CHAPTER 26
2 WEEKS LATER: SUMMERS/DELANEY HOUSE
"Damn it Connor you know your grounded." Angel says angrily trying to keep his temper as Connor ignores him.
Connor shrugs "I needed to get out for a while."
"Your grounded Connor."
"No shit." Connor pours himself a drink.
Angel clenches his fists "Do you always have to disobey me?"
"Nothing better to do." Connor smirks
Angel looks Connor over and sighs "You've been drinking."
"Yeah so." Connor shrugs
"Connor your 14."
"Oh well."
"Go to your room." Angel orders
"Don't tell me what to do!" Connor says angrily his temper rising.
"NOW!"
"Don't order me around!" Connor grinds out. "Your not my boss."
"No but I'm higher up on the food chain... I'm your Father."
Connor snorts "Father? You lost that title a long time ago... along with the right to boss me around!"
"I'm not bossing you around Connor. Hell I've even given you more leeway than most kids your age all in an attempt to make things somewhat civil between us. I'm trying my best here Connor and you really aren't making things any easier."
"Why should I make things easier for you? You took off and ignored the fact I existed."
"I didn't ignore the fact you existed... there's more to the story than you know Connor."
"That doesn't give you the right to be on my case all the time." Connor yells
"I am not on your case all the time. I just don't want you to screw up your life."
Connor looks at Angel anger blazing "I'm not you. I'm not going to make the same mistake you did and end up with a kid."
"I never said that Connor." Angel says quickly.
"It never had to be said... I was a mistake... no one ever denied it and I accepted it. The only reason I exist is because you couldn't keep your hormones under control."
"Connor"
"Don't all right." Connor sets the glass down. "Everyone would have been better off if I hadn't been born."
"That's not true" Angel protests
"Not true? My own grandparents want nothing to do with me. The woman who is considered my Mother only wants me around when she wants something. You even abandoned me! Face it Angel you all would have been better off if Darla had had an abortion." Connor opens the back door.
"Connor where are you going?"
"Out." Connor steps out into the rain and takes off in a run.
"Connor" Angel calls only to have the teen ignore him.
11PM: NOTTINGHAM HOUSE
"I'll get it." Emma calls as the doorbell rings. She stands walking to the foyer and opens the door to find Connor standing there soaked. "Connor?"
"I didn't know where else to go. He would have found me at Zan and Rath's." Connor says shivering.
"Come on in." As he enters she asks. "You OK?" She closes the door. "Your soaked."
"I've been walking around for a couple hours. Feels good after the fast two weeks of baking hot weather."
"Come on I'll get you a towel." She leads him to the back of the house. "You OK?" She asks as she steps into the laundry room and grabs a towel then returns to the kitchen tossing it to Connor.
"Thanks." Connor dries his hair and face then sits on the counter stool.
"Want to talk about it?"
Connor shrugs
"Want something to eat or drink?"
Connor shakes his head.
"Aren't you grounded?"
"Yeah."
Ian enters the kitchen and notices Connor sitting at the kitchen counter his clothes soaked. "Connor." He greets looking at Emma curiously.
Emma shrugs in response. "Can Connor crash here tonight?"
"As long as its all right with his Father." Ian answers
"We're not speaking." Connor says stiffly.
"Well I have to go out for a while so I will stop off at your house on my way back and let him know where you are." He looks Connor over "And get you some dry clothes. Emma why don't you take Connor up to one of the guest rooms and find him some dry clothes."
"Is Mom coming over?" Emma asks
"She's working the late shift. She won't be off until 6."
Emma nods "Where are you going?"
"I have to go pick something up at the house."
"Oh."
Ian drops a kiss to Emma's head. "I'll be back as soon as possible."
"OK." Emma looks at Connor "Come on."
WHILE LATER: SUMMERS/DELANEY HOUSE
Angel opens the front door to find Emma's father standing there. "Any chance you've seen my kid?" He asks worried.
Ian nods "He should up at the house a while ago. I told him he could stay the night but I wanted to make sure it was all right with you."
"Come on in." Angel invites. "How is he?" He asks as Ian enters the house.
"Seemed upset. Must have been out in the rain for a while."
"He snuck out this evening and showed up a couple hours later." Angel shrugs "Needless to say it ended in another fight."
"Connor is a good kid."
"He can be." Angel agrees "Then other times... he can be out of control." He sighs "My son is so damn stubborn."
"So is Emma." Ian says dryly. "Connor has been good for Emma." At Angel's expression Ian explains "My daughter needs people who challenge her. Connor challenges her in a way I've never seen. He gets her to laugh in a way I've never seen."
"She's actually managed to get him to do his homework every so often. I have no idea when my son last did his homework willingly."
SAME TIME: NOTTINGHAM HOUSE
"You OK?" Emma asks Connor as they settle at the kitchen table with hot chocolate.
Connor shrugs
"What happened?"
"Another fight." Connor answers not looking up. "Like always." He sighs "Sometimes I hate him." He admits
"Why?"
"He abandoned me then shows up expecting me to forgive him. I can't... I won't."
"Why?"
"He left me with him."
SUMMERS/DELANEY HOUSE
"I know Connor has the right to be angry with me. I've cut him a lot of slack over his behavior in hopes of working things out but" Angel shrugs "it hasn't worked. Punishments rarely work. I ground him he sneaks out. I add onto the grounding and he disappears for a few days. Take away his phone, his computer... he doesn't listen doesn't behave. Even threatened boarding school but I know he'd take off."
"My father would love for me to send Emma to boarding school. I can't do it. I spent a lot of time away from her when I was in the military and hated it. He doesn't get that I don't want to raise Emma like he raised me."
"Your Father didn't approve when you decided to raise her huh?"
"God no. It was a big fight but no matter what he said I wouldn't change my mind. I wanted to raise her but to get him to agree I had to give him custody."
"My Father went to court and managed to get custody of Connor while I was getting settled in California until I could come back and get him. When I did I learned Dad had filed for custody and a restraining order preventing me from having any contact with Connor."
"How'd you deal?"
"I couldn't fight it until I was well into my job and had a somewhat stable life. I started the fight then Buffy's Mom died and I had to put it on hold then Mom and Dad died. After that the restraining order was null and void so I was able to get custody back." Angel rubs his forehead "Now I get Connor telling me I screwed up 14 years ago instead of my Father."
"I get that in six languages." Ian says dryly.
"How do you manage to work for him?"
"Its all I know. He started training me for this when I was a child." Ian shrugs "Besides my brief time as a normal teenager with Sara and her sister I've had a.... sheltered life." Ian admits. "He started all his plans for me when I was a child and he wasn't going to let anything derail them... not even my own child."
"Must have been hard."
"It was but... I was able to keep her. It was hard to be away from her when I finishing my training but I was still able to see her every so often."
Angel nods "When I first left I called every day. But after the restraining order... I wasn't able to talk to him or see him."
"Does Connor know what your Father did?"
"No. We don't really talk... at least not without getting into a fight."
"I had turned 17 a few months before when Emma was born. I didn't even know about her until she was 2 weeks old and my Father showed up unannounced."
"My parents were furious when they found out Darla was pregnant. Guess things have changed a lot since then. A 15 year old with a kid isn't that much of a surprise."
MEANWHILE: NOTTINGHAM HOUSE
//FLASHBACK//
"Why do you hate him?"
"Do you know what its like to live with a man who constantly yells at you? Calls you a bastard. Tells you that your parents hate you?" Connor looks away blinking back tears. "He left me there with him. I remember when he would call and I would beg him to come get me. He said he would and one day he came back."
//Four year old Connor grins seeing the man enter the house. "Daddy" he abandons his toys and jumps up running to the figure.
Angel kneels catching the boy. "Hey there's my boy." He hugs Connor then pulls back looking his son over. "Look at you... you've grown."
"Nu uh"
"Yes huh." Angel returns smiling he looks up. "Hi Mom." He stands with Connor in his arms.
"Angel." Mary Delaney smiles hugging her son.
"Daddy's home Granma." Connor says happily.
"I see that."
"Daddy are you going away again?" Connor asks scared.
Angel looks at the boy and smiles "Not without you." He looks at his Mom. "I have to take him Mom. I can't leave him with Dad."
"Angel"
"Please Mom" Angel pleads
"Angel your still a child yourself. How can you take care of a child, go to school, and work?"
"Schools paid for. I have an apartment and a roommate who is fine with Connor living there. Connor can be enrolled at the schools daycare program. I've already spoken to them about it. My job pays well." He looks at Connor "He's my son Mom... I miss him."
"Granma I wanna go with Daddy." Connor chimes in.
Mary sighs "All right. We better get you packed up and out of here. Your Father will be home at 6:30."//
"We were almost out the door when my Grandfather came home. He was furious when he saw my Dad." Connor says sadly.
//Angel zips up Connor's jacket just as the front door opens and he looks up to see his Father enter the house.
Thomas Delaney's eyes narrow when he sees his son. "What are you doing?" He demands.
"I came to get my son." Angel answers standing.
"You're not taking him anywhere." Thomas says quickly. "Connor go up to your room." He orders only to have Connor inch behind Angel. "NOW!"//
"I went up to my room and I could hear them screaming at each other." Connor clenches his fists "Finally Angel came upstairs."
//Connor is sitting on his bed holding his bear tight when the door opens and his Dad enters. "Daddy are we going away now?" He asks hopefully.
Angel sits on the bed lifting Connor onto his lap. "No my boy we aren't."
"Are you staying here with me now?"
"No buddy."
Connor frowns seeing the tears in his Dad's eyes. "Daddy why are you crying?"
"Granpa made it so Daddy can't take you away from here."
"I don't want to stay here. I want to go with you."
"I know buddy."
"Don't go Daddy."
"I have too."
"No" Connor sniffles.
"Granma and Kathy will take good care of you."
"I want to go with you." Connor hugs him tight.
"I know. I want to take you with me." Angel returns the hug.//
"He left and I didn't see him again until Granma and Granpa's funeral." Connor sighs "I hated him for leaving me... still do."
"Well don't you think its time to get over it? He's around now. Besides it could have been you'd never known him." Emma points out.
"I know."
"Connor maybe you need to tell Angel all of this."
"We aren't like you and your Dad... every time we talk we argue."
"Maybe you two should argue... without walking away."
"Maybe."
AFTER MIDNIGHT: NOTTINGHAM HOUSE
Ian quietly opens the guest room door and sets the backpack on the floor then closes the door. He makes his way to Emma's bedroom and quietly enters the room and makes his way to the bed where he sits and gazes at his sleeping child. 'My sweet girl.' He carefully brushes his knuckle down Emma's cheek then pulls the covers up. "Sleep well sweet Em." He says softly.
NEXT MORNING: SUMMERS/DELANEY HOUSE
Connor enters the kitchen where he finds Angel drinking coffee. "Where's Buffy?" He asks opening the refrigerator.
"She stayed the night at Willow and Tara's. She's spending the day with Willow and Xander. I wanted to talk to you."
"What makes you think I want to talk to you?" Connor snaps as he pours himself a glass of juice.
"Because we need to clear the air." Angel takes a final sip of his coffee and stands. "There's something I want to show you."
"What?"
"Just come on."
Connor sets his glass down and reluctantly follows Angel to the livingroom to see a photo album on the coffee table and a couple boxes nearby. "What is this?"
"Your life." Angel answers sitting on the couch. "Mom and Kathy sent me pictures every month. Mom had doubles made of your baby book and sent the original to me. You think I don't care about you? Not a day went by that I didn't think about you... worry about you."
Connor snorts "Yeah right. You left me twice! If you did care about me you wouldn't have left me in the first place." Connor argues
"I left in the first place so I could go ahead and get things settled before coming back to get you. I thought that once I had things settled Mom and Dad would have been fine with letting me take you."
"I'm your son and you just left me!"
"Connor" Angel pauses taking a deep breath "Do you remember anything about the night before I left?"
"A little." Connor admits
Angel nods his eyes going to his hands. "That night I told Mom and Dad that I had received a full scholarship to UCLA and that I was taking you with me. When Dad heard that he became furious. He said I couldn't take you with me... he wouldn't allow it. I had no job... no money... and he knew that."
"So you just left me." Connor says bitterly.
Angel ignores Connor and continues "A few months later I had saved enough money from my job to come back and get you. I thought that Dad and Mom would be more understanding and willing to let me take you once I had things settled in LA. I had a good job and a place to live and Doyle was my roommate. Doyle was fine with the idea of you living there. So I came back to New York."
Connor nods "I was playing when you came in. You said we were leaving but" he looks away "we never did. You left me again... and you didn't call, visit, or even come back."
"I couldn't"
"Couldn't or wouldn't? You were free from all responsibility to me. You no longer had to come home and deal with a kid."
"You think that was easy for me Connor? It wasn't. I was miserable."
"Oh come on you were free."
"I wasn't free Connor. I started drinking... heavily. It wasn't until I met Joyce the first time that I realized I was screwing my life up... that if I continued that path I may never get you back."
"Not like you wanted me." Connor says bitterly. "You just left me there with him!" He jumps up. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me? What he did to me?"
"Connor"
"You left me with him!" Connor yells grabbing a vase he throws it then starts shoving things off tables. "You abandoned me!"
Angel jumps up. "Connor stop it!"
"You were the only parent I had and you left me!" Connor leans against the wall and slowly sinks to the floor. "He was right... you didn't want to be my Dad anymore, that's why you left!"
"That's not true Connor." Angel says firmly as he kneels beside Connor. "Connor look at me." When Connor doesn't look at him Angel gently tilts Connor's head up by his chin. "I never stopped wanting to be your Dad. And what you said last night about being a mistake... I never say you as one. You are my son and I love you." Angel says fiercely. "I have loved you since the moment you were born. You are my boy." He tenderly brushes Connor's hair out of his eyes. "I hate that my father did all that he did to you. You have no idea how sorry I am for everything he ever did to you. If I could take it all back I would."
"How do I know you won't leave me again?" Connor asks pained.
"Never again... I swear."
"Why did you leave me?"
Angel sighs leaning against the wall. "All right." He takes a deep breath "When I came back to get you I found out Dad had convinced a judge to give him custody of you as well as a restraining order against me from having any contact with you."
"Granma would never have allowed that."
"Mom didn't know until that day. Dad had done it behind her back."
"Why? He didn't even like me?"
"He hated me."
"Why didn't you fight for me? If you loved me you wouldn't have left me with him."
"I was in college and broke. I couldn't afford the custody battle I knew would happen so I started saving up."
"You never did though."
"I did when you were almost 10. I finally had enough money and Joyce offered to help me. She talked a friend who was a lawyer here to take the case. We started the proceedings then Joyce became ill." Angel pauses "Within two months she was dead and I had to put the custody battle on hold and deal with the Gallery and Hank. About a month later Buffy and Dawn told me I had to go back to fighting to get you back... it was what Joyce wanted."
"Granma never told me that."
"I asked them not to tell you. I didn't want to get your hopes up." He pauses "I never stopped thinking about you Connor. Getting you back was the first thing I thought about every day. I know you might never forgive me for leaving..."
"I don't know if I can."
"That's fine but I would like to work things out and maybe one day things will be better."
"I'm not going to start being a goody two shoes."
"Don't expect that."
"Good." Angel looks at the mess "How about we get this stuff cleaned up before Buffy gets home?" He suggests
Connor looks around "Sorry about that. Sometimes I just lose my temper and don't realize what I'm doing. Probably why I'm always in detention for making remarks."
Angel chuckles "You definitely get that from your Mother." He stands "When she was pregnant Darla destroyed the crystal figurines her mother had given her every year since she was born."
Connor stands "I still can't believe you ever dated her... let alone slept with her."
Angel shrugs standing as well. "It happened... after all here you are." He ruffles Connor's hair.
"Hey watch the hair."
"You my boy need a hair cut." Angel teases
"Don't mess with the hair."
LATE EVENING: NOTTINGHAM HOUSE
"Dad what did you say to Angel last night?" Emma asks curiously.
"Not much. We just talked. Why?"
"That was Dawn... she just told me that Buffy said Connor and Angel spent the day together without killing, maiming, or destroying the house."
Ian shrugs "Maybe they were ready to talk."
"Yeah."
TBC...