L.A Rule
I never realized just how far L.A really was from Sunnydale; it must have torn her heart in two knowing how much distance I put between us. I don't know how long I have been walking for, but I still can't see any city lights on the horizon. I hope that just means I am not close to L.A yet. If L.A looks the same as Sunnydale, I think I will finally let all of this anger, sadness, pain and defeat wash over me, taking me down in to the throws of despair because what will be the point. I am like everyone else, well, beside the fact that I am a vampire, but still, even vampires can only take so much, until we finally just snap. I don't know what I'll do or what I'll become, but I do know that I'll never be the same again.
I am starting to doubt my self now; I mean, are the powers that be even real? 'cause I don't know anymore. If they are then why let it turn out like this in the end, why let their warriors die for a cause we had no chance of winning. I am so tried, I don't even know what I am saying, and I think I've finally gone mad. Is that me laughing, man am I losing it or what. They're dead because of things like me. I should have kept them safe, but I failed them, it seems I always hurt the ones I love the most, and I don't understand why. Is it part of my curse? Like how I walk the night, or how I am tormented by my past crimes as the demon Angelus, or is that I am just not strong enough to protect the ones I love, because I had never known love until I met them. I don't know! I just don't know the reason for anything anymore.
L.A! My god, I see the lights of the city, its still standing but how can that be possible, the battle was going to spill out this way, that's why we needed two armies, that's why we divided our forces. How can this be? There are humans here still, I can smell them and hear their heartbeats while they sleep in their beds and walk the streets, but I can also feel the evil that has come to consume this place, the air stinks of it. My family! I have to find them, and my son. Connor! I know he's alive. I can feel him. I have to snap out of this and do what I was told to do, and that's fight so that I can help change all this… if its possible.
The streets of L.A were busy, with hoards of people trying to get from point A to B with out being noticed. Angel looked at the humans as they moved along to do what they had always done on any normal day, but it would never be a normal day again for any of them. The air stunk of fear, signalling that the people left in L.A knew that their world would never be the same again. Walking quickly, he passed demons and humans on his way to the hotel. Maybe his family would still be there, if the hotel itself was still there. As he walked on he could feel eyes watching him, but he showed no sign of noticing. Wouldn't do any good to let them know he knew they were watching him. Keeping his eyes in front of him, he walked on thinking of one thing only; finding his friends…if any were still alive.
The Hotel loomed before him, as he stopped at the gates. There were three heartbeats inside the building, signalling that there were three people at least left alive. Passing through the courtyard slowly, Angel made his way to the lobby doors, and stopped. He could see Fred, Lorne and Conner behind the counter talking in hushed tones. It looked like a very heated conversation, by Conner's agitated movements. Angel quietly slipped inside with out making a sound. Moving into the shadows just off to the right, he stood and watched his family talk about him.
Fred looked at Conner sadly as her heart broke for him, this wasn't going to be easy for him, or any of them left, but what choice did she have she would have to tell it like it is.
"Conner it's been three weeks since the battle. We lost! and if anyone from Sunnydale was still alive they would have been here by now."
She stated firmly.
"He's not dead! I know it, he wouldn't die and leave me…..I mean us alone."
Conner corrected himself; hoping the others had missed his slip up.
"Fred may have a point kiddo. I am not saying that Angel-cakes is really gone, but we have to think about the possibility that he is, cause he would have been back by now"
the host whispered soothingly to the agitated young man.
He stood in the shadows listening to his friends and son fight over the fact that he was dead. Angel smiled to himself, as a bit of the grief lifted from his chest. Conner cared about him, even if he wouldn't admit it, but he had heard the little slip before Conner had covered it up. Maybe there was still hope for the two of them even after everything they had gone through. Something good just may come out of all this pain. Angel turned his attention back to the argument going on when he heard Conner shout.
"No!"
"Conner, please, you have to think about this rationally, your dad would be back by now,"
Fred yelled. Realizing what she had just done, Fred moved to ward Conner, as tears sprang to her eyes.
"I am sorry I didn't mean to yell, you just have to understand he's not coming back, none of them are. Do you think that I don't wish they were! God, Gunn died in my arms, and I wish that he was coming back, but he's not because life and death don't work that way. It hurts, I know, and its painful, so painful that you can't breathe, but we have to keep fighting cause if we don't then we might as well be dead too. Do you think that's what they would have wanted?"
Fred cried, as she reached out to Conner. Conner stepped back from her as she reached out for him, he was screaming inside, while on the outside he tried to keep his face shuttered, but he was failing.
"No, he's alive I know he is, he wouldn't die. Do you hear me, he wouldn't die!"
Conner shouted. Quickly he turned and bolted up the stairs towards his room. The sound of his door slamming rang out in the silence.
"Lorne, what are we gonna do."
"I don't know sweetie, I just don't know."
Angel took that moment to step out of the shadows and into the brightly lit lobby, coming to stand behind his friends.
"Maybe if I was to talk to him, he would feel a little bit better"
Angel said. Fred cried out in shock as she turned around to face him, the host did pretty much the same thing.
"Oh god, Angel your alive, you made it, we thought you were dead, and don't ever do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack, next time make some noise or something."
Fred screeched still holding her hand over her racing heart.
"Angel-cakes its good to see that you're among the living, well not living but you know what I mean. Are you the only one, or are more coming?"
Lorne smiled at the vampire.
"I am glad that you're both ok, and I am the only one that's here, we need to talk but I heard what you guys were talking about and I have to go and talk to Conner first. We'll both be back down in a bit."
Angel said just before he head up the stairs Conner had run up moments before.
Angel hesitated outside of his son's room, what would his reaction be, would he show emotion or would he keep them shuttered and buried deep within him. He didn't know but he knew he would just have to take it one step at a time. Raising his arm he let his hand fall on the door,
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK,
Angel's hand fell back to his side, as he waited for his son to answer the door.
"Go Away, I am done talking to both of you"
came the muffled reply. Angel sighed as he grasped the doorknob only hoping that his son didn't lock it. It turned in his hand, and he swung the door open taking a step into the room, just before stopping in his tracks. Angel stared at his son lying on his bed with his face in his pillow; sounds of muffled crying reached his ears as he watch his form shake with sobs. Angel didn't know what to do, his boy never cried, he never showed emotion, but then again maybe he did show emotion just not in front of them. He walked towards his son and stopped at the foot of the bed.
"Conner"
he whispered, trying not to frighten him.
The young man on the bed tensed, and then went completely still, he didn't so much as twitch. Angel sighed as he watched his son lay completely motionless, he couldn't even hear if he was breathing, but he could hear his heartbeat; which was racing in his chest.
"Conner, are you going to look at me"
he tried again.
"No"
came the childish reply.
"Why not?"
"Because you're not real. They keep telling me you're dead, so you can't be here."
"Do you think I am dead or do you know for a fact that I am dead?"
"They say you are cause you didn't come back, but there's no proof that you actually are."
"Well then why would I not be real Conner?"
"Because the mind likes to play tricks on people during painful times, Fred told me so, that's why I've been having these dreams."
"Conner, look at me. Look at me when I am talking to you."
Angel half yelled as he moved to the side of his bed. He stood there waiting for his son to look up at him, after a minute passed with no response, or show of movement, Angel got mad. He reached down and grabbed Conner by the arm, and yanked him in to a sitting position right in front of him. Kneeling at the side of the bed Angel looked his son straight in the eye, as he gently shook him.
"Do I look like I am dead Conner? Does it feel like I am not real? Conner I am here, I would never leave you with out saying good bye first, you're my son."
Angel whispered. Conner's eyes weld up with emotion, and tears as one word slipped from his lips.
"Dad"
Angel wrapped his son in his strong arms, as he cried out his fears and frustration of the past few weeks. Angel found he was crying along with his son, as he realized that Conner could have died during the battle too. Father and son remained in each other's arms, as the tears fell and soft whispered Gallic words filled the air. He hadn't spoken his mother tongue in years, not since leaving Buffy, and now he found himself comforting his son the way he had once comforted the slayer. Slowly the sobs turned into sniffles, until the body in his arms went lax. Rising to his feet, he swept his son up into his arms; he pulled the blankets down to settle him into bed. Covering his son, he dropped a quick kiss on his forehead, hoping that he would at least sleep the night through. It looked like he hadn't been sleeping well, and if he was have dreams like he had mentioned then that could be why he looked worn down. Walking out of the room he closed the door behind him.
Fred and Lorne were in a very hushed conversation when he walked back down the stairs, the last thing Fred said got his attention.
"What about Wolfram & Hart?"
he asked as he settled himself in a chair. Lorne and Fred looked at each other, and then at anything else that would keep their eyes from the vampire seated in front of them.
"Well Angel you see, well they are evil as we already know, and well haven't you wondered why L.A is still in one piece?"
Fred asked.
"Yes I did but what does that have to do with, Oh, this isn't going to be good"
he sighed.
"They're running the show here in L.A now. There's nothing that they don't know, its like they have eyes all over the city watching everything and everyone. Angel-cakes it looks like it's going to be one bleak future for all of us."
Lorne relayed to his friend.
Sitting back in his chair, he looked at what was left of his family. Things were going to be hard for the years a head of them, but they would survive. What other choice did they have, they had always done that and they would remain doing that, it was the only thing left for them to do. Fred looked at Angel as she saw the tall tale signs of brood mode setting in. Sighing to herself she looked at Lorne, who was staring at Angel intensely.
"Lorne, are you reading him, can you even do that with out him singing?"
she asked. Angel was pulled out of his thoughts by that comment. Looking to the person in question he raised his I brow, as he watched him.
"Angel, I can't help it, your aura's screaming, I can't help but read you. Something big is going to happen and its going to change you, I don't know if you're going to like what you become, but I do know that you're going to still be the Angel-cakes we all care about."
He said. Angel just stared at him, as he thought about what could change him, more then what the battle had changed. The sound of the lobby door being thrown open drew they're attention away form the conversation. A growl escaped Angel when he saw who it was.
Lilah Morgan opened the door to the lobby and walked right in, with out so much as blinking.
"Why Angel it's so nice to have you home. We all thought that you were dead, and hoping it was true"
Lilah smirked at the three that sat before her.
"What are you doing here Lila?"
Angel growled.
"tsk, tsk, tsk. Now Angel you know why I am here."
"No Lilah I don't and I think its time you leave"
he growled again as he rose from his chair this time.
"I don't think so Angel, you see I am here to tell you how it's going to go, and you have no choice but to listen. If you don't then your friends will die one by one, and then we'll take your son cause we're still dying to know what makes him even possible. L.A has a new rule now, you listen to what we say, you do what we say, when we say it or you die. Its that simple, follow the rule and live a relatively peaceful life, if not then I can promise you that your life will be even worse then your little trip to hell. Why Angel, what's the matter nothing to come back at me with."
Lilah laughed as she turned to leave them. Angel stood watching the retreating figure open the front door.
His anger had almost made him kill her on the spot, but that wouldn't have been smart, he needed wolfram and hart to think that he would comply to their wishes, and he would as far as they would know. Nobody could play games as good as Angelus could and Lila Morgan was going to find that out the hard way, but to do that without danger to his friends and son, he would need to find a way to bind his soul to the demon, not just his body. Wolfram and hart always said that Angelus would play a big part in the final battle, and now he would, it just wouldn't be for them like they had thought. The rules were about to change for Wolfram and hart; Angelus was going to be let out to play, and the real game was going to begin. The lawyers would never know what hit them until its too late. Fred shivered when Angel turned around to look at them, she had never known his demon side, but she knew that the look he wore now was none other then the scourge of Europe himself.
"Guys we have work to do, L.A's rule is about to change, and they wont even know it, but first we need to find a way to bind my soul to the demon."
Angel said as he turned towards the office and the old tomes they had there.
"Angel don't you mean bind your soul to your body?"
Fred asked nervously.
"No, if I bind my soul and the demon together, then I will never lose my soul again, and the demon will do what the soul wants, but the demon will also be able to do what it wants without any harm to those I love, and to the innocent. Wolfram and hart are going to be in for a big surprise, now we have work to do so let's move"
he said. They all moved into the office shutting the door behind them, it seemed that their battle was just beginning.