A light shiver ran down Gunn's spine as small, capable hands kneaded his shoulders. He let out a soft groan of utter contentment and closed his eyes, allowing his head to loll back. He wasn't disappointed as a moment later, he felt Fred's lips press against his own. She tasted of summer and peaches and that godawful herbal tea she'd taken a liking to, but the feel of her mouth over his was well worth the price.
"Oh baby, that feels so good," Gunn murmured, when she had released him to continue her sublime massage.
He could almost hear the pretty smile in Fred's voice when she replied, "In that case, you get to do the dishes tonight."
Gunn opened his eyes at that. Damn, she knew he hated playing housewife, especially now that Angel was back. Dressing up in an apron was a sure-fire way to get a bad rep in this town. Or a good one depending on the company, but that was more Lorne's scene. He allowed another moan to slip loose, this one more pitiful than the first.
"But baby," he said, giving her an upside down, puppy dog look that was sure to melt the hardest of hearts. "What with lightning girl turning me crispy critter, I'm not sure I'm up to it."
He instantly regretted his ploy as Fred's smile died a sudden death.
"Oh Charles, I'm so sorry," she said, wringing her hands together as she moved around the chair to face him. "I didn't think. I mean, of course that whole electrocution thing would take it out of anyone. What with the being dead and the-the stopped heart and the-the…"
By the stammer in her voice and the thickening of her Southern accent, Gunn knew that Fred was upset and trying to hide it. His girl was one tough lady, but there were still a lot of insecurities floating around in her big heart.
Gunn reached out and put his hands on her tiny waist, slowly drawing her downwards until she straddled his lap, her ramblings fading to silence as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"I'm the one who's sorry," Gunn said, with utmost sincerity. "You know, if I could change things, I wouldn't have let myself get zapped by Miss electric youth."
"I know," Fred replied, quietly, and Gunn was thrilled to see her smile peaking out once more.
She cupped his cheek and was leaning in for a second, more thorough smooching session, when the phone rang. They both sighed in a unison of disappointment and looked towards the offending object.
"I'll get it," Gunn offered, as Fred slid from his lap.
"Try to find some paying customers this time," Fred called out as he walked over to the counter.
"You got it," he called back, lightly, knowing how rare an event it was that they actually got paid for risking their lives. "Hey, maybe we should think about changing our slogan: You pay, we slay."
She gave him a wry smile which made him grin. He cockily snatched up the phone, leaning one hip against the desk so he could keep his girlfriend in sight. "Angel Investigations, helping the helpless."
The frantic voice that came over the phone quickly quelled his humour and he straightened, reaching for a pen and pad.
"You certain about this?" he demanded, feeling Fred come up behind as she caught his urgency. He nodded at the reply and scribbled down directions, before replacing the handset.
Fred's worried face greeted him as he turned to her to deliver the news. "We got a problem, a big one," he said. "We're gonna need Angel."
*****
"Keep up your guard, that's it, no! no! don't drop it now!" Angel spoke the words low and fast, and clenched a fist in victory as Connor dusted one of the trio of vampires that were circling him. He continued, knowing Connor couldn't hear, yet finding a form of comfort in the absent coaching. "On the left, on the left! Not my left! Yours…Oh. Oh, that's gonna hurt."
Angel winced in sympathy as his son took a hard kick to the ribs and had to resist the impulse to drop down and join in the fray. But he knew Connor was strong, a fast healer with a high pain threshold, and when Connor returned the favour to his attacker, sending the creature flying across the alley to crash into a dumpster, Angel grinned.
"Kid kicks like a mule," he murmured to himself, watching intently now as Connor faced off with the remaining vamp, stake at the ready. "Ok, he's gonna run, kid. You know it, he knows it. Just which direction is it gonna be?"
The vampire feinted left, then dodged right, but Connor was ready, trusting instincts honed in the darkest of dimensions. There was a blur of motion and the vampire collapsed in a puff of ashes as Connor slammed the stake home.
"Hoo-rah," Angel said, with a feeling of pride.
The sudden buzz of his pager caught him off guard and he saw Connor's dark head jerk up towards his position. Angel rolled backwards, silently damning the accursed technology, silently cursing the intrusion, and checked the number. It was Fred and it was important, he knew, or she wouldn't have interrupted his time with Connor.
Taking a breathe, he peered over the stone work to see Connor slipping off into the shadows, the speed with which he ran at suggesting he was tracking another beastie. Maybe that second vamp that had gone down but wasn't out. Angel was confident it was nothing that Connor couldn't handle and it was that surety that allowed him to abandon his unobserved vigil.
"Got to stop hovering sometime," Angel told himself, as he dropped off the four storey building to land securely on a thin strip of wall below. "Kid needs his space."
Yet as he wound his way back to the main streets of the city, he couldn't quite suppress his protective instincts and the urge to turn back.
*****
The prey was close, had been tantalisingly so for the last minute, and Connor was eagerly anticipating the destruction of the creature. He jumped over a metal container that had been pushed into his path by his quarry and continued his dogged hunt.
The wood of the crude stake he had furnished felt good in his hand, solid and weighty, enough to do the work of the just and rid the land of another blood sucking demon. It would have been done already had he not been distracted by a noise from above.
In the alley, after his second kill, he had glanced up for a moment to see nothing but the passage of air where something might have moved. The third vampire had chosen that moment to flee and so had begun the wild chase through the tiny alleyways.
But if the creature hoped to evade Connor, it was to be disappointed. As he ran, Connor could scent his prey, reeking of age and decay, and something spicy Fred had once told him was curry. The last was no doubt gained from the vampire's most recent victim who had fed on such a vile meal.
Chain links barred his way, but Connor quickly scaled them, leaping lightly, cat-footed, to the floor, blue eyes staring into the dark depths of the corridor that awaited him.
His senses were alert, hyper keen, and they were speaking to him now, telling him something was amiss. A trap, he surmised, rising from his crouch to walk forwards. One vampire or three, it didn't matter. They would all perish soon enough.
A sound reached his ears, a scratching noise, and as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he could see the shape of his wounded prey, attempting to climb the smooth wall of the warehouse that prevented escape.
Connor frowned, cocking his head, yet hearing nothing else. Perhaps he had been mistaken, perhaps the creature was simply too dim witted to realise it had trapped itself. More confident now, he strode forward, intently watching the vampire as it turned to face him, its beast face contorted with fear.
"Now," it said, suddenly, glancing around desperately.
"Yes, now," Connor agreed, raising the stake. He did not understand the creature's behaviour, but neither did he want to try. They were merely rabid parasites to be put down so they could do no more harm.
The other, his…father, was the exception. Angel did not feed off humans. Nor did he kill for pleasure. Connor knew that now, knew that his…that Holtz had been murdered by Justine at his behest. It was not an honourable thing to have done and Connor was ashamed for the righteous man who had once been his guardian.
"I said, now!" the vampire spoke more loudly, into the collar of its jacket.
Connor didn't pause, his step, even though the creature was clearly mad. He raised the stake and the vampire covered its face, shrieking, clearly expecting to become dust in the next second.
A bright light speared through the darkness, blinding both predator and prey.
"Enough child!"
Connor froze at the demand and slowly turned, careful to keep the vampire in sight. It had its face averted from the light but was grinning now. So, it had been a trap after all, Connor thought. But an unusual one.
Men emerged from the shadows, sliding down the walls with rope, dressed in black to conceal their forms. Connor couldn't tell if they were truly men or vampire or demon.
Shading his eyes, Connor nodded towards the speaker. "What is your business here?" he demanded.
A man, a human male, stepped into the path of the light, his bearded face revealed to Connor. "Our business is with the son of Angel the Vampire," he intoned and raised a hand to point a finger towards Connor. "We have come for you, child."