ASSUMPTION
Connor sat at his window, not thinking, just looking through the layers of dust and filth and streaked grime that made everything on the opposite side of the window look just as dirty; brown greedy people living their happy lives without any knowledge of what went on.
Connor's mind slipped into reverie, back to a time when he wasn't part of this world, a time when, even if everything wasn't great, he at least understood how things worked. And for a fleeting moment he missed the place he grew up in. he missed Holtz, the man who raised him as if Connor were his own son; he missed knowing and understanding; he missed. a lot of things, but he was here now, and he had just learned to live with the man who was his biological father.
His father: a vampire with a soul. Connor's conception is still a mystery. Not only was his mother turned back into a vampire recently before she'd conceived, but his father had been a vampire for hundreds of years. Vampires are incapable of reproduction.
Connor sighed as he stood up from the windowsill, choosing to forget the issues that invaded his mind. After looking around his small, dark, dusty loft-like apartment, he pulled on a jacket and left.
~~~
The streets were unusually full that night, leaving Connor with a sense of unease. Why are there so many people around? Connor continued to walk, turning down narrow back alleys. Even those were being occupied by more than their usual inhabitants of stray, flea-covered cats.
Connor rounded a corner and saw the Hyperion, the hotel that his dad ran "Angel Investigations" from. As soon as he saw it, Connor knew that something wasn't right there. He climbed up to a balcony on the second floor and cracked open a window. After sneaking down the hallway unnoticed, he peered over the railing that opened into the main lobby. There he saw two humans, one of which was sent to a different dimension for five years, one demi-demon, one full demon, and one vampire with a soul. They weren't the only ones there however.
A very large, very ugly demon was towering over them, a menacing look on his face. The demon began to laugh. "Did you really think you could stop me with just a few hits and kicks?" Connor changed positions slightly so he could get a better look at the skin-eating demon. He stood between the good guys and their weapons cupboard. Sure they could have sidetracked him while one made a run for a silver sword, but it wouldn't have gone over so well. When Connor moved he noticed a group of demon minions standing just out of view from anyone else. One move and they'd all be dead.
Reaching down, Connor felt his ankle, then made sure the strap was tight. Walking around the railing, Connor decided which was the best move to make. Connor saw the futile efforts being made by Angel and the others to knock down the grey beast with high kicks and punches, and realized that he'd better do something soon.
He hopped over the railing and landed gently on his feet directly behind Fred, who promptly let out a yelp of surprise.
Connor smiled that cocky smile that he had without a doubt inherited from his father.
"Connor, what are you doing here?" Angel asked.
"I just thought I'd go for a little stroll," replied Connor casually, slowly walking closer to the demon that had them all trapped.
"Watch your distance, human," the demon spat, purple spittle running down his chin.
"Com on now, Greer. Don't be like that. Why are you after my dad anyway?"
"Steven?"
"Connor."
"A demon's a demon, Steven. And I'm a hungry one. Sorry."
"Me too," relied Connor before using his fast reflexes to pull a silver dagger out of its ankle sheath, which he promptly flung into the oozing center of the demon's forehead.
The grey monster fell backwards, but exploded before it could hit the ground, sending blood and guts everywhere.
"That was disgusting," Cordelia shrieked, pulling a long strand of demon innards off the front of her shirt. Connor laughed slightly.
"Greer?" Angel asked. "You knew him?"
"Yeah, we went to school together," Connor answered sarcastically. "But that should be the least of your worries right now."
"What are you talking about?" asked Gunn as Connor walked through puddles of blood to retrieve his dagger. "The, demon's dead. For the time being we have nothing to worry about."
"Right, well, have fun then," Connor replied, turning to leave out the other door of the hotel, and leaving the others confused. At that moment, the demon's minions, cast away from various species of evil, burst through the door. These, Connor knew, Angel and his gang could handle easily now that the head honcho was out of the way.
~~~
Connor wandered the streets, killing vampires and other creepies while protecting the innocent. He got back to the loft at about two a.m., only to be greeted by a curious, slightly furious father. "What are you doing here?" asked Connor bleakly, not showing the slightest bit of enthusiasm.
"It was really nice of you to tell us about those other demons," replied Angel.
"They weren't all demons."
"Connor!" Angel said in frustration. "You shouldn't have even been in the hotel, not that we don't appreciate the help. But you could have at least told us about them."
"Why didn't you know about them yourselves? For such a varied group of talents, you'd think that at least one of you would have been able to figure it out. Which brings me to another point. How did all five of you manage to get yourselves trapped like that? Well done, dad."
Angel's expression showed that he was losing his patience quickly. "Thank you for the sarcasm, Connor. I don't know how it happened. We were all there discussing Cordy's vision, and then suddenly there was this huge, slimy demon that we could do nothing to get passed. Even Lorne's screeching couldn't move it."
"That's because he was deaf," replied Connor casually as he climbed onto the cold windowsill.
"Then how could he hear us?"
"I said deaf, not stupid. He could read your minds. He knew your actions before you made them. That's why you couldn't get passed him. But that still doesn't explain how he got there in the first place."
"I told you, he just showed up, probably through a portal or something." Angel thought a moment. "If that monster could read minds, then how come he didn't notice what you were doing?"
"Ulterior motives. Hide what you're thinking and give him something else."
Angel stood from the straight-backed wooden chair upon which he was sitting before asking, "How do you know all of this?"
"You learn a few things when you grow up in a Hell dimension." Connor stood up from the sill. "Would you leave now? I'm going to bed."
~~~
After angel left, Connor laid in bed, thinking about what he'd said. Demons don't just appear out of nowhere, especially not Greerimeen demons. They have a purpose for showing up, whether they were called upon or have plans of their own. Connor became uneasy. Why was Greer there? Who called him? And if no one did, what were his plans? Connor tried not to think about it. Whatever the plans were, they're done now.
~~~
The following day, Connor went to the hotel, used the front door this time. Lorne, the green, singing, future reading demon, was on the phone, taking a call for Angel Investigations. That's strange, thought Connor. They rarely get calls in the middle of the day. It is at night when everything comes to life.
Fred and Gunn came downstairs as soon as Lorne was off the phone.
"Was that a call?" asked Fred. "So early? It's only nine o'clock in the morning."
Lorne replied, "It seems that Connor's friends are all over the place. They don't like the light, but that doesn't seem to be stopping them. It's like they're looking for something, only they are getting violent in doing so."
"We'll look after it," Gunn said. Lorne told him the location of the main area of mayhem.
"I'm going with you," Connor stated, walking to the door."
"Oh, no you're not," Gunn said firmly. "If daddy found out that we let you come with us, he'd have us for lunch. not literally, of course."
"I know more about these things than you do," argued Connor. "You can't go without knowing what I know and expect to win."
"You're not-"
"Let him go," they heard. Angel was standing at the railing of ht second floor, leaning on it, looking at everyone on the floor below him.
"But Angel-" Gunn tried again.
"Let him go," repeated Angel. He looked at his son. "Tell them what they have to know on the way there." He turned and walked away.
Connor was surprised at his father but didn't think much of it. Greerimeen demons were out there, and they needed to be killed.
~~~
When Gunn, Connor, and Fred arrived at their destination, there were no demons anywhere; there was nothing out of place.
"Maybe Lorne got the address wrong," suggested Fred.
"No," stated Connor, looking around one last time. "Lorne was right. They're looking for something. But it's not here any more."
"Where are you going" Gunn called after Connor as Connor began to walk away.
"We have to find whatever they're looking for before they do. There could be serious consequences if we don't."
~~~
"How are we supposed to find what these things are looking for if we don't even know what it is?" asked Cordelia as everyone discussed the situation.
Angel shrugged in reply.
Lorne said, "It would seem that Junior knows more about these things than any of us do. which is strange. Why don't we know anything about these guys?"
"Because they've never been in this dimension before." Everyone looked quizzically at Connor, so he continued. "They rarely leave Quor- Toth, and I'm sure that being here is not pleasant for them. Degrading, actually."
"So whatever they're here for must be important," said Fred.
"Very."
"But how could they get here from Quor-Toth? Lorne said that it was very dangerous.a tear in reality.I think we would have seen that if they were coming from there," Angel observed.
"Then they didn't come from Quor-Toth, not directly. They were probably dimension hopping, and came here through a portal from a different dimension than Quor-Toth," answered Connor.
"Any ideas of what they might be chasing could be?" asked Cordelia brightly, a contrast to the situation.
"Or who? would be the better question," said Connor. "Greerimeens are skin eaters, and they don't have any need for material things.aside from skin. They must be after someone who could interfere with plans that they've made, and the demons plan on disposing of that person by the most profitable way there is. They'll eat him after draining him of all knowledge. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
~~~
Back at Connor's loft, someone waited patiently for his return.
Connor sat at his window, not thinking, just looking through the layers of dust and filth and streaked grime that made everything on the opposite side of the window look just as dirty; brown greedy people living their happy lives without any knowledge of what went on.
Connor's mind slipped into reverie, back to a time when he wasn't part of this world, a time when, even if everything wasn't great, he at least understood how things worked. And for a fleeting moment he missed the place he grew up in. he missed Holtz, the man who raised him as if Connor were his own son; he missed knowing and understanding; he missed. a lot of things, but he was here now, and he had just learned to live with the man who was his biological father.
His father: a vampire with a soul. Connor's conception is still a mystery. Not only was his mother turned back into a vampire recently before she'd conceived, but his father had been a vampire for hundreds of years. Vampires are incapable of reproduction.
Connor sighed as he stood up from the windowsill, choosing to forget the issues that invaded his mind. After looking around his small, dark, dusty loft-like apartment, he pulled on a jacket and left.
~~~
The streets were unusually full that night, leaving Connor with a sense of unease. Why are there so many people around? Connor continued to walk, turning down narrow back alleys. Even those were being occupied by more than their usual inhabitants of stray, flea-covered cats.
Connor rounded a corner and saw the Hyperion, the hotel that his dad ran "Angel Investigations" from. As soon as he saw it, Connor knew that something wasn't right there. He climbed up to a balcony on the second floor and cracked open a window. After sneaking down the hallway unnoticed, he peered over the railing that opened into the main lobby. There he saw two humans, one of which was sent to a different dimension for five years, one demi-demon, one full demon, and one vampire with a soul. They weren't the only ones there however.
A very large, very ugly demon was towering over them, a menacing look on his face. The demon began to laugh. "Did you really think you could stop me with just a few hits and kicks?" Connor changed positions slightly so he could get a better look at the skin-eating demon. He stood between the good guys and their weapons cupboard. Sure they could have sidetracked him while one made a run for a silver sword, but it wouldn't have gone over so well. When Connor moved he noticed a group of demon minions standing just out of view from anyone else. One move and they'd all be dead.
Reaching down, Connor felt his ankle, then made sure the strap was tight. Walking around the railing, Connor decided which was the best move to make. Connor saw the futile efforts being made by Angel and the others to knock down the grey beast with high kicks and punches, and realized that he'd better do something soon.
He hopped over the railing and landed gently on his feet directly behind Fred, who promptly let out a yelp of surprise.
Connor smiled that cocky smile that he had without a doubt inherited from his father.
"Connor, what are you doing here?" Angel asked.
"I just thought I'd go for a little stroll," replied Connor casually, slowly walking closer to the demon that had them all trapped.
"Watch your distance, human," the demon spat, purple spittle running down his chin.
"Com on now, Greer. Don't be like that. Why are you after my dad anyway?"
"Steven?"
"Connor."
"A demon's a demon, Steven. And I'm a hungry one. Sorry."
"Me too," relied Connor before using his fast reflexes to pull a silver dagger out of its ankle sheath, which he promptly flung into the oozing center of the demon's forehead.
The grey monster fell backwards, but exploded before it could hit the ground, sending blood and guts everywhere.
"That was disgusting," Cordelia shrieked, pulling a long strand of demon innards off the front of her shirt. Connor laughed slightly.
"Greer?" Angel asked. "You knew him?"
"Yeah, we went to school together," Connor answered sarcastically. "But that should be the least of your worries right now."
"What are you talking about?" asked Gunn as Connor walked through puddles of blood to retrieve his dagger. "The, demon's dead. For the time being we have nothing to worry about."
"Right, well, have fun then," Connor replied, turning to leave out the other door of the hotel, and leaving the others confused. At that moment, the demon's minions, cast away from various species of evil, burst through the door. These, Connor knew, Angel and his gang could handle easily now that the head honcho was out of the way.
~~~
Connor wandered the streets, killing vampires and other creepies while protecting the innocent. He got back to the loft at about two a.m., only to be greeted by a curious, slightly furious father. "What are you doing here?" asked Connor bleakly, not showing the slightest bit of enthusiasm.
"It was really nice of you to tell us about those other demons," replied Angel.
"They weren't all demons."
"Connor!" Angel said in frustration. "You shouldn't have even been in the hotel, not that we don't appreciate the help. But you could have at least told us about them."
"Why didn't you know about them yourselves? For such a varied group of talents, you'd think that at least one of you would have been able to figure it out. Which brings me to another point. How did all five of you manage to get yourselves trapped like that? Well done, dad."
Angel's expression showed that he was losing his patience quickly. "Thank you for the sarcasm, Connor. I don't know how it happened. We were all there discussing Cordy's vision, and then suddenly there was this huge, slimy demon that we could do nothing to get passed. Even Lorne's screeching couldn't move it."
"That's because he was deaf," replied Connor casually as he climbed onto the cold windowsill.
"Then how could he hear us?"
"I said deaf, not stupid. He could read your minds. He knew your actions before you made them. That's why you couldn't get passed him. But that still doesn't explain how he got there in the first place."
"I told you, he just showed up, probably through a portal or something." Angel thought a moment. "If that monster could read minds, then how come he didn't notice what you were doing?"
"Ulterior motives. Hide what you're thinking and give him something else."
Angel stood from the straight-backed wooden chair upon which he was sitting before asking, "How do you know all of this?"
"You learn a few things when you grow up in a Hell dimension." Connor stood up from the sill. "Would you leave now? I'm going to bed."
~~~
After angel left, Connor laid in bed, thinking about what he'd said. Demons don't just appear out of nowhere, especially not Greerimeen demons. They have a purpose for showing up, whether they were called upon or have plans of their own. Connor became uneasy. Why was Greer there? Who called him? And if no one did, what were his plans? Connor tried not to think about it. Whatever the plans were, they're done now.
~~~
The following day, Connor went to the hotel, used the front door this time. Lorne, the green, singing, future reading demon, was on the phone, taking a call for Angel Investigations. That's strange, thought Connor. They rarely get calls in the middle of the day. It is at night when everything comes to life.
Fred and Gunn came downstairs as soon as Lorne was off the phone.
"Was that a call?" asked Fred. "So early? It's only nine o'clock in the morning."
Lorne replied, "It seems that Connor's friends are all over the place. They don't like the light, but that doesn't seem to be stopping them. It's like they're looking for something, only they are getting violent in doing so."
"We'll look after it," Gunn said. Lorne told him the location of the main area of mayhem.
"I'm going with you," Connor stated, walking to the door."
"Oh, no you're not," Gunn said firmly. "If daddy found out that we let you come with us, he'd have us for lunch. not literally, of course."
"I know more about these things than you do," argued Connor. "You can't go without knowing what I know and expect to win."
"You're not-"
"Let him go," they heard. Angel was standing at the railing of ht second floor, leaning on it, looking at everyone on the floor below him.
"But Angel-" Gunn tried again.
"Let him go," repeated Angel. He looked at his son. "Tell them what they have to know on the way there." He turned and walked away.
Connor was surprised at his father but didn't think much of it. Greerimeen demons were out there, and they needed to be killed.
~~~
When Gunn, Connor, and Fred arrived at their destination, there were no demons anywhere; there was nothing out of place.
"Maybe Lorne got the address wrong," suggested Fred.
"No," stated Connor, looking around one last time. "Lorne was right. They're looking for something. But it's not here any more."
"Where are you going" Gunn called after Connor as Connor began to walk away.
"We have to find whatever they're looking for before they do. There could be serious consequences if we don't."
~~~
"How are we supposed to find what these things are looking for if we don't even know what it is?" asked Cordelia as everyone discussed the situation.
Angel shrugged in reply.
Lorne said, "It would seem that Junior knows more about these things than any of us do. which is strange. Why don't we know anything about these guys?"
"Because they've never been in this dimension before." Everyone looked quizzically at Connor, so he continued. "They rarely leave Quor- Toth, and I'm sure that being here is not pleasant for them. Degrading, actually."
"So whatever they're here for must be important," said Fred.
"Very."
"But how could they get here from Quor-Toth? Lorne said that it was very dangerous.a tear in reality.I think we would have seen that if they were coming from there," Angel observed.
"Then they didn't come from Quor-Toth, not directly. They were probably dimension hopping, and came here through a portal from a different dimension than Quor-Toth," answered Connor.
"Any ideas of what they might be chasing could be?" asked Cordelia brightly, a contrast to the situation.
"Or who? would be the better question," said Connor. "Greerimeens are skin eaters, and they don't have any need for material things.aside from skin. They must be after someone who could interfere with plans that they've made, and the demons plan on disposing of that person by the most profitable way there is. They'll eat him after draining him of all knowledge. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
~~~
Back at Connor's loft, someone waited patiently for his return.