Author's note: Hi!
Merykey, I'd love to answer your questions, but I don't want to spoil the story for everyone else. Um…I can say that Deirbhile will do her best for AI, but her priority is Connor. Does that help?
Previously on Angel: Fred discovered Jasmine's true identity and attempted to kill her. Thwarted by her former colleagues, she went on the run in an LA full of Jasmine's followers.
AngelJasmine: The Magic Bullet
The hotel was full to bursting the next morning; people who had seen Jasmine on TV kept coming in, hoping to get closer to her. Deirbhile sat quietly on the very edge of the counter, listening as Lorne patiently turned away customer after customer. "Hey, kiddo, here she comes!" Lorne nudged her, gesturing towards one of the balconies. Deirbhile glanced up briefly before looking away again.
"Very nice." she said vaguely. "That's a pretty dress she's wearing."
Jasmine came down into the lobby, greeting various people in their own languages. Deirbhile listened with half an ear; the rest of her was focusing on not running to try and kill her there and then. "Not my place." she murmured to herself.
When Wes and Gunn brushed past her she followed them, slipping into the office and curling into the couch.
"What happened?" Angel asked.
"This close, then she pulled a Houdini." Gunn said angrily.
"What's a Houdini?" Connor asked.
"She escaped." Wes explained.
"Fred's obviously learned a trick or two here at Angel Inc." Angel mused. "But we'll catch her."
"I'll find her." Connor muttered. "Bring back her scalp."
"No." Wesley said sharply. "Jasmine wants her alive."
"Wes is right. Fred gets to live until we understand why she rejected Jasmine's love."
"Why would anyone reject love?" Connor protested.
"Pot, kettle." Deirbhile muttered.
"You stay out of it." Connor told her.
"Maybe cause she has a history?" Gunn suggested, ignoring Deirbhile's comments as most of the AI team did now.
"Whatever the reason is, we have to find her so Jasmine can straighten her out." Angel said firmly, turning to leave the office.
At the door Wes and Gunn halted, watching enviously as Jasmine picked two people from the crowd and led them upstairs.
"You think she'll ever pick us?" Gunn asked.
"If we're very lucky." Wes said quietly. "But not before we find Fred."
"You wouldn't want her to pick you." Deirbhile said from behind them. "She's not giving them milk and cookies up there."
"What would you know about it?" Gunn demanded.
"Lots more than you think."
"Deirbhile…" Connor said warningly, and she fell silent. Turning to Angel, Connor added, "Let's go."
"Can I come?" Deirbhile asked softly.
"You going to help us?" Connor asked.
"Help you." she agreed, nodding.
"Fine." he said shortly.
"How old were you when you realized you could track like this?" Angel asked Connor. They'd been tracking through the sewers for some time.
"I don't know. Five, six—we didn't exactly celebrate birthdays in Quor'toth. Holtz made up a game so I could practice."
"What, you mean he'd hide things for you to find?"
"Sort of. He'd tie me to a tree and then run away."
"What?" Angel demanded, stopping. Deirbhile pulled up to keep from running into him.
"You know, so I'd have to escape and then find him." Connor stopped, not wanting to leave them behind. "One time it only took me five days."
"Go you." Deirbhile murmured.
"Five days." Angel repeated. "He abandoned you? Connor, that's terrible. That's…"
"What you did." Deirbhile said quietly.
"Why I'm so good at tracking." Connor spoke over her. "Fred rested here for a while."
Angel stopped again; Connor echoed him. "Jasmine wants us back at the hotel."
Deirbhile slipped into Jasmine's room when Angel opened it after knocking; she was getting good at slipping through gaps, as the team seemed barely to notice her any more.
"You called us." Angel said.
"How did you do that?" Connor added.
"We felt it."
"We're all becoming connected." Jasmine said. "All of us. And now that you're all here, I want to test that connection. We're going to find Fred."
"Isn't that what we've been trying to do?" Connor asked.
"This time we're going to do it differently. No more running around town. Everybody join hands. I can't do this alone, not yet."
Deirbhile caught Connor's wrist as he was reaching for Jasmine's hand. "You can't have Connor."
"Deirbhile…" Connor twisted in her grip, quickly realizing she was stronger than he was. "Let go."
"She's not having you." Deirbhile told him, looking back at Jasmine. "Do it without him."
"Deirbhile." Angel said quietly. "Let go of Connor."
"Connor's mine. You can't have him. Mine, Jasmine." She snorted faintly. "Jasmine."
Jasmine reached for Deirbhile's face; the girl ducked wildly away, jerking Connor after her. "Ow! Deirbhile…"
"Connor, I will never ask you for anything again, I swear it, just don't do this with her. Please, Connor, please, don't do it."
Connor stared at her for a long minute before shaking her off and turning back to Jasmine, reaching for her hand. Deirbhile sank to the floor, staring blindly past the group. Jasmine favored her with a bright smile before turning back to the others. "I want y'all to close your eyes. Now, picture Fred. Picture what she looks like: her face, her big brown eyes, the way she styles her hair, the clothes she likes to wear, the sound of her voice, what she looks like when she smiles. Now concentrate. Where are you, Fred? I'm looking for you." She smiled. "I see you. I see you, Fred."
Deirbhile raised her head as smoke came from Jasmine's hand; lunging forward, she caught the back of Connor's top and yanked him backwards, breaking their contact.
"Ah!" Connor hissed, shaking her off without thinking.
"What happened?" Wesley demanded. Angel and Lorne helped Jasmine into a chair.
"Her hand got hot." Connor said, shaking out his own hand.
"It's badly burned." Wes announced, examining Jasmine's hand. Deirbhile pulled herself to her feet again and took hold of Connor's wrist, examining the palm of his hand.
"Hurt?" she asked him softly.
"It's fine." he told her.
"Sure?"
"Yes. It's fine."
Both looked up in time to hear Angel say, "…hotel full of people, people who have needs."
"You know what they say about people who need people." Lorne added.
Connor pulled gently away from Deirbhile. "They're the luckiest people in the world?"
"What are you smoking?" Deirbhile asked in surprise.
"You been sneaking peeks at my Streisand collection again, kiddo?" Lorne asked.
"Just…kinda popped out." Connor muttered.
"This is what I'm talking about." Jasmine said. "Everyone's becoming connected—the same way I saw Fred."
"That's one word for it." Deirbhile muttered. Tugging at Connor's top again, she added, "Come and let me look at that. You don't have healing powers left over from being not-a-Power-that-Was."
"I told you it's fine."
"It's not fine, Connor, I can feel it bleeding from here. Come let me look at it."
Giving up, he followed her out of the room.
Much later, Deirbhile sat on the floor outside Jasmine's room, watching Connor who was on guard duty. Jasmine was ensconced inside with several people she'd picked at random from the crowd in the lobby. Since Fred had made Angel defect everyone was on edge, tightening security around the hotel.
"You sang good earlier." she said hesitantly.
"Never sang before." Connor said indifferently.
"I like that you and Angel are…" she caught herself. "Were getting along." She frowned thoughtfully. "How did Fred do it?"
"Don't know. Don't care. Gonna kill them both."
"Yu-huh. I have to go, for a bit."
"Have fun."
She vanished around the corner just as Jasmine came out. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Connor said without thinking.
"My sweet boy." Jasmine smiled.
"Where are those people?"
"I ate them."
Connor smiled. "Cool."
Deirbhile slipped into a room, twisting under Gunn's punch without even seeming to notice him. "Just me."
"You sane?" Angel asked.
"Saner'n you. Where's Wes?"
"Gone to get Connor. We're going." Angel said. "We need to work out what to do."
"Won't help. You can't fix what's in Connor's head."
"Can you?" Angel asked.
"Too deep for me. Nope, he'll do it on his own given time."
"We don't have time." Gunn pointed out, pulling her out of the path of the door. Wes came in, ducking immediately to the side to give Angel clear access.
"What? Hey, no!" Connor tried to back up, but the door was closed and Angel had him.
"You've been lied to." Fred assured him. Several others chimed in with reassurances as well.
"Help me!" Connor demanded of Deirbhile, who'd backed up to the far wall.
"I am." she whispered, locking her eyes on his as Wes advanced with the knife.
"Ahh! I'll kill you!" Connor yelled, struggling as Wes cut a shallow line into his chest, daubing it with Cordelia's blood.
"It'll pass." Angel murmured, holding him still.
"Connor." Deirbhile murmured. Connor slumped, looking dazedly around.
"You're back with us now, Connor." Angel said gently, letting go of him.
"Only way to make you see." Gunn agreed.
"You understand why we're here?" Angel asked. Connor nodded, eyes on the floor.
"Yes." Glancing up, he caught Deirbhile's eye and held out a hand to her. Without hesitation she took it, crossing to his side and then whirling to block the others as Connor yanked the door open.
"They're here! Come quick! They're here!"