Title: Friendly Reflection


Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Never will. I do make claims to Lexia whom I thought up all by myself. No help from nobody. Ok! Yes I made her up as a like, "fellow-demon-child-type" to relate to Connor, but that's all mine. Yep....anyways....


Summary: Set before Rain of Fire, as if Cordy had never left the hotel and ran back to Connor's place. Connor's coping with living alone when he meets someone who has something in common with him.


Raiting: Pg-13




Chapter 7:



Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne were cracking up. Lexia had just told a story of when she had stayed in the Hyperion when it was abandoned and was attacked by some tiny, fury, demons who had inhabited the place. They were kind of like large furballs with stub for legs. All Lexia had to do was promise not to play soccer using them as the ball and they left her alone. She had these guys rolling. (Which was actually the pun that got the guys cracking up. Go figure.)


"Anyways. . . shouldn't you guys be researching?" Lexia asked referring to the books and the phone that had been left off the hook.


The guys looked around, realized how long they had been side tracked and jumped into action. Lorne answered the phone, and Gunn and Wesley went back to researching. Lexia laughed. These guys were crazy. Why didn't Connor like it here?


You know you shouldn't be here. . .


Damn it, Lexia thought. Of course, Dad come to ruin things. He better not appear. These people were demon hunters. She might just let them kill him.


Go away Dad. This is not the time. . .


"It's always the time," he father said appearing before her.


"What are you doing?" she hissed at him.


"What's that hon?" Lorne asked.


Lexia turned expecting him to say something about the large demon who appeared out of nowhere. He just looked at her expectantly. Lexia looked back her father with a glare.


"Nothing Lorne."


Thanks for making me look crazy


"You know I would never appear to people unworthy of me," he said.



Like you're the king of anything


"I'm the king of our clan. That's all that matters."


Whatever Dad. Just go. Please


She turned away from the image of her father. Maybe if she ignored him he would go away.


"He'll find out Lexia. You know he will. His father already knows. That demon," he said meaning Lorne. "He knows it too. He's just to nice to say anything."


Stop


"The boy will find out. If he doesn't die tonight. . ."


You wouldn't


"I didn't. But he's gone. You can sense it. And what he's about to find isn't pretty."


Lexia closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel Connor, moving father away. He had left.


"You are a Talaherian. Tonight you will come to terms with it."


Finally she felt her father's presence dissipate. Sighing she looked over at the guys. Lorne had turned away from the counter and Gunn and Wesley were busy looking over books. Silently she walked away from them and the doors. Lexia was going to track Connor. When she found him she would tell him everything.



+ + +


Connor followed Cordelia down alley after alley. They were lots of trash cans and boxes and such. Connor was wondering if Cordelia really knew what she was doing.

"Sure you know where you're going?" he asked.


"Exactly? No. But, for the first time since I've been back, I feel like I have a purpose, like a reason for being here. Before, all I felt was empty—like I was waiting for my life to start," she explained.


" know how that feels," Connor sympathasized. "Not knowing why you here, where your place is in the world. . ."

"Its called being 18. If you make it past 21, things get a lot better."

"They already have," Connor told her thinking aloud.

"You're getting awfully good with those words," she said turning to face him.

They walk on side by side. Suddenly Cordelia stops.

"What is it?" Connor asked.


"This place. I've been here before."


"In your vision?"


"No, I-," Cordelia cuts off realizing. "Oh god. Darla."


"My mother."


"She died here. Connor this is where you were born," Cordelia told him.

Suddenly something bursts up from the ground in front of them, surrounded in red light. It had two large horns on it's head, and looked to be made out of lava and rock. And it did not look happy.

+ + +

Lexia sensed and smelled the air thinking she was finally getting closer to Connor. He had kept moving for a while, but seemingly aimless. Like, just walking around. Which was odd. If Connor was going to leave with out telling her wouldn't he know where he was going?

"Connor!" Lexia heard a woman scream.

Without another thought about it, Lexia was speeding forward. Connor was close. And he was in trouble.

+ + +

Connor attacked the huge beast with the sword he'd brought along. Instead of actually making any contact the hulking thing just threw him aside. Connor hit the pavement with a thud.


"Connor!" Cordelia screamed.

Connor looked to see Cordelia crouched on the ground, and the Beast grabbing her by the throat to lift her several feet in the air to its eye level. The beast stared into Cordelia's face. Cordelia stared back looking frightened. Connor jumped up and ran to her aid, attacking the Beast again. The Beast put Cordelia down and threw Connor across the alley again.

Ok, oww. . ., Connor thought as he landed again.


"No!" Cordelia cried.

The Beast started toward Cordelia again. Cordelia tried to crawl away from it on her back but the Beasts steps only bring it closer to her. Connor notices the skin on her neck is bloody and torn from the Beast's grip. He tried to stand but can't. What am I gonna do?, he wonders.

"Hey!" Connor heard and then see's a trash can lid go flying into the Beast's head.

Connor almost laughed out loud when he heard Lexia's voice. My hero, he thought. The Beast roared in anger. Lexia ran forward, jumped into the air, and kicked the beast staight in the chest with both feet. Unfortunately, the Beast didn't even stagger. And Lexia landed on her butt.

This is gonna take a while, Connor thought..

+ + +

This is gonna take a while, Lexia thought.

She turned and looked at the woman crouched to the side. She seemed to be not so happy Lexia was there. Whatever, toots. I'm saving you life.

"Run," she told her.

Then Lexia jumped to her feet and faced the goat-beasty-thing. She punched it as hard as she could in the jaw, but only succeed in hurting her own hand. Luckily she noticed the woman getting away.

The Beast grabbed her with both hands around he waste and lifted her in the air. His hand burned Lexia's skin and she cried out. The pain shocked her so much she felt her power well up. Oh no, she thought a minute too late. The power that all Talaherian's possessed, leaped out of her and into the Beast. She felt her eyes glow and her wings, usually not a problem spread and rip through the material of her coat. Lexia knew it didn't hurt him but it stunned the Beast enough to drop her.

At this time Connor seemed to get his footing about him and launched himself at the Beast again. He only flung Connor aside again. Now both teens were down, and weren't getting up any time soon.

The Beast looked from one to the other and laughed. Then he easily leaped into the air and landed on a nearby 5 story building. Lexia sighed knowing they couldn't fight him.

Lexia felt her wings settle on her back again, and disappear. She only hoped Connor hadn't seen her little display of protection. She looked over to where he lay and say he was badly beaten and blood was in his mouth.

"Connor," she whispered and got up.

She limped over and knelt beside him. He looked up at her and grasped her hand. Lexia tried to smile at him, but it felt fake. She found herself looking up at the building the Beast had landed on and wondering what it was gonna do. If anyone could stop it.

"We gotta get someplace safe," she said.

(Thanx for the transcripts. I changed some of it to fit the story)