Chapter Six

Colleen and Laurence returned to find Spike cursing his luck, and Illyria looking rather smug.

"I thought you said you'd never played cards before?" Spike said suspiciously.

"I have not. The concept though is very simplistic. The lowly beings of this world could only have devised such a game." She lay down the last card. "You have been successfully conquered half-breed." She sat back on the couch with a patronizing grin.

"Bloody hell, Blue!" Spike cursed, and threw the cards onto the table. He sat back in his chair with a giant scowl.

"I see you both have been keeping busy," Colleen said with an admonishing look at Spike. Laurence grinned behind his bags, and walked briskly into the kitchen. Colleen followed, "Oh and Spike? Language."

Spike looked momentarily chastised, then seeing Illyria's smile widen, his scowl deepened. "Watch it, Blue," he growled.

Layla awoke slowly. She felt very odd. Her perceptions were all blurry and disjointed. She wondered if she should call for help, but slowly the foggy feeling lifted and the room became clearer. 'Is this waking up?' she thought to herself. She wasn't sure she liked it. Slowly she crawled out of the bed, and made her way into the hallway. She could hear Spike and Illyria arguing about something, and shook her head. Then wished she hadn't, and grabbed the wall to steady herself. The room spun around and wouldn't stay still, no matter how much she prayed it would.

"Are you ok?" Connor asked, coming out of his room.

"I feel a bit...dizzy," Layla replied. "I do not think I have fully come out of a sleeping state yet."

She looked at the boy. He looked older than he did yesterday, as if saddled with a heavy burden, or perhaps a clarity he did not have before. However, at her words the heaviness lifted for a moment, and he smiled.

"You mean you haven't woken up fully yet."

"Yes, I believe that's what I meant," she agreed.

Connor took her arm, and held her up till the last of the fog lifted from her mind. She smiled at him in gratitude. "I hope I get used to this," she said sheepishly. "I can't imagine having to go through that every morning. It's not pleasant."

Connor nodded. "It will. So you're not from around here then?" Layla shook her head. "I kinda thought so," he said. "Can you manage now?" She nodded, and he gestured down the stairs. "Mom and Dad are probably waiting for us." He looked rather reluctant to go down the stairs. She squeezed his hand in support, and walked down to join the others.

Spike had been thinking of something very clever to knock that smile off Illyria's face with little success, when he saw Layla come down the stairs. His scowl softened, and wondered how anyone could look less like they just rolled out of bed. "How'd you sleep?" was all he said.

"Fine, I think," she said taking a seat next to Illyria on the couch. "I'm not sure really...I've never done it before." She yawned, the looked at bit horrified. "What was that?"

"You yawned, Pet. Don't worry; everyone does it after they've slept as long as you."

Layla did not look convinced, but decided to change the subject to something a little less personal. "So what were the two of you arguing about?"

Spike scowled again.

Connor was sitting in his room when there was a knock on his door, followed by a dark, bald head.

"S'up?" Connor asked. Gunn looked around the bedroom.

"Nothing. Just got up, and came to see how you were doing after last night." He walked over to a chair by Connor's computer, and sat down. "You ok? Cuz you look like you've been hit by a Mac truck."

Connor smiled a little, at Gunn's comment. "No...and yes. I've been doing a lot of thinking...about my life, or should I say lives?" He got up, and started pacing. "Ever since I found out about what really happened, it's been like I've been living two lives. By day this life, the college student who gets good grades, has a family that loves him, and is...normal. But at night, I have found myself going out...hunting." He took a deep breath, and looked solemnly at Gunn, as the other man's eyebrow went up. "When I went out, it was like something caged inside of me was being let loose." He started pacing again. "I thought I was going crazy. Then all this happened, and oddly for once I feel like I'm not losing it. If those nut jobs did anything, they showed me I couldn't keep hiding with my head in the sand anymore. I know who I am now, and they were right...no one else can protect me, but maybe I can protect others from people like them."

"So, what are you saying?" Gunn asked a bit taken back. Was this the same kid they ran into two days ago? The young man before him was no kid anymore, and Gunn saw Angel's fierce determination in his eyes. 'He's his father's son,' he thought. 'Angel would be real proud.'

Connor stopped, and looked at him again, his face set. "I want to come with you. I finally understand what my father was always trying to tell me. I can't sit on the sidelines anymore. I have to do this. I need to do this."

Gunn could feel the young man's sincerity and the force of his will. He couldn't say he was wrong in his decision either.

He got up, and took Connor's hand. "Welcome to the team."