Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Author's notes: I know this is going veeeeery slowly. Apologies. I think it's nearly finished though!
Connor patted his side, where the cool steel of his father's best dagger was muted by a sheath, and felt his pocket for a stake, before entering the Red Sun Diner. The ex-lawyer was already inside, cradling a mug of coffee in front of him. Connor slid on to the opposite bench.
"Morning," he said. Lindsey McDonald smiled a half-smile back.
"Morning. I'm glad to see you - I thought Angel would have stopped you from coming in the end."
"When it comes down to it," Connor said, "I am eighteen. He can't order me around, and anyway he wouldn't order me around." He pulled out his mobile phone. "Having said that," he added, "I have to call him." He dialled, and after a moment Angel answered, sounding wide awake. Connor reassured his father everything seemed fine, and rang off.
"So why are you here in Oklahoma?" McDonald questioned. "I'd have thought you'd have wanted to stay at school."
Connor picked up the menu and frowned down at it. "Because I was interested, I guess."
"In me?"
"In you, and in what Dad would do to you."
Lindsey laughed sardonically. "He's all talk and no action. Lost his bite."
"Literally."
"Yeah."
The waitress came over, beamed at them both, and Connor ordered pancakes with syrup and juice. She went away, and he turned back to his companion. "So tell me about Darla."
"About Darla?" Lindsey repeated. "Darla . she was beautiful. You know, when I first saw her, she was just reincarnated, and was a mess, but she was still beautiful."
"A mess how?"
"Physically. And mentally." Lindsey shrugged. "You try coming back from the dead. Took her a while to recover, but she spent a lot of time with me while she was doing so. I saw her when she was human."
McDonald paused while the waitress served Connor's brunch. Connor took a long drink of juice. "Did she like being human?"
"No. Your mother was a vampire." Lindsey smiled, nostalgically. "Through and through."
Putting a mouthful of pancakes into his mouth, Connor chewed and considered this. "Not really the right person to fall in love with, then."
"Not really."
"Then why did you?" Connor asked.
"Love isn't rational, you know," Lindsey said, a slight patronising tone to his voice. "It's not something you can turn on or off. I loved her. Simple. She was beautiful and smart. And I knew if I could get her, then I'd have one over Angel."
Shaking his head, Connor ate some more pancakes. "You'd never know you're a grown man and he's a vampire. It's like a kid's argument, you two."
"Thanks," said Lindsey. "You know, sometimes I wish I'd never agreed to work for Wolfram and Hart. It was that that started everything. If I'd never worked there, I'd never have had the misfortune of meeting your father. Never have lost my hand." He waved his right hand in front of Connor's face. "Did you know this one's evil?"
Connor nodded, his mouth full of pancakes.
"Never have met Darla." Lindsey's expression became dreamy. "Never have ended up here teaching guitar."
"But you're good at that, aren't you?" Connor said. "I heard you last night. It was great."
His companion shrugged, and leaned back against the side of the booth. "Yeah, I'm good, but it's not much money, you know? That's why I went to Wolfram and Hart, to earn some cash. I wasn't lucky like you. Didn't have rich parents, a nice house, anything I wanted. Wolfram and Hart was a way out of that life, and now here I am back in it."
"They're paying you something, though, aren't they?" Connor guessed.
Lindsey smiled sharply. "They always said Angelus was clever. I didn't see much of that in Angel, but it seems he's passed it on." Connor looked at the tabletop. "I get paid a retainer, in case they need my services again. Just that. And Lilah was happy to help when I called her, to find me the vampires and the demons. To be honest, I hoped one of them would kill Angel as well as getting you. No such luck." Lindsey sipped his coffee, grimaced, and put the mug down. "How is Lilah?"
Thinking back to the tall, elegant lawyer, Connor put down his fork. "Terrified of Dad."
"Nothing's changed," sighed Lindsey. He met Connor's eyes. "Are you still convinced he's your father? Against all the odds, all the lore?"
Connor leant across the table. "For years before I found out I had these weird dreams. All yellow eyes and fangs."
"Nightmares," said Lindsey.
"No, they weren't," Connor said. "I never woke up scared. I was reassured by them, somehow, I guess. And a couple of times, when I'm angry, I've seen things happen to my own eyes. My hearing's better than average and I can move, if I want."
"I saw the physical ed reports from your high school," Lindsey said. Connor stared. "Money, Connor. Gets anyone anything. You don't think all of that is just because of Darla? We know she was your mother, that's not in any doubt."
"It's not just that," Connor said, not sure exactly how to explain. "I just . I just know. I knew, I think, before I'd even seen him. I'm sorry, I guess. I suppose it's tough if you think you're a parent, and then you find you're not. But you're not my father, Mr McDonald."
For a long moment, Lindsey was silent, studying Connor's face. Connor found himself desperate to look away, but he held the blue-eyed gaze and the cool scrutiny, and eventually the other man nodded, and shrugged again.
"Fair enough. I'll leave you then, Connor. Tell Angel I won't bother coming after you again. I have a feeling he'd really kill me if I did, and though I don't love my life, I don't hate it that much. Safe journey home."
"Thanks."
Connor watched as Lindsey McDonald left a few dollars on the table and got up and walked out, hands in pockets and head down. He finished his own brunch slowly and thoughtfully, before paying for his own food and heading out into the daylight.
Author's notes: I know this is going veeeeery slowly. Apologies. I think it's nearly finished though!
Connor patted his side, where the cool steel of his father's best dagger was muted by a sheath, and felt his pocket for a stake, before entering the Red Sun Diner. The ex-lawyer was already inside, cradling a mug of coffee in front of him. Connor slid on to the opposite bench.
"Morning," he said. Lindsey McDonald smiled a half-smile back.
"Morning. I'm glad to see you - I thought Angel would have stopped you from coming in the end."
"When it comes down to it," Connor said, "I am eighteen. He can't order me around, and anyway he wouldn't order me around." He pulled out his mobile phone. "Having said that," he added, "I have to call him." He dialled, and after a moment Angel answered, sounding wide awake. Connor reassured his father everything seemed fine, and rang off.
"So why are you here in Oklahoma?" McDonald questioned. "I'd have thought you'd have wanted to stay at school."
Connor picked up the menu and frowned down at it. "Because I was interested, I guess."
"In me?"
"In you, and in what Dad would do to you."
Lindsey laughed sardonically. "He's all talk and no action. Lost his bite."
"Literally."
"Yeah."
The waitress came over, beamed at them both, and Connor ordered pancakes with syrup and juice. She went away, and he turned back to his companion. "So tell me about Darla."
"About Darla?" Lindsey repeated. "Darla . she was beautiful. You know, when I first saw her, she was just reincarnated, and was a mess, but she was still beautiful."
"A mess how?"
"Physically. And mentally." Lindsey shrugged. "You try coming back from the dead. Took her a while to recover, but she spent a lot of time with me while she was doing so. I saw her when she was human."
McDonald paused while the waitress served Connor's brunch. Connor took a long drink of juice. "Did she like being human?"
"No. Your mother was a vampire." Lindsey smiled, nostalgically. "Through and through."
Putting a mouthful of pancakes into his mouth, Connor chewed and considered this. "Not really the right person to fall in love with, then."
"Not really."
"Then why did you?" Connor asked.
"Love isn't rational, you know," Lindsey said, a slight patronising tone to his voice. "It's not something you can turn on or off. I loved her. Simple. She was beautiful and smart. And I knew if I could get her, then I'd have one over Angel."
Shaking his head, Connor ate some more pancakes. "You'd never know you're a grown man and he's a vampire. It's like a kid's argument, you two."
"Thanks," said Lindsey. "You know, sometimes I wish I'd never agreed to work for Wolfram and Hart. It was that that started everything. If I'd never worked there, I'd never have had the misfortune of meeting your father. Never have lost my hand." He waved his right hand in front of Connor's face. "Did you know this one's evil?"
Connor nodded, his mouth full of pancakes.
"Never have met Darla." Lindsey's expression became dreamy. "Never have ended up here teaching guitar."
"But you're good at that, aren't you?" Connor said. "I heard you last night. It was great."
His companion shrugged, and leaned back against the side of the booth. "Yeah, I'm good, but it's not much money, you know? That's why I went to Wolfram and Hart, to earn some cash. I wasn't lucky like you. Didn't have rich parents, a nice house, anything I wanted. Wolfram and Hart was a way out of that life, and now here I am back in it."
"They're paying you something, though, aren't they?" Connor guessed.
Lindsey smiled sharply. "They always said Angelus was clever. I didn't see much of that in Angel, but it seems he's passed it on." Connor looked at the tabletop. "I get paid a retainer, in case they need my services again. Just that. And Lilah was happy to help when I called her, to find me the vampires and the demons. To be honest, I hoped one of them would kill Angel as well as getting you. No such luck." Lindsey sipped his coffee, grimaced, and put the mug down. "How is Lilah?"
Thinking back to the tall, elegant lawyer, Connor put down his fork. "Terrified of Dad."
"Nothing's changed," sighed Lindsey. He met Connor's eyes. "Are you still convinced he's your father? Against all the odds, all the lore?"
Connor leant across the table. "For years before I found out I had these weird dreams. All yellow eyes and fangs."
"Nightmares," said Lindsey.
"No, they weren't," Connor said. "I never woke up scared. I was reassured by them, somehow, I guess. And a couple of times, when I'm angry, I've seen things happen to my own eyes. My hearing's better than average and I can move, if I want."
"I saw the physical ed reports from your high school," Lindsey said. Connor stared. "Money, Connor. Gets anyone anything. You don't think all of that is just because of Darla? We know she was your mother, that's not in any doubt."
"It's not just that," Connor said, not sure exactly how to explain. "I just . I just know. I knew, I think, before I'd even seen him. I'm sorry, I guess. I suppose it's tough if you think you're a parent, and then you find you're not. But you're not my father, Mr McDonald."
For a long moment, Lindsey was silent, studying Connor's face. Connor found himself desperate to look away, but he held the blue-eyed gaze and the cool scrutiny, and eventually the other man nodded, and shrugged again.
"Fair enough. I'll leave you then, Connor. Tell Angel I won't bother coming after you again. I have a feeling he'd really kill me if I did, and though I don't love my life, I don't hate it that much. Safe journey home."
"Thanks."
Connor watched as Lindsey McDonald left a few dollars on the table and got up and walked out, hands in pockets and head down. He finished his own brunch slowly and thoughtfully, before paying for his own food and heading out into the daylight.