Chapter Two

Cordelia stood outside her bedroom door with her head resting against the doorframe, Angel was making no noise inside at all. She wasn't really surprised; he had an uncanny way of making almost no sound whatsoever. She wondered whether she should just walk in and talk to him, it was her room after all, but a huge part of her knew that it was too early to say anything. He would just ignore her; still aching from the shock and hurt of the secret she had been so desperate to keep hidden from him. She rested her hand on the top of the brass door handle and took a deep breath, itching to press down and enter the room.

"Leave me alone, Cordelia," called Angel from the room. Cordelia sighed and went in anyway, closing the door behind her.

Angel was sitting on the bed with the curtains still drawn; Cordelia knew that if it hadn't been daylight he would have been standing in the window watching the people move about below. She walked over and sat down next to him, he visibly flinched away from her but she didn't move to touch him. She had no reason to, she just wanted to talk to him and leave. Make sure that things were going to be all right then go.

"I know you don't want to hear anything I have to say right now but you need to know that we didn't want to hurt you," she started, Angel didn't answer her but she knew he was listening, he had no choice. "We did it because we thought the world was ending, Angel. It was a one time thing but after that, he kept telling me how special I was and I just thought it would be fun,"

"Are you done telling me how much 'fun' you had with my son?"

"Look, it wasn't about that. I thought that we were both in it for a good time; it's been really shitty around here lately in case you hadn't noticed. We were ending it when you walked in, it's all over. You were never meant to find out; we never wanted to hurt you,"

"So you keep saying Cordelia, but you did. You and Connor hurt me, there's nothing else to say. We've got research to do so let's just leave it, okay?"

"Fine," she sighed, standing up. "Connor asked… well, told me to tell you that he's gone out of town for a few days. I think he wants to give us some breathing space or something,"

"Maybe he was the smart one," growled Angel and stalked past Cordelia and out into the corridor, disappearing down the staircase without giving her a chance to catch up.

Connor grabbed his battered rucksack and began shoving a few t-shirts into it followed by clean underwear and socks. Dumping the bag onto his bed, he ran into the bathroom to get his toothbrush and toothpaste. He was ready to go, he didn't know where exactly but it didn't matter, as long as he was out of the way. He didn't have much money but sneaking back into the hotel for some would be easy enough. Swinging his bag down onto his back, he slammed the door shut and ran down the dilapidated staircase and onto the street. After a quick detour and stop at the back of the hotel, Connor jumped on the first bus he saw and headed out of the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. It was exhilarating to know that he was free, no obligations to battle evil, no arguments with Cordelia or Angel or Gunn, total freedom.

The bus was hot and stuffy and as it rattled along the back-roads across California, Connor was feeling stifled and getting bored. There was a stop at a small town up ahead and although it was in the middle of nowhere at the back of beyond, Connor just had to get off the bus. He shuffled up the main street with his rucksack on his back looking out for old buildings he could sleep in for a few nights. The town seemed deserted, all the shops were closed and there were no people around that Connor could see, only a few stray dogs digging into the bin-bags that had been left out on the street corners, full to bursting.

"Hey!" said a female voice from behind him. "You're new," Connor turned to face her. She was about the same age as him, tall and slim with purple hair tied back into a red bandana. She wiped her grease stained hand on her equally dirty jeans and held it out to Connor; he walked over to her and shook it warmly.

"Where is everybody?"

"Sleeping, it's siesta time. Most of the people who live here are Spanish so… siesta! I'm Frankie by the way,"

"Connor. So, I won't be able to get any food for a while,"

"Shops open up in about an hour or so. You can come to the garage if you want, I think I got something in the fridge," she grinned, her eyes shining in the mid-day sun. Connor nodded and followed her into the small garage she had run out of to greet him. Frankie disappeared to make them some sandwiches while Connor sat at her office desk, looking over all the paperwork that spread out across it. It reminded him of Angel's desk, full of papers and books that never seemed to budge. Frankie wandered over and handed him a pastrami sandwich on a paper plate, he gratefully accepted.

"How come you're working through siesta?" he asked through a mouthful of bread.

"Gives me a chance to catch up, I'm the only garage in town,"

"That's a lot of business,"

"Yeah, it keeps me busy. So, what brings you to Yawnsville USA?"

"Needed a break from L.A. This place looked okay from the bus window,"

"L.A., huh? Well, I hope us poor country folk don't disappoint you too bad,"

"Never," laughed Connor, Frankie joined in. It had been a while since she had seen a new face, it was a welcome change.

"If you're planning on staying at a hotel, I'd give it a miss," she smiled. "I think the term 'fleabag motel' was invented here,"

"I was actually gonna crash somewhere out of the way," admitted Connor with an embarrassed smile, Frankie nodded in agreement.

"Me and a few guys are holed up in an old warehouse, you could stay with us if you like," she offered. Connor nodded in acknowledgement but didn't reply; he didn't exactly mix well with others but he didn't want to offend the only person he had met so far. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you'll sort something out,"

"Ok. So, what… I mean… actually, forget it,"

"What? I don't bite, Connor, you can tell me,"

"I've never really been out before, like partying or whatever. I was wondering if there was anything to do round here," he mumbled, looking at his feet and scuffing them across the dusty floor.

"Hey, don't worry about it. My folks used to keep me on a tight leash too, 'til I moved out here anyway. A couple of us meet up after work if you wanna come with us,"

"Yeah, that'd be nice. If you don't mind,"

"It's settled then, I'm sure I can find something to keep you busy in the meantime," she grinned, tossing Connor a wrench.

"So, where is he?" asked Fred, Angel ignored the question and stalked into his office, slamming the door behind him.

"He's gone out of town for a few days," explained Cordelia.

"Nice. He gets a holiday and we have to work our asses off?" said Gunn angrily.

"It's not like that; he had to get away for a while,"

"That's fine but Angel needs to rejoin the group," said Wesley. "I know it must've been hard to let Connor go but still…"

"He'll be fine, just give him time,"

"Guys, this is Connor, he's from L.A." announced Frankie as they walked into the open warehouse. Connor surveyed the huge room, clothes and blankets were scattered about the floor making it look like one giant bed. Two guys and a girl lifted their heads from their various magazines and newspapers to greet them. "Connor, this is Jay, Tim and Allie,"

"Hi," said Connor awkwardly. Meeting new people was still hard for him, he hadn't even been back in the real world for a year yet and he had only really met the people Angel knew, he wouldn't exactly call them friends. Allie stood up and walked over to them, she gave Frankie a quick hug before turning to Connor.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest thing?" she grinned, Connor smiled at her brazen confidence. She looked very similar to Frankie, they had the same build and the same features; Connor assumed they were sisters.

"Ignore her, man. She's always after someone new, fresh blood and all that," laughed Jay. Connor laughed along with him but he wasn't entirely sure if he understood the insinuation, Allie laughed too but her bright green eyes were fixed on Connor's.

"So, what's the plan for tonight? I think we should have a bit of a party, welcome Connor to the neighbourhood and all that," said Frankie, jumping up onto one of the metal workbenches that were attached to the walls.

"I'm up for that, we can get the gang over and have a blow-out," grinned Allie; she reached out and stroked Connor's shoulder. "You up for a party?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

"Excellent," said Tim, jumping up from the tattered sofa. "I'll go get some supplies; I think we're out,"

"I'll come with, need the air," laughed Jay and he and Tim ran out of the warehouse leaving Connor alone with the sisters. He didn't really know what to say, he wasn't used to talking about himself and he certainly hadn't met many people his own age. Both girls were sitting up on the metal workbench and looking down at him, he found it disconcerting but it wasn't the first time he had received female attention. His mind flew back to Cordelia without warning and he was caught off guard by the feelings that suddenly filled his head and heart. He pushed a hand through his floppy hair and sighed, attempting to expel her from his thoughts; he looked up at the girls and smiled.

"So, what do you do Allie?" he asked, wondering if he sounded completely stupid or if they were staring at him in wonder because he was from the big scary city.

"Nothing much, mostly lounge around. I'm supposed to be working at the market but I never get up in time," she giggled, Frankie smiled. "What about you? Do you have a job in L.A.?"

"No, don't really need one. My Dad's got a lot of money but I don't know where it came from,"

"That's always the way with those L.A. types. Don't ask is all I can say, you'll never like the answer," said Frankie. "You looking forward to the party?"

"Yeah, can't wait,"

"Me neither," grinned Allie, playfully kicking at Frankie's ankle with her own. Connor smiled back, not quite understanding what was so funny but glad to be well away from the death-defying action of Angel Investigations.