CHAPTER 9

Historical Note: This Trilogy takes place in the fifth season of Buffy, and the third season of Angel.

Author's Note: Alright, well, for those of you who have been keeping up with this story, you may notice that I've made a few changes. If you're just reading this, don't worry about it. You see, I just saw the episode on the episode 'benediction' on Angel; So I wanted to change a few dialogue parts on this part. Nothing big tho, just giving you a heads up!

By now in the show, Dawn has joined the Summers' family, but the arrival of Glory will be postponed due to my stories perspective; which is about Buffy, Angel, and Connor.

Also, you'll notice that some of the plots from both of the shows later episodes are happening sooner since I've altered a lot of both shows story lines.

Angel and Connor finally arrived at a crowded nightclub with raging techno music filling the building, armed with stakes, and ready to spring into action. Angel looked over at Connor and noticed he wasn't armed with any weapons. He carefully pulled out an extra stake from his coat and handed it to him as they walk through the dancing crowd.

"Wait until you see their game face before staking them," Angel told him as they continued to look for the gang of vampires Cordelia saw in her vision.

"Why do you kill those like you?" Connor asked suddenly. Angel stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"To make amends," he answers simply. By the look on Connor's face, he didn't seem to understand.

"Long story." he explained as he continued to look through the group of people. He looked over at the bartender and watched as the bartender all of a sudden morphed into one of a vampire.

"Did you see-" Connor began, surprised as he saw the change as well. Angel nodded.

"Yeah, let's go," he said as he picked up his pace and walked over to the bartender. Connor followed, copying Angel's moves as they beat down the bar tender. Then suddenly the group of vampires they were looking for to begin with walked over to them.

"Looks like we found that group of vamps we were looking for," Connor told Angel who was busy staking the bartender.

"Oh…good," Angel said sarcastically as he spun around and began to attack the group alongside Connor. By now, half the club were watching the two of them as they staked the vampires one by one. As he fought along side Connor, he couldn't help but notice how good his son's moves were. He then realized that by how good Connor's moves were that he'd been practicing for a while. A few minutes later, the two of them ended up chasing the vampires into a back alley where Connor quickly dusts one. Angel smiled at Connor as he witnessed his first dusting. It took only a few more minutes before the last vampire was dusted and they were done.

"Well, that was fun," Connor said as he brushed the dust off of his worn clothes.

"You were great back there," Angel told him truthfully.

"Thanks," Connor said. The two went silent for a moment as they continued to walk down the alley.

"So…my mothers thee Vampire Slayer?" Connor asked remembering Holtz had told him about his real parents.

"Yeah, she is," Angel said.

"And you're a vampire. How'd you two swing that?" Connor asked curiously. Angel laughed.

"It's a long story," Angel assured him. "I'll tell you about it sometime if you want."

"Do I have any little brothers or sisters?" he asked curiously.

"No, no you're our first child," he told him. "And how things are now, you're probably going to be our only child." he added. Connor looked at him.

"Why can't you guys have any more kids?" he asked.

"There are a lot of reason's why," he told him truthfully. "But I think that deep down, she wants another baby sometime in the future. A little girl to do all those girlie things with," he said. Connor laughed.

"She didn't get a chance to try to do those things with me, right?" he asked quickly Angel smiled.

"No, you were mine. Daddy's boy," he explained. "I mean, you loved us both, you just liked it better when I was in the room with you," he said.

"Cool." he said.

"Yeah, and one of your mother's friends, Xander, you really liked him too," he told him.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. Probably because he acted your age, but…." he trailed off.

"Why, you don't like him?" Connor asked.

"It's not that I hate him, but he just kinda bugs me," he said. "Plus it didn't help that he used to have a crush on your mom." he added. Connor looked at him in disbelief.

"No way. So did you have to like fight him or something?" he asked. Angel shook his head.

"No, unfortunately Buffy wouldn't let me," he explained. Connor nodded. Angel smiled with the idea he had just thought of.

"Why don't you show me a few of your moves?" he suggested.

"Alright," Connor said, surprised by Angel's suggestion. Angel handed him a stake. The two then began to play fight in the alley as Angel gave him pointers on how to fight. Both Angel and Connor smiled and laughed as they began to really bond for the first time.

Unbeknownst to them, Holtz watched in the dark shadows as his 'adopted' son smiled and played with his mortal enemy, but true father.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Angel sat in his room re-telling the night's events to Buffy with sheer pride in his voice.

"You should've seen his skills Buffy, the guys weren't kidding when they said he could fight," he told her.

"But he's alright?" she asked. Angel nodded.

"Angel, do you think he'll ever come back to us?" Buffy asked. "I mean, will we ever be a family again?"

"It'll take some time, but I think we can do it," he told her honestly. Buffy nodded.

"But what I can't figure out is why you didn't want to come along with us?" Angel asked. Buffy sighed.

"Angel, it's not that I didn't want to, I wanted to. It's just, I'm still trying to make since of all of this, its been hard," she explained.

"I know. It has," he agreed. He then reached over and pulled her into a hug.

* * *

Downstairs, Fred finally stumbled onto some information that could explain where Connor had grown up. She was about to go upstairs and tell Angel and Buffy when they both walked down the stairs.

"Oh, hi guys. I was just going to get you," Fred said as she stood up.

"Why what's wrong?" Buffy asked. Knowing the luck they've had during the past week, something bad was about to happen.

"Nothing's wrong; really. It's just, well, I think I've found something on hell dimensions, and I think I may know where Connor was," she told them as she handed them the book.

"My son grew up in Quor-toth? " Angel asked after reading what he had found.

"I think so, I mean, it's the closest hell dimension, and it would explain a lot," Fred told him.

"What is Quor-toth?" Buffy asked. Angel looked up at her.

"It's a brutal hell dimension from what I've heard and read. Like the one I was sent to," he told her. Buffy looked at him as she remembered sending him to hell. A shiver went up her spine as she thought of their child growing up in a place like that, and surviving.

"But Angel, when you came back you-" she began remembering how Angel had been when she ran into him in the woods after he came back. He had been like an animal, and she remembered how she could tell that he had been tortured.

"But I was in a different hell dimension. There are many dimensions, Buffy. He grew up in a different one; less brutal, but still," he explained.

"This is good, right?" Fred asked.

"Yes, yes it is. Thanks Fred," Angel said as he walked onto his office with the book. Buffy looked at Fred, then over to Angel's office.

* * *

Later that night, Lorne was getting ready to turn in for the night, getting a drink, when Connor walked in unexpectedly.

"Oh, hey there kiddo. You looking for your dad? I'll go up and get him," Lorne started up the stairs. He turned around when he realized Connor wasn't following. "Come on." Lorne started up the stairs once more.

"I'm not going anywhere with you; you're a demon," Connor said in an angry tone. Lorne stopped and turned back around.

"Alright, I'm going to ignore that since you grew up in a hell dimension," Lorne began. "But just remember it's uncle demon. I was changing your diapers no more then a few months ago." Connor continued to glare at him. All of a sudden, Cordelia walked into the room from hearing the commotion.

"Hey, hey, hey; What's going on in here? I was about to turn in for the night when I heard yelling," Cordelia said. She looked at Connor, who was still looking at Lorne angrily.

"Junior here comes into the hotel and thinks I'm a bad demon; which I'm not may I add," Lorne explained. Cordy looked at Connor.

"Come here," she said in a low voice as she motioned to the round couch in the lobby. "I know things may seem really bizarre here; it's understandable; but Lorne is a good demon," she said. "There are demons in this planet that are good. Look at me." Connor looked at her confused .

"I'm part demon," she explained. "I mean, I chose to be to help people. For a while, I wasn't able to handle the visions. I was then given a choice; my head blow out next time I get a vision, or…become half demon." Connor looked at her shocked.

"Well, also so that the back of my skull wouldn't-" Before she could finished, Connor quickly whipped his knife out and held it to Cordelia's throat.