Connor was now outside of the cellar door, unsure of how he was going to proceed. Things were different now. He knew Lex and Lois were in there, though why Lois was back at Luthor manor, and not at the Kent farm, he did not know.
Sensing someone behind him, he turned to find Clark Kent, breathing down his neck!
"Well, you don't look any worse for wear. Chloe's worried sick about you. She's back at the farm, so let's go."
"I'm not coming with you, Kent. Just tell her I'm fine."
Clark blinked.
"What are you doing outside of Lex's anyway? That vampire is probably off tearing someone else's throat out! And it won't be long before the police want to talk to everyone that was in that night class, so whatever you're doing here...."
"My father is inside. My father is that vampire that attacked the class tonight."
There was a silence. Connor tilted his head.
"No smirk, Kent? Wow!"
"I wouldn't laugh about having an animal like that for a father." Clark said calmly. Actually, the whole thing hit a little too close to home for his tastes. His own father, Jor-El, was not the most loving of beings. He shuddered to think what his life would've been like, living with such a cold, emotionless man.
Then of course, he himself would've been cold and emotionless too. So chances were, he wouldn't have known what he was missing anyway.
"Well then you know why I have to do what I have to do." Connor said.
"Uh, no!" Clark said sarcastically. "Why are you here?"
Now Connor was confused!
"You're here to kill Angelus, right?"
"Is that his name?"
"Yes! Never mind, I guess you wouldn't know that. Look, he's here because of me. But he's not usually like this. My father has a soul. It's when he loses it, that he acts like this."
Clark rubbed his jaw.
"I didn't know that one could get a soul back?"
"Well in his case, my father hasn't actually lost his."
"I thought you said...."
Connor sighed. These things were so hard to explain to outsiders, or people that just weren't used to everyday vampire life.
"I found out that there is a ring on my father's finger. A ring with a big, green rock in it. It's giving him this feeling of bliss. That's why he's acting this way."
"Connor, you have totally lost me. What does bliss and having a soul have to do with one another? He's your father, so if you can make him act right, fine. But if you can't...."
"It's the rock." Connor said shortly. "He'll be fine once it's off of his hand."
Clark nodded. He knew he would not have the strength to pull it off himself. And he did understand about Kryptonite doing strange things to people. This town was full of stories.
"Okay, so, I'll get Lois, you go off and find your father."
Now Connor was lost!
"What the hell are you talking about, Kent?"
"Lois is in there, right? She was staying at the farm and she left. My parents don't think it's wise that she be with Lex right now. I'll go in and get her, you go off and find your father."
"My father is inside." Connor repeated.
Clark felt cold suddenly. He now realized what Connor had been trying to say before.
"Your father is actually in there with Lois and Lex? We have to get in there then...."
"No! Look in through that window." Connor ordered him. Clark didn't have to, since he had already done a cursory glance with his x-ray vision. He could see someone sitting down in a cage, and five people in various places, outside of it.
But Clark went up to the window anyway. He watched as Lois hopped over to the cage and kicked at it! He frowned, then saw Lex talking to some woman, and over in the far corner were two men. They were just closing a box with the ring in it.
"Connor, the ring is off of your father's finger!"
Connor peeked in as well. He could see that both of Angel's hands were bare. He looked at Clark.
"Then my father should be fine. Why does Lex have him in a cage?"
And why did Lois kick at the cage, Clark wondered. He looked at Connor again.
"So do you want to go in through this door?"
"How many of them can you take?" Connor asked.
"My main concern is getting Lois out of there. And to be honest, I'm wondering if you plan on taking your father to the police, once you get him out of that cage?"
"Actually, I'm wondering why Lex Luthor has him captured like that in the first place? Why doesn't he call the police? And those people....the woman talking to Lex looks vaguely familiar, but I can't think why."
"Do you think she's a vampire too?" Clark asked. He peered in again. She was pretty to be one.
"I don't know. I do know that Angel isn't going to just rest and let these people come back for him. I guess I'll just break in the door and you follow me, okay?"
Clark nodded. It was fine with him. He wasn't interested in Connor's family drama. He just hoped that Chloe didn't get even more sucked into this guy's life, than she already was.
Angel awoke and saw a girl, that for some reason, reminded him of how Cordelia Chase used to look, staring at him angrily. Was she the one that had kicked the cage?
"Hello." Angel said, struggling to stand up. He noticed the girl was favoring one leg heavily. Angel's eyes swept past her to a bald guy and....
Those two men over in the corner were Wolfram & Hart employees! He didn't recognize the bald guy but the woman....
"Lilah. What is this? Huh? A plot by the Senior Partners to get rid of me?"
Lilah walked over to him, passing by a curious Lois. Her face touched the bars.
"Good evening, Angel. You're not in Kansas anymore. Oh, wait a minute, yes you are."
Angel glanced at the angry looking girl again, before staring at Lilah again.
"I'm in Kansas? Do I even want to know how I got here?"
"Actually," Lex interrupted, "do you want to know what you've been doing since you arrived here, Angel? Or should I call you, Angelus?"
Angel blinked. God, no! Faces were beginning to come back to him. Faces that looked terrified. He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again.
Lilah could see his horror and now grinned.
"Yes, that's right. You've been a very bad boy. Pretty soon we'll be calling this place, 'Sunnydale 2'. And your son....he's so ashamed of you."
"Connor? Connor is here?"
"Wait a minute! You're Connor's father? Connor is a vampire?" Lois asked, disgusted. Lex glanced over at her.
"No, Connor is human, though no one knows why. His mother was a vampire as well."
"Oh God! I have to tell Chloe!"
"Who's Chloe?" Angel asked. Lois looked him up and down.
"That would be your son's girlfriend, and my cousin. Someone you tried to murder tonight. Like you killed my aunt."
Angel closed his eyes again. He then opened them.
"I didn't know what I was doing. I can't explain it, I can try, but I know it won't undo the pain I've caused you. And believe me if I could, I would."
Lois was getting an odd feeling. She didn't know how to describe it, but she knew the reason for it. This guy actually LOOKED sorry.
Lex walked up to the cage as well now.
"Actually, you killed the young lady's aunt, some years ago. Jenny Calender? You do remember her, don't you?"
Angel looked at Lois again, who looked away. He didn't want to think about Jenny Calender. She had been the beginning of the end of his life in Sunnydale. The end of his life with Buffy.
"And you killed Lex's poor nanny too!" Lois huffed. She suddenly didn't want to be here. She looked at Lex.
"Let's just call the police, Lex, okay?"
Lex looked at Lois again. He walked over to her.
"You look tired. Why don't I help you up into the house and you can rest for a bit"
"Lex, I didn't come here to take a nap. I just want to see his sorry ass dragged out of here by the police, okay?"
The cellar door suddenly burst open, and Connor and Clark rushed in! Connor punched Lex hard, sending him crashing into a concrete wall! Lois gasped, shocked at the strength her cousin's boyfriend had, as poor Lex sailed past her.
Clark rushed over to the unconscious Lex and checked him over. He would live. Clark would call an ambulance from his truck. He watched as Lilah and the two henchmen, took the box with the ring and left up the back stairs. What was that all about? They were just going to leave? Just like that?
Connor managed to pull the cage open, and Angel stepped out of it. They stared at one another briefly, before Connor spoke again.
"The ring is gone now."
"I know. But I still want to know what this is all about, Connor. And until we do, whoever, or whatever, could try this again."
Connor looked over at Lex.
"We have Lex. We'll make him tell us what is going on." he said. Now Lois had had it! She pointed at Angel.
"That sonofabitch is not going anywhere! I'm calling the police! Give me your phone, Clark!"
"It's out in the truck, Lois. Now I think we need to just get you out of here."
"He murdered my aunt. He's not going anywhere!" she snapped, giving Clark a dirty look. She then looked around and saw a crowbar sitting nearby. Clark knew what she was thinking before she could hop over to pick it up.
"Oh brother!" he muttered under his breath, and moved around her to snatch it out of her reach. He then held it away, while looking at Angel.
"I don't know what your story is, and I don't want to know. You need to stake the vampires you made and leave here." Clark said.
"We need to interrogate Lex." Connor answered stubbornly. Angel looked from his son, to Clark. Was it his imagination, or was there a little animosity between these two? Was it over this girl right here? And why didn't the guy with the crowbar smell human?
"Lex is my friend. I'm not going to let you 'interrogate' him." Clark insisted.
"Kent, he lied to you about Lois here. She's part of the plan. Now we're not going to kill him, but we need to know if he's coming after us. I need to know if I need to protect Chloe."
"We'll just take him upstairs, okay?" Angel said quietly.
Clark marveled at what a difference a ring made! The vampire was quite civil now. Clark nodded tersely, holding Lois back, as she tried to get around him. The two watched as Angel picked Lex up, threw him over his shoulder, and walked up the stairs with him.
Lois turned back to Clark.
"You just let them take Lex?"
"Lois, Lex is up to something here. Why was he in such an all fire hurry to take you from the farm tonight, anyway?"
"That monster killed my aunt, that's why! He wanted me to know that! He killed Lex's nanny and students from Smallville University! There's no telling what those two are going to do to him. Did you see how Connor threw him into the wall? Chloe needs to dump him and fast!"
Clark shook his head.
"I mean I agree with you on the Chloe part, but I don't know. But that Angel guy is just a completely different being from the one I saw earlier tonight. And his fang grew back, I think."
"What? You know what? Never mind! I'll take care of this myself!"
Clark snorted!
"How? And with what? That crowbar? Lois, you'll just be in the way. The sooner Lex tells the truth the better off we'll all be. Now I want to get back to Lana and Chloe. They've had a hard night and my parents are worried about you."
"So go, Clark! Nothing's stopping you." Lois snapped. "Now, can I have the crowbar back?"
"You know what? You're impossible! Now, you can leave this cellar one of two ways: you can lean on me, or, I can pick you up and toss you over my shoulder, like a grain sack." Clark said between gritted teeth. "Which is it going to be?"
Lois rolled her eyes! She didn't have time for this macho horse crap right now! Lex was in trouble and probably being eaten by the father and son vampire act right now!
Lois smirked at Clark and turned away, grabbing the crowbar he had dropped back onto the table. Clark sighed with resignation. He snatched the crowbar out of her hand, tossing it onto another table. When Lois turned back to confront Clark, that was when he picked her up effortlessly, throwing her over his shoulder and began to walk out of the cellar.
"So the grain sack it is." Clark said, as Lois tried to claw at his back and lost two nails in the process! Lois drew up his shirt and saw she didn't even make a dent! All of that farmwork must've really paid off for him!
"Ouch! My nail! Clark, put me down! Put me down this instant! I'm injured! You can't do this to me!"
"Your foot will be fine as long as you stay off of it." Clark said coolly. They were outside and heading towards his truck. "And if you don't stop all of that wriggling, I'll carry you into the house like this when we get back to the farm."
Lois went limp and Clark opened the passenger side door of his truck for her, dumping her inside. He then closed the door and hurried over to his side, getting in. Lois was sulking.
"Lex must've made quite an impression on you, for you to be so concerned about him." Clark noted, wondering why he felt so funny about it all of a sudden. Lois looked at him.
"That vampire killed my aunt. She was my mother's only sister. And now you expect me to just let him go? Lex understands what I'm going through."
"Lois, I'm sure Chloe will understand she hears about this. You have each other."
"Aunt Jenny was not her aunt. Chloe is my cousin through my father."
"Oh. Lois, you're tired. Once you get some sleep, real sleep, this will look different in the morning." he said, reaching out to touch her hair.
But she slapped his hand away. Clark drew his hand back and sighed. Neither one of them said anything, as Clark started the truck and left the premises.
Lilah and her henchmen stepped out from behind the brush. She signaled to one of them to go and get the car. The other looked at her.
"The Senior Partners will want you to come up with a compromise to appease the client." he warned.
Lilah nodded. She knew. Lex had made a deal with General Sam Lane. The General would have to be given something else, in lieu of Angel and Connor.
And she knew just what.
"Get the ring with the red rock in it, ready. I think that all parties will be appeased by my solution." she said, watching, as Clark's truck moved farther and farther out of her line of vision.