CHAPTER TWO

Are you hearing the beat of my heart

The bang of my heart

The scrape of my heart

Are you hearing the scrape of my heart?

Buile Mo Chroi – Karan Casey

I was stiff and sore by the time we got off the plane. I hate the traveling part of my job. Maddie can whip up teleportation spells but it's hard on her. We reserve that for the really long-distance stuff. Since our entire luggage was all carry-ons we just headed out to look for our ride. I had forgotten how bloody hot it could be in California…bloody? I'm starting to sound like Wes and half the other Watchers. Just kill me now. After several minutes of choking on exhaust fumes, a large car rolled up and Xander got out.

"Hey guys." He seemed brighter than the last time I had seen him. That has to be Willow's influence. He and her have hooked up. I think it was just a friendship thing at first; Xander still getting over Anya's death and Willow still not having realized being Bi didn't mean she loved Tara less.

"Where are we crashing?" Faith asked, stretching. "I wish I could sleep on planes."

"You did sleep. You drooled all over my shoulder," I protested and she elbowed me hard. Wesley wagged his head sadly mouthing 'No!' at my foolishness. One of these days I'll learn better.

"The Council said to put Wes up at Hamish Blackwell's place," Xander said, helping with the luggage. He still had that bad limp but I guess he always would since he nearly lost that leg in the Final Battle. Blackwell was Buffy's new Watcher. I had only met him once. "And they said to put Faith and Maddelena up at Buffy's. Angel's expecting you to stay with him of course, Connor."

"Who gave this order?" I could hear the irritation in Maddie's voice and Xander wasn't immune to it either.

A worried expression etched into his broad face. "Um, a Ms. Webb, why?"

"Self righteous prig." Maddie tossed her carry-on into the trunk hard.

"Don't let her upset you." Wes said. "Just drop Maddie and I off at Blackwell's."

"Oh, I get it." Xander smiled easily, getting back in the car.

"You can skip Buffy's all together," Faith said.

"You two are…" Xander trailed off, looking over the seat at us. His dark hair, now shot with silver, flopped over his face. "Still?"

"Yeah," I replied. I guess no one had mentioned that. Maybe Dad was trying to hide it or Buffy's Watcher was since I know the Council probably told him. "We can just go to Angel's unless there's some tactical meeting at Buffy's first."

"We don't have all the details yet. We're expecting a call from Giles tonight. Buffy's at work. So's Angel for that matter. They figured you guys would want to crash before anything else."

"Good thought," Faith muttered, leaning against me.

Xander drove and chattered about how things were going in Sunnydale. Dawn was working on her PhD in art so she could teach while she was working as a graphic artist for a firm out of L.A. Angel taught history at the community college since he didn't have the credentials to teach at the university. Spike ran a British pub called the Black Horse not far from the Bronze. Both probably had to be seen to be believed.

Turned out Dad wasn't renting an apartment. He had a house, a mansion practically. Show off. Xander gave us the spare key after showing us to a guest bedroom. I wanted to take the time to poke around Angel's place when he wasn't around but the bed was calling me. Faith was stripped and curling up under the covers before Xander's car was even out of the drive. I had to get into the bed fast before she took over the middle, leaving me hunched up on the edge. She said I was skinny enough it shouldn't matter how much of the bed she hogged. I got in, trying not to fold up around her too much. I had a habit of sleeping on top of the people I shared a bed with. Faith didn't like it that much. Sometimes I think she's afraid of being touched no matter how much she likes it. I was gone the moment I had the covers pulled up.

The front door opening, even though Angel was making an attempt to be quiet, woke me up. I figured I should talk to Dad, at least let him know I got here in one piece. Faith murmured as I got out of bed. I kissed her cheek.

"Dad's home. You stay here. I'll go let him know we made it here in one piece."

I didn't bother to dress, stumbling out of the room, trying to pull on my underwear. Dad could handle seeing me in my boxers. He had made it into his den and was warming up the computer when I found him. The den was homier than I expected. My place was so sterile. Dad had a picture on the wall, a mixed media thing I remember Dawn telling me was the style. Her signature was on it. It was gothic and creepy and I loved it, sort of cemetery meets pub. There were three portraits on the wall, pretty pencil sketches. I know Dad had to have done them even though they weren't signed. One was of Buffy at the ocean. Another of Willow and Dawn hanging on each other looking like they were sharing a good joke and the last was of me. I was shocked to see it. I don't think I even have so much as a picture of Dad and somehow he managed to recreate me from memory. I looked a little sullen in the picture but it's been pointed out that I only have two emotions, sullen and angry. I'm not sure that's a fair assessment.

 Dad looked up at me with a sheepish grin. He looked like the last time I saw him, all that thick hair I wished I had inherited sticking up in those weird little spikes. Well, it was better than that time he chopped it off and it looked like road kill on his head.

"Sorry. I was hoping I wouldn't wake you. Wes left a message that you guys had just finished a hard fight before getting called out here." Dad's dark eyes pinned me. "You look rough."

"Hate air travel," I said, scrubbing a hand through my hair. It needed cutting. It was all the way past my shoulder blades at this point. Faith had taken to braiding it before a battle.

"Why don't you get back to sleep. I've papers to grade." He thumped the hefty load of paper for emphasis.

"What exactly are you teaching?" I felt vaguely ashamed I had never asked before. Hell, half the time Dad and I communicated through Wesley. It was stupid and childish and I'm not sure we could help ourselves.

"Irish history from the 1700's til today." His eyes glinted at that. I could see the joy.

"Yeah, fair enough, you lived most of it." I sat on the chair next to the desk, slumping against it a bit.

"True," Angel said, looking awkward already.  "I don't know anything about why you guys were summoned here."

Okay, since we were already talking business I figure that was a given, awkward I mean. We still don't have a clue how to talk to one another. "Yeah, Xander said." Might as well stick to business. It's safer. Faith was probably lying in the bed counting down to our first argument. I'd give it ten minutes if I didn't give up and go back to bed. I didn't know why we couldn't talk to each other. I'm thinking it's mostly my fault. Less than ten years of knowing him couldn't compete with eighteen formative years of learning to hate him.

Angel nodded. "You like what you're doing, son?"

"A lot." I smiled. There was so much more I could say to that but the words got caught. "Oh, just so you know, Faith's here, too, but you can probably smell that."

Angel just smirked. "I'm just glad you two are still getting along."

"I'm not that difficult to put up with," I protested.

"I'm going to let that one slide," he said and I flipped him off. He snorted at me. "Is it getting serious between you two?" He seemed somehow hopeful at that.

"You mean to have and to hold til death? No, we're not like that. I'm not sure I can see myself married with children. I'm thinking I'll be better off never having kids," I replied in all honesty.

Angel didn't seem to know what to say to that. He simply looked very sad. "You're young yet."

I didn't ask about his plans with Buffy or remind him that he could have more kids and do it right this time. And if not with Buffy, since a pregnant Slayer is most likely a dead one, then with someone else. "I wish I felt young. I feel like I'm as old as you right now."

He nodded. "Seriously, get some sleep Connor before you fall out of your chair. I need to get these papers graded before we get caught up in whatever this thing is because I won't have time once it all hits the fan." He pushed me gently.

I got up. "You okay with us being here?"

"I asked for you to stay with me, Connor. Why wouldn't I want you here?" His thick brow beetled.

"I dunno. You and Buffy…" Man, I probably shouldn't have brought that up. Didn't I just say I wouldn't?

"Can stay at her place if you think we'd bother you," Angel said.

I shook my head. "Doesn't bother me." And it didn't. What bothered me was being in bed with Faith and knowing Dad would be able to hear us if he was home. I'm not sure why I was embarrassed about it but I just was. God, I hope Faith understands that. And I don't really want to hear Dad and Buffy going at it either. As far as I was concerned, Dad never needed to have sex again. Trying to put it from my mind, I started for my room.

"Connor."

I paused, looking back at him.

"When did you get the tattoos?" He seemed surprised by them, his eyes on the wolf triskela at the base of my spine.

"A few months ago."

He looked up at me and smiled. "I like them."

I grinned back. "Thanks."

I crawled back into bed, too tired to pull off my boxers. Hey, meeting one over and done and no blood shed yet. Maybe things were looking up.

*                                                                      *                                                          *

I woke up feeling something tickling my belly. Faith smiled at me, trailing her fingers up and down my belly. Those dancing fingers dipped under the waistband of my boxers, toying with me. I caught her hand, shaking my head.

"You usually like a little wake up-playtime," Faith said, her beautiful lips falling into a pout.

"No time tonight," I protested, my body trying to respond to her touch.

"Yeah, like that's a problem." She smirked broadly.

"Hey!" Ouch, that hurt even if I knew she was joking. She gave my balls a playful squeeze. She was making telling her no very difficult. "Hands out of my pants if that's how you feel."

"You're a machine." Faith kissed me, her hands sliding out of my pants and up my body.

I smiled under her lips. "That's better. Still, we can't. Angel is just in the other room."

"Oh my God, you've gone shy!"  Faith's eyes lit up, tweaking one of my nipples.

I could feel my face go red. "A little…he's my dad."

She grabbed my hair, pulling me up. A wicked grin blossomed on her face then she kissed me roughly. "And how do you think you got here in the first place?"

It was all I could do to restrain the full body shiver. "I'd rather not think about it. Seriously, we don't have time. Angel is out there and I really have to pee. I can't do that if you…"

"Oh, go!" Faith pushed me half out of the bed.

"You're going to laugh at me," I said, dragging on my pants.

"You bet." Her grin went ear to ear.

I headed down the hall for the bathroom. The house smelled delicious, ripe with garlic and cheese. Either Dad learned how to cook or he had ordered out pizza. I hurriedly used the bathroom so Faith could get in there, too. Neither of us was exactly presentable when we stumbled toward the kitchen but at least we were half awake. The pizza boxes were on the table. Dad's kitchen had a back door that lead out to a fenced-in yard. Did he have a dog? I thought I smelled one but I didn't see it. I rather wish I had a more stable home life so I could have one, something big with teeth. The best I could do was an officious cat that seemed to survive going from house to house and whenever I got back to home base in London, it would show up at the door and demand food.

"I don't see Angel," Faith said, grabbing up a slice loaded with every topping known to man. "Mr. I'm-too-self-conscious."

"Well, gee why don't I just clear a spot on the table and we can have at it," I grumbled, hunting down glasses so I could pour us some water.

Faith grinned. "Don't tempt me. It's been days."

"Days for what?" Angel called in from wherever he had been in the yard. He was still a good several feet away from the door but like me, he could still hear just about anything that went on around the house.

"Since Skinny Ass has let me peel him out of his clothes," Faith said, opening the door for Angel.

"Faith…" Please floor, open up and take me. Of course, it ignored me and I watched Faith set down her pizza to give Angel a hug. It seemed odd. Faith had a better relationship with Dad than I did. She felt he had saved her life, or at least pulled her back from the darkness. I believe that he did. His belief that she could turn around her life gave her the strength to do it. It was things like that which made me not just give up on my father. Even back then, with the demon still in him, he tried to help people. That never sat well with my mindset but I couldn't deny it. I think it's probably the only reason I didn't just cut all ties and drift away.

Angel hugged her back. "Yes, I could see how that would be a problem."

"Thanks for the pizza, Dad," I said, hoping to get back onto less embarrassing topics. I still remembered the time Angel had tried to give me the sex talk. It lasted about five seconds and I hadn't a clue what he was talking about. It was after we took on those vampires in the club that tried to kill Justine. We had known each other for just a day so I don't know what had even prompted him to try giving me the big talk. I think he figured it was something dad's had to do. Maybe he wanted to protect me or maybe it was finding me with Sunny and fearing what might have happened with a junkie probably made him want to at least try and tell me about safe sex.

Anyhow we were sparring in the alleys. He thought I was horsing around because I wanted to be with him and I was gauging how he fought so I could kill him. Somehow the sex talk got worked into that, or should I say what sputtering nonsense Angel managed to come up with before going back to sparring with me. That was easier, safer. There were other sex talks after that, after I had slept with Cordy and they were ugly and cruel. Maybe that's why I don't want him to even be thinking about me and Faith.

"You're welcome. I figured you two would be hungry," Angel said, picking up a slice for himself. I guess now that he could eat, he was doing it up right. Just watch him get fat. You can see he has the tendencies.

"Ravenous," Faith said.

I leaned it to grab up a slice before the two of them polished it off.

"Get your hair out of the pizza, son."

I flung my long mane back over my shoulder. "It didn't touch the pizza."

"You need a haircut."

"Look who's talking. You can see your reflection now and that's the best you can do?" I asked and Faith kicked me under the table. What? Did she expect Dad and I could make it through two whole conversations without fighting? I sighed and changed the subject. "Did you get the papers checked, Dad?"

He shook his head. "Not all of them. Some people just have no clue about history." He glanced over at me. "Did you get that book I sent?"

"How the Irish Saved Civilization?" I took a healthy bite of dinner, nodding. "I liked it a lot. Thanks."

"You'd think it was written in Gaelic the way some of my students stare at it."

"You mean the ones who aren't busy making moon eyes at you." Faith batted her eyes for emphasis.

Angel laughed. "That's half of them and not all of them girls. It's all very unnerving."

Faith shrugged. "So you have your pick, one of each."

"Stop that! I'm trying to eat," I protested and Angel looked too horrified to speak.

Faith rolled her eyes at me. "When did you get to be such a prude? I told Wesley the instant you got here you'd get all weird and uptight. He owes me twenty."

"Oh, that's nice." I eyed her sourly.

"You mean weirder than normal?" Angel tried not to grin,

"You have no room to be calling me weird." I flung a mushroom at him. "If I'm strange it's probably something I inherited form you."

Angel batted away the pizza-topping missile. "No, you have your very own brand of weird going on."

"I think you two have the market cornered on weird," Faith put in.

"You aren't a font of normal, sweetie," I said and she blew me a kiss.  I just picked an onion off my pizza. I didn't' really like them. I figured I'd better make yet another subject change. "Dad, do you have any clue why we're here?"

He shook his head. "Giles just said it looked like it could turn big and ugly. Eat up and we'll head over to Buffy's."

I started on my second slice. "So, Dad, you having fun living out those Indiana Jones fantasies? I mean that is why you took a job teaching history right?" I gave him my best shit-eating grin and as Wes would say, Angel immediately took the piss.

The perturbed look on my father's face was utterly hysterical. "I did not!"

"Indiana Jones fantasies?" Faith asked, her eyes sharp.

"Never you mind," Angel replied, blushing. I wasn't used to him being able to do that.

"Oh no, you can't just bring that up and not tell me," Faith protested.

"Later, love," I promised.

"You mean when we're in bed not doing anything." Her sharp look turned on me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, then." I set my second slice down, too embarrassed to eat. "I'm done."

"Oh no you don't. You eat. You could blow away in a summer breeze," Dad said.

"At least I'm not getting wide enough to require my own zip code," I replied and Faith wisely moved off to safer ground.

"I only look fat in comparisons to you, you twig."

"I might be a twig but I can still take you, old man." I grinned ferally at him.

"Try it."

Faith just opened the back door and pointed. Dad and I took the sparring match outside. It was fun. We had such different strengths that a match up was always so unpredictable, even if we were just goofing around like now. Dad was fast but not as fast as me. He depended on his size and me on my quickness and agility. I almost had him when I dunked him in the hot tub he had in the gazebo. Finally he managed to snag me by my hair and pull me into a bear hug. He squashed me against the fence.

"Told you, you need a hair cut."

"I'm too busy wondering what it says about your mental state, a one time vampire surrounding himself with dozens of wooden stakes." I rapped my head back against the tall stockade fence. "Or is it some sort of manhood thing."

"You are such a weird wee man, you know that son?" He let me go, ruffling my hair.

"I guess I do take after you, after all," I said, smoothing my fine hair back into place.

"You boys done deciding who has the bigger pair?" Faith called from the back porch. "You'd better get in here before I eat all the pizza."

We both headed back in before she made good on that threat.