Disclaimer etc.: see chapter 1
Author's note: As for why Lindsey has waited until now to search for Connor, well, all will be revealed in the next few chapters.
Angel was pacing across the lobby, watched nervously by Fred and resignedly by Cordelia, when they arrived. He turned as Connor and Gunn came awkwardly through the door with the bundle of dead demon, Kirsty following behind. Connor thought he had seldom seen such an expression of relief on anyone's face.
"You're safe." Connor dropped his end of the demon and crossed to his father, who after a moment reached out and enveloped him in a crushing hug. "I was so worried."
"He nearly went out and got fried," Fred added helpfully.
Gunn went to her and kissed her gently. "Fred, honey, we have a guest."
"Oh!" Fred said, seeing Kirsty. "Oh! Ah ."
"Hi there," Cordelia cut in, guiding Kirsty to a seat and pushing her gently into it. "I'm Cordelia. Kind of Connor's aunt."
"This is Kirsty, Cordy," Connor said. "She lives opposite me in the dorm. We were having lunch when it attacked."
"Ain't it just awful when that happens?" Fred asked brightly. "They never let ya finish eatin'."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow at Fred. "That's Fred," she told Kirsty. "She talks a lot."
"So what happened?" Angel asked. "You killed it?" He was looking at Gunn, who shook his head.
"No, Connor had it down by the time I got there. I reckon it had its brains or heart in the stomach. Brought it back for Fred to dissect."
Fred's eyes lit up at the news, and she hurried to the bundle to peer inside. Making a face, Cordelia turned back to Kirsty. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"Puzzled, rather," Kirsty said softly. "I mean, I saw it, and I heard it, but was it real? Connor said it was a demon - demons don't exist. Do they?"
"They exist," Cordelia said, with a glance at Angel. "Oh boy do they exist." There was a squeak of interest from Fred by the bundle. "In many shapes and forms. They're not all nasty," another glance at Angel, "in fact, some are nice."
"That one was nasty," Connor said. "Do you think it was ."
"Lindsey?" asked Angel. "Yes. He's determined. Deluded, too." He shrugged. "I said this last night, Connor - Darla always swore you were mine, to the end. Remember, I told you once, when you came to find me? She said you were the one good thing we did together, the only good thing. You're not Lindsey's, you're my son. Got that?"
"Yeah."
Angel reached out and squeezed Connor's shoulder.
"Eh?" said Kirsty.
There was silence in the lobby as everyone else looked at each other; and finally Cordelia opened her mouth to speak.
"Ahhh! Ow ."
Her hands went to her head, and she put her elbows between her knees and held them their.
"Vision," said Angel, and went to hold his seer. Connor watched in silence - he had seen Cordelia having a vision only once before, and knew that it would take her a short while to recover afterwards. Fred and Gunn straightened from examining the demon's corpse and watched.
"Okay," Cordelia said, eventually sitting up, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Ow. Demonic sacrifice, cellar under 54th Street, there's a girl and a boy - ugh ."
Angel was already at the weapons' cabinet, shoving stakes and a dagger into pockets and selecting a sword. Gunn picked up his axe, said, "Guess I'll get to use this today after all," and they hurried off towards the basement.
"Be careful!" Fred said, already bringing Cordelia water and aspirin. "They'll get there, won't they?" she asked anxiously. The other woman swallowed the pills and nodded.
"I think so. Oh, my head."
Connor beckoned to Kirsty, and still looking bemused she stood and followed him upstairs.
He pushed open the door to his room, stood back to let her in, and closed the door behind them both. She stood in the middle of the floor and turned slowly to look at the pictures and posters on the walls.
"Is this your room?" she asked.
"When I'm here, yes." Connor dropped his bag by the desk and pulled open the curtains, letting sunlight stream into the room. "There."
"I am so confused," Kirsty said after a moment. "First we get attacked by a blue monster; then some guy comes in to save us with an axe; then your kind- of-aunt Cordelia tells me there are demons . Then your uncle starts saying he's your dad, and that is so impossible; and then Cordelia has a seizure and people run off with swords. Connor, what's going on?"
Connor sat down on his bed. "You believe the demon part, right?"
"I guess. I mean, I saw it. I smelt it."
"That's a start, then," he returned, hoping it was a start. "So you can accept demons?"
Kirsty shrugged her shoulders, and came to join Connor on the bed, pleating the cover with her fingers. "Yeah. Kind of."
"Well, that's good," Connor said. He grinned in what he thought was a reassuring way. "Three years ago, I didn't know about demons either. And then I found out I was adopted."
"Oh."
He nodded, remembering the confusion clearly. "Oh summed it up. It was kind of strange. Anyway, I asked the adoption agency, and they sent me a letter which told me to come here. And I came, and there was this young guy telling me he was my dad. So I said it was impossible, pointed out he had to be way too young to be my dad ."
"He is way too young," Kirsty said. "If you're talking about your uncle."
Connor sighed, and looked at his friend, wondering what to tell her. "Do you want the version you believe or the one you don't? The truth or the comfortable lie?" He paused. "Look, Kirsty - I like you. I've been out with girls before, and I haven't liked them as much as I like you. But this weirdness, this is part of me, and I can't escape it. And it might get messy, or dangerous. So either . either I tell you, and you do your best to believe it, or I don't, and maybe you'd better leave." He met her eyes.
She held his gaze for a second and then looked away, around the room. "I like you too." Connor said nothing, and waited. "I really do." Kirsty picked up a baby picture on the mantelpiece, and put it down again. "But I don't know if I can believe demons."
"One just tried to kill us," Connor returned.
"Yeah. Yeah, I get that." She frowned. "Does it get weirder?"
"It really does," he said. "I swear to you, it's all true." He stood up, and unhooked the pencil portrait of his mother from by his bed. "This was my mother."
Kirsty took the picture and examined it. "She's pretty. Oh, wait, you said was . is she .?"
"She died giving birth to me," Connor said, but he remembered his dream from the night before. "Her name was Darla."
Slowly he told the story, and Kirsty listened, her eyes turned down to examine her hands as Connor talked. He told her all he felt he could, reflecting as he did so how absurd the whole thing sounded. At the end she nodded.
"That's weird all right."
"But it's true," Connor said, wanting her to believe him.
"I see it could be," Kirsty replied, slowly. "Is it going to be all right, with this other guy, and everything?"
"I don't know," Connor said. "I just don't know."
Author's note: As for why Lindsey has waited until now to search for Connor, well, all will be revealed in the next few chapters.
Angel was pacing across the lobby, watched nervously by Fred and resignedly by Cordelia, when they arrived. He turned as Connor and Gunn came awkwardly through the door with the bundle of dead demon, Kirsty following behind. Connor thought he had seldom seen such an expression of relief on anyone's face.
"You're safe." Connor dropped his end of the demon and crossed to his father, who after a moment reached out and enveloped him in a crushing hug. "I was so worried."
"He nearly went out and got fried," Fred added helpfully.
Gunn went to her and kissed her gently. "Fred, honey, we have a guest."
"Oh!" Fred said, seeing Kirsty. "Oh! Ah ."
"Hi there," Cordelia cut in, guiding Kirsty to a seat and pushing her gently into it. "I'm Cordelia. Kind of Connor's aunt."
"This is Kirsty, Cordy," Connor said. "She lives opposite me in the dorm. We were having lunch when it attacked."
"Ain't it just awful when that happens?" Fred asked brightly. "They never let ya finish eatin'."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow at Fred. "That's Fred," she told Kirsty. "She talks a lot."
"So what happened?" Angel asked. "You killed it?" He was looking at Gunn, who shook his head.
"No, Connor had it down by the time I got there. I reckon it had its brains or heart in the stomach. Brought it back for Fred to dissect."
Fred's eyes lit up at the news, and she hurried to the bundle to peer inside. Making a face, Cordelia turned back to Kirsty. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"Puzzled, rather," Kirsty said softly. "I mean, I saw it, and I heard it, but was it real? Connor said it was a demon - demons don't exist. Do they?"
"They exist," Cordelia said, with a glance at Angel. "Oh boy do they exist." There was a squeak of interest from Fred by the bundle. "In many shapes and forms. They're not all nasty," another glance at Angel, "in fact, some are nice."
"That one was nasty," Connor said. "Do you think it was ."
"Lindsey?" asked Angel. "Yes. He's determined. Deluded, too." He shrugged. "I said this last night, Connor - Darla always swore you were mine, to the end. Remember, I told you once, when you came to find me? She said you were the one good thing we did together, the only good thing. You're not Lindsey's, you're my son. Got that?"
"Yeah."
Angel reached out and squeezed Connor's shoulder.
"Eh?" said Kirsty.
There was silence in the lobby as everyone else looked at each other; and finally Cordelia opened her mouth to speak.
"Ahhh! Ow ."
Her hands went to her head, and she put her elbows between her knees and held them their.
"Vision," said Angel, and went to hold his seer. Connor watched in silence - he had seen Cordelia having a vision only once before, and knew that it would take her a short while to recover afterwards. Fred and Gunn straightened from examining the demon's corpse and watched.
"Okay," Cordelia said, eventually sitting up, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Ow. Demonic sacrifice, cellar under 54th Street, there's a girl and a boy - ugh ."
Angel was already at the weapons' cabinet, shoving stakes and a dagger into pockets and selecting a sword. Gunn picked up his axe, said, "Guess I'll get to use this today after all," and they hurried off towards the basement.
"Be careful!" Fred said, already bringing Cordelia water and aspirin. "They'll get there, won't they?" she asked anxiously. The other woman swallowed the pills and nodded.
"I think so. Oh, my head."
Connor beckoned to Kirsty, and still looking bemused she stood and followed him upstairs.
He pushed open the door to his room, stood back to let her in, and closed the door behind them both. She stood in the middle of the floor and turned slowly to look at the pictures and posters on the walls.
"Is this your room?" she asked.
"When I'm here, yes." Connor dropped his bag by the desk and pulled open the curtains, letting sunlight stream into the room. "There."
"I am so confused," Kirsty said after a moment. "First we get attacked by a blue monster; then some guy comes in to save us with an axe; then your kind- of-aunt Cordelia tells me there are demons . Then your uncle starts saying he's your dad, and that is so impossible; and then Cordelia has a seizure and people run off with swords. Connor, what's going on?"
Connor sat down on his bed. "You believe the demon part, right?"
"I guess. I mean, I saw it. I smelt it."
"That's a start, then," he returned, hoping it was a start. "So you can accept demons?"
Kirsty shrugged her shoulders, and came to join Connor on the bed, pleating the cover with her fingers. "Yeah. Kind of."
"Well, that's good," Connor said. He grinned in what he thought was a reassuring way. "Three years ago, I didn't know about demons either. And then I found out I was adopted."
"Oh."
He nodded, remembering the confusion clearly. "Oh summed it up. It was kind of strange. Anyway, I asked the adoption agency, and they sent me a letter which told me to come here. And I came, and there was this young guy telling me he was my dad. So I said it was impossible, pointed out he had to be way too young to be my dad ."
"He is way too young," Kirsty said. "If you're talking about your uncle."
Connor sighed, and looked at his friend, wondering what to tell her. "Do you want the version you believe or the one you don't? The truth or the comfortable lie?" He paused. "Look, Kirsty - I like you. I've been out with girls before, and I haven't liked them as much as I like you. But this weirdness, this is part of me, and I can't escape it. And it might get messy, or dangerous. So either . either I tell you, and you do your best to believe it, or I don't, and maybe you'd better leave." He met her eyes.
She held his gaze for a second and then looked away, around the room. "I like you too." Connor said nothing, and waited. "I really do." Kirsty picked up a baby picture on the mantelpiece, and put it down again. "But I don't know if I can believe demons."
"One just tried to kill us," Connor returned.
"Yeah. Yeah, I get that." She frowned. "Does it get weirder?"
"It really does," he said. "I swear to you, it's all true." He stood up, and unhooked the pencil portrait of his mother from by his bed. "This was my mother."
Kirsty took the picture and examined it. "She's pretty. Oh, wait, you said was . is she .?"
"She died giving birth to me," Connor said, but he remembered his dream from the night before. "Her name was Darla."
Slowly he told the story, and Kirsty listened, her eyes turned down to examine her hands as Connor talked. He told her all he felt he could, reflecting as he did so how absurd the whole thing sounded. At the end she nodded.
"That's weird all right."
"But it's true," Connor said, wanting her to believe him.
"I see it could be," Kirsty replied, slowly. "Is it going to be all right, with this other guy, and everything?"
"I don't know," Connor said. "I just don't know."