Title: Daughters of the Unnatural
Part: 5: Breakdown
Author: Liayso
Disclaimer: The characters of Angel and Buffy are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for this story. I do own the characters D.J. and Abby.
Summary: The daughter of The Key and The Destroyer sure has her hands full. Her twin sister wants to kill her and now she's stuck in the past. Can she possibly calm her raging sister down and get back to her own time? Lame summary, I know.
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and violence
Spoilers: Everything I guess. This story is set a couple of months after Angel's series finale.
A/N: Whee! Another chapter! Again thanks everyone for the reviews. This chapter is going to be a bit longer than the other ones, but that's because a whole bunch of stuff happens. Enjoy!
D.J. looked among the books on the bookcase. It was the next day and she was in the library, looking for a book. She had read this book many times before in the future and inside it was a way to get her sister back. She trailed her fingers along the book bindings until she found what she was looking for. D.J. pulled out the book and flipped through it.
"Yup. This is it."
She walked towards the chest that held magical items and such. She rummaged through everything and pulled out the herbs she needed along with a small vial. She tucked the items into the pocket of her sweater. She got up, with the book in hand and headed to the door. When she opened it, she found Dawn on the other side.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
D.J. smiled at her mother shyly. "You should get use to me being in the library. If you can't find me, I'm most likely in here."
"I'll remember that." Dawn grabbed D.J.'s wrist. "Come on!"
"Where are you taking me?" D.J asked as she was dragged out of the library.
"Okay, you're all freaking me out with all that smiling. What's going on?"
D.J. stared at her family. Everyone was sitting on the lobby couch and each of them had a smile on their face, except for Illyrian. Gunn stepped forward.
"Well, we all have been thinking and we thought that you could use a break."
"A break?" D.J. raised an eyebrow.
Angel nodded. "I've been pushing you hard with all that training and all the cases I've been taking you on."
"And not to mention all that Abby stuff." Spike chimed in.
"We thought you could use a little release. Have a little fun." Connor smiled at her.
"What did you guys have in mind?"
Dawn grinned even wider. "We're going to spend the day at the amusement park down by the pier."
Angel stepped up to the girl. "What do you say, D.J.?"
"I'd love to go to the amusement park, but you and Spike can't come with us."
"That's okay, Bit. We'll be right here. Go on and ride the Ferris wheel for me."
D.J. smiled at Spike. She then looked at the rest of her family. Each of them had a pleading look on their faces. D.J. really wanted to go with them, but was it appropriate to go out when Abby's still mad as hell? D.J. let out a small sigh.
"All right. Let me get ready, okay?" D.J. turned and headed for the stairs.
"Sure. Take your time." Angel called out after her.
When D.J. reached her room, she placed the book on top of her dresser. She pulled the items from her pocket and placed them into the top drawer. She gave the items a long hard look before shutting the drawer.
"I hope I don't have to use these things on you, Abby." She said quietly.
D.J. hurried and got ready. When she went back downstairs, she found everyone ready to go.
"I'm ready."
"Cool. Let's go." Connor got up and headed for the door. Gunn and Dawn followed suit. D.J. took a step forward and she noticed Illyria wasn't following.
"Aren't you coming with us, Illyria?"
Illyria stared at her. "You wish for me to accompany you, child?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, you're not sun-resistant like Angel and Spike." D.J. took a hold of her wrist and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Come with us, please?"
Illyria gave her a very tiny smile that was brief. "All right. I shall come."
"Wow. It's not everyday that someone asks Illyria to do something and she actually does it." Gunn stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Unlike you, this girl is actually polite."
Dawn and Connor snickered. Gunn rolled his eyes. "Let's go." They all exited the door.
Angel went over, opened the door and called out after them.
"Have a good time! Be safe! Don't stay out too late and be back before dawn!"
Gunn gave Angel a wave of his hand to show that he understands. Spiked walked up behind Angel.
"Look at you. Playing concerned parent for all the little kiddies."
Angel shut the door and looked at him. "I'm just looking out for D.J. She's just a kid."
"She's fifteen years old, not a baby in diapers you bloody ponce. She can take care of herself if need be. Stop being such a wanker." Spike lit a cigarette.
Angel rolled his eyes at him. "Whatever Spike."
Spike puffed a cloud of smoke into his face and smirked at him. "So what are we supposed to do while they are out stuffing their faces with cotton candy?"
Angel shrugged. "I don't know. We could play checkers."
"What is the point?" Illyria asked Gunn and D.J.
The three of them were standing in front of a game booth. It was the game where the bottles were lined up in a pyramid and you have to throw the ball at it. Illyria had one of the balls in the palm of her hand.
"The point is to knock down that pyramid of bottles with these balls. If you do, you get a prize."
Illyria just stared at the ball. Gunn chuckled
D.J. stepped to her. "Well, think about it like this. You're at your temple, Vahla Ha'nesh. Your enemy had set up a base or something just over there." D.J. pointed at the bottles. "The geography of the land prevents you from doing a full frontal attack. So what do you do? You try a long distance attack and throw the ball." D.J. smiled.
Illyria stared at the ball. Then she threw it. The ball knocked down all the bottles. The gamekeeper widened his eyes. His cigarette fell out of his mouth in disbelief. No one ever knocked down all the bottles with just one ball. He shook his head to gain some composure.
"We have a winner."
He grabbed a giant pink teddy bear and placed it in Illyria's hands. D.J. and Gunn began to laugh. The sight of Illyria with a giant pink teddy bear was a funny sight to see. The three of them walked away from the booth. Illyria stared at the stuffed animal in her hands.
"This thing's sickeningly cuteness offends me."
D.J. giggled. She spotted Dawn and Connor walking and waved to them. "Hey you guys! Over here!"
The two of them saw her and walked over. Dawn was holding a large polar bear stuffed animal.
"How cute!" D.J. motioned to it.
Dawn smiled. "Connor won it for me. Practically broke the strength game." Connor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, embarrassed. Everyone laughed. Illyria only gave a smile in amusement.
"So what do we do now?" Connor asked.
"How 'bout we take a break? My feet are killing me." Dawn said sitting down on a bench.
They had done a lot in the past few hours. They rode the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel and the bumper carts. They ate a whole bunch of stuff in between the rides; actually, Connor and D.J. ate a whole bunch of stuff. They didn't even throw up on any of the rides. D.J. spotted an ice cream cart. She tugged on Gunn's shirtsleeve.
"Can we get some ice cream?"
Gunn raised an eye at the girl. "You want to eat? Again? Dang girl, you're just like Connor. Your stomach's a black hole."
D.J. chuckled. She dragged Gunn over to the cart. The vendor looked bored. He was listening to a small radio. D.J. ordered a strawberry ice cream cone while Gunn bought chocolate. As Gunn paid for the two ice cream cones, D.J. listened to what the radio was saying. It seemed to be a news station.
"…Police are trying to identify the young girl who has attacked the Jackson's Camping and Sporting Goods store from security tapes. She has taken everyone inside as hostages. No motives for her actions have been clarified, but police have said that they heard the girl yell about her sister…"
D.J. suddenly dropped her ice cream cone. It fell to the pavement with a splat.
"Oh my god."
"King me." Spike said with a smirk.
Angel scowled back at him. They had decided to play checkers, and Spike was winning. Suddenly, Angel's cell phone began to ring.
"Hello?"
"Angel, we got a problem." Gunn spoke. He and the others were driving in Angel's car to the store.
"What kind of problem?"
"A big problem. Connor, turn up the radio." Connor did just that. "Listen." Gunn held the phone to the radio.
"…it is estimated that the girl has taken about eight people hostage along with two police officers who went inside the sporting goods store to investigate. The subject appears to be very hostile…
Gunn brought the phone back up to his ear. "It's Abby man."
"Are you sure it's her?"
The radio continued the story. "Police had no choice but to send in a sniping team, however the girl has dodged all shots and even shot back with what appears to be a crossbow…"
"Oh yeah. Pretty sure. Look, can you meet us at the Jackson's Camping and Sporting Goods store? Do you know where that is?"
"Yeah." Angel paused. It was the same store he fought Connor in right before the memory wipe spell took place. "We're on our way." They both hanged up.
"They were sniping her!" D.J. shrieked.
"D.J., calm down. Take a deep breath. We'll get through this." Gunn tried to calm the frantic girl down.
"Oh yeah. I'll calm down. I'll calm down after my sister stops attacking people and the police stop trying to kill her!" D.J. began to shake.
Dawn took a hold of D.J.'s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Connor looked back at his daughter. He then faced Gunn.
"Can't you go any faster?"
"I'm going as fast as the speed limit will let me." Gunn made a turn down the street.
"Screw the speed limit! Just get us there!"
"Connor, don't yell at me if you don't want me to crash the car."
"Why is she doing this? I don't understand. Attacking innocent people…" D.J. softly whispered.
"She seeks your attention. She wishes to do battle with you for you have shamed and humiliated her. She seeks to earn back her pride." Illyria did her best to comfort her pupil.
D.J. still shook with fear and disbelief. Dawn still held her hand tightly. "It will be all right."
Gunn turned a corner. They were almost at the store. They saw a bunch of police cars and a newscast in the parking lot. A big crowd was forming as well.
"Doesn't look like we'll get through the front. Let's try the back."
Gunn turned the car around. The back was surprisingly empty. The back door was bolted shut. The police must have assumed that Abby wouldn't be able to escape that way. They all piled out of Angel's car.
"How are we supposed to get in?" Dawn asked.
D.J. looked up and saw an open window on the second floor. "There." She pointed up.
"Unless you can fly, I don't think we'll be getting through there." Gunn remarked. He noticed that she wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead, she had picked up a metal trashcan and placed it down on the ground. "D.J.?"
She didn't answer him. She picked up a wooden crate and placed it next to the trashcan. The items were lined up with the window. D.J. walked back a few feet then began to sprint. She ran up the crate and leaped off the trashcan. The can tipped over, spilling its contents out while D.J. grabbed onto the windowsill. She pulled herself through and was inside the building. The others stared after her in awe.
"So, anyone else going to try that?" Gunn asked.
Abby looked around at the people before her. The adults had their arms and feet tied together while the children clung close to their parents. She hadn't bothered to tie up the two police officers. She had broken their legs; they wouldn't be going anywhere. Abby had her crossbow in her hand; the sword she got from D.J. was attached to her back in a makeshift sheath. She looked around once again and saw two little girls clinging to their mother, crying. She walked over to them.
"Are these your daughters?" Abby asked the woman. She only nodded. Abby turned to the bigger child. "Are you the older sibling?" The girl nodded; tears were streaming down her face.
"I bet your little sister's annoying, isn't she? Does she take all of your stuff without asking?" The girl nodded again. "Doesn't that make you mad? Do you want me to take care of her?" Abby aimed her crossbow at the younger girl's head. She let out a startled cry and clung even tighter to her mother.
"Abby!"
Abby turned her head to see D.J. standing on the second floor. Abby stood up and smiled.
"I thought you would come, sooner or later, lil sis."
"Abby, what are you doing?"
"Me? I guess I'm playing the villain and you're here to be the big hero and save them, aren't you?"
"Save them? From you?" D.J. choked out.
"What's the matter little sis? You can't save them?" Abby taunted her. "No, of course you can't. You know why? It's because you're weak! That's why!"
"Abby please stop this. This is between you and me. Let them go."
She ignored her sister's plea. "It's understandable. I mean, at heart, you're really one of them. All helpless and scared. Anxiously waiting for someone to save them. Wondering if they'll see the next day."
"Abby… what do you want from me?"
Abby cocked her crossbow and pointed it straight at her heart. "I want you to die, Bitch!" She pulled the trigger.
D.J. shut her eyes tight. When she opened them, she looked down at her hand. It gripped the arrow that Abby had shot at her. Only the very tip of the head had pricked her flesh, drawing out only a drop of blood. Had D.J. reacted any second later, she'd be dead by now.
"You tried to kill me…" D.J. stared at her sister with disbelief. "You almost killed me…"
"Lucky catch. Let's see if you're lucky a second time." Abby aimed the crossbow at her again. Her finger pressed the trigger.
D.J. couldn't move. She was frozen in place. The arrow seemed to be heading towards her very slowly, but she still couldn't move. Luckily, for her, Connor managed to tackle D.J. down to the floor as the arrow whizzed above them. He had followed D.J. through the window. When they sat up on the floor, Connor gripped D.J.'s shoulders lightly.
"Are you all right?" He asked searching her eyes.
Tears filled those eyes. D.J.'s voice was blank at first. "She almost killed me…" Her face scrounged up and the tears began to fall. "She almost killed me!"
D.J. broke down and started crying aloud. She shook her head. "I can't reach her! She's too far gone! I lost her! She's too far gone!"
Her sobs became uncontrollable. They pierced Connor's ears as well as his heart. Connor pulled the hysterical girl to his chest and hugged her tight. He began to rock her gently back and forth.
"Shhh… It's going to all right." D.J. continued to sob into his chest as he cradled her in his arms.
Downstairs, a loud crash was heard. Illyria had punched and kicked her way through the solid brick wall to get in. Gunn and Dawn followed behind her.
"Liberate the humans. I shall deal with the girl." Illyria commanded. Gunn and Dawn nodded at her and ran to the hostages.
Abby aimed her crossbow at the blue goddess and shot at her. Illyria easily caught the arrow and snapped it in half. Out of arrows, Abby threw aside the crossbow and charged at the Old One. She sent a kick to her midsection, but Illyria blocked it. Abby sent a left hook to her head, but Illyria ducked it. Abby sent blow after blow at the blue one, but Illyria dodged and blocked each one with increasing difficultly.
Abby was quick and aggressive. She had not let Illyria take the offensive at a single moment. Abby finally managed to land a punch on the Old One's nose and Illyria stumbled back. Abby grabbed her by the arm and swung her into a rack of camping gear.
"You know, if you hadn't taught that stupid bitch, we wouldn't be doing this now."
Suddenly, Abby fell to the floor. She turned her head to see her attacker. Angel was standing before her, holding a metal bat. He had struck her from behind.
"Oh you god damn asshole!" She growled. Abby got up and lunged at her grandfather.
Gunn and Dawn had managed to free all the hostages. They had the ones that could walk help the ones that couldn't. Dawn looked around.
"Where are D.J. and Connor?" She cried out.
Gunn looked to the second floor and saw them sitting on the ground. "Up there!" He looked back to Angel, Spike, and Illyria fighting Abby. "You go see if they're all right. I'll go help the others."
Dawn nodded at him and ran upstairs to find Connor holding a sobbing D.J. She was crying hysterically into his chest. Dawn walked over and knelt by them.
"What happened?"
"Abby almost killed her. Shot an arrow straight for her heart." Connor answered over D.J.'s head.
"We should get her out of this place." She gently pulled D.J. away from Connor and helped her up.
Meanwhile downstairs was an all out war zone. Gunn had joined in the fight. He picked up volleyball chucked it at Abby. She caught the ball and chucked it right back at him, right at his head. Gunn fell to the floor. Suddenly, she was knocked down from behind by a bowling ball that was thrown at her.
"Strike!" Spike yelled as Abby fell to the floor. He had thrown the ball
Angel yelled at Spike. "Don't kill her!"
Spike glared at Angel and when he looked forward, he found Abby in front of him and boy was she pissed. She punched Spike and he flew into a pile of plastic kerosene oil tanks. She pulled out a knife and threw it at him. Spike moved to the side and it pierced one of the tanks. Illyria took this moment to strike Abby from behind, but Abby sensed her presence and sent a kick in her direction. Illyria was flung backwards into a camping tent. She became entangled in it. Spike pulled out the knife from the tank and threw it back at Abby. She sidestepped it and the knife went pass her and into Angel's shoulder.
"Spike!"
"Sorry Peaches!"
Angel growled and pulled the knife out of him. He tossed it aside and stalked towards Abby. Abby anticipated him and did a spinning kick to his head. Angel dodged the kick but didn't expect her to counter with her arm. She struck him and he flew into the wall. Spike got up and picked up the kerosene tank that was leaking oil and chucked it at Abby. Oil spilt out in a trail as it flew threw the air. Abby punched it aside. She drew out her sword. Spike took a hold of another kerosene tank and threw it at her again. She cut through it, kerosene spilling all over her. Abby picked up the bowling ball from earlier and chucked it at his head, knocking Spike to the ground. Both Illyria and Angel had regained their composure and they lunged at the girl. She swung her sword at them. They jumped back.
"You can't stop me!" She yelled out.
"Think again, Pet."
Abby looked at Spike. He had gotten back up and a cigarette was in his mouth. He pulled out his lighter, lit the ciggy, and then flicked it into the kerosene trail. Everyone jumped back and away from the trail as it erupted into flames. A wall of fire separated Abby away from the others. Seeing as how she was covered in kerosene oil, Abby figured walking through a wall of fire wouldn't be a good idea. She glared at them through the flames.
"This isn't over! Not by a bloody long shot!" Abby growled at them. She then turned and ran to a window. She knocked the glass out with the hilt of her sword and jumped through. The broken glass tore into her flesh.
Angel only watched her as she took off. Then he turned to Connor and Dawn coming down the stairs with D.J. Her sobs were quieter now, but she was still crying. They all turned at the sound of sirens blasting from outside. The police were finally making a move into the building.
"That's our cue to make an escape." Gunn said.
Angel nodded and took D.J. from her parents and lifted her into his arms. They all left the burning building.
Angel and Connor watched from the doorway as Dawn tucked D.J. into her bed. She curled up into a fetal position under the covers. Dawn gave her form a sad look before shooing the two men out and closing the door behind her.
"It's got to be one of the worst feelings in the world. To have someone that you care about so much hate you and try to kill you." She shook her head at the door; her eyes were tearing up a bit.
Connor turned to his father. "What are we going to do, Dad?"
Angel shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's been a long day. We all could use some rest." He turned around and walked down the hall.
Connor and Dawn were left in the hallway. Dawn stepped up to Connor.
"I feel so awful for D.J. I look at her sad face and all I want to do is hold her."
"I know what you mean. What should we do?"
"I think we should go find Abby."
"And then what? Tell her to be nice to her sister and stop picking on her? That is if she let's us get a single word out."
"Well we can't sit on our asses and do nothing. I have to do something." She looked at D.J.'s door again. She then turned back to Connor. "Look if you don't want to come with me, don't, but I'm going to go find her either way."
"I'll come with you. I can't let you go toe to toe with Abby by yourself." Dawn smiled at him. "How are we going to get out of her exactly? I don' think my dad will just let us out through the front door."
Once again, Dawn smiled. She started walking to her room. Connor followed her. She crossed her bedroom over to the window and opened it.
"We go out Dawn-style: through the window," She stuck her head out "…and you guys had to pick the room with no fire escape or a drain pipe next to it for me to climb down from." She shook her head.
Connor walked over to her. "Move please." Dawn stepped aside. He then leaped out the window.
"Connor!"
Dawn tried to grab him before he jumped but only grabbed air. She rushed to the window and saw Connor land on his feet nimbly down below. He turned around and opened his arms wide.
"Jump!" He called up to her.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"No, I'm not. Jump!"
"But…" Dawn hesitated.
"Jump! It will be okay! I'll catch you. Trust me."
Dawn stared at the boy down below her. She took a deep breath and then climbed onto the windowsill. She leaped from it. She closed her eyes as she fell and let out a small yelp. She was sure she would hit the pavement but then she landed perfectly into Connor's arms. Dawn opened her eyes to meet his crystal blue ones. She felt her breath get caught in her throat. After awhile of staring into his eyes, she managed to say something.
"Uh, thanks for catching me." She began to blush.
"You're welcome." Connor began to blush back. He put her down reluctantly; he had liked holding her. She felt so right in his arms. "I told you I would catch you."
"My hero." Dawn smiled at Connor. He smiled back at her. "So, do you think you can track Abby?"
"Probably. Come on."
The two of them headed to the store. Police cars filled the perimeter, as well as a couple of fire trucks. The fire that Spike started earlier was put out. Dawn and Connor stood across the street from everything. They hid behind a building corner.
"I can't get a hold of her scent here. I need to get there where the scent would be strongest." Connor peeked around the corner.
"But the cops are all over the place. It's not like we can jus walk onto the crime scene and say, 'Hi. We're looking for the girl that attacked this place earlier. Mind if we sniff around?'." Dawn shook her head. "Do you think maybe you could go in and out of there without them seeing you?"
"Maybe. Should I try?" He started at her.
Dawn looked around. Something caught her eye further down the street. "Maybe you don't have to." She started down the street.
"Dawn?" Connor looked at her jogging form before going after her.
What Dawn saw was a blood splotch on the wall of a building. The two of them knelt down before it. Connor pressed his index finger onto the dry blood and smelt it.
"Do you think it's Abby's blood?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah." Connor seemed unnerved.
Sensing this, Dawn asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just that the blood smells a little familiar." Connor shook his head. "Anyway, I got the scent. She went this way." He stood up and started walking. Dawn followed close behind him.
"Look at you. You're like a bloodhound. All tracky and cute."
Connor stopped walking and looked at her. "What?"
Dawn suddenly blushed and realized that she had called him 'cute'. She quickly said "Nothing," and hastened her walk.
Connor smiled after her and took long strides to catch up with her. For a couple of minutes they walked side by side in silence.
Connor looked to Dawn. "So, you think I'm cute?"
Dawn stopped walking and Connor stood before her smirking. She blushed furiously. In quick motions, she spun him around and gave him a slight shove forward.
"Just keep walking, Boy Wonder."
Connor chuckled and again they walked in silence. He gave a sideway glance to the girl next to him. He then remembered his talk with D.J. in the basement.
'Could she be the one?' He thought. He was definitely attracted to her; she was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't just a physical attraction either. Connor loved being around Dawn. The tow of them had so much in common. He could relate to her more than anyone else in the world and she to him. Then it hit him. Connor was falling for the girl beside him. He smiled at that realization. Dawn saw his smile.
"You're making fun of me in your head, aren't you?" She broke his thoughts.
"Huh? What?" Connor became all flustered. "No, I wasn't."
"Yeah. Sure." Dawn rolled her eyes but then smiled. "So which way do we go?"
Connor looked around. "This way."
The two of them followed Abby's scent to an abandoned apartment building. A couple of the windows were boarded up with rotting wood and the floor and stairs creaked, give off an old feeling.
"So do you have a plan?" Connor asked Dawn as they walked up the steps.
"Not really." She said nervously. Now that she was here, she had lost the confidence and the passion she had back at the hotel.
Connor took a hold of her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "It will be okay."
The two of them entered a darkened room. Suddenly, Connor pushed Dawn back and she fell to the ground in the hallway. A loud shattering sound was heard in the darkness along with a loud grunt. Dawn fumbled up and searched the wall for a light switch. She found one and flipped it on. Dawn saw Connor on the floor; pieces of a broken vase surrounded his head. Abby stood before them.
"Why are you here?" Each of Abby's words was coated with anger. Her blue eyes were dark and narrowed.
"We just want to talk." Dawn said as she helped Connor stand up.
"Let me guess. You guys came to tell me to play nice with my little sister." Abby placed her hands on her hips. Connor and Dawn remained silent. Both were unsure on how to reply. Abby shook her head. "I knew it. I won't do it. You can't make me do anything anymore."
Abby turned and started walking away, but Connor stepped forward and grabbed a hold of her arm.
"Abby-"
With a growl, Abby pushed her father into the wall. "Shut up!"
Connor grabbed a hold of her arm, twisted it behind her, and slammed her against the wall. "Listen to me!"
"No!" She pulled free and punched him in the face. He punched back with all the strength he had. Abby fell to the floor. She was drained from the battle earlier, whereas Connor was as fresh as a daisy.
"Your sister's a complete wreck because of what you did to her." Connor yelled at her form on the floor.
"Good." Abby got up and launched her self at her father. The two of them tumbled backwards and went through a window.
"Connor!" Dawn called out after them. She quickly ran down the stairs.
Father and daughter fell to the street with glass shattering all around them. A shard of glass had cut Connor's forehead and he was bleeding. Abby quickly composed herself and grabbed a hold of her father. She pinned him to the brick wall of the building. She pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. Dawn appeared outside with them but froze when she saw Connor's current position.
Connor stared at the knife and then into the eyes of the angry girl before him. "How could you do that? D.J.'s your sister, your family. How could you just try to kill her like that?"
Abby still held the knife to his throat. "Please. Like you've never tried to kill your family." She let out a small laugh. "It must be genetic."
Connor stared at her funny. "What?"
"Gramps killed his family when he became a vampire. You tried to kill him many times, oh and you killed your daughter, Jasmine." She smirked. "Now I'm going to kill D.J."
Connor's eyebrows furrowed together at what she was implying. "What are you trying to say?"
Abby pulled the knife away and took a step back. She threw her arms in the air. "Oh come on! You can't be that dense," she paused, "Dad." Connor widened his eyes in shock, but Abby kept talking. "I'm surprised that Little-Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes didn't tell you. It's not like her to keep secrets."
Connor was stunned tremendously. It took him awhile to form words in his mouth. "You're my daughter?"
Abby rolled her eyes at him. "You're a little slow." She turned to Dawn. "What did you see in him? I'm glad I inherited your brains, Mom."
Dawn's eyes widened as well. She looked from Abby to Connor and then back to Abby. "M-mom?" She repeated what Abby said. Abby rolled her eyes and snorted.
"God! You guys are pathetic!" She turned back to Connor. He was still staring in disbelief. She swung a punch at him and he fell to the ground with a thud. She stared down at him. "You just had to build me up like that. You just had to build me up so that I would fall down so hard." With those words, she took off down the street.
Dawn rushed to Connor's side and helped him sit up. The two of them just stared at each other in shock. Connor looked away. D.J. and Abby were his daughters. He looked back at Dawn. No, they weren't just his, they were Dawn's too. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. Together they sat in stunned disbelief.
There was a sort of gloom cast over the hotel. Everyone did their best to keep themselves occupied to ignore the depressing mood. Angel was looking through past case files. Gunn was playing solitaire. Spike was drinking and Illyria seemed to be talking to a potted plant. Soft footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. They all looked up from what they were doing and saw D.J. standing at the base of the steps.
"D.J…" Angel said softly.
"Hi." She said meekly. "I couldn't sleep." She looked down.
"Did you want anything? A snack maybe?" Angel asked.
D.J. shook her head. "I just don't want to be alone."
"Well, would you like to play cards with me?" Gunn asked as he gathered up the cards and shuffled them.
"Sure." D.J. walked over to him and sat opposite of him. "What are we going to play?"
"Is Speed all right with you? Do you know how to play it?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. Then we'll play that." Gunn began to deal out the cards.
A small smile appeared on D.J.'s face. Everyone went back to what they were doing. When Gunn finished dealing, he got ready to play, placing a hand on one of the two middle cards.
"Ready?"
Before D.J. cold reply, the hotel doors opened and closed rather loudly. Everyone looked to the entrance and saw Connor and Dawn. Connor was banged up; a large gash marked his forehead and small cuts adorned his arms. D.J. stood up.
"Connor? Dawn? What the hell?" Angel asked.
But Connor ignored his father. His gaze was focused on D.J. He began walking towards her. The look in his eyes told her everything. Connor stopped in his tracks when she spoke.
"You went to her. You went to her and she told you." Tears began to form in her eyes as she stared at Connor.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Connor asked earnestly. D.J. looked away. She covered her ears and shut her eyes. Connor continued. "Why did you keep it a secret from me?"
D.J. shook her head. "No." She moved her hands and opened her eyes. She cried out. "I can't deal with this right now!" She turned and ran up the stairs. Connor tried to follow her, but Angel grabbed a hold of his arm.
"Connor, wait!"
Connor tried wrenching his arm away from him. "Let go of me!"
"Would you just wait?"
Connor was still trying to pull his arm free from his father's grasp, but then he stopped struggling and stared at his father hard. He then realized something.
- "Some things have happened to change my mind." -
Angel let go of him. Connor took two steps back and glared at him.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew that she was my daughter and you didn't tell me!" He screamed into his father's face.
A brief silence filled the room, but it was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. Spike had dropped his beer bottle. The cards in Gunn's hands fell to the table. Illyria and Dawn just stood and watched the scene before them.
"Connor, if you would just let me explain-"
Connor interrupted his father. "No." He shook his head and ran up the stairs. Dawn followed him.
Gunn and Spike came up behind Angel.
"Dude, care to explain?"
Angel looked at Illyria. She only looked back at him. Angel let out a long sigh and turned to Gunn and Spike. He proceeded to tell them everything he knew.
"D.J.! Open this god damn door now!" Connor pounded on the door. He was ready to break it down. Connor was pissed. He felt like he had been betrayed and lied to. He felt like he had been played and he hated feeling that way. He continued to pound on the door. "I'll break it down if you don't open it!"
"Connor! Stop!" Dawn grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled it back. "Just stop! You're not helping!"
Connor pulled away from her and went back to the door. This pissed off Dawn very much. Using magic, she pinned Conner to the wall, away from the door. He struggled to break free from her spell.
"Damn it Dawn!" He yelled at her.
"Damn it Connor!" She yelled back. "You need to calm down!"
"She's my daughter!"
"She's my daughter too, damn it!" Dawn was getting red-faced mad. "And I'm not going to let you get all in her face like this!"
Connor glared at her. "She lied to me."
"Maybe she did, but she's stuck in the past. Her sister almost killed her today. The last thing she needs right now is for her parents to come barging in on her and yelling in her face like this." Dawn paused and her features softened a little bit. "What she needs right now is some time and space and you need to calm down."
Connor's face softened as well and he looked down. "She's my daughter…" He said softly.
"I know how you feel. I have so many questions, but now is not the time." She released the spell.
Connor was still looking down. "When will be the time?"
"When she's ready."
On the other side of the door, D.J. sat leaned up against it. She heard everything that went on the other side. Her face was wet from crying. How had everything fallen so much apart?
TBC…
A/N: Review please!
Preview for the next chapter:
With her secret out, D.J. locks herself in her room. However, she can't avoid everyone forever. She'll have to face her father eventually.