(A/N): Never gonna write another chapter over 2000 words again. I don't
care if it's a little late for New Years' Resolutions but it took me this
long to come up with one. As far as I'm concerned I'm perfect and the rest
of the world has to change... And of course you love Becca now, Imzadi. Who
wouldn't for getting rid of Eve?
Chapter 6: A Champion Realized pt.3 Answers
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Come on, son. I signed you out."
The man Connor knew as his father smiled at him.
"One second, dad. I just gotta get these cards. Connor's father nodded.
"I'll be in the car when you're ready."
Connor nodded and went to work collecting the Get Well cards on his nightstand. It wasn't until he accidentally knocked it off the table that he saw the parchment wrapped with ribbon. He opened it and his breath caught when he saw it. There were two sketches. The first was on the upper left-hand corner of the paper. It was of a woman, with light hair and eyes that although she seemed young, spoke of years of wisdom and experience. She was smiling warmly and the name under it said "Darla" in cursive. The second drawing was in the lower right-hand corner of the page.
This woman had dark hair and eyes. She was a complete contrast to Darla but with a smile equally as warm. The name under it said "Cordelia" in the same elaborate cursive. Connor had a profound feeling that he knew these women but he was certain he had never met them before in his life. He was so engulfed by the portrait that he found himself lost in it, unable to tear his eyes away. After what seemed like an eternity, Connor finally folded the paper and put it in his wallet, walking out of his hospital room with the other cards forgotten.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"While I'm morally against corporal punishment against minors, is there any reason why I shouldn't put you over my knee?"
Angel crossed his arms and gave Becca his most stern look as Becca smirked.
"Not even one because while I probably couldn't generate perfect happiness I could definitely lay it on ya!"
Angel and Cordy wore identical expressions as both of their jaws dropped. The only sound in the office was Spike and Lindsey's chuckling, which could be heard even through the gag in the ex-lawyer's mouth. Becca and Lindsey sat in the chairs in front of Angel's desk with Lindsey bound and gagged. Angel and Cordy sat perched on Angel's desk, gapping at their new 'guest'. Witnessing Angel's unresponsive state, Spike cleared his throat and walked next to the older vampire.
"I don't think that propositioning a 300 year old vampire is the proper thing for a girl your age to be doing."
Angel and Becca formed twin indignant expressions.
"300 years old!?"
"Girl my age?!"
The two yelled simultaneously.
"Listen Dad, I'm not that damn young! I'm seven-friggin-teen! Hell, I'll be eighteen next month!"
Becca straightened the lapels of her leather coat jacket and lifted her chin regally. Spike narrowed his eyes and scoffed at her dig. Angel chose this time to get back on track of his original line of questioning.
"Becca, there are a whole lot of questions that need answering and with the whole 'You saving my mortal enemy' thing, my patience is pretty much at it's breaking point and what are you laughing at?"
Becca's silently chuckled relaxed into a grin.
"Sorry, it's just that this is the first time I've heard the term "mortal enemy" be so one-sided. I mean, you can't very well be Lindsey's "mortal enemy" because you're immortal, get it?..."
Becca's grin eased into an amused smirk.
"Just thought it was funny is all..."
Spike smiled despite himself, feeling Angel's confusion coming off of him in waves. Cordelia noticed Angel's current state too, and decided to take up the interrogation.
"Listen little missy, we wanna know who you are and how you knew what was happening! Now!"
Both of Becca's eyebrows shot up at the sternness in Becca's voice.
"All you had to do was ask Cordy." Cordelia narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know my name?"
"I know all of your names and a brief synopsis. My mentor gave me cheat sheets." Becca grinned cheekily but their was a traced of sadness in her eyes that only Angel missed.
"So this mentor of yours, he sent you here?" Angel asked.
Becca sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "In a sense..."
"Does he have a name? Angel pressed.
"It doesn't matter, he..."
"I beg to differ..." Angel countered.
"He's dead." Becca answered, gravely, The abrupt change in Becca's mood didn't go unnoticed by Angel this time. A fleeting look of pain entered her eyes causing all four adults to look at her with concern. Angel tried to apologize but she just muttered a quick "S'Okay" and waved it off. Angel noticed Lindsey looking at Becca.
"Did he...?" Angel asked tentatively.
"No." Becca chuckled. "If he did you wouldn't have needed to gag him. I woulda put my foot so far up his ass he'd be too busy choking on my boot to talk."
Lindsey eyes widened substantially as Spike and Cordelia laughed and Angel grinned.
"Ok. That's good to hear. Still doesn't explain why or how you saved him."
Becca sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her legs.
"You see, my mentor, who will be referred to as Yoda to protect his secret identity, gave Lindsey the tattoos in hopes that he would one day come here and help you fight evil. Ya know, take a step toward redemption. Unfortunately, when he heard about you taking over wolfram & Hart he went berserk and left." Becca chose this time to stop her explanation and smack Lindsey upside his head.
"The dope."
Lindsey rolled his eyes.
"Angel? Are you okay? We weren't sure if the spell worked...Oh hello." Fred greeted, not sure of what to make of the scene in front of her as she walked into the office. Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Harmony followed behind her but stooped-short when they saw Lindsey.
"Hello, I'm Becca!" The teen greeted brightly. "Hey Harmony."
"Hey Becca." Harmony smiled.
At Angel's question look, Becca told him just how she got Eve in her clutches.
"So which one of you removed Linds tats?" Becca asked.
Lindsey grimaced at Becca's old nickname for him, making Becca grin even wider as she leaned back into her seat to see the newcomers.
Wesley looked around, a bit shyly but answered. "Uh...yes. That would be me, Miss...?"
Becca held up her hand. "Just Becca Wesley. You are Wesley, right?"
Wesley frowned but nodded as he walked toward the young girl. Becca rose out of her chair and held out her hand to shake Wesley's hand.
Pleasure to meet you. Not everyday I meet someone who can wield a wand that well, ya know." Wesley look affronted then quickly looked away and Becca grinned at the innuendo she didn't even mean. She noticed Fred's slight frown and tried to make amends.
"Sorry. Didn't mean it the way it sounded." Becca looked at the others. "Hello Fred, Gunn. Hey Lorne! Is there anyway you can hook me up with Orlando Bloom's phone number?"
Lorne grinned. "Well aren't you charismatic. Have your people call mine."
"Excuse me!" Everyone turned to Angel. "We're smack dab in the middle of an interrogation here!"
Becca sighed and turned around to Lorne and mouthed "I'll call you" while using her hand to mime a phone. Lorne winked and nodded as he sat down with Harmony, Fred Wesley and Harmony.
"Thank you.' Angel huffed. "Now can you please get back to your story?"
Becca turned back to Angel and brushed imaginary lint off her lap.
"Oh yes, of course. Now where was I? Oh yeah! So, Lindsey left and about a month later Yoda and I were attacked. I tried to save him but he was hurt too bad. Before he died he told me that you guys needed my help here. So I packed u my life in a duffel bag and set my sights westward."
Angel listened intently, occasionally nodding, as his frown grew more and more pensive. Who was this guy who thought they needed help?
"Ok. So that explains why you're here but why did you save Lindsey? Did you come to help him?"
Becca inhaled. "That's where things get interesting, you see, while Yoda gave Lindsey those tattoos for protection from the senior partners, he also gave Lindsey a tattoo that can't even be removed by magic or your best plastic surgeon."
Becca looks at Lindsey lovingly.
"He's a rash bastard but he's not stupid enough to come running in here head first without a plan B." Becca ruffled Lindsey's hair playfully.
"The tattoo is supposedly something that would help you when he was finally ready to seek redemption." Becca glanced over at Lindsey with regret.
"Guess that backfired."
Angel's frown deepened. "How is one of his tattoos gonna help me?"
Becca shrugged. "I dunno, but we all saw that it wasn't on his chest so I'm not looking forward to that treasure hunt." Becca scrunched up her nose in disgust.
Angel got that same look that he did earlier when Becca's less-than- wholesome humor left him incapable of speaking. This time Spike pinched him.
"Ow! You tit!" Angel yelped.
Everyone but Spike and Cordelia gave Angel a strange look.
Angel cleared his throat. "Anyway, Becca, when you saved Lindsey your hands began to glow..."
Becca began to shift in her seat uncomfortably.
"Yea, that. Uh... you see, Yoda gave Lindsey the 'Quick N' Easy" method when he gave him the tats. Highly effective but not permanent. I was with him long enough to go though all twelve steps. My protection against the senior partners is permanent." Becca rubbed her tapped hands nervously, catching Angel's attention. The room was silent, no one was pleased with the prospect of having Lindsey around.
"Hey guys! Don't sulk. You saved the day! I'll handle Lindsey."
At that news, Angel blanched. "Oh no you're not. How do we now Lindsey won't get away from you?"
Becca opened her mouth to reply but Wesley intervened on her behalf.
"Angel, it does seem like the only solution. Becca is the only one who can cloak Lindsey's presence until we get the information we need."
Becca smiled at Wesley. "Exactly right, Wes. And while I'm sure you could eventually cook up some magic tats yourself, they wouldn't be as powerful as Yoda's."
Spike looked up, having been fixated on Becca's hands.
"I dunno about you guys but I'm going out to drown my woes in drinks. Any one wanna come?" After a majority of "Yeah's", "Sure's" and "What the Hell's", most of the guys left leaving Becca, Lindsey, Cordelia and Angel alone.
"Um... I'm kinda hungry. Do you have anything around here to eat?" Becca asked.
"Yeah." Cordelia answered. "There's a snack machine around here somewhere. I saw it earlier."
Becca smiled. "Great. Angel, Cordy. Come, walk with me."
Angel guided Becca to the snack machine. Becca looked it up and down, taking in to account the different varieties but blanched at what she saw.
"There are demon snack foods?! Oh I gotta see this!"
Becca hurriedly pressed the buttons and fed the machine some money. She got a Snickers bar for herself and something called Bassinets. It looked exactly like Raisinets except for the title. Becca peered closely...
"Ahhh! It's little bits of babies!!!" Becca screamed as she threw the box in the air and wiped her hands on her jacket. Cordelia's and Angel's mouths dropped and while Angel bent down to see if it were some sort of mistake; Cordelia kicked him in his side.
"Ow!" Angel yelped as he stood. "No! Look, Cordy! It says ARTIFICIAL baby parts! ARTIFICIAL!"
Becca closed her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever." She unwrapped her Snickers and bit into it, putting the rest away for a later time, sensing a sullen conversation coming on.
"Look, Angel. Whatever Lindsey has is muy importante and shouldn't be taken lightly."
Angel sighed. "Well Becca, you're not giving me much to go on. You won't even tell me your mentor's name."
Becca raised her hands in a peaceful gesture. "Easy Obi Wan. All will be clear to you in due time. But you'll have to work with? Lindsey..." Angel scoffed and began to walk toward his office and away from Becca, but she walked after him.
"Angel, please listen. Ya know, Lindsey isn't that different from Connor." Becca regretted the words the moment they came out of her mouth but knew it would get Angel's attention. Angel whirled around and grabbed Becca by the arm, twisting it painfully as he spoke menacingly.
"Don't you ever compare my son to Lindsey. The fact that you know about Connor isn't really putting ou on my Most Trusted list."
Becca wrenched her arm out of Angel's grasp, rubbing it.
"I'm sorry but both were just as torn up inside and both blamed you for it. But my boss saw the makings of a hero in Lindsey... Just like he saw it on you..."
Angel frowned, trying to decipher Becca's cryptic talk.
"She's right, Angel." Cordelia piped in. Angel opened his mouth to counter but Cordy stopped him. "I dunno if she can save Lindsey but I co know her comparison between Connor and Lindsey is true. The only reason you show such hatred for Lindsey is because you're disappointed that you couldn't help him. Just like Con..."
Angel's head snapped up. "Don't" Becca gave Cordelia an uneasy look.
"Angel, you're going to do great things. I just can't be around to see them."
Becca backed away from the two and went into Angel's office to retrieve Lindsey.
"What do you mean? Why can't you...?" Cordelia put a hand over Angel's mouth to stop him.
"I have things to do. You're not the only reason the PTB brought me back. I have a promise to keep but I promise we will see each other again."
Cordelia wiped a stray tear off of Angel's cheek then kissed him.
As if the Gods of Fate were giving Angel and Cordy the finger, Becca chose this time to head to the elevator with Lindsey. Unfortunately, she couldn't resist. "Woohoo! You go Angel!" Becca shouted as she gave the two a double 'thumbs up'. Fate decided it wasn't done with the situation, though. You see, Lindsey was tied from head to toe, even his knees being tied together so when Becca let him go, he took a bit of a tumble... A sound that seemed like a muffled "Ow!" came from Lindsey that followed the inevitable "thud"...
"Oh crap!" Sorry Linds!"
Becca moved in front of Lindsey and hauled him into a nearby chair with wheels.
"You don't mind if I borrow this do you Angel?" Before he could reply Becca muttered, "Of course not." and ran toward the elevator. She waved an embarrassed "Goodbye" to Cordy and Angel.
"See! She seems trustworthy. If all be it a bit clumsy. I..." Angel cut Cordy off and kissed Cordelia passionately but was interrupted when the phone rang.
"Well? Go get it!" Cordelia smiled. Angel jogged back into his office and grabbed the phone.
"Hello?" Angel answered.
"Becca? What? I know you're sorry for the interruption but you're interrupting again! Right. Right, whatever. Smell you later, too! Goodbye!"
Angel hung up the phone and walked to his door.
"Cordy, I..." Angel stopped when he saw the empty office.
"Goodbye, Cordy."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Rebecca! Is that you! Where have you been? I've been..."
Chloe stop midway through her tirade when Becca moved out of the doorway, revealing a very pissed off Lindsey.
"He followed me home and I couldn't resist. Can we keep him, pleaseeeee?" Becca gave Chloe her best pout.
Chloe folded her arms and glared. "Is this part of that explanation you promised me?"
Becca fluttered her lashes. "Yes, ma'am. And his staying with me is dire. End of the World dire to be exact."
Chloe sighed. "Wheel him in and we'll talk about it. But he better be house broken!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next day, Cordelia knocked on the door of the suburban home, feeling a little anxious. She took off her sunglasses as the young man she first met as a newborn baby answered the door. Connor looked at her, his forehead contorted into a frown trying to place where he's seen her before.
"It's you. The woman from the sketch."
Connor bit his lip in concentration. "Cordelia."
Cordelia smiled. "Hello Connor. It's time to go."
Cordelia held out her hand and Connor regarded it with the same frown, a war of emotions being waged in him. All the same, he took the woman's hand. It seemed like it belonged there even though this was the first time he's ever seen her in person.
"Where are you taking me?" Connor asked, unable to keep the uncertainty out of his voice.
Cordelia smiled. "Somewhere to help you realize who you really are."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
R&R
Next Chapter: He Has Redemptability!
Chapter 6: A Champion Realized pt.3 Answers
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Come on, son. I signed you out."
The man Connor knew as his father smiled at him.
"One second, dad. I just gotta get these cards. Connor's father nodded.
"I'll be in the car when you're ready."
Connor nodded and went to work collecting the Get Well cards on his nightstand. It wasn't until he accidentally knocked it off the table that he saw the parchment wrapped with ribbon. He opened it and his breath caught when he saw it. There were two sketches. The first was on the upper left-hand corner of the paper. It was of a woman, with light hair and eyes that although she seemed young, spoke of years of wisdom and experience. She was smiling warmly and the name under it said "Darla" in cursive. The second drawing was in the lower right-hand corner of the page.
This woman had dark hair and eyes. She was a complete contrast to Darla but with a smile equally as warm. The name under it said "Cordelia" in the same elaborate cursive. Connor had a profound feeling that he knew these women but he was certain he had never met them before in his life. He was so engulfed by the portrait that he found himself lost in it, unable to tear his eyes away. After what seemed like an eternity, Connor finally folded the paper and put it in his wallet, walking out of his hospital room with the other cards forgotten.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"While I'm morally against corporal punishment against minors, is there any reason why I shouldn't put you over my knee?"
Angel crossed his arms and gave Becca his most stern look as Becca smirked.
"Not even one because while I probably couldn't generate perfect happiness I could definitely lay it on ya!"
Angel and Cordy wore identical expressions as both of their jaws dropped. The only sound in the office was Spike and Lindsey's chuckling, which could be heard even through the gag in the ex-lawyer's mouth. Becca and Lindsey sat in the chairs in front of Angel's desk with Lindsey bound and gagged. Angel and Cordy sat perched on Angel's desk, gapping at their new 'guest'. Witnessing Angel's unresponsive state, Spike cleared his throat and walked next to the older vampire.
"I don't think that propositioning a 300 year old vampire is the proper thing for a girl your age to be doing."
Angel and Becca formed twin indignant expressions.
"300 years old!?"
"Girl my age?!"
The two yelled simultaneously.
"Listen Dad, I'm not that damn young! I'm seven-friggin-teen! Hell, I'll be eighteen next month!"
Becca straightened the lapels of her leather coat jacket and lifted her chin regally. Spike narrowed his eyes and scoffed at her dig. Angel chose this time to get back on track of his original line of questioning.
"Becca, there are a whole lot of questions that need answering and with the whole 'You saving my mortal enemy' thing, my patience is pretty much at it's breaking point and what are you laughing at?"
Becca's silently chuckled relaxed into a grin.
"Sorry, it's just that this is the first time I've heard the term "mortal enemy" be so one-sided. I mean, you can't very well be Lindsey's "mortal enemy" because you're immortal, get it?..."
Becca's grin eased into an amused smirk.
"Just thought it was funny is all..."
Spike smiled despite himself, feeling Angel's confusion coming off of him in waves. Cordelia noticed Angel's current state too, and decided to take up the interrogation.
"Listen little missy, we wanna know who you are and how you knew what was happening! Now!"
Both of Becca's eyebrows shot up at the sternness in Becca's voice.
"All you had to do was ask Cordy." Cordelia narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know my name?"
"I know all of your names and a brief synopsis. My mentor gave me cheat sheets." Becca grinned cheekily but their was a traced of sadness in her eyes that only Angel missed.
"So this mentor of yours, he sent you here?" Angel asked.
Becca sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "In a sense..."
"Does he have a name? Angel pressed.
"It doesn't matter, he..."
"I beg to differ..." Angel countered.
"He's dead." Becca answered, gravely, The abrupt change in Becca's mood didn't go unnoticed by Angel this time. A fleeting look of pain entered her eyes causing all four adults to look at her with concern. Angel tried to apologize but she just muttered a quick "S'Okay" and waved it off. Angel noticed Lindsey looking at Becca.
"Did he...?" Angel asked tentatively.
"No." Becca chuckled. "If he did you wouldn't have needed to gag him. I woulda put my foot so far up his ass he'd be too busy choking on my boot to talk."
Lindsey eyes widened substantially as Spike and Cordelia laughed and Angel grinned.
"Ok. That's good to hear. Still doesn't explain why or how you saved him."
Becca sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her legs.
"You see, my mentor, who will be referred to as Yoda to protect his secret identity, gave Lindsey the tattoos in hopes that he would one day come here and help you fight evil. Ya know, take a step toward redemption. Unfortunately, when he heard about you taking over wolfram & Hart he went berserk and left." Becca chose this time to stop her explanation and smack Lindsey upside his head.
"The dope."
Lindsey rolled his eyes.
"Angel? Are you okay? We weren't sure if the spell worked...Oh hello." Fred greeted, not sure of what to make of the scene in front of her as she walked into the office. Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Harmony followed behind her but stooped-short when they saw Lindsey.
"Hello, I'm Becca!" The teen greeted brightly. "Hey Harmony."
"Hey Becca." Harmony smiled.
At Angel's question look, Becca told him just how she got Eve in her clutches.
"So which one of you removed Linds tats?" Becca asked.
Lindsey grimaced at Becca's old nickname for him, making Becca grin even wider as she leaned back into her seat to see the newcomers.
Wesley looked around, a bit shyly but answered. "Uh...yes. That would be me, Miss...?"
Becca held up her hand. "Just Becca Wesley. You are Wesley, right?"
Wesley frowned but nodded as he walked toward the young girl. Becca rose out of her chair and held out her hand to shake Wesley's hand.
Pleasure to meet you. Not everyday I meet someone who can wield a wand that well, ya know." Wesley look affronted then quickly looked away and Becca grinned at the innuendo she didn't even mean. She noticed Fred's slight frown and tried to make amends.
"Sorry. Didn't mean it the way it sounded." Becca looked at the others. "Hello Fred, Gunn. Hey Lorne! Is there anyway you can hook me up with Orlando Bloom's phone number?"
Lorne grinned. "Well aren't you charismatic. Have your people call mine."
"Excuse me!" Everyone turned to Angel. "We're smack dab in the middle of an interrogation here!"
Becca sighed and turned around to Lorne and mouthed "I'll call you" while using her hand to mime a phone. Lorne winked and nodded as he sat down with Harmony, Fred Wesley and Harmony.
"Thank you.' Angel huffed. "Now can you please get back to your story?"
Becca turned back to Angel and brushed imaginary lint off her lap.
"Oh yes, of course. Now where was I? Oh yeah! So, Lindsey left and about a month later Yoda and I were attacked. I tried to save him but he was hurt too bad. Before he died he told me that you guys needed my help here. So I packed u my life in a duffel bag and set my sights westward."
Angel listened intently, occasionally nodding, as his frown grew more and more pensive. Who was this guy who thought they needed help?
"Ok. So that explains why you're here but why did you save Lindsey? Did you come to help him?"
Becca inhaled. "That's where things get interesting, you see, while Yoda gave Lindsey those tattoos for protection from the senior partners, he also gave Lindsey a tattoo that can't even be removed by magic or your best plastic surgeon."
Becca looks at Lindsey lovingly.
"He's a rash bastard but he's not stupid enough to come running in here head first without a plan B." Becca ruffled Lindsey's hair playfully.
"The tattoo is supposedly something that would help you when he was finally ready to seek redemption." Becca glanced over at Lindsey with regret.
"Guess that backfired."
Angel's frown deepened. "How is one of his tattoos gonna help me?"
Becca shrugged. "I dunno, but we all saw that it wasn't on his chest so I'm not looking forward to that treasure hunt." Becca scrunched up her nose in disgust.
Angel got that same look that he did earlier when Becca's less-than- wholesome humor left him incapable of speaking. This time Spike pinched him.
"Ow! You tit!" Angel yelped.
Everyone but Spike and Cordelia gave Angel a strange look.
Angel cleared his throat. "Anyway, Becca, when you saved Lindsey your hands began to glow..."
Becca began to shift in her seat uncomfortably.
"Yea, that. Uh... you see, Yoda gave Lindsey the 'Quick N' Easy" method when he gave him the tats. Highly effective but not permanent. I was with him long enough to go though all twelve steps. My protection against the senior partners is permanent." Becca rubbed her tapped hands nervously, catching Angel's attention. The room was silent, no one was pleased with the prospect of having Lindsey around.
"Hey guys! Don't sulk. You saved the day! I'll handle Lindsey."
At that news, Angel blanched. "Oh no you're not. How do we now Lindsey won't get away from you?"
Becca opened her mouth to reply but Wesley intervened on her behalf.
"Angel, it does seem like the only solution. Becca is the only one who can cloak Lindsey's presence until we get the information we need."
Becca smiled at Wesley. "Exactly right, Wes. And while I'm sure you could eventually cook up some magic tats yourself, they wouldn't be as powerful as Yoda's."
Spike looked up, having been fixated on Becca's hands.
"I dunno about you guys but I'm going out to drown my woes in drinks. Any one wanna come?" After a majority of "Yeah's", "Sure's" and "What the Hell's", most of the guys left leaving Becca, Lindsey, Cordelia and Angel alone.
"Um... I'm kinda hungry. Do you have anything around here to eat?" Becca asked.
"Yeah." Cordelia answered. "There's a snack machine around here somewhere. I saw it earlier."
Becca smiled. "Great. Angel, Cordy. Come, walk with me."
Angel guided Becca to the snack machine. Becca looked it up and down, taking in to account the different varieties but blanched at what she saw.
"There are demon snack foods?! Oh I gotta see this!"
Becca hurriedly pressed the buttons and fed the machine some money. She got a Snickers bar for herself and something called Bassinets. It looked exactly like Raisinets except for the title. Becca peered closely...
"Ahhh! It's little bits of babies!!!" Becca screamed as she threw the box in the air and wiped her hands on her jacket. Cordelia's and Angel's mouths dropped and while Angel bent down to see if it were some sort of mistake; Cordelia kicked him in his side.
"Ow!" Angel yelped as he stood. "No! Look, Cordy! It says ARTIFICIAL baby parts! ARTIFICIAL!"
Becca closed her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever." She unwrapped her Snickers and bit into it, putting the rest away for a later time, sensing a sullen conversation coming on.
"Look, Angel. Whatever Lindsey has is muy importante and shouldn't be taken lightly."
Angel sighed. "Well Becca, you're not giving me much to go on. You won't even tell me your mentor's name."
Becca raised her hands in a peaceful gesture. "Easy Obi Wan. All will be clear to you in due time. But you'll have to work with? Lindsey..." Angel scoffed and began to walk toward his office and away from Becca, but she walked after him.
"Angel, please listen. Ya know, Lindsey isn't that different from Connor." Becca regretted the words the moment they came out of her mouth but knew it would get Angel's attention. Angel whirled around and grabbed Becca by the arm, twisting it painfully as he spoke menacingly.
"Don't you ever compare my son to Lindsey. The fact that you know about Connor isn't really putting ou on my Most Trusted list."
Becca wrenched her arm out of Angel's grasp, rubbing it.
"I'm sorry but both were just as torn up inside and both blamed you for it. But my boss saw the makings of a hero in Lindsey... Just like he saw it on you..."
Angel frowned, trying to decipher Becca's cryptic talk.
"She's right, Angel." Cordelia piped in. Angel opened his mouth to counter but Cordy stopped him. "I dunno if she can save Lindsey but I co know her comparison between Connor and Lindsey is true. The only reason you show such hatred for Lindsey is because you're disappointed that you couldn't help him. Just like Con..."
Angel's head snapped up. "Don't" Becca gave Cordelia an uneasy look.
"Angel, you're going to do great things. I just can't be around to see them."
Becca backed away from the two and went into Angel's office to retrieve Lindsey.
"What do you mean? Why can't you...?" Cordelia put a hand over Angel's mouth to stop him.
"I have things to do. You're not the only reason the PTB brought me back. I have a promise to keep but I promise we will see each other again."
Cordelia wiped a stray tear off of Angel's cheek then kissed him.
As if the Gods of Fate were giving Angel and Cordy the finger, Becca chose this time to head to the elevator with Lindsey. Unfortunately, she couldn't resist. "Woohoo! You go Angel!" Becca shouted as she gave the two a double 'thumbs up'. Fate decided it wasn't done with the situation, though. You see, Lindsey was tied from head to toe, even his knees being tied together so when Becca let him go, he took a bit of a tumble... A sound that seemed like a muffled "Ow!" came from Lindsey that followed the inevitable "thud"...
"Oh crap!" Sorry Linds!"
Becca moved in front of Lindsey and hauled him into a nearby chair with wheels.
"You don't mind if I borrow this do you Angel?" Before he could reply Becca muttered, "Of course not." and ran toward the elevator. She waved an embarrassed "Goodbye" to Cordy and Angel.
"See! She seems trustworthy. If all be it a bit clumsy. I..." Angel cut Cordy off and kissed Cordelia passionately but was interrupted when the phone rang.
"Well? Go get it!" Cordelia smiled. Angel jogged back into his office and grabbed the phone.
"Hello?" Angel answered.
"Becca? What? I know you're sorry for the interruption but you're interrupting again! Right. Right, whatever. Smell you later, too! Goodbye!"
Angel hung up the phone and walked to his door.
"Cordy, I..." Angel stopped when he saw the empty office.
"Goodbye, Cordy."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Rebecca! Is that you! Where have you been? I've been..."
Chloe stop midway through her tirade when Becca moved out of the doorway, revealing a very pissed off Lindsey.
"He followed me home and I couldn't resist. Can we keep him, pleaseeeee?" Becca gave Chloe her best pout.
Chloe folded her arms and glared. "Is this part of that explanation you promised me?"
Becca fluttered her lashes. "Yes, ma'am. And his staying with me is dire. End of the World dire to be exact."
Chloe sighed. "Wheel him in and we'll talk about it. But he better be house broken!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next day, Cordelia knocked on the door of the suburban home, feeling a little anxious. She took off her sunglasses as the young man she first met as a newborn baby answered the door. Connor looked at her, his forehead contorted into a frown trying to place where he's seen her before.
"It's you. The woman from the sketch."
Connor bit his lip in concentration. "Cordelia."
Cordelia smiled. "Hello Connor. It's time to go."
Cordelia held out her hand and Connor regarded it with the same frown, a war of emotions being waged in him. All the same, he took the woman's hand. It seemed like it belonged there even though this was the first time he's ever seen her in person.
"Where are you taking me?" Connor asked, unable to keep the uncertainty out of his voice.
Cordelia smiled. "Somewhere to help you realize who you really are."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
R&R
Next Chapter: He Has Redemptability!