FIC: Actions & Consequences (14/19)

Lord Pain beamed. First the Slayer's children and now Angelus' get. Oh this was a day to remember. He could just see Angelus' face when showed the traitor his son's flayed body. Oh the pain, he could almost taste it. He nodded to Klaus. "Bring him to me."

Klaus lunged towards the youth. Pain's mouth dropped open when the boy slid beneath the attack, grabbed the centuries-old vampire's right arm at the wrist and elbow and twisted it back, the snapping bones sounding like gunfire.

Even as Klaus' mouth opened in a scream, Connor's fist slammed into it, cracking yet more bone. Klaus swung a right, but the teen ducked beneath it before crashing a right of his own into the demon's throat. Klaus stumbled backwards but the boy was unstoppable, his movements a whirlwind as he rocked the demon with a dozen or so blows in the space of a couple of seconds before thrusting a stake deep into the German vampire's chest. Connor grinned at him through the dust. "Who's next?"

Pain blinked. Obviously the son had somehow inherited his mother and father's powers, and yet was apparently a living, breathing human. Interesting. But the children were the priority. "Sergi, take them to the car. The rest of you," he glanced at the six minions he'd brought with him, it was lucky he had others back at base, "kill him."

"No!" Connor bellowed his fury as he watched the children be dragged away. What sort of coward didn't fight his own battles? It was dishonourable.

Lips parting in a snarl, he leapt into the air and into a somersault that resulted in him landing behind the advancing demons. Even as they started to turn to face him, he'd already rammed his stake into one of their chest and executed a flawless standing spin kick to the face that sent a second crashing to the ground.

Sensing another demon behind him, he flung his left foot out in a back heel kick. The vampire grabbed his foot. "Too slow boy," his target growled

Connor grinned. "You think?" Using his trapped foot as leverage, he leapt into the cold night air, spun around to face his opponent and slammed his stake into his adversary's heart. "Seemed plenty fast to me," he crowed.

Even as he landed, he felt a hand grab him by the throat and attempt to fling him backwards. Normally he would have retained his flawless balance - except for stumbling over the vampire he'd previously knocked to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground Connor tried to jump back up but one of the vampires swept his legs from beneath him, knocking him back down.

In a second all four of the remaining vampires were kicking at him. Connor covered up, wincing slightly at the impact of the blows reigning down on him. Finally he saw an opening, hooking one of the vampires' feet in his arm, he yanked, knocking the vampire off-balance and into one of his fellow demons. Taking advantage of the respite, he rose to his knees, grabbed an in-swinging foot and flung his attacker into the last of the demons assaulting him.

Rising, he cannoned a side heel kick into the nearest vampire's chest, knocking his rival onto the rubbish-strewn ground. Scooping up his stake he dropped onto one knee over the monster and slammed his stake home. Hearing a foot swinging to his head, he leaned away from the attack, snatched hold of the foot and twisted, grinning slightly at the demon's howl.

His amusement died when a pair of hands grabbed him by his shoulder and propelled him into the far wall, the back of his head smashing into the concrete. Ignoring the stars circling his head, Connor spun away from the monster's follow-up lunge, slamming a heel into its knee, propelling the vampire to the ground. Before the demon got any further up than on its hands and knees, he thrust his stake through its back.

A plank of wood shattered against his head, knocking him down onto his side, his head colliding with the hard road. Looking up, he threw his stake, javelin-style, into his assailant's heart. The vampire's mouth opened in shock a second before he exploded in dust.

Before he had chance to rise, the last vampire was on him, choking the life from him. In his weakened and dazed state his attempts to escape were ineffectual. Soon his vision began to darken. "First the son," his attacker crowed. "And then the father."

"Nobody's killing anyone," came a voice from behind the demon. "Well except you." Suddenly the vampire exploded into dust. Connor looked up to see, a heavily wounded Lorne leaning up against the wall, crossbow in hand and blood seeping down his brightly coloured shirt. "Hey kiddo, does daddy know you're home?"

"Lorne!" leaping up he caught his father's friend as the demon pitched forward. "Are you alright?"

The demon coughed up blood before replying. "Now if that ain't the dumbest question I've heard this millennia," Lorne coughed again. "I'll be fine, dumbasses didn't know Pyleans hearts are in their asses. Just blood loss." Lorne's eyes grew concerned. "The kids?"

"Vampires got 'em."

Lorne snarled, the uncharacteristic sound making Connor blink. "Never let anyone tell you life's fair kiddo, 'cause it isn't. Bad things happen to good people. Now get me inside."

"Connor!" Angel's elation at seeing his son was dampened by the desolate look on Buffy's face and the tears streaming down Willow as her girlfriend held her. His eyes widened as he noted the heavy bandaging around Lorne's chest. He growled deep in his throat, his patience was fast running with his boy, if he'd hurt his friends again.... "What happened?"

"The Blood Brotherhood happened. Somebody," Gunn entered from the inner office, "we figure the Foundation attempted a hit, killed Rona and Vi," Angel winced. More deaths. "And snatched the kids. They got outside, the Blood Brotherhood grabbed them. Connor tried to stop them, killed seven-."

"Six, Lorne killed one," his son interjected.

"Why?" Angel demanded.

Connor looked up at him, his face strained. "Families should be together."

Angel nodded, he didn't have any argument with that statement. "Where's Faith?"

"She went up to her room," Willow replied, her voice trembling.

They'd let her go on her own? Angel opened his mouth to remonstrate with Buffy and Willow for their thoughtlessness. "And you just let her!" he turned to see a cold-eyed Xander, his skin ashen grey, and his face tight with grief. "She could be doing anything up there!" Xander moved towards the stairwell.

Angel blocked the one-eyed man's path. "Xander," he kept his tone soft. "Maybe you're not the best person to be doing this."

The other man's gaze was unflinching. "My kids too," Xander's voice was husky with pain. "I can't think of anyone better." After a second he nodded and stepped aside. "Thanks." Xander moved to the bottom of the stairway. "Go see your son. Make it up to him Angel." Angel looked towards Connor, yeah that was a good idea.

Faith stared at the teddy bears resting on the bed, tears streaming down her face. They were only small brown teddies, with red silk ribbons around their neck and the cutest white feet, but she remembered when she was the same age as Lex and Hoppy always wanting a teddy but never getting one. When she saw the matching teddies in the shop she'd bought them immediately 'cause her babies were going to have everything she hadn't. But now they were gone, and their teddies were still here. It wasn't right, they should have their teddies.

She tensed as she felt a pair of arms envelop her from behind. "Hey super-tough Slayer," a voice whispered in her ear, "what you crying for? We'll get them back."

Faith jolted with surprise. If anyone came up to comfort her, she'd have figured it to be Angel or maybe one of the Watchers. But Xander? "Y..you promise?" her tough-bitch facade crumbled before her fears.

"You're joking right? Between you, Deadboy, and Buff you must have thwarted what twenty – thirty apocalypses. Some minor-leaguer isn't going to get away with kidnapping our babies."

"Tell me about our life together," she pleaded. "Tell me about all the things we're going to do, me, you, and our babies."

"Uh okay," Xander tensed slightly when she turned to face him, pulling him into a hug, resting her head against his chest. "I figure we'll get a house in the suburbs, somewhere quiet where they've never heard of vampires or Slayers, with plenty of open spaces and parks. Three bedrooms, one for the kids, and one each for us."

"Sounds nice," Faith muttered. "What about Christmas? We'll decorate and give them tons of stuff right? Really spoil them?"

"Yeah," Xander smiled softly, she'd never realised how kind his face looked before, before he'd just been the fool-hardy geek. "And in the summer we'll spend the whole school vacation touring the theme parks – Disneyworld, Disneyland, Magic Mountain, making sure our kids have fun. That sound good?"

Faith nodded. "It sounds real good Xander." But it wouldn't happen, good things never happened to her, she was a bad person who didn't deserve good things. But her babies, they'd never hurt anyone. Slowly anger began to replace fear, nobody was going to hurt her babies. "Let's go down," she whispered.

Angel stared at Connor for an eternity. He twitched at a touch on his elbow. "Wesley has told me much of what occurred between him, you, and Connor," Giles muttered. "Your son is a true miracle, I'm sure Cordelia wouldn't want you to waste your second chance, talk to him."

Angel swallowed before nodding. "Connor," his voice sounded strained even to his own ears. "Can we talk in the inner office?" His son looked at him for what seemed an eternity before nodding, rising, and following him through. He gestured to the seat. "Sit down." After his son had obeyed he continued. "Thanks for trying to -," his voice trailed off. "Just why were you here anyway?" Connor shrugged, his face uncomfortable. "Connor?"

"Last night, I came to kill you." Angel blinked, that wasn't especially a surprise but still disappointing. "But I saw the children and heard that they were being threatened." Connor stopped, his face confused. "It isn't right, people threatening children. They should be with their parents, protected. I decided I had to defend them but failed."

"Son," Angel squeezed the youth's shoulder. "You killed six demons trying to save them. That's a good effort and we'll get them back."

"Do you think Faith will be pleased with my efforts?"

Angel bit back the urge to groan at Connor's hopeful expression. When his boy got crushes bad things happened – reappearance of ancient evils, city wide devastation, that sort of thing. And Liam had thought a dose of the clap was bad. After uttering a silent prayer that he was wrong, he summonsed the courage to ask the question. "Why do you ask?"

Connor's reddening face confirmed his suspicions. "Faith is a beautiful and mighty warrior, she would be a worthy mate."

Faith as a daughter-in-law, Angel shuddered at the thought. And he thought his family was dysfunctional before. For a few seconds he struggled for words. "Son, I don't think Faith's thinking much beyond her children at this moment."

"The children must always be a mother's priority," Connor nodded slowly. "What of the one-eyed man who went up to see Faith? If I wish to win her hand must I challenge him?"

Oh where was the nearest wall to bang his head against? Angel had a feeling he just wasn't getting through. "You remember Faith beat you when she was here?" Connor nodded slowly, his eyes filling with admiration. "Well," he pointed out of the office window, towards Buffy. "See that blonde there? She's perhaps the only person in the world who can beat Faith in a fight, and those girls around her are all Slayers like Faith and Buffy. And if you laid a finger on Xander, they'd take turns ripping you apart."

Scorn filled Connor's eyes. "Is he not a coward to hide behind women?"

Angel fought back the urge to laugh at his son's words. Coward was not a word he'd use to describe Xander, congenital idiot maybe. "You remember Willow ensouling me?" he pointed at the weeping red-head.

Connor nodded slowly. "She has great power."

That was an understatement if Angel had ever heard one. "Last year, a man killed her love. Willow went insane, Buffy couldn't stop her, Willow was going to end the world, but Xander stopped her."

After a second his son bowed his head. "He is worthy of her, I will not contest my claim."

"Thank god," Connor looked up at his comment. He grinned at his son. "Somehow I doubt Darla would approve of her son being with a Slayer." Connor smiled uncertainly, perhaps sensing but not understanding he'd made a joke. "Son," Angel turned serious. "Faith is one of my dearest friends, but she is a lot more experienced in life than you," that was a delicate way of putting it. "Maybe you need to consider girls your own age, learn more about the world today, not the world Holtz told you about."

After a second Connor nodded. "I guess that makes -."

"Fang, we're planning what happens next. You in?"

Angel's blood froze as he glanced towards the raven-haired Bostonian stood in the office doorway. The last time he'd seen that intense of a look in her eyes had been three years ago when he'd rescued Wesley from her clutches and she'd tried to kill him. It was almost enough to make him feel sorry for Pain. Almost. "I'm in. Connor?"

His boy stared dazedly at Faith for a second before replying. "I'm in."

Faith nodded. "Thanks. Shall we?"

He grabbed his son as he started to follow the Slayer out. "After this is over I'd like to try again," he pleaded.

His heart leapt at Connor's reply. "I'd like that too. Family's important."