After the Storm
Chapter 6
By Vixen
Connor was headed home. It wasn't his real home, but as the city started to get further away he felt a little more at peace with himself and the situation he had found himself in. It was the distance, he assumed as he watched the Los Angeles skyline fade into the horizon while the bus drove advanced into the suburbs. With the distance came a stillness where he could be just another happy college student, or at least pass himself off as one.
That morning, he had hoped he would have been able to get an earlier bus, but the only one on the schedule that went anywhere near his neighborhood left at eight o'clock. He'd spent a few hours just walking around the city, watching the police. The city leaders had called in extra law enforcement to stop the previous night's riots. So far they seemed to have a handle on the humans who had been causing problems, though the demons were still running rampant unable to be stopped by a few more police squads.
The news hadn't reported anything on the various demon hordes however, they never did. The citizens of the city lived in blissful ignorance. Connor frowned as he looked at the cover of a newspaper another passenger on the bus was reading, blissful ignorance used to be so nice. He could remember watching the news with his sister when a 'multi-day eclipse' had blocked out the sun. The reporters had gone through a lot of trouble, showing a lot of scientific reasoning to get those watching to believe that it was a normal occurrence. He'd even written a paper on it for his high school astronomy class.
The bus came to a stop in front of Elridge High School. It was only a block from his house; the town was pretty small compared to the city. Connor walked off the bus and checked his watch; it was almost nine. He started running, full-strength, hoping he might just make it to his house before anyone woke up. It was a Saturday, so maybe if luck was on his side and everyone decided to sleep in that day no one would find out about his little disappearance.
He stopped just as he reached the edge of the pathway that led to his house, the base of his sanctuary. Creeping the rest of the way down the pathway that was shrouded with trees, lots of which he had climbed at one point in his life to the dismay of his parents who worried that he would fall out of one of them one day and break his neck. Boys would be boys however, and with his extra special abilities and almost-acrobatic balance he had been highly adept at reaching the highest branches. Which came in handy for sneaking in his bedroom undetected, but he had only learned this a month ago. Before that time, he had never snuck out behind his parent's back. Not even when his girlfriend had asked him to one night. Though, when he started having nightmares, when things started coming back to him, every so often he'd leave during the night to go walk around the block and think for a bit.
He swung his foot over a branch of the tree, and leaned over to his window, opening it while trying to keep his balance. After a moment of jiggling it, he was able to push the window open. Then, swinging his feet to the window ledge, Connor carefully slipped in to his bedroom. He stumbled a bit, but landed with both feet on the floor. He visibly relaxed, that had been simple enough.
Unfortunately, little sisters often make things difficult.
If she hadn't been passing by the open door of his bedroom right then, he might have gotten away with it. However, Linda had spotted him and when she did her eyes lite up in anticipation, "Ooooh, you are in soooo much trouble."
She opened her mouth to yell for their parents, who would most certainly have a few lectures waiting for Connor. Before she could get the words out, however, Connor was standing next to her holding his hand to her mouth. Ushering her inside his room, he put on the most innocent big brother act possible, "Linda.. who's your favorite brother in the whole world?" She only rolled her eyes at him, so he dropped the act and decided to go a different route, "Okay, how much will it cost me?" He walked over to his dresser, opened a drawer and pulled out his wallet. "Five dollars." The teenage girl held one hand on her hip and the other held out before him, waiting, "And you have to drive me to the mall anytime I want."
"Fine," Connor held the money out, wondering how the kid had gotten so skilled at bargaining. "Just don't tell Mom and Dad I was out all night, okay?"
"Oh, they already know." She told him, as she snatched the money away.
Connor was taken back, "Then why did I just give you five dollars?"
She wrinkled her nose and smirked, "Cause I'm sneaky." Then before he said anything more, she ran off with his money, her long brunette hair trailing behind her. Oh, the joys of having a little sister.
Connor walked out to the hallway, calling after her as she skipped down the stairs, "Well, you can forget about me driving you to the mall, then." She appeared happy enough to just have gotten the better of him. He sighed, and only then realized that his mother was standing in the hallway, walking towards him with a stern look on her face. "Oh, um, hi Mom." He smiled innocently, hoping the act would fool her better than it had worked on his sister. Backing away, he went back to his bedroom, but she only followed him in there and began the lecture he had known was coming.
"Connor, where have you been, your father and I have been worried sick. We spent half the night calling your friends, and the other half calling the police."
Thinking fast, he began making up excuses on the fly. He mingled the fibs with a bit of truth, which was in his experience, the best way to lie. "I was in the city, you know, and I was filling out the resume. I was going to finish that and go to a few job interviews afterwards, but I met someone I knew at the coffee shop. Angel, you remember him right? Big tall broody guy who we met at Wolfram and Hart. He asked me what I was doing, and I told him about the resume and wanting to get an intern position somewhere. That's when he offered me a job working for him." Nothing Connor had seen on the news had even mentioned Wolfram and Hart collapsing, the senior partners probably wanted to protect themselves from the bad publicity. It had actually worked out in Connor's favor for this particular lie. "They have an opening for someone with my um.. abilities. He even hooked me up with a great apartment; it's one of the company perks. Then a bunch of riots started in the city last night, and I decided it would just be better to stay there."
Connor had avoided his mother's eyes while speaking, busying himself with taking out his duffle bag suitcase. When he finished, he looked up. Hiding his uncertainty, he watched his mother's face for any sign that she was not buying his story. There was none, she only shook her head and told him, "You should have called us at least."
Inwardly, he rejoiced. She had bought it. She was still a little annoyed at him, but that would blow over. "I tried to call, but the line was busy, or maybe it was just my cell phone not working again. It's been a little screwy lately." Another effective lie.
His mother bit her lip, thinking over what she was going to say. He knew that look. There was something more on his mother's mind though, something she didn't want to bring up. Eventually she did voice her concern, much his dismay, "Connor.. it's not just this one incident. Ever since we found out that you were a little different, your father and I have been worried sick. You've been acting differently lately. I'm just not sure you moving out to the city is such a good idea."
He continued packing his clothes while she was speaking; when she finished he tied up the end of the duffle bag. His mind was made up. He had to do this. Easing her worries, he replied, "Mom, it's okay. Really. I know what I'm doing, and I know that I need to do this. It's time for me to get out there, do my own thing. I have to find out who I really am and what I want out of life. Just because I'm a little.. stronger than most people my age, doesn't mean I'm a freak or a nutcase or anything." He jokingly grinned, easing the tension with some humor. "I just have to figure some stuff out, on my own."
She nodded, "A home cooked meal's only a bus ride away, just remember that, okay?"
"Sure, Mom."
Connor stopped off at the library before he left for the city. Searching through the obituaries in the computer center, he pulled up the one he had been looking for. He didn't know how he knew she was gone, no one had told him. In a way, he didn't need to be told. She hadn't been at Wolfram and Hart when he first visited, and he knew she would have been fighting alongside his father in the alleyway the night before if she had been alive. Despite going evil for a few months there, he knew she couldn't be kept from the good fight. It was a part of her; she had been all glowy when she was alive, her soul was pure. He understood now why she had betrayed everyone around her; it hadn't been her fault. She'd been used. Hadn't they all?
When her name came up on the computer, for an instant he didn't want to believe it. The name and the date of her death starred back at him, unyielding however. He read it to himself, letting the proof sink in, "Cordelia Chase. May 22nd, 1980 - February 4th, 2004." There was a blurb in the online newspaper about her life, her friends she left behind, and where the burial service was going to be held.
Connor moved away from the computer, not knowing what to feel exactly. They hadn't really been in love, not really. Still, the news hurt. It was an hour-long bus ride to the cemetery where she was buried, giving him plenty of time to think over what he would do when he got there. When he got to the nice little shady graveyard in the city, however, he still didn't know what to do.
Sitting down on a nearby bench, he looked at her gravestone. "Cordelia.. I don't know what to say.. I only used you to get back at my father," he shrugged, and continued offhandedly, "but in my defense, you did use me to bring about a bouncing baby hell goddess into the world. So.. I guess we're even."
He sat there for a while, just watching, wondering if she was out there somewhere doing the same. The late afternoon sun mingled with the shadows of the high canopy of the oak trees overhead, the light and dark areas dancing with one another. Connor rose to his feet, about to leave when a last thought occurred to him. Turning back towards the gravestone he spoke, "I'm going to make it better. We really messed things up last time, you.. me.. Jasmine." He paused, nodding, "But I'm going to make it better, fix things. I promise."
.......................
F is for Feedback.. that's good enough for me.
Chapter 6
By Vixen
Connor was headed home. It wasn't his real home, but as the city started to get further away he felt a little more at peace with himself and the situation he had found himself in. It was the distance, he assumed as he watched the Los Angeles skyline fade into the horizon while the bus drove advanced into the suburbs. With the distance came a stillness where he could be just another happy college student, or at least pass himself off as one.
That morning, he had hoped he would have been able to get an earlier bus, but the only one on the schedule that went anywhere near his neighborhood left at eight o'clock. He'd spent a few hours just walking around the city, watching the police. The city leaders had called in extra law enforcement to stop the previous night's riots. So far they seemed to have a handle on the humans who had been causing problems, though the demons were still running rampant unable to be stopped by a few more police squads.
The news hadn't reported anything on the various demon hordes however, they never did. The citizens of the city lived in blissful ignorance. Connor frowned as he looked at the cover of a newspaper another passenger on the bus was reading, blissful ignorance used to be so nice. He could remember watching the news with his sister when a 'multi-day eclipse' had blocked out the sun. The reporters had gone through a lot of trouble, showing a lot of scientific reasoning to get those watching to believe that it was a normal occurrence. He'd even written a paper on it for his high school astronomy class.
The bus came to a stop in front of Elridge High School. It was only a block from his house; the town was pretty small compared to the city. Connor walked off the bus and checked his watch; it was almost nine. He started running, full-strength, hoping he might just make it to his house before anyone woke up. It was a Saturday, so maybe if luck was on his side and everyone decided to sleep in that day no one would find out about his little disappearance.
He stopped just as he reached the edge of the pathway that led to his house, the base of his sanctuary. Creeping the rest of the way down the pathway that was shrouded with trees, lots of which he had climbed at one point in his life to the dismay of his parents who worried that he would fall out of one of them one day and break his neck. Boys would be boys however, and with his extra special abilities and almost-acrobatic balance he had been highly adept at reaching the highest branches. Which came in handy for sneaking in his bedroom undetected, but he had only learned this a month ago. Before that time, he had never snuck out behind his parent's back. Not even when his girlfriend had asked him to one night. Though, when he started having nightmares, when things started coming back to him, every so often he'd leave during the night to go walk around the block and think for a bit.
He swung his foot over a branch of the tree, and leaned over to his window, opening it while trying to keep his balance. After a moment of jiggling it, he was able to push the window open. Then, swinging his feet to the window ledge, Connor carefully slipped in to his bedroom. He stumbled a bit, but landed with both feet on the floor. He visibly relaxed, that had been simple enough.
Unfortunately, little sisters often make things difficult.
If she hadn't been passing by the open door of his bedroom right then, he might have gotten away with it. However, Linda had spotted him and when she did her eyes lite up in anticipation, "Ooooh, you are in soooo much trouble."
She opened her mouth to yell for their parents, who would most certainly have a few lectures waiting for Connor. Before she could get the words out, however, Connor was standing next to her holding his hand to her mouth. Ushering her inside his room, he put on the most innocent big brother act possible, "Linda.. who's your favorite brother in the whole world?" She only rolled her eyes at him, so he dropped the act and decided to go a different route, "Okay, how much will it cost me?" He walked over to his dresser, opened a drawer and pulled out his wallet. "Five dollars." The teenage girl held one hand on her hip and the other held out before him, waiting, "And you have to drive me to the mall anytime I want."
"Fine," Connor held the money out, wondering how the kid had gotten so skilled at bargaining. "Just don't tell Mom and Dad I was out all night, okay?"
"Oh, they already know." She told him, as she snatched the money away.
Connor was taken back, "Then why did I just give you five dollars?"
She wrinkled her nose and smirked, "Cause I'm sneaky." Then before he said anything more, she ran off with his money, her long brunette hair trailing behind her. Oh, the joys of having a little sister.
Connor walked out to the hallway, calling after her as she skipped down the stairs, "Well, you can forget about me driving you to the mall, then." She appeared happy enough to just have gotten the better of him. He sighed, and only then realized that his mother was standing in the hallway, walking towards him with a stern look on her face. "Oh, um, hi Mom." He smiled innocently, hoping the act would fool her better than it had worked on his sister. Backing away, he went back to his bedroom, but she only followed him in there and began the lecture he had known was coming.
"Connor, where have you been, your father and I have been worried sick. We spent half the night calling your friends, and the other half calling the police."
Thinking fast, he began making up excuses on the fly. He mingled the fibs with a bit of truth, which was in his experience, the best way to lie. "I was in the city, you know, and I was filling out the resume. I was going to finish that and go to a few job interviews afterwards, but I met someone I knew at the coffee shop. Angel, you remember him right? Big tall broody guy who we met at Wolfram and Hart. He asked me what I was doing, and I told him about the resume and wanting to get an intern position somewhere. That's when he offered me a job working for him." Nothing Connor had seen on the news had even mentioned Wolfram and Hart collapsing, the senior partners probably wanted to protect themselves from the bad publicity. It had actually worked out in Connor's favor for this particular lie. "They have an opening for someone with my um.. abilities. He even hooked me up with a great apartment; it's one of the company perks. Then a bunch of riots started in the city last night, and I decided it would just be better to stay there."
Connor had avoided his mother's eyes while speaking, busying himself with taking out his duffle bag suitcase. When he finished, he looked up. Hiding his uncertainty, he watched his mother's face for any sign that she was not buying his story. There was none, she only shook her head and told him, "You should have called us at least."
Inwardly, he rejoiced. She had bought it. She was still a little annoyed at him, but that would blow over. "I tried to call, but the line was busy, or maybe it was just my cell phone not working again. It's been a little screwy lately." Another effective lie.
His mother bit her lip, thinking over what she was going to say. He knew that look. There was something more on his mother's mind though, something she didn't want to bring up. Eventually she did voice her concern, much his dismay, "Connor.. it's not just this one incident. Ever since we found out that you were a little different, your father and I have been worried sick. You've been acting differently lately. I'm just not sure you moving out to the city is such a good idea."
He continued packing his clothes while she was speaking; when she finished he tied up the end of the duffle bag. His mind was made up. He had to do this. Easing her worries, he replied, "Mom, it's okay. Really. I know what I'm doing, and I know that I need to do this. It's time for me to get out there, do my own thing. I have to find out who I really am and what I want out of life. Just because I'm a little.. stronger than most people my age, doesn't mean I'm a freak or a nutcase or anything." He jokingly grinned, easing the tension with some humor. "I just have to figure some stuff out, on my own."
She nodded, "A home cooked meal's only a bus ride away, just remember that, okay?"
"Sure, Mom."
Connor stopped off at the library before he left for the city. Searching through the obituaries in the computer center, he pulled up the one he had been looking for. He didn't know how he knew she was gone, no one had told him. In a way, he didn't need to be told. She hadn't been at Wolfram and Hart when he first visited, and he knew she would have been fighting alongside his father in the alleyway the night before if she had been alive. Despite going evil for a few months there, he knew she couldn't be kept from the good fight. It was a part of her; she had been all glowy when she was alive, her soul was pure. He understood now why she had betrayed everyone around her; it hadn't been her fault. She'd been used. Hadn't they all?
When her name came up on the computer, for an instant he didn't want to believe it. The name and the date of her death starred back at him, unyielding however. He read it to himself, letting the proof sink in, "Cordelia Chase. May 22nd, 1980 - February 4th, 2004." There was a blurb in the online newspaper about her life, her friends she left behind, and where the burial service was going to be held.
Connor moved away from the computer, not knowing what to feel exactly. They hadn't really been in love, not really. Still, the news hurt. It was an hour-long bus ride to the cemetery where she was buried, giving him plenty of time to think over what he would do when he got there. When he got to the nice little shady graveyard in the city, however, he still didn't know what to do.
Sitting down on a nearby bench, he looked at her gravestone. "Cordelia.. I don't know what to say.. I only used you to get back at my father," he shrugged, and continued offhandedly, "but in my defense, you did use me to bring about a bouncing baby hell goddess into the world. So.. I guess we're even."
He sat there for a while, just watching, wondering if she was out there somewhere doing the same. The late afternoon sun mingled with the shadows of the high canopy of the oak trees overhead, the light and dark areas dancing with one another. Connor rose to his feet, about to leave when a last thought occurred to him. Turning back towards the gravestone he spoke, "I'm going to make it better. We really messed things up last time, you.. me.. Jasmine." He paused, nodding, "But I'm going to make it better, fix things. I promise."
.......................
F is for Feedback.. that's good enough for me.