Author's note: Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.
Those who do not Remember
"Nice…what is that?"
"Technically or really?"
"Both. Either. Whatever."
"Are you expressing interest in what I do?"
"I'm just wondering why you're hanging a lump of…paper…from your ceiling."
"It's my ceiling."
Connor snorted and turned to leave. "Oh, come back here." Smiling, Deirbhile jumped off the chair and looked proudly at the papier-mâché dragon she'd just hung from the ceiling. "He's cute."
"He's ridiculous." Connor protested.
"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud. Your father would at least pretend to like it."
"My father has very odd taste."
"I didn't say he really would like it." She sank onto the bed, still smiling at the dragon. "He'd just pretend."
"Fine." Connor pushed away from the wall, standing directly under the dragon and peering at it in a wickedly accurate Angel impression. "It's…very nice. Very…dragony. Good fake flame, there."
"All right, point taken. Stop humoring me."
"What's the hole for"
"Stephen…""I'm serious. What's the hole for"
"You put sweets in it, and then you bash it to bits so the sweets fall out."
Connor looked over at her, surprised. "You're going to bash it to bits?"
"No, of course not. It's a children's game, Stephen."
Connor raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you have it?"
"I like dragons. I miss dragons. Plus he's cute."
"You miss dragons?"
"Sure. I used to see dragons when I was…before this. They're dormant now, they don't wake up, but they're around."
Connor turned away, shaking his head. "I always forget that."
"Forget what?"
"How old you are."
"Does it matter?" She shrugged slightly. "I try not to think about it, personally."
"Guess not." He looked up at the dragon again. "It's looking at me."
"Stephen, it doesn't have eyes."
"Cole will like it."
Deirbhile sighed. "Cole's not going to see it, because he's staying at home with his parents. I can't believe you're still mad about one weekend."
"I'm not mad he was here. He's just…" Connor hesitated, searching for the right word, and came up with "…unsettling."
"Ah, ignore him. You're well used to that." Deirbhile said brightly.
"You don't think he's unsettling?"
"I didn't say that. He's very unsettling…"
Connor started to say something, but she stopped him and went on"Sometimes. But when he's at home, he's treated like an adult…which is fine if you're an adult. I take him to let him be a child."
"I know why you do it, Tara. But in future when you do it I'm going away."
"Which will be different from normal how?" She grinned at him, tapping the dragon lightly and making him spin around.
"Don't try to be funny. You're no good at it."
"I must be getting better, you knew I was trying this time."
"Ha ha."
"Yeah. On a totally new topic, Fred called last night."
"I know." Connor stood to leave the room.
"Connor…"
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to ask."
"Yes I do." He stopped in the door and looked back. "I don't want to see them."
"You need to see them."
"I need them to stay out of my life. Now that I have one."
"You call this a life? Lurking in the shadows waiting for them to slip up so you can swoop in? They won't leave us alone because you won't leave them alone." She moved, perching on the very edge of the bed. "Let's just…"
"No." he cut her off. "I'm not leaving LA."
"You know, if you'd just…"
"You can go." She stopped dead and stared at him. "You don't have to stay. Go back to Turtle Cove."
Tara laughed, shaking her head. "Are we gonna have to go through this again, Stephen? I'm not leaving. Not if you're staying here. How many more times am I going to have to tell you that?"
Connor smiled faintly, ducking his head. "It's just nice to hear sometimes."
"You should do that more often." Tara reached out, brushing his cheek with the tips of her fingers. "Smile. It looks good on you."
Connor backed up very slightly, pulling out of contact with Tara. "I have to go."
"I know." she agreed, nodding. "Be careful."
"Always." Connor said, turning and leaving the room.
Angel knew he was there, of course.
In the months since Jasmine's defeat Connor and Tara had not left LA. Neither of them made any effort to contact the Angel Inc crew, although Tara, at least, was never less than friendly when they did meet. Connor skulked around them, following them on stakeouts and lurking outside the new Wolfram and Hart offices. If any of the others saw him, they never told Angel; but he always knew, and he knew Connor had to be doing that on purpose. Connor, of all people, knew how acute Angel's senses were.
Tonight the team had gone to clear a nest of small, worm-like demons. They'd received several calls and had narrowed the location of the nest to a few blocks. Angel was listening with one ear as Connor paced the car, following them to the suburbs and watching from the deepest shadows as they unloaded and began searching.
Angel had minions now, of course, who could do this for him. He still liked doing it himself, though, and so tonight he'd loaded up his old crew and come out himself.
While Gunn and Wesley began a quick sweep and Fred did something with some equipment, Angel drifted closer to Connor's shadow.
"What are you doing here?"
"It's a free city." Connor muttered sullenly, not moving.
"Connor…"
Connor glowered. "Tara's worried about these demons. She says there's something different about them."
"She told Fred that last night." Angel remarked. "That's why we're here."
"I know that." Connor snarled.
Angel shrugged faintly. "Fred thinks they're just demons. Smaller than normal, but still demons."
Connor shook his head. "Tara says not. She's worried."
"You could help us." Angel suggested mildly.
"Sure. That worked so well the last time." Connor shook his head again. "It doesn't work that way."
Angel nodded slowly. "We'll let you know if we find anything."
"Don't bother. We'll know." He melted away, deeper into the shadow, and Angel sighed and turned back to his friends.
"Found anything?" he asked.
"Nothin'." Gunn muttered.
"What about you?" Wesley asked. Angel glanced at him and nodded very slightly.
"No. Nothing. Fred?"
Fred happily began explaining how her machinery worked; Angel tuned out, watching Connor skulk.
"Angel?" Wesley said quietly. "Why is he here?"
"Deirbhile's worried. Says there's something going on."
Wes nodded slowly. "Does he say what?"
"Doesn't know. Just something different."
"So not the usual run-of-the-mill demons then." Wesley smiled faintly.
"Probably not, no. Have we found anything yet?"
"Not yet."
"Yes we have." Fred corrected him. "There."
She pointed to a shadowy alcove, formed where one house protruded more than its accompanying garage. Now that he was looking, Angel could see faint signs of movement inside.
"These guys are small, right?" Gunn asked, hefting a sword.
"So the reports say." Wesley agreed.
"Then why don't we just attack?"
"Because the reports aren't especially reliable." Fred pointed out. "Too many "Oh my god"s, and "it was hideous" and not enough facts."
"So we're gonna stand around and look at them? How is that any better?"
"No." Angel said. "I'm gonna attack them, Wesley's gonna back me up, Fred's gonna observe them and you're gonna protect Fred."
"Man with a plan." Gunn said approvingly.
Angel stepped forward determinedly, still studying the dark space, and there was a sudden flurry of movement within.
"Angel." Wesley said warningly.
"I see it." Angel said over his shoulder.
In that half-second of distraction, a mass of…somethings…boiled out of the space and flew out onto the street. Fred shrieked and dropped her gizmo, instinctively shielding her head. Angel rose from his ducked position and started after them.
"Peist." he murmured.
"Paste?" Gunn repeated, picking up Fred's machine and handing it back to her.
"No, not paste, peist." Angel shook his head, still staring after them. "They're…legendary…"
"For what? Being small and annoying?" Gunn asked.
"For not existing." Angel retorted.
