Both Caitlin and Connor barely heard Angel as he continued, trying to
absorb what he had said about Wolfram and Hart and Drusilla. It was too big
of a coincidence that she was here, now, after Angel had hurt her old
buddies. Caitlin held a hand up as something else Angel had said
penetrated. "Hold on. Connor, did you write that down, about the trials,
the second chance?"
"No – Angel said he failed."
She looked to Angel for confirmation. "Because Darla was living it, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Don't you guys get it? The Powers still owed Angel a new life. They couldn't deliver it for Darla, but maybe..."
Realization dawned on Connor. "Maybe they could deliver it through Darla. In the form of me." He finished.
"We'll ask Giles, but if that's what happened, that's two of our questions answered. Maybe three, if Wolfram and Hart is why Drusilla is back."
Angel looked confused. "Questions? Like what?"
Connor looked at him. "We were talking and I remembered something my fath- Holtz taught me. He always said, know your enemy. I think that's the key to beating the Senior Partners. We have to figure out what their plan was. So we made a list of everything that happened that was odd – where we don't know how it happened."
"I thought you said you remembered everything."
"Not details. It's real general, like a dream. But if I try, I can remember more. And sometimes, I'll have a flash where a bunch of memories come back. That's what happened with my memories of Quor-toth."
Caitlin hated to interrupt, but she was really starting to hate only having part of the story. "Quor – what?"
"When I was a baby, I was taken to a demon dimension and raised by –"
"Holtz. The vampire hunter. See, I'm catching up."
"What's left on the list?" Angel asked.
"How you returned from Hell after Buffy killed you. How Spike came back."
"Lindsay. Evil ex-lawyer who wanted to get into the Black Thorn."
"Okay, that's one more down. I guess that one isn't really important, then. The last one is Cordelia. I remember, the summer you ... were gone, um, she was a higher power. But then she came back under the control of something."
"Yeah – Jasmine."
At the name, Connor's face drained of all color. Angel and Caitlin both stood, not sure how to help him. Connor's eyes went blank, like he was looking inward. He inhaled in a harsh gasp and the light returned to his eyes, but he was different. He looked more vunerable, scarred. The change from the happy boy Caitlin was so used to was astonishing. He stood, back out the door. Angel tried to touch his arm, but he jerked away. "I – no. I can't. Just – I have to go." He stammered, then turned and ran.
"What the hell was that?" Caitlin demanded. "Should we go after him?"
"He...God, he's going to need some time."
"What was it? What did he remember?"
"Sit down." Angel said tiredly. "I think there's one more story you need to hear."
"No – Angel said he failed."
She looked to Angel for confirmation. "Because Darla was living it, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Don't you guys get it? The Powers still owed Angel a new life. They couldn't deliver it for Darla, but maybe..."
Realization dawned on Connor. "Maybe they could deliver it through Darla. In the form of me." He finished.
"We'll ask Giles, but if that's what happened, that's two of our questions answered. Maybe three, if Wolfram and Hart is why Drusilla is back."
Angel looked confused. "Questions? Like what?"
Connor looked at him. "We were talking and I remembered something my fath- Holtz taught me. He always said, know your enemy. I think that's the key to beating the Senior Partners. We have to figure out what their plan was. So we made a list of everything that happened that was odd – where we don't know how it happened."
"I thought you said you remembered everything."
"Not details. It's real general, like a dream. But if I try, I can remember more. And sometimes, I'll have a flash where a bunch of memories come back. That's what happened with my memories of Quor-toth."
Caitlin hated to interrupt, but she was really starting to hate only having part of the story. "Quor – what?"
"When I was a baby, I was taken to a demon dimension and raised by –"
"Holtz. The vampire hunter. See, I'm catching up."
"What's left on the list?" Angel asked.
"How you returned from Hell after Buffy killed you. How Spike came back."
"Lindsay. Evil ex-lawyer who wanted to get into the Black Thorn."
"Okay, that's one more down. I guess that one isn't really important, then. The last one is Cordelia. I remember, the summer you ... were gone, um, she was a higher power. But then she came back under the control of something."
"Yeah – Jasmine."
At the name, Connor's face drained of all color. Angel and Caitlin both stood, not sure how to help him. Connor's eyes went blank, like he was looking inward. He inhaled in a harsh gasp and the light returned to his eyes, but he was different. He looked more vunerable, scarred. The change from the happy boy Caitlin was so used to was astonishing. He stood, back out the door. Angel tried to touch his arm, but he jerked away. "I – no. I can't. Just – I have to go." He stammered, then turned and ran.
"What the hell was that?" Caitlin demanded. "Should we go after him?"
"He...God, he's going to need some time."
"What was it? What did he remember?"
"Sit down." Angel said tiredly. "I think there's one more story you need to hear."