"My dad."

Connor sat, his brow furrowed in deep concentration, thought, barely even noticing Cordelia's hand on his shoulder.

"Connor you can't blame Angel for what Angelus says, or does... he's not your father."

"That's not what he says."

"Well he lied, are you going to believe someone like Angelus, or are you going to listen to me?"

He put his hand over hers.

It was the dead of the night. The windows were pitch black, nothing outside was visible. However the ever-watchful eyes of Angelus were watching over them all. He stared coldly at them. He had intended to kill Wesley. So much for that plan, at least Wesley was weak and unable to defend himself, although it wouldn't be the same to kill him when he wasn't fighting back. The win wouldn't be as highly rewarding. Fred being the way she was also got Gunn out of his way. Things were not going bad for Angelus. He had higher hopes though, and they weren't going to be easy now that they were all aware of Angelus's still being around. He smiled wickedly, baring his canine teeth broadly, as he looked into the bright hospital room at what he hoped to be his next victim. It was a risk, wouldn't be easy. But it would be a hell of a good time. He was going to kill the boy.

"Connor," he uttered under his breath.

Fred and Gunn walked in to the room in which Wesley was unconsciously inhabiting.

"Fred! You're feeling better! That's great. Are you sure you should be up and about so soon?"

"Cordelia, it's been two days. I'm fine! Really. How's Wesley?"

"Still hasn't regained consciousness," Connor interjected, "I promise, the next time I see Angelus, I WILL kill him."

"Connor, I'm not sure that's what Wesley would want," Fred pointed out, "I know that was the plan for a while there, but, we really need to think about other options. We cant lose Angel in this battle. We need him. I think Wesley would agree."

"Who said it was for Wesley?" Connor looked up and grinned at Fred. Fred frowned and responded with a quiet, "oh."

"Maybe we could catch him again," Gunn suggested, "We could use Wesley's Tranq to get him."

"I doubt it," Cordelia said, "He's gonna be stronger than anything now, and he has a leg up on us. We could move!"

"Fine by me, I don't have much to live for in this town anyway, not anymore at least," Gunn agreed.

"No Dammit!! We cant just give up! So what if we move?! Even then Angelus will just kill other people. Hell he might even track us down! If we don't track him down and finish this who will? Huh? WHO!?"

They all stared wide eyed at Fred.

"I'm with her," Connor responded, "I'm not about to let him get away so easy. Not after everything he's done."

"Cordy, Connor, you two are probably exhausted. You haven't slept much in the last few days. Go home; we'll watch Wesley for a while."

"I have a message that you're going to pass on, k?"

"I knew I didn't like you, man!"

"Well you're going to like the new me a lot less."

He bit into the young man's neck, tearing the flesh easily and painfully. He drank of the man until the man went weak in the knees and collapsed. He then looked at his own wrist and tore into it with his fangs, peeling back the skin and snapping veins to supply enough blood for the young man to be re-born.

"Now listen good, either I leave you to die right here, or you deliver my message, what's it going to be?"

The young man grabbed hold of Angelus's wrist and fed off him, all the meanwhile Angelus was whispering his message into the young man's ear as his human body slowly perished.

"Its so sad."

"Hmm?"

"Whenever something's wrong and we don't know what to do we always have Wesley to turn to as the brains. He'd know what to do and he'd give us a direction to go in. I feel a little lost without that kind of guidance."

"I know baby, but you got me here," Gunn smiled playfully.

"You are the muscle. And should anything happen i'm really happy you're here, but I just wish there was some sort of path we had to take. Not just us sitting here waiting to be plucked off one by one."

"Angelus hasn't killed anyone yet... well... at least not anyone we know."

Right then the door burst open and Gunn instinctively grabbed his crossbow and Fred grabbed a cross and stake out of her pockets. However when they turned and faced the intruder it was NOT Angelus as they had thought, though the man was a vampire.

"Rondell?"

Rondell chuckled and smiled so widely that the sight of his fangs almost scared Gunn.

"Rondell? Man, is- is that you?"

"It's the new me, G! Got a message for you from a friend. Says he sees you. Right now he's probably watchin'. Says, he's glad to know his Fred here is doin' better, too bad about Wes though. Ye-eah that's right G, he sees you. He says, don't bother tryin' to find him, you wont, just wait for him to find yo-"

Gunn fired the crossbow at Rondell but missed by a wide shot.

"Ow! Man, WHAT was that for, I'm only doin' you're buddy a favor!"

And with that he fought back. By the end of the fight Rondell, Gunn's old friend, practically brother, lay in a pile of dust and ash on the floor, Gunn had a bloody nose.

"I'm so sorry, Charles, I-"

"I'm going to kill that bastard. Next time I see him there WONT be any long good-byes!" He snapped the arrow he had killed his best friend with in half as if it were what he wished to be Angleus's spine.

Angelus stood outside, in the shadows, watching, laughing.

END CHAPTER