CHAPTER 11

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

Author's Note: Two more chapters left!! Then I'll be posting the little that I have already wrote for the third and final part in this trilogy! Hope you guys are enjoying this! But PLEASE!! E-mail me and let me know what you think about including the Cordy/Connor thing next part! I gotta decide soon!!

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.

In Holtz's hotel room on the other side of town, he finished up a letter for Connor, knowing he would never see him again after that night. Just then, Holtz looked up as he sensed Angel's presence before he barge in with Buffy following behind him.

"I knew the two of you would show up here sooner or later," Holtz said as he stood up. Angel growled as he ran over to him and slammed him against the wall with his hand wrapped around his neck.

"I should kill you for what you did!" Angel snarled as he tightened his grip on Holtz's neck. Buffy remained behind Angel.

"You should be lucky I kept him alive!" Holtz shot back. "Unlike you, I kept your son alive; I raised him as if he was my own. You killed my child, brutally, and left him for me to find!" he reminded Angel.

"That wasn't me, that was Angelus," he tried to tell him as he loosened his grip on Holtz's neck.

"It doesn't matter. It was still your face that my son saw last; before you killed him!" Holtz told him angrily. Angel then feels remorseful for what Angelus had done to Holtz back then. Although it wasn't Angel who committed that brutal murder, as well as many others, he still carried the memories; he always would.

"I'm different now," Angel told him truthfully.

"So was I," Holtz told him.

"You want me to say I'm sorry? I could; but it wouldn't mean anything to you. It won't take anything back," Angle said.

"I'd mean a little," Holtz said surprising him. "Not a much, but…a little."

"Then I'm sorry," Angle said honestly. "for what little that means to you. That's all I have." Holtz shook his head as he slowly walked around the room.

"Not all. The both of you will have a son now," he told them. Buffy remained on alert, in case Holtz was tricking them somehow. Holtz carefully sat down on the small twin bed that he had been using. Years living in a hell dimension had taken toll on him; he was now a weak old man.

"Why are you doing this?" Bufy asked confused as she walked over to him, not quite getting what Holtz was saying. Angel was sitting beside him in the bed.

"Look at me. An aged man like myself can no longer offer anything to a young man like your son," Holtz told him. Angel and Buffy both looked at him confused.

"I don't-" Angel began.

"I now realize it was his fate to be with his real father; you," He explained. He looked over at Buffy. "And his mother." Holtz chuckled bitterly.

"I want you to take Connor; to give him a purpose," he explained.

"Why would you give him back to me? You stole him from Buffy and I," Angel reminded him.

"Like I said; I'm getting old. You on the other hand, will never age." he explained. "I no longer have taste for vengeance against you," he told him. The two mortal enemies then felt closure for the first time in over a hundred years. Holtz stood up from the bed and walked over to the table and handed Angel an envelope that contained a letter for Connor he had written.

"All I ask is that you give him this," he told Angel. "The envelop is not sealed; figured you may want to read through it; it's alright." Angel looked back down at the letters in his hands. "I love my son. This is the only way I know he'll be able to move on." He sat down in a chair at the small table. "He won't accept this at first," he warned. "He'll go on and try to find me. But he won't," he explained. "Take good care of him," he asked. Angel nodded before the two walked out of the small hotel room.

* * *

As Angel and Buffy left Holtz's hotel room, Angel felt a since of closure. He had finally come to terms with his long time enemy. He then looked over at Buffy and smiled as she reached for his hand and smiled back. Angel and Buffy both sat down on a bench on the beach. Angel held up the letter that Holtz had given him.

"Should I open it?" Angel asked her. She looked at it for a second.

"Yeah," she said. Angel looked down at the letter before opening it. He positioned the letter so that Buffy could read it before he began to read the letter out loud.

"Your destiny lies with Angel I know that now," Angel said finishing the letter. He looked up and smiled at Buffy as he realized their son could now truly return to them.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Angel and Buffy both come back with a happy expression on their faces as they walk through the door; Angel with the letter in his hand. Fred and Gunn quickly ran into the room with worried faces.

"Did you find him?" Gunn asked quickly. Angel nodded.

"Yeah, we found him," Buffy assured him.

"Then where is he?" Fred asked. Both Buffy and Angel looked at Fred confused.

"Holtz? I'm assuming he's back in his room," Buffy told them.

"Were not talking about Holtz, were talking about Connor," Gunn told them.

"What do you mean, I thought he was with you," Angel said worriedly as he walked over to Gunn.

"He was until he suddenly got an itch and took off running after we brought him to the beach. I thought you'd find him, talk to him, and bring him back with you,"

"We have to go back out there and get him," Buffy said quickly.

"No need," A voice said from behind them. Both Buffy and Angel whipped around at the sound of Connor's voice.

"Connor, where were you, we were worried," Fred asked as Connor walked over towards them.

"Yeah, cause in case you forgot, you ran from us at the beach," Gunn reminded him. Connor looked at Buffy and Angel.

"I know you two went to go see Holtz," Connor told them.

"Connor I-" Angel began.

"He's gone now so you don't have to worry about him," Connor told them.

"But how-" Buffy began.

"Don't worry about it, I said he's gone," Connor told them. Angel looked at Buffy then back towards Connor.

"Uh Connor, Holtz wanted me to give you something," Angel said as he handed Connor the letter.

"He said my place is here now. With you," Connor told him. Angel nodded.

"Come on, let's get your room set up," Angel suggested.

A few hours later, Angel had a room cleared out, and was making a list of the things he wanted to add to the room. Thankfully, the necessities for a bedroom were in there, so Connor could sleep in there for the night. I have my son back! Angel thought for the millionth time as he looked around the empty room that his son would soon be occupying. He thanked every higher power possible that he was given this second chance….