch at the door. Tyke spun to shoot. Buffy broke out of the goon's hold easily and grabbed a hold of Steven and pulled him down on the floor with her as bullets begin to fly. One of the goons was shot and he fell, but Tyke and the remaining goons kept shooting. Angel looked up at the light shining in through the many holes riddling the walls by now. Another goon was hit and went down.
A stray bullet shattered the glass in the window opposite the door.
Angel looked at Buffy and Steven. "Out that window! Go! Out the window!"
Buffy hauled Steven up and they ran towards the window.
"Stay down! Stay down!" Buffy said. She looked at Angel who was fast following.
The door was kicked open and a cop came in, spinning to aim his shotgun at Buffy's back. Angel jumped up and took the bullet full in the back. The cop loaded the next bullet into the chamber but had to take cover as Tyke started to shoot at him. Steven crouched on the windowsill staring at Angel lying on the floor and Buffy trying to get to him and keep Steven covered at the same time.
Angel raised his head and looked at them. "Go!"
Buffy turned to Steven and smiled. "I think we better go now."
Steven only nodded and jumped out the window with Buffy.
Angel pushed himself up and launched himself at the window, tumbling out, while the firefight continued behind them.
Buffy, Steven, and Angel were running, Angel hunched over around his middle, down a deserted street.
"Do you need to stop?" Steven asked Angel.
"I'm okay." Angel said.
A police car with lights and sirens going turned into their street and Buffy pulled Steven between two parked cars while Angel followed.
"Behind here." Buffy said.
The police car passed and Angel let out a groan as he tried to straighten up.
"Maybe I do need a second." Angel said.
"Stupid. You're not the hero all the time, that was my job first." Buffy said lightly smacking Angel on the back of the head.
Angel smiled and leaned on the hood of the parked van.
"What you did..." Steven started, but Buffy cut him off.
"Are you hurt?"
Steven shook his head.
"You know, if you want, you can come back to the hotel."
Steven stared at Angel for a moment then his eyes looked everywhere but at Angel.
"No pressure or anything." Angel said.
Steven looked at Buffy. She smiled tenderly and he smiled back faintly. Steven liked her, the one that Angel had claimed to be his mother. She had a pretty smile. He wanted to ask her questions, but he was afraid, so he started to move past Buffy.
"No, uh..." Steven said.
"But if you, you know, if you need a place to stay." Buffy said.
Steven turned to look back at Buffy and Angel. "I have to go."
"You're not alone. You know that, right? I know what it's like and it's scary." Buffy asked.
"Yeah. I know." With that Steven turned and ran off, leaving Buffy and Angel standing by the van, looking after him. After a long beat Buffy went to Angel and slowly and carefully moved off towards the hotel.
Steven ran down a narrow alleyway. He slowed and straightened as he came up to a dark opening. After a moment a figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Hello, son." Holtz said.
"Hi, dad."