A/N: Much hanks go to gidgetgirl, and others for reviewing. This chapter
has been Beta-d (in part) so should be no mistakes. Please, begging here, I
need reviews. I'm a lil' junkie, and stories don't get finished without
'em. So if you're sitting there, going, 'not gonna review' think about it.
I've written over 2000 words here. You can spare me 10. Please? Hey! You!
The one who never reviews! Even *you* should review this time.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So, school, huh?"
Jane nodded mutely, her hands clasped in her lap, head bowed over them, long fair hair forming curtains either side. Gunn looked her over again, thoughtfully.
"You know, I had a sister once," he told her. She looked up, her big brown eyes meeting his.
"Really? Where is she?"
"She went to Heaven," he replied, a lump in his throat at the thought of Alanna. She nodded, going back to staring at her fingers again.
"Like my family," she said softly.
"Yeah. Alanna was a few years younger than me, I always kept an eye out for her, y'know? I remember the day she started school, when our parents were still around. She was so scared I hought her eyes were gonna pop out of her head," he chuckled. The attention of the eight year old was aroused, and she lifted her head to tell him matter-of-factly,
"Eyes don't pop out of heads, Gunn."
"I'm serious! I swear it, first ever eyes-popping-out-incident in the entire world," he replied, with a straight face. She looked curious.
"Really?"
"Really," he answered. "But the point is, she came back from school that afternoon, with a grin all over her face, because school ain't a bad thing, you know. It's fun, she'd had other kids to play with, and cool teachers, and school is a good place to be. You need to learn lots before you can be a grown-up, and school is where you learn it."
"Connor doesn't have to go to school," she reasoned. Gunn grinned.
"That's cuz Connor gets up way too late to go to school. Angel would have to use garlic or somethin' to get him out of bed. And Connor's as moody as any other teenager when you wake him up. Believe me, every day? Not a good thing to do. Safer to keep him out of school."
"But what about the learning?" Jane persisted, looking right into his eyes, trapping him in his little speech. "Connor can't learn how to be a grown- up."
"Well," Gunn considered it, "Connor's special. He's not a normal little boy ,he's a big, different boy, and he's been away a lot, so he doesn't have to go to school. Plus, he's already learnt how to be a grown-up. "
"Okay," she sighed, as if a world of prejudice had just lain itself on her shoulders, and he laughed.
"C'mon munchkin, let's find Cordy."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"She's been with us two weeks," Angel argued. "Why should we send her to school so soon?"
"She's eight years old! She needs to be in school, that's what eight year olds do!" Cordelia protested, then halted, as Gunn walked in, holding Jane's hand.
"Heya sweetie. Ready to go to Saint Catherine's?"
Silently, Jane gave the tiniest of nods. Deflated, Cordelia sighed.
"Guess you're not talking today," she muttered. Some days, Jane was as normal a kid as the next, the others, she barely spoke, or was even silent. "There's a uniform upstairs. Mother Francesca asked me to get it for you before today, so you're ready to go. Go get dressed, and I'll put out some breakfast."
Jane scampered away, as Cordelia raked her hands through her hair.
"It needs to happen," she informed Angel. "She's not Connor. She needs to go to school."
Angel growled something, but strode away, giving up the argument.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The nun looked up, and smiled at the sweet sight. A small girl, about four foot high, was walking towards the school hand in hand with a tall, beautiful dark haired woman. The little one's blue and green kilt hung neatly to the tops of her long white socks, and the navy blue cardigan was fitted nicely over her white shirt. Her long fair hair was neatly braided into two, hanging either side of the small, expressive, pointed little face, where two brown eyes gazed out, as she got closer to the door.
"Good morning," the nun greeted cheerfully. "My name is Sister Margaret. May I take your name?"
"Hi, I'm Ms Chase, and this is Jane Ashborough, here to join grade four? I spoke to Mother Francesca on the phone," the woman explained.
"Right this way, Ms Chase. We'll take Jane right off to her class, and show her around. If you wait here, Mother Francesca will be right with you," she directed, taking the little girl's hand. Strange, it was, that the little girl's name was different to that of her parent, or guardian. Possibly an aunt, Margaret mused, as she led Jane up the stairs to grade four.
"Good morning, class," Sister Margaret said solemnly. Fifteen pairs of eyes looked towards her.
"Good morning, Sister Margaret," they sing-songed back.
"This is Jane, who's new to our school. I want a volunteer to be nice to her, show her around today, please," the nun asked. The Sister taking the class smiled.
"Emily is a good student, and a nice, friendly little girl. Jane, if you go and sit beside Emily," she said gently. The brunette little girl, Emily, indicated the spare seat.
"Right. Back to fractions. Who can tell me what 1/2 of twelve is?"
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Please, please, we have to be there soon," Jess groaned, sinking down in the booth of the small café.
"I told you Jess, we'll get there soon. The hotel is in L.A. We're almost there. But you said you were hungry, remember? So I stopped, to use what little money we have, on feeding your stomach," Starr snapped.
"Jess didn't mean it," Gabby said quietly. Starr sighed.
"Guys, I'm just as tired, and worried, and hungry as you. I just.I need to think, okay?"
"Okay," Faye echoed, softly. Starr smiled at her.
"How you holding up, sweetie?" Jess and Gabby exchanged looks.
"I'm okay," Faye replied.
"Good. Right. Let's order!" Starr said, a cheerful note back in her voice.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So, as it comes at you, block the main attack, but don't be too confident. Whatever's coming, he's not going to stop at the first attack. Be prepared," Angel instructed, swooping the sword in an arc towards her. Gleaming metal met metal, and a clang rang out as the two weapons clashed.
"Good! Now, curve downwards, and-" he continued, and as he stepped back to counter the lunge, met her eyes, and gave an answering smile to the grin on her face.
"Very good," he repeated, softly, putting down the sword. Cordelia hung her own on the rack, and untied her hair, with a sigh of release. She shook out her shoulders loosely.
"I knew those things were heavy, but why'd we have to move so slow?" she complained. She gave a smirk. "I could kick your butt if I could move fast." He smiled.
"But the challenge is in the control."
She raised an eyebrow.
"As far as I'm concerned, control sucks."
"All done with the slow motion fighting?" Gunn asked, as they made their way up from the basement.
"Yep. Angel is determined to hook me on that Tai chi stuff," Cordy replied, with a grimace. "Me, I'm sticking with Tai tea." She slid a look at the vampire currently buttoning up his black shirt.
Mind you, it does have a few..fringe benefits. Like how he fights with his shirt off..
Gunn smiled. "You and me both. Me, I like some action. We've been down a lot since the last vision."
"If you're asking for another one, please don't," the ex-cheerleader said, with a cocked eyebrow. "Believe me, life going slow is far better than the soap opera life has been like for the past year. And not in a good, me- starring-opposite-Matt-le-Blanc-way, either."
The 'phone ringing made the three jump.
"You were saying?" Angel asked, with a small smile.
Fred came out of the office, rolled her eyes, and picked up the phone.
"Angel investigations." She listened a moment, then obviously repeated something, so they could understand the conversation.
"Kellagh demons? In the basement? How do you know they're Kellagh?" A moment passed, then faintly, with a sickened expression, "Ew. No, I understand, Mrs Daniels. Okay. We'll get rid of them. I'll get hold of some of our team, and send 'em right over. Goodbye!"
She turned to the crew.
"Mrs Daniels, remember, the tiny scratching sound we said was mice? Turns out they're Kellagh demons. Don't ask. They're definitely Kellagh," Fred mumbled, as she walked away, still looking pale.
Cordelia looked at Angel, who shrugged.
"Guess we have a case," he stated.
"Vision free and all," Cordelia added.
"So, who gets to kill stuff?" Gunn asked brightly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"You have the object?" she demanded. He handed it over. She smirked.
"Good. Nice to know there are still some honest people in the world," she said, with heavy irony.
"Nice to do business with you," he answered, bowing slightly, before disappearing. Quickly, she ripped off the paper, to reveal a large, cloudy globe. She turned, holding it tightly, and strode off quickly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
'Connor,
We've gone off to sort out a problem with a client. Don't know when we're back. If you can please pick Jane up from school, then hang around back at the hotel, we'll be home as soon as possible, but supposedly, these demon-y things are big bads in the fighting department. Would have woken you.but you were out. See you later,
Cordy'
The teenager pulled the note off the fridge, and studied it a second, before crumpling it, and tossing it into the trash.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Jane sat on the corner of the steps, hugging her knees, her chin resting on top of her folded arms as she waited patiently. Cordy had promised she'd come and pick her up at exactly four. It was now, according to the big clock on the front of the school, half past four, and she was getting bored.
"Hey," a voice muttered. She looked up.
"Connor?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
He looked around, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to prickle. Small senses sparking that something was following them.
"Jane?" he looked down. Trustingly, the child met his eyes.
"Connor?"
He glanced back a moment. They were about fifteen minutes from the hotel, and five from Caritas, two when running. Something non-vampiric was definitely behind them, and Cordelia would *kill* him if anything happened to Jane.
Without another thought, he hustled the small girl towards the demon bar, hoping to God it was shut until the evening, and he could get hold of Lorne.
* ~ * ~ * ~
"What in the name of Shelly Basset..?" Lorne demanded, as Connor tugged the little girl down the steps into the club.
"Demon. Following us. The hotel is too far away," Connor explained. He cast a quick look around. A few demons were scattered around the room, playing cards, smoking, and flipping through the music cds, in preparation for that evening. He shrugged.
"I've got to go, Lorne. Keep an eye on her."
"But." Lorne tried, as Connor sped up the stairs, and out. He glanced at the girl fearfully. She squirmed.
"Excuse me, but do you have a bathroom?"
'Of course," he replied, dazedly, as he led her towards the little Supremes room. A little less on the 'girls' room. Some of his customers were definitely not 'girls', in any sense.
"Can you pass me the green crayon?" Lorne handed it over, sipping his drink.
"What're you drawing, munchkin?" he asked. She lifted it up, showing a nice big picture of a house, and a little girl outside with two stick figure people either side.
"That's me, and that's the hotel, and that's Angel, and that's Cordy," she pointed. He looked, amused.
"Where's me?" he asked, swirling the drink in his left hand.
"That's why I needed the green crayon," she explained. He looked at her, bemused. It was very strange. No consternation at all at the demonic side of him, the very obvious demon side of him.
"Aww, shit! That's cheating!" a Chriago demon in the corner complained loudly. Lorne was as surprised as any of the others when Jane stood up, and turned around to order imperiously that he not cuss. As she sat down with a bump, he caught sight of Cordelia and Angel, in the doorway.
"Ah. Cavalry has arrived," he said, crossing to them.
A/N:
REVIEW!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So, school, huh?"
Jane nodded mutely, her hands clasped in her lap, head bowed over them, long fair hair forming curtains either side. Gunn looked her over again, thoughtfully.
"You know, I had a sister once," he told her. She looked up, her big brown eyes meeting his.
"Really? Where is she?"
"She went to Heaven," he replied, a lump in his throat at the thought of Alanna. She nodded, going back to staring at her fingers again.
"Like my family," she said softly.
"Yeah. Alanna was a few years younger than me, I always kept an eye out for her, y'know? I remember the day she started school, when our parents were still around. She was so scared I hought her eyes were gonna pop out of her head," he chuckled. The attention of the eight year old was aroused, and she lifted her head to tell him matter-of-factly,
"Eyes don't pop out of heads, Gunn."
"I'm serious! I swear it, first ever eyes-popping-out-incident in the entire world," he replied, with a straight face. She looked curious.
"Really?"
"Really," he answered. "But the point is, she came back from school that afternoon, with a grin all over her face, because school ain't a bad thing, you know. It's fun, she'd had other kids to play with, and cool teachers, and school is a good place to be. You need to learn lots before you can be a grown-up, and school is where you learn it."
"Connor doesn't have to go to school," she reasoned. Gunn grinned.
"That's cuz Connor gets up way too late to go to school. Angel would have to use garlic or somethin' to get him out of bed. And Connor's as moody as any other teenager when you wake him up. Believe me, every day? Not a good thing to do. Safer to keep him out of school."
"But what about the learning?" Jane persisted, looking right into his eyes, trapping him in his little speech. "Connor can't learn how to be a grown- up."
"Well," Gunn considered it, "Connor's special. He's not a normal little boy ,he's a big, different boy, and he's been away a lot, so he doesn't have to go to school. Plus, he's already learnt how to be a grown-up. "
"Okay," she sighed, as if a world of prejudice had just lain itself on her shoulders, and he laughed.
"C'mon munchkin, let's find Cordy."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"She's been with us two weeks," Angel argued. "Why should we send her to school so soon?"
"She's eight years old! She needs to be in school, that's what eight year olds do!" Cordelia protested, then halted, as Gunn walked in, holding Jane's hand.
"Heya sweetie. Ready to go to Saint Catherine's?"
Silently, Jane gave the tiniest of nods. Deflated, Cordelia sighed.
"Guess you're not talking today," she muttered. Some days, Jane was as normal a kid as the next, the others, she barely spoke, or was even silent. "There's a uniform upstairs. Mother Francesca asked me to get it for you before today, so you're ready to go. Go get dressed, and I'll put out some breakfast."
Jane scampered away, as Cordelia raked her hands through her hair.
"It needs to happen," she informed Angel. "She's not Connor. She needs to go to school."
Angel growled something, but strode away, giving up the argument.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The nun looked up, and smiled at the sweet sight. A small girl, about four foot high, was walking towards the school hand in hand with a tall, beautiful dark haired woman. The little one's blue and green kilt hung neatly to the tops of her long white socks, and the navy blue cardigan was fitted nicely over her white shirt. Her long fair hair was neatly braided into two, hanging either side of the small, expressive, pointed little face, where two brown eyes gazed out, as she got closer to the door.
"Good morning," the nun greeted cheerfully. "My name is Sister Margaret. May I take your name?"
"Hi, I'm Ms Chase, and this is Jane Ashborough, here to join grade four? I spoke to Mother Francesca on the phone," the woman explained.
"Right this way, Ms Chase. We'll take Jane right off to her class, and show her around. If you wait here, Mother Francesca will be right with you," she directed, taking the little girl's hand. Strange, it was, that the little girl's name was different to that of her parent, or guardian. Possibly an aunt, Margaret mused, as she led Jane up the stairs to grade four.
"Good morning, class," Sister Margaret said solemnly. Fifteen pairs of eyes looked towards her.
"Good morning, Sister Margaret," they sing-songed back.
"This is Jane, who's new to our school. I want a volunteer to be nice to her, show her around today, please," the nun asked. The Sister taking the class smiled.
"Emily is a good student, and a nice, friendly little girl. Jane, if you go and sit beside Emily," she said gently. The brunette little girl, Emily, indicated the spare seat.
"Right. Back to fractions. Who can tell me what 1/2 of twelve is?"
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Please, please, we have to be there soon," Jess groaned, sinking down in the booth of the small café.
"I told you Jess, we'll get there soon. The hotel is in L.A. We're almost there. But you said you were hungry, remember? So I stopped, to use what little money we have, on feeding your stomach," Starr snapped.
"Jess didn't mean it," Gabby said quietly. Starr sighed.
"Guys, I'm just as tired, and worried, and hungry as you. I just.I need to think, okay?"
"Okay," Faye echoed, softly. Starr smiled at her.
"How you holding up, sweetie?" Jess and Gabby exchanged looks.
"I'm okay," Faye replied.
"Good. Right. Let's order!" Starr said, a cheerful note back in her voice.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So, as it comes at you, block the main attack, but don't be too confident. Whatever's coming, he's not going to stop at the first attack. Be prepared," Angel instructed, swooping the sword in an arc towards her. Gleaming metal met metal, and a clang rang out as the two weapons clashed.
"Good! Now, curve downwards, and-" he continued, and as he stepped back to counter the lunge, met her eyes, and gave an answering smile to the grin on her face.
"Very good," he repeated, softly, putting down the sword. Cordelia hung her own on the rack, and untied her hair, with a sigh of release. She shook out her shoulders loosely.
"I knew those things were heavy, but why'd we have to move so slow?" she complained. She gave a smirk. "I could kick your butt if I could move fast." He smiled.
"But the challenge is in the control."
She raised an eyebrow.
"As far as I'm concerned, control sucks."
"All done with the slow motion fighting?" Gunn asked, as they made their way up from the basement.
"Yep. Angel is determined to hook me on that Tai chi stuff," Cordy replied, with a grimace. "Me, I'm sticking with Tai tea." She slid a look at the vampire currently buttoning up his black shirt.
Mind you, it does have a few..fringe benefits. Like how he fights with his shirt off..
Gunn smiled. "You and me both. Me, I like some action. We've been down a lot since the last vision."
"If you're asking for another one, please don't," the ex-cheerleader said, with a cocked eyebrow. "Believe me, life going slow is far better than the soap opera life has been like for the past year. And not in a good, me- starring-opposite-Matt-le-Blanc-way, either."
The 'phone ringing made the three jump.
"You were saying?" Angel asked, with a small smile.
Fred came out of the office, rolled her eyes, and picked up the phone.
"Angel investigations." She listened a moment, then obviously repeated something, so they could understand the conversation.
"Kellagh demons? In the basement? How do you know they're Kellagh?" A moment passed, then faintly, with a sickened expression, "Ew. No, I understand, Mrs Daniels. Okay. We'll get rid of them. I'll get hold of some of our team, and send 'em right over. Goodbye!"
She turned to the crew.
"Mrs Daniels, remember, the tiny scratching sound we said was mice? Turns out they're Kellagh demons. Don't ask. They're definitely Kellagh," Fred mumbled, as she walked away, still looking pale.
Cordelia looked at Angel, who shrugged.
"Guess we have a case," he stated.
"Vision free and all," Cordelia added.
"So, who gets to kill stuff?" Gunn asked brightly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"You have the object?" she demanded. He handed it over. She smirked.
"Good. Nice to know there are still some honest people in the world," she said, with heavy irony.
"Nice to do business with you," he answered, bowing slightly, before disappearing. Quickly, she ripped off the paper, to reveal a large, cloudy globe. She turned, holding it tightly, and strode off quickly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
'Connor,
We've gone off to sort out a problem with a client. Don't know when we're back. If you can please pick Jane up from school, then hang around back at the hotel, we'll be home as soon as possible, but supposedly, these demon-y things are big bads in the fighting department. Would have woken you.but you were out. See you later,
Cordy'
The teenager pulled the note off the fridge, and studied it a second, before crumpling it, and tossing it into the trash.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Jane sat on the corner of the steps, hugging her knees, her chin resting on top of her folded arms as she waited patiently. Cordy had promised she'd come and pick her up at exactly four. It was now, according to the big clock on the front of the school, half past four, and she was getting bored.
"Hey," a voice muttered. She looked up.
"Connor?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
He looked around, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to prickle. Small senses sparking that something was following them.
"Jane?" he looked down. Trustingly, the child met his eyes.
"Connor?"
He glanced back a moment. They were about fifteen minutes from the hotel, and five from Caritas, two when running. Something non-vampiric was definitely behind them, and Cordelia would *kill* him if anything happened to Jane.
Without another thought, he hustled the small girl towards the demon bar, hoping to God it was shut until the evening, and he could get hold of Lorne.
* ~ * ~ * ~
"What in the name of Shelly Basset..?" Lorne demanded, as Connor tugged the little girl down the steps into the club.
"Demon. Following us. The hotel is too far away," Connor explained. He cast a quick look around. A few demons were scattered around the room, playing cards, smoking, and flipping through the music cds, in preparation for that evening. He shrugged.
"I've got to go, Lorne. Keep an eye on her."
"But." Lorne tried, as Connor sped up the stairs, and out. He glanced at the girl fearfully. She squirmed.
"Excuse me, but do you have a bathroom?"
'Of course," he replied, dazedly, as he led her towards the little Supremes room. A little less on the 'girls' room. Some of his customers were definitely not 'girls', in any sense.
"Can you pass me the green crayon?" Lorne handed it over, sipping his drink.
"What're you drawing, munchkin?" he asked. She lifted it up, showing a nice big picture of a house, and a little girl outside with two stick figure people either side.
"That's me, and that's the hotel, and that's Angel, and that's Cordy," she pointed. He looked, amused.
"Where's me?" he asked, swirling the drink in his left hand.
"That's why I needed the green crayon," she explained. He looked at her, bemused. It was very strange. No consternation at all at the demonic side of him, the very obvious demon side of him.
"Aww, shit! That's cheating!" a Chriago demon in the corner complained loudly. Lorne was as surprised as any of the others when Jane stood up, and turned around to order imperiously that he not cuss. As she sat down with a bump, he caught sight of Cordelia and Angel, in the doorway.
"Ah. Cavalry has arrived," he said, crossing to them.
A/N:
REVIEW!